Each time Federer was beaten, unable to contain the marauding Mallorcan whose left-handed topspin game tormented the Swiss great like no other player has ever managed. There were passages of play in some of those matches when Federer appeared to have found the secret. "Roger has clearly decided that he doesn't want to play Nadal the way he used to play him, which means 'I'm going to miss before you get a chance to get a rhythm'," he said. Wilander believes Federer will adopt tactics Pete Sampras used to employ and play the match on his terms. Ever the innovator, Federer is perhaps a better player now than when he won his only French title in 2009.

Source: The Star June 05, 2019 16:30 UTC