by Caryn Sweeney
Photos by Susan Seemiller
Tennis One
March 14, 2024

Rafael Nadal v. Nicolas Massu (11)�Nadal wins 6-3, 1-0 ret.

Rafael Nadal, a little known, 17 year old Spaniard from Mallorca, with cat-like quickness and a monster left-handed forehand, is quietly making a name for himself at the Pacific Life Open.

Nadal took the court against eleventh seeded Nicolas Massu, as the sun was reaching its peak for the day over Court 7, a small court with a few rows of battered bleachers and no shade in sight. A backwater place for the true fanatics (or mere grounds pass holders), hardly the stuff legends are sprung from. In fact, on this day, about the only thing hotter than the blistering midday sun was the Nadal forehand which seemed to produce winner after winner with relative ease.

To his credit, Massu gamely matched the 17-year-old stroke for stroke but as the points piled up against him, Massu shifted his attention to the Nadal backhand. Nadal, however, proved he was more than a one- shot wonder. Nadal is a counter-puncher with a dangerous dangerous all-court game.

Massu's play became increasingly uneven under the barrage of Nadal's fire power. And after Nadal broke Massu again in the first game of the second set, converting a breakpoint after a handful of missed chances, Massu approached the chair and retired from the match suffering apparently with sinusitis

Nadal moves on to the third round where he will face Augustin Calleri who defeated Robin Soderling 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in a tightly contested match.

Watching Nadal, one realizes his emotions are simmering under a thin veneer of reserve and nervous fidgets. A well-placed point, an ace, or a netted return from his opponent is all it takes to cause exclamations worthy of Lleyton Hewitt in the fifth set of a deciding Davis Cup rubber. His coach, Jofre Portas, has said they are working on controlling his youthful enthusiasm, but it is not easy.

Nadal left the court much as he approached it, bag slung over one shoulder and largely unnoticed by the fans milling outside the court. One can't help but think, though, that the days of Rafael Nadal on a backwater court will be fewer and fewer. With his talent and head for the game, he soon may be chasing the Roddicks, Federers, and Ferreros, who are more than a little familiar with the position Nadal now finds himself in.

Roddick himself today commented that when Nadal joined the tour, the perception around the locker room was, �This kid is serious, he's going to win matches right away�he was ready to play ball right away." "We don't really think of him too much as a 17-year- old,� added Roddick, �but just as a Spanish guy with a hell of a forehand.�

Be afraid, guys. Be very afraid!