All is as it should be....

So as it was written, so it was done. Nadal, the #1 ranked tennis player defeated the #2 Roger Federer in another battle of epic proportions in the final of the 2009 Australian Open. The 6-2 score of the 5th set did little to portray the ebbs and flows of what could be described as another classic between the two would be hall of famers. Again, like the wimbledon final, Roger had his chances but they were fleeting. He struggled to hold his serve most of the match while Nadal continued to rain down topspin mortars from impossible positions. Nadal was a literal wall, not in figurative sense, he was physically a wall. In the end, Roger didn't run out of steam, he ran out of heart. Something Nadal couldn't do even if he tried.

So again the Prince beat the King and improved his record over Roger to 13-6. The Nadal fans rejoiced, the Federer fans despaired. It was as the draw sheet predicted, number #1 beat number #2, still most of us still struggle to accept Nadal as the undisputed #1. Is the king, Fed Express, really dethroned, I mean for good? Take one good look in Nadal's eyes as he steps out onto the court. I really don't think you will need much convincing after that.

To be honest, I'm not much of a Federer fan nor am I a Nadal fan by any stretch of the imagination. However, there are aspects of both which I admire and I also abhor. Federer, bred of tradition, his fluent groundstrokes and catlike grace speed and agility. His ability to focus on the ball and his anticipation skills are unparralled. If you go by the text book, he is a better tennis player then Nadal. More complete with the uncanny ability to play a multitude of styles. His one weakness, arrogance and stubborness. Please don't mistake me, Roger is a perfect gentlemen off the court and refreshing example of grace and humility in a top althelete however on the court is a different matter. On any given day his game is good enough to beat 95% of the other players convincingly and I believe Roger thought that this was good enough, hence his game didn't evolve. He didn't get stronger, he didn't get faster or smarter. He wanted to play 'his game' against anyone and beat them 'his' way. The one person his game had limited success against was Rafael Nadal. The undisputed #2 in the world. Roger must of recognized the potential in his younger opponent but did nothing to guard against it or prepare for it. Thus the inevitable happened. Rafael got better.

Rafael's game is to me the ugliest display of brutish force on the men's game. His game depends on muscle and sure will for sucess. His forehand stroke functions exactly like wheels inside a ball machine (except there is no bottom wheel to counter the topspin). It's a monstrous creation designed with one purpose, to produced a ball that is near impossible to hit. His legs are tree trunks also designed for one purpose, to chase down that impossible ball for a winner while his opponent stands flabbergasted (usually just at the audacity of Nadal even trying for it). His game is built around things they defy common sense. Things engineered into him as a child as if he was customed designed in some futuristic Tennis eugenics program. I don't like his game, period. It lacks grace, elegance and one day it will be his downfall as his body begins to breakdown. However, there is one thing I cannot take away from him and beyond everything it is his greatest strength. His heart.

Nadal is in constant pupil mode, this I attribute to his Uncle Tony. Through his tutorlage he has bred the perfect student. Humble, respectful and hard working, all aspects of Rafael's game are improving on all surfaces. Even at #1, Rafael is as eager and as hard working as the day he was ranked 300 in the world. He plays every point at 100% and there's no ball he won't try for and no set, game or point that he doesn't believe he can win. The scary thing is, I don't think he can think any other way. There is 100% belief yet 100% effort to support it. Let's see how his body holds up, if it does, he could be number #1 for a very, very long time.