TENNIS in DEPTH.

World no.1 showed a terrific display against no.2 seed Spaniard Rafael Nadal today, capturing his 3rd Australian Open crown and 5th Grand Slam trophy. He came back from a set down and a break down in a decider to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 in 5 hours and 53 minutes. Extraordinary performance by Nole and Rafa in one of the most epic Grand Slam finals in tennis history! It was the longest men’s Grand Slam final and the longest-ever match at the Australian Open.

First set lasted 1 hour and 20 minutes. Nadal made a break in the fifth game and saved two break points before holding to increase his lead. Novak broke back and held to equalise the result. The Manacor native made one more break and closed the set 7-5. Nole earned two break points in the second game of the second set, but Nadal held. The Serb continued to push Rafa, broke his serve in the fourth game and consolidated the break to increase his lead to 4-1. He missed one set point in the eight game and squandered two more serving for the set at 5-3. The Spaniard broke back, but Novak put the pressure on him once again and forced him to deuce. The 24-year-old Belgrade native brought up a fourth set point with a booming backhand winner and took the set 6-4 in 66 minutes when Nadal double-faulted. The top seed continued his momentum into the third set. He made a double break and stormed to 6-2 and two sets to one lead in the grand finale. Nole was pushed to deuce twice in the opening game, but held to move 1-0 ahead in the fourth set. He earned himself three break points in the eighth game, but the Spaniard fought off all. The pair was locked at 4-4 when rain suspended play for 10 minutes to get the roof closed. The set went into a tie-breaker. Though Novak had a 5-3 lead, Nadal won it 7-5; the set took 88 minutes. In a dramatic contest on Rod Laver Arena, Nole overcame a 2-4 deficit in the fifth set. He fought back to 4-4 and broke Rafa again in 11th game to earn himself a chance to serve for the win. The Serbian superstar saved a break point before claiming a remarkable victory and 29th career title. Match statistics: aces (9-10), double faults (2-4), winners (57-44), unforced errors (69-71), total points won (193-176). Novak converted seven of his twenty break point opportunities, while Nadal capitalised on four of his 6 break point chances.

“Rafa, you’re one of the best players ever, one of the most respected players on tour. We made history tonight; unfortunately there couldn’t be two winners tonight. I wish you all the best for this season and I hope that we will have many more finals like this,” said Nole at the trophy ceremony. The 2009 winner praised our champion: “Congratulations to Novak and his team, they deserve it, they are doing something fantastic, so congratulations. To start the season here and play this fantastic match against Novak is, I believe, a fantastic start.” It was the third successive Grand Slam final that Nole and Rafa have played, and the Serbian no.1 extended his winning streak over Nadal to seven straight matches (six wins in 2011 – Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Wimbledon and US Open). Djokovic has become only the fifth man since the Open Era started in 1968 to win three straight majors (joins Laver, Sampras, Federer and Nadal). He’s also joined Agassi, Federer and Wilander as only players in Open Era to win 3 and more Australian Open trophies.

With this memorable victory, Nole, one of the bravest fighters in the history of the game, claimed back-to-back titles in Melbourne and defended 2000 ATP points for a perfect start of the 2012 season.

Congratulations!

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Federer won a tense tie-break to draw first blood, but Nadal stormed back to clinch the second set 6-2 and level up the match. The Spaniard then edged a third-set tie-break to go two sets to one up before taking the fourth 6-4 to close out victory. The two giants of the men’s game were expected to produce fireworks under the Melbourne lights on Australia Day. And they didn’t disappoint in an epic opener which lasted 56 enthralling minutes. Federer was out of the blocks quickly, producing some imperious tennis to break Nadal in the second game en route to a 3-0 lead. But the Spaniard held his nerve and gradually found a foothold in the match, breaking back in the seventh game. Both men then regained dominance on their serve to take the opener into a tie-break. Federer produced a magnificent deep forehand volley and a sublime backhand half-volley to give himself three set points at 6-3 in the break. And although Nadal saved two – one with a ridiculous forehand – he was long with a backhand on the third.

The second set opened with back-to-back love breaks, and then went with serve until Nadal went into overdrive at 3-2 up. First the Spaniard produced an incredible forehand get to headline a crucial break of serve, and then held for 5-2. After a brief break for a firework display Nadal continued to produce his own on-court pyrotechnics by breaking Federer to love again to clinch the set 6-2.

