Not only has his increased attention to the other surfaces helped his game improve, but the mental and physical maturity of Rafael Nadal has put him into position to become No. 1. 

I believe one largely overlooked fact about Nadal is that he is only 22 years old.  It is not unheard of to be young on the ATP tour, but when you take into account that only Mats Wilander, Andre Agassi, and Pete Sampras were as successful as Rafael Nadal had been in his teen years, he is in elite company. 

Mentally, Nadal has progressed greatly in the last four years, and that is evidenced in his ability to win matches in the fourth and fifth set.  Only three times in the past two years has Nadal not made it to the quarterfinals of a major tournament.

Take a look at Wimbledon from this year, and you will see for yourself the mental stability Nadal has gained since last season.  He was finally able to break through the barrier and defeat Roger Federer on his “home turf”. 

He had opportunities to fold and let Roger take back the match, but Rafa repeatedly rose to the occasion and smothered the attack by Federer.

Nadal’s physique is key to his success.  Roger Federer may be the epitome of tennis grace, but Rafael Nadal makes no mistake in being one of the most well-defined men in tennis.  Add quick feet and large arms to an already premier tennis player and you have quite a specimen. 

It is quite obvious that Nadal has added some muscle over the last four years, and it has improved his ability to return shots that would have ended up in the net.  Having the ability to flick your arm and make your opponent try to hit a passing shot puts more pressure on the opponent to make a great shot, and doing this wins Nadal extra points. 

As proven once again at Wimbledon of this year, Nadal is working with increased stamina as well.  More often than not, he is outlasting opponents on long points, and is making his opponent work more in order to win the point.  His ability to survive grueling points only adds to his superior playing ability.

The two reasons Rafael Nadal could be No. 1 in the world in the next fortnight or so? His increasing ability to play on different surfaces, and his natural maturity as a player.

Mike Griffin

I think the big improvement in Rafa's game is how he attacks the ball, and takes so many risks during his game. He seems to attack all the time, and simply refuses to go defensive.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?