Mała charakterystyka głównych bohaterów.

Faworyci

Rafael Nadal



Absolutny dominator. Zawodnik, który pomimo młodego wieku i wciąż trwającej kariery jest coraz częściej określany i  kreowany jako najlepszy i najwybitniejszy specjalista od gry na kortach ziemnych w historii tenisa. W latach 2005-2007 zanotował rekordową serię 81 kolejnych wygranych gier na clayu. W poprzednim sezonie jako pierwszy tenisista w dziejach wygrał tzw "caglanego szlema", czyli 3 najważniejsze turnieje podprowadzającego pod Roland Garros plus oczywiście sam Puchar Muszkieterów. Nadal na kortach ziemnych wygrał jak do tej pory 29 turniejów, w tym 5 razy Roland Garros, Rzym, Barcelonę i 6 razy z rzędu Monte Carlo. Kolejny sezon znowu stawia go w roli faworyta. Im dłużej trwa jego dominacja, tym częściej pojawia się pytanie, kiedy i czy w ogóle ta niesamowita dominacja Nadala na kortach ziemnych zostanie przerwana? Podobnie rzecz ma się i w tym roku.

Roger Federer



16-krotny Mistrz turniejów wielkoszlemowych przez ostatnie lata był głównym rywalem Rafaela Nadala podczas Clay Court Swing. Często w cieniu Hiszpana, niemniej sukces na Roland Garros 2009, 4 wygrane turnieje Masters w Hamburgu, 1 w Madrycie i szereg finałów plasują go bardzo wysoko w grupie współczesnych specjalistów od gry na cegle (z założenia każdy tenisista jest dziś takim specjalistą ). W tym roku jego szanse nie są oceniane specjalnie wysoko, niemniej doświadczenie, talent, potencjał i umiejętność przygotowywania formy na najważniejsze turnieje nie pozwalają, by go całkowicie skreślić.

Novak Djoković



Główny bohater sezonu 2011. Niepokonany w tym roku, z wielkim apetytem przymierza się do kolejnych wielkich zwycięstw na europejskim clayu. Już w 2008 roku rzucił wyzwanie samemu Nadalowi (znakomita bitwa w Hamburgu), a w 2009 był bardzo bliski pokonania Króla na jego nawierzchni (twarda walka w Monte Carlo, znakomity mecz w Madrycie, gdzie miał piłki meczowe). Zdecydowanie wielki faworyt nadchodzącego okresu w tenisowym kalendarzu, wielki pretendent do zakończenia/przerwania dominacja Nadala. Jego pojedynki z hiszpańskim kolegą powinny nadawać sens najbliższym 2 miesiącom gry w ATP Tour.

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Pretendenci

Robin Soderling



Wielka postać ostatnich 2 sezonów na kortach ziemnych. 2 lata temu, jako pierwszy gracz w historii pokonał Nadala na kortach Roland Garros, przed rokiem przerwał niesamowitą serię Federera 23 kolejnych półfinałów w turniejach WS. 2 razy przegrywał w finale największego ceglanego turnieju na świecie. Tenisista chimeryczny, dla wielu drewniany i jednowymiarowy, de facto z bardzo mocnymi argumentami na wielkie wyniki na tym podłożu. Soderling dał się poznać jako bardzo pojętny uczeń. Warsztatu tenisowego specjalnie nie rozbudował (raczej doszlifował swoje zalety), ale nabył cenną umiejętność przygotowywania świetnej formy na największe turnieje. Jeden z najgroźniejszych zawodników "drugiego planu", czego dowodem mogą być jego tegoroczne wyniki - już 3 wygrane turnieje w 2011.

