Sam Querrey and Marin Cilic after playing the 2nd longest match in Wimbledon

5 hours and 31 minutes. That’s how long it took Marin Cilic to defeat Sam Querrey during the third round in the second longest match in Wimbledon history. The longest match was played by Querrey’s occasional doubles partner, John Isner and French player Nicolas Mahut, back in 2010. In the Cilic-Querrey match, the fifth set alone took 2 hours and 7 minutes to finish. The final score was  7-6 (8-6) 6-4 6-7 (7-2) 6-7 (7-3) 17-15. This match had 81 games in total. Both players played some incredible tennis, unfortunately for American fans, Querrey did not emerge as the winner. He should be proud of his perfomance, though. Next up for Cilic is Andy Murray.

Americans Mardy Fish, Brian Baker, and Serena Williams all won their matches today. Andy Roddick won the first set, but ended up losing the next three sets, and the match to David Ferrer. Fish was playing against  David Goffin and won in straight sets. The last two sets went to tie break. This was a much easier match for Fish than his second round match, when he went to five sets with British wildcard James Ward.  Baker played against Benoit Paire and won in four sets. He will be in Wimbledon fourth round for the first time.

Williams didn’t have such an easy match on Saturday. She lost the first set in a tie break and then cruised through the second set winning 6-2. However, she struggled a little during the third set. She finally won the set at 9-7. Roddick lost in what many people think is his final match in Wimbledon. He started off great, and as I said won the first set. He lost the second set in a very close tie break – 7-6 (10-8). After losing the tie break, it seemed like Roddick just wasn’t able to compete with Ferrer and lost the next two sets 6-4, 6-3.

The player who upset Caroline Wozniacki earlier this week, Tamira Paszek, is through to the QFs after defeating Yanina Wickmayer in the third round 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5.  Another player who also upset a former number one wasn’t so lucky. Lukas Rosol defeated Rafael Nadal in the second round, but lost to Philip Kohlschreiber in the third round, 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6).

Something else happened during Wimbledon that rarely happens in tennis. Yaroslova Shvedova won a “golden”set against the 10th seeded player Sara Errani. A “golden set” is when a player wins a set without dropping a single point, in other words winning 24 points in a row.  She won this match 6-0, 6-4.

The favorites all won their matches. Victoria Azarenka didn’t struggle at all during her 6-3, 6-3 win over Jana Cepelova.  Neither did the defending champion, Petra Kvitova, who won 6-1, 6-0 over American Varvara Lepchenko in less than 45 minutes.  Andy Murray won in four sets over Marco Baghdatis.  One of my favorites, Juan Martin Del Potro also won in straight sets against Kei Nishikori.

A day after Rafael Nadal lost to world number 100, Lukas Rosol, it looked like Roger Federer was about to join him on the sidelines. He was playing in the third round and had dropped the first two sets to world number 29, Julien Benneteau.  Federer was able to easily win the next set, 6-2, but struggled in the fourth set. This set went to a tiebreak and most Federer fans were very nervous. It was very tense and Federer was 2 points away from losing this match, but he was able to hang on and win the fourth set 7-6(8-6). It was now even with two sets each and Federer was beginning to look like his old self again. He won the fifth set, and match, without a problem, winning 6-1. Had Federer lost, it would have been his earliest exit at a major since 2005. He will be playing Xavier Malisse of Belgium in the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic also dropped the first set of his match, but was able to win the next three sets against Radek Stepanek without controversy or drama. He plays his countryman, Viktor Troicki in the fourth round. The other favorites did well too. Kim Clijsters was up 6-3, 4-3 against Vera Zvonareva, when her opponent retired. Clijsters, who’s playing in her last Wimbledon, is trying to win one of the two majors she has yet to win. She has won the US Open and Australian Open. Maria Sharapova played much better in her third round match. She won in straight sets and is closer to winning her second Wimbledon title. She plays Sabine Lisicki in the next round.

