A year ago, while the eight best tennis players on active service were contesting the ATP World Tour Finals in London, Rafael Nadal was at home in Mallorca, wrestling with the slim, if dreaded, prospect of having to quit tennis at 26. Yesterday, the Spaniard was king of the mountain for the third time in his career and looking as relieved as he was ecstatic.
A two-set victory over the resurgent Stanislas Wawrinka in two hours and 12 minutes, 7-6, 7-6, not only put Nadal in the semi-finals but ensured he will end 2013 with the world number one ranking.
Nadal missed the finals last year, having withdrawn from the Tour to recuperate after his shock loss to Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon, and his return (after another early exit at the All England Club, against Steve Darcis) has astonished even his fiercest rivals. It has surprised him a little, too.
"I was at home," he said of his 2012 November. "I had doubts. Everyone has doubts in life. Thoughts about the future, then? Just to focus on my recovery, focus on trying to find a solution for my knee, working every day. I was not 100 per cent at the beginning [of his comeback in February] and I flew to Vina del Mar (in Chile) without the best feeling but I was able to play again and here we are after 10 months, so I'm very happy for everything."
Impassioned attack
Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic launched an impassioned attack on the administration of tennis after rushing to the defence of his long-time friend Viktor Troicki, who earlier had his 18-month ban for missing a drugs test cut to a year on appeal.
Troicki maintains he was not advised of the consequences when he told a drugs tester at the Monte Carlo Masters in April that he was too ill give a sample. He gave a sample the following day and the test was negative.
“Viktor is a very good friend of mine,” Djokovic said of his fellow Serb, shortly after beating Roger Federer in the opening round of the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in Greenwich. “I know him since I was eight years old. I’ve been involved very much in this case of his. I’ve been talking to him. I’ve been talking to his agent.
“When you are randomly selected to go and provide the test – blood test or urine test – the representatives of Wada, anti-doping agency who are there in the tournament, are supposed to give you the clear indications and explain you the rules and regulations and what the severe consequences or penalties that you might undertake or you might have if you fail to provide the test. The representative, she didn’t do that in his case.
“First of all he’s not positive on any banned substance. I’m not saying that it’s completely not his fault but the way it was is that he had a medical pass where he was fainting . . . if he feels bad when he provides the blood test. He asked if it’s possible to avoid providing blood test that day and he would come the next day – not because he wanted to hide anything, he just felt bad.”
Djokovic added: "I heard Andy Murray also said that he wants to take some action, making sure that he has (an) independent laboratory also following his tests that he provides to Wada and the Independent Drugs Tribunal. That says enough. I don't have trust in them any more. I don't have trust (in) what's going on. For me, the whole procedure of the court case is totally against the player and player's rights."
Guardian Service
