Fine analysis. Timing is a big factor here, Nadal has a similar game to Hewitt who made it to No. 1 more due the time he peaked rather than a dominating game. I would pick a prime Nadal over a prime Hewitt on any surface. Federer and Djoko, and indeed Tsonga, have more rounded elite level games.

But what is so interesting is that there is still no challenger to Nadal on clay. As his body wears out, he’ll reside himself to the dirt and the French each year, and could possibly still pull out two more titles. Muster comes to mind, he realized to win on clay, he had to skip the Hard Courts. Nadal is realizing this, and will follow suit. Winning the dirt tournaments and doing well at Wimby could keep Nadal at No. 2 for a couple more years.

It seems very interesting to me that American’s love to put their “stars” on pedestals and then quickly knock them down. Is Nadal, (now only 21), just unable to surpass a sluggish Federer, or is it that he now has more competition as of late? Tsonga has been “arriving” with a multitude of injuries. Djokovic has retired or lost many matches and yet his star seems to keep rising (2nd round of Miami comes to mind). Federer doesn’t win everything he enters so of course he is falling from grace at a rapid pace. Nadal hasn’t won a hard court title yet this season and that makes him a has been? I think people give far to much importance on individual tournaments and not enough notice to the whole picture! Nadal won more tournaments than anyone else in 07, won the hardest grandslam in tennis 3 years running (ask Sampras and Federer), all the while beating Federer on clay and taking him to task unlike anyone else on grass. So what if he reached further in at the 08 Australian Open then in previous years, and that the US Open hasn’t seen Nadal at his best. Many great players have a “favorite” surface to play on and the”King of Clay” just happens to win a lot more than your giving him credit. I hope he does make number one, even if it is only for a short period, its obvious that he has the youth, tenacity and ability to prove your article wrong, or at least enjoy his reign at number 2 for many more years to come.

Most likely Nadal could not be Year-End No.1 as Kuerten, but he still get chance for few weeks No.1 as Muster, just if he could keep points on the dirt, reach quarter or semi for some games and play less for other surfaces to keep his body fit. Fed is not in top form this year and it seems he could not win as much games as last year. For Djokovic who needs 1 or 2 years for stable performance. I will pick Nadal will be next No.1, as he is mentally stronger than Djokovic, so he could reach more quarter and semi.

There is no doubt that at the moment Djokovic looks more likely to become No-1 player in the world, but you can not count out Rafa he is amazing player and he can gain enough points on clay to keep him on No-1 for a year. talking about Djokovic he is not mentally and physically fit enough to hold No-1 title for long and mind you he is still to beat Nadal and Federer and their best, only reason he has catched them is because of their poor form this year, but as they say Form is temprory but class is permanent, If Roger and Rafa regained their form then they will rule tennis again. Only reason guys are catching them up is because they are playing bad not rest are playing better. I also believe Rafa will regain his form in Clay Court Season. Where Roger needs a coach to improve his game

Sometimes coach may help, but a suitable one is not easy to find. Roddick, Safin and Hewitt (whose current coach, Tony Roche, is former coach of Fed) all have coach, but the results are not satisfacotry. I am not judging the ability of any coach, but the factors affect the performance of player are complicated. Fed may be need a good doctor more than coach, but who knows. Nevertheless, it is frustrated to see a game which the player loss his game due to playing badly rather than one of them plays it extremely good.

Terrible prediction, I hope he proves you wrong.
If he really does want the #1 spot, he should play Buenos Aires and Acapulco instead of Rotterdam and Dubai, like he did in 2005. But no, he’d rather try and get better on hard courts rather than sweeping up the the clay tournaments in South America. What a cock… He could’ve earned 425 points, instead of 100.

The topic is clearly the most disgusting thing i woulds see ever. it should have been RAFA WILL BE THE NEXT NO.1. Iam just amazed at the fact that how people forget the class and consistency he has shown over years and he is not playing that bad to loso it to djokovic. djokovic has a good run but it is temporary he can not stand it all.

Excellent article and very very accurate.

I only differ on one point. I don’t think either Rafa or Djokovic will be #1. Rafa for the reasons above. I don’t think he can repeat his Wimbledon achievements of the past two years, and also think he will go the way of Hewitt who plays a similair counterpunching game and had a limited stand on the top echelon.

Maybe its the benefit of the Ericsson open result today that makes me say this, but I dont think Djokovic will make it either. I think Federer is playing down to him, rather than he rising to Federers elite level. Also, I don’t think he has the temperament and image to remain cosistently motivated. He rubs me the wrong way - I’m not 100% sure what it is. Maybe I sense false bravado. Even though at times he says the right things, he’s never going to be popular because he seems to lack real grace. Just my opinion.

Federer on the other hand appears to me to have everyone fooled. People are mistaking his calm in losing for a lack of motivation. I call it cunning. Roger has been ill, as well documented, and he is likely just now getting close to 100%. For this reason I think he is accepting results as they happen right now, rely only on his instinct and natural ability in his play rather than trying to gut through it. There is simply no reason for him to battle. Any battling or extra effort just shortens his tennis longevity and he has eyes on the bigger stuff like the French and Wimbledon, and for many years to come.

He’s preserving himself for the big cheese.

