Rafa Repels Medvedev’s Challenge, Closing in on Federer’s Record

By Owen Lewis

First, defending champion Novak Djokovic retired in the fourth round while down two sets and a break to Stan Wawrinka. Then, Roger Federer and his aching back lost a five-setter to Grigor Dimitrov, a player he had never lost to. Rafael Nadal became the overwhelming favorite to win the 2019 U.S. Open. With his greatest rivals out, talk turned to: “Who can beat Rafa?”

Daniil Medvedev had an answer- almost.

Medvedev, after a brilliant summer on the American hard courts that saw him win the title in Cincinnati and reach two finals, looked tired in his early-round matches. He dropped a set in each round save the first round and the semifinals. But once top-ranked Djokovic, who Medvedev was projected to play in the quarterfinals, dropped out, the 23-year-old Russian’s draw opened up. There is nothing spectacular about Medvedev’s game- he specializes in consistency and making his opponent uncomfortable. Yet, this technique of “winning ugly” led him through a four-set semifinal win over three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka, and into a clash with Nadal for the U.S. Open title.

Nadal, for his part, ripped through the draw, dropping just one set to Marin Cilic on his way to the final. He was heavily favored to dismiss Medvedev (10 years his junior), most likely in three or four sets. The match to follow surprised many, delivering fully on drama, quality, and competitiveness.

Serving first, Nadal, a 33-year-old Spaniard and 18-time Grand Slam champion, opened with some spectacular shots- including an extremely rare around-the-net winner on the second point of the match. Crucially, though, he was handed a time violation in the very first game. Medvedev was the first to draw blood, breaking the Nadal serve in the third game to grab a 2-1 lead. The more experienced Nadal leads the tour in “break-back percentage”, and quickly evened the match at two games all. The set then went with serve for several games, including a big hold from Medvedev at 4-4 in which he saved three break points. There was no denying Nadal in the opening set, though, and with the Russian serving at 5-6 and 15-30, Nadal polished off an extended rally with an inside-out forehand winner. The Spaniard converted his second set point to win the first set 7-5.

The second set followed a similar pattern to the first. Medvedev had a break point in Nadal’s first service game of the set, but it went begging when the Russian missed a regulation backhand. Medvedev held from love-40 down when serving at 1-2, but wasn’t able to capitalize on the potential momentum shift- Nadal broke in his next service game for a 4-2 lead. The rest of the set went with serve- Nadal served out the set despite falling behind 15-30 while 5-3 up.

The match caught fire in the third set. At first it seemed that Nadal was on course for a comfortable straight-set win when he grabbed an early break, but the tide of the match dramatically shifted in the sixth game of the set. Serving at 3-2, the Spaniard fought off a couple break points, but made a costly miss at deuce. After a long rally, Nadal had a chance to put away a seemingly simple overhead at the net, but pushed it wide. Medvedev then quickly converted the break point when Nadal hit a backhand long. With Medvedev serving at 4-all, Nadal had two more break points that would have set him up to serve for the match, but the Russian saved both, with Nadal missing an overhead from the baseline on one of them. Nadal successfully served to save the set at 4-5 down, but at the second time of asking it was too much as Medvedev played a spectacular return game. The 23-year-old grabbed a 0-30 lead with some strong rallying, then crushed a forehand winner down the line to earn three set points. Nadal pulled back to 15-40, but Medvedev drilled an inside-out backhand winner on the second set point to win the third set 7-5. His celebration was muted- a discreet yell to his box. He knew how much work still had to be done.

With new belief flowing through Medvedev’s veins, it felt like a new match. Nadal was starting to look a bit more vulnerable and the Russian’s level had lifted considerably. Serving at 0-1, Nadal fell behind 30-40, but was let off the hook when his younger opponent netted a backhand. At 2-2, Nadal had two break points of his own, but was unable to convert either. Several easy holds followed, and the drama of the set climaxed with Nadal serving to keep the set alive at 4-5. It appeared that the Spaniard was on his way to an easy hold when he took a 40-15 lead, but a makeable forehand found the net before Medvedev hit a splendid forehand passing shot to force deuce. After another unforced error from the racket of Nadal, Medvedev had a set point to even the match, and he took his chance with some absolute brilliance. Nadal got in a strong first serve wide to Medvedev’s backhand. Watching the match on TV, I saw the Russian move to his left, correctly predicting the direction of the serve. When the serve landed, I figured “oh, it was such a good serve that it won’t matter”. Medvedev had other ideas: from maybe ten feet behind the baseline and ten feet wide of the sideline, he conjured up a preposterous return that flew past Nadal, who had been charging to the net, and bit into the corner of the court for a clean winner. He reacted with a mild fist-pump and the match was dragged kicking and screaming into a fifth set.

The fifth set was probably the highest quality of the match. With all the momentum on his side, Medvedev held comfortably to take a 1-0 lead, then went up 15-40 on Nadal’s serve, putting his opponent under the gun right at the opening of the deciding set. Nadal is one of the most clutch players of all time, and saved both break points in style. A poor volley from the Spaniard handed Medvedev a third chance, though, and when toeing the line to serve, Nadal was handed a second time violation, costing him his first serve for that point. Unfazed, the world No. 2 spun in a serve and followed it up with a viciously angled inside-out forehand that Medvedev couldn’t put back into the court. From there, Nadal closed out the hold for 1-1. The drama then eased briefly in the form of an easy hold for each player. It appeared that Medvedev was on course for another simple hold when he went up 40-love at 2-all, but the Spaniard dug in and forced deuce, then earned a break point. Medvedev saved it nervelessly with an ace out wide, but Nadal quickly earned another chance. A scintillating rally followed, ending when Nadal chased down a drop shot and pasted a backhand winner past Medvedev. With a seemingly crucial break in hand, the 18-time major champion held to 15 to take a 4-2 lead.

Nadal continued his onslaught in Medvedev’s next service game. At 30-all, the Spaniard flicked a delicate forehand drop shot for a winner. On the potentially decisive break point, Medvedev missed an overhead to hand his opponent a double break lead. The drama, however, was far from over. Serving at 5-2, Nadal took a 15-love lead when he ran down a Medvedev drop shot and whipped it down the line for a winner. At 15-all, one of the best rallies of the match ensued. After some exceptional defense by Nadal, his grittiness was rewarded when Medvedev missed a short forehand. The effort seemed to take something out of Nadal, though, and he lost the next two points. On break point, he was hit with another time violation, costing him the first serve. The Spaniard hit his serve long, dropping his serve for the first time in the set.

Medvedev, serving to stay in the match at 3-5, was quickly under pressure at 15-30. He pulled back to 30-all, but Nadal flew to the net and hit a short drop volley for a winner. Down championship point, the Russian showed incredible nerve, blasting a big serve and putting away an inside-out backhand winner. Facing a second match point, he spun in a 98 mph second serve that Nadal was unable to put back into the court. From there, Medvedev held, and finally allowed a big celebration to surface, gesturing to the crowd to get behind him.

Having been broken once already when serving for the match, and having missed two championship points, all the pressure was on Nadal to put away the match. He seemed tight early in the game, going behind 15-30 and facing a perilous break point at 30-40. As he has done so many times in his career, though, Nadal summoned his best tennis on the most crucial of points, and fired an inside-out forehand that forced an error from Medvedev. At deuce, Nadal quickly hit a drop shot early in the rally, and the Russian was unable to reach the short-bouncing ball. With his third championship point in hand, but his first on serve, Rafael Nadal blasted a serve up the middle, and fell flat on his back when Medvedev’s return landed past the baseline.

Now to address the seemingly immortal question: which man will end up with the most Grand Slams? Currently, Roger Federer sits atop the leaderboard at 20, Novak Djokovic has 16, and winning this U.S. Open puts Nadal in a fine position at 19. The Spaniard has an excellent chance to level the all-time men’s record next year at his favorite slam, the French Open. Djokovic, assuming he comes back healthy from his shoulder injury, will surely be in contention at several slams next year. Nadal and Djokovic are slowly but surely tracking down Federer’s standard, and the Swiss great may have to win at least one slam next year to keep his record out of reach for a bit longer.

