Down the line: Predicting fall of stars after a few results is a futile exercise

Sport360 staff 09:31 26/04/2016
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  • Rafael Nadal broke more clay-court records in Barcelona on Sunday.

    The world’s constant need to write off a player or declare he or she is “back” is often a tiresome practice when it comes to a sport like tennis, where so many variables, ups and downs, and minutiae of the athlete’s life are a factor in each and every result.

    So many people discarded Roger Federer when he was playing with a bad back in 2013 and we all saw how awesomely the Swiss rebounded from that.

    Similar reactions were handed out to Rafael Nadal after he posted his worst results in over a decade last season. He’s now won two titles in two weeks and the verdicts have swiftly swayed to the opposite side of the spectrum, ranging from the good old ‘he’s back’ to ‘Rafa will win the French Open’.

    Judging a player’s form, whether you’re a fan, a pundit or just a spectator is normal, but the over-dramatising of a champion’s future in the sport is just futile.

    There’s a reason these people are champions and odds are, they will walk away from the sport when they feel they are “done”, so writing them off before that moment is just unfounded speculation.

    As for Nadal suddenly becoming a French Open favourite, it is worth noting that he has not beaten Djokovic in almost two years and while he is clearly handling his nerves way better than last year, it is too hasty to get too excited about his Roland Garros chances without seeing him face the world No1, on clay, in this kind of form.

    Here’s hoping we get a showdown like that in Madrid or Rome.

    Performer of the Week – Cagla Buyukakcay

    While Rafael Nadal and Angelique Kerber’s victories in Barcelona and Stuttgart dominated the headlines on Sunday, Buyukakcay’s fairytale run to the title on home soil in Istanbul was THE story of the week.

    The 26-year-old became Turkey’s first ever female to make a WTA semi-final. She then became the first finalist and the next day became her country’s first title winner, and she did it all in front of her home crowd. Her dream week saw her make her top-100 debut, again an unprecedented feat by a Turkish female.

    Five months ago, Buyukakcay’s biggest title win was the $75K ITF in Dubai and now she owns a WTA trophy. She told me when she was here that she hopes she can inspire more girls in Turkey to take up tennis and her victory on Sunday will in no doubt have an impact.

    Flop of the Week – Roberto Bautista Agut

    Seeded No4 at home in Barcelona, the world No17 suffered a shock 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3 defeat at the hands of Russian teenager, world No138, Karen Khachanov in his opening match.

    Bautista Agut has been one of the in-form players of the season so far, having picked up two titles already in Sofia and Auckland, but the Spaniard has clearly not found his footing on clay yet in 2016.

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