Nicolas Almagro



Jeden z najładniej i najestetyczniej grających tenisistów dzisiejszego ATP. Dawniej miał bardzo duże problemy z wiarą w siebie, co przekładało się bardzo brutalnie na umiejętność utrzymywania koncentracji podczas spotkań. Tenisista systematycznie (chociaż trochę za wolno) czyniący postępy w grze, czego owocem są 2 bardzo dobre mecze z Nadalem sprzed roku (1/2 Madrytu, 1/4 RG). Almagro to specjalista od mniejszych turniejów na kortach ziemnych. Czy w tym roku skupi się na wielkich imprezach i wreszcie ugra coś więcej? Chyba największa niewiadoma nadchodzących miesięcy).

Juan Martin del Potro



Wielka nadzieja na szum w rozgrywkach. 2 lata temu był bardzo bliski pokonania Federera na RG, przegrał nieznacznie, chociaż zauważalnie. W kolejnym sezonie miał być największym zagrożeniem dla dominacji Nadala. Rzeczywistość okazał się brutalna, przyniosła bardzo poważną i przewlekłą kontuzję, po wyleczeniu której Mistrz US Open 2009 wciąż odzyskuje dawną dyspozycję. Gdyby nie ten rok przerwy to umieściłbym Juana w zakładce z faworytami, bo jest to facet z papierami na wielką grę i wielkie zwycięstwa.

David Ferrer



Jeden z najsympatyczniejszych i najbardziej niedocenianych tenisistów w rozgrywkach. Znakomita forma w styczniu, upór i determinacja stawiając go w roli kandydata do miana jednej z głównych postaci w nadchodzących miesiącach. Zawodnik kochający grę na kortach ziemnych. Nigdy nie ograł na tym podłożu spektakularnego triumfu nad którymś z żelaznych faworytów, ale kilkakrotnie poważnie im się przeciwstawił i w tym roku na pewno wróci po więcej. W tym roku ma już 1 tytuł wywalczony na clayu - turniej ATP w Acapulco.

Niby są ludzie do grania, byle na tych wyliczeniach się nie skończyło.

Cóż, w mojej opinii Nadal i Djoko będą walczyli o trofea. Jeśli któryś z nich nie wykruszy się fizycznie, to możemy obejrzeć z ich udziałem nawet kilka finałów. Mam nadzieję, że kilkoro zawodników wyskoczy z jakąś wysoką formą w pojedynczych turniejach i nieco ożywią tenis.

Myślę, że Nadal nie wygra wszystkich tytułów na mączce. Tylko w ubiegłym roku taka sztuka mu się udała, z tym że nie startował w Barcelonie. Mam nadzieję, że Doković mu się mocno przeciwstawi. Pojedynki z Nadalem mogą  być wojnami totalnymi, na wyniszczenie, do upadłego. Nie zdziwię się zbytnio jeśli ten rekord 4 godzin w meczu trzystetowym zostanie pobity. Myślę, że Novak posmakuje wreszcie zwycięstwa nad Rafą na kortach ziemnych. Najbardziej prawdopodobnym miejscem ku temu będzie Madryt. Roland Garros powinien przypaść Rafie. Jeśli Novak dotrze do finału, możemy być świadkami długiej i nużącej pięciosetówki.

Ground to Lose



by Pete Bodo

Well, Monte Carlo is well underway; it's officially Euroclay time. It's an interesting time of year because it makes significant demands. Clay-court tennis may be less punishing on the body in some ways (the surface is soft and forgiving) but it's more demanding in others. How would you like to have whack an endless stream of heavy, topspinning shots on a damp, cool day, and with relatively dead strings to boot?

It's funny, but it wasn't all that long ago that any player worth their name (pro or rec level) used elastic, lively gut strings, hoping to get the most bounce out of each racket ounce. Now, the most popular strings curb or attempt to eliminate elasticity and the catapult effect it creates. That's a 180-degree difference, friends. The way of the world.

