South African’s serve will be key weapon in his first slam final appearance as he looks to upset the odds against world No1If Rafael Nadal is to win his third US Open here on Sunday afternoon – which seems likely after his merciless crushing of Juan Martín del Potro – he will have to nullify the awesome serve of Kevin Anderson, the South African appearing in his first slam final at the 34th attempt.The Spaniard has been to this stage of tournaments 108 times previously, 22 of them in majors, in his trophy-heavy career. It is where he has played the overwhelming majority of his best tennis, in big-stage showdowns with Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Only rarely...
Swiss No3 seed happy despite taking five sets against an American teenager while Spain’s French Open champion is annoyed despite a much easier rideRoger Federer and Rafael Nadal have survived many crises in their parallel careers, and both are relieved to remain on schedule for a semi-final showdown at the 2017 US Open after dealing with contrasting challenges in the first round. However, the Swiss, who had to go five sets, seems considerably more content than the Spaniard, who was back in the locker room after only minor inconveniences in his match.The look on Federer’s face when the American teenager Frances Tiafoe stumbled inches from the line as he came within a few tantalising shots of what would have been the...
With Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Roger Federer struggling with injuries, can the next generation, led by Dimitrov, Thiem and Zverev, finally step up?What to make of the state of men’s tennis? For the best part of a decade a quartet of hall‑of‑famers have transcended their sport by lifting it to hitherto untouched heights with their titanic struggle for supremacy while below them a host of challengers have strained to swell the numbers of the elite club known as the Big Four. Plenty have tried, most have failed. Some have offered flashes of impertinence but only Stan Wawrinka has provided a sustained threat to the established order. The entry requirements are gruelling. The top players ally astonishing skill with an...
The two greatest tennis players in history have rolled back the years at Wimbledon and a rerun of SW19’s greatest final could be on the cards on SundayNine years ago this week, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal stepped on to Centre Court and played the final of all finals: a three-act epic across four hours and 48 minutes. It was, staggeringly, the last time the two greatest tennis players in history faced each other at Wimbledon.Yet, in the late autumn of their careers, the prospect of their great trilogy of finals between 2006 and 2008 becoming a quadrilogy grows more tangible with each screaming forehand. According to the bookmakers, the 35-year-old Federer is favourite for his eighth Wimbledon title while...
The Spaniard has not reached the last eight at Wimbledon since 2011 but after winning at Roland Garros, he looks a real contender for the titleIt has been many years since Wimbledon has witnessed Rafael Nadal prowling the baseline so confidently – those narrow eyes glaring across the net as if his opponent just dared to insult his mother, that laser-like focus matched only by the staggering accuracy of his groundstrokes. But the Spaniard, who is seeded four this year, has every reason to be confident judging by his enthralling and ultimately emphatic 6-4, 6-2, 7-5 win over Donald Young.Before the match pictures had circulated on social media of Nadal struggling to use a self-service checkout machine while buying a...