Was Rafael Nadal beaten in Rome by an underhanded serve?

"Today when I woke up, I said it was impossible to play" ... "I spoke to the doctor today and yesterday, and they put special protection on it and cream, but it was still tough."

Those were Rafael Nadal’s words on the blister that did him in for a first defeat at Rome. He has been beaten by a man who has won Roland Garros, been No.1 and is on a comeback trail. But Juan Carlos Ferrero will hardly consider this win over Nadal (his first) as being his. For Nadal was beaten by the sport’s governing body; the ATP.

It's funny that ATP actually stands for Association of Tennis Professionals, because this year’s schedule was hardly a favour to the tennis professionals, especially the large number whose best weeks of the year come in the clay-court stint.

“Impossible schedule” was what Nadal had called it, cramming three Masters events into four weeks, with Barcelona, the world No.2’s home tourney, sandwiched in between. Done in the name of the Olympics but actually to save TRPs of Miami masters, the ATP deserves a pat for finally derailing Nadal on a clay court.
 
If someone had said to me a month back that Nadal could lose in the second round of a clay-court tournament, I would have laughed, assuming it to be a joke. And come to think of it, it is a joke, right? Coz it took an underhanded serve from the ATP to bring this about.

Kudos to the ATP! They not only managed to do what has been near impossible these past four years, but have also threatened Nadal’s prospects of taking over the No.1 spot.

As a fan, all I can hope for is for the best clay-courter ever to recover soon and win the remaining tournaments - including Roland Garros.