Can Anyone but Federer Challenge Nadal?
By Matthew Cronin
Thursday, May 25, 2006Since Gustavo Kuerten ruled the clay court world back in 2000 and 2001, there hasn't been an occasion when it could be said that there is a flat out favorite to win the Roland Garros men's title. That all ends here.
Holding a record 53-match winning clay court streak coming into the tournament, defending champion Rafael Nadal has become the world's most formidable dirtballer since the glorious Guga. That makes him the clear favorite to repeat, where if he wins the title, he will have won his 60th match in a row on clay, seven more than what the great Guillermo Vilas achieved.
It's impossible to hit through the tireless Nadal early in points and he passes so remarkably well that his foes have to be committed to an endless marathon if they are going to have a serious shot at upsetting him. There aren't too many guys out there who are willing to climb into the forum with Rafa.
But No. 1 Roger Federer is one of them and he nearly took down the gregarious Spaniard in the Rome final, but once the match turned five hours and six minutes, he finally folded 6-7 (0), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (5). That was the third time that Nadal has taken down the great Swiss this year and the second time on clay. In April, he bested Federer in another five-set tiebreaker, that time in the final of AMS Monte Carlo.
Federer remains optimisticUnlike on any other surface and against any other opponent, the mighty Federer presses against the teenager because he has a hard time contending with Nadal's lefty forehand to his right-handed backhand. And because Nadal goes from defensive to offense faster than any player on the plant. But Federer remains optimistic. "I think this is another step closer because I got even closer to the win today than back then," he said after Rome.
However, Federer is not being completely realistic about what's become tennis' most talked about rivalry. Before they played in Monte Carlo, Federer called "Rafa" one-dimensional, a curious comment about a guy with at least four major weapons: speed, forehand, competitiveness and left-handedness. But still, Federer said, "I think it's wrong to say that he's better than me on clay."
But No. 2 ranked Nadal has an inkling that he makes Federer shake a little. Essentially, his brief run of dominance over him hasn't stopped since he bested the Swiss in four sets in the 2005 Roland Garros semifinals.
"He might get a little bit bad, I don't know, nervous," Nadal said of when their matches get deep. "The match-up is tough always, no?"
Federer has been close to Nadal the three times they've played this year (Nadal also bested him in the Dubai final) and the Swiss thinks that he may have found the key to victory, suffocating him at the net. That might be the only way that the seven-time Grand Slam champion can find a way to win the only major that eludes him.
"He leaves me no choice but to go for winners because I am the man who is pressing," Federer said. "I felt I got closer to Rafael than at Roland Garros last year. The more I play him, the more also I'll figure out his game and the easier it's going to get. Maybe I'm too optimistic, but I really believe it."
The Other Possibilities?After Federer, there really are no other big-time contenders for the crown. Argentine David Nalbandian is the third main challenger, almost upsetting Federer in the Rome semifinals, but he has always found a way to lose at the Slams.
Fellow Argentine and '04 Roland Garros champ Gaston Gaudio has a fairly mundane year and fourth-ranked Ivan Ljubicic of Croatia just isn't comfortable enough on dirt to do much damage. Chilean Fernando Gonzalez has the firepower to go deep, but always seem to fall apart in big matches at the Slams. Croatia's Mario Ancic has had a good clay court run as of late.
There are three men who have decent semifinal shots, but who have yet to show the wherewithal to knock off Federer or Nadal: steady Russian Nicolay Davydenko, who reached the semis last year; Spanish 20-year-old Nicolas Almagro; and Spain's Tommy Robredo, who raised his game a notch in winning Hamburg.
The French youngsters have had up and down years, with Richard Gasquet battling injuries and with his form, and Gael Monfils struggling on hard courts. But the talented Monfils has picked up as of late and could be a threat to reach the second week.
Without 1999 champ Andre Agassi in attendance, the American men will be seriously pressed to push a man into the second week. No. 5 Andy Roddick or No. 8 James Blake are capable, but haven't shown confidence on the dirt - and Roddick is now battling a foot/ankle injury suffered this week at the World Team Championship.
With Tim Henman fading, the UK is pinning its hopes on Scottish teen Andy Murray, who trained on clay in Barcelona.
Former number one Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who has barely played the last two months, doesn't figure to do much,
but another former top dog, Marat Safin of Russia, always seems to grab some headlines in Paris.Almagro going to the semis !? Is the writer crazy
I don't want this, and I don't even think this is possible !!
However, I quite like this last sentence... Never forget that Marat is always a possibility
Do you think there will be a blogger in RG ?
He looks concentrated! ;D ;D ;D 
He looks concentrated! ;D ;D ;D 
Sixpack guard 
I don't want this, and I don't even think this is possible !!