There is no cause for alarm after the world No1 pulled out of a pre-Wimbledon exhibition tournament but he, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic are all feeling physical pressureOn the face of it, Andy Murray’s withdrawal from an exhibition at the Hurlingham Club in London on Tuesday, citing a sore hip, is no cause for great alarm and of a piece with his season, indeed his career.He will, he says, play on Friday. However, taken cumulatively, the defending champion and world No1 will be at least mildly disturbed his body is aching in more places than he might have anticipated. Since his heroic charge over the closing stages of last season to rip away Novak Djokovic’s top ranking...
Rafael Nadal secured his 10th French Open title and looked back to his best – could he even hunt down Federer’s 18 grand slam titles?He made the relentless pursuit of La Decima look routine in the end, but it should not be forgotten how hard Rafael Nadal has fought to restore his dominance in Paris. It felt like the end of an era when Novak Djokovic toppled the king of clay in an embarrassingly one-sided quarter‑final in 2015. But spending some time away from the tour after being struck down by a wrist injury at the end of last year rejuvenated his mind and body. Backing up that crushing forehand with a devastatingly improved backhand, Nadal played some of his...
After five hours longer on court, ‘Diesel’ Wawrinka may be running on empty in the French Open men’s final as Nadal seeks historic 10th titleRoland Garros is where the Open era of professional tennis began in the fabled summer of 1968, when students took to the streets of Paris and Ken Rosewall picked up 15,000 francs, roughly £2,000, for beating his friend and rival Rod Laver in the final of the French Open. Related: Rafael Nadal returns to special French Open seeking record 10th title Related: Stanislas Wawrinka shocks Rafael Nadal to win Australian Open title Continue reading...
Tennis used to be dominated by players in their twenties but the resurgence of the Spaniard and Swiss shows this is the generation of the thirtysomethingThere was a moment in Rafael Nadal’s semi-final victory against Novak Djokovic at the Madrid Open on Saturday when it appeared as though the Spaniard had stepped into a time machine. After a prolonged and gorgeous thrash‑metal riff of a rally, Nadal suddenly turned the volume down from 11 to one. From the baseline he opened his racket face, chopped down hard, and then skipped and whooped as the ball fizzed over the net, embraced the red clay and died.That drop shot, under extreme pressure, brought up match point. Moments later he had secured his...
The Swiss master’s astonishing return has proved that longevity is still possible at the top of the game if you manage your schedule and know your body’s limitsRoger Federer’s decision to abandon the Tour for two months while playing tennis that stands favourable comparison with his golden years is a stark challenge to the game’s administrators to end the grind of a schedule that is pushing players to breaking point. As he said after winning his third title of the year, his second Miami Open and the 91st title of his career: “The body needs a break, the mind needs a break.”It was his 20th match of the season after returning from an enforced six-month rest to heal knee surgery...