The Rumble Down Under pt 2

Semi Final 2

If last's nights game was a true epic in the Nadal-Federer vein, with the grace and style of Federer and the tenacity and never say die attitude of Nadal, then tonight's match up of Murray vs Djokovic was two boxers slugging it out.

It seemed like Murray was keep Djokovic out on court as long as possible, putting him up against the ropes and trying to punch him out. Djokovic seemed spent in the 2nd set, hands on knees puffing hard, but he is not the world no. 1 for the sake of it and he came back, losing the 2nd set but staying in the third despite break points against his serve.


Djokovic managed to turn the match around to bring up set points but Murray responded, to save the set and then broke to serve for the set.


But Djokovic hit back and Murray faltered, and so it was tie-break, neither man had the knock-out punch, until Murray had Djokovic pinned at 3-set points, and obliged at the second attempt.


When it seemed like Djokovic was out for the count 2 sets to 1 down, Murray wilted and faltered inexplicably gifting the 4th set to Djokovic.


So four hours later a fifth set ensued, Djokovic had an air of ascendancy, unseen since the first set, and broke Murray to go to 5-2 with Murray serving. The game seemed over, Murray held, but Djokovic just had to serve out the match, however Murray picked himself up off of the canvas, to break and serve out his game.

At 5-5 the game was poised on a knife edge, impossibly, almost implausibly the game after 4 and a half hours was tied up at 2-2, 5-5.

To say what followed was the turning point of the match, would be to undermine all that had gone before, for there was no one turning point but many. Djokovic seemed out for the count in the second, Murray utterly defeated in the fourth, but the 11th game of the 5th set was where the match was ultimately lost and won.

Murray held break points on the Djokovic serve, but the serbian produces his best tennis in the tightest corners, the mark of a champion, and in fairness to Murray he likewise produced aces in crucial places. This was the last stand, this game epitomised a whole 4 and a half hour match, twists and turns, scowling and howling. Unfortunately for Murray, Djokovic held and Murray was broken. If this was a boxing match, it would have been a split decision, but this is tennis and in tennis one man always triumphs, and tonight that man was Djokovic.

Conclusion

So did Murray bottle it? Comprehensively not! The fight he showed from 5-2 down in the fifth set, displayed a strong reserve, but the capitulation in the fourth was a concern for sure.

I think over the last 2 nights we have seen four champions, one fading, two shining and one beginning to shine. On Sunday the two shining stars battle it out. And though Djokovic won against Nadal in the major slams last year......... this year nothing is certain.

The Rumble Down Under part 1

Semi Final 1

It's late Jan, which can only mean Australian Open time.

What's more, we are at the business end, which means Men's semi-finals, with the best four players in the world, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray.

Last night was Rafael Nadal vs Roger Federer, and it was a classic match in keeping with their past matches.

Roger was his technically brilliant self, with the beautiful backhand full of elegance, but he was against the typically tenacious Rafa, who would not lie down. Nadal has this phoenix like ability to look like he is beaten in a point, only to rise from the ashes, with a long stretch, a craftily angled racquet and flick of the wrist. Every time Federer had Nadal on the ropes, Nadal would pull out the uppercut, to leave Roger reeling.

What I loved most about the game, aside from the amazing tennis, was the humility of Nadal in victory. These two men are champions of the game, not just in their tennis, but also in their character.