Preview: Indian Wells 2015

It's time for one of my favourite tournaments on tour! The desert oasis of Indian Wells is so popular among players and the fans. The tournament always seeks to improve and provide an even better week and a half every year. As usual, all of the top players arrive in Indian Wells fresh and ready as it's the first masters tournament of the season.

There's a lot of great play right now, so there is sure to be tough competition. Let's analyse the main contenders on the mens side.

Djokovic- defending champion and hard court genius, Novak always performs well in this tournament. After winning the Australian Open against Murray, he's in great form. However, a loss in the Dubai final to Federer shows he's not unstoppable. For sure I can see Novak reaching the semi finals or further.

Winning Percentage- 86%
Best result- Win 2008, 2011, 2014.
Last Title- Australian Open 2015.

Federer- coming off the back of a win in Dubai, Roger's also in great form. He's healthy and constantly improving after a successful 2014. He started the season well and has picked up 2 titles so far this year.

Winning Percentage- 83%
Best result- Win 2004, 2005, 2006, 2012.
Last Title- Dubai Tennis Championships 2015

Nadal- a comeback from injury in the second half of 2014 has been wobbly at times, but Rafa's results are improving every tournament. His form is still questionable, but if anybody can rise to a challenge, it's Rafa. The slower hard court and dry heat help Rafa's game substantially.

Winning Percentage- 85%
Best Result- Win 2007, 2009, 2013
Last Title- Argentina Open 2015

Murray- a great season started with reaching the final of the Australian Open. It's the first time since he's really been at his best level of tennis for a while. Andy is motivated at the moment and is hoping to get off to a great start in California.

Winning Percentage- 69%
Best Result- Final 2009
Last Title- Valencia Open 2014.

The big four are the main contenders in my eyes, but it's very likely that there will be a dark horse. I'm very excited. The mens draw is out.

As I'm a Rafan, of course I'm a little more positive than some others may be about his chances. He still has doubts over his form but that's normal after a comeback. Rafa is healthy and improving every match, so I really think he has a great chance at having a successful tournament. Rafa always really enjoys Indian Wells so that also helps as he's likely to be more relaxed. A win in Buenos Aires will have improved his confidence too. There are lots of good signs, so I'm hopeful.

Rafa's potential route to the final (optimistic) is as follows;

1st Round Bye
2nd Round- Igor Sijsling
3rd Round- Donald Young
Round of 16- Gilles Simon
Quarterfinal- Milos Raonic
Semifinal- Roger Federer
Final- Novak Djokovic

Have a wonderful tournament everybody, I can't wait.

Vamos.

ATP Finals 2014

The last of the players have qualified, and we're now just a few days away from the last tournament of the year, the ATP World Tour Finals at the 02, London.

The top 8 to qualify are as follows;

1. Djokovic
2. Federer
3.Wawrinka
4. Nishikori
5. Murray
6. Berdych
7. Raonic
8. Cilic


There are a few new faces in the field this year, Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic.

As you know, Rafa withdrew due to his appendectomy, so this gave one extra spot to the 9th in the race.

David Ferrer narrowly missed out on a spot by losing to Nishikori in the QF of the Paris Masters, it is the first time in 5 years he has not completed the race to London.

This year we've had the breakthrough of Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic- who won the US Open. It's been an interesting year to watch, hopefully that will carry on in London.

The draw for the tournament sorts the players into two groups A and B.

GROUP A

Djokovic
Wawrinka
Berdych
Cilic


GROUP B

Federer
Murray
Raonic
Nishikori


Some may argue (including me) that it's one of the most uninteresting line ups we've seen for a while, with Rafa and David gone. It's a different situation with the new generation creeping in as we don't know if they're going to bring excitement or just make us miss Rafa and David even more…

What are your thoughts on the lineup?
Who will win the ATP World Tour Finals Title in 2014?


@rafanadaladdict

A Lot Is On the Line | Paris + Rankings

Today is quarterfinals day in Paris, and one of the last chances to grab hold of those crucial ranking points. The last masters tournament of the year leads to the ATP World Tour Finals. Players are desperately trying to grab hold of last minute ranking points to make it to London. The race is on.

Murray grasped hold of a spot in the top 8 by beating Grigor Dimitrov in the 3rd Round in a fantastic performance. Andy has had a great end to the season so far, winning in Vienna and Valencia. He will play Novak Djokovic in a battle to reach the semi finals.

David Ferrer wants a spot, but he must make the final of Paris to guarantee his place in London.

Milos Raonic is also very close, he is currently number 10 in the race, and must do better than David Ferrer in the tournament to overtake in the race. Beating Federer in the QF was a huge boost, lifting him higher in the race.

