Tennis Forever

[leosimha]

Nadal – God must’ve had a plan

SHAAN AGHA


Uncle Toni’s gift of the ‘reverse forehand’ meant that Nadal could hit the ball with an insane 53 RPS on it. -Photo by AFP

Updated 2013-09-12 19:41:01

In a pre-match interview before the US open final, Rafael Nadal said, “My backhand has completely changed from what it was two years ago, no? I now transfer weight onto my right leg to protect my left knee.” Mats Wilander took a second to imagine a racquet in his hand and animatedly checked the impact it would have on back swing, he seemed unsure. He was interviewing a man who was on a 21-match winning streak on apparently his least favourite surface, a man perhaps at the peak of his powers. Given that it was Nadal, perhaps not yet.
In 2001, a 19-year-old Swiss caught the attention of every tennis fan in the world; he had hunted down the lion in his own den. Pete Sampras was en route to a 5th consecutive Wimbledon title when Roger Federer showed a glimpse of the range, the courage and the absolute brilliance he was capable of bringing to a tennis court.

The years between 2004 and 2007 were arguably the least competitive years of men’s tennis. Not because of the lack of quality, but too much of it from one man. Federer had transcended and altered the level of professional tennis being played at the time; he won 11 out 16 Grand Slams in that period. But, it was not his numbers that had everyone in awe; it was the wizardry that had never been seen on a court before. It was said;

“He's the most gifted player I've ever seen in my life and I've seen a lot of people play. I’ve seen the Lavers, I played against some of the great players – the Samprases, Beckers, Connors, Borgs; you name it.” - John McEnroe

“We have a guy from Switzerland who is just playing the game in a way I haven't seen anyone – and I mean anyone – play before.” - Boris Becker

“He's the best I've ever played against.” - Andre Agassi

“I would be honoured to even be compared to Roger.” - Rod Laver

These were extremely generous words by people who knew a thing or two about the sport. Federer was still a few Grand Slams shy of Sampras’ record of 14, but eclipsing the summit seemed inevitable. Sampras said that Federer would reach 20. The murmurs of the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T) had begun much before he had officially gotten there. In 2006, The New York Times printed the classic piece “Federer as Religious Experience.”

Federer appeared to have perfected the technical skills and fulfilled the potential of aesthetic art in tennis. It seemed that God himself was in motion and He had raised the bar to a level of immortality.

However, in retrospect, God had other plans.

By 2007, Nadal had already established dominance on clay by becoming a triple French Open champion and earning the title “The King of Clay”. Surprisingly he had also reached two consecutive Wimbledon finals but had expectedly lost to Federer. Common notion was that it was as far as he could go on grass, at least while Federer was around. Intoxicated by Federer’s magic, many refused to read the writing on the wall when Nadal stretched the 2007 Wimbledon final to five sets.

The Nadal story is an extra ordinary one and perhaps of no coincidence. Naturally a right hander, he was forcefully made to play tennis with his left hand by his coach and mentor, Toni Nadal. He changed Rafael’s double-handed forehand into a single-handed whiplash. Uncle Toni himself was a table tennis champion which allowed him to further change Nadal’s natural flat game into a top-spinning extravaganza.

Uncle Toni’s gift of the ‘reverse forehand’ meant that Nadal could hit the ball with an insane 53 RPS (Revolutions per Second) on it. The ball did not just unexpectedly curl inside the line but also bounce like jack in a box. The high, cross court ball on the single-handed back hand of Federer reduced the Swiss to a mere mortal, game play custom made to slaughter the G.O.A.T.

Federer would come out with new tactics every time but it was the Spaniard that would usually come good. He kept pecking at the otherwise spotless career of Federer until the day he smashed the demigod into pieces. In 2008, Nadal was crowned champion at the All England Lawn Tennis Club. In the Mecca of tennis, idol worshiping was deemed forbidden thereafter.

Reverence hit an all time low half a year later in Melbourne when teary-eyed Federer infamously cried out loud, “God, it’s killing me.”

Nadal achieved beyond the predictions of many writers, fans and critics. They said his serve was weak, his volley not good enough and he played too far behind the base line, but, most of all, his knees would never be able to withstand his relentless style of play. Nadal simply stepped up to the baseline, added zeal to his serve and reach to his volleys.

