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Brain Game: Nadal's 22 Minutes Of Mayhem

  • Posted: Jun 12, 2017

Brain Game: Nadal's 22 Minutes Of Mayhem

The Spaniard puts on a flawless display for La Decima at Roland Garros

It was 22 minutes of mayhem.

The match lasted two hours and five minutes, but the torturous time the ball was in play was just 21 minutes and 59 seconds. It must have felt like an eternity for Stan Wawrinka.

Rafael Nadal defeated Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon at Roland Garros. From 2-2 in the first set, it was basically game over.

Overall, Nadal won 94 points to 57 (62%). The average point duration for the match was just eight seconds. Eight seconds of side-to-side, lactic acid domination. Eight seconds of Nadal running Wawrinka to whatever arrondissement of Paris he wanted him to go.

Wawrinka is so dangerous when he gets to step into a ball, but he spent the majority of the 22 minutes out wide on the edges of the court, playing defense against the best clay courter of all time.

Has Nadal ever played a better match than he did this afternoon in Paris? Maybe. Maybe not.

More: Nadal Reflects On ‘Perfect’ Roland Garros

Forehands

The most influential shot on the court was Nadal’s forehand. He only hit 14 forehand winners, but that was three more than Wawrinka’s 11. When Wawrinka defeated Novak Djokovic to win the Roland Garros title in 2015, Wawrinka crushed 60 total winners. Today he could not even manage a third of that (19). Wawrinka hit 26 forehand winners against Djokovic, but just 11 against Nadal.

The flow of rallies constantly saw Nadal hitting deep, aggressive forehands, while Wawrinka was on defense out wide on the edges of the court. Wawrinka made 20 forced errors on his forehand side and 17 unforced. Wawrinka essentially played the entire match on his back foot.

Backhands

The Nadal backhand was rock solid. He hit five backhand winners, but committed only 14 total backhand errors. Both of those metrics trumped Wawrinka, who managed just three winners on the backhand wing while committing a substantial 28 backhand errors. The Spaniard measured incredible range off the backhand wing, consistently going cross-court to make Wawrinka have to hit defensive forehands on the run.

Serving

When serving in the Deuce court, Nadal won a mind-blowing 91 per cent (20/22) of his first-serve points. On second serve, he won 67 per cent (8/12). That never happens.

Nadal faced only one break point for the match, at 1-1, 30/40 in the first set. As expected, Nadal served out wide in the Ad court, but Wawrinka missed a backhand return wide and long. Nadal then hit a 189kmh ace out wide in the Deuce court, and won the following point off a Wawrinka missed forehand return.

Overall for the tournament, Nadal won 72 per cent of his first-serve points, and a mind-blowing 74 per cent of his second-serve points. The Spaniard won 65 per cent (15-23) of his second serve points against Wawrinka.

You May Also Like: Rafa Secures 'La Decima': How The Roland Garros Final Was Won

Baseline

Nadal won an impressive 60 per cent (370/618) of his baseline points for the tournament, and a lights-out 65 per cent (58/89) against Wawrinka in the final. The primary tactic was to force Wawrinka to hit defensive backhands in Ad court exchanges. Nadal then made the Swiss star hit defensive forehands out wide.

Wawrinka hardly stepped into a ball all afternoon. You’ve got to give Nadal all the credit for creating that dynamic.

Summary

Nadal was +19 in the 0-4 shot rally length, +12 in the 5-8 shot rally length, and just +6 in the 9+ shot rally length. Nadal owned the short points, and won a ridiculously high 90 per cent (18/20) of his points at net. He also never served a double fault.

This is the new version of Rafael Nadal that had the fingerprints of new coach, Carlos Moya, all over it. Rafa didn’t grind. He didn’t wait. He was always on the front foot and always looking to make Wawrinka uncomfortable.

This match was also vintage Toni Nadal. You don’t win 10 Roland Garros titles without an extremely knowledgeable mentor. When it was all said and done, it was Uncle Toni who handed Rafa the trophy. Perfect symmetry for La Decima. 

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Wawrinka Takes The Positives From Roland Garros Run

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

Wawrinka Takes The Positives From Roland Garros Run

Swiss star reaches fourth Grand Slam final

Although he was disappointed to suffer a one-sided loss to Rafael Nadal in the Roland Garros final, Stan Wawrinka is choosing to focus on the gains he’s made over the past three weeks.

