Earlier today, Roger Federer ended Rafael Nadal’s 33-match clay winning streak when he beat the Spaniard in the finals at the Madrid Open. The victory should serve as a huge confidence boost for Federer who many predict will face Nadal once again at the French Open next week. Nadal has won that Grand Slam four years in a row.
The second-ranked Federer broke a sluggish Nadal once in both sets before firing his sixth ace to win his 15th Masters Series title on the second match point. Federer also won here in 2006 when the event was played indoors on a hard court.
“There are no positives, there is little to analyze,” said Nadal, the 2005 champion. “He broke and broke and I went home.”
It was only the second victory Federer has on clay against his top rival, with the other coming at the Hamburg final two years ago. The win also ended Federer’s five-match losing streak to Nadal, a stretch that included losses in the finals at Roland Garros, Wimbledon and Australia.
Federer called his first win over Nadal since the 2007 Masters Cup “very satisfying.” Especially after being left in tears in February following his defeat to Nadal at Melbourne.
Federer, who is also the only top-10 player to have ever beaten Nadal on clay, saved two Nadal break chances before converting his first try in the ninth game.
While this is a big win for Federer, I wouldn’t read too much into this if you’re expecting Nadal to flounder at the French Open. Nadal played a grueling four-hour match yesterday in the semifinals against Novak Djokovic and has been bothered by pain in his knees. Like Federer at Wimbledon, Nadal understands the surface at Roland Garros better than any tennis player. Barring any unforeseen injury, I’d count on Nadal to nab his fifth consecutive title at Roland Garros and second Grand Slam of the 2009 ATP calendar.
