Rafa rising – is Nadal about to take New York by storm?

Written by: Staff on 8th September 2010

Rafa rising - is Nadal about to take New York by storm? |

You can feel the buzz around the hallways of Flushing Meadows. Nadalmania is not quite an epidemic just yet, but it might just be by the time this US Open is over.

You cannot blame some US tennis fans for being a little slow to succumb to the Spaniard’s charms for he has seldom produced his best tennis on the speedy rubber of the Arthur Ashe Stadium or its surrounding courts. He has twice been a semi-finalist here at the US Open but compared to his results elsewhere – five French Opens, two Wimbledon titles and an Australian Open victory – it seems like his bogey tournament.

This year, however, partly out of necessity and partly out of a desire to complete his set of grand slam titles, Nadal has modified both his game and his body. The muscle mass may be less but the heavy ball is still there and both his speed of foot and his serve appear quicker and therefore better suited to courts which are widely acknowledged to be the fastest amongst the grand slams. The loss of bulk may have been tied in with the treatment he underwent post-Wimbledon to alleviate the frequent pain he feels in his knees – a lighter frame and a more aggressive, less labour-intensive game would certainly help – but crucially he has managed to slim down without sacrificing any weight from his shot.

The loss of body bulk and a shorter haircut has made Nadal look older, replacing the chipmunk-like cheeks with well-defined cheekbones. If anything – and this could just be a trick of the imagination – he is starting to look a little more like Roger Federer than like the boy-matador that first fist pumped his way onto the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris all those years ago. Perhaps this will be the cue for Federer to grow his hair again, done a sleeveless top and pirate pants and practice cultivating a right eyebrow with a mind of its own. Or perhaps not.

Results matter far more than outward appearances though, and there is no arguing with those. Nadal reached a quarter-final against with Fernando Verdasco without dropping a set or – and this is the kicker, if you will pardon the pun – dropping his serve. “To be in the quarter-finals of the US Open without losing a set and without losing a serve, two things must work really well – the concentration and the serve,” said Nadal, after dispatching another compatriot, Feliciano Lopez, on Tuesday night. “I think I am playing well, but I am not playing yet at my highest level. I am playing better and better every day and I had to play a little bit better this match.”

Verdasco fought his way into the quarter-finals by coming from two sets down to beat David Ferrer (yes, you guessed it, another Spaniard) courtesy of some spectacular tennis – watch the You Tube clip of match point here to see what I’m talking about. Verdasco and Nadal have produced some great matches in previous meetings, notably their extraordinary five-setter at the 2009 Australian Open semi-final so the World No.1 may find himself tested more rigorously than he has been so far this US Open.

With due respect to Stanislas Wawrinka and Mikhail Youzhny, who also play on Thursday in that same section of the draw, the removal of Andy Murray from the equation must have pleased Nadal enormously, for they were seeded to meet in the semi-finals. The Spaniard lost to Murray in the semi-finals of the 2008 US Open and at this year’s Australian Open, as well is in Toronto earlier this summer, and does not enjoy playing him. Wawrinka’s third round defeat of the Scot was a big favour to the Spaniard.

Looking ahead, should Nadal get past Verdasco, he will approach Youzhny with care and caution. The Russian has more potential to be an obstacle to Nadal’s progress than Wawrinka, for the he has had four notable wins over Nadal (granted, out of 11 – see their head to head here) and is always dangerous on faster surfaces.

The other problem Nadal may have is the peculiar scheduling of the US Open, which dictates that whoever reaches the final has to play consecutive matches on Saturday and Sunday. That could be a problem if Nadal’s knees are giving him any trouble. Oh, and we should probably mention that Federer guy, who has won five US Open titles out of six finals and whom might just be across the net from Nadal in the final.

If Nadalmania is to sweep through Flushing Meadows, Federer might just be immune.

Topics: Arthur Ashe, Arthur Ashe Stadium, Australian Open, Bogey, Cheekbones, Chipmunk, Court Philippe Chatrier, Eyebrow, Frequent Pain, Grand Slam Titles, Grand Slams, Hallways, Intensive Game, Muscle Mass, Open Victory, Roger Federer, Semi Finalist, Spaniard, Tennis Fans, Wimbledon Titles