Wawrinka started his clay season with a 2-3 record before coming alive at the right moment, as he so often has throughout his career. He retained his title on home soil in Geneva and then stormed into the semi-finals in Paris without losing a set. On Friday, his fitness was on full display as he fought through World No. 1 Andy Murray in a marathon five-set match.

The Swiss star admitted not being able to replicate that same level against Nadal, but said simply making another it to a Grand Slam final is a positive result for him.

“I was nervous this morning about the match, about the final, about playing against him. But when I entered the court, I enjoyed it and appreciated being in the final of a Grand Slam. That’s always something special and you need to see that from the bigger picture,” said Wawrinka. “This score wasn’t good. The match wasn’t good. But at the end of the day, there are a lot of positives to take from the past few weeks.

“I was really down three weeks ago, not winning matches in Masters 1000 events or playing my best tennis. There was a lot in doubt in my game,” he added. “In three weeks, I won in Geneva and made the final of a Grand Slam, so that’s big for me.”

Wawrinka was also full of praise for Nadal completing the historic La Decima at this event. Having faced Nadal in 19 FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, with the first dating back to the 2007 Australian Open, he boldly claimed that the Spaniard has reached new heights with his tennis.

“What he did is so big for the sport. He’s playing the best he’s ever played,” said Wawrinka. “He’s an amazing fighter. There is always one more ball coming back. There is always spin on the ball. There is always a different bounce than what other players can make on this surface. He creates a doubt that you can’t have if you want to beat him.”

You May Also Like: Rafa Secures 'La Decima': How The Roland Garros Final Was Won

Wawrinka, No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Rankings will put on his grass-court shoes in a few days as he competes next at the Aegon Championships in London, which starts 19 June. Wawrinka has hired Paul Annacone for the grass-court season in a bid to prevail at Wimbledon, the lone Grand Slam he has yet to win.

“I want to progress and make strides. I’m very happy with my team and all the people who are around me. But we had some discussions in order to get a new vision and another view of my game. That’s why we have decided to turn to Paul,” said Wawrinka. “He has a lot of experience, so I hope that I will move in the right direction.”

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I thought I'd be on a fishing boat by now, says champion Nadal

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

Rafael Nadal described his “joy” at winning a record 10th French Open after beating Swiss third seed Stan Wawrinka in the final.

The Spaniard, 31, won 6-2 6-3 6-1 to secure ‘La Decima’ at Roland Garros, and his 15th major title.

Nadal – who won without dropping a set in the tournament for the third time – said he could not have imagined such success when he first won 12 years ago.

He said: “In 2005, I thought in 2017 I’d be fishing on my boat in Mallorca.”

Nadal added: “I didn’t really think I’d have such a long career and win so many tournaments.”

  • Quiz: How much do you know about the French Open champion?
  • How Nadal won his 10th French Open

Nadal swept through the final in two hours and five minutes to extend his all-time lead at Roland Garros, with 10 titles to Bjorn Borg’s six in the open era.

He said: “This tournament has been very special to me, and it’s true that it is unprecedented.

“Trust me, I’m very happy that I’m the one who did it.

“If I can do it, someone else can do it.

“But you need the right circumstances, the right ingredients to win 10 French Open titles.

“I don’t know if I will ever get to meet the player who will do better than I did.”

The best Nadal has ever played – Wawrinka

Nadal has struggled for form and fitness since his last Grand Slam title at the French Open three years ago, but has enjoyed a resurgence this year.

Wawrinka had been expected to pose the first serious examination of Nadal’s new-found confidence but he was brushed aside like the previous six opponents.

“For sure he’s playing the best he’s ever played,” said the Swiss.

“But not only here. I think since the beginning of the year, you can see he’s playing more aggressive, staying more close from the line.

“That’s clearly the best he ever played. That’s why he’s winning so much again.”

Nadal’s forehand has been one of the great tennis strokes for over a decade, but his backhand has grown in potency – he added 36 backhand winners to 90 forehands at Roland Garros this year.

His game has also become more attacking over time.

