True champions, as boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said, are those whose will is stronger than their skill.
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True champions, as boxing legend Muhammad Ali once said, are those whose will is stronger than their skill.
Link - http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/blo...ic-euro-doubleQuote:
Rafa defies logic with Euro double
Rafael Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back for the second time Sunday in London, and he put it in perspective better than anyone else could when he said, "It didn't happen since Borg, so now last three years it happen twice. So how crazy is the life."
Not as crazy as it might seem, although I have no desire to minimize the nature of the achievement, established as a benchmark for greatness by Bjorn Borg, who completed the third of his three Channel Slams in 1980.
After all, the only great players in the Open era to turn the feat were Rod Laver, Borg, Roger Federer and Nadal. And only two have done it twice. (To boot, Laver put up two calendar-year Grand Slams, but his first Channel Slam was before the transition to the Open game.)
Still, up until Nadal won both events in 2008, the conventional logic held that the Euro double demanded a death march no player could endure in this era of great competition, strength, fitness and stamina. The clay and grass surfaces were just too different and demanded such different skills that it wouldn't happen again. So how could it?
The most convenient answer is that the grass courts of Wimbledon slowed down enough to make the feat possible. There's some truth in that, but not nearly enough to explain three Channel Slams in three years. One of the things Wimbledon demonstrated this year is that even though the turf is friendlier to the baseline game, it still rewards the outstanding serve disproportionately. Not as much as in the past, perhaps, but the potency of the serve is still greater on grass than on any other surface.
The less geeky but more realistic answer is that we've been blessed with two extraordinary players in Federer and Nadal. Sometimes, the obvious or simple answer is also the correct one.
Federer has amply demonstrated that he has the skill set to win Roland Garros, at least in any year when he doesn't have to face Nadal. You don't get to four consecutive finals at Roland Garros on credit. In this, Nadal fans can argue that Federer got a gift from the gods in 2009 when Robin Soderling put an ailing Nadal out of the French -- clearing the way for Federer to bag his only red-clay major.
And Nadal has demonstrated that he has the ability to win Wimbledon, whether or not Federer is in his way. That's because the gods -- Mercury, to be precise -- gave him the gift that's critical to winning both events. Great movement and quickness.
Nadal acknowledge that Sunday, saying, "I think I have very good thing to play here, on grass. It's the movement. I move well on this court, and that's very important part of the game."
If you have any doubts, you can check with Borg. His movement also was superb. And Federer would say "ditto," as well.
Let's be frank about this. Federer was extremely lucky that Nadal lost before the final at Roland Garros last year. The record is there to prove it. That's not a knock on Federer; it still took an amazing effort to close the deal once Nadal was out of the way because of the inherent pressure.
Luck played a huge role in Federer's run through the Channel Slam last year, which helps explain how the feat could be accomplished for three years in a row. It's fun to analyze it, but most appropriate to just celebrate it.
Link - http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/blo...urish-flushingQuote:
Nadal set to finally flourish at Flushing
By Tom Perrotta, TENNIS.com
The U.S. Open Series began this week in Atlanta, where Andy Roddick is making a surprise visit. As the summer hard-court season gets into full swing, here's what's on my mind.
Rafa's best shot
First things first: Rafael Nadal can win in Flushing, N.Y., and this is his best chance to capture the U.S. Open. He was playing well enough to take the title in 2008, but the added burden of the Olympics (he won the gold medal in Beijing) wore him down. I don't put too much stock in the other barriers often discussed: The courts are too fast for him and the surface is too hard on his body. Nonsense, I say -- he can win on anything. Nadal hasn't won the U.S. Open because of its place at the end of the tennis calendar. This year, he should be in good health, as he won't have to worry about the Olympics, and he has a better understanding of his knee tendinitis and how to treat it. He'll also have weaker competition: Juan Martin del Potro, the defending champion, isn't going to play and Roger Federer hasn't played well since the Australian Open (though I wouldn't count him out, either). If Nadal is healthy when he arrives in Flushing, he'll be the favorite.
The Czechs are for real
Here's one reason Nadal might not win the U.S. Open this September: Tomas Berdych. Berdych couldn't even salvage a set against Nadal in the Wimbledon final, and he has lost seven consecutive matches to the Spaniard (without winning a set). Streaks like that have to end eventually, and Berdych has the firepower to end it on a big stage. If del Potro can win the U.S. Open, so can Berdych -- he's that talented.
