Ever since Rafael Nadal picked up a tennis racquet at the age of four with his beloved Uncle Toni beside him, there has always been a set pattern to everything he does in and around the sport’s periphery.
Be it his game style, training sessions, or, of course, the detailed superstitious routine before every point, game, set and match, Nadal functioned like a well-oiled machine that can devastate humans on a tennis court.
But, for the last two-and-a-half years, that machine was starting to rust, and the humans at the other end of the net were beginning to break it down slowly yet steadily. Despite that, Nadal stuck with his structure for a major part of the period, relying on the tried-and-tested cross court and sometimes down the line forehands to try and breathe some light into the fading champion.
It wasn’t working.
Until 2017 arrived. Until Rafa chose to take a detour from his devoted design.
A major reason for the Spaniard’s resurgence this year — that includes two Grand Slams, five titles and return to world No. 1 — has been his willingness to embrace change, a little bit of tweaking both on and off the court.
Three examples highlight that, two of them being in Nadal’s confidence-changing matches of the season.
The first came about late last year: adding good friend Carlos Moya into his coaching team. The co-Spaniard not only came in with fresh ideas and perspective, but also with the objective of adding a human touch to the machine.
Moya said his biggest challenge was to keep Nadal off the court, and he succeeded in doing that. Rafa skipped a few tournaments this year, something that was almost a taboo for him if he wasn’t injured. The rest kept him at his peak when it mattered the most, and then everything else that Moya brought in skill-wise — better serves, bigger forehands and flatter backhands — started to work its magic.
The second sign of adapting came in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open against Milos Raonic. The Canadian had blown him away three weeks ago in Brisbane with booming serves.
In Brisbane, Rafa stood almost near the ball boys to receive the serve, and it didn’t work. Nadal knew the only way to beat Raonic in Melbourne was to negate his biggest weapon, and he knew he had to change something for it.
Standing just inches behind the baseline, Nadal trounced Raonic in straight sets with two breaks of serve to sail into the semifinals.
And although he lost to Roger Federer in the title clash, that victory was massive in instilling self-belief and setting the tone for the rest of the season.
It sure did, for he bagged a record 10th French Open title and entered the US Open knowing he had a shot at the title after a disappointing Wimbledon.
He stood a step away from that shot, and faced a dangerous opponent in his most crucial match: Juan Martin del Potro in the last four. Nadal came into the game with Plan A: keep away from del Potro’s fearsome forehand, attack his weaker backhand.
Good on paper, bad in reality.
Nadal lost the opening set with that tactic, and Plan A wasn’t doing the trick.
A Rafa of two years ago might have still persisted with it, but not this Rafa. He got his down the line forehands out immediately in the second set, opening the court that much more and making himself unpredictable for del Potro.
Result? Nadal won the next three sets 6-0 6-3 6-2 to effectively carve his name on the crown.
Be it on the court or off it, Nadal is understanding the value of change more than ever before. And for him to win more titles, may that remain unchanged.
