And……Stanislas Wawrinka takes the first set 6-3 in 37
minutes. Considering he has first serve percentage of a mere 35% ad
against 73% for Nadal, Wawrinka has been playing like a gladiator on the second
serve. No anxieties or uncertaintu while
firing the second serve. In the second
set, Stan has been abale to rattle Nadal
in the second game itself. That’s the
thing about playing the best player in the world. You can produce brilliance in fits and
starts, you cannot slip up at all and the one time he did, Stan paid the price
if being almost broken before he saved three set points and pocketed the first
set.
22 shots were exchanged in the first game of the second set
and Wawrinka came up tops. Three winners
in a row and Wawrinka is 0-40 in Nadal’s serve.
I must say Wawrinka is mixing his shots in a willy way, three sharp
backhands and then a stunning forehand that rockets down the line at the speed
of light and Wawrinka has broken Nadal again with a winning backhand cross court
return. Federer must be wondering what
he could have differently to produce a game like that. Wawrinka serving the second game and
unleashes an ace. At this point, there
is just no room for error, forehand has to be perfect, almost outside the
court, for anything within an inch of the baseline and Nadal will pounce on
it. The play it that precision
dependent, you have be execute unplayable shots, faultless tennis that is
tactical as well. You simply cannot fall
in the bashing-from-baseline trap with Nadal.
The opponent is going to get moments of weakness only far nd few between
and you need to be ready and with footwork and good shot selection to exploit
them in our favour. Wawrinka has done
just that.
We are into the third game of the second set. Nadal serves as Wawrinka returns a crosscourt
backhand wide. He is hitting them all
deeper, sharper around the bend, Wawrinka is taking more chances by hitting winners
and for that you need to be courageous.
Oh oh, wait a moment, I see nadal bending and touching his back. Is it a moment of regretting a shot or ruing
his tactics? What is it? It is deuce,
Nadal’s game has lost a bit of the ball destrying ferocity. It is a strange sight albeit for a
moment. It is advantage Nadal who has saved
a break point to hold his serve.
Wawrinka has taken his chances, has ruched to the net at the right time
to execute the brilliant winning volleys.
Something that players are reluctant to do against Nadal. There is safety in sticking to the baseline but
then Nadal dictates the game and makes you do end to end running drills. So far, we haven't seen Stan scramble madly
after the ball.
At this point Nadal has called a trainer and will receive
medical timeout. A three medical
timeout. Wawrinka is visible agitated.
He retires to his chair, does some stretches, spreads the towel over his thighs
and speaks to the chair umpire. He tells him…”you need to tell me why..” Chair
Umpire says, “ I am not asking why, you just need to accept it and wait.” The chair umpire’s word is final
and there is some frothing from Wawrinka who is basically feeling cheated that there is no information about the the
nature of the medical timeout. He is
thinking that these are delaying tactics a la Azarenka in last year’s Aus Open
against Sloane Stephens. Nadal comes
back on to the court, bare chested and is greeted with boos reinforcing the my
sentiments that the crowd too has the same thoughts as Stan.
I just hope that Wawrinka is able to focus on the game. This
can prove to be a fatal distraction. Wawrinka responds with an ace and another
one, he has so far fired seven aces to Nadal’s one. It is an all out service game. This was a
good one. It is better at this juncture
to just kill it as quickly as possible.
Wawrinka is now leading three games to one. Nadal is clearly struggling but we know just
as well that it wont take time for the game to turn around. Wawrinka has a temper and tendency to break
rackets, it could be his undoing. Nadal
always finds reserves of mental and physical strength and he lets it play havoc
with his unsuspecting opponents. But
Nadal is also at his most vulnerable now. His mobility and footwork is
awkward. Nadal touches his back, bends
as if to test if his back can stand the effor tof serving. A very strange sight to see Nadal do away
with is usual tics, no ball bouncing or tossing, just throw it up erratically
and bring down the racket without the ususal service movements. Wawrinka breaks again and leads 4 games to
1. My question now is it the game or is
the back? My feeling the pain is going to lull Wawrinka into a complacency or
it will cause him question his tactics. Will it be fair to attack a Nadal in
pain? What should be his approach? As of now, Nadal is coming undone at the
hands of Stanislas Wawrinka. A ripper of
a backhand from Nadal. There you
go. Nadal is now playing like the
fighter he is, but an ace from Wawrinka hands him the advantage. The ball hits the net before going over to
the other side, giving Stan time to get into position to hit backhand down the
line.
A non-serve from Nadal, it is as if he is serving at the
pre-match warm-up and actually scores two points. Ans just as you felt it was
all over for the Mallorcan, he produces
tennis that is a tribute to the steel in his mind. I don’t think he has made Wawrinka scurry for
the ball so much as when he was fighting fit.
He is able to construct points around his serve and that doesn’t need
him to move much from the baseline. Believe
it or not, Nadal is dictating play and there goes a double fault from Wawrinka.
Another ace from the Swiss and Nadal does not so much as budge from his resting
place. Wawrinka is two set points away
and he wins the second set. There is no cheer or relief or fist pumping. I hope Stan continues to maintain the tempo
and temper. He needs all the reserves fo
calm and composure at the moment to ensure that the advantage of being two set
up isnot lost.
Nadal serving the first game of the third set. He has cust short his run up as we say in
cricket. No lengthy prologues, just toss
it and hit it acrross the net kind of serve.
