He mixed things up well, but the key for me were those groundstrokes of his, the heaviness of which I've talked about in the past, and which he put to good effect in keeping Nadal behind the baseline. Do we need further evidence that it is -- contrary to popular opinion -- possible for a right handed single-hander to put together and execute an effective gameplan against Rafa? We all know of the kind of damage Rafa can inflict on them, but he remains uniquely vulnerable to flat heavy strikers of the ball. Insight for Roger: Go hang out with Stanislas more than you already do...
Cue Juan, a guy whom I've previously dismissed as "taking too long to construct rallies on his terms" and having 'lurching side to side movement", though he does hit the ball very hard.
And though he took the first set, I was quietly confident that Rafa's mental strength would help see him through much in the same way as it did against Wawrinka, despite quite clearly playing far below average.
Sure enough (though after a quite horrendous start) he surged ahead in the second set, but at 5-3 up something quite extraordinary happened. Juan hit a drop shot so exquisite that I remember thinking to myself "that's perhaps the best shot I've ever seen Juan play". Nadal went on to take the set but the tone for the match was set.
Yes Nadal was far from his best, but the real reason Juan came out on top for me was in his willingness to take risks and go against the natural grain of his game - which is to bludgeon balls back until you're in a comfortable position dictating play before pulling the trigger.
I think we all knew what a great ball striker Juan was when he shot up to #6 in the rankings with that great series of wins coming into the US Open last year, but had since acquired the look of a frightened schoolboy that has inadvertently stumbled into the Senior Prefects' Common Room; understandable really, as he then underwent a series of top ten losses so ruthless in their nature that he really must have thought he was undergoing a perverse and painful (but hopefully short lived) Top-Tenner's initiation rite as Nikolay (6-3,6-2 at the Tennis Masters Cup last year), Roger (6-3,6-0, 6-0 at Melbourne this year) and Rafa (6-2,6-4 last week at Indian Wells) all lined up to knock seven shades of you-know-what out of him.
Well it was either that or to be made to stand in an empty court with your arms tied behind your back while the other guys place bets on what part of your body A-Rod can serve into next.
I sort of get the feeling that it'll not be long before he reverts to his more passive style of point construction and I still strongly believe the A-Rod is more worthy of the #5 spot, but I'll tell you what - if he even manages to produce that more plucky form once every three months it'll be enough to keep the top four honest and prolong his stay in the top ten.
***
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [10] J Tsonga (FRA) 63 64
And the winner of the 'Dorando Pietri' Award for Human Endurance is......Novak Djokovic.
It wasn't his best performance tennis wise - although enough to squeeze past a particularly out of sorts Jo-Willy. The urge to quit in that 2nd set must have been tremendous.
Marathon runner's often speak of 'hitting a wall' - a point at which the fatigue is so great that your mind and body virtually shutdown: I'm pretty sure Novak hit his about five times over and remain concerned that Novak is more prone to these types of physical breakdowns than a world number three (or a top tenner for that matter) should be. I'm also certain that there would have been no third, had Jo-Willy somehow managed to squeeze that 2nd set.
Instead here's my more romantic interpretation of what might have been.
Take a close look at what happens one minute into the video when Dorando collapses and has to be picked up and escorted over the finish line by a bunch of London Coppers, before being taken away on a stretcher.
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [10] J Tsonga (FRA) 63 64
And the winner of the 'Dorando Pietri' Award for Human Endurance is......Novak Djokovic.
It wasn't his best performance tennis wise - although enough to squeeze past a particularly out of sorts Jo-Willy. The urge to quit in that 2nd set must have been tremendous.
Marathon runner's often speak of 'hitting a wall' - a point at which the fatigue is so great that your mind and body virtually shutdown: I'm pretty sure Novak hit his about five times over and remain concerned that Novak is more prone to these types of physical breakdowns than a world number three (or a top tenner for that matter) should be. I'm also certain that there would have been no third, had Jo-Willy somehow managed to squeeze that 2nd set.
Instead here's my more romantic interpretation of what might have been.
Take a close look at what happens one minute into the video when Dorando collapses and has to be picked up and escorted over the finish line by a bunch of London Coppers, before being taken away on a stretcher.
***
One last thing. Neither of the Williams Sisters have been that convincing over the course of this event. Serena in particular got into one too many three setters for my liking early on. Venus seemed more comfortable, like she was going through the motions en route to their semi final clash - particularly against her quarter final opponent Benesova - who has just become my resident villain of the tour.
I've got no problem with a healthy desire to win, heck I've been lamenting the lack of spine these past several months. I don't even expect you to smile when you shake your opponents' hand after a loss. God knows, your body's hurting, your mind's hurting and you just want to get off court. But does it really hurt so much to look your opponent in the eye? Never mind the fact that your opponent is a seven time Grand Slammer, a living legend in the game. The fact that you've only just cracked the top 50 last year might serve as a reminder that a little humility wouldn't be amiss.
But back to Serena, who, that semi final not withstanding, has been less than awe-inspiring here this year. I fully expect her to come through against Azarenka in tomorrow's final but it won't be easy. Victoria's young, fit, hungry, spirited, consistent and hits the ball like a bomb. Serena might be on to something if she starts the match bellowing louder than her opponent.
Don't forget your ear muffs.
One last thing. Neither of the Williams Sisters have been that convincing over the course of this event. Serena in particular got into one too many three setters for my liking early on. Venus seemed more comfortable, like she was going through the motions en route to their semi final clash - particularly against her quarter final opponent Benesova - who has just become my resident villain of the tour.
I've got no problem with a healthy desire to win, heck I've been lamenting the lack of spine these past several months. I don't even expect you to smile when you shake your opponents' hand after a loss. God knows, your body's hurting, your mind's hurting and you just want to get off court. But does it really hurt so much to look your opponent in the eye? Never mind the fact that your opponent is a seven time Grand Slammer, a living legend in the game. The fact that you've only just cracked the top 50 last year might serve as a reminder that a little humility wouldn't be amiss.
But back to Serena, who, that semi final not withstanding, has been less than awe-inspiring here this year. I fully expect her to come through against Azarenka in tomorrow's final but it won't be easy. Victoria's young, fit, hungry, spirited, consistent and hits the ball like a bomb. Serena might be on to something if she starts the match bellowing louder than her opponent.
Don't forget your ear muffs.
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