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Greg Rusedski: Nadal shows he is still the clay king

The Monte Carlo Master Series is a good indicator for who is in good clay court form early during the run up to the French Open. Rafael Nadal has won this event the last 7 years in a row, which has never happened before on the ATP Tour.

This year it looked like his streak could come to an end because World Number 1 Novak Djokovic, who missed last year’s event, was in the draw. The only player missing in the top 4 was Roger Federer who needed a little break this week.

Novak Djokovic received some very sad news when he heard his grandfather passed away on Wednesday. While Novak’s grandfather was a big influence in his life, he decided to continue to play in the event, but was visibly upset throughout his matches and still found a way to get to the finals.

Nadal has been in great form all week even though he had talked about not being as strong as he liked in his legs going into the event. Nadal has lost his last 7 matches to Novak Djokovic; could he finally beat him?

To win Nadal would have to serve at a quicker speed on his first serve with a high percentage. This would allow him to start the point on his terms instead of Djokovic’s. Also, he has to hit his forehand up the line, to the slightly weaker forehand side of Djokovic, to get the opening in the court.

Rafael Nadal went on to win Monte Carlo for the 8th time in a row, a record that will never be broken. Nadal was sensational; he served great and hit his forehand up the line very well. This was a must win for Rafa; he finally broken his 7 match losing streak to Djokovic. The king of clay is back.

Novak on the other hand played his worst match since he has become World Number 1. He looked emotionally and physically drained from the week and was not up to the fight. Don’t expect this result to dent DJokovic’s build up for the French Open.

Roddick leads movement for ATP change

By Martyn Herman 

Andy Roddick on Friday insisted that tennis players must adopt “one voice” to push through changes to the ATP Tour but that may not be as easy as it seems despite the general feeling of solidarity.

Pity Brad Drewett, the new chief executive of the men’s Tour, who has the job of trying to keep everyone happy, grand slam champions, journeymen, tournament organisers, sponsors and TV.

The moment he took over the reins the spectre of a player boycott has returned.

A meeting involving hundreds if players took place on the eve of the Australian Open and although talk of a walkout from Melbourne was aired it did not come to fruition.

But there is clearly dissent in the ranks, and Drewett is the man tasked with damping down what could become a firestorm in the men’s game.

Djokovic and Kvitova lead European charge

Few things in sport can be sweeter than lifting the Wimbledon trophy, as Novak Djokovic and Petra Kvitova found out on Saturday and Sunday.

Djokovic even took a shining to the hallowed Wimbledon turf, describing his post-win snack as “well kept”, but in all seriousness the Serb is winning fans left right and centre and on Monday will be confirmed as world number one for the first time.

New era? His Mum thought so, but the battler that is Rafa Nadal won’t give up without a fight, and whereas Roger Federer is approaching 30 and is towards the end of his career, the likeable Spaniard is only just 25 and has some of his best moments ahead no doubt.

As for Kvitova, the shy Czech girl did her country proud at a fruitful championships for her nation in which the eastern Europeans did well. The Czechs had three winners to be precise, to Serbia’s one and the United States all-action men’s doubles duo of Bob and Mike Bryan landed the other title.

Just one more major of the year left now. In two months the US Open will be at the business end. Any betting against Nadal and Djokovic slugging it out for top spot?

Picture: Novak Djokovic of Serbia kisses the winners trophy after defeating Rafael Nadal of Spain in the men’s singles final at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London July 3, 2011. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Mercury rises on Wimbledon’s ‘Manic Monday’

A record crowd for a Wimbledon second Monday witnessed some breathtaking tennis while finding the time to take onboard plenty of liquids as temperatures soared in London.

The Williams sisters found the going tough and their so far impressive comebacks hit the buffers, while women’s number one Caroline Wozniacki’s route to a first grand slam title also came unstuck, but in the men’s draw there were no real dramas as the top four all hit their straps and made the quarters.

All eyes will be on team Nadal on Tuesday, after the world number one injured his foot during his epic win over Juan Martin Del Potro, especially British ones as the Spaniard could face home hope Andy Murray in the last four.

First up on Tuesday however are the women’s quarter-finals, and 2004 winner Maria Sharapova is the favourite to clinch her fourth grand slam crown, though among the other seven women in contention lurks German Sabine Lisicki, seeking to become the first wildcard to win the women’s title.

Finally a word on Bernard Tomic, the story so far of the men’s draw, who at 18 became the youngest man to reach the last eight since a certain former winner Boris Becker in 1986. Good omens if you like that sort of thing. The young Aussie already has plenty of fans and with his all-round play he’s set to win many more. He next faces Novak Djokovic.

Picture: The shadows of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France (L) and a ball boy are reflected onto a wall-covering on the court during the match against David Ferrer of Spain at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Strawberries but no queues at Roland Garros

My first visit to the French Open has so far been an eye-opener and not just because of Rafa Nadal’s first round struggles.

I’ve been to Wimbledon and all I remember is vast queues and too many people in a small area. I expected Roland Garros to be similar given it is the smallest grand slam venue but so far there have been no problems in that regard.

The sun has also been out in force as have the strawberries, a preserve most fans might think are reserved for the All England club.

Nadal certainly gave himself and his army of fans a real fright by going two sets to one down against American John Isner on Tuesday, two botched tiebreaks had him in real trouble but like the true champion he is, the Spaniard battled back to win and continue his quest for a sixth title here in seven years.

It was his first five-set match on the Paris clay and it might actually have done the top seed good given the chance of a five-setter against Novak Djokovic in the final can not be discounted. If both of them get to the final of course…but that’s not really in doubt is it?

