Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal: ‘I hope to be able to devote more time to it than…’

Flash Entertainment CEO John Lickrish revealed that he has a good relationship with Rafael Nadal and that the Spaniard once wanted to give him his Richard Mille watch. Flash Entertainment owns the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and Lickrish has once in the past praised Nadal’s jacket and asked if he could have it.

Nadal was a bit surprised by the request, but that started his good relationship. “I’ve been doing this trick to him every year, try anyway,” Lickrish told The National. “The last time I did it with his Richard Mille watch.

I was like, ‘that’s a great watch’ and he was like, ‘yeah you know it’s super light’ I like I wish I had that one and he actually took it off and handed it to me (Lickrish didn’t take it). He would have taken the jacket for me if he had given it to me, really”.

Emma Raducanu and Bencic were expected to meet in the only women’s match at this year’s Mubadala World Tennis Championships. Raducanu tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday and is out of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.

Lickrish revealed that the plan is to bring more women to the event in the future. “From the beginning we looked at it and thought, ‘how do we get women into the tournament?’ There have been a few different proposals internally that we’ve looked at, also through bringing in a women-only tournament,” Lickrish said.

“I always thought it would be better to combine the two things. First of all, it’s really what we’re doing with the budgets that we have, we’ve decided, and through some of our partners, we’re able to attract women.

I didn’t want to make it unique, I didn’t want to make it corny.

Rafa intends to continue being active

Speaking a bit more about the mental aspect of the sport during the interview, Rafael Nadal philosophized how players sometimes have to fight themselves in addition to their opponents as well.

“All elite sports are complicated and tennis especially being a one-on-one …

Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal beats Taylor Fritz in epic five-setter to seal Nick Kyrgios semifinal clash

Rafael Nadal battled injury problems to come from behind twice to reach the Wimbledon semifinals as he beat American Taylor Fritz 3-6 7-5 3-6 7-5 7-6 (10-4) in an epic final set tie-breaker.

Nadal’s quest for a Calendar Grand Slam and a record 23rd major was in serious doubt when he required a medical timeout to treat an abominable issue in the second set. He admitted in his post-match interview he considered throwing in the towel but after four hours and 20 minutes on court the 36-year-old somehow came through it.

Channelling the same mentality that saw him come from two sets down to beat Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open back in January, Nadal found his rhythm in the latter stages of the match and saved his best til last in a crucial final set tie-break. A dejected 11th seed Fritz departed Centre Court to huge cheers as he missed out on a first Grand Slam semifinal appearance. Instead, it’ll be Nadal who takes on Aussie livewire Nick Kyrgios, who sailed through his quarterfinal in straight sets against Cristian Garin.

Rafael Nadal vs. Taylor Fritz result

1 2 3 4 5
Rafael Nadal (2) 3 7 3 7 7 (10)
Taylor Fritz (11) 6 5 6 5 6 (4)
…
Sports / Tennis

Lorenzo Sonego admits he was not happy with Rafael Nadal action during their match

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Sonego said Rafael Nadal distracted him with his action and added the Spaniard should have had a word with the chair umpire if he was having some issues. After Sonego broke back Nadal in the eighth game of the third set to tie the set to four games apiece, Nadal went to the net and called Sonego for a quick chat.

Once the match continued, Sonego got broken back in the ninth game as Nadal served out for a 6-1 6–2 6-4 victory in the 10th game. “A player should not call his opponent on the net. You cannot do that at Wimbledon.

Nadal should have just had a word with the umpire. He distracted me,” Sonego said after the match.

Nadal apologized to Sonego

After the match, Nadal went to Sonego in the locker room to apologize. Also, Nadal admitted he was wrong in his decision to call Sonego to the net in the middle of action.

“Well, first of all, I have to say that I was wrong,” Nadal said. “I should not call him to the net. So apologize for that. My mistake in that. No problem. I recognize that. “Then after that, all the stuff during the match that I don’t want to comment, because is something that I spoke with him in the locker room and it stays there.

Only thing I can say is I saw him personally. I apologize for that. My intention was never to bother him at all. Just to tell one thing that was bothering me that I think he was doing
in that moment, but that’s it. I think there is some codes between players.

Yeah, we had some issues there. But that’s it”. Even though Nadal didn’t publicly disclose what was the reason for his decision to call Sonego to the net, many suspected that the reason for that was the Italian’s grunt.…

Sports / Tennis

Djokovic top men’s seed for Wimbledon in absence of Medvedev, Zverev

Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will head into next week’s tournament as the men’s top seed with Russian world number one Daniil Medvedev banned from taking part while Germany’s second-ranked Alexander Zverev is out injured.

Organizers of the grass court Grand Slam have banned players from Russia and Belarus from playing at this year’s Wimbledon following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a ‘special operation’.

Zverev had surgery on torn ligaments in his right ankle this month after he was forced to retire from his French Open semi-final against Rafael Nadal.

Djokovic, who was unable to defend his 2021 Australian Open title and the 2,000 ranking points he earned due to his non-vaccinated status against COVID-19, recently lost his world number one spot to Medvedev.

