BLT En Espana: Barcelona Final Preview

All the reasonable prognosticators had it playing out something like this, Rafael Nadal hurtling his way through the field to the Barcelona Open final.  The last six times the Spaniard has laced up the Nikes at the Real Club de Tenis, he's won the trophy.  Yesterday, he took out the most recent "other" champion, 2010 winner Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-4.  In doing so, Nadal set up a final versus World No. 6 David Ferrer, a 7-6 (2), 6-4 winner over Canadian prospect Milos Raonic in a matchup closer than the score indicates, but one that showed Raonic doesn't seem to be quite ready to join the tour elite just yet.  How will this final play out?  Here's the BLT take:

BLT En Espana: Barcelona QF Thoughts

If you haven't heard the news, well I guess you don't follow on Facebook or Twitter...and for that, shame on you.  In any event, Blacklabel Tennis is taking on the Spanish clay swing this spring this swing and we kicked off today in Barcelona.  We've posted a raft of our best shots on our Facebook page already, but we've saved some exclusives for you after the jump.  Plus here's the only place for our quick commentary on the day. 

Life and Crushed Brick: Monte Carlo Final Recap

Novak Djokovic versus Rafael Nadal, we've heard those words before 31 matches now.  With all due respect to Roger Federer, the clashes between Nadal and Djokovic are fast becoming the defining rivalry of this current era of men's tennis, Nadal holds a slim 17-14 lead.  Djokovic and Nadal are now the top two ranked players in the world, the winners of the last eight majors (four apiece) and their matches are pushing the very boundaries of the sport in terms of endurance and explosive shotmaking.  The history left us (and most of the tennis world) salivating at the prospect of another final between the man dubbed the King of Clay and the reigning King of Tennis.  This round would end with Nadal firmly atop his throne once more, drubbing a subpar Djokovic 6-3, 6-1 and winning his record-extending eighth Rolex Monte Carlo Masters and 20th ATP Masters 1000 title.

L'Autoroute A Roland Garros

After swings in the Middle East, Latin America and the United States the tennis world is reconvening on Europe's outdoor clay courts for L'Autoroute A Roland Garros (The Highway to Roland Garros).  While all eyes will eventually be on the famed terre battue of the French capital, before we reach the end of the highway there are cash and tradition rich events scheduled in Monte Carlo, Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome among other locales.  Here is our look at the ten most important players to keep an eye on as the dirtball, err clay court season unfolds.

WTA Noise Pollution - The Wozniacki Edition

For years, tennis' twittering classes have been imploring former World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki to be more like 13-time major champion Serena Williams.  Well, the almost great Dane seems to finally have taken that advice...but in the worst possible way.  No, she hasn't (allegedly) screamed obscenities at a line judge, but weren't not talking about adding power to her game either.  No, Caroline's following in Serena's footsteps by making her off-court interests more public; but she's not becoming a nail technician; nor is she going to guest star in a mediocre sitcom episode...that we know of.  No, Wozniacki's adding to the WTA's noise pollution epidemic with an autotuned, synthesized comedy routine masquerading as a pop song.

You can hear Caroline Wozniacki's first (and presumably last) pop single "Oxygen" after the jump.  

What Makes The GOAT?

Tennis Channel may have a tough time getting into as many homes as it wants, but it has had zero trouble stirring debate of late.  The American tennis-devoted network bridged (and brilliantly, I might add) the divide between the Indian Wells and Miami Masters with their five night countdown of the 100 "Greatest" Players of All Time.  While it may have been a blip on the radar of the greater sports universe, embroiled in the NFL's Peyton/Tebow/Sanchez saga and watching Ohio bust their March Madness brackets, the special certainly set tennis' chattering classes a-twitter, especially on Twitter, with a number of the rankings.  While we've stated previously in this space that it's impossible to answer the question of the greatest of all time definitively, we thought it would be worth sharing what we consider inviolable criteria for setting about the task.

The Sunday Line - BNP Paribas Open Finals

  

The year's second big tournament, the BNP Paribas Open, comes to a close with two unexpected finals. The WTA are fielding their first final between the top two ranked players in the world in the last four years, with World No. 1 Victoria Azarenka taking on a former No. 1 in Maria Sharapova.  On the other side, Rafael Nadal came into Saturday looking for another shot at Novak Djokovic in a Masters final...neither will hoist the trophy.  Newly minted top ten American John Isner will instead face longtime World No. 1 Roger Federer in what's likely to be a crowd-pleasing men's final in the California desert.  

But you knew that already.

How will Sunday's Indian Wells finals play out?  Well, we've got a pretty good idea about that one.

Yankee Rising

With the cannonball serve, 3-6 record on clay in 2011 and frequent tweets about pro wrestling, it's rather obvious that Big John Isner is an American.  What's less obvious, in a tennis world dominated by the near otherworldly exploits of the Big Four, is that this American is in the midst of a breakout season that could see him joining the Top 10 before he sets foot on the European clay.