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NEW YORK -- We all tinker. Tennis players try to stand in a new spot to return serve, or to go through a new routine before a toss. Golfers are notorious for tinkering, their search for the magic nugget. Usually, it just turns them into Nervous Nellies.And whatever we find usually lasts, what, four weeks?
"Sunday,'' Toni Nadal said.
Sunday?
"Yes Sunday, the day before the tournament.''
That's when Rafael Nadal changed the grip on his serve, under the guidance of his coach, Uncle Toni. And just like that, it has made for the most amazing transformation. Just a week and a half ago, Nadal slid his hand over a little on his racket handle, and as a result, he now has one of the biggest serves on tour.
A few weeks ago, he played in Cincinnati in hot weather on fast courts, perfect conditions for power. But he was not serving like this.
Rafael Nadal has found the Holy Grail. A weekend-warrior didn't find it. Not you. Not me, of course. Rafael Nadal, the best player in the world.
Snap, just like that, he has reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open without losing a set. Without losing his serve. Not once.
His serve used to be his weakness. The reason he couldn't hit it hard, the theory always went, was that he's actually right-handed, but Uncle Toni made him play lefty for strategic reasons.
Now, Nadal has re-tooled his game entirely, and no longer looks anything like the clay-court specialist he was back in, well, 2007. Back then, he used to kick in his serve just to start a point. Now, he crushes it.
At times, he's serving almost as big as Andy Roddick.
After the first round, I asked Nadal what he was doing. How had he hit it 130 mph?
"And wait, wait for the next one,'' he said. "I'm going for 135.''
He laughed. No way.
Guess what happened Tuesday night in the fourth round. He hit 135. Last year, he never broke 123 here.
Not only did Nadal's serve change, but even more amazing is something no one seems to have noticed: throughout the tournament, it has continued to get faster.
Greg Couch is a national columnist for FanHouse covering the U.S. Open. Click here to read all his latest columns.Follow Couch on Twitter
He just keeps chopping away at Roger Federer. He came along as a clay-court artist, and owned that turf. Federer was better everywhere else. But Nadal wanted to win Wimbledon, and realized his game wouldn't be good enough to overtake Federer on grass.
So Nadal tinkered, and now has won the past two Wimbledons he has entered.
Federer has been to the past six U.S. Open finals, winning five of them. Nadal has never gotten that far. And this is the last Federer-only turf, where his fans can still claim that Nadal is just a specialist, a freak here and there while Federer is great everywhere.
So Nadal has been transforming his game, and suddenly looks an awful lot like a hardcourt player, not only with his serve but also with -- snap! -- one of the best net games in tennis.
When did that happen?
If Nadal overtakes Federer Sunday on the hard courts at the U.S. Open? Timberrrr.
Federer comes crashing down. It will be tough to continue calling Federer the greatest player of all time, though he still will have longevity over Nadal.
But Nadal has just been too dominant when he plays Federer, especially at majors.
That's if Nadal wins. And it's a big if.
But it's what Nadal is after. I think he'll do it, but if he doesn't, then Federer reclaims something here, too.
"We tried it before in Mallorca (Spain, where Nadal lives) and changed the grip,'' Uncle Toni said. "But we go back.''
"So I try to play a little more flat,'' Nadal said. "And for that reason, I am serving faster, I think. That's it.''
If you can't hit your usual spin serve, then why not try a flat one?
See? He's adjusting his game. He always is.
Nadal said he has not been going to the weight room more. Uncle Toni said that he's not really sure why the grip has led to so much power.
A theory: Nadal is serving faster because ... he's swinging harder. If you look at his old serve, it was all arm. He would leave the ground when he served, as all players do, and then land in the same place he served from.
Now, he is cocking his should back, and then driving shoulders, hips and everything forward. He lands into the court.
Possible?
"Yes,'' Uncle Toni said. "I think when he changed the grip, the motion was easier.
"He was serving not too good in practice before the tournament. In Cincinnati and in Toronto, not good.''
So they committed to the change they had thought about before.
Uncle Toni is a tennis genius. It takes nerve to make major changes in the best player in the world. But he keeps seeing holes in Nadal's game, and then filling them.
So what's next? What holes are left?
"What next?'' he said, laughing. "I don't know. I don't know.
"Maybe he go down.''
Maybe someone else does.
E-mail me at gregcouch09@aol.com. Follow me on Twitter @gregcouch
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