Today is opening day of the Madrid Masters, and Nadal wants to win so bad he can almost taste this one. To win the Masters trophy on his home turf, in front of thousands of screaming Spaniards, could be as big a thrill for him as winning the Gold medal in Beijing. He is seeded number 1, and his ranking position will not change even if by some miracle he loses. All the top men are competing, but the miracle that might bite Rafa in the ass comes in the shape of Roger Federer.

Roger has been up to his old tricks once again. He withdrew from the Stockholm tournament a week ago citing tiredness as his excuse. Everyone immediately surmises that it is a return of his year long bout with Mono that is the cause. He was quoted a saying that he was planning to skip the Madrid Masters to get into better shape for the season ending Shanghai Masters event, but at the last minute he has reluctantly changed his mind. All of his comments were made with an air of disinterest coupled with an expression on his part that he was almost willing to concede that his 2008 season was pretty much over. Most of the members of the press, the pundits who forecast winners and pick the odds, have Federer being eliminated in the early rounds, the most ambitious writers have him only progressing to the quarter finals. He has sucked everyone in once again. It’s a pattern he has used before, a ploy to lessen the threat he poses, and the edge he gains can easily turn the matches in his favour. Federer at 95% efficiency is still able to beat all the competition with the exception of only Nadal, and Federer at 100% is unbeatable on any surface except grass. He won the US Open with ease, and didn’t charge for the tennis lessons he gave to Murray and Djokovic. The Masters series of tournaments is named after players such as Federer, who have earned the coveted title of Master over the years. It’s an unwritten requirement that to be termed a Master of the sport, a player has to have won more than one Major tournament. In the Madrid Masters it is easy to count those players who qualify, in fact you can count them on two fingers.

Nadal hasn’t won since he won the Gold medal, Djokovic was beaten by Tsonga in Thailand, and Murray hasn’t shown much since reaching the final of the US Open.

The hottest players on tour right now are Del Potro, Tsonga and Berdych, and I will not be surprised to see one of them competing against Federer in the final. Del Potro is in desperate need of qualifying points for the Shanghai Masters, and along with fellow Argentinian David Nalbandian, the defending champion, he would love to show the Spanish fans what they can expect from him in the Davis Cup final against Spain in November.

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