2005 NASDAQ-100 Open News
By Alix Ramsay  |  April 03, 2005

If you are looking for a place to put your fiver come the French Open, look no further than Rafael Nadal. He's going to be in the final. He said so, so it must be true. He said it shortly after he had lost the Nasdaq-100 Open final to Roger Federer 2-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1 and he was feeling rather pleased with himself.

For all that he lost his first Masters Series final, he knew he had come awfully close to causing the upset of the year. Twice Nadal stood two points away from victory as Federer struggled to deal with his own nerves, the occasion and this muscular, fearless Spaniard in front of him. That Nadal was just a couple of shots away from being the hero of the hour could only mean that the 18 year old was on the verge of establishing himself as one of the best in the business. So what happens now?

"I play Valencia, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, Hamburg," he said. "I stop one week and play the French Open in the final."

Even if Nadal was laughing as he said it, he did mean what he said. Not only does he have the confidence of youth, he has the game to beat anyone. Federer knows that only too well.

For very nearly three sets Federer had been second best and he did not know what to do about it. He looked as if he was ready to throw in the towel as everything he hit flew long or wide of the mark. The errors - and there were 74 of them in all - flew from his racket as his mood worsened, alternating between despondent and furious. One attempted smash dribbled into the bottom of the net, another flew miles over the baseline. Federer was having a desperate day.

Then, from 1-4 down in the third set, Federer suddenly woke up. It may well have been because a bright spark in the crowd yelled "Come on Roger, wake up". Certainly, the normally affable Swiss stopped and turned to glare at the spectator and from there he seemed to perk up. Forcing the set into a tiebreak, he just edged past Nadal to start the long climb back. It was only the third time in his career that he had come back from a two set deficit.

Suddenly the forehand started to fire properly while the volleys found their target with more regularity. At the same time, Nadal began to tire a little and Federer spotted the smallest of chances.

"I haven't dug out many matches in my career," Federer said, "but to dig that one out from two sets to love down and against Nadal who was playing so well, I'm extremely happy and exhausted. But what a pity for him. He played great. We will see so much more from him.

"This was extremely close today. I consider myself lucky to get through. He started so well, it was tough to get my rhythm against him. But all my praises go to him - he is a great guy and a great player."

Federer is only too aware of how good Nadal is now and how good he is likely to become.

"He's an outstanding athlete," Federer said. "Of course he moves totally different to most of the players. He's fast but because he's a lefty, it kind of changes so many things. His forehand is huge. Even on the run he can hit it with the spins - backhand to the court, make you hit another tough shot. We'll see very much from him in the future. So for me this was a big match because I know what a great player he will be one day."

As for Federer himself, he knows exactly what sort of effect yesterday's victory will have on him as the year progresses. During the course of the tournament he has won when he has been playing well, he has won when he has been playing badly and, finally, he has won when he is playing badly and his opponent is doing everything in their power to win. He had beaten Tim Henman and Andre Agassi just to get to the final and then he had staged the biggest comeback of his career. No matter what the draw throws at him, Federer knows he can win in any situation.

"That I could actually beat Henman and Agassi the way I did," he said,"playing really great, and coming back from two sets to love, this is one of the tournaments I'll remember probably most throughout my career."

Given that Federer's career has already been fairly impressive and is likely to become one of the finest on record, that is saying something.

/// BACK