Wimbledon 2019: Week One Assessments

By Owen Lewis

It’s the break between weeks 1 and 2 of Wimbledon, with “Manic Monday” coming up tomorrow. The second week is sure to bring more action to what has already been an incredibly compelling tournament. Andy Murray and Serena Williams teamed up in a dream mixed doubles partnership, 15-year-old Coco Gauff made a fairytale run to the fourth round, and Rafael Nadal produced an extremely entertaining win over the enigmatic Nick Kyrgios. Let’s look at the top players’ performances so far, as well as some of the best stories and a few of my predictions.

The Big Three

The trio of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic have dominated men’s tennis for what seems an age, starting with Federer’s ascent in 2003. Each of the last 10 major tournaments has been won by one of these giants, and it would be a big surprise if things went differently this week.

-Federer dropped the first set of his opening-round match to Lloyd Harris, but only lost five games for the rest of the contest. He then earned straight-set wins over Jay Clarke and Lucas Pouille in the second and third rounds, respectively. Still, he’s averaging just over eight aces a match (a bit low for him), and hasn’t really played at his imperious best yet. With an upcoming fourth-rounder against Matteo Berrettini, who has made waves on grass this year with an 11-1 record, Federer will likely have to step up his game to continue his smooth progress. Grade: B+

-Nadal, coming off a 12th French Open victory in Paris last month, has been impressive in his first few matches. Grass is the world No. 2’s least favorite surface, but he broke a string of less-than-impressive results at Wimbledon by making the semifinal last year, and looks to build on that result in 2019. His pre-tournament draw, however, was intimidating (it’s slackened considerably thanks to several upsets). After cruising in his opening match, Nadal clashed with Nick Kyrgios, the talented but self-destructive Aussie, in a second round blockbuster. Kyrgios lacks consistently strong results, but has wins over each member of the Big Three, including a four-set win over Nadal at the 2014 Wimbledon. The first two sets were split, and the next two went to tiebreaks. Though Nadal had never beaten Kyrgios in a tiebreak, he impressively took both “breakers”, grinding out a tough four-set win: 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3).

In the third round, Nadal crushed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a former Wimbledon semifinalist, for the loss of only seven games. He lost just 10 points on serve through the whole match and never faced a break point in the process. He’s averaged 11 aces a match, which is an unusually high tally for the Spanish lefty. At one point when Nadal was ranked No. 1 during the 2018 season, he averaged fewer aces per match than 98 out of the top 100 players. Nadal isn’t known for his serve, but seems to have adjusted well to the clay-grass surface change- at Wimbledon, he often flattens out his serve, increasing the pace.

Nadal has a seemingly straightforward fourth-rounder against Joao Sousa of Portugal, and won’t face a seeded player until the semifinals, where he could play Roger Federer. With the grass playing slower this year, Nadal will feel more comfortable- if he can stay efficient during the next couple rounds, he will be deadly at the business end of the tournament. Grade: A

-Djokovic was, unquestionably, the pre-tournament favorite. He’s the current world No. 1 and the winner of three out of the last four slams. Few have lowered his status as the favorite- upsets of Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev have made his draw significantly easier. With Federer and Nadal on the other side of the draw, he has the least difficult path to the final.

Djokovic won a potentially tricky opening-rounder against Philipp Kohlschreiber, then rolled American Denis Kudla in round two. His next match was significantly more tricky, though. Djokovic had to battle in order to advance, coming through a tough four-setter against Herbert Hurkacz. After a close first set, Hurkacz hit some incredible shots on his way to winning the second-set tiebreak. His level dipped after the set, and Djokovic lost just five games during the last two sets. Still, he didn’t play as well as in either of his first two matches, missing first serves at crucial moments and hitting more double faults than he did in his first two matches combined.

Despite a slight dip in form during his third-rounder, Djokovic is still the favorite with most. It will be a huge surprise if he doesn’t make the final at the least. Grade: A-

The NextGen

Although the Big Three are an extremely rare talent, the young’uns of tennis have struggled to dethrone the 30+ year-olds. The only one to have made the final of a major so far is Dominic Thiem, who lost in the first round at Wimbledon this year. Many believe that their poor results are because their generation is a weak one, while others state that the Big Three are just that good. Either way, the young stars again failed to impress at Wimbledon.

-Stefanos Tsitsipas made the semifinals at the Australian Open, beating Federer along the way. At the French Open, he made the fourth round before losing an absolute nail-biter to Stan Wawrinka. But at Wimbledon, the 7th seed lost in the first round to unseeded Thomas Fabbiano. At least he saved a couple match points in the fourst set before falling 6-3 in the fifth. Grade: D

-Alexander Zverev has had success at every level except the majors, and has suffered a vicious dip in form after his ATP Finals victory at the end of 2018. He went 1/7 in break points during his first-rounder against the unseeded Jiri Vesely, losing in four sets. Grade: F

-Dominic Thiem had beaten Djokovic in the semis of the French Open in an impressive five-setter before losing to Nadal in the final. At Wimbledon, however, he lost in four sets to the…you guessed it…unseeded Sam Querrey. He lost the fourth set 6-0, winning just five points along the way. Grade: F-

-Felix Auger-Aliassime, an 18-year-old from Canada, was the fifth favorite with some odds-makers despite never having won a grand slam match. Still, many expected him to make a splash at Wimbledon, backing up his encouraging results on the grass courts of Queen’s Club and Stuttgart. The Canadian was slated to play Djokovic in the fourth round, but after two four-set wins, he put up disappointingly little resistance against Ugo Humbert in the third round. After losing the first set, FAA wasted a 5-2 lead in the second set, then folded almost immediately in the third. Grade: C

-Nick Kyrgios, though he didn’t make it past the second round, did play well against Nadal. Still, his shockingly blunt responses in press alienated any fans he may have earned during his time at Wimbledon. Grade: D

Coco Gauff

-Coco Gauff has been the story of the tournament so far. At fifteen years old, she beat her idol Venus Williams in the first round, then won her next match in straight sets. In the third round against Polona Hercog, Gauff was down a set and 5-2, serving at match point down. She played a nerveless point, hitting a backhand slice winner that landed plum on the sideline. Gauff broke Hercog in the next game, saving another match point along the way, and went on to seal a remarkable victory 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-5.

Gauff’s next opponent is Simona Halep, last year’s French Open champion and former world No. 1 (it’s not on Center Court for some reason). She is by no means the favorite, but it wouldn’t be a shock if she won, either. With the women’s game as competitive as it is, Gauff has a great opportunity to extend her remarkable run even further. The world will be watching. Grade: A+

Others

-Serena Williams, now 37 years old, hasn’t won a slam in two and a half years. She lost weakly in the third round of the French Open, and hasn’t played a warmup event prior to Wimbledon. And yet some still pick her to win. Serena is unquestionably the GOAT on the women’s side, and still has the game to be at the top. She had a scare in her second-round match, winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, but she has a very winnable fourth-rounder against Carla Suarez Navarro. If Serena can avoid a mid-tournament hiccup and maintain her focus, she’ll be a nightmare for anyone to play. Side note: she’s playing mixed with Andy Murray, which may or may not take a toll on her singles level. Grade: B

-Ash Barty is in red-hot form right now. Recently crowned world No. 1, French Open champion, few would be surprised to see her lift the trophy in London. So far, she’s been terrorizing her opponents, not coming close to dropping a set. In my opinion, Barty is definitely the one to beat, and the favorite to take the women’s title. Grade: A

-Kei Nishikori has made the second week of a slam once again, and has yet to drop a set. But he has so many factors working against him. He’s not as durable as many other players, and a common theme is him being pushed too hard by a player he should beat easily, then getting emasculated by Nadal or Djokovic (or retiring injured). He has a winnable fourth-round match against Mikhail Kukushkin, but will likely play Federer after that. To top it off, grass is his worst surface, and he lacks the big serve/forehand to win points efficiently. I think his chances of winning are as low as anyone’s at this point. Even so, he should be fresh so far, due in part to his fairly easy draw of unseeded players- don’t be surprised if he makes the quarterfinals, but I’m reasonably confident that’s as far as he’ll go. Grade: A (based on play so far)

SerAndy

Andy Murray is back! No, not in singles, but he’s on court and that’s a great start. Murray entered in both the men’s doubles and mixed doubles for Wimbledon, teaming with Pierre-Hughes Herbert and Serena Williams, respectively. Murray and Herbert lost in the second round of the men’s doubles, but he and Serena won their first round in mixed. Regardless of the outcome, it’s amazing to see such great players partnered up. Best of luck to them for the rest of the tournament.

