FEDERER AND NADAL’S MAGIC CARPET RIDE

Watching Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play a tennis match can be described as being as exhilarating as riding on a magic carpet. The two modern day tennis genies kicked off the first day of the 2010 ATP World Tour with a unique photo opportunity on a magic carpet in the Souq Waqif in Doha, Qatar, where both are competing in the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. Also in the Doha field are Nikolay Davydenko, Ivo Karlovic and 38-year-old Younes El Aynaoui, who will be playing in his final ATP event.

Federer said recently that he is looking forward to the 2010 season and that he feels he can continue to maintain a near “unbeatable” level of play that he has showcased for much of the last five years.

“Last year, I had a problem at the start of the season with my back,” Federer said. “I lost to (Andy) Murray, (Novak) Djokovic and Rafa, who got the better of me at the start of the season. But I feel fine now because I have been practising enough to feel confident of winning.”

Federer’s win at the 2009 French Open gave him a career Grand Slam, while his epic win last year in the Wimbledon final against Andy Roddick gave him his record-breaking 15th major singles title and helped him take the No. 1 ranking from Nadal. He then reached the US Open final for a sixth straight year, only to lose in five sets to Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina.

“I got better and better as the season went on,” Federer said. “I was able to bounce back and was on a roll. (Winning in) Paris and Wimbledon showed that I was unbeatable. I can do it again. That’s a good feeling to have, that I can do it again.”