The Spaniard won 60% of his points in under four strokes, 72% of his first-serve points and a stunning 74% behind his second serve.

Famously slow between points, Nadal moved forward at every opportunity once the action began and, comfortably finishing points at the net, made it through each match at Roland Garros after an average one hour and 44 minutes.

Wawrinka, on the other hand, needed two-and-a-half hours per match.

“If you play Rafa, if you’re not completely free with what you think and what you’re going to do, and not completely relaxed the way you’re going to play, you have no chance,” said the Swiss.

Setting records in his teens, 20s and 30s

Nadal has been setting records since he burst on to the Tour as a 15-year-old, but 16 years on he shows no sign of stopping.

Only Margaret Court has won more titles at a single Grand Slam tournament, and seven of her 11 Australian Open wins came before tennis turned professional.

Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon nine times, while Federer and Pete Sampras are among Nadal’s closest male challengers with seven victories in SW19.

Nadal becomes the third man to win a Grand Slam title in his teens, his 20s and his 30s, following Ken Rosewall and Federer, and appears capable of adding more.

In terms of the French Open, Nadal narrowly failed to match Bjorn Borg’s astonishing 1978 tournament, during which the Swede lost just 32 games – Nadal’s total of 35 included a quarter-final that lasted only 10 games as opponent Pablo Correno Busta retired.

However, the Spaniard’s 10 titles and 79-2 match record tower over Borg’s tally of six titles and 49-2 record.

Winning farewell for ‘Uncle Toni’

There were emotional scenes on Philippe Chatrier Court as Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni, was asked to take part in the trophy ceremony.

The 56-year-old has coached Nadal since childhood, taking the decision to change his naturally right-handed nephew into a left-handed tennis player.

He has been present in the player box for each of his nephew’s 10 victories in Paris, but will retire from life on the Tour at the end of 2017 to run Nadal’s academy in Majorca.

“For me it’s unbelievable,” Toni Nadal told Roland Garros Live.

“We are lucky in this life because we receive so much. I never thought that my nephew can win 10 times he in Roland Garros. It’s unbelievable.

“It’s the last for me as a coach but I hope I can see my nephew playing many more times here.”

Toni Nadal’s role as head coach will be taken by Carlos Moya, the 1998 French Open champion who joined the team in December.

Moya, 40, has seen his new charge reach the Australian Open final, losing to Federer, and now reclaim his French Open title.

“Every match in this tournament has been better than the one before, so I think it’s been a perfect tournament for us,” said Moya.

Analysis

Russell Fuller, BBC tennis correspondent:

Nadal lost just 35 games in seven matches at Roland Garros: his aura has been well and truly restored to its former glory.

He has 10 titles in Paris and on the evidence of the past fortnight could make it a round dozen if he can avoid the injuries which have so often held him back.

He is back within three Grand Slam titles of Roger Federer – both clearly have the power to add to their tally – and the world number one position could be his by the end of Wimbledon.

He is closing in on Andy Murray, who has a mountain of points to defend on the grass.

‘Who’s going to stop him?’ – expert analysis on BBC Radio 5 live

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash: “I’m totally shocked to see him do it. I didn’t think I’d see him come back to win another Slam, let alone emphatically.

“You can’t look too far ahead in the world of sport but who’s going to stop him? He could get another couple of French Open titles.

“Perhaps he can go into the grass court season with nothing to lose. Andy Murray at his best will give him a great run but if Rafa comes up and starts whipping the balls all over the place like he has here, he’ll be really dangerous.”

Three-time French Open winner Mats Wilander: “Mike Tyson had a gameplan until he got punched in the mouth and that’s what happens when you play Nadal. You get out there and realise ‘hold on a second, I don’t even know how to win points, let alone sets’.

“Four games he dropped at most – in any match and any set. That’s incredible.

“There are so many improvements to his game that he’s a better player now than he was when he won Wimbledon two times before.”

French Open doubles finalist Fabrice Santoro on playing against Nadal: “You have someone over the other side of the net who is so strong physically, who hits the ball that hard, and plays every single point like a match point. We are not talking about winning a match, set or a game. Winning one point is difficult.”

