| SUE BARKER ON THE ARTOIS CHAMPIONSHIPS I hear many players saying that the Artois Championships at Queen's Club is their favourite tournament of the year and it is easy to understand why.
There is such a wealth of tradition at this impressive club and it is steeped in a long history.
When players travel round the world they encounter a lot of arenas with faceless locker rooms and very little atmosphere, but here they have the splendour of the clubhouse in wonderful relaxed surroundings.
One man revelling here in West London is the phenomenon that is Rafael Nadal.
Last year he seemed to take a while to get used to the grass, but right from the word go this week he has looked comfortable which is remarkable after such an intensive clay court season.
To arrive here and play so well just 48 hours after dealing with the hype and mental and physical exertion of winning his third French Open title is very impressive.
Nadal's biggest rival could be Andy Roddick and the top two seeds are scheduled to clash in the final should they both progress.
Roddick is now under the tutelage of the legendary Jimmy Connors.
He has changed quite a lot of technical things to Andy's game, but what I have been looking for is the influence he has had on the mental side of his game.
Everybody thinks of Jimmy in his playing days as a driving force who psyched himself up and didn't just give 100%, he gave 150% in every match.
In his match against Alex Bogdanovic, Roddick obviously wasn't playing that well, but he psyched himself up and talked himself into playing well, which had all the hallmarks of his coach.
Once the Queen's final is finished, it's Eastbourne next week and then Wimbledon.
There is so much to savour - in case you hadn't realised this really is my favourite time of year!
Enjoy the action,
Sue
Sue Barker presents the BBC's coverage of the Artois Championships from Queen's Club this weekend. | 
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