Nole vs Nadal on clay - Let the rivalry begin

Tragedy struck Novak Djokovic, as he was gearing up and playing fairly well up until the round of 16 of last year’s Monte Carlo Masters, when he learnt that his beloved grandfather had breathed his last. This year though, he is left to confront another ordeal in the form of an injured ankle which initially declared him a doubtful starter for the tournament. However, shrugging off his physical condition, the world No.1 Serb has still decided to make himself available for the first clay court event starting today. Taking chances despite injury to contest in a tournament is not something a physician would normally recommend. But all said and done, Novak, it seems, has made up his mind to go ahead with it.

So the duel is all set to begin. He is ready to lock horns with the greatest clay courter in the world today, against whom he has a losing head to head record of 2-3 in the last two years on red soil. While Novak demolished him in both Rome and Madrid in 2011, Rafa returned the favour by acquiring a hat-trick of victories over the former in 2012, destroying him in Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros. There is very little to choose between the two this year, considering their performances in the recent past. Although, with regards to experience, the clay court king will still have a slight edge over the current world no.1 player.

The fact that Djoker may not be 100% percent fit going into the beginning of the clay court season, does not augur well for the high octane clash. However, over the period of time, if both turn out to be totally fit, then the intensity of the contest involving the two is sure to yield epic proportions on the clay courts. Nadal is the reigning champion in Monte Carlo, having won it eight times in a row and is also the defending French Open champion, aiming to clinch the title for a record eighth time. When one takes the Spaniard’s records on clay as the benchmark, no one has achieved even five percent of his accomplishments. So, it would be unrealistic on our part to term Novak as the arch rival of the ‘Spanish Armada’ on clay yet. But at the same time it needs to be admitted that he is the only one who looks likely to hand him a defeat on clay courts, especially at Roland Garros.

When Nadal was so impeccable last year, reaching the final of the French Open without dropping a set, it was only Nole who was able to take him on and, in fact, was able to win seven games in a row in the process, before the rain gods played spoilsport. Therefore, there are a few fans of the Serb who still opine that had it not been for the showers, the result would have gone the other way. Likewise, there are others who believe that if the Serb was not beaten by Roger Federer in the semifinals of 2011 Roland Garros, Nadal would not have captured his sixth title in Paris.

Now those were just the presumptions. The fact of the matter is that Novak is yet to be crowned a champion at the French Open. But, like I said before, he is the only one who can give a tough fight to the seven times champion of Paris. Both of them are very fleet-footed when it comes to moving on the courts; both are extremely strong mentally; both use their muscles to good effect; both are gifted with amazing stamina. On the whole, it can be viewed as the battle among equals which makes sports viewing rather interesting. No one would like to see the contests which are sure to yield predictable results. Unless you are a die-hard fan of the Undertaker, you would not like to see a story line always assuring “The Dead Man” of a victory in Wrestle Mania year after year, would you? Every cricket fan in the world would love to see India taking on Pakistan; but would he or she be able to watch an Ind-Zimbabwe match with the same interest?

Sports are fascinating to our eyes only when two people of equal strengths fight with each other. Back in the 70s, the bouts between Ali and Frazier always captured the imagination. We loved the way both exchanged punches with unrelenting resolve. It was always difficult to choose between the two. That’s the sort of rivalry we wish to see in sports. The Djoker – Rafa rivalry is developing into one of those kinds.

So, as the clay court season looks set to begin, it is hard to think beyond these two contesting in the finals of all the tournaments. Perhaps, as it looks now, the draw of Monte Carlo Rolex Masters seems to favour Rafa more. The Spanish Matador should not find it tough to demolish his opponents en route to the final, whereas the world no.1 may have to deal with realistic contenders like his Indian Wells conqueror, Juan Martin Del Potro, before booking a date with the former. Since Nole does not look to be totally fit, the eight-time champion may add one more to his tally comfortably, with due respect to the other guys in the tour.

From Madrid, the competition between the two has the potential to become even more interesting. Unlike last time, the colour of the soil is back to what it was until 2011 and so both Rafa and Nole, who were eliminated quite surprisingly last year, will have loads of things to prove. It could be anyone’s ball game there and since the court may be a bit faster in Madrid, Novak would be having an equal chance of winning on it.

When the ATP Masters move to Rome, whoever wins it would be perfectly motivated to take the French Open title in Paris since the surfaces would be more or less similar in both the places. The rivalry would be at its peak when the clay court Grand Slam starts. The Federers and Del Potros also would be interested in making an impact but they are definitely not going to be labelled as favourites, as it stands now. The time for fire works is just a month away and if both Nole and Nadal are going to be at their best, we would be enjoying some mouth watering rallies.