There were a few upsets in Wimbledon, though none as big as Nadal’s loss. Nadia Petrova, seeded 20th, lost to Italian qualifier, Camilla Giorgi in straight sets. Another upset was Fernando Verdasco’s loss to Malisse. He lost in 5 sets. Verdasco is a player who has the talent, but at times loses matches he should easily win, like this match. Mikhail Youzhny, seeded 28th, defeated Janko Tipsarevic, seeded 8th. Juan Monaco, who was playing in the third round of Wimbledon for the first time in his career, was upset by Troicki in straight sets. Not sure this can be considered an upset, but Richard Gasquet defeated Nicolas Almagro in straight sets. Reason it might not be such an upset is that Almagro is considered a clay court specialist, a completely different surface than the one used in Wimbledon.

How did the Americans do? Mixed results. Sloane Stephens lost to Lisicki in a very close match. It was 7-6(7-5), 1-6, 2-6 for Lisicki. Stephens had two match points at 5-2 in the first set tiebreak, but ended up losing the next five points. Stephens should be proud of her efforts though, after all she had been playing one of last year’s Wimbledon semifinalist. Another young American, Christina McHale, also lost in the third round to Angelique Kerber. She lost in straight sets to the 8th ranked player. One American who did win his match was Sam Querrey. He defeated Canadian Milos Raonic in four very close sets- a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (7), 7-6 (8), 6-4. Querrey was once ranked 17th in the world, but was sidelined for a while after having surgery on his elbow. He’s had a tough time coming back, but this win is one of his biggest wins in a long time.

There’s no Wimbledon on Sunday. Matches will resume on Monday on ESPN from 8 am EST to 3 pm EST and on ESPN 2 from 7 am EST to 5 pm EST.

World Number 100 Lukas Rosol upsets World Number 2, Rafael Nadal

Day 4 had the biggest upset of the day. Actually, the biggest upset of the week. Rafael Nadal, ranked number 2, lost to Lukas Rosol, ranked number 100. This was Rosol’s first time playing in Wimbledon. When he was up 2 sets to 1, everyone believed Nadal would be able to come back and win the next two sets and the match. He won the 4th set and it looked like he was starting his comeback. But Rosol was too good and Nadal lost the 5th set 6-4. This was considered one of the biggest upsets in recent majors. Nadal had just won the French Open and it seemed like he was going to win back to back majors. One of the things that helped Rosol today was his serve. His average serve was 124 mph, his second serve came at 101 mph. During the whole match, Nadal was visibly upset. In fact, during the changeover, Nadal bumped into him. Rosol believes (and so do many people) that it was intentional. He also kept complaining to the chair umpire. Apparently, Nadal was annoyed that Rosol kept moving when he was getting ready to serve. Rosol is the lowest ranked player to ever beat Nadal in a major.

The other favorites did much better. Andy Murray, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, and Victoria Azarenka all won their matches. Andy Murray had a tough match with Ivo Karlovic. He won in 4 sets, but struggled a little with Karlovic’s serve. After this match, Karlovic accused the line judges of favoring Murray because they kept calling foot faults on him, including during some very critical points in the match. Williams’ match wasn’t as controversial. She had a much easier match, winning 6-1, 6-4 against Melinda Czenk. Azarenka and Kvitova cruised through their matches, winning 6-2, 6-0 and 6-0, 6-4. The one favorite who did struggle a little was Sharapova. She won the first set 7-6, but lost the second set 6-7. However, she was able to improve her game in the third set and won 6-0.

David Goffin, who was given a wildcard to Wimbledon, is through to the hird round after defeating American Jesse Levine in four sets. Goffin lost the first set, but stepped up his game and won the next 3. He has been very impressive in his Wimbledon. Some people have even started calling him the next Roger Federer. Next up for Goffin is American Mardy Fish.

