Relentless Rafael Nadal Cruises To 16th Major Title At The US Open - UBITENNIS
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Relentless Rafael Nadal Cruises To 16th Major Title At The US Open

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Rafael Nadal (zimbio.com)

Rafael Nadal has ended his three-and-a-half year wait for a hard court title by dismissing a spirited Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-3, 6-4, in the final of the US Open in New York.

 

Underlining his status as the best player in the world according to the Emirates ranking system, the 31-year-old produced a display of tenacity and speed in his shot-making. It was a picture perfect outcome for the Spaniard, who wasn’t taken to deuce whilst serving until the final game of the match. Overall Nadal’s display consisted of a 84% winning first service rate, 30 winners and only 11 unforced errors.

“It is a very special two weeks for me,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony.
“To close the Grand Slam year with a win in New York, brings me to a higher energy because the crowd is unbelievable here.”

Sunday’s finale was tennis’ own version of David and Goliath. Top seed Nadal was aiming to claim his 16th major title against Anderson, a player participating in his first grand slam final. It started as a mammoth battle between the two heavy hitters, but in this version of the tale, it was the match favourite who prevailed against the underdog.

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The job of trying to tame the service power of his 6’8” opponent was a far from simple task for Nadal early on. 35 minutes into the match only five games were played as Anderson battled to stay within contention. Firing a series of aces and producing some nifty play at the net. The South African eventually buckled under pressure in the seventh game when a forehand landed out to secure Nadal’s breakthrough. Suddenly the closeness between the two rapidly eroded as the Spaniard roared his way to the first set lead. Clinching it with a delicate drop shot at the net.

31 places separate the two men in the ATP rankings and that difference became more noticeable as the match progressed. Anderson’s spirited performance was no match for Nadal’s superiority. Who used the speed of his shot-making to dictate the rallies. Nadal’s game plan of standing six meters behind the baseline when receiving was an unusual approach, but it rewarded him dearly. Muscling his way through the second set with an emphatic winner-error ratio of 15-2, the Spaniard broke for a 4-2 lead with the help of a smash at the net. Continuing to orchestrate the encounter on his own terms, the second set was sealed with ease. A lengthy rally that concluded with a ferocious forehand cross court winner.

The inevitability of Nadal’s milestone win began to frustrate Anderson, who battled hard and only managed to win six games in the first two sets. Mentally and physically the Spaniard had the edge, benefiting heavily from his rivals unforced error count towards the closing stages. Anderson continued to fight, prompting praise from the animated New York crowd, but it was not enough to spoil the Spanish party.

Serving for the title, Nadal’s rhythm suffered a blip as numerous calls from the crowd interrupted his service motion. After seeing his first match point come and go due to a speedy return from the world No.32, it was second times a charm for the top seed with a winning backhand slice at the net. Prompting praise from both the Crowd and his rival.

“I know we are the same age, but I feel that I have been watching you my whole life.” Anderson reflected after the final.
“You have been an idol of mine and it’s tough playing you. You’re one of the greatest ambassadors of our sport.”

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Nadal’s latest milestone also marked the end of an era. From 2018 onwards, he will no longer be joined by his long-term coach and uncle Toni on the tour. The man who first introduced Nadal to tennis. It was only fitting that he pay tribute to him moments after the story, describing Toni as ‘one of the most important people in his life.’

“I can’t thank Toni enough for everything he has done for me. Without him I don’t think I would be playing tennis. He has had a great commitment to training with me since I was three and he is one of the most important people in my life.” The newly crowned US Open champion said.

Taking home a prize money fund of $3.7 million, Nadal is the seventh man in history to win multiple grand slam titles after their 30th birthday. He is now only three titles behind Roger Federer’s all-time record of 19 grand slam trophies.

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Alexander Zverev Deserves More Respect According To Boris Becker

According to Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev deserves more respect from tennis journalists.

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Alexander Zverev (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Boris Becker has claimed that Alexander Zverev deserves more respect despite Zverev failing to live up to his potential at Grand Slams.

 

Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career despite being a regular inside the world’s top ten as well as performing at regular ATP events.

This season Zverev played a limited schedule after recovering from an ankle injury but still managed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

However most critics have been loud when judging Zverev’s career as it was looking likely that he would be a regular Grand Slam champion.

The German has failed to live up to expectations but former Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes Zverev deserves more respect.

Speaking to Eurosport Becker also said that Zverev’s father being the coach is a more than successful approach when it comes to the former US Open finalist’s career, “In my opinion, he doesn’t get enough respect from the tennis experts internationally,” Becker explained.

“They’re all talking about the young three or four, but don’t give Zverev, Medvedev or Rublev enough respect. He’s playing with his fist in his pocket a little bit, wants everyone show that he is not a thing of the past, but that his best time is yet to come.

“Surely his father knows best what is good for his son, but if you look into the box at the competition, you can also see changes.”

Becker has followed Zverev for most of his career so knows that the best is yet to come from the German.

Alexander Zverev will look to prove himself next season when he starts his 2024 season when he represents Germany at the United Cup.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Analyses Key Areas For Carlos Alcaraz’s Development

Juan Carlos Ferrero has outlined the next steps in Carlos Alcaraz’s development.

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(@tennisnewsbrazil - Twitter)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has analysed the key areas for the Spaniard’s development heading into the 2024 season.

 

The former world number one’s season has come to an end after a successful year which saw him win the Wimbledon title as well as winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Alcaraz capped off an incredible season by reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

However there is a long way for the Spaniard to go if he wants to consistently go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to Marca Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero spoke about the Spaniard’s development and said that Alcaraz is too emotional, “Be more regular in games, not open doors. Sometimes there are mistakes and it is something that we have to improve a lot,” Ferrero commented.

“Although it is true that he opens doors, he always competes well and at the highest level. He knows it, the other day he already said that Novak doesn’t give you one. He has to improve his decision making and he will achieve that with experience. Carlos is very emotional and that sometimes helps him and other times not so much.”

It’s clear Alcaraz’s high-quality is there but to consistently do it against Djokovic is another task altogether as the Spaniard looks to go from strength-to strength next season.

One area that is clearly a priority for Alcaraz is physical conditioning especially considering what happened against Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier in the season.

Ferrero said that will be a clear focus heading into 2024 but couldn’t guarantee that Alcaraz will play a tournament before the Australian Open, “Because of the year and the fatigue he has been in, what he needs is rest and disconnecting for 8-10 days with his friends,” Ferrero stated.

“From there, the thinking must go back to working really hard, strong and well to start very strongly in Australia. One can never be sure of that. Sometimes you play a tournament and it doesn’t go well, you left home too early. There are many ways of thinking.

“This year we haven’t played Australia and he finishes number two. That means there is no urgency to play a tournament early. Carlos is a player who enters competition quickly, you don’t usually see him without rhythm.

“Although it is true that he becomes more dangerous from the round of 16, from the quarter-finals. I am confident that the two exhibition matches and the training sessions will help us play a good tournament.”

Alcaraz will be looking to play the Australian Open which starts on the 15th of January after the Spaniard missed last year’s tournament due to a leg injury.

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Australian Open Chief Confident Nadal Will Play But Kyrgios’ Participation Uncertain

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Nadal RG 2022 by Night (foto @RolandGarros)

The tournament director of the Australian Open says he is ‘certain’ that Rafael Nadal will play at the Grand Slam even though the Spaniard has yet to outline his comeback plans. 

 

Craig Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday he hopes to receive some clarity over Nadal’s intentions in the next couple of weeks but is confident he will play. However, the tennis official had previously claimed in October that the former world No.1 had already committed to play in the event before his team denied that statement.  

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, hasn’t played a Tour match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. He was originally expecting to take an eight-week break but the recovery didn’t go to plan and he ended up having surgery. In May he confirmed that he will take an extended break from the sport to heal his body and admitted that retirement next year is a possibility.

“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” the Reuters News Agency quoted Tiley as saying. 
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”

Earlier this month Nadal confirmed that he intends to return to the Tour but admits that he will continue to experience a degree of pain. Although he has yet to give any information about which tournament he will begin his comeback at. The 2024 season begins during the first week of January.

“I’m well, training, and happy. I’m at a good stage of my life,” atptour.com quoted Nadal as telling reporters in Barcelona.
“Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer, and the progress is good.’

Will Kyrgios play?

Another player Tiley is eager to welcome back is home player and former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios who has only played one Tour-level match this season due to injury. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer. As a result, the Australian currently doesn’t have an ATP ranking due to his inactivity. 

“We have spoken to Nick, and he obviously wants to do the best he possibly can to give him the best chance to play in January,” Tiley said of Kyrgios.
“Whether he’s playing, whether he’s doing something else, Nick will be here in January and to get him to play will be great. But we’ve got to take it as it comes and he’s got to make sure he takes care of his health …” 

Kyrgios recently worked as an analyst for the Tennis Channel during this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and gave a brief update on his ongoing recovery during a segment. 

“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”

The Australian Open will begin on Sunday 14th January. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending champions. 

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