excellent! as always...

hola Steve,
nice summation of an enjoyable weekend. i commented that I thought you were a bit harsh on julia georges when you found her seeding at IW or Miami a trifle amusing. but still, i didn't mean she was going to beat a couple of top tenners including the no.1 to win a premiere event soon. interesting how an independent third event, completely out of your control (azarenka retiring at a set up), can potentially have such significant repercussions for an entire career. chaos theory applied to tennis?

What a joy to read. Thank you.

"There has to be slight decline in motivation at some point, doesn’t there?"

That's the thing, Steve, there does not appear to be, there were a few shots in Sunday's final when I thought he dumped that out coz he was distracted. Well, next shot he was back on track. His over all hunger seesm undiminished. Rafa has said that the day he loses that motivation to go on court and practice, he will quit.

Let's hope he stays hungry for years to come.

I'm not the only one to say it, but it bears repeating: cherish this era in men's tennis while it's happening, 'cause it won't happen again. The records of Nadal and Federer have skewed our understanding of what's normal in sport.

Caro played with "intelligent aggression"?

I don't think "aggression" means what you think it means. It certainly does not apply to Caro. That Caro-Agni matching was anything but aggression.

I’m sure Steffi Graf did something ridiculous along the way.

Might I suggest the one and only Golden Grand Slam - her year in 1988? All 4 slams + the Olympics?

n-boy: right, though i was thinking multi-year. her 4 wins at all 4 slams isn't shabby, either.

leo: i thought wozniacki did a good job of safeyl controlling the rallies against radwanska.

Amazing Rafa! A Tennis Hero!

Can't take away from Nadal's great achievements--but he faced a cupcake draw in Barcelona (Ferrer the only exception).

"the tennis equivalent of a presidential assassination"

One shouldn't joke about such things, but I know exactly what you're saying Steve... When Rafa loses, the Earth stops rotating...

Well done.

skip1515

+ 1 gazillionmillion............

Julia's win reminded me of what Maria Jose did at Rome(Jelena) and Aravane did at Madrid(Venus) last year. Since those huge wins by them, they have not been able to capitalize on their biggest win in their career. Speaking of Germany, the biggest win,IMO, by their Fed Cup team(not including Anna-Lena) was over Caroline. Julia(Stuttgart), Sabine(2009 Charleston and 2009 Wimbledon) and Andrea(Miami). Also, most players step their game up a notch against Caroline as Caroline has the number 1 target on her back.

Nadal's 6th straight title in Barcelona this past weekend gives him an amazing 45 titles thus far. If his body holds up, and the desire does not fade, he could conceivably reach 75 to 90 by the time he hangs up his sneaks. Incredible. And as Skip1515 pointed out, we are the real winners, getting to see two of the sport's best-ever compete week after week.

And what can I say about Julia Georges. I've enjoyed watching hr play for the past year, and she deserved this win. She seems like a really nice person. Wozniacki will have plenty of opportunities to win titles, and she'll get to another major final. Is she the Martina Hingis of her era? Or is that an insult to Hingis?

Master Ace has a good point with regard to last years wins of MJMS and Rezai - how well Julia does from here on in will be the more interesting story and I hope it will be a more positive experience than the other two had.

Steve

I think Skip in his post at 2.49PM says it all.

Being at RG05 and watching Rafa win his first GS title on clay and seeing him win his career slam at age 24 for me typifies his strong "work ethic" which I have always admired.

Hingis is way above Woznicaki. At least Hingis can do net play and she was able to battle against the "prime Williams sisters, Davenport and all other power hitters". Not to mention her slam titles and 2 - 0 advantage in head to head against Woznicaki.

WTA simply makes me dizzy and disorientated these days, utter chaos, yet in that chaos somebody and somebody's mum and dad new (stardom-wise at least) gets that glorious feeling of lifting a trophy; it's not hogged by one or two people week-in week-out.
Still, it's little comfort to the fans. I reckon Petko's got the heart to go for it, I'm not convinced bu her ball-striking, though, neither do I know whether that can be corrected.
As for Nadal, I saw most of yesterday's final,and to me it's just amazing how different and completely natural (read unirritating) he looks on clay.
At one point in during the match he stopped his grunting, and he was awesome, I wish he cut it out completely it's such a turn-off.

