I just read an interview with him on his loss to Rafael Nadal in the Monte Carlo Masters (clay), and it's not hard to see how single-minded he is about winning all his matches, most especially Grand Slam titles. And from that, you are almost correct to assume that he's the kind of athlete who knows that he's very good and is confident he can come back from a loss to his nemesis, beat him to a pulp, and never look back. He seems to only become smarter with every loss and gets to know his opponents with every shot and effort they put in. His mental framework is robotic. It's jaw-dropping, and you cannot help but respect but also dislike the man.
He has, ever since I've come to show interest in his tennis, impressed on me an arrogance that only comes from being self-opinioned. I'm almost certain he is cocky - but elegant, classy cocky. He really has class, in his playing style, in his bearing. Even his reactions to the happenings on court says classy. Nadal's yells and bicep-bunching tells of his youth; Baghdatis' are just extensions of his ever-cheerful disposition; Marat Safin's exude his quiet confidence; James Blake's hint of overconfidence; and those of the rest just say they're glad they got points (but I guess I'm being partial, so...).
Federer's most recent win over Nadal in Wimbledon only showed his determination to not only stay on top of everyone else, but also to reduce the possibilities of losing at all, slim as they already are, as I see it. And they are only at their widest with Nadal. Nadal can, in all certainty, beat Federer. Given a few improvements and more focus, his lefty play and his reservoir of sheer on-court brilliance, he can defeat all-too-perfect Federer. But I pin it to his youth or to that child-like quality that he seems to exude, why it would be more difficult for him. More difficult, because Federer is already hard to beat, as it is.
When he knows he'll be playing Nadal, he practices with a lefty coach. He implied in that Monte Carlo interview that he treats his matches with Nadal merely as venues for improving his game, to beat Nadal and the rest of them lined up behind him. He says the more he plays Nadal, the easier it becomes to defeat him. Or maybe, that's just how he wanted it to look, so as to make that loss less disappointing.
Either way, Federer is one hard-core competitor. Competitive to the max. But happily, Nadal is not so far behind in the ranking. Federer cannot sit as kingly as he would have liked. And I like that. I like the idea that someone makes Federer fidget, and tennis becomes more exciting as that happens. I would agree that there is at last, a true rivalry in Open-Era tennis. And I will try to follow the happenings as they come to see if Federer retains the throne, or if eventually, Nadal - or someone else, for that matter - finally dislodges him. And for how long. Whatever may happen, all my hats are already laid down and my hands are ready for clapping. Not since the World Cup has sports entertainment been so exciting. This is history in the making, and I will be watching when it unfolds.
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