Due to Rafa's withdrawal, the top 9 will qualify, not the top 8. This gives the players further down the race a lifeline. The race is so incredibly close at the moment. You can keep track of the live race here: http://live-tennis.eu/race

The end of year number 1 spot is up for grabs. Djokovic and Federer are very close, 490 points apart. Federer has managed to rise up the rankings at the end of the year, helped by Rafa's huge loss of points due to absence. However, Federer's loss to Raonic sets him back further for reaching that top spot…

A title in Paris is now so important for Djokovic and end of year world number 1.

It's all about numbers at the end of the season. Lot's of matches are becoming so much more important, players want the win that little bit more, especially those who are trying to grab on to as many points as possible.

Who will make it to London? Who will end the year as number 1?

An exciting few days in Paris await…


@rafanadaladdict

Rafa + The Australian Open

I've surely made it clear by now that next year one of my goals on behalf of Rafa is him winning the Australian Open. Obviously we can't do anything about that, its up to him, but I'm pretty sure it's in the back of his mind too.. After the washout 2014 and disaster Australian Open final, its about time we watch Rafa bite another trophy down under.

If Rafa wins the Australian Open again some time (ideally 2015), he would be the proud owner of 15 slam titles, just 2 away from Federer. I want to see him win in Melbourne, as I wasn't around for the first time in 2009.

Rafa has had bad luck so many times at the Australian Open, its like a cursed tournament for him. Let's take it back to the start, and re-live the good and the bad Australian Open moments…


2004

Rafa reached the third round, losing to Lleyton Hewitt in three sets. This was Rafa's first Australian Open appearance.

2005

Rafa improved in Melbourne by one match, this time he still lost the Lleyton Hewitt, but in the fourth round. 

2006

This was the first time Rafa missed the Australian Open, due to his foot injury. 

2007

Progress was still being made for Rafa. In 2007 he reached the quarterfinals beating Murray along the way, he lost to Fernando Gonzalez. 

2008

It just kept getting better for Rafa (his outfits certainly weren't however!) In 2008 he reached the semi finals, but he was beaten by Jo Wilfried Tsonga. 

2009

All the hard work finally paid off! After years of trying, Rafa finally won the Australian Open 2009! He breezed through the early rounds, but in the semi finals playing Verdasco, the match lasted 5 hours 14 minutes, the second longest match ever at the Australian Open. In the final he played a familiar face, Roger Federer, who he beat in 5 sets. 

2010

Rafa was put under pressure being defending champion in 2010. He reached the quarterfinals where he played Andy Murray. In the third set Rafa retired 3-0 down due to pain in his right knee. This was where it seriously all began… the long road of knee injuries. 

2011

After a fantastic 2010, including 3 grand slams, Rafa was aiming to win 4 majors in a row. He reached the quarterfinals where he played his friend and fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer. Unfortunately, Rafa suffered a hamstring injury early in their match and therefore lost in straight sets. Rafa's grand slam streak had ended. 

2012

Rafa was having a successful 2012 in Australia. He reached the final beating Berdych and Federer along the way. Rafa had reached the final of all 4 slams consecutively. In a 5 hour 53 minute final (the longest grand slam final ever) Rafa was beaten by Djokovic in 5 sets. An incredible effort, but not enough. 

2013- A 7 month left knee injury layoff included missing the Australian Open. A very difficult time for Rafa and his fans. 2013 was a Rafa-less Australia Open, due to a stomach virus. We had to wait for the return...

2014

In 2014 Rafa played a fantastic tournament, reaching the final and again, beating Federer along the way. He was all set to play Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. In the practice at the start of the match, Rafa felt slight pain in his lower back, but carried on. Gradually as the match progressed it started to get increasingly painful, even to the point he was wincing in agony, and could hardly hit the ball. He refused to retire. Booing from the crowd and outrage from Stan added to the heartbreak of the situation. By far the worst moment I've ever had to experience with Rafa. A very unlucky tournament.

(Sorry for making you sad for looking at this picture)

9 years of the Australian Open, and we have won once. It's about time we add to the trophy cabinet. This year was so awful and heartbreaking, that I want to make up for it. 

That's the goal, a 2nd Australian Open title. I'm sure Rafa and his fans would all love that.

No pressure, Rafael…

@rafanadaladdict

RAFA'S RETURN!

Attention all tennis fans! I'm sure you've noticed a huge gap in our sport for the last 3 months… Rafa. It's been almost 12 weeks without him, and a lot's happened since. Tsonga won Toronto, Li Na retired, and Marin Cilic won a grand slam. Some crazy stuff's happened.

Every day of the summer I've been keeping my fingers crossed for good news. There's been bad news, potential good news, rumours and all, but I can now confidently say: Rafa's coming home.

I'm absolutely ecstatic. It's been an emotional few weeks.


On 15th September, Toni Nadal said that 'Rafa's backhand is on 80%. He will be ready for Astana, Beijing and Shanghai. The rest of the season will stay as planned' It happened to be my birthday on that day, and you know what? Best birthday present EVER.

(I've waited a few days before I released this news just to make sure it's reliable and official. What Toni announces is normally accurate, but I didn't want to give anyone false hope.)

