Career Slam & Infinity - Rafael 'Sphere'

[leosimha]

Nadal joins the greats
World No. 1 says he wants to improve on every surface

Neil Harman

Rafael Nadal crushed the challenge of Tomas Berdych to become Wimbledon’s first £1 million title-holder on Sunday and match Bjorn Borg’s 32-year record of straight-sets wins in finals of the French Open and at the All England Club in the same year.

Borg, who won £19,000 for his efforts in 1978, was in the front row on Centre Court as Nadal, the 24-year-old world No. 1, defeated Berdych, of the Czech Republic, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and 13 minutes of tennis higher on tension than it was on stroke-making.

Berdych could not dig as deep when it mattered as he had in defeating Roger Federer, the holder, and Novak Djokovic, the world No. 3, in the quarter finals and semi-finals respectively.

Nadal accepted that he had been more nervous than he expected in his fourth Wimbledon final in five years. He had lost twice to Federer and defeated the Swiss in a memorable climax in 2008 before returning Sunday having missed the championships last year through injury.

It may have had something to do with being the underdog against Federer, but the firm favourite against Berdych, the No. 12 seed. “If you are not nervous in a Wimbledon final, you are not human,” Nadal said.

“I was a little bit lucky in a few moments but I have just tried my best in practice, in the matches all the times. Every one of these is more special and this was not an easy year for me. To finish with the trophy here is really amazing. I didn’t expect anything before the match, except to fight on every point like it was the last.

“If you want to play well, you have to find a way to win. I move very well on this court and that is very important for me. It is important to play on grass a little bit more aggressive than on the other surfaces. But the main thing is to want to improve all the time, on all surfaces. Now it is time to enjoy the beach, fishing, golf, friends, party and Majorca.”

Nadal also had a word of praise for the Wimbledon crowds. He was astonished that, on semi-finals day, on Friday, they appeared to be split almost down the middle in support for him and Andy Murray, the British No. 1.

“It is the best crowd of the world,” he said. “More respect they have that for every player. For sure the crowd supported Andy, but they were supporting me a lot as well. That is unbelievable. I can only thank them for that.”

With his victory, Nadal joined Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Ken Rosewall and Fred Perry as a holder of eight Grand Slam singles titles. He has won eight of his past ten finals and has won the past five he has contested.

Berdych rises to a career high of No. 8 on the ATP Tour this week. “There are not that many weaker parts to his game,” the Czech said of Nadal. “I tried to play my best. It was really tough to find some special tactic to beat him, it was just to concentrate on myself, start well and hope I found some little chances. But he took them, not me.

“I need to grow up a little, get a bit more experienced and be more patient on court. The biggest difference between us was that when he got a chance, he just took it.

“He gave me one [break point] in the second set, one in the third set, and none of them I can bring to my side and just make a break. That just shows how strong he is.”

Link - http://www.telegraphindia.com/110070...y_12650797.jsp

[Plum]

World No. 1 says he wants to improve on every surface

AhA - manasu vechuttAnyA, manasu vechuttAnyA! ini yaarum thadukka mudiyAdhu!

[Rocky89]

World No. 1 says he wants to improve on every surface

AhA - manasu vechuttAnyA, manasu vechuttAnyA! ini yaarum thadukka mudiyAdhu!

neenga kannu vaikaatheenga :P

[wrap07]

http://www.tennisthoughts.com/2010/0...d-big-matches/

Why Rafael Nadal Wins Key Points And Big Matches

Rafael Nadal is one of the best players in the world because he has a very smart plan on how to play key points.

The perfect example of that were the two tie-breaks he won against Nicolas Almagro today in the quarterfinals of Roland Garros.

The first tie-break was played in a very controlled way (playing high percentage tennis) but the second tie-break was a masterpiece of tactics and intelligence.

Here’s what happened:

1. Nadal played a serve & volley on the first point. Almagro returned the serve on the T with a sliced backhand and Nadal had an easy volley. This was Nadal’s only third serve & volley in the match so far.

He played the first one on a break point in the first set and won it easily too as Almagro of course didn’t expect Nadal to serve & volley.

The reason why Nadal serve & volleyed on the first point of the tie-break was because Almagro returned most of the serves down the T with a sliced backhand.

Nadal recognized the pattern and knew that Almagro would most likely return the serve with a slice again. Combine that knowledge with a surprise approach to the net and Nadal has simply outsmarted Almagro.

2. Almagro took control of the rally in the second point and had Nadal stretched out wide on the forehand side. Nadal has neutralized those attacks in most cases (my best guess is in 9 out of 10 times) with a loopy cross court shot to Almagro’s backhand and that’s what Almagro was expecting.

Nadal knew that and decided to play a wrong footing counter attack forehand down the line which Almagro was not expecting. Again, Nadal outsmarted Almagro.

3. On the third point, Nadal again played a shot that he has never played until that point in the match. He attacked Almagro’s second serve with an inside out forehand and of course surprised him again. That was a third point in a row where Nadal played shot that surprised Almagro…

4. Nadal served the fourth point of the tie-break and stretched Almagro wide. Almagro returned the ball down the middle and the most obvious shot for Nadal was to play to open court.

