Rafa Enters A Rare Class
by Parsa Samii, GEM Tennis (parsa@gemtennis.com)
New York, US Open — Spanish sensation, world #1 and now 2010 US Open champion Rafael Nadal cements himself in the record books forever. With his 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Serbian Novak Djokovic, Nadal becomes just the 7th player in the history of tennis to win all 4 Grand Slams. This year alone, Nadal has conquered Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open…. and he is only 24 years old.
The tennis in this championship match was played at a very high level. Djokovic, nickname Nole, continually pounded Rafa with his best shots and at moments it looked like Nadal was being pushed outside his comfort zone. The relentless, tenacious, and passionate Nadal refused to succumb to any pressure Djokovic placed on him. Rafa’s solution to difficult moments in the match was to torture his opponent by continually moving the ball around and engaging Nole into heart pounding, fitness testing rallies from the baseline. Many times Djokovic held his own, but the damage had more of a long term effect on the mind, body, and spirit of […]
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My Preview of Nadal/Djokovic — I think a MUST READ!
My Preview of Nadal/Djokovic — I think a MUST READ!
New York, US Open — So the rain has come and the men’s final from yesterday evening has been postponed until this afternoon when almost all of NY, the United States, and the world is at work. It frustrates me that for 3 years in a row I’ve been unable to watch the men’s final live due to my other obligations as a tennis coach here in New York. This year I’m especially upset because this match has all the making to be a true classic.
World #1 Rafael Nadal comes into this match with an eye on a piece of history. Nadal is one of the, if not the greatest competitor alive (Tiger Woods usually would be my #1). His fierce play and relentless pursuit of his goals in the short term (the next point) and the long term (winning) probably have many similarities. Today, Rafa will pursue a historical achievement[…]
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Click the photo to be forwarded to videos of Nadal and Djokovic when they were young. Really interesting!
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This is a crazy photo of Frenchman Gael Monfils taken by Jessica Rinaldi of Reuters. Monfils didn’t play very well in the windy conditions, but he still tried to entertain.
