The Top 10 Most Popular Athletes on Twitter

The Top 10 Most Popular Athletes on TwitterThe biggest athlete in professional sports is also the biggest athlete on Twitter.NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has the most followers of any athlete on the social media site, with over 3.5 million users reading his tweets. Brazilian soccer star Kaka is second on the list, more than 500,000 followers behind.Though athletic success is a good yardstick in

Milos Raonic: A New Star is Born

As Milos Raonic sent down another booming first serve, a cry of yes went up from the crowd. The return from Fernando Verdasco nestled in the net and in only his eighth ATP tour-level tournament, the young Canadian had his first title. At only 20 years old, he is one of the most promising prospects in the men’s game.


He has arguably the most devastating serve in tennis at this point in time. Against Fernando Verdasco, he served down thirteen aces, adding to the 45 that he had served in his previous three matches. He was hitting his first serve 69% of the time, winning 87% of those points. There were an additional twenty service winners, as well as numerous points where he had an easy put-away. His fastest serve hit 149mph.

Fernando Verdasco is one of the top players in the world, but his inability to get close to the Raonic serve drove him insane. As he admitted, that was the difference in the match.

However, Raonic was not just about the serve. His forehand was a real threat at times and his composure under pressure was impressive for such a young and inexperienced player. At 6-2 down in the first set tie-break, he remained calm and was able to reel off six straight points to turn the match on its head. At break point down in the second set, he kept his head and hammered down yet another service winner.

It has been a meteoric rise for Milos Raonic. When he played his first ever ATP tour main draw match around 18 months ago as a qualifier in Montreal, he was ranked at number 679. However, victories in qualifying against world number 79, Teymuraz Gabashvili, and world number 113, Michael Llodra, made people take notice. But it was his performance against the world number 10, Fernando Gonzalez, that really stood out and marked him as one to watch. He eventually went down 6-4 in the deciding third set, but finished the match having won more points than his illustrious opponent.

He disappeared back to the challenger and futures tour for the next year before losing his next ATP tour level match against Victor Hanescu in August last year. However, it was in Tokyo in October that we saw further glimpses of his talent. Ranked at 200, he beat higher ranked players, Thiago Alves, Marsel Ilhan and Florent Serra, as he came through qualification to reach the second round, where he would meet world number one, Rafael Nadal.


He did not embarrass himself despite going down in straight sets. He earned more break points than the Spaniard and returning better statistics both on serve and receiving. However, it was the Spaniard’s experience on the big points that led to a 6-4, 6-4 victory. After the match, Nadal praised Raonic claiming that he was destined for the top.

However, it was the Australian Open where he shot to the attention of tennis fans worldwide. After coming through qualification, he dispatched Bjorn Phau and 22nd seed, Michael Llodra, in straight sets, before coming up against the world number 10, Mikhail Youzhny. He stunned the tennis world by beating him comfortably in four sets to set up a meeting with seventh seed, David Ferrer.

For a while, it looked as though he might be set to repeat the feat. After taking the first set 6-4, people began to believe. However, Ferrer was able to up his game and reel off three sets to take the victory. However, his performances suggested that success was not far away.

After a disappointing tournament in South Africa, he headed to Silicon Valley to play in the SAP Open. He was only broken once in the entire tournament and did not drop a single set. Whilst his returning game still requires some work, his serve appears almost unbreakable at times and it puts enormous pressure on his opponent.

It also gives him the edge in tie-breaks. He has won nine out of his last ten tie-breaks. It means that the pressure is on players to break him during the set as his serve almost guarantees him success in the decider. It also suggests that he is mentally strong to hold his nerve during the breakers. If we compare his statistics with fellow big server, Ivo Karlovic, the Croat has won five of eight this year.

How high Milos Raonic can go in the rankings is yet to be seen. However, it would be a huge surprise if he was not to break the top twenty at the very least. He began the year ranked number 156. Barely seven weeks later, he is expected to be named the world number 59 when the new rankings are released next week. He has beaten two top ten players already this year.


Whilst his serve is his major weapon, he has more to his game than that. However, his ground strokes, particularly his backhand, still require work, but if he can improve these, then a top ten ranking is easily within reach. His next match is tomorrow in Memphis, and is an intriguing rematch with Fernando Verdasco.