Rafa's been hitting an increasing number of powerful 2 handed back hands, and it's been a while since he's been seen with the splint. The recovery obviously took longer than we expected, but this is Rafa remember, his body doesn't like to recover quickly…!

First Rafa will play an exhibition match in Astana, Kazakhstan against Tsonga on 25th September at 7pm. That's 2pm GMT.

Next it's Beijing. Starting on 29th September, the ATP 500 tournament should be a good practice before Shanghai and Paris.

Rafa has lost a lot of ranking points to widen the gap between himself and Djokovic, and Federer is very close behind. However, Rafa has very little points to defend in Asia, so if he can play to a good level, hopefully he can try to secure the end of year number 2 ranking. (Roger is number 2 in the race currently.)

Health is the most important thing. All I want right now is for Rafa to be back on tour, playing pain free, and it looks like that will happen.

I'm so incredibly excited to see him back on court very soon.

Get ready everyone, the king's returning.

US Open Men's Final- Preview

Wow! Who expected that?! It's a Nishikori vs Cilic US Open final! 

For the first time in 12 years, a top 10 ranked player will not be in the final of a grand slam, and for the first time since 2005, a member of the big four will not be in the final. 

Some crazy stats, but these two have certainly deserved this opportunity. They both knocked out the top seeds in the semis. Nishikori beat Djokovic in 4 sets, and Cilic charged through Federer in 3. Both the semi finals were shocking, but highly entertaining.

It's not often that we see something like this. Also, the answer is yes, Nadal fans are very happy!

Kei came into the semi finals with tough wins, beating players such as Raonic and Wawrinka. He came through the match with Milos with a five set win over four hours. Kei's body does let him down, but it certainly didn't in that match. He's been determined all tournament, and beating Novak Djokovic 6-4 1-6 7-6 (4) 6-3 in the QFs certainly helps. 

Kei outclassed Novak, he was simply too good. Novak won the 2nd set and it seemed like he was on track to take the match, but Kei was calm, confident and managed to bring it back. A gruelling tiebreak wasn't even enough to put him off. Very impressive. 

Marin was simply outstanding. His tennis was absolutely perfect. His serves were huge,  but his returns were just as good. His forehands really dominated, and some great shots were coming off that racket. Federer didn't exactly play badly, but Marin was error free, he played the match of his life. Cilic dominated Federer 6-3 6-4 6-4. He was just so impressive, he was calm and confident, like a true professional. Almost half of the points he won were straight winners. Amazing. 



The final is obviously not what everyone expected, but it's sure to be a great match. Both are playing well, they both have determination. I think Marin had a slightly easier match, Federer wasn't playing quite as well as Djokovic, but thats because he didn't get an opportunity to. Kei really battled hard, and thats sure to give him so much confidence in the final. It comes down to a battle over power and agility. Marin's big serves and powerful groundstrokes may just overwhelm Nishikori. 

My prediction- If Cilic can display the same error free game as he did against Federer, I think he may just win his first grand slam title!

US Open- Week 1

We're already half way through the last grand slam of the year. Hasn't it gone fast?! So far the tournament has been pretty interesting. I can't feel like I can totally enjoy the open this year for me, due to Rafa not being here. The tournament is defiantly lacking that excitement that he brings. However, i'm sure there are some excellent matches to come.

The top mens seeds are playing well. Novak seems to have snapped out of whatever was causing his earlier struggles in Toronto and Cincinnati. Roger is playing very well, I'm impressed by Berdych too, he did well to come through a very tough 2nd round with Klizan.

Dimitrov is playing very comfortably this week, he's into the 4th Round with good wins so far. All straight sets apart from his 3rd Round with Goffin.

I'm feeling very proud of Robredo this week too. 32 years old and still hanging around, proving that experience prevails over young gun Kygrios. Tommy is now into the 4th Round, after fighting through 3, 4 and 5 set matches.

Raonic survives so far, after a very tough match against Estrella Burgos in Round 3. He won in straights, but needed 3 tiebreaks to pick up the win. He will play Nishikori next, who has been playing well.

David Ferrer was beaten by Gilles Simon in a 4 setter in the 3rd Round. David had been struggling all week and it seemed like his body finally got the better of him. His back was taped, and he looked unwell to me. Unfortunate.

Andy Murray is still in the running, he has had a few struggles so far, especially in his 4 set match vs Haase in Round 1. He's still here though, and playing with determination.

Thiem played Gulbis, who he beat in 5 sets. Ernests was not in a good physical condition, he needed treatment on his back, and his knee was feeling the pressure as well as his head. Dominic Thiem was great though, he kept plugging away and was rewarded in the end. He beat Lopez in straight sets in Round 3.

After this first week on the men's side, we know that Novak is back to normal, and will most likely have a very good run in New York. He's winning easily in straight sets, and the doubts seem to have floated away. It's not a confirmed win yet though. The draw is becoming interesting…

When it comes to the women's draw, it's been a little more interesting. The first top seed to go, was Radwanska. Simona Halep is also out. She's battled hard this week, but Lucic-Baroni prevailed in Round 3, only to be beaten by Sara Errani in the next round.

