He likes a chuckle on court, does Novak Djokovic. Affectionately known as The Joker, one of the Serb’s favourite crowd pleasers – which he was cajoled into performing at the Rome Masters in 2009 – is an unerringly accurate impression of Rafa Nadal’s laborious pre-service routine. But Nole, as Djokovic is also known, has said there will be no more impressions: a shame, as he also does a brilliant Maria Sharapova. The reason is simple; after a seven-year Nadal-Federer hegemony over the top two ranking spots, number two Djokovic has emerged as the most likely contender to dethrone the kings of the courts since the Swiss usurped Andy Roddick in February 2004. Djokovic is unbeaten this … [Read more...] about Djokovic the joker gets serious about number 1
Rafa Nadal
Rafa Nadal
Spain’s best tennis player ever. The greatest clay court player the world has seen. The man who dethroned Roger Federer at his peak. All true, but equally so is the fact that Rafa remains utterly focused and almost painfully modest. On the tennis court, he’s a fist-pumping, grunting primate with a bandana and wicked ground-strokes; off it, he’s a quietly spoken Majorcan who looks like he can never quite believe what he’s achieved. … [Read more...] about Rafa Nadal
2011: Grand Slams, Liga intrigue and drugs
Last year was a pretty remarkable one for Spanish sport, doping scandals aside. With the World Cup win in South Africa the obvious pinnacle, there was glory for Spain in football, tennis, swimming and basketball. But what does 2011 hold in store for the country’s athletes and national teams? In tennis, world number one Rafael Nadal has opened his campaign at the Australian Open, seeking to become the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four Grand Slams. Nadal already ranks seventh in the list of overall Grand Slam winners with nine, is one of three players in the open era to hold a Golden Slam, one of only seven in history to have achieved the career slam and the only player to … [Read more...] about 2011: Grand Slams, Liga intrigue and drugs
Rafa Nadal stakes all-court claim as the greatest
When Rafa Nadal dropped to the blue surface of Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows having defeated Novak Djokovic to win the US Open, the world number one’s third Grand Slam victory of the year, he laid to rest one of the debates surrounding his leviathan rivalry with Roger Federer. There is now little doubt that at present, the Spaniard is the best tennis player in the world, the year-end number one ranking already sown up with two months of the season to play. His ninth victory in the sport’s four showpiece tournaments elevated Nadal to a status occupied by few in history and only himself and Federer in actuality – that of a holder of the Career Grand Slam. That Nadal achieved tennis’ … [Read more...] about Rafa Nadal stakes all-court claim as the greatest
Nadal seeks clay redemption
The Madrid Open has begun in earnest and for local favourite Rafa Nadal, in contrast to last year, it could not have come at a more opportune moment both physically and mentally. At Roland Garros in May 2009, Nadal ceded to Roger Federer the title he had dominated the previous four years, although it was Robin Söderling, in a harbinger of things to come for the now number seven-ranked Swede, who actually dispatched the reigning champion in the fourth round before reaching the final himself. Last year’s French Open was Nadal’s final tournament until the Montreal Masters in October. World number one at the time and coming off the back of an exceptional run of results – Nadal won the … [Read more...] about Nadal seeks clay redemption