A NEW TENNIS MAGAZINE HAS ARRIVED! Written by some of the foremost tennis writers including TR’s own Matt Cronin, Doug Robson, Joel Drucker, Tom Tebbutt, Kamakshi Tandon and Richard Osborn, Tennis Journal is here. Read about why Federer is the world’s top athlete, why Wozniacki can win a Slam, an exclusive with Marion Bartoli, why the game has evolved into a baseline one, whether the rules changes are a good thing, a comparison between Stephens and Keys and much, much more.
Go to http://www.tennis-journal.com/
It was going to happen eventually. Rafael Nadal was not going to win every Monte Carlo into eternity, especially if his toughest rival these days, Novak Djokovic, decided to make his adopted hometown a place where he could adopt his hometown tournament.
Djokovic pushed himself hard physically to be able to show up and play the event, and despite a very sore ankle, once he got to the final against Nadal, he was brimming with confidence. That has not mattered much for the rest of the planet against Nadal on clay, but it sure has for Djokovic who has played Nadal awfully tough everywhere since he became a legendary player in 2011.
On this sunny Sunday in Monte Carlo, he was the better player, the fierier competitor, and the man who showed a real ability to close.
He pounded Nadal relentless early, taking a 5-0 lead. Broadcaster Nick Lester noted how Djokovic was taking Nada