rafa Page 16 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Rafael Nadal Hits A Perfectly Placed Lob From Between His Legs, Just Because He Can
Here's Rafa just havin' some fun on his home court at the Madrid Open yesterday, in his straight-set loss to Novak Djokovic. This is the "statement shot" of tennis; like basketball's behind-the-back pass or soccer's nutmeg, its sole purpose is to say, without saying it, "look at what I can do." On...

Phil Jackson Agrees That His Career Has Been The "Bee's Knees"
Your morning roundup for May 9, the day we learned of the Village tree thief....

Rafael Nadal 0, His Underwear 1
Reporting that Rafael Nadal won a match on a clay surface is a lot like reporting that the Mets lost a game, so we needed another angle on his 6-2, 6-2 win over Gael Monfils in the Barcelona Open quarterfinals today. Luckily, the cameras on hand for the match captured that angle for us. In the inc...

Dennis Rodman Recognizes The Importance Of Family
Your morning roundup for April 2, the day that the color starts returning to the knuckles of passengers and crew on Southwest Flight 812, the plane with a three-foot hole in its side....

Here's Your Map To The Stars' Lakers Seats
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

The Eli Porter Of Tennis Rap Makes For Best "Black & Yellow" Remix Yet
We've been getting a lot of "Black & Yellow" remixes lately. White and green. Green and yellow. Red and blue. Red and navy. And so on. But we were sorely missing out on a tennis-specific remix. Until now....

Look, Maria Sharapova Has A New Dress!
The Australian Open starts tomorrow, with Rafael Nadal going for a not-quite Grand Slam. It's "not-quite" because while he'd win a fourth consecutive grand slam, it's not in the same season and Rod Laver won't let that historical-aggression stand....

When Large Dunking Man Meets Poorly Made Backboard
NBA castoff Rafael Araujo — formerly Hoffa, now Baby — completely wrecked the backboard at FIBA Americas League play for his Brazilian team. Yes, there's video....

Oregon Fans Still Have A Couple Things Going For Them
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day...

Rafael Palmeiro Is Talking Now That It's Time For Hall Of Fame Voters To Judge His Legacy
He still claims he never took steroids. He sought comfort in the soothing words of President George W. Bush. His wife gave him a vitamin shot by accident. Miguel Tejada gave him a B-12 shot. Chances of HOF?: Zilcho. [SI]...

Wayne Rooney Is Not An Animal. Wayne Rooney Is A Human Being.
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and internets to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....

Tennis Has Its <em>Heidi</em> Moment, And Everyone Is Pissed
"This partnership will provide more tennis, to more people, in more ways than ever before," said the USTA's CEO in 2008 after signing a six-year ESPN deal. He was partially correct: I've never seen a tennis broadcast quite like yesterday's....

Nadal Finally Wins His U.S. Open. Sucks For Us.
A prediction: Rafael Nadal will never win another U.S. Open....

Your Culturally Insensitive World Cup Goal Roundup Of The Day (Video)
Two games today, two goals. Both of them in the first game. Bafana Bafana's Siphiwe Tshabalala knocked in a real beaut at the 55-minute mark, but Mexico's Rafael Marquez nailed the equalizer in the 79th. See, ties are fun....

That's Nadal She Wrote
The awesome-shirted Rafael Nadal wins his fifth French Open title. [ESPN]...

"SI" Writer Jon Wertheim Would Like You To Watch Roger Federer's Giggle Fit
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim, author of Strokes of Genius: Federer, Nadal, and the Greatest Match Ever Played, was kind enough to let me bother him. Here, he considers Tiger Woods and challenges Will Leitch to a bet:...

It Must Be Lust: Deadspin's 2009 U.S. Open Preview
Greetings, Deadspin tennis fans! It's that time of year again!...

What We Learned About The 2009 Wimbledon Champion
"Every tennis lover would like, someday, to play like Federer," Philippe Bouin tells Cynthia Gorney of The New York Times Magazine for this week's cover story. "But every man wants to be Rafael Nadal. Which is different."...

Wimbledon 2009 Is Very, Very Tape-Delayed
Get those bets in, because even though Wimbledon hasn't started yet, ESPN already knows who won. Doesn't matter if one of their projected winners isn't actually playing. Just trust them. TWWL is good like that. [ESPN]...

Book Excerpts That Don't Suck: <em>Strokes of Genius</em>
Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim uses the 2008 Wimbledon final to reflect on Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and their rivalry, begetting "the greatest tennis match every played," the 2008 Wimbledon Final. Buy it here, if you're feeling frisky....