As we all know, Nadal is the king of clay. The best and most perfect performance in the four Grand Slams is definitely the French Open. So, what about the second one outside the French Open?
Many fans think it should be the US Open, which has won the championship four times. However, judging from the data, this is not the case, but the Australian Open.
Melbourne Park, this is the venue where Nadal performed the second best but also the most tragic.
In terms of winning rate and number of wins, the Australian Open ranks second after the French Open; but in terms of number of championships and final winning rate, the Australian Open ranks at the bottom——
Before the opening of the Australian Open in 2022, Nadal reached the quarterfinals 13 times and five finals in Melbourne, but only won one championship in 2009.
Even more miserable than Wimbledon, which was on and off in the second half of his career.
Among active players, Nadal has reached the finals of the Australian Open second only to Djokovic and Federer, but has only one championship.
In 2010, against Murray in the quarter-finals, he suffered a knee injury and had no choice but to withdraw from the game.
In 2011, against Ferrer in the quarter-finals, the hamstring injury recurred and he was eliminated.
In 2012, he faced Djokovic in the final. After breaking serve first in the deciding set, he suffered a reversal and lost the championship. This nearly six-hour match is still the longest Grand Slam final in the Open era. of a game.
In 2013, he was absent due to injury.
In 2014, against Wawrinka in the final, his back injury recurred, and he fought hard in four sets to win his opponent's late-blooming first Grand Slam championship.
It's clear at a glance.
In other words, since winning the Australian Open in 2009, except for 2012, injuries have always played an important role that cannot be ignored.
You'd be too young and naive to think that's all.
In 2017, in the final against Federer, he also broke serve first in the deciding set, but suffered a reversal and lost the championship, witnessing Federer breaking his five-year Grand Slam championship drought.
In 2018, he faced Cilic in the semifinals and suffered a knee injury when he was two sets ahead. After struggling to persevere, he had no choice but to withdraw from the match.
In 2021, against Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals, he suffered a back injury in the third set when leading by two sets. Despite this, he still took the lead in getting the match point, but due to the injury, he had a rare failure on the match point. An outrageous high-pressure ball error was eventually reversed and the team was eliminated, even leading to direct reimbursement for the next half of the season.
so?
Nadal and Melbourne Park, are they incompatible? Why do injuries always follow me every time I come to Melbourne?
Even Nadal himself said with a wry smile.
"I have a lot of good memories here, but at the same time, I also lack a little luck. Sometimes, it's just that my opponent plays better than me; sometimes, it's just that I'm unlucky enough to suffer injuries. So, here, I have many, many special memories.”
It is precisely because of this that for Nadal fans, the French Open may be their favorite event, but the Australian Open is always a lingering cinnabar mole.
A little bit of luck, a little bit of metaphysics, a little bit of coincidence, ultimately led to Nadal's tragedy in Melbourne Park.
Here, Nadal has never been the one favored by the goddess of luck.
So, what about this year?
The historical trajectory has quietly changed, and the butterfly effect has initially appeared in Melbourne Park this year.
This time, the top eight opponent standing on the other side of Nadal's net has evolved into Gawain. History is about to be rewritten. Will the result be different?
Even if people don't know what will happen in the future, judging from Nadal's past record at Melbourne Park, there are reasons to be more curious about this year's showdown.
Just like Evert.
Obviously, the Australian Open Organizing Committee also agrees, which can be seen from the schedule——
On the ninth match day, the quarterfinals of men's and women's singles all entered the Rod Laver Arena. Without exception, the focus now is, matinee or night game?
From here we can see the importance of court arrangement:
Nadal has played all the previous four rounds at Rod Laver Arena. Obviously, he has fully experienced this year's venue conditions; moreover, he has experienced both matinee and night games, at least he does not need to adapt again.
But Gao Wen is not the same. Three rounds of games were played at Hisense Arena and one round at Margaret Court Arena, all of which were matinees. This also meant that he was not familiar with Rod Laver Arena, and at the same time, he was not familiar with Rod Laver Arena. If you are not familiar with nightclubs, everything is new and unfamiliar, and everything must be adapted to and adjusted again.
It is precisely because of this that the high-ranking seeded players who are the favorites to win the championship often mind their own venue arrangements. They need to adapt to Rod Laver Stadium in advance to prepare for the subsequent decisive stage.
For ordinary players, they have no time to think about the subsequent games. No one knows whether they can last until the quarterfinals. Naturally, there is no need to worry about things that may or may not happen in the long run. Compared with the venue, a game is A win is the priority.
The schedule was released the evening before.
Matinee.
The first game, Ekaterina Makarova vs. Halep.
In the second game, Sharapova vs. Bouchard.
The third game, Murray vs. Karlovic.
Nightclub.
The first game, Nadal vs. Gauvin.
The second game was an Australian civil war in the second round of Mixed Doubles, against four players from both sides, three of whom were from the host country.
With a little thought, you can see the little emotions of the Australian Open Organizing Committee, a little helpless, a little stubborn, and a little persistent.
In fact, on the ninth match day, the quarterfinals of men's doubles and women's doubles were also fully launched. The visibility of these games was greater than the second round of mixed doubles. However, the organizing committee was in a mood and decided to The second round of the mixed doubles match is scheduled to enter the center court.
Moreover, even if the second round of the Mixed Doubles match is scheduled to be held at Rod Laver Arena, the matinee game is enough, and the night game can completely arrange a brilliant showdown between Sharapova and Bouchard. However, the organizing committee is Go your own way and stick to your own ideas.
The reason is very simple. There is more or less a sense of anger in it——
After Kyrgios was eliminated, the organizing committee felt aggrieved, depressed, and angry. In order to meet the needs of the home audience, they selected such a game as the ninth match day at Rod Laver Arena. The all-day axis.
What’s even more interesting is that the final showdown is between Nadal and Gawain.
Is this... a bad taste?
So, the organizing committee just wants to watch Nadal defeat Gauvin, and then the host players join hands to participate in the joint carnival?
No one knows how the organizing committee feels about making such arrangements.
But the final reality is-
Gao Wen finally entered the Rod Laver Arena, and it was a nightclub? The level of promotion was a little too fast, and I didn't even have time to fasten my seat belt.
However, God is not as good as man, and the organizing committee never expected——
The matinee match was a bust.
Makarova swept Halep, losing only four games in the game.
Sharapova swept Bouchard, losing only five games in the match.
Murray swept past Karlovic in straight sets.
Confused.
It was so confusing that even the spectators had not had time to get into the mood, and all the matinee games were over. They ended so early that the Rod Laver Arena began to clear before the sun even had time to set.
What follows is a long wait, waiting for the night game that kicks off at 7pm, which is boring and drowsy. Is this really the right way to start the quarterfinals?
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