When the announcer of Roland-Garros, Marc Maury, unrolled the prize list of the master of the premises, Wednesday, June 9, the 5,000 spectators authorized since the same day to fill the stands of the Philippe-Chatrier court reserved Rafael Nadal an ovation which he had not received for two years. The “Rafa, I love you” and the “Rafa el rey” accompanied this litany “Almost longer than the match itself”, as some of his fellows preferred to laugh.
After a year and a half of the pandemic, we had almost forgotten the effect of “Ohhhhhhhhhh” and “Ahhhhhhh” spectators amazed by the spectacle provided before their eyes. If the half-empty boxes hadn’t missed anyone, the referee’s announcements in an attempt to calm a dissipated crowd had almost succeeded in being desired.
Eight months after failing in the semifinals on the same central court in an autumn version, the Argentinian Diego Schwartzman (seeded No.10) did better against the No.3 world: he managed to stand up to him and even to take a set from him. But the bottom line is the same. Winner in four sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-0), the Spaniard will face Novak Djokovic or Matteo Berrettini on Friday for a place in the final.
Far from being dazzling, despite his fluorescent yellow t-shirt, Nadal commits very unusual mistakes at the start of the game, especially on the backhand side. Fortunately for him, Diego Schwartzman is completely harmless on his faceoffs (58% of first balls).
Despite a lack of realism – only two converted break points, out of seven occasions in the first set alone – this is enough. Apart from a few well-felt blows – including a lob and a slew of long backhands -, the Argentinean too often goes wrong, repelled by the onslaught of his opponent, whose lift spurts over his shoulders.
Accumulation of air holes
Schwartzman compensates for his pocket size (1.68 m) with his speed, his glance and his sense of anticipation. From the start of the second set, he seizes Nadal’s service, takes the Mallorcan in his own trap, ending up making him crack in the exchange from the baseline before going up to the net. He confirms his lead in stride to break away 3-0.
Since the start of the tournament, the Spaniard has experienced a few air holes several times. Two third set balls to be erased against Australian Alexei Popyrin in the first round, a flamboyant 5-2 to 5-5 return from Richard Gasquet in the second round of the second round. This was again the case in his start of the round of 16 against Jannik Sinner, where he had to break in extremis while the Italian served to win the first round.
As in his previous match, Nadal abnormally accumulates double faults. What does not worry him too much: “In Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, I had movement problems that had to be corrected. There it is different. I don’t feel like I have a problem with the gesture. I don’t think service is a concern ”, he assured after his qualification in the quarterfinals.
Taking advantage of the feverishness of the Argentine, the Spaniard came back to height in the middle of the third round. The level of the two men went up a notch. Responding in quick succession, they each take the other to visit the four corners of the field, feasting the spectators, who give “Die-go, Die-go” loudly.
? What an incredible exchange between Diego Schwartzman and Rafael Nadal! The Argentinian has no more break ahead in the d… https://t.co/fbIm5IqB76
But the forehand of the Spaniard, decidedly badly regulated, comes out regularly in the corridor. “El Peque” does not pray and takes advantage of a catastrophic game from the Spaniard as he serves to equalize at 5-5 in order to steal his service, and the round with. It’s a small event: for the first time in twelve meetings on his beloved land, the Mallorcan dropped a set, which had not happened to him since the 2019 final against the Austrian Dominic Thiem.
Demolition company
“Rafa, you are the boss”, “Come on Rafa, you are at home here”, try to shake part of the spectators at the start of the third round. “Come on my Diego”, retorts another. The small Argentinian moped is on all the balls and dictates the game. Schwartzman has found his first ball, takes out aces, and even pays himself the luxury of bringing back the Spaniard’s smashes, pushing him to the fault (29 unforced errors in all).
But there is nothing worse than a wounded beast. The Spaniard decides to whistle the end of recess in the middle of the third set by pressing the accelerator pedal. More precise, entered inside the field, he finally finds strikes worthy of his rank and his devastating forehand, disgusting his younger brother. Nadal now overflows Schwartzman on both sides, breaks at the point named at 4-4 and wins the round in stride (6-4).
The demolition business is up and running. After Sinner, the Argentinian is, in turn, a victim of the boa constrictor syndrome: the man who has accumulated 91.6% of victories on clay since the start of his career likes nothing more than suffocating his prey in depriving her of oxygen. The Spaniard does not commit a single fault, unfolding his tactical plan which saw him overcome 96 opponents and does not leave a single game to Schwartzman. The Argentinian leaves the Philippe-Chatrier court on a bicycle wheel after two forty-five hours, but to the ovation of the public.
Nadal is warned. Until then, the margin was large enough on too soft opponents in a best of five sets format. But that may not be enough against his Serbian rival Novak Djokovic – if he overcomes Wednesday, for the last evening session of the tournament, the Italian Matteo Berrettini – to hope to reach the final.