Anyway, overall consistency coupled with great fitness is de rigueur on the tour these days. The clay game is plenty "physical," but that's not an entirely new development. The terms "grinder" or "grinding" were coined to describe clay-court tennis, or tennis played with what has always been thought of as the clay-court sensibility. Slowly, though, the classic grinder has vanished almost as comprehensively as the classic serve-and-volley player. To win on clay today, you must be able to belt the ball and take your chances—two things that were never part of the grinder's repertoire.

The typical ATP pro is looking at the next two months as something like the "busy season." And that cuts both ways. It's a time of great opportunity—get the wind at your back, a surge of confidence, and a few breaks from the gods of the draw and you can build up a lot of momenturm, piling up those precious ranking points like a traveling salesman collecting frequent flyer miles. Just ask Fernando Verdasco, who played six Euroclay events last year and profited handsomely.

But if you're down in the dumps, not especially enamored of clay, physically tender or otherwise impaired, the clay season can seem less like an opportunity than a two-month sentence of hard labor. Frustrating labor. This-is-getting-me-nowhere labor, plus there's all that laundry to do, even though no article of clothing will ever again be entirely free of that faint, rusty tint. So you do what John Isner told me he does—you just leave all your tennis stuff at the hotel as a kind of room tip when you're eliminated from your last Euroclay event.

All in all, it's best to go into this clay season with a lot to gain when it comes to points, money and street cred with your fellow pros. A guy like Novak Djokovic has much to gain and relatively little to lose, thanks to the enormous number of ranking points he accumulated with his 24-0 start this year. And while his results have always been solild on clay, he hasn't really made the kind of breakthrough that characterized his hard-court season.

Last year, Djokovic lost in the semis of Monte Carlo to Fernando Verdasco, getting all of four games. With all due respect to Verdasco, it's hard to imagine the Djokovic of 2011 doing so poorly, although we're not going to find out. Djokovic skipped Monte Carlo, claiming a knee injury of which there was no evidence whatsoever when he last actually played a competitive match. Whatever the status of his knee, the man has earned a little rest.

Another guy with a lot to gain is No. 45 Juan Martin del Potro, and in his case we're not just talking about ranking or reputation points. Del Potro still needs matches after missing virtually all of last year because of that right wrist injury. He'll have the opportunity to really grove that big game of his (clay is great for that), and because he has no points to defend, he can swing from the heels. But remember what we said about those strings and big cuts? Del Potro knows that his wrist will get a serious workout in every clay match. It's one of the reasons he opted for three weeks rest after his successful hard-court season. He'll begin his European campaign at Estoril.

Del Potro can only gain ground, but some of his peers and rivals also have ground to lose. Let's take a look at the prime suspects:

Rafael Nadal, No. 1: It's counter-intuitive and perhaps even absurd, but because Nadal was perfect last spring, he can only break even or lose ground. On the whole, it's not a bad problem to have. Still, critics like to point out that Nadal hasn't won a tournament since October of 2010, and that's certainly significant. Who would have predicted that Djokovic would be a combined 5-0 against Federer and Nadal in 2011? But in the end, the overarching reality is that Nadal is in a different league from every other player on clay, and if he loses ground, it's apt to be measured in inches and square feet rather than miles or hectares.

Andy Murray, No. 4: He hasn't won a match since that devastating loss to Djokovic in the Australian Open final. In 2010, Murray was a mediocre 3-3 going into Roland Garros (where he lost in the fourth round), so he can rake in some points to make up for his dismal late winter. But Murray is one of those guys who not only has ground to gain—he has ground to lose, should his swoon continue.

It isn't so much about the ranking points at stake—Murray does a lot of his damage once the tour has moved on to North America, Asia and beyond. Murray needs wins on clay to get his game back in groove and his confidence and enthusiasm replenished. And those wins on slow clay just aren't as easy to come by as they are on hard courts or grass. Remember, this is one guy who doesn't want to head to Wimbledon in anything like crisis mode. It would bring enormous, unwanted, negative atttention down on him, and it's tough enough to be the great British hope at Wimbledon. The mandate for Murray: Win now!

