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Simon says: Rafa's top dog

Eurosport
ByEurosport

Published 07/07/2008 at 10:00 GMT

Eurosport commentator Simon Reed says Rafael Nadal's extraordinary victory at Wimbledon proves he is the best tennis player in the world.

2008 Wimbledon Rafael Nadal celebrates

Image credit: Imago

"Nadal's win means he is tennis's top dog and is regarded as number one by the players, even if the rankings don't reflect that.
What he has achieved at Queen's as well as Wimbledon proves that he can win on grass playing his own game, and that is very ominous for everyone else.
Roger Federer's era of dominance is over. He has been the boss on grass for five years but even a narrow defeat - and it could not have been closer - means he has lost his grip.
Can he come back? It is hard to say. He will never dominate the game like he did before, and Pete Sampras's record of 14 Grand Slam titles looks a long way off, even though Federer already has 12.
He is 26 and still has at least one Slam left in him. Maybe two or three, but I wouldn't bet on it.
I don't believe Nadal can match Federer by winning Wimbledon five times in a row. You have to wonder how long Nadal can keep pushing his body so hard, and I'm not sure he is here for the long haul.
I give him a couple of years at the very top before the physical strain starts to take its toll as it has done with Lleyton Hewitt.
The astonishingly high standard of yesterday's play might seem a little depressing for the likes of Andy Murray, but I think he is one of the few players capable of reaching those heights - he just needs more consistency.
Murray took Nadal all the way last year in Australia, and he can be pretty close when he is playing well. He will be in the top five by the end of the year, although of course he is still a division below the top two.
I think Nadal will go to Flushing Meadows as only a fractional favourite for the US Open. He has never done well in the States, partly because he put so much effort into the French Open and Wimbledon.
It is a very difficult call, and you have to remember Novak Djokovic, who won the Australian and is at his best on hard courts.
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I was extremely impressed by Laura Robson, who won the girls' singles. Like Murray, I think she has unlimited potential.
I don't think all the media attention will be a problem because she handled it all so well. She was unfazed in the press conference and found it all fun, saying she would take Venus Williams down.
What is more important is for her to make the step up to the senior tour pretty soon.
It might sound harsh saying that to someone so young, but a survey indicates that unless you have a decent WTA ranking by 15 and nine months, you won't make it.
A lot of the girls who she beat are already too old, like the number one seed Melanie Oudin, who is nearly 17.
There is a huge gulf from juniors to seniors, but Laura has a very sound game from the back of the court.
Of course there are areas to improve, like her second serve, but the tools are there. Now we just have to cross our fingers."
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