If I was Nadal I would engage the mind games and say something like, 'I am excited to face the greatest on grass probably no?. It is his court, he is master here, I am happy with great tournament no, on my worse surface. Very good 2 weeks for me no. Everyone expects Roger to win no? I feel relaxed, I am no.3 seed here no? I have lived my seeding no? Roger needs to go one round better no? I am excited to play Roger to test myself on grass, is never too late to learn no?'
Will be epic if he says something like the above.
Federer rightly starts favourite tomorrow. Under the circumstances, things are set up perfectly for him. They will most likely have indoor conditions, too, which will be a huge boost.
But there are two elements that could prove to be very inconvenient: Rafa is on a mission on grass this year, and the surface appears to be playing a little slower, favouring a more patient form of grass court tennis.
We saw how Rafa coped with the weight of expectation when the roles were reversed and he defended his stronghold of clay in Paris.
Now the pressure falls on Roger to perform in the same manner.
Roger's performance on clay was extraordinary, and that SF was far, far closer than the straight sets result indicated. I am hopeful Rafa can challenge on grass to a similarly high level. It would be great if he were to grab the win, but I have to be a little careful not to get "carried away" with projected scenarios.
