Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (09/12/2009 @ 5:01 pm)
I didn’t say it was from a woman! How scary would it be to see some rambunctious fan storming at you, knowing what’s previously happened to Monica Seles? Still, once Nadal sensed the fan’s innocent yet homoerotic intentions, the talented Spaniard welcomed him with open arms. I heard these guys on the radio the other day — I forget which program — comparing Rafael Nadal to Alex Rodriguez, saying each is the most hated player in their respective sport. Are you kidding me? What’s not to like about Nadal? I think fans just don’t want to accept that, when 100 percent, he can beat Roger Federer on any surface.
He’s played well thus far, recently defeating Fernando Gonzalez after two days of rain postponed the match.
“I can’t tell you, because I don’t have the answer,” Gonzalez said when asked to explain his quick disintegration.
Though Nadal’s sore abdominals are still a concern, he certainly wasn’t overtaxed in this match, as he headed into what could be a very long weekend.
A match that had been a taut, well-played affair got postponed Thursday night with Nadal leading 3-2 in the second-set tiebreaker. They had to wait out an entire day of rain before coming back to the court to resume under overcast skies and temperatures in the 60s.
Final numbers: 59 unforced errors for Gonzalez to 13 for Nadal; Nadal won 31 of the 43 points played after the restart. The whole affair took 34 minutes to wrap up.
As of right now, the men’s semifinals are scheduled to take place on Sunday. Roger Federer will take on Novak Djokavic and Juan Martin del Potro will try his luck against Nadal. That is, of course, if the rain doesn’t push everything back to next year.
Nadal says on his Web site that he’ll arrive in Montreal on Wednesday to begin preparations for the Aug. 10-16 hardcourt event. He is the defending champion.
Nadal has been out of action with tendinitis in both knees since losing at the French Open on May 31. He also will play in Cincinnati ahead of the U.S. Open, the only Grand Slam tournament he has never won.
Rogers Cup spokesman Louis-Philippe Dorais says organizers expect to hear from top-ranked Roger Federer in the next few days on whether he will play.
This is great news, especially since the U.S. Open is less than a month away. Though this year in tennis has belonged to Roger Federer, it’s been exciting to watch Andy Roddick regain some clout on the court. Since Roddick is pretty much the only male American representative tennis has, that’s the guy I’ll be rooting for. Still, the ATP needs more than two stars. Hopefully Nadal hasn’t lost a step and the Rogers Cup will be a good indication of whether or not he’ll be able to hold his ground at the U.S. Open.
After bating Tommy Haas on Friday, five-time champion Roger Federer will face Andy Roddick in the 2009 Wimbledon final for a chance at a record 15th Grand Slam title.
If Federer wins Sunday, he will be the third player to win six or more Wimbledon titles. William Renshaw and Sampras both won seven.
“I’m very proud of all the records I’ve achieved because I never thought I would be that successful as a kid,” Federer said. “I would have been happy winning a couple tournaments and maybe collecting Wimbledon. It’s quite staggering now having reached … my sixth straight Grand Slam final. Having so many things going for me now again, opportunity again on Sunday, it’s fantastic.”
If he beats Roddick, Federer will regain the No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal, who beat him in the Wimbledon final last year and missed this year’s tournament with knee problems.
Federer said he is feeling less pressure this year than in 2007 when he equaled Bjorn Borg’s record of five straight Wimbledon titles. Borg was among those watching Friday from the Royal Box.
It’s a shame Nadal and Federer won’t be squaring off in the Wimbledon final again this year, but Roddick is certainly an intriguing underdog. Maybe he’ll catch Federer sleeping and pull off the upset.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (06/20/2009 @ 5:07 pm)
When this year’s Wimbledon kicks off in two days, tennis’ best player will be absent. Yes, ladies and gentleman, 78th-ranked Potito Starace of Italy has decided he is in no condition to defend his honor this time around.
Obviously, the man I’m really talking about is Rafael Nadal, who becomes only the second men’s champion in 35 years to decline to defend his Wimbledon title. After losing exhibition matches earlier this week to Lleyton Hewitt and Stanislas Wawrinka, Nadal decided his knees were too damaged to put up a worthy performance at the only grass-court Grand Slam. But the truth is his knees have been damaged for a while. When Nadal lost in the French Open quarterfinals to Robin Soderling (a capable player, but one who had never before even been a to Grand Slam quarterfinal), tennis fans knew there was something wrong with the gifted Spaniard. The fact that Soderling was later defeated by Federer in straight sets in the finals further added to the speculation.
Of course, this leave’s the door wide open for Roger Federer to not only capture a record-setting 15th career Grand Slam, but also reclaim the No.1 ranking, which he previously held for 237 weeks. I’m expecting Federer to win at Wimbledon, particularly because he is well-rested and prefers grass over any surface. Fed’s previously won the tournament fives times, almost taking his sixth last year before losing to Nadal.
