What do the words “too good” mean to you? At least for today in the world of tennis “too good” equals Rafael Nadal. In almost stunning fashion, Rafael Nadal beat down fellow Spaniard and friend Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-1. I’d love to sit here and write about the tactics or to write about the abysmal performance by Verdasco, but can you really blame him?

Nadal’s dominance at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Monaco is astonishing. Earlier today he clinched his sixth consecutive title which makes him the only player in the open era to have won a major tournament that many times consecutively, however thats not the most impressive stat of the day. The fact that Nadal lost only 14 games the entire tournament facing some of the fiercest clay court competition in the world is amazing. The last three matches were against a former world #1 and Roland Garros champion JC Ferrero, David “never say die” Ferrer, and Fernando “I’m going to be #9 in the world tomorrow” Verdasco.

Rafa’s tenacity, relentlessness, heavy kicking and high bouncing shots off the terra bateau in Monte Carlo virtually make the Spaniard unbeatable at the tournament. Of course there will be some that say Federer wasn’t around to slow down Rafa, but trust me, this would have been another teary final if Federer had played. He would’ve had no shot at beating Rafa this week. Good decision by Roger. I’m sure the rest of the tour is squirming at the thought of having to face this guy this season on clay courts. So much for Nadal being “vulnerable” as so many tennis experts had predicted. The only one that can bring Rafa down at this moment is himself. Next week he continues his march towards regaining the Roland Garros title at the Barcelona Open BancSabadell in Barcelona, Spain. Enjoy!

- Parsa Samii, GEM Tennis – What Champions Read.