S for showdown at Roland Garros: Don't rule out Roger Federer eclipsing Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

 

Rafael Nadal's semi-final and final-round triumphs over Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the Hamburg Masters has set the tone for an enthralling time at Roland Garros.

Let's consider what happened in Hamburg, and how well the three best players in the world performed that amazing weekend.

Djokovic, in full command of his steadily evolving game, had an unbelievable start against clay court king Nadal in the semi-finals. The Serbian, fresh from his victory the previous week at the Italian Open, came at Nadal forcefully and purposefully, leaving the Spaniard dumbfounded at the outset. Djokovic bolted to a 3-0, 15-40 lead.

He then made a mistake that everybody does against Nadal on clay. He made two unforced errors which were enough to let the Spaniard believe he could turn the set around - and he did. Had Djokovic managed to secure an insurance break by reaching 4-0, he would almost certainly have taken that opening set, and he might have prevailed in the match, but Lion Rafa would not see it that way.

Eventually, a highly charged Nadal came through with a flourish, winning 7-5 2-6 6-2, but the score does not begin to reflect the astounding level of play from both competitors. Had Nadal lost, Djokovic would have taken away his No. 2 world ranking and Nadal would have been relegated to a No. 3 seeding in Paris.

But Djokovic, despite falling short of victory, gained as much as he lost that afternoon. He took a set off Nadal on clay for the first time. He demonstrated his growing awareness as a clay court player. He came away buoyed by the quality of his play and eager to keep progressing at Roland Garros and beyond.