Written by: Pierre Lamarche

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***We have decided to open a monthly Bear column which will deal with specific questions and comments from our readers. If you have a question and want a straight answer, which you might not like, or which might be subjective, what you will get is a no nonsense answer not colored by personal agenda (although it will be suggested) but by years of experience in the sport.***

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First of all, let’s comment on the Tony Roth, Noble Tennis, Ottawa Athletic Club and dissatisfied former clients situation.

The article submitted by Tony was one, which I looked at as a philosophical approach to player and individual development. Given Tony’s background in education and his development as a player, his thoughts do not surprise me or provoke me in any way. What they do is present a refreshing approach, which is certainly worth examining for all of us looking to improve ourselves. In fact, I sent the article to all of my coaches to challenge them into thinking outside of the box.

I have known Tony for a lifetime as a player and then as a coach. He is a serious, committed individual who believes in his values. I cannot comment on his ability to translate his thoughts into a day-to-day successful training program, but I am sure his intentions are honorable. Having said that does not mean that having honorable intentions make you right or successful.

The operation of an Academy is an on-going exercise in dealing with controversy. You have so many views from parents, coaches, players, associations, anyone who watches tennis and some who don’t, that it is impossible to satisfy everyone’s opinion. You must take a road, which is based on your guiding philosophy, communicate over and over your direction and intentions, deal on an on-going basis with erroneous thoughts or perceptions, admit your mistakes, acknowledge them and continue.

ACE tennis, which is our parent tennis academy operation, just finished a two-day workshop with 15 of our top employees to revisit all aspects of our business. This is after 40 years of operation. We try, we do not always get it right, we make changes, we mess up again, we apologize, we start over. Because of this openness to getting better, the access we provide to different views, we find that some people that leave us then come back. Some don’t, but we learn from every situation.

Ottawa is a special tennis city for me. Every summer, the Nationals at the Rideau were the highlight for all Canadian juniors. Great players have come from the area on an on-going basis. It would be a shame for that tradition to stop as we require more centers of excellence in this country.

You cannot satisfy all of your customers, but hopefully, this tempest will help affect changes in process which will provide the opportunity for future growth in a major Canadian tennis market.

Second here is a comment on Doubles from someone I respect immensely, Zito Baccarani.

Hi Pierre:

I am way behind in my reading, but really enjoyed Connor’s article. In the same issue, what really grabbed me though was being reminded of the dearth of doubles being played by our juniors these days. When I watch Provincials and Nationals now, I cringe with the lack of skill, both technical and strategic, when our juniors play doubles. I very much miss the days when OTA Selections included singles and doubles each weekend. As Adil stated, it is such an important part of College Tennis, which helped him to get a scholarship and has been an integral part of the fabric of Canadian Tennis for many years. From your article on Davis Cup, I know you agree. How do we get doubles re-instated into the OTA Selections events, or do you think that is important to do so? (I am but a lowly official and have been told to keep my nose out of these tennis developmental areas.)

Thanks,

Zito

Zito,

Anyone who understands world tennis knows that doubles has been the backbone of the success Canada had in the 1980’s through 2010 and what we, as a tennis nation, have been respected and known for. We have had players world ranked #1 individually or as a team, we have had Grand Slam Champions, we have won a Gold Medal, we qualified for the world group in Davis Cup on two occasions because of our doubles teams. Lareau, Connell, Michibata, Hetherington and Nestor were world class doubles players [top 3 in the world]. Daniel Nestor is a legend and one of the greatest doubles players of all time.

