Tag: Rafael Nadal

Djokovic Breaks Tie With Nadal by Reaching French Open Quarterfinals for 17th Time; Alcaraz Wins

Novak Djokovic broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal by reaching the French Open quarterfinals for the record 17th time, never truly in trouble during a 6–3, 6–2, 6–2 victory over Juan Pablo Varillas on Sunday. “Well, I’m proud of it, but my attention is already on the next match,” said Djokovic, who will play…


Nadal’s Season All but Over After Hip Surgery: Representative

Rafael Nadal’s injury-plagued season is all but over after the Spaniard underwent surgery on a hip muscle which will keep him out of action for an estimated five months, his representative said on Saturday. The 14-times French Open champion, who has won a men’s joint-record 22 majors, has been out of action since January after…


Rafael Nadal to Miss French Open With Hip Injury, Expects 2024 to Be Last Season

For months, Rafael Nadal waited for his body to heal. Waited to be able to push himself around a court at full speed, with full energy, of the sort that has carried him to a record 14 titles at the French Open and a total of 22 at all Grand Slam tournaments. He finally acknowledged…


Nadal in Rut, Djokovic on Roll as Australian Open Approaches

MELBOURNE, Australia—Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic own the two largest collections of Grand Slam trophies in the history of men’s tennis. They are their sport’s two most prominent active figures; no one else is even close. Both are in their mid-30s; no one knows how much longer they’ll be at the top of the game….


Is the GOAT of Tennis a Meaningless Competition?

Commentary As the Australian Open will be played in Melbourne from Jan. 16 to Jan. 29, it is time to consider an interesting question on Quora that observers of the tennis world will be interested in: “Isn’t the whole GOAT debate in tennis just pointless and a waste of time? Any true tennis fan would…


The 2022 US Open Did Not Disappoint

Commentary The U.S. Tennis Open, always guaranteed to be exciting, has concluded with victories by Iga Swiatek from Poland as the women’s champion and Carlos Alcaraz from Spain as the men’s champion. For Swiatek, ranked number one in the world, it was her second Grand Slam victory this year following her win at Roland Garros….


Nadal Hints at Extended Break After US Open Exit

NEW YORK—Rafael Nadal said he needed to “fix things” and was unsure about his return to competitive tennis after his bid for a men’s record-extending 23rd Grand Slam title ended in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday. American Frances Tiafoe, who had lost both previous meetings against the 36-year-old left-hander, stunned the…


Nadal Withdraws From Montreal Because of Abdominal Injury

MONTREAL—Rafael Nadal withdrew from the upcoming hard-court tournament in Montreal on Friday because of the abdominal injury that caused him to pull out of Wimbledon ahead of the semifinals. The Spaniard had been 19–0 in Grand Slam matches this year when he decided the injury was too much at Wimbledon. He won the Australian Open…


The Thrilling 2022 Wimbledon Tournament

Commentary This year’s Wimbledon tennis extravaganza finished with a highly anticipated clash between the Serbian champion, Novak Djokovic, and the “bad boy” of tennis, Australia’s Nick Kyrgios. It was Kyrgios’s first Grand Slam final. During the fortnight of the competition, Kyrgios constantly made the headlines, but mainly for the wrong reasons. He spat in the…


Hampered Nadal Gets Past Fritz at Wimbledon; Kyrgios Next

WIMBLEDON, England—Wincing from abdominal pain, unable to ply his customary relentless style of tennis, Rafael Nadal thought he might need to stop playing in the Wimbledon quarterfinals against Taylor Fritz. Up in the Centre Court stands, Nadal’s father was waving his arms, motioning to the 22-time Grand Slam champion to quit. Not surprisingly, perhaps, he…