How Rafa Responds - 3/31/2011

Date: 3/31/2011
Result: Miami QF, Rafael Nadal def. Tomas Berdych, 6-2 3-6 6-3
Why it matters:
-  He raised his game. He focused on every single serve to make sure they were perfect when they mattered most.  He changed things up.  He played like a champion.  That's how Rafa responds.  Nadal looked a mess in the 2nd set, and then responded, like he often does.  Rafa hasn't had the perfect performances this year, start to finish, that we're used to.  Sure, he doesn't wipe his opponents off the court that often, but it's never him giving in or making big mistakes; usually someone has to play as perfect a match against Nadal to be able to win.  This year, he's had rough patches more often than usual, but he's responded well in many instances.  I think once Rafa returns to the clay, some of the kinks will be ironed out immediately, but for now, it's interesting to see how Rafa responds when he needs it most.
- For Berdych, he's really putting things back together.  He has a good history in Miami and had another good performance this year.  He has a lot of ranking points to defend at Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, so gaining confidence in the spring will be crucial for him long-term.  Although he lost to Nadal, his recent record against the Spaniard has been so poor that even taking a set might be satisfying enough.
Honorable Mentions:
- Miami SF, Maria Sharapova def. Andrea Petkovic - 36 60 62 - Maria really responded to a dropped set, too.  By running 11 straight games (before almost beginning to choke) following the loss of the first, Maria showed that her mental focus and fight has never wavered, even when her game hasn't been at its top level.  I applaud the commentators for noting how Maria is too passive (well, as passive as Maria can be).  She needs to be more aggressive from the outset, as that's when she's at her best.  For Petkovic, she needs to shake off how she lost.  She had an amazing tournament, so who cares that the final two sets were blowouts.  Regroup for the clay season - and watch out for Petkovic against the American women in Fed Cup coming up where she could help Germany knock the US out of the World Group.

-Pelham Challenger R1, Ashley Weinhold def. Melanie Oudin - 63 46 62 - speaking of Fed Cup, Oudin, the US Fed Cup stalwart, is playing just terribly.  A loss to the world #267, who has done little to speak of, is more evidence that Oudin's US Open QF run may have been a crazy fluke.