Whatever happens in that match, his triumph in San Jose marked the arrival of a new star in the tennis world. Remember the name of Milos Raonic.

Justine Henin Retires From Tennis

It is a sad end to the career of one of the greatest players of the modern game. With 43 singles titles, including seven Grand Slams, an Olympic gold medal and over $20m in prize money, her achievements are almost unrivalled in the women’s game of tennis. However, the elbow injury that she picked up in a fall at Wimbledon last year has ultimately brought a premature end to the tennis career of Justine Henin.


It is not the first time that Henin has announced her retirement from tennis. Back in 2008, she stunned the tennis world by announcing her retirement half way through the season. At the time, she was only 25 years old and was ranked as the number one player in the world. She claimed she had fallen out of love with the game and lacked any motivation for tennis:

"I didn't want to be on the court anymore. The tennis itself wasn't a problem. The problem was motivation. I just felt: 'Please don't talk to me about the French Open or Wimbledon'. To me it wasn't important any more. I just wanted to know more things about myself. And I had the feeling that tennis didn't have the capacity to make me happy any more. I felt it was the time to go away.”

She decided to return to tennis just over 12 months ago after regaining her love for the game and lured back by the one missing feather in her crown – a Wimbledon title. Her first match in over 18 months came in Brisbane in January where she defeated the world number 20, Nadia Petrova, in straight sets.

The comeback continued to gain momentum and she progressed right through to the final, where she was eventually defeated by fellow Belgian, Kim Clijsters, who herself had recently returned from retirement from the game.

All the focus was on Justine as she headed to the Australian Open and whether she could imitate Clijsters’ achievement of winning a Grand Slam on her return. The fairytale looked to be on as she cruised through to the final, dispatching world number five, Elena Dementieva, in the second round, and dropping just one game in hammering Jie Zheng in the semi-final.


However, the formidable world number one, Serena Williams, stood in her path. Despite winning the second set, Serena proved too strong for Henin, but it had been a remarkable effort in only her second tournament in 18 months.

Even more focus was on Henin when the clay court season came around. Before her first retirement, she had been virtually unstoppable on her beloved surface, having won the French Open title four times in five years, including consecutive titles in 2005, 2006 and 2007. In her first tournament back on clay, she picked up her first title in 26 months, beating Australia’s Sam Stosur in the final.

Going into the French Open, she was the favourite to reclaim the crown that she had never properly lost. Comfortable victories over Pironkova and Zakopalova were followed by a hard-fought win over Maria Sharapova. However, she was stunned in the last 16 when Sam Stosur, whom she had beaten less than a month before, overpowered her, beating her in three sets.

However, it provided extra time to prepare for her ultimate aim – Wimbledon. She cruised through her warm-up tournament in s-Hertogenbosch, dropping just one set on her way to the title. Coming into Wimbledon, the hype surrounding her was huge. Comfortable wins over Sevastova, Barrois and Petrova only served to fuel the fire.

The round of 16 match pitted the two Belgians together – Clijsters and Henin. Since Henin’s return, Clijsters had won both their meetings, but Henin went into the match as the slight favourite. She was magnificent in winning the first set 6-2, but toward the end of the set, she slipped and fell on her right elbow. She continued the match, but it was clearly troubling her and she crashed to a three set defeat.


After the tournament, it was diagnosed as a partial ligament fracture and the injury would keep her out for the rest of the year.

She made her return at the 2011 Hopman Cup, despite revealing that the injury had not properly healed yet. However, she appeared to show no adverse signs as she won all of her games without dropping a set, including a victory over former world number one, Ana Ivanovic.

Coming into the Australian Open, she was one of the favourites to take the title, but struggled in her opening match against Sania Mirza. A more straight-forward task against Elena Baltacha was passed with ease, but she fell in straight sets to Svetlana Kuznetsova in what would be her final ever match.

Today, she revealed that her elbow had been further damaged by her Australian campaign and had been in pain for months with the problem. “My elbow is too fragile. Having followed the advice of doctors, it is now clear and I accept that here my career ends.”

Her single-handed backhand was one of the best shots in the game, whilst her speed and mental toughness have often been hailed as reasons for her great success. Many former players have hailed her as one of the best. Andre Agassi claimed “Justine Henin is one of the most talented women ever to have played the game of tennis,” whilst Billie Jean King said that, “pound for pound, Henin is the best tennis player of her generation.”