So what happened? Simply, people in charge did not pay attention. They did not understand the role of doubles in our country. The number of great Canadian doubles players [there were others as well: Simpson, Hy-Boulais, Jeyaseelan, Laurendeau] was not a coincidence, it was due to methodical  planning that saw doubles as a source of survival to get to college or to survive financially in the pros. We had many Canadian All-Americans in the US college system. Lareau, Connell, Michibata, Nestor were able to achieve top 100 ATP singles rankings due to their doubles ability and the money they made to survive. We had identified the doubles point as being crucial in Davis Cup ties. All of our system was oriented towards us developing players who could play doubles, who could buy time, as well as survive the financial shortfalls for tennis in this country. We also quickly realized that having players in the draw until Saturday or Sunday gave them the chance to get free hotel and meals, to hang around with the best singles players in the world, to practice with them because everyone else was gone and to demystify them. Demystifying is a simple concept which means that familiarity breeds confidence. In other words, if you beat Lendl, Navratilova, Evert, Cash in doubles or practice with them, you are certainly not as mesmerized by them when you get the chance to play them in singles. This concept became essential in the success of Canadian tennis. We did not have a Raonic, but we were a real tennis power.

This doubles emphasis led to the development of our own doubles expert, the great Canadian Coach Louis Cayer, who now works for Great Britain. We gave Louis the mandate to make our doubles system and teams great and with his usual creative, intellectual, systematic approach he was able to help the careers of many of the Canadian greats. His influence was felt through the whole Canadian system and eventually, through the whole world [the International Tennis Federation mandated a video on his methods].

Now, US tennis is the most immediate option for most of our young Canadian players. The ones that are identified by Tennis Canada are immediately removed from the majority of Canadian events and play internationally in their quest for singles supremacy. So it’s obvious for the rest of the non-selected Canadians that a thorough apprenticeship in doubles would help them in their future quest for an American scholarship. Doubles is a major component of US college competition. Matches between Universities start with three doubles matches. The team that wins two matches gets one point before the six singles are played. If you win the doubles point, you only have to break even in the remaining singles. If not, you have to win four of the six singles.

In domestic tournaments with doubles, kids get to hang around till the last day of the tournament, kids get to beat players they would never beat in singles. It gives them confidence, it gives them the chance to play two live tournaments at one time, it develops skills they might never use in singles, it just makes it a more fun enjoyable atmosphere [this does matter to kids, no?]. The emphasis on consolation events is the product of a well-meaning administrator, who never played real competitive tennis. Yes, kids play more singles matches, but have you noticed the number of defaults and matches, where players semi-tank, matches, which really do not mean much. How often do you hear a player say: “I lost, but it did not matter because it was in the consolation”? The only thing I can tell you is that when I lost in singles in a tournament, I hoped a tornado would come and destroy the event so nobody could win. I would leave town as quickly as possible, unless I had doubles. I could, in my simple mind, rationalize the week as a good one if doubles became a success, but never could I have felt the same about playing a tournament for losers [consolation].

So Zito, I am with you – 100% doubles is an essential component of our Canadian game. Let’s be proud of the little tradition we have in the sport and make new generations understand the beauty and value of the discipline. There are so many ways to play doubles now [from a scoring standpoint], that they could be integrated in the competitive schedule and be included in the ranking system [as in the ITF junior rankings].

If you have any questions for the Bear, please leave your comment here or email The Bear directly at pierre@acetennis.ca.

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***Michael Emmett is the Director of Tennis Operations at all Mayfair clubs.  He is a certified Tennis Canada Coach 3 with a Journalism degree from the University of Texas. Michael spent several years working in sports television at TSN and Sportsnet.  Michael is a former National champion who finished his last year of junior tennis ranked #1 in Canada.  Michael has coached several National champions when he worked for the All-Canadian Academy at the National Tennis Centre at York University in the early 90s.  Michael spent 2 years traveling the world playing the ATP tour satellite circuit as a member of the Molson National Team in 1985 and ’86.***

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In case you haven’t seen it yet, brace yourself – the clay courts in Madrid have had a major face lift – the rusty colored clay courts have been dyed to a rich blue to match the colours of hard courts across the world.

Is this ridiculous or innovative?

Is this a good idea or is this messing with tradition? It’s one thing to change the colour of a hard court, but what about changing the colour of a clay court – does this make sense? Many tennis observers and players alike, feel this is going one step too far.

