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Busted Racquet

Mon May 18, 2009 4:44 pm EDT

The Monday Slice: Don't write off Roger

By Martin Rogers

It took him nearly two years, but Roger Federer's first victory over Rafael Nadal in a tournament final since Wimbledon 2007 could be  the catalyst the world No. 2 needs.

Federer's confidence against Nadal has looked shot in recent times as the young Spaniard has established himself as the dominant force in the game. This year's Australian Open final, when Federer melted down spectacularly in the fifth set, was the most striking evidence of the mental grip Nadal held over his biggest rival.

However, Federer's 6-4, 6-4 victory in the final of the Mutua Madrilena Open on  Sunday may serve as the driving force he needs to be competitive with Nadal when it really matters.

Even though Nadal looked worn out following his epic semifinal win over Novak Djokovic, Federer will take great heart from having beaten the 22-year-old on his favorite surface, clay, and in his home country.

Nadal is still an overwhelming favorite for the French Open and rightly so, but Federer has shown it is too early to write him off.

Drop shot

The Dubai Tennis Championships was fined a record $300,000 for the refusal of the United Arab Emirates government to grant a visa to Israeli player Shahar Peer.
The UAE's short-sighted actions put Dubai's status as a future destination for big events in doubt and this move will hopefully ensure there is no repeat of these shameful scenes next year.

Clean winner

Wimbledon could not have hoped for a better way to launch its new Centre Court roof. No sooner had the roof closed ahead of an exhibition mixed doubles match between Tim Henman-Kim Clijsters and Andre Agassi-Steffi Graf than the traditional London weather kicked in with a heavy rainstorm. The roof not only looks spectacular, but will cut down on the interminable and frustrating rain delays that have often clogged up the Wimbledon schedule.

Use your frequent flier miles

The Polish capital of Warsaw provides the pick of this week's action as the French Open draws closer. Maria Sharapova's return to singles play is a highlight as the women's tour stops off at this picturesque and historical city.

This week's predictions

ARAG World Team Championships, Dusseldorf: Sweden
Interwetten Austrian Open, Kitzbuehel: Martin Vassallo Arguello
Warsaw Open, Warsaw: Zheng Jie
Internationaux de Strasbourg, Strasbourg: Shuai Peng


Last week's results:

Mutua Madrilena Open, Madrid (men): Roger Federer
Mutua Madrilena Open, Madrid (women): Dinara Safina

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76 Comments

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  1. maia
    1. Posted by maia Mon May 18, 2009 5:06 pm EDT

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    federer is the best my best player my best ever
  2. Jeffrey L
    2. Posted by Jeffrey L Mon May 18, 2009 5:15 pm EDT

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    I honestly think the very hostile crowd helped Federer's concentration. At Wimbledon and Australia Federer wilted as the overwhelming crowd favorite in those events. More fans pull for him a Roland Garros as well, I think. But in Madrid he was subjected to cheers on his missed serves, etc. and maybe it made him feel as if he had nothing to lose.
    Of course Nadal was spent from his epic semifinal, but that is a symptom of his style of play as much as anything else. He is clearly better than Federer at the moment but I doubt his reign at the top will be as long as Roger's was,because he will be completely worn down from his grinding/bangboard game within two years.
  3. NHL_SharksFinatic
    3. Posted by NHL_SharksFinatic Mon May 18, 2009 5:16 pm EDT

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    unfortunately this doenst mean much
    he may have confidence.. but he still has trouble playing nadal in slams
    I still have Nadal winning the French rather easily... possibly his main challenge coming in Novak Djokovic. Federer is going to have to step up his game so as to not drop out early. This tourney win will definitley give him confidence that he's been lackign tho.
  4. timberkoon
    4. Posted by timberkoon Mon May 18, 2009 7:04 pm EDT

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    Mr. Rogers is contradicting himself again and again please hire someone new
  5. johnny b
    5. Posted by johnny b Mon May 18, 2009 7:12 pm EDT

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    fool's gold..nadal and djokovic are now the two best clay courters in the game.
  6. Paul
    6. Posted by Paul Mon May 18, 2009 7:20 pm EDT

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    These guys are both greats and the most notable thing for me was the much in evidence good sportsmanship. No trash talking, scowls, or insults, but, instead, smiles, laughing, and joking during the awards celebration. To my mind, this stellar good behavior after an intense match attests to the true greatness of both players. I for one cannot wait to see what happens at Roland Garros and I wish good luck to the both of them.
  7. MarE
    7. Posted by MarE Mon May 18, 2009 7:26 pm EDT

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    I agree with timberkoon that it is rather amusing to see Mr. Rogers completely reverse his view on the other Roger, Federer, after this win. Then again, many journos are still eating their crow today after TMF's victory.
    I for one was so happy to see Roger win. He really needed it, and as a fan, it was wonderful to see him pull it off. I give much respect to Rafa too. Don't get me wrong. They're both amazing athletes. I just wanted Roger to come out on top, this time. It was about time.
  8. Roshan T
    8. Posted by Roshan T Mon May 18, 2009 8:21 pm EDT

