I took a lot of heat for wondering whether or not Roger Federer would ever capture another Grand Slam. I came to the conclusion that, yes, Federer would win at least one more, but this occasion would likely happen at the U.S. Open. My primary reasoning was that Nadal is entering the prime of his career while Federer is exiting his. Case in point: while Federer is skipping tournaments to gear up for the French Open and Wimbledon, Nadal is racking up heaps of points winning tournament after tournament. Earlier today, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to become the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles.
Nadal extended his winning streak at Monte Carlo to 27 matches and won his 21st straight victory on clay since losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2008.
Nobody has matched Nadal’s performance at the Monte Carlo tournament since tennis turned professional in 1968.
Reggie Doherty won the event six times overall between 1897-99 and 1902-04, while five-time winner Anthony Wilding of New Zealand won four times in a row from 1911-14 and got his other title in 1908.
Nadal broke Djokovic immediately for a 2-0 lead, but he was struggling to hold and dropped serve on his third break point in the third game to let Djokovic back in the match.
But Nadal improved and won the next five games – just like he did at 3-1 down in the first set – as Djokovic went for extravagant winners that landed out.
The guy has the potential to win a Calendar Grand Slam. Nadal has failed to win the U.S. Open in his career, but that can be attributed to his body breaking down at the end of the ATP season, given the fact that he plays in so many tournaments. If he can manage his playing schedule a tad better, he might have the energy he needs to win all four Grand Slams. We already know he has the skill.
