Dolgopolov Overcomes Adversity To Down Nadal — By Ricky Dimon

Written by: Staff on 11th March 2014

Dolgopolov Overcomes Adversity To Down Nadal -- By Ricky Dimon

epa04119513 Alexandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine hits a return against Rafael Nadal of Spain at the BNP Paribas Open tennis in Indian Wells, California, USA, 10 March 2014. EPA/JOHN G. MABANGLO |

Aleksandr Dolgopolov knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity.

The 25-year-old Ukrainian has Gilbert’s Syndrome, a hereditary condition that affects a person’s liver and can sap energy almost at any moment. Both the disorder and his own style have play have led to dismal performances on the tennis court on more than one occasion, but Dolgopolov has dealt with all of it to deliver a solid tennis career that currently has him at No. 31 in the world, and climbing.

Dolgopolov is firmly on the rise after avenging last month’s loss to Rafael Nadal in the Rio title match by upsetting the No. 1 player in the world 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5) in the BNP Paribas Open third round on Monday evening. Indian Wells’ 28th seed led most of the way, but he could not seal the deal without making things interesting. Problems—well, let’s just say it: he choked—began while serving at 5-3 in the decider, when Dolgopolov dropped serve without winning a single point.

“I knew (Nadal) was going to make me play that game and not miss much,” Dolgopolov explained. “I just gave it away. That was all on me. I didn’t serve, didn’t play well, and I just tried to forget about that and come back.”

The underdog did come back and he appeared to have the match won when he fired an ace at 6-5 in the third-set tiebreaker. Or was it an ace? Nadal challenged but also approached the net for a handshake, expecting certain doom. Instead, replay showed Dolgopolov’s serve missed by the smallest of millimeters, sending the crowd into delirium. While the fans may have been frazzled, Dolgopolov kept his cool.

“I thought, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Dolgopolov said, smiling. “I was thinking he’s gonna challenge. I didn’t really raise my hands up or anything after that ace because I knew it was close and I wasn’t sure it was on the line. Then I just tried to come back as fast as I could to the line, and so I didn’t have enough time to think about it and just serve and start the point. Then I got my chance at the point, and I just went for the winner.”

He went for it and made it, clinching victory and dotting the exclamation point on arguably his biggest win with a punishing inside-out forehand winner. It was a big win for Dolgopolov, to be sure, but perhaps it was just as big for some back home in his native Ukraine.

“For sure,” the victor said when asked if beating one the world’s most famous athletes could be a feel-good moment for his fellow Ukrainians. “I mean, it’s a moment for the people to be proud a little bit for someone from their country, I guess. That’s good. As I said a lot of times, it’s good to make some results and make the people forget a little bit and have some happy moments in the news except the politics and all the bad stuff happening.”

Topics: 10sballs, Aleksandr Dolgopolov, BNP Paribas Open, Indian Wells, Rafael Nadal, Ricky Dimon, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News

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10sBalls_com says:

March 11, 2014 at 8:41 am

Dolgopolov Overcomes Adversity To Down Nadal — By Ricky Dimon – http://t.co/hgAlUQTidC @TheDolgo @RafaelNadal @BNPPARIBASOPEN #IndianWells