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 is the venue where Nadal performed the next best but is 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 had reached the quarter-finals 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 scene.
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 bloomer's 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.
If you think this is all, you are too young and naive.
In 2017, against Federer in the final, he also suffered a reversal and lost the championship when he broke serve first in the deciding set, witnessing Federer breaking his five-year Grand Slam championship drought.
In 2018, he faced Cilic in the semi-finals and was two sets ahead when he suffered a knee injury. After struggling hard, 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 he was two sets ahead. 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 resulted in a comeback and elimination, which even led to direct reimbursement for the next half of the season.
so?
Are Nadal and Melbourne Park incompatible? Why do injuries always follow them every time they 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, finally 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 is reason 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 day 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 victory is the top priority.
The schedule was released the evening before.
Matinee.
The first game, Ekaterina-Makarova VS Halep.
The second game, Sharapova VS Bouchard.
Game 3, Murray VS Karlovic.
Nightclub.
The first game, Nadal VS Gawain.
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 the men's doubles and women's doubles were also fully launched. These matches were more interesting than the second round of the mixed doubles. However, the organizing committee was in a mood and decided to
The second round of Mixed Doubles is scheduled to take place on the center court.
Moreover, even if the second round of the Mixed Doubles is scheduled to be held at Rod Laver Arena, the matinee match is enough, and the night match can completely arrange a brilliant showdown between Sharapova and Bouchard. However, the organizing committee is
Go my 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 showdown between Nadal and Gawain is in charge of the finale.
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 night game? The level of promotion was a bit too fast, and he didn't even have time to fasten his 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.
Murray swept 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 to kick off at 7pm, which is boring and drowsy. Is this really the right way to start the quarterfinals?