Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic made upset against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic

Vasek Pospisil and Milos Raonic, the pair of wildcard Canadians, made a big upset after defeating the world’s top two players, Rafael Nadal of Spain and Serbian Novak Djokovic, in their Toronto Masters first round doubles match. The Canadian team won the match 5-7, 6-3 and 10-8 at centre court.

It was not an easy victory for the dream doubles team as Nadal and Djokovic won the first set 7-5, but then they lost the next two sets0 6-3, 10-8.

Winning the last three games of the second set, the twenty-year-old Pospisil and nineteen-year-old Raonic immediately gained control in the match tie-break by rolling out to a 4-0.

Before Nadal and Djokovic, tennis fans saw other top two singles players, Jimmy Connors and Arthur Ashe, who were ranked first and second respectively, joined forces in doubles 34 years ago.

After Simon Larose, Vasek Pospisil has beaten a top-15 player as a Canadian man at his home tournament in seven years. When Simon defeated Gustavo Kuerten, he was ranked No. 314 in the world at the time.

It was an exciting and nail biting match. Fans could not understand what the result is expected to be until the end of the match.

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Rafael Nadal gives cooking tips of Pasta Y Gambas on US TV

The currently ranked No. 1 tennis player, Rafael Nadal, is known as a Spanish professional tennis player but how many of you know him as cooker.

His hidden skill of cooking has been revealed through a new ad that is running on US TV where he is being seen sharing his cooking tips.

Promoting the upcoming US Tennis Open tournament that will kick off from 30^th August 2010; the twenty-four-year-old player joins Andy Murray, Roger Federer and Williams’ sisters- Venus Williams and Serena Williams, in a series of commercials.

Rafael Nadal shares his recipe, Pasta Y Gambas, in his 31-second segment. It is a Spanish food made with pasta and shrimp. With this video segment, he promotes Spanish food like olive oil and paprika.

Wimbledon Champion Rafael Nadal says: 'I love Pasta Y Gambas. Heat up some olive oil - Spanish olive oil.

'After that you add some pepper, some paprika - Spanish paprika - and you add some gambas there in the pan too.

'And later you put everything on the pasta.

'Easy, very easy to make.

'Making a great tennis player? That's a little bit more difficult, yeah.'

Rafael Nadal to Participate in PTT Thailand Open Tennis 2010

PTT Thailand Open 2010 organizers are perhaps very happy now because the number one tennis player in the world Rafael Nadal he's going to participate in this year’s event. This news will be a very big boost to the tournament that is considered to be a part of the ATP World Tour 250 series. Most of the top ten major players most probably will not be there in Bangkok but the participation of Rafael Nadal will ensure a lot of media coverage or set of Thailand.

Nadal said, "I have been disappointed that I have not been able to play the PTT Thailand Open in previous years.

But this year with my health and body in good shape, I am really looking forward to playing some great tennis for the Thai fans."

It is a good news for tennis fans not only in Thailand but also for the fans in Southeast and East Asia.

PTT Thailand Open 2010 will take place from 25 September to 3 October 2010. The venue is Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani. Total prize money is $608,500. The participation in this event will surely help Nadal to increase his fan base in Asia.

So, if you are living in any country beside Thailand then it can be a good opportunity for you to visit Thailand during the time of that event and watch Nadal play. 

Andy Murray Defeated Roger Federer in Abu Dhabi Exhibition

(This entry was originally published on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009)

British tennis star Andy Murray started the New Year with an excellent three-set victory over world. No. 2 Roger Federer in the semi final of an exhibition tournament, Capitala World Tennis Championship at Abu Dhabi in United Arab Emirates. Andy Murray defeated US. Open champion Federer 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (8-6). Both players broke each other once in the first set, but Roger Federer took it 4-6. In the second set, Murray dominated over Federer and broke him early to clinch the second set 6-2 pretty easily. The third set was a close one which Murray won in a tie-breaker.

Federer defeated Murray in the final of U.S. Open 2008, but lost to the aspiring British tennis star at the Madrid Masters tournament in October. A month later, Federer lost to Murray once again at the Shanghai Masters Cup. Now, Andy Murray would face world no. 1 Rafael Nadal in the tournament final as the Spaniard defeated Nikolay Davydenko in the other final of the tournament.

