While Mexico won a crucial game 3-1 versus Iran which should take them to round 2 on Day 3 of the WC, I will take a moment to focus on Nadal and his French triumph. Nadal has dominated like few have in tennis history this clay court season. Indeed, it can be seen as he has notched up the consecutive victories on clay record while remaining unbeaten through the season. Despite Nadal being the favourite to win the match versus Federer, a lot of people, including me backed Federer to win the the tournament. Perhaps there was a feeling that Federer would have the last laugh. After all, Federer does know a trick or two about tennis!

It looked like Federer could for a few moments as Federer took the first set 6-1. That would be all though, as Nadal claimed the French Open for the second consecutive time. No one will grudge Nadal as it would be a pity from the Nadal viewpoint if after such a fabulous season, he would have failed to win what really mattered. For Federer, it is his bad luck that he lives in the era of Nadal. Similarly, he is lucky he doesn’t live in the era of Sampras. Also, earlier eras have season superb clay court players as well - Muster and Kuerten most notably from the recent past. A champion has to stride over adversity and opponents and Federer knows that.

What will be interesting now - can Nadal up his game on other surfaces? The test will come as the grass court season starts. The tennis focus shifts to Wimbledon now. Don’t know how many of you will care though in the world cup madness!

Before the French Open started, Federer said that it was really between him and Nadal. While you are caught in the world cup euphoria, please do not forget to watch this match.

The two have faced each other in tough matches all through the clay court season. Nadal has come up triumphs all the time. Will seven be the lucky match for Federer? I do hope so. Being a huge Federer fan right from the time he beat Sampras in Wimbledon, it will be delightful to see Federer claim his greatest victory. The losses early on in the season to Nadal, Nadal’s clay court winning streak and every thing else will mean nothing for Nadal if he fails to win Roland Garros. This is the only thing which matters when we look back down the years and what people play for - the big titles.

I don’t have much to add on this apart from what I have already said. Some of the lots I have written on the topic:

• Nadal-Federer: Agassi Sampras II?
• Nadal vs Federer VI Preview
• Nadal-Federer

Apart from backing Federer, my gut feeling tells me that he will win. Here is what some other fans feel.

Who do you feel will win?

The French Open is my favourite grand slam ahead of Wimbledon - the battles fascinate me more than the quick matches we see on grass. This year though, the football and NBA has meant I haven’t been able to talk much on the French Open.

On the women’s side, the stories so far have seen Hingis outsed by Clijsters - showing she has a lot of work still left to do in her tryst with destiny. The biggest story has been Nicole Vaidisova though. Is she the next big thing in women’s tennis? Defeating Amelie Mauresmo and then striding over Venus Williams is no mean thing. The last four sees Vaidisova face the real test when she faces Svetlana Kuznetsova - the in form player at the moment and likely to go through to the finals. The other semi has another Belgian battle between Clijsters and Henine-Hardenne. It is a match for which no one seems to have any clue about who will advance - the ingredient which makes Clijsters-Henine encounters exciting prospects.

The big action is happening in the men’s side though. The top 4 seeds have all reached the semis. When you consider the history of players from no where reaching the last 4 - be it Michael Change, Thomas Muster or Gustavo Kuerten, it is amazing to have the four best players on paper coming to the party. More importantly, Nadal and Federer look all set for the show down of the clay court season. Before that, Federer has to defeat a challenging David Nalbandian, one of the best clay court players in his own right.

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The Laureus Sports Awards, commonly acknowledged as the sports oscars have been announced. Federer wins the award for a second consecutive time. Croatian skier Janica Kostelic is the women’s winner after a fourth Winter Olympic gold. Tennis dominates the awards list as Hingis takes the comeback of the year while Nadal takes the newcomer of the year.

For Federer to challenge for the title next year, I suspect he has to stride over some one whom he has never beaten on clay - and he says that he is ready.

Nadal has equalled the record of Vilas.

