Two Steps

By TW Contributing Editor, Ed McGrogan

Even though Rafael Nadal has been dominant on court lately, winning six of his last seven tournaments, he's also brought out the best in some of his victims. Roger Federer's third and fourth set heroics at Wimbledon are the finest example, and there have been multiple instances of inspiration this week in Toronto. Jesse Levine looked like a tour regular instead of a qualifier against Nadal, and Richard Gasquet looked like a U.S. Open contender, at least for one set. Tonight, Andy Murray rose to the occasion, looking like a force to be reckoned with in the coming weeks despite losing 7-6, 6-3.

A tiebreaker was required to decide the first set, just as it was in Nadal’s match on Friday. This time around, Rafa won the overtime (much less strenuously: 7-2), but his opponent didn't fade into the night, as Gasquet did. Murray continued to play at a very high level in the second set; what resulted was the best match of the tournament. Andy impressed me, enough so that I consider him a serious threat at the Olympics and U.S. Open. Well, maybe until he runs into Nadal. He elaborated on this after the match:

"Obviously I think Federer and Nadal and Djokovic are still the big favorites going into all the top tournaments, but I think I'm in the pack behind them.  I'm one of the best on this surface, and I can push those guys when I play my best."

Nadal had to fend off repeated resurgences from Murray, who played just as well as he did against Djokovic. He continued to serve with poise, return serve aggressively, play stymieing defense, and go for shots when openings came. If you didn't watch the match, trust me, Murray did this all well, in spite of the straight sets defeat.

This is where Nadal enters the picture.  He's going to be the top-ranked player in the world shortly, but he's already established a level of reliability in big matches that was previously occupied by Federer.  An aura, if you will.

The element unique to Nadal's aura is his intensity, a byproduct of his relentless drive to win. With Nadal leading 4-3 in the second set, Murray prepared to serve. I'm sure he couldn’t help but notice Nadal jumping on the other side of the court, vocally demanding of himself a break of serve. Which is exactly what happened. A game and three match points later, Nadal reached his second career Rogers Cup final.

Rafa's hard court "struggles" have been well documented, whether you agree with them or not. He's looked great this week, putting these theories into serious question. And although we won't be able to see him play Federer or Djokovic, we've seen what Nadal can do against Gasquet and Murray, two very established and threatening hard court talents. His exceptional play so far speaks highly of his chances for success tomorrow, against Nicolas Kiefer, and at the all-important U.S. Open. Toronto is one small step, in preparation for one large one. Although Rafa only appears focused on the first:

"My only expectation is to try and play a good match tomorrow, and if possible win the title.  I said when I arrive here I don't think about No. 1 and I don't think about the hard court season or U.S. Open or Olympics, I think about Toronto."

One step at a time.