Mutua Madrid Open, Spain Men’s Final: [CR3] Andy Murray (GBR) vs. [CR4] Rafael Nadal (ESP) Nadal had never lost on clay to Murray. Well, “there’s always a first time for everything”. The fan that I am wanted Nadal to win; yet, the realist that I am knew that his chances were slim. Murray has been…
Continue reading →Mutua Madrid Open, Spain Men’s Semi-finals: [CR4] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [CR7] Tomas Berdych (CZE) Nadal had dominated Berdych since October 2006. He won seventeen consecutive matches until Berdych ended the domination by defeating him at the 2015 Australian Open. Today’s match was significant on multiple levels for Nadal. If he won, he would get…
Continue reading →Mutua Madrid Open, Spain [CR4] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [CR63] Simone Bolelli (ITA) A casual observer may look at the score and be impressed that Nadal was able to defeat Bolelli so easily. Bolelli, when he is in form, can be challenging. Yet, the astute fan knows that the score does not accurately tell the…
Continue reading →Mutua Madrid Open, Spain [CR1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. [CR31] Victoria Azarenka (BLR) Some players have a psychological advantage over others, sometimes the reason is obvious; yet, often it is baffling why they do. A serve and volley player may be particularly troubling for a baseliner. Williams does not like going to the net and…
Continue reading →Mutua Madrid Open, Spain [CR4] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs. [CR54] Steve Johnson (USA) You can beat Nadal more frequently on the forehand side because with his current struggles, he has not been defending that side as well. If you can get the ball to his forehand with pace and placement, more than likely you will…
Continue reading →Mutua Madrid Open, Spain [CR1] Serena Williams (USA) vs. [CR38] Sloane Stephens (USA) Stephens defeated Williams once, at a critical time in Serena’s career. This defeat may have appeared as an upset but Serena was struggling with back issues. Yet, it happened at a major, the Australian Open and everyone took note. Since then, great things…
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