LONDON: The skies above Wimbledon darkened in the British dusk.
The light under the Centre Court roof seemed odd and eerie, an ominous yellow.
There was a stunned daze, an uncommon feeling.
King Rafa Nadal – the oh-so-proud French Champion, the Spanish Bull, the two-time Wimbledon Champ – was on the ropes. This was Muhammad Ali suffering knock-out blows. Babe Ruth whiffing in the World Series. Michael Jordan being rejected.
Tennis has had its share of stunning upsets. Little meek Michael (that would be Michael Chang) downing the dour ‘n sour goliath Ivan Lendl at the ’89 French Open. The unknown Swiss George Bastl downing the aging icon Pete Sampras on Wimbledon’s Court 2 in 2002, or an unknown Aussie kid, Lleyton Hewitt ranked 550, beating Zen Master Andre Agassi.
Okay, little else approaches Joe Namath’s Jets beating the Baltimore Colts in the 1969 Super Bowl or America’s (“Do You Believe in Miracles”) hockey kids humiliating the dreaded Soviet Union in 1980.
Still Lukas Rosol’s 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 second round win over Rafa Nadal was right there with this sport’s all-time great shock results.
If nothing else, it brought to mind the improbable victory of another tall lean Euro blaster – a Swede named Robin Soderling – who downed Nadal in the 4th round of the 2009 French Open in what had been the most significant tennis upset of the 21st century. But Robin Soderling was a known threat and seeded 23, and Nadal “only” had five (of his 11) Slam trophies on his shelf. And around the press room, as Rafa and Rosol went on court the focus was elsewhere: should there be equal pay in tennis? After all Nadal’s victory was assumed, just another day at the office. He was truly one of the great brands in sport, a worldwide icon, ranked No. 2 who was, in many an eye, the favorite to win his third Wimbledon.7The muscle man had not lost in the second round of a major since 2005. Seeded No. 2, he had not lost in the second round of a Slam since 2005. No way would Rafa be threatened. Just count the ways.
Rosol was playing for the first time on Centre Court. He certainly would be overwhelmed. Five times he hadn’t gotten beyond the first round at Wimbledon. Grass was not his surface. This year he lost in the first round at the Aussie Open and the second round at Roland Garros. The best this guy had done in a major was reaching the third round at Roland Garros in 2011. He had played four minor league challengers this year and hadn’t reach one final.
Of course, he and Rafa had something in common.They were both 26. But Rosol had 19 wins in his career, Rafa had 583. Rosol had four wins in majors, Rafa had 157. This, common sense told us, would be his 158th.
But the bouncing Czech had other ideas. Coached up by his mentor Slava Dosedel, he played a tough first set, but could not convert any of his three set points and ultimately lost in a tie-break.
Still Rosol was hitting out. In the zone, he made an all-time great look regular. The best defensive player of all-time was pinned time and again. Playing wide to Nadal’s forehand, he opened the court and unleashed out of reach winners to win the second set.Rafa had lost his snarl. Irritated and agitated, he showed his frustration, whining to the ump that the Czech was prancing too much as he was about to serve and after Nadal lost his serve early in the third set he brushed into his foe during a changeover. “He wanted to take my concentration,” said Rosol. “Yeah, but it was okay. I knew that he will try something, but I was concentrating and was good … He talked to me a little bit. He just wanted to take my concentration. I think it’s normal somebody do it like this.”
But there was little that was normal about this match and the Rafa/Lukas collision would prove to be a mere bump in Rosol’s improbable road. The Czech served big, was comfortable with his own game plan and roared to a two set to one lead. But Nadal is the game’s best fighter since Jimmy Connors, and not surprisingly, he launched a counter-attack.
In failing light, Nadal took command and won the fourth set 6-2 to even the battle.
Then the tennis Gods once again intervened. In the 2008 (“Battle in the Dusk/Strokes of Genius”) Wimbledon final, Rafa managed to down Federer just moments before total darkness. And just weeks ago in Paris, in the French Open final, (when Novak Djokovic had finally mounted a massive offensive,won eight straight games and completely reversed the momentum) the Rafa-friendly Gods again offered a Spanish smile. Play was halted. Rafa re-grouped, and on Monday won his 7th Roland Garros.
But, the scales of justice do balance. And, at Wimbledon, just as it seemed that Rafa had righted his ship and would survive, officials informed him that they would be closing their snazzy high-tech, high cost roof. But, go figure, Centre Court’s sacred grass needed to breathe. The air conditioning had to kick in, there would be a thirty minute delay.
Translation: the flow of the competition would be aborted. This would be a momentum killer.
The Czech blaster who was at last coming to earth, would now be able to re-group. In hindsight, critics said Rafa should have raged: “let us go on playing, there’s light. Why should the match be interrupted.” But Nadal seemed a bit confused and deferential.
There was a 42-minute delay.
Everything changed. There would be no wind. This was now indoor tennis and, more to the point, when Nadal renewed the battle he committed the Cardinal sin of grass court play. Hitting off his back foot and on the defensive, he played an inexplicably loose game and was broken. Rosol knew destiny was in his hands. He just had to hold serve and the match would be his. So he reigned down ace after ace, showed no signs of doubt, and wouldn’t give Rafa a hint of a break point. “I was somewhere else,” the fist-pumping Rosol conceded. “I didn’t feel anything. I believe myself and I knew that I could make it.”
Rafa couldn’t believe. The proud Majorcan stole glances at the man in the zone. “Who is this guy,” he seemed to be asking. “When will he blink? When will the assault stop?”
It didn’t. The BBC broadcaster told us “this is a freak performance. I can’t believe what I see.” Hips rotating – a violent torque – Rosol stepped in and blasted returns and 93 mph backhands. “He’s in this dream state,” said announcer David Mercer. “It’s just majestic. Is he going to wake up? In my 35 years,I’ve never seen such sustained hitting.” Jacked up, Rosol sprinted around the game’s greatest stage and gave himself no time to choke or be self-conscious. Up 5-4 – the throng chanted “Luka, Luka, Luka and then reverted to an almost deathly hush. The unknown wannabe arrived at match point, where he unleashed yet another ace.
The crowd roared in triumph, the Czech fell and sprawled flat and tossed his racket into the net.
A moment in tennis time stood still.
The man in the zone had vanquished the Mighty Man.
Rafa dances around excuses. Still he would hint of lost opportunities: “No, I played bad and my return wasn’t working … I played with little bit less energy … I had two breaks in that two sets, and I really didn’t had that chance to break back … I am very, very disappointed. … In the end [it] is a second‑round match. Is not the semifinals or final … that bothers more, because then you feel that you had the chance to win the title … So I was very far to win the tournament … But, well, that’s sport. You win, you lose. Last four months were great … probably one of the best four months of my career … You arrive here, and … you play against an inspired opponent and I am out. That’s all. Is not a tragedy. Is only a tennis match. “
Yes, it was only a tennis match. And Ruth was only a slugger, Ali was merely a boxer and Jordan just a dunker. Still we frame their triumphs and ponder their losses. Even the most mighty among us fall. Just ask that good looking guy by the pool in Mallorca – Rafa Nadal.