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Top Ten Tennis Events of 2008

The year 2008 saw several notable events in the tennis world. Player like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga emerged in the lime light, while player like Sania Mirza fell in ranking. The year even presented a classic final at Wimbledon 2008. Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic finished the year at no. 1 in ATP and WTA rankings respectively for the first time. Here, I made a list of top ten events of tennis world in 2008. So, let us go through the list of top ten notable tennis events of 2008:

Rafael Nadal Becoming World No. 1 Replacing Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal replaced former world no. 1 Swiss star Roger Federer at the top of ATP ranking, becoming the world no. 1 for the first time in his career. Thus, the Spaniard also ended Federer’s record 237 consecutive weeks at the top of the ranking. Nadal clinched his fourth successive French Open title, defeating Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 in the final, before winning his first ever Wimbledon title, defeating Federer in a five-set classic final. After that Nadal also won the gold medal of men’s singles at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008, outclassing Fernando Gonzalez in straight set. On August 18, 2008, the Spanish tennis star became the world no. 1 of men’s singles at ATP ranking.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: An Epic Final in Wimbledon 2008

Wimbledon 2008 men’s singles final should be considered to be one of the greatest ever final in the history of grand slam. No doubt, five-time defending champion Federer went into the final match as ultimate favorite and his sixth Wimbledon title seemed to be a matter of time when Federer won the first two sets without facing any hard challenge from the Spanish star. However, Rafael Nadal was determined enough to clinch the title, winning the last three sets in tie-breaker, setting up one of the most notable come-back win in a grand slam final in the history of tennis.

Jelena Jankovic Becoming World no. 1 without Winning Any Grand Slam

There is no doubt, Jelena Jankovic has been one of the most consistent performers in WTA tour events, despite the fact that the Serbian star could not win any grand slam title so far in her career. Still, Jankovic rose to no. 1 spot of WTA ranking, after reaching the U.S. Open 2008 final, her first grand slam final ever. Though she failed to win the U.S. Open title, being lost to 4^th seed American Serena Williams, her performance in other grand slam and WTA tour tournaments were satisfactory. The current world no. 1 Jankovic also reached the semi final of Australian Open and French Open 2008 tournaments, besides winning four other tour titles in 2008.

Andy Murray: The New Hope of British Tennis Fans

Andy Murray went very close to become the first British tennis player to win a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry did it last time in 1936 as Murray reached his first ever grand slam final at the U.S. Open 2008, kindling the hope of millions of British tennis fans who were looking for another grand slam winner in Britain. However, Murray’s dream run was brought to an end by the eventual champion Roger Federer in the tournament final. En route to final, Andy Murray defeated French Open and Wimbledon Champion, world no. 1, Rafael Nadal in a four set semi final. Murray won five tour titles including two ATP Masters Cup titles in 2008, achieving his career high no. 4 ranking.

Former World no. 1 Justine Henin Announced Retirement Surprisingly

Belgian tennis star Justine Henin surprisingly announced her retirement on 14 May 2008, even while leading the WTA ranking. The announcement came just before the 2008 French Open where she would start as defending champion and was considered to be tournament favorite. Henin has 7 grand slam titles to her credit including four titles at French Open.

Ana Ivanovic Winning First Grand Slam Title at French Open 2008

Ana Ivanovic was undoubtedly one of the most promising figures of world tennis in 2008. The Serbian stalwart showed her talent and potential even in 2007. However, the year 2008 deserves to be something special in her career as Ivanovic won her career first grand slam title at French Open 2008, defeating 13^th seed Dinara Safina in the final 6-4, 6-3. After the triumph at French Open, Ivanovic even became the world no. 1 in WTA ranking on June 9, 2008. However, her lackluster form towards the end of the year cost her in WTA ranking as Ivanovic finished the year at no. 5 in WTA ranking.

Dream Run of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Australian Open 2008

There was hardly anyone who knew Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before the start of Australian Open 2008. In fact, he was an unseeded player in the tournament, but made it to the final surprisingly, defeating some of the top seeded players like Andy Murray in the first round, Richard Gasquet in the fourth round and Rafael Nadal in the semi final. However, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to win the title being lost to Serbian star Novak Djokovic. After that, the 23-year-old French tennis star failed to live up the expectation, mostly because of injury problems. Still, he could finish the year at his career high no. 6 ranking.

Jie Zheng: The First Chinese Player to Reach at a Grand Slam Semi Final

Second highest ranked Asian star, Jie Zheng, made history becoming the first ever Chinese tennis player to reach at the semi final of a grand slam tournament after reaching the semi final of Wimbledon 2008, defeating three seeded players en route. In fact, she caused the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating the then world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round. The Chinese star went into the tournament as a wildcard entry, and to everyone’s surprise, Jie Zheng reached the semi final where she was defeated by Serena Williams.

