Career Slam & Infinity - Rafael 'Sphere'

[leosimha]

Revitalised Rafael Nadal proves we were wrong to ever doubt him
• Spaniard hopeful of US Open success after short break
• 24-year-old has bounced back from injury worries

Simon Cambers
guardian.co.uk, Monday 5 July 2010 22.00 BST

Rafael Nadal has eight grand slam titles to his name, eight behind his rival Roger Federer.

When Rafael Nadal limped out of the ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 Arena in London last November having failed to win a set in three matches, the whispers were becoming more like murmurings. Many were convinced that we had seen the best of the Spaniard, that his troublesome knees could not withstand the torture of pounding the courts year after year. Eight months on the 24-year-old awoke today with what must have been an unparalleled sense of satisfaction after adding a second Wimbledon title to the fifth French Open crown he won in June.

We should have known better than to even consider the possibility that Nadal would not bounce back. This is a man whose competitiveness and intensity is unrivalled in the sport, a focus, a will and a huge talent that has been rewarded with eight grand slam titles so far, with the promise of more to come. Playing within himself is not in Nadal's DNA. Rather, everything is done as if his life depends on it.

"I love the competition, sport in general and I love to practise," Nadal said as he contemplated what makes him unique, a couple of hours after his 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Czech Tomas Berdych. "You try your best in every moment. When I go to play golf I try to do my best. When I have a football match with friends and we play five-a-side, I don't understand why not everyone is running. I don't understand sport like this. When I go to play I enjoy running, finishing the match tired, to give it my all. It is a fun match with friends but that is what I understand is sport."

As he sits well clear at the top of the world rankings after back-to-back grand slam titles, it is that intensity which sets him apart from the rest. No one fights the way Nadal does. Every time a Roger Federer or an Andy Murray takes him on, they know that he will give every ounce of his being to win. It is a knowledge that drains his opponents of their belief. He is two grand slam titles ahead of where Federer stood at his age and, if he stays healthy over the next two or three years, who knows how many he will have by the time he calls it a day.

The only thing missing from Nadal's career is a US Open triumph. In each of the past two years, he has arrived in New York injured or mentally spent and yet still managed to fight through to the semi-finals only to run out of energy on the final weekend. This year, with the benefit of a brief holiday to come, he should be better prepared, so long as the intensive treatment to his knees that he plans to have in the next few days is successful.

John McEnroe is among those who believe Nadal can do it and it seems the Spaniard believes it too. "This year things might be a bit different," Nadal said. "Now the most important thing for me is to rest in Mallorca, to enjoy the summer and then have three weeks like a mini pre-season practice there. I will try to work as I did in December, which was very good for me. I will try to do the same and be healthy to play well in Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open."

Nadal is already almost certain to end the year as the world No1, health permitting, and if he wins in New York, he will close the gap on those above him in the list of all-time grand slam champions, with the American Bill Tilden, who dominated the sport in the 1920s, next in line on 10. The ever-humble Nadal admitted that ending the year as No1 was a goal and that records will be important to him when he retires, but said his aim, as it always has been, is to simply keep improving.

"I don't know if I can improve but I have the motivation and the desire to improve," he said. "If it is not like this I don't want to play tennis any more. If I wake up one day and I go to practise without the desire and motivation to improve, then I will stop. That is why every day you go to practise 100% and if it is not like this and you only go to train then I don't like it. I want to learn, to improve."

Link - http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010...l-nadal-tennis

[wrap07]

Champion Nadal
irrepressible stuff.

nice name for the thread
i was just reading the article "rafa nadal converts" and it is already posted here.

[leosimha]

Wimbledon 2010: Rafael Nadal rising fast on list of all-time greats

The Spaniard is only 24 but, with eight grand slam titles to his name, he is moving up the rankings of tennis legends

1 Roger Federer Switzerland

Grand slam titles 16
Career achievements

Now regarded as the greatest player of all time, the Swiss was junior champion at Wimbledon in 1998 but did not win his first grand slam title until he was almost 22 when he beat Mark Philippoussis at Wimbledon in 2003. After that he soon made up for lost time, winning three more in 2004 and going from strength to strength, dominating the tour over the next few years with his all-court brilliance. He won five successive Wimbledon titles and five consecutive US Open crowns, and his fourth Australian Open victory in January took his tally to 16. When he won his only French Open title in 2009, he became only the sixth man to complete the career grand slam of all four major titles, Wimbledon and the Australian, French and US opens. His record of reaching the semi-finals or better in 23 consecutive grand slam events may never be broken.

Success at Nadal's age Federer had won six grand slam titles.

