Former Australian Open champion Rafael Nadal overcame qualifier and world number 112, Tim Smyczek, 6-2 3-6 (2) 6-7 6-3 7-5 late on Wednesday evening. Nadal battled both his opponent and his body throughout the four hour epic; mind over matter was the call of the day as his body betrayed him. Smyczek, for his part, played the match of his life, using his remarkable foot speed to consistently trouble Nadal.
Early indications were that this was to be a routine rout for Nadal. Breaking Smyczek early for a 3-1 lead, Nadal sought to impose his forehand on proceedings, bullying his opponent around the court and utilising his ferocious inside-out forehand to score multiple winners. Unperturbed by Smyczek’s attempts to disrupt his rhythm with forays to the net, Nadal concentrated his efforts on heavy groundstroke play. He hit his backhand impressively, flattening it out consistently and hitting to a good length. Not facing a single break point, he struck his sixth winner of the set for a 6-2 first set.
From here, the match got ugly for Nadal very quickly. Nadal mentioned in his post-match press conference that, “At the end of the first set, I start to feel my body very bad, very tired. I don’t know. I was worrying crazy.” The second and third sets were characterised by uncharacteristic errors from Nadal and an inability to play the important points well. He was broken a total of five times in sets two and three, double faulting on break points three times to concede the break. Deflated and struggling, Nadal tried to play his normal tennis but couldn’t muster the strength necessary to impose his game. Having conceded the second set 6-3, a medical time-out was swift to follow early in the third set as he complained of feeling dizzy and the trainer handed him some medication to take.
Smyczek’s form in these sets was extremely good; he was seemingly unaffected by Nadal’s struggles. Focusing on his own game, he used his foot speed to retrieve every ball and put Nadal in uncomfortable position after uncomfortable position. His groundstrokes were hit with pinpoint accuracy, he is adept at hitting both his backhand and forehand down the line, and with Nadal unable to play in his customary manner, this tactic proved effective. Moreover, he was unafraid to change things up, coming to the net eleven times in sets two and three. Granted, his conversion rate was poor on these approaches, but sometimes, a net rush on its own is enough to put someone off.
At times, Nadal was able to continue on in rallies and in the match through sheer willpower. Constant glances at his box, a shake of the head here, head in hands there, it was clear that the Spaniard was struggling physically. However, he refused to go away, he continued to fight for each point, even when forehands fell limply into the net. For this determination he was rewarded with a break late in the third set and served for it at 5-4. Whether it was nerves or physical discomfort, Nadal blinked, and Smyczek was rewarded with two break points for gutsy play. Nadal double faulted and the break was restored. A tie-break quickly followed. Smyczek played an unbelievable tie-break; seeing the ball like a beach ball, he hit two forehand winners and raced into a 5-2 lead. For once, the focus was not on Nadal: Smyczek was the focus of the spectators, as he produced brilliant shot after brilliant shot. He took the tie-break 7-2 and Nadal left the court for a comfort break.
A new Nadal emerged in the fourth set, or should I say, the Nadal of old. He came out looking to be aggressive, taking on his forehand and surprising Smyczek with the potency of his groundstrokes. There was clear evidence of his physical struggles as he left balls which he would normally run for, perhaps a legacy of the lack of match play he has had over the last six months. Chattering to Uncle Toni and trudging from one side of the court to the other, the 2009 champion had plenty of experience to draw on with regards to suffering on this court. As he mentioned in his press conference, “Well, I spent lot of beautiful moments in this court, but at the same time is one of the court that I really had more tough moments in my career, no?” He fist-pumped and “vamosed” in equal measure to the grimaces, trying to pull through the fourth set. Nadal managed to score two break points at 3-2 and took them, before serving to take a vice-like grip on the set for 5-2. Serving for the set at 5-3 Nadal shouted ‘come on” as Smyczek netted a return.
The fifth set raced by in a flurry of winners and tense moments, neither player playing well, but at the same time producing good tennis independent of the other. Smyczek seemed unafraid throughout the set; he never backed off, consistently going for his shots and being rewarded with clean winners. As the set reached the business end, Nadal’s superior experience and Smyczek’s inexperience proved telling. At 5-5, Smyczek took an ill-advised drive volley out of the air and sent it straight to Nadal, who passed with his trusty backhand. On break point, Smyczek sent a short ball into the net and Nadal sat down at the changeover, knowing that he would serve to get through one of the toughest matches of his career. Nadal serve-volleyed multiple times at 6-5 and earned himself three match points; Smyczek saved them all. Was there to be another twist? Nadal put paid to this expectation with a big backhand winner and on his fourth match point, sliced a serve out wide and put the forehand into the other corner. Falling to his knees, head in hands, Nadal’s will had won out.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @TennisObsessive. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter –@LastWordOnSport – and @LWOSworld and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
