Tag Archives: Nadal
Game Over: Nadal and the Machine
Miami Masters 1000, Quarterfinals Nadal d. Berdych, 6/2 3/6 6/3 After some encouraging early success, the tennis engineers – or ‘Tengineers’ – who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading Tomas Berdych have had a difficult time of it. There have … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
The Whiff Of Gotterdammerung
Miami Masters 1000, Second Round The seeds continued their jolly tumbling today at the Miami Masters 1000. Of the 32 who slugged their way past first round byes, 14 have failed to progress past actual opponents. As attrition goes, it’s … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
An Imperial Victory
Indian Wells, Final Djokovic d. Nadal, 4/6 6/3 6/2 Is it fitting, or merely coincidental, that the last two men to defeat Novak Djokovic in a tennis match were Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal? Perhaps it’s both, or maybe it … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Second Comes Right After First
Indian Wells, Semifinal Djokovic d. Federer, 6/3 3/6 6/2 By defeating Roger Federer in the second of today’s Indian Wells semifinals, Novak Djokovic regained the No.2 ranking. Tomorrow he will face world No.1 Rafael Nadal in the final. If Nadal … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Doubles Is Cool
Every form of human endeavour falls prey to loopy fashions from time to time, and tennis is hardly exempt. Some trends – like garish headbands or Feliciano Lopez – are destined not to last. Others endure. Think of piss-weak commentary … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
A Sobering Memento
Indian Wells, Third Round Kohlschreiber d. Soderling, 7/6 6/4 Nadal d. Sweeting, 6/3 6/1 For the first time in their rivalry, Robin Soderling and Philip Kohlschreiber failed to go the distance, largely because the distance lay somewhere deep in the … Continue reading
Filed under ATP Tour
Anyone Has His Day
Indian Wells, Second Round Those who either love or hate Rafael Nadal – equally absurd positions way out on the fringe of reason – would have charted his likely course through the Indian Wells draw the moment it was released. … Continue reading
Great Matches You’ve Probably Never Heard Of #4
Chennai 2008, Semifinal Nadal d. Moya, 6-7 7-6 7-6 Andre Agassi’s confession in Open that he once tanked a match against Michael Chang has lately opened a sluice gate of similar accusations, levelled whenever any player loses a match they … Continue reading
Filed under Great Matches
Infinite Monkeys
In 2010 Roger Federer was defeated four times after holding matchpoint, an unhappy series of results that strikes many as another sure indicator of his accelerating decline. How accurate is this? The first thing to do is recall the matches … Continue reading
Filed under By the Numbers
An Ever Expanding Category
Babolat and Roland Garros, the ‘Ultimate Tennis Experience’. As exercises in synergy go, a partnership between a tennis tournament and a manufacturer of tennis equipment is not a bad fit, especially if they’re both ‘driven by a unifying, common value: … Continue reading
Filed under Grand Slams