For me, it’s absolutely brilliant. The creator, Ion Tiriac, is a genius. This is going to revive tennis during the 6-week clay court season. The tournament in Madrid has never been on my radar screen. It has never been appointment television for me. This will change this year. My PVR will be working into overtime.

It’s amazing to me how much debate has transpired in the last few days regarding this hot topic. It’s just a colour – it’s not like we’re talking about the ball or the speed of the surface – and once the players get used to the new tint, they will embrace it like they have all the other changes the game has seen.

It’s not a big deal! It’s not like the court has been lengthened to accommodate today’s better athletes. The net size hasn’t been added to as a result of all the heavy topspin. We didn’t go from two serves to one serve in order to decrease the effectiveness of guys like Isner and Raonic.

Some, like Rafael Nadal, have used words like “catastrophic” to describe the new blue. I’m sorry Rafa, but this time you are wrong – the courts are beautiful and the changes are minimal.

It’s a change of colour – end of story. It’s like putting on a red blazer and opting 5 minutes later for a blue blazer. Changing colours is a good thing if it means more viewership worldwide.

Hey, Rafa – “relax.”

Tennis is a sport full of traditions. However, over the years we’ve seen significant modifications to the game that have made it a better sport. The biggest changes have come in the way of surface conversions – the US Open used to be played on grass, now it’s played on hard courts. Similar adjustments have occurred in Melbourne, at the Australian Open. The powers that be at Wimbledon have used paint to make their lawns greener and they have slowed down the courts with different cutting methods. Wimbledon is not what it used to be in terms of speed and power. What about the tie-breaker? This was a major innovation that has totally changed the game, dating all the way back to 1965.

When making decisions like this – it always comes down to one key question – “How can we make it better for the television audience?” Sports and their commissioners are always looking to improve their broadcasts and cater to the folks watching from home. This is where the BIG money is, and it is a key ingredient in this puzzle. If the blue court makes it a better viewing product from a television perspective, then it must be deemed a successful venture. I’m sorry – I don’t care what the players think!

The European clay court season has always been an arduous one for the television viewers because of the difficulty seeing the yellow tennis ball on the rusted red clay courts. At times, on standard definition television, it has been near impossible to pick up the ball during a lengthy exchange. And without good replays, sometimes we are left wondering who won the point!

Tiriac – the former coach of Guillermo Villas, and now a big-time tennis promoter – is the mastermind behind the blue courts and has been working on the project for almost two years. In hindsight, with the US Open and Australian Open going blue, it wasn’t a move that is that far-fetched. All he did was connect the dots. Television ratings have skyrocketed in recent years and changing to a blue court is definitely a factor. If you can’t see the ball, you can’t enjoy the sport.

Tiriac has the reputation of being an nonconformist, but he had the foresight to utilize a scientific company called the Technological Institute of Optic Colour and Professional Image (AIDO) to study the contrast issue, and the agency determined that spectators courtside, as well as those watching on LCD and LED television screens, had a “higher” and “more favorable” contrast with blue clay.

Back in the mid 90’s, Fox Television tried to improve the quality of their hockey broadcast by making the puck more visible. Fox Track (colloquially also called “the glow puck”) was a specialized ice hockey puck with internal electronics that allowed its position to be tracked along the ice surface. It was designed for NHL telecasts on the Fox television network. Primarily, it was used to visually highlight the puck on-screen and display a trail when the puck was moving rapidly.

Boise State – a traditional top-10 college football team – has taken their field and gone from the conventional green astro-turf to a blue field that for a period of time had the football community hopping mad. But now, the decision to go blue appears to be embraced. Seeing games played on the blue turf in Boise, Idaho is natural and normal.

One day, in the not too distant future, we will be saying the same things about the courts in Madrid.

Keep in mind, the same tournaments used to use white tennis balls. Change is good and it has to continue if tennis is going to be recognized as a major sport. I think Mr. Tiriac was bang on with this one, and I celebrate his fearlessness and fortitude on this controversial subject. I say out with the ‘old’ and in with the ‘new’ – or should that be blue?