Verdict Though he trails Nadal 14-7 in their head-to-head meetings, it is pretty hard to argue with a man who has won 16 grand slams.

2 Pete Sampras US

Grand slam titles 14
Career achievements

Shot to fame in 1990 when as a gangly teenager he upset Andre Agassi to win the US Open, having beaten Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe on the way. Possessed arguably the best serve in the history of the men's game, especially his second serve, which he could hit anywhere from the same ball toss. Not as rounded as Federer or Nadal, with a limited backhand, his speed and athleticism were top-notch and his forehand almost as big a weapon as his serve. Seven Wimbledons, five US and two Australian titles helped him to pass Roy Emerson's total of 12 slams, which looked unbeatable – until Federer. A smooth volley behind his serve made him one of the last serve‑and‑volley exponents.

Success at Nadal's age His US Open triumph in 1995 took him to seven.

Verdict His failure to win the French Open means he may never be given the same credit as Federer.

3 Roy Emerson Australia

Grand slam titles 12
Career achievements

The Australian dominated in the 1960s and actually won a record 28 grand slam titles in all, 16 of them in doubles, making him one of the all-rounders of the men's game. Though his record of 12 is perhaps skewed by the fact that half of his wins came in Australia at a time when few of the world's best players made the long journey around Christmas time. All of his titles came before the professionals were allowed in, but that should not take away from his tally of six Australian Opens, two Wimbledons and two French Opens, and many of those wins came against Rod Laver, who was widely regarded as the best ever until the era of Federer. A serve‑and‑volley player at heart, he still managed to adapt his natural game to the clay of Paris and he was one of the first players to really espouse the virtues of sheer fitness.

Success at Nadal's age No grand slam titles.

Verdict Far better than he is given credit for, but the professional era certainly helped his cause.

=4 Rod Laver Australia

Grand slam titles 11
Career achievements

Nicknamed the Rockhampton Rocket for his style of play and the town he hailed from, the left-handed Australian was regarded by many to be the greatest before Federer came along, and by many even afterwards. Laver was an exceptional athlete, with a brilliant topspin forehand, helped by a massive forearm. Laver remains the only man to win the grand slam – in 1962 and 1969 – an achievement all the more remarkable because the second time was as a professional, having not played on the regular tour for many years until events became open to all in 1968. His ability to take defeat as well as victory made him loved by his peers and the public alike and there are many who will still say he was the best of all time.

Success at Nadal's age Five slam titles.

Verdict He lifted the game to another level and will anyone ever again win the grand slam twice?

=4 Björn Borg Sweden

Grand slam titles 11
Career achievements

The Swede with the coolest mind in the game. Borg took the use of topspin to another level in the 1970s, dominating both the grass courts of Wimbledon and the clay courts of the French Open. Five successive titles at Wimbledon from 1976 endeared him to the British public, who loved his looks, style and the contrast with Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. With stamina to burn and an icy temperament that never looked like it would crack, he was nigh unbeatable on clay, winning at Roland Garros six times, and three times he won the French and Wimbledon in the same year, something only Nadal, now on two occasions, has done since.

Success at Nadal's age All 11 of his grand slam titles.

Verdict Would have won more titles if he had even played in Australia, his only failure was not winning the US Open.

6 Bill Tilden US

Grand slam titles 10
Career achievements

The American was one of the first men to really employ the use of a big serve, thanks in part to his 6ft 2in frame, which at that time was well above average and which prompted him to be affectionately called "Big" Bill Tilden. Though he played in the 1920s when there was no Australian Open, he racked up the titles, especially at the US Open where he was triumphant seven times, six in a row between 1920 and 1925. He also won three Wimbledon titles to reach double figures and later wrote several coaching manuals that were used for many years to come.

Success at Nadal's age Yet to win a grand slam title.

Verdict Always hard to assess an era so long ago, but he dominated for a decade, which can't be bad.

=7 Rafael Nadal Spain

Grand slam titles 8
Career achievements

Like Laver and Borg before him, the Spaniard has taken the game to a new level with a style of play that no one has ever produced before. Hitting the ball with an almost outrageous amount of topspin but with venom to match, Nadal was a well-built teenager who won his first grand slam title at the age of 19, when he claimed the first of five French Open titles to date. His athleticism is unmatched and no one covers the court the way he does. With one Australian Open and a second Wimbledon title today, he joins Ken Rosewall, Fred Perry, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Ivan Lendl on eight grand slam wins.

