The unthinkable has happened... Rafa Nadal has lost for the first time in Roland Garros. And it wasn't to Roger Federer or Andy Murray. It was unexpectedly to the 23rd seed, Robin Soderling of Sweden. At last, someone has found the game which could possibly be harnessed by future players against Nadal.
Flat forehands, hitting on the rise coupled with a solid first serve; thats the game you would expect Nadal who hits with a lot of topspin to struggle with. But then again, you have to play a very very good game to beat Nadal and Soderling played in what is possibly the best match of his life.
This year's Roland Garros has been full of surprises, no less Djokovic's loss to German Phillip Kohlschreiber, and now the exit of defending champions Nadal and Ana Ivanovic in the men's and women's singles respectively.
The obvious question now is: with Nadal gone, will it be finally Federer's year to claim the only Grand Slam that has eluded him all his career? We await with great excitement.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Real Men wear Pink
I remembered this line on my friend's fun badge which he used to pin on his Nike bag.
It said "Real Men wear Pink". Yup, he was a big fan of hot pink.
I could imagine some tennis enthusiast fan of Nadal buy the Nike outfit he is wearing at Roland Garros and strut it on the tennis courts of our proud Singapore condominiums.
To potential copies of Nadal... urm... not questioning your choices but not really a good sight unless of course you're a world number one, with huge biceps, pectorals and runs around grunting like a Spanish bull without sounding too sissy.
Monday, May 25, 2009
It was the tennis, stupid.
How did Rafael Nadal humble the great Roger Federer and take his No. 1 ranking? It wasn’t a simple triumph of will or youth or brute strength. It was the tennis, stupid.
The Takedown by S.L Price
The best article by a long mile that I have read pertaining to the legendary rivalry of Roger vs Rafa. Roger fans, if you've been perplexed by the sheer dominance of Nadal these days, read this.
Monday, May 18, 2009
New roof for Wimbledon
Yesterday marked the opening of the new retractable roof at Wimbledon centre court. The opening coincided with the finals clash between Rafa and Roger at the Madrid Open. As a result, very few tennis fans must have tuned in to watch the opening which I thought was a waste because the opening was pretty entertaining stuff.
Trust the English to make a grand opening. Other than the gracing of the event by wonderful acts such as Katherine Jenkins and Faryl Smith, the main highlights were the opening matches between the great tennis couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf with Britain's ex number one Tim Henman and former women's tour number one Kim Clijsters. It was gratifying just to see Agassi and Steffi on the courts which they used to dominate their opponents. None of them had lost much of the fluid strokes and leg movement which saw them claim an insane number of Grand Slam titles; Andre Agassi himself was turning back the clock for many fans when he crushed a few forehands past his opponents. Honestly, all these former greats could still do respectably well if they were on world tour, especially the ladies. Clijsters as I understand is contemplating a return.
It was a nice touch all in all; by paying tribute to a timeless venue that has been synonomous with greatness and prestige in the world of tennis. For sure, the roof will add a new dimension to the already wonderful event that is the Wimbledon Grand Slam. I can't wait when Roger will return and re-claim his title here against Rafa in the coming one for 2009.
The Fed Express finally arrives on clay
Its been a long time coming but the Fed Express has finally won a ATP Masters tournament on clay for what is a very long time now.
For long suffering fans of Roger Federer, this can only be good news as we prepare for Roland Garros 2009. The not so good news however is that Rafa Nadal will be more pumped up than ever in their next meeting. Clearly, Nadal looked tired in his match yesterday. The usual Nadal will have ran down every ball on the court and made lesser unforced errors. Djoko must have ran him ragged in the semi final. Even the Superman of tennis gets tired... ...
For the record, I still think Rafa will win his fifth consecutive title in Roland Garros but at least for now he jolly well knows... that Roger Federer is looming close behind. Vamos Federer !!
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