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Latest blog posts from ATP Backspin

Wimbledon Final: The King of Clay... and Grass?
Second verse, same as the first.Until a few months ago, Rafael Nadal had had a pretty tough year or so. Family issues. Knee problems. The inability to defend his Wimbledon title. Real questions about the length and overall scope of his career. He even went a year without winning a title.Ever...
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Published 2 months ago

They'll Always Have Court 18
[June 23 - "The Match on the Edge of Forever"]There's a point in some seemingly (and gloriously) never-ending moments in athletic competition when sport effortlessly transforms into spectacle. Today was one of those days.When American John Isner and Frenchman Nicolas Mahut returned to Court 18...
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Published 2 months ago

BACKSPIN TIME CAPSULE: 1987 Wimbledon
A would-be star whose career prospects would forever be hampered either by destructively raging emotions or a succession of injuries that never allowed him to fully explore the possibilties of his talent brilliantly putting all his natural gifts together for one two-week stretch versus an...
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Published 3 months ago

2010 Clay Court Awards: Rafa Runs Rampant
Back in January, Roger Federer was once again the unquestioned #1 in the world. My, how times have changed... again.**2010 Clay Court (2Q) Awards***TOP PLAYERS*1. Rafael Nadal, ESP...a year ago, Nadal's aura was damaged, he was fighting against the breakup of his parents' marriage, and his knee...
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Published 3 months ago

Roland Garros Final: The Superiority of the Long-Distance Rafa
When his body is accomodating, Rafael Nadal is tennis' equivalent of a record-shattering long-distance runner. If a player seeks to go the long way around him to achieve a win, their chances are slim. If they try to do it on clay, they're even less. At Roland Garros? The chances keep getting...
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Published 3 months ago

BACKSPIN TIME CAPSULE: 1990 Roland Garros
June 11, 1990 - "Andres the Giant"In The French Open men's final, Andres defeated Andre. I guess it was the extra "s" that did it. Maybe it stood for "serve," for that is what Andres Gomez rode heavily during his 3-6/6-2/6-4/6-4 victory over Andre Agassi in a battle of totally contrasting...
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Published 4 months ago

The Taxman Cometh: 2010... so far
Knock, knock. Who's there? It's the Taxman, and it's time for an ATP accounting."Let me tell youHow it will be.There's one for you,Sixteen for me,'Cause I'm the Swiss taxman.Yeah, I'm the Swiss taxman.Should five percentAppear too small,Be thankful I don'tTake it all.'Cause I'm the Swiss...
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Published 5 months ago

ATP February Awards: While the Cats Were Away
Old ones. Young ones. They all feasted in February.With the "big cat" (hey, is that a sly Miloslav Mecir reference?) likes of Roger and Rafa out of commission after the Australian Open, February was a time for the mice to inherit the ATP earth: a veteran and former #1 emerged from the shadows,...
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Published 6 months ago

ATP January Awards: He is Risen... again.
As 2010 began, everyone gathered Down Under and wondered if a member of the ATP's talented corps of young would-be champions, in the wake of Juan Martin del Potro's U.S. Open victory last September, was ready to rise up and claim a second straight slam, thereby officially ushering the tour into a...
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Published 7 months ago

Australian Open Final: What a Difference a Year Makes
One year ago, Roger Federer was standing in a puddle of tears on Rod Laver Arena after have been bested once again by Rafael Nadal. With his throne of power having been chiseled away over time by the Spaniard, it was easy to write King Roger's epitaph -- at least in pencil -- as the lead actor in...
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Published 7 months ago

Australian Open Preview: Once More, with Feeling?
The men's side of the Australian Open competition finds itself in a somewhat unfamiliar position this year -- it's most decidedly the "undercard" of the first slam of 2010, with the women's field being the must-see main event.With the return of the likes of Henin and Sharapova, Clijsters seeking...
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Published 8 months ago

Dead Canary in a Cage?: 2010 ATP Top 10 Predictions
Was the 2009 season the men's tennis version of the canary in the coal mine?While this past year saw some semblence of a "return to order," as Roger Federer reclaimed the #1 ranking and a bit of his old aura during the European summer, it also was loaded with the sort of signposts that point to...
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Published 8 months ago