A new racket and an improvement in his mental toughness are two of the explanations Roger Federer has given for his 100% unbeaten record against Rafael Nadal this year.
Facing the world No.1 for the fourth time this season at the Shanghai Masters, the Swiss 36-year-old proved too strong. Losing just eight points behind his serve and hitting 28 winners to only 11 unforced errors. The win gives Federer his fifth consecutive victory over Nadal for the first time in their long rivalry. Overall, he still trails their head-to-head 15-23.
“I had a clear game plan and felt I was playing well all week.” Said Federer. “I think that settled my nerves, because I was returning well from the first match here I played against Schwartzman. The serve only got better. I guess I saved best for last. I played some good matches now against Del Potro, Set 2 and 3, and also now these two sets.”
[2] @RogerFederer did not face BP in 64 63 #SHRolexMasters final win and has held 31 straight service games vs @RafaelNadal (7/7 BPs saved).
— ATP Media Info (@ATPMediaInfo) 15 October 2017
Gradually closing in on the no.1 position, Federer believes a new tool has enabled him to get the better of his Spanish rival – the RF97 racket. A racket with a head size of 97 inches. He explains that it has enabled him to generate more power in his shot-making and therefore improve his overall serving. On the ATP serve leaderboard he currently lies in third place with a rating of 300.2. The service rating combines the four service metrics percentages and the average number of aces per match before subtracting the average amount of double faults in a match.
“I think I’m maybe serving consistently better. I get easier power ever since I switched to the bigger racquet, the RF97. I feel I’m connecting better on the backhand and I’m serving good, and consistently.”
There is still one area that continues to trouble the world No.2 when he plays Nadal. That is when they clash on the clay. On the surface Nadal has won 13 out of their 15 encounters. One of the most notable occurred during the 2008 French Open where Federer was only able to win four games in the final.
Reflecting upon those loses, Federer admits that he previously struggled to recover mentally. He believes his Roland Garros whitewash was the reason why he didn’t win the Wimbledon title that same year. At the grand slam he lost to Nadal 9-7 in the deciding set.
“I think it’s also easier to play Rafa these days, and I just think I’m not so scarred like maybe I have been in the past.” The 19-time grand slam champion explained. “Not that I was horribly scarred in any way, but I did lose against him sometimes, a lot of the times especially on the clay courts.”
“I do believe I still lost that Wimbledon final in ’08 because of the French Open beatdown he gave me. It just affected my first two sets when I played him at Wimbledon.”
The future of their rivalry
Despite only being eight wins away from levelling his head-to-head with Nadal, Federer admits that he will not be able to it. Not due to talent, but because of time. The 36-year-old doesn’t think he has enough years left on the tour to erase the gap. Despite indicating no current plans of retirement.
“It’s not gonna happen. We don’t have enough years left on the tour, and we’re ranked too good that we play each other only in finals at the moment. It looks like that’s going to stay like this for a few months more. So can’t win them all against Rafa, to be honest. He’s too good of a player.” A contempt Federer evaluated.
Instead of agonising over what could have been, the focus remains on the present and maintaining the momentum. Heading into the year-end championship in London next month, the world No.2 has claimed six titles in 2017. Including two grand slams and three Masters 1000 titles.
“Whatever happened in the past has happened. I’m just happy I’m on the run that I am right now.” Stressed Federer. “I don’t know what it takes for year-end No. 1 for both of us. It seems for me that he (Nadal) seems extremely close to clinching it.”
“it’s been a terrific season and I didn’t overplay. Still have energy left. Like I said before the event, I’m happy it paid off again.”
Federer will now return to his native Switzerland to plot his next move. There is a possibility that he could miss the Swiss Indoors to focus on being ready for the ATP Finals.
