TENNIS FRENCH OPEN:AFTER THREE hours of fitful tennis on both sides of the net, the defending champion Rafael Nadal, 2-1 up and a break down in the fourth set – and in tumult against Novak Djokovic – departed the sodden dirt of Court Philippe Chatrier raging against the dying of the light. He was not alone, but his voice was the angriest.
The two best players in the world return this afternoon (1pm) to a venue expected to be watered even more comprehensively than it was yesterday, in the optimistic expectation of completing a final that had promised – and might yet deliver – so much.
If, however, Nadal does not rediscover the composure that gave him a two-set lead before he imploded last night, his reach for a seventh title at Roland Garros in eight years will be eclipsed by Djokovic’s ambitions of winning his fourth grand slam title in a row – all against Nadal – and equalling the feat of Rod Laver 43 years ago.
At 6.51pm local time, the drizzle that had drenched spectators for nearly two hours strengthened. The skies, as gloomy as Nadal’s mood, hung heavily over the capital, and then, as the players packed their bags, there was a minor explosion by the Spaniard. He had lost eight games in a row before hanging on to serve in the third game of the fourth set.
“The court, it is the same as it was one hour ago, no?” he railed at the tournament’s chief referee, Stefan Fransson, whose decision it was belatedly to suspend play. “And now we go off? Ridiculous.” He complained later the wet and heavy balls were nearly impossible to see in the deteriorating light.
Nadal had a point, but it was informed by self-interest and his frustrations in failing to cope with the worsening conditions as effectively as the world number one who, an hour earlier, had been floundering in his own pool of confusion. At that stage, Nadal had the title by the throat and led 6-4, 6-3. This is a match bedevilled as much by the players’ own inconsistency as the elements, yet invested with drama and tension for all that, because the mental disintegration of first Djokovic then Nadal was compelling.
After the tedious rituals of the warm-up when urgency was required, Djokovic threw the first punch at 3.17pm, and Nadal drew first blood. Hitting hard and deep, he was up 2-0 within 10 minutes. After a quarter of an hour he led 3-0. Nobody starts a final with the threat Nadal brings. After winning the first set in slams, his win-loss score is an astonishing 139-2. Even on top, however, he was troubled. There were five breaks of service in the first set, three inflicted by Nadal. In the second set, he broke Djokovic 3-1. Those chinks of light the Serb saw disappeared as quickly and he looked gone, his first serve cranking at one point at an appalling 40 per cent. When he threw his racket at the bench, he took a chunk out of it.
Rain forced them off for 33 minutes before Nadal closed out the second set. Then, Djokovic, all of a sudden, was irresistible. Nadal was powerless to stop the flow. And then the drama ground to a soggy halt. Later, officials denied that international TV schedules set the 3pm start in stone, despite the dire forecast.
Guardian Service