Most of the Americans did well today. Brian Baker had another great match in Wimbledon. He defeated veteran Jarkko Nieminen in the second round, 6-0, 6-2, 6-4. Baker had a strong performance in today’s match. This is Baker’s first time at Wimbledon and he’s made it to the third round without a problem. Next up for Baker is Paire, which should be a winnable match, although there’s never a sure thing in tennis or any sport, for that matter.

The other two Americans who won today were Fish and Christina McHale. It took Fish five sets and a little over 4 hours to defeat British wildcard, James Ward. At times, it looked like Fish was struggling on the court. Most of it could be due to the humidity both players had to endure. McHale was able to win in straight sets and will be moving on to the third round.

Some other winners today were Andy Roddick, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Tamira Paszek. Roddick won his first round match yesterday, after it had been delayed. This match was easy for him, he won in straight sets. Del Potro won his match in 4 sets and will face Kei Nishikori. After upsetting Caroline Wozniacki yesterday, she was able to win her second round match without a problem. She won 6-2, 6-1 against France’s Ailze Cornet. She will face Yanina Wickmayer in the the round.

Wimbledon will be shown on ESPN tomorrow, not ESPN 2. Same time as today- 7 am EST to 5 pm EST.

Mardy Fish (picture courtesy of yahoo sports)

Serena Williams (picture courtesy of ESPN website)

Day 2 of Wimbledon was a much better day for the Americans. While Day 1 had split results, most of the Americans who played on Day 2 made it to the second round, like Mardy Fish and Serena Williams. Some of the other winners of Day 2 were Andy Murray, the hometown favorite, Rafael Nadal, Juan Martin Del Potro, Petra Kvitova, Victoria Azarenka, David Goffin, and Brian Baker.  While the first few names might sound familiar to most people, Goffin and Baker are players that are new.

As I mentioned, Day 2 was very good for the Americans. After disappointing first round losses for  Venus Williams and John Isner on Day 1, many people probably didn’t have their hopes up for the Americans on Day 2. However, S. Williams and Fish won their matches in straight sets. Serena Williams is a 4 time Wimbledon titlist and was looking to bounce back after her first round loss at the Frecnh Open. She got off to a good start at Wimbledon where she won 6-2, 6-4. Mardy Fish recently announced that a few months ago, he had some problems with his heart and had to undergo surgery. He was able to get through his match with no major problems. Some other Americans who won their matches today were Sam Querrey, Christina McHale,  Jesse Levine, and Brian Baker.

The name Brian Baker isn’t familiar to most casual tennis fans. He’s an American player who recently came back to the ATP tour after being away for 6 years. Why was he away for so long? He had 5 serious surgeries over the years and wasn’t able to do the one thing he loved, which was play tennis. After winning the Savannah Challenger and making it to the final of the ATP Nice Open, he was given a wildcard to the French Open where he made it to the second round before losing to Gilles Simon in 5 sets. He had to qualify for Wimbledon, which he did, and beat Portuguese Rui Machado in straight sets. Next up for Baker is Jarkko Nieminen.

Another interesting match today was between the two up and comers- Goffin and Bernard Tomic. Last year, as a qualifier, Tomic was the youngest tennis player (since 1986) to reach the QFs. He upset Robin Soderling, who was the 5th seeded player. Goffin was playing in his first ATP tour-level match on grass and had been given a wildcard into Wimbledon. Although Goffin is older, he had less experience in a major tournament. This was only his second major, his first was this year’s French Open, where he lost in the 4th round to Roger Federer.  None of that mattered today. Although, Tomic won the first set, Goffin was able to step up his game and play the rest of the match as if he had done this plenty of times before. Goffin is a player that you should watch out for. He could just be the next Roger Federer.