Predictions

-For the men, it’s just too hard to see Djokovic losing at the moment, though Nadal is my solid second favorite. Nadal will beat Federer in a four-set semifinal, and in the final Djokovic wins 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3.

-Barty is playing so well at the moment. I back her to ride the momentum to her first slam title. Dark horses: Gauff, Serena, and Elina Svitolina.

-For the mixed doubles, I’ll go with Murray and Serena. Why not? What a story it would be.

The Gaping Hole in the Rivalry: Why Have Federer and Nadal Never Met at the U.S. Open?

By Owen Lewis

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal make up arguably the most influential and popular rivalry in tennis. They have faced off four times at the Australian Open, six times at the French Open, and three times at Wimbledon. But in the 15 years since they first played each other, the pair have never clashed at Flushing Meadows. Let’s take a look at the near misses.

2008: Federer was the four-time defending champion going into the 2008 U.S. Open, while Nadal had yet to progress past the quarterfinals. Federer beat a 21-year-old Novak Djokovic in a four set semifinal, but Nadal lost to Andy Murray in the other semi: 6-2, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-4. Federer went on to win the tournament with an emphatic straight-sets win over Murray.

2009: Federer and Nadal both made the semifinals, as the top two seeds. Federer beat Djokovic 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-5, hitting his famous crosscourt “tweener” in the last game. Nadal was topped handily by Juan Martín del Potro, though, 6-2, 6-2, 6-2. Del Potro then shocked Federer in a five-set final, becoming the first man to beat both Federer and Nadal in a Grand Slam.

2010: This time, the dream matchup was prevented by just one point. Nadal, the No. 1 seed, stormed to the final without dropping a set. His opponent was determined by a Djokovic-Federer semifinal, and it was a five-set thriller. With Djokovic serving to stay in the match at 4-5 in the fifth set, Federer produced two match points, but Djokovic erased both with forehand winners. Federer dropped his serve at 5-5, then missed a break point with Djokovic serving for the match at 6-5. Nadal went on to complete his career grand slam with a four-set victory over Djokovic: 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.

2011: Once again, a Federer-Nadal final was barred by one point. In a near-mirror image of the 2010 tournament, Nadal made the final on his side of the bracket, with Djokovic and Federer contesting for the other spot. Djokovic forced a fifth set after being down two sets, and with Federer serving for the match at 5-3, 40-15, hit a crosscourt return winner. At 40-30, Federer missed a makeable forehand, and Djokovic reeled off four straight games to take the fifth set 7-5. In the final, Nadal fought valiantly, but Djokovic produced a masterclass, winning 6-2, 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-1 in a match that lasted for over four hours.

2013: With Federer seeded 7th, his lowest ranking in years, he was slated to play 2nd-ranked Nadal in the quarterfinals. Federer played Spaniard Tommy Robredo in the fourth round, with the winner earning a clash with Nadal. Federer had won all of the ten matches he and Robredo had played, but the Spaniard shockingly won in straight sets: 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-4. Nadal crushed Robredo in the quarters, and went on to beat Djokovic in a four-set final to claim his second U.S. Open.

2017: Nadal and Federer were slated to meet in the semifinals, as the 1st and 3rd seeds respectively. Federer was shaky in his opening rounds, needing five sets to dispatch his first and second round opponents. Still, he made the quarterfinals. His opponent? His old nemesis from the 2009 U.S. Open, Juan Martín del Potro. The first two sets were shared, and in a fierce third set tiebreak Federer missed four set points, eventually losing the breaker 10-8. Del Potro then grabbed the fourth set 6-4 to earn a semifinal berth against Nadal. The top seed beat del Potro in four sets and earned the title with a flawless performance against Kevin Anderson in the final.

-So, there has yet to be a Federer-Nadal matchup at the U.S. Open. They are both in their 30s, so time is definitely running out for such a clash. Still, Nadal is currently No. 2, and Federer No. 3. As of now, neither player is going anywhere.

Questions? Email me at owenlewis11801@gmail.com or tweet me @tennisnation. Thanks for reading!

Ranking Rafael Nadal’s 19 Grand Slam Titles

By Owen Lewis

Note: I wrote this article after Nadal won Roland-Garros for a twelfth time in May 2019, and have updated it to include his U.S. Open victory as well.
With his 12th win at Roland-Garros, Nadal now has 18 Grand Slam titles. Let’s take a look at which ones were the most meaningful and/or important to the Spaniard’s legacy. I tried to find an article on this topic, but couldn’t find one and decided to give my take on it. I hope any and all readers enjoy this article and you can email me with questions: owenlewis11801@gmail.com

19. 2008 Roland-Garros

Nadal stormed through the draw at the 2008 French Open, with a huge number of 6-1 and 6-0 sets, culminating with a straight-set win over Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and a 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 demolishing of Roger Federer in the final. This was the Spaniard’s fourth straight title at Roland-Garros, extending his success on clay. The victory likely gave Nadal a confidence boost heading into the 2008 Wimbledon, a win that is much higher on the list, but the sheer lopsidedness of Nadal’s wins in the 2008 French Open earn it the lowest spot on this list.

18. 2007 Roland-Garros

Nadal beat Djokovic and Federer on his way to his third French Open title, only dropping one set in the final to Federer. This win wasn’t particularly surprising, though- Nadal had consolidated his dominance on clay the two previous years, and was the favorite to win the French Open for the third year in a row.

17. 2018 Roland-Garros

Back at the top of the rankings, the Spaniard dropped just one set to Diego Schwartzman in the quarterfinals, topping Dominic Thiem in the final in straight sets. This was just one of two French Open victories where Nadal did not fall back onto his back after the final point (with the other being 2008, another straight-sets final), and his 11th French Open title overall.

16. 2011 Roland-Garros

Shockingly, American John Isner pushed Nadal to five sets in the opening round, winning a pair of tiebreaks to open up a two sets to one lead. The match was the first time Nadal had even played a fifth set at Roland-Garros (which he won 6-4). He didn’t drop another set until the final, and held off Andy Murray in a tough straight-sets semifinal. He beat Federer in the final 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1, saving a set point in the first set and holding from love-40 down to open the fourth set.

15. 2017 U.S. Open

After a disappointing loss to Gilles Muller in the fourth round of Wimbledon, Nadal won the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows, New York. He got off to a bit of a slow start, dropping a set in the second and third round, but played his best at the end of the tournament. In the semifinals, he crushed Juan Martin del Potro after losing the first set, 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2. He then topped 28th-ranked Kevin Anderson in the final in straight sets. Overall, the Spaniard wasn’t really pushed during the tournament, and claimed his 16th slam title and his third U.S. Open.

14. 2012 Roland-Garros

Nadal won a tough four-set final against Djokovic, surpassing Bjorn Borg’s record of six French Open titles. The set was the only one he dropped all tournament, serving up constant 6-0, 6-1, and 6-2 sets. The title was his third straight French Open, and snapped a streak of three straight grand slam final losses to Djokovic. For those reasons, this French Open win was among his more meaningful titles in Paris.

13. 2006 Roland-Garros

Defending a title always shows a champion’s mettle, and Nadal showed the world he wasn’t going away by claiming his second French Open title. He beat Federer in the final losing a lopsided first set but winning the next three, hitting a superbly angled swing volley winner on match point. This was also a likely source of confidence as he made his first Wimbledon final a month later.

12. 2014 Roland-Garros

This win marked Nadal’s fifth straight French Open. The victory was meaningful for another reason though- after winning the U.S. Open in 2013, he entered the 2014 Australian Open as the top seed and stormed to the final, a heavy favorite against 8th-seeded Stan Wawrinka. Nadal hurt his back in the warmup, and though he didn’t retire, his game was crippled (though he somehow won a set, losing 3-6, 2-6, 6-3, 3-6). It was a hugely emotional loss, and winning at Roland-Garros probably erased some of the pain. In the final, he came from a set down to beat Djokovic at the French Open for the third straight year.

