Can Rafael Nadal be a contender at Wimbledon 2015?

Rafa’s resurgance on grass

Rafael Nadal has long last won an ATP title on grass. The last time he won a grass court event was five years ago in 2010, when he won the Wimbledon title. Even though this victory has come at a 250 event against weaker opposition, it may not have come at a better time for Nadal.

Nadal has faced a real torrid time this year, easily his worst first half of tennis calendar since 2004. He has lost many matches, seemed vulnerable and even his mighty forehand, arguably the greatest weapon ever in men’s tennis, has deserted him when he has needed it the most. For the first time in 11 years, he is without a Grand Slam title at this stage of the season.

However, Nadal has always bounced back from tragedy, rising from his ashes time and again, like a phoenix. No one ever in tennis history has made as many successful comebacks to the top like Nadal has. His comebacks from injury to the top in 2010 and 2013 are stuff of legend now.

His play at Stuttgart Open was an improvement on many aspects. He served much better and stronger, firing many aces and started hitting his forehand with great power. His play enabled him to win a first grass court title in 5 years. Most people had forgotten that Nadal made it to five consecutive Wimbledon finals from 2006 to 2011, and grass was his second favourite surface after clay not long ago. This win was a reminder of the past.

Chances of Big 3

His first round loss at Queen’s was a setback, however the extensive preparation that Nadal has put forth this grass season may pay rich dividends when the Championships begin. If he can get through his initial rounds, then he may be a big threat to anyone in the draw. A little bit of luck with the draw and some sunny days on the centre court may change his fortunes.

None of his opponents are a lock in to win the title either. Novak Djokovic is recovering from a tough French Open loss, Federer is nearly 34 and hasn’t won a Grand Slam title in three years and Murray is also without a major title since 2013.

Nadal would be hungry to turn back his declining fortunes and win a big title in 2015. He has looked more relaxed and confident in the last few weeks and seems to be on an upward curve. If Nadal can peak at the right time, anything may happen. Rule him out at your own peril.

Analysing the phenomenon that is Serena Williams: Is she the greatest female tennis player of all time?

Serena Williams created further history in the 2015 Australian Open, winning her sixth Australian Open title and moving to second spot in the all time list of Grand Slam winners in the Open era. The only player ahead of her now is Steffi Graf with 22 titles. As she prepares for a further onslaught on tennis records, let us analyse the impact Serena has had on women’s tennis.

Changed women’s tennis landscape completely

Serena Williams came upon the tennis scene in the late 1990s, when she and Venus Williams started their tennis journey. Women’s tennis is those times was celebrated by words like finesse, skill, touch and talent. Martina Hingis, the top tennis player of that time had great all round tennis skills and seemed destined to follow in the footsteps of past greats like Steffi Graff and Martina Navratilova.

That all changed with the Williams Sisters. They hit the tennis ball very hard and simply overpowered most of their opponents. Women’s tennis became much more physical and a power game, from being one based on touch and finesse. In today’s times, even the average player is much stronger and there are not many easy draws any more. All these changes started with the Williams’ sisters.

Initial success

Serena won her first Grand Slam title when she won the US Open 1999 beating the then world number one Martina Hingis in the final. The following two years saw Venus Williams winning four Slams and rising to top of women’s tennis. It looked like Venus will rule women’s tennis for a few years when Serena started her domination.

She won the French Open 2002 title and went on a winning spree afterwards, playing sublime and powerful tennis never seen before in women’s game. She went on to win four consecutive Grand Slam titles, a feat managed by few women in tennis history.

Her initial great run lasted from 2002 to 2004 when she won six Grand Slam titles. The power game employed by Williams uprooted talents like Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport, who could not quite match up with her power and even Venus could not match up with Serena. She was like a freight train running roughshod over everyone.

