Predicted Winners in BOLD Juan Martin del Potro vs. Rafael Nadal JMDP won last week in Tokyo and has a longer winning streak than Rafa at the moment. JMDP has had some historical success versus Rafa. His height makes some of Nadal’s high bounding spin a liability for the Spaniard. If JMDP serves bombs and…
Tag: Rafael Nadal
6 October 2013: Quick Hits
Novak Djokovic is still #2 in my Power Rankings (I doubt he cares) and will be #2 in the computer on Monday. Still, Novak has said the right things since the US Open and beat a less than sharp Nadal in straight sets. Still, if Nole is willing to match Rafa’s toughness, I think he…
2013 China Open Final Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) v [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) H2H I think Nole has a good chance of winning, but until Rafa’s winning streak is snappedhe has to be favored. The new world #1 vs. the man he dethroned. This is the match everyone wants to see. My prediction is 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 for Nadal. [1] Serena…
2013 China Open Semifinal Predictions
Predicted Winners in BOLD [4] Tomas Berdych (CZE) v [2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) H2H – I actually do not think Berdych is a bad pick here as he could win, and Rafa is due for a loss. Still, until Rafa loses or his knees look shaky, I think Rafa has to be favored in any match at the moment. [1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) v [5] Richard Gasquet (FRA) H2H – Richard…
44 Majors since 1990 by the Numbers: Roland Garros
Prologue Part 1 of this series looked at how Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have won 44 of the 96 majors held since 1990. If Rafa, Roger and Pete don’t add any majors in 2014, they will have won 44% of the Grand Slam events held since 1990. That is a remarkable accomplishment…
44 Majors Since 1990 by the Numbers: Australian Open
Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam at the 1990 US Open and eventually broke a long standing record for the most Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis in 2000. Sampras added one more slam in 2002 to set his total at 14. Roger Federer broke Pete Sampras’ record in 2009 and tallied an additional…
Tennis Power Ranking 2013: Mallorcan Conquistador
Power Ranking 2013 #12 A lot of movement after 2013’s FInal Grand Slam 1. Rafael Nadal – What can be said. He missed the Australian Open and lost at the first round at Wimbledon. Heck, Rafa has lost 2 clay court matches this year. All of that is true, and Rafa has locked up the…
5 Factors in Nadal’s Win
Rafa got off to a better start. These two players were pretty evenly matched in the second and third sets, but the first set was already in the books. When the 3rd set ended, Rafa had a finish line in sight right as Nole was trying to regroup. Missed break point opportunities hurt Nole badly….
2013 US Open: Men’s Final Live Commentary
I made the mistake of live blogging the 2012 Australian Open final. This time I will just add a few comments here and there as this could go a long time. Watching the US Open feed as my kids are running wild near the television. Nadal doing his OCD thing before the match starts To…
2013 US Open: Men’s Championship Prediction Djokovic vs. Nadal
2013 US Open Men’s Championship 1 Novak Djokovic vs. 2 Rafael Nadal The top two seeds meet in the final of the US Open just as happened in the 2013 Wimbledon championship match. Novak Djokovic has won 24 matches in Grand Slam play in 2013, and Rafa has won 13. Yet, they each have 1…
Tennis Abides: Dan Martin on Tennis and Life 