The universe must be back in alignment as the warmth returned today and the king of the clay retained his throne. Rafael Nadal, who made his 2008 Barcelona debut in front of a packed house, reminded us all why he is the master.

The sun was back today but not so the soft warmness of springtime in Spain. Chilling winds and intermittent clouds gave way for some brief periods of warmth both in temperature and in the fans hearts.

Whoever coined the phrase “Sunny Spain” must have been drinking a bit too much vino tinto. The weather today was a cloudy and damp 61 degrees.

People have been quick to put a period on Rafael Nadal’s dominance on the dirt. But not so fast. Nadal proved again that’s he’s still the undeniable King of Clay after a 7-5, 7-5 victory today over Roger Federer in the Monte Carlo final.

When the going gets tough, sometimes the tough and the not so tough quit. And that’s just what the not so tough Novak Djokovic did today, just as he has done before, hitting the eject button when things turned against him in a big match.

ESPN is truly on the verge of becoming the “Grand Slam Network.”
ADHEREL
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that this will be the last year of US Open coverage for USA Network, leaving an opening for ESPN which has long desired the US Open. ESPN already broadcasts the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon.
USA Network, [...]

Great champions rise up. And Roger Federer rose up today with a convincing 5-7, 6-2, 6-2 win over rival David Nalbandian in the Monte Carlo quarterfinals.

The good news for Roger Federer is that he’s now a perfect 7-0 on the red clay this year. The bad news is that he hasn’t beaten anyone of significance and his next opponent in Monte Carlo just happens to be an in-form David Nalbandian.

After his shaky start to 2008, Roger Federer was supposed to be in serious trouble as the scene shifted to clay.

The ATP has reverse its rule instituted in 2004 that banned ads from alcohol companies on players’ clothes.