I assume that every sportsman at Nadal’s age want to be no.1 rather than just for fun or enjoy the game. Can’t deny that Nadal improve his games in other surfaces last year and I hope he could better this year. Anyway I wish he could keep himself fit and not have injury call in future matches. as exciting matches like the French Open and Wimbledon 2007 are good for big tennis fan!

I hope Nadal will prove everyone wrong by dethrowning Fed from No.1 ranking before Wimbledon..He has better hardcourt results compare to his previous years. Hope he will continue to improve on his serve and will win more cheap points..

True..His physical style of play takes more toll from him, but I think he will eventually change that in coming years..

Is it not funny, that if he wins the French and Wimbledon (which he is capable of doing) that the media will call him one of the best ever? We are talking about a young man who has been # 2 for the last 3 years. This is an extraordinary feat. A man, who does not lose to qualifiers (like Djokovic did in the 2nd round of the Sony Ericsson, as well as pulling out of a Davis Cup match only to play in a singles match three days later) in the first or second round. Could it be that our expectations are a little high? The media is ready to name Djoker the next number 1. While I sincerely hope he is the next number 1, is it not premature to call someone whose light has shined only a few times as compared to Federer or Nadal, whose lights shine bright constantly.

We are talking about a rivalry that is as good as Borg- McEnroe, Sampras- Agassi. The media, including this writer, are quick to judge. Nadal is a competitor who will fight. Much more than we can say about Djoker, who bows out after a weeks worth of hard work.

Aaron,
great post.

These emotional and provocative articles are mostly written to to attract readers. so, I am not bothered by it at all.I rather not speculate and just watch this young man who has brought life and excitement to tennis. Rafa won his first GS a day or two after his 19th birthday. Imagine what this media would have done if Djoko did something like that and kept it up for 3 years.

Rafa has been improving his game . He may or may not be No 1 one day, but he is one of the greatest and will remain one. Both in his game and in his character.

I lean toward Ollie’s assessment of the Federer situation (the bigger picture / longrun). I find it best to forget about making predictions and simply sit back and watch the season unfold. Nothing gutsy or brave about my position, but it does delay the greying of the hair. I’m saving my adrenaline for the big stuff.

Thats funny. Calling a guy who just lost to a qualifier the next No.1? What a joke!

Each player has his own characteristic. If there’s a new Grand Slam in Clay and ATP adjust the Clay season more nicely (note that there’re 2 grand slams on hard and even Masters Cup is hard too), what we will say about Nadal. He’s just 21, he may face many difficults in hard court but don’t consider him as a loser. Many people see him as ridiculous because of his style on court. But the time will come, and Rafa will be the best

yeah.. its too pre-mature to say Nadal will never be No 1. If he keeps producing the results on clay and if the hard-court titles are split between Fed, Djoker and the rest..he certainly has a great chance to become the No 1.. even if he fared on hard-courts as well as 2007. He still has a 1000 point cushion between himself and Djoker.. and Djoker certainly has quite a lot of points to defend after the clay season. So i would rather bet on Nadal to dethrone Fed.

And somehow i dont see Djoker in the same league as Fed and Nadal.

Hi, i am reading this site for a year i guess but i never reply on any of the topics. But i am doing it right now Someone said that all loses Federer had were in matches his not been in top form, haha what a joke. He had lost to Novak at Montreal finals on his top form last year, then won Cincy and then in epic final at us open came away as a winner, but he was more lucky and experienced player than Novak at given point who held set points in both 1 and 2 set and just had stop playing at end of the 3rd set saying to himself on any of his chances during the match that he does not deserve to win if makes stupid mistakes like the ones he did.
Sure he needs consistency like Fed did, but lack of real competitors gave him easy money all these years. I am Serbian and Novak fan but i never liked Fed neither his game nor his personality on court, to lame for me…artificial. Nor i liked Sampras either as for the same reason. I bet that 99 % of people here would note give a credit for almost GOAT for me and that is Agassi as he is the last player who won all 4 GS, 17 Masters, and Olympic games, and his career lasted for almost 20 years, while wining titles from start to the end of his career, and his on court personality is to remarkable as his career. We never seen fed falling from top and getting back to top. His reign as a top player comes to an and and he would hardly get back as he is not used to be in that situation. Giving question upon his last 2 GS titles that he barely get trough. And for sure i think Rafa deserves to get himself to the top spot , and i think there should be more grass tournaments on atp and a few less hard court tournaments proportional.

Ohhh, dont take it to hard on me

Roki - you must be a young one! For the days of grass indeed. But that shall not come our away again. It is just too expensive to maintain etc. and grass was virtually destroyed in the U.S. when the the masters of the sport went first to Har Tru and then to the hard courts for the U.S. Open. Clubs like Westchester Country and Orange Lawn changed many of their courts. (Showing my age here; let’s see who remembers Orange Lawn.)

Anyone have any insights as to why Nadal is playing doubles? If he needs to save his body, playing doubles is contradictory. Perhaps this is his way of sharpening his serve and volley?

Dr Death,
you got it right. He is trying to improve his net game. A year or two ago, he would play mainly from the baseline. Now he is very good at the net and does not fear to come forward when he can. In fact Robert Lansdorp in this month’s tennis magazine has demosntrated Rafa’s drop volley as one of the best.
I think the other reason is to get used to the court conditions.

