Nadal, Rafael
With the Australian Open Set to Begin, All Eyes Are on Rafael Nadal
MELBOURNE, Australia — The first collective gasp of this year’s Australian Open came Thursday afternoon, four days before the tournament officially begins. The hubbub came at the start of the men’s singles draw when Jack Draper’s name appeared in the second slot in the 128-man field. That meant Draper’s first-round opponent was guaranteed to be […]
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Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Wimbledon Ahead of Semifinal Match
WIMBLEDON, England — In the end, after a day of contemplation and consideration for what mattered most, health prevailed over the temptations of yet another title. On Thursday evening, 24 hours after one of the gutsiest and most grueling efforts of his career, Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam champion, pulled out of his semifinal […]
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What’s the Most Curious and Fraught Job in Tennis?
Consider Halep’s quarterfinal win, 6-2, 6-4, over Amanda Anisimova of the United States on Wednesday. For more than six years, Darren Cahill, the longtime coach and ESPN commentator, who has worked with Andre Agassi, Andy Murray and Ana Ivanovic, among others, coached Halep. They split in September. Cahill, who is Australian, said the rigors of […]
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Rafael Nadal, Looking Unbeatable, Wins 14th French Open Title
PARIS — He fooled us again, which is, in itself, quite a feat at this stage of the game. Perhaps Rafael Nadal really means it when he talks down his chances at Roland Garros, and there was certainly no fakery involved last month when he limped and grimaced through the final set of an early-round […]
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Tennis Tours Penalize Wimbledon Over Ban on Russian Players
Unlike Wimbledon, the lead-in events in Britain have retained their ranking points despite being formally part of the tours. Wimbledon, as a Grand Slam event, operates independently but does have agreements with the tours on many levels. But the ATP and WTA chose not to strip points from the British lead-in events because other European […]
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Rafael Nadal Falls Apart on Clay, Just in Time for the French Open
ROME — Quick and dominant in the first set against Denis Shapovalov, Rafael Nadal was quite the opposite down the stretch at the Italian Open on Thursday night. Late to the ball. Limping between points. Grimacing and wincing even on changeovers. His distress was so visible as the double faults and unforced errors piled up […]
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Daniil Medvedev Intrudes on the Big Four’s No. 1 Perch
During his quarterfinal victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada at the Australian Open, a fan at Rod Laver Arena shouted, “Do it for Ukraine, Felix!” But Medvedev has spoken out against the war since it began on Feb. 24. “By being a tennis player I want to promote peace all over the world,” he said […]
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Djokovic Willing to Miss Grand Slam Tournaments to Stay Unvaccinated
It should not come as a revelation at this stage, but Novak Djokovic is not backing down. Not after all the drains on his energy and blows to his image. Not after twice being detained in Melbourne, Australia, last month. Not after his deportation from that country on the eve of the year’s first Grand […]
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Rafael Nadal Wins the Australian Open, His 21st Grand Slam Title
Nadal made certain of that. “This has been one of the most emotional nights of my tennis career,” he told the cheering crowd, and later said: “If we put everything together, the scenario, the momentum, what it means. Yeah, without a doubt probably have been the biggest comeback of my tennis career.” Nadal, 35, returned […]
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