Will Rafael Nadal return to his best on clay at Monte Carlo?

Rafael Nadal had a few good performances at the start of 2017 but when compared to his closest rival Roger Federer, it is far from being great. He comes in with a 19-5 match record on the season with three runner-up placing, at the Australian Open where he lost to Roger Federer, in Acapulco to Sam Querrey and in Miami to Federer again.

Now that he's back on his best surface, he has the chance to prove his critics wrong. With the Monte Carlo Masters tournament happening this week, Nadal is setting his sights on winning the 10th crown. Just a year ago, he won his ninth title against Monfils. This is the sixth time since 2005 Nadal enters Monte-Carlo without an ATP World Tour title on the season.

"When you come back in a tournament where you have been so successful, memories are always special. I would like to win in Monte Carlo, and if I will be doing well, I will have my chances," he said.

After Monte Carlo, Nadal will be playing in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before heading to Paris for the French Open where he will compete for his tenth title.

Five legends boasting 60 Grand Slam singles titles gather for Laver Cup

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal say they plan to play doubles together when the Laver Cup debuts at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic next year.

With a combined 31 Grand Slam titles, Federer and Nadal have committed to the inaugural event, which is an attempt to create a tennis version of golf’s Ryder Cup. The tournament will be played from 22-24 September.

Named after Australian tennis great Rod Laver, a team of European players will face off against a group from the rest of the world. Future Laver Cups will rotate between major cities across the globe. The three-day Laver Cup will be scheduled two weeks after the U.S. Open each year, except for Summer Olympic years.

Former rivals Bjorn Borg (representing Europe) and John McEnroe (representing World team) were announced Wednesday as captains.

Images by Laver Cup/Ben Solomon

A birthday cake for Novak Djokovic

World no. 1 Novak Djokovic was presented with an impressive multi-tiered tennis-themed birthday cake that came with edible tennis balls and a miniature racquet on the first day of the French Open tournament on Sunday. He also received a towel embroidered with his name by France's Davis Cup captain Guy Forget as his birthday present.

Djokovic who was upset by Stan Wawrinka in last year's French Open final, will begin his campaign against Taiwanese qualifier Rendy Lu Yen-hsun today. Overall, the Serb has a comfortable draw until the semifinals where he is scheduled to play nine-time champion Rafael Nadal.

Nevertheless, pressure is mounting on Djokovic to win the only major that has eluded him. While, Nadal is still finding his best form on clay surface, Andy Murray has risen and poses serious threat after defeated Djokovic at the Italian Open two weeks ago.

"Of course I anticipate myself, as everybody else (does), to try to get my hands on this title this year," Djokovic said.

"Even if my career was done tomorrow, I made some achievements that I must be proud of. So that's how I approach things. I don't try to approach them from a point of view of being obsessed with this tournament or with any other tournament, for that matter."

Should he win the French Open, Djokovic will become only the eighth player in history to complete a career Grand Slam of Australian, French, Wimbledon and US titles.

(Via ESPN, Images via Daily Mail Online)

2015 Final Rankings - Men

When looking at last season’s performances of the top 5 on the ATP list there are some pretty clear conclusions to draw from it. This was definitely a year to remember for Nole and a year of misery and disappointment for Rafa. Murray’s season was a huge improvement compared to 2014, which he mostly spent recovering from injury. And the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka played to the best of their capabilities, but didn’t warrant a top 2 position at the end of the year.

1. Novak Djokovic

This year there was a period of three months when Novak lost just once. The Serb had an absolutely brilliant season, which includes wins at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event in which he only missed on the final played in Madrid and reached a record breaking 8 finals in the process.

This was complemented by a third win in his fourth final appearance at Wimbledon, and a win at the Australian Open. That win at the Australian Open was so comprehensive and dominant (he didn’t lose a set in the first five rounds) that many fans of Djokovic compared it to a dream-come-true performance.

And if you want to experience the same feelings that Nole’s fans regularly do, you don’t have to go all the way to Australia, you only need to visit Australia’s best new online casinos because this is where dreams come true.