Link - http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2010...bledon-legends

[leosimha]

BBC pundits on Rafael Nadal's win over Tomas Berdych

The matador Nadal tames Berdych

By Boris Becker
Three-time Wimbledon champion

I've seen Rafa Nadal play better this week but whenever he needed to raise his game, at the end of each set, he did, he went up a gear.
Maybe Berdych was overwhelmed at being in a Grand Slam final but he's got the game and the power, which you can't learn, and it's just a case now of putting himself into semis and finals and earning the experience.
We've been expecting him to break through for a couple of years but [fellow Czech and eight-time Grand Slam winner] Ivan Lendl also came through late and he went on winning for a good few years.
We shouldn't forget how good Rafa is - he's got the best footwork and that extreme forehand grip and if you're a fraction too late on it it's impossible to get it back, it really is an impressive shot.
He's won the French and Wimbledon twice now in the same year and that speaks volumes, that's an almost impossible thing to do.
If he's physically able he can dominate tennis as Roger Federer has done these last few years.

By John Lloyd
Former GB Davis Cup captain

You felt Tomas Berdych had to win the first set but he was a bit nervous when he came out and Rafa Nadal's standard was so high from the beginning. Rafa just didn't let him in, Berdych's weapons were neutralised.
Rafa plays the big points well, that's what champions do - when they're break point down, their first serves go in, and he does it over and over again, that's why he's so great.
When anyone's up against Nadal, they look across the net and know everything has to be almost perfect, so they go out of their zone and try a bit too much. You want to play the way you usually play, but end up looking at who you're playing.
It was the same with Andy Murray in the semi-final, as soon as he lost the second set you thought 'he can't realistically win three in a row against Rafa', because Rafa's standard never drops, it's the same pressure over and over again.
Berdych seems to have got the mental aspect right because he also reached the semi-final of the French Open this year, but to win a Grand Slam he has to improve a few things, such as when to come forward.
As for Rafa, he's a crossover star - whether you like tennis or not you love this man. The look, the way he interviews, the brand of tennis, the fire and passion on court. When is he ever going to wind down? He looks like he could go on forever
Winning Wimbledon after the French Open is amazing because that is the toughest four weeks in tennis - winning two Grand Slams in the space of four weeks on surfaces as different as clay and grass is unbelievable.
He could now go on to beat Roger Federer's number of Grand Slam victories (Nadal now has eight, Federer has 16) - he's that good, absolutely. Although, while Roger Federer's domination may be over, we can't count him out of future Grand Slams.
But Rafa's got to plan it right and it will be interesting to see what tournaments he plays before the US Open - winning that will be a huge ambition, but even when he wins easy, that style of play takes it out of your body.

By Greg Rusedski
Former world number four

Once Rafa Nadal got the initiative it was one-way traffic - Berdych created a few break points but couldn't convert them.
Rafa is just so determined and focused. In the first round Rafa played great but all of a sudden he struggled, needing five sets in the second and third rounds and we were thinking we might get a Brit in the final. But Rafa was sensational from the semi-finals on.
Berdych was not the same player as we saw against Roger Federer in the quarter-finals and Novak Djokovic in the semis, but the combination of Nadal's 'leftie' serve and his brutal hitting is very difficult.
If you want to compete you have to get the mix right, not just hit from the back of the court. Berdych has to add that dimension, he always had problems leaving the baseline.
Five years ago we talked about him being a top-five player and challenging for Grand Slams, so it's taken a while, and I'd like to see him improve his movement forward and learning when to come in.
Rafa's a great ambassador for the game, he says all the right things and him and Roger are the best thing to have happened to men's tennis. Rafa knows what to say, how to behave and how to react with fans.
And Rafa can win the French Open and Wimbledon one after the other because he can adjust and has the strongest mind - when people were writing him off because of injuries, he came back better.
Unfortunately for all you Federer fans out there, this guy's going to be number one for a long time.
Rafa's organising his schedule better and if he stays healthy - which is a big question, your body starts breaking down when you reach 26 - Federer's number of Grand Slam victories will be in jeopardy.

Link - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8787017.stm

[MADDY]

superb articles, thnx for posting them Leo .......lets breakway from the rest to form a Rafa island

[MADDY]

i think comeback from injury is the greatest thing Nadal has done - but lets see the voting

[leosimha]

FEDERER v NADAL - WHO'S THE GREATEST?
By Andy Schooler

Roger Federer has rewritten chapter after chapter of tennis history over the past seven years.

Pundits, fans and even players expected many of his figures to stand for a considerable length of time.

Yet now the talk is of those records themselves being surpassed by none other than one of his contemporaries.

Rafael Nadal's Wimbledon victory means he is now halfway to Federer's all-time record haul of 16 Grand Slam titles - the record many will always judge the sport's greatest by - and set the debate about who's the best back in motion.

