Zizou Bergs makes Rafael Nadal sweat for almost three hours, but despite winning the first set he is unable to perform a stunt (Pelt)

There was quite a bit on the table for Bergs on Thursday afternoon on the Roman Center Court: a prestige match against the best clay court player of all time, the best victory of his career, certainty of a place in the first hundred, a ticket for the main draw of Wimbledon… Did that high stakes, with the associated nervous burden, lead to the two unforced errors with which Bergs opened the match? With some impressive rallies, Nadal already broke through the serve of his twelve-year-younger opponent in the fourth game: 1-3. The fact that Bergs immediately set up a counterbreak showed that he did not want to be put away just like that, no matter how great the reputation and how gigantic the record on the other side was. The blonde Limburger in turn achieved a break: 2-3 and 3-3. From then on, our compatriot was in the driver’s seat. He finished it in the tenth game. In a characteristic way: with a flying smash. And no one on the beautiful Center Court in Rome could say that the 6-4 and the 1-0 were not deserved.

Makeover

In the second set, Nadal underwent a makeover, while Bergs could only endure the Spanish storm. After three games, the 22-time grand slam champion had already collected five winners, two more than in the entire first set: 0-3. The error burden of that time had been exchanged for aggressive and effective tennis. At times this was – with some good will – the Nadal who hopes to be able to drag his troubled body through the big clay court appointments of this summer – Roland Garros in June, the Olympic Games a month later. Even a ten-minute interruption caused by a sick spectator did not slow him down. Bergs threatened to go under for a while, but recovered somewhat. Unfortunately, our compatriot was unable to use his break points in the following games, allowing Nadal to level the score. The fact that the man from Mallorca was not completely confident was evident from the clenched fists with which he received a spectacular smash, a beautiful forehand and ultimately the set win: 3-6.

Audience

Bergs won the first game of the third set with one of the best points of the match – a passing stroke on the line, executed at full speed. With a hand behind the ear and inviting gestures, our compatriot played to the audience, but it largely supported the former number 1. The Romans also knew that they would not see the old warrior again next season. How eager they were to keep him in the tournament longer, how eager they were to grant him a dignified farewell to their city. And Nadal himself didn’t want it any better. He even recovered after a slip to still win the rally. With ferocious gestures and ditto shouts, he broke through Bergs’ serve for the first time in the third set: 1-3. The crucial moment came in the sixth game, where Bergs took a 40-0 lead on his opponent’s serve, but was unable to use any of those three break points. So instead of 3-3 it became 2-4 and ultimately 4-6.

David Goffin (2), Steve Darcis, Olivier Rochus and Xavier Malisse were the Belgians who had already beaten Nadal. That select group has therefore not received a new member. Even though that wasn’t Nadal’s very best – will we ever see him again? – yet Berg can draw confidence from this camp. With this level, the best Belgian tennis player of the moment can soon become a permanent fixture in the global top hundred, the goal he has been aiming for for several years.