Rafael Nadal has beaten Roger Federer for the 14th time in their 21st meeting at the Madrid Masters 2010 by 6-4, 7-6 (7:5).

It was a rematch of the Federer-Nadal 2009 Madrid final which Roger won 6-4, 6-4.

Rafael Nadal beats Roger Federer in the final of the Madrid 2010 / Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafa and Roger have not played since last year’s final and it was evident that they were both searching for the most effective tactic against each other.

I’ve analyzed the match and here are some interesting facts when it comes to unforced errors: (more…)

Have you ever been frustrated by an opponent who masterfully pulled one drop shot after another when you least expected them?

And even if you reached the ball you still lost the point most of the times?

There’s a way to counter these drop shot masters and you have to approach it from two ways.

Don’t Allow Them To Play A Drop Shot

If it was just that simple. Of course, you cannot play every ball in such a way that your opponent can’t play a drop shot (without risking too much of course), but you can keep in mind the general strategy of play that makes is much more difficult to play a drop shot. (more…)

If you’ve ever watched the coin toss at the start of the match when Rafael Nadal is one of the players on court, you’ve definitely noticed his sprint to the baseline after the players decide on which side they’ll play and who will serve first.

I believe there is a reason why Nadal starts his warm up in that way as I have personally done a few similar things before matches to get into the right state.

The following article will explain what the state is, why we have three different responses to perceived threats and how we can trigger the right one to perform well at the start of the match.

Did you know that your performance at the beginning of the match depends almost entirely on your state?

State can simply be described by how you feel (tense, relaxed, activated, …) and what is your mental state (calm, alert, upset, …). (more…)