Social media reaction

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Magnus Norman, Stan Wawrinka’s coach and 2000 French Open runner-up: Simply too good. Congrats to Rafa and his team. Amazing 10 Roland Garros.

Donna Vekic, WTA player and Stan Wawrinka’s girlfriend: Absolutely insane Rafael Nadal congrats!!! #10 Proud of you Stan Wawrinka

Fernando Verdasco, Spanish former world number seven: Can someone describe with words what Rafael Nadal achieved today?

Tommy Haas, German former world number two: I don’t think many can put it into words and I don’t think many understand this accomplishment, truly incredible. Congrats, Champ10n.

Mardy Fish‏, American former top 10 player: It is so cool to have played in the era of Federer and Nadal. The two greatest players of all time in the same era. Amazing. Congrats Rafa.

Annabel Croft, former British number one: Huge congratulations to Rafael Nadal winning his 10th Roland Garros title! One of the greatest sporting achievements ever!

Judy Murray, Britain’s Fed Cup captain and mother of three-time Slam winner Andy: Amazing job. Amazing commitment. Amazing family. Well done Toni and Rafa.

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Rafael Nadal: How much do you know about the French Open champion?

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

Rafael Nadal is one of the most recognisable faces in world sport.

But how well do you know the 10-time French Open champion, who created history by beating Stan Wawrinka in Sunday’s men’s singles final at Roland Garros?

Test yourself in our fun quiz. And no cheating.

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Dominant Nadal wins record 10th French Open

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

Spain’s Rafael Nadal made history by winning a record 10th French Open title with victory over Stan Wawrinka in the Paris final.

Nadal, 31, came through 6-2 6-3 6-1 against the Swiss third seed to claim his 15th major title.

He becomes the first man or woman in the Open era to have won a Grand Slam tournament 10 times.

Wawrinka, 32, was beaten in a major final for the first time after winning his first three.

  • Relive Rafael Nadal’s win over Stan Wawrinka as it happened

Nadal moves above Pete Sampras on the list of all-time Grand Slam winners into second place behind Roger Federer, who beat the Spaniard to win his 18th at the Australian Open in January.

Only Australia’s Margaret Court has more victories at a single Grand Slam tournament, with 11 Australian Open wins between 1960 and 1973.

The Open era, when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, began in 1968.

Nadal untouchable in clay-court history

Securing a 10th title in Paris – La Decima – further entrenches Nadal’s place as the greatest clay-courter in history.

The Spaniard won the title for the loss of just 35 games over the course of seven matches, second only to six-time champion Bjorn Borg’s 32 at the 1978 French Open.

He extended his record at Roland Garros to 79 wins and two losses since his first victory in 2005, the only defeats coming against Robin Soderling in 2009 and Novak Djokovic in 2014.

Martina Navratilova won Wimbledon nine times, while Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are the only post-war players among a group of six men to have won a Grand Slam seven times.

Wayward Wawrinka outplayed by Nadal

Despite a 15-3 career record against Wawrinka, and an imperious run to the final over the last two weeks, Nadal still had questions to answer heading into the final.

He responded in emphatic fashion, proving he was back to the kind of form that saw off all-comers in Paris for the best part of a decade.

Wawrinka’s firepower off both forehand and backhand had seen off world number one Andy Murray in the semi-finals, but he could not dominate Nadal in the same way.

The Spaniard’s relentless depth and power left Wawrinka trying for his spectacular winners from too wide and too deep, opening up the court for Nadal’s forehand to deliver the decisive blows.

A scrappy start from both men in hot conditions saw Wawrinka miss the first break point in game three, and fail to earn another.

While the Swiss could not stop leaking errors, Nadal found his rhythm and began skipping around his backhand to fire off forehands, breaking serve at 4-2 and again to seal the set.

Four winners and 17 errors from Wawrinka told its own story, and he found himself 3-0 down in the second as Nadal stretched his run to seven games in a row.

Wawrinka’s frustration boiled over as he smashed his racquet on the clay – snapping it over his knee for good measure – moments before losing the second set.

Another fizzing forehand winner swept Nadal through to a love break of serve at the start of the third and the nine-time champion had too much experience to let such a commanding lead slip.

