rafa Page 14 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Here's That Insane 54-Shot Rally In The Djokovic-Nadal U.S. Open Final
Last year's final had a 54-shot rally too. This one's better. It energized the wildest U.S. Open men's final crowd Arthur Ashe has hosted in some time, and gave Djokovic his first break of the match. He'd take the second set 6-3, and he's currently up a break in the third in what's shaping up to be...

Let's Hope Drugs Prolong Rafael Nadal's Great Career
Originally published in Bloomberg View...

Here's Why Federer And Nadal Have Never Played Each Other At US Open
Two days ago, Serena Williams was told that two great rivals, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, have never played each other at the U.S. Open. ...

Roger Federer Upset (Again) At US Open
And once again, Roger Federer is out prematurely at a Grand Slam. Federer was upset in the 4th round at the U.S. Open tonight to Tommy Robredo, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4. ...

Rafael Nadal Is Filthy And Should Be Regulated
This entire point, from early on in Nadal's clinical straight-sets administration of American Ryan Harrison, is lovely. But do watch the slow-motion spin of Rafa's overhead finisher, from somewhere out in College Point. Physics is fun....

Rafael Nadal Promotes M4M
Here's a picture just posted to Rafael Nadal's Facebook page....

<em>The Conjuring</em> Is Old-School Terrifying
The Conjuring didn't literally scare the piss out of me, but it was close, and all told, there might have been a dribble or two....

What Becomes A Legend Most?
Tomorrow gives Andy Murray vs. Novak Djokovic in the men's final at Wimbledon. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal bowed out early this year but that shouldn't stop us from recalling their great rivalry of the not-too-distant past. ...

Roger Federer Is Out At Wimbledon In Craziest Second Round Ever
Something called Sergiy Stakhovsky just defeated Roger Federer in four sets at Wimbledon, which is less a tournament at this point than it is one of those Agatha Christie books where bodies keep piling up around some quaint English vicarage. Where do we start? Rafael Nadal got knocked out Monday. M...

Rafael Nadal Loses In The First Round At Wimbledon
The best pre-Wimbledon storyline not involving the Serena-Sharapova "black heart" spat was the totally tantalizing quarterfinal: Federer vs. Rafa. They've met only twice in a Grand Slam in the last four years, and they haven't played each other at Wimbledon since the '08 classic. Finally, the thin...

Rafa Nadal Just Beat David Ferrer To Win The French Open Title
There was never any doubt. Third-seeded Rafa Nadal just bested fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 to win the French Open title. It was Nadal's eighth French Open win—a record—and the 27-year-old now has 12 Grand Slams. Ferrer, seeded fourth, did well to make it to the final...


Here's Why You're Going To Miss The Djokovic-Nadal Semi Tomorrow
Well, tomorrow is the big day! Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal. The semifinal that's effectively the French Final. The 7-time French champion versus the guy who has won every Grand Slam except this one. Tennis's most exciting rivalry. It has everything, except now you will miss most or all of it....

Anibal Sanchez's 17-K Game Trumped Even Randy Johnson's 1992 "Hammer From Hell" Game
If we can indulge in a brief moment of Welcome Back, Baseball — still early enough in the season, right? — it’s a joy to watch a sport that puts the ball in the hands of the defense. Virtually any other sport you care to name turns a defensive player into an offensive player as soon as he takes poss...

The Orioles Used A Special Bat Named "Stumpy" Against Mariano Rivera
Buster Olney has a fun little Mariano Rivera story from former outfielder and current V.P. of baseball operations for Baltimore, Brady Anderson....

Rafael Da Silva Put Manchester United Up A Goal With A Screamer From 25 Yards Out
Manchester United is having a strong season, and sits atop the Premier League standings as of today, but the team can't fall asleep against "basement boys"—sounds kinky—Queens Park Rangers, the team they're playing as I write. Man U is currently up 1-nil [UPDATE: 2-0! Ryan Giggs, just as we posted] ...

How ESPN's Dan Rafael Became The Most Important Journalist In Boxing: A Cautionary Tale
Dan Rafael is the most important boxing journalist in the world, merely by dint of being the only full-time boxing correspondent at ESPN. He has access—to fighters, to promoters, to fans—that other writers could only imagine. He has 70,000 followers on Twitter; few other full-time boxing writers can...

Maria Sharapova Is Pimping Her Stupid Candy, And Other Important Storylines: A U.S. Open Preview
You could argue the turning point of the 2012 U.S. Open—which starts today—already happened. Well, three turning points, actually....

Melky Cabrera Cooked Up A Phony Website To Try To Beat His Suspension
The New York Daily News has discovered that in an effort to beat the rap on his 50-game suspension, Melky and his "associates" devised a scheme that included purchasing a website for $10,000, making this website appear to sell a fake product and pretending Melky purchased and used the product, unaw...

Rafael Nadal Pulls Out Of U.S. Open With An Injury, So Let's Cue The "Style Of Play" Talk
Rafael Nadal announced this morning that he's pulling out of the U.S. Open, which begins in less than two weeks. What for? An "injury." No one knows what. When Nadal pulled out of the Olympics—he hasn't played a match since he was bounced in the second round of Wimbledon—it was a little unclear what...