Showing posts with label Rafael Nadal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rafael Nadal. Show all posts

Friday, June 13, 2014

Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray falter on bad day for big stars

(CNN) -- Rafael Nadal, the man who stood on top of the tennis world after winning his ninth French Open title last weekend, was brought back to earth with a bump Thursday.

The world No.1, so dominant on the clay at Roland Garros, was beaten in the first round of the ATP grass-court event in Halle, Germany, by a player ranked 84 places below him.

German Dustin Brown required less than an hour to win 6-4 6-1 on the grass to send Nadal crashing out of the tournament.

The Spaniard, playing his first match on grass since he was stunned in the opening game of last year's Wimbledon, appeared to struggle with the transition.

At Wimbledon 12 months ago, Nadal was beaten by Czech Lukas Rosol who was ranked 100 at the time in a five-set thriller.

And any hopes he would be given the chance to warmup for a return to SW19 were given short shrift by home favorite Brown.

Brown had only ever beaten one top-10 player, John Isner, and this result ranks as his best yet.

Nadal wasn't the only star to falter Thursday -- Andy Murray, who is set to start the defense of his Wimbledon title later this month, was beaten at Queen's Club in London.

Murray was beaten by veteran Czech Radek Stepanek 7-6 6-2 in his second match since appointing former women's No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach.

The 27-year-old, who won the Queens title in 2009, 2011 and 2013, had won his past 19 matches on grass.

"I have only got myself to blame that I lost the first set," the Scot told the ATP website.

"I don't know how many set points I had, but quite a lot of them were on my serve.

"On this surface especially you shouldn't really be losing sets like that. For me, that's what's disappointing really about the match. Then, unfortunately, got broken in the first game of the second set. I couldn't quite get it back."

The 35-year-old Stepanek's reward is a quarterfinal clash with South African Kevin Anderson.

Meanwhile, seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer survived a scare in Halle before booking his place in the quarterfinals with a 6-7 6-4 6-2 win over Joao Sousa.

The Swiss ace, who has won this tournament on six occasions, will face Taiwan's Yen-Hsun Lu for a place in the semifinals.

"It was slightly frustrating at times clearly, but nevertheless I served well and kept on doing my thing," said fourth-ranked Federer, who lost in the last 16 at Roland Garros.

"It was important to stay calm and actually I think it gives me more confidence winning this way.

"I had to stay calm, fight through the match and find a way and then the last set and a half were much better. So, I'm actually pretty happy now."

source: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/12/sport/tennis/rafael-nadal-andy-murray-tennis/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

Monday, June 9, 2014

Tennis: Nadal wins ninth French Open

Trying to beat Rafael Nadal at the French Open is, without a doubt, the toughest task in tennis. Indeed, must be among the greatest challenges in all of sports.

The pressure he applies, from set to set, game to game, point to point, shot to shot. That bullwhip of a high-bouncing, topspin lefty forehand. Those quick-reflex returns that help him break an opponent's serve - and his will.

Doing what he does so well on the red clay of Roland Garros, a surface and site he dominates so completely, the No. 1-seeded Nadal wore down No. 2 Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 today to win his ninth French Open championship and fifth in a row, both records.

"For me," Nadal said, "playing here in Roland Garros is just unforgettable, forever."

It is also his 14th Grand Slam title overall, tying the 28-year-old Spaniard with Pete Sampras for the second most by a man, behind only Roger Federer's 17.

That includes two trophies for Nadal at Wimbledon and one apiece at the U.S. Open and Australian Open, proving he can beat the best on grass and hard courts, too. But it's on the clay of Paris where Nadal reigns supreme: He has won 66 of his 67 career matches at the French Open.

And since his only defeat, against Robin Soderling in the fourth round in 2009, Nadal has won 35 consecutive matches at Roland Garros.

"It's not impossible, but it's very, very difficult to stay with Rafa in this court, throughout the whole match, on the highest level of performance," said Djokovic, who was broken in the final game of each set, including with an anticlimactic double-fault on match point after fans shouted during the Serb's service motion. "It's normal that you have ups and downs."

