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french open 38 tips
Nadal Wins 7th French Open Title on 11/6/12 | Tipped by Quickish |
#tennis +4
*Nadal, covered in clay, climbs into stands. Hugs family, friends, even Pau Gasol. Uncle Toni lifts him off the ground. Seven titles here now (NYT's Greg Bishop)

*Djokovic still staring straight ahead, shaking his head. (ESPN's Howard Bryant)

*I'm tempted to say he needed this after three straight major-final losses to Nole, but he's so dominant in Paris that it sounds very wrong. (Grantland's Brian Phillips) (via Twitter)

MORE: "I love Djokovic's attitude. I like athletes who have fun and aren't just wrecked by losing." (Grantland's Phillips)
French Open: Classic Rematch on 8/6/12 | Tipped by Quickish |
#tennis +5
I'll Have Another: Djokovic-Nadal for the final. SI's Jon Wertheim(via Twitter)

MORE: "At stake? Only Djokovic trying to win 4th GS in row, Nadal eyeing 7th FO title. Wow." (AP's Howard Fendrich)
In Praise of the Tennis Oligarchy on 6/6/12 | Tipped by Quickish |
#tennis +4
You know what's going to happen and yet you don't know. That's the idea. That's why it's fun to root for the fantastic three plus one. Forget the underdogs. One more time for the overdogs. Until this historic ride stops. Jason Gay(via Wall Street Journal)
Serena Out at the French on 29/5/12 | Tipped by Quickish |
#tennis +4
*Serena Williams loses in a Grand Slam first round match for the first time in her career. (NYT's Greg Bishop)

*Serena is out. I'm speechless after a 23 minute game, 12 deuces, 4BP saved, and Razzano on 9th MP survives! (ESPN's Chris Fowler)

*Serena Williams loses her fourth match EVER to someone ranked outside the top 100. That's mind-boggling. (Deadspin's Erik Malinowski) (via Twitter)
Quicker Quickish: Nadal-Federer Mania on 6/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#quicker +4
*"Am I changed by having seen them?" (MacGregor, ESPN.com)
*"This is about the shudder" (Posnanski, SI.com)
*Why you now root for Federer (Thomas, Paris Review)
*Who will you remember? (Hutchins, SBNation)
*"Nadal soars when it matters" (Gay, WSJ)
*"Greatest rivalry in modern sports" (Arthur, National Post) All terrific reads, inspired by yesterday's French Open final. For more, check out the entire Quickish French Open stream.
Last Word: Nadal vs. Federer on 6/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#french open +6
For the rest of us to have seen these careers overlap, to watch these men playing head-to-head in the same age, is a rare gift of history.

But just as it is in art, in sports there is no entirely reliable measure of greatness. Our heroes are always more mythology than math. Who of these two is greater? And by what standard? Slams? Streaks? Total wins? Money earned?...

The dismal arithmetic of statistics is useless here.

Ask yourself instead: Am I changed by having seen them? Am I changed by having known them? Have they inspired me? Reconciled me to my own humanity? Jeff MacGregor(via ESPN.com) , capping a phenomenal day of tennis writing. Either read over (and click through to read in full) the past few tips or just check out the French Open stream.
French Open Reax, Cont'd: In Praise of Federer on 6/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#french open +8
It used to be that you rooted for him because he was capable of producing ecstasy. Now that he is old, you root for him because he is old, and you won’t have many more chances. You also root for him because you would like him to prove you wrong, to show that he is, in fact, a kind of god. When the aging athlete wins your allegiance back, his glory is even greater. Louisa Thomas(via Paris Review)

Continuing a day of outstanding writing about tennis, SBNation's Andy Hutchins asks: "Will you remember Nadal more favorably for his workmanlike, exhaustive dominance than you will remember Federer for his magic?" Read his entire essay here.
Nadal: "This is about the shudder" on 6/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#rafael nadal +6
But this isn’t about guessing or the best in the world or the best ever or any of that. This is about the shudder... In this way, Rafael has already won. Whether he becomes the greatest tennis player ever or not is beside the point for me now. He is the one player I could not beat even in my dreams. Joe Posnanski(via SI.com)
Nadal Best Ever? Maybe Someday on 6/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#rafael nadal +7
Nadal soars when it matters. Even when Federer was very good on Sunday—landing his first serve, changing speeds, slicing a cruel drop shot—Nadal was steps better, hitting baseline punisher after punisher, finishing the stroke by waving the racket over his head like a lasso. Jason Gay(via Wall Street Journal) , who adds: "Nadal is now stepping into the all-time conversation, especially given his record against a player who made a shimmering case for the best ever."

And this from the National Post's Bruce Arthur, on the twilight of this rivalry: "The numbers will never do justice to the rivalry, which is the greatest in modern sports — better even than Tiger Woods against the world, which eventually came to include Tiger himself. It is pure kinetic beauty, every time. ."
French Open Recap: 50 Thoughts on 5/6/11 | Tipped by Quickish |
#french open +7
*Rafael Nadal won his sixth French Open title, matching Bjorn Borg's record, while improving to an otherworldly 45-1 lifetime at Roland Garros. Long live the king.

*For a self-described "cow in ice," Maria Sharapova did herself proud reaching the Wimbledon semis. But one suspects that when she reflects on her career, this one will be recalled as a Slam that got away.

*Roger Federer won't be winning a five-set match on clay against Nadal at this stage of his career, but his resurgence over the past fortnight bodes well for the next 10 weeks. Jon Wertheim(via SI.com)

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