It seems that the “Ogre” Rafael Nadal doesn’t just physically destroy his opponents, he also gets into their heads and cause them to fold in psychological dismay. It was exactly what he did to the number 1 ranked tennis player in the world Roger Federer at the Hamburg Masters.

Opening the first set with a commanding lead of 5-1, Federer couldn’t have been more lax. However, with the “Ogre’s” blitzkrieg barrage of fore-hands and top-spins, Federer ended up losing the set 7-5. Nadal showed a tremendous, and obviously intimidating performance when he caught up by winning six games in a row (seven if we count the first game in the second set). In the end, Nadal proved to be too monstrous for Federer and so took the match with the final score of 7-5, 6-7, 6-3.

Having lost eight out of nine games on clay against Nadal, Roger Federer must be feeling the pressure of losing his number 1 spot. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Federer must be troubled about many things after Hamburg. Not only are his chances looking ever the more slim if he faces Nadal in Paris, he must also be thinking how on earth could Nadal still be playing like he’s as fresh as a senior with a bottle full of Viagra on prom night.

Nadal has won three out of four tournaments in the span of four weeks. Most say that he could have won in Rome if it only weren’t for blisters on his feet, which proved rather taxing on his game against Juan Carlos Ferrero. While at Hamburg, Nadal was playing from a three hour match against Djokovic just a few days before, and he still managed to crush Federer’s spirits by winning seven matches in a row. By the third set at Hamburg, Nadal still kept at Federer until he delivered the final blow and with it sent the number 1 ranked tennis player’s confidence kissing the clay off the court.

All odds might seem to be stacked against Roger Federer. However, he isn’t ranked first in the world for nothing, which probably gives fans an assurance that there is still no certainty of bad news of him being crushed by Nadal again. The only thing we could be sure of is that Paris will have all the drama and action the world of tennis could offer.