By James A. Crabtree
Before, it was Laver and Rosewall, McEnroe and Borg, Agassi and Sampras.
For the past year it’s been more about Djokovic and Murray.
One hundred years from now the beginning of this millennium will be remembered for clashes shared by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The biggest headline in tennis once again took centre stage at Indian Wells in the men’s quarterfinal.
Federer will undoubtedly be remembered as the greatest player of all time. What will perhaps be forgotten is that Federer has been consistently owned by the man who chased him in the rankings for so long, Rafael Nadal. Nadal leads the Federer/Nadal conflicts with 19 wins to 10, and significantly by 8 wins to 2 in grand slams.
The most recent encounter between these two at Indian Wells had the build-up.
Federer has not won a title since August last year and in many ways is playing a match in a more timid style than that of which we are accustomed to seeing.
Nadal, as we all know, is back after a very lengthy absence and has a point to prove on hard courts and in a tournament in which he lost to Federer last year.
When Federer beat Nadal in the Indian Wells 2012 semi-final it was his first victory against the Spaniard on an outside hard court since Miami in 2005. The 2013 display went back to the script of old whilst Federer and his army of fans searched for answers with no more imaginative excuses than his age and injury.
Nadal’s display of aggression after a lengthy layoff from injury was significant although Federer’s lack of hostility on court, faltering serve and inconsistency was disheartening. Federer’s main hard court weapons, the flatter forehand and faster serve have all but eluded him so far this year.
These players know each other’s games inside and out and new strategy is almost impossible. Like a childhood sibling fight all tactics have been used before, only a heightened level of spite could prove a difference.
A spite that was missing for Federer resulting in the 28th encounter being an epic anticlimax.
Nadal’s biography ‘RAFA’ is as much about Federer as it is about Nadal, with detailed schemes of how the Spaniard would overcome the Swiss inundating the text. More than simply a great matchup Nadal treats the issue with obsession, a mountain he must climb. In contrast for Federer to play Nadal seems like an exhausting chore and whether he admits it or not, one he would rather avoid.
Indeed, in their most recent battle, Federer seemed more fatigued by an opponent that has always troubled him. For some reason Nadal always thinks of himself as the underdog. And these may have been the prevailing issues rather than any of the subplots leading up. Federer struggles against Nadal, always has, and perhaps, always will.
This rivalry has been going on a long bloody time, nine years to be exact. They have met 29 times, have played seven exhibitions of which Nadal has won five, will meet a few more times before they retire and then will undoubtedly play each other a further absurd amount of times more on the Champions tour.
If the current game plan remains the same, it would be hard to imagine a reversal of fortune for the greatest player of all time.
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Rafael Nadal candid on his return to hard courts, "worst part" of his knee injury
By Romi Cvitkovic
NEW YORK, NY (March 4, 2013) – In town to participate in the BNP Paribas Showdown as part of World Tennis Day, Rafael Nadal spoke candidly about his return to the hard court, the “worst part” about his rehabilitation and thoughts on his upcoming schedule. (Full presser gallery at bottom)
Arriving in a room full of media and distinguished guests, including 2013 International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees Cliff Drysdale and Charlie Pasarell, Nadal went for a more dressed-down look in a Nike hoodie and cap.
As Nadal began answering questions, I noticed a new demeanor and focus in him. Despite sometimes being overly-critical or even agitated at post-match press conferences, today Nadal smiled more freely and carried himself with an air of pure joy. He just came off of a title-winning week in Acapulco and truly feels “lucky” to be back on a tennis court and playing competitively again, and it translated in his attitude today.
Nadal admitted that the first half of his 2012 season before injury where he won four titles, including Roland Garros were “the best first half of a season in my career … it was difficult that I could not keep playing (because of) my knee.” Those tough days made his return even sweeter as he smiled that he’s “very excited to be back on the Tour. Last week, I started to feel much better in Acapulco. I started to feel free to run for plenty of balls and that’s fantastic for me.”
Nadal will next travel to Indian Wells, CA for the BNP Paribas Open and is eager to take on the competition there for the first time on the hard courts since his return.