Her retirement is a blow for tennis fans around the world, but her career has provided a huge number of great memories. Despite problems in her personal life throughout her career, she has rarely let them affect her on court, and anyone who has seen her play will agree that she was undoubtedly one of the best players of her generation. Her presence on court will be sorely missed in the coming months.

Where Did It All Go Wrong: The Sad Demise of Ana Ivanovic

On 26th May, 2008, at the age of only 20 years old, Ana Ivanovic lifted the French Open title. Having only dropped 1 set in the tournament and gained the coveted world number 1 spot, the future seemed to be bright for the young Serb. However, in the 27 months since that triumph, she has only won one tournament – a minor tournament in Austria in October 2008. In fact, she has only reached one other final in that time. She now finds herself languishing outside the top 60 in the world, relying on wildcards to gain entry into the top tournaments. So where did everything go wrong for the talented Serb?

Her early tennis coaching is as far from the typical upbringing that we could imagine. Having starting playing tennis at the age of five after watching compatriot Monica Seles on the television, her early training was disrupted by the NATO bombings of Yugoslavia in 1999. Forced to only train in the mornings, and in an abandoned swimming pool during the winter months due to a lack of facilities, few would have backed her to reach the big time. However, the first hints of the mental frailty that was to affect her later career were seen after she spent four hours locked in her locker-room crying after losing her first match in front of her new manager, fearing that he would drop her. However, he stuck with her, and remains with her to this day.

In 2004, at the age of 16, she showed impressive form on the minor ITF circuit, winning 26 straight matches and all five tournaments that she entered. However, success on the major WTA tour was harder to come by. Her first major breakthrough came in Zurich, where she pushed Venus Williams to two tie breaks, squandering set points in both sets. She reached the last 8 the following week in Luxembourg in her final tournament of the year.

2005 started in magnificent fashion, winning her first career WTA title in her first tournament of the year in Canberra, having only gained entry to the tournament as a qualifier. An impressive showing in Miami saw her defeat top 10 players, Nadia Petrova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, before a last 8 defeat to world number 1, Amelie Mauresmo. She took another top 10 scalp in her next tournament, hammering Vera Zvonareva in straight sets. Her ranking continued to rise, and she was named as one of the seeds at the French Open for the first time. Hard fought wins against Amelie
Mauresmo and future French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, saw her reach the last 8 of the Grand Slam for the first time, before defeat to eventual finalist, Nadia Petrova. A series of relatively disappointing tournaments followed, only reaching two further semi-finals, losing in both to Patty Schynder.

After a promising start to 2006, beating Amelie Mauresmo in Sydney, she failed to reach the semi-final of any tournament until Montreal in August. She burst onto the scene in spectacular fashion putting together back-to-back victories against top 10 players, Dinara Safina and Martina Hingis, to take the most important title of her career thus far. She had high hopes for the US Open, but a defeat in the 3rd round to Serena Williams ended her interest in the tournament inside the first week. However, a series of quarter-final appearances in her last few tournaments ensured she finished the year ranked number 14 in the world.


She had a turbulent start to 2007, losing in the third round of the Australian Open before splitting with her coach. She reached the final in Tokyo in the following tournament after victories over Jelena Jankovic and Maria Sharapova, but lost in two sets to Martina Hingis in the final. A difficult time followed before returning to Europe for the clay court season in May. This sparked a return to form as she won her second WTA Tier I title, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova in the final in Berlin – a result that forced her into the top 10 in the world for the first time. However, an injury picked up in the final hampered her preparations for the French Open.

As seventh seed in Paris, she cruised through her first three matches, losing only 9 games en-route. Victories against the number 3 seed, Kuznetsova, and the number 2 seed, Sharapova, followed before a hammering against Justine Henin in the final, losing 6-1, 6-2. This match showed the first major cracks in her mental ability to reach the top of the game – she admitted that her nerves overwhelmed her, causing her serve to collapse.

She was the sixth seed at Wimbledon, but progress was tough, saving 3 match points to beat Czech player, Nicole Vaidisova, in the last 8. She was unable to beat Venus Williams in the semi-final, losing in straight sets. Problems with a knee injury dogged her preparations for the US Open, but victory in Los Angeles improved her ranking to number 4 ahead of the Grand Slam. Having dropped only 9 games in her first three matches, she once again met Venus Williams. Once again, she was beaten in straight sets. She put the disappointment behind her to win her fifth career title in Luxembourg, consolidating her ranking of 4.


