Exquisite Dialogue

"I can beat you with my backhand. But can you beat me with your forehand?" Rafael Nadal asked Stanislas Wawrinka early in the match. Clearly, both players decided to pummel their shots to the other's weaker wing.



"Are you sure you can beat me with your backhand?" Stan replied.



"Don't answer my question with a question. You're pissing me off. Now I'm just going to have to use my best transition game and volley you off the court."



"Not so fast. You think just because you're the best, just because I haven't beaten you before, that I can't kick your ass tonight? I know a little something about the forecourt, too. Take a few of these stretch forehand volleys that hardly bounce off the court that I'm dropping for winners like clockwork."



"Well, my forehand is better than your backhand."



"Hell, no."



The warriors one-upped the the other all night and when Rafa fell behind an early break in the second set, he got mad and he wasn't going to take it anymore.



"I told you my forehand was better than your backhand, Mr. Man. I guess you Swiss one-handers really think your backhand is unplayable. I got both your numbers, buddy."



21 games into the match and Rafa finally broke serve after failing on 7 previous tries.



At 4-4 in the third, Rafa held comfortably. At 4-5, and facing three consecutive match points at 0-40, Stan dug in.



"You can't touch my serve."



No, Rafa couldn't. Well, he touched it, but that was about it. Even after he earned a another match point when Stan got the game back to deuce, Stan composed himself once more and threw in another first serve deep up the T that Rafa knifed into the net with a backhand slice return.



When Stan leveled the match at 5-5, the crowd offered up a spontaneous standing ovation. They wanted more, more, more, and were prepared to stay into the wee hours of the morning to get it.



Why couldn't Stan muster this kind of performance against all the top players?



Stan had ice in his veins, to be sure. 90 minutes into the second set alone, the drama finally moved into another tiebreak. Rafa had played the first one flawlessly. The second, not so much. Still, after digging and slicing and lunging and fist-pumping, he found himself with two more match points on Stan's serve.



As before, Stan landed a first serve, this one deep and wide to Rafa's backhand for a service winner. Stan barked for the umpteenth time in the match after winning a huge point. On the sixth match point, he bombed another first serve. But Rafa got this one back in play. After a rapid-fire exchange, Rafa stopped on a dime, reached behind him and did exactly what he said he could do from the start--he beat his stubborn opponent with a laser cross court backhand pass.



Two sets. Two hours and 43 minutes.



Such exquisite dialogue. Such a great show.



Day Highlights