Do me a favor. The next time Roger Federer plays Rafael Nadal, just have me watch that documentary about the people that kill dolphins--it may actually leave me feeling more upbeat than the fifteen minutes after match point.
Boy, was that ugly. I mean, ug-ly. Nadal moved himself forward in both the Sony Ericsson Open and his head to head count with the formerly brilliant Swiss. The 6-3 6-2 scoreline might actually give a more generous account of what was the actual truth of the match.
It is a difficult thing to watch your favorite player go through a decline so visible. Like watching someone deconstruct Michelangelo's David with a slow moving wrecking ball. And right now we are in the beginning stages of this decomposition--the first few, laborious swings of the oversized marble. On the graces of his otherworldly talent, he is still able to beat almost anyone in the world at tennis. But against another all-time great, his weaknesses are glaringly exposed.
To wit: Roger Federer possesses the greatest stroke, perhaps, in tennis history. His fluid, classic but still modern forehand is truly something to behold. It is particularly fearsome when his opponent offers him a slow, high bouncing ball to his backhand, which he runs around and thrashes with a flattened out, whip-like stroke. The force of the swing lifts him off the ground momentarily, and the ball becomes a laser guided missile, painting the opposite corner of the court before skipping off, irretrievable.
But last night, not even the greatest forehand ever was enough to make Nadal uncomfortable. What was startling about the match was the ease with which Rafa was able to return Fed's biggest bombs. Clearly, the Swiss has lost the ability to hit through other elite players. And the panic was evident on every point as soon was his serve was broken in the third game of the first set.
From an analysis standpoint, the match can be summed up pretty succinctly--there were two big story lines. First, Roger was hoping to play aggressive, just like he did in London (the last time these two met, a match that Roger won), stepping inside the baseline and opening up the court. But Rafa couldn't be moved--there just wasn't enough on Fed's groundstrokes to even really put Nadal on the defensive. Once he realized this Roger went into panic mode, and started ill-advisedly rushing the net. Nadal passed him ease, and the panic only increased. Roger, feeling like he had to more urgent in creating opportunities, actually created more unforced errors (38 in total--one that landed about fifteen rows deep).
Second, Roger was trying to employ the same wide serve that had been so devastating in previous matches with Rafa. Only this time, Rafa adjusted. Standing out by the doubles alley, Nadal easily retrieved Fed's wide serves, seized the offensive and broke his rival four times in the match. Why did Roger not make him pay with more serves down the middle? I have no idea.
What was worse, Roger's inability to adjust left him scrambling all night, with no clear strategy. The result was multiple points in which (and it was so weird to see) Roger Federer was out of position and hitting shots off balance. Truly, very surreal.
So I think this is the end. Not of Roger, nor his chances to win any given match--he still has too much talent. But it's the end of the great clashes we've come to love and expect between these two titans of the game. It's up to the Djokovic's, Del Potro's, and Berdych's of the world to give Rafa chase for his number one ranking.
Next generation, the call has been sounded.
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