BREAKING: TooMuch can play.
To be honest, those of us that have seen him play before should have had more time for him, but….well, we were too busy poking funnies. That’s my excuse anyway.
It was a straight sets win for Rafa of course, though what stands out for me in the way TooMuch acquitted himself tonight (boy did he) is how he gave Rafa no rhythm whatsoever.
Through a mixture of slice, changes in pace and big serving he ensured Rafa never once got the same look at the ball, never once got anywhere near being ‘comfortable’ – frustrating him into a number of uncharacteristic errors that saw Bernie go 4-0 up in the 2nd set.
This is in stark contrast to everything you learnt in ‘How to play Rafa 101’, which confidently asserts that pace, rather than the lack of it, is the way to bring the bull down, and is especially impressive as it’s not something you normally see from little’uns.
Of course he went down to the #1 player in the world, how else did you think this was going to end?
But 62 75 63 is, frankly, an unimpeachable score line given his age, experience and ranking. Chances are he’ll crack the top 100 sometime soon.
I’ll probably still continue to poke fun at him, but tonight he stands vindicated.
He talked the talk – sometimes quite obnoxiously – now he’s walked it too.
We must, at least, give him that.
What’s more, is he may be the future of Aussie tennis. I defy you not to be at least mildly horrified.
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