After several encouraging years, Ana targeted 2008 as her big chance to shine. She was the fourth seed in the Australian Open, before coming up against her nemesis Venus Williams in the last 8. However, this time she was able to up her game, picking up an impressive straight sets victory against the American. She recovered from a first set bagel in the semi-final to defeat ninth seed, Daniela Hantuchova, and set up a match with Maria Sharapova in the final. However, she was unable to win her first Grand Slam title, losing in straight sets to the Russian. Her performance did boost her ranking though, taking her to a career high of world number 2.

A series of victories for Serbia in the Fed Cup followed, earning Serbia a place in the World Group II playoff later in the season. She continued her excellent start to the year by winning in Indian Wells after victories over Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova. Howver, after failing to defend her title in Berlin, and a first round defeat in Rome, she headed to Roland Garros looking to improve on her final defeat the previous year. Progress was serene through to the semi-final, where she put on a shaky performance to beat Jankovic in a thrilling three-set match. She finally managed to seal her first Grand Slam title at the third attempt, beating Dinara Safina in straight sets.


Despite going into Wimbledon as the top seed, she had to battle hard, saving 2 match points against Nathalie Dechy in round 2, before losing to world number 133, Zheng Jie. A difficult period followed as she struggled with injury, losing her number 1 ranking, and forcing her to withdraw from the Beijing Olympics – one of the worst moments of her career in her words.

She came into the US Open with a lack of match practice behind her, although she was still the top seed. However, a second round defeat to Julie Coin followed – the earliest exit by a top seed in 35 years. A semi-final defeat in Zurich, before victory in Linz suggested that she was rediscovering the form that had propelled her to the top of the women’s game.

However, a third round exit in the Australian Open followed early in 2009. After defeat to Serena Williams in Dubai, she split with her coach, Sven Groeneveld. Early signs appeared promising as she returned to Indian Wells to defend her title. She breezed through to the final for the loss of only one set. However, she was defeated by Vera Zvonareva in the final in straight sets. At the time it would have been almost unbelievable, but this was to be her last appearance in a final to this day.

She played only two games on clay in preparation for her defence of her French Open title, beating Francesca Schiavone before losing to Agnieszka Radwanska in Rome. She appeared to have returned to form, cruising through her first three matches in Paris, before being stunned by Belarusian ninth seed, Victoria Azarenka, in straight sets. This defeat meant that she dropped out of the top 10 for the first time in over two years, and prompted another change of coach.

Having saved match points in her first round match at Wimbledon, she reached the fourth round before facing Venus Williams. After losing a one-sided first set, she landed awkwardly after a serve at the beginning of the second set, and she was forced to retire in tears, despite attempting to continue. She returned to action 6 weeks later, losing in the second round in Los Angeles, before successive second round exits in Cincinnati and Toronto. She suffered her first ever first round defeat in a Grand Slam in the US Open, losing to Kateryna Bondarenko. Her new serve motion was severely criticised, with Pat Cash labelling it ‘painful to watch’.



Another first round defeat followed in Tokyo followed before she pulled out of the China Open and announcing that she was taking the rest of the year off. The year was her worst as a professional, winning back-to-back matches only six times throughout the year, and finishing ranked number 21.

She began 2010 in promising form, reaching the semi-final in Brisbane – her first semi-final appearance in almost a year. However, a straight sets defeat to the returning Justine Henin prevented her reaching the final. She crashed out of the Australian Open in the second round, having led Gisela Dulko by a set and a break, finishing the match in tears as her game collapsed. Things continued to get worse for Ana, losing both her Fed Cup matches against the Russians, and splitting with her coach for the third time in less than twelve months. A first round defeat in Indian Wells followed as her serve continued to desert her – the first time in her career she had suffered four consecutive defeats. This result dropped her 30 places in the world rankings from 28 to 58 – the first time outside the top 50 for over five years.


In Miami, she recorded her first win in over two months, beating Pauline Parmentier, but lost to Agnieszka Radwanska in the second round. After a month out, she began her clay court season, hoping for a change in fortune, but lost in the opening round in Stuttgart to Radwanska again. Expectations were low going into Rome, but a series of unexpectedly impressive performances followed, recording victories over Azarenka, Dementieva and Nadia Petrova, before defeat in the semi-final. Regardless, it was her best tournament performance for nearly two years.

