Nadal heads to Paris with absolute belief
HAMBURG: Rafael Nadal has lost his long winning streak on clay but his self-confidence remains intact as he heads to the French Open in search of a third successive title.
Nadal had won a record 81 successive clay-court matches over more than two years before losing to world number one Roger Federer in the Hamburg Masters final on Sunday.
Now we know the 20-year-old left-hander is not unbeatable but he remains quite clearly the best clay-court player in the world and he intends to prove it once again in Paris.
"My confidence is at 100 percent going into the French Open," said the man from Mallorca.
"I've played a lot of finals over the past months and I'm back playing better tennis than ever. I can't be sad about losing one match against the best player in the world."
Defeat by Federer prevented him from claiming a sweep of clay-court titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Rome and Hamburg.
But the fact that Nadal was able to play at all means he is in better shape than in each of the past two years, when fitness concerns meant he had to miss Hamburg altogether.
Better player
"The last two years I came to Roland Garros playing really badly," Nadal told reporters. "It's hard to go into a big tournament when you haven't played for two weeks and that's what I did after missing Hamburg."
He added: "I'm a much better player than I was two years ago and last year I wasn't in good shape. Now I'm very happy with my game."
Ever since he made his breakthrough as a freakishly powerful 16-year-old in 2003, Nadal has been a compelling player to watch.
It is not just that he has perfect command of the clay court, having been brought up on the surface like most Spanish players, or that he hits the ball with devastating accuracy and power, particularly off the forehand.
He is also a fierce competitor, with stamina and speed to match, which is perhaps not surprising considering he is the nephew of Miguel Angel Nadal, the former Barcelona defender with a reputation as a real hard man.
Rivals know there is scarcely any point playing a drop shot, as the Spaniard will invariably reach it. If they try to force him wide he is capable of turning desperate saves into winners, thanks to that raw power again.
Tight matches
The evidence from Hamburg, however, shows it is still possible to get Nadal in trouble, after Lleyton Hewitt took him to the brink in the semifinals and then Federer pushed him over.
"The thing about Nadal is that he hasn't been in that many tight matches," Hewitt told reporters after losing a knife-edge three-setter.
"Of those 80-odd wins probably 75 of them have been routine. If you get him in one of those tight situations you have a chance."
Most of the other leading contenders for the French Open also believe the situation is far from hopeless, even if they recognise that Nadal is at a level above them on clay.
Novak Djokovic believes Nadal's near perfection will bring out the best in all his rivals at the year's second grand slam tournament, starting next Sunday.
"Rafa's shown he's dominant, very superior, and an 80-match winning streak on clay is incredible," the Serbian said in Hamburg.
"But no one's unbeatable. As long as he's the best the players get more and more motivation just trying to figure out ways to beat him."
Agencies
(China Daily 05/22/2007 page23)