By 2009, he had won a Grand Slam on all three surfaces, reached the No.1 ranking, had an Olympic Gold and was playing the best tennis of his life. In 2010, he got better. In fact, it was to be the most fruitful year of his illustrious career. When the last fort at the US open was overrun, he had completed a career Golden Grand Slam, something Federer had never been able to achieve.

When asked if he was better than Federer, he replied, “If someone says I am better than Roger, I think this person don’t know nothing about tennis.” Nadal had not just surpassed Federer in game play but also exceeded the extremely high standards of humility set by his predecessor. It was now Nadal who was raising the bar to unprecedented levels in men’s tennis, both, on and off the court. But he was not done, not yet.

Like Federer, it was not Nadal’s trophies that held the tennis world in a trance; it was the legacy that he was creating. He showed that hard work, perseverance and grit were as important as a good serve. He built biceps that a boxer would be proud of and muscled his way through his opponents who presumably had greater skill. He embodied physical toughness and personified mental tenacity. Virtues that defined his game were also changing the very fabric of the sport itself. In modern day power play tennis on the men’s tour, Nadal is not just the most powerful but is also its symbol of strength.

There is no tennis academy or coach in the world that would advise its pupil to follow the technique and style of Nadal. It shall remain unique to him and him only. However, he will time immemorially be an inspiration to all those who are faced with challenges in their lives. Those who are fighting against the odds, those who have career threatening injuries; anyone looking for a sportsman who defied his own destiny, to succeed, shall look no further.

The real world is an unforgiving place and it will always diminish the aura of its heroes by stacking them in a list of ranking. Inescapably, it boils down to numbers, like Michael Schumacher’s seven world championships and Jahangir Khan’s ten consecutive British Open wins, the magic number in tennis stands at 17 Grand Slam titles. It is now said:

“Nadal has performed at an unbelievably consistent level throughout the year; every match he has played he’s been close to perfection. If he stays healthy until he’s 30, he’s going to get to 17.” - Boris Becker

“If the Spaniard stays healthy, he can easily win four or five more slams. Rafael Nadal can surpass Roger Federer’s record. No question about it. To me, he's better than ever. It's amazing how badly he wants it.” -John McEnroe.

Having undoubtedly transformed into an all-court player, Nadal currently stands at 13 Grand Slam titles at the age of 27 and can potentially play 10 more before he turns 30. Only time can measure how many he will bag but one thing is certain, he is not done yet.

After Federer won his 17th Slam in 2012 at Wimbledon, Rod Laver said “Roger Federer certainly is my claim to be the best of all time if there is such a thing.”

Tennis fans around the world have long been split in two halves with debates and arguments invariably ending in a Federer and Nadal verbal. It depends on the brand of tennis you subscribe to; class and elegance or grit and perseverance, tranquility or a turbulent storm, Beethoven symphony or Heavy Metal Rock.

Their direct match up offers such different attributes that they do not seem to be competing in variables they personally excel at most. For a pure tennis fan it should be very easy to admire and appreciate both, just like apples and oranges. But, love needs little rationale and a sports fan needs even lesser, it is what makes the relationship so special and personal.
There is a belief that states, “Then He fashioned him in due proportions, and breathed into him out of His Spirit.” Federer and Nadal seemed to have crossed dimensions and tapped into the Spirit that is conceived to be Holy and omnipresent in all human beings. By exhibiting the infinite potential of the human body and mind they have galvanized thousands of aspiring sportsmen to find their own element of immortality.

When you have hit infinite backhands in your life by transferring your weight on one leg, it is no mean task to suddenly start hitting it off the other leg; changing your stance is a fundamental alteration. From the boy with a double-handed forehand to the man who is now the King of Tennis, the journey of modifying, adapting and reinventing Rafael Nadal has been nothing short of divine.

Link - http://www.dawn.com/news/1042410/nad...tve-had-a-plan

[leosimha]

Rafael Nadal has what the Cubs need

Posted by Michael Miner on 09.13.13 at 01:13 PM

Rafael Nadal: Seems like he'd make a fine outfielder

The reason I admire Rafael Nadal above all other professional athletes was on display at this week's U.S. Open final, won by Nadal over Novak Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1. Nadal's matches with Djokovic might represent the highest level of tennis that has ever been played—but what happened in the fourth set?

What happened, according to commentator John McEnroe, who won the same tournament four times himself, was the third set. Djokovic had outplayed Nadal in the second set and was outplaying him in the third set, breaking Nadal's serve in the first game and a few games later having him on the ropes at love-40. But somehow Nadal won that game. Then he broke Djokovic. Then he broke him again. Djokovic lost a set he thought he'd won, and he was finished.

