• Chris Wilkinson

Red-hot Nadal playing it cool

Rafael Nadal has won back-to-back titles in Monte Carlo and Rome © Getty Images

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I've just arrived back from a week in Rome where I was commentating for the ATP media. The weather was great and the tennis was even better. The atmosphere in Rome was fantastic - the Italians are very into their tennis and when there was an Italian on court, or when Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal were playing it was really noisy.

It's much better to watch tennis live; the match is more real and you get a better idea of the players' movement. And the Foro Italico is a great complex; and they've got a new centre court that they opened this year. It was like a big tennis village - they had mini tennis and beach tennis going on. It's the Italian equivalent of Wimbledon and it's a fantastic event.

Nadal was on fire all week. He is well and truly back to his best - I hadn't seen him live for a while but he's so much stronger and more aggressive and he is hitting the ball harder. It means that a lot of his matches aren't as long - winning 6-2 6-2 normally takes hours but each point is shorter as he is able to close each point out more quickly.

He looks as good as he has ever been, and the important thing is that he is paying attention to his schedule and listening to his body. He has had his injuries and normally he would have played in Barcelona two weeks ago but the best thing for him to do was take a week off and come to Rome nice and fresh. He is paying more attention to his schedule and that's the best way to avoid another injury setback.

He won comfortably in his first two matches in Rome but against Ernests Gulbis it was a bit trickier. That was his toughest match as he was taken to three sets for the first time this year on clay, but having overcome that hurdle he was back to his best in the final.

Gulbis was a player who impressed me in Rome. He is a player who has never really fulfilled his potential but he has a new coach and he has put a lot of work in. He has put the hours in on court and has turned into a serious player. I tipped Fernando Verdasco as one to watch and he's in good form heading into Roland Garros. He is another player, who like Gulbis, had a bit of a reputation as a mental fruit cake. But he's tightened his game up, he's mentally tougher and he's more focused and it has paid dividends - he's had a final appearance in Monte Carlo and a title in Barcelona.

Andy Murray could suffer from lack of match practice at the French Open © Getty Images

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Getting the balance right
In contrast, Federer is suffering an uncharacteristic slump. He is usually able to turn it on, and I'm sure he still can when it comes to the Grand Slams. But he hasn't got the matches behind him, he's lacking that match practice and that's the same for Andy Murray. Murray lost in the first round in Monte Carlo, and although he played well against Andreas Seppi in Rome he was always going to struggle against David Ferrer. Against Seppi Murray played more aggressively and he took more risks but the problem with playing against a good clay courter if you are not on top of your game you will struggle.

It's about getting the balance right between overdoing it and not getting enough match time. You have got to have matches under your belt - I think Murray should have taken a wildcard played a tournament this week before going to Madrid. If he gets a tricky draw and another early exit if in Madrid going into the French Open having only three or four matches behind him, and potentially only a couple of wins since January.

Federer is playing in Estoril this week and he will have one eye on the French already, he needs to get some wins under his belt too, as he has a lot of points to defend having won the French and Wimbledon last year. Looking at the rankings it is getting really close between No. 2 all the way down to seven or eight. And with so much at stake for Federer it is going to be an interesting couple of months.

I'm getting ready to play in the exhibition doubles at Wimbledon with Mark Petchey. I had a hit around the other day with Pat Cash up at the All England Club. It's going to be a tough draw this year - Jonas Bjorkman is playing as is Greg Rusedski but I'm looking forward to it. I'm playing in a charity match with Pat Cash and Andrew Castle later in the month at Lee On Solent Tennis Club which will be a good warm-up for me.

Chris Wilkinson is a former British No. 1. He joins ESPN.co.uk as our resident expert, providing an exclusive view on the world of tennis.

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