rafael Page 13 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Stanislas Wawrinka Dominates An Injured Nadal, Wins Australian Open
Rafael Nadal hadn't dropped a set to Stanislas Wawrinka before today's Australian Open final. Wawrinka promptly changed that by winning the first set, eventually taking the match in four sets, 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. But Wawrinka didn't come out on top only because of Nadal's injury. The Swiss was in ch...

Rafael Nadal's Hands Are Disgusting
Rafael Nadal will play Roger Federer on Friday (overnight for U.S. audiences) in a semifinal match at the Australian Open, but forget about that for a minute. Look how gross Rafa's hands are. ...

Here Comes The Federer-Nadal To Possibly End All Federer-Nadals
Maybe every Federer-Nadal is a Federer-Nadal for the ages, and when we look back we'll marvel at our luck that these two comets coincided for a decade. But let's say with a bit of boldness that the upcoming Federer-Nadal — in a date punched when they respectively dispatched Andy Murray and Grigor Di...

Rafael Palmeiro Was The Ideal Steroids Scapegoat
Rafael Palmeiro was going to stroll into the Hall of Fame. It's sort of unbelievable to remember this fact, as we try to gaze back over the ruptured fault line between the Steroids Era and the Steroids Recriminations Era. There wasn't really anything to argue about, back then. He was in....

The Painted Screens Of Baltimore
Rafael Alvarez has more about Elaine Eff's book in the Baltimore City Paper. ...

Rafael Nadal's Serve From Second To Second
Nadal's in London playing in the ATP World Tour Finals, where this multiple-exposure picture was taken. We now can see the shift from "okay, toss it up gently" to "NOW MURDER THAT THING!" moment to moment. Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images...

Rafael Nadal: Rockin' My Peers And Puttin' Suckas In Fear
Over at SB Nation Longform, Elizabeth Kaye has a terrific wrap-up of the U.S. Open:...

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....

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...