Venus Williams Defending Wimbledon Title in an All-Williams Wimbledon 2008 Final

After a long time, tennis world saw another All-Williams final at a grand slam tournament. The final of Wimbledon 2008 featured the two sisters, but the match was not very competitive as elder sister Venus won the match in two sets. With this victory Venus Williams defend her Wimbledon title successfully, winning her seventh grand slam title in her career. Such was her dominance that Venus Williams did not drop any set throughout the tournament.

Injury Pronged Sania Mirza Slipping Drastically in WTA Ranking

The year 2008 was a disappointing year for Indian tennis star Sania Mirza who started the year at 32, but finished at 99, lowest in 4 years. Her recurring injury problem was one of the reasons behind her slipping in WTA ranking. In fact, Sania Mirza missed a number of tournaments due to injury. First she suffered from left adductor strain and later on, she suffered severally from right wrist injury. Sania Mirza even underwent wrist surgery in April. Still, she had to miss the U.S. Open 2008 due to wrist injury.

ITF Announced Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic as 2008 World Champions

(This entry was originally published in this blog December 2008 and it is based on the information of that time.)

Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic have become 2008 world champions in tennis circuit. Recently, ITF (International Tennis Federation) has named Nadal and Jankovic as the world champion of tennis for their excellent run in 2008. Nadal finished the year at no. 1 in ATP ranking. The Spaniard won two grand slam titles: French Open and Wimbledon, and also won the Olympic gold medal in Beijing, alongside winning highest 8 ATP tour titles in 2008. Nadal also won highest 82 matches in ATP tour this year.

For Jelena Jankovic, the year 2008 was definitely breakthrough year. The Serbian star also finishes the year at no. 1 in WTA ranking, even without winning any grand slam title. However, Jankovic reached the final of U.S. Open, but lost to Serena Williams. Jelena Jankovic won 65 ATP matches on her way to clinch 4 ATP titles. ITF will honor Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic in a Dinner to be organized on June 2 next year in Paris.

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Top Ten Tennis Events of 2008

The year 2008 saw several notable events in the tennis world. Player like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga emerged in the lime light, while player like Sania Mirza fell in ranking. The year even presented a classic final at Wimbledon 2008. Rafael Nadal and Jelena Jankovic finished the year at no. 1 in ATP and WTA rankings respectively for the first time. Here, I made a list of top ten events of tennis world in 2008. So, let us go through the list of top ten notable tennis events of 2008:

Rafael Nadal Becoming World No. 1 Replacing Roger Federer

Rafael Nadal replaced former world no. 1 Swiss star Roger Federer at the top of ATP ranking, becoming the world no. 1 for the first time in his career. Thus, the Spaniard also ended Federer’s record 237 consecutive weeks at the top of the ranking. Nadal clinched his fourth successive French Open title, defeating Federer 6–1, 6–3, 6–0 in the final, before winning his first ever Wimbledon title, defeating Federer in a five-set classic final. After that Nadal also won the gold medal of men’s singles at the Beijing Olympic Games 2008, outclassing Fernando Gonzalez in straight set. On August 18, 2008, the Spanish tennis star became the world no. 1 of men’s singles at ATP ranking.

Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal: An Epic Final in Wimbledon 2008

Wimbledon 2008 men’s singles final should be considered to be one of the greatest ever final in the history of grand slam. No doubt, five-time defending champion Federer went into the final match as ultimate favorite and his sixth Wimbledon title seemed to be a matter of time when Federer won the first two sets without facing any hard challenge from the Spanish star. However, Rafael Nadal was determined enough to clinch the title, winning the last three sets in tie-breaker, setting up one of the most notable come-back win in a grand slam final in the history of tennis.

Jelena Jankovic Becoming World no. 1 without Winning Any Grand Slam

There is no doubt, Jelena Jankovic has been one of the most consistent performers in WTA tour events, despite the fact that the Serbian star could not win any grand slam title so far in her career. Still, Jankovic rose to no. 1 spot of WTA ranking, after reaching the U.S. Open 2008 final, her first grand slam final ever. Though she failed to win the U.S. Open title, being lost to 4^th seed American Serena Williams, her performance in other grand slam and WTA tour tournaments were satisfactory. The current world no. 1 Jankovic also reached the semi final of Australian Open and French Open 2008 tournaments, besides winning four other tour titles in 2008.

Andy Murray: The New Hope of British Tennis Fans

Andy Murray went very close to become the first British tennis player to win a Grand Slam title since Fred Perry did it last time in 1936 as Murray reached his first ever grand slam final at the U.S. Open 2008, kindling the hope of millions of British tennis fans who were looking for another grand slam winner in Britain. However, Murray’s dream run was brought to an end by the eventual champion Roger Federer in the tournament final. En route to final, Andy Murray defeated French Open and Wimbledon Champion, world no. 1, Rafael Nadal in a four set semi final. Murray won five tour titles including two ATP Masters Cup titles in 2008, achieving his career high no. 4 ranking.