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***A great occurrence in tennis is the many unbelievable encounters you have. Sometimes decades later, a new meeting brings back memories and thoughts about the wonderful [or not so wonderful] moments you lived previously through the sport. The Bear now begins a new series “No Coincidence” which recalls some of these special moments.***

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This is the first of a series of articles which will highlight the tennis connection between Canada and the State of Mississippi. You might wonder why I would choose a seemingly far-fetched Canadian connection with the State of Mississippi. The Magnolia State, which is also known as God’s Country for those that have been lucky enough to live there, and which has given us Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Jimmy Buffett, William Faulkner, John Grisham, Brett Favre, Archie Manning, Morgan Freeman and Oprah Winfrey, has the most amazing connection to Canadian Tennis.

It has also been one of the greatest influences in my business and personal life. I lived in Mississippi in the late 60’s and early 70’s at a time of unbelievable change in American society. During my first year at Mississippi State in Starkville, I lived the integration of the University by two football players. One of them, Melvin Barkum, was a President’s scholar and became Mr. MSU by his senior year. I lived the war in Vietnam, where my fraternity brothers, who flunked out, suddenly were drafted and gone overseas in a horrible futile war. I lived Kent State, where young people finally stood up for a new order and paid the price. I lived the “Peace and Love” awakening, which made sideburns almost acceptable in the Deep South. These experiences, plus being part of the NCAA #3 tennis team, being the youngest Head Coach in the US, while attending graduate school, and the many lifelong friends I made, are deep-rooted in my soul and have helped to develop my vision, my passion, my success, my values, my life, my spiritual beliefs, my humor, my joy, my thankfulness, simply who I am [OK, so there are also negative aspects of my personality that I have just decided to overlook. Author’s prerogative].

Let’s see how really unbelievable the Canadian connection is to this state of less than three million people. Well how about:

1. Two Davis Cup Captains: John McManus and Pierre Lamarche

2. Two Fed Cup Captains: Andree Martin and Pierre Lamarche

3. Six National Coaches: Simon Bartram, Simon Larose, Jim Boyce, Andree Martin, John McManus and Pierre Lamarche

4. Two Canadian Open Tournament Directors: Eugene Lapierre and Pierre Lamarche

5. Six Davis Cup and Fed Cup Players: Jim Boyce, Stephane Bonneau, Andree Martin, Jane Young, Simon Larose and Pierre Lamarche

6. Five Canadian Men’s and Women’s Champions: Stephane Bonneau, Jim Boyce, Jane Young, Andree Martin and Pierre Lamarche

7. Many National Junior Champions: Karen Barbiero and sister Denise, Zack White, David Johnston, Charles Sevigny, Stephane Bonneau, Jim Boyce, Simon Bartram, Andree Martin, Jane Young, Simon Larose and Pierre Lamarche

8. Three All-American Players: Roy Moscatini, Simon Larose, Andree Martin

9. Two members in the Tennis Canada Hall of Fame: Andree Martin and Pierre Lamarche

10. Two members of the Rogers Hall of Fame: Eugene Lapierre and Pierre Lamarche

11. Three College Coaches: Daryl Greenan, Max Fomine and Pierre Lamarche

12. Two Executive Directors of Provincial Associations: Jim Boyce and Eugene Lapierre

13. Mississippi State University [MSU]: Simon Lavery, Gabe Rona, Allard Cote, Rosie Dion, Max Fomine, John McManus, Roy Moscatini, Simon Larose, Charles Sevigny, David Johnston, Jim Boyce, Zach White, Daryl Greenan and Pierre Lamarche

