I am not describing a cricket match, but the end of Rafael Nadal’s winning streak on clay which seemed rolling towards the triple digit mark.
The fan following of Nadal, and then man who snapped it, Roger Federer is very sharp and divided. But what came as a revelation in the Hamburg final was Federer’s aggression on clay.
He was not born for this surface, yet seemed so well in control of the proceedings, it did not appear even once this man has gone through tough times of not having won a title in his previous four tournaments.
A 6-0 whitewash in the final set in a 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win for Federer would have seemed alright against any other opponent. But to do it to Nadal was nothing short of humiliation in a season where the numero uno’s emotions have oscillated between the crest and trough.
It was just last week Federer said he was firing Tony Roche and going to do things his own way for the time being. I am not saying that firing Roche was the best thing to do, but the way Federer played in the final, there was something refreshing about it.
His movement was slick, and to see him slide on clay was a revelation. If Federer’s strong legs are going to be doing exactly that at the French Open, his opponent’s better watch out. Past stars have often suggested that for Federer to win on clay, he needs to play his own game. And that is being aggressive and not trying to beat Nadal at the baseline game.
So to see Federer volley and hit some smart, hard groundstrokes was nothing but a clear intent of his hunger to break the jinx. And in that process if he has spoilt Nadal’s party, people should not be complaining.
Records are made to be broken, but the one which Nadal has set will take a long time to be wiped out. It requires a superhuman effort not to lose 80-odd matches on clay and keep that streak going for two years.
Any solace for Nadal?
Yes. He lost to the best tennis player in the world on Sunday and not some Tom, Dick or Harry.
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3 comments:
Surely that was great stuff from Federer and frankly I knew it was coming. I remember having posted a comment in one of your earlier posts….that sooner or later Federer will have to do something about his clay-court game, and that’s what he did yesterday. The man completely overshadowed Nadal. Let’s not forget it’s come at this time of the year when the French Open is just a week away.
Dear Mr Kannan
In my opininn, Nadal plays from exuberance of youth, while the same cannot be said of Federer. If at times Nadal looks like a reckless raging bull, Federer's demeanour suggests that he plays his tennis with brains. Not that Nadal doesn't, but the fact is that quite a bit of his tennis gets lost in his flashiness. Agreed, Nadal too has immense talent, but he probably devotes quite a lot of his time (and energy) on his image and how he presents himself in front of the crowd. That, I think, is the difference between Federer and Nadal.
While Federer is calm and not overly bothered about his looks, Nadal wants to show off.
And as the saying goes, "All raging bulls meet with the same fate inside the pit...they are lynched by the matadors."
On Sunday the 'Swiss Matador' killed the Spanish raging bull.
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