OK I know that the clay season is done with and they are doing the hard surface right now but...I was just wondering about Nadal and why he is such a good player on clay. I was reading an article written by John Lloyd in which he attempted to explain why this is so - though the main reason he had down to Nadal's deadly forehand in which he is able to play the ball to his opponent at shoulder height, rendering the return short giving Nadal the advantage. Nadal was also given credit for being quick-footed but is he any more so than some of the other players? Some of the other reasons Lloyd gave seemed to me to be equally deadly on whichever surface was being played. Apparently Nadal expects to win and never contemplates any other outcome - mental strength. Nadal's fantastic record at the French would put fear into the most confident opponent wouldn't it? Additional thoughts welcomed.
I don't know enough about the technical aspects of the game but I do wonder if his ability to return the ball with an amazing amount of spin has anything to do with it. They referred to it a few times during Wimbledon where they were pointing out the RPM of the ball on Nadal's return and how it's much higher than anyone elses. Might it be that it's even more effective on clay surfaces?