Robin Soderling, No. 5: Those back-to-back titles (Rotterdam and Marseilles) he bagged this year gives him a cushion, and he'll probably need it. Soderling has two finals to defend—Barcelona and Roland Garros, which adds up to a fair number of ranking points (even if his record in the three events between those bookends was a dismal 1-3). Soderling's bigger problem is that he hasn't been himself this year, partly due to injuries and the way he handled him (for example, at Indian Wells, he more or less admitted that he probably should not even have tried to play).

In the latest development, Soderling pulled out of Monte Carlo with a sore knee. How hurt is he? It's hard to tell; perhaps whatever has been ailing Djokovic is contagious and in the end not all that serious. I can't help but notice that Soderling didn't begin his spring campaign until Barcelona last year, either.

Fernando Verdasco, No. 8: Verdasco is exhibit A for what a good clay-court season can do for you. He's still perched at No. 8 despite a fall-off in his results, and to a great extent it's due to the way he played at this time last year. Verdasco took on a huge workload and made three finals (Monte Carlo, loss to Rafael Nadal; Barcelona, won title; Nice, loss to Richard Gasquet) and a semi (Rome, loss to Ferrer) to go with a third-round effort in Madrid before Roland Garros was even underway. That catapulted him to No. 9, and he justified his seeding by going four rounds at the French Open.

But Verdasco has struggled lately. Since losing the San Jose final to young Milos Raonic in mid-February, he's won exactly one match—and that perhaps only because Richard Berankis had to retire during their second-round encounter at Indian Wells. Another loss to Raonic (first round, Memphis) helped put him in his present snit, and when last heard from, Verdasco was sniping at the promoters of the Barcelona event (where he's the defending champ) for failing to hold a wild card open for him.

Why Verdasco would not have entered Barcelona directly is something of a mystery, at least to me, but the upshot is that Verdasco will play Estoril instead. Bottom line: This is not a happy camper, and he has a lot to defend, having played a killer schedule last year.

Jurgen Melzer, No. 9: Last year on Euroclay, the Austrian surprise failed to win at least two matches at only two tournaments, and he was a quarterfinalist at Madrid and a semifinalist at Roland Garros. Coming off a career year in 2010 (did anyone really expect Melzer to burst through to the Top 10?), Melzer got off to a good start in January, losing to finalist Andy Murray in the fourth round at the Australian Open.

But then the wheels fell off, and Melzer hasn't won consecutive matches since that first major of the year. He can consolidate and win back some of the ground he lost during the hard court season in the coming weeks, because clay is his surface of choice. He could use the boost of confidence that may come from returning to the red dirt, but it might prove very slippery underfoot if he can't find the consistency that he developed last year.

http://blogs.tennis.com/tennisworld/201 … -lose.html

Can anyone stop Nadal on clay?



I saw quite a lot of the Monte Carlo Masters last week and the headline for me was that Rafael Nadal wasn't playing well but he still won the tournament. That sounds like the worst news of all for his rivals.

I don't think he's moving as well as he usually does; in fact, that's something he said himself last week. Andy Murray had one great set against him but, other than that, he was pretty much untroubled.

He's never in cruise control because that's not his style, but he didn't look troubled at any point. It looks like it is going to be an early summer for the other players, just as it has been over the last few years.

Novak Djokovic wasn't playing, so we don't know how much his marked improvement will transfer over to clay. He's certainly improved on the hardcourts, and I imagine he will also have developed his game heading into Roland Garros, but Nadal looked very comfortable.

I think he would like to play as much as possible on clay. He hasn't fully found his feet yet and I think Barcelona will be useful for him with the graph moving upwards towards the French Open.

As for the number one ranking, it's hard to tell how much importance Nadal and Roger Federer give to it.

On the whole, if you win Grand Slams in the men's game you tend to be the number one player in the world.

That's certainly the way Roger sees it - he was winning Slams and was the number one. When Rafa started winning the Grand Slams he became number one.