From various smatterings here and there, it appears that uncle Tony is a bit of a control freak and he certainly doesn't look like somebody you'd like to have a drink and a chat with; in that respect I feel sorry for Nadal.

When the tour bubble bursts and uncle Tony becomes uncle only, I hope Nadal manages to find the way to detoxify himself.
IN the similar way Novak has got so much on his shoulders, but he appears to be dealing with it slightly better.

I could be completely wrong, of course.

Steve,

This has to be one of my favorite blogs from you. I love how you juxtaposed the thrilling win by Georges over Wozniacki with Rafa's more predictable but exciting in a different way, win over Ferrer.

I finally watched a women's match! I first saw Georges at this year's AO and there was something about her game that got my attention. That's not easy to do these days, since I am so much more invested in men's tennis. I saw a good deal of potential, but she was not quite ready. I liked her and her game immediately. However, it was a real pleasure to see her use the home crowd support to find mental strength, focus and determination. She played outstanding tennis and took it to Wozniacki. She played so much better than she did in Australia. Her forehand was nothing short of amazing and I loved her aggressive play. I did worry for the health of her father as he seemed to live and die with every point. It was a wonderful human drama played out on a tennis court with a very happy ending.

Then there was Rafa's second straight win over Ferrer. It never gets old to me. I am bothered when some start complaining about how it's boring and predicatable. Not to me. I remember watching Borg on clay and thinking to myself - I will not see this again in my lifetime. He was that good, that dominating. I did not expect to see anyone come along who could even approach his greatness. The young man who brought me back to watching tennis again would also replicate the greatness that was Borg. It was Rafa Nadal who gave me something I did not ever expect to see again - that genius on the red earth. That's why I will never take this for granted, never think it boring. I got to see it again in my life. It's even more special this time. Rafa is just a different species of tennis player. He lives to win, he breathes it, he hungers for it. The more, the better.

I wonder if you have to be older, someone who has watched the sport over decades, to really appreciate what we are seeing now in the men's game. I want to cherish and hold onto every precious minute, because this time I am a good deal older and have the poignant realization that I will not see it again.

Adam, yes, the draw in Barca was somewhat "cupcake", as you call it...though, full of what I'm sure you would call "dirtballers". Ya still have to win the thing!

Northerboy, yes, Steffi's accomplishment(s) were amazing, but IMO, diminished by the fact that her main rival, Monica Seles, was out of commission for a big chunk of her career.

Earth shattering it will be..

While some find outright dominance boring, its buildup to the moment of upset is incredible. The buildup is incredible for the athlete who does it, and the moment of upset is incredible to the player who will achieve it. And everybody gets a story to talk about.

@leo,
Aggression means forceful action. It doesn't necessarily mean attacking.

Nice writeup on Goerges. For FedCup and this Porsche event, she really used her hometown crowd to play her most inspiring tennis.

It's rare that you see a beautiful young woman just go for her shots, make it, have her father in dire pain, then beat world no 1 and roll in the dirt in utter joy.... Then she takes a spin in the Porsche. Very nice to watch.

Best finals since Schiavone FO.

I love Rafa!!
( and I think I really like Goerges)

I hate to make this just about Nadal, because I too say Goerges's father and it was great, but I am compelled to talk about Nadal.

I mentioned a few weeks back that Nadal is a Borg/Connors Hybrid. So many people talk about the aesthetics of Nadal's game; Lefty, Huge topsin forehand, athletic, fast,... one thing that almost always gets mentioned as well that is entirely internal is that he is relentless. The guy almost never gives up. He does though, he has, although rarely, thrown in the towel when he is down in the final set and he knows he isn't coming back due to the guy across from him playing great tennis (two to remember are 3rd set in London against Fed this past year and Indian Wells against Nole in the 3rd). The key as I see it is his mind. He loves to compete, he absolutly loves it, and it is clear to see that the only person he is competing against is himself. He is willing to lay it all on the line, work harder, suck it up and keep hitting. I think the reason he is so good is probably how hard he practices. Remember Allen Iverson's famous, "Practice, Practice...?" line, well he never won a championship and that is not just because it is a team sport.

