By Charles Bricker
The post-match thank yous in Barcelona were, as usual, extensive and new champion Fernando Verdasco had a long list to get through, throwing graciases to everyone from Spanish princess Sofia to his father.
Absent, however, was a big thank you to Rafael Nadal for not showing up to play this ATP 500, which would surely have deprived the surging Verdasco of another confidence building performance.
Nadal pulled out before the tournament began, signaling a major change in the way Rafa is going to be handling his physical conditioning for the foreseeable future. He’s determined not to overplay, even if it means ducking out of his country’s most important tennis event. But, how, what about Verdasco, who was playing his third tournament in as many weeks and who will be playing No. 4 in a row in Rome this week, unless he does something unexpected and withdraws with fatigue.
I’ve seen Verdasco look more animated than he did in this 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Robin Soderling in the Barcelona final, but neither would I say he looked tired. He looked, well, like a man who has played three tournaments in a row — two on clay — and he’s undoubtedly weighing the usual two factors as he heads for Italy.
On the one hand is the momentum of winning match after match. On the other is the possibility of over-playing. My guess is Verdasco isn’t going to pass on Rome, but, if he goes deep into that draw as well, he could be looking for some recoup time before the French Open.
He’ll get a bye in the first round, then face, in all likelihood, Simone Bolelli in his opener. He won’t have a home-country crowd pushing him in that event, though the way he’s playing, I don’t imagine he’ll much care.
Verdasco has proven the last few weeks that he’s a more mature player, able to mix his scorched-earth tennis with smart defense and patient grinding. He came from a set and a break down in the semis to beat indefatigable Spanish countryman David Ferrer, then won a diametrically different match against the big-hitting Soderling in the championship.
That wasn’t anywhere near his best tennis in the second set Sunday afternoon, but I liked the way he settled down and let Soderling blow off three unforced errors in the crucial break early in the third.
It was a bit of a let-down week at Barcelona with both Nadal and Roger Federer in rest mode, but the tournament still was remarkable because it got through two dangerous French Open suspects to the final.
For Soderling, a disappointment of course. But for someone who for the early years of his career did virtually nothing of note on clay, he has shown that with enough power and stronger mental attitude a flat-stroking big man can make a major impact on dirt.
For Verdasco, he is a much more naturally accomplished clay-courter, being Spanish. But he wasn’t going to undervalue Soderling — not after the tall, formerly moody Swede took down Nadal in last year’s French and finished runner-up in Paris.
It doesn’t look as if Verdasco is going to budge from No. 9 in the rankings. He picks up 500 points, minus 90 he’s defending from 2009, and it will close the gap on No. 8. But it doesn’t appear he’ll move. None of that matters to him, I’m guessing. What’s important right now is how well he’s playing and whether he can get through Rome without some kind of physical breakdown from all this playing.
Charles Bricker can be reached at nflwriterr@aol.com