By Michael Pieri - Sports Editor The London Daily News
Can the ‘King of Clay’ beat the ‘Master on Grass’? As Wimbledon fortnight begins in earnest on Monday, the question that is being asked is whether the form of French open winner Rafael Nadal is enough to beat defending champion and the supreme exponent of tennis on grass, Roger Federer.
Certainly the Spaniard comes to SW19 on the back of a confidence inducing win over the world number one. Nadal crushed Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 in Paris in a performance that had many proclaiming that the Clay court King was ready to take not only Federer’s title at Wimbledon but also the number one spot in the world rankings.
How likely is this?
Federer is generally acknowledged to be the one of the pair with the adaptable skills and all-court game, yet it's Nadal who has changed the way he plays even more; constantly adjusting his game and he is expected to arrive at Wimbledon and play a serve-and-volley game. This in itself underlines the maturity in his game and the threat he genuinely poses to Federer.
Looking at the Wimbledon draw, they will avoid each other until the final but that is not to say that there are not any other players who can beat either man.
Federer is currently in the middle of his worst Grand Slam season for many a year but the inconsistencies that have blighted his season to date will be less apparent on grass.
Waiting for Federer in the opening round is a player he has never beaten, Slovak Dominik Hrbaty, who has is unbeaten against the Swiss superstar in their only two previous matches in 2000 and 2004. However, he has seen his ranking slide and should be dispatched with ease.
If he gets past Hrbaty, Federer could face a dangerous second round match against Soderling before a third-round match against rising French star Gael Monfils, whom he beat in the French Open semi-finals and either 2002 champion Lleyton Hewitt or Fernando Gonzalez in the fourth. Federer’s projected quarterfinal opponent is Spain’s fifth-seeded David Ferrer before a possible match-up with Nvak Djokovic who beat Federer in the Australian Open semi-finals.
Nadal’s path to the final seems easier but having to face a possible semi-final against Andy Roddick is dangerous. The American is always a live threat at Wimbledon given his impressive serve and strong forehand, but one wonders whether he has the mental toughness to really believe he can beat Nadal.
Only discussing these two monsters of the game would be disrespectful to the other players who have a chance over the next two weeks. World number three Novak Djokovic will pose a major threat. This season he has become a Grand Slam winner and has the arrogant confidence of a man who believes in his own ability.
Home favourite Andy Murray will have the support but does he have the game? He has developed a bigger serve and allied to his sure-handed volley and a return that is becoming one of the best on tour, he has a chance. However, he will have to get past Nadal in the quarters and with Murray you are never really sure if he will turn up. He has never proved himself at the Grand Slam tournaments and with a question mark over his temperament, this won’t be his year.
So who will come out on top? It is very difficult to look past the top two. Nadal is only the second man to win four consecutive French Open titles (Borg did it from 1978-81) and this year’s final in Paris Nadal thrashed Federer in the most one-sided slam final for over 20 years. He has the game and he is in form but Federer’s record on grass in astonishing. He is going for a sixth straight Wimbledon title. In the past 100 years, only Federer and Bjorn Borg (1976-80) have won five in a row. He is also seeking his 13th major title, one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14. On grass he has won 59 straight matches; the longest winning streak in the 40-year Open era. This is why he is the man to beat, and this is why history beckons for a player who is the game’s absolute talent.