This performance gained her a wildcard entry into Madrid, but she collapsed from a set and a break up against Jelena Jankovic to suffer another opening match defeat. She entered the French Open unseeded for the first time in five years. However, disappointment was to follow as she collapsed to a 6-3, 6-0 defeat to 28th seed, Alisa Kleybanova, in the second round. A first round defeat in Wimbledon followed, before disappointing performances in both Stanford and San Diego. This week in Cincinnati, she looked to be slumping to another defeat, having gone 6-2, 5-3 down against the in-form Victoria Azarenka. However, she dug deep, finding some of the mental resolve that has deserted her over the past two years to mount a magnificent comeback, taking the second set on a tie break, and winning the decider 6-2. Later today, she faces Yaroslava Shvedova, bidding to win consecutive matches for the first time since May.


So what caused the monumental collapse in form since winning the French Open back in 2008? Since that highlight at Roland Garros, she has only won 49 of the 86 matches that she has played. The major problem in her game has been the disintegration of her serve, stemming from issues with the ball toss. When she gets nervous, her ball toss goes, and thus her entire game collapses. For example, if we look at her defeat in the Australian Open this year, she won only 54% of the points on her serve, delivering 11 double faults and being broken nine times. She hit 75 unforced errors as she tried too hard to overcome the problems she was having on serve.

These problems on serve have developed as a result of constant changes in coaching over the past two years. Having gone through four different coaches in less than twelve months, she received constantly conflicting advice, leaving her totally confused. These problems have led to a lack of confidence, which has led to further problems with her serve – a vicious circle. She has also been criticised for over-analysing her defeats, rather than accepting them and moving on.

Her stunning looks have also led to attention off the court. She has become a huge favourite with the glamour magazines, and the large number of photo shoots has been suggested to be affecting her game. Whether this is a major reason is debatable, but it certainly takes some of her attention off her tennis.


Despite her recent problems, it is important to remember that Ana Ivanovic is still only 22 years old. She has found it difficult to cope with the attention and success that she has received at such a young age. The pressure of being a Grand Slam champion and world number 1, as well as a hugely attractive and popular figure, is difficult to handle for anybody. She had to attempt to cope with this at the age of only 20. A series of injuries and questionable advice concerning her coaching have also affected her development in the game.

At the moment, a lack of confidence in her own ability is the underlying problem behind her recent travails. If she can regain that confidence, the nerves will reduce, which in turn will allow her to get her serve back on track and working properly again. She is undoubtedly a highly talented player – three Grand Slam finals, one Grand Slam title and 12 career titles have not been achieved by luck. However, whether she can find the right coach and team around her to lead her back to the top of the game is still to be seen. She remains a hugely popular figure within the game, and it is a shame to see the problems she has been having over the past two years.

Victory against Shvedova tomorrow would set up a match against either Elena Vesnina or Francesca Schiavone – a match that Ana would go into with confidence, having beaten both players back in May, and never having lost to either. Compatriot Jelena Jankovic would likely wait in the quarter-final – a player that Ivanovic has a 7-3 winning record against. Whilst two years ago, you would have confidently put money on Ana to progress through these tests, today it would be a brave man to back her in any match that she plays in. However, we wait with baited breath to see how see responds tomorrow – could it be the beginning of a revival, or merely another false dawn?

Weekend Betting Tips

Chile v Northern Ireland

Chile are tipped to do well at the World Cup and this is their last warm-up before they head out to South Africa. They are splitting their squad between this fixture, and a game against Israel on the same day, but they should still have enough for a depleted Northern Ireland. They had a comfortable 3-0 victory over Zambia on Wednesday, and this should be more of the same.

Northern Ireland have travelled without 17 regular internationals, and their defeat against Turkey on Wednesday featured no fewer than 5 players from the domestic Northern Irish league. It will be a good learning experience for the players, but I cannot see them getting anything here against a strong Chilean outfit.

Bet: Chile to win to nil @ 2.2

Final Result: Chile 1 - 0 Northern Ireland

Serbia v New Zealand, Mexico v Gambia & England v Japan

Serbia are one of the sides that I expected to do strongly in South Africa, and they will come into this game with New Zealand hoping to prove a point. They have won 7 of their past 9 games, with victories over Sweden, Romania and South Korea. New Zealand are one of the weaker sides at the World Cup, although they put up a strong fight in a 2-1 defeat to Australia last weekend.

