The Last Word returns, and each weekday, starting on Monday, December 5, we'll give you our year-end thoughts about tennis' best players—this time focusing on the ATP and WTA Top 10. We'll alternate tours each day; here's who we've looked at so far.
Best of 2011
It’s pretty simple for Nadal. Whatever the winds of fate blow his way and whatever anyone else does, there will always be Roland Garros. Nadal won it for the sixth time this year.
Worst of 2011
With an ever-growing amount of ground to make up on Novak Djokovic, Nadal traveled to North America for the summer hard-court season—and promptly lost to Ivan Dodig. His only consolation was that the final two sets both were crap-shoot tiebreakers.
Year in Review
Nadal had perhaps the worst great year ever logged by an ATP pro. At the outset, he was a strong No. 1 and threatening to pull away from the pack after winning three majors and completing a career Grand Slam in 2010. By the close of 2011, he was clinging to the No. 2 ranking as if it were a life preserver, and questioning his actions and the efficacy of his style of play.
That’s the kind of thing that can happen when a guy pops up and seems to have your number. That guy, in Nadal’s case, was Djokovic. But Rafa’s problems began long before the Serb landed his first punches in Indian Wells and Miami. Nadal lost to Nikolay Davydenko at Doha (sure Rafa was under weather, but c’est la vie) and to countryman David Ferrer in three desultory sets at the Australian Open. Rafa-watchers still could have been forgiven for ignoring the possibility that something might be wrong, if only because Djokovic was not yet. . . Djokovic.
But their equanimity was blown apart when the tour moved to the U.S. and Djokovic got the best of Nadal in back-to-back Masters events—both times in finals. By spring, the question was not, “Can Rafa continue to beat Roger?” but “Why can’t Rafa handle Novak?”
The discussion carried over to the clay season, where Djokovic stunned Nadal in two more Masters finals (Madrid and Rome) on the surface where may considered Rafa unbeatable. Federer cleared Djokovic out of Nadal’s path in the French Open semis, and all he got out of it was another beating by his nemesis in the final.
But Nadal’s comfort was short-lived. At Wimbledon, he was beaten in the final by—who else?—Djokovic.
Nadal’s situation didn’t improve in North America. He took that loss to Dodig in Canada, then fell to Mardy Fish in the quarters of Cincinnati. With one last chance to reverse the Djokovic tide, Nadal embarked on his quest to defend his U.S. Open title. He bested a succession of sneaky-tough opponents in David Nalbandian, Gilles Muller, Andy Roddick and Andy Murray, but once again, Djokovic outlasted and outblasted him in the final.
It seemed that Nadal, sobered and confused by the events of 2011, was distracted for the rest of the year, and his most noteworthy achievement before the end of play was the pre-eminent role he played in leading Spain to the Davis Cup championship—no mean feat, but one in which he did not have to surmount the Djokovic obstacle.
See for Yourself
Hail, you all know how Nadal plays, what he can do with that bolo forehand, how high he can leap as he throws an upper cut and bellows, Vamos! So take a break from all that sweaty stuff and check this out: