Chasing the Grand Slam

RAFAEL Nadal will politely wish Andre Agassi had kept kissing Steffi at Wimbledon last week and just shut up. Had not done him the unfortunate honour of mentioning him and the possibility of the 'Grand Slam (i.e. all four Majors in a calendar year)' in the same breath. As No.1, Nadal has enough problems, primarily three named Roger, Andy and Novak. But Agassi, Tennis' professor emeritus, couldn't help himself, as if Nadal's metamorphosis from clay-court caterpillar (well, not in speed) to multi-surface butterfly, deserved the greatest appreciation. 'If Nadal (the Australian Open champion) retains Paris like he has done for the last number of years,' said Agassi, 'and comes (to Wimbledon where he is defending champion) with the confidence to put together two good weeks, I think we could be looking at him in New York (at the US Open ) with a realistic opportunity of going on to achieve the unthinkable.' The unthinkable is good. The 'impregnable quadrilateral', as golf called its Grand Slam, is better. Either way, it demands a year-long mastery of surfaces (Australian Open's slow hardcourt, French clay, Wimbledon grass, US Open fast hardcourt), a long kiss from luck, a clean chit from injury and amiable draws. The Grand Slam borders on fantasy because only two men, in over 90 years, have achieved it: Don Budge (1938) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969). More tellingly, only five men (Budge, Fred Perry, Laver, Roy Emerson, Agassi) have won all four titles in their lifetime. Men have flirted with the Slam in recent times, but fallen prey to rules and fallen ruin to temper. In 1974, Jimmy Connors won three-quarters of the Slam but was banned from the French. In 1984, John McEnroe won Wimbledon and the US Open and had led Ivan Lendl two sets to love in the French final before his concentration collapsed like cheap crystal. In 2004, 2006, 2007, Federer eased his way to victory in three Slams, yet was denied always in Paris, twice by Nadal. Federer's consistent hunt of the Grand Slam was remarkable because modern Tennis is a uniquely muscular challenge. Players don't hit the ball, they commit assault and battery on it. From the first round, competition is harsh and bodies are hurled around. So hard is it to stay fit and consistent that Agassi said: 'I didn't think I'd ever see (a Grand Slam) because it seems like the impossible.' But Federer first, and now Nadal, have altered mindsets. Wally Masur, once a top-15 player, says: 'I didn't think it was possible, but that thinking has changed.' Jason Stoltenberg, Wimbledon semi-finalist in 1996, adds: 'It's very, very difficult but definitely possible.' RAFAEL Nadal is Jimmy Connors with better manners. 'In Tennis, it's hard to be the same every day,' says Masur, to carry to court the same intensity, but he sees that in both men. Connors once strode a dressing room after battle attached to a drip, unable to sit down because every part was cramping. Nadal's game has echoes of a similar rage, which is why Masur calls him 'one of the great warriors'. This is Nadal's finest ally. He has polished his backhand, added weight to his serve, crept closer to the baseline, but the essence of his genius is a self-belief that shines in every droplet of sweat that adorns him. It has allowed him to overtake Federer, win Wimbledon, and translate his game to hardcourt. The Grand Slam, of which he only says 'this is not a goal for me right now', may be beyond his grasp but not his mental reach. Every changeover, Nadal places his water bottles in precisely the same spot. Every point, he towels off and tugs his shorts. Every time he does this, Masur sees a man 're-setting his computer', as if whatever happened before doesn't matter. It is this faithfulness to habit even when tired that can be valuable during a long-distance run to the Slam. Small advantages assist Nadal. In Paris, this fortnight, where he has never lost, he is so powerfully a favourite that Stoltenberg laughs, 'it's a miracle if he doesn't win the French'. But it's not just clay he is blessed by, but also by the altered texture of grass. From high-bouncing French brick dust immediately to greasily quick Wimbledon grass was traditionally Tennis' ultimate transition and reason why Bjorn Borg is worshipped. For three years consecutively (1978-80) he