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Nadal Enjoying 'Unbelievable' Day In Monte-Carlo

  • Posted: Apr 24, 2017

Nadal Enjoying 'Unbelievable' Day In Monte-Carlo

Apr232017

Spaniard celebrates history at one of his favourite events

Throughout his 17 years as a professional, Rafael Nadal has learned countless lessons. But perhaps none is more important than a lesson he shared on Sunday after his latest historic victory.

“I think after a lot of years of experience on this tour, you learn how to enjoy every moment,” Nadal said. “Today is a day to enjoy.”

Few players have had more to celebrate during a single victory. With his 6-1, 6-3 win against Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters final, Nadal checked off a career’s worth of milestones:

  • First man in the Open Era (since April 1968) to win 10 titles at a tournament

  • First man to win 50 clay-court crowns, surpassing Guillermo Vilas at 49

  • His 70th tour-level title, placing him fifth all-time

  • His 29th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crown, placing him second all-time

Put one of those achievements on another player’s resume, and they make the sheet shine. But do what Nadal has done – achieve all four in a career and celebrate them on the same day – and that resume quickly resembles that of one of the greatest players of all-time.

 Watch Full Match Replays

“It really is unbelievable. To win 10 times at such an important event like Monte-Carlo, it’s something difficult to describe my feelings,” Nadal said. “I feel lucky to keep playing tennis [and] being healthy all those years, in order to compete in one of the most beautiful events of the year, without a doubt. I am very happy to win another one. For me, it is a very important day in my career.”

The 10th title extends Nadal’s dominance in Monte-Carlo to a level no man has achieved in the past. The Spaniard now boasts a 63-4 match record in the Principality and is 10-1 in finals, his only defeat coming in 2013 to Novak Djokovic. Nadal, who won his first Monte-Carlo crown in 2005 as an 18 year old, was able to relive his favourite Monte-Carlo memories when tournament officials displayed old photos on the scoreboard after the final.

“For me, the first one here [was] so special. It was the first Masters 1000, Masters Series at that time, in an event that for me was always so special. When I was a kid, I always wanted to play in Monte-Carlo. In Spain, Monte-Carlo is a very important event in tennis, one of the top [Masters] 1000s of the year,” Nadal said. “The real thing is since the first time I came here in 2003, I have had very positive feelings. Winning in 2005 against [Guillermo] Coria in that final was an unbelievable moment for me… After that, I was confident enough to keep going, winning in Barcelona, in Rome, then in Roland Garros.”

Nadal looks primed to continue that familiar path of dominance as he’ll go for titles No. 10 in Barcelona and Roland Garros later this year as well. He also looks poised to further solidify his status as the greatest player to step on red dirt. The left-hander from Mallorca has now won 92 per cent of the matches he’s played on clay throughout his career, a 370-34 record, according to the FedEx ATP Performance Zone.

Who’s Behind Nadal In The All-Time Clay-Court Wins? View The FedEx ATP Performance Zone

Considering just this season, Nadal’s numbers are almost equally as impressive. During the first four months, he’s reached four finals and boasts a 24-5 record. “For me, it’s important to feel myself being competitive every week that I am playing. That’s what happened since the beginning of the season. That makes me happy,” Nadal said. “If I am healthy and I feel myself competitive, I am happy. Then it’s obvious I would like to win. But I know if I am in finals of important events, the normal thing is I finally win titles.

“So today was another chance… Today I won a very important title for me.”

OPEN ERA TITLES LEADERS
No.
1)  Jimmy Connors         109
2)  Ivan Lendl                   94  
3)  Roger Federer            91
4) John McEnroe             77
5) Rafael Nadal               70
 
CLAY COURT TITLES LEADERS
No.
1. Rafael Nadal               50
2. Guillermo Vilas            49                              
3.  Thomas Muster          40
T4. Bjorn Borg                 30
T4. Manuel Orantes        30              
 
MASTERS 1000 TITLE LEADERS
No.
1) Novak Djokovic           30
2) Rafael Nadal               29  
3) Roger Federer            26
4) Andre Agassi              17
5) Andy Murray               14

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Ilie Nastase: Romania captain is suspended after behaviour at Fed Cup

  • Posted: Apr 23, 2017

Romania captain Ilie Nastase has been suspended by the International Tennis Federation over the incident that left Johanna Konta in tears on Saturday.

