This time, I could not pay much attention to the initial rounds although i knew some basic information that Nadal and Djokovic were placed in different half of the run-up.For the first time perhaps the legendary Roger Federer is no longer in spotlight. He is playing quietly there, strong enough to reach the quarter finals. The rivalry has shifted from Nadal-Federer to Nadal -Djokovic because of the supreme form Novak is in.But besides these big names which one cannot ignore, there are a couple of great players to watch out for. Del potro lost out to Novak, but I am waiting for the french player Richard Gasquet to display his lofty backhand drives, the flat,just- over- the -net forehand winners and the top-spin serves. he is much admired by the tennis watching community , though he is not very much used to absorb all the attention. He is also prone to be overwhelmed by the occasion and lacks tenacity when the situation is still not clear by the fourth set.
Rafael Nadal is indeed very special in this respect. He never takes any point for granted, never gives up till the last point has been won . He not only manages an impossible return to the most difficult of serves , but also he returns them so well that the Serving players find it impossible to play. He covers a lot of ground to nullify even the drop shots. He dispatches his opposition ruth-lessly for he knows the importance of winning the grand slams. Perhaps every player does, but rafa's intent is intimidating. The most special thing about him is that he did not get mesmerized or cowed down by Federer in his infallible form in 2004-2005. That made him famous and you can say, Rafael is probably the reason we all continue to watch the sport.
Rafael is now big enough a person to speak about the rules of the rankings and the tennis season schedules.
