Like Federer on clay, can Nadal win on grass?

Updated: June 29, 2006, 5:08 AM ET

On clay, Rafael Nadal has won 60 straight matches. On grass, his streak stands at one. Greg Garber writes about the French Open champion's chances on grass.

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By Greg Garber
ESPN.com
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WIMBLEDON, England -- There was a moment, however fleeting, that found British wild card Alex Bogdanovic trying to insinuate himself into his Tuesday match with Rafael Nadal.

Bogdanovic lost the first set, but pressing in the second-set tiebreaker, he was at 2-all and seemed to have a notion of drawing even. Going for too much, he missed a loopy forehand wide. On the next point, Nadal demonstrated why -- at the still-fresh age of 20 -- he already has won two Grand Slams.

Sensing a marginal opening, he charged to net and knocked off a backhand volley for a winner. Nadal won the tiebreaker and the match, 6-4, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Sixteen days after his triumph on the red clay at Roland Garros, Nadal already has the look of a young master on grass.

With Nadal having disposed of Roger Federer in the French Open final, his clay win streak stands at 60. On grass, the streak is now one.

Lost in the wake of Andre Agassi's sentimental journey and Federer's bid to win four straight Wimbledon titles is Nadal's modest quest: To win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back.

It is a rare, but not impossible, double. Twenty-six years ago, Bjorn Borg followed his victory at the Roland Garros with a win at Wimbledon. No one has done it since.

Rafael Nadal, the king of clay, looked solid in his first-round win on the grass of Wimbledon winning 19 of 25 points at net.

Nadal already has proved he can win on hard courts -- he defeated Agassi in last year's Montreal final -- but grass is an entirely different beast. Exhausted from seven grueling matches in Paris, Nadal nevertheless crossed the English Channel and played a credible tournament at Queen's Club. He reached the quarterfinals, beating Mardy Fish and Fernando Verdasco, before retiring against Lleyton Hewitt with a shoulder injury.

Can he win on grass? His serve has gotten stronger, but it is not a weapon on the order of Andy Roddick's or Mario Ancic's. Based on his match with Bogdanovic, Nadal is making an effort to adapt the peerless game that won in Paris. He has the arrogance to think it is possible. And that is impressive.

For those of you scoring at home, Federer and Nadal have won the past five Grand Slam singles titles, and it's only Federer 3, Nadal 2.

No one is predicting that Nadal, the controversial No. 2 seed over Roddick, is going to meet No. 1-seeded Federer. But, at this stage, it can't be ruled out as a possibility. Next up is American Robert Kendrick. The projected third-round opponent? Some guy named Agassi.

"It takes a lot to win out here," said Agassi, also a first-round winner Tuesday. "Especially with the surface, you've got the different styles of player with Roger sort of doing everything. Then you've got a guy like Andy [Roddick] with a big serve. You've got guys like Lleyton [Hewitt] who can really hit the ball low, take the ball early, move so well.

"[Nadal will] have his hands full trying to accomplish that, no question. You can say on paper it's not ideal for him. We've also seen the way he competes. We've seen what I never thought would be broken in all sorts of matches on clay, the kind of strength that takes mentally and in your heart -- it's incredible.

"If there's somebody that can do it, it can be him."

Greg Garber is a senior writer for ESPN.com.