Thanks for that, Zola. Doubles at that level can really beat up the knees.

It is pleasure to see good points and polite comments here. I think Nadal should play less doubles, it seems the disadvantage is over the advantage now.

Sorry for offtopic
ha ha i am not so young. I know that the grass courts are expensive but atp has enough money to cover that, or they could make some surface that is more flexible and injury free but fast enough like grass something like parquet, Astroturf or taraflex. Or maybe they could just mix it a bit more going from one surface to another because people get bored as each season gets to long. I like every surface but i never played on any other surface other than clay and simple concrete. Almost i forgot to say that they should change that violet color off Madrid masters in mens event it is so painful to watch dahhh…
As for Nadal sake he should not be so respectfull for federer and nice, more like my man Novak does
The whole thing just started and may the best player win

If Nadal never reaches Number 1, it will be because of Federer, not Djokovic leapfrogging over him, especially any time this year. We saw again in Miami how easy it is for Djokovic to inexplicably crap out by losing his first match. And since he won Canada last summer it’s the third time losing far too early has happened to him on a hard court (Cincinnati, Marseille and now Miami). So come April 7th he’ll be another 495 points behind Federer & Nadal. Someone should tell Djokovic this isn’t the right direction to get where he wants to go.

All this post-Australian Open prognostication (which is essentially pro-Djokovic hysteria in disguise) is the basis for this newest wave of chants indicating the Professional Demise of Rafael Nadal (which has incidentally been wrongly chanted for 3 years now, and counting). These prognosticators, such as Guerry Smith, constantly refer to the latest “Hard Court” results as the precursor to this ineveitable Nadal slide down the rankings (and why this surface has become the be-all and end-all measurement of tennis prowess is another issue entirely). But in fact, let’s examine the Nadal/Djokovic results since last Wimbledon through today:

Djokovic: Won Cananda; Cincinnati 2nd Round loss; US Open Final; Won Vienna; Madrid Semi Final loss; Paris Quarterfinal loss; Shanghai Complete Loss (failing to win a single set from anyone); Won Australia; Marseille Round of 16 loss; Dubai Semi Final loss; Won Indian Wells; Miami 2nd Round Loss.

Nadal: Canada Semi Final loss; Cincinnati 2nd Round Retirement; US Open 4th Round Loss; Madrid Quarterfinal Loss; Paris Final loss; Shanghai Semi Final Loss; Chennai Final loss; Australian Open Semi Final loss; Rotterdam Round of 16 Loss; Dubai Quarterfinal loss; Indian Wells Semi Final loss; Miami - still in the tournament.

Laid out this way, the gap between them on hard courts isn’t all that wide in the last 8 months, especially considering it’s Nadal’s lesser effective surface. Djokovic won more tournaments, but also has two more 1st match exits than Nadal. This also shows a telling trend: Nadal demonstrates much more consistency on hard courts than Djokovic does on clay, which is his worst surface.

Djokovic won’t ever dominate the men’s game because he doesn’t have THE Shot, the “weapon” or bankable “go-to” shot that devastates opponents, such as a Sampras Serve or a Federer Forehand (that assessment comes from none other than Paul Annacone, among several others). Djokovic’s strokes are solid and steady (for now), which means his whole game has to hold up every time. He can’t afford any gaps to develop in any of his shots because he doesn’t have “the money shot” to dig him out of trouble. From the time he won the Canada event last summer, here’s the list of names he’s lost to on his favored hard court surface since: Moya, Federer, Nalbandian, Santoro, Ferrer, Gasquet, Nadal, Simon, Roddick, and now Anderson. That’s 10 losses in 9 months on a hard court surface that’s supposed to get him to Number 1 by the end of this year. Uh-huh, OK. To think none of these same guys will pose serious threats to him on hard courts for the rest of this year (or any other year) is wishful thinking, at best.

When you contrast that to Nadal on clay, you get an idea of what real dominance is. He’s played 87 matches on that surface in 3 years and lost 1 match to THE Man, Federer. THAT is dominance. Nadal can dominate on clay to this extent because he has a very serious “weapon”, his forehand. In fact, on clay I’d say his forehand is THE “weapon” in the game today, and that includes Federer. Given this comparison, it’s safe to say that Nadal will be able to consistently go deeper into clay court tournaments than Djokovic will consistently go into hard court tournaments. Nadal truly does dominate his best surface, and Djokovic comes nowhere close to that kind of status on his. Rafa will be able to hold onto the bulk of his ranking points far more consistently.

All of which will put Guerry Smith’s thesis to the test, especially this year. Djokovic is the one with it all to do to make any gains in 2008, simply because he’s put himself into a position of having to defend a lot of ranking points over a huge chunk of the calendar - his opportunities to make any gains are limited. He has some opportunities to gain during a part of the clay season, but it’s his worst surface. He’ll need to get past the Quarters in Monte Carlo, Rome and Hamburg - plus get past the Semis at the French (and Wimbledon) to pick up any points from 2007. If he doesn’t, he’ll only lose points.

