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Nadal one step closer to Australian Open glory

How far will Rafa go? (AFP PHOTO / FABRICE COFFRINI)
Roar Guru
25th January, 2017
0

As the match started, Rafael Nadal was close to Milos Raonic. Closer than what people might have thought he would be.

It looked as though he was trying to pile not just his physical body, but everything about him and Melbourne Park on top of the Canadian.

But Milos was too quick and too good for that to work. The opening game went into repeated deuces, but Raonic held. He stopped the Spaniard at the gate. It was player versus player, not legend versus the already downtrodden.

As the tight match continued, and Nadal and Raonic got further away from each other, it was when Nadal looked more and more likely to get in front.

It was in the seventh game when Nadal broke Raonic. From there, Nadal’s supremacy was never seriously in doubt.

You could argue that in the physical style of their play the closest cricket has to Nadal is Mitchell Johnson. Johnson had it all to prove after his injury in 2011 to reach the pinnacle his talent had always suggested was possible.

Nadal is the same age Johnson was when he received that serious injury, similarly trying to silence the doubters.

To even reach his old standard, the standard that won Grand Slams, requires monumental effort.

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In the second game, Nadal received a warning to hurry it up in between serves as he was about to serve on break point received the ire of the commentators.

Apparently, it had been longer than twenty seconds. If either followed a sport in which slowness in between balls is as tolerated as cricket, or at least as closely as I do, they might not have such a problem with the importance on which tennis places on a match moving forward at an acceptable rate.

The game itself was far more important than the warning. It went into even more deuces than the first game of the match.

My sister used to call deuce ‘cordial’ when we played matches when we were kids. If deuce was called cordial, and every member of the crowd received cordial when it reached that score, the supplies at the nearby supermarket would have been exhausted.

Nadal eventually held.

After a game like that, there’s always the possibility the next game will be over in the blink of an eye and the match will return to a repeat of that game.

Raonic held, but it wasn’t over that quickly. It was 30-all before Raonic skipped away with the game.

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From that point on, it always felt like the set would go to a tiebreak. It was as though the script wouldn’t allow for any other possibility. They couldn’t have been closer together if a police officer had walked onto the court and handcuffed them to each other.

But before that tiebreak, Raonic went off the court for treatment. It was seven minutes before Raonic was back on court.

The set was 3-2 in his favour, with Nadal serving. The break didn’t stop Nadal’s progress in the match.

Raonic made getting an advantage in the ninth game look like the hardest thing you’ve ever seen, and he required the video to do it.

Until he tried to capitalise on that advantage. He eventually did, but no part of it looked easy. By contrast, even before the start of the next game, it felt inevitable Nadal would hold to make it 5-all.

Then Nadal proceeded to give up two set points, just to prove that my feelings of inevitability were stupid.

Nadal saved them, but gave up another set point immediately afterwards with a ridiculous drop shot with Raonic on the run, closer to the ball kids at the back of the court than the baseline.

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Nadal went for it properly next point, saving another set point, then Raonic stuffed up the return next point and Nadal closed out the game next point.

Eventually, the game got to that promised tiebreak. They started even, when they changed ends after six points it was still even.

After ten points, Raonic had another two set points alongside his name. The first one was on Nadal’s serve, as before, and again the Canadian couldn’t ram home the advantage against the Spaniard’s serve. But the next point was on Raonic’s. Surely, he would finish the set?

Double fault.

They were going to go around the net once more in this set. 6-all.

Raonic earned another set point with a much better point on his serve straight after the changeover. But Nadal couldn’t be conquered on his serve yet again. 7-all.

Before the Spaniard gave up the ball, he forced the Canadian to serve to keep himself in the set. He couldn’t do it. The promised forehand hit the net, and went out of bounds from there.

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Game, set, and almost the match, to Nadal.

Nadal started the third set with the ball in his hand. From the time he tossed it up for the first point of the set, to the last point of the set, he was in front.

What I’m about tell you took a lot longer than what I’ll make it sound.

Love hold for Nadal. Hold for Raonic. Easy hold for Nadal. Strong hold for Raonic. Hold for Nadal. Hold after deuce for Raonic. Easy hold for Nadal. Hold for Raonic. Love hold for Nadal.

Down two sets and 4-5 in the third, it was then up to Raonic to serve to stay in the match.

Backhand winner. 0-15.

Another point to Nadal. 0-30.

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An incredible rally, with both players running around the court amazingly well, but Nadal won it again when Raonic finally couldn’t get one back. 0-40.

Three match points.

Nadal only needed one. As Raonic’s last shot sank into the wrong side of the court, Nadal sank into the ground on his side of the court and put his head in his hands.

He was one step closer to winning the Australian Open.

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