Rafael Nadal blasted out of Wimbledon by world No100 Lukas Rosol
Rafael Nadal, who won the 11th of his grand slams only this month in Paris and had every hope of adding another in SW19, is out ofWimbledon on day four.
If that is not stark enough a statement, the fact he was beaten in the second round on Thursday night by Lukas Rosol, a 6ft 5in Czech ranked 100 in the world, 98 places adrift of the two-time former champion (and nearly a year older at 26), only added to the amazement.
Rosol not only did Andy Murray a considerable favour by opening up that side of the draw, he illuminated the tournament with the sort of high-risktennis rarely seen at this level. Playing with the freedom of someone who expected to go out in three sets, he achieved what he called "a miracle".
It was a victory not just deserved, however, but universally lauded, and ranks among the greatest upsets in the history of the game. Perhaps Pete Sampras losing to the 145th-ranked George Bastl in the second round on his last visit here 10 years ago comes close – but Nadal is in his pomp, not easing towards retirement.
Rosol had won only 18 matches on Tour in his whole career. Nadal had not lost at this stage of a major tournament for seven years. Yet Rosol hit 65 winners to 41, a margin so clear there can be no argument about the correctness of the result. He might never reproduce such scintillating tennis, especially that which he unleashed in an astonishing fifth set – but it was no fluke, whatever the pain Nadal felt afterwards.
"I'm not just surprised, it's a miracle for me," said Rosol, who had gone out in the qualifiers in each of his previous five visits to Wimbledon. "He's a superstar and I'm very sorry for him, but I played unbelievably well.
"Before the match I was thinking to play just three good sets. But I know that Nadal is only human. Some matches he can turn up in not very good shape. I played my best match ever. It means so much for me. It never happened to me before. I was due to play next week in Germany but I want to stay here as long as I can."
Next up is the German Philipp Kohlschreiber – who beat Nadal earlier this month in Halle; in the further realms of fantasy for Rosol is a semi-final place – possibly against Murray, who took four sets to get past Ivo Karlovic, the Croatian later claiming line judges had dented the integrity of Wimbledon with 11 "outrageous" calls against him for foot faults. There was also a brave five-set exit for British wildcard James Ward against the 10th seed Mardy Fish.
But nothing that went before on the fourth day of this 126th Wimbledon could match the finish under the roof on Centre Court.
Rosol, built along the tall, lean lines of the modern professional, did not concede a point in his final two service games. His ground strokes burned the grass at nearly 100 miles an hour. He hit 22 aces – including two at the end. What chance did Nadal have to save it, having played below par in the first two sets, and slightly better in the fourth? A champion's, of course – but even his pedigree could not deny Rosol's inspired finish.
When they returned from a break to resume under the cover of the roof at two sets apiece, Rosol played a final set of such extraordinary power, precision and skill that Nadal was rendered a virtual bystander. It clearly irked him.
Serving to stay in the match at 5–3 down, he was thankful for a little clip on the net which sat the ball up for him and he put it away, as of old. Now he needed to break to remain in the tournament. Could he come back?
It was a forlorn hope. Rosol's level would not dip. He set up three match points with an ace down the middle and Centre Court held its breath. Another one, wide and wickedly quick, clinched it.
Asked was Rosol "just too good", Nadal replied with uncharacteristic terseness, "Oh, c'mon. That's too simple. In the fifth, yes. Not before, no? In the fifth set he played more than unbelievable. That's fine. Before, first three sets, I didn't play well."
There was tension between them on court, however, Nadal thinking Rosol was time-wasting, which is hugely ironic given the Spaniard's history.
"Is not the right moment for me to say what happened out there because gonna sound an excuse, and I never want to put an excuse after a match like today. But the umpire say a few things weren't right."
If that smacked of ungraciousness, it also reflected Nadal's frustration. He was powerless to resist Rosol in that final onslaught and said as much.
"That happens when you play against a player who is able to hit the ball very hard, hit the ball without thinking and feeling the pressure. At the end, when the opponent wants to play like he wanted to play in the fifth, you are in his hands, no? Everything was going right for him in the fifth."
He might have added because Rosol made it so – just he himself has done so many times in the past and will do again.
Whether Rosol does is more problematic – but he should not be denied the accolades, even by a great adversary, for what was surely his finest night.
No comments:
Post a Comment