The Serbian, who has won the last three editions of the grasscourt major, will slip further down the rankings after Wimbledon as he will lose another 2,000 points with the ATP and WTA stripping the tournament of points.

The absence of Medvedev and Zverev means Nadal, who is halfway through a possible calendar year Slam after winning the Australian and French Open titles, to be seeded second.

It also results in Djokovic and Nadal finding themselves in different halves of the draw and they cannot face each other until the men’s final on July 10. The duo met in this year’s Roland Garros quarter-final where the Spaniard triumphed.

Britain has two players in the top 10 seeds at their home major with Cameron Norrie ninth while U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu is 10th in the absence of Belarussian Aryna Sabalenka.

Poland’s world number one Iga Swiatek will be the women’s top seed with Estonian Annett Kontaveit the number two.

Wimbledon organizers had previously used a computer-based system favoring results on grass courts in the previous two years to determine the seedings but from the 2021 edition seedings mirror the world rankings.…

Sports / Tennis

‘Rafael Nadal moved in front, and it was all gone,’ top-10 star recalls

Beating Rafael Nadal is never easy, especially when he finds the rhythm in the opening games. Andrey Rublev had a chance to experience that in their 2020 ATP Finals clash, losing 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 17 minutes. The Russian had a breakthrough run that year, winning the Tour-leading five ATP titles and scoring 41 victories in a reduced season.

The Moscow native cracked the top-10 and secured the ATP Finals debut thanks to three consecutive ATP 500 titles after the season’s restart and back-to-back Major quarter-finals in New York and Paris! Eager to show his best tennis on the big scene, Andrey played his first ATP Finals match against the 20-time Major champion Rafael Nadal and suffered a 6-3, 6-4 loss in under 80 minutes.

Rublev admitted he dealt with massive pressure against his idol, eager to show his best tennis but failing to hide emotions and turn them into more reliable tennis. The Russian felt to bring the desired level against Rafa, struggling in every segment, especially on the return.

Nadal had the upper hand from start to finish, losing 12 points in ten service games and never experiencing trouble. Returning Andrey’s serves aggressively, Rafa grabbed a single break in each set to claim the 19th ATP Finals victory and make the campaign’s strong start.

The more experienced player hit 16 winners and 11 unforced errors, leaving the Russian with 19 winners and 23 mistakes.

Rublev knew he had to control his emotions to stand a chance vs. Rafael Nadal.

Andrey failed to return almost 40% of Rafa’s serves and sprayed too many errors in attempts to impose his strokes and move the opponent from the comfort zone.

Nadal had a significant 44-28 lead in the shortest rallies up to four strokes, determined to stay aggressive and return Rublev’s second serves from inside the court. The encounter kicked off with five commanding holds on both sides before Rafa moved 4-2 up following Andrey’s forehand error.

A service winner sent Nadal 5-2 in front, and he landed three …

Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal wins record-extending 14th French Open title with straight-sets victory against Casper Ruud

After a year-long hiatus, the “King of Clay” reigns once more in Paris.

Rafael Nadal claimed a record-extending 14th title at the French Open as he defeated Norwegian Casper Ruud 6-3 6-3 6-0.
The Spaniard dominated Sunday’s final and won 11 consecutive games across the second and third sets to wrap up a 22nd grand slam title — two ahead of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic at the top of the men’s all-time list.
The victory also means the 36-year-old Nadal, who won his first French Open title 17 years ago, becomes the oldest men’s singles champion at Roland Garros.
“For me personally, it’s very difficult to describe the feelings that I have,” Nadal said in his on-court interview after the game. “It’s something that I for sure never believed I’d be here at 36, being competitive again, playing in the most important court of my career one more final — it means a lot to me.”
It was a case of the master against the apprentice at Roland Garros on Sunday with Ruud, who has trained at the Rafael Nadal Academy in Mallorca since 2018 and admired Nadal when he progressed through the tennis ranks, appearing in his first grand slam final.
But the 23-year-old was outclassed by Nadal in what was the first time the two had faced each other.
Having led 3-1 at the start of the second set, Ruud saw the contest slip away from him and failed to register a game in the final set.
He later paid tribute to Nadal, saying in his on-court interview: “We all know what a champion you are and today I got to feel how it is to play against you in the final. It’s not easy and I’m not the first victim — I know that there have been many before.”
Nadal was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinals of last year’s French Open — ending a run of four consecutive titles — but defeated his rival in the quarters this year before a walkover against Alexander Zverev 
…
Tennis

Nadal outlasts rival in thrilling 2022 French Open quarterfinal match

In the 10th meeting between Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, the “King of Clay” emerged victorious.

Nadal outlasted world men’s No. 1 Djokovic in four sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6(4), in a quarterfinal match that lasted 4 hours and 12 minutes.

