How Nadal ticked up the titles
King of clay now on the cusp of yet another milestone
THE decision by French Open organisers not to grant Serena Williams a seeding on her longawaited Grand Slam return has prompted renewed focus on the sport’s policy towards female players and parenthood.
“French Open is punishing Serena Williams for having a baby” read a USA Today headline, arguing an exception for the 23-time major winner should have been made for yesterday’s draw.
At 36, the American is looking to regain her top form following the birth of her daughter last September. After sitting out of competition for over a year, she no longer had a ranking upon her return to the WTA circuit in March.
She has played just four matches this season across appearances at Indian Wells and Miami. But her results, far from convincing, have only been good enough to climb to 449th in the world rankings.
With a ranking so low, no player would typically even be able to take part in qualifying for the main draw. That is unless benefiting from a wildcard or using a protected ranking, which has at least allowed Williams direct entrance into the field.
It is a system that lets a player retain, for a transitional period, a former ranking upon return from a long absence – between six months and two years – due to injury, illness or pregnancy.
But it does not guarantee them a seeding, leaving Serena vulnerable to an encounter with leading title contenders as early as the first round.
At Miami, Williams ran into Indian Wells champion Naomi Osaka in her opening match and was easily beaten.
“She has won this title so many times (eight) that she needs protection,” Miami tournament director James Blake said after the WTA refused to alter its rules despite conceding that they would be “further reviewed” going forward.
Maria Sharapova also spoke up in support of her longtime rival last week. “It’s a tough call. I would like to see that change,” said Sharapova. “I think that would be nice.”
At Wimbledon, which runs from July 2-15, the All England Club could elect to seed Serena using its unique system that favours grass-court specialists, given she is a seven-time champion.
But at Roland Garros, an event she has won three times, organisers are not ready to take such a step, with the French Tennis Federation (FFT) reaffirming the seedings will reflect the latest WTA rankings.
Victoria Azarenka was unseeded at last year’s Wimbledon in her first Grand Slam since giving birth in late 2016, while Kim Clijsters was in a similar position at the 2009 US Open.
However, that didn’t stop Clijsters, who needed a wildcard just to compete in New York, from going on to lift the second of four career Grand Slam titles. —
RAFAEL Nadal won a recordsetting 10th French Open title in 2017 when he defeated Stan Wawrinka in straight sets in the final at Roland Garros.
Here we look at the Spaniard’s perfect 10 in Paris ahead of his campaign to make it 11 at the 2018 tournament which starts Sunday:
• At just 19, Nadal became the youngest winner of a Grand Slam title since Michael Chang won at Roland Garros in 1989 at 17. He was the first man since Mats Wilander in 1982 to win the French Open on his debut. Puerta was to later fail a drugs test and handed an eight-year ban, eventually reduced to two years.
• Nadal became the first man to beat Federer in a Slam final, ending the Swiss star’s hopes of holding all four majors at the same time. It was Nadal’s 60th win in a row on clay.
• The 21-year-old Nadal became the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win three successive titles at Roland Garros. He again also shattered Federer’s hopes of becoming only the third man in history to hold all four majors.
• Nadal condemned his great rival to his worst ever loss in a Grand Slam event. The Spaniard also won the title without losing a set, becoming the third man to do so in the Open era after Ilie Nastase and Borg.
• Nadal avenged his defeat to the Swede at Roland Garros 12 months earlier. Again, Nadal finished the tournament without having dropped a set. He also regained the world number one ranking for the first time since July 2009.
• Nadal claimed his sixth French Open to equal the record of Borg, also taking his Slam total into double figures at 10. Federer had ended Novak Djokovic’s 43-match undefeated run in the semifinals.
• Nadal goes past Borg’s record of six titles and ends Djokovic’s bid to be the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to hold all four majors.
Rain meant that the final was completed on Monday which was tough on Djokovic who was a break up in the fourth set when the match was halted for the night.
• Nadal comfortably beats his compatriot for an eighth French Open but the hard yards were achieved in the semifinals when he defeated Djokovic 64, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7, 9-7 in a 4hr 37min epic.
• Title number nine in his ninth final for Nadal and his 14th and most recent Grand Slam success on an afternoon where temperatures nudged 30 degrees. It was his 45th career claycourt title.
• Nadal coasts to a record 10th French Open title, demolishing Wawrinka in a brutally one-sided final which also earns the Spaniard a 15th Grand Slam crown.
Nadal, 31, becomes the first man in history to win the same major 10 times. It is his most one-sided final win since allowing Federer just four games in the 2008 final. —