The third set went with serve to 3-3, when Federer broke for a 4-3 lead. But Nadal hit back immediately to send things heading towards the inevitable tie-break. Federer’s increasingly regular errors gave Nadal the early advantage and he raced into a 6-1 lead in the breaker. And though Federer fought back gamely to 6-5, the Spaniard held his nerve to close out the set.

The fourth set went with serve until the ninth game, when Nadal – who had created several opportunities in Federer’s earlier service games – finally found a way through. Nadal had to save two break-back points – one thanks to an outrageous lob that landed on the baseline – when he served for the match, but eventually completed victory on his second match point when Federer sent the ball long.

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Nadal rarely needed to hit top form in beating his fellow Spaniard 6-4 6-4 6-2 on a sweltering Rod Laver Arena. The second seed next plays seventh seed Tomas Berdych, who beat Nicolas Almagro in a stormy match. Federer ended Australian Tomic’s hopes with a dominant 6-4 6-2 6-2 win to set up a match with Juan Martin del Potro. I did what I had to do to win in straight sets and, against a really good player, that’s very positive for me. I’m feeling fine,” said Nadal, who had strapping on his right knee and left foot and has now reached the quarter-final stage without dropping a set for the fourth time in five years. ”It’s positive to keep winning in straight sets, especially in these conditions. It was a very, very hot day. Nadal’s all-round game was too much for 18th seed Lopez, whose passive approach played into his compatriot’s hands.

Bidding for his 17th Grand Slam title, Federer was ruthless in his victory over crowd favourite Tomic, 19. The 30-year-old, who has not lost to a teenager since 2006, broke the Australian six times to advance to his 31st consecutive quarter-final where he will face Del Potro of Argentina.”I thought I played a really good match,” said four-time Australian Open champion Federer. “I knew I had to. Anything else wouldn’t have done the job.”

Del Potro overcame Philipp Kohlschreiber to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time since winning the 2009 US Open. With his wrist problems finally in the past, the 11th seed from Argentina saw off German Kohlschreiber 6-4 6-2 6-1.

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Novak Djokovic brushed aside Roger Federer in straight sets to book himself a place in the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Djokovic had complained of feeling rusty heading into the event but showed little sign of lethargy as he routed Federer for the loss of just three games. Indeed, such was the Serb’s dominance he needed less than an hour to complete victory, wrapping up a 6-2 6-1 success in just 44 minutes. Djokovic broke Federer twice in the first set and, at one point, reeled off nine games on the trot as he raced through a one-sided second. The end came when a lacklustre Federer drilled a forehand long, one of a string of unforced errors from the Swiss. ”It is the perfect start to season. I played great,” Djokovic said. “It’s something that makes me very happy.”

Rafeal Nadal showed his lack of motivation as he was easily beaten by fellow countryman David Ferrer 6-3, 6-2. Ferrer moves on to the final against Djokovic.

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Rafael Nadal was knocked out of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the group stage as Jo-Wilfried Tsonga powered his way to a 7-6 (7/2) 4-6 6-3 victory over the world number two at London’s O2 Arena. Nadal’s thrashing at the hands of Roger Federer on Tuesday had put him into a straight shoot-out with Tsonga for the second semi-final place and, although he levelled the match in the second set, there was no denying the Frenchman in the decider. Nadal had taken a month off prior to the tournament with next weekend’s Davis Cup final against Argentina in mind, and he certainly lacked his usual sharpness. Tsonga played a superb match, though, to reach the semi-finals for the first time, and he said: “I just played amazing. It was not easy for me to come here against Rafa but I did it tonight and I’m very happy.” As well as a place in the semi-finals to play for, there was also something to prove for Nadal after his 6-3 6-0 thumping by Federer two nights ago.

While the scoreline was largely down to Federer being in a zone even Nadal cannot reach, the Spaniard’s cause was not helped by a lack of penetration on his serve and groundstrokes that has betrayed a lack of confidence at times this season. Tsonga, with his explosive shots and aggressive intent, would provide a real test on the relatively fast surface, some pundits even making him the favourite. And the Frenchman was certainly quick out of the blocks, testing Nadal’s famous defences from the off. It did not take long for them to wobble, Tsonga forcing two break points in the fourth game, but he could not take either.

Tsonga beat Nadal most recently at Queen’s this summer, one of only two wins he had managed in eight meetings prior to today, and it was all the world number two could do to keep pace in the early stages here.