Fight with injuries and other distractions

In the mid 2000s, there was a phase when her interest in tennis seemed to wane due to injury issues and interests on fashion front. It coincided with the rise of Justine Henin as the top player, with Kim Clisters challenging her for the biggest titles. Serena’s mind did not seem into tennis and she looked like a spent force. It was later found out that she was suffering from depression issues. Towards 2006, Serena started making her comeback from the wilderness and won the 2006 Australian Open, winning it as an unseeded player. The period saw some great battle between her and Justine Henin , arguably her greatest opponent.

Best serve ever

Serena possesses the best serve ever in women’s tennis history. She often uses this best weapon of hers to get out of difficult situations in matches. Her service motion is pure poetry and pleasing on the eyes. And she can pop them hard on both sides. Her toss is also deceptive and often opponents cannot predict early which side to go. All this makes her serve the best weapon ever in women’s tennis history.

Great power on both wings

Her groundstrokes posses great power as well as depth. She often takes the ball early and strikes it deep into the corners. Not many women in today’s game can withhold her power. Her offensive game is arguably the best ever in women’s tennis history.  Add to that, her defense is also mighty  good and her foot speed enables her to get back a lot of difficult balls in play. All this makes her a very difficult player to beat.

Strong mind, tough under pressure

Serena is also tough under pressure. She has saved match points on way to winning Grand Slam titles three times (2003 Australian Open versus Kim Clijsters, 2005 Australian Open versus Maria Sharapova, and 2009 Wimbledon versus Elena Dementieva). No other player, male or female has managed to come back from the brink of defeat so many times to emerge victorious in a Grand Slam. Her mental toughness and ability to play her best tennis on big points makes her a great champion.

Her competition has been tough through. When she began playing tennis, she had to beat Hingis and Davenport and later on Clisters and Henin in their prime. In the last few years, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka have been top notch opponents. Serena has won 19 of the 23 Grand Slams  she has played in, facing such top opposition.

Late career dominance

Serena regained her dominance on the women’s circuit in 2008 and has been on a Grand Salm winning spree since then. From 2008 September (when she won her third US Open title and ninth Grand Slam title), she was won 11 Grand Slam titles. She has been the no. 1 ranked player in the last two years and has dominated both her major opponents in Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka.

What the future holds?

Serena is already the greatest female tennis player of all time in the eyes of many. However breaking Steffi’s record of 22 will further strengthen her claim to the status of the female tennis G.O.A.T. If one goes by the determination she has shown in the last few years, it would be tough to bet against her breaking the record.

Only two women have won more slams than her in tennis history, Steffi Graf and Margaret Court. Steffi Graf who had a tough time handling Monica Seles in the early 90s, benefitted from the unfortunate stabbing incident to Monica Seles in 1993. Graf faced weak competition during 1993-96 and won around a dozen of her Grand Slams in that period. Margaret Court won most in 1960s, before the open era , 11 aussie titles, Graf fared badly against Seles from 1990 to 1993. Quality of competition was weak for most of her reign on the top.

Her advanced age (33) may be a factor ahead, however the way she has fought injuries and fitness issues in recent years suggests that she is not one to go down without a fight. Get ready for a further onslaught on women’s tennis records in the next few years. By the time the dust settles on Serena’s career, she will be crowned the undisputed queen of women’s tennis history.

Can Rafa Nadal win the Australian Open 2015?

Rafa Nadal produced one of his typical fighting performances in the second round at the Australian Open, coming back from two sets to one behind to win his match. His fans must have breathed a sigh of relief and would be hoping now for better things for Nadal, especially considering his draw henceforth.

The big question though is: Can Nadal win the Australian Open 2015?

For any other player in similar circumstances, we would not be even having this conversation. Nadal has had a horrid last six months when he has struggled with multiple injuries to his back and wrist and played less than 10 matches. He has lost to much lower ranked players and seemed vulnerable on the court.

However Nadal has himself expressed a desire to win a second Australian Open title. And when great champions are hungry and focused, you cannot take your eyes off them completely.

The tennis Gods Down Under have not been kind to Nadal in the last few years. He lost a marathon six hour encounter against Djokovic in the 2012 Australian Open final. In 2014, he suffered a terrible back injury and lost to Stan Wawrinka, a player he had never lost to before. He has had injury issues many other times also.