Wozniacki is looking very good, she had a very comfortable win over Petkovic in the 3rd round. She also beat Sharapova to reach the QFs. She has been playing excellently this week.

Serena is playing fabulously again, having comfortable straight sets wins over all American opponents! Venus was not so happy however, she lost her 3rd Round match to Sara Errani.

The young women's players are really impressing at this grand slam. 15 year old Cici Bellis famously knocked out Cibulkova in round 1, but couldn't back up the victory.

Belinda Bencic, another rising star took out Kerber and Jankovic.

Aleksandra Krunic, the 21 year old Serbian, has taken out Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova so far. Her play is impressive, and we're likely to see a lot more of her in the future.

I'm interested to see how the rest of the tournament goes, who knows what else will happen?! If I've missed any players- sorry! Have a wonderful week everyone, enjoy the open.

@rafanadaladdict

US Open Preview

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great week.

Obviously I was reluctant to writing this blog post. Writing a pre tournament preview is always interesting, but with Rafa gone, it suddenly becomes more of a chore. However, I'm still going to give my verdict to all of the non Rafa fans out there (probably not many that follow me!).

The US Open is less than a week to go. I've already spilled out all my thoughts about Rafa's absence (see my previous post) but I'm going to try and enjoy it the best I can. It's still the last grand slam of the year, and a huge tournament.

I should probably add, for a few days I will be in New York. Unfortunately I'm not visiting the open, but I'll not be posting any blog posts for those 5 days. Apologies in advance.

Let's get on with the post! Time to analyse some players…!

Djokovic

Toronto and Cincinnati were incredibly disappointing tournaments for Novak. Out in the 3rd Round in BOTH. That's early exits in hard court masters… not something we see very often from Djokovic. I think the main issue was with his mental state. What he wanted to do with his body, his mind didn't let him. It was a very strange thing to watch. Obviously we're not sure what the issue is, but Novak's confidence will surely have plummeted. Having said that, we're used to top players making comebacks, so who knows what will happen. But Novak is no Rafa, can he snap out of it quick enough? With many rounds to play and 5 set matches, I would be surprised if he had another early exit in this slam. He'll either drop out early or go far.

Federer

Finalist of Toronto and winner of Cincinnati, Fed's having a good hard court season. With no Rafa or Novak to stop him, Rog got lucky. Having said that, he's still playing well. He isn't playing consistently in some matches, such as the Cincy final and that wash over 2nd set, but when he's playing well, he is really good. I'm interested to see how he performs at the US Open. I defiantly think that top contenders would be Novak, Rafa and Roger (before the injury), so with Rafa out and Novak questionable, Roger has a big chance, defiantly.

To be honest with you, I'm pretty confident either one of them will win, but there are still some underdogs.

Tsonga

We can't rule out Jo! He's showed us he has what it takes to succeed on hard courts, after winning Toronto, but can he rise up to the challenge on the big stage? He can succeed and knock out top players at slams. If his body and mind are perfect, I wouldn't put it past him. He could really give the top guys a challenge.

Dimitrov

Grigor has a lot of potential, there's no doubt about that. He's determined to succeed, and that could give him a boost in this slam. Personally, I'm not sure if he will be up there with winning a slam yet, but he's on the right track. With Rafa out, his path does open up. A quick gush of wind can pick Dimi up and whisk him right on track… can he handle it?

Ferrer

I love David, I really do. He was a finalist in Cincinnati and gave Roger a tough time out there. He has incredible mental stability and never gives up, not on the same par as Rafa, but similar. You wouldn't think of David to win a hard court slam, but again with Nadal gone, another opportunity opens. Let's see what happens!


You can see the trend here, right? Our Rafa is injured, so thats a big top guy out. If Rafa wasn't injured, I could see him grabbing the title, defiantly. I'm actually quite intrigued to see what happens. There isn't a standout top guy for me at the moment… I think Roger and Novak are on par. It all depends on whether Novak can sort himself out before next week. We'll see…

Enjoy the tournament, Rafans. (Well try to anyway.) I'm sending out support to you all during this injury break, we've got through it once, we can do it again.

Grace x

Rafa out of US Open

Sorry that I'm releasing this news late. It's taken me a while to get my head around this. Today at 2pm GMT, Rafa announced via Facebook his decision to withdraw from the US Open 2014. The full statement is below.

I am very sorry to announce I won’t be able to play at this year’s US Open a tournament on which I’ve played 3 consecutive finals in my last participations. I am sure you understand that it is a very tough moment for me since it is a tournament I love and where I have great memories from fans, the night matches, so many things… Not much more I can do right now, other than accept the situation and, as always in my case, work hard in order to be able to compete at the highest level once I am back.

