Nadal Falls in 4th Round

Roundly defeats Robin Soderling at Roland Garros

(AP) - Rafael Nadal has reclaimed his crown as the King of Clay. Chasing down shots all over the court, the relentless Spaniard won his fifth French Open title today and avenged his lone Roland Garros defeat, beating Robin Soderling 6-4, 6-2, 6-4. Nadal improved to 38-1 at Roland Garros, with the only loss to Soderling in the fourth round a year ago. More»

Swede snaps 6-year streak of Grand Slam semis at 23

(AP) - There will be a Grand Slam semifinal without Roger Federer for the first time in 6 years. French Open upset specialist Robin Soderling struck again today, rallying past defending champion Federer in a rainy quarterfinal, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, 6-4. That ended Federer's record streak of reaching the semifinals in 23 consecutive major events. More»

Takes fourth French Open against Swiss player

(AP) - Rafael Nadal won his record-equaling sixth French Open title today, beating Roger Federer 7-5, 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-1 in the final. It was the fourth final at Roland Garros between the two players, and the fourth won by Nadal. More»

(NEWSER) - Clay has long been the red-headed stepchild of the tennis world, with top pros like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Pete Sampras almost taking pride in never winning a French Open. The term “clay-court specialist” was a veiled insult. Now, though, world No. 1 Rafael Nadal is a clay-court wonder, and elite players have embraced extensive clay training, the Wall Street Journal reports. More»

Duo duke it out for 6 hours in Melbourne

(AP) - Novak Djokovic wore down Rafael Nadal in the longest Grand Slam singles final in the history of professional tennis today, winning 5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-5 after five hours, 53 minutes to claim his third Australian Open title. Djokovic sealed victory at 1:37am local time and became the fifth man since the Open Era began in 1968 to win three straight Grand Slam finals. The 24-year-old Djokovic tore off his shirt in celebration after one of the most dramatic finals in the history of the game. He went to his support camp and repeatedly thumped the side of the arena in delight and relief. More»