30/01/2012 European Figure Skating Championships

A big "come on" as the ball was The crowd love it, Nadal loves it.

The crowd love it, Nadal loves it. He saved himself. He is back on

equal terms in this 4th set. Already well over an hour in this

Already well over an hour in this set alone. It is all on the line,

here. SUE BARKER: This is a match and we are staying with it. If you

asked the -- tuning in for the European figure skating

championships, that is being shown on the red button and will be

repeated tomorrow afternoon on BBC Two. We can't leave this one, can

I am sort of looking forward to the tie-break in this set. I have got a

feeling there is quite a bit of tennis to be played before we get

A mishit return of serve ended up being quite a difficult shot for

Djokovic to contend with. It ended Tried to force the issue, Nadal,

stepped in early. Went cross court but didn't do enough with it. It is

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inside the baseline, that's too Djokovic was 4-3 up and 40 love

before a rain break. He had break points, he lost it. Now he is the

Oh! I mean, it that is on a sixpence. It is on a 10 pence coin.

He couldn't have placed it any better. The obvious shop was to go

back across court. You could see Nadal in in that way, then he went

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What can you say about those two What can you say about those two

points from 30-30. The backhand down the line, he has hit the ball

about 75 or 80 ft with reverse spin. Into exactly the space where he

wanted to. And that was a grind of a point, Djokovic was going nowhere.

It is another step towards the title as far as the Djokovic is

concerned. This is a set where it has been an advantage to be serving

first. Definitely. How much conscious thought is going on with

these players, at the instinct level only? It is the cliche of one

point at a time. Let the instinct take over. They know what they have

got to do. The court there thought is the next point, one point at a

time. -- off their thought -- off He was in trouble at 34 and at fore

five -- at 3-4, and four-5. Now it is 5-6 Andy has to serve again to

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the best returner in the game. -- A good backhand from Nadal, a good

angle. You have got to force Djokovic to hit winners from that

position. If he can do it from there, you have to say, too good.

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Put him in an awkward position, at A great feeling to have a game like

that, going into a tie-break. Very comfortable, no messing about, no

energy spent. Djokovic, after this return, letting no doubt it is a

winner, no. Chasing down a lost cause. After 4 1/2 hours of a Grand

Slam final. Nadal must win this tie-break to stay in the

Djokovic, looking to defend the Australian Open title. He won in

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That is scary tennis from both Baseline ball from Nadal in the

middle of that rally, and right after that, he let fly with that

forehand. Just that injection of pace that he brought into that. He

got out of the way of the ball and just nailed it. Look at the angles

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Oh, that was a bonus for Djokovic. Nadal knows he missed a chance

there. The Serbian was fully committed after that backhand down

the line, and it left the court open. And Nadal missed it. He will

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consider it a beak error. -- a big Top of the net. Unlucky. The right

shot to play? At yes. Three very good service in this tie-breaker,

to Nadal. He was robbed by the top of the net, also on the backhand.

By the time she plays the next point he will have got rid of all

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The ball was weighed four Nadal. -- wide for Nadal. He is checking. I

do not know why he is checking, desperate, desperate. A longer

break, I suppose. Djokovic, of what our response. Two

points against the serve midway A bit of angst in the play a's box,

Not even Nadal's superhuman powers of Defence could do anything with

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that one. Talk about trusting your And will that be challenged? I

think all, or has he pointed to the He would have had three match

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points if he won that point, but I swear, Nadal had his bike to the

net when he was defending, his backhand side, unbelievable.

That ball staying just low enough to make the Serbian's life

He is digging as deep as he ever had to. And that first serve des

Nadal Asset. Back -- Asset point to That is out! We are going the

It almost looked at like he had won the championship when he sank to

his knees. It must feel like he has. Incredible, the force of will from

Nadal. How he won that set, he just dug in. There were times it looked

like it was all over, and he keeps on clawing -- clawing back. The

first Serbs suddenly found space, it was unbelievable. How even is

that? Winners, unforced errors... Pick something out of that. Amazing,

what quality. What a sector. We talk about the effect of the Andrew

Murray match, but it was going to have an effect it will have effect

Each one of these sets has been remarkable in its own way. These

two have never gone five sets. Amazing. That is something to look

Nadal has been thinking about Djokovic every step of the way

since that US Open loss that was so tough to take, and Wimbledon, where

he stole his world number one ranking as well as the Wimbledon

title. He has made one or two changes, but he would be thinking

about having a chance at having a pop at him. Breakfast, lunch and

dinner he will be thinking about it. What a warrior this man is. He has

found a way back into this match, and we will be back for that fifth

set. If you are tuning in expecting to see the European figure skating

championships, that is being shown on the BBC red button. It will be

repeated tomorrow on BBC Two at 1pm. Here we go for a fifth set, who

wanted the most? We will find out most -- we will find out soon.

doubt, both players are absolutely Djokovic sold close, three break

point he had at 4-3. Nadal played a great game to get out of it.

wonderful tie-break, and now it is quite simple from here. Just one

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Almost five hours and termites, and you can hit a ball like this?

