In a season that has been living under the past's auspices, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are taking turns in dominating the men's tour. The Swiss tennis star made the most out of the first outdoor hard swing while The Spaniard is having another tremendous run during the Clay Court season with two titles already under his belt. And it seems that there is no one capable of stopping him in the next weeks or so. With an improved ranking status, Nadal is now on the fifth position just behind Roger Federer who holds the fourth slot. But this time the stars seems to be aligned in order to fulfil the Spaniard's will.
He is expected to put in some of his magical tennis during the upcoming clay court stops in Madrid and Rome.
Roger Federer has no intention to resume playing soon which gives Nadal an extra burst as he will probably stand as the fourth seed both in Madrid and Rome
When it comes to big ATP tournaments, a player's ranking status is quite important. Usually, big events draw in all high-ranked players. Last year, while struggling with form and injuries, Nadal's ranking plunged which eventually led him to a much more difficult draw having to face top seeds starting with the quarterfinals. Now, with Federer not being around until the French Open, Nadal will benefit as he is the next in line to clinch the fourth seed status of the upcoming events.
If he will win at least one in the next weeks he will surpass Federer eventually entering the French Open as a top 4 ultimately increasing the odds for him to clinch his 10th Roland Garros. It would be stunning if he'll get this done. Besides, the timing for this to happen could be great as he already won his 10th Monte-Carlo and Barcelona title.
Finding his pace on the dusty clay courts of Europe, Nadal might be the dark horse of the remaining season especially after he was demolished by Federer three times in a row.
With Djokovic and Murray still far from their peak, Nadal is entitled to hope for the best
While the WTA circuit was dynamited by Serena Williams' announcement of her pregnancy, in men's tennis things are also unclear.
Murray and Djokovic, the first two at the top, must defend last year's results and their latest appearances were far from what was expected. On the other side, Nadal is definitely riding a fast horse but there are questions if he will be able to maintain that pace. You wouldn't know what to expect from the Swiss cavalry as there is no sign yet with Federer enjoying his time off while Wawrinka is having another unfruitful time. Given all these, Nadal seems the most entitled top player to aim big during of what's left of the clay court swing.
