There was a time when both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, were seen as one of the best players of the modern tennis era. Both have felt how it is to be the top ranked player in tennis and how it feels to dominate the tennis arena. They have together,earned a lot of praise for their playing styles and competitive tennis that they have displayed over the years playing together and many a times against each other.
Federer and Nadal to face a tough US Open
This year has been very different. Despite the presence and perseverance of these two players, neither of them is the top ranked players. Currently the top spot belongs to Djokovic who has been able to successfully, bring to an end, the dominance of these two players.
Federer for a while has seemed to not able to produce the magic he earlier showed on court. Even Nadal who seemed invincible at a point, which is not the case now. One reason that comes to mind is perhaps that the players have raised their level. Players like Tsonga have been successful against Federer on more than one occasion. Djokovic has been able to contain Nadal many a times and now Mardy Fish has thrown Nadal out of the Cincinnati Open. Nadal was knocked out of the Montreal Open last week in the second round itself. There were few concerns about his injury affecting his play but Nadal doesn’t seem to be making an excuse out of it.
Looking ahead towards the US Open, Nadal commented that one plays well at times and not so well at times. He was not very happy with his performance and said that he needs to play better, make fewer errors and be more aggressive on court. He said that there are a few things he wants to improve on before he feels that he is in perfect condition before playing in New York next.
Federer, who has been the target of the media, stating that his age is now a factor, playing against the tennis legend, has stated that his previous week was not a good one, but he felt nice coming back to the tour and getting to play with some of the more competitive names in tennis. He said he felt good about the way he played the first few rounds of the Cincinnati Open, and will be taking a lot of confidence from it. He added that he feels physically fit and that is the most positive thing that he can carry forward from this tournament.
With the US Open around the corner, and with such a high level of competition amongst the players, it seems that the tournament is going to be very closely contested. The favorites somehow still remain Federer and Nadal, the crowd loves to see these two in action, winning matches, but there is this possibility creeping up that we may get to see a different US Open champion this year.
Tags: Grand Slam, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Tennis, US Open
