Maybe it was just as well. Right around the start time of the Madrid exhibition between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, I got a call from my son Luke's school. Seems like he might have broken his arm in a playground mishap. Turns out it's probably just a severe sprain. But by the time we got back to the apartment, the match was over.
Federer, who won the Match for Africa battle (er, celebration?) yesterday in Zurich in three-sets, returned the favor a La Caja Magica, yielding to Nadal 7-6 (3), 4-6, 6-1.
Call it an early exchange of Christmas gifts. But nobody ever promoted this two-match charity series as a critical, competitive one for either man. There's a reason they played two matches, a home-and-home series. Each guy wins at home, there's none of this uncomfortable "rubber-match" thing...
If you're still hungering for some play-by-play, just read Tom Tebbutt's Racquet Reaction post from yesterday and just switch the names around when he describes the action.
It's funny, but I cruised around the Internet shortly after the match, and the silence was resounding. In fact, it took me a while to even find the score. Apparently, the Associated Press didn't feel particularly obliged, as it usually does, to be the first out of the box with a game story.
At websites, including my own TennisWorld, fans who customarily become impassioned, sometimes insufferable, partisans were chit-chatting across the Fedal Divide, and talking about the holidays...or football...or—egads!—the weather (granted, old man winter is discussion worthy these days, given the havoc he's wreaking. Still. . . ).
The overall impression I get is that like the first match, this one was little more than a glorified hitting session, although each man produced some of the magic that he usually reserves for more critical times.
It's good to know I didn't miss anything. And as these Racquet Reaction posts have a very specific, modest goal, I'm happy to say that this one can go into the archive as a testament to the fact that this match told us nothing of significance beyond the fact that these two charismatic, good-natured, classy champions stepped up at the end of 2010 to give some of their time and best strokes to a great cause, and that no egos—or gut-wrenching tiebreakers—got in the way.
I'm glad they were able to go through the motions so obviously, just in case anyone was thinking that these hitting sessions ought to work their way into the head-to-head records. My kid could have taken Rafa's place today and I think standard politesse would have motivated Federer to find a way to lose in Madrid on Rafa's turf. And my kid has a broken arm, or thinks he does, anyway.
—Pete Bodo