Tag Archives: Rafael Nadal

P(review)ing 2013 and 2014

Posted on December 31, 2013 | 1 comment

As the curtain closes on another year, there is plenty of reason to look back on the highs and lows of 2013. In the world of sports there were plenty as always. Bayern Munich dominated European soccer in a historic manner. The U.S. Men’s National Team had their best year in history, which was doubly nice considering U.S. Soccer is celebrating 100 years of existence. The Baltimore Ravens weathered a Superdome blackout to win the Super Bowl in a rocking New Orleans. Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide won its second straight national title. They looked to be well on their way to a third, until an Iron Bowl for the ages that saw Auburn escape with a flabbergasting upset (oddly that word is appropriate there). Baseball saw the Pirates return to the postseason for the first time in two decades, a Cuban sensation light up the sport with immature antics and absurd skill, and the Red Sox go from yuck to yay on the backs of an undersized Japanese man and oversized Dominican one. Lebron James somehow became a better basketball player, and led his Miami Heat to their second consecutive championship, much to the chagrin of much of the country. Tiger Woods won five tournaments, but didn’t win a Major so was considered by many to be a disappointment. Roger Federer had his worst season in what seems like a lifetime, while his greatest rival Rafael Nadal had a comeback for the ages, taking home two major titles. The Blackhawks beat the Bruins in a matchup of Original Six members. A year after Kentucky won the NCAA tournament, Louisville took the 2013 title, proving that North Carolina has serious competition for best college basketball state. Phew. That was just the big stuff.

Enough of the nostalgia. As a sports fan, 2014 poses some big excitement and apprehension. All the usual suspects will be in play, including the NFL circus, the Heat’s quest for the elusive three-peat, a new season of baseball, and the madness of the NHL Playoffs. Tiger will look to get back in the major win column, and Fed will try to pull a thirties comeback. Despite all that sports appeal, 2014 provides some sizable add-ons from the typical calendar. The first big one comes February 6th with the Sochi Olympics. So far most of the press has been on the Russian government’s crackdown on gay rights. Much speculation has arisen about what will happen, and the ante was upped even further when the U.S. announced that Billie Jean King, tennis great, and openly gay woman, would lead their delegation to the games. Recent bombings in Volgograd have shifted focus from the gay discussion to the much more cheery possibility of terrorist attacks at the games. Nothing like hate and violence to get you in the mood for speed skating and ski jumping.

The other major event of the year appears to be more festive, but isn’t without concerns of its own. Brazil is a soccer country. However, it is also a country of political turmoil, and great wealth inequality. Those two identities came to a head last summer at the Confederation’s Cup. The Cup, which is essentially a mini dry run for the World Cup, featured mass protests and riots over the billions being poured into World Cup arrangements and construction, while many of the nation’s issues like education and overall infrastructure were being ignored. All signs indicate that more protests are likely to occur when the tournament kicks off in June. Concerns have also arisen over working conditions at the sites of the many new stadiums being built, most recently after two workers were killed in a crane accident this past November. The beautiful game sounds less beautiful in that light.

Despite the unease surrounding both Sochi and Brazil, both events are sure to have their thrill of sporting exciting and disappointment to go along with the political spectacles. The Russians will be looking for a good showing on home soil…or should I say snow. The Brazilians, coming off a convincing win in the Confederation’s Cup, will be desperate to replicate that success in front of their adoring, if often unruly fans. The most popular sporting event in the world will see the defending champions Spain vying for their fourth straight major international title, an unprecedented feat.

Maybe the other largest change coming in 2014, is the end of the BCS. Next season college football will be implementing a four team playoff to decide the national champion, after years of grumbling from fans, players, media, and often times coaches. By no means will the controversy be gone from the sport, but the new format should at least provide some appeasement.

2013 was a great year in the world of sport (even if my teams largely stunk). Here’s hoping that 2014 will provide more excitement, and less controversy. In the meantime have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and Day!

(Pardon the worse than usual grammar. I blame the piña coladas, my noisy family, and the poolside setting. Vacation life!)

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Fed the Spoiler

Posted on August 28, 2013 | 7 comments

The idiomatic nature of language is a funny thing. Roger Federer can probably attest to that more than just about anyone since it seems he speaks about a thousand languages – he actually speaks four fluently and bits of others. Federer has mastered his languages much as he has mastered his play on the tennis court, with a grace and panache that is generally found at a cocktail party, not a sporting event. Federer’s poise has the remarkable ability to humble fans while at the same time endearing them to his manner. It would take a thorough review of a thesaurus to make a comprehensive list of the glowing adjectives used to describe Federer throughout his career, yet perhaps the one word (and its many variations) that best describes him and his success is: spoiler.

Federer cemented his place in the tennis world with a great big spoiler. Then a 19 year old up-and-comer, Federer defeated four time defending champion Pete Sampras in the quarters of Wimbledon 2001. Looking back at that match, it seems scripted that the greatest grass court champion of his generation, Sampras, would lose and in many ways pass the torch to the man, Federer, who would go on to break Sampras’ own record of all time Grand Slam titles. It wasn’t until 2003 that Federer broke through for his first title at the All England Club, which was also the first of the record 17 Slams, but that spoiler against Sampras remains one of the most iconic moments in a dazzling career.

Over the next decade Federer didn’t do a whole lot. He only broke or tied just about every single Open Era record that tennis has to offer. He only completed a career Grand Slam, and was only the most dominant man in sports. There were points when that dominance was borderline boring. He spoiled fans and for that we became complacent. Rafael Nadal entered to provide a rival for Federer, but even the greatest clay court player of all time could only slightly slow Federer from plowing through the record books with more verve than James Bond.