As renowned coach Nick Bollettieri said this week, "it's utterly extraordinary that we can even pose the question," yet that's exactly what I and many others are now doing.

Will, in just a few years' time, the brilliant Nadal be regarded as an even better player than the remarkable Federer? Many already feel it's more than a possibility.

For example, in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's final, Greg Rusedski said: "Federer's record is in danger if Rafa can stay healthy."

Nadal's injury record, of course, will be a key element as to whether he can usurp Federer's incredible tally.

I've long written on this site of my concerns for Nadal and his chronic knee problems and although he's managed to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in the past two months, it would be foolish to suggest he's now fully healed.

The problem was mentioned by Nadal after his five-set win over Philipp Petzschner in SW19 and he was even saying in the second week that he "didn't know" if the knees would hold up.

Schedule management will be crucial for Nadal in the future. He's already made one good decision by skipping Barcelona during the claycourt season this year. It will now be interesting to see what he does on the less-forgiving hardcourt surfaces in North America.

That brings us to another point that will be a big determining factor in any future 'who's the best' debate.

Nadal's least successful surface has been hard and he's yet to claim the US Open title.

He admitted after beating Tomas Berdych in London that success at Flushing Meadows is now a major goal for him.

By winning in New York, Nadal would become only the seventh man to win all four majors; without it many will always rate Federer above him.

It was something I always pointed out in the Pete Sampras-Andre Agassi debate in the 90s. Agassi, of course, won on all four surfaces; Sampras - despite his huge haul elswehere - could never win on the clay of Roland Garros.

Moving on, and head-to-head record is another key stat which is sure to play a big part in the Nadal-Federer argument.

I've lauded Federer to the roof in the past but have never really had an answer for those who have pointed out his poor record against Nadal.

The Spaniard now leads their series 14-7 and although the majority of those contests (12) have taken place on Nadal's favoured clay, there's no doubting who's been best in recent years - Nadal leads 6-1 over the past two and a half seasons.

If our debate to focus on the question of style, Federer would be widely picked as the greatest. His shot-making took the game to a new level, while his movement has been a major factor in his success (and his lack of injuries).

Yet Nadal's more defensive game is hardly without its spectacular shots and it would be harsh to suggest he's not as entertaining to watch.

Many of the points raised above are ones which cannot provide a definitive answer to 'who's best' for some time yet.

So where are we right now? Well, a good reference point is surely age.

Nadal's Wimbledon win - his eighth at Grand Slam level - came a month after his 24th birthday.

At 24 years and a month, Federer had just won the 2005 US Open, his sixth major.

But it was what happened next that really boosted his position among - or should that be above - the other greats.

In the two seasons that followed, Federer won six of the eight Grand Slam titles on offer.

Nadal will do extremely well to match that but if he does, then surely tennis will be looking at its greatest ever player.

Link - http://www.sportinglife.com/tennis/n...al_122941.html

[leosimha]

yes...comeback from injury is the greatest....he silenced his critics...and answered them on the court...

[leosimha]

superb articles, thnx for posting them Leo .......lets breakway from the rest to form a Rafa island

thank you..

[leosimha]

Hard Work Behind the Scenes
Rafael Nadal's coaching team reveals the secrets of his fitness

By BARRY FLATMAN

At full stretch: resilience training is important to prepare Rafael Nadal for the strain of playing, especially on clay.

When Rafael Nadal first emerged on the ATP World Tour just before his 16th birthday, his new rivals in the locker room shared expressions of both amazement and fear that somebody so young could look so strong.

[b]Within a couple of years esteemed champions such as John McEnroe and Boris Becker were using terms like 'freak' and 'monster' to describe the Majorcan. They were not being derogatory, but rather expressing wry praise together with a certain amount of envy. The boy with the bulging muscles was clearly destined to become a who was going to leave an indelible mark on the sport.

Now, of course, Mr. Nadal is world number one and the first player this year to officially qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, which will again be contested at London's 02 Arena in November. He also remains the benchmark of strength and power in his sport that others seek to emulate.

Mr. Nadal has been troubled by fitness issues in the last couple of years with most of the concern focusing on his knees. In 2009, pain in his legs prevented him from defending the Wimbledon title he won two years ago and struck again in January when he was forced to retire after two sets of the Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray. It is therefore testament to his huge determination that he was already got his name down for the prestigious climax to the tennis year, one of the most arduous calendars in sport, which weaves its way around the world for ten testing months.

