Extraordinary Nadal Eyes Clay-grass Double

As Rafael Nadal moves inexorably towards a fourth successive French Open title, a more intriguing possibility is looming - that he may manage to complete the first Paris-Wimbledon same-year double since Bjorn Borg did it for the third year in a row in 1980.

Just how hard it is to win the two titles - one on clay, the other on grass - even in staggered years, can be gaged from the fact that since Borg's third double 28 years ago, Andre Agassi is the only player to have won both titles (Wimbledon in 1992, the French in 1999).

It is a mark of what an extraordinary player Nadal is that there is any chance at all that he can win here in Paris on Sunday and again four weeks later at Wimbledon. It is also a mark of the extent to which the equipment has changed.

An out-and-out clay-courter, Nadal plays the sort of game that for years was reckoned to be at (long) odds with winning Wimbledon. Like another clay specialist, Ivan Lendl, in the 1980s, Nadal would be too severely restricted by his reluctance to leave the baseline and his limited skills as a volleyer ever to outwit the on-rushing kings of grass.

The possibility that it could be done was raised by Agassi with his 1992 victory and then by Lleyton Hewitt 10 years later. They interrupted the domination by men with powerful serves who liked to come forward to volley.Surely not Nadal, though. The Mallorcan's game was so molded to clay that achieving anything on grass appeared a forlorn hope. But straightaway he took to Wimbledon. On his first visit to the All England Club, as a 17-year-old in 2003, he became the youngest player, since a 16-year-old Boris Becker in 1984, to reach the third round. He even beat the imposing Croat Mario Ancic, who was reckoned to be far more the grass-court article.

Whether he could survive through the later rounds remained to be seen - until two years ago, that is, when he went all the way to the final before losing to Roger Federer. It looked a mismatch when Federer won the first set 6-0, but Nadal took the champion to a tiebreaker before losing the second, won the third on a tiebreaker and again pushed hard before losing the fourth 6-3.

Twelve months ago he became the first Spanish male to reach Wimbledon finals in successive years and this time he gave Federer the fright of his long Wimbledon reign. For the first time in five Wimbledon finals, Federer needed a fifth set to win the match.

So how has Nadal managed to come within one win - twice - of doing the improbable clay-grass double, and be in with a realistic chance of doing it this year?

His ability, athleticism and application - he trains just as hard as he plays - are obviously important factors, and then, crucially, there is the technology (and it is this that has changed, not the grass, as some people think).Nadal plays with a racket that has been described as being as light as a toothpick, which is one reason why he is able to continue hitting so strongly throughout a match. String manufacture has also advanced so that players are now able, momentarily, to hold the modern balls, which do not deteriorate like the old ones, on the face of their rackets.

This latest development has been particularly important to Nadal at Wimbledon where the fast grass used to make it almost impossible for a player to control a service return against a heavy hitter. Now even the best servers think twice before crowding Nadal behind a big serve. It has offered Nadal a way in to rallies even when he is receiving and once into one of these the Spaniard's strength and accuracy give him an edge over just about everyone else in the game.

The superiority of Federer and Nadal - with Novak Djokovic now joining them - may have produced a small, ruling elite in the men's game, but the rivalry between the two principals is a thrilling one - and it will soon be moving to the lawns of the All England Club.