2003-2013 should forevermore be declared the decade of Roger. So complete was his mastery (and spoiling) of his sport that fans and media actually began to act entitled when it came to his success. His recent “decline” is the most indicative pulse of that achievement. For the first time in his career the tennis world has questioned Fed. He is out of the top four in the world rankings for the first time since the Wimbledon title in 03. He has only one Slam title since the beginning of 2010 (Wimbledon 2012). He lost in the second round of Wimbledon this year, his first lost before the quarters of a Slam since 2004, a streak of 36 quarterfinals. He only has one individual tour title all year (Gerry Weber Open). Yet despite all that perceived decline, Federer still finds himself a Top Ten player (7th) and in good health for his age.

Often taken for granted over Federer’s run, was that health. The man – besides a case of mono – never seemed to miss any time on the court. In fact he barely ever saw a trainer. That itself spoiled us. Nadal brings a lot to the table, but coming off a seven month lay-off for his knees, many already question how long Nadal can keep it up. Having recently turned 32, Federer looks as if he could keep playing at a high level – not by his standards, but by mortal ones – for at least a few more years. It’s unclear whether he might hang up the racket early if he isn’t achieving his desired success, but Federer has always been hyper competitive and has a love for the game that seems unmatched, so I wouldn’t bet on him retiring any time soon.

Coming off that disappointing defeat at Wimbledon, Fed finds himself with much to prove at this U.S. Open. He arrives at Flushing Meadows with the role of spoiler back on his shoulders – not the spoiler of fans, as he was for his decade, but once again spoiler of the draw. Not many pundits are not giving the Swiss legend much of a chance, but the man is still the gold standard for the “golden era” of men’s tennis. The fact that Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, and Nadal are still in the primes of their respective illustrious careers doesn’t give many other men much of a chance, but Fed is not another man, he is a tennis demi-god. Until that gorgeous one-handed backhand, that impeccable court movement, that flair for creativity, and that overbearing forehand retire from the game with him, Fed will continue to spoil in every way. Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone, but with Federer it isn’t hard to see we’ve got a legend. Keep spoiling us with your tennis artistry, Roger, we promise to enjoy every moment.

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Simply Isner

Posted on August 18, 2013 | 2 comments

With Andy Roddick’s announcement that he would retire from tennis after the 2012 U.S. Open, American men’s tennis seemed in a world of trouble. With no heir apparent, the mantle of top U.S. dog found itself alone on the broad shoulders of a lanky giant. John Isner was not unknown, but perhaps his most famous moment was the longest professional match in history against Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon in 2010. Suddenly, by default, Isner found himself in the most prominent position of his career, not by some personal victory, but by another player’s career decision.

Isner was a late bloomer. He didn’t turn pro in his teens, forgoing the circuit for a four year career at the University of Georgia. As a Bulldog, Isner was an All-American and a national champion, but collegiate success does not generally lend itself to a hyper-successful pro career. However, Isner has one thing that most tennis players – pro or not – don’t have: a 6’10” frame.

Currently the second tallest player on tour (Ivo Karlovic is 2cm taller), Isner has turned that height into perhaps the best serve in the game today. The pace and angles that his height affords has made for a relatively simple style of play: serve big and hope your forehand creates some break opportunities.

That recipe has made him a staple in the Top 25, and even allowed a brief time in the Top 10. But though the height and frame makes his serve great, to this point in his career it has stymied the growth of the rest of his game. Because of the massive talent on the tour, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, and the rest, Isner has been exposed at times, being forced to lumber around the court.

Isner’s matches offer an interesting juxtaposition, both tactically and physically. His prowess on serve combined with his struggles in the return game leads to a lot of holds on both sides. The marathon match against Mahut was actually just an exaggeration of the rule, not the exception, for Isner. The drawn out play takes more of a toll on the big fella that it does on most of his opponents, and because Isner is so attuned to his strengths and weaknesses, the matches become even further exaggerated the longer they play out: Isner putting his energy in his serves, and then conserving it on returns.

To this point, that style has allowed Isner to pull off some huge upsets, while too often falling to some lesser opponents. This past week in Cincinnati demonstrated why he can compete with the best, and even with his fantastic play illustrated some of the weaknesses of the power game.

A three day run of beating Top 10 players is impressive. When one of those players is Djokovic, it makes it all the more so. Isner did that this week thanks to that big serve and some timely forehands. And what did he get rewarded with? That would be a date with the scorching hot Rafael Nadal. Isner played about as well as he could today. He didn’t face a single break point in the match, but eventually lost in both tie breaks. Though he played well, the match was a nut-shell for Isner. He didnt have many chances, and Nadal’s well rounded game saw most prolonged rallies fall the Spaniard’s way. But Nadal was also almost hopeless on Isner’s serve. With a few minor improvements to his ground game and court movement (easier said than done considering his size), Isner probably would have taken this match, and the Western and Southern title along with it.

With those adjustments there is no reason Isner should not be a fixture in the Top 10 himself. His serve and forehand give him the ability to go on impressive streaks. At this point it’s about limiting the dips in energy and focus that make him susceptible. After a tough first half of the season that saw Isner deal with the injury bug, the big man has put himself in a great position heading into the U.S. Open next week. Realistically a semi-final birth would be more than even Isner could hope for, but if he serves big and is aggressive on the returns it is very concievable that result is in his future. He will never be as good as Roddick maybe, and won’t challenge for a number one ranking anytime soon, but for Isner and his simple power, the big boy title in U.S. tennis is a mantle he deserves in every way.

Notes:

Seven of the fourteen sets Isner played this week went to a tiebreak.

Isner defeated Raonic, Djokovic, and Del Potro in consecutive days.

With his runner-up finish, Isner rises to fourteenth in the world and receives a top sixteen seeding for the Open.

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