“We will see how the knee answers better next week in Indian Wells when you play an official match. That will be a big test for me. Today I know that I can play on clay – that’s a very important thing to know, for me. I will try next week on hard. I think it’s a process. After a long time without playing tennis, it will be a process to adapt mainly to the competition. I hope I will have chances to play a normal calendar as I did in the past years.”
So, just how difficult was the time away from the court for Nadal?
“ When you are at home working every day at the gym with rehabilitation, with the doctors, and you try different treatments, and you see not the best result possible in a short period of time … it’s not easy to accept sometimes … I think was not an easy time, but at the same time, I had the chance to be with my family, friends. I tried to do different things that I usually cannot. It was tough. Every day you work, every day you wake up, every day thinking ‘How will the knee be today? Is the knee still bad?’ … I didn’t know when I would be back, that was the toughest part.”
Nadal also re-iterated that it’s difficult to plan his schedule much in advance these days any more, as he takes everything “day by day” gauging the pain and feel in his knee. With the BNP Paribas Open starting this coming week for Nadal, it will be a true test to see just what his knee can withstand.
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Why Rafa's Loss Should Encourage his Fans
By Yeshayahu Ginsburg
Rafael Nadal made his long-awaited return to tennis after a 7-month absence last week in Vina del Mar, Chile. The South American clay court swing (fondly referred to as the Golden Swing) seemed like the perfect place for Rafa to get his tennis legs back. They are usually smaller tournaments highlighted by clay-court specialists and, because of the location and timing of these events, often have relatively weak fields. Not to say that winning any ATP tournament is ever easy or that the players are weak, but the average player in these tournaments is less likely to be someone who could trouble Rafa than, say, a big hitter on a hard court.
This is probably why it was so shocking when Nadal lost in the final to Horacio Zeballos. After all, all we had seen all week were comments about how great Rafa was doing in his return and how he seemed to be cruising to a much-needed title. Rafa had only dropped 14 games in his first three matches. Now, it could be the ease with which Rafa won those matches that blinded us to the issues he was having, but there were certainly things there. It really only took the loss to Zeballos for us to realize that Rafa is still nowhere near 100%.
Now, maybe it’s unfair for us to expect him to be. After all, the man had not played competitive tennis since Wimbledon, over 7 months ago. Maybe, because we have seen so much seemingly-superhuman feats from Rafa in the past, we expected him to return and to instantly compete at the level of an all-time great just like he has shown us throughout his career. But the truth is that he is just a normal human being and will need time and match play to get back to his former level.
Anyone who watched Rafa’s first three matches could see that he was not quite all there yet, though the one-sided score lines may have helped us ignore these facts. Rafa was clearly not moving at his full speed. There were balls that he just didn’t get to that he would have before the injury and there were shots that he could not play with his normal lethalness because he wasn’t quite getting there on time. His movement was definitely also a little more ginger than usual, as if he was protecting his knees. Finally, his intensity was not quite there. Watching him almost gave the feeling that he could have gone after more in a lot of points but just chose not to. All of these were most clear in the final where he lost, but once you see these things there they were obvious if you went back and watched the early matches as well.
Honestly, though, I don’t think that any of these are bad things. For his entire career, Rafa has played with one attitude. He has said that he will go all-out on every single point, in every single match, and just deal with the consequences to his body when they come. And that attitude won him 11 Slams and made him an all-time great. But it finally caught up with him. The consequences of years of abuse to his knees and body have finally arrived. And now that they have, Rafa is doing the smart thing. He isn’t playing all-out in matches that aren’t as meaningful anymore. He is rightly using them to get in experience and match play. He is rightly building himself back up to a level where he can compete with and beat the best in the world. But he is doing it in a way that will not harm his body unnecessarily. The first part of Nadal’s career was defined by winning as much as possible, physical consequences be damned. But if last week is any indication, the second half of his career will be defined by prolonging it as much as possible, even if that means collecting a few extra losses along the way.
Building the Ultimate ATP Player
By Evan Valeri
In this series of articles, I will break down what the ultimate ATP player’s game would look like in today’s singles game. This first article will dive into which modern players have the most desirable strokes.
