"What you're saying is outrageous, Carlos"
elmundo
One of the extraordinary abilities of John McEnroe was to act like a madman for many minutes, to insult the referee or the photographer and began to beat the scene for seconds after holding again his racket and hit an ace. Warm heart, cool head. Rafael Nadal did not reach that point, always respectful in his match with Tomas Berdych, but we've never seen him react so exalted to a decision by the linesman. Finally, the number one took his chance and from the following point, he crushed his opponent.
"What you're saying is outrageous, Carlos, it's crazy." The phrase echoes in London's O2. Moment of maximum tension. Nadal dictates the points but he is not able to break the resistance of an unnefective Berdych with his first serve, his best weapon, but very aggressive and direct in his game. The 'break' does not come and the Czech Republic's player has already secured the 'tie break' after the eleventh game of the match. Nadal needs to win this set to book his place in the semifinals. If he loses two straight sets, it will jeopardize his classification.
Nadal serves to stay alive in the first set. 15-15. The Spaniard sees the ball of his rival as out and he raises his arm instinctively though he does not stop the game and hit the ball back. It's Carlos Bernardes, the Brazilian chair umpire, who corrects the line and stops the match. Berdych, visibly upset, asks for the Hawk Eye, which gives him the reason. If it was Berdych who asked for Hawk Eye, Bernardes' call prevailed over Nadal's and therefore the point should be repeated. The judge decides to give the point to the Czech. 15-30, two points away from the set. The Spanish gets angry and even threatened to not continue playing, even after claiming the presence of the supervisor of the tournament, Tom Barnes. "You said it was bad," Bernardes justified. "But what match are you watching, Carlos? My ball was in," Nadal responds, and for the first time in his career he is reluctant to accept the sentence. "No, I won't play," he said before getting his cool back and return back to court.
Berdych's version in his press conference: "When you raise your hand, you stop the game. Rafa stopped because he saw the ball out. The judge agreed and changed the decision of the linesman, which had seen it good. I asked the 'Hawkeye' and I was right. No discussion possible." Nadal's version: "I could probably condition him. I was wrong on that because I raised my arm, but not with the intention of asking 'challenge', but intuitively because I thought the ball could have gone out. In any case, I hit the ball back and my ball was in, so the point should be repeated. The most possible thing is that the point was his, but things are very clear: I influenced the umpire but the umpire can not let himself be influenced by me. So, from the first time he calls the ball out, the point should be repeated." Nadal defended his right to complain. "If I think I have a reason, I have a right to complain"
Berdych had something to add: "The umpire was afraid of his reaction and let him talk too much. The rules are quite clear. He should have told him that he could not do that," he complained. Nadal's response: "He's been so afraid (Bernardez) that he gave the point to him," he joked. "At Wimbledon I was deprived of a very similar point against Soderling. That's how afraid umpires are of me. I've never intimidated an umpire." After the moment of high tension, Nadal picked up his racket and became a hurricane, pure electricity, John McEnroe. And Berdych was taken by the wind.
Andy Murray sounded more scared than Bernardes regarding his next match with World Number 1. Whether or not a bluff, he said: "I will try to win, but I'm not sure if I have too many chances against him. Obviously he is the best player in the world," admitted the Scot. "I've seen his matches and he is playing really well, and I do not usually win these big matches against big players." Nadal's not fooled: "Murray has won in amazing circumstances and at very important times, so I think he is ready to beat me, without problems."
elmundo
One of the extraordinary abilities of John McEnroe was to act like a madman for many minutes, to insult the referee or the photographer and began to beat the scene for seconds after holding again his racket and hit an ace. Warm heart, cool head. Rafael Nadal did not reach that point, always respectful in his match with Tomas Berdych, but we've never seen him react so exalted to a decision by the linesman. Finally, the number one took his chance and from the following point, he crushed his opponent.
"What you're saying is outrageous, Carlos, it's crazy." The phrase echoes in London's O2. Moment of maximum tension. Nadal dictates the points but he is not able to break the resistance of an unnefective Berdych with his first serve, his best weapon, but very aggressive and direct in his game. The 'break' does not come and the Czech Republic's player has already secured the 'tie break' after the eleventh game of the match. Nadal needs to win this set to book his place in the semifinals. If he loses two straight sets, it will jeopardize his classification.
Nadal serves to stay alive in the first set. 15-15. The Spaniard sees the ball of his rival as out and he raises his arm instinctively though he does not stop the game and hit the ball back. It's Carlos Bernardes, the Brazilian chair umpire, who corrects the line and stops the match. Berdych, visibly upset, asks for the Hawk Eye, which gives him the reason. If it was Berdych who asked for Hawk Eye, Bernardes' call prevailed over Nadal's and therefore the point should be repeated. The judge decides to give the point to the Czech. 15-30, two points away from the set. The Spanish gets angry and even threatened to not continue playing, even after claiming the presence of the supervisor of the tournament, Tom Barnes. "You said it was bad," Bernardes justified. "But what match are you watching, Carlos? My ball was in," Nadal responds, and for the first time in his career he is reluctant to accept the sentence. "No, I won't play," he said before getting his cool back and return back to court.
Berdych's version in his press conference: "When you raise your hand, you stop the game. Rafa stopped because he saw the ball out. The judge agreed and changed the decision of the linesman, which had seen it good. I asked the 'Hawkeye' and I was right. No discussion possible." Nadal's version: "I could probably condition him. I was wrong on that because I raised my arm, but not with the intention of asking 'challenge', but intuitively because I thought the ball could have gone out. In any case, I hit the ball back and my ball was in, so the point should be repeated. The most possible thing is that the point was his, but things are very clear: I influenced the umpire but the umpire can not let himself be influenced by me. So, from the first time he calls the ball out, the point should be repeated." Nadal defended his right to complain. "If I think I have a reason, I have a right to complain"
Berdych had something to add: "The umpire was afraid of his reaction and let him talk too much. The rules are quite clear. He should have told him that he could not do that," he complained. Nadal's response: "He's been so afraid (Bernardez) that he gave the point to him," he joked. "At Wimbledon I was deprived of a very similar point against Soderling. That's how afraid umpires are of me. I've never intimidated an umpire." After the moment of high tension, Nadal picked up his racket and became a hurricane, pure electricity, John McEnroe. And Berdych was taken by the wind.
Andy Murray sounded more scared than Bernardes regarding his next match with World Number 1. Whether or not a bluff, he said: "I will try to win, but I'm not sure if I have too many chances against him. Obviously he is the best player in the world," admitted the Scot. "I've seen his matches and he is playing really well, and I do not usually win these big matches against big players." Nadal's not fooled: "Murray has won in amazing circumstances and at very important times, so I think he is ready to beat me, without problems."
0 comments