Players: Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych
- Rafael Nadal, King of Roland Garros
Rafael Nadal has been ranked No. 2 in the world since July 2005, shortly after winning his first title. Roland Garros At the age of 19. On clay, he was the best player in the world, winning no less than 12 titles on this surface, including two at the French Open, where he beat Mariano Puerta in the 2005 final (6-7, 6-3, 6-1, 7-5) and Roger Federer In the 2006 final (1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6).
He became Federer’s nightmare, stopping him twice at the French Open (2005, 2006) and beating him as many as four times in 2006, a year when only two players managed to beat the Swiss; the other was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
The left-hander’s topspin forehand was torture for his opponents and his defensive skills were incredible. Nadal was not to be challenged on clay, and at the same time he was improving on other surfaces as well. He managed to win two ATP Masters Series tournaments on hard courts in 2005 (Toronto and Madrid), but he also started playing well where no one expected (because of his style of play).. on grass. In fact, he made it to the finals at Wimbledon In 2006, where Federer avenged the Roland Garros final (6-0, 7-6, 6-7 6-3).
However, he was still vulnerable on hard courts. he defeated world number 54 Mikhail Youzhny US Open quarter-finals (6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-1) and he also lost in the second round in Stockholm, beating Swedish big-server Joachim Johansson (6-4, 7-6).
- Tomas Berdych. A rising star from the Czech Republic
Tomasz Berdych was born in 1985. The 18-year-old Czech was making his first steps on the main tour. He had just made his Grand Slam debut in the draw for the 2003 US Open as a lucky loser to reach the second round (lost to Juan Ignacio Chela 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-3). In February 2004, he qualified for the Australian Open and again reached the second round, where he was brutally eliminated by Andre Agassi (6-0, 6-2, 6-4).
A few months later, he rose to prominence by defeating world No. 1 Roger Federer in the second round of the Athens Olympics (4-6, 7-5, 7-5), and in September won his first title in Palermo (defeating Filippo Volandri in the final, 6-3, 6-3). A year later, he recorded his first notable am ATP Masters 1000 result when he won the Paris Indoors, defeating Ivan Ljubicic in the final (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4). He finished the year as world No. 25. In October 2006, after reaching the fourth round of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open, he was ranked 11th on the ATP Tour.
Venue: Madrid Masters
The ATP Madrid Masters 1000 was founded in 2002, taking the place previously held by the Stuttgart Open. It was held indoors at the Madrid Arena, a venue that opened in 2002 and had a capacity of 12,000. Among his previous champions were Agassi (2002), Juan Carlos Ferrero (2003), Marat Safin (2004) and Nadal himself (2005).
Facts: Berdych had won his previous two matches against Nadal
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal was not only the local star in Madrid, but also the reigning champion. In 2005, the new clay king, who had already won in Toronto, proved once again that his defensive game can be effective on fast surfaces, defeating Ivan Ljubicic in the final from two sets down (3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6).
The crowd favorite met Berdych in the quarterfinals. The 11th-ranked Czech has already proven that he is capable of playing at an elite level. At the 2004 Olympics, he defeated world number 1 Roger Federer, and in 2005 at the Masters 1000 in Paris. Also, despite losing his first match against Nadal in 2004, 6-6, 6-6, 6-6, 6-6, in 2004. Berdych defeated the Spaniard twice in a row: in 2005 in Cincinnati (6-7, 6-2, 7-6) and in 2006 in Montreal (6-1, 3-6, 6-2).
I can understand them wanting him to win the match and the tournament, but this is not Davis Cup where that is expected.
Tom Berdych
On this day, Berdych played at a very high level from the start, and he took the first set, 6-3. In the second set, the Czech was clearly unhappy with the attitude of the crowd, who cheered Nadal’s winners but also Berich’s mistakes. However, he remained focused on his aggressive play, constantly putting pressure on the Spaniard.
Pushed into a tiebreak, Berdych won the first point after a lucky forehand guess. After this point, the Czech mocked Nadal’s flamboyant celebration before sealing his victory as Nadal failed to return his first serve. Before shaking his opponent’s hand, Berdych looked to the crowd, putting a finger to his lips to say “quiet.” “You’re a bad person,” Nadal said as they shook hands.
“I can understand that they want him to win the match and the tournament, but this is not Davis Cup where you can expect that,” Berdych said, according to ESPN. “That’s the kind of game I like when he’s running behind the baseline and hitting balls right over the net so I can come in and shoot or stay back and play from the baseline.”
What next? Nadal beats Berdych in the next 18 games
In the next round, Berdych will lose to Fernando Gonzalez, 6-3, 6-1. Although he claimed to like Nadal’s game, he would not beat him again until the 2015 Australian Open, losing 18 straight against the Spaniard, including the Wimbledon final in 2010 (6-3, 7-5, 6-4).
Although Nadal would win all four Grand Slams in his career and 22 majors, he would always be more vulnerable on indoor hard courts. 2005 The Madrid Masters 1000 will remain the only major the Spaniard has claimed on that surface in his incredible career.