I don't think now that the number one ranking is as important to those two as it has been. I think its something they'd like, but is it something they actively seek?

Has Nadal gone to Barrcelona to protect the number one ranking? I don't think so.

I think Rafa would like to be the number one player in the world but, I think if you ask him which would you rather do, win the French Open and Wimbledon or stay world number one, he'd pick the former.

Of course, there is the balancing act for him. He seems to be injury-free but you never know. His schedule last year was nigh on perfect and he went through the summer unscathed.

So you wonder by putting an extra week in is he risking it a bit too much? He obviously feels he's a bit undercooked on clay and wants to put that right.

It seems that this is more important to him than the danger to his knee, which I think is probably good news.

Even though he noticeably wasn't moving as well last week as he usually does, he puts that down to a lack of practice, and he knows better than anyone.

It was also good to see Andy playing better on clay. He had one really good set against Nadal when he stepped up to the baseline and dictated the play, but I don't think he can do that in a best-of-five sets match.

From what we've seen so far on the clay, I don't think anyone apart from Djokovic can really stop Nadal. But even then we're yet to see the Serb play him on this surface.

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/si … icle/6122/

What can Madrid and Rome teach us?

The Madrid Masters starts this week and will be quickly followed by the Rome Masters.

We're in the home straight for the French Open and these two Masters tournaments are going to give us a better idea about who is in the best shape to win this second Grand Slam of the year.

Let's start with a look at the Rafael Nadal versus Novak Djokovic battle.

Everybody is waiting for this duel between Djokovic, the most impressive guy of this start of the season, and Nadal, who is still the boss on clay having won back-to-back titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

The Serb was smart to avoid facing Rafa on clay earlier, skipping Monte Carlo and Barcelona. He knows how much the result of their first encounter will matter in terms of his French Open chances. So he decided to take his time and return to clay at Belgrade, where he won. He has gained new confidence before going into the fight with Nadal, the clay monster.

The Spaniard was quick to adapt to the surface and get back to winning ways after struggling earlier in the season. He is now reassured. Even not playing to his best standards, he was still good enough to beat every opponent in front of him.

Nevertheless he knows that, in order to beat Djokovic, he has to play better than this. The depth of his shots isn't optimal and the Serb will take advantage of any flaw. It appears that Rafa has lost confidence - and so efficiency - on his backhand. So here are the two areas he has to work on if he wants to record a win over Djokovic, who is in full gear and completely focused.

Roger Federer didn't reassure us at all on clay, a surface he mastered in his best years but which has appeared to magnify his struggles since.

His footwork leads him to commit more mistakes on his backhand but also to lose efficiency on his forehand because he takes the ball later than before. On clay, which slows the ball down, his serve becomes also less decisive. We've noticed him going more for trickiness these days, with the kick serve for example. Even if his game is still enough to beat most of the field, he looks way more fragile against players like Andy Murray, Juan Martin Del Potro, Djokovic and Nadal.

Robin Soderling is also struggling. Disturbed by a foot injury, he's struggled to get back to his best level. Even if he likes clay because it gives him enough time to move and organise himself, it's also an issue for him because of his footwork, especially with the foot injury.

So he's not arriving in Madrid in the best condition but will hope to find some encouragement heading towards Roland Garros.

The guy who is coming back very strong those days is Del Potro. Having been forced to take a full year off with injury, he's slowly but surely coming back to his best level. He could become a serious outsider for the French Open.

Murray is an enigma. Absolutely non-existent since his loss in the Australian Open final, he jumped back in the game at Monte Carlo, enjoying a good tournament and being the only one to push Nadal to a third set. So he seems to be back on the right path sooner than last year when he struggled basically until Wimbledon.

But the Scot is capable of being the best and the worst. It is tough to predict anything with him until he stabilises his team (he split with coach Alex Corretja not long ago and still hasn't replaced him). And he injured his elbow at Monte Carlo, withdrawing from Barcelona and only making his comeback this week in Madrid.

