Life Without Federer

Written by Pat Davis

Monday, 19 April 2010 14:18

ATP Masters Series Tennis Tournament, Final match, Rafael Nadal vs Fernando Verdasco

This past weekend we glimpsed our tennis future, and the future is nothing to write home about

It was probably a trainwreck destined to happen anyway. When Monte Carlo began last Monday, many of the Top Ten guys were not in attendance. We were hopeful that at least we had Djokovic as the top seed, along with Nadal and Murray, but then Murray crashed out rather early again. Djokovic and Nadal really looked to be taking up the slack, with the Serb showing some of the most energetic and efficient play we have seen from him in a while, and Nadal - well, Nadal just moseyed along, being Nadal. Surely they would both make it into a final that would entertain all of us mightily.

Then Djokovic mysteriously ran into an awful day where he looked totally out of sorts, as if the good play of just a day previous were some hastily assembled mirage. Goodbye Mr. Djokovic, and even though Verdasco played well in beating him, we all felt it should have been Djokovic.

So when Verdasco walked onto the court yesterday to face Nadal in the final, I was viewing the final prospects with much trepidation. In fact, god forbid, I even asked myself the fateful question: "Do I really want to SEE this final, or do we hit the beaches instead?"

It should have been a beach day. Verdasco tried his best, and it's not like the guy doesn't have weapons. I said that about Kohlschreiber too when he marched out to meet his doom against Nadal; the German had no weapons at all to bother Nadal with, but we can't exactly say that of Verdasco. He has a tremendous forehand and his serve has steadily improved. He played well enough against Djokovic that he gave me a sliver of hope. And so I stayed home to watch and avoided the beach.

Boohoo mistake. Verdasco got a good creaming, I guess we can call it, 6-0, 6-1. The thing was nearly unwatchable. I felt for Verdasco; you don't want to see anybody take a whipping this bad. As I watched Nadal scurry about the court hitting impossible winners from impossible positions, I thought back to something I said to someone a few years ago, back when Federer was really mopping up against other players. A friend said basically, "How interesting a game can tennis be these days when you have a single player just beating the hailmarys out of the rest of the field?"

Well, Roger finally started to slow his pace, guys started beating him, the man even tossed his racquet on occasion. Life started getting a bit more interesting in tennis, the field got somewhat more competitive.

But now that question rises up again, for me at least, in regard to Nadal. I would say now to that friend, "If you think Federer beating up the field is a big snooze job, just wait until Nadal sinks his teeth into the lads." Particularly on clay. He was so dominant yesterday that you have to wonder how competitive the game can be when we have entered a period of such dominance by one brilliant player. Even though Nadal had not won a single title, even on clay, since Rome last year. It still feels like he's been camped out in the Number One spot on clay since forever.

It can't be good for the game. So I found myself missing Roger last week, not that his presence would have ensured a different outcome. But I always find I learn stuff from his game, even as he's blowing people away in matches. I don't quite say that about Nadal, he's too much of a torment to watch, what with the time consumption, the butt picks, the grunting. Not to mention the way he just crushes guys so thoroughly on a surface like clay. I find I get worn out by the end of the first set. These are choices in styles, and what one person likes in a tennis player is not what someone else might like. I acknowledge that I like Federer's overall style of play a lot more than Rafa's, so sue me.

Tennis thrives on good competition, so we need to see some more of that come springtime, when a girl's fancy turns to the red stuff. This spring I am uncertain if we will experience the sort of chaotic clay season we got last year, when Soderling offed the king of clay at the French and everything looked different.

Monopolies should not happen, but it appears we are having another one now in the game of tennis. Right now it looks like Nadal is shutting down the clay court season as thoroughly as that ash cloud is blanketing Europe.