The only negative, in an otherwise stellar season for Djokovic, was the loss in the Roland Garros final, when Stan Wawrinka prevented him from finishing off one of the greatest ever runs in a tournament, and completing a career Grand Slam. In Paris Nole didn’t drop a set in the first five rounds, beat Murray in a match that lasted for two days, and beat Nadal on his favourite surface at his favourite tournament, but still couldn’t prevail when faced with ‘Stan the Man’.

2. Andy Murray

Murray entered the 2015 season by failing to win in 36 events on clay, but all that changed with his victory in Munich over home favourite Philipp Kohlschreiber. He also entered the year with the embarrassing stat of not being in the top 4 of the rankings for a full year.

That changed when the UK native managed to get to the Australia Open Final, only to be defeated by Novak Djokovic in four sets. He also got to the semi-finals at Roland Garros, but again lost to Djokovic, this time in five sets.

This was also the year in which he joined the elite company of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal as the only players to get to at least the semi-final round in all nine of the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

3. Roger Federer

Numbers 3 and 4 are reserved for the Swiss duo of Federer and Wawrinka. Federer managed to win in the first edition of the Istanbul Open, and the Turkish city became the 19^th place where a tournament was won by the Swiss maestro.

He also reached his forty-first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final on Rome’s clay, and by winning in Halle, he took his tally at his favourite grass court to eight titles. By doing this he became the fifth tennis player to win eight titles at a single tournament.

4. Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka will probably remember this season as the year in which he managed to defeat Nadal, Federer and Djokovic on clay. This was also the second season in a row in which he reached the quarter-finals at Wimbledon. But when he got there he lost to Gasquet. He went one step further in the US Open where he was defeated in straight sets by Roger Federer.

However, the tournament by which Wawrinka will definitely remember this season is the French Open. On the clay courts of Paris he defeated Federer in straight sets, in what was his first win over his compatriot in a major tournament. He then outplayed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semis, earning himself a place in the final against the top seeded Djokovic. He won in four sets, and in doing so he defeated the most in-form player this season.

5. Rafael Nadal

2015 was a season to forget for Rafa. It was a year in which his confidence was shattered. He tried, but couldn’t get past his so called ‘mental injury’ and prompted many to start speculating that the best was behind the Spaniard and that his injuries have dealt the final blow.

He did recover however, and started looking like his former self. In the second part of the season by playing noticeably better he managed to take his tally of wins to 61, which when combined with the 21 losses he suffered this season, is not such a bad wins-to-games ratio.

 But we are talking of a serial winner here, and that win ratio of 75%, was his worst since 2004, and was achieved by playing part in as many matches that he could. He won most of those matches, but got eliminated when the going got tough and when he had to reach the latter rounds.

Rafa will certainly hope that 2016 will be much better for him. It surely cannot get any worse than this. Or can it? We’ll all have to wait and see whether his doubters were right, and whether his career is on a downward spiral already.

Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell: Will Nadal be able to bounce back?

Despite another disappointed year at the Monte Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal still hasn't given up on his favourite clay surface. In fact he is aiming for a ninth title at the Barcelona Open happening this week.

Last Saturday, the Nadal was defeated in straight sets by world no.1 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters. However, the Spaniard insisted he was pleased by his progress after a poor start at the beginning of the year due to injury

"For me, it's a very positive week. The most positive week of the season, without any doubt," said Nadal.

"If I am able to keep doing that in the next tournament in Barcelona, and I have a tough draw, I will say that I am very well again."

The 8-time champion is seeded second after defending champion Kei Nishikori who ended a nine-year streak by Nadal in 2014. Other players who will be playing in Barcelona are David Ferrer, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, Feliciano Lopez, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Ernests Gulbis. However, the odds are high that Nishikori will give Nadal a run for the money.

Image via tennisplanet.me

Kei Nishikori
The world no. 4, reigning champion and top seed Kei Nishikori makes his fifth straight appearance in Barcelona with a 10-3 career tournament record. A year ago Nishikori entered the Barcelona tournament ranked no. 17 and he only dropped one set en route to his first career ATP World Tour clay court title. This season Nishikori is 21-5 with a title in Memphis. This is the fifth time in Nishikori’s career he is the top seed in an ATP tournament. He has quite an outstanding 16-1 record as the top seed with his only loss to Ferrer in the Acapulco final. Nishikori was absent from the recent Monte Carlo Masters.

