If Rafael Nadal wants to remove Roger Federer from the pinnacle of men's tennis, the hard work starts now for the double French Open champion.
The undisputed master on clay, Nadal heads straight from his best surface to his worst by preparing for the Wimbledon grasscourt Grand Slam at Queen's Club in London this week.
- Also read: Nadal is a different kind of player: Federer
After Wimbledon the Mallorcan returns to hardcourt in preparation for the US Open which starts at the end of August. He has not been beyond round three at either Grand Slam.
Federer has won both events for the last two years -- Wimbledon for the last three -- and they will be the Spanish world number two's true measure of progress from now on.
Grass presents a particular challenge to Spaniards brought up on clay, even though Nadal is a tennis player like no other.
"It's very difficult to move the same on grass because I skid a lot," said the 20-year-old. "When I go after a difficult ball and then turn back, I skid.
"I don't feel confident. But I'm going to try and need to improve on that."
Nadal's 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 victory over Federer in Sunday's French Open final made it 60 matches without defeat on clay. His last loss on red dirt was in April 2005.
On grass it is a different story.
Nadal has won one just one match on tennis's fastest surface over the past 12 months, a first round win over American Vince Spadea at Wimbledon.
In the second round he looked clumsy and clueless in a four-set defeat by Luxembourg's Gilles Muller.
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Nadal said positive thinking was key to his victory over Federer in Paris and he is not about to give up on grass.
Hence his decision to play for the first time at Queen's, where he will be on a hiding to nothing.
The grass at the tournament is faster even than Wimbledon's and he will be up against rested, seasoned grasscourters like Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.
"I know the normal thing is I'm going to lose in Queen's first round because it is very difficult to adapt in just two days," he said.
"I hope to play doubles in Queen's on Tuesday [because] I want to play one match before my singles.
"But this year I want to concentrate... and play good matches because that's important for building up confidence for Wimbledon."
