Walking tall

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Confidence is a funny thing. Worse, it is a fickle thing. Just when you think you can rely upon it, it vanishes and then, when you think you will never master it, it becomes your best friend.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga had barrow loads of it as he marched to the final here last year, his maiden appearance in a Grand Slam decider. Coming back this year, the pressure of being expected to repeat last year's result or – whisper who dare – go one better could have derailed him, while the back injury he picked up before the tournament could have distracted him. But instead, his old mate Confidence put his arm round his shoulder and led him all the way to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, that is where it all went wrong.

However much belief Tsonga had in his own abilities and his own chances, it was nothing compared to Fernando Verdasco’s. If Tsonga thought he could win the Australian Open, then Verdasco believed he could fly. Or walk on water. Or heal the sick, feed the poor and split the atom.

You see, Verdasco won the Davis Cup last year - and he just hasn't been the same since. The Davis Cup may be a team competition, but it is a team of individuals, and as Spain took on Argentina in the final, the fourth – and, it turned out, deciding – match fell to Verdasco. If he could find a way to beat Jose Acasuso, the huge and historic trophy would be on its way to Spain and Verdasco would become a national treasure. No pressure, then, Fernando …

Until that point in his career, the 25-year-old from Madrid had done well enough on the tour but he had never taken the world by storm. He had collected a couple of tournament titles, he had earned several million dollars, but he was a world away from the likes of Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and that generation while the new, young stars of the game – the Nadals, the Djokovics and the Murrays – knew how to beat him.

It was Emilio Sanchez, Spain's Davis Cup captain, who made the surprise decision to drop David Ferrer on the third day of the final and call up Verdasco. Sanchez then sat beside the world No. 15 and talked him through the five sets it took to beat Acasuso and turn Verdasco's career around.

Now, whenever he gets into a spot of bother on the tennis court, he thinks back and remembers what Sanchez told him that day. Then anything seems possible. Down two sets to one against Andy Murray in the fourth round? What was it Emilio said again? Dropped a set to Tsonga on Wednesday? Just remember, you won the Davis Cup.

And so, with Confidence standing at his shoulder, Verdasco has powered his way through to the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament for the first time in his career. He absolutely walloped Tsonga 7-6(2) 3-6 6-3 6-2.

"I think that that Davis Cup final made me much stronger mentally," Verdasco said. "I was believing in myself because I feel so good. That's help me so much: to go to the court and try to really win the match because sometimes you go to the court when you don't have this big confidence. That's so important: to believe in yourself."

What has also helped is the work he did with Gil Reyes during the off-season. It was Reyes who kept Andre Agassi at the peak of fitness into his mid-30s and who also taught him a few of life's truths. Agassi credits him not only for helping him with the physical challenge of winning Grand Slam trophies on a regular basis, but also with the mental approach to dealing all the stresses and problems that professional sport throws up.

The most obvious change in Verdasco since his trip to Las Vegas to see Reyes is his serve. The extra upper body strength has helped the speed, and the confidence has helped the consistency. Just as he had against Murray in the previous round, he served like a demon against Tsonga. In the fourth set, his first serve accuracy was up to 88 per cent, while his average for the match was a staggering 76 per cent.

And now he is in a Grand Slam semifinal.

Two weeks of hard labour with Reyes has given him some extra muscle, but not enough to become a world-beater. But one match in Argentina back in November has changed his life.

Fernando Verdasco and his new friend Confidence are through to the last four - and they’re happy to take on all comers.

Source:www.australianopen.com