NEW YORK -- In the afternoon there were sweat and cheers. A standing ovation for a match no one expected, but a result everyone predicted. Then, having taken stock of what could be, the U.S. Open glanced back at what was.
|
|
| Don't count on Nadal to succumb to the pressure of being ranked No. 1. (AP) |
After the sun went down, the memories of players and tournaments past took center stage on center court at Flushing Meadows.
Forty years, it is. Forty years since the start of the open era, when pros, long ostracized because of archaic standards that they might taint the game, could join the amateurs in the Grand Slam tournaments.
Time to look back, to bring out Ilie Nastase and John Newcombe, Virginia Wade and Chris Evert, Gabriela Sabatini and Mats Wilander, each a former U.S. Open winner, in a shower of kisses and high-fives.
Time to remember the late Arthur Ashe, who like Wade was a singles winner of that precedent-breaking Open, in 1968, and for whom the main court, Arthur Ashe Stadium, at the Billie Jean Tennis Center, is named.
And time to contemplate this 2008 Open, as Rafa, playing his first Slam as the world's No. 1, attempts to withstand the pressure of success as well as the backhands and serves of his pursuers.
There was a big story in the Wall Street Journal that the advisers and agents in Nadal's entourage had persuaded him to seek a "new image" by shedding those Capri pants and sleeveless shirts for something more appropriate, more mature. But it was the same old Rafa attire on Day 1, when he showed up against Bjorn Phau.
Whether it was the same old Rafa game can be debated. He won in straight sets over Phau, a 28-year-old German, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 7-6 (4). Yet he also needed 2 hours, 59 minutes and those two tie-breakers against Phau, who is 136th in the rankings and got into the tournament through the qualifying round.
"I won in three sets," reminded Nadal, which was undeniable. He's just back from Beijing. Before that, Cincinnati. A lot of jet lag. Also a lot of success. The kid is only 22. He can handle both.
Dementieva, a 6-4, 7-5, winner over Akgul Amanmuradova of Uzbekistan in a match disguised as a spelling bee, said she had a bit of Olympics hangover. "Very, very difficult to refocus," was her comment. "Because, still ... I mean ... all my thinking is there in Beijing."
Nadal, winner of the French Open (or Roland Garros, if you prefer) and Wimbledon as well as the Olympic gold, insisted he's in the here and now.
"No, not for me," was his response about too many thoughts flying through his head. "For me, that's sure not the problem. While it was very exciting a week ago to win the gold, I have to play here. I win Roland Garros, and I have to be 100 percent ready for Wimbledon. First round is always difficult, and hopefully next round I play much better, no?
