News24.com
June 7, 2024
Halle, Germany - Top-ranked Roger Federer has been the centre of attention at the Gerry Weber Open the past two years. That changed on Tuesday.
French Open champion Rafael Nadal created a stir when he arrived at the grass-court tuneup for Wimbledon, drawing an overflow crowd at an afternoon media conference.
"I'm happy. People are interested in me," the Spanish teenager said. "Nothing has changed for me. People knew who I was, now more people know who I am."
Federer, the two-time defending champion at Halle, doesn't mind losing the spotlight to the charismatic Spaniard.
"It's normal. He won a grand slam at 19, unbelievable. Everyone wants to talk to him, to get to know about him," said Federer, who survived a first round scare Tuesday against Robin Soderling, 6-7 (5) 7-6 (6) 6-4.
Nadal is out to prove the speed and athleticism which generated a 24-match winning streak on clay can translate to grass, which favours players with a bigger serve and flatter strokes.
But the likes of John McEnroe are already saying they haven't seen a teen as intimidating as Nadal since Boris Becker in 1985 when he won the first of his three Wimbledon titles.
Lot of pressure on him
"I'm feeling confident. This is an important tournament for me. Maybe it's possible to win here," Nadal said. "At Paris, there was a lot of pressure on me, I've played so many matches, but I feel good."
Nadal and Federer could meet in the semi-finals at Halle, a repeat of their French Open match won by Nadal in four sets. Some predict their rivalry will dominate tennis in the coming years.
"Could be, but other players might have a different opinion," said Federer, referring to some of his old rivals like Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt.
Nadal first plays German wild card Alexander Waske on Wednesday. He's not expected to win Wimbledon right away, but the Spaniard has already tasted modest success there. He reached the third round two years ago; as a junior player he made the semi-finals.
After winning the French Open, Nadal and Federer are tied with 665 in the ATP Entry Rankings.
"I've won all my matches on clay and I've only tied with Roger," Nadal said. "He's unbelievable - one of the best players in history."
Federer was quick to return the compliment.
"He was the favourite going into the French Open. That he handled the pressure and won - hats off to him," Federer said.
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