MISSION IMPOSSIBLE IV - NADAL SAYS FEDERER IS UNBEATABLE ON GRASS

Carlyle Laurie

Mumbai, 26 June, 2007, Times of India Exclusive - Spaniard Rafael Nadal is the king of clay. No doubting that. It was amply evident after he clinched his second consecutive French Open Grand Slam title defeating Roger Federer earlier this month. But what are his hopes on grass?

“It has always been my dream that I can wake up one day and win Wimbledon, however dreams don’t always come true,’’ he says. “I know it will be difficult.’’

The Spaniard knows that to realise his dream, he will have to beat Federer on the latter’s favourite surface. “On grass it will be almost impossible to beat him (Federer). He is a special player and one of the best ever,’’ he says. “Unless I put in 110% effort throughout the match against him, I have no chance.’’

Nadal believes that he has improved by leaps and bounds since losing to Gilles Muller in the second round of Wimbledon last year. “I have improved my serve in particular and have been serving better at key moments in a match,’’ he says.

He admits that there is still a work to be done in order to pose any threat. “I have to learn a lot about grass in order to start thinking about winning a tournament like Wimbledon,’’ he says. “I will have to make many adjustments in my game.’’

The stylish Spaniard is determined not to leave any stone unturned in his quest to win Wimbledon.“I have been doing things differently so that I can improve my game on grass,’’ he says.

Nadal also said that he has overcome the shoulder injury which forced him out of the Stella Artois Championships. “I played at Queen’s recently to improve my game on grass. Unfortunately, I had a problem with my shoulder that seems to be OK now,’’ he says.

By winning the French Open, the Spanish sensation achieved two things. Firstly, it brought an end to Federer’s dream of winning the four different Grand Slam titles. Secondly, the victory in the final was the 20-year-old Majorcan’s 60th record-setting consecutive victory on clay and his 14th match unbeaten at Roland Garros. The teenage phenomenon toppled players like Lleyton Hewitt and Ivan Ljubicic en route to the final where he beat the Swiss ace 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6.

The win helped him edge past Argentinean legend Guillermo Vilas’ record of 53 wins on clay. Nadal remains modest. “I never think about these kinds of things,’’ he says, when referring to the record. “I’ ve enjoyed always playing tennis and try to do so each day.’’