Nadal takes five to defeat Petzschner at Wimbledon
Rafael Nadal has staged his second come-from-behind victory in as many matches to snatch a 6-6, 4-6, 6-7, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Philipp Petzschner in the third round at Wimbledon.
Nadal claimed the only break of the 42 minute opening set to take a 1-0 lead in the match, but the match veered off script in the second when Petzschner won an exchange of volleys to capitalise on the triple break point opportunity he created against the Spaniard’s serve at 5-4 to level the match at one set apiece.
The French Open champion found himself in even more of a predicament when, after calling the physio to attend to his left arm with scores at 5-4 to the German in the third set, he went on to lose it in the tiebreak to ensure that for the second match running if he was to win it, Nadal was going to have to go the distance.
Three games into the fourth set, Nadal called the physio back onto court, this time taking a medical timeout to attend to a thigh problem rather than the arm issue that had bothered him earlier. Returning to the court after his treatment, the second seed promptly created a double break point chance as he whipped a forehand crosscourt for a winner; the break sealed when a Petzschner volley drifted wide.
A double fault from the fading world No. 39 – who had played the full five sets in each of his opening two matches – after Nadal had set up a double set point opportunity levelled the match at two sets apiece.
It was then Petzschner’s turn to call for the trainer as he received treatment on a leg problem of his own and then opened the deciding set by creating a break point opportunity against the Nadal serve, but was unable to convert it, and the left-hander held serve to get the fifth set underway.
To add to the drama of the match, Nadal received an official warning for coaching from his uncle Toni Nadal in the fifth game of the set, his visible annoyance at that situation channelled straight back into his tennis as the 24-year-old again held serve against his exhausted opponent.
Nadal , labouring under fitness concerns of his own, finally broke Petzschner’s serve in the eighth game of the set to set up the 5-3 advantage and a chance to serve for the set, holding to love to outlast the tired player who had offered such a valiant fight, and even the whiff of an upset, in a thrilling fifth round match.
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