Can Roger Federer Win The French Open? Is Rafael Nadal on steroids?

It is so frustrating for the past three years to see Swiss tennis god Roger Federer dominate everyone else on the ATP Tour except Rafael Nadal. Roger has won 3 out of the 4 grand slams three times in his career in 2004, 2006, and also this year. Let me put this in perspective, in the Open era in men’s tennis only one man Mats Wilander in 1988 was able to win three out of the four slams in one year. Wilander only accomplished this incredible achievement once. Roger has now done it three times. Roger makes the extraordinary seem ordinary. Roger has dominated men’s tennis better than anybody in the history of the game.

Yet Nadal has a 8-5 edge overall and a 6-1 edge on the clay courts. Roger has lost to Nadal the last three years at the French Open. Every single year on the clay courts Nadal dominates Federer but finally this year Roger beat Nadal on clay at the Hamburg Masters event in Germany.

However, the clay courts in Germany as any tennis fan knows is much slower than the clay in Paris, Monte Carlo, or Rome. The clay is also heavier in Germany. It is time for Roger to win the French Open I hope he does it next year. Roger simply must become the greatest male tennis player of all time and the only way he’s going to do it is if he wins the French Open. If Roger does not win the French Open then he cannot become the undisputed greatest male tennis champion that ever lived.

Again, at this year’s French Open it was so shocking the very few break point opportunities Roger converted. Roger’s inability to break Rafael’s serve enough cost him the match. I don’t think Nadal did anything spectacular in this year’s French Open final he just allowed Roger to self destruct. I think that was the key to the match. Roger’s forehand failed him he didn’t come to net enough.

Also, I question why didn’t Roger try looping the ball more I don’t know hit some moon balls or something? Roger also didn’t use the strategy he used to perfection in Hamburg and that was hitting the ball wide to Nadal’s forehand to force him into a defensive position. Roger didn’t chip and charge either. Roger was trying to use his forehand to force the issue against Nadal but he grew too impatient. And that’s how Nadal beats Roger he forces him into errors. Nadal is the male version of Arantxa Sanchez Vicario he simply doesn’t make unforced errors and he always gets a lot of balls back. Just like Arantxa Sanchez Vicario frustrated Steffi Graf and Monica Seles on the clay, Nadal is doing the exact same thing to Federer.

The key for Roger is, he’s going to have to master controlled aggression. Why not hit some slice backhands low to Nadal’s forehand and chip and charge to the net. I’m not saying Roger should come to the net all the time of course because Nadal passes very well. I am saying when Roger sees a floating ball he must have the courage to come to net and knock off the winning shot. It is the only way he’s going to beat Nadal on clay. Roger has to rob Nadal and take away the time for him to set up his shots. Roger also has to attack Nadal’s forehand.

Roger’s only twenty six, he’s got some time but he’s got to hurry. It seems to me Roger gets tired on the clay even though he’s in amazing physical shape. Yet Nadal never ever seems to get tired. And this is what I question Nadal’s incredible ability to never get tired in long clay matches. Is Nadal human? Or is Nadal doing something sinister like Argentine player Mariano Puerta did at the 2005 French Open? Puerta got caught using steroids and he has since been banned from the ATP Tour. Marion Jones the queen of Track and Field she also denied using steroids yet was forced to admit the truth yesterday. Jones was on “the clear” which is a designer steroid that is undetectable. Could Nadal be on “the clear” is this the reason why Nadal has incredible endurance and an insatiable ability to play on clay for hours and hours and hours?

Another issue, that is both perplexing and annoying is that fact Rafael does not have a big serve yet he doesn’t seem to get his serve broken often. Roger and the other top players simply aren’t attacking Nadal’s second serve enough. You would think a big strong muscular man like Rafael Nadal would have a huge serve. Nadal’s serve is deceptive it doesn’t look like its good but he gets a lot of kick and spin on his serve. However, the serve is clearly the most attackable part of Nadal’s game he just spins it in and he doesn’t generate a lot of aces.

Everybody knows that whenever Rafael Nadal plays Roger Federer he always hits the serve to Roger’s backhand. In the Wimbledon final this year, Roger finally figured it out and started to hit some offensive forehands. I also believe Roger can go to the net more against Rafael he needs to mix it up more against him.

Now there is a third guy the media is talking about the Serbian player Novak Djokovic. I am not convinced that Djokovic is at the level of Federer and Nadal in my mind he has to win a grand slam first before he can be considered at their level. However, I will concede that Djokovic is higher and better then the American men Andy Roddick and James Blake that’s for sure. Djokovic beat Roddick, Nadal, and Federer, back to back to back at the Montreal Masters event and that was an incredible achievement. Djokovic is also ranked number three in the world and he could potentially pass Nadal in the rankings at the end of the year it is mathematically possible.

I’ve said this for the last couple of years but I think Rafael Nadal could be on steroids. Could Rafael Nadal be on the clear? I mean look at Marion Jones she was adamant that she never used any steroids and yet she confessed today that she is a cheater. Nadal seems to have incredible endurance and on the clay that’s very important. Even at Wimbledon this year, Nadal never ever seems to get tired and I find that strange. How is this possible? Okay, yes Nadal is young right now but still I think he could be on something. I mean just look at him he’s 21 now but even when Nadal was just 19 years old when he won his first French Open he was so super muscular and strong.

Now Roger Federer he’s a man of class, grace, style, and he’s an incredible champion. Roger now has twelve grand slam titles he no longer really has any rivals he’s chasing history and to shatter Pete Sampras 14 grand slam record. Sampras may have 14 grand slam singles titles but he was a horrible clay court player. Sampras was lazy when it came to improving on the clay he just never gave 110% effort on this surface. I also think its a major fabrication of the USA media to suggest that Sampras is the undisputed no.1 player of all time. Let’s take a closer look at Sampras career he lost a lot in first and second rounds for a no.1 player. Sampras also in my mind not consistent enough all around. I think Borg is in some ways superior to Sampras. Borg reached four US OPEN finals no he didn’t win any but he did reach the finals of the US OPEN four times. Borg also won Wimbledon five years in a row it was a record that wasn’t equaled until Roger Federer achieved that this year. Pete Sampras never won Wimbledon five years in a row.

Nobody thought anyone could pass Sampras all time male grand slam singles champion record but Roger Federer can. Roger is now in second place overall with 12 grand slam singles titles. I believe Roger is the superior player to Pete Sampras.

I also notice the xenophobic comments of the American tennis commentators like Mary Carillo, John McEnroe and especially the ingrate Patrick McEnroe is ignored. Both the insipid McEnroe brothers and the termagant Mary Carillo don’t really like Roger Federer’s incredible domination of men’s tennis. Roger is the best European male tennis player ever he’s passed Borg this year. Roger has the longest number one record for any tennis player male or female ever.

Since I live in Canada unfortunately I get American feed from TSN the sports network in Canada and I have to listen to both the McEnroe brothers praise Andy Roddick and that loser James Blake. I sure hope Roger can smash Sampras record soon and become the greatest player of all time. However, in order for Roger to be the greatest he must win the French Open.