We will also get the opportunity in Madrid and Rome to see more of Grigor Dimitrov and Milos Raonic. They'll get the chance to play against the best players and to see how far from or close they are to them - and the work they still have to do to compete with them. Over on the women's side Victoria Azarenka is the in-form player.

We've been waiting for some time for her to develop and she is on a roll right now since her triumph in Miami.

Clay should really suit her, with the topspin she can put on her forehand and her great footwork. However she's injury-prone and still pretty sensitive. After Madrid and Roma, we'll know all we need in terms of whether we can picture her with the trophy in Paris.

Caroline Wozniacki is the other in-form player of the moment: she's winning nearly every event she's entering. She now only lacks a Grand Slam trophy. She'll be in prime position for the French Open if she can clinch the victory in Madrid and Rome because of the huge confidence it will give her.

Both Francesca Schiavone and Samantha Stosur, finalists at last year's Roland Garros, are struggling at the moment. We thought they would rediscover their inspiration now that they are back on the clay - but it hasn't happened. They have two tournaments left in order to find the confidence necessary to win the French Open.

It is impossible to conclude without talking about Aravane Rezai, winner in Madrid last year with victories over Justine Henin, Klara Zakopalova, Andrea Petkovic, Jelena Jankovic, Lucie Safarova and Venus Williams. She is going through a tough time, which have only got worse with her first-round loss in Madrid on Sunday.

Now coached by Alexia Dechaume-Balleret, she's facing the three most difficult months of her season where she'll have to defend about 80 per cent of her WTA points. She will have to deal with a lot of pressure. In Paris, she won't be under the same pressure - so maybe she will be able to do better.

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/patri … icle/1608/

Akurat udało mi się trafić z wytypowaniem zwycięzcy Madrytu . Szybkie korty, Nadal nie pałający sympatią do ich właściwości  i stało się. Trzeba jednak zauważyć, że od czasów przeniesienia turnieju w 2009 roku Rafael rokrocznie nie gra tu dobrze. W Rzymie na trochę wolniejszej mączce powinno być lepiej dla Hiszpana i trudniej dla Dokovicia.

Pomimo tej porażki faworytem do paryskiego triumfu jest dla mnie mieszkaniec Majorki. Na przełomie maja i czerwca jego dyspozycja powinna wzrosnąć. Chociaż z tą słabością bekhendu ciężko mu będzie się tak szybko uporać. Już w Rzymie Doković może być mocno zmęczony i nawet w ewentualnym finale nie jest dla mnie faworytem.

Moim zdaniem brakującym ogniwem w układance Dokovicia był ten lekceważony przez wielu Cetojević. Jakoś dziwne, że w pół roku przygotowanie mentalne i fizyczne wzrosło tak bardzo pod jego opieką. Vajda i inni specjaliści przez trzy lata nie mogli tego poprawić. Poza tym  mówiono, że Novak źle się czuje na mączce i nie ma szans w walce z Nadalem. Okazuje się, że nie. Ma wszystkie argumenty, aby gnębić Hiszpana. Jest regularny w długich wymianach, kiedy trzeba potrafi przyspieszyć. Moim zdaniem Serba stać na więcej, wczoraj zagrał na 80-90 % możliwości. Świadczy o tym minimalnie ujemny bilans W-UE (23-26). Z resztą chyba w każdym wygranym w tym roku Mastersie był na minusie.

Hesitating Murray needs strong coach

As soon as Madrid finishes, Rome begins. I want to take a look at how the French Open hopes of the players are being affected by the tournaments.

    Robin Soderling - Crisis of doubt

Robin Soderling has improved a lot in the last three seasons, is a solid member of the top five and a double finalist at Roland Garros. However he has lacked efficiency in the last few months without coach Magnus Norman.