Nadal is great because of what is between his ears. He is supremely focused, better than any. The guy wins on Grass and the Hardcourts, and he absolutly dominates clay. How do you do that, no one ever has. The guy is willing to lay his soul on the line. He isn't perfect but he is a champion.

prediction; he will sweep the season, and the finals with Nole will be epic. It seems like there is a good chance it goes Nole -Rafa for the next 4 major finals (Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros, Wimby). With his heart, Rafa always has a chance.

I saw most of the 2nd set of JG vs. Caro....very enjoyable to see aggressive, non-grunting, women's tennis, and with JG's serving = beautiful tennis. Not quite Henin-beautiful, but non-mopey, non-grunty, non-nervy, hit-out but still aggressive tennis.

Caro's game just didn't have the variety to diffuse JG, and the announcers even said she seemed to default to "junior-style tennis" at times when put under pressure. Caro's not yet 21 I think, but the pattern of aggressive players beating her in big spots seems to be recurring time and time again.

I look forward to seeing JG play again.

I think it was so crude of Wozniacki's father to talk about having to pay a lot of money when they hire Navratilova as a consultant, and "having to pay it out of our own pockets"
Just stick to professional comments in public!!!!

I wish people would stop the *cupcake draw* talk. Is it Rafa's fault that Soderling and Berdych, who were originally in his half, withdrew?

What cupcake draw? He can only play who is across the net from him. Not his fault, Soderling, Berdych amd Murray are injured.

He played 2 top ten players for the trophy, didn't he? Monfils and Ferrer. Not bad out of 5 matches.

Nice clip of the dueling daddies Wozniacki vs Goerges.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spf8GDXU6jA

"From various smatterings here and there, it appears that uncle Tony is a bit of a control freak and he certainly doesn't look like somebody you'd like to have a drink and a chat with; in that respect I feel sorry for Nadal.

When the tour bubble bursts and uncle Tony becomes uncle only, I hope Nadal manages to find the way to detoxify himself."

noleisthebest,

it's not like that at all, and it would be a sad world if we judged everyone based on what we thought they looked like.

Rafa and Toni are very popular on the tour with other players and coaches and are known to be nice guys.

Slice-N-Dice @ 3:57, you said it best. :)

MindyM, I agree with almost everything you said, except the part where you mention if being a bit older has anything to do with the fact that one can appreciate what is going on now so much.

I am a young buck, so to speak, but an absolute tennis fanatic who has watched tennis from every era, where and how I can find it. I absolutely adore this period in tennis, and cannot wait to see more! I think the ability to do so, and to appreciate every single player for what they bring to the court, including (but of course not limited to, nor in any particular order..) Nadal, Caro, Federer, the Williams Sisters, Nole, and so many others just comes from being able to keep it (relatively) objective. I truly feel that this is a golden age for tennis.

I'm just enjoying the ride while I can. It's truly something special.

Actually Soderling did not withdraw, he was defeated by Dodig who met Rafa in SF.

I think we all want to know where Nole is at the moment game-wise. Someone has to challenge Nadal on clay or else these will be the most boring months in the season.

Julia,

did you read this ?

Djokovic has thrown down the Gauntlet!

Read BBC Sport article today: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/13189582.stm

Slice-n-Dice, I think it is an insult to Hingis to compare her with Caro. Hingis had every shot in the book and great court craft, not to mention 5 Majors by 21. She was simply stymied by her lack of size and strength and playing in an era with many strong and great players.

Speaking of Uncle Toni, he may be tough and ruthless, but he's highly intelligent and interesting, and an original thinker, which is more than you can say for many people in tennis. Clearly, Nadal appreciates his worth.

