Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Friday, May 25, 2007, Washington Post

For Success, Dig Beneath the Surface

Roger Federer finally beat Rafael Nadal in a tennis match played on clay.

Federer is the top men's tennis player in the world, and some say the world's best all-around athlete. But for a long time he could not beat Nadal, ranked No. 2, on clay. Until last weekend, Nadal had won an amazing 81 straight matches on clay, including five against Federer.

Federer's win is a great lesson for kids about doing your best and not making excuses.

Tennis is generally played on one of three surfaces: grass, clay and what's called hard court.

Grass is fast, so the ball takes tricky, skidding bounces. Matches played on grass, such as those at Wimbledon in England, favor players with a booming serve and quick reflexes. Federer has won the last four Wimbledon men's championships.

Clay is slower. Matches played on clay -- especially the red clay of the French Open championships -- favor players who hit hard, consistent groundstrokes because the ball bounces so high off the surface. Nadal, who has the muscles of a football running back, has terrific groundstrokes.

Hard courts, the most popular courts in the United States, are in between: not as fast as grass, not as slow as clay.

Nadal is the best in the world on clay. He has won the last two French Opens. Federer is called The Boss on the men's tour, but Nadal is the boss on clay. Still, Federer did not give up. He has worked hard to improve his clay-court play. Even though he lost the first set to Nadal in Sunday's match in Germany, Federer came roaring back to win, 2-6, 6-2, 6-0.

This is a good lesson for kids who play sports. Top athletes have to adapt to changing conditions. Tennis stars play on grass, clay and hard courts. Football players have games in every kind of weather, from the steaming heat of Arizona to the freezing cold of Wisconsin. Every golf course and baseball stadium is a little different from every other one.

Athletes might have favorite surfaces or stadiums, but they can't make excuses if conditions aren't just the way they like them.

Some kids are fussy athletes: They might have a favorite basketball, bat or "lucky" shirt and think they can't play well without it. Some kids get upset over every bad bounce or missed call.

If you are one of those kids, remember Roger Federer. Clay might not be his favorite surface, but he didn't use it as an excuse when he played Nadal. He just buckled down and played his best.

That's why I'm making Federer my favorite to beat Nadal and win the French Open that begins on Monday.