At least part of it is due to the fact that he has become more aggressive and takes the ball earlier, and that in turn has to do with his rivalry with Djokovic. In an attempt to solve the Djokovic puzzle Nadal stepped into the court and became a more attacking player, which translated to better hard court results in general. I never even thought it possible for Nadal to take the ball as early as he has been, and apparently I have been underestimating the amount of talent he possesses.
So all credit to him for adjusting once more and finding the solution. It is now up to Djokovic to find a solution himself if he wants to beat Nadal again. But before I get to that I just want to say a word or two about all these doping rumors surrounding Nadal of late. Yes it does look suspicious that he has been able to come back in the way he has after a 7 month break, but those rumors must not blind us to some of the qualities that Nadal possess.
I for one never believed Nadal would get as far as he has, doping or not. I always thought Federer was a better player, but Nadal is getting up there in the GOAT debate. The one thing that sets him apart from Federer is his mental fortitude, which is something that can't be overlooked. I am a big Federer fan myself but I have gained respect for Nadal because he has succeeded greatly in an aspect of the game which is not Federer's strength.
Of course Federer is anything but mentally weak, but Nadal is on another level in that department. He also has the ability to adapt and figure opponents out, which is another area in which Federer has come up short in the past. Nadal has perpetually surprised me, yet I kept underestimating him. But with him winning the US Open I have learned my lesson. I am giving him the respect he deserves and I wouldn't be surprised if he surpasses Federer in slam count.
But paradoxically him winning the US Open may just be the one thing that motivates Federer to win another slam. More about that later though. For now I want to get back to Beijing. I watched Djokovic against Gasquet and the outcome was predictable. Gasquet started out basically in the zone and broke Djokovic to take a 3-1 lead. Then the key game of the match followed. It was a long game with several deuces but eventually Gasquet could not consolidate.
Djokovic held serve and broke Gasquet in the next game. The rest was history, with Djokovic prevailing 6-4, 6-2. For all his immense potential Gasquet have never gotten it together in the mental department. Had he consolidated at 3-1 and taken a 4-1 lead it was match on, but as expected he failed. Because of this mental flaw Gasquet will never be a slam contender or a top 5 player. It is a shame because he certainly has the raw talent for it.
So it comes down to the Djokodal final in Beijing which we expected from the start. With Murray injured no one is currently close to these two. As I said at the beginning of the event, I think it's important for Djokovic to win or else the rivalry will become too one-sided again. But at the same time I find myself wondering whether winning would give him a false sense of security. I feel like Nadal has figured him out and is in his head right now.
He has to make an adjustment just like Nadal made an adjustment when Djokovic was owning him. And that adjustment is of course his ability to finish the point at the net. He should have realized that he needs to make an adjustment already, but my fear is if he beats Nadal in Beijing where he has never lost before it may cause him to believe that he is back in the rivalry and that he doesn't need to change anything. Then when they meet again in a really important match Nadal could make him pay again.
The Djokodal rivalry has been one of the great ones and I don't want it to become one sided again. The head-to-head currently stands at 22-15 in Nadal's favor and he has won the last 3 matches, including the two very important meetings at Roland Garros and the US Open this year. It's hard to say which effect the result tomorrow will have on the rivalry, or whether it will have any effect at all. But it should be a good one and I intend to enjoy it.
I never got to Tokyo. The final will be contested between Del Potro and Raonic after they had straight set wins over Alamgro and Dodig respectively. Raonic thus passes Tsonga in the race and if he wins tomorrow he will be breathing hard down the necks of Federer, Stan, and Gasquet. I am a Delpo fan but I kind of want Raonic to win just to make the race even more interesting. Whatever the case may be, we have two more great matches to watch tomorrow!
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