Livid Nadal rallies amid umpire flap
Source: Agencies |
June 28, 2010, Monday
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THINGS got quite complicated for Rafael Nadal on Saturday.
His right knee was bothering him "a lot," something he later would say he's "a little bit scared about." His left elbow was briefly in pain, too, following one particular serve.
He got into a dispute with the chair umpire over whether Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle, was coaching during the match, which is against the rules.
And then there was his most immediate concern: For the second consecutive round at Wimbledon, Nadal fell behind by two sets to one.
For the second straight round, though, the generally indefatigable Nadal came back, this time pulling out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory over 33rd-seeded Philipp Petzschner of Germany to reach the second week.
"This match was very difficult for me," Nadal admitted. "Having a five-set match two days ago and one today - that's tough. I'm happy to be in the fourth round. I'm going to try to be better for Monday."
That's when the grasscourt grand slam will resume after observing its traditional day of rest on the middle Sunday, all 32 players still in the event will be on the jam-packed schedule.
Nadal will meet 66th-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, who beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-4. In his previous outing, de Bakker ousted John Isner, the lanky American who won the longest match in tennis history, 70-68 in the fifth set.
As significant
None of the day's developments, however, was as significant as what happened while Nadal faced Petzschner.
Nadal has won seven grand slam titles, including at the French Open this month, and never before has he won two five-setters en route to a major's fourth round. But the Spaniard went the distance against 151st-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands on Thursday, then did so again on Saturday.
At four separate changeovers, Nadal was visited by a trainer, who mostly worked on the player's right knee. Tendinitis in both knees forced Nadal to pull out of Wimbledon a year ago instead of defending his 2008 title, and he disclosed for the first time on Saturday that he's been dealing with knee issues this season.
The left-hander was also worried momentarily when he felt something in that elbow, but said that went away quickly and declared, "The arm is perfect."
Not a lot gets to the ice-cool Nadal but Petzschner's crisp hitting, audacious net forays and an extraordinary call from chair umpire Cedric Mourier had the Mallorcan hot under the collar in the gripping third-round clash.
Nadal leveled an admonishing finger at Mourier when he was called at 2-2 in the deciding set for a little too much chatter with coach Toni Nadal, and later pledged to discuss the ruling with the tournament supervisor.
His right knee was bothering him "a lot," something he later would say he's "a little bit scared about." His left elbow was briefly in pain, too, following one particular serve.
He got into a dispute with the chair umpire over whether Toni Nadal, Rafael's uncle, was coaching during the match, which is against the rules.
And then there was his most immediate concern: For the second consecutive round at Wimbledon, Nadal fell behind by two sets to one.
For the second straight round, though, the generally indefatigable Nadal came back, this time pulling out a 6-4, 4-6, 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3 victory over 33rd-seeded Philipp Petzschner of Germany to reach the second week.
"This match was very difficult for me," Nadal admitted. "Having a five-set match two days ago and one today - that's tough. I'm happy to be in the fourth round. I'm going to try to be better for Monday."
That's when the grasscourt grand slam will resume after observing its traditional day of rest on the middle Sunday, all 32 players still in the event will be on the jam-packed schedule.
Nadal will meet 66th-ranked Paul-Henri Mathieu of France, who beat Thiemo de Bakker of the Netherlands 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6), 6-7 (8), 6-4. In his previous outing, de Bakker ousted John Isner, the lanky American who won the longest match in tennis history, 70-68 in the fifth set.
As significant
None of the day's developments, however, was as significant as what happened while Nadal faced Petzschner.
Nadal has won seven grand slam titles, including at the French Open this month, and never before has he won two five-setters en route to a major's fourth round. But the Spaniard went the distance against 151st-ranked Robin Haase of the Netherlands on Thursday, then did so again on Saturday.
At four separate changeovers, Nadal was visited by a trainer, who mostly worked on the player's right knee. Tendinitis in both knees forced Nadal to pull out of Wimbledon a year ago instead of defending his 2008 title, and he disclosed for the first time on Saturday that he's been dealing with knee issues this season.
The left-hander was also worried momentarily when he felt something in that elbow, but said that went away quickly and declared, "The arm is perfect."
Not a lot gets to the ice-cool Nadal but Petzschner's crisp hitting, audacious net forays and an extraordinary call from chair umpire Cedric Mourier had the Mallorcan hot under the collar in the gripping third-round clash.
Nadal leveled an admonishing finger at Mourier when he was called at 2-2 in the deciding set for a little too much chatter with coach Toni Nadal, and later pledged to discuss the ruling with the tournament supervisor.
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