TRADITIONALLY, when Tim Henman finishes a match at Queen’s Club, the stands empty and there is a crush in the Pimm’s queue. Yesterday, with a fitting display of British decorum, the patrons lingered to greet Rafael Nadal, who had won the French Open title three days earlier and, more remarkably, they decided to watch him play.
The buzz was that Henman performed so delightfully against Ramon Delgado, of Paraguay, that those who sneakily fancy him, at 31, to shine at Wimbledon were in full nudge-nudge-wink-wink mode — much as those who wonder what lies in wait for Andy Murray were troubled by the Scot’s departure.
On strode Nadal for his first exposure to the Centre Court at the Stella Artois Championships, brandishing his racket in gratitude at his reception, bounding to the net for the pre-match formalities, eyeing Mardy Fish, all the while suspicious of how terra firma would treat him.
Fish, the American, had won the grass-court challenger in Surbiton last week at the same time as Nadal was reworking his magic against Roger Federer in Paris. From the moment he had been introduced to the tournament staff here for the first time on Monday afternoon, Nadal had been the epitome of courtesy and respect. “We can’t believe how fantastic he’s been for us,” Chris Kermode, the assistant tournament director, said.
Initially, the 20-year-old was tentative, as one might expect, for having spent three months sliding around, hitting vicious top spin, creating wondrous angles and leaping in celebration of glorious victories, it was tricky to know exactly how he should behave. To flex or not to flex his biceps, that was the question. “This is a ceremonious place, no?” he said.
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Best simply show London folk how he plays and with his 7-6, 6-1 victory over Fish, who at one stage served four double faults in a row, he demonstrated just how special he is. “Seriously, this is a very important victory for me,” Nadal said. “A very good surprise. I had only played 2½ hours on grass since arriving here and it is a tough surface to change to. But I like to play here, it has a silence. It is a different sport.”
Today he meets Fernando Verdasco, a fellow Spaniard and left-hander.
In the past Henman has remarked that peaceful Queen’s crowds have lured him into a somnambulistic state. Against Delgado, playing only his second match on the tour proper since February, he had both his opponent and the patrons where he wanted them. He is striking the ball with a healthy degree of purpose, at the same time finding the appropriate balance between defence and attack and constructing points at his tempo, rather than in response. Let us hope the results today do not offer up a quarter-final meeting with Dmitry Tursunov, his Russian nemesis, tomorrow.
First, Henman, who defeated Delgado 6-2, 6-4, faces Nicolas Mahut, of France. In his present form, he represents a real force, not least when he can point to a strike-rate of 28 from 31 first serves. And Henman remains one of the finest returners on the surface, a fact rarely acknowledged.
Playing Andre Agassi in the first round meant that Henman could not afford to rest on his laurels (Agassi has entered the Boodles Challenge at Stoke Park next week). He needed to be razor sharp from the moment he stepped on court and he did not disappoint.
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For Murray, the stagnation continues. Though he won the second set against Janko Tipsarevic, of Serbia and Montenegro, he could not sustain the momentum yesterday, to the extent that he was listless and encumbered in the third.
“I need to go and think about how I played and how I’m going to structure my practice to improve the things I did badly,” he said. “A coach is not the easiest thing to find, there are a lot of complications.”
Which, where Murray is now, is the last thing he needs.
ON A ROLLE
MARIA SHARAPOVA began the defence of her DFS Classic crown with a comfortable 6-4, 6-2 second-round victory over Ahsha Rolle, of the United States, on Centre Court at the Edgbaston Priory Club yesterday (David McVay writes). Rolle, a qualifier, was unable to make any impression with her serve-and-volley tactics and the Russian progressed after one hour and 29 minutes in search of her third consecutive DFS title.