Fernando Verdasco has been having the time of his life in Melbourne, flexing his newly-honed muscles, showing off his unbreakable serve, and flaunting his just-discovered self-confidence (he won the Davis Cup, you know. Some other Spanish blokes helped, but Verdasco won the decisive match to win the cup). But now the new-look Verdasco will be sorely tested – not only does he have to face the world No. 1, a man who has yet to drop a set on his way to the last four, but he also has to face his friend.
It will be the seventh time the two have played each other and, so far, Verdasco has only managed to take one set from his compatriot. In fact, the last time they played, Verdasco could only gather three games in the two hours or so he was on court with his pal at last year's French Open. No matter; the past is not even a memory, and Verdasco is looking to the future.
"I believe in myself that I can win that matches," he said. "I don't put a limit in this tournament. I'm in semifinals right now and I think that I can lose in semifinals, but also be in the final or win the tournament. So I will try to, for sure, win the tournament."
Professional sportsmen, bless them, can be annoyingly non-committal when questioned, but you can see what Verdasco means. He may win, he may lose, but the most important thing is that he is here. In the semifinals. For the first time. This is his best run at a Grand Slam tournament and, if it is all the same to everyone else, he would rather not think about what it took to get here. If he can just stay in the moment then maybe, just maybe, he will be able to play the way he did against Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga - and he might just be able to beat Nadal.
"For me, Rafa is the toughest player in five‑set matches," Verdasco said. "I know him; he know me. I think that thing is there, and I don't think that is going to help me or not. I just will think about the match. I will think about the match with Rafa and how I can be tougher for him.
"Like I'm doing right now, and I've been doing all the tournament, I'll just try to do my game, try to do what I'm feeling good about, just play my game and don't think so much also about the other players. On the court, there are lots of moments and lots of situations that maybe you need to change. But at the beginning, I will not change so much my style of game."
Nadal, though, knows that all the changes to Verdasco's game were made before he got to Melbourne. The serve is now a terrifying weapon – he does not serve many aces but the consistency and accuracy is eye-wateringly impressive – and his forehand has been tearing the opposition to shreds. All in all, Nadal has never seen his mate play like this before.
Given that Nadal has mopped up titles and ranking points like a sponge over the past 12 months, it would seem that he has got this tennis business down pat, but no. Just as Verdasco has discovered a new edge to his tennis, so Nadal is fussing and fidgeting with his muscular game in the hope of maintaining his current dominance and moving further ahead of the chasing pack. To win with the same regularity as he did last year would be great – it is just that he knows that life is not always that simple.
"If I play the same like all the year last year, you give me a paper and I sign, no?" Nadal joked. "The thing is I always have a dream of improving. I never lost this dream for continuing (to) improve my tennis. I think I have little bit more things to do than a few years ago. I can slice a little bit more, I can go a little bit more to the net. I am playing a little bit better inside the court. That's the things that I am improving or trying to improve. The serve, I improved, but for sure I need improve more."
That will fill Verdasco's heart with joy – he has lost to Nadal six times and now Nadal goes and gets better. Thanks, mate.
A least Nadal was looking on the bright side. Last year he got to the semifinals without dropping a set and was walloped by Tsonga. His form leading into the semi final matters little; it is his form in the semifinal that will make the difference. And, for Nadal, it is a win-win situation.
"We both from Spain," he said, pointing out the blindingly obvious. "We have good very relation. Good thing, one Spanish player going to be in the final. So this is no different because in the end you play against a rival. This time, the rival is another friend. But, anyway, going to be very tough."
If past history is anything to go by, it will be considerably tougher for Verdasco.
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