Link - http://www.telegraphindia.com/110072...y_12720415.jspQuote:
Nadal looking unbeatable
Serve & Volley
Naresh Kumar
With the Wimbledon fortnight during the World Cup 2010, it has been one of the greatest and most enjoyable of sporting summers. Spain with a revival of the buccaneering spirit of the conquistadors captured the world soccer title and Rafael Nadal with victories at Wimbledon and Roland Garros became the undisputed monarch of world tennis.
Two occurrences, however, struck a sad note in sporting hearts. First, the defeat of the Brazil with their mesmerising ‘Joga Bonito’ style of play, and secondly, the end of the reign of the greatest player of all time the 28-year old Swiss Roger Federer, the lone ‘Joga Bonito’ of the tennis world.
The Brazilians will come back with their magic and the Samba drums, but who will replace Federer now waltzing into the last pages of his illustrious career. There will never be another like him.
I first saw the decline in Federer’s game at the French Open. The hallmark of Federer’s game, which set him apart from the pack, was his ability to fearlessly hit winners and go for service aces on important points.
In Paris, I noticed that on more than one crucial occasion Federer tended to hold back and play safe rather than go flat out when an opening was there. Many, many years ago, I remember Jack Kramer telling me that at the highest level it was futile to put the ball back on pivotal points and hope that your opponent will make an error — they won’t. Federer’s inability to close out matches is time’s foot in the door saying “enough”. Indeed, it is enough.
With a career spanning 900 matches, a record breaking 16 Grand Slams, Federer has smashed almost every record in tennis history. He must be rated as the greatest of all time. The only blemish, and who doesn’t have one, is that in a head to head with Nadal, Federer trails by 7 matches to 14 ! Nadal’s spectacular victories on the slow clay courts of Roland Garros and on the fast grass at Wimbledon highlight the versatility of his game and signals the dawn of the Nadal era.
The whirling dervish-like swing of his topspin forehand, the viciously sliced backhand, Beckham-like swerve on passing shots and a flat coup de grace forehand, with a powerfully accurate serve have overwhelmed the opposition. Nadal is described by his support team as one “who mixes the pace of 200 metre runner with the resistance of a marathon runner.” They further add, “we know he is Nadal and that he will overcome everything”.
In politics time unravels it, but in tennis, for Nadal spin has brought control, consistency, direction and deception. Woven together and strung in Nadal’s steel frame it now rules the tennis world. Nadal has taken the game to an unbelievable level of accuracy, consistency and endurance. The challenge to Nadal will come from the well over 6-feet giants lurking in the top echelons of the game.
Their height leverages more power and a sharper angle on the service can open up a large vulnerable gap on the receiver’s court.
But will the challengers be able to measure up to the level of consistency demanded by Nadal’s game?
For the moment, Nadal’s standards seem unbeatable, provided he stays free of injury.
Link - http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20...he_backs_NadalQuote:
McEnroe states the obvious as he backs Nadal
7/23/10 6:23 PM | Johan Lindahl
John McEnroe just can't keep a thought to himself, with the mega-mouth of the tennis world joining the Rafael Nadal bandwagon and tipping the world No. 1 for more future success.
Mac, not known for taking a chance with his predictions, says the Spaniard will claim another six or seven additional Grand Slam titles to add to his current total of eight.
With an opinion never far from his lips, the 51-year-old former ace claims Nadal has taken over from Federer in the current game, all but writing off the 16-time Swiss Grand Slam champion, whose twin girls turned one year old this week with a birthday party at home south of Zurich.
"Roger is not going to dominate the way he did, he knows it," said Mac after picking up some small appearance fee change at an American summer league event. "He (Federer) loves to play still. I think he'll win a couple more majors."
But, warned the talkative American: "The upside for Nadal is greater. He could win six, seven more. I think Federer could win one, two more."
"That's my opinion. Maybe he'll prove me wrong. He's already got 16, so it's not like he hasn't broken every record already. Maybe give someone else a chance."
nadal wins 1st round after a fight:
Rafael Nadal ESP Def Teymuraz Gabashvili RUS 7(7)-6(4), 7(7)-6(4), 6-3
vadi chellam vadi vadi :clap:Quote:
Originally Posted by MADDY
Nadal has made tremendous improvement on his serve (serving in 130s'), which should augur well for this surface. It was a very stiff match for the first 2 sets with no breaks. Gabashvill played one heck of a match, but as expected couldn't sustain for long. Either way, it was a perfect match to shrug off all the rust.
Nadal definitely looks well rested & very well prepared :clap:
The great thing about Nadal is his desire to win. He improved in lot of areas to suit all courts. Amazing player indeed.
more than the desire...it is the WILL to WIN... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by tamizharasan
I hope he does well and goes on to hold the US Open Championship Trophy..... :)
But it is going to be a very hard fight...he has to be very quick on this surface....