Former World no. 1 Justine Henin Announced Retirement Surprisingly

Belgian tennis star Justine Henin surprisingly announced her retirement on 14 May 2008, even while leading the WTA ranking. The announcement came just before the 2008 French Open where she would start as defending champion and was considered to be tournament favorite. Henin has 7 grand slam titles to her credit including four titles at French Open.

Ana Ivanovic Winning First Grand Slam Title at French Open 2008

Ana Ivanovic was undoubtedly one of the most promising figures of world tennis in 2008. The Serbian stalwart showed her talent and potential even in 2007. However, the year 2008 deserves to be something special in her career as Ivanovic won her career first grand slam title at French Open 2008, defeating 13^th seed Dinara Safina in the final 6-4, 6-3. After the triumph at French Open, Ivanovic even became the world no. 1 in WTA ranking on June 9, 2008. However, her lackluster form towards the end of the year cost her in WTA ranking as Ivanovic finished the year at no. 5 in WTA ranking.

Dream Run of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Australian Open 2008

There was hardly anyone who knew Jo-Wilfried Tsonga before the start of Australian Open 2008. In fact, he was an unseeded player in the tournament, but made it to the final surprisingly, defeating some of the top seeded players like Andy Murray in the first round, Richard Gasquet in the fourth round and Rafael Nadal in the semi final. However, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga failed to win the title being lost to Serbian star Novak Djokovic. After that, the 23-year-old French tennis star failed to live up the expectation, mostly because of injury problems. Still, he could finish the year at his career high no. 6 ranking.

Jie Zheng: The First Chinese Player to Reach at a Grand Slam Semi Final

Second highest ranked Asian star, Jie Zheng, made history becoming the first ever Chinese tennis player to reach at the semi final of a grand slam tournament after reaching the semi final of Wimbledon 2008, defeating three seeded players en route. In fact, she caused the biggest upset of the tournament by defeating the then world no. 1 Ana Ivanovic in the third round. The Chinese star went into the tournament as a wildcard entry, and to everyone’s surprise, Jie Zheng reached the semi final where she was defeated by Serena Williams.

Venus Williams Defending Wimbledon Title in an All-Williams Wimbledon 2008 Final

After a long time, tennis world saw another All-Williams final at a grand slam tournament. The final of Wimbledon 2008 featured the two sisters, but the match was not very competitive as elder sister Venus won the match in two sets. With this victory Venus Williams defend her Wimbledon title successfully, winning her seventh grand slam title in her career. Such was her dominance that Venus Williams did not drop any set throughout the tournament.

Injury Pronged Sania Mirza Slipping Drastically in WTA Ranking

The year 2008 was a disappointing year for Indian tennis star Sania Mirza who started the year at 32, but finished at 99, lowest in 4 years. Her recurring injury problem was one of the reasons behind her slipping in WTA ranking. In fact, Sania Mirza missed a number of tournaments due to injury. First she suffered from left adductor strain and later on, she suffered severally from right wrist injury. Sania Mirza even underwent wrist surgery in April. Still, she had to miss the U.S. Open 2008 due to wrist injury.

Spain Wins Davis Cup 2008 Title Defeating Argentina in the Final

World no. 1 Rafael Nadal was perhaps the happiest man on Sunday when Spain ensured their victory in the Davis Cup final against Argentina at Mar del Plata. Spanish star Nadal was ruled out of the Davis Cup final because of his recent injury. However, Spanish team did not face too much problem to outclass the Argentine side.

Spanish players showed excellent progress this year even individually too. Rafael Nadal replaced Roger Federer at the top of the ranking thanks to his two Grand Slam titles this year. The Spaniard also clinched the gold medal of Beijing Olympic Games 2008. At this moment, 10 Spanish players are ranked in the top 60 ranking. So, you can easily guess the progress of tennis in Spain. Captained by Emilio Sanchez Vicario, Spain palyed inspirational tennis in Argentina to win the Davis Cup title.

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Novak Djokovic Eyeing on the Top Spot of ATP Ranking

Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic finished the year winning the year-ending tournament Masters Cup in Shanghai recently. Djokovic leads the rise of Serbian tennis in men’s division, while fellow Serbian Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic are doing the same in female tennis. Djokovic currently stands third in the ATP ranking after Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, but the way he is progressing, it is pretty much clear that he will take a stern test of Nadal and Federer next year.

