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Can anyone stop Nadal?

Author: Brandon Barker
Date: 17/05/2009

With the French Open just around the corner, the whole of the tennis world will again be watching to see if someone can finally find a way to beat sportsbook favourite Rafael Nadal.

The Spanish world number one has been unbeatable at Roland Garros to date, winning the last four titles and having yet to taste defeat on the Parisian clay.

Nadal's dominance on that surface, however, extends well beyond France, and he has also won five straight titles at the Barcelona Open as well as securing five consecutive victories at the Monte Carlo Masters.

A record four Rome Masters titles only serves to heighten the feeling that Nadal is almost unstoppable on the red clay, particularly as he managed to win the 2008 French Open title without dropping a single set.

That was only the fifth time that had happened in the men's game in the open era and Nadal then proceeded to prove that he can dominate on all surfaces.

Epic victories over Roger Federer in the Finals at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open brought the Swiss master's number one status to an abrupt end - a classic case of 'The King is dead, long live The King'.

Nadal combines sheer brute strength with an almost limitless energy and speed around the court, while his topspin forehand is one of the most potent weapons that the game has ever witnessed.

An unbelievable mental toughness and a serve that has progressed from average to excellent means that there are few obvious weaknesses to attack, and just who has the capability to do that?

Federer remains the man most likely to upset Nadal, having lost in the last three Roland Garros finals to the Spanish powerhouse.

However, the loss of the number one spot seems to have affected Federer badly, as he remains stranded just one short of Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Former Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has often been mentioned as the main rival to Nadal and Federer but, in truth, the cocky Serb has done little to suggest that he can de-throne the top two when it matters.

Scotland's Andy Murray has beaten all of the top three in recent months and even taking the number three ranking from Djokovic, but clay is not his best surface and a semi-final spot is probably the best he can hope for.

Of the other highly-ranked players, perhaps Nadal's compatriot, Fernando Verdasco, is the one to watch, having reached the semi-finals in Australia earlier this year.

The left-hander's booming forehand should be a useful weapon on clay and, if Verdasco can maintain his newly-found focus, then he has the potential to cause some shockwaves.

However, it would be a tsunami rather than a shockwave if Nadal fails to lift a fifth French Open title in a row in just over a fortnight's time.

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