Word: nadal
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...could stop Federer this month, Cooper says world No. 2 Rafael Nadal is a chance, but only if he positions himself close to the baseline-and not 5 m behind it, as he would at Roland Garros. And Hewitt? "One of the greatest competitors I've ever seen," he says-but as a father now, with a sliding ranking and little left to prove, how hot is Hewitt's inner fire these days? If Cooper had the ear of one of these challengers, could he improve him? "Oh, probably not," he says. "The game's moved too much. And they...
...least Federer moved out of the house. Nadal still lives with his parents in Majorca and hasn't even changed his cell-phone number since notching the past two French Open titles. "What changed?" he asks. "Just one more trophy." Nadal's tough-love uncle Toni Nadal has coached Rafa since he was a child and lectured him on overspending and keeping his cool. (Another uncle, Miguel Angel Nadal, is a former Spanish soccer star nicknamed "the Beast of Barcelona.") Nadal has never tossed a racquet in his life...
Perhaps Roger and Rafa are a bit too civil. Uncle Toni has provided the matchup its only whiff of controversy. In May, during an epic 5-hr., five-set tournament final, which Nadal won, Federer accused Toni of coaching Rafa from the stands, which is illegal. "Is that all right, Toni?" Federer sarcastically barked at Nadal's uncle during the match in Rome. "It's stupid to have a coach for nothing," Rafa says. "That rule is going to change, I promise you." Federer doesn't think it should. "It's just the way it's always been," he says...
...this the bulletin-board material we've been looking for? "I don't feel like he's better than me," Nadal says of Federer. RAFA TALKS TRASH TO ROGER! Sadly, no, just a little nuance lost in translation, as Nadal is still working on his English (a book, 2001 Spanish and English Idioms, sits on his hotel bed). Emotions aren't results, he quickly adds. "That's the truth: he's better than me. It's not my feeling. You can see the numbers, you can see the details," referring to Federer's top ranking and eight Grand Slams, compared...
Federer is uncomfortable having his tennis reputation defined by Nadal. "I understand the point that [fans] think my career might go through him," he says. "I think it goes through titles." But both players understand the benefits of a U.S. Open final that includes them. Nadal serves a sales pitch to Americans who might yawn at a matchup with no Yanks. He cites Sampras-Agassi, the rivalry on which he was reared, which resembles his contrast with Federer. "I am not American, I'm Spanish, and I was following that because there are special moments," he says, through an interpreter...