In fact, he has already set his eyes on the top spot in the ranking, claiming that he wants to reach atop the ranking within next couple of years. After winning his first grand slam tournament in Australian Open 2008, he continued his excellent form on the court almost throughout the season winning four other titles. There are many including his coach Marian Vajda who thinks Djokovic has all the qualities to become no. 1 in men’s tennis.

Blic reported:

“Novak began the year in style and finished it the same way. I seems to me he performed the same way at both the first tournament of 2008 – the Australian Open – and the last one in Shanghai. In order to stay on top, you need to play at your best at big events. Djokovic can certainly reach the number one position, but judging from this season, Nadal is deservedly at the top. A number of other players with same ambitions have emerged, such as Andy Murray and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but Novak widened the gap on those two towards the end of the season, which is a sound basis for the start of the next season,” says Vajda.

British star Andy Murray also indicated his rise in world tennis this year. Now, the likes of Djokovic and Murray are considered to be biggest threats for Nadal and Federer in 2009. With Nadal falling in an injury and Federer struggling to maintain consistency on the court, it is pretty much clear that Murray and Djokovic have realistic chance to shot at the top spot in the ranking.

Spain Missing Rafael Nadal for Davis Cup Final against Argentina

Argentina and Spain will take on each other in this year’s Davis Cup final on this weekend. However, Spain will miss its biggest star, world no. 1 Rafael Nadal due to the player’s tendonitis problem in his knee. This is the news that many see as a pre-match boost up for Argentina who will know the fact that they would not have to face a player who has spent an excellent year in 2008 on the court. Nadal won the French Open as usual, but the Spaniard got his first grand slam title outside Rolland Garros when he defeated Roger Federer in an epic final in Wimbledon 2008. That was not the end of Nadal’s excellent run in the year as the Spanish star went on to win the gold medal of men’s singles in Beijing Olympic 2008. After that he replaced Roger Federer at the top of the ATP ranking. Nadal defeated Federer on four occasions this year.

Tennis fans of Spain are disappointed at Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from Davis Cup match. Argentina is now favorite against Spain for the match. Young starlet Juan Martin del Potro, ranked 9^th, and experienced David Nalbandian, who is ranked 11^th, would play in the singles, while Jose Acasuso and Augustín Calleri might pair up in the doubles, or either of them could team up with Nalbandian in the doubles. They would not have to play against Spain at clay court. Rather, Argentina will take on Spain on fast indoor courts at the Islas Malvinas stadium. Argentine football legend Deigo Maradona, who recently got off to a winning start to his reign as coach of Argentina national football team, might present at the stadium.

Argentina has won 13 straight matches at home and they are considered to be favorite against Spain in the Davis Cup final. Now, let us see if Spain can fare well against Argentina in the absence of their best player, Rafael Nadal.

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Roger Federer Surpasses Pete Sampras’ Record Career Prize Money

Swiss world no. 2 Roger Federer still needs two more grand slam titles to surpass Pete Sampras’ record 14 grand slam titles. However, Federer has already surpassed Sampras in terms of career prize money in the ATP career money list. Sampras has earned $43,280,489 in his illustrious career. For a long time, Sampras was holding the record of highest prize money earner of all time, but recently Federer broke Sampras’ record after reaching quarter final of recently held Madrid Masters. Roger Federer’s current total career prize money is $43,317,870.

Federer does not see it as a special achievement. He thinks, money is important in life, but money is not everything. Federer also paid his tribute to the amateur great tennis players.

AP reported:

"It's not very special," Federer said. "It's very nice to have records. Sure, money is important in life but it's not everything."

"This is also the moment when you can thank the amateur greats for helping to bring the game to where it is today," he said. "They helped create the platform where we are today."

Rafael Nadal is the only other active player who made it to the top-10 career earning list. Federer has been leading prize money winner for last five years in a row. However, he might lose his place this year as Rafael Nadal has been more successful than Federer this season in terms of winning grand slam and other tournaments.

Roger Federer Crashed out of Rogers Cup 2008 Losing to Gilles Simon

It seems that Roger Federer’s bad patch is still going on. The world no. 1 Swiss has recently got another blow after losing to World No. 22 Gilles Simon 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 at the second round of Rogers Cup 2008 in Toronto, Canada. Since his defeat to Rafael Nadal in an epic five-set final at Wimbledon 2008, this is the first defeat for Roger Federer. Moreover, this is also the first defeat for the Swiss no. 1 at the Rexall Centre after a 12-match winning streak. During the 12-match winning streak, Federer won 2004 and 2006 titles of Rogers Cup.

