Roger Federer (SUI)[1] v. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[2]
Federer has won every major tennis tournament multiple times except the French Open where his best finish was as a finalist
to Nadal the last two years. To push ahead of American and 14 grand slam title winner Pete Sampras as a contender as
greatest ever, Federer will need to win the French Open which Sampras was never able to do.
Federer trails Sampras with 12 grand slam titles. But at only 26 years old, Federer most likely will pass that number
before the finish of his career if not this year.
In his semifinal win versus Frenchman Gael Monfils, Federer approached the net 64 times and will need to do more of the
same versus Nadal. The problem with this strategy however is Nadal's groundstroke pressure will not permit Federer to cover
the net as much as he would like.
Federer is the pick versus Nadal on any surface other than clay. But on clay, a slower surface which allows Nadal additional
time to hit more perfect groundstrokes and retrieve extra balls, Federer is challenged to finish points as quickly as he would like.
Nadal also is allowed more opportunities to pressure Federer's backhand from the baseline.
If Federer can volley well and Nadal turns in a flat performance, Federer can win. Nadal however is one of only a handful of
players who leads Federer head to head (10-6) and has destroyed all competition this year at the French Open while going 18-0 in sets.
Winner: Nadal
