Rafael Nadal ended his tournament title drought yesterday in resounding fashion. Though he is generally on friendly terms with fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, he abused his countryman in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, grinding him down and crushing him into the red clay, 6-0, 6-1. Although Rafa hadn't won a title since the Rome Masters in 2009, almost a year ago, he took home the Monte Carlo trophy for a record sixth straight time. That's not just a tournament record, that's a tour record! No man had previously won any title six times in a row until Nadal made history yesterday. All week, he looked like he was back to his phenomenal clay court self. His movement was exceptional, he hit his usual heavy ball, and he did not drop a single set. In route to the title, he had to beat three Spanish compatriots in a row -- Juan Carlos Ferrero in the quarters, David Ferrer in the semis, and Verdasco in the finals.
Though he has won what he calls his home tournament in Barcelona five straight times, Rafa announced today he is withdrawing from the event due to the overloaded clay court schedule. Having previously logged several complaints about the ATP scheduling, Nadal is clearly disappointed that he won't be defending his title so close to home. But the man needs to give his body sufficient rest in order to make a run at reclaiming his dominance at the French Open. Vamos, Rafa!
Sadly, after attending the last two ATP Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells and Miami (pictured above), I did not make it to the French Riviera and the principality of Monaco for the Monte Carlo Masters. However, I did witness Andy Roddick's victory in Key Biscayne a couple of weeks ago and failed to report it here at Vamos!
Roddick dispatched Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic in straight sets to take his first Masters 1000 title since 2006. On the way there, he beat Rafael Nadal in the semifinals, playing some of the best tennis of his entire career. As I've stated before, Roddick has been a frustrating player to root for over the years. I love that he's been committed to representing the United States in Davis Cup, I love his sense of humor, I love his swimsuit model wife, and I love his gigantic serve. But he's been stuck at a total of one Grand Slam title since winning the U.S. Open in 2003. Some of that is obviously due to the juggernaut that is Roger Federer, and some of that is due to his inability to make adjustments during matches. In the past year and half, Roddick has been working with coach Larry Stefanki, who has Andy in the best shape of his life and playing smarter. He took Fed to the brink at Wimbledon, has improved his slice backhand, and now serves with a lot more variety. While I may have soured on Roddick in the middle years of his career, he has won me over again. It was fantastic to see him win in Miami, where I also saw him take the trophy in 2004. In his speech, he thanked outgoing tournament director Butch Buchholz for giving him a wild card entry to the event (then called The Lipton) when he was 17 and won his first match as a pro. For Roddick, things have truly come full circle.
After the men's final, I stuck around to watch the women's doubles final, won by the two lovely ladies pictured above, Gisela Dulko and Flavia Pennetta. All in all, it was a colorful day at the Crandon Tennis Center on Key Biscayne. Always nice to revisit my favorite stop on the tour. Though, when it comes to tennis, I'm greedy. I now need to find a way to get to Paris and Roland Garros for the French Open in late May. Anybody headed in that direction? If so... Can I get a ride?
