Federer-Nadal at the US Open: Will it ever happen?

Tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have played each other 31 times, but never on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows.

When the draw came out at this year's US Open, tennis fans looked forward to a first-ever meeting in New York between Federer (seeded 7th) and Nadal (seeded 2nd), who were drawn in the same quarter.  Nadal did his part, but Federer was knocked out in the 4th round.  In years past, it was Nadal who failed to reach the later rounds more often.  Here is a look back on the previous US Open results of Federer and Nadal since 2003 (Nadal's first US Open):

2013 - Federer(4R), Nadal(?)
2012 - Federer(QF), Nadal(DNP)
2011 - Federer(SF, lost to Djokovic), Nadal(F)
2010 - Federer(SF, lost to Djokovic), Nadal(W)
2009 - Federer(F), Nadal(SF, lost to Del Potro)
2008 - Federer(W), Nadal(SF, lost to Murray)
2007 - Federer(W), Nadal(4R)
2006 - Federer(W), Nadal(QF)
2005 - Federer(W), Nadal(3R)
2004 - Federer(W), Nadal(2R)
2003 - Federer(4R), Nadal(2R)

Between 2008 and 2011, Federer and Nadal came within one match away from meeting in the US Open Final, but either Roger or Rafa lost his semifinal match while the other man won his.  It just wasn't meant to be!

Well, maybe next year.  Or the year after that.  Hopefully, Federer won't hang up his racket just yet, AND Nadal's knees hold up!

Murray Joins Wimbledon Winners Circle

World No. 2 and British number one Andy Murray disproved his predecessor after all - although it took 77 long years, another British man has won Wimbledon, after Fred Perry last did in 1936. 

Murray has cemented his status as part of the elite "Big 4" of men's tennis by adding a second Grand Slam title to his name.  He is the first player to win multiple majors since Novak Djokovic won his second Australian Open title in 2011.

Can Federer Defend His Wimbledon Title?

Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal were successful in defending their Australian Open and French Open titles, respectively.  It is now Federer's turn to defend his major.  Is he up to the task?

To do so, Roger has to beat Rafa in the quarters, Murray in the semis, and Djokovic in the final.  It's a tall order, but it's not impossible.  After all, Federer is the "King of Grass".  This year also marks the 10th anniversary of Roger's first Wimbledon title (2003).

Of the six previous times Roger had to defend his Wimbledon trophy, this is how he fared:
2004 - Defended his 2003 title
2005 - Defended his 2004 title
2006 - Defended his 2005 title
2007 - Defended his 2006 title
2008 - Failed to defend his 2007 title (lost to Nadal in the final)
2010 - Failed to defend his 2009 title (lost to Berdych in the quarterfinals)
2013 - ????

If he is successful in his title defense bid, Federer will win a record 8th Wimbledon, joining Nadal (who earlier this month won a record 8th French Open) as the only players to win the same major eight times.

A Comeback For The Ages

After missing seven months on tour from July 2012 to January 2013 because of injury, Rafa Nadal has gone the distance in all the tournaments he played this year.  He has entered eight, winning six titles and losing in two finals:

Chile - Finalist (l. to Horacio Zeballos)
Sao Paulo - Winner (d. David Nalbandian)
Acapulco - Winner (d. David Ferrer)
Indian Wells - Winner (d. Juan Martin Del Potro)
Monte Carlo - Finalist (l. to Novak Djokovic)
Barcelona - Winner (d. Nicolas Almagro)
Madrid - Winner (d. Stanislas Wawrinka)
Rome - Winner (d. Roger Federer)

He is the favorite to win the French Open.  Nadal, the three-time defending champion, is bidding to win a record 8th Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.  Seeded third, he is on course for a semifinal match against top seed Novak Djokovic.  2009 champ Roger Federer, who is seeded second, is on the other half of the draw.

Rafa timed his comeback perfectly - of the eight tournaments he entered, only one (Indian Wells) wasn't played on clay.

Happy New Year from Tennis Fun!

After a long absence, Tennis Fun is back for the 2013 ATP World Tour tennis season.  First, here's an obligatory recap of 2012.  As in the last four years, the top stories of last year were dominated by the "Big 4" of men's tennis.  For the first time since the "Big 4" era, each of the top four won a Grand Slam title in a single calendar year.

(1) Novak Djokovic (Australian Open)
The year-end No. 1 for two consecutive years, Serbia's Novak Djokovic won his 3rd Aussie Open trophy and 5th Grand Slam title overall.  He also won the ATP World Tour Finals defeating No. 2 Roger Federer.

(2) Roger Federer (Wimbledon)
 World No. 2 Roger Federer had a record-breaking season in 2012, surpassing the record of Pete Sampras for most weeks at No. 1.  The Swiss maestro pushed up his tally to 302 weeks (16 weeks more than Sampras') at the top after falling back to the No. 2 spot.  Roger also won his 7th Wimbledon trophy this year (his record 17th overall major).

(3) Andy Murray (US Open)
Third-ranked Andy Murray finally broke through the Grand Slam winners circle in 2012 by winning his first major at the US Open.  It was the Scot's fifth Grand Slam final.  Murray also won the gold medal in the men's singles competition at the London Olympics, defeating Roger Federer.

(4) Rafael Nadal (French Open)
World No. 4 Rafael Nadal won his "traditional" major in Paris - his record 7th French Open trophy and 11th Grand Slam title overall.  After a shock defeat to Lukas Rosol in the 2nd round of Wimbledon, he did not play a single match again for the rest of the 2012 season.  He will miss the first Grand Slam of 2013 after withdrawing due to a stomach virus.

It's Official: Federer Breaks Sampras Record for Weeks at No. 1

Roger Federer, who regained the top ranking after winning his 17th major and 7th Wimbledon crown, has broken Pete Sampras' record for most weeks at No. 1. Can Roger take aim at the all-time record for most weeks at No.1 (male or female) set by Steffi Graf? He just needs to stay in the top stop for another full year and nine months, not an easy task in the "Big 4" era.

Here is the list of players (both male and female) who have been No. 1 for at least 200 weeks:
1. Steffi Graf (GER) - 377
2. Martina Navratilova (USA) - 332
3. Roger Federer (SUI) - 287*
4. Pete Sampras (USA) - 286
5. Ivan Lendl (CZE) - 270
6. Jimmy Connors (USA) - 268
7. Chris Evert (USA) - 260
8. Martina Hingis (SUI) - 209
*active streak

Roger Federer: #7, #17, #1, #286

Seventh Wimbledon title. Seventeenth Major. World Number One for a record-tying 286th week. These are just a few numbers that highlight Roger Federer's achievement by winning Sunday's final at Wimbledon. To be able to do it at this stage in his career is truly remarkable. And he's not done yet.

It was believed several years back that Wimbledon and the London Olympics 2012 would be Federer's last tournaments, especially if he wins both - much like the "exit on a high" Pete Sampras did when he immediately retired after winning his 14th and final Major at the 2002 US Open at age 31. Now nearing his 31st birthday, Roger isn't about to hang up his racket just yet. Able to find the right balance between his professional tennis career and his family life, and having maintained a relatively injury-free and low-mileage tennis playing style, Federer is aiming to put up more numbers and break more records. At least five more years in the ATP, perhaps? After all, Andre Agassi retired at age 36.

Is Roger Federer the Greatest Of All Time? Not yet, not now. Wait till he has played his last point.