Little can be assumed in sports, but I am sure of this: if the opposite had happened, if Nadal had lost the third set the same way Djokovic lost it, he wouldn't have let himself be blitzed 6-1 in the fourth.

In the second set, with Nadal down 30-40 on his serve, he and Djokovic played a . The fans were beside themselves. I was beside myself. The rally ended when Nadal dumped the ball into the net, losing the point, losing his serve, and, as it turned out, because of that break losing the set.

But he didn't lose the match.

The quality that sets Nadal apart is his resilience. His will doesn't break. He seems unafraid of defeat in the same way a great soldier seems unafraid of death. It's what sometimes happens regardless of what you do, but there's no reason to think about it. He reminded me of Grant, taking horrendous losses but never breaking off the battle. History has more affection for Lee, who was more dashing, but Grant outfought him.

In 1980 McEnroe won tennis's most famous tie break ever, to end the fourth set of the Wimbledon final. But Borg recovered to win the fifth set and the tournament. Shifting sports, Carlton Fisk hit one of the most dramatic home runs in World Series history, standing at the plate in the bottom of the 12th inning and willing the ball fair, as the Red Sox won game six against Cincinnati. But the Reds won game seven.

Athletes and teams that don't bounce back can sometimes make a strong argument that only bad luck kept them from their championship, but they can't argue that they deserved it. Baseball fans in Saint Louis still moan about "Denkinger's boner," the bad call at first that led to two runs in the ninth and a 2-1 Kansas City victory in the sixth game of the '85 Series. But the Royals won the seventh game 11-0. When Steve Bartman arguably kept Moises Alou from catching a foul ball in the eighth inning of game six of the NLCS series in 2003, the Cubs still led the series three games to two and the game 3-0, and the Marlins still had one out and one on.

Sometimes an athlete's most impressive move is a shrug.

Link - http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader...-the-cubs-need

[raagadevan]

leosimha: Thank you for all the Nadal links!

[leosimha]

leosimha: Thank you for all the Nadal links!

Welcome There are many many good articles on Nadal but I post only selected few which would interest the hubbers here. But sometimes I feel this thread would lose its sheen only because of articles on Nadal. There must be equal articles on other current Tennis greats like Federer, Djokovic and many past greats too where we can have a fruitful discussion. So I need to be very cautious while posting certain articles here

[leosimha]

Nadal was 120 points being Djokovic earlier after US Open win but now it has been increased to 260 points behind Djokovic. Does anybody know how this difference got widened? Did Djokovic play any tournament to win another 140 points?

ATP Rankings

2013 ATP Rankings
Rank	Player	Points
1	N. Djokovic	11,120
2	R. Nadal	10,860
3	A. Murray	7,075
4	D. Ferrer	6,710
5	R. Federer	4,515
6	T. Berdych	4,460
7	J. del Potro	4,425
8	J. Tsonga	3,425
9	R. Gasquet	3,165
10	S. Wawrinka	3,150

Feddy is back to 5th from 6th.

[raagadevan]

Djokovic boosts men`s ATP rankings lead over Nadal

http://zeenews.india.com/sports/tenn...al_768899.html

How winning hurt Novak Djokovic

By Peter Bodo - ESPN.com

http://espn.go.com/blog/peter-bodo/p...novak-djokovic

[leosimha]

A HEART-STOPPING RIVALRY


Rafael Nadal celebrates victory as Novak Djokovic walks back to his chair, after their final match at the 2013 US Open. (Getty Images)

NEW YORK -- Years ago, Novak Djokovic had to catch up to Rafael Nadal, and then Nadal had to catch up to Djokovic -- and then in one match last evening, Djokovic had to catch up to Nadal, and then Nadal had to catch up to Djokovic, so that by now there has been so much catching up, so much upgrading, that the whole thing has exceeded tennis.

What they play by now is not just gasp tennis or can't-believe-it tennis or can-this-be-real tennis; it's something that soared out into the general, athletic wonderland, with tennis only the vehicle.

If you can't appreciate it, you're probably pulseless. Somebody should check.

For the first three sets at Flushing Meadow, the Spaniard and the Serbian found a level of tennis possibly unprecedented and certainly unsurpassed since the 13th century, when Louis X of France began hitting the ball and sipping wine at changeovers.