The news is obviously very disappointing for Rafa fans. However, I had a feeling that this news was coming. First he postponed the decision further, which I presume was due to unsatisfactory test results, and then he was still practicing with a splint even today. 

No Rafa = No tennis.

The news was not a shock, but it still hit me harder than I though it would. The North American hard court masters withdrawals were bad enough, but having to withdraw from the USO was devastating. Rafa will lose 2,000 points as he was defending champion.

This affects the rankings. Over the last 3 tournaments, Rafa was defending champion in all of them, so he will lose 4,000 points overall. This closes the gap between Rafa and Roger. 

The number 1 priority is health, of course. I do not want him playing until he is pain free, and he doesn't want to either. It's been a very unlucky year, first we had the issue with the back at the start of the year. Then, around RG and Wimbledon, his health was getting to a point where it wasn't an issue. All of a sudden the wrist injury occurred. 

The return has not yet been assigned a date, the only thing we can go by is 'soon'. I am confident that he will return for the Asian Hardcourt Swing. However, we cannot predict. I'm not saying that this injury is on the same scale as the knee, but its the same kind of issue. The recovery looks quick at first but there are complications, and more tournaments can get cancelled as time goes on. Rafa is still practising hard, so i doubt the injury layoff will be that long. 

Rafans reacted today, and the feeling is mutual. We are all disappointed, but we agree that health is the most important thing. 

For me personally this is disappointing because I am due to fly out to NYC this weekend. Unfortunately I will not be visiting the Open, but I did my research, and it turns out Rafa and I would be staying in the same hotel (well, very likely to be.) A selfish part of me is disappointed about that, but the whole picture shows that it is not the thing to focus on. 

We now have to wait for Rafa's return… once again. We know that injury makes Rafa stronger, 2013 anyone? The back injury earlier this year was an exception, but that is likely because it occurred in the middle of a slam final… 

Keep strong Rafans, its not an easy time for us, but together we will support each other and come through it stronger, just like Rafa.

Love to you all. 

Grace x

@rafanadaladdict

Cincinnati Masters Preview

Toronto was an entertaining tournament with an unexpected winner. Tsonga played an incredible tournament, beating Djokovic, Murray, Dimitrov and Federer back to back. I was blown away with how well he was playing, a well deserved win.

Out with the old, In with the new.

I feel almost upset writing this preview. The emptiness I feel is almost unbearable. Rafa is still on injury break, and there's a minimum of 2 weeks to go until we see him on court again. However, the tournaments still go on, now it's time for the Western and Southern Open.

Djokovic had a very poor run this tournament. Out in the 3rd round to Tsonga, and not just beaten, thrashed. He struggled to win his opener against Monfils too. Critics put the flop down to the overwhelming effect of his wedding, but lets be honest, the world number 1 should have still been able to cope. His chances of winning in Cincinnati may be slightly lowered now, but he has the experience to fight back. It'll be interesting to see how he copes.

Federer had a good run in Toronto, reaching the final. He played well all tournament, but not brilliant. The final was messy, and it's not the usual Federer I'm used to seeing. Let's not count him out though, he has the talent and experience to improve just in time. This time though, I'm not picturing a win.

Murray was another victim of Jo's. He played well in my opinion, Jo just played out of this world. With Rafa not involved and Novak's form questioned, he could very much be a contender for the title.

Tsonga! Last week I didn't expect to be featuring him in this preview, but he surprised us. I've always been a fan of Jo, and this win was incredibly well deserved. Who knows what more he can do? Jo is in the running for a follow up title. Maybe this time the others will be a little more cautious though…

Dimitrov had a good run too. He reached the semi finals in Toronto, but was another victim of Tsonga. (By the way, I can't believe what I'm writing!) I thought he played well this tournament, he fought well. His difficult match with Anderson in the QF left him physically and mentally fatigued, so with a few days rest, he could potentially be a title winner. However, he's just missing the touch that sets him apart from the top guys.


They're my picks! Novak, Roger, Andy, Jo and Dimitrov are my selection for potential Cincinnati winners.



Stay strong Rafans, remember the big decision whether he will play US Open or not will be made on Tuesday. I will be glued to my twitter, so if you want to hear the news first, follow me @rafanadaladdict. Blog posts will be updated as soon as the news is out.

The Decision! Rafael Nadal Wrist Injury Update- 8th August

Hope you all are having a lovely day, we have news!

Rafa has been practicing this week with his splint on, and has been practicing an increasing number of serves and one handed backhands- good news.

After his practice with Dusan Lajovic in Manacor today, he did a quick interview for IB3. He said that he has another medical test in Barcelona with Dr Cotorro next week, said to be on Tuesday. They will then make the decision whether to play at the US Open. If Dr Cotorro is satisfied with the progress of the wrist's recovery, he will be playing at the last grand slam of the year at the end of the month!

Exciting news, fingers crossed until Tuesday! Any other important updates will be displayed here on my blog, and on my twitter @rafanadaladdict.

Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic: A Statistical Comparison

(This article was written on the 28th July 2014. All statistics are as of this time.)

Both Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are hugely successful stars of the ATP tour. Both have achieved incredible feats during their career and I hope, will continue to do so. Djokovic is current number 1 (July'14) but that top spot has been flicking between the two players since 2010. I find their rivalry fascinating as they're both the two top players at the moment, but if you dig a little deeper you'll see there are a lot of major differences in their achievements. Luckily you don't have to do the rifling through record books and ranking histories, because I've done it for you! Enjoy!

Let's start where it all began. Rafa turned pro in 2001, Djokovic in 2003. The players are exactly 10 months and 12 days apart, but even if they were the same age, Rafa would still have turned pro at least 1 year earlier.

First ATP title.

Rafa: Orange Prokom Open, August, 2004
Novak: Dutch Open, after Wimbledon in 2006.

First Slam

Rafa: Roland Garros 2005
Novak: Australian Open 2008

Rafa has won 14 slams to date, including 9 French Open titles. Rafa Nadal is the only player in history to win at least one grand slam title every year for 10 years.

Novak has won 7 slams to date. He is the only Serbian player to win a Grand Slam title.

The Rankings

Rafa first turned number 1 in 2008, beating Roger Federer in the Wimbledon Final before a Rogers Cup Title. He was only 21 years old.

Novak first turned number 1 in 2011, at Wimbledon (which he later won). 2011 was Novak's dream season, 3 grand slam titles, 5 masters and his first claim of number 1.

Rafa: 142 weeks at no.1  (so far)
Novak: 102 weeks at no.1  (so far)

Masters 1000

One of the most important tournaments of the year are the Masters 1000. There are 9 masters per year (2014).

Rafa has won 27 masters, runner up to 13 of them.
Novak has won 19 masters, runner up to 10.

When both Rafa and Novak participate in Masters events, either one of them had won every tournament during 2012, 2013 and most of 2014. Exception- Wawrinka Monte Carlo 2014.
This shows just how dominant the two players are.

Olympics

2008 Beijing Olympics
Rafa- Gold
Novak- Bronze

Davis Cup

Rafa: Win (2004, 2008, 2009, 2011)
Novak: Win (2010)

World Tour Finals

Rafa: Final (2010, 2013)
Novak: Win (2008, 2012, 2013)

Win/Loss Career Record

Rafa: 702-137
Novak- 580-136

ATP Titles

Rafa: 64
Novak- 45

Winning Streak

Rafa: 81 on clay. From April 2005 to May 2007. Ended by Roger Federer.
Novak: 43. December 2010 to May 2011.

Winning Percentage

Rafa has a winning percentage against every active player in the top 30.

Rafa leads Novak 23-19
Rafa has a winning percentage over Novak- 54.76%


What I find fascinating about these facts, is that Nadal achieved so much at a young age. In 2006 Novak won his first ATP title, Rafa won his second slam title. In the overall question of 'greatest of all time', you can see that Rafa is safely ahead of Novak in that debate in terms of statistics.

I've really enjoyed researching these statistics, and I hope you've found this post interesting. It's great to dig a little deeper, and explore the depths of ATP tennis. If you have any requests of who you would like me to compare, let me know!


@rafanadaladdict


Thank you SO much for the support so far, I'm loving writing blog posts for you guys!

What's Next For Rafa?

With another season of tennis coming to an end, it's time for the US Hard court swing. Rafa won all (yes, all,) titles in the US last year. He will defend 4000 points in Toronto, Cincinnati and the US Open. Rafa's got his work cut out, but after a long rest at home with family and friends he'll be as ready as ever.

Novak Djokovic winning Wimbledon results in him regaining the number 1 spot, but its still very close, there's only 460 points between Novak and Rafa. Being number 2 doesn't bother Rafa, and it shouldn't bother us either. Last year, Rafa only gained the number 1 at the ATP world tour finals, so he won 10 tournaments as number 2. Rafa once said 'Number 1 doesn't always win.' and thats exactly right, it doesn't change anything. It gives Rafa a goal, the aim to be back on top. This'll make him work harder.

It's been a good year so far, the obvious highlight being Roland Garros. So far Rafa's picked up 4 titles, can he get some more before the season ends?

Wimbledon Men's Final 2014- OVERVIEW

Wow, that was incredible. The best mens Wimbledon final since 2008. A match full of incredible moments, and that 4th set comeback from the legend that is Roger Federer. PeRFection.

Both players were incredible, Novak fighting and Roger hanging on.

After just under 4 hours, Novak won the championship 6-7 6-4 7-6 5-7 6-4. A scoreline to remember.

Roger won the first set tiebreak, fighting to the end, serving beautifully. The next two sets were won by Novak, he was really firing up, which gave him a lot of ability to produce some breathtaking passing shots. Then, in my opinion, one of the best sets of tennis I've ever seen, the 4th set happened. Novak seemed invincible, gaining championship point. I thought it was all over, but no. On the other side of the next was Roger Federer. Roger won 4 straight games and took the set 7-5.