It is 15-40 on Nadal’s serve and three break points for Nadal. And deuce! The power of Nadal is coming in
spurts but it is definitely there. Game
Rafa!. If this continues and Wawrinka is
unable to keep his mind on his game, then all will be lost. Stan serving the second game and double
fault! Nadal leads 0-3-. But a fine serve from Wawrinka proves a point only for
Nadal to hit a cracking forehand to be a point away from breaking him. A lazy
backhand from Wawrinka gives Nadal the much needed break for the forst time in
this match. Nadal leads two games to
love. Nadal is regrouping while Wawrinka’s
game is scattering like dist motes.
Unforced errors are flying off the Swiss’ racket fast and
furiously. He has made 9 errors and so
far we are only three games into the third set.
Will Wawrinka be able to wrest the initiative and defeat Nadal in
straight sets? Nadal is playing much
better now and is certainly aided by the error Wawrinka is making. Nadal is playing from the baseline. He has not moved at all and is directing
traffic from his favourite spot. Wawrinka
has not been able to read his shots or play and is just retrieving the balls
with his racket. While Wawrinka is
fudging regulation shots, Nadal is hitting backhands that defy the rules of
angular geometry. Nadal is leading 5
sets to 3 and looks like we will have a four or even a five setter, of course
it depends on the pain that Nadal is going through and if Wawrinka is in that
frame of mind to push Nadal to the wire or be pushed instead.
Wawrinka was in the ‘Zone’ for the first two sets. He was able to maintain the rhythmn even
after the medical timeout by Nada, he was able to hold his thoughts about the
whole thing at bay and just play tennis.
The beginning of the third set sees Stan serve an ace and hold his serve. He goes in for a chage of rackets and it is
Nadal’s turn to wait. A nonchalant down-the-line forehand from Wawrinka. He has been playing his groundstrokes at a
much furious pace than Nadal and this was from before medical timeout by Nadal.
Wawrinka screams and shouts at a wayward
shot. Some more drama. It is 15-30 on Nadal serve. Nadal hits a backhand wide and the court
errupts. Wawrinka make a ‘zip your lips’
gesture. Is it to the spectators or to himself? A backhand gone long gives
Nadal a point. Wawrinka increases the
power of his shots, they do look like missiles and its deuce. Nadal takes the third set and how! A timeout
for his back, a serve without the sting and restricted mobility, all was most
unusual to see. Novices in the game
would do well to see this match just to know the mental strength that is needed
to stay at the top and the superhuman effort that won Nadal the set.
Now on to the fourth set.
Will Stanislas Wawrinka, world no. 8 be able to clear the hurdle to
topple world no.1 or will he merely pay obeisance to the resilience of Nadal
and let his self doubt stop him from the final frontier? Wawrika is certainly hitting the ball with
more brute power. His serve looks
menacing…almost violent. Wawrinka has
gotten into the flow of the game early on.
The uncertainty of the last set seems distant now. It is a new set and a
new mind. The quickly dispatches the first game in his favour. An error from Nadal and it is 15-30 on his
serve. The power of the barrel-chested
Swiss has me transfixed. He has been the
balls closer to the net than Nadal, the trajectory is from low to high at a
pace and power that is destructive.
Nadal holds his serve. The power
centre is see-sawing between the players now. One point it is Wawrinka and the
other sees Nadal barge right back in. Just
when we thought the fire in Nadal had died down, he not just held his nerves
and back, but he won the set. And full
marks for Wawrinka for bringing this kind of a game to the match. I haven't seen
such raw power even from the likes of Berdych and Janowicz. It makes it
particularly fearsome coming as it does from a player who is neither tall not
built like a bouncer. Federer make brute look graceful, Wawrinka make brute like he gave burth to it. Seriously you just need to look at his
strokes. The forehand!
Two errors from Nadal and
Wawrinka breaks him. Is Nadal going
to break him back? One moment you felt
that it would be lopsided match with Nadal’s pain, but it served to make the
match even more interesting and riveting as the initiative travellled back and
forth between the two players. There is
just no scope for net play. Even then
Wawinka comes to the net more often to finish the point. The third set hasn’t dented his confidence. Nadal breaks him. I am biting my nails with anxiety. But Wawrinka breaks him right back. What kind of a final is this going to be? The
index finger points to the temple and fist pumped against the head. Will the Swiss hold the trophy high over his
head or will Nadal finish the story? It
is 40-0. Will he hold his serve or….?And he does it! Stanislas Wawrinka, wins
the set point and the match to become only the second person since 2005 to win
a grand slam outside of the top 4. There is no jubilation, no raucous cheer in victory or t-shirt tearing. He shakes hands and hugs Nadal offers him
probably an apology and words of consolation.
It is a prolonged interaction between the conqueror and the
vanquished. And after Nadal shakes hands
with the chair umpire, Wawrinka has the court to himself, the winner, he raises
his hands and a quiet smile lights up his face, he hugs his team. I feel for Wawrinka, the sedate appreciation
of the moment has only made me root for Stan more.
Here’s hoping he will win more grand slams if for nothing
elses than to let out that winner’s roar literally and figuratively. Here's to Stanislas Wawrinka, finally coming
out of the shadows of his illustrious compatriot- Federer and announcing his
arrival not only to the world but to Switzerland as well.
