Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal: Round 3

It was Shanghai not Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Well, it wasn’t the U.S. Open final. In fact it wasn’t a final. It was the semi-final of the Masters Cup in Shanghai. But it was another showdown between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. And it wasn’t on clay or grass. When last we left them the question was, having split the French and Wimbledon finals, what would happen if these two wonderful players met again this year on a hard court?

So now we have an answer. In case you just came out of a coma, Federer won in Shanghai, 6-4, 7-5. Hopefully Roger and Rafael will play that Open final next year or even a few Open finals sometime before they both retire. But this meeting was a pretty good consolation prize, because it was on a more neutral court, somewhere between grass and clay in terms of the bounce.

The Shanghai court wasn’t an asphalt based hard court like the Open. According to Roger it was actually slower than the outdoor hardcourt in Dubai where Rafael won in their first meeting of the year. It’s an indoor cushioned court, which uses an underlying pad as a base, usually some form…