They played that gripping 54-shot rally on a break point, on Nadal's serve in the second set. They played the ones where Nadal's defensive shots came whooshing out as offense, at a level that was seemingly new even for him. They had the one with the Louvre of a drop shot from Djokovic. Yes, the match finally leaked air, and Djokovic leaked errors, and the whole thing pulled up shy of their five-hour, 53-minute slog at the 2012 Australian Open, or their unreasonably good four-hour, 37-minute marvel at the 2013 French Open.

Still, they forced the jaw to drop and the mind to foresee, beginning with this:

The 2014 Australian Open figures to be zany-hot. The long-anticipated lull for Roger Federer's long-dreaded recession does not figure to be much of a lull, lull-wise, after all. Plots abound.

The Nadal-Djokovic rivalry stands at a voluminous 22-15 (to Nadal), at a level so elevated that it's fascinating to think it still might escalate.

The Nadal-Federer rivalry might be gone, but the Nadal-Federer debate fixes to get fresh spice from a statistical wrinkle. A second US Open title means that if Nadal can win a second Australian Open, he would become the third man -- and the first since Rod Laver in 1969 -- to hold multiple titles at all four Grand Slams.

A fresh Nadal-Nadal rivalry burns on, seven months after a return from a seven-month absence for injury. That rivalry entails Nadal as the greatest clay-court player ever, versus Nadal as the player who suddenly goes 22-0 on hard courts, as he has in 2013. If that second Nadal persists, that 17-13 deficit to Federer in Grand Slam titles will desist.

Mixed into all questions of Nadal and Djokovic and Federer, there remains Andy Murray, 2012 US Open champion and 2013 Wimbledon champion.

The fantastic era born mid-last-decade breathes on, not least with its wealth of humility.

"I congratulate him, and I move on," said Djokovic, ever an exemplar in defeat.

"Don't worry, I will lose," Nadal said of that 22-0 hard court record in 2013. "Everybody lose." What about a possible calendar Grand Slam given his rampaging level of the moment?

"No," he said.

So even with Federer departing pre-quarterfinals in two straight majors, the sport boasts all this bounty, when the tangling wills of Nadal and Djokovic could suffice.

In 2010, Nadal beat Djokovic in the US Open final. Djokovic said, after Nadal's third Grand Slam title that year, "He has the capabilities already now to become the best player ever."

In 2011, Djokovic beat Nadal in the US Open final. Nadal said, after Djokovic's third Grand Slam title that year, "He's enough confident in every moment to keep believing in one more ball, one more ball."

Now they've had their 2012 Australian, 9-7 to Djokovic in the fifth, and their 2013 French, 9-7 to Nadal in the fifth, and their 2011 and 2013 US Opens, when they hit one more ball and one more ball and one more ball -- from such angles and inconveniences and with such range that the grind becomes spectacle, and astute voices wonder if the court needs widening.

"When I won this first set 6-2 playing, in my opinion, amazing tennis, was very happy the way I was playing," Nadal said. "I go to the chair and said, 'Well, now we start again, because I am sure that I am not able to keep playing at that level for two more sets. Is impossible. The opponent will play better.'"

And then: "We don't play that different style. It's a little bit different when we play against Roger. He has a different style. We are here (arms widespread); with Novak, we are here (arms close together). Talking about the styles. So that makes the matches more, you know, probably tougher physically …"

And then: "Between Novak and me, every point is fighting, every point is long rally, every point is more strategy.

"This is very tough."

Within that, the No. 1-ranked Djokovic said, "I'm still 26, and I believe the best time for my career is about to come. I believe that. As long as I believe it, the first of the love toward the game is inside of me. And as long as that's present, as long as I feel it, I'm going to play this sport with all my heart, as I did in last 10 years."

That means he strives to catch up. And when these guys catch up in this sterling era, it's gripping. For one thing, it's with all their huge hearts.

Link - http://www.sportsonearth.com/article/60112560/

[leosimha]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and many thousands of serious fans observe great beauty in Nadal’s muscular tennis.

Link - http://blog.oregonlive.com/tennis/20...l_nadal_1.html

[leosimha]

Record in waiting?

Many are tipping Rafael Nadal to break Roger Federer's haul of 17 grand slam titles. But how is the Spaniard's chase likely to unfold?

Predicting the future is always a fool's game, but the odds seem stacked firmly in Nadal's favour.

Link - http://www1.skysports.com/tennis/new...ord-in-waiting

[raagadevan]

Back surgery set to end Murray's season

http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/239631.html