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This could be Rafael Nadal’s year. A convincing switch from his beloved clay to grass for the 22-year-old Spaniard means 2008 presents Nadal with his best chance yet of toppling formidable rival Roger Federer at Wimbledon, starting on June 23.
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Nadal showed an improved grass-court game to win the ATP event at The Queen’s Club in London, beating big-serving Croat Ivo Karlovic, four-time winner Andy Roddick and Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic on the way.
Ask almost any player, however, and while they agree Nadal will be a worthy successor sometime, 26-year-old Federer remains favourite to claim a record sixth consecutive All England Club crown.
Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt, the 2002 champion, recently pointed out Federer had been in a similar position before.
“He lost the last three years – two times in the finals, once in the semis – to Rafa at Roland Garros,” Hewitt said.
“He’s been able to bounce back pretty well on the grass.
“There’s no doubt he’ll be disappointed. Rightly so. That’s the one tournament missing off his career list.
“I think he’s mentally tough enough … he still thinks he’s the best grass-court player out there, so he deserves to be the favourite going into Wimbledon.”
Should Nadal complete the French Open-Wimbledon double, he will become the first man to achieve the feat in the same year since Bjorn Borg in 1980.
Putting the task further into perspective, Federer last lost at SW19 in 2002, against Mario Ancic in the first round.
He stretched his winning streak on grass to 59 matches when he lifted his fifth title at Halle last weekend, his traditional Wimbledon warm-up event in Germany.
Federer’s latest title came without him dropping serve once.
His highest-ranked opponent was World No.25 Marcos Baghdatis in the quarter-finals and he beat No.36 Philipp Kohlschreiber in the final.
Nadal, meanwhile, was pushed to three sets by 105th-ranked Kei Nishikori of Japan before overcoming Karlovic also in three sets, all of which went to tie-breaks.
The Spaniard beat Roddick in two and was then just one point away from a 4-0 deficit before launching an impressive comeback against World No.3 Djokovic to win the final 7-6 (8-6) 7-5.
The nature of Nadal’s path to Wimbledon could be interpreted as a display of his superior fitness and mental strength or an indication he is still beatable on grass.
It also points to the fact Wimbledon is not a two-horse race.
Djokovic, brimming with confidence since his first grand slam victory in Melbourne in January, is a worthy contender, Roddick should not be discounted and 2002 runner-up David Nalbandian could also mount a challenge.
Despite on-going hip problems, Hewitt could be an outside chance with his passion for the tournament and for a fight against the odds.
The five leading contenders for the men’s singles title at Wimbledon:
ROGER FEDERER (SUI)
World ranking: 1
Birthdate: Aug 8, 1981
Birthplace: Basel, Switzerland
Residence: Oberwil, Switzerland
Height: 185cm
Weight: 80kg
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 1998
Career singles titles: 55
Grand slam singles titles: 12
Career prize money: $US40,979,981 ($A43.48 million)
Best Wimbledon result: Champion (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)
Summary: Answered suggestions his confidence had taken a knock after a straight-sets loss to Rafael Nadal in the French Open final by claiming a fifth title at Halle, his traditional Wimbledon warm-up in Germany. His winning streak on grass stands at 59 as he bids for a record sixth consecutive crown at the All England Club. Players and bookmakers have him as the favourite – for good reason. This powerful all-court player has strong self-belief and no tangible weaknesses on this surface.RAFAEL NADAL (ESP)
World ranking: 2
Birthdate: June 3, 1986
Birthplace: Manacor, Mallorca
Residence: Manacor, Mallorca
Height: 185cm
Weight: 85kg
Plays: Left-handed
Turned Pro: 2001
Career singles titles: 28
Grand slam singles titles: 4
Career prize money: $US17,987,823 ($A19.08 million)
Best Wimbledon result: Runner-up (2006, 2007)
Summary: Had a near-flawless transition from clay to grass after winning his fourth straight French Open to claim the title at The Queen’s Club. His fightback after being one point away from a 4-0 deficit against Novak Djokovic to win the final in a tough two sets is testament to his tenacity. A two-time runner-up to Federer at Wimbledon, all indications are if Nadal is to go one better, this year presents his best chance yet.NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRB)
World ranking: 3
Birthdate: May 22, 1987
Birthplace: Belgrade, Serbia
Residence: Monte Carlo, Monaco
Height: 187cm
Weight: 80kg
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2003
Career singles titles: 10
Grand slam singles titles: 1
Career prize money: $US8,035,331 ($A8.5 million)
Best Wimbledon result: Semi-finalist (2007)
Summary: A worthy finalist at Queen’s, the young Serb has grown in confidence since winning his first grand slam title at the Australian Open in January. Showed real grit to win a five-hour quarter-final against Marcos Baghdatis at Wimbledon last year before retiring injured against Nadal in the semis. Had he beaten the clay-court king at the same stage of this year’s French Open, he would have become the world No.2. Has a strong all-court game and is not afraid to come to the net.ANDY RODDICK (USA)
World ranking: 6
Birthdate: Aug 30, 1982
Birthplace: Omaha, Nebraska
Residence: Austin, Texas,
Height: 187cm
Weight: 88kg
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2000
Career singles titles: 25
Grand slam singles titles: 1
Career prize money: $US14,069,938 ($A14.93 million)
Best Wimbledon result: Runner-up (2004, 2005)
Summary: Missed the French Open with a shoulder injury, but recovered to play at Queen’s, where he had limited court time when Mardy Fish and Andy Murray withdrew from matches because of injury. Lost to Nadal in the semi-finals. With a booming serve and big forehand, his achievements on grass are impressive – four titles at Queen’s and twice runner-up to Federer at Wimbledon.DAVID NALBANDIAN (ARG)
World ranking: 7
Birthdate: Jan 1, 1982
Birthplace: Cordoba, Argentina
Residence: Cordoba, Argentina
Height: 180cm
Weight: 79kg
Plays: Right-handed
Turned Pro: 2000
Career singles titles: 8
Grand slam singles titles: 0
Career prize money: $US8,893,109 ($A9.43 million)
Best Wimbledon result: Runner-up (2002)
Summary: Ranked No.7 in the world but has better grass-court credentials than some above him. Lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the final of his first Wimbledon appearance in 2002. Bounced back from a shock loss to little-known Frenchman Jeremy Chardy at Roland Garros to make his debut at Queen’s but was beaten convincingly in London by runner-up Djokovic in the semi-finals. An aggressive baseliner who can also volley with a reliable serve, even if it lacks the fire-power of Roddick or Djokovic.
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