Rome: The Rafa-Filippo Show

Are you enjoying this mini-run by homeboy Filippo Volandri? I realized somewhere along the line today that I am. While I don’t love the oversize headband or the useless service motion, there’s an air about the guy right now.

The atmosphere didn’t hurt. It was another bright, warm day, with a full and festive crowd. Still, like yesterday, the support was positive but not full-throated, the way you might expect from the Italians. I think they’re in shock at Volandri’s sudden excellence. Looking at Volandri himself, though, you get the feeling he’s been straight-setting top guys for years. He didn’t play as well as he did yesterday against Federer, but he still had it all under control.

You could say that he’s had a lot of help from his opppnents, and you'd be right. Berdych had one of his days today, spraying dumb flat shots all over the arena; he was even worse than Federer was yesterday.
But as Rafael Nadal said here, with an unintentionally ominous edge, “Volandri is very, very tough on clay, and this is a dangerous place.”

I'd say Volandri has done a fine job of engineering his opponents’ self-destruction. In classic Italian style, he massages the ball from side to side rather than cracking it. No wonder he’s a clay dog (perhaps the genre lives on). Volandri has “no serve,” as they say, but it doesn’t matter; no one has been able to make him pay for it on the clay here.

Volandri has won with old-fashioned tactics. He’s moved the ball around, stayed consistent, and not gone for broke even after he's earned an opportunity to finish a point. His forehand must be hard to read, because twice Berdych was caught heading far, far in the wrong direction. The word that came to mind today as I watched Volandri sort of half-strut, half-hobble around the court was: Lunchbucket. It’s been fun to see him carry it out there and beat the game’s best with it.

I shouldn’t say the Italian tennis fans have entirely forgotten their dramatic ways. As Berdych’s last ball sailed toward the middle of the net, a drum sounded from the loudspeaker and a rousing Italian folk song began—I swear it started before the ball hit the net. Volandri did his part by turning toward the gallery, throwing his hands in the air, and opening his mouth wide. Only here could 6-2, 6-3 be made to seem operatic.

Berdych: A new coach, perhaps? He’s still ridiculously erratic.

The sun had sunk by the time Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic took the court. We used to call this "tennis weather": it was light out but the sun was down, and a warm day had cooled just enough to make running seem fun. As one of my colleagues said when the match got rolling and the tension (briefly) built: “This is one of those days when you realize how lucky you are to able to come to events like this.” That’s not exactly a common sentiment among hard-traveling sportswriters.

He was right. This was a high-quality 2 and 3 match, and it maintained its tension for long periods. That’s due equally to the shotmaking ability of both, and their impeccable mental toughness. Plus, Johnny Mac was in the house—taking up a photographer’s spot on court, naturally.

Who did what well? Let’s start with Djokovic. He opened poorly; it looked like he was being stood up straight by Nadal’s topspin. But the kid knows when to dig in and hang on, and that moment came at 0-2, 15-40. Djokovic chose that time to lean in on a forehand, and he went on to fight off four break points for a big hold. He did the same at 1-3. On one deuce point, Nadal made a crazy backhand get, followed it with a running crosscourt pass, and let loose with his first full-on fist-pump of the day. Undeterred, Djokovic answered with a big first serve to get back to deuce. He held off two more break points with first serves and eventually held.

It takes many mental reserves to hang with Nadal on clay these days For the last month, he’s been on another plane, safely armored with high-tech weapons and shields against all comers. But Djokovic, who had looked weary all week after winning in Estoril, did about as much as you could ask just by making it a match. He attacked with his forehand by moving Nadal to his left and then drilling the next one down the line. It was an effective tactic until late in each set, when the pressure of hitting perfect balls led him to start jumping and snatching at the ball—and firing it into the net.

Nadal? His intensity from up close continues to amaze. After Djokovic held for 2-3 in the first, he came out and hit two winners to go up 0-30 on Nadal’s serve. The Spaniard looked just slightly shaken for the first time this week. The match was a couple points away from becoming a real mental war, with Nadal’s confidence potentially dipping and Djokovic’s rising. Nadal bent, but he wouldn’t break. He won four tense points to regain the momentum.

As for highlights, Nadal seemed to unveil a new touch shot today. Twice he came forward on short balls around the net, slid in, held his racquet as if he were going down the line, and caressed the ball crosscourt for a winning angle. Maybe it was the McEnroe inspiration, or the ghosts of stylish Italians past.

The shot that kept Djokovic at bay all day was Nadal's heavy-topspin crosscourt forehand, which he somehow brings down right where the service line and sideline meet. The ball starts high but dips wildly at the last second (I know this kind of “late movement” is impossible, but I swear that’s what happens). Not only did the ball get to Djokovic’s backhand, it backed him into an awkward position and left him without any profitable place to return it.

Watching from low in the stadium and behind the court, I found Nadal's forehand hard to read. When he moved in to attack inside-out, I couldn’t tell whether he was coming down the line or opening up and going crosscourt until after he hit the ball. Maybe it's just me, but I doubt many of his opponents can easily read it either.

Like Youzhny yesterday, there was a smiling sense of resignation from Djokovic at times. After Nadal hammered a backhand past him at net, Djokovic stopped as if paralyzed and let out a short whistle. On the final point of the match, he just surrended, intentionally dropping the ball at the bottom of the net. I would criticize this move on just about any other day, but Djokovic had stood up to Nadal long enough. All that was left to do was to wave the white flag.

I'll finish by saying that this match had me thinking that the men’s game is looking good for the immediate future. Djokovic and Nadal are a major rivalry waiting to happen, as are Djokovic and Federer, now that the Man has lost some of his Aura. Watching today, I felt like these guys measure up well to those daunting champions from the sport's past. John McEnroe, happily nodding away on the sideline after every great point, seemed to agree.