But again Nadal played a shot that was not expected by Almagro – the short cross court wrong footing forehand winner. 4-0 to Nadal…

5. and 6. Almagro won next two points with very aggressive forehands where Nadal didn’t stand a chance.

7. He again took control of the seventh point where he attacked Nadal’s backhand from which Nadal played a neutralizing deep shot in most cases until that point. But he again chose a shot that Almagro didn’t expect – a very aggressive counter attacking backhand cross court shot which was a winner.

8. On the eighth point Nadal played one of his favorite patterns of play (choosing a tactical combo with the highest probability of winning the point): he served out wide, forced a sliced backhand return from Almagro and won the point with an inside out forehand winner.

9. With a 5:2 lead he again attempted a courageous backhand counter attacking shot but missed it.

10. He made a backhand winner from behind the baseline on the final point of the tie-break.

And that’s what Nadal does to his opponents on key points. He is very intelligent and recognizes the patterns of play that happen most of the time during the match and then plays something else on purpose. Those are his aces up the sleeve and he simply outsmarts his opponents on key points.

It’s what really separates the top few guys in the rankings from the guys who are ranked slightly below.

It was a joy watching Almagro taking Nadal without fear and I hope he learns some new ideas from that match and eventually reaches the rankings and success that he is capable of.

[raghavendran]

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

[leosimha]

Raefel Nadal…A complete player

After this year’s Wimbledon championship it could be said that Raefel Nadal is emerging as a complete player. Federer could not put up a good show may be due to his injury but at the end of the day these are counted just as excuses what actually matters is the victory.

It was said that Nadal is a better player on clay court but he has improvised and played well on the green grass too. Winning the Wimbledon is the dream of every tennis player. By winning this title he not only proved that he could play well on grass surface but also achieved his biggest dream. His best match in this tournament was against Andy Murray. Though the final match was quite erratic for him. He could feel the pressure. It just took him around 133 minutes to become the champion. Injuries are always a reason to worry for the players. Before the match began Nadal was also worried about his health. Besides this he was also worried about the surface. Grass is not considered to be his specialty but as it is said, where there’s a will, there’s a way. There’s no doubt now that Nadal possesses all the qualities of a champion.

Link - http://www.eworldpost.com/raefel-nad...ayer-2626.html

[leosimha]

http://www.tennisthoughts.com/2010/06/02/why-rafael-nadal-wins-key-points-and-big-matches/

Why Rafael Nadal Wins Key Points And Big Matches

And that’s what Nadal does to his opponents on key points. He is very intelligent and recognizes the patterns of play that happen most of the time during the match and then plays something else on purpose. Those are his aces up the sleeve and he simply outsmarts his opponents on key points.

wow...what a detailed analysis given by the tennis pro...

thank you...wrap07...

[leosimha]

Rafael Nadal: King of Clay en route to becoming King of Grass

Posted By: Christopher Mayers Posted In: Tennis 6 hours, 8 minute(s) ago

Rafael Nadal: King of Clay en route to becoming King of Grass

Rafael Nadal Parera, nicknamed ‘Rafa’, is a left-handed Spanish Gun hailing from the town of Manacor on the Spanish Mediterranean island of Majorca. He started playing tennis at the age of three, when his uncle and coach to date, Toni Nadal, an ex tennis pro, introduced him to the racket. He recognized the natural talent Nadal had for tennis and started coaching him. Noticing that the boy played forehand strokes with two hands, Toni made him switch from Right-Handed to Left-Handed. This explains Rafa writing with his right hand and being Left-Handed at the court. His impressive winning streak at the ‘Roland Garros’ French Open from 2005 to 2008 earned him the title of ‘King of Clay’. His loss to 23rd seed Robin Soderling in 2009 in the fourth round of the French Open brought an end to his 31 match winning streak on clay. The match, which was termed as one of the biggest upsets in tennis, brought Nadal down from No. 1 ranking that he held for most of that year. In June 2010, Nadal regained his lost pride when he beat Soderling, now 5th seeded, in a straight sets victory of 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal’s strong arm helped him clinch his 5th French Open title and 7th Grand Slam.

Nadal is often compared to Björn Borg due to his clay court dominance. This doesn’t come as a surprise as his coach Toni admired the Swede. "Because I remember Borg," Toni Nadal said, "Borg was the best. It's difficult to win a point against him.” After his 5th French Open title, he is only one title behind Borg’s record of six French Open titles.

His major victories in the French Opens already proved Rafa’s strength on clay court. What wasn’t expected by most was that the young player could also score on grass, that too against Roger Federer, ‘The Greatest Player of Tennis’. In a fierce battle of archrivals, Nadal beat Federer 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 to clinch his first Wimbledon title in 2008. In what was the longest and perhaps the most dramatic final of all time, Nadal proved the evolution his game was going through.

