Okay, everybody. Match call begins now. I'll be refreshing the screen at swift intervals to keep things moving. . .
Jet Boy Nadal is dressed like a chica. First wedgie pick. A Murray error and Nadal service winner puts Jet Boy up, 30-love. This is their first match, ever; and while they're friends, they've only practiced once. Two dogs, circling and sniffing. Murray drills an easy bh into the net, Nadal holds at love.
Courier says: Rather a tight looking game from the 15th seed, Murray.
Murray serving: Forehand error by Andy. JB seems to be swinging easy, feeling his way. We get a nice rally, A draws JB into the net with a no-man's land drop shot. Gets JB out of position and wins the point. 15-all. A serve and volley winner.
Courier: Slice to bh in deuce court alwys gets a sliced return; giving A a chance to volley.
Andy bricks a volley; no sooner did Courier make his point that Nadal hits over bh return. Murray holds with big forehand winner down line off a good Nadal fh. 1 Game all.
Andy is playing well back of the baseline, on defense. Andy works the towel, taking his time - that's key, I think. Keep the pace slow. Nadal backhand error for 15-all. Nadal good serve for 40-15. Service return error, smooth game for Nadal, he leads 2-1.
The ball striking hasn't been great, but there's a purposeful quality already about this match; just a different pace and rythm than you sometimes get. Andy serving at 15-all, after a good volley winner. Long rally, Nadal in control all the way, wins point. Murray gets service winner. Big bh winner from backcourt, for 40-30. Murray overhead off a Nadal short lob off Andy's serve and volley. 2-2.
Game 5, Jet Boy serving. Weak short ball from Andy, trying to pull JB in to net. Service winner for 30-0. Short bullet bh with no arc by Nadal, with Andy changing up pace very well. 40-15 JB on service return error. Fine cc bh volley by Nadal for game, after two good gets by AM. Nadal holds, 3-2.
(Note: pls. forgive typos, also: I'm going to start abbreviating terms, like "bl" for baseline, "sw" for service winner, "ds" for drop shot.)
Game 6: AM s/v for 15-all. AM gets best of point blank exchange off s/v, but JB runs down a lob volley and passes AM. AM ds, JB gets to it but hits net with own ds reply. 30-all. Ace. S/v by AM, but JB return forces ve. Ace. Fh deep by JB, 3-3.
What I like about AM here is his bearing.
Game 7: Murray bhe. Nadal let cord pass. Sre by AM. bh line w. 4-3, Jet Boy.
Murray has this knock-kneed, long-legged look, like he's a colt. No question so far, JB is the hunted, AM the hunter; in that sense, AM is more interesting to focus on.
Game 8: 15-0 AM. Sre by JB. AM goes for the wide can-opener serve, just misses. AM forces passing shot e. 40-0. Overhead w by AM. Second straight love game.
This, folks, is a real tennis match.
Game 9: JB serve and volley pt. to go 30-0. 40-0 on AM bhe. Both players serving 70 per cent plus on first serves. . . AM attacks 2nd serve, gets point for 40-30. Fhe by JB, off forcing AM fh. Deuce. Sw for JB. Ad-JB. great bh cc w with AM attaching net. 5-4.
The set is moving quickly; this is good for AM, in that he's avoiding getting into a hitting war with JB.
Game 10: JB pressing attack with groundies. 30-15 on ace. Courier: "AM is very successful at keeping JB from camping out in his bh corner, hitting fhs, which is where JB wants to be". 40-15. AM cute lob, JB misses spin-around forehand pass. . . game AM. 5-5
Game 11, JB serving: 30-love. AM gets best of rally. 30-15. AM weak volley, loses point on pass. Nadal holds, 6-5.
Okay. Not much daylight for either guy to break; looks like we're heading for a TB.
Game 12, AM serving: 15-all on good variety. Sw to fh by AM, who's mixing his serves very well. AM misses go-for-broke bh for 30-all. Murray rushes, down 30-40, BP/SP for JB but big serve and fh combo saves AM to deuce. Fh putaway off weak fh return. AM rushes approach, into net with bh. deuce. AM scores again with one of his best weapons - big first serve, step into court, clock fh for winner. ad-Murray. Game Murray, on angled volley that JB can't handle. game. Tiebreaker.
0-1 for AM on minibreak - JB pushes bh long in rally
2-0,AM - 211 Km ace
2-1, AM - fh e by AM
JB serving:
2-2 - SW to bh
3-2 - Bh sre (second in row)
AM serving:
3-3 ace no. 6
Murray challenges out call on serve; ball good (does he grant ace? yes)
4-3 AM on ace
JB serving:
3-5 - wild framed fh by JB
3-6 - beautifully disguised lob by AM elicts bh oh e. Two set pts for AM
Am serving:
AM wins challenge on fh to bl, set to Murray!