The favorites also won their matches today. Nadal started off pretty slow, but was able to win his match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci in straight sets. Murray, who is under a lot pf pressure from the English press to do well at Wimbledon, won in a convincing manner, deafeating Russian Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets. It has been a long time since any British tennis player, male or female, has won a major. Murray has been to 3 finals, but  lost all 3. There’s even more pressure on him during Wimbledon. Other players who might have some pressure on them, as recent winners of majors, are Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova. Azarenka is ranked 2nd in the world and won the Australian Open this year. Kvitova is ranked 4th in the world and won last year’s Wimbledon title. Both of them were able to win their first round matches without any problems.

Here are some other players who won today- Del Potro, who defeated Dutchman Robin Haase and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who defeated Roger Federer in last year QF. There were only two upsets today, thought neither of them as big as yesterday’s upsets.  Nieminen beat 14th ranked Feliciano Lopez and Grigor Dimitrov upset 32nd ranked Kevin Anderson. Wimbledon will be on ESPN 2 tomorrow, at 7 am EST. Both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic will be playing their second round matches.

Ernest Gulbis (courtesy of Wimbledon twitter)

For those of you who don’t know where Wimbledon takes place, it’s in London. This means that for us in the US that are interested in watching, we need to wake up pretty early. I woke up at 3:30 am just to watch today’s matches. Why would anyone wake up at that time? Simple, Wimbledon is on of the most popular tennis tournaments in the world, not only do us tennis fanatics love it, but so do casual fans. Day 1 didn’t disappoint. The top two stories of the day were the upsets of Tomas Berdych and Venus Williams. American John Isner was also upset in the first round by Alejandro Falla of Colombia.

Tomas Berdych, of Czech Republic, is the number 6 player in the world. He was a semi finalist in Wimbledon two years ago. He defeated Roger Federer in the QF and Novak Djokovic in the Sf before losing to Rafel Nadal in the final. Ernest Gulbis, of Latvia, is number 87 in the world. Most people probably saw this draw and thought it would be an easy match for Berdych. Gulbis proved them wrong. The two played for a little over 2 and a half hours before Gulbis upset the 6th ranked player. Before this, the last time Gulbis had won a match in a major tournament was in last year’s US Open. Two of the things that helped Gulbis in this match was his serve and movement. He had a huge first and second serve, and was able to run down most of the balls that Berdych hit to him. Berdych will be leaving Wimbledon wondering how he lost.  But this will definitely be one of Gulbis’ biggest wins in his career. He will face Jerzy Janowictz of Poland in his second round match.

Venus Williams was another player who lost in the first round. Williams hasn’t been playing her best tennis lately, but no one could’ve predicted that she’d lose in the first round. After all, she has won 5 Wimbledon titles.  She lost to Elena Vesnina of Russia, in her worst Wimbledon defeat since her Wimbledon debut back in 1997. Right from the start, you could tell this wasn’t the Venus Williams who’s won over 10 majors. She seemed to lack energy and was quickly down 0-5 in the first set. She managed to win a game, before losing the first set 6-1. Williams tried to get back into the match during the second set, but was only able to win 3 games. Vesnina deserves a lot of the credit though. She didn’t let the fact that she was playing a Williams sister intimidate her and was able to move Williams around. She was also to come up to the net and win points there. Although she hasn’t said it herself, many are wondering if this was Williams’ last Wimbledon tournament. After all, she will be 33 years old next year and most professional tennis players usually retire by this age.

Another American player that was upset was the number 1 American, John Isner. Most people first became aware of Isner when he and Nicolas Mahut played in the longest match in tennis history. In 2010, at Wimbledon, Isner and Mahut played a match that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes. This match was played in a period of 3 days, Isner eventually won the match. The following year, Isner and Mahut met in the first round of Wimbledon yet again.  This time, they didn’t have a marathon match, Isner won that match too. Coincidentally, Mahut and Isner were scheduled to meet for the 3rd year in a row, this time in the second round. Unfortunately, since Isner lost, there wouldn’t be Isner-Mahut part 3. Isner has had a roller coaster year. He had two huge wins over Federer and Djokovic earlier this year, but hasn’t had much success in the majors. Isner has a strong serve that was made for this kind of surface, but wasn’t able to use it to his advantage. His return wasn’t as good, and his movement really hurt him.  Isner will be competing at the Summer Olympics next month. He needs to take this time and think about what he needs to do in order to do well. After all, the Summer Olympics will take place in London and he will be playing on the grass courts again.

