Tournament organisers are tearing their hair out as two of their biggest pulling cards exit the Miami Masters.
The insurmountably bad news is both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have withdrawn – Federer prior to the the main draw, Nadal in the third set of his opening match.
To the relief of Federer fans, his much-anticipated return after arthroscopic surgery on his knee was halted by a stomach virus, not injury. Funnily enough, the injury in question wasn’t the result of playing tennis; he was drawing a bath for his twin girls, Myla and Charlene.
Although the world is lamenting his continued absence, the tennis universe will not be devoid of its stellar entity for much longer. Thankfully, Federer will compete in the Monte Carlo Masters, commencing April 11.
As for Rafael Nadal, his withdrawal came under somewhat more dramatic circumstances. The King of Clay blasted through the first set 6-2 against world No.94 Damir Dzumhur, showcasing some of the vintage Nadal on display at Indian Wells.
However, both players wilted at the soaring temperatures under the Miami sun, accentuated by the sweltering humidity, and the fact the match was played in the heat of the day.
Dzumhur was the first to falter, calling for a medical time out at the end of the first set. After a rest and an anti-nausea tablet, the Bosnian’s level improved in set two. However, Nadal’s level took a sudden and inexplicable drop; it was obvious all was not right with the Spaniard.
After Nadal made a number of uncharacteristic unforced errors, including blowing a break point by sending an easy forehand long, Dzumhur took the second set 6-4, and Nadal called for his own medical time out.
Citing severe dizziness, the former world No.1 asked for medication and some salt. However, for some unimaginable reason, neither was available.
Regardless of the fact Nadal has a history of suffering badly in extremely humid conditions, he opted to continue the match, and immediately went down 2-0 in the third. Unable to move freely, he returned to the sidelines, collapsed into his chair, and called once again for the medic.
Nadal’s ashen face and sluggish speech indicated a retirement was on the cards, but he stood and pushed on for one more service game. Finally, after being broken again, the Spaniard opted out.
The decision came as a huge shock, as Nadal has not withdrawn from a match for six years. The last time was the 2010 Australian Open quarter-finals against Andy Murray.
However, rather than accepting the withdrawal of the 14-time grand slam champion with grace and respect, 23-year-old Dzumhur celebrated with a whoop and a number of fist pumps. Although Dzumhur’s elation at being gifted a spot in the third round by a clearly distressed Nadal is understandable, it would seem unsportsmanlike to blatantly celebrate an opponent’s ill-health.
This is especially so as Nadal requested to have his blood pressure taken on court because he feared losing consciousness, and stated afterwards he thought it was the beginning of a virus.
Awkwardly enough, Dzumhur revealed he had spoken to Novak Djokovic after the match, and outlined the world No.1’s thoughts on the situation.
“I met Novak Djokovic after the match and he told me to be proud of myself, because Nadal has never surrendered a match in his career before,” Dzumhur stated to The Sarajevo Times.
“I would not like my victory to be diminished because Nadal surrendered the match.”
Unless Dzumhur somehow controls the Miami weather, Nadal’s health, and the tournament schedule, asserting Nadal’s retirement was somehow wholly to do with the world No.94’s game was another foot-in-mouth moment for Djokovic. More to the point, it’s inaccurate; Nadal has withdrawn from matches before, albeit only seven times in a 15-year career.
Either way, any words remotely to that effect after a player’s withdrawal are in as poor taste as Djokovic’s mention of “female hormones” in last week’s notorious Indian Wells post-win press conference. The fact Nadal was arguably the only player to have seriously pushed Djokovic at Indian Wells, and was a possible contender for the Miami title, only makes it more inappropriate.
Of course, there’s a chance Djokovic didn’t mean exactly what he said. It’s a fairly uncharacteristic statement, from a man so renowned for his good humour. Maybe Dzumhur’s retelling of their encounter was clouded by excitement and adrenaline – which was, funnily enough, Djokovic’s excuse for last week’s passive aggressive comments opposing equal pay for women in tennis.
But overall, it’s been a bad week of PR for Djokovic, an anti-climactic week for Federer, and a wholly frustrating week for Nadal, who was looking to build on his excellent Indian Wells run. Let’s hope Monte Carlo yields more positive feelings for players, tournament organisers, and audiences alike.
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