This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jun/26/rafael-nadal-lukas-rosol-wimbledon
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Rafael Nadal gets his revenge over Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon | Rafael Nadal gets his revenge over Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Rafael Nadal has constructed his engaging persona of humility by consistently refusing to either denigrate a beaten opponent or to indulge in shameless boasting. | |
However, after resisting the high-quality challenge of Lukas Rosol in four sets to advance to the third round of the 2014 Wimbledon championships – two years after losing to him at the same stage – the world No 1 was inclined, correctly, to describe his comeback from a set and 2-4 down as a bit special. | |
“I am very happy the way I played,” he said of his 4-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, 6-4 victory. “Seriously. It is a great win for me. It is the best level I played on grass since long time ago, the last three sets.” | |
Rosol, meanwhile, claimed he had put his historic effort of 2012 out of his mind which, with the best will in the world, is difficult to accept. “I was not thinking if I can do it again or if I cannot do it again,” he said. | |
“I was trying to just play my game, concentrate on every single point and, from the beginning, it was pretty good, everything was working.” | |
It surely was. Indeed, had he built on what was a cyclonic start, he might well have blown Nadal off the court. But, as Rosol conceded, “Third and fourth set, I was really struggling on my serve. Not many first serves in. | |
“Without serve, then we start to play rallies, and that was his game.” | |
This was a match of undeniable edge, the glare coming as much from the exchange of searing intensity on either side of the net over for two hours and 43 minutes as the sunlight giving Centre Court all the warmth of a fight in hell. Rosol persistently fidgeted when addressing Nadal’s serve, which visibly annoyed his opponent, and the Spanish maestro celebrated each point with the sort of animosity associated with the boxing ring. | |
They do not much like each other, that much is clear. | |
Nadal, though, was quick to douse the impression that there was any element of revenge in his performance. “What happened, happened,” he said of the 2012 seismic five-set loss, in which Rosol, then ranked 100 in the world, played perhaps one of the most perfect sets in the history of tennis to finish off his illustrious opponent in the second round. | |
“That’s it. We already congratulate him for what happened two years ago,” Nadal said. “Today is another history, another story. I needed to find the solution. Finally I did. I think I played with fantastic energy during the last three sets. Very positive. Very quick with my legs. Very quick mentally. I was returning great last three sets. I was able to have more breaks.” | |
As he also pointed out, the early rounds of slams are now more often minefields than cakewalks. | |
“Every match is so difficult here, especially when you play against players that have decided to play every shot full power, with serve, with the forehand, with the backhand. When that happens you are in trouble if the inspiration is there for the opponent, no?” | |
Yes, in fact. And Rosol deserves full credit for the way he seized his chance in the first set, lathering the ball as if it were a life-long enemy, trusting his talent and letting the points fall where they may. | |
“I played a bad game at four-all and I lost the first set,” Nadal admitted. | |
“Until that moment I was playing better than him, but didn’t have my chances on the return because he was serving well. I was confident with my serve, but I lost that game. Then he started to hit every ball full power, every serve serving unbelievable. In the second set when I had the break back at 4-3 I played an unbelievable game.” | |
All very believable, as it happens. Few doubted Nadal would get back into the match. | |
Nadal did have to hold fast against some brilliant serving by Rosol, who put 17 aces past him, including four in the fretful fourth set when the French Open champion might have imagined he had seen off his best work and would have a comfortable ride to the finish. | |
Rosol, though, battled all the way, even in his opponent’s closing service game. Had he taken advantage of a break point there, levelled and gone on to force a tie-break, we would have been in the realm of the unknown, because the Czech has a track record of fighting hard to the finish, most notably in doubles for his country in Davis Cup. | |
Now Nadal has a challenge of an entirely different kind, one with no in-built angst, against Mikhail Kukushkin, the 26-year-old Kazak ranked 63 in the world. Kukushkin, who is coached by his wife, Anastasia, beat the Canadian Frank Dancevic 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. He had shoulder problems in March but has played untroubled here. | |
Nevertheless, it is difficult to see Nadal struggling for the third match in a row at a major against a player ranked outside the top 50. If he does, it might be fair to say he is in some sort of trouble in these championships. |