The favorites- Djokovic, Federer, Maria Sharapova, and Kim Clijsters- all made it to the second round without a problem. Tomorrow, Rafael Nadal will start his quest for another Wimbledon title. The first matches start at 6:30 am EST.  The matches will be shown on ESPN 2.

Here are some of the results of Day 1

Upsets

E. Vesnina d V. Williams 6-1, 6-3

E. Gulbis d (6) T. Berdych 7-6 (7-5),  7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-4)

A. Falla d J. Isner 6-4, 6-7 (7-9), 3-6, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5

Favorites

(3) R. Federer d A. Ramos 6-1, 6-1, 6-1

(1) M. Sharapova d A Rodionova 6-2, 6-3

K. Clijsters d (18) J. Jankovic 6-2, 6-4

(5) S. Stosur d C. Suarez-Navarro 6-1, 6-3

(1) N. Djovokovic d J. Ferrero 6-3, 6-3, 6-1

Americans(the Americans are in bold)

T. Babos d M. Oudin  6-4, 4-6, 6-3

S. Stephens d K. Pliskova 6-2, 6-2

(23) P. Cetkovska d V. King 6-4, 6-2

R. Sweeting d P. Starace 6-2, 2-0 (retired)

M. Russell d A. Menendez-Maceiras 6-3, 6-1, 7-6 (9-7)

(26) M. Youzhny d D. Young 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3

R. Harrison d Y. Lu 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

B. Becker d J. Blake 6-7 (4-7), 7-5, 6-0, 6-4

Others

(13) G. Simon d P. Matthieu 6-3, 5-4 (retired)

(8) J. Tipsarevic d D. Nalbandian 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2

(17) F. Verdasco d J. Wang 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, 7-5

(18) R. Gasquet d T. Kamke 6-2, 6-2, 6-2

(15) J. Monaco d L. Mayer 6-4, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-5)

We are one week away from Wimbledon and I, for one, am very excited about it.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Wimbledon, it’s one of the four majors in tennis. It takes place in London and it’s the only major that’s played on grass court. It’s also the oldest tennis tournament in the world, the first Wimbledon tournament was played in 1877. This year, it will take place from June 25th-July 8th.

What do I love about Wimbledon? Well, as I mentioned before, Wimbledon has been around for a very long time. So naturally, they have a few traditions. There’s a dress code for players, they must wear all white, no exceptions.

Roger Federer, the 6-time Wimbledon champion

Another tradition they have at Wimbledon is the spectators are given strawberries and cream when they attend a match.

Strawberries and Cream+ Wimbledon=the perfect match

                When you’re at a Wimbledon match, there’s a chance you might get a glimpse of the Queen of England. The royal family is usually in attendance, esp when the British number 1, Andy Murray is playing a match.

Last year’s singles winners were Novak Djokovic, from Serbia, and Petra Kvitova, from Czech Republic. Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal, from Spain, 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3; while Kvitova defeated Maria Sharapova, from Russia, 6-3, 6-4.  As always, the “big three” Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal are the favorites to win this year. For the females, it’s a little bit more difficult to predict who will win. Maybe the women’s number one player Sharapova will win, could be one of the veterans (Serena Williams, Kim Clijsters, etc), or even one of the wild cards ( Laura Robson or Heather Watson, both British players). Who knows, anything can happen. Personally, I will be rooting for Roger Federer and either Williams sister to win the title.

Here’s the trophy two singles players(male and female) will win at the end of the tournament.

Well, I guess my pick was wrong but I couldn’t be happier.