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a forehand, it has to be the best That is a tidy way to finish the

game. It has some snap on that serve, now. He did this in the tie-

breaker, a couple of big serves. Extra weight on the top of the

racket, we understand, a few grams here and there. I would be

surprised if it was alleged tape, I have not seen the rackets first

hand. They must have wilted into the frames by now, he would have

requested that to get a bit more snap. I think the umpire is saying

hurry up. Play is supposed to be continuous. This is like a normal

changeover, it is not supposed to A serious case of product placement

Both these players at times take a ridiculous amount of time between

points, but the umpire is doing a good job. If they are not

disturbing each other, forget it. This is a very intimate thing, the

fifth set between two players in a big match. We just happen to be

The physical conditioning of these two is very impressive. Obviously,

Nadal's has always been known as an animal or boat thereunder court.

Djokovic played five hours two days ago against Andy Murray, and this

match is the same duration. The I think if he were to win this,

certainly it would be the most impressive set he has ever played.

If he digs himself out of this one, after the physicality of the Andy

Murray match, and then come through against Nadal in another five-hour

match, this has to be the toughest much she has ever played. -- match

The longest match ever played at the Australian Open was five hours

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and 14 minutes, and that was He is just trying to keep himself

The umpire is less inclined to intervene with the overruled these

days because we have hoc five. The ball was good, Djokovic will be

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He is no proven -- he is serving so Still pretty much a full crowd in

there, approaching 1am. That as the sort of game that you want and the

fifth set. It takes the pressure off, you don't have to dig deep or

give too many of your limited resources away. But does not tax

the mind. An advantage to be serving first in the fifth?

Definitely. Not always a believer in that, but on this occasion,

definitely. From the end part of the fourth and beginning of the

fifth, it is like he has decided not to go into the body so much and

try and get cheap points. He is hitting them so accurately he is

getting some free points. For a large portion of the match it

looked like Djokovic was never going to return them deep. He is

bound to be feeling flat at the moment, isn't he? He had every

chance to win the match and the previous Sat. The legs may not be

springing after the ball like they should, it would be tough not to

after the last few days. I could not believe I saw him at work --

walking upright when he came on after the match two days ago.

Approaching five hours of glorious tennis, the first Grand Slam final

the year. The top two seeds in action. Nadal's lost to this man at

six times in a role, all in finals last year, including two Grand

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Slams. How badly do you think he That is a great response, that

first forehand in that game, he looked a little leg weary to goal

after the ball. This one was a lot higher and perhaps easier, but you

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can see the ways he really exploded Again, he did not get his feet

right. This is a big opportunity, right here. He just did not get the

feed right there, he was off What our response. -- what a

response. He needs a few cheap points.

You never know with Djokovic whether this physical dip will last

five or ten minutes, or whether it is for good. So many times he has

This is going to the limit, physically, for Djokovic.

Well done, first served got him out of trouble. He appears to be

running on fumes after five hours, which you can understand. I think

the fuel tank empty light might have been on for a few minutes, but,

as I say, he has done this again He will be a lot lighter after the

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match than he was at the start of We have been so used to seeing him

climb all over the second serve at that height, if not hitting a win

at then certainly hitting it straight at Nadal. Not that time. -

- When a. Nadal knows exactly what is going on and on the other side

of the court and he wants to put He had to go for broke.

UMPIRE: Mr Djokovic is challenging the call on the right. The ball was

And so a holed from Nadal and how this match has changed. -- a halt.

this match has changed. -- a halt. 45 minutes ago, an hour ago, this

game was absolutely Djokovic's. Three break points at 0-40 on the

Nadal serve, which had looked ineffective. Somehow, Nadal

survived that and came back to win a tie-break, from a mini-break down,

naturally. Brilliant tennis match. You get the feeling that this is a

Nadal's territorial now. Djokovic is a great champion but Nadal, five

sets, five hours, grinding, this is what he likes. This is where he is

in his apartment's face. The only thing he would change is the

surface from hard to clay. The that is very true. -- if that is.

have seen a brand-new Grand Slam champion ground this weekend,

champion ground this weekend, Victoria Azarenka from Belarus,

just 22 years of age, and a great ambassador. -- ambassador. She beat

Sharapova in straight sets and she will be around for a while, she is

will be around for a while, she is number one in the world now. Here

is the top man in men's tennis. What will happen this year? Federer

hasn't gone away, Andrew Murray has improved in a number of regard, no

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doubt. And Nadal looks hungry for He is struggling to contract those

muscles and then relax and move again. He is struggling with the

again. He is struggling with the explosion out of the ball. That is

right. You can see, double the right. You can see, double the

mistakes. The first serve it becomes very important for Djokovic.