Nadal ensured that he, not Djokovic, will be ranked No. 1 on Monday. And in the process, Nadal once again prevented six-time major champion Djokovic from completing a career Grand Slam.

"Sorry for him today. I think he deserves to win this tournament," Nadal said. "I am sure he will do it in the future."

Djokovic had won their four most recent matches, including on clay in the best-of-three-set final at Rome last month, but beating Nadal in the best-of-five format at the French Open is a whole other matter.

Nadal also beat Djokovic in the 2012 final, and the 2013 semifinals. In all, Nadal leads Djokovic 6-0 at the French Open, 9-3 at major tournaments, and 23-19 in total. No other pair of men has played each other as often.

For 3 1/2 hours Sunday, when the sky was crystal clear and the temperature touched 80 degrees (27 Celsius), Djokovic gave everything he had, even spitting up on court in the final set.

"I played at the maximum of my power, my strength, and my capability," Djokovic said, "but Rafa was the best player on the court."

Using his backhand to great effect against Nadal's forehand early, Djokovic grabbed the first set, and got to 5-all in the second. That is when everything changed. Knowing that overcoming a two-set hole might be too much even for him, Nadal raised his level, taking 20 of 26 points to claim that set and a 3-0 lead in the third.

When a down-the-line forehand winner ended the second set, Nadal leaped and shook both fists, his first sign of real emotion. Djokovic, meanwhile, was his usual animated self. He rapped his knuckles on his temple. He chastised himself aloud. He spiked his racket, drawing whistles from spectators.

"The momentum went (to) his side," Djokovic said. "I started playing quite bad and didn't move as well. Struggled a little bit physically throughout that third set."

That was apparent. His cheeks were flushed. He put his hand on his heaving chest. He wobbled and nearly fell over while sitting on his changeover bench. Later, he dumped water on his head and arms.

Still, after trailing 4-2 in the fourth, Djokovic made one last stand. As skilled a retriever as his formidable foe - Djokovic won 10 of the first 15 points that lasted at least 10 strokes - he came up with a desperation defensive lob that landed right near the baseline, drawing a netted overhead from Nadal to earn a break point. When Djokovic produced a terrific return that led to an errant forehand, he looked skyward. Now it was 4-all.

But Nadal steadied himself to hold to 5-4, then broke one last time. Soon enough, he was clutching the French Open trophy, his trophy.

source: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11270263

Saturday, May 17, 2014

Nadal Battles Past Murray In Rome Reunion


Andy Murray served up a bagel set the last time he faced Rafael Nadal, three years ago in the Tokyo final.

On Friday, Murray picked up where he left off when the pair renewed their rivalry in the quarter-finals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, but was unable to hold off the seven-time Rome champion in the end. The World No. 1 battled back to win 1-6, 6-3, 7-5, setting a semi-final meeting with 12th seed Grigor Dimitrov.

The seventh-seeded Murray, who had taken just one set off of Nadal in their previous four clay-court meetings, raced out to a 5-0 lead as he converted his two break point chances and saved the three faced. Murray served out the first set after 38 minutes, after Nadal held to avoid his first bagel set since playing Roger Federer at the 2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.

Nadal saved a break point to open the second set, and finally converted on his fifth opportunity against Murray to take a 2-0 lead - the only break of the 52-minute set. Nadal won 100 per cent of his second serve points and all 12 of his points at the net.  

After exchanging breaks to start the third set, Murray broke to go up 4-2 after Nadal had fought back to deuce from triple break point down. The Mallorcan immediately recovered his serve and claimed the decisive break to love, 6-5. He pulled ahead 14-5 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Nadal had reached the quarter-finals with two battling victories. He prevailed against Gilles Simon in three hours and 19 minutes - the longest best-of-three-set match this season - and came from a set and a break down to defeat Mikhail Youzhny.

This is the first time since 2005 Rome that Nadal has won three straight decisive-set matches on clay in the same tournament. 