On Friday, Roger Federer ended Novak Djokovic’s 43-match win streak by defeating him in the French Open semifinals, 7-6 (5), 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (5).

On Sunday, Federer will face Rafael Nadal in the finals–who beat Andy Murray earlier in the other semi, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4–for the fourth time in six years. His record against the King of Clay is 8-16 and 2-6 in Grand Slams. Earlier this year, Federer lost twice to Nadal in the semis of Key Biscayne, Fla., and in Madrid.

In response to meeting the reigning champ on Sunday, Federer said:

“Beating Novak today was maybe a good birthday gift for him because he lost his four previous matches against Novak,” Federer said of Nadal, who turned 25 on Friday. “I’m going to play against Nadal, my main rival, in another Grand Slam final. We live for these moments.”

Federer was back to his old form on Friday and played very well.

With Djokovic leading 5-4 in the fourth set, the Swiss gentleman came roaring back to break Djokovic’s serve and force it to a tiebreaker. According to Tennis.com, ”Federer took a 6-3 lead by winning three straight points, the latter two with an ace and service winner. He then won the match with his 18th ace of the match.”

Sunday’s match will take place at 9 a.m. ET and will be televised on NBC.

On Friday, the last four men standing will return to the court at the French Open, with the winners proceeding to Sunday’s finals.

With the match-ups, you couldn’t ask for better tennis: No. 1 seed and reigning champ Rafael Nadal will face No. 4 seed Andy Murray and on the other court, it will be a No. 3 seed Roger Federer against No. 2 Novak Djokovich.

How often do you have the top four seeds meeting in the semi-finals (only 12 times since 1968)? And for all of these players, they have their different reasons to want a tournament victory.

Nadal

The reigning champ is looking for victory number six at Roland Garros to tie Bjorn Borg’s record of six wins. Nadal got off to a rough start in his first two matches of the tournament but finally in the third round, he gained confidence and is now playing well.

In addition to Borg’s records, Nadal his lost his last two clay tournaments against Djokovich and will want to regain his stature as the clay king.

Experience at Roland Garros this far in the game is also clearly on Nadal’s side.

Murray

The scrappy Scot is hoping third time is the charm after losing earlier this year to Nadal at Monte Carlo and Djokovich in Rome. After learning he will be playing Nadal on Friday, Murray was quoted as saying, “I can beat Rafael Nadal.”

Murray has never reached the finals of the French Open and his record against Nadal is 4-10. In his three matches on clay against Nadal, who he considers a friend, Murray has never beaten the Spaniard. During their match in Monte Carlo, Murray did not win a set against him.

He has been struggling with an ankle injury and the monkey on his back: he is only the second British male tennis player since Tim Henman, to reach the semis here (1936).

WINNER? I am going with Nadal. I think he’s mentally and physically stronger than Murray on clay. And if he continues to play well, he will again own Roland Garros.

Djokovich

Looking to continue his perfect run, Djokovich is the most well rested of the four as he entered the semis via a default by Fabio Fognini. He hasn’t played since Sunday and there’s definitely the most pressure on him for the win.

Should the stars align, a win will give Djokovic the No. 1 world ranking for the first time and it will tie him with John McEnroe’s record for the best start to a year with 42 consecutive wins from the 1984 season–you know McEnroe can’t be happy about this.

And while the record is impressive, I have to imagine Djokovic probably just wants to win it all as he nears a Grand Slam.

Federer

The 2009 French Open champion, Federer has lost his dominance. He is 0-3 against the surging Serb in their last three meetings this season but holds a 12-9 record against him, going 2-1 on clay.

Federer brings a strong serve to the game (an 89 percent success rate) and he enters the match as an underdog. He is yet to lose a set at this year’s French Open and he is primed to win a tournament considering his drought (his last tournament win was the Australian Open in 2010).

He also has experience on his side.

