Rafa choked at 4-3, and serving with a break. It's now a pattern with hium. But in fairness to Lucas, he choked because the youngster wouldn't shut up and go away. Players are looking forward to matches like this with Rafa. I remember when McEnroe was getting older, he began to suspect youngsters loved playing him to claim his scalp. It made him feel old and vulnerable, not more defiant. With Rafa, it's a definite sign of decline, that he loses matches like this that he used to routinely win. He went how many years at a slam without losing in five?
The tiebreak was great, in the sense that it was dramatic and open-ended. Rafa broke first, then Lucas took control, then he tightened and Rafa had a knock-off forehand to gain match point - which he choked on - but then Lucas his a great winner on match point. It was good stuff, just a pity for Rafa that he couldn't squaek it out, because I felt that Lucas had brought better tennis out of him...
In a Cockney accent :snicker