The Spaniard had rebounded from quarter-final exits in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona to win the Mutua Madrid Open title, needing to rally from down against Kei Nishikori in the final.

"He finished the match incredibly well," said Murray. "The last three games he was physically a little bit stronger than me at the end. Apart from that it was a good match."

source: http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/05/20/Rome-Friday-Nadal-Murray.aspx



Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Pros switch on hi-tech racquets in time for Wimbledon

LONDON (Reuters) - A handful of the world's best tennis players will show up at tournaments within weeks armed with new technology they hope will give them an advantage at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the man behind the 'smart racquets' has told Reuters.

Without identifying the players who would be first to wield the hi-tech weapons, Eric Babolat confirmed "connected racquets", with sensors feeding back information on the players' forehands, backhands and much more besides, would be swung in anger for the first time, after a decade in development.

"It could be any week. We have a lot of players testing. It is going to happen very soon," Babolat told Reuters in an interview at Britain’s National Tennis Centre in south-west London.

"It is a question of days, not months."

Declared legal by the guardians of the sport, the International Tennis Federation (ITF), who adopted a new rule covering the technology at the start of the year, selected Babolat racquets will feature data-collecting sensors in their handles,

"Quite simply, this is information like we have never been able to get before," smiled Babolat, scion of the French tennis manufacturing empire built out of a 19th century family business making sausage skins, surgical sutures and piano strings from animal gut.

"It is information direct from the racquet, from the string bed, and it tells us exactly what is happening, not just a feeling from the player.

"INCREDIBLE TO IMAGINE"

"For me it was incredible, that you can take the number one tennis player in the world (Rafa Nadal) and see that he doesn't really know anything about what is happening in his racquet, apart from his feel. He has no data about anything, and it is incredible to imagine.

"It is like you are a Formula One driver and you don't know how fast you are driving and you don't know..." Babolat trailed off, shaking his head. "It is a bit unbelievable, but it is like that.

"No longer", the CEO and chairman of the French business said.

In essence, the technology-loaded racquets collect data such as shot power and ball impact location along with the number of strokes, the level of spin imparted, total play time, endurance, technique, consistency, energy and rallies.

The information is transmitted through bluetooth to smartphones or tablets where players and coaches can analyse and share their data with other analysts and online communities.

 

Monday, May 12, 2014

Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova are the big winners in Madrid

Rafael Nadal picked up his first European clay-court title of the season Sunday after his opponent, Kei Nishikori, retired while trailing in the third set.

The world No. 1 Spaniard raised concerns with his less than dominant play during the recent clay-court tournaments and seemed to be on his way to yet another loss.

But Nishikori, who took a medical time in the second set for treatment on his back and hip, called it a day when trailing 2-6, 6-4, 3-0, to give Nadal his fourth Madrid Open trophy. By reaching the finals, the Japanese star moved up three spots to a career high world No. 9.

With the victory, Nadal became the first repeat winner in Madrid and picked up his 44th career title on clay. But the win is only his second clay-court title of the year on a surface he typically rules.

“I was blocked. There were some moments where, I don’t know, I couldn’t find myself,” Nadal said (via Associated Press). “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to play or I was missing intensity, I was just mentally blocked.”

The Madrid Open win guarantees that he will stay No. 1 in the rankings leading up the French Open that begins May 25.

read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2014/05/12/rafael-nadal-maria-sharapova-are-the-big-winners-in-madrid/


Thursday, May 8, 2014

Andre Agassi picks Rafael Nadal ahead of Roger Federer as tennis's greatest all-time player

 Andre Agassi has hailed Rafael Nadal as the best player in the history of tennis, ahead of Roger Federer.

The former world No 1 opted for the Spaniard over Federer, whose wife earlier this week gave birth to a second set of twins, because he has thrived in an ultra-competitive "golden age of tennis".

"I'd put Nadal number one, Federer number two," the eight-time Grand Slam-winner said.

"Federer separated himself from the field for four years. He separated himself from Roddick and Hewitt," Agassi added.

"Nadal had to deal with Federer, Djokovic, Murray in the golden age of tennis. He has done what he has done and he's not done yet." 



