There’s something eerily familiar about this clay court season. The way Nadal started by winning Monte Carlo and the way he stays winning in Barcelona. Yesterday he took out familiar foe, Fabio Fognini in a solid performance and there’s only one real threat to the title in my view – an in-form Kei Nishikori.
What’s evident in Nadal’s play is that his confidence is growing with each win. He’s daring to go more for his forehand, he’s moving better and his backhand looks pretty solid throughout. This is bad news for the rest of the tour as we near Rome Masters and the French Open at Roland Garros.
The big question ahead of Rome is how Djokovic will perform. Will he head back straight to winning or will he need some more time to find his footing on the red dirt? An early loss in Rome would be a really bad preparation for Roland Garros, but if he can find his form and beat Nadal – his confidence will be on top ahead of the Grand Slam that has been eluding him for so long. Surely, it’s his turn this year?
Well, in tennis as in life, nothing is for granted. Wawrinka came out of nowhere last year and this might be the year for Nadal to reclaim the crown in the French capital. Time will tell. But I’m sure you will agree with me that this part of the season couldn’t be more interesting!