Nam1
You first me :)
I was going to say that Rafa was lucky to have his uncle to guide him not just in tennis but in life. Contrary to popular belief, Toni is not a monster and Rafa has freely admitted that Toni asked more than once if he wanted to change to another coach. Rafa has been the one to want to continue with him.

Nam1, thanks for the correction/reminder.

Excellent, Steve, thanks. (psst, the 81 streak was 2005-2007 ;) )

Only people who didn't actually see the original Barcelona draw - or more generally know nothing of tennis - would call it cupcake. Also, as was already pointed out, having to beat 2 top10 players (both of whom can play on the surface, too) in 5 matches to get the title is not exactly cupcake, either. If Dodig hadn't beaten Söderling (last year's finalist) it would have been 3 top10 players in a row, but he did, and was playing very well. Barcelona had a strong field as usual. Rafa didn't beat them because they were no good, but because Rafa is better. ;)

Steve,
Steffi made to 13 straight GS finals from 87 FO to 90 Fo which is a record in open era (both men and women included) and yes, this is one of the achievements not diminished by any stabbing episode just like her golden GS in 88. Martina Navrotilova comes in next with 11 straight GS finals.

There also few more of records like that of Steffi, in 87 and 89, she reached the final of every tournament she played (both majors and non-majors) which is again a record in open era. There is some more records but want to confirm first before I post it.

Simple Tennis Lover,

Maybe I could have worded it a little better. I agree that younger people like yourself certainly have the ability to appreciate the historic nature of the tennis now. I don't doubt that for a minute.

I guess what I was trying to say, is that I have already been privileged to see this greatness on clay. I never thought that anyone would ever come close to Borg again. It's the sense of history, of having seen so many great players when I was growing up, that makes me feel nostalgic about this time in men's tennis. I do feel fortunate to have seen two of the greatest to ever play on clay. It took a generation and a few decades before Rafa came along to be the new King of Clay. I am just glad to being living through this time. It's a beautiful thing.

Who knows? I made myself possibly sound older than I am. I may just get to see more greatness. Borg was special in his way for me and so is Rafa. I am not always objective, but I do appreciate greatness when it comes along and gives us the opportunity to see it.

This is just a great time in men's tennis, as skip1515 said!

Can never get my grammar right when I post, should have said there are some more records which I need to confirm before posting them.

speaking of mary carillo and jimmy connors - per mary, she was with jimmy when he first saw nadal play. after checking rafa out for a few moments, jimmy made the pithy comment - "he plays like he's broke!" guess it takes one to know one :)

(I am reposting most of these numbers from the previous thread because some of you might find them interesting):

- Nadal has tied Borg for 1st in the overall career winning percentage record: 82.7%. No one had been able to do that in over 30 years (in reality he is still a miniscule 0.005% behind Borg, but is likely to surpass him soon).

- Nadal has now won his 45th career title. Nadal ties Edberg in 11th place in the all time list. Becker is next ahead in the list with 50.

- Nadal establishes a record 6 wins in Barcelona and is the only player in history to have won 2 tournaments 6 or more times. (He is likely to win Rome and Roland Garros in the future making him the only player in history to win 4 tournaments 6 or more times).

- Nadal has won his 11th 500 Series title and is in 2nd place in the all time list, only one tile behind Sampras won leads with 12 titles.

- Nadal is, by far, the best clay court player in history (yes, better than Borg, now) with and incredible 93% winning percentage. Since 2005, Nadal has only lost 6 matches, and he is 187-6 (not 184-6), which is equal to a 97% winning percentage. Nadal has won and outstanding 31 of 48 clay tournaments he has ever played for a 65% winning percentage.

- Nadal has passed Borg with 31 career clay court titles for 3rd place in the all time list. Next ahead in the list is Muster with 40. Nonetheless, Muster’s wins are of a much lesser quality, as 26 of his titles are 250 Series level. Contrast that with Nadal who has only five 250 Series and 40 of a higher level.

- Nadal is also the best outdoor player in history with an 85.3% winning percentage.