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What defence from Nadal! The guy is doing shuttle runs across the

baseline, digging the ball out. After five hours! A couple of times,

Djokovic maybe should have snuck He is just the man of granite,

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That is long. That could be a Those last number point had the

feel of a fighter throwing his last punches and still seeing the

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opponent standing -- those last Sebastian Nadal... He could hardly

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But there is one thing Nadal knows what -- how to do, it is how to

finish an opponent off. He has done it 550 times from a winning

position. This one is memorable for the manner in which he has come

He has put it wide. I can't believe he has missed it. You could have

driven a bus down that line. A very dodgy volley. Nadal made ground and

he took this out. -- heat this out. UMPIRE: Nadal has a two challenges

How big and how important is that mist, looking from the previous

point? -- Miss. It would have been 40-15, and he has opened the door

at a crucial time. Not another turn Lyne returned from Djokovic, gutsy.

-- line. Nadal cannot believe he missed that ball. And neither can

we, unbelievable. Memories of the Andy Murray semi-final last year

Andy Murray semi-final last year when he was a set-up against Nadal

and missed at a high forehand. I was as shocked then as with what I

have just seen. It was an absolute stone-cold winner. It was looking

like a relatively easy game of for this stage of the match, 40-15.

This is now officially the longest match in Australian Open history.

The previous longest, he was involved as well and he won it

against his mate Verdasco. What a It is 1 o'clock in the morning over

there. Get the coffee at. She has got another lease of life as well,

Whereof we have to on the time? Where has that clock on for --

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5:17am. Better cancel the practice Just the difference now in the way

they are walking around the court. Nadal is sprinting everywhere,

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Djokovic is slowly slumping back This is just combat. This is just a

staggering! -- just staggering. is enjoying the contest, why not?

Unbelievable. Not going to forget Perfect height for it, didn't have

I hate to think how many times he bounced the ball during this last

two matches, at this and the semi- final, 10 hours of tennis. I'm not

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sure Nadal wasn't a little The players cannot afford to look

The players cannot afford to look back too far in a match like this,

when they are pulling on all of their reserves and their training

and their discipline and their obsession with the sport. But that

still thinking about the 4-2, Rafa had half the court to aim at and

You have got to be... This is a joke!, off a bit at smacked a

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Rafa says, are let's do it again! The great Australian Harry Hoffman

used to say if players are playing drop shot, it is because they

haven't got enough left under run UMPIRE: Mr Djokovic is challenging

the call. This gives them the time to rest, anyway. If... He has made

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Called out. Are you sure? He has the right to challenge. He knows

that forehand didn't feel right of the racket, and suddenly, Djokovic

is looking for a third game in a row. He is two. Us up from the

Oh, yes. What are timed to flatten that one out, he went for it. --

what a time. It has been a big feature in this blast set and a

half, his first serve has just been The world number one senses that

this could be his moment. Perfect but work, in swinging serve, makes

enough room -- perfect for at work. It looks so simple and it is so

He has dragged it wide. Where has this come from. Incredible.

where has this come from? That challenge that people seem to think

was out clip 10 at the back of the line, and Hick since then, he has

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How about bad for a match player? - Nadal not holding back again on

that serve, he is not thinking about it just getting in there, he

is going for the big one and that one came off again beautifully. He

kept his nerve on the drop shot as well. Great recovery by Djokovic

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And it is Nadal who is one game There haven't been any better Grand

Slam matches than this final. Obviously, thoughts of 2008,

Wimbledon, with it all on the line, Federer and Nadal, that was a

changing of the guard. But this is right up there. It is, no question

about it. It is staggering, the way they are still playing, at this

stage of the match. It is difficult to predict what is going to happen.

You have got no idea. One moment Nadal looks like he is in charge,

then Djokovic comes back. That game was from nowhere, then that rescued

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serve at break point down, swinging Against most other players in the

draw, this rally would have been over a couple of times. They are

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covering the court so well. Look at Total double faults, 6, in a 5 1/2

Clean, clinical game, up until that point. Under the greatest of

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Apart from the double fault, a Djokovic, waiting for a chance to

open up the court, and he took it. He thought he had done enough, he

did not expect that. Expecting the forehand hook back across court. It

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went behind him. A brilliant start It was always going to be a key

part of this match. How would Nadal part of this match. How would Nadal

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cope when he missed the first serve. This is magnificent. Nadal had to

the ball the Djokovic return, to even start the rally, it arrived in

such pace. After that, it was just scrambling, moving, all about

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It actually landed so short in the service box, it went away with the

spin to the Djokovic backhand. After that, it was too much ground

Wide. Oh, somebody in the crowd, I

think... Had said out, down at the Nadal end on the Djokovic ground

serve. Rafa saying, that put me off. I'm afraid even if that is the case,

you're not going to get away with And a break it is, I don't know how

And a break it is, I don't know how he's done it, but he has. He will

be serving for the Australian Open. Four of the sets, well over an hour

each. It is a record for the each. It is a record for the

Australian Open in terms of trade - - duration of match. I think it

must be a record for the sheer passion. Where has Djokovic got

this energy from? It is incredible. Talk about being in good shape.

After the match against Murray, to come back against Nadal for this

length of match, playing the sorts of shots he is playing, and the

movement. And his reactions are still absolutely there. The turn of