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Rafa Rallies: Nadal Earns Second Straight Five-Set Win
By Alberto Amalfi
© Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA
(June 26, 2010) The sound of Philipp Petzschner's first serve pounding off the back wall reverberated around Centre Court serving as a sonic reminder of the deepening depths of Rafael Nadal's deficit.
Nadal found himself facing a two-set to one hole for the second straight match. That's when the World No. 1 took appropriate action: he spaced out.
On a day in which Nadal received treatment for arm and knee pain and received a warning for illegal coaching by his uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, it was the second-seeded Spaniard's decision to put some space between himself and the baseline that helped him close the gap on a red-hot Petzschner.
Taking a few steps back behind the baseline to get a better read on Petzschner's serve, Nadal fought back for a five-set win for the second straight match, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-3, to advance to the fourth round.
Playing his third consecutive five-setter, Petzschner pounded 25 aces and was particularly effective attacking net in the first two sets. Nadal's positional adjustment allowed him to do a little bit more with his returners and get into the point.
Still, Nadal, who withstood a five-set struggle with Robin Haase in the second round, admitted he was severely tested by the 33rd-seeded German.
"This match was very difficult for me," Nadal said. "The serve of Philipp was unbelievable. I changed a little bit the strategy in the fourth set. I started to stay back (farther) on second serve and then I can start to put balls back (in play). When I was closer to the baseline or inside it wasn't possible for me I did not have control of the point."
During the three hour, 45-minute match, the seven-time Grand Slam champion took treatment for pain in his arm and knee. Nadal downplayed the injuries after the match, suggesting the pain came from playing successive five-set matches.
"It's not a big problem. But it is a long season for me and these tournaments having five sets two days ago and another one today — that's tough. I am very happy to be in the fourth round and I will try to be better for Monday."
Petzschner was not amused and suggested Nadal's injury time-outs may well have been gamesmanship.
"I'm pretty sad a little bit pissed off of myself that I couldn't hold the focus after he had the injury timeout. I don't know what happened there," Petzschner said. "Yeah, it was pretty clever, I think. Right now I'm not happy. This will maybe come tomorrow or in two days. Right now I'm just pissed off and sad that I lost the match."
Next up for Nadal is a fourth-round meeting with Paul-Henri Mathieu. He is 9-0 lifetime against the 66th-ranked Frenchman.
Through three rounds of play, the world's top two players and last two Wimbledon winners — reigning champion Roger Federer and 2008 champ Nadal — have been forced to five sets three times between them.
Meanwhile, Robin Soderling, who is the last man to beat Federer and Nadal in Grand Slam play — he snapped Nadal's 31-match winning streak in Paris with a French Open fourth-round win last year and ended Federer's record run of 23 consecutive major semifinals by beating the Swiss stylist at the French Open earlier this month — has been, well, streaking.
The sixth-seeded Swede stomped 25th-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci, 64, 6-2, 7-5. Soderling, the only man still standing who has yet to surrender a set, will play ninth-seeded David Ferrer in the fourth round. Should Nadal and Soderling advance, they would square off it a sizzling quarterfinal clash.
Soderling believes he is capable of knocking off both Nadal and Federer at Wimbledon.
"Well, did I did once, so I'm pretty confident that I can do it more times," Soderling said. "Of course it's not easy. They're the two best players in the world. You know, you have to play really well and you have to have a really good day. But I think if I have that, I think I have a good chance."
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