Rafa was very nearly ... 'ick on the floor ...

Well it all seemed to start quite well. Rafa entered the arena to tumultuous applause, but then in the warm up, he acquired a blister that needed treatment, so the trainer was out to him before lovely Mo had even called "Time" ... Mardy Fish won the toss, elected to serve, and helped beat himself with his nerves as Rafa took the opening game and made inroads into the set. He seemed a bit nervous himself, actually, but a heap-load of errors from Mardy meant another break of serve and Rafa easily took the first set, 6-2.

But it all fell apart in the second. For all Rafa's rest and training, it looked like he hadn't changed at all from that lack lustre player we saw in Asia, as Mardy mixed things up, hit hard and flat and ran rings around him. At one point I feared a bagel, but Rafa somehow kept it reasonable and lost the second set 6-2.

He started well in the second, held serve, then played well to break Fish but at that point, he just left his racquet on the court and went bombing off it. Fish looked a bit annoyed, but Mo explained the "toilet break" to him, and Rafa later admitted that it would have been embarrassing had he not got the hell out of there. Now I don't wish to elaborate on the true extent of what happened in that break, but perhaps the cause was some dodgy salmon eaten for lunch at the hotel. That's the sort of luxury you pay for, folks.

When Rafa came back on court, he promptly lost his serve and it stayed all square till it got to 5-5. I have to say that Rafa's palour looked dreadful, and in a funny sort of way, him feeling ill made him go for his shots a bit quicker than usual. But when Rafa got a couple of match points at 6-5 up with Fish serving, I was hoping and praying that he could convert and just get off there. But it wasn't to be and the tie-break beckoned. He got a quick lead, until Fish came back but fortunately for Rafa, he just about had enough to take it and the match.

Sometimes I just shrug my shoulders at Rafa's luck this year. Once again when you think he could be on the road back with him being very happy with his preparation, some other crazy thing happens to him like eating dodgy fish and another illness befalls him to sap him of his strength.

But hang on in there, Rafa. Its only Feds next ...