Image via Skysports

Rafael Nadal
Nadal is aiming for the ninth title here. He comes into Barcelona with a brilliant 42-2 career tournament record. His 41-match winning streak in Barcelona came to an end after beaten by fellow countryman Nicolas Almagro in the quarterfinals last year. Eight of Nadal’s titles came in the past 10 years (he did not play in 2010). This is the fourth time Nadal is not the top seed i.e. in the year 2013, 2005 and 2003. This is going to be an interesting tournament that could make or break Nadal in the subsequent clay court tournaments before the French Open.

Monte Carlo Masters - Who to Watch

 by Carine06 

As the Monte Carlo Masters gets underway, the buzz is beginning to build around just who exactly will surge to dominance on the clay courts of Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France, this coming week. With some first round ties already completed, the pack is already thinning and with that in mind, there is no better time than now to take a look at several stars that are likely to shine in Monte Carlo.

 by  y.caradec

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic began the year in scintillating fashion when achieving glory at the Australian Open - and the Serbian hasn't looked back since. Afforded a first round bye, 'The Djok' has undoubtedly had it easier than others in advancing to the second round, but it likely won't cause him any ring rust. Djokovic most recently moved to 6th place in the rankings for the most weeks spent atop the ATP World Tour Rankings and with a near-5000 point lead over second placed Roger Federer, he won't be dethroned any time soon. These astounding stats are paired with the fact that Djokovic won both the BNP Paribas Open and the Miami Open prior to this event, meaning he will likely want to make it a hat-trick and add to his stellar resume for 2015.

.@djokernole now 6th all-time for most weeks at No.1 in #Emirates #ATP Rankings. Tribute: http://t.co/QhuCSPpaSg pic.twitter.com/so5woJ26uy
— ATP World Tour (@ATPWorldTour) April 13, 2015

Stanislas Wawrinka

Wawrinka shocked the world when not only winning the Australian Open in 2014, but also when scalping a victory over Roger Federer to take the Monte Carlo Masters crown home with him last time out. Wawrinka played the aformentioned Djokovic through a gruelling five sets before ultimately losing out in the Australian Open this year and his form managed to remain consistent - until around two months ago it seems. Since then Wawrinka has defeated just one tennis player (Carlos Berlocq) ranked within the top 100 and it appears that this tournament could go either way for the 30-year-old. One thing is for certain though, whatever happens this tournament for Wawwrinka, all eyes will be on him.

Rafael Nadal
Rafa has slipped under the radar in recent years due to persistent injury problems, but that doesn't mean he is no longer able to punish the best of them at a moment's notice - especially on the clay courts of Monte Carlo. Nadal has won the competition as many as eight times and when you also factor in his nine French Open wins - which is also played on clay courts - there is every reason to believe he can emerge as a front-runner for success at this tournament. Leading bookmakers such as betfair have already listed the Spaniard as the favourite for success later in the year at the French Open, meaning that that Rafa's precense around clay courts is something to behold. Perhaps the 'King of Clay' can strike once again and earn himself an uprecedented ninth singles title.

Roger Federer
For an unknown reason, the Monte Carlo Masters crown has eluded Federer througout his entire career. He has reached the final as many as four times but each defeat appears to be a little more painful than the last, and that may have taken it's toll on the Swiss sensation. Such a storied career seemingly can't end without 'Fed' finally achieving glory in Monte Carlo, but in truth it all depends on whether he can maintain the composure to beat the likes of Nadal and Djokovic. He has, however, suffered on clay courts in recent seasons and this could be evidence of an ageing veteran who is slowly entering his hayday. The ATP rankings prove different however, so it will be interesting to see if Federer can pull another rabbit out of his seemingly-bottomless box of tricks. It would certainly be a fairytale story if he was to achieve glory come Sunday in France. 

So there you have it, four of the more prominent candidates touching down on the clay of Monte Carlo, but in truth, the tournament is extremely open this year, with the likes of Milos Raonic and Gregor Dimitrov looking to ascend into the higher echelons of elite tennis. Watch this space, it could really be anyone who emerges the winner at this year's Masters.

Rafael Nadal Gets Secondary Treatment On Court Suzanne Lenglen Court

There wasn't any shocking moment in the first round of the French Open when it opened on Sunday, except for one: world number one and reigning champion Rafael Nadal has to kick off his campaign in the secondary Suzanne Lenglen court instead of the Philippe Chatrier court. Nobody saw that coming. To put it simply, it is easier to predict the favoured Wimbledon 2014 odds than the French Open organiser's snub.

