Rafael Nadal survives scare to win his opening match in Indian Wells

Rafael Nadal lets out a roar after his battling win against Radek Stepanek in Indian Wells.

An inspired Radek Stepanek pushed Rafael Nadal all the way in the World No. 1′s opening match at Indian Wells. Nadal survived the scare to reach the third round, winning 2-6, 6-4, 7-5.

The match was tight and intense, and didn’t seem like a second round match, as both players battled it out in the Californian desert locale.

Stepanek started making Nadal run right from the start, hitting a well-disguised drop shot, but he was made to rue the shot almost immediately as Nadal reached it and hit a superb passing volley. But the Czech then served an ace to win the opening game.

Nadal started strong himself, winning the opening point of his first service game, but Stepanek was firing on all cylinders. A crosscourt forehand was out of Naddal’s reach which gave Stepanek two break points. He converted the first as Nadal approached the net but Stepanek hit the ball right back at the Spaniard who couldn’t keep the return volley in the court.

Stepanek was in the ascendancy and served strong. Nadal was in danger of going down 3-0 but he produced two brilliant forehands down the line in succession to reach his first break point. Stepanek saved it with an overhead volley, but there was more drama as Stepanek then got a time violation and surrendered the next point to Nadal to give him a second break point.

Stepanek saved that too, with a strong serve, and got to advantage. The Czech was matching Nadal step for step and his movement defied his age, as he produced a brilliant drop shot at the net and retrieved Nadal’s return to go up 3-0.

It is not often that we get to see Nadal playing at his best and still trailing 3-0. That was how impressive Stepanek’s play was.

Nadal got down to business in the fourth game and held comfortably with a love hold. In the next game, he perfectly anticipated Stepanek’s serve and volley and countered effectively. A few unforced errors gave Nadal two break points. Stepanek saved one and Nadal mis-hit the next into the net to take the game to deuce. The Czech got to advantage with an ace and won the point with a controlled rally, forcing Nadal to play with his backhand and closing the point at the net.

Nadal held to love again comfortably, with a strong service game. The World No. 1 then went on the offensive in the next game but Stepanek retrieved everything Nadal threw at him and then some, as he made no mistakes in the rallies and turned the point in his favour by going from from defence to offence.

In command at 4-2, 30-0, Stepanek faltered. He hit a forehand long and then followed it with a poor volley. But he quelled any hints of a momentum shift by using his effective serve-and-volley technique to take an ominous 5-2 lead.

A horrible service game followed for Nadal. He opened with a double fault, followed by a netted forehand and then served another double fault to give Stepanek three set points. Nadal saved two and looked like he would save all three as he came to the net, but Stepanek hit a strong pass and Nadal could do little as his volley went long.

Nadal won only 1 of his 6 points at the net compared to 9/12 for Stepanek, which was decisive for him in the first set.

Stepanek started proceedings in the second set aggressively, continuing where he left off in the first. There was no let up in his serves, and his charges to the net paid their dividends.

Nadal on his part was slightly erratic with his serve, but did well to hold on to it. He was still returning too short though, which made it easy for Stepanek to step into the court and hit expansive forehands.

The Czech continued to dominate as he repeatedly whipped forehands down the line on Nadal’s serve, and he was one point away from a break point. But Nadal manoeuvred well to counter Stepanek’s relentless returns as he held on for 2-2.

It was interesting to see that Stepanek seemed to have ample time to return the ball as he moved Nadal around the court and punished him the moment he found an opening.

At 40-30, Nadal produced a ‘Vamos!’ moment. Stepanek bounded in again to volley but the Spaniard passed him brilliantly, following that up with a roar and a fist pump. Nadal reached break point after a Stepanek error and then won it by pushing the Czech deep and forcing the error out of him. It was the first break of the match for Nadal, and as it turned out, was the turning point of the contest.

Radek Stepanek gave it his all to push Nadal to the brink

The next game was a crucial one for the Spaniard, and it was critical that he consolidated the break to give himself a chance. And he did just that, turning the tables on Stepanek and forcing him to run between extremes with his well-placed forehands as he took a 4-2 lead.

Stepanek started showing signs of vulnerability for the first time as he was making errors more often than usual. But he brought his game together and held serve, making it 3-4.

Nadal’s serve continued to bother him, and Stepanek took full advantage of his second serves, engaging in long rallies and finding space to fire a forehand. But Nadal ensured he wouldn’t give him a look as he took the game to lead 5-3.

Some brilliant tennis followed in the next game. The Mallorca native hit two scintillating passing shots and didn’t allow Stepanek to come to the net, but Stepanek anticipated well and managed to hold on, forcing Nadal to serve for the set.

It was then that Nadal produced his best game of the match so far. He attacked Stepanek’s backhand and in one point, broke it down completely. He had to wait before closing the set though, as Stepanek made two lobbed returns. But he couldn’t quite pull off the third effectively enough, and Nadal took the set with an overhead smash.

Nadal continued to rise as he got himself to break point in the opening game of the third set. He then forced an error off Stepanek’s racquet and got the early break.

Just when it looked like Nadal was going to roll away with the match, Stepanek bounced back. He took the game to Nadal and didn’t give him any easy points as he got the break back immediately, aided by Nadal’s errors.

It was a tight battle from there on. Both players held serve without too much drama up to 3-2, when things went bad for Nadal again.

His first serve deserted him as Stepanek had a look at three break points. Nadal saved one with a superb serve, the second with an ace and the third, with the longest rally of the match. He controlled the point with such exquisite shot making that even the best of Stepanek’s shots couldn’t hurt him. It was a sign of how important that point was, that Nadal celebrated with a pirouetted fist pump, with Larry Ellison raising his arms in the stands. Nadal held on for 3-3.

As the match stretched into its third hour, Stepanek showed no signs of slowing down, and seemed prepared to take the fight till the finish. Nadal finally held serve comfortably in the set as the match reached its climax.

There still didn’t seem to be any gaps that Nadal could exploit in Stepanek’s service game. Soon it was 5-4, leaving Nadal serving to stay in the match. But Nadal played a clutch game to even out the set, even though his double faults continued to torment him.

It was Stepanek’s turn to hold now, but the World No. 1 had other ideas. He played two magnificent points, successfully defusing Stepanek’s ploy to come to the net by going behind him and then finishing with an overhead smash. He reached break point and a second serve, but Stepanek produced a fantastic forehand down the line to save it.

Nadal followed that with an amazing backhand return winner to get to a second break point, which Stepanek saved, and a third, at which Nadal sailed the return wide. He then reached his fourth break point, and this time he made no mistake, as he forced Stepanek to hit long.

The next game Nadal was shaky again though, opening the game with a double fault. He got one back with a stuttering volley at the net, and then stretched Stepanek by hitting an angled forehand down the line. He finally won the match with a solid serve to Stepanek’s backhand and then attacking it again, for which Stepanek had no response.

Nadal finished the match with eight double faults and 21 winners compared to Stepanek’s 33. It was an absolute nail-biter, with the veteran playing some of his best tennis, going toe to toe with the best player in the world. But as always, Nadal found the will power and determination to claw back and overcome his shortcomings to take the match.

The defending champion plays Alexandr Dolgopolov next. The two met last in the final of the Rio Open, which Nadal won in straight sets.