14. University of Mississippi [Ole Miss]: Paul Beck, Jane Young, Simon Bartram and the Barbiero sisters

15. Mississippi State College for Women: Andree Martin

16. Belhaven College: the late Francois Senegal, Eugene Lapierre, Erik Bonneau, Martin Dyotte and Stephane Bonneau

My Mississippi connections could be categorized into two groups: my Mississippi State tennis teammates and my tennis [musician/Canada/Montreal] friends. I recently had the opportunity to revisit the great Magnolia state for the first time in 20 years and only the second in 40. The occasion was the reunion of three MSU teams from the 1960’s, which helped define MSU as a tennis power in American Universities. These three teams had top 10 NCAA finishes [two top three and one #8]. I used the opportunity to revisit with friends from 40 years ago, while also visiting some very special lifetime friends. In the next few articles, I will provide you insight on what has made these relations so important and life forming, as well as the unbelievable wealth of talent which came from these times in the Good Ole South.

These reflections are also very relevant as it relates to the present development of the sport in our country, since this trip provided me an unbelievable insight on the ever-changing US University college tennis system and the wonderful opportunity it provides to many of our Canadian tennis players. I had the opportunity to see the Southeastern Conference Championships, a conference with SEVEN top 20 ranked teams. I saw Canadians, Panav Jha, Kentucky, and David Vieyra, Alabama, both former players at the National Training Center in Montreal, as well as former top junior players, Victor Hoang, Arkansas, and Zachary White, Mississippi State. MSU has rejoined for the first time in years the top ten NCAA rankings getting to the semi-finals of the SEC Championships, losing to eventual winner, Georgia. Ole Miss, which is coached by my good friend, the legendary Billy Chadwick [more about him later] and has been a constant fixture of the top ten NCAA rankings over the last decade, also lost in the semis to US #4 Kentucky.

The NCAA regional championships will be starting on May 12, 2012 with Southeastern Conference teams hosting five of the regional championships: #2 Georgia, #6 University of Kentucky [Jha], #9 Mississippi State University [White], #12 Florida and #13 Ole Miss. Auburn, Vanderbilt and Tennessee from the SEC also qualified. Follow the NCAA tennis tournament here. The finals are slated for the Dan Magill 5000-seat stadium at the University of Georgia from May 18 to May 22. Go Dagws!!!!! Go Rebs!!!!!

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***Helen Donohoe, M.S.Ed., is a teacher of English and French in the Hamilton/Burlington area. She holds practice SAT sessions on Saturdays on an informal, drop-in basis at Cedar Springs Racquet Club where she is a member, long-time tennis hacker and aficionado.

In this section of the website we will be publishing short paragraphs on various aspects of SAT. Please leave your questions/comments here, and Helen will be happy to respond to any specific concerns from students/parents***

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Strategies for the essay section on the SAT

Last week, I outlined strategies for you to use in the essay that involve your own experiences and observations, mainly on the tennis court. This week, let’s look at themes from literature that you can incorporate into your essay.The best way to get started is to make a list of everything you can remember reading, at school or at home. Divide the titles into two main sections: novels/short stories and drama. You can also add poetry. This will help you classify the titles. A typical list for a grade 11 or 12 student might look like this:

There are of course, many other titles. This is just a sample.

Next step – identify the main theme(s) in each of the works on your list. For instance, in The Scarlet Letter, hypocrisy is one of the main themes. In the Great Gatsby, you encounter shallowness and betrayal, in Macbeth, greed. Once you have identified  these main themes, choose three that you feel you know best and start to develop them. That will be more than enough to apply to almost any of the essay questions. Next week we’ll look at ways to apply the themes in literature to some of the essay topics from actual SAT’s. Hold your breath!

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***Wayne Bryan is the father and coach of the Bryan twins, who have been the World No. 1 doubles players for over 5 years and just won their third Monte Carlo trophy. Coach Bryan has many other titles, including lawyer, musician, husband and author. And here is what he dreams about…***

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*** I dream of a day when there is no USTA Player Development Program and there is no more top down pontification and harmful and ill conceived mandates from on high.

