In another classic final, Spaniard Rafael Nadal held off top-ranked Roger Federer 7-5, 7-5 to win the Monte Carlo tournament for a fourth consecutive year. The Swiss player showed signs that new coach Jose Higueras may be helping him face the challenge of Nadal on the dirt strategically, but one wonders if the psychological advantage the younger player seems to have is too much for Roger to overcome on this surface. Federer blew commanding positions in each set, breaking to lead 4-3 in the first and then going up 4-0 in the second before too many errors let Nadal back into a war of attrition; on this court at least, that's the sort of fight Federer can't win.
