Rafael Nadal’s New Look Game: Exposing the Myths

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: January 10, 2011

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2011’s first Grand Slam event is visible on the horizon. While some degree of uncertainty surrounds the women’s field due to the absence of the WTA’s best player, Serena Williams, the men’s field seems once again to boil down to two very familiar foes.

Obviously I’m talking about Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

We’ve heard the same rhetoric over and over again. Obviously, these are two great Champions. Obviously, we’d love to see them contest yet another classic Final.

However, as I read some fan articles and comments posted on Bleacher Report, I’m struck by the fact that some people have a serious misconception about the matchup between Roger and Rafa. I’d like to get into a bit of detail about the match and dispel some of the common myths surrounding these two players.

First of all, television commentary can be very useful in offering a very general, bird’s eye view of the matchup between Federer and Nadal. The key word being “general ”.

A commentator’s job is to help the viewer feel like they are invested in a given match. They look to provide a bit of insight into why a given match is unfolding the way it is. This is a very remedial explanation. It’s designed to highlight some of the big themes, but not go into too much detail, thus risking confusion or boredom on the part of the viewer.

Why do I bring this up? Well, much has been made about Rafael Nadal’s recent hard court Grand Slam success.

A commentator may make a much generalized statement about the fact that Nadal is flattening out his shots, thus making him a more effective hard court player.

In hearing that statement, it’s not difficult for a tennis fan to attempt to connect the dots and say something to the effect of, “Since Rafa’s lefty topspin is the major reason why he beats Federer so often, using a...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis

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