Right now, Nadal is number 1 with 12470 points. Djokovic is number 2 at 10665 points. 1805 points separate the two. There is a slim chance Djokovic could become number 1 at the end of Rome. A Masters 1000 event awards 1000 points to the winner. Normally, a player doesn't get the full 1000 points
At the end of 2010, the pundits were proclaiming that we were back at the same old, same old. Federer had beaten Nadal in the finals. Everyone figure Roger was back. 2011 was going to be the Roger and Rafa show...again. This was a far cry from what the experts said after Wimbledon. Roger was
It's nearly the semifinals everyone had hoped for. The top three players were there. Federer, who nearly got booted playing Feliciano Lopez, escaped then had a good win over Xavier Malisse and Robin Soderling, was meeting Rafael Nadal who hasn't had too much difficulty on the clay since Monte Carlo when Andy Murray put a
No one seems to believe it, but Federer's having a pretty good year. Oh, he hasn't solved Nadal. Djokovic appears to have passed him by. But Federer has lost to only 3 people this year. They are, yes, Nadal and Djokovic, and an old childhood buddy, Jurgen Melzer. Say what you will, Federer hasn't had
Lopez seems like a poor man's Verdasco. He's a lefty, but hits his a one-hander to Verdasco's two-hander. He has a big forehand, but probably not bigger than Verdasco. He relies on the slice. He might have a bigger serve than Verdasco, but not by much. In any case, he had never beaten Roger Federer,
I managed to watch about a set of the finals of Barcelona between Nadal and Ferrer. For some reason, Tennis Channel opted to show it tape delayed even though it showed earlier rounds live. I knew Nadal had won the first set comfortably, and I knew Ferrer was up a break in the second based
You just can't beat him. Not unless he's injured. David Ferrer won fairly easily yesterday over Nicolas Almagro, but he said it took a lot out of him. And his reward? Play Nadal. Again. He just played him in Monte Carlo, but couldn't take a set off him. Ferrer didn't start well going down two
Nadal is at it once again. Ever since he burst on the tennis scene, he became the king of clay, and nothing has really stopped him except his own injuries. Nadal beat Dodig, a Croatian that's maybe a year older than Nadal, but far less successful. Dodig is having his best week in some time
Monfils isn't such a good match for Nadal. You would think he would be. Tall, French, and flashy, you might think his athleticism would make a difference. But there are reasons Nadal tends to own Monfils. First, Nadal is quick enough that even when Monfils goes for a big shot and makes it, Nadal is
Rafa is among the toughest players to beat. This is one big reason he's number 1. Let's first go through his strengths to see why he's so tough. Everyone starts with Rafa's tenacity, his never-say-die attitude. This is clearly important, but if he couldn't hit shots, it wouldn't matter. Rafa doesn't play badly very often,
