Analysis for Nadal-Roddick (Dubai)

Head-to-head record 2:1

Nadal's playing style is best tailored for clay courts and some of his YTD hard courts matches were disastrous. He is usually comfortable against weaker opponents but has no weapons to use against aggressive hard court players. We saw him struggling against Youzhny or Tsonga this year and we hope the same can happen here. Playing with a strong two-handed backhand, well-angled topspin strokes, fast mobility on the court, excellent defense, and a preference to play from the deep court, he has developed into one of the best clay court players in the game but at the same time, he has often difficulties on faster surfaces. Nadal's serve is not considered one of his strengths because of the lack of pace and variety compared to other players. On the other hand, Roddick's style is that of an offensive baseliner. Roddick uses powerful forehands and accurate first serve, which he uses to earn free points with aces or puts himself into position to hit a forehand winner. This makes him dangerous especially on fast surface. He played well against Mathieu and Ferrero and especially the victory over Spaniard is of a big importance as we can expect the similar conditions today against Nadal. We don’t think Roddick should be underdog in this match and see the chances to be 50:50.