With this defeat, Federer’s no. 1 position seems to be threatened now. If second ranked Rafael Nadal wins Rogers Cup 2008 title, he will have a good chance to dethrone Federer from the top position in Western & Southern Financial Group Masters in Cincinnati. So, once Mr. invincible is now on the verge of losing his dominance totally to Nadal. However, the good thing is that he has not lost his heart and still holds his hopes high.

In his reaction after the defeat, Roger Federer has said that it is important to remain positive and he affirms that it is not the end of the world. Yes, this is the quality of a great player, not to lose the heart, not to give up so early. Fighting mentality is an inherent quality of the great players like Federer. Now, let us see if he can bounce back and regain the dominance he lost in the recent past.

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Rafael Nadal is Winner of Wimbledon 2008 Final

The final score of Wimbledon 2008 final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal was: 4-6 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 7-6 (10-8) 7-9.

Who could think that Roger Federer can be defeated at Wimbledon. I stated that Nadal stands in a good chance but even I never thought that Nadal would defeat Roger Federer in the final of Wimbledon 2008 and clinch the title. I guess that even Nadal himself could not believe until he actually won the match. After winning the match, he fell in the ground in happiness. He cried in excitement. The father of Nadal also cried. For a long time, Rafael Nadal was excited and full of emotions just like his father.

Even when Nadal got the trophy, he was holding it with emotion. In his interview, he acknowledged that Federer was indeed the best player of this time and Federer is indeed the best player of Wimbledon. He is right and Federer also became emotional and he vowed to come back next year with more determination and get back what really belongs to him- Wimbledon title. Of course, Nadal has now something new to fight for. Until now, it was considered that Nadal was the top player in clay court while grass court is only for Federer. Nadal is happy today that he could break this image. The crowd was behind him most of the time. This is the thing shocked me a lot. Federer is very popular in Wimbledon but Nadal got a lot of support behind him today. May be the spectators wanted to see an exciting upset. They really got full return for their money.

The match continued for more than 4 hours (nearly 4 hours and 50 minutes) and it was interrupted by rain more than once. It was the longest match in the history of Wimbledon final. Nadal took the first two sets. Then Federer came back by taking the next two sets and thus leveling the match. The fifth set became very exciting and the momentum was changing all the time in favor of the two players. At one stage, it appeared that Federer had got the upper hand but Nadal came back impressively and clinched the set by 9-7. Yes, Nadal could break the serve of Federer just once and it was enough.

This is undoubtedly the greatest final match in the history of Wimbledon tennis. Bad luck for Federer as he could not win the trophy for the 6^th time and make a record. I guess that Borg has a sigh of relief tonight as his name will stay in the record book for another 6 years at least. Nadal could equal another record of Bjorn Borg. Bjorn Borg won the trophies of both French Open and Wimbledon in 1980. After that, no one could match this feat. Rafael Nadal could touch this record in this year. Yes, earlier this year, he won the title of French Open 2008. It seems that 2008 is going to be a bad year for Federer. He could not win any of the grand slam events so far in 2008. He has the US Open in September to get something.

For the time being, it is all Rafael Nadal.

Wimbledon 2008: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal Dream Final

If you are a tennis fan then Wimbledon 2008 Male Singles final should really be a dream final for you. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are going to face each other in the final and this is the third consecutive final in Wimbledon between these two players. You know that they are the number one and two ranked male players in the world. Both these players have earned a lot of money in their career and it is now more than a clash of ego rather than money.

It is the sixth consecutive Wimbledon final for Roger Federer. He has won the singles titles for the last 5 years at a row. So, if he can win this time then it will be the 6^th Wimbledon title for him. If he can win it this time then he will surely be the all time great champion of Wimbledon Tennis. There is little scope of having any doubt that he would not be able to do so. Earlier today, he demolished Russia's Marat Safin by 6-3, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4. What was impressive was that Federer needed just 101 minutes to win the match. In fact, in Wimbledon 2008, Federer has won every match with ease. No opponent could put up any kind of resistance against him so far.

Perhaps the only man who can dream of putting up a strong challenge is Rafael Nadal. It is often said that Nadal is best in clay but not so good in grass court. Frankly, I don’t agree with this idea. I feel that Nadal is good in grass too. Don’t forget that this is the third consecutive time he is in final of Wimbledon. Earlier today, he stopped the fairy tale run of Rainer Schuettler of Germany by 6-1, 7-6 (7-3). Nadal took nearly 2 hours to win the match. However, you have to remember that Nadal was not totally fit in today’s match. Still, he played very well and did not give any scope to Rainer Schuettler to attack. So, I don’t want to discard Nadal that easily.

