Rob McLean - Nadal has Federer on the ropes
Alas for Roger Federer when he woke up on Monday morning it wasn't a bad dream. The reality is that as the grass-court season gets into full flow he has been knocked off his perch, and the pecking order has been changed, possibly for ever.
He has lost his French title, the world No 1 ranking and is left high and dry one week short of Pete Sampras's record total of 286 weeks at the top.
For Federer now faces a situation with Rafael Nadal not unlike the one Bjorn Borg had in 1981 with John McEnroe.
Borg decided that it wasn't worth spending any more time on the practice court just to end up being thrashed by the American who was going to get better and better. He walked away.
Federer will no doubt do everything in his power to rise to the challenge, but the Spaniard is now better than ever and as long as his knees hold up there seems no way back to the top spot for the Swiss.
It will niggle. Federer has lost to Nadal in their last three Grand Slam finals and his position as the greatest of all time is only questioned by Nadal's superior head-to-head record. The one thing that will satisfy Federer would be to win a seventh Wimbledon title to equal the record held by Pete Sampras and Britain's Willie Renshaw.
Who would have thought that the Spaniard without a title for nearly a year would come back and win four in a row including a fifth French title. Nadal seems to think he has a divine right to the French - he even gave the evil eye to Nicolas Almagro in an earlier round when his opponent had the temerity to win a long rally.
Robin Soderling, the defeated finalist for the second year running in Paris, is doing his very best to stop the world's top two ever meeting again in a grand slam final. His victories over Nadal and Federer in the last two years at Roland Garros, bring to mind Wimbledon 1985.
Then, a South African called Kevin Curren beat Jimmy Connors and McEnroe, thus denying the people's choice final and a repeat of 1984. Curren couldn't quite go the whole hog and was beaten in the final by Boris Becker, which heralded a changing of the guard at the top and an era of power tennis.
Italian Francesca Schiavone's win in Paris at nearly 30 years old brought some reminders of past British success. Until the Italian's triumph Britain's Ann Jones had been the oldest first-time Grand Slam champion when she won at Wimbledon in 1969, while Sue Barker was the previously lowest seed to win the French in 1976.
Schiavone's triumph is a blueprint for all aspiring Brits: work even harder and never, ever give up. AmazinglyBritain's Anne Keothavong and Melanie South both beat Schiavone in early rounds of Grand Slams.
With the exception of Laura Robson, winning her first match on the tour in Birmingham, and Elena Baltacha, who won the Nottingham title, British players have made a poor start to the grass-court season.
Four other British women, Katie O'Brien, South, Heather Watson and Naomi Broady all lost in the first round in Birmingham and once again at Queen's Club Andy Murray is our only hope left.
As Tim Henman might say, there are some positives. With the help of a kind draw at Wimbledon, Baltacha and Robson have a real chance to get through a couple of rounds. It may not seem much, but it would represent a minor triumph in what has been for years an absymal British run at the All England Club.
Date published :
09 Jun 2010 - 14:40:04