WINNER? I’d love to see another Rafa – Federer final but I think Djoky is unstoppable right now. As Nadal said of the match,

“It’s the best player of today against the best player in history. … It’s going to be a beautiful match,” Nadal said. “I would watch it — if I was a spectator.”

Interested in watching the matches? Beginning at 8 a.m. ET, the Tennis Channel will broadcast the Nadal and Andy Murray match and NBC will air the second one between Federer and Djokovic on  NBCSports.com. NBC television coverage will begin at 11 a.m. in all time zones.

After struggling with his first two French Open matches, Rafael Nadal showed up in good form on Saturday and won his third round match against Croatian Antonio Veic, 6-1, 6-3, 6-0. Nadal is now 41-1 at the French Open.

Earlier this week, Nadal had difficulties against John Isner on Tuesday, taking five sets (a first for Nadal at the French Open) to earn the win after struggling with the 6’9″  American’s cannonball serve. Two days later in the second round, Nadal lagged behind fellow Spaniard Pablo Andjuar 5-1 in the third set to come back and win, 7-5, 6-3, 7-6.

Many had to wonder what was in Nadal’s head; I kept thinking he may have knee problems again.

With his early week struggles, Nadal commented:

What is wrong about me is my footwork, my legs,” he said earlier this week. “But they’re very much connected to my head. Maybe I’m more nervous than usual. I don’t know.”

Any doubts that may have lingered for Nadal were erased on Saturday with the dominant win and a brief 90-minute match compared to the seven-plus hours it took during the week for his previous victories.

In response to Saturday’s match against Veic, Nadal said:

“I improved in every aspect of my game. I was more aggressive; I made fewer mistakes. I think that at the moment, I have more control of the ball,” Nadal said. “I played very well on my forehand. I opened the court with my cross-court shots. I won points with my forehands. My backhand has improved quite a lot.”

Solutions don’t come from heaven. I mean, you can’t change everything in one day. And you know what? I had not forgotten how to play tennis for a week, but I played better today.I have more confidence, and that’s a major step forward for me.”

Good to know it wasn’t physical problems.

Nadal will meet unseeded Ivan Ljubicic in the fourth round, who beat No. 16 Fernando Verdaco 6-3, 7-6 (6), 6-4 to advance.

While it’s good to have Nadal back, should he advance to the finals, there’s still his nemesis Novak Djokovic to contend with for a potential title. Also on Saturday, Djokovic captured his third-round win by defeating Juan Martin del Potro, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and continued his perfect season with 42 consecutive wins.

However before he won the match, he had to endure a Friday evening start against del Potro that was later called by officials and ultimately completed on Saturday.

While Nadal marches toward a tie with Bjorn Borg for French Open victories, Djokovic is now only four wins away from a record 44-0 season and a No. 1 world ranking.

Next up for Djokovic is Frenchman Richard Gasquet.

Other than a match against Nadal in the finals, I don’t know what will break Djokovic’s streak. I’d never wish an injury on any athlete but who knows, maybe an upset is on the horizon by the local countryman?

Earlier this month, the tennis world was thrown a curve ball when Novak Djokovich beat Rafael Nadal at the Madrid Open in straight sets, ending his 0-9 clay record against the talented Spaniard.

Fans and tennis peers had to ask, was this an off day for the clay king or has a new competitor emerged?

The question may have been answered just one week later as Djokovich again beat Nadal in the Sunday finals of the Rome Masters, 6-4, 6-4.

This represented Djokovich’s fourth straight win against Nadal.  Hmm…Is he inside Rafa’s head or what?

As usual, Nadal was a man of few words about the loss:

“He is simply doing amazing things.”

With this win, Djokovich has won his seventh straight tournament; he remains undefeated in since his Davis Cup win in 2010 (39-0), and he is within reach of the No. 1 world ranking.

Is he unstoppable? » Continue reading “Is Djokovich the New World Leader in Tennis?”