Conventional wisdom ranks Federer ahead of Nadal, as the Swiss holds a record 17 Grand Slam titles against 13 for the current world No 1.

But Nadal has a convincing 23-10 head-to-head record against Federer and is one Australian Open victory away from becoming only the third man to win all four Grand Slam titles twice.

"He has won multiple majors, every single one (more than once) except the Australian Open - and give him another year on that," Agassi said.

"It's just remarkable to me what he has done, and he has done it all during Federer's prime."

Agassi added that he did not discount Australia's Rod Laver, two-time winner of the calendar-year Grand Slam, when rating the greatest player of all time.

And he confirmed he would play in the Singapore leg of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) after the dates were rejigged to avoid Thanksgiving - as long as the event goes ahead.

"It seems like it's all happening. I just can't make any promises I can't control. What I can't control (is) if (the event) really exists or not," he said.

"But if it's happening, I'm absolutely going to be there and I will spend time leading up (to the event) playing."

 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Why Is Rafael Nadal Struggling? Blame Tennis's 13th-Major Curse

On January 25, 2014, it seemed all but inevitable that Rafael Nadal was about to win his 14th Grand Slam.

After coming back in 2013 from a career-threatening knee injury to reclaim the number-one ATP Tennis ranking, Nadal had stormed through a series of talented upstarts in his Australian Open draw and capped it off by taking out his principal rival Roger Federer in a satisfying semifinal duel. He had caught a break in the draw: His nemesis Novak Djokovic would not be waiting for him in the finals, but rather Stanislas Wawrinka, a relative journeyman who had never taken a set off of Nadal in any of their previous meetings. Pete Sampras, the first man to ever reach a 14th Grand Slam title, had boarded a 16-hour flight to Australia for the first time in over a decade, likely convinced he would be there to coronate Nadal.

Except something happened on the way to Nadal’s “routine” 14th Slam. He lost. After a slow start in the match, he reached skyward to complete the herky-jerky service motion and twisted his back. The crowd gasped and Nadal looked desperately at his box. Nadal kept competing, but his level slipped; Wawrinka won in four sets.

Since Nadal’s Australian Open debacle, his back has fully healed. But his foibles have followed him. Prior to this season, Rafael Nadal had won more than 93 percent of his matches on his beloved clay and hadn’t lost at Monte Carlo or Barcelona to someone not named Novak Djokovic since President George W. Bush’s first term. This clay season, Nadal has played in two clay court tournaments so far, unceremoniously losing in the quarterfinals at both Barcelona and Monte Carlo to players he had dominated over the last decade. He had won at least one—usually both—of these tournaments every single season dating back to 2004.

Retired tennis player Jeff Salzenstein, once ranked No. 91 in the ATP, believes that Nadal’s drought could stem from “a bit of programming or subconscious beliefs.” “Maybe something is going on his life,” Salzenstein said—after all, he pointed out, Nadal’s play suffered around the time he learned that his parents were separating, resulting in his only French Open loss in 2009.

But history shows that Nadal is far from the first to endure a rocky stretch after winning a 13th Grand Slam. In fact, so many tennis players in the last century have struggled at this stage that you could even call it a curse. Historians of the game have yet to expend much analysis on the unusual plight of Grand Slam champions after securing their 13th Slam. But almost all male and female players who have earned a 14th Slam, from the superstitious to the famously rational, have experienced what can only be described as outré occurrences.

Nadal, for example, is just the third man to ever be in the position to seek a 14th major title, but he’s the third of three to face some serious setbacks in the process. Pete Sampras was the first to overcome the 13th Slam hex, and it wasn’t without a spell of uncharacteristic play. Sampras loitered for two years on the ATP Tour after winning Wimbledon in 2000: His ranking dropped all the way to 17th in the world, and he was dogged by constant calls to retire until he won an improbable U.S. Open title in 2002. And the usually composed Roger Federer famously cried and had to be consoled at the podium of the Australian Open in 2009 while experiencing his own 13th-Slam curse, after a shocking defeat at the hands of the weary Rafael Nadal.