Federer has one thing in mind- winning for the sixth straight time in Wimbledon. Then, he will have his record and I am sure that it will be a difficult record to break in future. Nadal will surely try his best that Federer cannot make this record. So, who will be successful?

Good thing is that you can watch the match live in different TV channels around the world. If you are living in Asia then Star Sports is the channel that will broadcast this final match of Wimbledon 2008. If you cannot watch in TV then you can follow live score of the match through some websites.

Who will win: Nadal or Federar?

Rafael Nadal Wins French Open 2008 Title

A rematch of the last three French Open final was experienced today at the Roland Garros as no. 2 seeded Rafael Nadal ended up winning French Open 2008 title defeating no. 1 Roger Federer in straight sets. With this victory Nadal touches Bjorn Borg’s record four consecutive French Open titles.

Throughout French Open 2008, Rafael Nadal showed his dominance and the Spaniard is now marching on towards becoming one of greatest players in the history of French Open. On the other hand, for Roger Federer, it was another French Open disaster and the Swiss star is still left without any French Open title to his credit, meaning he has to wait another year for another French Open in his pursuit to achieve a career grand slam. You know that Roger Federer won all thee other grand slam titles in his way to win 13 grand slam singles titles, just one behind Pete Sampras’s 14 grand slam singles titles.

Nadal went into the match with a record of 27-0 in French Open, and he did not have any losing experience in French Open. So, it would have been his first defeat if Federer could have clinched the title. However, nothing happened like that, rather today’s victory was the easiest among Nadal’s four French Open encounters with Roger Federer until now. The score line 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 would reveal that how uncompetitive the final match of French Open 2008 was.

Rafael Nadal dominated throughout the match and except a little challenge in the second set; Nadal did not face anything threatening from Swiss no. 1 Federer. The Spanish star clinched the first set in 54 minutes dropping only one game. In the first set, Nadal broke Federer thrice in the first, fifth and seventh games, giving no chance to Federer to come back. In the second set, Federer seemed to bounce back when he leveled the score 2-2, coming behind 2-0. However, Nadal finished off the set winning 6-3. The last set was easier for Rafael Nadal as he did not lose any game breaking Roger Federer thrice.

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CBC Sports

French Open 2008: Favorites of Men’s Singles

You know that French Open is the only grand slam tournament on clay-court. Many great players found it hard in the past to continue their success on the clay-court because playing on this kind of court requires a lot of strength and stamina. For example, current no. 1 of Men’s singles tennis, Roger Federer, could not yet win the title of French Open so far, even though he has already bagged 12 grand slam titles so far his career. On the other hand, Rafael Nadal, the current world no. 2, has won three grand slam titles so far in his career, all three being achieved in French Open for the last three years in a row. Now, another clay-court grand slam, French Open 2008 is going to be started from 25 May. So, the ultimate question comes, who are the favorites of the tournament.

As far as the results of last three French Open tournaments is concerned, I think, Rafael Nadal is undoubtedly comes in the forefront of everyone when it comes to French Open and I do not see any reason to think other way, because Nadal’s recent form on clay-court is also satisfactory. The Spanish star defeated Roger Federer in the final of Hamburg Masters recently, which is 8^th clay-court victory of Rafael Nadal over Roger Federer out of their nine clay-court meetings. So, it is almost clear that Rafael Nadal is going to start the tournament as the most favorite.

For Roger Federer, winning a French Open title has now become a criterion to make a final step towards his greatness as a player. It does not mean that Federer has no place in the history of tennis without a French Open title. Actually, a French Open title would bring a polished look to his career. It would make himself reckon a career grand slam. No doubt, he has to show the best ever performance to win French Open 2008. He has to know or find some way to stop the Spanish star, Rafael Nadal on clay-court.

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal always take away most of the media attention. However, in 2008 so far, the top two players have had to share it with Serbian emerging star Novak Djokovic, who started the year winning Australian Open 2008 title, the first and only grand slam so far in his career. Following the success of Australian Open 2008, he went on to win two Masters tournaments so far this year. In terms of performance, he is the best player of 2008 until now in terms of performance. So, I think, Djokovic could be even a bigger threat for Rafael Nadal than Roger Federer. The Serbian youngster is now full of confidence and gunning for second grand slam title.

