Most of the time, when a player is confronted by Rafael Nadal, it appears to me as if he has no strategy and as if he's not giving his all to succeed.
It's like he already knows he's going to lose, is resigned to defeat and, worst of all, is helping Nadal's best abilities to shine through.
But even if very few of his opponents seem to believe it, Nadal isn't unbeatable and it annoys me to see the behaviour of his opponents.
He's still a human being, with strengths and weaknesses. He's not forever immune from a bad day either. Don't get me wrong; I'm fully aware of Nadal's great abilities in the game, of his fighting spirit and of him being a true champion.
But I want to see him confronted by players who are really going to make him struggle. Like a Robin Soderling at the French Open 2009, like an Ernests Gulbis in Rome this season, even if he lost, or like an Andy Murray at the Australian Open earlier this year.
There are a lot of tactics to explore against Nadal.
Playing Nadal is already like climbing Mount Everest, so heading into the match without weapons and being too shy to fight is pure recklessness. As I've said before there are very few flaws in the Spaniard's game, and on top of that he is improving month after month.
I want to see players pushing Nadal to his last defence. I want to see him struggling. If his opponents could push him to his limits, he'd improve even more because he'd have no choice in order to go on winning.
And we can always trust Rafa to find the answers he needs to remain the best player in the world.
If most players battled him with this kind of spirit, they would also improve a lot and would believe even more in their own abilities, as they would be more involved.
I was recently talking with a top 10 player who was complaining about Roger and Rafa's level of play, which was causing a loss of hope and was making them feel like they have lost before they even step on the court.
He was conceding to those two giants' superiority. The issue is that thinking this way means you're resigned to lose. It kills the fight before it has even started. At the end of the day, tennis is the biggest loser.
Andy Murray has all it takes to become a real rival of the Spaniard.
Murray is one of those who, in the years to come, could threaten, providing some adjustments, to dethrone Nadal.
He's one of the main contenders for Rafa because his game is one of the most complete. He's got a lot of weapons to oppose the Spaniard's domination.
In fact, that may even be his biggest issue; too many options are killing the choice, and ruining his best laid plans because everything is always possible.
The Scot needs a guideline. He has a huge technical background though; he knows how to speed up the game, and he can take the ball very early. He's a wonderful counterpuncher and can defend better than pretty much anyone else.
But he needs to add a very good serve and an outstanding return. And in order to challenge Nadal in the Grand Slams, he's still going to have to improve, something he hasn't done for two years now.
He's shown he is able to beat Nadal in big tournaments, but he still hasn't done it in the Grand Slams. With no other choice than playing very aggressive, inspired tennis, with a great diversity, he often ends up playing his best. But only when he's forced to.
Andy knows he's capable of playing this kind of game. But he doesn't always play that way. He often tries to push his opponent into making mistakes and he rarely dictates the game. When he does, it's in a really shy way. All those matches are messing up his game and don't let him grow into a naturally offensive player, one who hits the ball each time with the clear goal of being the boss on the court.
To challenge Rafa he has to build this game all year long, in all his matches. He has to train with this mindset, one of a player whose aim is to win the point and not to make his opponent lose it.
Andy has won a lot of matches by sitting on the fence. He keeps hesitating and fighting with himself when choosing between defending or attacking. His game has no clear identity.
And the issue is that when you face Nadal in a Grand Slam, you need to be confident enough in yourself, in your own game and your own style.
His current game isn't sufficient anymore because Nadal is stronger than him in this cat and mouse kind of game. Andy must now change his gameplan and prevent Nadal from getting into the baseline rhythm that he likes so much. Andy should try to serve and volley way more, to take the ball earlier and to hit harder. He should take his chances on all Nadal's second serves.
If he hopes to baet Nadal, he will have to master all of these areas of the game. Maybe even for five sets.
Andy has reached the limit with his current gameplan and if he is to improve, this is the road he should now follow.
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It's like he already knows he's going to lose, is resigned to defeat and, worst of all, is helping Nadal's best abilities to shine through.
But even if very few of his opponents seem to believe it, Nadal isn't unbeatable and it annoys me to see the behaviour of his opponents.
He's still a human being, with strengths and weaknesses. He's not forever immune from a bad day either. Don't get me wrong; I'm fully aware of Nadal's great abilities in the game, of his fighting spirit and of him being a true champion.
But I want to see him confronted by players who are really going to make him struggle. Like a Robin Soderling at the French Open 2009, like an Ernests Gulbis in Rome this season, even if he lost, or like an Andy Murray at the Australian Open earlier this year.
There are a lot of tactics to explore against Nadal.
Playing Nadal is already like climbing Mount Everest, so heading into the match without weapons and being too shy to fight is pure recklessness. As I've said before there are very few flaws in the Spaniard's game, and on top of that he is improving month after month.
I want to see players pushing Nadal to his last defence. I want to see him struggling. If his opponents could push him to his limits, he'd improve even more because he'd have no choice in order to go on winning.
And we can always trust Rafa to find the answers he needs to remain the best player in the world.
If most players battled him with this kind of spirit, they would also improve a lot and would believe even more in their own abilities, as they would be more involved.
I was recently talking with a top 10 player who was complaining about Roger and Rafa's level of play, which was causing a loss of hope and was making them feel like they have lost before they even step on the court.
He was conceding to those two giants' superiority. The issue is that thinking this way means you're resigned to lose. It kills the fight before it has even started. At the end of the day, tennis is the biggest loser.
Andy Murray has all it takes to become a real rival of the Spaniard.
Murray is one of those who, in the years to come, could threaten, providing some adjustments, to dethrone Nadal.
He's one of the main contenders for Rafa because his game is one of the most complete. He's got a lot of weapons to oppose the Spaniard's domination.
In fact, that may even be his biggest issue; too many options are killing the choice, and ruining his best laid plans because everything is always possible.
The Scot needs a guideline. He has a huge technical background though; he knows how to speed up the game, and he can take the ball very early. He's a wonderful counterpuncher and can defend better than pretty much anyone else.
But he needs to add a very good serve and an outstanding return. And in order to challenge Nadal in the Grand Slams, he's still going to have to improve, something he hasn't done for two years now.
He's shown he is able to beat Nadal in big tournaments, but he still hasn't done it in the Grand Slams. With no other choice than playing very aggressive, inspired tennis, with a great diversity, he often ends up playing his best. But only when he's forced to.
Andy knows he's capable of playing this kind of game. But he doesn't always play that way. He often tries to push his opponent into making mistakes and he rarely dictates the game. When he does, it's in a really shy way. All those matches are messing up his game and don't let him grow into a naturally offensive player, one who hits the ball each time with the clear goal of being the boss on the court.
To challenge Rafa he has to build this game all year long, in all his matches. He has to train with this mindset, one of a player whose aim is to win the point and not to make his opponent lose it.
Andy has won a lot of matches by sitting on the fence. He keeps hesitating and fighting with himself when choosing between defending or attacking. His game has no clear identity.
And the issue is that when you face Nadal in a Grand Slam, you need to be confident enough in yourself, in your own game and your own style.
His current game isn't sufficient anymore because Nadal is stronger than him in this cat and mouse kind of game. Andy must now change his gameplan and prevent Nadal from getting into the baseline rhythm that he likes so much. Andy should try to serve and volley way more, to take the ball earlier and to hit harder. He should take his chances on all Nadal's second serves.
If he hopes to baet Nadal, he will have to master all of these areas of the game. Maybe even for five sets.
Andy has reached the limit with his current gameplan and if he is to improve, this is the road he should now follow.
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