*** I dream of a day when USTA National Coaches do not root for one American player over another.

*** I dream of a day when all USTA National Coaches do not illegally coach from behind the fence during a Tournament and that USTA National Coaches follow the rules that all our rank and file coaches and parents must follow.

*** I dream of a day when local coaches and parents are valued and listened to by USTA execs.

*** I dream of a day when USTA Members or club pros or parents or tennis fans suggestions are welcomed and appreciated rather than being attacked by USTA Execs.

*** I dream of a day when those that play ball with the USTA are not rewarded by financial payments large and small and those that do not are no longer frozen out.

*** I dream of a day when top junior programs within states get together for interclub matches.

*** I dream of a day when club pros will create more programs that are good for juniors and not just rely on the USTA for programming.

*** I dream of a day when we have a High School Boys and Girls National Team Championships held at the US Open during the second week.

*** I dream of a day when local clubs raise funds for their local high school programs and host matches at their club.

*** I dream of day when coaches and club pros and high school and college coaches get together to mutually share ideas and games and drills.

*** I dream of a day when club pros and high school coaches take their players to college matches – - – and often!

*** I dream of a day when we have great attendance at all college matches.

*** Rather than pay USTA execs and USTA PD Coaches crazy high salaries, I dream of a day, when we send deserving juniors to Davis Cup and Fed Cup and NCAA Championship Matches.

*** I dream of a day, when we send deserving juniors to pro tournaments across the country and to the US Open.

*** I dream of a day when National and Sectional Rankings are accurate.

*** I dream of a day when the National Schedule is clean and simple and understood by all, and traditional and long standing tournaments return.

*** I dream of a day when we return to the Star Computer System that yielded such accurate rankings.

*** I dream of a day when National Draws are all at least 128s.

*** I dream of a day when we have 4 surface championships for each division.

*** I dream of a day when there are no Junior Wild Cards controlled by the USTA.

*** I dream of a day when we have a very vibrant and professional and motivating Junior WEB Site that is as good as the ATPs – - – rankings updated every Monday, with pictures and tournament results and stories - – - both for National and Sectional.

*** I dream of a day when we have Junior Doubles Rankings – - – for teams and individuals, just like the ATP and WTA.

*** I dream of a day when junior tournaments are two weekends and they offer Doubles for each tournament.

*** I dream of a day when there are even Junior Mixed Doubles tournaments.

*** I dream of a day when the USPTA is an independent teaching pro organization again and not controlled with USTA surrogates.

*** I dream of a day when there is no more than 1 foreign player on each American College Tennis Team.

*** I dream of a day when high ranking USTA Officials will not call and tell me that 1) All 10’s dink;  2) It doesn’t matter if the better 10’s play up in the 12’s;  3) Doing well in the 10’s is not important to later success.

*** I dream of a day when 10 & Under Juniors can again play with yellow balls in tournament competition.

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***Michael Emmett is the Director of Tennis Operations at all Mayfair clubs.  He is a certified Tennis Canada Coach 3 with a Journalism degree from the University of Texas. Michael spent several years working in sports television at TSN and Sportsnet.  Michael is a former National champion who finished his last year of junior tennis ranked #1 in Canada.  Michael has coached several National champions when he worked for the All-Canadian Academy at the National Tennis Centre at York University in the early 90s.  Michael spent 2 years traveling the world playing the ATP tour satellite circuit as a member of the Molson National Team in 1985 and ’86.***

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Before his thrashing of Novak Djokovic this past Sunday in Monte Carlo, many sporting pundits had written off Rafael Nadal, questioning his ability to win more major championships.

How quickly they forget.

If he stays healthy, there is a good chance he’ll win one, perhaps two majors this year – and remember this is the year we have 5 major championships – with the Olympics taking place between Wimbledon and the US Open.

Talk of his decline is ridiculous and ignorant.