11. 2019 Roland Garros

As with the 2012 French Open, Djokovic had won the three majors prior to the event. He’d beaten Nadal in the 2018 Wimbledon semis and the final of the 2019 Australian Open, and some picked him as the favorite over Nadal to win. To complicate things further, Nadal had lost more than usual in the clay season, with surprising losses to Thiem, Fabio Fognini, and Stefanos Tsitsipas. He had also suffered a knee injury after Indian Wells. But the Spaniard entered the event healthy, dropping just one set on his way to the final. He then took revenge on Thiem (who had beaten Djokovic in a five-set semifinal) 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, not giving his younger opponent a chance after the second set. Nadal cried for a while after and was extremely emotional, revealing that his knee injury was not only physically restricting but mentally draining.

10. 2010 Roland-Garros

This was the first time since 2005 that Nadal did not go into the tournament as defending champion. Robin Soderling had handed him his first-ever loss at the French Open in 2009, and Nadal ripped through the draw with a vengeance. He got his revenge over Soderling in the final, winning in straight sets. After the first time his trophy had been ripped away from him, he quickly got it back- truly an emotional win.

9. 2017 Roland-Garros

The 2017 win ranks this high simply for emotional reasons. Nadal did not drop a set on his way to his tenth French Open, losing just six games to Wawrinka in the final. After losing for the first time in years in Paris in 2015, and pulling out of the 2016 event with an injury, this win had to be among Nadal’s most emotional ever. He’d lost a brutal five-set final to Federer in the final of the 2017 Australian Open, losing a break advantage in the fifth set, and this slam probably let him relax a bit- it was his first major since the 2014 French Open, and showed others and himself that he wasn’t done yet.

8. 2010 Wimbledon

This is one of the first non-French Open slams on the list, and therefore among the least meaningful of his slam wins outside Paris. In the final Nadal faced Tomas Berdych, who had beaten both Federer and Djokovic, in the quarters and semis respectively. Rafa won in straight sets, ending with a gorgeous crosscourt forehand passing shot. It wasn’t all easy though- Nadal had to come back from two sets to one down in both the second and third rounds. The title was Nadal’s second Wimbledon and the second of three slams he would win that year.

7. 2013 Roland-Garros

This win earns the number 7 spot because of one match- Nadal’s semifinal with top-ranked Djokovic. This is the only time, in my opinion, that a prime Rafael Nadal had been pushed all the way at the French Open. Djokovic broke Nadal when he served for the match in the fourth set, won a fourth-set tiebreak, and broke at the start of the fifth, only to see Nadal claw back and win 9-7 to cap a marathon match (6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7 (3), 9-7). He then went on to beat his countryman David Ferrer in straight sets in the final. Back to the Djokovic match, though- Nadal was down a break for much of the fifth set- with his opponent serving at 4-3 and deuce, Djokovic forced the court open, eventually putting away an angled volley. The only problem? He stumbled into the net, automatically forfeiting the point. So instead of ad-Djokovic, it became break point. Nadal missed that chance to break, but grabbed the next one to even the set at 4-4. That volley is regarded as one of the turning points of tennis history. With all respect to Ferrer, the semifinal between Nadal and Djokovic was very likely to produce the winner of the tournament. To date, Djokovic has won just one French Open title- had he not run into the net, he could have won the match. The rest could have been history.

6. 2019 U.S. Open

Nadal reached the final of this slam without much difficulty, dropping one set to Marin Cilic in the fourth round before upping his game and dominating the Croat for the remainder of the match. In the final, Rafa clashed with a red-hot Daniil Medvedev in a near five-hour, five-set epic. Nadal took a two set lead, and had opportunities to win the third, but Medvedev adjusted beautifully, and looked the stronger player at the start of the fifth. Nadal repelled three break points at 0-1 in the decider, and when serving for the match at 5-4, 30-40, played a beautiful three-point sequence: he saved the break point with a vicious inside-out forehand that forced a error, reached championship point with a drop shot winner, and won the title with a 124 mph ace down the tee that Medvedev couldn’t handle. Nadal had been up a double break, and missed two championship points on Medvedev’s serve at 5-3 in the fifth. When break point down at 5-4, it seemed that he had lost the momentum and might be about to face a devastating loss. But Nadal’s best tennis kicked in when he was under the most pressure, and he won his 19th slam under the lights in New York. This slam pulled him within one of Federer’s all-time men’s record of 20.

5. 2005 Roland-Garros

A player’s first slam is always among the most emotional. I was surprised myself while making this list at how low I ranked this one- more of a tribute to Nadal’s hardest fought slam wins than anything else. Still, this could probably be ranked a few spots higher. Nadal, though he turned just 19 in the middle of the tournament, was made the favorite by the bookies after he dominated the pre-French Open clay season. The miracle teenager delivered, toppling world No. 1 Federer in the semis and coming from a set down to beat Mariano Puerta in the final. This was the tournament that a scrappy tennis player from Manacor truly introduced himself to even the most casual tennis fan, and one that will surely live long in his memory.

4. 2013 U.S. Open

Nadal hadn’t won a slam off the clay since 2010. But at the 2013 U.S. Open, Nadal dropped just one set on his way to the final. His opponent? Novak Djokovic, who had made the semifinals or better at the U.S. Open each year since 2007. The Spaniard played a brilliant match, however. He won a lopsided first set 6-2, but Djokovic hit back, winning the second set 6-3 and going up 2-0 in the third set. Nadal saved a break point to avoid going down two breaks, though, and evened the set quickly. Then, at 4-4, Nadal fell behind love-40 on serve. He saved the first break point with a brilliant forehand winner, the second when Djokovic missed after a long rally, and the third with a 125 mph ace, his first of the match. Then, returning at 5-4 up, Nadal won a fantastic point with Djokovic up 30-love. Djokovic (from Serbia) then missed two regulation ground strokes, setting up a set point for Nadal. Throughout the rally (over 15 shots) Djokovic only let Nadal see two forehands. On the second, the Spaniard ripped the ball up the line, and Djokovic hit long. The fourth set was a formality, with Nadal winning 6-1. As stated before, the win was the first slam Nadal had claimed off the clay in years, showing again that he is an all-surface player. He also avenged his defeat to Djokovic in the 2011 U.S. Open final. Overall, a huge win and confidence boost for Nadal, who would have a brilliant start to 2014.

3. 2010 U.S. Open

Nadal completed his career grand slam with this title, easily making it among his most emotional slam wins. He also improved his serve dramatically before the tournament, serving up to 135 mph during the two weeks and getting many more free points than usual. Entering the tournament as the top seed, Nadal made the final without dropping a set and then delivered a masterclass against Djokovic, hitting his backhand and serve brutally well. This victory completed the Spaniard’s career grand slam, joining a select group of just Federer and Andre Agassi in the Open Era to achieve the feat.

2. 2009 Australian Open

This could easily take the No. 1 spot, but the 2008 Wimbledon just edges it out. Nadal had taken the top spot in the rankings by 2009, but still hadn’t claimed a slam on hard court. This remains Nadal’s only Australian Open title, so this tournament is extremely crucial to his legacy. The Spaniard cruised to the semifinals, where he ran into 14th seed and countryman Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco played unbelievably well, hitting an astonishing 95 winners. He still lost the match. Nadal won 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (2), 6-7 (1), 6-4 in five hours and 14 minutes. After the incredibly physical match, Nadal had to play Roger Federer in the final, and he states in his autobiography Rafa that he expected to lose 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 to his great rival. But Nadal recovered to win another punishing five-setter (in four hours this time) 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2. This may be the hardest Nadal has had to fight to win a slam, and has to be a treasured title to the Spaniard.

