Steve Darcis has revealed how Rafael Nadal's pre-match warm-up tactic disrupted his rhythm before their 2013 Wimbledon first-round clash, but the Belgian still managed to pull off one of the biggest upsets in tennis history.
Speaking to the Express, Darcis explained that Nadal's intense warm-up, characterised by powerful hitting regardless of where the ball went, left him struggling to feel the ball early in the match. 'It was frustrating in the beginning, because against Rafa in the warm-up, you don't play much tennis,' said the 41-year-old. 'Even if he's smashing the ball two metres out, it doesn't matter to him. So when I started the match I was not really in the match.'
Despite the disruption, Darcis does not believe Nadal acted with malice. 'I have a feeling he's doing this to take pressure off himself, so he feels good with his arm,' he said. 'As an opponent you have not much practice, so it's really tough. But I don't think he's doing it on purpose to do something bad, it's just his way.'
Ranked world No. 135 at the time, Darcis assumed his Wimbledon campaign would be brief after drawing Nadal. However, he decided to adopt an aggressive game plan, avoiding long rallies against the Spaniard. 'I wanted to risk a little bit more, to go for it, because if you want to play the rally against Rafa you know you have no chance,' he recalled.
The strategy paid off spectacularly. Darcis edged two tiebreaks and sealed a 6-4 third set to become the first man ever to knock Nadal out in the first round of a Grand Slam. 'After the first set, I thought if I lose in four sets it's already a good match,' he said. 'Then I go two sets to love and I think people will say if you lose in five it's really good. Then I won the third set and I was really happy.'
However, the victory came at a cost. Darcis suffered a torn ligament in his shoulder during the match, forcing him to withdraw from Wimbledon and spend a full year away from competition after surgery. 'It was one of the best wins of my life, but it started one of the worst years,' he reflected. 'I beat Nadal, I saw the draw, I was playing good tennis and everything was fine, but during the interview afterwards I couldn't move my arm.'
