Category: Tennis (Page 21 of 27)

      Nadal wins Monte Carlo Masters

      April 19, 2009 /

      nadal

      I took a lot of heat for wondering whether or not Roger Federer would ever capture another Grand Slam. I came to the conclusion that, yes, Federer would win at least one more, but this occasion would likely happen at the U.S. Open. My primary reasoning was that Nadal is entering the prime of his career while Federer is exiting his. Case in point: while Federer is skipping tournaments to gear up for the French Open and Wimbledon, Nadal is racking up heaps of points winning tournament after tournament. Earlier today, Rafael Nadal beat Novak Djokovic to become the first player to win five straight Monte Carlo Masters titles.

      Nadal extended his winning streak at Monte Carlo to 27 matches and won his 21st straight victory on clay since losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain in the second round of the Rome Masters in May 2008.

      Nobody has matched Nadal’s performance at the Monte Carlo tournament since tennis turned professional in 1968.

      Reggie Doherty won the event six times overall between 1897-99 and 1902-04, while five-time winner Anthony Wilding of New Zealand won four times in a row from 1911-14 and got his other title in 1908.

      Nadal broke Djokovic immediately for a 2-0 lead, but he was struggling to hold and dropped serve on his third break point in the third game to let Djokovic back in the match.

      But Nadal improved and won the next five games – just like he did at 3-1 down in the first set – as Djokovic went for extravagant winners that landed out.

      The guy has the potential to win a Calendar Grand Slam. Nadal has failed to win the U.S. Open in his career, but that can be attributed to his body breaking down at the end of the ATP season, given the fact that he plays in so many tournaments. If he can manage his playing schedule a tad better, he might have the energy he needs to win all four Grand Slams. We already know he has the skill.

      Tennis

      ATP recognizes Federer and Nadal with various awards

      April 1, 2009 /

      Although we’re nearly four months into the 2009 schedule, the ATP Tour has just announced the awards for the 2008 season. Obviously, fans aren’t clamoring at the doors of ATP headquarters demanding to know the results – it’s just a bit odd considering how much more quickly a sport like Major League Baseball does it.

      As expected, Rafael Nadal was chosen as player of the year while Roger Federer was recognized as the “favorite player” and given the Stefan Edberg sportsmanship award.

      Roger Federer earned the ATP Tour’s Stefan Edberg sportsmanship award for a record fifth consecutive year, and he was chosen the favorite player for the sixth year in a row in a poll of fans on Wednesday.

      Top-ranked Rafael Nadal was chosen player of the year, and first-year pair Daniel Nestor of Canada and Nenad Zimonjic of Serbia was selected doubles team of the year.
      James Blake of the United States won the Arthur Ashe humanitarian of the year award for his charitable efforts, and Rainer Schuettler of Germany was chosen comeback player of the year. France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga was chosen most improved, and Japan’s Kei Nishikori won newcomer of the year.

      Far be it from a guy who just earned his fifth consecutive sportsmanship award to take offense, but I hope the fact the Nadal was chosen as player of the year is eating Federer up inside. Maybe then he can make the slight adjustments to his game so he can begin beating Nadal. They’re so minute that I would need to explain them on a 3-D graphic of a tennis court using Nadal and Federer as avatars, drawn to scale. We don’t have that kind of funding here at Scores Report, so let’s just say Fed needs to improve the accuracy of his ground strokes in an effort to tire Nadal out rather then vice versa. We’ll just leave it at that for now.

      On a side note, if the MLB, NFL, NBA, of NHL even give out sportsmanship awards, can anybody name the winners from last year?

      Tennis

      Will Roger Federer ever win another Grand Slam?

      March 25, 2009 /

      fed
      Yes. People forget the bulk of cold hard facts when discussing Roger Federer’s struggle to win his 14th Grand Slam. They attribute factors such as age, Rafael Nadal, and certain losses to young players as the end-all proof that the Fed Express has derailed.

