It’s always special when Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer lock horns. Their rivalry transcends sport and my inbox gets flooded with predictions of who will win. It doesn’t happen to that extent when anyone else contests a final!
It was a good match, certainly not a classic. I would rate it a 7 out of 10. I thought the outcome was a given – Nadal’s record against Roger is fantastic and even more so when you scrutinize it on this surface. The only time Federer has beaten him was when Rafa was exhausted!
Roger again played his break points really poorly. This is a theme in all his matches against Nadal, and today’s opening set was no different. I thought he was too passive on a few occasions when he got into a rally and you can’t do that against Nadal, you gotta “pull the trigger.” Almagro did it really well in the opening set yesterday with good effect!
Roger was more aggressive in the second stanza and as a result looked more like he was gonna win it, but the missed drop shot while 4-2 to the good proved to be a major plot point in the breaker. He followed that unforced error with another three!!! He got a rotten bounce on match point, but the major damage had been done.
I am looking forward to the French Open. I can’t see Nadal losing. It’s A LOT tougher to beat him over best of five sets than it is over three!!! He’s healthy, fresh, confident and emotionally stable (remember his folks were going through their divorce this time last year) and that makes for a heady cocktail!!!
I think the rest of the guys are playing for second place and the main challengers will be Federer, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco and perhaps the surprise package this European clay court season, Ernests Gulbis. You can throw Nico Almagro in there too! I can’t see Robin Soderling repeating his efforts of last year.
Bring on Roland Garros and let’s see if anyone can defy the odds. Since 2005, Nadal’s win/loss record on clay is 168/6. THAT IS OUTRAGEOUS!!!!
Rob
Rob Koenig is a former ATP World Tour pro who won five ATP doubles titles, reached six other ATP doubles finals and reached the doubles semifinals at the 1998 US Open. He is now an internationally renowned tennis commentator. He and fellow commentator Jason Goodall run bespoke clinics and corporate tennis events around the world that provide fans with unique and unforgettable experiences. Contact Rob at: rlkoenig71@gmail.com to find out more.