Nadal downs Federer - Again

Rafael Nadal has proven to have Federer figured out mentally. As you know, tennis is a sport that players have to win mentally and not physically. At the level of the ATP tour, most players have an equal physical ability, what separates one from others is the state of mind each one is in during any given week.

This week, and most of the weeks that Nadal has faced Federer on clay, it has been a close match, but not

close enough for Federer to seal the deal. Nadal now a 8-1 record on clay and 10-6 overall against Roger. Federer has had plenty of opportunities to beat Nadal in previous matches, including this Sunday in Hamburg’s final where Federer was leading 5-2 in the first set and ended up losing 7-5. Also, in the second set, Federer again was up 5-2 and needed a tie-breaker to win that set 7-3 in the breaker. You can argue that Federer has Nadal figured out, but wasting so many opportunities not only in one match but in multiple matches, it just comes down to the mental part of the game. Especially at the high level these players can play, you can’t waste a single opportunity to take a point, game, set, or match - never.

As much as I’m a fan of Roger Federer, and as much as I don’t like to see him lose, I must admit that he does not deserve to be at the top of the rankings for 2008. At least at this moment. As Nadal said it during his

press conference after the final in Hamburg: he’s happy to have beaten the number one in the world (Federer) and the best player of the year (Djokovic). And I agree, Djokovic IS the best player of the year. But again, Federer is at the top of the rankings with (so far) the worst season since he became number one in 2004 with only one title won this year. Hold on, don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here; there’s still a lot of matches to be played and Federer being Federer can always change it all around and become one of the few players that has won all four Grand Slams. The French Open is coming soon and I’ll be looking forward to a great tournament- as always.