Federer Freshens as Nadal Injury Looms

MASON, Ohio -- The news in tennis is Rafael Nadal's knees. That's the drama. But as Nadal plods through the court grinding gears in those knees, Roger Federer keeps flowing freely. Floating.

What is lost in Nadal's physical and mental struggles, forgotten entirely, is the more amazing story that Federer doesn't have them.

Players burn out, flake out, blow out knees and elbows. We see Kim Clijsters returning after a break of more than two years to get away from the rigors of life on the tennis tour.

Federer beat David Ferrer 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals of the Masters level event in Cincinnati. On Friday, he'll beat Lleyton Hewitt.

So was Federer's victory news? Only if you consider it news that the sun came up and earth kept spinning.

Nadal looked a little better Thursday night in beating Paul-Henri Mathieu 7-5, 6-2. A little. On Wednesday, he had admitted for the first time that the knees still hurt from tendinitis.

What's the drama surrounding Federer?

"He's done so much already,'' John McEnroe said Wednesday is an ESPN teleconference advancing the U.S. Open. "Unexpectedly winning the French, and then winning Wimbledon and breaking the record (for most major titles, with 15), and doing so in the manner he did against (Andy) Roddick.''

So McEnroe picked Andy Murray to win the Open, giving Roddick a chance, too, because he figured Federer was due for a letdown.

"You would think that of any human being in this situation,'' McEnroe said. "Even Roger.''

It's an interesting idea, that Federer's problem might be an overwhelming amount of success. But it's true that he never was expected to win the French, Nadal's tournament, and now he won't have to worry about that ever again.

And he passed Pete Sampras' record. And when you have accomplished all of your career highs in a short period, it would be natural to have some sort of letdown, right?

So I asked Federer if he went through one.

"Not really,'' he said. "Look, it's not the first time I've done well. I've been in those situations so many times that I'm more ... I only take positive out of it, you know?

"Because you never know when it's your last tournament to win. Even though I have 60, you still feel, you never know if it's your last. You have to be happy when it's going well and not think about, 'Oh my God, I've just won Wimbledon. What a disaster.' That's not how I go through life, anyway.''

It was a great look inside Federer's mind. He reached all of his highs and saw that as a chance to keep reaching.

If anything, I think reaching those highs have freed Federer.

Tennis needs this rivalry, and the beauty of any rivalry is in the contrasts. Nadal plays such a grinding, pounding style that beats up his body. Federer is all fluidity.

And while Nadal, at 23, already has bad knees, Federer, at 28, is becoming a picture of longevity. His style will allow him to play at a top level for maybe five more years. His mind will be there, too.

How many more majors would that be? Four? Five?

It's an unusual thing in tennis these days, and frankly, it's only a guess about his body. Because 28 is a dangerous age in tennis, physically and mentally. Even the smoothest running cars start falling apart eventually.

But while Nadal clearly got into Federer's head for a year, Federer, with his new freedom, seems stronger than ever. He even threw a little jab at the next generation, saying he's not ready to move over.

"They have been around for a while now,'' he said. "It's not like it's the first year they ever started to know how to play tennis. They announced themselves since a few years. I mean, (Juan Martin) del Potro, I played him the first time three, four years ago.

(Jo-Wilfried) Tsonga has been injured a lot, but he's also not a teenager anymore. These guys are all in their 20s now, too ... So we're sort of already waiting for the next (following) generation.''

Nadal had his magic back Thursday against Mathieu. By the end of the first set, he owned the 31st-ranked player in the world. His timing was the best it has been since his return. But he still seems to be favoring the right knee.

This rivalry has the chance to be something special for a long time, but that's going to be up to whether Nadal, the younger guy, can ever get it back. Truth is, the guys who have tried to pound Federer, to knock him around, are the ones getting hurt.

Federer was only the drama in tennis for a few months, as he smashed a racquet, did suffer with some back pain, and saw that next generation gaining on him. Or in Nadal's case, passing him.

The pressure, too, was getting to him about Sampras' record, and about whether he would ever win the French. He could not be considered the greatest ever without having won that one.

It would be great to see Nadal pressuring Federer again with healthy knees. But keep in mind that Nadal's pain was the price of chasing Federer.

Now, the sky reached, Federer smoothly looks for higher sky.

E-mail me at gregcouch09@aol.com