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.

Wimbledon Shock Exit: Nadal Upset in 2nd Round

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal - a two-time champ and three-time runner-up has been eliminated in the 2nd Round at Wimbledon. His conqueror is World No. 100 Lukas Rosol, who prevailed in five tight sets using a steady powerful serve and enough winners to keep Nadal at bay.

Nadal's defeat paves the way for World No. 4 Andy Murray, who is in Nadal's half of the draw. Murray has never been past the semis in Wimbledon. Nadal will drop to No. 3 when the rankings are published on July 9.

Wimbledon "Big 4" Ranking Projections: Number One Ranking Up For Grabs

In last year's Wimbledon, the men's top ranking changed hands with Novak Djokovic replacing Rafa Nadal as No. 1.  This year, Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer could end up as No. 1 after the fortnight at SW19.  Djokovic and Federer (drawn in the same half yet again) control their own destiny - for Djokovic, be in the final, and for Federer, be the Champion and the No. 1 ranking is theirs.  Nadal needs a little help - even if he wins his 3rd Wimbledon title, he must hope for Djokovic to lose before the semis for him to regain No. 1 he lost last year.

Here is the detailed ranking projections:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArXMd59RqOuFdG5QclF3QXMwSG9vRlVhM0JiSG84Q2c

"Big Four" Midyear Report

Two Grand Slam tournaments and five Masters 1000 events have been played so far. Let's see how our "Big Four" have done year-to-date.

#1 Novak Djokovic (36-6, 2 titles)
Australian Open - Winner (5th major, 3rd Australian Open title)
French Open - Finalist
Indian Wells - Semifinalist
Miami - Winner (11th Masters 1000 title)
Monte Carlo - Finalist
Madrid - Quarterfinalist
Rome - Finalist
Other notable tournaments: None

#2 Rafael Nadal (41-5, 4 titles)
Australian Open - Finalist
French Open - Winner (11th major, 7th French Open title)
Indian Wells - Semifinalist
Miami - Semifinalist
Monte Carlo - Winner (20th Masters 1000 title)
Madrid - R16
Rome - Winner (21st Masters 1000 title)
Other notable tournaments: Won Barcelona

#3 Roger Federer (39-6, 4 titles)
Australian Open - Semifinalist
French Open - Semifinalist
Indian Wells - Winner (19th Masters 1000 title)
Miami - R32
Monte Carlo - DNP
Madrid - Winner (20th Masters 1000 title)
Rome - Semifinalist
Other notable tournaments: Won Rotterdam and Dubai

#4 Andy Murray (26-9, 1 title)
Australian Open - Semifinalist
French Open - Quarterfinalist
Indian Wells - R64
Miami - Finalist
Monte Carlo - Quarterfinalist
Madrid - DNP
Rome - R16
Other notable tournaments: Won Brisbane

Up next, Wimbledon and the 2012 Summer Olympics!