The knee strap was gone. So was his game...

I knew I wouldn't resist the temptation of reviewing a Roland Garros match this year. What I would never have thought though is that my first entry on this blog would be dedicated to Rafa. Yes, I have to admit it took me years to appreciate him and yet only a split second of a glimpse at him during a press conference interview, to fully understand that not only had I been ignoring pure racket genius but also a monster comedian talent. A comedian talent upon which I hope I am gonna dwell much longer in a future post. In the meantime...

... Sunday, May 30, 2009. My initial plan was not to watch TV but I eventually turned it on after lunch break, to find myself trapped in a match that was taking place on Philippe Chatrier. Let's say as an excuse that something called me, because something was happening there, obviously. It seemed on the paper like any other regular Rafael Nadal appearance on clay, expect that it wasn't. Swedish player Robin Soderling was indeed the one holding conversation and given their last meetings, he was certainly not up to any good and proved it by distillating some rather naughty shots.


Many might have noticed already that Soderling-Nadal is an implosive combination, which very often resumes off the court in interviews boxes.
When asked to explain the frequent friction between the two after their third-round encounter at Wimbledon two years ago, Rafa told the journalists Soderling had scant regard toward his opponents and ignored the number one rule of sportmanship, using the example from the match where he stumbled and fell on the ground, and where Soderling simply omitted to apologize or peek over the net to check if everything was alright. To which Soderling would reply he did not see why he would feel sorry for winning a point.

This is what a Soderling-Nadal show is about and today's episode at Roland Garros was just another sequel. With the result we all know. Rafa lost, for the first time in four consecutive years. I could describe how Soderling obstinantly cornered his opponent to knock on his weakened backhand. I could also elaborate on Uncle Toni's shrugging post-match comment, stating that his protégé was just starting to learn how to lose, but something else got all my attention. Nadal's white knee strap.Or should I say its absence, which had been discussed quite a lot since the beginning of the tournament and had me wondering as I watched him stagger and hop hesitantly on several occasions during the match. Maybe the removal of his long-time fetish was a little premature. Just like the spreading rumours of his however predictable decline...