1. 2008 Wimbledon

Nadal had been the No. 2 seed for three years. He had lost to Federer, world number one and the winner of the past five Wimbledons, in the final of the 2006 and 2007 Championships. Nadal and Federer stormed to the final, and what would follow went down in the minds of many as the greatest match ever. Nadal came out playing brilliantly, winning the first two sets by identical 6-4 scores. Federer fought back to win the third set 7-6 (5), hitting four aces in the tiebreak. The fourth set also went to a tiebreak, and Nadal went up 5-2 before letting his rival back into the breaker with a double fault and a missed backhand. He had a match point at 7-6, but Federer erased it with a huge serve. After hitting a spectacular passing shot down the line, he had another match point at 8-7. Federer erased it with a brutally precise backhand passing shot down the line. Federer then took the tiebreak 10-8 to push the match into a fifth set. Down 3-4 in the deciding set, Nadal faced a break point at 30-40, and saved it with nerveless aggressive tennis, pounding an overhead into the seats. He then broke Federer’s serve for the first time since the second set, going up 8-7. Nadal then survived deuce to serve out the match, sealing a famous win: 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-7 (8), 9-7. The victory is a huge turning point in tennis history. The No. 2 dethroning the No. 1. Nadal developing into an all-court player. Nadal moving towards the number one ranking. This match is one of Nadal’s best matches and most emotional wins, while being perhaps Federer’s most devastating loss. Overall, the only place for the 2008 Wimbledon is the top spot in the rankings.

Disagree with the order or have other feedback? Email me or tweet @tennisnation. Thanks for reading!

Rafael Nadal Adds Another Piece to His Legacy With 12th French Open Title

By Owen Lewis

2005. 2006. 2007. 2008. 2010. 2011. 2012. 2013. 2014. 2017. 2018. And now 2019. Today, Rafael Nadal of Mallorca, Spain claimed his 12th French Open title and 18th major by beating Dominic Thiem of Austria 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Back in 2005, Nadal turned 19 during the event, beating then-top-ranked Roger Federer in the semifinals and Mariano Puerta in the final. Now, Nadal is 33, but his dominance at Roland Garros is seemingly immortal. He dropped just two sets all tournament, beating his great rival Federer in a lopsided semifinal. Thiem, a 25-year-old heralded as the heir to Nadal’s clay domain, had a much more difficult path to the final. In the early rounds, he dropped sets to lower-ranked opponents such as Tommy Paul. Thiem hit his stride during the business end of the tournament, though, beating Gael Monfils in the fourth round and Karen Khachanov in the quarterfinals without dropping a set. His semifinal, though, was nothing short of an attritional war. Thiem’s opponent? World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, the winner of the previous three majors. In a two-day match halted multiple times by rain and harsh weather, Thiem topped the world’s best 6-2, 3-6, 7-5, 5-7, 7-5 in a match full of twists and turns. After failing to serve out the match at 5-3 in the fifth, the Austrian held his nerve, breaking the Djokovic serve with a 93 mph forehand winner to seal what was most likely the biggest win of his career. His reward, or punishment, depending on how you look at it, was a clash with the King of Clay- who had crushed Thiem 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2018 French Open final.

Because of weather delays, Thiem had played three consecutive days before the final, and the match against Nadal, the two-time defending champion, would make it a fourth. His tussle with Djokovic consisted of some brutal rallies, lasting over four hours in total, so there were doubts about the Austrian’s fitness going into the final. Nadal, on the other hand, was economical in reaching the final, and had a day off after dispatching Federer in the semis. If the Spaniard hadn’t already been the favorite, these circumstances pushed it beyond doubt.

Nadal, serving to open the final, struck a clean forehand winner on the first point of the match. Both players held serve through the first four games, then, with Nadal serving at 2-2 and 30-all, a thrilling exchange ensued. Thiem chased down a drop shot, and a high-energy series of Thiem volleys and attempted Nadal passing shots followed- eventually, the Austrian ventured back to the baseline, cracking a forehand winner. On the first break point of the match, Thiem pushed Nadal around the court, eventually drawing a lob and putting away an overhead smash to seal the first break of the match. Thiem was playing some fantastic defense, at times forcing Nadal to hit two or three overheads to win the point. High quality exchanges were frequent, with both players taking part in some bruising, physical rallies. Crucially, the defending champion hit back immediately after being broken, opening up a love-40 advantage and taking his second break point to restore parity at 3-all. The next game would prove to be the most decisive of the first set. Nadal reached advantage, but Thiem hit back, at one point returning an overhead and a drop volley before flicking a winner down the line. The Austrian had a break point in the game, but it was quickly stamped out by the great clay- courter. Nadal secured the hold with a darting backhand winner down the line, taking a 4-3 lead. Thiem’s level dipped slightly in the next game: down 15-30, he attempted a drop shot, only to see Nadal’s likeminded riposte softly bounce in front of him. The Spaniard would go on to break, and served out the set, sealing it 6-3.

At the start of the second set, Nadal stormed through several easy service games, and there was a feeling that Thiem could be drained after losing such a physical opening set. The Austrian managed to take care of his game on serve, though, delivering easy holds of his own with big serves and forehands. Nadal eventually had to serve to stay in the set down 4-5, and did so, holding to love with a sharply angled inside-out forehand winner. At 5-all, Thiem hit a precise backhand winner and an accurate smash, holding easily for 6-5. It seemed that the set was heading for a tiebreak, but Nadal played perhaps his loosest game of the match- after hitting a beautiful volley for 15-love, consecutive unforced errors handed his younger opponent the set, 7-5. At one set all, Nadal’s reign suddenly seemed slightly in doubt.

The champion recognized the potential swing in momentum, and jumped on Thiem immediately at the start of the third set. Nadal broke to love in the first game of the set, following it up with an easy hold. With Thiem serving down 0-2 and 15-40, he hit a huge serve, then took a massive cut at a forehand, sending it to Nadal’s own forehand corner. Nadal had guessed the correct side, though, and stroked a forehand winner down the line to break again. The Spaniard’s net game was perhaps as good as we’ve ever seen it, at one point hitting an incredible stretch volley that bounced on Thiem’s side, then bounced back and hit the net, so heavy was it with backspin. Thiem may have suffered a dip in form, but Nadal showcased exactly why he had won 11 French Open titles, moving Thiem back and forth across the baseline and charging to the net, hitting a couple spectacular volleys. The Spaniard utterly dominated the third set, winning sixteen of the first seventeen points of the set, charging into a 4-0 lead in what seemed like five minutes. Thiem managed to hold serve for 4-1, but Nadal broke once again, seizing the third set 6-1.

It was crucial that Thiem make a good start to the fourth set in order to stop the slide in momentum, and he forced a break point in Nadal’s first service game. It was saved in typical style, however, with the Spaniard charging forward to hammer an inside-out forehand winner. He then held serve with a volley winner, and broke Thiem’s serve in the next game to take a 2-0 lead in the fourth set. The Austrian continued to fight, earning another break point in the next game, but strong offensive play from Nadal helped him to hold for 3-0. The champion’s level was peaking, and some dazzling shots rocketed Nadal to a love-40 advantage on Thiem’s next service game. Impressively, the Austrian saved all three break points and did so with three winners, spanking two aces and putting away a forehand. Thiem managed to hold serve, but there was no stopping the 11-time champion, who broke again to grab a 5-1 lead. Serving to extend history, Nadal stormed into a 40-15 lead. He spurned the first match point with an errant forehand, but there was no denying the Spaniard on the second. Thiem hit just long on a forehand return, and Nadal collapsed on the surface that has given him so much success over the years.

So, a remarkable 12th victory at Roland-Garros for Rafael Nadal. What more can be said about his godlike status at the major? He has lost twice at the French Open, in 2009 and 2015. His record is 93-2. His aura at the French Open is bordering on truly invincible. Today’s victory marks his 18th major, two short of Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20. There will almost surely be more French Open titles, and Wimbledon in in a few weeks- if Nadal can continue this rich vein of form, a new men’s grand slam record could be on the way.

Eight Years on From Their Last Meeting, Nadal Still Has the Edge Over Federer at Roland-Garros

By Owen Lewis

This year’s French Open has had no shortage of great storylines and matches.  Stan Wawrinka topped Stefanos Tsitsipas in five sets and five hours, crowd hero Nicolas Mahut went on a dream run to the third round, and an upset-riddled women’s draw resulted in two teenagers in the semifinals.  The men’s draw featured remarkably few upsets of the top players, in stark contrast with the women’s, which saw the top four all eliminated before the semifinals. In fact, for the first time in a major since the French Open in 2011, the top four men’s players all made it to the semifinals.  Top-ranked Novak Djokovic and No. 4 Dominic Thiem faced off on one side of the draw, with No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Roger Federer comprising a dream matchup on the other side of the draw.