Serve: Milos Raonic
In 2012, Milos “The Missile” Raonic led the ATP Tour in service games won (winning 93%), 1st serve points won (winning 82%), and break points saved (74% saved). He also ranked second in the field in aces, by serving 1002 untouchable bombs, only three behind big serving American John Isner. Milos is able to keep opponents guessing because he has a full artillery of serves to choose from. At the 2012 Rogers Cup he served the third fastest serve ever at 155.3mph. Milos backs the heater up by mixing in kick serves that can jump over the heads of opponents as they curve way outside the doubles alley, and sliding slices that are tough to retrieve unless you are stretch Armstrong. And to top it off he can vary the pace and combine the spins so opponents are left standing like the house beside the road as the ball flies past. The serve of Milos Raonic is the ultimate shot anyone would love to start a point with.
Forehand: Rafael Nadal
Rafael Nadal’s forehand is so good it has a nickname, “The Fearhand”. Fearhand is a very fitting name for the forehand of Nadal. He hits the heaviest ball that the ATP has ever seen. With nearly a full western grip he bludgeons the ball with never before seen power and spin from anywhere on the court. Nadal can hit the ball just as effective from shoulder height as he can from his shins. Rafa’s spin gives him a huge advantage over the rest of the field. It allows him to hit the ball higher over the net giving him great margin for error. Nadal can hit the ball harder and also bend and dip passing shots like no one else because of this tremendous amount of topspin. The fearhand is a weapon desired by many and is the best on the ATP Tour.
Backhand: Novak Djokovic
This could be the most complete shot in the game today. Novak is able to do anything with his backhand. He hits it offensively and defensively with equal effectiveness because he is just as comfortable hitting from an open stance as he is stepping into the shot. Djokovic can pull his backhand flat up the line for a winner at the drop of a hat, roll it with topspin on a crosscourt angle, or hit a deft slice to stay in the point or keep the ball low. Novak Djokovic strikes the backhand better than anyone in the world from anywhere on the court and it’s practically impossible for opponents to dissect and breakdown this stroke.
Volleys: Roger Federer
Many people may view this pick as a bit of a surprise. It would have been easier to choose more of a doubles specialist like Bob or Mike Bryan, Radek Stepanek, or Michael Llodra, but the volley in today’s game is more than just hitting the ball out of the air. Having a good volley in singles consists of not only getting it done once you get to net, but choosing the right time to attack and having the approach shot skill set to put you in the best position to hit effective volleys. Roger owns all of these skills that make up a great volleyer in today’s singles game. He picks smart opportunities to come in; hits his approaches to the correct locations, and once he arrives at net he can place his volleys anywhere. Federer can hit soft drop volleys, angles, deep penetrating skidding volleys, and can put away overheads on both the forehand and backhand sides. Roger Federer has the volleys that the best singles player in the world would need.
Return of Serve: Novak Djokovic
Considered by many to be the best returner in the modern game, he also appears in the conversation of best returner of all time for good reason. Djokovic is better than anyone at getting the ball back in play. In 2012 Djokovic ranked second behind Nadal in first serve return points won, break points converted and return games won, but those people that believe Nadal is the superior returner are construing this information incorrectly . Djokovic played nearly twice as many matches as Nadal, and Nadal’s shortened season was dominated by playing on the dirt. Djokovic also ranked second in second serve return points won, behind Andy Murray. While there have been better aggressive return players in the long history of tennis, think Agassi, Djokovic has a complete return game. He has the ability to be aggressive with returns while also somehow getting a stick on serves that catch him leaning in the wrong direction. He gives himself a chance to get into points, and with the game becoming more and more about staying in points rather than ending them, this is crucial and is what makes him the best in today’s game.
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Combine the strokes of all these players and you would have a player with the most complete, rock solid, all around physical game. But as we have seen in the past, just because a player has superior technique and strokes doesn’t mean they will win every match. Tennis is said to be eighty percent mental, and without a good game upstairs, a player will never rise to the top of the ranks. The next article in the series will discuss what it would take to own an opponent mentally.