Rafa Beats Raja in Grass-Clay Court Exo

Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer in a very close 7-5 4-6 7-6(10) in the much hyped Battle of Surfaces exhibition match in Mallorca, Spain. Thanks to Craig Hickman's instructions, I was able to see the final set live on the web in streaming video. Very cool!

It looked to me like the match played more like a clay court match then a grass court match. The grass was VERY green and simply killed bounces. The organizers claimed they spent $1.36 million on the dual-surface court but I question how similar to the Roland Garros and Wimbledon courts these half-courts were. That being said, I do think that Nadal does a better job of being on grass than Federer does being on clay. What I think happens is that being on grass harms Nadal's game less than being on clay harms Federer's. Both players had match points in the final set tie-break (Nadal squandered one of his four with a double fault!) and it was really anyone's match.

Their head-to-head exhibition record is now tied 1-1.