conquered either side of the English Channel, which is akin to a pianist giving a classical music concert one fortnight and a jazz recital the next. Then, serve-and-volleyers stared down Borg from the net. Now, Wimbledon is a virtual baseline event where the net is mostly visited for handshakes. Says Masur, who once beat McEnroe at Wimbledon: 'The difference in the grass is night and day. In my time, you barely had time to pass with the ball below your knee. Now it's very high bouncing and slow.' Clay-to-grass is still Tennis' stiffest examination of technique and footwork, yet the altered conditions (even the balls are slower) are, says Stoltenberg, 'a benefit' to the backcourt-residing Nadal. But he is clear: 'Even if these courts were fast, Nadal would still find a way to win.' BUT those knees of Nadal, those aching joints that could sue him for damages so hard does he overwork them, will they last? His face shows nothing, but pain eats away at even the greatest resolve. By autumn, Nadal often looks tired after a spring of clay-court running, but it is when he will have to be at his quickest, for the US Open is now the fastest Slam of the year. Says Masur: 'That could be his stumbling block.' Perhaps the Spaniard, not yet a finalist in the US, will take a short break should he win Wimbledon. Such is sport that even 23-year-olds (he will be on June 3) must stop and physically reload themselves. Everywhere this Grand Slam road is strewn with the potholes of failure. Illness. A poor sleep. Djokovic's clay form. Murray's hardcourt prowess. What Nadal needs, says Mahesh Bhupathi, four times a Grand Slam doubles champ, is 'perfect health, perfect draw, perfect Tennis'. But life is never perfect, it's the athlete's conquering of his imperfections that makes him exceptional. To accomplish this Grand Slam, Nadal must win his fifth consecutive French Open, defy Federer the favourite for a second Wimbledon and win a first US. It will take thousands of points, miles of running, hours of tension, and the more it is contemplated the harder it seems. Yet last year, defying conventional wisdom, a man won eight Olympic gold medals in the pool. Michael Phelps is proof to swimmers that the impossible, as someone once said, 'is what nobody can do until somebody does'. Maybe Rafael Nadal is that man Tennis has been waiting for. rohitb@sph.com.sg French Open: Day 1 live, Ch21, tomorrow, 5pm Who can stop Nadal? Roger Federer (SUIx2) Against Nadal 7-13 The Swiss' 6-4, 6-4 win over Nadal in Madrid last Sunday was only his second against the Spaniard in 11 encounters on clay. It was also his first over Nadal in 18 months during which Federer lost three Grand Slam finals. The Madrid result will have given him a huge lift, but the gap between him and Nadal at Roland Garros has been widening, culminating in last year's 1-6, 3-6, 0-6 hammering. ANDY MURRAY (GBRx3) Against Nadal 2-7 Defeated Nadal in four sets last September on his way to the US Open final and beat the Spaniard again in Rotterdam in February, taking the deciding set 6-0. The Scot looks to be a real threat to the world No. 1 on hard courts and grass, but he admits he is least effective on clay and the best-of-five-sets format at the French Open will work against him. NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SRBx4) Against Nadal 4-14 Djokovic has gotten closer to beating Nadal throughout the year and only the Spaniard's never-say-die attitude staved off defeat in their classic Madrid semi-final. The problem for the Serb though is that Nadal's game is perfect for Roland Garros' centre court. Also, the French Open is a best-of-five-sets tournament, meaning Djokovic, whose stamina has been questioned, needs to win three sets, not just two. FERNANDO VERDASCO (ESPx8) Against Nadal 0-9 One of the most improved players in the last year, the Madrid man gave Nadal a tough time in the Australian Open semi-finals before losing in five sets. Verdasco has the fitness and stamina to slug it out with his countryman, but he won only three games against the world No. 1 at last year's French Open. If Nadal wins the French Open, he will be halfway to one of the most exclusive accomplishments in sport: winning all four Majors in a calendar year. 'I didn't think I'd ever see (a Grand Slam) because it seems like the impossible.' Andre Agassi