Farewell to the King of Clay

Opinion

Most Improved of All Time

The 2007 Men’s Wimbledon Final was my introduction to Rafael Nadal. I was 9. The determination he showed through grunts, grimaces and fist pumps was palpable. And the capri-length shorts + tank top fit? So cool 😮‍💨 That match against Roger was one of the early thrillers that Nadal would go on to repeatedly grace us with over the next two decades. Safe to say, I was an instant fan.

Following the 2007 Wimbledon, I watched Nadal often during his early career. What I remember about that time was that he had a lot of doubters. Commentators picked on him, saying he’d never succeed outside of the clay. I can still hear John McEnroe saying Rafa:

• Won’t be good on hard courts because he hits the ball too short and with too much spin

• Won’t last long on tour with his defensive, grinding game style

• Doesn’t have a powerful serve

• Doesn’t know how to volley

I was irritated by the lack of respect Rafa got, but much of what McEnroe said was true at the time. Nadal got overpowered on hard court, had a weak 104ish MPH first serve, and rarely came forward. That was over 15 years ago.

Last week he announced that he’s retiring at Davis Cup in late November. While it’s sad that one of the greatest of all time is leaving the sport, it gives us the chance to sit in admiration of him. One aspect of his legacy that will always stick with me is this: Nadal is perhaps the most improved player of all time, and proved all the haters wrong 10 times over.

The Spaniard endlessly developed new technique, skills, and transformed his body to improve. He served 130+ MPH throughout the 2010 US Open, which he went on to win. He learned to flatten out both of his groundstrokes. He learned to play closer to the baseline and take time away from his opponents. And he became an excellent finisher at the net. Rafa went from a defensive, one-surface wonder to an all-court winning machine that no one wanted to see in their draw.

To put Nadal’s improvement into perspective, he ended his career with 2 Wimbledon, 2 Australian, and 4 US Open titles. That’s as many slams as hall-of-famers Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Jimmy Connors, but on his second and third best surfaces. Add in the ridiculous 14 Roland Garros titles, and what you’re left with is one of the gods of the sport.

Davis Cup will undoubtedly be heart breaking. Tennis will lose one of its greatest ambassadors of the sport, and to me, a hero in showing that you can always get better. Long live the bull.

Vamos Rafa

Trivia

Nadal hoisted a whopping 92 ATP tour titles throughout his career. But what trophy eluded him?

A. ATP Tour Finals

B. Olympic Gold

C. Shanghai Masters 1000

D. Queens ATP 500

Find out at the bottom!

Meet the Player

Tallon Griekspoor

Tennis is a global sport, and it’s hard to keep track of all of the great players, old and new. In this section, you’ll get to know a new player each week, get quick analysis on their game, and how far I think they can go.

From: Netherlands 🇳🇱

Best Slam Result: 3rd Round (Aussie, French & US)

Career High Ranking: 21

Fun Fact: Hero is Formula 1 Driver Max Verstappen. Says if he weren’t a tennis player, he’d be an F1 driver. 🏎️

Game Analysis: The Dutchman has a flat, powerful game predicated on his serve, big forehand and tree-trunk thighs. That said, his awkward backhand technique makes it challenging for him to consistently rip it on that side, which gets him in trouble. On a good day (and on hard court), he can give the top guys a run for their money, but could use a pointer from Novak on the backhand.

Career Prediction: At the age of 28, Griekspoor is likely entering the back half of his career. He’s been in the top 50 since 2021ish, and will be there for the next handful of years. I don’t think he’s got enough game (or time) to break into the top 20, but can still push the top guys and be a contender for ATP 250 titles.

Shot of the Week

Nadal Tribute

These points from Rafa are just silly. 35 is a lot, so you might need to take an hour lunch today. Sorry boss

News

Headlines Across the Game

🤖 In another “AI is taking your job” moment, Wimbledon is replacing line judges with automated line calling. I hope all of the previous line judges got to keep their iconic Polo attire. Wimbledon also adjusted the times for both Finals matches, which will be now start at 4pm UK time on Saturday and Sunday. Mark your calendars.

🏆 Following up her US Open win, Aryna Sabalenka took home Covid the title in Wuhan for the third time. She had a remarkable turnaround in the semis, where she beat Coco Gauff after being down a set and a break. By making winning a habit this year, she has put herself in position to challenge Iga Swiatek for the year-end World No. 1 ranking.

1️⃣ Speaking of making winning a habit, Jannik Sinner won his 7th title of the year, defeating Novak Djokovic in the Shanghai final this past weekend. Crazy stat: Djokovic didn’t have a break point in all 6 sets they played this year. With the win, Sinner solidified himself as the year-end World No. 1, the first Italian man to ever do so.

Memes

Carlos: “Roger, whenever I think about Emma [Raducanu] I get butterflies in my estomago. Can you help me?”

Roger: “Only if you help me heckle Novak first”

Answer

A. Nadal never won the end of year ATP Tour Finals