After a Tussle with Del Potro, More Milestones for Nadal

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After a Tussle with Del Potro, More Milestones for Nadal

By Chris Oddo

(March 17, 2013) -- Rafael Nadal had already far exceeded his wildest expectations since his return to tennis began last month in Vina del Mar, Chile by winning two titles, reeling off thirteen consecutive wins, and most importantly, staying healthy.

But as the saying goes, champions get greedy.

Once on the court, faced with the challenges presented by an inspired Juan Martin del Potro in the BNP Paribas Open final on Sunday, Nadal didn’t look at all contented by the fact that he had made a nice run to get there.

Read: Nadal Withdraws from Sony Ericsson Open

Instead, he played with the fire of a man yearning to taste victory for the very first time. It has long been the calling card of Nadal; he’s one of the most mild-mannered, most humble people on planet when off the court, but one of the most ferocious and pugilistic when on it.

The Spaniard, who claimed his 600th career victory and record-breaking 22nd career Masters 1000 title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Del Potro, seemed to take offense to a run of ephemeral play by Del Potro in the early going. After falling behind to Nadal 3-0 in the first set, the 24-year-old Argentine opened up his lethal strokes and went on a dominant run that saw him win eight of the next nine games.

“I was playing much too aggressive for my game,” Nadal said of his early troubles against the ornery Argentine. “When I was able to calm myself, I began to play better. I started to play a little bit slower.”

Still, with Del Potro up a set and a break at 2-0 in the second set, it appeared that Nadal might suffer a loss reminiscent of the bludgeoning he took at the hands of Del Potro in the 2009 U.S. Open semifinals. That particular 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 slaying paved the way for Del Potro to claim his one and only Grand Slam title, and on this warm, sunny Sunday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, it appeared as if Del Potro was turning back the clock, finally kicking his game into overdrive again after a prolonged period of recovery and rediscovery that saw him fall all the way out of the top 400 for a spell after a wrist surgery in 2010.

In his first final at the Masters level since 2009 (just a month before he won the U.S. Open) Del Potro looked to be headed for an eye-opening, headline-grabbing victory. His footwork was spot on, his consistency remarkable, his power jaw-dropping.

But slowly, the ever resilient Nadal would start to turn the tide. With a spring in his step he jogged out to the baseline to return serve, down 3-2 in the second set. Moments later, after a Del Potro forehand had sailed aimlessly long and the crowd had erupted into a frenzy, one could feel the shift in momentum.

From there, Nadal seemed to zero in on Del Potro’s growing fatigue while tapping his own prodigious desire. This type of spirited uprising has always been par for the course for Nadal, and apparently that remains true even after his latest injury scare. It's always been true that no matter how accomplished the Spaniard’s shotmaking is, his greatest talents lie in the intangibles: Managing emotions, capitalizing on momentum, extreme concentration, and knowing the mindset of his opponents. We were reminded of these truths down the stretch today.

Read: Nadal's Nurturing Nature Will Enable His Revival

Sensing that Del Potro might be teetering, Nadal delivered body blow after body blow, taking the final three games of the second set with ease. He then maintained the pressure early in the third, as Del Potro tried in vain to ward him off.

“He plays unbelievable for like an hour there,” said Del Potro. "The last hour of the match he didn’t make errors. He played so solid and put me so far to the baseline…”

In the second game of the third set, after he had just saved two break points in the previous game, Nadal pushed Del Potro to the brink in an epic game that lasted over ten minutes. Even though Del Potro managed to hold serve eventually, there was a pervading sense that Nadal would not relent.

Del Potro, who had fought through grueling three-setters with Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in extreme heat on the previous two days, tried to rally, but Nadal held firm, breaking serve in the next game and eventually serving out the match in two hours and twenty-nine minutes.

“I think my body was okay,” a disappointed Del Potro told reporters. “Just he played better in the end and he deserved to win.”

As Nadal dropped his racquet and fell to the ground to celebrate a victory--his third title at Indian Wells and 53rd of his career--that he found surprisingly sweet, Del Potro held his head in his hands after the match, wondering no doubt where he might have gone wrong.

“It’s probably one of the most emotional wins of my career,” Nadal said afterwards. “The support since I came back has been huge. It’s an unforgettable week for me and an unforgettable tournament.”

Nadal’s tour-best 14th consecutive win and third title in four events since returning to tennis serves notice to the rest of the tour that even though his knees might be shaky, his game still rests firmly on a foundation of fortitude.

(Photo Credit: AP)