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    Why is Martin Rogers blog and sillier thoughts on yahoo? Roger Martin or whatever your name is, please, stop sucking upto to RF. Rafa and Novak battled out a marathon. Roger had it easy. We all know there's not much seperating the top 4 - that gave Roger a huge advantage. Yes, I know, that's Tennis.
  9. tennis88
    9. Posted by tennis88 Mon May 18, 2009 8:37 pm EDT

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    Their fates and place in tennis history are tied together and (almost) anything that enhances one player's rep enhances the other's. Rafa is my favorite, but its no big knock on Federer that he has a losing record against Rafa, every player has someone like that, e.g., McEnroe has a losing record against Lendl and it has not hurt his place in history. So, no reason for Federer to feel bad and in fact I am sure he respects Rafa above all others for his mental strength, since its something they have in common, that no one else in mens tennis has now to the same extent these two do. So there is a bond, the two kings. ......... I for one am not a believer in the idea that Fed has lost faith in himself against Rafa, Rafa wins more often because of how his strengths relate to Federer's (tiny) weaknesses. Roger is not and has never been mentally broken, he is physically worn from the whupping he put on the men's tennis world from 5 years and perhaps still from mono. For Rafa it sometimes seems that he actually cannot believe that he can beat Fed, calling his game "perfect," and he seems to almost regret it (beating Federer) sometimes. I am remembering Fed's quote after the 2007 5-set Wimbledon to the effect of "I need to get as many wins in now as possible before this guy (Rafa) starts winning everything. So a big history of graciousness on both sides. Inspirational. As Rafa's admirer I WANT Fed to win more of their matches. (Just not the French and Wimbledon this year).
  10. Arnrock
    10. Posted by Arnrock Mon May 18, 2009 9:50 pm EDT

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    Federer's win was fantastic, and great for the sport. It injected some life into a suddenly stale rivalry, and has given everyone a new look when judging the men's game heading into the French.
    That said, no one should get too excited. Madrid's clay surface is totally different to that of Roland Garros, and the high altitude made a big difference also. The clay at Roland Garros will play much slower, which will benefit Nadal against rivals like Djokovic and Federer (as well as Murray).
    To Federer's credit however - Nadal's semi against Djokovic made little difference to the outcome in the final. Remember the Australian, where Nadal played Verdasco in one of the longest matches in Open Era history. Less than 48 hours' later, he came back to beat Federer in 5 sets. Fatigue was not Nadal's problem against Federer on Sunday. It was the faster surface and Federer's razor sharp game. Kudos to the Swiss.
  11. Josh S
    11. Posted by Josh S Mon May 18, 2009 10:40 pm EDT

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    Madrid is nothing. Wait until Paris gets here. FedEx will be put back in his place. Luck played a bit of a role, not a great one, though. Let the crybaby have one stinking title. It'll be a long while before he gets his next one.
  12. Steven
    12. Posted by Steven Mon May 18, 2009 11:16 pm EDT

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    Is this Federer's return or his last hurrah?
  13. halosix
    13. Posted by halosix Mon May 18, 2009 11:25 pm EDT

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    Funny how Federer didnt cry in this match. Of cors he won. Madrid is nothing compared to Paris. Just like when Fed beat Nadal on Clay in Hamburg 2007. 3 weeks later he lost at the French. Same will happen in Paris. Clay in Paris is much slower than all the caly surfaces they have been playing on the past month n a half. To many lead in clay tournys to the French Open. Nadal needs to skip Rome or Barcelona Next Season...or lose early on purpose in one. Federer has no chance to win Paris!!!! unless Nadal gets injured!!!
  14. Blaze
    14. Posted by Blaze Mon May 18, 2009 11:44 pm EDT

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    Nadal will get his 5th French Open if he's not injured. Who knows though, Nadal might throw the match just to avoid
    a repeat of the Australian Open awards ceremony! Whatever happens, I predict Nadal won't cry if he loses or if he does, he won't do it on television. I think Djokovic is a bigger threat to Rafa than Roger but we shall see.
  15. Bruins
    15. Posted by Bruins Mon May 18, 2009 11:48 pm EDT

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    Doesn't mean much to Rafa, but for Roger it means the world going into Paris. If he gets to the final, I hope and think he'll win. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see a quarter or semi final exit.
  16. Assel
    16. Posted by Assel Tue May 19, 2009 12:58 am EDT

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    I am happy Roger finally did it! He had a clear plan and it worked out well!!! i wish him best of luck for RG and believe he can win it if he keeps playing like that!!!
  17. Slam Dunk
    17. Posted by Slam Dunk Tue May 19, 2009 1:39 am EDT

