Right after Wimbledon every tennis fan would have layed all their money down on a Federer versus Nadal final at the 2006 US Open coming up.
So, what happens?
Nadal loses in the early rounds for 2 consecutive weeks. Federer wins at the Rogers Cup in Toronto but then loses to Andy Murray in straight sets at the Masters event in Cincinatti.
Nadal's woes are less difficult to explain. He doesn't have a great serve although it is improving.
And , he struggles with his returns against big servers. So, he can't get into the baseline rallies as easily as he can on clay where he dominates.
Federer obviously has to lose once in a while so it's really no big deal.
The US Open matches are best of five sets , unlike these recent tournaments which are best of three. And, I feel that the best of five format favors both Nadal and Federer but for different reasons.
Nadal is like a body puncher in boxing. He makes you run and reach and work very hard physically to return his balls which have heavy top and sidespin. By the time you've played two or three sets against him you're usually starting to wear down physically. That's why a lot of Nadal's matches are close in the beginning and then he pulls away easily.
It'll take a lot of physical endurance and mental toughness to beat Nadal in five sets. Now, maybe he'll be off and someone will beat him in 3 or 4 sets but I like his chances the longer the matches go.
With Federer it's a different story. To beat Federer you need him to be off and you have to be playing at your highest level. If he's on and you're off, you''ll get rolled --just ask Lleyton Hewitt.
And, I don't see anybody except Nadal giving Federer trouble over 5 sets.
So, on to the Open and let's see what happens.
Glenn Sheiner M.D. - author of The Top Selling Tennis Tactics Ebook guaranteed to make you a smarter tennis player and take your tennis to the next level.
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