- With his 44rd outdoor tournament win, Nadal has also surpassed Muster for 5th place in the all time outdoor win list. Next up is Agassi with 48 wins.

- Nadal has the all time best winning percentage at 400 wins (400-91 for an 81.5%) and 500 wins (500-105 for an 82.6%). If he can manage to make it to 600 without losing 20 matches (very likely), he will also surpass Borg and have the all time best winning percentage at 600 wins.

Question, does anyone factually know who has the best winning percentages at 100, 200 and 300 wins?

Steve, if you don’t know, could you please ask Sharko?

Steve, Martina also has similar record of reaching the finals of all the tournaments she played, in 1983, just that Steffi did it twice.

steffi 13 slam finals in a row. that is indeed ridiculous. throw that in there with the multi-year achievements. that might be the best of them all.

Wow, censorship is alive and well. I pointed out an error in Steve's article - the article was corrected and my post deleted. Shameful.

Guess it's cheaper than paying an editor.

Steve,
Monica's stabbing has done more damage to Steffi's on court reputation that it seems to be. All her acheivements even before the stabbing are not taken into consideration and on top of that, Steffi never speaks to the media about anything, forget about her records. Here is one more record of hers which has nothing to with the stabbing, did it in 87-89 period: "She is the only player (man or woman) in history to have defended all the 4 Grand Slam Singles at least once in his/her career".

***

would it be chauvinistic of me to admit that i didnt start reading this article until after the 3 asterisks ? i cant be the only one can i ?

Steve,
How about Graf defending every major AT LEAST twice? That's one of the most impressive stats ever.

reckoner - um, no ;)

Tuulia, MindyM and Abraxas, thanks one more time for your excellent posts

Maybe in at the Madrid Open, but I just can't see Nadal losing on clay this year, no matter how much "hiding" (if you want to call it) that Djokovic is doing right now to keep his unbeatable aura as long as he can.

He was out of the world dominate in Barcelona, just destroyed Monfils with his forehand seemingly even bigger in the quarterfinals, and handled Ferrer again for a second straight week.

(oh, and another psst, Steve: that 184-6... it's not 184 anymore ;))

But those are just numeric details. The words were much appreciated. :)

Would have been fun to see the statistics if Federer had 4 yearly tournaments on grass in the tune-up for Wimbledon during his most dominating years. Could have added another 20+ titles to his already ok numbers..

Steffi also spent ten years consecutively ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 in the world.

I hate to see her records disparaged due to the madness of a compatriot. Steffi still had to get healthy, get mentally prepared, go out and win seven matches against the best competition that showed up.

As much of a slap in the face as this is to Steffi, imagine being Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario (who lost 5 major finals to Graf), Mary Joe Fernandez or Gabriela Sabatini. Athletes have to play the best competition available. It's sad that Monica was not able to play, but the record books are based on what was, not what could've been.

Oh, and by the way, incident notwithstanding, Monica had a spectacular career. Seles ranks fifth in the Open era for major victories, only one active player, Serena Williams, has won more than Seles' 9 majors.

Trond, I would be interested to see the figures if there were more grass events too. First off, it would level the playing field at Wimbledon, because all of the players would spend more time on the surface.

Even if that didn't change the winners, I wouldn't mind Rafa's record on grass of late.

Great write-up Steve. Watching Rafa's ferociousness never gets boring! How does he get to those balls? Ferrer could have won against a lesser opponent. Their rallies were unbelievable. I felt bad for Ferrer because he is a great competitor too. I admire Rafa so much most especially for his mental toughness. He can lose a second set 0-6 or 1-6 and then come out roaring and win the 3rd set. There's no better tennis player to judge Rafa's toughness than Jimmy Connors. His comment that Rafa plays like he's broke is a compliment of the tallest order from the original never say die champion.
And i wish some bloggers would not call Uncle Toni a monster. We don't really know him that well except for the fact that he's some kind of a hybrid coach-tactician-disciplinarian-philosopher-historian and not to forget second father to Rafa. Let's give him credit for making Rafa what he is today- always humble and staying hungry.
LOVE TO ALL THE RAFANS OUT THERE. HERE'S TO STAYING HUMBLE AND STAYING HUNGRY FOR OUR CHAMPION! OLE!

