Just win, baby — and Nadal, Fritz do just that
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Rafael Nadal keeps beating everyone he plays, and as sporting philosophers from Al Davis (“Just win, baby”) to Herman Edwards (“You play to win the game”) have told us, not much else matters.
Sure, his victory over the 6-foot-11 Reilly Opelka in the BNP Paribas Open tournament was narrow. But it was a victory, the only sort of result Rafa has provided this year.
He won 7-6 (3), 7-6 (5) on (what else?) an 80-degree-plus Wednesday afternoon in the desert, extending his streak since the start of year (and including the Australian Open) to 18-0.
Not only does that represent perfection, it sets up a Thursday match against the guy who is part athlete (a very large part) and part entertainer, the Australian Nick Kyrgios, who says he’d rather be in the NBA on a basketball court than in an open on a tennis court.
The way basketball people used to get excited about a matchup between LeBron James and Steph Curry in the golden days of the Lakers way back in 2019, tennis folk are anticipating Rafa vs. Nick.
And not because it’s the only thing they have. The almost local kid, Taylor Fritz of San Diego, was a winner, defeating Alex de Minauer 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5).
So, no Roger (sob) or Novak (No-vax) but some intriguing competitors. At least to some mavens. The writer in the Desert Sun even called Nadal-Kyrgios “must see” tennis.” Wow.
Records in tennis may not be as accurate as those in, say, baseball, but apparently Guillermo Vilas of Argentina won 34 straight matches in the 1970s and Djokovic 53 straight in 2010-11.
Rafa, then, has a long way to go, and even though he’s a mere 35, it’s doubtful he’ll get to the big numbers. Still, 17 without a blemish is not unimpressive.
Similar to any top-line athlete, he says he’s unconcerned with all the numbers except the ones on his scorecard at the conclusion of a match. Is that the Spanish version of “just win, baby”?
Asked if he was happy that he won in straight sets, Nadal had a response often repeated in a career that has produced 401 victories (a record 21 in Grand Slams): “Happy to win. Doesn’t matter how many sets.“
Unless maybe it’s the fifth set of a four-hour Wimbledon semifinal, and recovery tie for the final would be limited. Not that things like that ever affected Rafa.
“But I am happy of course to be in the quarterfinals of this great tournament, playing better without a doubt,” he added. “That's my best match of the tournament. Happy the way that I was able to play during the whole match. I only played one bad game with myself. For the rest, I think I played solid. I did what I had to do against a very difficult player to play, like Reilly.”
Nadal, a four-time winner at Indian Wells, has a winning record against Kyrgios as he has against virtually everyone else.
“(Thursday) is going to be a tough match, but we are in quarterfinals of Indian Wells,” he said. “I have to expect a very tough opponent.”
It’s difficult to say what Fritz expected against de Minauer, but he was behind quickly. Strange thoughts then creep through one’s mind.
”We were talking about this after the match,” said Fritz, who then used a term that makes some athletes cringe. “I'll choke some matches here and there, for sure. A lot of people do. But then I'll also clutch out a lot of matches like I have the last two days, and this one felt really — honestly, the last two third-set breakers I played have been really solid for me, not a lot I did wrong either one.”
Not when you’re the winner.