In Konta’s Fed Cup match against Sorana Cirstea, Nastase was sent off after swearing at the umpire and abusing Konta and her captain Anne Keothavong.

He was later banned from the tie and escorted away from the venue in Constanta on the Black Sea coast.

But as play continued on Sunday, Nastase, 70, returned to the site.

He was later ordered to leave after entering the VIP restaurant, BBC Sport’s tennis correspondent Russell Fuller reported.

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said the provisional suspension meant Nastase “may not participate in the Fed Cup in any capacity with immediate effect”.

A statement added he “shall be denied access to any ITF event, including the Fed Cup”, pending further investigation into “a breach of the Fed Cup welfare policy”.

Nastase also twice abused a British journalist on Saturday over the reporting of derogatory comments he made about Serena Williams’ unborn child at a Friday news conference.

While Romanian player Simona Halep was answering a question in English about Williams’ pregnancy on Friday, the 70-year-old turned to one of his other team members and added in Romanian: “Let’s see what colour it has. Chocolate with milk?”

He also put his arm tightly around Keothavong and asked for her room number, in earshot of the watching media.

‘Nastase asked me if I was a virgin’

On Sunday, former US Open finalist Pam Shriver claimed Nastase – a former world number one – also made inappropriate comments to her when she was a teenage star of the women’s tour.

Shriver, 54, said Nastase repeatedly asked her if she was a virgin.

“Whenever I saw him at any tournament he would ask me the same question,” she told BBC Radio 5 live’s Sportweek.

“This man has not been respectful of women for a long, long time.”

The BBC has contacted the Romanian Tennis Federation for a response, but is yet to receive a reply.

Shriver says that although she spoke to friends about the two-time Grand Slam winner’s behaviour during the pair’s playing days, she did not officially report it.

“When I got older, perhaps 20, and he asked me for about the 30th time, I said, ‘would you please stop asking me that?’,” added Shriver, who won 22 Grand Slam doubles titles.

“Sort of to his credit, he never asked me again. I set a firm boundary and he stopped.”

The ITF is investigating Nastase’s conduct on Saturday and also the derogatory comments relating to 23-time Grand Slam singles champion Williams’ unborn child the day before.

“You want the punishment to match the crime and he behaved really badly,” Shriver added.

“I think it has all gone too far. I think it is over now, I think he is done as a coach, certainly in any formal setting.

“Everybody has a couple of different sides to their personality and certainly not all of Ilie Nastase is evil and mean and sexist. But unfortunately he does not have a filter and there is a side that is, so he can’t coach women players any more.”

American Shriver is a two-time Fed Cup champion, who reached the final of the 1978 US Open as a 16-year-old, losing to Chris Evert.

Britain were beaten by Romania 3-1 in their best-of-five World Group II play-off after Irina-Camelia Begu beat Heather Watson 6-4 7-5 on Sunday.

Analysis

BBC Sport tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Perhaps the final day would not have been complete without a cameo appearance by Ilie Nastase. Despite being banned from the premises, he walked calmly through the front entrance and into the VIP restaurant soon after Romania had taken an unassailable lead.

It appears he left via the back door – having been served notice that he had been provisionally suspended from all ITF events with immediate effect.

His team were the stronger over the two days. Simona Halep – motivated by what she saw as unfair criticism of her home crowd – was outstanding against Johanna Konta, and she looks a strong contender for the French Open.

Heather Watson was very competitive against Irina-Camelia Begu, but her defeat consigns Britain to another February in Euro Africa Zone One. It is a routine of which they are tiring.

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Monte Carlo Masters: Rafael Nadal beats Albert Ramos-Vinolas for record 10th title

  • Posted: Apr 23, 2017

Rafael Nadal won the Monte Carlo Masters for a record 10th time with a dominant 6-1 6-3 victory over fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas.

It was Nadal’s first title in almost a year and he became the first man in the Open era to win the same event 10 times.

The 30-year-old is aiming for a 10th French Open title as well next month.

He won eight Monte Carlo titles in a row from 2005 to 2012 but then lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2013 final.

He won the title again last year and then added the Barcelona crown a week later, yet had not lifted a trophy since.

He had lost three finals so far this year, including January’s Australian Open against Roger Federer.

