In a continuing theme of late, Novak Djokovic sailed through his first round US Open match while rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer gave fans some scary moments of uncertainty. Nadal tonight faced a fiery and fierce Andrey Golubev, who definitely wasn’t planning on being cannon fodder for the world’s number 2 player. As shot after winning shot sailed past Nadal, the Spaniard was left shaking his head, wondering how to deal with an opponent who refused to back down. While he eventually squeaked out
a 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 win, there were a few pivotal moments where it looked like the favorite might succumb to a loss.
While some of the bigger Rafa aggressiveness was absent tonight, one really couldn’t say he was playing poorly. I was more concerned with his predictable play at the Cincinnati Open, where even those of us in the stands knew which three shots he was going to make next. Today he mixed it up a little, putting different spins on the ball that eventually proved too much for the tiring and frustrated Golubev. If there’s one thing Nadal always has going for him, it’s stamina. Even down 5 games to 2, when you’d forgive a player for just taking the loss and putting effort into the next set, Rafael persisted and fought his way back. The man took a best of 3 match in Cincy to nearly 4 hours, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of prolonging play here.
While he’s more known for his strong volleys and agility in returning impossible shots, Nadal’s serve has never been shabby. Yet he was broken six times in the match, and a reporter at the post-match press conference helpfully pointed out that at last year’s US Open, the Spanish champion had only been broken five times in the entire tournament. Nadal shrugged it off with a playfully sarcastic “I’ll never win the tournament now” joke, but then clarified that the loss of those games “was not fault of myself.” Nadal noted that he was serving fast and hard, serves over 125 mph, “and the ball came back.”
Critics love to jump on players who claim it’s not their fault, but Nadal has always been pretty honest and accurate about his level of play–and a lot more open than someone like Federer would be about his foibles. Anyone who was watching the match could see that Nadal was not throwing the games away. He wasn’t double-faulting or launching serves off the court. Golubev was just incredibly intense on returning whatever came his way.
As for double faults and unforced errors, that was Golubev’s territory. While he was a nasty thorn in Rafa’s side for all three sets, he kept letting ridiculously large leads slip away with missed shots of his own. When you see the brilliance of his game coupled with huge inconsistencies, you understand why Golubev is currently hovering just around the 100 mark and Nadal is number 2. The player from Kazakhstan could also learn a thing or two about temperament from his opponent, as a disagreement with the umpire about a call kept him angry and sporadically unfocused for far too many games. Not as bad as a Roddick or Harrison, but Golubev definitely needs to learn how to move past disappointment.
What was good for fans was that the underdog didn’t lie down during the match, even when Nadal kept bouncing back from being a few games down. No one likes to see a slaughter of a lower-ranked player, even by one of our favorites. “He was trying to do a winner in every shot,” Nadal said afterward, frequently noting the intense speed of the game and the fact that Golubev wasn’t exactly lobbing him easy shots. Nadal had to work for every point, and that’s good practice for a guy who hasn’t had the best summer series leading up to the Open.
“I was for sure nervous,” Nadal admitted. “That’s normal.” You wouldn’t think a top player like Nadal would be nervous about anything, but the jittery Spaniard seems to need a good wind-up before he can really get his game on. By his own admission, Nadal often struggles with the opening round of tournaments, but once he gets over that first hurdle, his confidence starts to build. The fact that he won, “even if it was unbelievable that I won in straight sets,” should give him a boost. Nadal’s once again proven to himself that he’s capable of hanging on, fighting back from a deficit, and changing up his moves to beat a sturdy opponent. Now all he needs to do is get the Attack Mode going again. He seemed a bit too tame today, but the combination of nerves and not wanting to injure himself on a round one match no doubt came into play.
Fans can breathe a sigh of relief that Nadal maintains his record of never losing an opening round in a Slam tournament. Now it’s on to round 2, where Rafa will hopefully up his offense and confidence levels. If he’s heading for the ultimate showdown with Djokovic, he’s got to be ready.
Check out: US Open Day 1: Roger Federer Tunes Up His Game
3-Way Rivalry: Are Djokovic, Federer and Nadal the Rock-Paper-Scissors of Tennis?