The whole of centre court was backing the 7 time champion, and when the first 5 set Wimbledon final since 2009 became a reality, the atmosphere was incredible. The 5th set was very close. Roger held at 4-4, saving 3 break points. Novak then won his service game and broke to gain his 7th grand slam title. He then proceeded to eat the grass, which was a little worrying.

An incredible match, which I'm not likely to forget. Novak Djokovic will now overtake Rafa as number 1 so will enter the US hard court swing as the top seed. The rankings are very close however, with only 460 points between them. This is good news for Rafa fans however, as there is still only 3 slams to 'catch up' on to equal Federer's slam record. Rafa performs equally as good, if not better, as the number 2 seed, so all in all, I'm fine with the situation.

No more grass for another year, now its time for the hard courts. Bring it on. 

2014- The Season So Far

With just an hour to go until the Wimbledon Final, let's look back on the 2014 season so far…

January

We started off the season in Australia.The first title of the year was won by Lleyton Hewitt, in his home country in the city of Brisbane. The title in Doha was won by Rafa, who had a great start to the season. Wawrinka won in Chennai, Del Potro in Sydney, and Isner in Auckland. Then came the first grand slam of the year, the Australian Open. I loved this tournament (well, the first 13 days). There were some great matches, including that thriller where Stan took out Novak. The final was Rafa vs Stan. Most people expected Rafa to come through, although the worst happened. The infamous back injury occurred while Rafa was warming up, and he continued to feel pain throughout, getting massages from trainers. He carried on because he didn't want to disappoint fans or Stan himself, but it was heartbreaking to watch. By far the toughest moment to watch as a Rafa fan myself, who knows how this year would have turned out if the injury didn't occur?

February

After a busy first month, February featured ATP 250 and 500 tournaments. Notable wins included Berdych's title in Rotterdam, Dimitrov's in Acapulco, Federer in Dubai, and Rafa in Rio.

March

Next we had the first of the masters 1000. Indian Wells and Miami, both won by Novak Djokovic. We were back on hard courts, much to Novak fan's delight. It was a busy month, but I felt both tournament lacked a little bit of excitement.

April

Bring on the clay! The 3rd masters of the year was Monte Carlo, won by Wawrinka in a final of the Swiss. Barcelona was won by Nishikori, who played an excellent tournament.

May

This month was where it really picked up for Rafa fans. His back was finally starting to look in better form, although still disrupting the serve. He picked up a title in Madrid and reached the final in Rome, where Djokovic got the title. This month was by far the most stressful, as doubts were raised once again. Could Rafa win Roland Garros again? Or was Djokovic the favourite after the title in Rome? Of course, there was no need to have doubts, as Rafa won his 9th Roland Garros title after a 4 set final with Djokovic.

June

Wimbledon warm ups saw Federer win again in Halle, and Dimitrov at Queens.

So here we are again, after an interesting season so far we're at another Wimbledon final. This year we've seen a lot of injuries so far, Del Potro's been absent, Rafa's had his back injury, Novak's had a wrist injury and Nishikori seems to need a trainer on court almost permanently. It's been interesting. Let's see what the hard court season brings.

Wimbledon Final- Through a Rafa Fan's Eyes

The men's Wimbledon final will be a tough match to watch for Rafa fans. Regardless of who wins, Rafa will be put in a negative position. There's a lot at stake for not just Novak and Roger, but for Rafa too. His current standings will be decided by someone other than himself, that's not something we're used to.

If Djokovic wins, he will become number 1, forcing Rafa to be second best once again. They will still be very close in the rankings, which means Rafa could get back on top if he excels during the US hard court season. However, during the new hard court season Rafa will have to defend a lot of points. Last year he won in Cincinnati, Montreal and New York. To be in with a chance of keeping the number 1 ranking at the end of the year, Rafa will have to hold onto as many points as he can get. If Novak wins, it's going to be just that little bit harder to regain the top spot.

If Federer wins, his grand slam titles will rise to 18, 4 more than Rafa. Roger's Wimbledon titles will rise to 8, just one short of Rafa's 9 Roland Garros titles. This would make it harder for Rafa to equal (or beat) his grand slam record. However, Rafa is only 28, and has many more opportunities to do that. If Rafa wins at least 1 grand slam title a year (which is likely, regarding the French Open) he will equal Federer's record by the age of 32 (Roger's age).

There are a lot of statistics involved, and it's not ideal either way, but one of them has to win. As a Rafa fan, It's hard to decide which option we would prefer, so it's lucky we don't have to. Roger and Novak will do that for us.

If you could choose, who would you like to win Wimbledon 2014?

2014 Wimbledon Men's Final- PREVIEW

Sunday is the day of another Wimbledon final, perhaps the most anticipated match of the year. This year it's Djokovic vs Federer.