And I disagree wholeheartedly with the assumption Nadal was somehow lucky to reach 2 Wimbledon Finals. He did so because the grass today is much different than when someone like Sampras dominated there. The ball now sits up much better and therefore doesn’t die on the dirt-patches like it used to, and it doesn’t whip through the court like it does on a slick US Open style hard court (and this state also explains why Federer doesn’t Serve & Volley on Wimby’s grass anymore - too many guys get a good shot at a pass precisely because the ball sits up more). Since Nadal is one of THE best movers out there, he’s able to get himself into a position to hit his forehand on offense rather than having to hit it on defense - which is what can happen to him on a fast hard court. His foes at Wimbledon have a tougher time “hitting through” his forehand with the consistency they can on a fast hard court. And his lefty serve is helped considerably by the grass. That’s why Rafa is so successful at SW19. But I digress…

Nadal in the post-Wimbledon season has only a handful of points to defend, and therefore has the most room to gain. He actually can be in the catbird seat come summer by turning into the tour’s Steady Eddie - just keep doing on hard courts what he has been doing for years. If he manages to go as deep into the clay season (which seems a real safe bet), and hold onto a solid run at Wimbledon (another good bet), the pressure on Federer & Djokovic to maintain their numerous post-Wimbledon points will be enormous, and far more so for Djokovic than Federer, given how many guys have taken down Djokovic on hard courts in the last 9 months. If Federer can get his physical health back to full speed by this point (which he should), then Number 1 should stay his for the near term future. Nadal WILL get to Number 1 one day, and it will be when Federer starts to lose more often (which can happen with more frequency these days). Nadal will have less to fear from Djokovic by the end of this year in terms of ranking points. If anything, Djokovic is far more likely fall further behind these two rather than make any serious gains on them.

Voicemale,

This is an interesting and balanced analysis. It’s tough to say who’ll get to no.1 next and frankly I’d like to see Rafa have some time there, as he deserves it, and Djoko too as I like them both.

You did say this, though: “Nadal demonstrates much more consistency on hard courts than Djokovic does on clay, which is his worst surface.”

And I’d just ask you to re-examine Djoko’s clay season last year:

M.Carlo 07 - R16
Estoril - champ
Rome - quarters
Hamburg - quarters
RG - semis

Out of 5 tournaments, he lost before the quarter finals only once, and I believe it was to Ferrer (not sure though). So if this is his “worst” surface, then he doesn’t do too badly on it! In fact, it’ll be interesting to see in he can maintain or better these results this year.

As you and others have already pointed out, consistency is key!

BTW, did you see the semi between Djoko and Rafa at IW? I think you were going down to the tournament, if I recall correctly. Any thoughts on that?

voicemale if you dont like someone you should be objective and not tell crap of it… for 1 st place at the and of the year you need about 6000 point so it is
4 GS + 4 masters and + 1 international atp tournament to make sure no1. so djoko is already 1500 points earned this year alone on big tournaments and last year he had rnd 16 AO SF Rotterdam qf Dubai and final IW and won Miami so he had 1000+ points last year including all turnament play… Do you really think he is not up to the pressure to go further on GS…ha ha let just wait and see, ill give him edge over Fed on clay not nadal but an edge over them both on grass if he finds some better shoes for grass that is

Week after week atp points is not relevant in seeing the big picture winning big and lossing early in some tournamets is expected to get some breath an prepare for clay where he can gain a lot points in MC ROME and HAMBURG and get at least in RG Final so… al this article is in seeing the big picture…

Jane:

Yes, I was there. Neither of them played spectacularly, to be honest. Djokovic has played much better tennis before. Thing is he didn’t need to find it - even though he had it at the ready. Novak did have a few issues with the high topspin to his backhand, but he was able to counter with some great touch. I’ve never seen so many shots find the lines. It was terrific stuff. He was gonna win that match regardless.

Most striking was Nadal in both a good and odd way. Oddly, Rafa, the guy who keeps everone waiting for everything -serving, entering the court, even the coin toss at the net - deviated in behavior. Imagine this: here he was up and out of his chair BEFORE Ulrich called “time” to end every changeover. The sight of Nadal standing at the baseline waiting for a non-delyaing Djokovic was telling to me because it’s so unlike him. He played that match like he was either double parked or had a hot date he didn’t wanna miss. And his customary fighting spirit wa snowhere to be found. The “Vamos” I heard was of the half-hearted, phoned it variety - unlike when he played Tsonga & Blake For whatever reason, his body language said “I’m outta here”.

That said, I did see one thing from Nadal that was different. I was watching the Speed Gun in every Nadal service game. At least two, and often times three of his first serves craked the 115-120 MPH range, some were well over 120MPH, and 3 of them actually hit 130 MPH. Most of these missed by a 5-6 inches that day. But the more he keeps at it, these will start going in. It will take about 6-9 months before that becomes a bankable shot for him. But it was clear to me he decided to keep trying it, despite incurring the lopsided loss & having to hit more second serves than he’s used to (and even those seemed to have more depth on them).

Jane:

By the way, the one who claimed clay was Djokovic’s worst surface was Djokovic himself. He said so in his press confernce after losing to Anderson. So you might wanna remind HIM rather than me about his clay courts stats

“So you might wanna remind HIM rather than me about his clay courts stats”

Touche Voicemale.