Federer, who beat Wawrinka in four sets in the quarterfinals, was playing his first French Open since 2015, but had only lost one set prior to the semifinal with Nadal.  Despite his 15-23 head-to-head against his 33-year-old rival, Federer had won the last five matches, with Nadal’s last win coming in early 2014. However, the history of their rivalry at the French Open is nothing short of daunting to Federer.  The pair have faced off five times at the major, in one semifinal and four finals, with Nadal the winner each time. Federer, a 20-time major winner from Switzerland, has never even pushed his rival to five sets (losing once in a lopsided straight-sets match and four times in four sets).  This is not without reason. On clay, the ball can bounce higher than on other surfaces. Nadal is a lefty, and hits his forehand with vicious topspin, causing the ball to kick up extremely high. Federer, a righty, plays with a one-handed backhand. Nadal often hits crosscourt forehands to his rival’s backhand, forcing Federer to hit his one-hander up around shoulder or neck level.  This results in short balls, shanked shots, or impatient errors from Federer. Nadal doesn’t just hit crosscourt forehands, though- he can rip it inside out or down the line, constantly keeping his opponent off balance. His defensive game is also incredible, paralleled perhaps only by Novak Djokovic. These factors have brought Nadal the highest honors on clay- he is widely considered the greatest clay-courter ever, with eleven French Open titles (his lifetime record at Roland Garros was, prior to this match, 90-2).  Any opponent up against the “King of Clay” has their work cut out for them, but the lefty-righty matchup accentuates Federer’s difficulties.  

So although Nadal, the two-time defending champion, was made a heavy favorite, many expected Federer to win at least a set- he switched to a larger racket in 2014, and has improved his backhand since their last French Open matchup in the 2011 final (which Nadal won 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1).  This match was the 39th meeting between the two longtime rivals, with Nadal leading 23-15 (and 13-2 on clay). At around 1:00 on a windy day in Paris, the match begun.

Nadal served to open the semifinal, and Federer was quick to establish himself, hitting a brutal angled backhand winner to set up an early break point.  It was quickly erased with a strong wide serve from Nadal, and he would go on to hold. He then broke Federer in the next game, following it up with an easy hold for 3-0.  The Swiss got on the board in the next game, hitting two aces and a forehand winner. He then managed to break back, but the next game, with Federer serving at 2-3, would prove the decisive one of the set.  Federer fought off five break points, having advantage point himself only once (which he lost with a volley battle at the net). Nadal finally broke through on the sixth break point, and the rest of the set went with serve- the Spaniard hit a bullet of a crosscourt backhand winner on set point: 6-3 Nadal.  

Federer held to start the second set, and forced 15-40 on Nadal’s serve in the following game.  A missed return saw the first opportunity go begging, but Nadal hit a backhand well wide on the second, giving Federer a 2-0 lead and delighting the Parisian crowd.  Nadal jumped to a 15-40 lead on Federer’s serve, threatening to quickly break back. The Swiss saved both break points, and was one point away from a 3-0 lead, but Nadal fought back to deuce with a forehand winner down the line.  A Federer unforced error brought up another break point- it looked like the danger would be averted when Federer pushed Nadal around the court, setting up an overhead. But the Spaniard ran down the smash and hit a preposterous curling forehand winner down the line to break back.  The next several games went with serve, with Federer threatening to break through at 4-3: with Nadal serving, the Swiss reached 30-all and deuce, but Nadal fought him off with some clutch passing shots. At 4-4, Federer stormed into a 40-love lead, but some loose errors helped Nadal back to deuce, and the Spaniard was ruthless from that point on, hitting a beautiful forehand down the line and a reflex volley to break.  Serving for the set, Nadal held to love to seal the set 6-4. Federer would rue his missed opportunities in this set, as it was the most competitive set of the match.

In the third set, Nadal’s level reached the stratosphere.  Federer begun serving, opening up a 30-love lead, but the clay-court dynamo rebounded with three consecutive forehand winners.  Federer saved the break point and held serve, but the tone had been established for the set. Nadal held easily, then broke Federer’s serve at 1-all with a passing shot that clipped the net tape.  His opponent, who is nearly always calm and collected, swatted a ball into the stands out of frustration. The Spaniard hit two aces in the next game, holding for 3-1, then broke Federer once again, hitting a ridiculous forehand pass on break point.  Serving for the match at 5-2, Nadal missed his first match point when a Federer return was too much to handle, but took his second to log a comfortable 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win over his great rival.

The other semifinal, Djokovic vs. Thiem, was suspended because of severe weather midway through the match.  Thiem, a 25-year-old Austrian heralded as the heir to Nadal’s clay throne, took the first set off the world No. 1 6-2, doing a fantastic job winning his service points.  A rain delay midway through the second set seemed to jumpstart Djokovic’s game, and the match was soon leveled at one set all. Thiem, though, the losing finalist at Roland Garros last year, showed his mettle at the start of the third set, breaking for a 3-1 lead.  The match was suspended from there, and will resume at 6 a.m. Eastern Time tomorrow (6/8). Djokovic will have to come from behind tomorrow in order to keep his Grand Slam winning streak alive (he has won the last three majors: Wimbledon and the U.S. Open last year, and the Australian Open in January), but even if he does, a seemingly immovable force will be waiting for him in the final: Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay.  

Nadal Weathers Djokovic’s Comeback to Claim Ninth Rome Title

By Owen Lewis

Novak Djokovic, the world No. 1, and Rafael Nadal, the world No. 2, faced off in the final of the Italian Open today. It was the pair’s 54th meeting, an all-time record on the men’s side, with Djokovic leading 28-25. Djokovic, a 31-year-old from Serbia, had won the last two meetings: a five-set epic at Wimbledon last year and a straight-sets demolition of his rival at the Australian Open in January. However, the match took place on clay, Nadal’s favored surface- the 32-year-old Spaniard has dominated on clay throughout his career, winning 11 French Open titles and earning the reputation as the best clay-courter of all time. Although Nadal had gone without a title since the Rogers Cup in 2018, and was coming off three straight semifinal losses in clay tournaments this year, he stormed to the final without dropping a set, serving up three “bagels” along the way (also known as a 6-0 set). In the semifinals, the Spaniard took revenge on Stefanos Tsitsipas (who had beaten him in the semifinals of the Madrid tournament), 6-3, 6-4. During the match, Nadal produced some of his best tennis of the clay season, breaking in Tsitsipas’ first service game and storming to an encouraging straight-sets victory.

Djokovic had a tougher road to the final- he cruised through the opening two rounds, but was given a two-fisted battle in the quarterfinals by Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina. Although coming back from a long injury break from the game, “Delpo” saved several break points in the first set, while converting one of his chances to take the set 6-4. Djokovic went up a break in the second set, but the Argentine restored parity and forced a tiebreak. The world No. 1 had been the heavy favorite to win the match, but del Potro grabbed the first mini-break to go up 5-3, and soon found himself serving for the match up 6-4 in the breaker. But on the first match point, del Potro missed a forehand, and Djokovic deadlocked the score at 6-all with a delicate drop shot. The Serb then reeled off the next two points, pumping his arms and roaring in celebration. In the third set, Djokovic saved three break points before securing the decisive break at 2-all when Delpo buried a short forehand into the net. The first seed maintained his advantage, sealing the three-hour match with an ace down the middle.

In the semifinals, Djokovic went up against Diego Schwartzman, another Argentine. His style couldn’t be more different from del Potro’s, however- Schwartzman stands at just five feet, seven inches, and plays a defensive style with emphasis on return of serve. Del Potro is eleven inches taller and sports one of the game’s most feared forehands, which he often hits at speeds of over 100 mph. The shorter Argentine followed in del Potro’s footsteps, falling to Djokovic in a tight three-set match. Again, the Serb was the heavy favorite- to put it bluntly, he plays the same style of game as Schwartzman, but does each aspect of the game a little bit better. Djokovic was expected to be the constant aggressor, but his opponent played great tennis, hitting some exceptional drop shots throughout the match. Though Schwartzman failed twice to serve out the second set, he played a strong tiebreak, winning it 7-2. The world No. 1 was too strong in the decider, though, eventually winning 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3.

