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Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal (ESP)

Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009

David Ferrer (ESP) and Radek Stepanek (CZE)

Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Sergio Carmona
Date: 04 Dec 2009

Photographer: Paul Zimmer
Date: 05 Dec 2009

04 Dec 2009 - Palau Sant Jordi - Emily Forder-White

Five-set thriller closes perfect day for Spain

Stepanek had said on Tuesday that whatever it takes, he was prepared to play ten hours this weekend. Well he is already halfway there, because the 4 hour 17 minute sizzling five-setter against David Ferrer on Friday night proved that for this 31-year-old, the biggest prize of his career is worthy of all his energy.

But it could be the match that decides the course of the weekend, for it was the silent but deadly Ferrer who prevailed for the mammoth 16 26 64 64 86 victory, giving Spain the 2-0 lead after Rafael Nadal’s earlier straight-set defeat of Tomas Berdych. It was an exhausting and heart-breaking loss for Stepanek, who played some exquisite tennis in the opening two sets.

Five-setters are not alien to either of these guys. The two had gone five sets in this year’s Wimbledon third round, a match that Radek had won from two-sets up, they had played three of their previous six meetings over five sets, and Stepanek had fought his way through that infamous 5 hour 59 minute match against Ivo Karlovic in the Davis Cup semifinals. But this was a case of history repeating itself, as for the second time in their five-year history, Stepanek lost a two-set lead to Ferrer.

The atmosphere had thinned somewhat after Nadal’s one-sided 75 60 62 victory over a deflated Berdych, so when Stepanek, an infectious character with a highly watchable game and a personality to match came on court for the second rubber, instantly the Palau Sant Jordi was injected with a bit of fizz.

Ferrer ruins Stepanek's "one-man show"

Stepanek could do nothing wrong for the first two sets, and it was up to Nadal, resuming his position courtside, to fire up a very placid Ferrer. When the Spanish world No. 18 went two-sets down, it was an increasingly impassioned Nadal who followed Ferrer and captain Albert Costa off court during the changeover in an attempt to reignite some confidence into his teammate. And later, Nadal was even in charge of the crowd, rousing the fans with some frantic arm-waving. It worked. Ferrer came back a changed man, and the Spanish crowd were convinced.

“I started very tense, I couldn't see his weak side,” said Ferrer of Stepanek, who had himself described his performance in the first two sets as a “one-man show”.

Ferrer mentally found his stride in the match from that point onwards, and as he began to move more fluidly round the court, Radek’s impeccable first two sets had seemed to drain him of his extra 10 percent. While his talent was still in abundance, Stepanek’s 31 years were taking a hit on court. This wasn’t the ace-fuelled five-set match against the big-serving Karlovic, this was hours of exertion, scampering net-play and punishing baseline rallies. Three hours into the match, Stepanek pulled up with cramp in his legs, allowing Ferrer a further tactical way in. He took the match into a fifth set with a confident love game.

“I believe this one was one of the most tense matches I've ever played,” said an emotional Ferrer. “I had wishes to cry after the first two sets and now is the same because I'm so happy. I have to also thank the crowd for their support.”

The final set was neck-and-neck, Stepanek painfully missing out on the crucial break at 4-3 40-30 with a netted volley, and it wasn’t until the 13th game that Ferrer saw a way out, by breaking his opponent to go 7-6 ahead. He sealed the 2-0 lead for Spain with three match points to spare and collapsed flat on his back on the indoor clay court, before bounding over to his team.

This is the best start possible for Costa’s first Davis Cup final at the helm. “It was very intense, Stepanek didn't fail at any point. We [David and I] went to the locker room after the second set and I said to him we will have a second chance and we have to take it. And he did it.”

Rafa redeems himself with commanding performance

Having taken so much flak and generated so much debate from his recently waning presence at the top of the game, Rafael Nadal was able to silence the critics by producing one of his finest performances in recent months, a 75 60 62 defeat of Czech No. 2 Tomas Berdych in the opening rubber of the Final.

The victory marked the return of Hurricane Rafa, back on his favourite surface, on home soil, playing for his country, and it was clearly evident that this was the most comfortable the world No. 2 had felt in a long time. So comfortable, that the Spanish No. 1 even had the audacity (and the sheer brilliance) to keep his opponent motionless on the scoreboard for a staggering 13 straight games, “the worst case to happen on court” Berdych later told the press.

Nadal needed a couple of games to really loosen up on the court and Berdych, the taller of the two by four inches, had held his own reasonably well thus far, throwing down some powerful serves and displaying a fearless air - helped in part by the authoritative thousand or so Czech fans situated behind the Czech bench.

But then came the Rafa onslaught, after a tense tenth game which had Berdych making the ludicrous choice to play an inopportune drop shot when leading 5-4 30-0 on Nadal’s serve. It failed to clear the net and Nadal capitalised on Berdych’s moment of weakness to take the next four points, the first set, and the next 13 games.

“I was a little bit nervous in the beginning, playing shorter than usual on this surface for me,” explained Nadal. “After that set, everything changed. I played more close to the lines, having the control of the point more times with the forehand.”

Nadal didn’t allow Berdych any games in the match until the fifth of the third set, becoming verbally disgusted with himself after a couple of erroneous backhands, but after 2 hours 29 minutes, Rafa hung his head in relief and then celebrated his renaissance by leaping several feet into the air.

Navratil to field Berdych-Stepanek in the doubles

Czech captain Jaroslav Navratil will 100 percent change his doubles nomination from rookies Lukas Dlouhy and Jan Hajek to the Berdych-Stepanek experience for tomorrow’s crucial match, but it all depends on how quickly Stepanek can recover from today’s physically – and mentally – damaging match.

Radek, ever Mr Resilient, is ready for the call-up. “I think you see me walking, breathing, talking. I think I'm physically able to play another match. I played even tougher matches. Don't worry, I played six hours last time.”

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Real Federacion Espanola de Tenis
Czech Tenisova Asociace

Related Audio

Interview with David Ferrer (ESP) - Friday

Interview with captain Albert Costa (ESP) - Friday

Interview with Radek Stepanek (CZE) - Friday

Interview with captain Jaroslav Navratil (CZE) - Friday

Interview with Rafael Nadal (ESP) - Friday

Interview with Tomas Berdych (CZE) - Friday

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