“here he was up and out of his chair BEFORE Ulrich called “time” to end every changeover.”

Do you think he was trying to rush Djoko? Who is also known for taking his time between serves? Just a thought.

Yes, I think it Rafa can make that serve a real weapon it will help him. After that oh-so-close-coulda-gone-either-way Wimbledon final last year, Rafa acknowledged that the one difference might have been that Roger’s serve was stronger.

Recently I believe it was MMT who pointed out that Roger’s reliance on his serve of late may actually be a liability. MMT had sound reasoning to back this up but I can’t recall the particulars at the moment.

Anyhow, cheers and thanks for your analysis of the IW semi.

He was just joking :D, he grow up on clay as in Serbia we only have a few hard courts and they are crap. Results on hard court just show that he is better on hard courts but nevertheless his results on clay are good too, he lost to ferrer, nadal twice and moya last year on clay and he was not top 5 so he stumbled on nadal in qf in rome and the day he lost to to moya in hamburg he had to play 2 maches that day and lost to moya in 3rd set.

How about Baghdatis reaching one day number 1! should he finds the right coach for him then its gonna be only a matter of time (2-3 years)! Ok, he lacks consistency, thts the only difference between him and the first 3 on the ranking but he will gain it with more exprience!

I think Djokovic will be the NEXT number 1. As in he’ll pass Nadal and Federer. But that doesn’t mean Nadal won’t reach it later. Funny you bring up Baghdatis. The kid is so talented. The potential to be number 1 is undeniable but his head isn’t there. He’s in the same boat as Gasquet, Berdych, and Murray. I’m starting to forget the rest of the young guns as they are failing miserably to live up to their potentials.

Speaking of Murray. What a chump. Everyone foresaw greatness from him but I don’t see it anymore. Federer pegged this guy as his successor but he has been really bad this year.

Murray needs a tour of duty in the Royal Marines to harden up his mental attitude. He implied that he did not like Gilbert’s aggressive style of coaching and likes the gentle approach of his current coaches. He has a team if you recall. The only “team” that ever did accomplished anything for a tennis player was Agassi’s gang.

The LTA has made a big bet on this young man and indeed it is not paying off. Despite this financial support, he missed their Davis Cup round because of his knee only to play the following week in a tournament.

If I were he I would get out of their clutches. Murray is the darling of the Brit press and is still treated like the Next Big Thing. If he stays he will get the endorsements, press coverage, party hardy environment, etc. all of which will assist him in staying in the top 20 for a while.

roki,
didn’t Djoko train outside of Serbia? Also as I heard many times from Ana, while in Serbia, they practiced in the olympic pool.

Dr. Death,
when Murray plays and is concentrated, he can beat anyone. The problem with him is that he wastes so much energy at being negative to himself and his team while on court. He is very respectful to others in his press conferences. He is just unneccessarily fiesty on the court. He needs to learn to control himself and channel his energy towards his game.

He IS a great player. He deserves to be on the top. What I always suspect is how much of this is related to his relatonship with his family. Jamie came out a couple of months ago, saying not very nice things about him. ….

Je also needs to set his priorities right. Winnig small tournaments and faulting in MS and GS is not good. He needs to conserve his energy for big events.

I like Ancic too and he played a great match. I am glad he won, but was sad to see Andy lose in yet another opener. I hope wherever he plays next he can go deeper.

I agree about Baghdatis mental state. Thats his only problem right now. I think the loss of his childhood cost him too much. Being away from his family since he was 13 wasnt the best that it could happen to him. And then its his relationship with his father plus the lack of suitable coach. He definetely needs a psychologist, clinical psychoogist, not a sport’s one. He must solve this problem soon otherwise he wont be able to recover soon enough to be number one!

Dr. Death:

My gawd, are you dating yourself about Westchester. I lived in NY for about 12 years, but that Westchester/Orange bit was before my time, however, I do remember Forest Hills, if that’s any consolation. I lived about 3 miles from the new US Open home, Flushing meadows, and home of the NY Mets, a platform change on the NYC subway. Even though I love Florida I still miss NYC. Do you?

Zola,

Yes, he left when he was about 12, went to Germany I think.

“Normally, it would be absurd to consider someone that young a finished product, but he is an abnormal player. His game requires so much physical exertion that his body is older than his linear age.”

The same thing was said about Connors 30 years ago. (His game was very physical and demanding - similar to Nadal’s but with flat strokes instead of topspin.) And yet he lasted longer than anyone else on the tour!

I do agree with most of the things you mentioned in your article. However, just imagine how this whole article could look silly if Nadal ends up winning Key Biscayne next weekend.

Partly yes, Nole went to Pilic academy at the age of about 13 to 14 and train there for a few years yes, but until then he only had a few hard courts in Serbia that is, and the story about swimming pool is correct and it is on carpet not concrete, but I don’t know if you know Djoković family bought 2 properties. One in Belgrade and one in Kragujevac where they planing to build tennis academies so talents don’t need anymore to go abroad to train and develop their games.

About that tennis court in swimming pool i think that you have noticed that Ana had great problems using whole court outside the lines becouse that swimming pool walls are pretty close to the lines of the court.

