Tennis worlds are a study of contrast. While there is no one to challenge Nadal, the women’s tennis is without a masthead
Men’s tennis has never had it so bad. You only have to figure out whether the fist-pumping pirate from Mallorca is playing to know that the customary biting of the trophy is just around the corner.
Let’s start with a few figures. Last Sunday, Rafael Nadal won his fourth Rome Masters crown with a straight-set victory over Novak Djokovic. The world No.1 is 22 years of age and has already amassed 15 World Masters Series titles, second only to the legendary Andre Agassi who collected 17 such titles in a career spanning over 20 years.
The win over Djokovic marked the Spaniard’s 30th consecutive clay-court conquest, including 16 wins in a row this season. Since 2005, Nadal has compiled a 147-4 match record on clay. He now has a 38-3 match record this season with five titles in six ATP Tour finals. The statistics are not to eulogise but to put in perspective how dominant Nadal has been since he took over from Roger Federer as the world No.1.
With 15290 points, Nadal has already opened up a 4870-point gap over his nearest rival, world No 2 and fallen king, Federer. Only 7100 points separate the rest of the field (among top 10) and it is evident why the likes of Djokovic are driven to desperation. The Serb played one of the best matches of his career in Rome and still managed to lose in straight sets.
But to suggest that Nadal’s domination is unparallel and is killing men’s tennis is surely preposterous? After all, the Swiss master held the world No 1 ranking for a breathtaking 237 consecutive weeks and has 13 Grand Slam titles to his credit, just one way from Pete Sampras.
But the point is, in spite of his total domination over half a decade, Federer never had the measure of Nadal. The head-to-head still stands 13-6 in the Spaniard’s favour. And Nadal’s wins are not recent ones. He has beaten Federer on all surfaces.
Which indicates that for the first time in men’s tennis, the word ‘great rivalry’ is sounding hollow and we must use it with caution the way we use it for Sampras-Agassi, Boris Becker-Ivan Lendl or Jimmy Connors-John McEnroe.
Nadal and Federer have produced matches which are impossible to describe in words, but the outcomes have a element of inevitability.
And it must be history’s little quirk that women’s tennis, which has forever been dominated by divas who brooked no oppositions, suddenly finds itself without a masthead.
We have, by way of world No1, Dinara Safina. Yet to win a single Grand Slam, the Russian is hardworking and diligent, quite unlike her mercurial brother Marat. But the last time she went into the final of a Grand Slam (2009 Australian Open) she choked and the resultant match against Serena Williams was the anti-climax of the century.
In the last week’s WTA Tour final at Stuttgart, Safina lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova, the dangerous floater in the top 10.
Little wonder then that the Williams sisters have so little regard for the official rankings. Serena went to say on Sunday that no matter what WTA says, she remains the world No1.
Last year Jelena Jankovic finished as the world No1 despite not having a single Grand Slam title to her credit and it is becoming increasingly difficult in the WTA Tour to predict who will finish even a week on top, leave along winning a title.
But with back-to-back Grand Slams around the corner (French Open and Wimbledon), and they being as similar as chalk is to cheese, the question is, has men’s tennis lost the zing?
Men’s top 10
1 Rafael Nadal (ESP, 15290)
2 Roger Federer (SUI, 10420)
3 Novak Djokovic (SRB, 9670)
4 Andy Murray (GBR, 8810)
5 Juan Martin Del Potro (ARG, 4510)
6 Andy Roddick (USA, 4340)
7 Fernando Verdasco (ESP, 3870)
8 Gilles Simon (FRA, 3750)
9 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA, 3315)
10 Gael Monfils (FRA, 3310)
Women’s top 10
1 Dinara Safina (RUS, 9071)
2 Serena Williams (USA, 8272)
3 Elena Dementieva (RUS, 7391)
4 Jelena Jankovic (SRB, 7350)
5 Venus Williams (USA, 7102)
6 Vera Zvonareva (RUS, 6040)
7 Ana Ivanovic (SRB, 5174)
8 Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS, 4776)
9 Victoria Azarenka (BLR, 4546)
10 Nadia Petrova (RUS, 3840)
From November 10, 2003 till present, the numero uno spot has changed hands 20 times among 9 women; twice among men
The company of women
1. Justine Henin (Nov 10, 2003 - Sep 12, 2004)
2. Amelie Mauresmo (Sep 13, 2004 - Oct 17, 2004)
3. Lindsay Davenport (Oct 18, 2004 - Aug 21, 2005)
4. Maria Sharapova (Aug 22, 2005 - Aug 28, 2005)
5. Lindsay Davenport (Aug 29, 2005 - Sep 11, 2005)
6. Maria Sharapova (Sep 12, 2005 - Oct 23, 2005)
7. Lindsay Davenport (Oct 24, 2005 - Jan 29, 2006)
8. Kim Clijsters (Jan 30, 2006 - Mar 19, 2006)
9. Amelie Mauresmo (Mar 20, 2006 - Nov 12, 2006)
10. Justine Henin (Nov 13, 2006 - Jan 28, 2007)
11. Maria Sharapova (Jan 29, 2007 - Mar 18, 2007)
12. Justine Henin (Mar 19, 2007 - May 18, 2008)
13. Maria Sharapova (May 19, 2008 - June 8, 2008)
14. Ana Ivanovic (Jun 9, 2008 - Aug 10, 2008)
15. Jelena Jankovic (Aug 11, 2008 - Aug 17, 2008)
16. Ana Ivanovic (Aug 18, 2008 - Sep 7, 2008)
17. Serena Williams (Sep 8, 2008 - Oct 5, 2008)
18. Jelena Jankovic (Oct 6, 2008 - Feb 1, 2009)
19. Serena Williams (Feb 2, 2009 - Apr 19, 2009)
20. Dinara Safina (19) (Apr 20, 2009 - Present)
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