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PARIS: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will be chasing more than gold
at the Beijing Olympics with the coveted world No. 1 spot suddenly
at stake following the Spaniard’s stunning Wimbledon triumph.
Federer has occupied the top spot in the
rankings for 232 weeks while Nadal has had to be content with life
in the Swiss star’s slipstream for 155 of those.
But the tournament in China could witness the
latest dramatic switch in tennis’s balance of power which seemed
impossible just a few weeks ago.
Ahead of the French Open, where Nadal cruised
effortlessly to a fourth successive title, the Mallorcan was too
busy looking over his shoulder at the imminent danger posed by Novak
Djokovic who was poised to take over his No. 2 slot.
But after becoming the first man since Bjorn
Borg in 1980 to complete the elusive Roland Garros-Wimbledon double,
Nadal is now poised to knock Federer off his perch if a complicated
series of scenarios work in his favor.
The defining moment could come on the North
American hardcourts, in Beijing or at the US Open where Federer is
the defending champion.
Either way, the 22-year-old Nadal is eager for
the Olympics to get underway.
“To play in the Olympics is very special,
because when you’re very young you always see the Olympic Games on
television,” said Nadal who’ll be making his singles debut in
Beijing having played doubles with Carlos Moya at Athens four years
ago.
“You represent your country, that’s the same
as the Davis Cup, but at the same time it’s completely different.
When I play Davis Cup I always have this big motivation and I think
in the Olympics I am going to have the same.”
Despite Nadal’s triumphs at Wimbledon and at
Roland Garros, Federer doesn’t take kindly to suggestions that he
should be preparing to hand over his No. 1 spot to his Spanish
rival.
“You write what you want,” he snapped after
losing the five-set thriller at the All England Club, his 12th
defeat in 18 matches with Nadal.
“I’m going to try and win the Olympics and
the US Open and then we can talk again.”
The Federer-Nadal rivalry will be one of the
most fascinating at the Games with commercial backers and the
game’s rulers licking their lips in anticipation.
If TV viewing figures are any guide, a gold
medal clash between the sport’s heavyweights will be big box
office.
In the United Kingdom, more than 13 million
viewers watched the culmination of the Wimbledon final, a huge 47.6
percent of the TV audience.
Federer finished fourth at the 2000 Olympics in
Sydney and was knocked out in round two at Athens by Thomas Berdych
of the Czech Republic.
Despite his enthusiasm for the Games, the
12-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged, however, that Wimbledon,
Roland Garros and the Australian and US Opens remain the benchmark
of success.
“You’re going to be judged on the Grand
Slams you win and number ones,” Federer says. “The Olympics are
a new thing to tennis.
“Maybe in 50 years’ time it will also become
one of the big tournaments to win. For me it is already, but maybe
some players and some fans need more convincing that the Olympics is
big for tennis.”
-- AFP
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