Rafa can make number one if he wins the French and Wimbledon. I don’t think that possibility is that far-fetched. He’s favored to win the French, and if Fed crashes out at Wimbledon, he’s the favorite there. Nadal’s serve is the problem on hard courts. On clay and on grass, he can use his left-handed spin to a great advantage. On hard-courts, it sits up there too much. Still, he’s going to have to keep developing his game. He’s got great hands, unlike Rocky (Roddick), he’s not a clutz, and he could quickly learn to approach the net. On hard-courts, he’s going to have to learn how to stand on the baseline, and flatten out his forehand somewhat. He’s a great athlete, I have no doubt that he can learn. However, he would have to get new coaching to be successful at it. I don’t think that the coaching staff that he’s got at the moment have got the skills to teach him how to play on hard-courts at the top level. Rafa needs a new coach. If he keeps trying to win matches on hard-court by running down every ball, his knees are going to give out before he gets to age 25.

Nadal is poetry in motion on clay whatever you say about his game on other surfaces. I dont think he gets enough appreciation for it either. This guy is the best clay court player thats ever walked the earth. The fact that he can also reach 2 Wimbledon finals and very nearly win one of them is even more incredible.

He was basically one break point away from winning the French and Wimbledon in the same year and now you’re crabbing him because he loses a few matches on hard? Nadal will never perform that well at the US Open as firstly he hates the venue and secondly hes always exhausted after his exploits in the spring. If he ever does decide to focus on winning at Flushing Meadow you can bet he will go very close to doing it.

How can your opening 2 lines assert:
1) He is the king of clay,
2) Closer than ever to number 1
3) and then claim his game is not good enough to become No. 1

I would have thought the opposite: with the clay season right around the corner, the King of clay, ever so close to No.1, with the world Number 1 more vulnerable than ever, would provide a great opportunity for Nadal to displace Federer - at least until the clay season ends!!

I don’t kow if Nadal will be No 1 or not. I certainly hope to see him as No 1 and as dominant on hard courts as he is on clay. But I prefer not to speculate right now.

I just watched his match with Kiefer and I hope to see him play like that. Agressive and confident. As long as he is doing his best, I am happy to watch and follow him.

Von: Went to school in NY shortly after the Indians sold it.

Dont miss it. Westchester CC is a beautiful club. Orange Lawn (in N J) was a tune up for the U S Open when it was on grass. All the names showed up to get grass ready and one was very close to the action. Fond memories of that indeed.

Zola: I respect your comments on many players that you have posted here. Therefore, I will keep an open mind on Mr. Murray and perhaps he will win a major or more than one if he lives up to your expectations. Still think the Royal Marines would do wonders for him.

Quiz time:
How is the ATP ranking point spread in the Beijing Olympics this year? In other words, how much does a participant can add to his ranking points at each round?

The question is also for Tennis X staff.

Dr. Death,
I do respect your comments too and I am glad that you are so open-minded. I started liking Andy after his match with Rafa in AO. he was defeated, but was very gracious. The more I followed him, the more I liked him. But he has all these things that distracts him during a match and i think parting from Gilbert was a mistake.

He is certainly very talented, but he doesn’t look spoiled to me ( Jamie does!). He needs to take charge of his game and do what is best for him. He needs to find a way to concentrate and don’t waste so much energy. Actually studying Rafa or Ancic could be good for him.

Shital,
great quiz. I am dying to know the answer. I even went on the ITF homepage. they said it is the same amount as awarded in Sydney olympics! some sort of a puzzle I think!

I’m no expert on tennis, having only played for a few years long ago… but I have been watching Nadal for 3 years now. I’ve been wondering whether the fact that he switched to using his left hand, granted that this was long ago, is a good part of the reason why it is taking him a long time to get his (various styles of) serve to (hopefully) a world-class level. Are the different types of serves not the most subtle of the different strokes you need to perfect in tennis? If so, then for a natural right-handed person it may indeed take this long …

Regarding the Olympics … there are reports that there is a concern for the health of olympiads whose sport requires more than an hour or so of competition, due to the level of polution. This has me worried about the tennis players. (And this adds another layer to Roddick’s decision to save himself for the US Open.)

NADAL iz a great player…

i know he’ll be #1.

he’s got everything 2 be #1 in the world for the coming years…

I hope that you will be forced to eat your own words.Nadal is one of the most graceful and humble guys on tour.You may be underestimating the popularity Nadal.He is ver popular all over the world.I am sure that Nadal will be the one who will displace federer as no 1.And shame one you for the insensitive article about ever graceful nadal.

Wow, very interesting reading. I have to say, I am stunned to read so many have written Mr. Nadal off already. At the tender age of 21, looks very much to me, if what I am reading can be believed he is already a ‘has been’ and can only win on Clay.

Let us see what transpires as the year unfolds. I think he should be number 1, given the head to head statistics of the reigning number 1, Mr. Federer. If anybody deserves to be Number 1, it is Mr. Nadal. I daresay there are few that can disagree.

As for Mr. Djokovic, “Good luck” to him, let’s see how he does in the consistency stakes. In any event, tennis is competition, the BEST man will win on the day!!!!

