Tag: Nadal

MIAMI - Top seeds Rafael Nadal and Caroline Wozniacki lived up to expectations as both advanced with ease at the $9 million Miami WTA and ATP Masters tournament on Saturday. Nadal, on the quest for his first trophy since October in Tokyo, overpowered Japan's Kei Nishikori 6-4, 6-4 while Wozniacki beat Daniela Hantuchova 6-1, 7-6 (9/7).
World number one Nadal has yet to win a Miami title, finishing runner-up in 2005 to Roger Federer and three years later to Nikolay Davydenko. His

MIAMI - Defending champion Andy Roddick made a shock early exit from the Sony Ericsson Open, suffering a second round loss to Uruguayan Pablo Cuevas 6-4 7-6.
The world number eight, struggled physically and needed medical treatment during the second set, said that he was likely suffering from a lingering bronchial infection.
"I had a little trouble breathing out there today. I've had something for a little while but I'm going to have it checked out when I get home," the

INDIAN WELLS - Serbia's Novak Djokovic continued his blistering pace this season by beating Roger Federer to reach the Indian Wells final and snatch the Swiss star's world number two ranking. Djokovic reached Sunday's title match at the $4.5 million ATP Masters 1000 event, where he will take on Rafael Nadal, by defeating Federer 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 Saturday to extend his match winning streak this season to 17.
"I am playing the best tennis of my life," said Djokovic, who won the

INDIAN WELLS - Rafael Nadal booked a fourth round spot by steamrolling unseeded Ryan Sweeting Monday and looks primed to go deep in the Indian Wells WTA and ATP Masters 1000 event. World number one Nadal easily beat Sweeting 6-3, 6-1 as the two-time winner put any question about his recovery from a left thigh injury to rest.
World number four Robin Soderling became another seeded casualty as he suffered a rare loss this season with his fourth defeat in five career meetings

ABU DHABI - Spain had double reason to celebrate at the prestigious Laureus awards here on Monday as world tennis number one Rafael Nadal was voted sportsman of the year and the Spanish football team's World Cup win netted them the team of the year.
American ski superstar Lindsey Vonn got a gentle boost ahead of this week's world alpine skiing championmships by winning the sportswoman of the year title. German golfer Martin Kaymer's fabulous year, which included his first major -

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal is looking to put behind him the despair of missing a cherished 'Rafa Slam' and recover from his Australian Open injury setback to again rule men's tennis. The world number one was in tears late in his injury-ruined quarter-final Wednesday with Spanish friend David Ferrer as he realised his quest for a fourth straight non-calendar year Grand Slam victory was over.
Although he refused to dwell on the injury out of respect for Ferrer's unexpectedly easy

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal stormed past Croatia's Marin Cilic into the Australian Open quarter-finals Monday in his bid to unite the Grand Slam titles, as Kim Clijsters and Andy Murray also went through. World number one Nadal was in devastating touch against the 15th seed, who struggled throughout and double-faulted on match-point to go down 6-2, 6-4, 6-3 after 2hr 31min on a cool evening at Rod Laver Arena. Nadal, who caught a virus this month and sweated buckets in Saturday night's

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal has some practical advice for rising Australian teen Bernard Tomic if he is to realise his enormous potential and become a future top-liner in men's tennis.
The 18-year-old Tomic, ranked 198 places below the world number one, was far from overrun in a daunting night match on Rod Laver Arena, keeping the heavily perspiring Nadal on court for 2hr 30min before he went out fighting, 6-2, 7-5, 6-3.
Asked what Tomic had to do to take the next big step,

MELBOURNE - World number one Rafael Nadal survived a brief scare against local teenager Bernard Tomic to reach the Australian Open last 16 Saturday, as women's favourite Kim Clijsters also battled through.
Nadal, gunning to unite the four Grand Slam titles for the first time since 1969, was surprisingly broken twice by the confident Australian 18-year-old in the second set before recovering strongly to win 6-2, 7-5, 6-3. Nadal, ironically the last teen to beat a world number one

MELBOURNE - World number one Rafael Nadal Thursday warned he was fully recovered from a strength-sapping illness as he took another decisive step towards a historic sweep of the Grand Slam titles. Nadal coolly dispatched American qualifier Ryan Sweeting 6-2, 6-1, 6-1 at Rod Laver Arena, joining women's favourite Kim Clijsters in the third round just hours after his arch-rival Roger Federer scraped past Gilles Simon.
Britain's Andy Murray, the world number five, also beat

MELBOURNE - Top seed Rafael Nadal was handed an easy win at the Australian Open Tuesday, as Kim Clijsters humiliated Dinara Safina 6-0, 6-0 and former number one Ana Ivanovic was another high-profile casualty. Nadal, the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion, was leading 6-0, 5-0 when Brazilian journeyman Marcos Daniel threw in the towel after being troubled by a left knee problem.
In an action-packed day two, Britain's Andy Murray went through in similar circumstances

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal said Tuesday he avoids reading reports about his quest for a 'Rafa Slam' and was not obsessed about winning a fourth consecutive major. The world number one was gifted passage into the Australian Open second round Tuesday when Marcos Daniel retired hurt, putting him a step closer to a non-calendar year Grand Slam.
The French Open, Wimbledon and US Open champion was leading 6-0, 5-0 when Brazilian journeyman Daniel, 32, conceded defeat after being

MELBOURNE - Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have history against them as they strive to win the season's opening major at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
World number one Nadal is bidding to become the first man in 42 years to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously, but the 'Rafa Slam' is the subject of some debate.
Australian legend Rod Laver, who twice accomplished a calendar Grand Slam in 1962 and 1969, contends that what Nadal is pursuing cannot be technically

SYDNEY - There will be upsets, there will be drama, there will be cheers and there will be tears, but most eyes at the Australian Open will be on whether Rafa Nadal can succeed where so many great players before him have failed. The world number one left Melbourne Park last year after retiring injured from his quarter-final against Andy Murray but returned this week with the Wimbledon, French and U.S. Open titles in his possession.
A second Australian Open title on Jan. 30 would

ABU DHABI - Footballer Lionel Messi and tennis aces Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams will lead the nominees for the Laureus World Sports Awards to be held next month in Abu Dhabi, it was announced Tuesday.
The Argentine is nominated along with his Barcelona team-mate Andres Iniesta for the awards which are considered the sport version of The Oscars, organisers revealed in a press conference.
The event is being organised in Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row.Other

MELBOURNE - World number one Rafa Nadal put his recovery from a bout of flu to the test with a rain-interrupted practice session at Melbourne Park on Tuesday ahead of next week's Australian Open. A fever-stricken Nadal was dumped out of the semi-finals of the Qatar Open last week by Russian Nikolay Davydenko and delayed his arrival in Melbourne to try to shake off the illness.
Nadal's struggles had raised fears the 24-year-old Spaniard's bid to hold all four grand slams

SYDNEY - One of sport's great and enduring rivalries resumes with the battle for supremacy between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominating the new tennis season.
The 2011 campaign got underway this week in Australia, India, Qatar and New Zealand with the first Grand Slam of the season starting in Melbourne on January 17.
Nadal is unchallengeable at the top of the ATP rankings, some 3,305 points clear of Federer, after a superb 2010 season when he took the world number one