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Rafael Nadal: Why This Clay Court Season Might Not Be As Easy As the Last One
Published: February 28, 2011
Don't get me wrong, the King of Clay will still be the favorite when he enters all four events. However, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Juan-Martin Del Potro, Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer could give the world No. 1 a very hard time.
If we look back to 2009, when Novak Djokovic took on Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of Madrid, we saw the Serb play the match of his life on clay against the Spaniard. The match lasted close to four hours, with last year's US Open champion winning 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(9) and saving two match points.
We then know what happened following that epic match. Nadal had knee issues, which forced him to pull out of Wimbledon, while Djokovic was struggling to get back his fitness.
Since then, Djokovic and Nadal have both improved a lot.
Nole just won his third Dubai Championship title, crushing Roger Federer 6-3 in the final, which sends a strong message to the five-time French Open champion. As many observers know, Nadal needs to win matches to gain more and more confidence.
Nadal will be under pressure to defend all of his wins from last year. However, it is true that the Spaniard, whose main goal will be Roland Garros, has been able to deal with such pressure over the past years.
If Djokovic and Nadal should meet prior to the clay court Grand Slam and Nole finds a way to beat Nadal in Monte-Carlo or Madrid, then the Spaniard might start to doubt himself a little bit.
Roger Federer might also have a shot at beating Nadal on clay if he is not at the peak of his form.
Moreover, Juan-Martin Del Potro is little-by-little gaining more and more confidence. The Argentine is one of the few players who could take energy and sets from Rafa.
Elsewhere, David Ferrer, wh...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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