Bad Knee Hampers Nadal in Win

Tendinitis Threatens Hopes of Run to Final

FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y., Aug. 29 -- Capri pants and bandana are only part of Rafael Nadal's signature look. The muscular Spaniard is known equally well for his unflagging enthusiasm on the court, his ferocious grunts and, above all, his incessant movement -- whether jogging in place during the coin toss or zipping from one sideline to the other in pursuit of the ball.

On every point, Nadal runs flat out. He runs, at age 21, as if he could do so for days.

So it seemed as if a pretender had slipped into Nadal's knee-length pants when the Spaniard's first-round match got underway Wednesday at the U.S. Open. The world's second-ranked player didn't engage in his customary pre-match shadow boxing. He barely grunted when he walloped the ball. And instead of blasting winners on a dead run, Nadal basically stood at the center of the baseline and relied on his massive left arm to muscle the ball back.

It wasn't an impressive display of tennis. And it was radically out of character. But Nadal prevailed, subduing a spirited challenge from Australian wild card Alun Jones, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, to advance to the second round.

But the news is not good.

In his news conference afterward, a solemn Nadal confirmed what had been obvious to his opponent and to former champion John McEnroe, who was in the broadcast booth for the USA Network. He is battling a painful case of tendinitis in his left knee, which was treated twice during the match by an athletic trainer. And though he is trying his best, he says, he simply can't run the way he needs to run to advance much further.

"I can't move too much," Nadal said. "Just try to move less as possible and try to win. With one more day, two more days, because maybe I play Friday night, hopefully can improve."

Nadal explained that he suffered the injury in the final minutes of a practice Sunday with Andy Murray of Scotland. The two were hitting on Arthur Ashe Stadium the day before the U.S. Open began, and Nadal felt a pain in his knee. He underwent an MRI exam on Monday that revealed no structural damage. The remedy, apparently, is rest. And so Nadal didn't practice on Monday and hit for only a brief time Tuesday.

If this week's tournament had been anything less than one of the sport's four majors, Nadal confided, he likely would have withdrawn.

"But is the U.S. Open," he said, "so is very important for me."

Nadal's injury is cause for concern in the sport.

The charismatic Spaniard has proven the only consistent challenger to world No. 1 Roger Federer. They have met in the finals of four of the last six Grand Slam events, with Federer prevailing at Wimbledon both times, and Nadal holding sway at the French Open. They have never met in the final of a U.S. Open. And the prospect of staging the next installment of the rivalry that has rekindled interest in the sport thrills U.S. Open officials.

For Nadal to play on, he'll have to improve markedly in the next 48 hours.

He fell behind 1-4 in the opening set against Jones, 27, who can best be described as a career minor leaguer. But Nadal fought back to win the first set, only to fall behind, 1-4, in the next set. After getting broken early in the third set, Nadal called for the trainer, who retaped his knee. And he summoned the trainer again at the opening of the fourth set, wincing in obvious pain as the tendon was massaged.

Nadal's next opponent is 56th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia.

Meantime, it was a great day for Americans. Both Williams sisters advanced. But the bigger surprise came from Ahsha Rolle of Miami Shores, Fla., who fell on her back in exhilaration after moving into the third round with a 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Italy's Karin Knapp. Rolle is the only wild card remaining in the women's draw.

In the evening session, former Georgia standout John Isner, a finalist at Washington's Legg Mason Tennis Classic, earned a third-round meeting with top-seeded Federer with a 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 (7-4) victory over South African qualifier Rik DeVoest. Isner served 14 aces and hit 62 winners in the match. And after he clinched the victory, on a big serve and deep volley that forced DeVoest's final error, Isner turned and pointed to his delirious family in the stands.

He was asked during his courtside interview how he felt about facing Federer on Saturday.

"I don't really know much about him," Isner deadpanned. "Is he good?"

Federer displayed masterful strokes in beating Paul Capdeville of Chile, 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. Women's top seed Justine Henin sailed past Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova, 6-4, 6-0.

Serena Williams defeated Maria Elena Camerin, 7-5, 6-2, while Venus Williams easily handled 18-year-old Ioana Raluca Olaru of Romania, 6-4, 6-2.

American Mardy Fish eased past Mexican qualifier Bruno Echagaray, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. Robby Ginepri had an even easier time against Olivier Rochus of Belgium, whom he dismissed, 6-0, 6-3, 6-1.

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