I was surprised when the man who succeeded in transforming this gifted but easily-angered player into a calm, serious trainer was allowed to move on. And I was even more surprised when I heard who was to replace him: Claudio Pistolesi is completely different to Norman in terms of views and personality.

The Swede ended this new relationship after only five months and is now going through some rough times: Madrid was fine on paper, with a loss to the great Roger Federer, but it is obvious that he is lacking the confidence of last season - a bad sign ahead of the French.

    Juan Martin del Potro - Injured

In contrast, Juan Martin del Potro's form is on the rise this year. I was even ready to put him on the outsiders list for Roland Garros, such has been his start to the season: he has secured a lot of wins and refound his striking quality and amazing length of ball.

In Madrid, a battle with Rafael Nadal would have given us even more information on his ability to push the big favourites for the Grand Slam; unfortunately, he was forced to withdraw before the match due to a hip injury. He is now back in Buenos Aires. We hope it isn't too serious because it would be terrible if he couldn't make it to Paris. Besides the Nadal/Novak Djokovic fight, the tournament needs big outsiders like him.

It's also interesting to note the new types of injury arriving on the Tour, and consider the technical and material reasons for these: the open stance trend for forehands is now used by all the players and could be a rational explanation as far as the work of the hand and one strong step in support has been replaced by a very strong rotation of the upper body, putting the hips in play on each shot. This leads to a premature wear of this joint, which is unfortunately a degenerative condition. So we have reasons to be afraid for the future of players who suffer from it at an early age. Open stances are now also used on the backhand and so will only compound the issue.

    Andy Murray - Unstable

The Scotsman, who remains unpredictable, surprised us in Monte Carlo by displaying, for the first time in his career, a very high level on clay - even pushing Rafa to a third set.

Andy is very gifted player but he's lacked a solid guide for too long now. I'd like him to be strong and make a decision on a coach in order to give everything in the attempt to make the most of his potential - and become a key player in the fight for the top two positions in the world. It's not happening at present and, as time passes, it's worrying to see him hesitate so.

In Madrid he lost in two sets against Thomaz Bellucci, who played amazing tennis all week. However Murray did not play well and saying he is now working with Darren Cahill in 'Team Adidas' is not, in my opinion, going to improve the situation - because it is remaining in do-it-yourself mode.

    Thomaz Bellucci - Surprising

When you talk about speedy development, the Brazilian is a very good example. We have known how talented this player is for a long time now, but Madrid signalled another level in his progress.

Jeremy Chardy was training with him in Monte Carlo and I was not impressed by the doubting, hesitating, nervous player I saw - and he lost 6-3 6-2 against Gilles Simon. Then suddenly something clicked in his mind, he took a few victories and he is now playing with inspiration and self-belief. He has the talent and the shots that hurt opponents - he can be a threat at the French Open.

    Nadal v Djokovic

This long-awaited battle is changing the face of the game, now that it has moved up a notch with Nole's win in the Madrid final. These players are flying away from the rest of the ATP field at the moment (note: written before qualifier Paolo Lorenzi's impressive fight against Nadal).

Roger Federer said that now it is about the top four then the rest - but for me it is the top two then the rest. The Swiss is clearly operating at a level beneath Rafa and Djoko, and even more so on clay which highlights Roger's current flaws still further.

The first duel in Madrid ended in Nole's hands - the conditions favoured him and I have to say that I don't understand why the organisation did not do more to help their man Nadal. They cannot do anything about the high altitude at the event, but they could have slowed the surface. This is often done for Davis Cup matches, for example.

That said, Novak showed why he has regularly - technically and tactically - beaten Nadal since the start of the year. As I said in my last blog, the contest was very important regarding the mental edge of the players; Rome will offer new information, but for now the Serbian has an obvious advantage. Rafa will have to set the situation straight before Roland Garros or he will not be the clear favourite there for the first time in his career.

http://eurosport.yahoo.com/tennis/patri … icle/1661/