With Djokovic having spent five and a half hours on court in his previous two matches, there were doubts about his ability to endure a physical match against the King of Clay. On the other hand, Djokovic’s impressive win over Nadal at the Australian Open arguably made him the slight favorite to win the match.

Djokovic served first, and on the opening point of the match, the world No. 1 feathered a drop shot winner that landed just on Nadal’s side of the net. However, the promising start didn’t last, as the Spaniard begun to run Djokovic from corner to corner. After just a few points, it became bluntly obvious that Nadal was playing at his formidable best. Although the Serb hit a couple angled backhand winners and two aces in the first set, he was being outclassed in almost every rally, as Nadal hit winners from all over the court and drove his forehand up the line cleanly and consistently (which I strongly believe is the key for Nadal to perform well against the Serb). Trying to change tactics, Djokovic even attempted a couple moonballs, which Nadal gleefully pounced on. Djokovic had little luck on his service games in the first set and even less during Nadal’s, winning just a handful of points. In the 142 sets played between the two, not one had been a 6-0 bagel, and yet Nadal did not allow Djokovic a game in the first set: 6-0 Nadal.

Djokovic made it clear that he wasn’t going to fold in the first game of the second set, holding to love with the help of three aces. With Nadal serving at 1-2, the Serb earned his first break point of the match. It was saved in great style, though, when Nadal ran around a Djokovic forehand in order to hit a forehand of his own, which he ripped down the line for a winner. There were some dramatic rallies throughout the second set, including one with Djokovic serving at 3-3, love-30. Djokovic returned a Nadal smash, before a lob set up a smash of his own- which he rattled into the net. Over the course of the match, Djokovic missed another smash, and a tentative overhead allowed Nadal to a point he had no right to. Still, at 3-3 and love-40, though the end seemed nigh for Djokovic, all three break points went begging as Nadal missed a couple returns, his level finally starting to dip. Another break chance came and went for the Spaniard at 4-all, and finally, serving at 4-5, Nadal played a nervous game, eventually hitting wide on set point. Djokovic urged the crowd to applaud as the match was launched into a deciding set.

As the tide of the match slowly turned, Nadal had become slightly less aggressive, indicating that there might be a possibility for an astonishing Djokovic comeback. But the Serb failed to hold on to the momentum, and was broken immediately to start the third set (furiously smashing his racket on the clay afterward). Djokovic faced a break point in all of his service games in the decider, winning just one of them. Meanwhile, Nadal refocused admirably, returning to his aggressive style and dominating the anticlimactic third set: 6-1.

The pair had shared the record for most Masters 1000 wins on the men’s side prior to this match, as Djokovic’s victory in Madrid evened the score at 33-33. With Nadal winning his ninth Rome title, he retakes the lead with 34 and closes the gap in the head-to-head to just two matches: 28-26. Perhaps more importantly, Nadal’s win establishes him as the favorite for Roland Garros. A 12th victory at the French Open would bring Nadal to 18 grand slams- two away from Roger Federer’s record of 20.

So Nadal is the favorite to win the French Open title this year, with Djokovic a slight second. If the Italian Open is anything to go off of, it should be an entertaining tournament. And it starts in just a few days.

Novak Djokovic Tops Stefanos Tsitsipas to Win the Mutua Madrid Open

By Owen Lewis

Novak Djokovic is beginning to rediscover his form. After three consecutive early losses at Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte-Carlo, he’s made the finals of his second clay court tournament of the year: the Mutua Madrid Open. In his opening matches, the world No. 1 did not drop a set to Taylor Fritz or Jeremy Chardy, though the latter had a set point in the second set of their match. In the semifinal, he faced a red-hot Dominic Thiem- the winner of the recent Barcelona tournament and last year’s French Open runner-up. Thiem had conquered Rafael Nadal (an 11-time French Open champion and the undisputed greatest clay-courter of all time) in the semifinals of Barcelona, and maintained his fine form in Madrid, beating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, saving two match points. Thiem, a 25-year-old from Austria, is quickly making a name for himself on clay, and I made him my personal favorite to beat Djokovic. But Djokovic was up for the challenge, winning an intense match in two closely contested sets: 7-6 (2), 7-6 (4). Thiem had been up a break in both sets, but couldn’t sustain his advantage as Djokovic, this year’s Australian Open champion, played his best tennis since Down Under.

Such form has propelled Djokovic, a 31-year-old from Serbia and the owner of 15 major titles, into the final of the Madrid Open. The other semifinal pitted Nadal against 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas, a 20-year-old from Greece and one of the leaders of the “NextGen”, the younger tennis players who have yet to establish themselves in the majors. Nadal was the heavy favorite for the match. He hits a forehand with vicious topspin, which makes the ball bounce higher. This can wreak havoc on players with one-handed backhands, forcing them to hit the ball up around their eyes. Tsitsipas has a one-handed backhand, but managed to counter Nadal’s spin with consistent, aggressive play. He pulled off the shock upset, winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 and saving 11 out of the 16 break points that he faced. The match marked Nadal’s third straight semifinal loss on clay- a season that he usually dominates (for reference, since 2005, Nadal has won 11 out of 14 French Opens- virtually unprecedented dominance- on any surface). With the French Open coming up in two weeks, Nadal, the two-time defending champion, has much to be concerned about. On the other side of the net, Tsitsipas recorded his first career win over Nadal and earned a final against Djokovic.

Djokovic is no doubt the favorite, though Tsitsipas has come out on top in their only career meeting- winning 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-3 at the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Djokovic is an established player on clay- though 14 of his 15 majors have come from other surfaces, he won the French Open in 2016 and owns seven career wins over Nadal on clay, more than any other player. Tsitsipas, on the other hand, is in the early stages of his career, but many believe he will be a world No. 1 and major winner in the future. He made the semifinals of the Australian Open in January, but was demolished by Nadal, who in turn was crushed by Djokovic in the final.

In the first game of the match, with Djokovic serving, Tsitsipas had a sniff of a break at 15-30 but missed two returns and then netted what should have been a gimme of a forehand winner. He was then broken to 15 after missing a couple of impatient groundstrokes. Djokovic played beautiful tennis throughout the first set, pummeling the weaker backhand wing of Tsitsipas and hitting darting forehand winners from all over the court. The Greek youngster seemed to have a plan, hitting several drop shots, but Djokovic would constantly reach them and the gambit wasn’t particularly successful. The world No. 1 maintained his break advantage and served out the set to 15: 6-3.

It was crucial for Tsitsipas not to drop serve at the start of the second set, and a forehand winner sealed a hold to 15. Djokovic returned the favor, and then forced two break points on the Greek’s next service game. Tsitsipas supporters could hear the Jurassic Park theme song playing softly in the background, but he escaped danger with a big serve and a missed backhand from Djokovic. The underdog couldn’t seize the momentum, though, and the Serb restored parity with a hold to 30. Serving at 2-all, a couple of winners helped Tsitsipas to 40-love, but a loose point and a double fault brought up 40-30. Still, an overhead winner sealed the game for the Greek and kept his nose out in front for 3-2. Djokovic had not faced a break point or even been pushed to deuce up to this point, and though he was pegged back to 40-30 from 40-love, he held for the ninth time in a row: 3-3. So far in the match, Djokovic had 21 winners against 13 unforced errors, and Tsitsipas 19 winners and 15 mistakes. A +8 versus +4 differential isn’t enormous by any means, but Tsitsipas was consistently failing to make a mark on the Djokovic serve.

