Word: nadal
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...your Euro? That's the question for tennis fans at the U.S. Open, which gets under way this week in New York City. Is it the melted-chocolate-smooth Swiss, Roger Federer, 25, or the bulldog from Spain, Rafael (Rafa) Nadal, 20? The top-ranked players in the world--Federer is No. 1, Nadal No. 2--have met in two major finals this summer, with the dirtballing specialist Nadal spoiling Federer's bid for the Grand Slam by beating him on the clay at the French Open. Federer, in turn, held serve against Rafa on the drag-strip grass...
...Nadal is James Dean to Federer's Cary Grant. With his shoulder-length hair, garish Capri pants (he will ditch them for the Open, he promises), sleeveless shirts that show off biceps that bulge like the Pyrenees, and hit-and-grunt technique, Nadal is the loudest player on tour. "He's like the bulls running down the street in [Pamplona]," says Bollettieri. "The bulls are going to run over every goddam thing--houses, anything." Another Nadal trademark is the leaping fist-pump; he leaves no emotion in the locker room. "This is who I am," he says. "I do what...
Agassi is old enough to have faced both McEnroe and Nadal, and he's attracted more to Nadal's spray-paint style than Federer's tennis classicism. "Roger just makes it look too easy," says Agassi, who lost to Federer in last year's U.S. Open final and fell to Nadal in the third round of this year's Wimbledon. "He has so many options out there on the tennis court. It's easier to identify with Nadal. Federer puts fans in the position where all they can do is marvel...
...Majorcan's singular ability to disrupt Federer's dominance is the spark that could ignite a long-term duel. Federer is universally recognized as one of history's all-time greats, perhaps the greatest, yet he has dropped six of his eight matches against Nadal. Rafa has a technical advantage: he's a lefty, so his topspin-heavy forehand often crosses high to Federer's backhand, forcing Federer out of position. But more important, Nadal toys with Federer's psyche. "Rafa must be in Roger's head," says Croatian Ivan Ljubicic, the world's third-ranked player...
During their French Open final, which Nadal won in four sets, Federer looked particularly flustered. "The pleasure of watching Federer play is that you can see him thinking out there," says sportscaster and ex-pro Mary Carillo. "You can watch him sizing up the situation and making adjustments in his game and changing something around, and he never did that against Nadal." Federer backhands the chatter about his lack of mental fortitude. "Nadal is just more obvious about his fighting qualities," he says. "I fight like crazy, even though it doesn't look like I am. Maybe because I have...