The organisers decision to host Novak Djokovic versus Joao Sousa and Stanislas Wawrinka versus Guillermo Garcia-Lopez instead of the eight time champion versus Robby Ginepri, has prompted a furious reaction from fans on social media and amongst tennis players.

"That's really bizarre," American John Isner, ATP world ranking number 11 told AFP.

"I mean, how many times does the guy have to win the tournament to be able to have his first match on Chatrier?"

“It doesn’t go week by week. I don’t know who’s talking all the time, but Rafa is the favourite, and then Novak, and then the rest, you know. It’s very clear,” Roger Federer insisted.

Personally, the organiser made a huge mistake by making such a move. Not that it's disrespectful to Nadal but also to the fans who have bought tickets to watch him play on Philippe Chatrier. But I'm quite sure that if Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu made it to the second round to play against Nadal, they will definitely get to play on that main court.

(Image via FFT)

Novak Djokovic donates Rome prize money to serbia flood relief

I may not be the biggest fan of Novak Djokovic but what he had done recently to support his fellow Serbians back home deserves our respect. After defeating Rafael Nadal to win the Internazionali BNL d'Italia title in Rome, he donated the cheque from the tournament to relief efforts. So far, at least 43 people are reported dead in the massive flood in the Balkans. 

Djokovic's winnings are reported to be worth $749,934. Check out this year's Wimbledon betting odds or even the upcoming French Open if you're thinking of winning some money for yourself too.

Immediately after his victory in Rome, Djokovic drew a heart with his racket on the clay surface.

"This heart on the court is for you. It's also a special dedication to my country, which is suffering a lot right now. My heart is with them."

French Open will kick off next week and there is no doubt that Djokovic will come in as favourite to stop Nadal dominance in this Grand Slam tournament. As a Nadal fan, I can only say "may the best man win'.

Images via ESPN and internazionalibnlditalia.com

Rafael Nadal arrives in Barcelona for Grand Gala Mundo Deportivo, treatment

Nadal and swimmer Mireia Belmonte pose with their Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 trophies

Rafael Nadal was crowned Best Spanish Athletes of 2013 as well as receiving "The Excellence in sports award" in an event held in Barcelona, Spain last night. This came in at the right time to cheer up the world no.1 player after a painful loss to Stanislas Wawrinka at the Australian Open final last month.

Nobody has predicted the results given that Nadal has never dropped a set against the Swiss. If you've been a sportbook enthusiast and never missed a single of these important matches, we hope you've been recommended to some of the top sportsbook websites.

“Sport has two sides: One is victory and the other one is defeat. In this case I had to lose and it was not in very nice circumstances,” Nadal said.

He further added, “But I am very grateful for what sport has given me, the career I have done. Last Sunday I experienced probably one of the most terrible situations in my career: getting injured while you are playing one of the most important tournaments in my life, the final of a Grand Slam.

Besides picking up his awards, Nadal has flown in to Barcelona for an important medical checkup with Dr. Angel Luiz Cotorro, where he will undergo some test on his back injury he suffered at the Australian Open. It is not sure if he will be 100% fit to play in the ATP 250 Buenos Aires clay court tournament.

On Thursday Rafael Nadal will be flying back to Manacor for a session of training. After that, the Spaniard will decide whether to play in Buenos Aires. We hope he will be fully recovered by then and start his campaign on clay court surface.

(Image via zimbio)

Rafael Nadal, Ana Ivanovic to play in Richard Branson's event this week

While Novak Djokovic is back to Belgrade to play in the Davis Cup final against the Czech Republic this weekend, Rafael Nadal is already in the Caribbean for Richard Branson's Necker Cup.

Nadal with girlfriend Maria Francisca and baby Kristian Kriek in a car ride to the hotel in Necker Island

The Necker Cup is an exclusive Pro-Am event held on Sir Richard Branson’s private island Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands held on November 12-16th. If the Necker Cup is not exciting enough for you, then it has to be Super Bowl to be held in February next year in New Orleans. To get yourself prepared for more winning moments, visit Super Bowl XLVIII Bets.

