Roger Federer knew that Rafael Nadal’s physical condition wouldn’t decide the championship match of the inaugural Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open. He also knew that mere awareness of a situation doesn’t lead to success in the heat of battle. Quality execution and top-shelf tactics had to emerge if a storied rivalry was to acquire a delicious new taste of intrigue. After [...]
They don’t call Spain’s glorious new tennis facility The Magic Box for nothing. In the very first year of its existence, the architectural marvel played host to one of the finest tennis matches ever contested, anywhere and anytime. In the decades to come, many more Madrid Opens will unfold at “La Caja Magica,” but the [...]
If tennis fans wanted explosive action on day four of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, they were sorely disappointed. Two retirements on the men’s side deprived spectators (and TV viewers) of compelling combat, while the women–with their tournament bracket thrown upside-down by a spate of upsets–provided just one eyebrow-raising result in the round of 16. [...]
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic faced difficult draws on Friday in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters, but these two members of the ATP Tour’s “Big Four” managed to dismiss opponents seeded sixth and fifth, respectively. Nadal eased past Fernando Verdasco, 6-3, 6-3, while Djokovic clocked Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 6-4. After dueling for [...]
Wednesday shook up the Rome Masters tennis tournament, but Thursday’s action calmed the stormy seas at the rain-plagued event. As a result, the locals in Italy’s magnificent capital have two tremendous quarterfinals to look forward to. When the sun rises on Friday, lucky ticketholders at the Foro Italico will be treated to a pair of [...]
As the Monte Carlo Rolex Masters heads toward a pair of Saturday semifinals, it’s just as the oddsmakers predicted heading into the tournament: Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray join a Swiss tennis player in the final four. Oh, wait: Stanislas Wawrinka, not Roger Federer, is the man representing Switzerland as the year’s first [...]
The last time Andy Murray stared across the net at Fernando Verdasco, dreams of a first Grand Slam title melted away in the Australian Open heat. Just over two months later, a quietly determined Scotsman ensured that a frustrating loss wouldn’t happen again. Murray–victimized by Verdasco in the fourth round at the year’s first major [...]
Juan Martin Del Potro not only defeated the No. 1 player in tennis on a memorable Thursday afternoon in Miami. A young talent on the ATP Tour beat back the odds with a display of uncommon resolve. In order to appreciate the biggest win of Del Potro’s life–a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (3) triumph over Nadal [...]
Following his epic five-set loss to Rafael Nadal in this year’s Australian Open 2009 semifinals, Fernando Verdasco transformed his tennis reputation from pretty-boy shotmaker to elite-level contender. Given this rise to prominence, fans and pundits wanted to see the Spaniard take on the big boys in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells, Calif. When [...]
Three dependable veterans reached the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, the first major tournament of the new tennis season. The fourth member of that quality quartet emerged from relative obscurity to burst into the consciousness of tennis fans around the globe. Fernando Verdasco, the No. 14 seed and a non-factor before the tournament started, [...]
