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.Was it one of the best matches ever on clay? Probably. The stakes were high as I mentioned yesterday, "This one promises to be another cracker."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.
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 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.
This is brilliant for tennis too. Now, tennis has a rivalry to match the Agassi-Sampras rivalry of the '90s. Sampras was a little more than 15 months younger than Agassi. With a gap of more than four years between Nadal and Federer, the age gap is bigger - some thing which makes the rivalry all the more intriguing. The Agassi-Sampras rivalry hardly saw the two players battle it out versus each other at their best. We very much are seeing Nadal and Federer face each other in top form - it would be wrong to judge when was actually their best till both the careers are over.
The games are perfect contrasts - always a key ingredient for memorable rivalries. While Federer is brilliant on grass, Nadal has so far been unbeatable on Clay. This does not mean either of the two players will not be able to battle each other on other surfaces. Federer (as shown in the recent matches versus Nadal for those who didn't know) is one of the better clay court players - some thing we could never say of Sampras. Nadal, meanwhile, is proficient on hard courts. Though we don't know yet completely how well Nadal will fare on grass, the talent and the attitude he possesses, it is unlikely that he will be a miserable failure.
Article comments
1 - Tan The Man
Nadal hasn't proven himself on anything but clay. If he wins on hardcourt and grass, then maybe you can consider him as well-rounded as Federer.
2 - Pratyush
Nadal hasn't proven himself on anything but clay.
The promise is definitely there. Else he couldn't have had a record of 2-1 versus Federer on hard courts.
3 - Q Bit
I want my boom boom days back.
4 - Pratyush
I am afraid Becker wont come back from retirement. Ah, I miss him too. What a player!
5 - Matthew T. Sussman
But Nadal is dominating Federerererer. Wait till Roger catches up, then it'll actually be a rivalry.
6 - Q Bit
Is it ok to diagree with an all powerful editor?
In that case it's already a rivalry :-)
and PK: ya those days were more fun when Lendl used to mock grass courts and finally acknowledged he's willing to give up all his grand slams for a wimbledon.
7 - Matthew T. Sussman
Several have tried, but my backhand needs work
8 - Tan The Man
Anybody who can actually beat Federer is nice to have. Roddick was supposed to be the one, but man the mighty have fallen...
9 - Varun
The problem is that Nadal is currently a pretty uni-dimensional player. Him being ranked 2nd, and Federer 1st, on surfaces where Nadal is weaker (everything but clay and slow hardcourts) he has hardly ever made it to the finals, and so has not faced federer. On the other hand Federer being good at what is quite obviously his weakest point, makes it to the finals of clay court tournaments also, where he faces Nadal at his most comfortable.
This certainly skews the statistics. I dont know about the Dubai surfaces, but all of Nadal's wins have been on clay or really slow hardcourts (Miami).
It will be a true rivalry, only if Nadal starts making it to the finals in grass and hardcourts with federer, and considering his age, it is definitely possible.