Aside from the top three, I think, David Ferrer, David Nalbandian and surprise performer of Australian Open 2008, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga could be strong challengers for the top three of the ranking. I am not quite happy with the performance of James Blake and Andy Murray, but I think, you should keep your eyes on these two as well, because both of them are talented and potential. Andy Murray won the Marseille Open in February. So, I think, men’s singles of French Open 2008 is going to be an exciting tournament with a number of favorites for the title. So, hold on your breath and wait for the tournament gets underway.

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MSN

Bjorn Borg Thinks Rafael Nadal to be Tough to Beat at French Open 2008

French Open 2008 will begin on 25 May and defending champion Rafael Nadal has started his French Open preparation pretty successfully after winning the Monte Carlo Masters last week defeating world no 1 Roger Federer in the final. This is the fourth straight title for Nadal on this clay court tournament. The Spaniard did not even lose any set in the final. So, you can realize how much dominance he had in the match over Federer.

Nadal will start French Open 2008 aiming to win the title for the fourth consecutive year, which would see him equal with Björn Borg’s record four consecutive titles in a row in open era. Recently, even Björn Borg himself said that Nadal had the ability to do it.

ESPN reported:

"Nadal looks extremely confident, extremely strong on the clay even right now, so that's definitely the guy to beat for Paris,'' Borg, the last man to win the French Open and Wimbledon back to back, in 1980, told ESPN.com. "If he's as good as he looks right now and is going to continue, and stay away from injuries and be motivated as he is right now, it's going to be tough to beat him at the French.''

Nadal has been winning the French Open title for the last three years in a row. Though Roger Federer dominated in other grand slam tournaments, Nadal has been in dominating form always at Roland Garros. Now, let us see if Rafael Nadal can continue his impressive form in French Open 2008 and win another French Open title.

US Open 2007: Rafael Nadal Reaches at the Fourth Round

Spanish star Rafael Nadal has reached at the fourth round of US Open 2007. In his third round match, Nadal won against Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in direct three rounds. Except in the first set, Nadal did not give any chance to his French opponent. The top two ranked Rafael Nadal won the match by 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-1. Rafael Nadal fall in a sudden injury just before his first round match. So, Nadal fans were worried regarding Nadal’s progress. However, in the last two matches, Nadal was up to the mark.

Rafael Nadal is thought to be the only person at this moment who can stop Roger Federer and his dominance in the tennis world. So, with the news of his injury, there was a speculation that Roger Federer would be unchallenged in US Open 2007. However, now with the easy progressing of Rafael Nadal, fans are expecting another classic final between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. Only time can say if Nadal and Federer will meet in US Open 2007or not.

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Xinhuanet

US Open 2007: Rafael Nadal Reaches at the Third Round

Second seed Rafael Nadal has reached at the third round of US Open 2007. Nada has won her second round match against Serbian Janko Tipsarevic. After winning the first two sets easily, Nadal was ahead of his opponent in the third set by 3-2 points. At that point, Janko Tipsarevic had to take retire from the match due to injury. The Spaniard won the first two sets by 6-2, 6-3.

Earlier in the first round match, Rafael Nadal had to struggle because of his injury. Nadal had been injured before the first round match. So, ahead of the second round match, his fans were in fear if Nadal would be able to play his natural game avoiding injury. However, in his second round match, Nadal played well.

It was thought that Rafael Nadal was the only person who can stop world no. 1 Roger Federer. However, Nadal’s injury puts a question mark that if he will really be able to reach up to Federer to stop him. Well, only time can give the best answer of it. What Rafael Nadal’s fans can do now is to pray for their star so that he becomes fit soon.

Source:

ABC

US Open 2007: Rafael Nadal vs Alun Jones

Rafael Nadal is going to star his US Open 2007 campaign against Australian wild card entry Alun Jones. World no. 2 Rafael Nadal is expected to be one of the finalist of US Open 2007 as for the last few Grand Slam tournaments, Nadal-Federe final has become a rule. Nadal is one of the strongest contenders of the tournament. Alun Jones is also known for his acting in the movie titled “Wimbledon” in 2004. Through the movie, he came into lime light. However, the interesting thing is that Rafael Nadal does not know much about his first round opponent.

Herald Sun reported:
Asked if he knew what the 27-year-old South African-born Australian looked like, Nadal said: "No, I'm sorry."
But the Spanish second seed said he expected a tough match against the 123rd ranked Jones at New York's Flushing Meadows.
"These are tough tournaments so it's going to be a touch match," Nadal said.
"The draw always depends if you are playing good or not."

Rafael Nadal is a big star in tennis world. It is natural that he may not be so familiar with a player ranked 123 but it is a matter of surprise that being a tennis player he did know the actor Alun Jones of the movie Wimbledon. Now, let us see who will win the match and progress to the second round of US Open 2007.