*
Note: I'm going to use RN for Rafael Nadal, to avoid confusion for newbies. Set 1 I used JB for Jet boy.
Set 1 reaction: Brad's ability in full display; he's got Andy doing stuff that is working and keeping RN off balance, but not to the point of really forcing Andy out of the game he likes best to play. Courier: "I used to go out to dinner with Brad on tour, just so I could have a meal and not do any talking. . ."
Set 2, AM serving:
Game 1, Andy serving - let cord winner,15-0. Sre, 30-0. second serve: Sre. RN looks out of sorts and disorganized. Shanking balls. 40-0. Fh approach winner, comfortable game, 1-0
Game 2, RN serving: Big fh to bh side, forces error - 0-30. Taking RN out of his comfort zone seems to be discombobulating him. Now, bh srw by AM for 0-40, tbp. 15-40, AM smacks fh sr long. BH short into net 30-40. BH passing shot for deuce - Nadal fist pump. Fh w by RN for ad-RN. Second serve: Poor AM ds sits up, Nadal holds.
This will be a real test for AM now, because seeing RN come back from tgp down has to be dispiriting and AM is both a perfectionist and young.
GAme 3, AM serving: 15-all. "That was crucial point for AM to win, to stop the bleeding." (RN had won five pts in a row). AM misses big fh. Courier: "Right now, murray enroute to breaking himself". 15-30 on fh e. 15-40, on big bh cc e. dbp: Murray attacks and hits vw. 30-40. Murray beautiful bh oh speared out of air. deuce. AM drags Nadal in with slice junk, then forces bve by RN. Ad-murray. Ace, game, murray.
Game 4, RN serving: 40-15, fh sh, 40-30 as Andy attacks second serve and comes in. AM big fh to bh corner - deuce. Check out rotation AM gets when he hits his bh. AM fh app to bh, RN bh into net, advantage Andy. CC rally, RN bh into net, break! 1-3
Game 5, AM 15-O. 15-all on RN lob w. 30-15 - amazing point, short,deep, side to side, drop shots, rally, big bh cc w by AM. SW for 40-15. second serve: df. 40-30. GM, Fe by Rn 4-1
Game 6, RN serving: 0-15. V w by RN 15-all. Roger Rasheed thinks RN should use more spin to get big hop off Rebound Ace. 30-15. Bh sre, 40-15. Second serve. AM ds lures in Rafa, who jams get into net. 40-30. RN fh called out, RN challenges. Ball was good. Ace wide. 2-4
Game 7, AM serving: df, 0-15. 15-all on great ds by AM. 30-15. bh cc winner off lc, 30-all. Courier: "I can't remember anyone keeping RN from hitting forehand as effectively as AM tonight." Forehand second srw, for bp 30-40. Big bh cc w, deuce. RN f cc to force e, Ad, RN. Big cc bh out, break! 3-4
Game 8, Nadal serving: 15-0. Do we detect shift of mo' here? This looks more like the RN we know; forcing and rushing the other guy. . . 30-0. 40-0 bh sre. Murray better watch it, RN is sneaking back in here. 40-15. Murray awesome touch reverse oh, off Nadal get of murray lob, 40-30. This kid has the gift,no doubt about it. Nadal holds, 4-4.
Game 9, AM serving: Very casual bh out 0-15; AM bh e, 0-30. Watch it, Andy, you;re playing with fire. Great big fh app, follow up v w, 15-30. You heard it here first: Murray will go where no Brit has gone since Perry: W champ, not if but when. . . 15-40, dbp now. Murray keeps grabbing his side, like he's hurt. Broken, 4-5.
Game 10, Nadal serving: Nadal wins first point. Murray looking at Brad, pained look, because o fhis side. 30-0. Andy misses bh app, 40-0. triple set point. sw by AM, 40-15. Sr out, game and set 2, Nadal.
*
Big surprise, AM hasn't called trainer. Courier "Nadal is letting Murray beat himself"
Game 1, AM - 0-15, fh e. lob deep, 15-all. Courier: "I'm seeing discomfort between points, but he seems to be moving fine, he's just not playing fine." 30-all. Great dv by AM, followed by bh oh 40-30. Ace, game Murray.
Game 2, RN - fh e, 0-15. 30-15. Great smack back get by AM, but RN goes to 40-15. Bh sre, game Nadal.