Good luck to them all, I say because for sure, ALL the players provide fantastic entertainment. Personally, for me, Mr. Nadal is the best, the most exciting player to watch, to watch and ALWAYS, ALWAYS goes that extra mile. Good Luck Rafa, ‘try your best’, as you always do….

Oh, I forgot to mention, Mr. Nadal, is the most gentle, considerate, humble guy on the tour, and a crowd favourite. I too think you will eat your words…..We shall see.

Djokovic has talent, but he has no class. Until such time as a he displays the class necessary to be a champion, I will always be glad to see him lose. I used to not like the both Williams sisters for the same reason. But at least Venus has grown up, so to speak, and I cheer her on all the time now. I believe that tennis, moreso than any other sport, is a sport for people with good sportsmanship. Djokovic does not have that. He’s still a baby who cries when he doesn’t get what he wants. Tennis does not need a champion like that, and until he grows up, he will never be champion.

From FEDFANFOREVER

I have also not ever posted a comment before. But I feel the need to say thank goodness for ALL the players mentioned already. If it were not for them we would not be able to enjoy all the TENNIS that we do. They bring many different qualities to the game. Much as I marvel at the beauty of Feds game it does Not blind me to the raw power of Rafa’s game or the brilliance of some of Berdych’s shots or the potential that Gasquet has or the charm of Baghdatis on court.

Tennis has had a true role model and ambassador in Roger. It is however inevitable that he will start losing more games in future and that someone else will take over the #1 spot. What saddens me is that he will not be allowed to “fall from grace???” with the dignity he deserves, as I already observe some Fed-bashing.

Who ever gets to the # 1 spot will DESERVE to be there as it is no mean feat!!! I find some of the analyses and comments above quite self- gratifying but knowledgeable so you all obviously watch tennis matches often.

Is it not possible to just ENJOY the FINE men’s tennis being dished up for us to watch????

I’m a huge fan of Roger! I think he will come back stronger than ever… I think he will be no.1 for a couple of years more… But I think if someone deserves to be a no.1 that’s RAFA. He’s very, very good player… And for Nole he has played very well this year, but he’s not the best yet, maybe he will be someday, but not for long. He’s not as good as Federer and he will never be that good. ROGER is the best tennis player in the history of tennis!

Glenn Says:

Djokovic has talent, but he has no class. Until such time as a he displays the class necessary to be a champion, I will always be glad to see him lose. I used to not like the both Williams sisters for the same reason. But at least Venus has grown up, so to speak, and I cheer her on all the time now. I believe that tennis, more so than any other sport, is a sport for people with good sportsmanship. Djokovic does not have that. He’s still a baby who cries when he doesn’t get what he wants. Tennis does not need a champion like that, and until he grows up, he will never be champion.

Please excuse me but wtf are you talking about, Fed is the greatest crybaby ever when he losses, about SW and VW i don’t even want to talk about i think they never accepted any loss they had it was always like i played bad so my opponent won, haha, and rogers revealing of illness when he got beaten by murray is exeptional why did he even say that after he lost. Rafa on other hand is very Gracious in defeat as well as Novak. The time he said he could beat nadal at RG 2006 was just remark and his English was not so good. But it was funny match because he wrote vamos nole on his sneakers He is just funny and people dont like him couse he is natural. One thing I dont like in Rafas game is that he always celebrates every point, and even double faults of the opponent which is not gracious at all i never seen Nole done that and even Fed. It is understandable in sf or finals but on 3rd round match like yesterday against kiefer was just to much even from rafa.
About bouncing the ball, hmm turn the stopwatch and don’t count bounces you will see that he is between 15 to 20 sec and the time that counts for starting the stopwatch is when opponent is ready for serve not before and he has 25 sec to serve not 20.

This is an absolutely ridiculous article. Rafa’s won 3 grand slams and been in 2 wimbledon finals, as well as winning numerous other titles, and you’re writing him off?
So what if Rafa’s specialty happens to be on clay? does this make him less of a player than djokovic, who’s only managed to achieve anything notable on hardcourt?
and I totally agree with other posters about Rafa’s class, grace, humbless, all qualities which djokovic lacks.
let’s also not forget Rafa’s willpower, and determination. If anyone can improve and be no.1, it should and hopefully will be Rafa!!

I agree with Bjorn Borg: Rafa will be our next numero uno del mundo. VAMOS RAFA!

Despite a poor show last week - classic up period then down - I would bet that Nalbandian will pose the greatest threat to Nadal on clay this year. His wins over Rafael have been the most emphatic of anyone. Nadal very rarely offers even a hint that he doesn’t expect to win. For the first time ever he appeared to be lacking belief when he faced Nalbandian. I would say he is the one player Rafael would genuinely not like to meet in a draw. Though we know full well DN takes vacations some weeks he surely has the toughest mindset and is more confident than most when he faces the top three. He knows he will be beat them when all his guns are firing and I think they know that too. Oh for consistency!

This article is a load of crap, of course Nadal can be no.1. Rafa is only 21 and already has three grand slams in the bag, his hard court game has completely improved, so to say he wont make it to number one in the world is nothing but stupid. He has everything he needs to do so.

