Nadal Primed for Blake Fight
© Getty Images By Richard Eaton
Very rarely can you say that Rafael Nadal does not have the stomach for a fight, and that may be truer than ever when he makes his debut in the Masters Cup by taking on James Blake on Monday evening.
Tennis Masters Cup Head-to-Head: Nadal vs Blake
The world number two from Spain hopes that he has recovered from the abdominal muscle tear which kept him out of the Masters Series in Paris the week before last, though probably not even he can be completely sure.
Painful stomach or not, Nadal is going to try, and knowing him, try his guts out if it is physiologically at all possible.
Last year it was not. Nadal withdrew with battered and blistered feet which surely cover more miles of court than anyone else: another reason why he will be determined to give it his best shot this time.
He says that he is fully fit after his three-week break from competition, and he should be helped by the newly laid hard court at this year's Qi Zhong stadium.
Nadal's uncle/coach Toni claimed last year that the surface had not been helpful to clay court players because the ball bounced low, but that is certainly not be the case this time.
Tennis Masters Cup Audio Preview
"The ball is bouncing much higher," the French Open champion said.
"I can move smoothly on it. I don't have anything to complain about now. In some ways it feels like the surface at the Masters Series in Madrid, which is my favourite venue."
But Nadal also reckons that it is the most difficult tournament of the year, because it is the only one in which every player genuinely has a chance of winning, with the first round certain to throw up an opponent who can beat you.
In his case that will be James Blake, who has won both their previous meetings - and both on hard courts - and who is enjoying the finest season of his career.
Though the American qualified for the Masters Cup only belatedly and by the narrowest of margins, he has won five titles in 2006 and demonstrated his staying power by remaining in the top ten almost all year.
"My forehand is more effective,” he said. "It's not so much of a flashy shot that it hurts people only sometimes. My backhand's much more solid. But the main thing is that mentally, when things go wrong, I don't hang my head. I stay positive.”
That is something Nadal must also do if he is to reverse the results of their matches in last year's US Open and this year's Masters Series in Indian Wells. But few players are as strong in the head as the Spaniard.
His compatriot Tommy Robredo will also be making his first Masters Cup appearance, and has also enjoyed his best season. The highlight was winning the Masters Series in Hamburg, which not only helped propel him into the top ten but did much to alter his mentality.
Tennis Masters Cup Audio Preview
"Being in the top ten - I think it gives you confidence, yeah, especially because other people view you differently," Robredo said.
"They see you at the top."
© Getty Images That confidence may crucial against Nikolay Davydenko, the Russian who is the most diligent and ubiquitous player on the tour, and who career highlight came only nine days previously.
Tennis Masters Cup Head-to-Head: Davydenko v Robredo
That was his triumph at the Masters Series in Paris, which lifted him to number three in the world and should have raised his profile to something more significant than that of being the tour's workhorse.
En route to his Palais des Omnisports triumph, Davydenko beat Robredo, but only in three sets. Once again there should be lots of fleet-footed baseline rallies. The outcome this time however could just as easily go the other way.
|
