The Claymore Mine!
Sportstar|June 24, 2017

Rafael Nadal’s 10 French Open crowns, the La Décima, as Nadal calls it in Spanish, is three more than runner-up Chris Evert and four more than Bjorn Borg at Roland Garros. It also BREAKS THE OPEN ERA RECORD at any major he had shared with Navratilova who won nine Wimbledons.

Paul Fein
The Claymore Mine!

What are the greatest individable achievements in sports? Basketball great Oscar Robertson’s averaging a “triple double” (30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists) for the Cincinnati Royals in 1961-62 rates up there. So do the unbreakable records of 1963 career assists and 1.92 points per game by ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky. And you’ll get no argument about cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar’s 200 Tests with 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78 with 51 centuries and top score of 248 not out. Rod Laver’s twice capturing the Grand Slam — in 1962 and 1969 — stands out as another supreme feat.

Other indisputable tennis picks include Serena Williams’s 23 major singles titles, Roger Federer’s 18, and Navratilova’s Open Era record 59 major titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. Now you can add Rafael Nadal’s 10 French Open crowns to this achievement pantheon.

TO PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE, “La Décima,” as Nadal calls it in Spanish, is three more than runner-up Chris Evert and four more than Bjorn Borg at Roland Garros. It also breaks the Open Era record at any major he had shared with Navratilova who won nine Wimbledons. Impressively, the 10 titles have come in a brutally tough era with Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as his superstar foes. On three of those conquests in Paris, including this year, Nadal did not surrender a set to his outclassed and overwhelmed opponents.

Indeed, a cliche repeated often, especially at this time of year,is: “The toughest challenge in tennis is beating Rafael Nadal at the French Open.” Stan Wawrinka even said it before the French Open final. So soberly — even sombrely — that you had to wonder if he felt he had been sentenced to the tennis equivalent of the guillotine.

Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin June 24, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin June 24, 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

SPORTSTAR DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Sportstar

Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears

Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.

time-read
1 min  |
March 21, 2020
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
Sportstar

Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT

What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?

time-read
10+ dak  |
February 8, 2020
The making of a batting behemoth
Sportstar

The making of a batting behemoth

If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.

time-read
4 dak  |
February 8, 2020
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
Sportstar

WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...

It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.

time-read
6 dak  |
February 8, 2020
A question of recognition
Sportstar

A question of recognition

After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.

time-read
2 dak  |
February 8, 2020
Thinking straight, thinking right!
Sportstar

Thinking straight, thinking right!

“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.

time-read
7 dak  |
December 14, 2019
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Sportstar

The Big Three and the Next Gen

Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.

time-read
9 dak  |
December 14, 2019
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar

WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

time-read
5 dak  |
December 14, 2019
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Sportstar

Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room

Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.

time-read
6 dak  |
December 14, 2019
The league of the masses
Sportstar

The league of the masses

With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.

time-read
4 dak  |
December 14, 2019