Questions, you make an excellent point and you are 100% correct. Nadal’s got huge muscles, he’s tall, very athletic. If you’ve never seen the guy play you’d think he has a huge serve. But the reason for it not being as big as it could be is because his left hand isn’t his natural hand. The motion your arm makes on a serve is almost identical to the way you’d throw a ball. And being a righty, he probably throws with his right hand. So it must feel awkward for him to be “throwing” with his left hand. It’s can be overcome though. I’m a lefty but I feel more comfortable throwing with my right hand. But I can serve pretty big when I need to. So Nadal has plenty of work to do. But he’s getting there. For him it’s mainly because he’s a clay courter. I play mostly on hard courts where you need a big serve. But on the clay his serve is perfect. But I don’t doubt his ability to adapt.

Dr. Death Says:

“Von: Went to school in NY shortly after the Indians sold it.”

Were you the person who jumped up at the auction and said “I’ll take, Mahnattan, The Bronx and Staten Island too”? Why did you leave out Queens and Brwooklyn.? Play on spelling on Brooklyn, but isn’t that how they say it.) And, if you’re thinking I was old enough to know that song, the answer is NO. My Mom, used to sing that for me. So, in view of that fact, one can assume, I’m not Methuselah’s Aunt. I like Westchester CC and the pinkie fingered tea drinkers, but the snow was not my cup of tea.

Von,

Speaking of Brooklyn, did you hear about Andy?

Oh lord… I can’t believe people are still putting Nalbandian in the mix! lol!

Roki wrote:
Please excuse me but wtf are you talking about, Fed is the greatest crybaby ever when he losses.

Fed used to do that, and at that time he was not champion material. He does not do that anymore, which is one of the reasons he deserves to be champion. A true champion can keep his emotions in check, and not let that affect his/her game, which is why Djokovic is not champion material.

Roki wrote:
about SW and VW i don’t even want to talk about i think they never accepted any loss they had it was always like i played bad so my opponent won, haha.

Venus has not done that in a while. Stop being prejudiced.

Roki wrote:
and rogers revealing of illness when he got beaten by murray is exeptional why did he even say that after he lost.

Because it’s true? Duh!

Roki wrote:
Rafa on other hand is very Gracious.

True enough.

Roki wrote:
…as well as Novak. The time he said he could beat nadal at RG 2006 was just remark and his English was not so good. But it was funny match because he wrote vamos nole on his sneakers He is just funny and people dont like him couse he is natural.

Excuses, excuses. There is no excuse giving officials dirty looks. And he’s the only one who takes sarcastic jabs at other players. Djokovic’s on-court behavior does not match his post-match “graciousness,” which makes me think his “graciousness” is just for show. Deep down, Djokovic is a baby still. He has a lot of growing up to do before he can be champion. What you call “funny” is evidence of prideful unsportsmanlike behavior.

Roki wrote:
One thing I dont like in Rafas game is that he always celebrates every point, and even double faults of the opponent which is not gracious at all i never seen Nole done that and even Fed. It is understandable in sf or finals but on 3rd round match like yesterday against kiefer was just to much even from rafa.

There’s a big difference between celebrating a point gained versus celebrating when an opponent does badly. I would give Rafa the benefit of the doubt because he is so humble in many other instances. On the other hand, there is NO mistaking that giving dirty looks to officials is deliberate and unsportsmanlike behavior.

Roki wrote:
About bouncing the ball, hmm turn the stopwatch and don’t count bounces you will see that he is between 15 to 20 sec and the time that counts for starting the stopwatch is when opponent is ready for serve not before and he has 25 sec to serve not 20.

Even sports commentators on TV who like Djokovic have noticed that he takes longer on the big points and tries to break the rhythm of the game by his delaying tactics. It doesn’t matter how much time actually elapses. When there is a noticeable difference in time that could break the rhythm of the game, and when it happens so often especially at crucial times of the game or match, then one has to believe Djokovic is not being sportsmanlike.

I like what someone else stated earlier - that humility goes a long way in determining the soul of a champion. Djokovic does not have that. Maybe one day he will.

jane:

“Von, Speaking of Brooklyn, did you hear about Andy?”

Just read that on the ATP website. I don’t get this — she’s only 20. Reminds me of another Brooke and Agassi. I hope he has a pre-nup in place. I wish them well, but it’s been so little time. Why the rush little one? Fed has been with Mirka for 8 years and still can’t seem to muster the courage to take the next step. Andy just bypassed all of that in 8 months. I have to have a good talk with this guy.

Roddick must be listening to that sentimental music alluded to earlier. Now we can blame his poor performances on agassiitis.

She seems rather mature for her age though.

Yes, and I mentioned on another thread that engagement seems to be working to Mardy’s advantage so maybe Andy thought “what the heck?!” LOL.

Dr. Death:

“Roddick must be listening to that sentimental music alluded to earlier. Now we can blame his poor performances on agassiitis.”

An inflammatory condition of the NYC Boroughs, especially Bwrooklyn? But, considering I was a baby at 19 when I got married, would it be appropos’ for me to question their hearts. More power the Big Apple.

Jane:

“Yes, and I mentioned on another thread that engagement seems to be working to Mardy’s advantage so maybe Andy thought “what the heck?!” LOL.” Yeah, I mean, what the heck. Go for it!