“It has been an amazing week on one of the most important events on the Tour. I played well here, which helps me a lot to start the claycourt season with confidence,” Nadal said.

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Fed Cup: GB beaten in Romania as Johanna Konta and Heather Watson lose

  • Posted: Apr 23, 2017

Great Britain have lost their Fed Cup World Cup Group II play-off in Romania, consigning them back to the Europe/Africa Zone.

It was 1-1 after Saturday’s play, when host captain Ilie Nastase was banned for swearing at the umpire, Johanna Konta and her captain Anne Keothavong.

On Sunday, Simon Halep won 6-1 6-3 against Konta to put Romania in front.

Irina-Camelia Begu then beat Heather Watson 6-4 7-5 as Romania took an unassailable lead before the doubles.

Konta was left in tears after Nastase’s conduct and, even though the world number seven still beat Sorana Cirstea on Saturday, she found Halep a tougher test.

Halep, ranked fifth in the world, raced into a 4-0 lead as she made the most of her clay-court knowhow and broke to love in taking the first set in 27 minutes.

Konta gave signs of a comeback by breaking Halep and taking a 3-1 lead in the second set, but the Romanian responded by impressively taking five games in a row to win the match.

After that result, world number 113 Watson knew she had to win against 33rd-ranked Begu and she was involved in a tight match with plenty of quality and drama.

There were five breaks of serve in the first set, which Begu took, but none in the second until Watson lost the seventh game.

The Briton broke back but then lost her serve again at 5-5 and Begu served out for a match that lasted two hours and two minutes to secure victory for Romania.

Konta denies ‘overreacting’

Cirstea claimed Konta had “overreacted” by crying in their match but the British number one has defended her actions.

The incident that led to Nastase being dismissed on Saturday happened when Cirstea was 2-1 up in the second set.

After Konta and Keothavong had complained of calling out from the crowd at 1-1, former world number one Nastase was involved in a discussion with officials in which he used foul language before verbally abusing the British player and her captain.

He was sent off the court by referee Andreas Egli and, after initially taking a seat in the stands, was then escorted back to the locker room.

Konta went 3-1 down after her serve was broken in the next game and was in tears before the umpire suspended play for about 25 minutes.

“With all due respect to Sorana, she was not in my shoes at that end of the court being verbally threatened,” said the Briton. “Any abuse is not all right.

“But when it’s a couple of metres away from you, screaming at you, I think that’s a different ball game.

“It’s not something that you truly know how it affects you until you experience it, so I do believe she may have been slightly unaware of the events that happened.”

Halep defended the crowd following her win on Sunday and, on Nastase – whose conduct is being investigated by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), said “maybe he did mistakes”.

“I was not there right on the court but I heard some things so I cannot defend anything here,” she added.

“I don’t know exactly what happened but the people from ITF, they will know what they’re going to do.”

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller:

It was a classy performance from Simona Halep, who was superior in every department. She has just indicated in a TV on-court interview that she really liked her chances – as she feels she has “dominated” previous matches against Konta, despite losing both.

The last few games of the Begu-Watson match were a reminder of the drama Fed Cup and Davis Cup matches usually throw up.

It is not a weekend we will forget in a hurry, but there is no doubt the best team won.

The zonal competition of Euro Africa Zone 1 beckons once again for the British team in February next year. It is a routine they are tiring of.

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Nadal Faces Ramos-Vinolas In Monte-Carlo Final; Cast Your Vote

  • Posted: Apr 23, 2017

Nadal Faces Ramos-Vinolas In Monte-Carlo Final; Cast Your Vote

Apr222017

All-Spanish final set for Sunday

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the Sunday’s final at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters & vote for who you think will win! 
Nadal v Ramos-Vinolas

The fourth all-Spanish championship in the Open Era at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters on Sunday features nine-time champion and No. 4 seed Rafael Nadal against No. 15 seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas, who is appearing in his first ATP Masters 1000 final. With a win, Nadal would become the first man in the Open Era to win 10 tournament titles and 50 career clay court titles. It would also be his 70th career ATP World Tour level title and 29th ATP Masters 1000 crown. This is the first all- left-handed final in Monte-Carlo since 2010 when Nadal beat countryman Fernando Verdasco.

