Wednesday 19 June 2013
Trying to persuade Rafael Nadal in recent weeks to discuss the condition of his left knee has been like asking a spy to reveal state secrets. In the wake of his historic eighth French Open triumph on Sunday, however, the Spaniard finally dropped his guard.
Rafael Nadal became the first man ever to win eight singles titles at a single grand slam with a straight-sets win over Spanish compatriot David Ferrer at the French Open.
The collision of Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic here in the semi-finals of the French Open has looked as inevitable as a rush-hour traffic jam on the Périphérique and the two juggernauts duly booked their showdown.
France has waited 30 years for a home-grown male champion at Roland Garros, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is within two victories of delivering the coup de grace after crushing Roger Federer in the quarter-finals here last night.
Serena Williams is expecting a tough battle against Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarter-finals of the French Open – and history indicates she will be right.
Andy Murray's worst fears were realised last night when he was forced to withdraw from next week's French Open.
It was meant to be a rekindling of the sport's greatest rivalry, but the meeting of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer yesterday in their first final for nearly two years was about as competitive as a race between a Ferrari and a Fiat 500. Nadal claimed his seventh Rome Masters title by beating Federer 6-1, 6-3 in just 68 minutes to complete a perfect preparation for the French Open, which begins on Sunday.
Roger Federer admitted he had no answer to Rafael Nadal's masterclass after the Spaniard put him to the sword to win the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome.
Andy Murray has played in 40 finals in his professional career and won 26 titles but has yet to feature in the climax of a clay-court event.
There are times when the world rankings might seem little more than an academic exercise but this week's Madrid Masters shows how crucial they can be. The rankings are used to decide seedings at tournaments and Rafael Nadal is set to pay a price in the Spanish capital for slipping to No 5 in the world order following his seven-month absence with a knee injury.
Karola Bejenaru is moving up in the world and ambitious coach Przemek Stec has set her the target of making junior Wimbledon in 2014.
If failing to win the Monte Carlo Masters title for the ninth year in succession last weekend was a shock to Rafael Nadal's system, the 26-year-old Spaniard showed few signs of it yesterday when he retained his Barcelona Open title in emphatic fashion.
Holywood's Joanna Minnis has landed a golden opportunity to share a tennis court with some of the legends of the sport.
Wimbledon has never let its fabled grass grow under its feet and the All England Club have announced measures designed to preserve its position at the pinnacle of the game.
Rafael Nadal warned last week that "not everything is forever and everything in this life finishes one day".
On a day when a frustrated opponent took a swipe at Rafael Nadal's lovingly positioned waterbottles and Ernests Gulbis had a game deducted after a series of misdemeanours, Andy Murray was a model of cool-headed calm on his first outing of the clay-court season.
Ambitious teenager Peter Bothwell is facing a welcome but tough decision as he weighs up which path to take in his pursuit of becoming a professional tennis player.
Rafael Nadal and his descendants will have to reign here for another 708 years to match Prince Albert II and his ancestors, but in one respect the Spaniard can already out do the family which has ruled Monaco since 1297.
Ask most players about future targets in terms of their world ranking and you'll get a short reply. They'll say it's more important to focus on the next tournament or even the next match rather than worry about the number alongside their name. "The world ranking will look after itself" is the mantra, almost as if talking about such matters would be as uncool as taking public transport back to the hotel.
Gerry forces Sammy into Mexican wave
Pubs, clubs and parties
British and Irish Lions lock Geoff Parling admitted the first tour defeat Down Under "hurts like hell" after Warren Gatland's side were edged out by the Brumbies at Canberra Stadium.
Andy Carroll is on the brink of joining West Ham permanently after passing a medical with the Barclays Premier League club.
Andy Carroll will have a medical with West Ham on Wednesday as he moves closer to a permanent move from Liverpool, Hammers chairman David Gold has confirmed.
Stoke have confirmed that winger Jermaine Pennant has signed a new one-year deal with the club.
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