Tour diary: More man than machine

Rafael Nadal

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On the north bank of the Thames, the sun broke through the rolling clouds above the postcard-perfect Hurlingham Club on Friday.

With the Pimm’s and champagne flowing in the hospitality suite, Pat Cash gassed with Henri Leconte about the modern grass court and why Federer should be serving and volleying next week, ‘for the good of the game’.

But Federer was the last man on anyone’s mind in Fulham yesterday. The man of the hour, the man approaching zero hour over what he’d later call “one of the toughest decisions” of his life, Rafael Nadal stepped out onto the plush green show court after Stanislas Wawrinka in front of the small but packed stadium crowd for one last shot.

On his return to competitive action at theFortis Bank Classic Exhibition event on Thursday, Nadal had lost to Lleyton Hewitt with a performance that had alarmed the majority of those wishing to convince themselves that, after three weeks of rehab on his troublesome knees, he was fit again.

Ring rustiness they could account for, but the Spaniard’s clear discomfort as he moved around the court a step or two slower than he can was anything but a statement of intent for Wimbledon. Yet here he was again just a day later, playing his last fixture ahead of the Championships, hoping – as the majority of the present crowd were – that 24 hours would make all the difference.

The theories among the stands covered the full spectrum of possibility. He failed to register a point on Wawrinka’s serve in the first game – there’s no way he’ll be at Wimbledon! He then held serve to 15 – of course he’ll be there! Every flex and grimace, every bludgeoned drive and fluffed drop-shot, every glance to Toni and Benito in the courtside player’s box – everything was a sign.

The crowd were so intent on pseudo-analysing the world No.1 that the match became an afterthought, with only a handful of cat-calls and shouts of support for both Nadal and Wawrinka coming from the stands.

Credit must go to the Swiss No.2, who won the event with victory against the Spaniard, but he must have known that all eyes were on his opponent. Wawrinka played a steady game, serving well and doing his best to test Nadal’s range of movement, keeping the ball low and injecting power into the rallies on occasion, and it proved enough to recover from a set down against beleaguered world No.1.

Like the crowd, Nadal was subdued. There were flurries of hope, the odd grunt coupled with a drive, and even thoughts of a new approach when he heeded Cash’s advice and looked to reach the net more often than we have seen before. He managed to serve out the first set unbroken after Wawrinka sacrificed his own serve in game 5 with two poor forehands back to back, and broke early in the second. But when the Swiss broke back he also stepped up a gear, limiting the Spaniard to just one more break point in the match.

Under a little bit more pressure, Nadal looked a little more at home. His defence is built to deal with pace, and his backhand slice in particular turned the tables on Wawrinka time and again. But the most telling moment of the match came in the ensuing tie-break.

After saving set point at 6-5 on the Wawrinka serve with a sublime forehand return down the line, Nadal was two points from the match and very much in the rally at 6-6, when he sliced a backhand lob above Wawrinka and rushed the net. Wawrinka recovered, swivelled and hit a looping cross-court forehand that Nadal left.

The ball landed at the junction of baseline and tramline. Nadal looked round in amazement, his shoulders dropped, and afforded himself a smile.

It was then that we should have known the game was up. What the Spaniard has achieved in the past year has been nothing short of sensational – winning three of the four Grand Slams, Olympic gold, and overhauling Roger Federer in the rankings to reach the top of the men’s game.

But his demeanour on court has been gradually more and more fraught in recent months. The man-machine of 2008 set himself the most demanding of schedules, playing virtually every available Tour match, week on week. When he pulled out of the Masters Cup in November, it was clear that the regime had taken its toll.

The astonishing Australian Open title betrayed this truth, but only temporarily. Titles in Indian Wells, Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Rome followed, but the pack were closing in. Federer beating him on the clay of Madrid, and Soderling dumped him out of the French Open. Both were inevitabilities for a man trying to negotiate his game and his physique, balancing performance against pain.

The smile was undoubtedly a flash of relief. The relief of recognising that the world will not stop spinning if he doesn’t play the game. The relief of a man who probably accepted before he stepped on the court on Friday that Wimbledon was beyond him. The relief that soon he can do what it seemed he’d never need to, and rest.

In the pressroom after Wawrinka had sewn up the match tie-break 10-3, the consensus agreed that if he wanted to, Nadal could turn out at Wimbledon – but winning was out of the question. Many players in his situation would not even have played such an exhibition event, simply accepting matters and going home. It is of great credit to him that he gave himself his best shot of playing next week. But it was not enough.

Nadal’s spokesman emerged from the doorway, but the Spaniard was not with him. The press conference, he told reporters, had been moved to later that evening at the All England Club. We had all hoped, against hope, that Rafa would make it, but the message was clear. From that moment, the obituaries were being written.

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Holly Jun 21, 10:51 PM

Thanks for your report and insight. He really is so much more then this tennis machine. I’m happy he’s resting and taking care of himself. It’s been a long time coming and he deserves it. I hope he’s out on the sea fishing!
Vamos Rafa!

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