CNNSI Reports:

Rafael Nadal equalled Guillermo Vilas’ record of 53 consecutive claycourt wins when he beat Roger Federer 6-7 7-6 6-4 2-6 7-6 in the final of the Rome Masters.

Nadal’s victory, his fourth in a row over the Swiss world number one, made him the first player to win back-to-back titles in the Italian capital since Thomas Muster of Austria in 1995-96.

Was it one of the best matches ever on clay? Probably. The stakes were high as I mentioned yesterday. I said then:

This one promises to be another cracker.

It sure was! Federer came the closest he has ever come to beating Nadal on clay. That Nadal won was only apt though. It would have been a shame if he would have failed to equal Vilas after such a tremendous run. The setup - facing Federer for the Rome Masters finals at the backdrop of Federer in the midde of loosing streak to Nadal could not have been better scripted.

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Rafael Nadal is unbeaten versus Federer in the 2 times that they have met on clay. The last was the recent Monte Carlo match up. Nadal has also been triumphant the last 3 encounters versus Federer.

Nadal has stakes in the match apart from the rivalry with Federer too.

As CNN reports:

If Nadal beats the world number one on Sunday he will equal Guillermo Vilas’s all-time record of 53 consecutive wins on clay, set in 1977.

Federer has a lot at stake as well. He virtually has to win this one in the Rome Masters final if he wants to start making the necessary statements in the Federer-Nadal rivalry. Nadal’s time to make statements in hard courts will come in later. Federer will remain dominant versus Nadal on grass courts in all probability, if and when they do meet up on the surface. Federer would not like to be remembered second to Nadal on clay though and it is time he did some thing about it.

Forget that Federer was stretched to a tie break in the third versus Nalbandian. Forget that Nadal has been the guy in better form.

This one promises to be another cracker.

(A few earlier posts on related subjects - Nadal vs Federer, Nadal and Dominant Champs, the Clay Court season ahead of us)

This is quite special. Nadal has carried on from where he left a year ago on clay. He has already won at Monte Carlo and now has made Nadal-meat of the opponents at Barcelona - ending with 6-4, 6-4 and finally 6-0 versus Tommy Robredo in the Final.

In the process, he has overhauled Bjorg’s record of 46 consecutive wins on Clay. Only the 53 consecutive mark of Guillermo Vilas, who achieved the feat in 1977, remains.

Can Nadal achieve this? The right question should be ‘Who can stop him?’ Federer has been no match for Nadal on clay, yet. No one else looks close to beating him. There has been a lot of talk of how professional tennis has become so much more competitive which is essentially true.

However, a bit of recent history needs to be refreshed. When Sampras retired, people feared that he was the last dominating Champion men’s tennis would see. No sooner had we seen the back of Sampras, we had Federer dominating. Now, we have Nadal breaking past records of a comparitively less competitive era. In other sports as well, the dominations have existed. Case in point - Schumacher in F1 not long ago.

I guess the champions will make their mark, whatever the era. After all, they are champions - or campeón as they say it in Spanish.

The clay court season has taken off from the sluggish first gear, if there ever exists one on clay. The serious business has already begun with the first two rounds Monte Carlo Masters tournament over.

Justin Gimelstob writes over at CNNSI:

This past week, a sport within a sport began: clay-court tennis. What is arguably tennis’ toughest season tipped off around the world with events in Houston and Valencia, Spain.

Clay surfaces offer totally different challenges than the hard-court tennis that dominates the early part of the ATP Tour calendar. Clay-court tennis hinges on movement, strategy and defense. Sliding effectively on clay is an art unto itself. It combines the artistic flare of ice skating with the athletic grace of a ballerina.

The season ends with the French Open, a title most clay court gladiators of Europe consider the ultimate prize in tennis over Wimbledon. Clay courts provide gruelling battles. You cannot win games on serves and volleys. The ball slows down considerably once it hits the surface. So you have to defeat the opponent despite the surface. In a Wimbledon, you would have to grass on surface aid you with bounce and pace after bouncing. On hard courts, you do not have the support of the surface. However, it doesn’t make you toil much more like clay does.

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