Cirstea and Ivanovic on a private flight to the Necker island

Back to the Necker Cup, some of us may not be too familiar with the event. Sixteen (16) ATP/WTA Tour Players/Legends are paired up with sixteen (16) amateur teams of all levels to compete in the fun tennis event. A handicapped scoring format is implemented to make it competitive for every player. Each team consists of one pro and up to two amateurs. Teams will compete to win their bracket and earn a chance to play in the Necker Cup Finals.

Of course besides playing tennis, participants also get to do a lot of island activities.

(Images via Facebook, Instagram)

Notable ATP tennis statistics in 2013

Finally we have concluded a dramatic year with Novak Djokovic retaining his ATP World Tour Finals trophy beating world no.1 Rafael Nadal in straight sets.

The World Tour Finals have always been regarded as the Super Bowl of tennis and by winning the title, it gives Djokovic a boost after losing the no.1 rank in October. Speaking of the Super Bowl, the big event will take place in February 2014 in New Orleans. Assuming you're a fan, we would encourage you to check out the 2014 Super Bowl betting sites.

Set aside the World Tour Finals, Nadal has made a great comeback this year by winning two Grand Slams, the French Open and the US Open that adds up to 13 in total.

Grand Slam winners in 2013

Grand Slam finals in 2013
Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beat Andy Murray 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-2
French Open: Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2, 6-3
Wimbledon: Murray beat Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4
US Open: Nadal beat Djokovic 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Besides winning more Grand Slam titles more than any players this year, Nadal also won 5 more ATP Masters 1000 to come up with a massive total of 26! That's an incredible achievement by the 27-year-old. If Nadal continues to be healthy in 2014, he is expected to keep his winning streak especially on clay. If you want to achieve exactly the same winning moments, we strongly recommend you to go to Super Bowl XLVIII prop bets.

Nadal's achievement in 2013

Masters 1000 tournament winners in 2013
Indian Wells: Rafael Nadal
Miami: Andy Murray
Monte Carlo: Novak Djokovic
Madrid: Rafael Nadal
Rome: Rafael Nadal
Montreal: Rafael Nadal
Cincinnati: Rafael Nadal
Shanghai: Novak Djokovic
Paris: Novak Djokovic

Titles in 2013
Rafael Nadal - 10
Novak Djokovic - 6
Andy Murray - 4
Juan Martín del Potro - 4
Richard Gasquet - 3

This has been the year where we have the most winners over 30 years old. Is that a good sign? Not exactly I guess. We hope to see more young players winning more titles but it seems like it's not going to happen so soon.

Over 30 Winners - 16 (most since 1975)
David Ferrer with the Buenos Aires trophy (Reuters)
David Ferrer - Auckland 30 years, 9 months
David Ferrer - Buenos Aires 30 years, 10 months
Tommy Robredo - Casablanca 30 years, 11 months
Tommy Haas - Munich 35 years, 1 month
Albert Montanes - Nice 32 years, 6 months
Roger Federer - Halle 31 years, 10 months
Feliciano Lopez - Eastbourne 31 years, 9 months
Nicolas Mahut - ‘s-Hertogenbosch 31 years, 5 months
Nicolas Mahut - Newport 31 years, 5 months
Carlos Berlocq - Bastad 30 years, 5 months
Ivo Karlovic - Bogota 34 years, 4 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Gstaad 31 years, 1 month
Tommy Robredo - Umag 31 years, 2 months
Jurgen Melzer - Winston-Salem 32 years, 3 months
Tommy Haas - Vienna 35 years, 6 months
Mikhail Youzhny - Valencia 31 years, 4 months

Longest Winning Streaks
Player - Matches - Duration
Novak Djokovic - 22 - September 13-November 11
Rafael Nadal - 22 - April 22-June 24
Rafael Nadal - 22 - August 5-October 6
Rafael Nadal - 18 - February 11-April 21
Novak Djokovic - 17 (22 back to 2012) - January 14-March 16
Fabio Fognini - 13 - July 8-July 28
Andy Murray - 13 - June 10-August 8
Andy Murray - 10 - January 1-January 27

Most aces served
John Isner (Reuters)
John Isner - 979
Milos Raonic - 883
Kevin Anderson - 651

(Images via Menstennisforums; statistics via Eurosport)