Nadal not happy either about the scheduling..

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"It's the same old story," Nadal said to Early (tournament Referee) of the decision to play in the light rain. "All you think about is money."

ESPN's Pam Shriver said Nadal appeared "venomous" after going down 0-3 to Gilles Muller before the rain delay. Their match had been postponed from Tuesday and was delayed an hour on Wednesday because of inclement weather.

In Nadal's mind, it never should have started.

He first expressed his anger with the passive-aggressive waiting game before the match. While Muller waited by the doors to walk out into Arthur Ashe Stadium, Nadal lingered in the locker room for eight minutes before joining him. He was asked about it by ESPN's Tom Rinaldi in the pre-match interview and unconvincingly blamed it on a miscommunication with the ATP:

"Sorry for that. It was a little bit of my fault but more fault from the ATP because they don't have to put to Gilles on court if I'm not ready. With the rain delays you never know when you have to go on court. I have to do all the tapes, I cannot do the tapes [30 minutes] before the match. I have to do it at the last moment and I have to know exactly when I have to go to the court. They told me that at the last minute. I thought we would go on later. What cannot happen is Gilles waiting for me. So sorry for that, sorry for Gilles, sorry for everybody."


It was a fine response even if it rang a little hollow. ESPN had been telling viewers that play was set to begin around noon ET for the previous hour. If Chris Fowler knew when Nadal was supposed to take the court, surely Nadal did too.

His later actions suggest the same. Nadal was clearly displeased during warm-ups and at the start of the match. Dispirited, he was broken in his first service game and was down 0-3 when the rain halted play. Nadal briefly exchanged words with Early and stormed off the court.

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Looks like Nadal doesn't like to wait as much as he likes to make his opponents wait.

emancipator wrote:I seem to recall Nadal being very upset at the early decision (taken on Sunday afternoon) last year to postpone the final from sunday to Monday. I remember that his 'axe to grind' at that time was that the decision was made too early and that the organisers should have waited a little longer to see if the rain stops.

He didn't seem too bothered about the scheduling and it's effect on his opponent last year.

Yes I remembered that but was not sure so did not use it in my OP. But certainly very good point!

True, but I was thinking of the scandal perpetrated on Djokovic at the French this year, where have the quarter off virtually handed the semi to Federer. socal has explained this to us many times.

bogbrush wrote:True, but I was thinking of the scandal perpetrated on Djokovic at the French this year, where have the quarter off virtually handed the semi to Federer. socal has explained this to us many times.

Quite so - and I was recalling what a near escape Federer had in 2007 when he lost the chance of a rain-delayed R16