At his recent appearance at Grandwest Casino, my favourite stand-up comic, Michael McIntyre, called Rafael Nadal an animal - an ANIMAAAL!! He was very funny and had it to a T, but I still felt peeved that he called him that. But on reflection, it wasn't an insult. He is relentless when he goes in for the kill. That was demonstrated today, during the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open against David Ferrer, himself a bit of an animaaaal as he prowled the back line like a caged tiger.
For the first two sets, Ferrer looked to be the better player and there is no doubt that he is at the top of his game, but Rafa made many errors and if he had lost, it would have been because he lost to himself. He fought for his life in both sets which were punctuated by moments of brilliance that we have come to expect from him. Ferrer made fewer mistakes and was looking to be a deserved winner. Things were getting tense at one set all and supper has been delayed, as tennis must come first!
When Rafa took his place for the third set, you could sense that he had adjusted his mind and he would be relentless in his comeback. And he was. It was as though he had sucked all the energy out of Ferrer, which was a pity as we were treated to tennis of the highest calibre. Ferrer didn't manage to win a single game in the third set, despite Rafa being hit in the eye by his own racquet and having to wash his face with bottled water (sneaking in a quick swig at the same time), and it was all over in no time.
I just love tennis season!
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