Here are the other all-Spanish finals at the Monte-Carlo Country Club:

2011 – Rafael Nadal d. David Ferrer
2010 – Rafael Nadal d. Fernando Verdasco
2002 – Juan Carlos Ferrero d. Carlos Moya

Nadal has won both previous meetings in straight sets against Ramos-Vinolas, in 2013-14 Barcelona. Nadal has never lost to a countryman in an ATP World Tour level final, compiling a 14-0 record, with eight wins over David Ferrer and one each over Nicolas Almagro, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alberto Martin, Albert Montanes, Tommy Robredo, and Fernando Verdasco.

Nadal is appearing in his 11th Monte-Carlo final (9-1) with his lone loss coming to Djokovic in 2013. The 30-year-old reigning champion is appearing in his fourth final of the season (0-3) and he’s trying to earn his first ATP World Tour title in almost a year to the day on Apr. 24, 2016 in Barcelona (d. Nishikori). Nadal is appearing in his 58th career clay court final (49-8 record) and he’s trying to win an ATP World Tour title for the 14th straight year (since 2004). Nadal is 28 -15 in ATP Masters 1000 finals (second to Djokovic’s 30) and overall he is 69-35 in finals.

Ramos-Vinolas is putting together his career-best week and he’s posted back-to-back Top 10 wins for the first time, defeating World No. 1 Andy Murray in the 3R and No. 8 Marin Cilic in the QFs. In the SFs he beat No. 17 Lucas Pouille, all in three sets. Coming into this week, he was 3-26 lifetime against Top 10 opponents. The No. 24-ranked Spaniard is trying to become the first player outside the Top 20 to win the Monte-Carlo title since No. 31 Alberto Mancini in 1989 (d. Becker). The last player outside the Top 20 to earn an ATP Masters 1000 title was No. 26 Ivan Ljubicic at 2010 Indian Wells (d. Roddick). On Monday, the 29-year-old Spaniard will crack the Top 20 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 19 and will climb to No. 14 if he wins the title

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Ramos-Vinolas Relishing His Best Week Ever

  • Posted: Apr 23, 2017

Ramos-Vinolas Relishing His Best Week Ever

Apr222017

Spaniard plays Nadal in Monte-Carlo final

The finest week of Albert Ramos-Vinolas’ career will have a final chapter on Sunday. The Spaniard, who will play his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters against Rafael Nadal, is receiving a perfect reward for his demanding pre-season.

“It was hard, quiet and specific work,” said the World No. 24 to ATPWorldTour.com after his semi-final win on Saturday over Lucas Pouille. “I focused on very detailed things to work on, not just with tennis, but also physically. At the beginning of the year, the pre-season work didn’t pay off in Australia. The court was very quick for me and in my case does not help. I was really prepared and leaving that early was a disappointment. In South America, everything started to come together and now everything is working better than ever.”

Ramos-Vinolas’ run this week will push him into the Top 20 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time. The 29 year old has found his best level after a long journey that was relatively low-key until this moment.

“I have no idea why my best level arrived at age 29. I guess it’s a matter of maturing. I had a few bad years when I was 24 and 25. After reaching No. 38, I made decisions that were not great, including nutrition decisions, then things didn’t happen the way I expected,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “I would say that the past year has been when I had the biggest change. I was improving constantly, but I was also having an ascending line.”

Ramos-Vinolas describes himself as a quiet and normal guy, but admitted he can have nerves like everyone else. He said the challenge will be to try and control his emotions when facing the nine-time Monte-Carlo champion Nadal.

“I look like a quiet guy, but everybody has nerves. I won’t be an exception. I’ll be nervous. I’ll try my best not to think that is a Masters 1000 final and just focus on what I have to do,” said the Spaniard. “Maybe I am playing my best tennis, but when you are competing, you don’t realise it. I focus only on the match, not the emotions. Everything is coming together and clicking, but I haven’t finished yet.”

You May Also Like: Ramos-Vinolas' Monte-Carlo Run Continues

The final in Monte-Carlo is the fourth all-Spanish final in the tournament’s history, once again showing great state of Spanish tennis, particularly on clay.

“It really confirms Nadal’s dominance. It’s my first final, but he is always there. Rafa is Rafa and everybody knows him,” said Ramos-Vinolas. “Will I have more results like this one? I’ll try to, for sure. I know I’m not the favourite, but I’ll go out there and compete. The most important thing is to fight and hang in there.”

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