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    Federer was certainly striking the ball better on Sunday than he has been in recent months. I think it was a good win for Federer, but helped by the fact that Nadal didn't have the energy to fight back when Federer challenged him due to the long fight with Djokovic.
    What this tells me is that it's not impossible for Federer to win Roland Garros, but still not very likely. A possible scenario where he would win could entail a lesser player managing to make the semis against Federer while Nadal draws Djokovic and they have a 5-hour marathon match that doesn't get played until Saturday due to being rained out on Friday. Not too likely but I think that's probably Federer's best hope.
  18. Kim Z
    18. Posted by Kim Z Tue May 19, 2009 3:35 am EDT

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    tell your people at yahoo sports that "resurge" is a verb and not a noun and so is used incorrectly on the tennis homepage.
  19. electropersona
    19. Posted by electropersona Tue May 19, 2009 3:41 am EDT

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    It was bound to happen sooner or later, but it's always a challenge for Federer. He continues to show us how much he is like Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi (especially Graf), his elegance, humility and class, but finding ways and solutions. Having a plan A, B, C, and to execute it. Only a few can do this. Legends of Graf, Agassi and Sampras can. And that is why Federer is one.
  20. martin w
    20. Posted by martin w Tue May 19, 2009 5:13 am EDT

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    It's incredible how naive sports journalists can be! Nadal was clearly hindered by his 4 hour semi-final and Federer is clearly disillusioned to take anything from the defeat over Nadal. Had Nadal had a day off, like they do in Slams, no way would Federer have won. It goes to show that Federer is the cry-baby of the two players, and that in terms of sportsmanship Nadal is streaks ahead.
    The loss will serve as the best motivating factor to Nadal, as was the case in Hamburg in 2007. If Federer has Djokovic in his half of the drawer the final at RG will be Nadal - Djokovic and even if Federer were to make it that far (somehow I don't think he will), Nadal will win hands down and everyone will see, again, that the days of the FedExpress are over. Nadal is the king of the courts and most definitely the king of clay.
  21. NitKar
    21. Posted by NitKar Tue May 19, 2009 8:36 am EDT

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    I am a big federer fan and desperately want him to win his 14th slam against Nadal on roland garros center court but it seems a little far-fetched. Although, Nadal will start his slide soon. His game is very physically intensive and he won't be able to continue with that. His injuries have started and if he keeps playing like this, the hard-courts for sure will take a toll on him.
  22. MikeF
    22. Posted by MikeF Tue May 19, 2009 9:40 am EDT

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    Great to see Roger win a Masters series event.
    The major thing this will do for Roger is help his confidence. In the long run, this win (even over Nadal) doesn't mean much. Even the 700 point swing is pretty insignificant. But if it gets Roger believing in himself again, it's good news for him.
    Of course, he did this before @ '07 Hamburg and lost in 4 sets at the RG final. Rafa is still the prohibitive favourite, of course. But if given the chance again (as per AO 09), I don't think Roger will make the same mental errors.
    So all in all, nice for Roger, but the proof will come starting next Monday.
  23. Arnrock
    23. Posted by Arnrock Tue May 19, 2009 10:12 am EDT

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    To all those who are throwing 'cry-baby' insults around, I'd suggest that you step back and give some thought to the context of Federer's breakdown.
    He, like other players on the tour, has devoted himself unequivically to the sport. The training is gruelling, the dedication unwavering, and the lifetyle all-encompassing.
    For years, he has been the best. Those around him - whether his own camp, the media or even other players - have reinforced this notion that he is untouchable, destined for glory and greatness.
    Suddenly, a player (Nadal) comes along that Federer can't solve. The losses rack up, and despite the myriad of opportunities, Federer continues to come up short.
    Then comes the Australian Open final. Federer was playing on hardcourts, where he was favoured. He was playing a Nadal who less than 48 hours' beforehand had completed one of the longest matches in Open Era history. Federer had just won the US Open. All the factors pointed toward not simply a Federer win, but a potentially convincing, rivalry-renewing victory.
    As we all know, however, Federer lost. And make no mistake - for a man who lives and breathes tennis, with Nadal very much in his head and an opportunity to finally exorcise those demons, this loss will have been crushing.
    His reaction was initially shocking to many, but there is no way that any of us - who know precisely nothing about the rigours and pressures of being world number one - are in a position to judge him. Surely we should instead be gratified! Federer actually let us know that he is human, and that these titles mean something more to him than simply a payday.
  24. Daise
    24. Posted by Daise Tue May 19, 2009 10:13 am EDT

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    I think this loss of Rafa is a blessing in disguise...lest he gets too complacent coming to FO. Now he has the drive to prove himself (and put someone's "you know his name" ego down the drain).
  25. MikeF
    25. Posted by MikeF Tue May 19, 2009 11:37 am EDT

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    Arnrock,
    Spot on analysis.

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Busted Racquet is a tennis blog edited by Chris Chase. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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