At 3-all, Tsitsipas was pushed to 30-30, but a missed Djokovic return brought up game point. The Greek hit a bullet forehand down the line from what seemed a difficult position, and the world No. 1 couldn’t keep his next shot in the court: 4-3. Djokovic faced minimal resistance in his next service game, winning it to love to even the set once again. And the Greek’s swan song began in the next game- at 15-all, Tsitsipas hit a huge serve but didn’t let Djokovic’s desperate return bounce, allowing Djokovic to eventually pass him at the net (honestly, I can’t make this mistake sound bad enough; if he had let the ball bounce he would have had all the time in the world to hit a winner). Down 15-30, the Greek made an ill-advised charge to the net and was passed again, bringing up two break points for Djokovic. Tsitsipas then missed a forehand after a brief rally, setting up the Serb to serve for the match at 5-4. The final game wasn’t without drama, with Djokovic going up 40-15, two match points, then losing them, then getting a time violation warning at deuce. But though Tsitsipas saved a third championship point, a fourth wasn’t long in coming. Djokovic toed the line, bounced the ball 16 times, then ended a rally with a forehand winner to win the Madrid Open. The victory ties him with Rafael Nadal’s record of 33 Masters 1000 titles, and is an ominous indication to other players that he is back in form. Will he claim his 16th major title at the French Open?

Dominic Thiem Upsets Rafael Nadal in the Barcelona Semifinals

By Owen Lewis

In some cases, I’ve written that an underdog has “stunned” or “shocked” the favorite. But Dominic Thiem has made a name for himself over the past two and a half years, beating the King of Clay on his favored surface, the red dirt, four times now. He’s made the finals of a major: last year’s French Open. With this win over Nadal, he’s closed their head-to-head to 4-8, with all four of his wins coming on clay. At the U.S. Open last year, the two faced off in the quarterfinals, and Thiem won the first set 6-0, firing winners from all over the court. Nadal ended up winning a five-set, nearly five-hour epic, ending in a fifth-set tiebreak. Still, the young Austrian was two points away from victory at 5-all in the deciding tiebreak. He’s proven that he can beat Nadal on clay, and he showed that he can push the 17-time major champion all the way in a best-of-five match on the grandest stage. The point is that Dominic Thiem has firmly established himself as the heir to the clay throne, and such a win over Nadal can no longer be considered a “shock”. Today’s win only strengthened that position- he defeated the best clay-courter of all time 6-4, 6-4 to advance to the finals of the Barcelona Open against Daniil Medvedev. But perhaps more importantly, Dominic Thiem has all the tools to overthrow Nadal at this year’s French Open. It very well may not happen, of course- they’ve faced off at the year’s second major each of the last two years, with Nadal winning all six sets, including a bagel and a 6-2 set. But Thiem has all the pieces- the game to beat Nadal on clay, the stamina to hang with him over five sets- all that’s left is to put them together and bring down the Spaniard at Roland Garros.

Thiem produced a masterclass against Nadal today. Time and again, the 11-time French Open champion found his feet rooted to the spot as Thiem rocketed another inside-out forehand past him or dropped a disguised drop shot close to the net. Nadal has also won Barcelona eleven times, yet he did not have a break point until Thiem served for the match at 5-4 in the second set. A perhaps more significant stat is that the Austrian converted just two of his twelve break points- easily enough to win the match in this case. Thiem first broke Nadal in the fifth game, consolidating the break with a hold to love. The Spaniard’s serve let him down- he double faulted five times against one ace (for reference, Thiem hit five aces and no double faults), including a double-fault on break point in the first set.

Nadal’s best (virtually only) chance came in the last game of the match. Thiem fell behind love-30 while serving at 6-4, 5-4. Nadal returned a huge serve and a vicious forehand before running down a volley and whipping a trademark forehand past his stranded opponent. The scrappy Spaniard pumped his fists, exciting the crowd to no end. With the score at love-40 (three break points for Nadal) it seemed likely that the 11-time champion would break to level the set, possibly on the way to a scintillating comeback. But Thiem was levelheaded on the big points, and he took five in a row to win the match, including a couple great drop shots.

Thiem will likely be a force this season. He has beaten Nadal on the clay multiple times, he toppled Federer to win Indian Wells, and two years ago, Thiem crushed Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the French Open, punctuating the match with a third set bagel. Thiem will surely be the favorite to topple Medvedev in tomorrow’s final, but even if he doesn’t, the point has been made: Dominic Thiem means business, he can beat anyone on the dirt, and the French Open is drawing ever closer.

Questions? Email me at 0wenlewis11801@gmail.com or leave a comment. Thanks for reading!

Fabio Fognini Wins the 2019 Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters

By Owen Lewis

Fabio Fognini was down a set and 4-1 in the first round to Andrey Rublev, a qualifier. He came back to win a close three-setter, screaming in triumph. A week later he would be celebrating the first Masters 1000 title of his career. After a walkover in the second round, he faced Alexander Zverev, the world No. 3. After winning a close first set in a tiebreak, the 31-year-old Fognini stormed through the second set: 6-1. In the quarterfinals against Borna Coric of Croatia, the Italian was humbled in the first set, 6-1, but won the next two sets fairly comfortably to set up a meeting with 11-time Monte-Carlo champion Rafael Nadal in the semifinals.

Nadal was the favorite to win the tournament and dominate the clay season. In fact, though Fognini had twice beaten Nadal on clay, not many people gave him a chance. Fognini managed to break the Spaniard in the opening game, but Nadal countered with two breaks to go up 3-1. It appeared that he would run away with the set, as he so often does, but the powerful Italian broke back immediately and then once again at 4-all, confidently serving out the set: 6-4. He then immediately broke Nadal to start the second set, following that up with two more breaks. Shockingly, Fognini had taken an insurmountable 5-0 lead over the best clay court player of all time. He served for the match at 5-0, going up 40-love. Nadal showed his mettle by winning five straight points to break, following it up with a hold. But Fognini served out the match at the second time of asking, sealing an emphatic 6-4, 6-2 win.

Fognini, a 31-year-old from Italy, is known for his impressive tennis but also for his temperament. In the past, he’s shouted obscenities to line judges and other players, earning fines and defaults. He’s racked up multiple wins against top players, but seems to lack the mental fortitude needed to win a major. Still, at Monte-Carlo, he kept his demons at bay and unleashed his powerful tennis upon his opponents.

On the other side of the bracket, Dusan Lajovic had beaten Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev to reach the final. Neither player had been in a Masters 1000 final, and Fognini rose to the occasion. Though Lajovic broke first, going up 2-1, the Italian responded by winning four games on the trot, going on to take the first set 6-3. He then broke immediately to start the second set, but Lajovic hit back immediately with the help of the shot of the match: a backhand passing shot on the dead run. With Fognini serving at 1-2, Lajovic had break point- in most tennis matches, the loser has an opportunity. This was the Serb’s, with a chance to claim a second consecutive break and go up 3-1, but he couldn’t take advantage and Fognini held serve. The Italian then broke in the next game. On the changeover, he got treatment for his ankle, getting it taped up, but it didn’t seem to affect him as he held serve for the rest of the match, winning it 6-3, 6-4.

This result may be significant for the upcoming bulk of the clay-court season. Fognini has shown that he can beat anyone on clay- no one will want to play him at the French Open. Djokovic is in a slump with three straight early losses, Nadal’s form is also slightly in doubt, as is Thiem’s, and it’s yet to be seen whether Federer will play well on clay. If Nadal doesn’t win in Barcelona, I think things will be even more up in the air. Prior to Monte-Carlo, I picked Nadal, Djokovic, Thiem, and Federer as the favorites for the clay season. Federer didn’t play this tournament, but the other three lost early. The upcoming tournaments will be very interesting: if Nadal doesn’t defend his French Open title, anything can happen. Djokovic has to grab all the points he can now, since he has a boatload to defend after the French (he won Wimbledon, Cincinnati, and the U.S. Open last year, along with final appearances at Paris and the ATP finals, all last year). Federer’s form on clay is somewhat of a mystery right now, or will be until he plays Madrid, his first tournament on the clay in several years, but if he somehow wins the French Open, his status as GOAT will be as good as sealed. And now Fognini has established himself as a big threat for the future clay tournaments. The French Open starts in just over a month, and Fabio Fognini has dealt the tennis world an emphatic message not to count him out.

Questions? Comments? Email me at owenlewis11801@gmail.com or leave a comment.

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