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Roger Federer produced a stunning display of tennis to thrash his great rival Rafael Nadal 6-3 6-0 and book his spot in the semi-finals at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. A packed O2 Arena brimmed with excitement as arguably the best two players of all time took to the court for their 26th clash in a repeat of last year’s final. Federer had won only seven of their previous meetings but he was simply on another level as he wrapped up victory in 61 minutes, winning 10 of the last 11 games. Their considerable history certainly weighs heavier on Federer’s shoulders, which made the fact they were meeting in a round-robin clash for the first time all the more intriguing. The feeling was the cushion that provided would allow the 16-time grand slam champion to play more freely, and, with Federer having won all their previous three matches indoors, he was the clear favourite. It did not look that way when Federer began with a double-fault but he crunched a forehand winner on the next point to get on the board, and in a quite breathtaking sixth game he broke through. A forehand creamed down the line gave him 0-30, and the Swiss star’s aggressive approach then earned him three break points when Nadal offered up an easy smash. The clinching point summed up what makes the pair so special, the momentum swinging this way and that in a pulsating rally before Nadal drove a backhand just wide. The crowd, who were split fairly evenly, roared their appreciation, and the Swiss flags were waving again shortly afterwards when another Federer forehand winner gave him the first set. It had been a similar story in the first set of last year’s final before Federer’s level dipped and Nadal fought back to level. The Spaniard’s confidence is not nearly as high as it was 12 months ago, though, and he was struggling to get sufficient depth on the ball to stem the Federer tide. And he was made to pay again in the opening game of the second set as the world number four drilled another sublime forehand winner down the line to secure a second break of serve.

Nadal had been troubled by a stomach upset in his three-set win over Mardy Fish on Sunday, but today it was Federer’s brilliance that was making the French Open champion sick. He simply could not cope with the speed of the 30-year-old’s game and Federer made it four games in a row with another break. The staple of Nadal’s success against his great rival has been his ability to pin Federer on his backhand but the Spaniard’s forehand does not have the same bite and kick on indoor courts and his shots were being swatted away. Nadal was battling simply to get on the board in the second set but he could not manage it and Federer wrapped up his first love set against the Spaniard for four and a half years.

The result means Nadal must beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his final Group B match on Thursday to reach the last four.

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Rafael Nadal thinks Yannick Noah should be banned from commenting in the media after the French tennis great accused Spanish athletes of widespread doping in a controversial newspaper column. Nadal reacted angrily Sunday when asked about Noah’s claim in Saturday’s edition of Le Monde newspaper that French athletes no longer had a chance against their Spanish opponents because they “don’t have the magic potion.”

Nadal, speaking at the ATP World Tour Finals, added that Noah’s remarks were “totally stupid” because of the amount of doping tests conducted on athletes throughout the season. He said Noah’s thoughts were like those of a “kid.” Fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, who is competing with Nadal at the ATP finals, has also condemned Noah’s comments, as have high-profile football coach Pep Guardiola and French Minister for Sports David Douillet. Noah, the 1983 French Open champion, suggested that Spanish athletes were consistently more well-built than their French rivals and said they must be doping—without offering any other proof. “How can a country (Spain) dominate sport from one day to the next?” Noah asked. “Had they discovered avant-garde training techniques and methods that no one else imagined?” Noah even proposed the idea that the French authorities should relax their rules on doping in order to keep up. Ten-time Grand Slam champion Nadal said Noah’s comments reflected badly on the former tennis star’s home country, not Spain. “The image of the country when one guy, important guy like him, say that, is terrible.”

The Spanish radio station COPE reports that French player Michael Llodra apologized to Rafael Nadal and his uncle Toni for the comments made by former Roland Garros champion Yannick Noah, where he alleged that Spanish athletes are doping. ”I’m sorry about what Noah said,” Llodra was quoted as saying, to which the Nadal’s responded: “We don’t understand.” Llodra then allegedly said: “He’s stupid and maybe he was…” and then made a gesture tipping his hand toward his mouth to indicate that Noah might have been drinking.

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Rafael Nadal survived a stern examination of his title credentials to edge out the brilliant Mardy Fish in a late-night classic at the ATP World Tour Finals. Nadal had not played a competitive match since 13 October and it was all-too apparent as eighth seed Fish fought back from losing the first set to threaten a massive upset. The crowd at London’s O2 Arena were treated to a titanic decider as the clock ticked and both men gave absolutely everything to secure an opening-day win. Nadal eventually emerged triumphant at 2329 GMT, winning 6-2 3-6 7-6 (7-3) in two hours and 53 minutes of enthralling competition.

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