Nadal King of Clay; Federer King of Wins

By Al S. Mendoza

(Friends of Dr. Ruben “Boyet” A. Reyes, Jr., the American-schooled toxicologist whose expertise on treating snake-bitten folk of Pangasinan is the envy of many, wish for the speedy recovery of the good doctor.  Dr. Boyet was down with a stomach ailment that has grounded him for six days at a Dagupan hospital. “No, not botcha,” said Dr. Boyet, clarifying rumors he might have eaten “double-dead” bangus.  Get well, my friend.  Dagupan and Pangasinan need you that much.)

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YOU talk of superb statistics in tennis today, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have an unmistakable lock on them.

With their numerous haul of trophies, Nadal and Federer have firmly remained the game’s undisputed kings.

By winning the recent French Open, Nadal reaffirmed his being King of Clay.

But even in defeat in the recent French Open finals, Federer remains the King of Wins.

Nadal has now collected 10 majors.

Federer has 16 majors, the most by any active player on Tour.

The French Open, the second of four majors staked every year, is played on clay.

The Australian Open, held every January, is synthetic, Wimbledon grass and the US Open hard, cement court.

All four surfaces test the skills, cunning and guile of every majors dreamer.

All players dream of winning not just one, but all four majors for a rare Grand Slam.

Both Nadal and Federer had achieved the Grand Slam feat, making them, this early, as two of the game’s greatest players of all time.

And Nadal is only 25, Federer 29.

When he beat Federer on June 5 in four, grueling sets, Nadal won his sixth French Open.

That win allowed Nadal to tie the six French Open titles won by Sweden’s Bjorn Borg.  Borg registered his sixth win on June 8, 1980.

Only one person has scored more than six French Opens:  Chris Evert, on the women’s side, has won seven.

But with his sixth French Open crown, Nadal cemented his hold of clay leadership: 45 wins at Roland Garros in Paris, France; only one defeat since he won his first French Open in 2005.

Nadal would win the French Open again in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

After losing in the French Open’s fourth round to Robin Soderling in 2009, Nadal came back in 2010 to reclaim his throne in Paris, defeating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in four sets.

Djokovic threatened anew this year.  But he bowed to Federer in the semifinals, proof that Federer remains a formidable force as ever.

Federer, who has been in 23 Grand Slam finals, winning 16, will gun for No. 17 when Wimbledon begins June 20.

But Nadal will be around, again, to defend Wimbledon, which he won last year in three easy sets against surprise finalist Tomas Berdych.

The last time they met for the Wimbledon crown, in 2008, Nadal defeated Federer in five, lung-busting sets.

After Nadal had clinched that classic, 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7, Federer, in bitter mode, cried unabashedly.

Nadal was sidelined by injury for much of 2009, the year Federer won his sixth Wimbledon by outlasting American Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14, in one of the longest matches in tennis history.

Will Nadal and Federer meet again in this year’s Wimbledon finals?

I can’t wait for that to happen. Again.

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