Wimbledon 2011: Nadal’s Win Over Del Potro Through Injuries And Medical Time Out

Rafael Nadal defeated Juan Martin Del Potro in four sets in the fourth round in a dramatic match that lasted three hours and fifty two minutes. The drama was not complete without feel of injuries and medical time outs.

In the first set, Nadal had one break point on Del Potro’s serve in the sixth game and two set points in the tenth game and a set point in the twelfth game. He squandered all of them and before the set could be continued in the tie break as per rules, Nadal came out to his chair seeking medical time out. Del Potro was not amused and he complained to the chair umpire but in vain. Del Potro would have thought that since the tie break was to be in continuation at set score 6-6, there was no provision for injury time out. On Nadal’s side, it could be argued that the game was over at 6-6 and the serve had now to change hands. The chair umpire did not revise his decision and the medical officer attended to the problem while Del Potro waited. The continuity was broken, the rhythm and momentum might have been broken and course of the set may or may not have changed. Nadal came back into the court and won the tie break when Del Potro double faulted on the set point.

Are such incidents throw back to times when kids would suddenly bow down to tighten shoe laces in slow motion at 30-40 in a game and then tighten the other show laces too by way of precaution while eternity will seem to pass at the opponent's end.  

There is no smoke without fire. The fact that Del Potro objected to what he perceived as stretching the rules is testimony to that he felt injustice was being meted out to him. He would not have protested if he thought that he too benefited from such time out. Chair umpire could be helpless at times. First of all, it will not be construed proper for a chair umpire to deny medical time out by literal adherance to the rules. Secondly, this would be even more risky if the player was the best player in the world. Umpire did issue warning for time wasting earlier to Nadal, which is easier since time is a measurable unit. But the seriousness of the injury can not be known even to the medical officer, least to the umpire. The player alone can feel the degree of pain. 

The number of medical time outs Nadal takes is higher than average. He has indeed suffered more injuries than other top players. His intensity and never say die spirit forces him to chase unchaseable balls. Without intention, his body gets pushed over the limit in a match. After the experience of 2009, he has slowed down a bit, but his game has by and large remained unchanged in nature. He might have become overanxious about some impending injury and if there is a facility available, why not use it by calling a medical expert to evaluate his problem. If it affects his opponent, it is his problem. Why can’t he too utilise the break in a constructive manner by pondering over the finer nuances needed in his game played so far. By placing the blame on Nadal, his detractors seem to suggest that he resorts to these tactics to break the rhythm and concentration of the opponent; that he does it when under pressure, when momentum is with the opponent; that he plays mind games in a dubious way. If that is to be believed, it would lead to a conclusion that Nadal is a great champion but a bad sport.

It will be better to leave the matter at that and have faith in the competence of the authorities to detect and repair any damage being done to the system. There appear to be no grounds to cast any aspersion on any player.