Many knew this would happen, that Nadal’s all-or-nothing style of play would eventually catch up with him. We just never knew when. Still, while a partially battered Nadal might be able to beat a completely healthy Federer, nobody on the ATP should get the best of Federer if he plays like he did at the French Open. Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, Andy Roddick, and Fernando Verdasco all have a chance at going deep into the tournament, but as far as making the finals goes, I’d put my money on Murray. He won the last grass-court tournament at the Queen’s Club and seems to handle that surface well. The guy gets better tournament by tournament and lost last year in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon. Without Nadal, the most exciting finals we can hope for at this point is Murray vs. Federer.
This could be a weekend of “firsts.” Calvin Borel could become the first jockey to record a Triple Crown on two separate horses. With “The King of Clay” Rafael Nadal out of the picture, Roger Federer could capture his first Grand Slam championship at the French Open. And Kobe Bryant could be halfway home to his first NBA title without Shaq.
All times ET…
NBA Finals
Sun, 8 PM: Orlando Magic @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
Stanley Cup Finals
Sat, 8 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Detroit Red Wings (NBC)
MLB
Sat, 4:10 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers (FOX)
Sun., 1:30 PM: Texas Rangers @ Boston Red Sox (TBS)
Sun., 8 PM: Philadelphia Phillies @ Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN)
Sometimes greatness is taken for granted. Fans expect Florida or USC to be playing for a national title year in and year out, the New York Yankees or the Boston Red Sox battling for American League pennant every season. When it doesn’t take place, it throws the sports universe off base.
Well, another sports gimme has ended. Rafael Nadal’s unbeaten streak has ended at the French Open.
The four-time defending champion lost to Sweden’s Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the round of 16 on Sunday, thus ending his 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.
In his 31 previous matches at Roland Garros, Nadal had never been pushed to five sets in victory. He had not lost so much as a set in any match here since the 2007 final against Roger Federer, but Soderling changed all that with a varied but consistently aggressive approach: clubbing forehands with or without clear openings, serving big under pressure with the exception of the second-set tiebreaker and pushing forward to net on a semi-regular basis.
But Nadal, the Spaniard from Majorca who is seeded and ranked first, was clearly not the same irresistible force as usual. He failed to generate depth consistently, which allowed Soderling the space to keep applying pressure. He made errors off the ground from positions where he would normally generate winners or high-bouncing shots to the corners. He also looked, at times, less convincing than normal on defense, as Soderling made him stretch and then stretch some more.
But Soderling, an erratic player with a reputation for cracking under pressure, still had to summon the gumption and the shots to do what no other player had done in the five years since Nadal emerged with his topspin forehand, two-handed backhand and matador’s brio. With Nadal down, 1-2, in the fourth-set tiebreaker, Soderling ripped a backhand pass that Nadal could not handle and on the next point, Nadal made an uncharacteristic unforced error with his backhand.
It was 4-1, and it would soon be 6-1 when Nadal’s forehand pass hit the tape. Nadal would save the first match point he had ever faced at Roland Garros with a forehand winner down the line, but on the next point, he moved forward and pushed a forehand volley just wide.
Soderling pumped his fist, quickly shook Nadal’s hand and then the umpire’s hand, as well. Only then did he show just how much this moment meant to him, running back on court, throwing back his closely cropped head and roaring with delight before tossing his racket into the stands.
Earlier this season, Nadal defeated Soderling in straight sets on the clay surface at a tournament in Rome. The Swede has never advanced this far in a Grand Slam tournament before, as the deepest he went was the third round at the 2007 Wimbledon.
“I had my chances,” said Djokovic, who rallied to beat Roger Federer in the semifinals. “He overcomes the pressure better than me, that’s why he’s the best in the world. But overall, I’m pretty happy with the week.”
Nadal broke an Open Era tie with Thomas Muster, who won Rome titles in 1990, 1995 and 1996. Jaroslav Drobny and Martin Mulligan also each won three titles before the Open Era.
Rome is a key warmup for the French Open, which begins in three weeks with Nadal the four-time defending champion.
Nadal broke serve in the opening game of the match, but Djokovic had his chances in the first set before losing control for good in the tiebreaker, sending a weak backhand drop-shot attempt into the net on Nadal’s third set point.
Nadal improved his Rome record to 22-1 and is a tour-best 38-3 this year, winning five of the eight tournaments he’s entered.
It was his 15th Masters Series title, one more than Roger Federer and two shy of Andre Agassi’s record of 17.
So, I’m just throwing this out there: Who do you think will win the French Open this year? My money is on 648th-ranked Darko Madjarovski from Serbia though something tells me my notions are misguided. I’ll say Nadal comes out on top, but not before a challenging five-setter from Serbia’s favorite son.
ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal won a fifth successive title at the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell after defeating fellow Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5 Sunday in a repeat of the 2008 final. As the winner of the ATP World Tour 500 tennis tournament, Nadal collected € 286,000 and 500 South African Airways 2009 ATP Ranking points.