The Lefty from Mallorca is as good as he’s ever been. He is the heavy favourite to win in Paris later in May, and surpass Hall of Famer Bjorn Borg for the all-time lead in French titles, with seven. And don’t forget, he’s quite capable of pulling off the rare double, with a win a few weeks later at the lawns of Wimbledon.  He’s done it before, and now with his confidence soaring, he’s likely to be a real threat on the faster courts in London.

His serve has improved immensely – he’s added several clicks on the radar gun – especially the heater down the ‘T’ in the add court.  This new weapon caught Djokovic off guard several times on Sunday, as he opened up the can-opener when he really needed a free point.  His improved serve makes his penetrating ground strokes that much more lethal.  And this was evident throughout the entire week in Monaco, as he never came close to losing a set – beating the world number one, 6-3, 6-1.

Nadal won an unbelievable 85 percent of his first-serve points in this match – on red-clay, nonetheless, against a guy who has the best return game known to man.  Since Djokovic has been #1, he has not lost this many points on an opponent’s first serve, not even to big servers, like John Isner. The numbers, in my opinion, are staggering.

Nadal has now won a record 20 Masters Titles, one more than Roger Federer.   Nadal was hardly troubled by Djokovic, and broke the Serb’s serve five times in a totally one-sided contest to clinch his 42nd straight win in Monte Carlo – his first title since last year’s French Open and the 47th of his career.

Remarkably, Nadal has now won the title in Monte Carlo for a record 8th straight year.  Nadal leads 17-14, head-to-head, but it was his first win over Djokovic since a group-stage match at the 2010 ATP Finals in London. The Serb had beaten Nadal in three consecutive Grand Slam finals, and handed him his only defeats on clay last year.

Nadal is only 25 years old. How can he be considered on the downside of his career? Is it because he’s lost 7 of his last 8 matches to Djokovic, all in finals, including the 5-hour, 53-minute Australian Open title epic in January, which was one of the greatest matches in tennis history?

Let’s hope not.  This match should have added to his overall legacy. Nadal was quite unlucky not to win that match – a match that would have put him within 5 of the ultimate destination.

Nadal is a relentless competitor who has double digit majors to his name, and who is a real threat to equal Roger Federer’s 16 major titles.

In 2011 alone, Nadal appeared in 10 finals, and only twice failed to reach the quarterfinals of a tournament. Nadal was instrumental in helping Spain win the coveted Davis Cup in December, with a thrilling comeback victory over Juan Martin Del Potro.

Unfortunately, his recent string of losses to Djokovic has turned him into a legend in decline. Sunday’s massacre of the world number one may have changed a few opinions out there – but for the most part, we (the tennis community) have disregarded his chances at continued greatness.

To decline is to lose routinely to lesser players – Nadal never does this.

Hall of Fame pitcher, Bob Gibson, quit when inferior hitters blasted him off the mound, like when Pete LaCock hit a grand slam off him in 1975.  It was his final game in the big leagues – he knew it was time to go.

Tiger Woods has declined. He was the greatest golfer in the game, and he dropped to #23 in the world rankings last year.  He’s lost to guys, who once blinked when he stared them down; he’s missed putts that once defined his invincibility.

On March 21, 2011, Andy Roddick was ranked eighth in the world. Ten times over the next year, he failed to reach the 4th round of a tournament.  Roddick dropped to #29, and became the third-ranked American, behind Mardy Fish and John Isner, through April 23.  That’s what a player in decline looks like.

And this most certainly doesn’t look like Rafael Nadal.

Anybody who thinks Nadal is finished, doesn’t understand sports. The guy has the heart of a lion and will be a dominant player in the years to come.  He has battled through numerous injuries, and he’ll continue to overcome, just as he’s always done.  Winning majors isn’t like it used to be.  Now you have to win 7 consecutive matches against quality opponents in every round.  With Djokovic, Federer and Murray all playing brilliant tennis, the task is that much harder.  However, from a mental perspective, there is no-one tougher in the game today than Nadal.  He showed the world this past Sunday that when he is healthy, he is the greatest clay court player of all time.  And later in May, at Roland Garros, the numbers will back him up.