Rafael Nadal
Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (Catalan pronunciation: [rəˈfɛɫ nəˈðaɫ pəˈɾeɾə]; Spanish pronunciation: [rafaˈel naˈðal paˈɾeɾa]; born 3 June 1986) is a ... More »
Serena Williams, Sharapova, Nadal make Madrid Open semifinals
MADRID (AP) -- Rafael Nadal fought back to beat David Ferrer 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-0 in Friday's quarterfinals of the Madrid Open, keeping alive his bid to reach a seventh straight final since returning from injury. In a meeting of Spain's top ranked players, Ferrer's baseline game on the red ... Read more »
Victoria Azarenka loses to Ekaterina Makarova at Madrid Open
Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal spoiled Benoit Paire's 24th birthday by sweeping past the Frenchman 6-3, 6-4. The fifth-ranked Nadal's hopes of returning to the top four in time for the French Open were boosted by Novak Djokovic's loss on Tuesday. Azarenka returned after a two-month ... Read more »
Nadal battles past Ferrer; Serena and Sharapova heading for showdown
Rafael Nadal celebrates after seeing off compatriot David Ferrer in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Masters. (CNN) -- Rafael Nadal avoided the pitfalls which have seen the exits of arch-rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer but still had to dig deep to progress to the semifinals ... Read more »
Nadal survives scare at Rome Masters
Rafael Nadal will play fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the quarterfinals of the Rome Masters. (CNN) -- Rafael Nadal is the undisputed "King of Clay" but the Spaniard only just managed to cling onto his crown at the Rome Masters. The defending champion was blown away 6-1 in the ... Read more »
Nadal beats Wawrinka, wins Madrid Open
In his 7th straight Madrid final, Rafael Nadal beat Stan Wawrinka for his 40th clay crown. MADRID (AP) -- Rafael Nadal won his fifth title since returning from a knee injury by beating Stanislas Wawrinka 6-2, 6-4 in Sunday's final of the Madrid Open. Cheered on by the home crowd ... Read more »
Federer stunned by Nishikori in Madrid
World No.2 Federer, who was playing his first tournament since losing to Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells in March, suffered a 6-4 1-6 6-2 third round defeat by the 14th seed. Federer, 31, has won 17 grand slam titles during his illustrious career, but has managed just one win at Roland ... Read more »
Rafael Nadal: Travel tips from the King of Clay
(CNN) -- On the court and on the road all year round, tennis champion Rafael Nadal knows how to enjoy the traveling life. The former world number one has been jet-setting around the globe on the professional circuit since the tender age of just 15. Along the way, the man crowned the ... Read more »
Top-ranked Serena advances to second round of Madrid Open
" Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were even more enthusiastic about the removal of the blue clay, which both players had heavily criticized for being slippery after early exits last year. "I think that obviously the court last year was not up to the level that we needed," Nadal ... Read more »
CBS gives up U.S. Open to ESPN; more mailbag
That has never happened in the men's game (maybe with Pete Sampras and Roger Federer on grass or Rafael Nadal on clay, but never on all surfaces. ) It's not a matchup issue, and it's not a rankings-points issue. It illustrates a dramatic drop in class between Serena Williams and Maria ... Read more »
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal to renew rivalry in Rome final
Roger Federer trails the all-time series against Rafael Nadal 10-19, but has won two of the last four. ROME (AP) -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry in the Italian Open final Sunday - exactly a week before the French Open starts. In Saturday's semifinals at ... Read more »
Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal to renew rivalry in Rome final
Roger Federer trails the all-time series against Rafael Nadal 10-19, but has won two of the last four. ROME (AP) -- Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will renew their rivalry in the Italian Open final Sunday - exactly a week before the French Open starts. In Saturday's semifinals at ... Read more »
Nadal reaches 7th straight final at Madrid Open
Rafael Nadal had little trouble extending his winning streak in clay-court semifinals to 46 matches. MADRID (AP) -- Rafael Nadal reached his seventh consecutive final since returning from a knee injury, brushing aside wild-card entry Pablo Andujar 6-0, 6-4 at the Madrid Open on ... Read more »
Federer triumphant on return to action
The Swiss was last in action in mid-March when he was knocked out of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells by Spain's Rafael Nadal. But despite his near two-month absence from competition, the 31-year-old was back in the groove swiftly to set up a meeating with either Japan's Kei ... Read more »
Nadal dismisses Djokovic's conqueror Berdych to reach Rome final
(CNN) -- Tomas Berdych may have upset World No.1 Novak Djokovic but found Rafael Nadal an altogether tougher proposition in the semifinals of the Rome Masters Saturday. Nadal was at his impeccable best to sweep aside the big-hitting Czech 6-2 6-4 to reach his eighth straight ATP ... Read more »
Serena ready for 'ultimate challenge' after crushing Sharapova's No. 1 bid
In the men's tournament in Madrid, Rafael Nadal delighted his home fans by winning the Spanish tournament for the third time, beating Swiss 15th seed Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. American notches up 50th win of her career, becoming the 10th woman to do so (CNN) -- Serena Williams is ... Read more »
Rafael Nadal wins Madrid; Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova
Rafael Nadal can still take the No. 4 ranking from David Ferrer before Roland Garros. 1. Flowers bloom. A chill leaves the air. Hollywood bombards with disappointing releases. And here's another reliable sign of spring: Rafael Nadal goes into beast mode. Operating on clay -- his ... Read more »
Federer loses; Nadal, Serena, Sharapova advance at Madrid Open
MADRID (AP) -- Second-ranked Roger Federer lost to Kei Nishikori 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 in the third round of the Madrid Open on Thursday, leaving Rafael Nadal as the clear title favorite. After recovering from Nishikori's strong start on the Caja's Magica's new red clay courts, Federer looked as ... Read more »
Djokovic loses at Rome Masters, hurting French Open preparations
(CNN) -- When Novak Djokovic ended Rafael Nadal's eight-year reign at the Monte Carlo Masters in April, it marked the perfect start to the world No. 1's clay-court season. But Djokovic's ensuing performances on clay haven't been anywhere near as impressive. After losing his opening match ... Read more »
Serena reaches final of Italian Open
In the men's semifinals, six-time champion Rafael Nadal will face sixth-seeded Tomas Berdych and Roger Federer plays 36th-ranked Benoit Paire of France. Williams' only title at this clay-court event came in 2002, when she beat Justine Henin in the final. That was also the year she won ... Read more »
Tomas Berdych bounces Novak Djokovic in Rome quarters
'' In the semifinals, Berdych will face either six-time Rome champion Rafael Nadal or fourth-seeded David Ferrer, who were up next on center court. Also at the Foro Italico, top-ranked Serena Williams rolled past Spanish opponent Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2, 6-0 to extend her winning streak ... Read more »
