The quixotic mission to overtake Federer that has driven Nadal for the past 4½ years, finally propelled him into that vaunted No. 1 spot in August 2008.
It all began in March 2004 when newly dominant 22 year-old Roger Federer, feeling ill and stripped of strength, struggled mightily past Russian Nickolay Davydenko during the round of 64 of the Nasdaq-100 Miami Masters.
His next opponent was newcomer 17-year-old Rafael Nadal, ranked No. 36 in the world. Nadal was a hard-hitting left-hander from Spain, a country renowned for its prowess on clay. This, however, was a hard court event.
Anointed No. 1 a month earlier, Federer arrived in Miami having won 28 matches during the previous nine months, including his first Wimbledon crown in 2003 and his first Australian Open title in 2004. Even weakened, he expected to win this match.
Nadal had other plans. Playing nearly flawless tennis against Federer, Nadal defeated him 6-3, 6-3. While admittedly shocked, the tennis world should have stood still or spun backwards, because never was a tennis match more prophetic.
Nadal never faced a break point and he made 81 percent of his first serves. He even won 13 of 14 net points, punctuating his win with an overhead smash at the net! He played a nearly perfect match against the world No. 1 player. Keen observer Roger Federer suffered a shiver of recognition.
What did Nadal learn during that initial monumental Miami match in 2004? Besides being told to go to Roger’s backhand and to continue to attack, Nadal was informed that Roger was the No. 1 player in the world and that there was no shame in losing to him. This was the psychology employed. Simple enough when you are humble, proud and 17.
Facing overwhelming odds compelled Nadal even more. He plays his best when tilting at windmills. For Nadal with everything to win and nothing to lose, a victory meant that he was as on an equal footing with the top player in the world.
Integral to his mental makeup is the fact that Nadal never quits. There is honor in defeat as long as you compete completely. Nadal never lets up, he never lets go. Like a terrier locked on your calf, amputation is easier than ridding yourself of this man during a point. This is especially true when the stakes are high.
The Miami 2004 match was the most important one Nadal had played to date. He took away the knowledge that it is possible to play almost perfect tennis and that he, Rafael Nadal, could beat the best player on the planet.
Roger, on the other hand, attempting to stare down his future nemesis, blinked. Nadal noticed.
They met a second time in Miami a year later. Roger was riding another dominating year as No. 1. Again Nadal, playing extraordinary tennis, won the first two sets. This time, however, they were engaged in a five-set final. Luckily in 2005 the ATP still concluded its Masters Events finals with a best-of-five format.
Federer regrouped in time to win the third-set tiebreaker; then came back to win the last two sets. Even though Nadal lost, many considered it a break-through performance.
When they met again two months later for their first clay encounter, Nadal won the first of ten matches they would play on clay—ultimately, he would win nine out of the 10 clay contests.
Roger Federer possesses the greatest gifts ever bequeathed to a tennis-playing mortal. His movement, his timing, his agility, his hand-eye coordination, his precision, his analysis, and his speed…are all magically forged into one human being.
No one playing tennis has ever or will ever have more athletic skill at his beck and call than Federer. Watching him play has been likened to having a religious experience by the late David Foster Wallace in a now-famous article published in the New York Times.
In his early days on tour, Roger’s greatest weakness was his intermittent belief in his ability to win. A game plan that didn’t work right away was abandoned, often prematurely. Roger never doubted his skill or his shot-making or any of the technical aspects of the game he had mastered so easily and so well.
He remained inconsistent because he could not always be patient and sustain a game plan. He constantly outguessed himself and sacrificed his truer instincts.
Finally Roger learned to be calm—not to panic. He learned patience, making adjustments gradually. Once Roger mastered his temperament, he began to win. In fact, he became practically unbeatable.
He grew skillful at figuring out his opponents and waiting for them to self-destruct or to give up once they figured out that inevitably Roger was going to win. That freed him to play pure tennis.
Nadal, however, didn’t fit into Roger’s new world view. Employing his terminator mind set, Nadal played every point as if it were his last. Then, too, Nadal’s level of play often remained nearly-perfect when they met…like a programmed automaton.
At times Nadal’s aggressive and unrelenting play threw Roger back into his impatient, inconsistent past and Roger froze, not making the best decisions.
The rivalry between Federer and Nadal could prove to be the greatest rivalry tennis has ever known and it may just be getting interesting. So who is really better? Tough call.
But it comes down to this…if Roger Federer had Rafael Nadal’s mindset, there is no one who could beat him, including Rafael Nadal. It all goes back to Miami and that seed of doubt planted by Nadal in 2004...the seed that took root and spread vigorously throughout Roger’s psyche.
Going forward Rafa faces Roger with steadfast belief while Roger faces Rafa with a shadow of a doubt. Faith trumps fear every time. Until Roger masters his mental misgivings—kills the weed at its root, Rafa will own the court and continue to wear the crown.
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