      Federer is only 27, which apparently means 90 in tennis years. It’s easy to associate Federer with aging talent such as Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, and Marat Safin because they are all former No. 1’s in their late twenties. It’s unfair to lump Federer into this talented, albeit inferior, bunch. Federer has won 13 Grand Slams. These guys are nowhere near that pinnacle. By capturing one more, Federer will surpass Pete Sampras as the most decorated player in the Grand Slam era. Keep in mind that Federer’s style of play is usually compared to that of Sampras. What I find interesting is how similar their careers have been as well. They both went pro as teenagers, then dominated for five years in their early twenties. Sampras never won a French Open – neither has Federer. Sampras won at least five championships at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open – same with Federer. Their careers are eerily similar when you compare statistics. One fact remains, however: Pete Sampras won the U.S. Open at age 30. I don’t see why Federer can’t do the same.

      Oh, that’s right. Rafael Nadal. Federer can’t seem to beat the Spaniard. At 24 22, Nadal has already amassed seven six Grand Slam titles and is actually the true contender to win more Grand Slams than anybody in the sport’s lengthy history. Nevertheless, the guy has just begun to win hard court tournaments. His victory at this year’s Australian Open over Federer proved that Nadal has broadened his game. Everyone who witnessed his epic match against Federer at Wimbledon last year knows he can play on grass as well. The true test, and Federer’s saving grace, will be at the U.S. Open, which Federer has won five consecutive times. It’s the only Grand Slam Nadal hasn’t won, but it’s definitely within his reach. Remember, even though pundits like to compare Federer with Sampras, they absolutely love to compare Nadal with Andre Agassi. While Federer and Sampras were better players overall, Agassi was the last to win all four Grand Slams in his career. Nadal is more than capable of the same feat.

      Bottom line is yes, Roger Federer will win another Grand Slam. Will he get two or three more? I doubt it, but it goes without saying that Fed could easily remain one of the top-five ranked players on the ATP Tour for the next few years. Sampras retired at 30, at a time when many believed he had a couple solid years left. Still, he did so as the most successful tennis player of all time. There wasn’t much need to continue if there wasn’t anything else to prove. Sampras could not predict the likes of a young Roger Federer breaking into the game, quickly accumulating three Grand Slams a year. It’s unpredictable because it’s a phenomenon. Nadal and Federer are both phenomenons. Fortunately, Roger Federer knows this about his rival. He can’t bow out now, not when he’s so close to the Grand Slam record.

      From this point on, it’s a fair assumption that Federer will never again win the Australian Open or Wimbledon, or ever win the French Open. But mark my words: Federer has one more Grand Slam in him. It will solidify his stature as the best player tennis has ever seen. This moment will eventually come at the U.S. Open.

      Tennis

      BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells news and notes

      March 18, 2009 /

      Last week, the BNP Paribas Open kicked off in Palm Springs, California. The two-week long event is part of the ATP Masters Series on the men’s tour and is a Tier 1 event on the women’s tour. Despite the constant, dry heat, the BNP Paribas Open is the most attended tennis tournament outside the four Grand Slams, with over 300,000 visitors showing up during the event. Fourth round action finishes today, so I’ve included a short roundup to help everyone catch up.

      – Maria Sharapova played her first match in seven months since returning from shoulder surgery. She lost 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 in doubles with partner Elena Vesnina to Ekaterina Makarova and Tatiana Poutchek.

      – Defending women’s champion Ana Ivanovic advanced to the fourth round. She’s been working with Martina Navratilova’s old tutor, Craig Kardon.

      – Russian teenager Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova continued her Cinderella Story at the BNP Paribas Open, advancing after a 6-3, 3-0 lead in her fourth round match when Spaniard Nuria Llagostera Vives retired with a left hip strain. The 17 year-old had previously upset a struggling Jelena Jankovic (the #2 seed) in the second round.

      – Roger Federer has advanced to the fourth round where he will face Chilean Fernando Gonzalez. This is Federer’s first event since his disappointing finals loss to Rafael Nadal at the Australian Open in January.

      – Novak Djokovic, the defeding men’s champion, has advanced to the fourth round and will face Stanislas Wawrinka from Switzerland.

      – Fernando Verdasco, Andy Murray, Tommy Robredo, Rafael Nadal, David Nalbandian, Andy Roddick, David Ferrer, and Juan Martin del Potro also advanced.

      The quarterfinals kick off tomorrow. FSN has full coverage.

      Tennis

      Federer and Nadal to miss early round of Davis Cup

      February 19, 2009 /

      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.

      Unfortunately, both Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, the #1 and #2-ranked players on the men’s tour, have dropped out of the competition due to injury.

      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.

      Tennis

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