Game 3, AM - bh sh in rally, 0-15. ace, 15-all. Is Murray hurt or not? Nobody seems to know. Nadal finishes rally with volley, 15-30. You can see Andy' s confidence draining away. . . Courier: "So much torque and twistinga tennis player goes through, need strong core. Something is wrong with Murray." He's broken, again 1-2
Game 4 RN - fh smacked winner, line 0-15. Great touch v after rally, 0-30. 15-30. 30-all. Great thread the needle pass by RN but Murray challenges: ball is good. 15-40. Fvw, game, 3-1.
Game 5 AM - bh app shoved out, 0-15; Courier: "It's a little too much to say he's letting itgo at this point, my opinion is he's partially focused on the match, partly on his right side." 15-all. CC bh w. Murray is great at pulling the trigger on a big winner attempt after lulling the other guy with soft stuff. 30-15. Another big cc bh, 40-15. Nadal bh w, 40-30. Murray holds, 2-3.
Game 6, RN - fh out, 0-15. Big fh w, 0-30. second serve, Andy misses fh in rally, 15-30. v e, 15-40, tbp: Murray breaks on first chance, 3-3.
Game 7, AM - s/ve for 15-0; big service w, 30-0. Big fh e, 30-15. Courier: "I don't want the people at home to think we're short-changing the world NO. 2, but the interesting thing here is the counterattack from Murray." 40-15. Ace, wide. GAme. 4-3
Game 8, RN - Murray uses up his challenges, wrong again, 15-0. Bh w in rally, 15-15. Murray blows ds. 15-30. Sw to fh, 40-15. "This is the part I don't like, " says Roger Rasheed. "Andy talking to himself, or Brad. That's bad, you take the focus off the match, not the person at the other end, who's No. 2 in the world." Game Nadal, 4-4.
Game 9, AM - bh deep, 0-15. fh wide, 15-all. Courier: "As soon as Murray gets ready to hit that backhand, Rafa sarts running for the forehand corner, because that's where Andy's going with it. We'll see if he changes it up." 15-30. Another unforced error, double bp for RN, 15-40. Murray pressures Nadal, fh e, 30-40. Big serve, deuce. Rasheed: "fortune favors the brave." Ugh. cliche. Terrific anticipation by AM, gets to cc putaway and turns it into a winner. Deuce. Advantage Murray. Apparent winner overruled, Murray challenges, wins it. Game, Murray, 5-4.
Game 10, RN serving - 15-0, fh w. fh out, 15-all. Bh srw, 15-30. Courier: "Nadal needs to go to the fh, out wide, with his serve." Nadal error, 15-40. double bp. bh into net, AM, 30-40. set pt. 2 coming up. Game, set 3, Murray, on a fh to fh corner, forced error. 6-4.
*
Man, I'm fading fast. Typing errors multiplying exponentially . . . if it goes 5, I'm hosed.
Game 1, AM serving - Sw, 15-0. John Alexander says he "senses that Murray has won over the crowd,despite RN's popularity." Courier "Murray went walkabout for 8 of 9 games, but he's worked right back into the match." 40-0. Andy goes for big fh w, misses 40-15. bh e by AM, 40-30. SW to bh, game, 1-0.
GAme 2, RN serving - big bh sr 0-15. bh wide, 0-30. fh e, 15-30. bh sh, e, 30-all. bh e, 40-30. lob out, GN. A fine comeback by Nadal. Again, danger for Murray, he let a big chance slip away,
Game 3, AM serving - Sw to fh, 15-all. Big fh w, 30-15. sw to fh, 40-15. Great touch v, cc, by AM for game, 2-1.
Game 4, RN serving - Murray goes to 0-30 on big fh w. Second game in a row, can he close the deal this time? Big cc fh wide, for 0-40. This could be the whole shootin' match, folks! Big Inside Out fh w. 15-40. John Alexander "Just a little conserative by Murray, and paying the price." 15-40. Cc bh just out - but Hawkeye shows it good, Murray didn't challenge, 30-40. A sw brings it to deuce. Srw, advantage Murray, Bp no. 4 in game. Big fh w from backcourt, deuce. Second serve: AM poor approach ds, RN goes at AM, Nadal can't handle it, Ad Murray. Second serve: long rally, Nadal weak ds, Murray runs up with fh and shovels it long, deuce. Big bh jacked long, ad RN. This could be a buzz kill for AM if he loses this game. Nadal sneaks in to put away fh v. Game Nadal 2-2.
Game 5, Murray serving: Goes up 40-0 with power serving. Holds at love for 3-2. I need to pee.
Game 6, Nadal serving: JA "Andy Murray has lifted the pace of his game, the ball is getting to Rafael Nadal very quickly and he can't do much with it." 15-all. Maybe it's me, but it looks to me like Andy is getting a mini-step slower and slightly less focused. 40-15. Foot fault across center line. 40-30. Second serve: bh into net after rally, Andy seemed to be thinking about the bl call. Game, RN.
