Nadal: Might Not Play Wimbledon

Wow. Just saw that Uncle Toni is not optimistic about Rafa defending his Wimbledon title this year.

How huge is THAT? Who thinks Roger will be back to number one by year's end?

I sincerely hope Rafa figures out what's wrong with his knee(s) and takes whatever steps necessary to recover. Missing Wimbledon now is nothing if it will keep him on the court in the long run.

I do question why Toni chose to divulge this info today, though. Why air this out the night before the French Open Final? To imply that Rafa would be there if not for the knee? To rattle Roger's or Soderling's--take your pick which one--confidence?

I'm a sneaky, suspicious bitch, so I'm sure it's nothing so sinister. The timing just seems odd.

Dear Juan Martin Del Potro:

You played your hardest--and you played some amazing tennis. It was almost hard to see you lose at the end, even though I was rooting for Roger. You're one of my favorite players, and I'm going to make a prediction right now:

In two or three years, you're going to be the number one player in the world. That's a huge prediction, I know, but I said the same thing about Nadal in 95 when he won the French Open. Sometimes you can just see it in a person's game.

Can't wait to see what you do at Wimbledon,
C

Roland Garros: The Bizarro World version

First Nole, then Rafa. Now Federer is struggling against Tommy Haas. What's going on here? Swine flu? Bad food? Something is up.

Personally, I think Murray's mom has a collection of voodoo dolls, and she's somewhere in Paris sticking pins in players to better her son's chances.

I have full confidence that Roger will pull the victory from somewhere. But can he play like this and beat Roddick or Monfils?

Nadal...OUT!

Unbelievable. Seriously...I have no words. And I had no idea how completely invested I was in Nadal at least making the finals here until that last point. I actually feel like crying, something I've never done over a tennis match.

Rafa out so soon...and to Soderling of all people. If it had been Verdasco or someone like that, the loss wouldn't sting quite so much. But to go so soon and to such a jerk... :(

Somewhere in Paris, Andy Murray and Roger Federer are celebrating.

Upset weekend indeed. Both of the defending champions out in one day.

Upset! Federer Nails Nadal in the Madrid Final, 6-4 6-4

That title sounded a little naughtier than I meant for it to. Oh well. Undoubtedly, people (or at least Nadal fans) will brush this loss off as Nadal being tired from yesterday's Djokovic slugfest or attribute it to his problematic knees. But Nadal has played sloppily all week while Federer has looked, more or less, in top form. It's a well-deserved win, and the implications for the upcoming French Open are very interesting.

Amazing Semifinal Match Between Nadal and Djokovic

Wow. Just wow. What an epic, intense match. I was going to write it up reporter-style, but I'm absolutely drained. Big round of applause for Novack Djokovic. He may have lost, but he played an amazing game. The level of shot-making was incredible. Take THAT, Andy Murray. Murray is good, but I don't think he could have gone toe-to-toe with Nadal like that (even with Nadal not at his best), or hit even half of those shots. Murray may be number three now, but if Djokovic keeps playing like that, he won't be for long.

Nadal vs. Djokovic in the Semi-Finals at Madrid

And the match is ready to start. Once again it's Rafa Nadal vs Novak Djokovic. Thankfully not in the finals this time, though. Give Fed a chance, will you Nole?

I considered live-blogging the match, but since my blog is brand new and nobody is reading it yet, what would be the point? It might entertain me, but it probably wouldn't make a whole lot of sense to someone reading it four hours from now. So I'll just post a wrap-up once the match is over. As my non-existent readership waits with baited breath.

For the first time in a long while, I'm really excited about the semis of an open. I love three of the four competitors (Nadal, Federer and Del Potro) and love to hate the fourth (Nole, obviously). So it's good times.

Rafa has the edge here, obviously, but his play has been a bit sloppy lately. He's hitting the net more than I've ever seen him and firing shots wide that he could have made in his sleep last year. Nole definitely has a chance--he's playing pretty well, but it's hard to say if it's good enough. Fed and Nadal are both a little off their games, but Djokovic hasn't really been matched up against anyone who could challenge him, not in Madrid anyway. It'll be interesting to see how he plays today.