Australian Open 2014: A recap of Rafael Nadal's progress through the tournament

Round 4: Rafael Nadal def. Kei Nishikori 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (3)

Oh this was a tough one. Just the test Nadal needed as he got into the business end of the Australian Open.

While everyone expected a straight sets victory for Nadal, no one quite expected the kind of challenge Nishikori put up on the day.

Nadal was off to a quick start, breaking Nishikori in the opening game. Nishikori seemed nervous but he regrouped, and a spate of errors from Nadal gave him the break back. After being pushed on serve at 3-2, Nadal failed to convert three break points in the next game. Nishikori played aggressive and with purpose, while the errors continued from Nadal. His deep balls in particular troubled the Spaniard.

The set went into a tie-breaker, and this was where Nadal stamped his authority. Clinical serves and a wonderful backhand slice return took him to two set points. He needed only one.

The second set followed a similar tight pattern with both players holding serve at the start. Nadal was landing the balls deep initially, but over time he was landing them well inside the court, and this gave Nishikori the opportunity to step up and smack his forehand.

At 2-2, with Nadal serving, he missed an easy forehead volley and Nishikori got his second break of the match. But Nadal tried his best to come back into the match and he got the opportunity at 4-3, when some superb backhand passes put the pressure on Nishikori and ultimately conceded the break.

Nadal had a bit of a tumble soon after, and play was interrupted as he replaced his shoe. That seemed to be a good omen for Nadal, as he won the game to take a 5-4 lead and started dominating the long rallies again. Still, some strong play and luck from the net cord kept Nishikori in the set.

Nadal was determined not to take this into a tie break, and he broke Nishikori again with a brilliant forehand pass to take the second.

This was followed by another break of play, and it was revealed that Nadal’s blisters had burst and he was bleeding on his palm. No wonder he was missing so many forehands.

Nadal started the third set strong, and never looked like conceding, even after having to defend break points. He soon got a break himself to lead 3-1. But after being pushed to 15-40 for the third time in the set, he couldn’t prevent conceding the break when he coughed up a double fault. Nishikori combined his serve with some effective drop shots and soon the set was back on serve.

At 40-all, 4-4, Nadal got his second time violation (he’d also got a violation for coaching), and Nishikori took advantage of the second serve and smacked the ball in. He played his shots fearlessly, and got the break to lead 5-4.

But there was a further twist to the tale. Nishikori couldn’t get a hold of his nerves and he missed a routine forehand and that was all that Nadal needed, as he got the break back immediately.

Nishikori put away the disappointment and continued to test Nadal, right till the last point. The set went to a tie break again and after a few more tense rallies, Nadal came through the victor.

Nadal finished the match with 12 aces, having put 71% of first serves in. Where he faltered was in unforced errors – 28 of them in all. Credit to Nishikori for pushing him, but Nadal knew he had to improve on a lot of things when he faced his next opponent, Grigor Dimitrov.

Quarterfinal: Rafael Nadal def. Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (7), 6-2

Nadal’s draw at the Australian Open initially seemed tough. With the elimination of del Potro, it had started looking a lot easier. But after watching the matches against Nishikori and Dimitrov, we have to agree he was tested just the same anyway. An error-prone Nadal, far from his superior form two matches ago against Monfils, and a Dimitrov who came in with a purpose, made for an exciting quarterfinal. Nadal had to grind his way out of this one, and that is exactly what he did.

As expected, Dimitrov came firing on all cylinders and raced to a 3-0 lead in a blink of an eye. Aces and forehands whizzed past Nadal, and he got on the board only in the fourth game.

Dimitrov continued to impress, as he held serve even when being pushed on his single handed backhand. Nadal started holding his serve comfortably too, but he couldn’t push Dimitrov enough to get a break. After a nervous start while serving for the set, Dimitrov fired aces to take the first 6-3.

It was Nadal’s turn to start the set strong and he did, holding serve and breaking Dimitrov. But then, his serve was way off the standards he had set this tournament and, to everyone’s surprise, he double faulted three times in the game to concede the break back.

At 2-2, something strange happened. After winning a spirited point (not a game point), Nadal let out a roar and fist pumped his way back to the baseline. If you were a Nadal fan, goosebumps were guaranteed when you saw that. It told us how much pressure he was under to win the point and the game.

If Dimitrov was intimidated by that, he didn’t show it. He played some terrific shots of his own, and made Nadal work for each and every point. In short, he was pushing Nadal to the same limit that the Big 4 do.

The set continued to be tight and tense and it became increasingly clear that it was headed for a tie break. And it did. Nadal started well, but again, Dimitrov was pushing him. But after a few errors from his racquet and a few winners from Nadal, the latter stood at set point. And he won the set with a classic flick after running to retrieve the ball at the net from the baseline. His celebration after winning the set was reminiscent of his celebration when he won the third set against Djokovic in the US Open.

It was interesting to see how Dimitrov would bounce back from this. He didn’t play a bad set, but played a bad tie break. Both men held their opening games, and Nadal tested Dimitrov in the third. Dimitrov responded well, by stepping up in the court and pushing Nadal to either side. 2-2.

Nadal stepped up in the fifth game. This is why Nadal is one of the most, if not the most, intelligent player on tour. He pushed Dimi back, attacked his backhand relentlessly, made some excellent cross court shots and then a backhand error gave Nadal the break. Dimitrov’s serving level dipped, and Nadal seized the opportunity.

But Dimitrov held his own, and Nadal was suddenly facing break points again. Dimitrov didn’t do much to gain them though; Nadal just made a string of errors. A love hold followed, and from 2-4, Dimitrov was up 5-4.

The set went into a tie break again, and Nadal initially played it incredibly well again. He used the net effectively, coming in to close the points quickly. One rally at 2-1 was spectacular, with Nadal running back and forth till Dimi hit it long. But after having two mini-breaks in the set, Nadal faltered, with some missed forehands. Dimi had set point, but Nadal didn’t let go. It was neck tight, until Dimitrov finally gave in, hitting a forehand long to give Nadal the set.

Something told the viewers watching that Nadal wasn’t going to drag the game again in the fourth set. After holding serve, he threw the kitchen sink at Dimitrov. What followed was the longest game in the match yet, and after a see-saw of deuce and advantage points, it was Nadal who came out triumphant, with yet another superb winner.

Nadal held serve somewhat comfortably afterwards, although some double faults and forehand errors did creep in once in a while. Clearly, Nadal wasn’t at his best, but the question on everyone’s minds was how much of that was influenced by Dimitrov and what part was due to his nasty blister.

As the game progressed, we could see Dimitrov was tired as Nadal grew stronger. Soon, Nadal was up 5-2 and had three match points. Dimitrov saved two with impressive shots and Nadal blew one with another missed forehand. He finally got the victory when Dimitrov hit another shot long, and you could see the relief on his face. This match was always going to be tough, and though he struggled, he made it through.

Nadal would face the winner of Federer and Murray next. No matter what happened, tennis would be the winner in that semifinal.