The idea of watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in yet another intriguing duel is too enticing to not fantasize. Though neither Nadal nor Federer is there yet, Amit Panhale tells us why he can't wait for it to happen at this year's US Open.
There is still one more match and opponent for Nadal and Federer to negotiate before they play against each other in yet another Grand Slam final. The excitement of such a possibility is further heightened by the fact that if they end up playing the final match against each other, it will be their first meeting since final of Australian Open 2009. Also what makes the prospect of the watching the two at the US Open 2010 final more mouth watering is that two have been playing some of the best tennis they have ever played in their lives.
Roger Federer by his own high standards has had a forgettable year till the US Open. After winning the Australian Open 2010 he lost in the quarter-finals of the French Open and the Wimbledon. It is the earliest he has exited from the two tournaments in five and seven years respectively. He dropped to number three in the ATP ranking; his lowest rank since 2003. He has looked overtly defensive in his method of play and that has meant that the more aggressive players like Tomas Berdych and Robin Soderling have been able to beat him. The critics have already written his obituary. At 29, he is definitely not getting any younger but one has to be ridiculously foolhardy to write off a sixteen grand slam winner after just two quarter-final exit. Nobody knows his game better than Federer himself and he has it seems taken the right corrective measures. After playing without a coach for as far as one can remember, Federer appointed Paul Annacone as his coach for a trial period to iron out deficiencies in his game; most of which I am guessing were mental than physical. The result of which is clearly visible at Flushing Meadows. Federer has looked more intent on attacking rather than playing the game of attrition. That has been the single biggest change in his play that we have seen at the US Open so far. The serve; the shots; the net play; the movement across the court clearly indicates that Fedex is back.
Nadal has on the other hand had his best year on the tour so far. He won the French Open 2010 without dropping a set and then went on to capture his second Wimbledon title. He has reached the US Open semi-final now for the third year in a row but that is the farthest he has gone. What looks different this year though is the way he has got here and in that lies the promise that he will break the US Open jinx. Employing a different serve Nadal has made it more potent than ever. The numbers tell the story. Like Federer ,Nadal too hasn't dropped a single set in the tournament so far. But what has been more astounding is that his serve has been broken only once in the entire tournament so far. Nadal has looked unrelenting and seems determined to grab this chance to hold his first US Open trophy aloft.
It is the top quality game that both Nadal and Federer have exhibited so far that has made this US Open a treat to watch. But for the two men their pursuit for excellence and success hasn’t been so much about delighting their fans as it has been about trying to beat each other. And they have been able to engage in this battle for supremacy so far without even playing each other. Like Peter Bodo puts it, ‘Don't you get a teensy-weensy feeling here at this U.S. Open that Federer and Nadal have been performing for each other, not just the crowds on Arthur Ashe stadium, and using their successive opponents as surrogates for each other in a game that seems amusingly like good old-fashioned oneupmanship?’. The latest surrogates are Novak Djokovic and Mikhail Youhzny who will face in the US Open 2010 semi-finals Federer and Nadal respectively.
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a guest
said:
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... well nothing is final yet whether they will meet in final or not bt i hope they do coz it would b exciting 2 c them play against each other once again  |
Amit P
said:
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... Federer has lost his semi-finals match against Djokovic. So sadly this wish won't be granted. |
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