2010 Mubadala World Tennis Championship: Preview – Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal
First day of the New Year and tennis fans are already in for a coveted treat. Aptly putting it, it is the Clash of the Titans. Do not confuse this with the movie that failed at the box office. What better way to start the year
than watching world number one, Rafael Nadal at the courts, any guesses? Well, it is Nadal meeting archrival Roger Federer on the courts. The top two are going to be battling it out at the final match of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship at the Abu Dhabi
International Complex on New Year’s Day.
Accounting for their unofficial meetings on the court this season, this would be the pair’s fifth meeting on the courts. Their official career head to head rests at 14-8 in Nadal’s favour.
The two titans first 2010 meeting at the courts came in May at the final match of the Madrid Masters. Enjoying the home crowd advantage and perhaps an arguable higher skill level, Nadal defeated Federer, who, incidentally, was
defending his title at the event. Their next meeting came at the season finale event in London. Sailing through the round robin stage and crushing their semi final opponents, the two met in the final match where Federer denied Nadal a maiden win at the event
winning his fifth season finale.
Perhaps, what 2010 was missing was the classic Rafa-Federer action at the Grand Slam finals, something that has dominated the event for a past few years. Nadal pulling out of the Australian Open due to an injury and Federer’s disappointing
performance at the three other Grand Slams denied the fans of the entertainment they had been looking forward to the most.
Although both players enjoyed a “super” season, Nadal’s was a tad more decorated. Other than winning at Wimbledon, Roland Garros and the US open, the Spaniard also managed wins at three Masters events namely Madrid, Rome and Monte
Carlo. Nadal also won a title at Tokyo in his debut appearance at the event. Putting in final appearances at the season finale and the Doha, Nadal registered an impressive 71-10 win loss mark for the season. In addition to lifting the trophy as the world’s
number one player for the year, Nadal capped off the season with a number of awards including the Stefan Edberg Sportsman award and the BBC Overseas Personality of the Year award. He has also been nominated for the coveted 2011 Laureaus World Sportsman of
the Year and the America’s Sports University Awards.
Although Federer’s performance for the season might pale in comparison, it still cannot be dismissed completely. In addition to winning the Australian Open, Federer also managed wins at the Cincinnati Masters, Basel and Stockholm
before ending the season with a title win at the season finale event. With final appearances at the Shanghai Masters, Beijing Masters, Madrid Masters as well as at Halle, the maestro registered a slightly less, nonetheless, an impressive 65-13 mark for the
season.
Winning the event last year, Nadal received an automatic bye into the semi final match. Doing away with Tomas Berdych in straight sets he again made to the final where he gets to defend his title. Second in the world, Federer also
received a bye into the semis where he met and defeated Robin Soderling.
A preview into what 2011 is going to be like, Saturday’s match is a must see. As to who will start the year with a win, remains to be seen.
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