Swing and a Miss! Federer Can't Hold It Together Against Nadal in Madrid

The final point was almost as comical as it was a summation of the entire match.

After getting the mini-break back, Roger Federer served to even the score in the second set tie-break at six apiece, only to swing and completely miss the Rafael Nadal return which had caught a bad bounce just beyond the service line.

Game, set, match Nadal , who won his 18th Masters crown Sunday with a straight-set 6-4, 7-6 (5) win over Federer at the Madrid Open in Spain.

Looking back at the start of the week, few would have penciled Federer into the final following his less than stellar clay court campaign that had the likes of Stanislas Wawrinka , Ernests Gulbis, and David Ferrer standing in his way.

And even fewer folks would have picked him to beat Nadal .

So in that regard, Federer losing to the unassailable Spaniard—winner of his record 18th Masters title—is by no means an underachievement, but rather a slight overachievement. 

But when all is said and done, Federer could have made it a much more interesting encounter.

Both players were far from their best during the first set, with Nadal tallying up unforced errors in double digits within the first few games, and Federer barely doing anything other than putting the ball back in the court.

It would be the Swiss' inability to capitalize on Nadal's lackluster form, however, that would set the tone for the first set. After trading breaks early on, Nadal went on to break Federer once more at 3-3 and, after consolidating the break, found himself serving for the set at 5-4.

The difference in the first set was, as it has been in most of their previous matches, Nadal's ability to convert on break point opportunities versus Federer's inability to do so. 

At 3-3, Federer saved four break points, only to be broken by Nadal on his fifth attempt. It seemed only fitting then, when faced with the same opportunity on Nadal's serve at 4-5, that Federer would find a way to even the match, however, it was not to be.

Federer squandered a luv-40 lead, plus another break point opportunity with some of the most passive play I have seen from him in recent memory, and thus he handed the first set to Nadal .

The second set began similarly to the first, in that early breaks were traded, but the quality of tennis was much improved.

Nadal , hitting with more accuracy and overall conviction, was entering that groove of his where he would run down any remotely reachable ball, and make the most of it.

Federer was also finding his spots more regularly, and would often have Nadal reeling all over the court only to end it with the most punishing of drop shots , as if daring the Spaniard to run it down. 

At 3-2, Nadal unleashed a series of devastating backhands on the Federer serve to go up a break once more. However, the world No. 1 was quick to counter with a break of his own and then, after holding serve, found himself a game away from extending the match to a third set.

Unable to do what he does to most players on tour, Federer could not break Nadal and was forced to a tie-break.

Unfazed by missed opportunities, Federer started the tie-break strong, going up a mini break and holding a 4-2 lead.

But as commentators Jason Goodall and Robbie Koenig put it, Federer would be the architect of his own demise.

Serving at 4-2, Nadal had given up on the point after being pushed off the court— a very rare occurrence. All Federer had to do was put the ball into the open court.

Instead, he pushed his luck by opting for an unnecessarily difficult drop shot, which never made it over the net. This led to a string of four unforced errors, which gave Nadal two match points at 6-4.

As he had done throughout much of the match, Federer found it within himself to break back with a stunning forehand that landed deep in the corner, only to swing and miss on Nadal's second match point.

What I learned from this match was that Federer has the game to hang with a healthy Nadal on his favorite surface, but he lacks proper judgment. Where Nadal maintains focus and is undeterred by what his opponent throws at him, Federer often shows signs of indecision or poor judgment.

During this final, Federer displayed a very volatile game.

The lows were as bewildering as the highs were breathtaking. Until Federer can iron out those mental wrinkles, he will continue to swing and miss against Nadal on clay.