Game 7, Murray serving: Great run by RN, 0-15. Good pressure attack, 15-all. fine approach, 30-15. This match, whatever happens, confirms that the only way to stay with RN at all is to pressure him. Fh smack return winner, 30-all. Can you say big point? Nadal runs down AM ds, big fh cc w. 30-40. Trouble for AM. Apparent ace, Nadal challenge, ball was in. Deuce. Pass out, Ad-Andy. Deuce. Andy shoves a volley into the net, game RN, 3-4. Trouble.
Game 8, Nadal serving - Why me????? This is going five, isn't it? 15-0. Fh cc e, 30-0. fh out, 30-15. Big fh overhit; had Nadal out of position, 40-15. That was loosely played, not good. Nadal holds, 5-3.
Game 9 AM serving - AM punches feeble volley into net. He appears to be fading. Courier says: "Murray's done a great job keeping Nadal out of his game. Last point on last game he did just what he likes, hitting forehand from his backhand, yo-yo'ing his opponent around. If he's not careful and lets Nadal do that, this match will fall in Nadal's pocket." 30-all (Andy loses another challenge). Let cord winner for RN, 30-40, set point/break point. Double fault! Game and set, Nadal, 6-3.
*
Game 1, Nadal - sre, 15-0. JA and JC both praising Nadal's 5-set prowess. Casual, lazy ds sr, 30-0. This is deceptive though, because Andy has a way of lifting his game when least expected. 15-30. Courier: "Since losing that 5-setter in Miami to Federer, Nadal has ripped off five in a row, including Rome." 30-30. Sneaky, sneaky. A big fh earns AM a breakpoint. Andy steps in, big cc bh, misses: deuce. Cute fh cc drop v, Ad Andy. Shanked fh by AM, deuce. Fh down line, into net, Ad Nadal. He holds with ace. 1-0.
Game 2, Murray - Courier: "I just don't understand what yelling at your box is going to get you. What does that have to do with anything? If he misses, what's the box got to do with it?" 15-all. Courier adds" "I'm getting old, JA, I just don' t understand these kids. . ." Nadal is up 15-30, Murray backhand for 30-all. Second serve: rally, big fh to fh exchange, Nadal gets best of it. BP at 30-40. Big inside-out fh w, fist from Nadal, 0-2.
Game 3, Nadal - ill-advised fh approach to fh, 15-0. It looks like Andy is losing some of his energy, not as firm on his shots. RN misses fh, 15-all. Courier: "Andy needs to change the pace up, this is being played on Nadal's terms again." 30-15. Fine rally, big cc bh to force error, 15-40, 3 bp for Murray. Second serve: both at net, Rafa gets best of it. 30-40. Nadal ds is effective. Deuce. Andy has 19 per cent conversion rate on BP's, Nadal has 43 per cent (courtesy of JA). Andy 0-9 in bps recently, but has another one now. Murray hits off balance fh down line out. Deuce. Fh out, e, ad Nadal, Fh out, game Nadal, 3-0. The end is near.
Game 4, AM - Bathroom break (for me). BP for RN, but back to deuce. Mad good fh cc srw. Andy challenges; turns out the ball couldn't have been hit better, right in corner of two lines. Nadal oh w, beaks 0-4. Just like we said, right?
Game 5, RN - Murray won't die yet. 0-15. Ace. 15-all. LIke McEnroe (John), Andy sometimes seems to be two people: one playing the match, the other commenting on it, berating himself, communing with his box, in a sense, this is a very positive sign of his command and, in odd way, surety. But Nadal is rolling, 40-15. There it is, sw. 5-0.
Game 6, AM - Courier, so what did we learn tonight, JA? "I learned he will be in the Top 10 very soon. That he needs to be stronger physically, to keep from breaking down emotionally. What have we learned about Nadal? Nothing we didn't already know. He's mentally and emotionally as strong as they come. When the moment came, Nadal played bigger and bigger." Andy with a hold point, 40-30. Keep hope alive. Game Murray; won't eat a bagel tonight.
Game 7, RN - 30-o. Courier: "And Nadal has broken his man physically since we hit the three hour mark, Andy's legs have weakened visibly, and it's affected his judgment." Bh into net nets RN MP No. 1. I'm betting he converts it; Andy is out of steam. Second serve: short rally, fh save by RN sails long. (Right again, Pete!). That's it. Nadal winner. It's over.
Well, everybody, this has been a fun experiment think it over and let me know tomorrow if we want to do it again. The real question: how helpful was it to you. I know it wasn't on TV (that's why I did it), but sopcast, AO radio etc. maybe made this more effort than it's worth?