For a long time, I have been a fan of Rafael Nadal. He plays great, he plays hard, but even before I understood the nuances and nuisances of the game, I fell for Nadal's game for his ability to consistently challenge Federer. Thanks to Federer (I dont really mean thanks) but tennis was going to the way of test match cricket with Aussies at the helm. Thankfully there, England and India produced wild and wildcard performances that put the T back in test cricket. And Rafael's games with Federer did almost the same thing.
Hey, but don't get me wrong. I don't think Nadal is the best player ever. He is solid, and usually consistent but very predictable player. He is the best contemporary player on the clay courts. He flatters to deceive on the hard courts. He has had a good run on the grass courts, but anywhere other than clay, his opponents, who live in valleys next to the mountain that is Federer, will always fancy their chances. Berdych, Youzhny, Blake. A few of the players who have had consistent winning records against Raffa. And then, there is Novak.
Watching Novak Djokovic's winning run this week at Montreal Masters, I couldn't help this sense of awe as he dismantled Nalbandian (who according to me is a player with amazingly fluid game), and went about destroying Roddick's dreams, and bombing Nadal out of the court. Now, playing rallies with Nadal and frustrating him in long rallies is something that only Nadal has managed against his opponents consistently for quite some time now. And Nadal tasted his own bitter medicine, and lost his feet and balance from the game. Was this a better version of Nadal we were watching!! Even then, I couldn't help but be resigned to the fate of the finals. I had a wish that the final would run to three sets. I bet on the wrong winner.
Watching Novak play Federer, you could feel that he was confident of what he wanted to do. The same thing Nadal does when he plays Federer. Except that with Novak, he had his serve to back him up. And a consistent return game with amazing flat forehand down the line strokes. So, whenever the points were taking a little bit longer time, he would come up with THAT shot. Both Federer and Nadal looked tentative when they were playing Novak. And the Djoker had nothing to lose.
And so now, we have hope. May be after a long time, we are not just looking at a rivalry. May be we should call it a trivalry.:-> Bad djokes aside, a larger question now comes up about whether Djoker can keep up this level for 5 sets. By playing higher ranked players (just the three of them anyway) on three consecutive days, he has shown he has go the mettle. But may be its too soon. Youth always has a high exuberence that flashes and then diminishes. But then, thats what people like me would have thought after watching Federer defeat Sampras in THAT match. I am reminded of the Hamburg final when Federer finally defeated Nadal on Clay. And Now, The Djoker has defeated Federer on hard courts. It will be interesting to see if Federer does a Nadal in the US Open. And if Nadal silently, has anything to say about this. And so, cheers to the next great trivalry.