Grass courts are both slower and slipperier in contrast to clay courts. The players that generally do well on grass courts are the serve and volley players. Due to the bad bounces that often occur on grass courts, the speed with which the shot is returned matters the most on such courts. As a result, the aggressive players gain a distinct advantage over defensive players. Generally, the players that are great on clay courts aren’t so good on grass courts, and vice versa. The grass courts used in Wimbledon are 100% rye grass courts. This makes the courts even slower compared to the other grass courts.

Nadal, who is known for his ferocity, is basically defensive in his style of play; hence he gains advantage on clay courts. But the left handed shots don’t come naturally to the right handed Nadal. As a result, he struggles with serves and volleys, a major advantage on grass courts. At the same time, his chronic knee problem is somewhat subdued on grass courts, thanks to the easy on knees rye grass. Playing style on grass also means taking shorter fast steps which prevents any major strain on the knees.

Despite the fact that the odds of winning on grass were against him, the Spaniard scored again. This time he beat Tomas Berdych 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 to clinch his second Wimbledon title. This victory came unexpectedly, especially to his critics. A major part of this success was impacted by him improving his ground shots. This tilted the advantage on low bouncing grass courts to his side. Although Tomas’s immense serve power was a force to reckon with, it couldn’t stop Nadal from lifting the Wimbledon title. This victory was the 8th major crown for him and came at an age of just 24. This makes him halfway through to Federer’s 16 Grand Slams. The young player, although majorly powerful on clay, is still evolving, as was proved in his Wimbledon win. He surely has a long way to go, but the future seems bright for him if he can effectively tackle his knee problem and put more control in his game. His known defensive style has also seen a shift towards an aggressive one during this year’s Wimbledon. The prospects for Nadal to join the club of those few dominant on both clay and grass are high if he can get more wins on grass. His evolving game might in the future lead him to become ‘The King of Grass’.

Link - http://blogs.bettor.com/Rafael-Nadal...f-Grass-a15627

[leosimha]

Nadal versus Federer; who is a better player?

Posted By: Christopher Mayers Posted In: Tennis 1 hour, 13 minute(s) ago

Nadal versus Federer; who is a better player?

Two world class players; one known as Rafael Nadal and the second Roger Federer have taken tennis to a whole new level.

All through the last decade, both of these tennis players have ruled men's tennis nearly solely. With massively distinct individualities as well as styles, they have each casted their positions in the records of tennis history and maintain to make their mark.

Their contestation is remarkable. Each has taken full advantage exceedingly, from the other around the net on a number of important events.

Federer took advantage from having a real contender authenticate his charm after Andy Roddick turned out to be a much smoother nut to break, while Nadal's advantage has come with his embodiment, in the run of brilliance and his turning even brilliant in the process.

There are grumblings and rustling from tennis fans as well as some major critics of the game. A question that is beginning to put on some actual weight, should Nadal not anymore be taken as the Agassi to Federer's Sampras, but a lot more than that? Should he begin to be looked more like the same and less of a colleague?

Some may study this surprised and amazed. How can you put them side by side when one has half the overall quantity of Grand Slams? How can you even think about them as equal?

While comparing them in terms of their class and greatness, there is a need to first consider the factors that assess the level of greatness, particularly when putting the real stars of the game side by side.

Of course, the Grand Slam numbers the greatest factor, but at times that portion of a player's bequest, can out shine other important achievements that are fairly as significant, yet go hardly detected or recalled.

For example, Nadal will presumably add a slide of extra World Tour Masters thousand championship trophies to his professional life of eighteen, all by age twenty four.

One of the greatest luminary characteristic of the Federer/Nadal competition is that it is the only particular contestation in the open era, in which the presumed better player with more Grand Slam titles has an important losing history in both overall games and more noticeably, the Grand Slam events themselves.

Whether it was McEnroe / Borg, Sampras /Agassi, Rosewall/Laver or any other pair their track records were either quite similar or totally opposite.

At the moment, this argument has Nadal ruling with a 14-7 triumphing record, and more significantly, a 6-2 (5-2 in finals) history in major finals. Generally, Nadal leads 10-3 on clay court and both the players are tied 3-3 as far as hard-courts are concerned where as Federer is ahead with 2-1 on grass courts.

While the general history is unquestionably telling, it is the Grand Slam finals where the actual debate bears water.

With three victories at Roland Garros, and one success each at the grass court Grand Slam event as well as the Australian Open tournament, Nadal has proved that he can knock down Federer on all kinds of tennis courts, on the other hand Federer has hammered down Nadal just on the grass courts of Wimbledon at the All England Club.

On top of everything, Rafa hold a 7-3 record against the tennis master Roger Federer in the final matches of the World Tour Masters championships (6-3 Masters 1000). Now those victories are mostly, if not all of them, on clay courts but they are victories nevertheless.

Keeping all these stats aside, the truth of the matter however is that Roger Federer is definitely a legendary tennis star as far as his comparison with the 2010 Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal is concerned, there is certainly no one superior to one another in terms of class and flair of the game of tennis. Federer has the slam history, but Nadal is definitely a better player overall in terms of their match history as proof.

Link - http://blogs.bettor.com/Nadal-versus...-player-a15653

[Sanjeevi]

US open truimph panni 10 GS thandattum, appuram compare pannalam