I caught Georges' match against Woz; it was really a wonderful match to watch, particularly how beautifully Georges served. I'm eager to see how things play out for the WTA at RG this year. As for the men, I'm hoping for some real surprises over the next few weeks.

Abraxas, I guess with your numbers you are making the case for declaring Nadal the greatest tennis player ever. But, before crowning him take in account the following: he still has to beat this lone number to be regarded the GOAT:
16 GRAND SLAMS VICTORIES!, he would never achieve that number, so give us a break.

A_Gallivant: I agree with you regarding Goerges. I really hope she'll go deeper in slams.

Great write up as usual Stave and thoroughly enjoyable.

Comments about the "cupcake" draw in Barcelona just show the ignorance/bias of those who make those comments. If Murray, Berdych, Soderling and even Djokovic made it, the final was still going to be between Nadal and Ferrer (Soderling is still not 100% healthy and Ferrer has winning records on clay against the other 3; he actually beat Murray and Djokovic EVERY TIME they met on clay). So, basically, Nadal had to go through the world's 2nd best clay court player at the top of his game to win Barcelona which makes his win all the more impressive. Also beating the likes of Monfils (who has recent wins over Federer and Murray and who was playing very well) shouldn't be taken lightly. So, the draw was far from being cupcake; it's Nadal's dominance that made it look like it was. Similarly, I expect the draws of the remaining clay court tournaments to be equally cupcake for Nadal.

Robert Cazar

Rafa does not need to beat the 16 grand slams record in order to be considered the greatest ever. He has already beaten the record holder very convincingly … just take a look at their H2H. If and when Rafa would be able to beat that record, it would be redundant.

Stuttgart was a prime example of how hometown support can make all the difference. Goerges was a focused player last week and beat some very good players. It will be interesting if she can take something out of her win for the clay court season.

Trond at 09:51 PM
"Would have been fun to see the statistics if Federer had 4 yearly tournaments on grass in the tune-up for Wimbledon during his most dominating years. Could have added another 20+ titles to his already ok numbers.."

Might also have been fun if Nadal had some grass tune-ups too, no? I mean, prior to 2006 Rafa had played six matches on grass - 5 (3 when he was 17) at Wimbledon and 1 at Halle. In 2006, a couple weeks after his 20th birthday) he played 3 more at Queens and at that year's Wimbledon he managed to make it to the final against Fed. Maybe with more grass experience for Rafa, Fed might have two less slam titles to his name.

I don't mean to downplay Roger's success but considering Rafa's precociousness on grass, it's not a given that Roger would have another 20+ titles at all.

Rafa's only matches lost on clay were because of injuries of being exhausted after playing (and winning) too many tournaments.
Why isn't that mentioned?
A fit Rafa on clay has never lost a match starting 2005.

A fit Rafa is 190-0 on clay since 2005!! F$% Roger.

Amazing Nadal's stats... Hum ! The GOAT's Ghost is skulking around.

Listen !! The only reason CW lost is because she is doing her hard physical training at the moment. Her formcurve is at it lowest right now, and it will soon go up again towards Madrid and with a peak at RG. It is not rocket science- it is plain planning and training towards the big goals. And still she get to the final- this just tells us what a talent she has and how far in front she is comparred to all the other lucky-in-one-turnement WTA players.

This proves that people take interest in Nadals clay court swing.

I live in Australia and the first tennis news that we get on the news since Clijsters became number 1 is that Nadal won Barcelona...

MindyM,

Don't worry, I was just splitting hairs about the age thing! ;)

It is a wonderful time.

Rafa is really a great all court player and we all know he is still young and has a really big chance to be the GOAT. However, Rafa is boring if you are not his fan because if you are not his fan you should allow that we see the best possible tennis at the hands of TMF. Federer was just about pure master class and to see him closing to a ball, his foot games to crack a forehand just right to the corner can be the most fluent action you can see in a tennis court. Rafa, Djokovic etc. are in some way look like a human with thier movement but Fed was out of this world. If you see Fed in full flight in a match just record it and watch over and over, i am sure no one can satisfy your eyes more than him in a tennis court.