The 22-year-old Mallorcan clinched his 35th ATP World Tour title (35-9 in finals) and 24th on clay. Last week, he captured his 14th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title on clay at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, where he has won each year since 2005.
Nadal was solid throughout, playing smoothly on his favored court surface and in his home country, no less. With this win, he extended his clay-court winning streak to 25 and hasn’t lost on the surface since May of last year in Rome.
Nadal, perhaps unwillingly, can now take a moment to breathe. He’s comfortably sitting 4,630 points ahead of Roger Federer in the rankings.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (02/19/2009 @ 3:34 am)
Aside from the four Grand Slams, the Davis Cup is the other internationally popular event during the tennis calendar. The men’s event, which has existed since 1900, uses a multi-tiered system that pits country against country. While Spain won last year, the United States has won the event a record 32 times.
Roger Federer pulled out of Switzerland’s Davis Cup series against the United States next month and a tournament in Dubai next week because of a back problem that has bothered him since last year.
“As a precautionary measure, I will use the next few weeks to make sure the back injury is fully rehabilitated and I am ready for the rest of the 2009 season,” Federer said in a statement posted on his Web site Tuesday.
He has not played a competitive match since Feb. 1, when he lost to top-ranked Rafael Nadal in five sets in the Australian Open final. A victory over Nadal in that match would have allowed Federer to tie Pete Sampras’ career record of 14 majors.
A right leg injury could force Nadal to miss the Feb. 23-28 Dubai tournament, too, but he said Monday he hopes to play for Spain in the Davis Cup.
“This was a hard decision to make as I am missing not only one of my favorite events on tour in Dubai, but I am also missing out on an opportunity to help my country try and move on to the next round of Davis Cup,” Federer said.
I wonder if both Federer and Nadal are using this time to rest up and squeeze in some extra training before the French Open in May. The Australian Open could not have been any better for tennis, so I hope both of these guys are back to their full strength before the Grand Slam at Roland Garros.
The Davis Cup is a fairly big deal worldwide. It’s a shame that it never gets much attention in the U.S., especially since we tend to win the tournament quite often. With Nadal and Federer out, there will be even less an incentive for people to watch.
The first round of the Davis Cup will take place on March 6-8 in Birmingham, Alabama.
Posted by Christopher Glotfelty (01/24/2009 @ 12:55 pm)
Round 4 of the Australian Open begins today. The first Grand Slam of the tour calendar has already seen its fair share of surprises, disappointments, scuffles, and nudity. I’ve recapped the highlights below.
The top-ranked men advance
Of the top ten-seeded men in the tournament, only David Nalbandian failed to advance, losing to unknown Yen-Hsun Lu in the second round. The others, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Jo-Wilfried Tsongo, Gilles Simon, Andy Roddick, Juan Martin del Potro, and James Blake have all made easy work of their competition. Really, things won’t get interesting until the Quarter Finals.
Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic are eliminated
It must be said that both matches in which they lost have been the most exciting matches of the tournament. Unseeded 20 year-old Carla Suarez Navarro, in only her fourth Grand Slam main draw appearance, defeated Venus Williams in the second round. It was an amazing match and both women gave it their all. Navarro, however, was able to consistently return Venus’ 192 mph serve and never seemed to tire. Williams was on the defensive during the final set and Navarro’s fine shot placement carried her to victory. The crowd congratulated the awestruck youngster with a standing ovation. Suarez has since advanced to the Fourth Round where she will face twenty-first-seeded Anabel Medina Garrigues.
It was less than a surprise and more of a disappointment to watch Ana Ivanovic fall to twenty-ninth-seeded Alisa Kleybanova. For those who follow tennis, it’s perplexing that Ivanovic is ranked fifth in the world judging by the way she played yesterday. Strictly speaking, the Serbian lost because she couldn’t find her serve. It was painful to watch Ivanovic toss the ball five feet away from herself. She double faulted more than a few times and rarely was able to hold serve. All in all, the three-setter was intense, but undeniably sloppy. While Ivanovic made 50 unforced errors, Kleybanova committed 44, 24 of which came in the opening set alone. It’s time for Ana to take a break and try to get herself into the mindset that helped her win the French Open in 2008.
Serbian and Bosnian fans clash after Novak Djokovic/Amer Delic match
Last year at the Australian Open, Serbian and Croatian fans attacked each other with flagpoles, bottles, and boots. This year, the Balkan rivalry consisted of Serbians and Bosnians. After Serbian Novak Djokovic’s victory over Bosnian-American Amer Delic, fans from both nations pelted each other with chairs.
A streaker stalls a Williams sisters doubles match
Although this article claims the gentleman was out there for only 14 seconds, broadcaster Patrick McEnroe has him at nearly a minute. While Serena and Venus laughed bashfully during the incident, tournament officials aren’t taking this lightly. In 1993, a man stabbed Monica Seles on court during a match in Hamburg, Germany. Still, it looks like this guy was just having a good time.
Coverage of Day 7 will air at 7 PM ET and 12:30 AM ET on ESPN2.
