INDIAN WELLS, California -One of the most charismatic players in the game for almost a decade, Rafa Nadal much more attention than usual on the BNP Paribas Open, his first hard court tournament in almost a year has commanded.
Although the Spaniard a very successful comeback on clay in recent weeks has made, the hard courts of Indian Wells always went to his toughest test on a surface where his all-action, fist-pumping style most vulnerable has been.
After a shock second-round exit at Wimbledon last year, Nadal was sidelined seven months by a left knee injury and the tennis world has closely monitoring his recovery and progress since then.
The 26-year-old world number five booked in Indian Wells, flexible enough so far, winning two games with a walkover to reach in between the quarter-finals of the elite ATP Masters 1000 event he won twice before.
Nadal has no visible sign of discomfort, with his knee taped up during his matches and extensive ice and treatment, but are given next phsyio fans and some of his colleagues are certainly concerned about the prognosis going forward.
"It's about me, especially what we have heard about his knee injury and how long he's been," Ross Smith, a diesel mechanic of Vancouver, which has become a regular visitor of the event from Indian Wells, told Reuters.
"You kind of think, ' how long can this guy plays this kind of tennis? ' I don't think he will be able to keep it up personally. He is 26 and it's just that effect on his knee with his rigorous tennis.
"It's just insane for these athletes to continue at the highest level to run during a long tennis season, and in particular the way Rafa plays."
PHYSICAL STYLE
Serbian world number one Novak Djokovic, a rival and close friend Nadal, is well aware of the toll paid by the Spaniard for his ultra-physical playing style.
The Australian Open Champion told "he really suffers on the right firm," Reuters. "I don't understand what in order to play in this style. He likes to slip.
"He loves running around the Court and do a lot of dynamic strong movements that may eventually hurt him, just like in the last seven months.
"But it is so long from the tour, I'm sure he has taken his time and been very patient. He has a smart team of people around him who advised him to take it easy, and now has the with a great comeback. "
Sure it made sense for Nadal to return to the circuit last month on his favorite clay surface and he flourished in South America, compete in three relatively small claycourt events and winning two of them after reaching all three finals.
Perhaps no player understands better than Juan Martin Del Potro what Nadal going through, the towering Argentine eight months in 2010 due to wrist surgery have missed.
While Del Potro is under the enormous impression by the smooth nature of the ATP comeback so far, he believes that the mental aspect of Nadal's recovery will be decisive.
"It is very important to mentally strong," 2009 US Open champion Del Potro told Reuters. "For me, in the end, I was fully recovered from my wrist injury but in my mind it was still there and I could not play because when I got some balls that hit my mind says to me, ' you're still injured. '
"And then I would get an MRI or to see the doctor and be told that my injury has disappeared. I have nothing more in my wrist.
"But I think Rafa works very well mentally, he is as strong as he shows in every game, so I think he'll definitely much better than I with his recovery."
WITHOUT RISK STRATEGY
Del Potro, who only three tournaments in 2010 because of an injury to his right wrist sustained played, said that a no-risk strategy would be crucial for Nadal to closely monitor.
"He really has to be safe with his new problem, and on the hard court at Indian Wells here, that's a matter of how far he goes in this tournament," said the 24-year-old from Tandil.
"The big challenge for him is playing healthy, not feel pain and ready to play tennis again.
"He has this tournament, maybe Miami and then the clay season comes again so he must be smart to play these tournaments, his knees at risk. If he is still feel painful, it will definitely be a difficult moment for him. "
While Del Potro a relatively fast comeback in terms of climbing back up the rankings, the 6 ft-6 in (1.98 m) Argentine said it took him a year before he felt completely healthy.
"It took that long for me to be sure with my wrist and to get up each morning thinking about my tennis game and not about my wrist," he said. "It took all that all year for me are ready mentally."
The crowd-pleasing Nadal, who has gotten an exciting welcome by vocal fans for his first two matches at Indian Wells, has the support, but has repeatedly said he does not expect too much too soon on the surface of the hard court.
"When you come back after seven months, you really understand how much you miss out, all this," the Spaniard, who missed last year's u.s. Open and the Australian Open January while on the sidelines smiled.
"Two weeks ago, I didn't know if I could be to be here, so just in the quarter-final is a fantastic result for me. I have to continue to do so. I have time and I need more matches on clay than hard. " — Reuters
