Gasquet-Nadal: Clash of the young pretenders
By Guillaume Baraise and Georges Homsi
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Fourth seed Rafael Nadal faces Richard Gasquet (30) Friday in what promises
to be an epic struggle between two of the outstanding young talents in the
men's game. Nadal has been in astonishing form this season, dismissing
all-comers with his high-octane power game, but Gasquet has such natural
ability that he just might have the wherewithal to counter the Spaniard.
Whatever the outcome, both 18-year-olds are sure to put on a memorable show.
Strengths
Rafael Nadal's deadliest weapon is his crunching forehand, Gasquet's his
sweet backhand. Each will obviously try to use his best shot as often as
possible, so the way they employ their contrasting styles should make for
fascinating viewing.
"Rafa" likes to run around his backhand and find killer angles for his
forehand. That requires speed and stamina, but these are qualities the
teenager possesses in abundance. Once he gets out wide, the Iberian either
punishes you cross-court, or fires unstoppable bullets down the line.
The young Frenchman is more measured in his approach, often preparing his
kill meticulously with a series of cross-court backhands before performing
the coup de grace with a backhand down the line. Both are adept at the drop
shot, Gasquet with more finesse, but Nadal is less prone to all-round error.
Gasquet's first serve has more snap, but the Spaniard's second ball is
trickier to handle, often rearing up off the clay.
Nadal is in incredible shape, able to chase down lost causes all match
long. He never, ever, crumbles under pressure either. In contrast, many
doubted Richard Gasquet's ability to rise to the big occasion until recently.
His win over Roger Federer at Monte-Carlo went a long way to silencing those
doubters. A win over Nadal in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the French
Open could be the making of the man.
Weaknesses
Such has been the dominance of Nadal in recent months that it has been
difficult to pick out an area where he needs to improve. On his backhand
side, maybe, and, with his serve, which rarely earns him easy points.
Gasquet has never played a five-setter, so one wonders whether he will
stand up to a long, gruelling match in the hot sun. His game needs to
click, so should he fail to get into a groove he could, like so many
before him this year, get steamrolled by the merciless Nadal.
Context
Nadal is most people's favourite for the title, which must give him
confidence, but it also releases the pressure on Gasquet. Easy wins in
his first two rounds should give him encouragement too, and with the fans
cheering his every move, he might get on a high and take his game to new
levels.
Head to heads: 2-1 Nadal
Gasquet and Nadal meet for the fourth time. Their first match, in 2003 at
the Saint-Jean de Luz Challenger, ended with Nadal retiring hurt, but the
Spaniard got even at Estoril in 2004, winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 on clay, despite
getting injured again. Their third match came this year at the ATP Masters
Series in Monte-Carlo. Gasquet led their semi final 7-6, 2-0 before conceding
the last two sets 6-4, 6-3. The Frenchman simply ran out of steam that day,
exhausted by his win over Roger Federer in the quarter final.
Translation: David Tutton (Sportstranslations)
http://www.rolandgarros.com/
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