Mexico have played friendly matches against England and Holland in the past week, and have impressed in both, despite two defeats. Gambia is several levels below those opposition, and Mexico will be looking for a good win to boost confidence before they head out to South Africa.

England beat Mexico 3-1 without playing well, and this will be their final game before heading to South Africa. Capello should start with a near full-strength side for this, and Japan are a team in crisis at the moment, with the coach having offered to resign on the eve of the tournament.

Bet: Serbia, Mexico and England to win @ 2.46

Final Results: Serbia 0 - 1 New Zealand, Mexico 5 - 1 Gambia, England 2 - 1 Japan

Azerbaijan v FYR Macedonia

Only 6 of Azerbaijan’s last 24 matches have contained more than 2 goals, and two of those were 4-0 and 6-0 defeats to European heavyweights Germany and Spain respectively. Whilst they struggle to score goals, they do not concede too many either.

Macedonia are missing 3 of their main attacking players – Inter’s Goran Pandev, Stojkov and Naumoski. However, they have a relatively strong defence, and should not concede too many.

Bet: Under 2.5 goals @ 1.74

Final Result: Azerbaijan 1 - 3 FYR Macedonia

Ivan Ljubicic v Thomaz Bellucci

Ivan Ljubicic came into this tournament with an injury concern, having pulled out of tournaments in Rome and Estoril in recent weeks. However, he has won two matches here so far, but an epic five set match against Mardy Fish that he won 10-8 in the final set will have taken a lot out of him. He was clearly struggling toward the end, but poor tactics from Fish allowed him to grab the win.

Thomaz Bellucci came into the tournament in relatively poor form, and struggled to a five set victory over Spanish qualifier, Pablo Andujar, in the second round. He is finding it difficult to come to terms with the slow conditions, but will hope to take advantage of Ljubicic’s physical problems in their match.

Bet: Thomaz Bellucci to win @ 1.8

Final Score: Thomaz Bellucci wins 7-6, 6-2, 6-4

Shahar Peer v Marion Bartoli

Shahar Peer has been in good form on the clay this year, having only lost to Venus Williams and Justine Henin. She wobbled in the first set of her second round game against the American, Bethany Mattek-Sands, but went on to complete a 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 victory comfortably.

World number 14, Marion Bartoli, is not at her best on the clay. She has not beaten a player in the top 50 in her last 7 tournaments on clay. She beat #111, Maria Elena Camerin, and French wildcard, Olivia Sanchez, to reach this stage, but is up against a far superior opponent here in the third round.

Bet: Shahar Peer to win @ 1.56

Final Score: Shahar Peer wins 7-6, 6-2

The Return of the King

After sealing his sixth straight title at the Monte Carlo Masters, Rafael Nadal collapsed to the clay in joy. For a man who has now won 37 titles in his illustrious career, this one was particularly important to him. It has been eleven long months since the last time the Spaniard lifted a trophy, having struggled with both his form and injuries in recent times. However, the manner of his victory shows that the King of Clay is back and fully intends to regain his title at Roland Garros next month.

The Masters Series is one step down from the Grand Slam events. A swathe of top players arrived in Monte Carlo, aiming to win the third Masters event of the year. Five of the world’s top 10 players were there – of the others, Nikolay Davydenko, Juan Martin Del Potro and Robin Soderling all withdrew through injury. Therefore, it was a strong field lining up to try to take Nadal’s crown. However, come Sunday afternoon, Rafa stood victorious, having lost only 14 games in his 5 matches. Whilst comfortable victories were to be expected against his earlier opposition, it was the ease in which he dispatched David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Fernando Verdasco in successive rounds that will have his future opponents concerned. Verdasco has just moved back into the top 10 in the world and Nadal dispatched him in little over an hour for the loss of just one game.

In the past five years, Rafael Nadal has played 165 matches on clay. He has lost only 6 of these. The only men to have beaten him are Robin Soderling, Roger Federer (twice), Juan Carlos Ferrero, Igor Andreev and Gaston Gaudio. Andreev and Gaudio’s victories both came in early 2005, whilst Ferrero’s victory came when Nadal was struggling with blisters and barely able to move around the court. Roger Federer has beaten him in the Hamburg Masters in 2007 and the Madrid Masters last year, whilst it was Robin Soderling’s victory at the French Open last year that began the mini-slump for Nadal.