The Philippe Chatrier Court crowd did their best to haul Wawrinka back into the match but Nadal was now simply unstoppable, breaking serve twice more before collapsing in joy when the Swiss netted on the second match point.

‘Even the greats are crumbling at his feet’

Analysis from former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash on BBC Radio 5 live.

“I don’t like to use the term ‘greatest of all’ but it’s hard not to with this guy. It’s just absolutely phenomenal.

“Rafa’s style of play is so effective on clay, he’s lightning fast and ruthlessly tough. He’s got incredible power.

“He’s got all the attributes you need to just go on and on. He’s in the minds of his opponents. Even the greats are crumbling at his feet on this surface. They cannot even compete with him.

“The only two times he’s lost here, he’s been injured. He cannot be touched on this surface. It was an incredible performance.”

‘Most important event in my career’ – what they said

Rafael Nadal, speaking on court, said: “I play my best in all events but the feeling I have here is impossible to describe and you can’t compare it.

“The nerves and adrenaline I feel on this court is impossible to compare. It’s the most important event in my career.”

Stan Wawrinka said: “Rafa, I have nothing to say about today. You were too good.

“You are a great example and it’s always been an honour to play against you. Congratulations on your career, to you and your team.”

Nadal’s 10 French Open final victories

  • 2005 – beat Mariano Puerta (Argentina) 6-7 (6-8) 6-3 6-1 7-5
  • 2006 – beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6 (7-4)
  • 2007 – beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4
  • 2008 – beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 6-1 6-3 6-0
  • 2010 – beat Robin Soderling (Sweden) 6-4 6-2 6-4
  • 2011 – beat Roger Federer (Switzerland) 7-5 7-6 (7-3) 5-7 6-1
  • 2012 – beat Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 6-4 6-3 2-6 7-5
  • 2013 – beat David Ferrer (Spain) 6-3 6-2 6-3
  • 2014 – beat Novak Djokovic (Serbia) 3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4
  • 2017 – beat Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) 6-2 6-3 6-1

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Heather Watson: British number two beaten in Surbiton Trophy final

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

British number two Heather Watson lost the final of the Surbiton Trophy in straight sets to Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova.

The number six seed went down 6-4 7-5 in a match lasting one hour and 33 minutes in south-west London.

One break of serve was enough to give Rybarikova the first set.

Trailing 5-4 in the second, Watson prolonged the match by breaking her opponent, but the world number 192 won the next two games to take the title.

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Federer Could Face Haas In Stuttgart Opener

  • Posted: Jun 11, 2017

Federer Could Face Haas In Stuttgart Opener

World No. 5 returns to ATP World Tour at MercedesCup

The grass-court season has arrived on the ATP World Tour and a familiar face is atop the draw at the MercedesCup. Top seed Roger Federer leads the field in Stuttgart, his first tournament since going back-to-back at the Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami two months ago.

Federer, who has a first-round bye, opens against either wild card and close friend Tommy Haas or Frenchman Pierre-Hugues Herbert. A potential quarter-final clash against another German veteran, Mischa Zverev, could also await the Swiss. Third seed Tomas Berdych, who faces either Stephane Robert or Bernard Tomic in the second round, is another seeded threat in Federer’s half of the draw.

If 35-year-old Federer faces 39-year-old Haas, it would be their 17th FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter and first since 2014, when the Swiss prevailed in straight sets in Indian Wells. They have met five times on grass, with Haas earning his lone victory in the 2012 Gerry Weber Open final.

View Stuttgart Draw

Federer reached the quarter-finals in Stuttgart last year, where he succumbed to Dominic Thiem in three sets. Owner of the most grass-court titles in the Open Era (15), the eight-time Halle champ will look to add a ninth on German soil. Victory over Haas or Herbert would give him his 20th match win of the season and No. 1100 of his career.

Second seed Grigor Dimitrov leads the charge in the bottom half of the draw, opening aginst either Andrey Kuznetsov or Jerzy Janowicz. Last year’s runner-up Philipp Kohlschreiber is unseeded, as is 2009 champion Jeremy Chardy, who triumphed when the tournament was held on clay.

Held at the Tennisclub Weissenhof E.V Parlerstrasse, this is the 40th edition of the MercedesCup and third on grass, having transitioned from clay in 2015.

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