Robert Cazar,

Actually, no, I think Roger is still the current GOAT. Nevertheless, should Nadal be able to maintain his level he might well end up being the GOAT when both their careers are finished.

Listing some of Rafa’s accomplishments doesn’t take anything away from Roger, nor would admiring Roger’s game detract from Rafa.

One important point: there is much more to the GOAT than simply having the most majors, though. Consider this analogy: Jordan is widely considered basketball’s GOAT and he doesn’t have the record in terms of championships won. There is almost universal consensus that he was the best, thought.

You might want to take a quick look at the "Nadal defeats Ferrer racquet reaction" thread where we have discussed the GOAT issue in much more depth, and come back and give us your thoughts (warning: the thread blew up, so disregard the negative comments and just read the ones about tennis).

@Eddie

The Piotr comment is taken out of context. It was a quote from a Danish newspaper article written for Danes that know how tennis is organized in Denmark. Wozniacki wants to hire Navratilova specifically to train the Danish national olympic team in double and mixed double. Wozniacki will play with two danish players that are way down on the ranking list (200+). And it will take an extraordinary effort to compete on a high level despite Wozniacki being #1 on the single rankings. Normally training for the national team and Fed cup team is financed by the Danish Tennis federation. So for Wozniacki to pay Navratilova for training the national team out of Wozniackis own pocket is unusual.

@jimF:
i'm from india n i watched rafa's barca final....many of my frndz too watched it.we lyk him playin just as we lyked federer earlier.we were lukin fwrd to c if ferrer wud tone his game a bit just as nadal did the 2nd time he met djoker earlier @ miami.

considering d GOAT debate
for us fans d best thing to do now is 2 enjoy d amazin tennis which we're blessed with.

Aaron,

You make some valid points.

“He isn't perfect but he is a champion.”

I think it is precisely because Nadal is so honestly humble and aware that he is not perfect and can be beaten by anyone that he works so hard to be better (and I don’t mean humble in a public way, but in an internal one. Nadal truly believes this and trains and plays accordingly).

It is evident to anyone who has followed Nadal’ career that he has consistently managed to achieved much more that anyone could have envisioned at any point. He is the picture of the overachiever who works hard, then harder, and then hardest, to make the most of what he’s got.

I am always in awe of Nadal’s “capacity for suffering,” if that can be properly understood. He seems to be able to always push beyond the limits while his opponents can’t and end up caving in, unable to withstand Nadal’s relentless drive.

Anyone who believes Nadal is a humble person is naive. He is as arrogant as any other champion.

When he approaches 16 GS's you can start with the GOAT argument. GOAT means length and strength and success. Right now it is Federer then Sampras.

Brilliant article, Steve. Nadal has turned into a monster on the red dirt, and I doubt if anyone (bar Djoker) will be able to even challenge him on clay this year. On the WTA side, Wozniacki has been giving signals that she's the next one to watch out for... but time and again she loses, which sort of doesn't help to build an invincibility aura like Graf, Henin, Williams, etc did.

JJ,

As I suggested before, please take a look at the RR thread where the GOAT argument is discussed in depth. It specifically addresses the point you are making so I think you may find it interesting.

Perhaps you will change your mind, perhaps you won't. It is fine either way. Come back after reading it and give us your opinion anyway.

I agree that Nadal and Federer are great, BUT, we also thought that Pete Sampress was great, and we said he was t tennis playershe best ever. Now, we say the samething about Nadel and Federer. There is and will always be someone better to come in years to come. So, lets enjoy the present!!!!

I see all the rabid Rafa-bots come out in full force with their delusional rants every time Rafa wins at another cupcake central.

(Some of you even went as far to use expletives against Roger...just wow)

Sorry to break your hearts but Roger is considered GOAT (most experts will tell you that). Boring dirt beater Rafa needs to win more majors then he may be considered GOAT.

