Roger Federer claims it will be a difficult task for Rafael Nadal to succeed in winning his fourth consecutive French Open at Roland Garos beginning at the end of may.
Federer failed for the eighth time on clay against the Spaniard in the Hamburg Masters final on Sunday. This could have been the worste possible start for Federer as he prepares himself for the French Open.
Nadal has an amazing record in Paris- having won the last three tournaments, beating Federer in the 2006 and 2007 finals, and will be defending a perfect 21-match winning record at Roland Garros.
But the Mallorcan had to battle a hamstring strain in the first set of Sunday’s final before going on to depose Federer as Hamburg champion winning 7-5, 6-7 (3/7), 6-2 after nearly three hours.
“I wish I could have won in Hamburg, that would have given me an even better feeling for Roland Garros,” said Federer after his tenth loss on all surfaces to the Mallorcan.
“To have won here would have just confirmed that I am definitely playing well. I can definitely say I am feeling good, the three hours wasn’t a problem, from the physical standpoint.
“But from Rafael’s standpoint, he is perhaps struggling a bit more due to the stress with the levels of the last few weeks. I am completely fine and I will be ready for the tournament.”
Nadal had bizarre blisters after winning the Barcelona final earlier this month against compatriot David Ferrer and could barely run at the Rome Masters where he lost to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second round.
It was only his second defeat on clay since April 2005.
But he proved his fitness in Hamburg by beating world number three Novak Djokovic in the semifinal, before recovering from 5-1 down in the first set to beat Federer.
And despite suffering the hamstring problem, the Spaniard says he is confident of being fit to defend his Roland Garros crown.
“I am optimistic of playing Roland Garros, I will have to see how the leg settles down,” said Nadal.
“The final (in Hamburg) was tough for me, especially after the hard semifinal, I felt a bit of pain in my hamstring and it was difficult to concentrate.
“But it helps to beat the world number one (Federer) and the best player this year (Djokovic), it’s always important for confidence.
“The most important was to win Hamburg for the first time, regardless that it was the last event before Roland Garros.”
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