Rob McLean - Nadal and Federer rivalry in rude health
And so to Paris with a sense of deja vu. Two years ago, Rafael Nadal was homing in on the world No 1 position and arrived at the summit soon after winning the French and Wimbledon slams. Fast forward to May, 2010 as we prepare for the French Open and the king of clay is poised again at No 2, breathing down Federer's neck.
So much for the end of the Nadal/Federer rivalry. Despite losing to his clay nemesis in Madrid, the Swiss has rallied again but the acid test for him is at the next two slams and all tennis lovers will be praying they meet in the finals. If this were Easter I would give up writing off Federer for Lent.
Doubting Roger is not a recent phenomenon. Back in 2008 when he was off to the US Open on the back of those Grand Slam final defeats, one Swiss newspaper refused to send their tennis correspondent along because, in the words of the sports editor, 'Federer was finished'. He duly beat Murray in the final.
Federer praised Nadal after his Madrid win and said how nice it was that they played each other again after so long. Deep down the defeats on clay will be gnawing away at the Swiss. Their head-to-head on the surface stands at 10-2 in the Spaniard's favour; the overall record is 14-7. Federer does, at least for quite a few years yet, hold the bragging rights and can say: 'Show us your Grand Slams.' In addition Federer is only a few weeks away from beating Pete Sampras's record of 286 weeks as world No 1.
If Federer does retain his French crown it would surpass anything he has achieved, particularly if they meet in the final, as beating Nadal in Paris would tick one of the few remaining boxes of his career.
No one seems likely to threaten their meeting. The clutch of other Spaniards will battle and cover lots of dirt, but unlikey to go the distance and the other past dangers to Federer - Juan Martin del Potro, Tommy Haas, Nikolay Davydenko and David Nalbandian - are all injured. Novak Djokovic? Something real or imagined will get in the way.
Another withdrawal is Frenchman Gilles Simon, which leaves his compatriots, Gael Monfils and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, as the main home hopes, although Roland Garros won't be holding its breath.
Then there is Andy Murray and Latvian Ernests Gulbis, who could be the dark horses. Murray's game is on the up and with a favourable draw could get to the semis, which would surpass last year's quarter-final spot. If Tim Henman can get to the last four Murray most definitely can.
The women's event is a lottery. Anyone from around 20 players will be in the frame simply because some of the top players are missing or out of form, which gives the perennial Williams sisters, still the best when they put their mind to it, a chance, but the extra work that playing on clay entails might be a step too far for their often patched up bodies.
Justine Henin only months into her comeback will probably start as a luke-warm favourite. Home hopes will now turn to Aravane Rezai after her recent Madrid triumph over Venus Williams. Whether she thrives on the expectation or buckles under the pressure in the manner of her predecessor Amelie Mauresmo remains to be seen.
At the other end of the tennis food chain it was heartening to hear that Alex Bogdanovic, the British No 2, may be granted another wild card for Wimbledon on the strength of his recent rise up the rankings, now at 161 in the world. Forget the drama of Ivanisevic 2001, Federer/Nadal 2008, 'Boggy' finally winning his first match at the All England Club might even temporarily overshadow England winning a World Cup match...mmm, maybe not.
Date published :
19 May 2010 - 10:55:15
