Viva El Rey

Another clay court tournament, another victory for El Rey del Clay, Rafael Nadal - that seems to be the script these days and there doesn't appear to be anything from stopping the kid on his way to his third consecutive triumph in Paris at Roland Garros. Yesterday, Rafa earned his third consecutive ATP Masters Series Rome victory, a feat which had been unachieved in the event's long history, with a convincing victory over Chilean Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez, under the tutelage of Larry Stefanki, had been expected to give Nadal a serious run as he had played extremely well in his semifinal rout over Italian surprise Filipo Volandri and he was facing a potentially mentally and physically fatigued opponent in Rafa. Since Gonzo has been working with Stefanki, his game has been transformed from a forehand bashing error machine into a thinking man's player with weapons.

Alas, a dramatic final was not to be. The pre-Stefanki Gonzalez showed up and was in a highly charitable mood. He never challenged Nadal in the 2 abbreviated sets. However, Nadal did well to forget the turmoil of his semifnal match with Nikolay Davydenko, deciding instead to take control of the points versus an opponent who dearly wanted to dictate play. By not letting Gonzalez control play, Rafa was able to force the Chilean into becoming impatient and thus forcing errors. Including yesterday's final, Gonzalez's record in finals now stands at 7 - 10, while Nadal's is 21 - 3, including 9 - 1 in ATP Master Series finals. Those records are telling when comparing the two men. Obviously, Gonzalez hasn't been nearly as successful in the big moments and perhaps that played a part yesterday as he was appearing in only his second Master Series final. On the other hand, Nadal relishes the big moment and as television commentator Doug Adler noted a few times during the final, he is such a good match player as he recognizes the important moments of a match and plays them extremely well.

So the impressive feats of the young Spaniard continue - here is a brief list:

21 titles
9 Master Series titles
3 consecutive ATP Masters Series Rome titles
2 French Open championships in 2 tries
77 match win streak on clay (the longest for any male player on any surface)
Ranked number 2 in the world for a record 90 consecutive weeks

The above list becomes even more impressive when you consider that Rafa is still only 20 years old. OK, admittedly I'm a Rafa Kool-Aid drinker, but that withstanding, one has to admit that the kid's record is pretty darn good. You have to go back to Bjorn Borg to find someone so accomplished at such a young age. Somehow, Nadal looks even better on clay this year than he did last and that's bad news for anyone who wants to win at Roland Garros (e.g., Roger Federer). He's dictating play more, hitting with far better length and not allowing his opponents any breathing room on their own service games. In his last 3 matches in Rome, he broke his opponents immediately in their opening service games. That's pressure when you have to play from behind right away against one of the game's best front-runners.

This week, the boys are in Hamburg and Nadal says he's going to play. I'm skeptical that he'll finish the event, but let's see what happens. Regardless, El Rey del Clay is on track for his third consecutive title at Roland Garros and it doesn't look like anyone can stop him. Viva el Rey!