Rafael Nadal has done it again. On Sunday (April 26), he won his fifth straight title at the Barcelona Open against Spaniard David Ferrer 6-2, 7-5. Last week, he won his fifth straight title at the Monte Carlo Masters.

 
Ferrer was having an inconsistent serving game and Nadal used that for his advantage.
The four-time defending French Open champion goes into the Rome Masters on a 25-match unbeaten run with only three defeats in his last 133 matches on clay.
Nadal and Ferrer traded breaks in the first two games before Ferrer’s service game became erratic—he hit four double faults—and …read more

Rafael Nadal is on fire right now. On Thursday (April 23), he defeated Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 6-0 in the third round of the Barcelona Open. The No. 1 ranked player is shooting for his fifth straight trophy in Barcelona and is well on his way.

On Thursday, Nadal’s quarter-final opponent David Nalbandian withdrew because of a right hip injury. This moves him one step closer to the victory. Nadal has some amazing numbers when it comes to his performance on clay. He’s only lost 2 of his last 128 matches on the clay surface. He is considered one of …read more

Rafael Nadal won the Barcelona title Sunday. It wasn’t in parade fashion as many of his recent victories have been. It took a three-set effort (6-1, 4-6, 6-1) for Nadal to dispatch David Ferrer. With the win, Nadal became the first man to win four consecutive Barcelona titles.
I wonder how it feels. That whole making history part. And winning a professional tennis tournament. And being a man.
Rafa owned Ferrer in the first and third sets; Ferrer just couldn’t carry his game plan from the second set to the third which is why Rafa is the one biting the trophy instead …read more

It’s time for another ra-ra Rafa post. Partly because Rafael Nadal didn’t take the glory for himself but mostly because I just like what he does that much – especially on clay.
At the Barcelona Open, Nadal moved into the quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Feliciano Lopez. Whoop-dee-doo. That’s not the fun part. With the win, Nadal notched his 100th victory in 101 tries on clay. That’s dating back to 2005 and his only loss came last year to the King himself, Roger Federer (hey, he’s still number one folks! It counts for something).
Nadal’s take on the century milestone? …read more