Players Under the Microscope / Editor / 14 May 2007 /

Rafael Nadal fired a warning to his Hamburg rivals by insisting he is in "the best moment of my career".

The 20-year-old Spanish sensation enhanced his burgeoning reputation as the king of clay with an emphatic 6-2 6-2 victory over Fernando Gonzalez on Sunday to seal his third successive Rome Masters title and take his winning streak on his favoured surface to 77 matches.

The title was the fourth of the season for world number two Nadal following his Indian Wells, Monte Carlo and Barcelona successes.

Next up for Nadal is this week's ATP Masters Series in Hamburg, Germany, where he was predictably the 1.62 favourite on Betfair's outright winner market to triumph.

"I think I am in the best moment of my career," said Nadal, after his straight-sets win over Gonzalez.
"I have worked very hard the last year and now I see the results."

Nadal has yet to win the Hamburg Masters and does not swing into action until Tuesday.
He is likely to face competition from three-time winner, Roger Federer (2.86), whose bid for a hat-trick last year was halted by Tommy Robredo (21).

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