This time he is again coming back from injury and with lesser expectations. He has not played much tennis in the last six months. However it can also be a blessing in disguise as it also means his body is without much wear and tear. If he can get through the initial rounds and get some rhythm, he can be a threat to anyone on his day.

His draw is also kind and he is likely to face Tomas Berdych in the quarters and Roger Federer in the semifinal, two players against whom he holds a psychological edge. A hungry Nadal would be hard to beat by any of these. And once in a slam final, there is no tougher opponent than Rafa Nadal.

If his injury issues do not crop up again, expect Nadal to contest for the title on the men’s final day and beat his opponent to complete his second career slam, tying Rod Laver in the process. The tennis Gods Down Under would finally smile on the Mallorcan.

 It will be a monumental comeback and achievement for the comeback king of tennis, and would further solidify his status as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.

Rafa: My Story

Why Rafa Nadal is the G.O.A.T

With the French Open 2014 title win over Novak Djokovic, Nadal is close on the heels of Federer’s Grand Slam haul of 17. The G.O.A.T discussion is alive again.

Rafa Nadal already has arguably the greatest resume of titles for any tennis player in history. With 14 Grand Salms, 27 Masters Series titles, 4 Davis Cups, 1 Olympic Gold medal and 141 weeks at no. 1 as of now, Rafa can rightly stake claim to being the greatest tennis player of all time.

If we look at various factors that need to be considered in judging an all time great, Rafa qualifies on most of them.

Rafa has won Grand Slams on all surfaces and can complete a 2^nd career Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open 2015. He has faced top level competition in the form of Federer and Djokovic throughout his career and defeated them to win most of his Grand Salm titles. He also holds a positive, dominant head to head against all his top rivals.

Comparing this to his 3 rivals in the G.O.A.T debate, we can argue Rafa’s superiority over all of them.

1    Pete Sampras

Pete won 14 Grand Salms, but never could win anything on significance on clay. That is 1 out of the 3 playing surfaces. Comparatively Rafa is an all surface great.

Apart from that, Sampras didn’t have to face the greatest ensemble of tennis players ever in form of Federer, Djokovic and Murray that Rafa had to face throughout his career.

Above all, his lack of success on clay leaves him behind Rafa in the G.O.A.T debate.

2    Rod Laver

Laver played most of his tennis on grass and clay, with 3 of the 4 slams being played on grass in the 60s. Just imagine how many slams Rafa would have if 3 Grand Slams were played on clay!

Also, when we talk of his rivals, no such all time greats come in the picture compared to Rafa who has had to contend with Federer and Djokovic his entire career. Rafa arguably has a much tougher competition. Also, the competition hadn’t reached its peak in the 60s with tennis still limited to a few centres  during Laver’s time. 

Add to this , Laver never played on hard courts to win Grand Slams, the physically most demanding surface. All these indicate Rafa to be better than Laver.

3     Roger Federer

One statistic brings the real picture here. 10-21 ! Such a negative head to head against a fellow player puts a big question mark over Federer’s claim as the G.O.A.T.

Also, during his peak years from 2003-2007, when he won most of his Grand Salm titles, the level of competition wasn’t great. Almost all of his rivals including Hewitt, Safin, Roddick lacked the skills as well as the dedication to become a great rival.

Ever since Nadal and Djokovic matured, Federer’s domination has crumbled, and especially Nadal has bullied and dominated him on all surfaces. He holds records of 12-3 on clay &  8-2 on outdoor hard courts against Federer. That’s where 3 of the 4 Grand Slams are played.

If Federer isn’t the best player of his generation, which these stats clearly show, how can he be considered the greatest of all time?

All these point to the conclusion that Rafa indeed is the G.O.A.T and with 14 Grand Salms already at the age of 28, he can shatter the GS record of 17 held by Federer and be universally proclaimed the greatest ever tennis player of all time in 3 years from now!

That would put to an exclamation point on this G.O.A.T debate with Rafa rightfully assuming this mantle.

Rafa: My Story