Nadal is the hot favourite for BIG W

The 2012 Big W seems to be a three horse race but it is true that the 2010 Wimbledon champion and the seven time French title holder is well ahead of the rest.

The 26 year old, Rafael Nadal has the record of reaching the final of Big W each of the last five times and has won the titles in 2008 and 2010. He lost his number one ranking previous year when he lost against Djokovic in the Wimbledon. But Nadal made a great come back by winning their past three head-to-head matches.

“I always loved this place. I always loved this surface,” Nadal said.

“I’m very happy the way things went the last couple of months,” he said. “But thinking about winning another title here in Wimbledon is arrogant and crazy. That’s something I cannot think about, no?”

“When I arrived here on tour, especially when I started to play well, Roger always was there,” Nadal said. “With Novak it’s little bit the other way. I was there and then he came. So is difficult for me to analyze which rivalry is more important, less important, more attractive, less attractive for everybody.The only thing I can say is that all the classic matches are because you played a lot of matches in very important circumstances between each other, no? That happens a lot of times with Roger, a lot of Grand Slam finals, a lot of Masters 1000s, competing for very important tournaments in our careers”.

“But with Novak we start to have all of this, too. It’s great. I feel very lucky to be part of these two rivalries”, he added.

The Swiss player also has a great record of wining the Wimbledon 6 times but still it looks a little far away from him.He has not won any Grand Slam title for last two and half years, last year he was beaten by Tsonga, in the England.

Federer though is hopeful and said, “I feel everything is working in my game.”

Even McEnroe said, “I’m picking Roger to win this year”.

After the victory of the Spanish player over the Serb in the French Open final, the confidence level of Nadal is sky high. Also after defeating the Spaniard Albert Ramos by 6-1 6-1 6-1, the confidence of the Swiss should have shot up. Nadal, however, will face Brazilian Bellucci in his first match.

Tennis lovers have the luxury of projecting Nadal into the final, and wondering whether he’ll meet Djokovic or the six-time champion Roger Federer. If they meet in the final then that could be a photo finish. Nadal stands out because of his unmatched mental strength and consistency. His rivalry with Djokovic will enrich the game and push tennis standards to a higher level.

“Their rivalry is one of the most respected rivalries in the history of our sport, if not the biggest rivalry,” Djokovic said. “Every time you see a Federer – Nadal match, everybody is excited. Even I’m excited to see it, because it’s something that goes on for many years.”

A lot will depend on the playing conditions and the matches en route to the final. Will Nadal wins the title for third time or will Federer win to join the Pete Sampras and Willie Renshaw or will the defending champion Djokovic will defend his title?

Only time will tell….