Following that defeat to Soderling, he underwent knee surgery, missing the opportunity to defend his Wimbledon title. He missed three months of the season, returning in mid-August at the Montreal Master Series tournament, where he lost at the quarter-final stage to Del Potro. Defeats to Novak Djokovic, Del Potro again, Marin Cilic and Nikolay Davydenko followed, before he lost all three of his matches in the end-of-season Masters Cup in London. He returned this year, but lost in the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open to Andy Murray before taking another two months out of the game. Semi-final defeats to Ivan Ljubicic and Andy Roddick followed on the American hard courts. But then, the Monte Carlo Masters came round and Nadal returned to his beloved clay.

“I started to have problems in the knees here (last year in Monte Carlo),” Nadal said. “I had a little bit personal problems in that moment, and mentally wasn't at the top for me part of the year.” Despite any problems he was having, he had just surpassed Roger Federer as the number 1 in the world. However, surgery to cure tendonitis in his knees, combined with the divorce of his parents had a major impact on him both on and off the court. He lost weight, leading to a loss in the intimidation factor that came with the bulging muscles in his arms.

When he made his comeback in Montreal, he was clearly not fully fit. He had problems with putting adequate weight on his injured knee, particularly when planting it to play backhand shots, meaning he was unable to generate the power in these shots. He had to resort to playing sliced backhands, which combined with his inability to cover the court as he used to, led to a diminishing presence on the court.

Early in the Australian Open this year, he appeared to be back close to his best, but after struggling early on against Andy Murray, his knees led to him retiring early. Nerves seemed to strike when closing in on a title in Indian Wells. However, victory in Monte Carlo will give him the belief that he needs to regain his top form. It is important to bear in mind that Roger Federer was not in this tournament. Furthermore, this was not a Grand Slam. However, he has the confidence again to believe that he can regain his Roland Garros crown.

the hype

I will express what my summer has been like in pictures.

I am lucky that this summer I am not just laying around the couch watching mindless tv. Well I still am but for the last two weeks since summer has started my friends and I have been on a super sports hype. The awesome thing is that there is a nice big park right across the street from my house and I have just started finding out I have many friends who live very close by.

First it started with a couple of us playing tennis almost every day in the evening. Then one day I found a frisbee and we decided to try ultimate frisbee. Now when I first heard of ultimate frisbee I thought WOW SUPER LAME but man, I WAS WRONG!! That game is surprisingly intense and lots of fun. And lots of RUNNNNNNING. I haven't ran so much since pe in sophomore year. So we decided to have a big ultimate frisbee day and we played for quite awhile. Then the other day we had a volleyball day. My friend even bought a new volleyball set. But word to the wise, do not buy a volleyball set at Walmart for 20 bucks if you decide to playfully crash into the volleyball net because you will BREAK it. Yes that did happen but it was fixable. Today we played ultimate frisbee then SOCCER. My legs really ache. I can honestly say I have not had so much physical activity than I have had in these last couple weeks. But I really think exercising by playing outdoors with your friends really gives you motivation to be healthy and have fun at the same time. Without that competitive drive or the fun factor, I would end up staying inside for three months getting pasty and flabby! I love this sports hype!

Also since we graduated two weeks ago, I have attended multiple grad parties. And for some reason, at most of those grad parties or parties I have gone to, we have played rock band and rock band 2 numerous times. Since I do not own rock band, I was able to gradually go from easy to medium on guitar. Whoot to me. However my pinky SUCKS! The drums are not too bad either. Of course I rock at the vocals. Since I am tired of singing the same five typical songs (Maps by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Move Along by American Reject, both paramore songs, Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers, anything by the killers, etc), my friend and I decided we should educate ourselves on all those crazy rock songs on rockband and youtube the songs and actually listen to them so we could familiarize ourselves with the songs. I am so excited for next rockband party because I really liked Celebrity Skin by Hole (Courtney Love's band). Though I realized when I finally listened to most of the songs, I recognize them because of hours wasted watching VH1's top rock songs or VH1's I love the 80's and other shows like that on VH1. VH1 has educated on the majority of my pop culture history that is prior to the 90's.