Nadal got out to a 5-1 lead in the tiebreaker, but Djokovic worked his way back to a 6-4 deficit. On the decisive point, Nadal worked Djokovic far to his right with a backhand to set up a backhand winner down the left side that sent Nadal to the semifinals. That fourth set originally seemed destined to go to Djokovic. The top seed got off to a 3-0 lead and then held a 5-2 advantage. But the world’s No. 5 player tied the set with three straight wins and forced the tiebreaker two games later

 

 

Djokovic claimed the French Open title in 2021, only his second win in the tournament. During that run, he defeated Nadal in the semifinals, ending the King of Clay’s streak of four straight French Open victories.

Nadal will face No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in the French Open semifinals.

The Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from the 59th meeting between two of the best players in the history of tennis. Follow along for results from the match.

Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal score

1 2 3 4
(1) Novak Djokovic 2 6 2 6 (4)
(5) Rafael Nadal 6 4 6 6 (7)

 …

Sports / Tennis

Rafael Nadal takes massive Major record from Roger Federer

Since the start of the Open era, 29 players have achieved at least 106 Major victories. Rafael Nadal is among the leaders with 299 triumphs on the most significant scene. One hundred six of those have come in 18 editions of Roland Garros, with the Spaniard writing the record books as the most dominant figure at a single Major.

Nadal made a debut in Paris at 18 in 2005 and lifted the trophy as the last teenager with a Major crown. Nadal has won 13 of the previous 17 editions of Roland Garros, suffering only three losses and claiming 106 wins from 109 encounters!

Rafa’s 106th Parisian victory came in the opening round against Jordan Thompson, and he earned a massive record. The Spaniard became the first player with 106 triumphs at a single Major, leaving Roger Federer’s 105 Wimbledon wins behind him.

Struggling with a foot injury before the tournament, Rafa looked good on Court Philippe-Chatrier, playing well on serve and return in a 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory in two hours and two minutes.

Rafael Nadal became the first player with 106 victories at a single Major.

Nadal dropped 16 points behind the initial shot and got broken once.

Thompson failed to follow that pace in his games, losing over half of the points and suffering seven breaks from 11 chances offered to Nadal. The Spaniard lost five points behind the initial shot in the opener, defending a lone break point and stealing the rival’s serve twice for 6-2.

Rafa grabbed a break in the third game with a backhand drive-volley winner for an early advantage. The Spaniard hammered a forehand down the line winner in game four to bring it home at love and open a 3-1 gap. Rafa forced Jordan’s error in the fifth game to deliver his second break and extend the gap.

Nadal fended off a break chance with a drop shot winner and forced Thompson’s mistake to move 5-1 ahead. Rafa held at love with an ace in game eight for 6-2 in 37 …

Sports / Tennis

‘Nothing to recover’: Nadal dismisses doubts over foot injury

Rafael Nadal has played down concerns over the chronic foot issue that resurfaced in Rome last week as he prepares to launch his bid for a 14th French Open title.

The Spaniard limped to a third-round loss to Denis Shapovalov at the Italian Open, but practiced in front of thousands of fans at Roland Garros on Wednesday without any obvious discomfort.

“There is nothing to recover,” Nadal told reporters Friday. “What happened in Rome is something that happened very often in my practices.

“I was suffering after that for a couple of days, but I feel better. That’s why I’m here.”

Nadal began the year with a 20-match winning run, capturing a second Australian Open title to claim a record 21st Grand Slam and move ahead of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

The 35-year-old then missed six weeks with a rib injury sustained during his run to the final in Indian Wells, where he suffered his first loss of the season to Taylor Fritz.

Nadal complained of a recurring foot problem in Rome, but he appears confident it can be managed in Paris.

“The pain is there always. It’s not going to disappear now. It’s about if the pain is high and strong enough to allow me to play with real chances or not,” he said.

“It’s something that I live every day with, so it’s nothing new for me and is not a big surprise.

“So I am here just to play tennis and to try to make the best result possible here in Roland Garros. And if I don’t believe that this thing can happen, probably I will not be here.”…

Stories / Tennis

Rafael Nadal wins Australian Open for record-setting 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title

Rafael Nadal made history Sunday at the Australian Open, defeating Daniil Medvedev for a record-setting 21st Grand Slam men’s singles title.

But it didn’t come easily.

In a rematch of the 2019 U.S. Open final that Nadal won in five sets, the 35-year-old Spaniard took down the 25-year-old Russian again in five sets after dropping the first two, 2-6, 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

Nadal’s Australian Open win comes after months away from the game because of a foot injury and a COVID-19 diagnosis during preparation for this event. He skipped Wimbledon after losing in the French Open semifinals to Novak Djokovic, and didn’t play at all after August.

“Without a doubt it had been probably one of the most emotional of ones my tennis career,” Nadal said after winning major title No. 21. “Having the huge support that I received during the three weeks, it’s just going to stay in my heart for the rest of my life.”

Nadal surpasses two other tennis greats, Djokovic and Roger Federer, for the most major titles in tennis history among men. Djokovic (deported for being unvaccinated) and Federer (knee injury) did not play in this tournament.

Nadal’s last major victory came in the 2020 French Open. He last won the Australian Open in 2009.…