Roland Garros risked losing the French Open to a venue in the capital’s suburbs from 2016 because of so-called crampt conditions and ageing facilities.

They won the battle to keep the only clay grand slam here and I’ve found the setup to be really impressive. The press facilities are superb and I’ve been wondering what all the fuss was about.

Is Federer on a downward spiral? Not a chance

Roger Federer lost 6-4 6-4 to Juergen Melzer in the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals on Friday prompting renewed speculation the Swiss master is well past his best. He is down to world number three now having won only one tournament so far this year.

But hang on a minute, this is the probable GOAT we are talking about, you don’t ignore 16 grand slam titles so easily. Here are 10 reasons why Federer might still be able to bounce back from his shaky form.

1. Monte Carlo is clay and the first clay event of the European season. It’s always been his least favoured surface and he had never won the Monaco tournament anyway.

2. There was a nasty wind out there which was causing the clay dust to fly in his face.

3. Melzer is world number nine, very decent and a left-hander. He’d beaten Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic previously.

4. Despite playing poorly, Federer still had seven breaks points he could have taken.

5. He is still only 29.

Djokovic becomes a Serb-Inator to really fear

Novak Djokovic’s 26-match hot streak dating back to the end of last year when he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup shows no sign of cooling and even Europe’s slow red dirt will hold no fears for the 23-year-old Serb this year.

Djokovic is certainly no rookie on clay, as his 2008 Rome title underlined, but whereas Rafael Nadal usually chomps his way past rival after rival, Djokovic finds the surface takes a little of the sting out of his game.

At least that has been the case in previous years but this time Djokovic will arrive in Monte Carlo as the best player in the world on current form and finally looking like a player who can be a multiple grand slam champion.

His second major at this year’s Australian Open where he dismantled Roger Federer and Andy Murray appeared to unlock Djokovic’s full potential and he has been unstoppable since.

The question is can he maintain the momentum as the surfaces slow down or will Nadal re-assert his authority, as the Spaniard did last year when he bulldozed through the claycourt swing to win all 22 matches he played.

It is an enticing prospect if the third set of the Miami final is anything to go by. Djokovic and Nadal unleashed a ferocious onslaught in a set that bordered on tennis perfection.

Whereas in the past Djokovic has occasionally allowed himself to be bullied by the Spaniard, in Indian Wells and again in Miami the Serb was the aggressor, seizing every opportunity to send Nadal scampering to the far-reaches of the court.

Nadal hopes his numbers add up as he chases Rafa Slam

Fourteen days, seven matches, 21 winning sets and at least 126 winning games – that is all that is separating Rafael Nadal from pulling off the “Rafa Slam”.

It all looks simple enough in numbers but reality is that, and as many calculator-bashing accountants will acknowledge, it takes a lot of work to make sure all the numbers add up correctly.

It has been more than four decades since any man could boast holding all four grand slam titles at the same time and Nadal – the holder of the French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns — knows the next fortnight at the Australian Open is likely to be his one and only chance of winning four in a row.

“Maybe I only have this opportunity once in my career,” Nadal said over and over again on Saturday as he was asked the same question during a series of interviews on the eve of season’s first major.

Asked about his chances of achieving a feat that has even eluded his great rival Roger Federer, he replied: “I think it is almost impossible.

“Tennis is a very competitive sport and there is not a lot of difference between players.

“A lot of matches are decided between a few balls, so for that reason it is very difficult to have one player winning everything.”

Nadal success sparks new GOAT debate

Rafael Nadal ticked off another box when he joined an exclusive group of men to win a career grand slam and in doing so re-ignited the debate about whether he or Roger Federer is the better player.

It also strengthens Nadal’s case in the ongoing discussion around the GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. 

Statistics show that Federer, with 16 grand slam titles and kit bag full of records, is still the greatest player to swing a racket but with the clock ticking ever louder on his career his haul now looks within reach of the 24-year-old Spaniard.

Nadal’s U.S. Open triumph on Monday against a gallant Novak Djokovic proved beyond doubt that his ferocious baseline game translates on any surface.

With his service regularly clocking 130mph these days when once it was perceived as a slight weakness, Nadal looked invincible, especially as the knee problems that blighted 2009 now appear to be under control.

Having beaten Federer in five sets on Saturday, depriving the Swiss of a seventh consecutive appearance in the U.S. Open final, Djokovic was best qualified to offer an opinion on a question that divides tennis fans into Camp Roger and Camp Rafa.

“He has the capabilities already now to become the best player ever,” Djokovic said after his four-set defeat in which his own tennis often reached sublime heights.”Roger is definitely somebody who made history in this sport. He’s still playing as one of the best players in the world. On the other hand, you have Nadal who is just proving each day, each year that he’s getting better.

From the baseline: Tricky shot

Trick shots are nothing new for five-time U.S. Open champ Roger Federer.

With five former champs seeing action on day one, it was a spectacular between the legs shot during the second set of his victory over Argentine baseliner Brian Dabul that will dominate talk around the water cooler this morning.

“I’ve only hit a few in my life and two on center court in night session play here in New York,” Federer told his audience. “It’s amazing to share this moment with you guys. Thanks for the ovation and I love it.”

Among the other notable players joining Federer in the second round were birthday boy Andy Roddick, Venus Williams and super mom Kim Clijsters. The only former champ to lose on day one was Australian Lleyton Hewitt.

Although the 2001 champ has only advanced past the fourth round of a Grand Slam once in the last four years, he still plans on playing.

“I still believe I can improve as a player,” said the former world number one, who was seeded 32nd.