Nadal, who rushed to hug the teary Federer after foiling him in his bid for Slam No. 14, can now likely empathize with Federer’s agony.

On the women’s side, we find the earliest occurrence of an odd lull between Slam No. 13 and Slam No. 14: It was in the case of Helen Wills Moody, she of the “awkward personality” and the impeccable attacking serve and volley game. Her strange story, however, is marked not by a bout of poor play but rather by a brief, bizarre career change. When she won her 13th major at Wimbledon in 1930, she was enjoying a streak that still defies logic, winning every set she played for four straight years. But after locking up Slam No. 13, she disappeared from the scene, a stretch of time in which she contributed a chapter to philosopher Will Durant’s 1931 book On the Meaning of Life, pondered launching a film career, and unceremoniously decided not to defend three consecutive majors. Questions arose about her commitment and the validity of her No. 1 ranking, but she returned at peak level with a new mindset and won the 1931 U.S. Open at the West Side Tennis Club.

A more traditional curse, though, plagued her protégé, Martina Navratilova. After winning her 13th Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 1985, Bud Collins commented that the sport needed to create a higher league for Navratilova to compete in. On the verge of clinching her 14th Slam, Navratilova ran into her old foe Chris Evert, who she had mostly owned up to that point. The two played what is commonly referred to as one of the greatest women’s matches in history, with Evert going on to win the unlikely title. While Navratilova would eventually earn her revenge (and a 14th Slam) at Wimbledon four weeks later, the match came to be seen as an inflection point in their rivalry and gave Evert the mental edge in the years to come.

Margaret Smith chose to retire from the sport unexpectedly at the age of 24 after winning her 13th Slam at the Australian Open in 1966 but suffering unusual defeats at the two ensuing Slams. During her year and a half of retired life, she married Barry Court, took on the name Court, and started a family. She launched a comeback in 1968, and it took a year of futility and uncharacteristic results (as well as the start of the Open Era) to get her back in form. But in 1969, she broke the curse, reclaimed her Australian Open title, and went on to win 11 more Slams on the way to a still-unsurpassed 24 majors.

For Serena Williams, the consequences of the 13th-Slam curse were harrowing. While trying out new high heels at a 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, Williams stepped on a piece of glass. The injury immobilized her and then produced a blood clot that spiraled quickly into a pulmonary embolism. Soon, she was fighting for her life and doubting a return to tennis. Two years later, however, she made a remarkable resurgence back to the top of the WTA Tour and fended off a hungry Agnieska Radwanska to break the curse at Wimbledon in 2012.

 
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Thursday, May 1, 2014

Nadal's Hold At No. 1 On The Line In Madrid

The World No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking will be in play at next week's Mutua Madrid Open, where Novak Djokovic has a mathematical chance to dethrone Rafael Nadal.

Should defending champion Nadal lose before the quarter-finals and Djokovic win the title, the Serb would regain the top spot for the first time since 6 October 2013. Djokovic lost to Grigor Dimitrov in the Madrid second round last year and has only 10 points to defend, compared to the 1000 points that Nadal will defend. The tournament begins Sunday.

Since ending his 101st week at No. 1, Djokovic has compiled a 31-3 match record.

The Serbian has gone on to win four ATP World Tour titles. He finished 2013 with victory at the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris (d. Ferrer) and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals (d. Nadal). So far in 2014, he has lifted trophies at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (d. Federer) and the Sony Open Tennis in Miami (d. Nadal).

 
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Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Tennis Star Rafael Nadal Remains in Limbo

Not sure defeat to David Ferrer in Monte Carlo affect him more than necessary. He refuses, but something is happening to Rafael Nadal for not regaining his confidence. He lost in the quarterfinal against Nicolas Almagro in Barcelona Open again in the quarterfinals. "He played too tight and that prevents him from returning to his best," says Toni Nadal. The point is that in their debut in the Tournament of Barcelona, his club, Nadal suffered much over the odds to defeat an inspired Albert Ramos, who took the tie break in the original manga and 6-4 in the second after an hour and 56 minutes.

