Tis a funny old game tennis, isn't it?
I'd recorded the match as I both couldn't stay up or get up for it's scheduled 3 am start here in the UK. So I've watched it this morning. Firstly, Rafa looks fabulous in peppermint green *licks lips*, and it's absolutely marvellous to be able to watch him again in big tournament and have my interest in tennis re-ignited. *fangirl*
And what a start Rafa seemingly made. He broke early due to some bad, tactical moves by Ryan Harrison and was looking like he'd romp away with the set when he had two points to break to give him a 5-1 lead. But he didn't convert, and Harrison held on, and then a really poor service game by Rafa had his break lost and Harrison even-upped the match until it's tie-break conclusion. As what usually happens, Rafa romped home in the TB ... but that set had been a bit tighter than it first appeared it would.
After a hold each in the second set, Rafa pounced early and with a huge "Vamos!!", he was the first to break. But again, he struggled to hold his own service game, but finally came through. Some very good play by Rafa saw him get a double break and he ran out the winner by a 7-6, 6-2 scoreline.
Some observations.
Firstly, who would have wanted to have been sat near those fat-mouthed blokes yelling out against Rafa all the time? Good grief ... it isn't a slight upon your masculinity to be seen at a Nadal match, so you don't have to prove it all the time. Secondly ... commies. I thought we had some muppets over here in the UK, but some of the American ones you guys have to put with it. Geez. We had "hardcourts" and "knee" mentioned at least 37 times in one sentence, and then the twaddle they talk. Planning Rafa's schedule out for him like he'll play the South American clay court swing more in the future. What South American clay court swing? Aren't both Chile and Mexico ripping up the courts to turn them into hard next year? Dropping Dubai. God, if there's one thing that irritates the hell out of me it's this constant reference to Dubai. Rafa hasn't played the damn tournament since 2008!!!! It's never been on his schedule in recent times. And then the debate about which hardcourt tournies he'll drop. What?? There was plenty of rumour that Rafa wouldn't be coming to Indian Wells and Miami. If he'd not shown for both, I think he could legitimately have argued a case of his knee condition and not being physically up to it.
But he's here. And he might just get away with it if he pulls out of Miami. But then what come August? ATP and ITF rules require appearances at all of the Slams and 8 of the 9 Masters, otherwise he'll face penalties. He always plays the one Master that a player can legitimately drop - Monte Carlo - so that means that he has to show up at 7 of the remaining 8 because so far, he only qualifies to be able to drop one more. So it's such a source of irritance to me when commentators and forums alike talk about him being able to plan a schedule on his own whims. Aren't you the ones so found of playing with the rules??!!?? Gaah.
Anyhow, to Rafa. Its apparently been 346 days since he last played on a hardcourt. And as for yesterday, sometimes it showed and sometimes it didn't. He looked wonderful when he raced ahead to an early lead in the first set, but then the forehand mis-fired and he seemed to put too much on it. He had quite a high number of double faults for him. He didn't seem to use his backhand as much as he did last week against Ferrer, although he hit a couple of backhand return screamers. The pressure when being down in a game told on him, his decision-making in his shot choice was a little off. It's all a question of time, and match play. And as Rafa is keen to tell us ... it's not about now and these couple of tournaments - it's what is coming afterwards, and what he's building for.
But Vamos! Rafa!! A pretty good effort so far ...
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