Rafa & Serena Continue To Dominate Season 2013
The 2013 French Open that concluded at Roland Garros recently again reminded all of us that the two leading players on their respective tours this season are indeed the respective French Open champions, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, the two superstars of world tennis are both on impressive winning streaks with Rafa currently sitting on 21 matches unbeaten and Serena having won her last 31 matches, they are both cleary now favoured to end the season ranked No. 1 on their respective rankings but as well know the season is long and can take many twists and turns.
Nadal has been super impressive since his return from injury this season, the champion Spaniard has a 43-2 match record this year and has made all nine finals of the tournaments he has played this season winning an impressive seven of them, he is the first man on the ATP World Tour to qualify for the season ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and if he continues his current form then he will very likely end the year as world No.1, Rafa has practically no points to defend for the remainder of the season so unless the 27 year old is beset by injury it’s hard to see how the King of Clay will not vie for the top spot at seasons end.
Williams has been just as impressive on the women’s tour holding a 43-2 match record in 2013 and claiming six titles on the way, the 31 year old native from Michigan is now the undisputed No.1 women’s player in the world and with Wimbledon just around the corner it’s difficult to more »
Written by:Will We See Roger In Another Grand Slam Final?
In the aftermath of Roger Federer’s quarter-final loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Roland Garros this week many tennis fans are now questioning whether we will ever see Roger in another Grand Slam final, it is true that Federer was not at his best against Jo-Willy but it also appears very factual that the Swiss maestro is now clearly past his best, the fact Tsonga beat Federer in straight sets for the first time at a major championship could mean that we have seen the last of Federer duking it out in a Grand Slam decider.
It may well be foolish to write off the player most people refer to as the greatest to have ever played the game but Federer’s form and statistics this season don’t lie, the 17-time Grand Slam champion is yet to win a title in 2013 and out of the seven tournaments that Roger has played this season he has only been in one championship decider, that was recently in Rome where Fed was routined in the final by Rafa in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.
Roger looked bitterly disappointed with his effort against Tsonga in Paris but he has already turned his attention to the grass court season which comes hard on heels of the clay court swing, how Federer fares on his beloved grass courts should give us all the real answer to whether or not we are witnessing the final decline of the great Swiss champion, Roger’s greatest success has always come on the green turf and more disappointment at Halle and Wimbledon in the next month may well answer the question for more »
Written by:Rafa & Serena Favourites Again At Roland Garros
World No.4 and seven time French Open champion Rafael Nadal and the undisputed women’s world No.1 Serena Williams will again start as favourites at Roland Garros in 2013, with a few notable exceptions Nadal has swept all before him this season including back to back titles on clay in Madrid and Rome as he relaunches his claim for the No.1 spot once more, Williams has been even more impressive winning her last four tournaments and both players will now clearly start the popular Paris tournament as warm favourites to win their respective singles titles.
Rafa has already built an unmatched legacy at Roland Garros by winning seven of the last eight titles but Serena is yet to establish any real dominance on the Parisian clay and the native from Michigan will surely be focused and ready to add another French Open crown to her long list of achievements, most tennis pundits are predicting a two horse race in the men’s championship between Nadal and world No.1 Novak Djokovic but William’s penchant for early round upsets in Paris will have many of her supporters a little concerned.
Rafa and Serena are the favourites for the French Open and they are currently the two dominant figures in world tennis, so who or what will stop this dynamic duo from winning their respective men’s and women’s championships in 2013? Obviously Djokovic looks to be Nadal’s main threat to achieving more glory in Paris but there is also a little matter of Rafa’s knee, the champion Spaniard doesn’t appear more »
Written by:Will Djokovic Use His Monte-Carlo Win As A Blueprint For Success At Roland Garros?
Last week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 1000 final in Monaco provided most tennis fans with a taste of what many believe could be a dress rehearsal of the French Open finale at Roland Garros in 2013, world No.1 Novak Djokovic ended the amazing run of eight time Monte-Carlo champ Rafael Nadal and the Serb not only beat the champion Spaniard but he did so in straight sets at a tournament Rafa has owned for nearly a decade, the result was significant and could provide Novak’s team with the blueprint for success in Paris when the tournament commences late next month.
Of course there will be a group of people, Rafa’s team included, that will assume Nadal and his camp will now go away and come up with a strategy to disarm the Djokovic game plan, Uncle Toni has often been the mastermind behind Rafa fighting back from disappointing losses but the Djokovic threat at Roland Garros in 2013 is a very definite and real one which will ultimately threaten the King of Clay’s grip on the “The Musketeers’ Trophy”, these two great players will not be the only players in contention for a Grand Slam title in Paris of course but their chances will be discussed more than most as the build up to the French Open continues.
Novak’s win at Monte-Carlo must have given himself and his team extra self belief that he can now go on and claim the French Open title this year and complete a career Grand Slam in the process, the Serb’s victory and the manner of how it was achieved would have also planted more »
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