Rafael Nadal Closes Grand Slam Season on Top

        He may be light on his feet, but his shots have never felt heavier to his opponents. A fit, in-form Rafael Nadal blazed through the field at the US Open, dropping only one set.

He only dropped six sets total in all three majors he won (French Open and Wimbledon being the others), five of which were in Great Britain. In Grand Slam finals, he dropped only one set. At age 24, Nadal already has nine major titles and has never looked more dominant. Who could have seen this coming?

At the beginning of the 2010 season, Nadal was battling severe problems with his knee tendinitis. He was forced to retire while down two sets to love against No. 5 seeded Andy Murray in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Roger Federer would ultimately capture the Australian Open title. Immediately, doubters of Federer instantly switched back to thinking he might record a Calendar Year Grand Slam. Nadal had other ideas.

The treatment Nadal had on his knees is still relatively unknown, but the changes he made physically were drastic and visible. Nadal shed some of the muscle he sported in his late-teens and early-twenties in favor of a slimmer, knee-friendly look. He also started to sport a new, shorter hairstyle and even the occasional pair of shorts.

Since Nadal dropped the weight, he has looked unstoppable on all surfaces. The only thing Nadal didn’t do this year was beat Federer on a big stage. He only met him once, where Nadal won the clay court final in Madrid in two tight sets. This year marked the fewest meetings between the two since they met for the first and only time in 2004, another victory for Nadal.

Federer was ousted before reaching the big stage in three straight majors. The last time he went three majors in a row without reaching a final was the stretch from the 2002 US Open to the 2003 French Open. With his loss in the quarterfinals of the French Open to Robin Soderling, his record streak of 23 straight Grand Slam semifinals was snapped.

As Nadal charges, Federer seems to drop. No matter how you word it, at the end of 2010 all four majors ended in either Nadal’s or Federer’s hands. This is surprising to many, including myself, who foresaw a year of parity in men’s tennis.

Some ask if Federer has passed the torch to Nadal. There is really no better answer than another question; did Federer ever have the torch? Nadal has always owned a winning record against Federer. Yes, Federer does have almost double the majors, but can Nadal keep winning two or three each year and catch him in roughly three years. Nadal is 24, Federer is 29. Nadal now has nine majors; Federer has claimed 16 Grand Slams. Nadal holds the head-to-head edge 14-7.

Some call Federer the greatest ever. He made it look so easy, effortlessly dominating without really breaking a sweat. Along came Nadal, and now the greatest ever might not even be the best of his generation.

Hopefully the 2011 season will provide more answers. Who wouldn’t want to see these two play four major finals against each other next year? I can dream, can’t I?