@makemyday

" I agree that Nadal and Federer are great, BUT, we also thought that Pete Sampress was great, and we said he was t tennis playershe best ever."

you obviously never went to rec.sport.tennis

I dont know who " we " are

Sampras's failing on clay rule him out of anything regardles of others blind spots - GOAT of his era hands down , but not of ALL TIMe .

Can you imagine him against Rafa on clay if you think Roger is bad ?

Nadal does have skill to hit shots on the flat out run after roping opponents into the net and that is the big weapon that no one has answer too because no one can hit consistently hard / flat enough to make doing that impossible.

Soderling did it
guys like gonzo are capable of it but none of them have the head.

Im not selling him short , but Nadals game essentially boils down to that and that is why i find him and tennis boring.

I suppose tennis at its best is , but it would be nice to for folk to realise topspin = more time for Rafa

If hes going to win in battle of consistency i dont know why folk just dont go back to older string to keep it flatter, if he gets to it , its almost impossible to do anything with it because it skids.

Of course Caro safely controlled the rallies against Aggie, she had to. Just like every other opponent she plays against, she sits back and lets them slip. Aggie is just a watered down version of Caro, which is why the match is so painfully boring. Watching Goerges just take the forehands high and straight to Caro looked very similar to Na Li's tactics in Australia. Caro has 0 weapons, and anyone with anything that can hurt her (serve, big forehand) has a chance to beat her until she fixes that.

Caro has 0 weapons? FH anyone. Consistency. She has won more titles than any other player in 2010 and thus far the same in 2011. All this with no weapon. Lucky girl!

Ya, I wonder how Nadal wins week after week, year after year on clay. Clay is a grueling surface that is bound to fatigue.

It's like Lance Armstrong in the Pyrenees. The tougher the climb, the faster he goes.

Fabulous article! But PLEASE -- can we stop the Federer fans bashing Rafa and vice versa? I've been a Rafa fan from day one. His playing style interests me so much more than Fed's. I liken it to Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. Like Federer, Astaire glided when he moved. But Gene Kelly was my favorite -- I loved to SEE the athleticism. So i will never tire of watching Nadal play. His honest humility, his work ethic and his charitable causes make rooting for him all the more appealing. I certainly admire Federer's accomplishments and HIS humanity. Yes, we are lucky to have them both and must appreciate their artistry. But when they play each other, I will always root for Rafa.

When Rafa was questioned at the 2010 US Open about if he felt pressure to complete the "career slam" he almost scoffed and said that he aspired to improve on his record in NY and to be in the final was a dream. He then clarified it by saying that he wasn't expected to win majors on hard courts and that the only time he really feels big pressure is during the clay season when he is "expected" to win. Also, he made an interesting comment after Barcelona, saying that he felt sorry for David Ferrer having to face him in the finals there three times. I don't think he meant it as it sounded, but that he recognizes the fact that he is a tough foe to face on the red stuff...

One more thought. I recognize the fact that Rafa has had only six losses on clay since 2005, but if you look at the details, you might have to put an asterisk next to at least two of those losses. The loss to JC Ferraro was due to MASSIVE blisters on his feet. The loss to Soderling was due to debilitating injury and heartache. Now Rafa is the last person to lean on excuses, but his fans know the truth...

Kudos to a well-thought out article, Steve! I must say that you are one of the rare tennis writers who can translate "amazing!", "wow!", "unbelievable!", etc that comes from watching our sporting heroes into elegant prose. With respect to Nadal, I appreciate that you just don't buy into established stereotypes and hence, are able to appreciate the subtleties that sum up his greatness.

And of course, in a season were "boring" seems to be the norm, your not taking for granted what may be a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenom sure beats the other article I just read (Attn: Douchface, and yes, I'm referring to you, Mr. Bodo!) whose sole purpose was to generate hits. And for that, I say "Vamos" to you indeed!

that picture kind of looks like (or reminds me of) "christina's world", doesn't it?

Very nice.

good thank like your "explosive" analogy, I use it in my business as well. Thanks for the great content.