That's not usual. Ramos played at a high level, adjusted for baseline and occasionally breaking up the game with balls and balloons left. But that is not usually a problem for the world number one. Nadal is not right. His balls lack depth and do not have the ability to overwhelm opponents. Now, earn the most points by exhaustion overflow. And besides, is very irregular. It is not that tight, invulnerable player whose mindset dismantled all its rivals. Not the man of the 13 Grand Slam titles. He lacks confidence. It is probably only a matter of a couple of games to finish cleaning his head bad memories and recall the feelings that now is not on the track.

Seems to have not yet forgotten the Australia Open final he lost with back problems, compared to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka. "I had prepared thoroughly for that tournament. Generated insecurity And lose me and a mental letdown," confessed shortly after arriving in Barcelona, where you get the Sport and Culture prize in his sporting side. Yes there his punches flow naturally and it shows you have good feelings. The victory over Ramos can help you pick the pulse of the competition, because he was able to win without playing their best. And now he will face Croatian Ivan Dodig, who at 29 seems to have already given the best of her tennis career. Since last February have won a game and lost three times in the first round. For Nadal, it may be a good time to regain confidence.

"I played dull but with passion and intensity," admitted Nadal. "It was an important match for me and I think I've faced with the right attitude, accepting my mistakes and forgetting the points I lost." Nadal won his 40th straight win at the tournament in Barcelona. " Today I experienced the whole game because I have not played my usual level, but the motivation and enthusiasm are always there. Sensations are recovering slowly. Better hope to play against Dodig."

Nadal seemed confident and was looking for his 9th title in Barcelona Open but lost 2-6, 7-6, 6-4 to Nicolas Almagro, just a week after going out in the quarterfinals of the Monte Carlo Masters to David Ferrer. Nadal was shocked once again in the span of a few weeks.

What is already clear is that the hypothetical final between Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer was frustrated at the debut of the Valencian David Ferrer. The of Javea, 32, lost to Russian Teymuraz Gabashvili, 28, 6-4, 6-2 in 1 hour and 21 minutes. Gabashvili had not passed the second round of the Barcelona tournament eight times he had participated. Ferrer, however, played four late - he lost to Rafa Nadal, but last year also succumbed the day of its debut in the second round.

Ferrer, 5th global player, won this year's tournament in Buenos Aires, but it seems to be going through its best game. Fell in the Australia Open quarter- final against Berdych and last week removed Rafa Nadal for the first time on clay in the last 10 years in the quarterfinals of the Open de Montecarlo, before being defeated by the Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka in two rounds.

 
 

Friday, April 18, 2014

Nadal stunned by Ferrer in Monte Carlo

David Ferrer is into the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters after he put on a brilliant display to knock out world No.1 Rafael Nadal.

Ferrer, who had one win in his last 11 matches against Nadal before today, overcame the eight-time champion 7-6(1) 6-4 to set up a last-four encounter with Stanislas Wawrinka.

Ferrer twice squandered a break in the opening set as Nadal fought back to force a tiebreak, but the Spaniard looked out-of-sorts as his shots lacked firepower which enabled Ferrer to move in front after the set lasted an hour and 25 minutes.

Nadal then fell a break behind in the second set as Ferrer raced into a 3-1 advantage. Ferrer continued to dominate Nadal by opening a 5-2 lead, but when serving for the win he surrendered his serve and Nadal closed the gap to one game at 5-4.

However, Ferrer was not to be denied as he fired a forehand down the line before Nadal gifted him the win when hitting the net.

Australian Open champion Stanislas Wawrinka booked his place in the semi-finals for the second time after the Swiss defeated Milos Raonic 7-6(5) 6-2.

Wawrinka, twice a runner-up at ATP Masters 1000 events in Rome and Madrid, came from 3-0 and 5-3 down in the first set tiebreak to take it 7-5. The challenge of Raonic quickly faded as Wawrinka dropped just two games in the second set to seal a straight-sets victory.

 
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