Rafael Nadal came to the 'Il Foro Italico' with the same attitude as Maximus, to destroy and conquer!
Philipp Kohlschreiber was Nadals first offering, 80 minutes and a short score of 6-1, 6-3 in a match that barely paid tribute to Kohlschreibers top 30 ATP ranking.

For Nadal it was not such great day and went on to say:
'It wasn't my best match but it was a correct match. I played safe, I stayed focused all the time and Philipp tried to play more aggressively for a few moments but he made more mistakes than usual and that helped me a little bit. My serve was working well, I worked well from the base-line and I felt good. It’s important to win and Philipp is a tough opponent. To play against him in the second round was a challenge for me.'

A Romanian Victor Hanescu was already on his vizier. This time the 'Spanish' took 2 more minutes to dispatch Hanescu a poultry amount of time for a Roman crowd avidly expecting more. But to no avail after an increabible drop-shot volley point from Victor, with an unbelievable get with the crowd standing in frenetic applause, Rafa pars it and ends up winning the point.

This puts him at match point which he clinically finishes with a smash and Nadal is through, 6-3, 6-2!

The score line on the next match looked pretty much the same as the previous matches 6-4, 6-1. Though Rafael Nadal at the press conference promptly recognizes the match was not so easy;

'In the first set today I was in trouble for a long time. He was doing his serve much better than I was and I only won one point before the 5-4,” Nadal said. “For the whole game, my serve was hard. The important thing was that I was very concentrated because he was playing very well and perhaps better than me in the beginning. But from the 5-4, I started to play it well. I did some good drop-shots and after that I started to play very well. From the second set, I was right in the court. At the beginning I felt that every ball I was touching I was more and more behind the line but in the second set, my feeling was that I was much better with my forehand and I was able to change the direction of the ball. I was also doing much better with my backhand too.'

Sure enough Wawrinka is no easy opponent and has plenty of quality in his game, but once Nadal found the weak spots in Stanislaus armor the second set was a practice event.

'I don't think I played my best match tonight,' Nadal went on to say. 'I think that the level in Monte Carlo (where he won the ATP Masters 1000 for the loss of only 14 games all tournament) was unbelievable. The final I played unbelievably and also in the semi-final too. I played well but I was probably playing better in Monte Carlo. Yesterday probably I had amazing passages but the feeling today was better. After the first set, I played better with my forehand and the ball was higher for me and I was going to the net more. You go to the net when you are dominating the point. The first set I didn't go to the net because I wasn't dominating the game.'

Like Maximus, Rafael Nadal now sense the smell of fear emanating from the catacombs (change room), and the word spreads around, the 'Spanish' the Gladiator is back! I would not be surprised if some do not rush to the bathroom to release their fear!
It is an exploit to defeat Rafael Nadal on clay, your very best tennis is requested and hope that the Spaniard is in a bad day! Often that is just not enough.

Rafael Nadal was pushed all the way by unseeded Ernests Gulbis in Saturday’s semi-final, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4! As any good General Nadal was not going to give an inch amidst a campaign not even at the press conference;

'I think I played worse than I played in the last few days. Gulbis’ serve was unbelievable. I had a break in the first game of the match and then I got another one in the last game but all the time he was serving at 200, 210, 215 km/h – very difficult to return. In the second set I played bad and probably I played better in the first. In the end I won the match but it was difficult in the third set and he was playing well from the baseline. I was happy that I won the first set because that gave me much more confidence to win the third set.'

Much was ridding on this victory, closing the gap to N1, prove the tennis world that Nadal is back with a vengeance? Send a signal to Federer I want you in Madrid and Roland Garros! Perhaps.

'I was happy because when I go on court I don't think about invincibility or these things - you think much more about these things than me – I was happy because I'm in the final of one of the most important tournament in the world and winning a very hard match. For some moments I had problems and I had some chances also. Perhaps I had more chances than he did but it was a difficult match. I wasn't thinking about losing on clay. It was a good match and a difficult opponent and it was a lot of points for me, and I'm going to try to win one of my favorite tournament in the world.'

'You cannot play very well every day,” he carried on. “I have been doing so for a lot of matches and today was the first day that I didn't play very well. It is impossible to play at this level every day and the important thing is that today, I had a difficult match also mentally and so I stayed focused from the first set. It wasn't easy to play against Ernests because he plays so aggressive, and the thing is that I put too much pressure on myself with the serve and so I started to play more defensively and stayed a good two or three meters behind the baseline. This is dangerous against a player like him who can pack a lot of power in the ball and you are in his hands. That is what happened for a long time during the match and I'm going to have to be much better tomorrow if I want to win.'

The crowd bowed to Maximus and so did they to Nadal. Rafa! Rafa! Rafa!

Rome was conquered! The final was against one of his generals and a great admirer of Rafa, David Ferrer. Sure they are professionals and they know each other well, but were they willing to spill each others blood?

With restraint Rafa won 7-5, 6-2, Rome was at his feet, the 'Spanish Gladiator' has conquered the Foro Italico!

Ave Rafael!

'This is the first time with a Masters 1000 final in Rome and I am happy with that,' said Ferrer. 'I am happy with my season this year; it is important for me and for my confidence for my next tournaments.'
 

Video Courtesy Dr. Calvin Nii Copyrights www.tennisspeed.com

Hope you enjoyed! Keep improving your tennis!

Sergio Cruz

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