I'm very excited, as I'm sure the match will be very tight, and there doesn't seem to be a clear favourite in my eyes.

Novak Djokovic- His Route to the final

Novak's run at Wimbledon so far has featured some pretty dramatic matches. His first match was a straight sets victory over Golubev. Next was Stepanek. I really enjoyed this match, it was a four setter in the end but could have easily gone to 5. Radek's volleys and Novak's returns crafted some exciting points. Gilles Simon was overcome next, and then it was Tsonga. I expected a lot more from the Frenchman but in the end, Djokovic was just too strong. The quarterfinals matchup was against Cilic, another great match. Marin stood his ground well and forced the match to go to 5 sets, impressive. Next was a semi final against Dimitrov, a highly anticipated battle of the young gun vs the experience. As predicted an upset didn't occur, and in 4 sets, the number 1 seed reached another Wimbledon final.

Roger Federer- His Route to the final

Roger has been flawless his Wimbledon, losing only ONE service game. Straight sets wins against Lorenzi, Muller, Giraldo and Robredo got him to quarterfinal. The first 4 rounds for Roger were simply outstanding. They were quick and easy. (Hope not too easy?) Roger's first (and only) challenge was Stan Wawrinka in the quarterfinal, who took a set of Roger, the only person to do so this championship so far, Roger advanced well however. His semifinal was against Raonic, who didn't do enough to even take a break off Roger. The match was one sided and quite boring to be honest. After two weeks of perfection, Roger is through to his 9th Wimbledon final.

Djokovic hasn't been playing his absolute best this tournament, but some challenges have trained him up well for the occasion. Roger has breezed through the rounds, although thats not always a good thing. Maybe Roger needed a few challenges and tricky situations to prepare him for the blockbuster final on Sunday?

What you can't take away from Roger is his Wimbledon record. 7 titles so far, his last one was in 2012. The last couple of years have been far from ideal for Federer but is this another chance to get back to the summit of mens tennis?

We know how consistent Djokovic is, and I'm sure he will bring that to the final this weekend. The combination of Roger's serve and Novak's return will be interesting to see, and they'll be sure to create some great rallies.

The match will be very tight, It's about 51-49 to Roger in my eyes though…!

Prediction- Roger Federer in 5 Sets

The New Generation

There's a lot of talk lately about the new generation of tennis stars. The big 4 have now been around a while, and even though they're not finished yet, a new line of potential stars are emerging. The likes of Dimitrov, Raonic and Dolgopolov have come onto the scene the past year or two and are giving us a LOT of entertainment.

This year's Wimbledon semi finals were Djokovic v Dimitrov and Federer v Raonic. 

The big guys came through and reached the final, but it wasn't without a struggle, especially when envolving Dimitrov. 

I have been incredibly impressed with Grigor Dimitrov. A 23 year old youngster from Bulgaria, challenging Novak Djokovic, the number 1 seed, at his first grand slam semi final. Pretty impressive. Dimitrov only got 1 set off Djokovic, but a 4th set tiebreak saw him come very close to taking another. Some impressive serves and backhand slices were whipped around the court, but Djokovic handled them well, as per usual. A shocking couple of service games told us more about Dimi's inexperience. One game featured 3 double faults IN A ROW. At the moment the difference between the top guys and the challengers is that, the likes of Nadal and Djokovic make mistakes occasionally, not all in one go. 

Dimitrov has a lot to learn, but he defiantly has incredible potential. A future number 1 for sure.

Milos Raonic has been a feature of the ATP tour for a while now, making his first grand slam semi final today against Federer. In true Roger style however, he crafted up a win in straight sets. 

Nick Kyrgios has impressed at this Wimbledon too. He beat Nadal in round 4 in 4 sets and Richard Gasquet. His HUGE serve is his biggest weapon, but perhaps his only weapon. If it was taken away I wonder how those matches would have turned out?

Alexandr Dolgopolov has had some notable matches recently too. He beat Nadal in Indian Wells 2014. With his quick and agile footwork, he can defiantly produce some pretty amazing shots. One to watch.

Ernests Gulbis, number 10 seed emerging onto the scene. He beat Roger Federer in a thrilling French Open match this year, storming up the rankings. 

On the women's side, Eugenie Bouchard has seriously impressed me this year. She's reached semi finals in the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. Yesterday, she set up a 2014 Wimbledon Final with Petra Kvitova. Genie is only 20 years old, and is a new, impressive, fresh faced star of the future, already at a ranking of 13. 

Another WTA that has made a big impact is Simona Halep. Only 22 years old and already number 3 in the rankings. She made it to the Roland Garros final this year, to be runner up to Sharapova. 

The new era of tennis is certainly very exciting, and I can't wait to see how the next few years turn out. However, not so fast kids. Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Murray are not finished yet. With a total of 39 grand slam titles between them, there's no denying the current generation of tennis is one of the best ever. 

Let's see how the next few years pan out, i'm excited.

Grace.