It is also testament to the work of his fitness and conditioning team. Angel Ruiz Cortorro, Joan Forcades and Rafael Maymo may not be names that are familiar to the legions of Rafa fans, but the trio has been hugely important throughout the Spaniard's career. They have always preferred anonymity, letting Mr. Nadal's exploits do the talking. And like so many support teams of leading sportsman, they fiercely guard the secrets of the training facilities and the weeks of preparation.

Accurate break-downs of actual training sessions and chronicled performance records are closely guarded secrets. Team Nadal sees no upside to revealing confidential information that could prove useful to his rivals.

Natural Strength
Those close to Mr. Nadal are prepared to divulge that he is an individual endowed with huge natural strength. Genetically speaking, this isn't so surprising. One of his uncles is the once-fearsome Migel Angel Nadal, or the 'Beast of Barcelona', who during his time at the Nou Camp won five La Liga titles and the European Cup along with 62 international caps for Spain. His career and reputation were founded on tremendous physical displays.

Like his uncle, Mr. Nadal appreciates the value of training and preparation. Dr. Cotorro is the Barcelona-based doctor who treats several tennis players and has long enjoyed the confidence of the Nadal family. He describes Mr. Nadal as a "very special athlete," with abnormal amounts of energy and explosiveness. "He mixes the explosive pace of a 200-meter runner with the resistance of a marathon runner," says Dr. Cotorro.

Like Dr. Cotorro, Joan Forcades is rarely seen in the players' entourage during tournaments. In fact he is a physical education teacher from the player's hometown of Manacor. Twelve years ago, Toni Nadal, Mr. Nadal's uncle and coach, asked Mr. Forcades to devise a training program to bulk up his nephew.

Mr. Forcades continues to supervise the serious training his young protégé conducts during the brief off-season that follows the ATP World Tour Finals and the Davis Cup final. Base camp is in the Nadal family residence in Manacor on the Torre del Palau, at Ruby Rector Square, near the Church of Virgen de los Dolores. Here Mr. Forcades has overseen the installation of a state-of-the-art gymnasium, complete with several high-tech machines.

"We work on different types of movements, with changes in speed and direction. That's how we improve his speed of movement, so Rafa can change direction quickly and easily," says Mr. Forcades. "We also use a 'bosu' [an inflatable training ball with one flat side] to work on coordination, footwork, movement and balance."

The physical work is at its most intense during late November and December. Unlike Andy Murray, Mr. Nadal does not pound the running track with multiple repetitions of 400-meter sprints to build up cardiovascular strength. The state of the Spaniard's knees dictate a lot of the training. Instead Mr. Nadal prefers high-impact aerobic work. In the weights room he does compensation work for his arms and back. And, unsurprisingly for a native of the Mediterranean, the swimming pool and the sea also figure prominently in his training regime.

Court Work
If Mr. Nadal is able to get home for a week or two between tournaments during the course of the season, the work is more focused on the tennis court with short sprinting routines as well as repetitive drills with the racket in hand. Mr. Forcades says: "Mostly we train towards more aggressive tennis to improve his footwork, coordination and explosive strength. The aim is that he doesn't wear himself out in matches."

Resilience is paramount in the Nadal training regime. He will often work with a balance board to boost the responses of muscle and improve reaction time. "You have to work on hip strength, particularly on clay when points on last longer," says Mr. Forcades. "Resistance is very important and we have to improve Rafa's recovery time."

Mr. Maymo is part of the regular support crew alongside Uncle Toni. He is the physiotherapist who prepares Mr. Nadal for matches and then supervises the hugely important warm-down or recovery period. Several hours of stretching is a very important part of the daily routine both as a warm up, an exercise in itself and then recovery.

Mr. Forcades says: "Rafa works on his joints in the morning when he gets up. Then he does lots of stretching. Afterwards there is also lots of hydrotherapy where he submerges his body first in a hot bath, then in an ice bath."

Finally, there is the all-important issue of diet. During weeks of competition, the majority of any athlete's intake revolves around carbohydrates, in the form of pasta, together with fresh vegetables. Mr. Nadal is also known to be a great fish eater, which is his main source of protein. He is allowed treats such as chocolate, salty Majorcan biscuits named Quely and his grandmother's special cake. He never drinks tea or coffee and is not allowed to eat meat on the day before a match.

According to his team, Mr. Nadal is a self-motivated individual when it comes to exerting himself on the tennis court. But occasionally he requires some cajoling when it is time for more mundane exercise in the gym. Tennis is perceived to be an individual sport. But without his support team, it is unlikely that the Spaniard would be the world number one.

Mr. Flatman is the tennis correspondent of The Sunday Times.

Link - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...041837420.html