I realized what has also been missing in my life. LEFT 4 DEAD. The most awesome zombie killing game ever. I played it for three days straight. My friend and I were first introduced to it when we went to another friend's house after a grad party. The guys were just playing left 4 dead and we got hooked. Though I really suck at the whole two joint sticks (one for the direction of vision and the other for direction of your body) and the other five other buttons. Half the time I just couldnt figure out how to get out of the corner and around places. But I got okay at it. I was able to go through a whole mission by myself without dying in the first five minutes. Though I felt mentally drained after playing it for three hours. I do not know how guys can play games for hours at end.

Speaking of ZOMBIES, I read this book before the year ended called World War Z which was recommended to me by a friend. It was damn interesting. I have a personal love for zombie movies. This book seriously made me feel as if I should be prepared for a crucial zombie attack because zombies are the worst enemy because they are the WALKING DEAD so they already died and it is pretty damn hard to kill them again. But honestly this is great book because it narrates different points of views of the zombie war from all over the world and shows you how it spreads around the world. The author also does a great job of analyzing all aspects of the real world such as government, how humans interact with each other during a crisis, economics, etc. This guy is truly genius. There are rumours of it being turned into a movie and of course the movie can never measure up to the book but I would definetly go see it.

Oh and I have been sucked into watching that show I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of HERE because there is nothing better on television lately.

---christina.

being a little over average.

This morning I woke up to my father yelling at everyone to wake up. So we had a family "conference" and everyone was like half asleep while my father was ranting how we all live like pigs. I guess we had been taking advantage of my dad lately because he has been doing a lot of cooking and cleaning for the family. Well since my parents are done with the restaurant, I missed having my parents cook for me at home so I just got used to my dad just cooking for us whenever we got home. But I guess he got sick of being Mr. Mom after a month and said we needed to pick up the slack. At first I felt irritated because my mom started blaming me because I am in charge of the kitchen this week, but then I felt really bad. I felt bad for not doing my job and not doing enough to help my siblings or being a good daughter. Then my dad said I had become a little more than average and that made me really sad. My parents think I have gotten "worse" over the years with my procrastination and it really made me mad but sad also. It is my fault but I wanted to blame it on my parents too because for the last five years, they've been busy with work and never home and I've had to take care of the house. I started a cry a little bit but I didn't really say anything but yeah in the end we all got over it. I understood what my father was saying and I guess I needed to try harder.

I think the most thing that hits me emotionally is being seen as a little above average which is true. Because I know I am a little above average. I have no special talents. The only reason my GPA is a bit high is because of extra AP points but I mostly have B's on my report card. I don't play a sport. I haven't really shined in anything. I have like no hobbies. What makes me special? I know that is really hard to believe but on paper, I am just a little above average. I know my parents wish I was one of those super smart kids who would get free rides to college but I'm not. But at the same time, I am glad I am not because I know a couple of those people and guess what, their personalities suck. But maybe I am just being bitter.

So about the rest of my day. After we cleaned the house, we had a nice family brunch and it was nice. As a family, we get over stuff really quick so no one was really moody. Then we just all took a rest. At around 4ish, we went to the park. I played tennis with my dad and siblings. My mom (being pregnant and all) was walking one of our dogs around. I really suck at tennis. My sixth grade sister is way better than me. That is depressing. But it is just nice to play around and hit the ball back and forth. We played until it was dark and came home and ate dinner. It was relaxing.


So I talked about visiting my old house with my mom in this post and I found the PERFECT quote to go with the feeling I felt when I visited my old home.

" You ask me what it means to be irrelevant? The feeling is akin to visiting your old house as a wandering ghost with unfinished business. Imagine going back: the structure is familiar, but the door is now metal instead of wood, the walls have been painted a garish pink, the easy chair you loved so much is gone. your office is now the family room and your beloved bookcases have been replaced by a brand-new television set. This is your house, and it is not. And you are no longer relevant to this house, to its walls and doors and floors; you are not seen. "
- Reading Lolita in Tehran

That is exactly how I felt at that moment except this describes it much better. Even though it is just a house, it is sad to know that your thumb print and your mark is no longer there. And when you die, who will remember that you lived in that house?

So to lighten up this post, I want to post my favorite song that ALWAYS makes me feel better for some reason.



Perfect song for a Sunday.

--CHRISTINA