Nadal -- good looking? Eewww. Maybe his Gold's-Gym biceps, yes, but his face droops a little, like it's melting. And no wonder -- who wouldn't melt, playing four or five sets while wearing capri pants? Also, since when has being good-looking meant much in MEN's tennis? Hasn't gotten Marat Safin very far. As for Nadal's steller year, that's no surprise. Last season it was Guillermo Coria, especially on clay. Before that Guga Kuerten stunned the field, again on clay. Not long before that, Lleyton Hewitt was shocking everyone. On the men's side, the days of a Bjorn Borg or a Johnny Mac or a Pete Sampras winning multiple majors year after year is over -- at least for now. Too much power in too many players. At Roland Garros, though, where power doesn't count for much, it's always someone new. And NEW in tennis is disconcerting, not exciting. Mostly because no one's dominant, meaning that everyone's got a shot. Sports pundits like to praise "parity" these days, but the truth is that we like "parity" much better when we recognize and come to know at least a handful of the most dominant players -- players we can count on seeing on Sundays. Nadal, like Sharapova, should keep working, and not let a major win go to his head. After a few consistently amazing seasons, then it might be time to believe.
Rafael Nadal the new tennis king?
Nadal -- good looking? Eewww. Maybe his Gold's-Gym biceps, yes, but his face droops a little, like it's melting. And no wonder -- who wouldn't melt, playing four or five sets while wearing capri pants? Also, since when has being good-looking meant much in MEN's tennis? Hasn't gotten Marat Safin very far. As for Nadal's steller year, that's no surprise. Last season it was Guillermo Coria, especially on clay. Before that Guga Kuerten stunned the field, again on clay. Not long before that, Lleyton Hewitt was shocking everyone. On the men's side, the days of a Bjorn Borg or a Johnny Mac or a Pete Sampras winning multiple majors year after year is over -- at least for now. Too much power in too many players. At Roland Garros, though, where power doesn't count for much, it's always someone new. And NEW in tennis is disconcerting, not exciting. Mostly because no one's dominant, meaning that everyone's got a shot. Sports pundits like to praise "parity" these days, but the truth is that we like "parity" much better when we recognize and come to know at least a handful of the most dominant players -- players we can count on seeing on Sundays. Nadal, like Sharapova, should keep working, and not let a major win go to his head. After a few consistently amazing seasons, then it might be time to believe.