Fedal #33- Who will be victorious?

Fedal No 33- Who will come victorious?

5 years ago, at this exact event, Rafael Nadal claimed his first hard court grand-slam, after defeated Roger Federer in 5 sets. Such was the impact, that the Great Roger Federer was left in tears during the presentation ceremony.

And the situation now is somewhat an exact reverse. Rafael Nadal is fairly being considered as a favourite in a surface which is probably his Achilles heel, and at the same time, Roger Federer, 4 time champion here, is more or less an under-dog coming into the match. But stats and form take a back seat and breath taking tennis comes into play, when these warriors come to the tennis court, which they picture it as a battle-ground.

Let us look at the form of these two players. Rafael Nadal, who made a glorious comeback and snatched the World No 1 ranking from Djokovic last year, continued his good form into the tournament. But he is facing a slight setback, after blisters in his playing hand causing trouble for him to serve with accuracy. This was seen in his quarter-finals against Grigor Dimitrov, after he served 7 double faults, an irregularity considering Nadal’s accurate serving.

Roger Federer, on the other hand, is brimming with confidence. Though he lost at Brisbane to Hewitt,  Roger Federer was the man to beat even though he is ranked lower than he was in most of his career. And he showed exactly why he should be feared, after he graced past his initial opponents with ease. His real form was showcased in his performance against Tsonga and Murray in 4th round and QF respectively, after he trashed both of them in a convincing manner.

Now coming into the match, Nadal obviously has a better record head to head. But considering their current form and injury issues, the match is expected to be more closely fought than ever, atleast considering the last 2-3 years.

Prediction : Nadal wins in 5 sets.