A big problem in the tennis game that has been occurring a lot lately is the use of improper coaching. That is players looking to their box to see where their coaches want them to place the serve or what type of point to play, such as a serve and volley game. This is illegal in the game of tennis. You can be coached before or after a match but not in the middle of the match. Numerous players have been accused of doing this, but the one that sticks out most in my mind is Rafael Nadal when he won against Novak Djokovic in the US Open final. I was not there so I do not know what happened, but according to espn.com, Rafael Nadal admitted to receiving coaching on the last point of the match. He was told by his long time coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, to serve at a certain spot. However when Nadal leaked this information, he leaked it in Spanish, and it is not 100 percent sure what he said. The translator was not sure what Nadal said because he was talking so rapidly. Furthermore, Nadal could have been looking to his beloved Uncle Toni, who has been his coach throughout his whole life, in a moment of pressure, and Nadal could have been looking for support. This is not the first time that Nadal has been accused of receiving improper coaching.
Last Wimbledon, there was a big dilemma over whether or not Nadal received coaching in his third round match against Philipp Petzschner according to worldtennismagazine.com. Nadal was uncharacteristically angry with the chair umpire for receiving this warning. He glowered and yelled at the umpire in a John McEnroe way. This brings up what is construed as coaching. Is yelling “Vamos Rafa” coaching? Is telling him “Beautiful forehand” considered coaching? Where does is become too much?
Toni Nadal is not the only coach to be accused of improper coaching. There are plenty of other coaches who have been accused of doing just this. Other ones that come to mind are Jimmy Connors and Todd Martin. However, the Pilot Penn tournament in New Haven is now allowing on court coaching. What does this mean for the future of improper coaching? Will it be allowed at more tournaments? Only time will tell, but whatever the reason, Rafael Nadal is still the 2010 US Open men’s singles champion.
Photo courtesy of deportes.orange.es
Rafael Nadal won his ninth Grand Slam on Monday defeating Novak Djokovic in four tight sets. It was perhaps his greatest triumph. Nadal won the US Open for the first time—ever. It was the one Grand Slam missing from his others. He is only the seventh man to complete a career slam, meaning that he has won all four slams at some point in his career, including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. Furthermore, Nadal won three out of the four Grand Slams this year. He is the first man to do this since Rod Laver in 1969. There is no doubt in my mind that Nadal is a great tennis player and his career is on the rise.
Just how great is Rafael Nadal though? I mean, he only has won nine Grand Slams; he is not even in the double digits! Roger Federer, the man who has won the most Grand Slams in tennis history, has sixteen. What is nine compared to sixteen? On nadalvsfederer.com, they compare these two tennis greats. When Federer was Nadal’s age five years ago, he had won 33 ATP events, 8 Masters, and 6 majors. Nadal has won 43 ATP events, 18 Masters, and 9 majors. Nadal however has spend less weeks at number one than Federer, but this just makes what he has accomplished all the more incredible. Federer is approaching his decline at the age of 29; whereas, Nadal is just starting to peak at 24. There will certainly be many years ahead for the young Spaniard to catch up and eventually surpass Federer. It is time to usher in the Nadal era.
Rafael Nadal faced a formidable adversary in Novak Djokovic at the US Open Final. Djokovic was number three in the world, but since then, he has gained the number two spot bumping Federer down to third in the world for the first time in a long time. Djokovic has been playing some of the best tennis in his career thus far. According to usopen.org, Nadal’s first serve percentage was 67%; he had 8 aces, 31 unforced errors, and a 23% break point conversion average. Djokovic’s first serve percentage was 66%, only a percent less than Nadal’s. He had 5 aces, 47 unforced errors, and a 75% break point conversion average. This shows that Djokovic took opportunities when he had them, and he made the points count when they mattered the most. Both players fought hard, but Nadal’s raw determination to finally claim the elusive US Open won out. However, Djokovic is an up and comer with a Grand Slam already under his belt who is sure to cause a few upsets.
Courtesy of livetennis.com
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have one of the greatest rivalries of all time in tennis and maybe in all sports. Federer has won sixteen Grand Slam singles titles; the most of any man ever. However, he has always had a thorn in his side with Rafael Nadal. As of May 2010, Nadal leads Federer with a head to head record of 14-7 with Nadal way out front according to the ATP World Tour. Against any other player Federer would definitely be considered the favorite, but this record clearly shows that he is the underdog against Nadal despite Federer having held the number one world ranking for about four and a half years consecutively.
An epic struggle in the constant battle between Nadal and Federer took place at the 2008 Wimbledon final. The, then ranked number two in the world player, Nadal defeated world number one Federer in four hours and forty four minutes. The match lasted throughout the whole day and had many rain delays. The match was won in near darkness that night. I believe that this was a turning point in their rivalry. After this, Nadal became number one for the first time and Federer was downgraded to number two.
There is a core difference between these two tennis greats, and I believe that it is the idea that Rafael plays with his heart; whereas, Roger plays more with his mind. Nadal plays every point like it is the match point of a Grand Slam final. I would think that this would cause him to tire out easily, but from the countless matches that I have seen Nadal play (I am an avid Nadal fan), he never has looked or played like he was winded. Now, let’s discuss Federer. He has been known to play his best only on the big points because obviously they are the most important, not that he does not play well on other points. It just seems that he lacks the constant intensity that Rafael has. Federer is more refined; whereas, Nadal is raw and passionate. In the upcoming US Open final (Sunday night), Nadal and Federer are poised to meet if they both make it through their semi final matches. Their potential meeting will be all the more interesting because Nadal has never won the US Open. It’s the one Grand Slam that still eludes him. Federer has five. Who will come out on top?
Created on September 4, 2010
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