Latest Nadal vs. Rosol installment has a little bit of everything

The most recent chapter in the contentious Rafael Nadal vs. Lukas Rosol rivalry took place on Tuesday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. Rosol had a chance of ending things long before they became heated, but he failed to serve out the match at 6-1, 5-4.

Controversy started when Rosol complained that Nadal was taking too long after a changeover before the Czech served. Chair umpire Ali Nili would have none of it, informing Rosol that players have 30 seconds after time is called and that “the game hasn’t even started.”

Rosol banged his shoes and tapped the ground “every point” (according to Nili) before Nadal’s serves, prompting the Spaniard to complain late in the third set.
Rosol
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLmivl7r6O4]

Both players hit two of the most shocking volleys you will ever see, including Rosol when he was two points from the match at 6-1, 5-4, 30-15:

Nadal wins crucial point in third-set tiebreaker:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqe9Eo0Sma0]

In his post-match press conference, Nadal was asked about Rosol’s antics.

“Well, everybody knows that I was playing against a player who is…….just himself. That’s it. I don’t want to talk more than what I need, but everybody knows him on tour.”

Nadal press conference:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8BbM5VxXrI]

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38 Comments on Latest Nadal vs. Rosol installment has a little bit of everything

  1. I don’t know why they don’t call this a hindrance. Wouldn’t this kind of thing fall in that category? The fact that he does it a lot, still doesn’t make it okay. Rosol is obviously using this tactic to disrupt his opponent.

    The tennis channel showed highlights of this match today, including that brick of a missed volley from Rosol that cost him a match point. Instead of 40-15, it was 30-30. We all know what happened next! 🙂

  2. Lots of drama in that match…sorry I missed it…thanks for all the mini-videos. Rosol always a bit of a nudge, but he’s got plenty of game.

    • Game without brain! His game is to serve big and hit as hard as possible, more a ball basher with a good serve. He’ll make plenty of errors doing so and even more when forced to. This kind of ball basher no one can counter directly unless you’re a fellow ball basher. You got to use your guile and other skills and tactics to beat him, which Rafa did three out of four times they met. The other three Big 4 guys were all prepared for this Rosol and so nerver let him had any chances. I would think that on clay, the Rafa of old would beat him handily even though Rosol did win a 250 title on clay during his career.

      • That Wimbledon win was helped by the break to close the roof just when Rafa had the momentum and it was just before he served at 4:4 in the final set. Rafa was upset about the unnecessary break so he wasn’t playing with ‘colm’ when they resumed, consequently dropped his serve which allowed Aerosol to serve it out pounding winners and aces.

        At least that’s how I remember it. Correct me if I’m wrong.

      • And about as popular in the locker room as each other. There are other parallels although Rosol has way to go before matching Soderling’s epic meltdown in Rome ’09. Interestingly that was followed immediately by his shock defeat of Rafa the next time they met. I wrote that Rosol’s pride had been wounded by the Monfils encounter – it was not surprising he came at Rafa with all guns blazing and came perilouslty close to pulling off the upset. As Ricky says ‘a poor man’s Soderling’

      • lucky,

        I agree about Rosol. A ball basher if ever there was one. For a set and a half Rafa let him do it, too. Then he regrouped and changed tactics and outwitted Rosol with his great tennis brain! Rafa did what he needed to do.

  3. Rosol and Kyrgios suffer from cronic nadalitis; Coric caught the virus but recovered once he realised that he is neither Andy Murray when playing badly nor Djokovic when playing well. Darcis is old enough and wise enough to avoid it and though Stan had a couple of days in bed with it, I think he has now been cured. Brown is a maverick, these things don’t matter to him that much. Almagro didn’t catch it because he knows better having been around the block a few times being knocked about by Rafa.

    In Sod’s defence, people did their best to get him to catch the virus but he always maintained that beating Nadal was nothing special although it didn’t stop him from claiming his meal ticket.

    This disease is also known as rafaitis.

    • That is a great highlight video. Superbly edited. Well done you for finding it.

      I particularly enjoyed being able to hear the French commentary. A welcome change from Koenig and friends on TennisTV lol.

      • I only had French TV for years – listening to tennis commentaries in French did wonders for my comprehension skills. I still prefer most of their commentators to all the others with the exception of Forget who has verbal diarrhoea.

  4. For a start the Frenchies were blatantly pro Rafa and became more so as the match progressed, ooh la la-ling at every point he won. Rosol was clearly not the flavour of the month and they vascillated between respect for his good shots and disapproval of his general behaviour and bad sportsmanship.

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