Though Rafael Nadal has a 12-6 record against Roger Federer and has beaten him twice on hard courts, the conditions in Beijing could be hard on the Spaniard, writes Kamesh Srinivasan.
Can Rafael Nadal extend his success on the clay courts of Paris and grass courts of Wimbledon to the hard courts of Beijing? Can the powerfully-built Spaniard once again defeat Roger Federer, on the biggest stage of world sports, the Beijing Olympics? Or will Federer strike back to prove to the world that he is the real king of world tennis who had temporarily lost the sting in his game?
The World No. 1 who used to win three Grand Slam titles a season for the last few years has been reduced to a state wherein he is looking for his first Grand Slam title of the season, having lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinal of the Australian Open and to Nadal in the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon.
Even as he was trying to come to grips with the defeat at Wimbledon after having dominated the stage for five successive years, Federer had warned that he was already looking forward to the Olympics and the US Open.
The speed of the hard courts should suit Federer. It may not be easy to deny him a medal this time. In the Sydney Olympics, Federer had finished fourth, and in Athens, he had lost early to Tomas Berdych.
Nadal has a 12-6 record against Federer and has also beaten him twice on hard courts. Nadal has beaten Federer in their last four meetings which gives the Spaniard the psychological advantage. However, the conditions could be hard on Nadal, who banks on his physical strength.
The high humidity of Beijing could be a big factor. Besides, in their only meeting in China, Nadal was beaten by Federer in Shanghai (Masters Cup, 2006).
Novak Djokovic, the world No. 3 who beat Federer in straight sets in the Australian Open in January, will be the dark horse as he is motivated to capture an Olympic medal for Serbia.
While Federer has a 6-2 record against Djokovic, Nadal has a 9-3 record against the Serb.
The point is, if the top three stars manage to avoid upsets and reach the business end of the competition, it will be a delight for the sports fans around the world.
The biggest question, however, is whether the multi-millionaires of the tennis world would give their 100 per cent with the US Open just round the corner.
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