Cheryl Murray

• Rafael Nadal is truly the clay king

  2008-04-24 17:13:00
  

  First, let me say that Rafael Nadal does NOT look young when he's playing. There is a level on intensity about him that belies his age. But when he's in a press conference, clothes still spattered with clay (side note - I guess he didn't shower before he came. Considering he was roughly 15 minutes late, one wonders what precisely he was doing if not showering), he barely looks his age of 21. Well, except for the muscles, that is. It is a fascinating contrast. On one hand, he looks like at any moment he is going to hop on his skateboard and answer "dude" whenever he's asked a question. The next time you see him, he's on court and he looks almost world-weary. His unique combination makes him all the more appealing.
  
  Second, not that I mean to keep focusing on Nadal, but watching him play live on clay is quite the experience. I don't normally say this about Nadal, but the word genius came to mind. Don't get me wrong, I like Nadal, honestly I do, but on hard courts, he is something of a grinder. He seems to play not to lose on hards. On clay, he plays to win, and win he does. His every shot is maximized to it's fullest on the dirt.
  
  I can't, of course, blog about Wednesday in Monte Carlo without mentioning Roger Federer and his performance against Hildalgo. Rarely have I ever seen him stink up the place like that. I don't know what the problem is with him, but there is one - a BIG one. And it doesn't seem to me like teaming up with Higueras has done him much good. In his presser, he said he was happy with his form because he has played 6 clay matches and has won six times. Let me be the first to say - hogwash. There is NO WAY Roger Federer was happy to have been broken that many times by a guy ranked 137 in the world. When he said it, every reporter in the conference room, including me said a silent yet palpable "yeah, right". Fortunately for Federer, he plays Gael Monfils on Thursday.
  
  I'll be back again tomorrow, when I'll tell you all about how many pizzerias there are in Monte Carlo, and how offended your waiter will get if you try to order white wine instead of red to go with the plain cheese pizza you're eating.

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