Rafael Nadal Masters Novak Djokovic at Monte Carlo

Seemingly molded from the red clay, Rafael Nadal stalked the service line, brushing away the red dust with his right foot, scowling, getting ready to receive serve.  Clay is his element.  He was born here and he evolved here in the midst of the European Clay Court seasons.

Today it is the finals of the Masters Series Tournament in Monte Carlo.  His opponent is the No. 3 seed Novak Djokovic who defeated the No. 2 Swiss player Stanislav Wawrinka to make it to the finals.

Nadal dispatched Andy Murray to find his way into the championship match. If Nadal wins today it will mark a new record in the tournament’s history as he becomes the only player to have won five consecutive Monte Carlo titles.

It would also mean winning his fourteenth Master’s Series Shield, tying him with Roger Federer and leaving him only three short of the record 17 held by Andre Agassi.

Nadal owns Monte Carlo. He is master on all clay surfaces but especially here where he feels a special kinship. 

Even though his team has tried to make Nadal more main stream by dressing him in traditional tennis shirts and shorts trimmed in yellows and sea foam greens, banishing his sleeveless pirate demeanor; he remains outside the norm. 

Because of his rigid rituals like the number and exact placement of his sports drink bottles, the parallel positioning of his towel and his abhorrence of tight clothes, Nadal attracts more non-traditional tennis fans to the fold.

He has become the new face of tennis, especially to the younger fans. 

As play got underway it was safe to say that no one expected Nadal to lose, regardless of the opponent across the net.  But Djokovic was not willing to accept that foregone conclusion and he elected to play the game, not the man.

The tennis of the opening games was intense with brilliant shot-making on the part of both players.  Djokovic seemed inspired to produce his best tennis in almost a year.  He gave nothing to the Spaniard, leveling the first set at 3 all.

When Nadal final broke, going up 4-3 in the first set, Djokovic called the trainer and a universal sigh signaled resignation.  For fans it meant Djokovic was going to give up. 

Indeed, Nadal won the first set at 6-3.  The expectation at that point was that it is all over but the shouting and the awards ceremony.

But again that was not part of the Djokovic game plan and he started the second set by breaking Nadal and holding serve to go up 2-0.  Djokovic was successfully attacking the Nadal second serve and playing superlative tennis. 

It was worth the wait to watch the young Serb bring the full weight of his talent to bear upon Nadal.

Novak employed more height on his forehand, keeping it deep.  This troubled Nadal and added considerably to Djokovic’s success in the second set, as he broke Nadal for the second time, going up 4-1 and holding his own serve to lead 5-1.

As the second set progressed we found Nadal pushed back further behind the baseline, hunkered down in survival mode.  Djokovic played aggressive, attacking tennis and Nadal was forced to go for more outright winners.

Nadal finally held serve to bring the score to 5-2; but Djokovic won his service game and took the second set 6-2. 

So dominant has Nadal been on clay, that this marked the first time he has lost a set in Monte Carlo since Roger Federer took one during the 2006 finals.  It ended Nadal’s streak at 31 consecutive sets won.

The third set began on Nadal’s serve with a game lasting over 13 minutes. After intense battling and stunning shots and gets, Nadal managed to hold serve, after saving three break points.

In the second game which lasted almost as long as the first one, Djokovic lost his serve and Nadal went up 2-0. This match was truly a monument to endurance and tenacity.   

Centimeters were the difference between winning and losing in the third set.  In Novak’s case, he lost the last two points on his service game with bad breaks on net court bounces as his returns fail to clear the net.

Although he broke Nadal again to get things back on serve at 2-1, Djokovic would not win another as Nadal pulled his game together and forced the issue.  It was like piranha sensing blood. 

In the end the score 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 does little to reflect the high level of play witnessed as these two young players did battle on the red clay. 

Novak Djokovic reclaimed his place at the top of the men’s game by hanging in until the bitter end and giving Nadal the fight of his life.  It was unexpected and it was gratifying to see that perhaps Nadal was beatable and that Djokovic had found his game at long last.

Nadal at his best remains impossible to beat on clay; but he does have chinks and as players learn to expose his weaknesses, the possibility exists that he can be beaten even when he is healthy and in good form. 

The question remains, who is going to do it,  Djokovic, Murray, Federer? Or maybe one of the legions of newcomers? And, when? Next up...Madrid?