Haha! I can't bet on that one. Well, except if he feels "dizzy" again. The chap is yet to lose a set this season, on clay.

doyin13:

i so want Nadal to lose.

In your dreams especially since this is on clay.

doyin13:

i will wait for wimbledon before i conclude on federer's form. his backhand is less vulnerable there

Federer's grip is slowly loosening at the top. He cant be called a true great until he is able to dominate on clay the way he does on grass.

@ PDF

I have stopped following Blake's game, he is far too inconsistent to pose too much of a threat. Starts slams well and then fizzles out when you least expect. Last yrs US open was definitely his best moment.
Nadal, Djokovic are the players to watch. I'm glad Nadal finally stuck one up to Youzhny.

What's up with Marat Safin?

the guy i wanted out is Roger!
as for Nadal, the guy is the king on clay!
i want him there !

@daividlyan

Pete Sampras is regarded as a great, but his best at the French was a semi final berth. If not for Nadal, Federer would probably be one or two French up. Nadal's dominace of the clay reminds me so much of Kuerten's dominance a few years back. He is now one of the 'where are they now' crew.

Djokovic has already lost his first game on serve. Terrible

Wow! another straight-set victory for Nadal. Who will stop him? Gonzo? or maybe Volandri

davidylan:

What's up with Marat Safin?

From the article below,  I think the problem with Safin is that he's losing his focus or maybe he's just not feeling tennis anymore.

His compatriot, Mikhail Youzhny, summed up Safin when he talked to Tennis Magazine in 2004. "If I did like [Safin] does -- his nightclubs, his smoking -- I'd never make the Top 100," Youzhny said. "He is very happy now, he gets whatever he wants, so if he doesn't want to practice, he doesn't practice."

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=2864928&name=tennis

All the best for Marat, at least his sister is ready to carry on the Safin family flag.

Is anyone still in doubt about Nadal's superiority on clay? Flogged another top ten player with ease! Time for Davydenko's tennis training.

Rafael Nadal swept towards a third consecutive Rome Masters title, beating fifth seed Novak Djokovic 6-2 6-3 in the quarter-finals.

The world number two, whose victory took his winning streak on clay to 75 matches, set up a semi-final against fourth seed Nikolay Davydenko and insisted he was expecting a touch match against the Russian.

"He's playing very good tennis, hitting hard on both sides. He can beat me," he said.

Nikolay Davydenko fought back from a horror opening set to claim a hard-fought 1-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Spain's Tommy Robredo to book his place in the quarter finals of the Rome Masters.

"He's like Robredo, only a lefty and more physical," Davydenko said of the prospect of facing Nadal in the next round.

"It's pretty tough to beat him because the court is not so fast. He is also faster than Robredo.

"I saw Robredo was tired in the second set. He's wasn't running so quick. But Nadal runs in the first set, the second set, third set, every set the same."

"Nadal, I don't know, maybe he is an animal, like he never tires," the Russian joked. "We'll see."

Wild card Filippo Volandri became the first Italian player to reach the semi-finals of the Rome Masters in 29 years when he swept past 12th seed Tomas Berdych 6-2 6-3.

Volandri will next face sixth seed Fernando Gonzalez, who beat Juan Ignacio Chela 6-3 6-4.

i saw the match today. its simply not fair. Djokovic did not play badly but nadal just chased everything down.

they should ban him(nadal) from claylike they ban nigerian actors and actresses. I am not looking forward to seeing this kind of dominance for too long. Remember Sampras on grass. There is nothing wrong with consistently winning, but at least show some vulnerability. At no time did he look in danger of
losing today. Some would say awesome, i say terrorism.

Davydenko is really pushing Nadal, but he is already a set down. At least he has managed to break Nadal more than anybody has done this season. There is hope

He should have taken the first set when he had the chance. He only raises his game when he's broken and relaxes later.

5-5 in the second set. Classic.

Finally, Davy takes the second set after blowing away five set points!!!!

Can u believe they've spent close to 3hrs already on court?

Na wa o! 7-6, 6-7. What a second set tie break!

Vamos Rafa! We must destroy the soviet machine in this third set.

Nadal drop his first set on clay this year.

Rafa is really in for it this time.  He looks like he's going to lose this match.

Whoever scales through, anyway,  faces in-form Gonzo (who beat Volandri 6-1, 6-2) in the finals.

Dont count Rafa out yet. still too early, besides its like most of the players go into extra gear anytime they have to play him. If Davey wins this game then you can safely award him the masters title. He's a consistent baseliine slugger with few unforced errors. Worst player to play against.

Na wa for this game o! No one wants to lose. 7-6, 6-7, 2-2!

this is ridiculous. where does nadal get the power. na jazz o

the question is who on earth is this freak called Davydenko?

 

Game over.  Nadal is really an animal.

All hail king Nadal!
7-6, 6-7, 6-4

my food has lost its taste

doyin13:

my food has lost its taste

lol. . . pass it to your dog.

The win is Nadal's 76th win on clay, breaking John McEnroe's record for most victories on one surface.

doyin13:

my food has lost its taste

at this rate you wont be able to eat for the rest of the clay court season.

i hope gonzalez will save me from starvation

The match between Nadal and Gonzalez is underway. 

Doyin, Gonzo isn't helping ur condition at the moment, Nadal has taken the first set 6-2.

thanks for the reminder @ PDF. . .
Doyin is going to starve until June.

Haha! . . . the guy isn't losing this year sef. Nadal goes 3-0 second set.

long may Doyin starve. 6-2, 6-2 and Rafa is champion of Rome for the third straight year!