It's the final of the semi's ... !!!

So shall we have a little preview?? Yes ... I'm talking to you! You lot out there hiding behind your couches, peeking from out of your cupboards, preparing your dogs for an extra walk and cracking open your gin bottles.

Hehe ...

It's the final of the semi's! Perhaps the biggest match of the year, and the one that seemingly everyone wanted to see. Since the Roland Garros website announced that they were hoping to a have a new Champion this year, and the press was awash with articles such as "How to beat Rafael Nadal on clay", there's been a quiver of excitement around the tennis world as it waits to herald the defeat of Rafael Nadal in the French Open. I mean, could you imagine the same old thing being written about Feddie as he marched to his Wimbledon titles?? It would have Patrick McEnroe, Chris Evert, Mary Jo Fernandez, Mary Carillo, Mats Wilander, Tim Henman, Leif Shiras, Bouncy Castle, Sky Marcus, Barry Cowan, Annabel Croft, Jim Courier, Nick Mullins et al all spinning on their heads!!

Can you tell I've got my tongue firmly in my cheek here? ;)

So let's look at the evidence and start with one possible hard fact. There's probably only one player currently who has the remotest chance of beating Rafa on clay at the French Open and that's the Prince of Darkness himself ... good old PoD, Novak Djokovic. And the Great and the Good of the tennis establishment (except for you, Mr Harmans - sissy, come out and say it), have firmly and openly nailed their predictions onto the Djokovic mast, for some of these reasons:-

(1) He's the No. 1 player in the world.

(2) He beat Rafa in Monte Carlo.

(3) [wait for this one ... it's a cracker] It's "his time".

Hhhhmm ... how does being the current World Number 1 stack up against being the Greatest Clay Court player of all time? And the fact that in his entire career, he's only beaten Rafa 3 times on the surface. I mean, we all remember the 2006 semi-final when Djokovic was easily beaten and for him to declare that Rafa himself is actually beatable on clay. It only took him another 5 years to do it ... but then that's by the by, and we shouldn't actually judge the PoD by his entire career because anything before 2011 doesn't really count.  Does it?

So since 2011, the PoD had 2 wins on clay against Rafa, then last year Rafa had 3, and this year the PoD has had 1. 3-all. But then, of course, we can put Rafa's victory at Monte Carlo 2012 down to Djokovic being utterly bereft at losing his Grandfather :-/ whilst Rafa's defeat this year probably wasn't influenced by the fact that he'd had 2 weeks off prior to the tournament starting, and he hadn't so much as even practised.  Not to mention that he'd then only been playing what? 8 weeks following an 8 month lay off?

So if this Monte Carlo win is the barometer on which tomorrow's result is being judged, what do I think?

I think the PoD played marvellous tennis on that day. I don't think he's had many better sets against Rafa than what he did in that first set. I don't think that he could have actually played any better than he did, and it was a very, very accomplished performance. But ... Rafa was off the pace that day, and it wasn't simply because of the tennis the PoD played against him. He'd started to rally himself by the end of that first set, and he broke twice in the second. Where Rafa was lacking was that he didn't quite have the conditioning then to push on physically and consolidate after it. He was quite tame in his service games. And whilst physically he may have been lacking, I think his will was right on it. He got himself to that tie-breaker and as we all know, they're a lottery and anything could happen ... but the conditioning in getting there played it's part again, and he bowed out.

But Rafa's body language and demeanour were excellent from the point of the match ending. So if there are any out there still harbouring the hope that Djokovic is "in Rafa's head" ... well think again. He was perfectly at one with that defeat and could entirely rationalise it. And as they've both kicked on in this clay court season, it was Djokovic who failed early in Madrid and failed to see it out in Rome. And whilst Rafa has been patchy in Barcelona and matches leading up to the semi-finals and finals in both Madrid and Rome ... his performances when they had to count have been quite fabulous.

They've both had different journeys on the path to this semi-final. Rafa had a tough first week, the PoD didn't ... but as they've moved to the business end of this tournament, it's the PoD who lost a set against Kohlschreiber, and being taken to a tie-break and 7-5 against the 35 year old Tommy Haas wasn't particularly stellar ... whereas Rafa has been superb.  And don't give me any of this twonk about his childhood coach.  I sat in the stands to watch his practice before the 2012 Monte Carlo final and was so overcome by how well he was hitting the ball, I feared the worst.  He wasn't suffering with his emotions then, I can tell you.  He was a man on a mission.

But back to Rafa.  I think he's in a good place, focused, and playing well. He'll love being the under-dog, he's no weight of His7ory on his shoulders, he's absolutely nothing to prove. No expectations ... nothing. He'll be intent on reaching the final of the French Open ... not driven by the thought of beating Djokovic to reach the final of the French Open - if you catch my drift. ;)

It will still be very tough to call, and there will be twists and turns. I may use expletives and I may gnaw off my right arm and that gin bottle ... it's mine! But Rafa ... we have faith in you, we trust you to always do your best. You're Rafael Nadal. Seven times Champion, the Clay court King and You Can Do it, You Can DO It!!

VAMOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!