Federer finally beats Nadal on clay

It's not exactly "back to the drawing board" for tennis star Rafael Nadal, after he lost 6-4, 6-4 to No. 1 Roger Federer in the final of the Madrid Open, but it does signal that Federer will not keel over and die when they play in the upcoming French Open-- the one tournament Federer has not won.

Per ESPN, the Spaniard Nadal's 33-match winning streak on clay was snapped in the process as Federer also ended a five-match losing streak to his rival.

Pro-Swiss tweeters are heralding the victory:

1. 
   formentipaolo Well done Roger Federer, classic straight set win over Rafael (not the turtle) Nadal, a new era of Borg Vs McEnroe upon us! 17 May 2009 from web
2. 
   abhinayverma Roger Federer beat Nadal in a final for the first time in two years. Seems its time for the Return of the King !!! 17 May 2009 from web
3. 
   van_l federer > nadal... finally! 17 May 2009 from web

The tweets coming from Rafa's camp were far less positive:

1. 
   lauriegforce Darn. I really wanted Rafael Nadal to win. 17 May 2009 from web
2. 
   NikkiDai Federer beats a tired Rafa, not quite 100% - this is a big deal? Fed will be crying again in Paris. 17 May 2009 from web
3. 
   iceydefeat Wow, just saw the recap of the Roger and Rafael tennis match. That was sad on Nadal's part. 17 May 2009 from web
4. 
   radosko @mckaycnn Rafa was mentally and physically tired after 4 hours yesterday. Roger had an easy draw with Americans who are bad on clay. 17 May 2009 from web in reply to mckaycnn

One lucky tennis Twitterer captured this pic during the tournament:

(Twitpic by @bossanova)

Federer finally beats Nadal on clay

Nadal reaffirms title as King of Clay

Per BBC Sport, the world's top tennis player Rafael Nadal won his fifth straight Monte Carlo title by defeating Novak Djokovic 6-3 2-6 6-1 in Sunday's final in Monte Carlo, Monaco.

Twitterers remain in awe of the 22-year-old's talent.

1. 
   Luzinha_Franzoi Nadal is really THE ONE! I love this guy! 19 Apr 2009 from web
2. 
   maryjansenc So Nadal won. Again. It's getting boring, guys. 19 Apr 2009 from web
3. 
   denfab i'd like to meet a person who can successfully argue that nadal isn't the king of clay. winning on (what seems to be) an off-day? just wow. 19 Apr 2009 from TweetDeck
4. 
   Gloster_Gal Another fab day - I think so anyway - Nadal wins again and Everton beat the Scum :o) 19 Apr 2009 from web
5. 
   arihaz vamos Rafa you have done it again, You are truly the king of claycourt. Keep us smiling Rafael Nadal..we are smiling too 19 Apr 2009 from web
6. 
   tweetcath Nadal remains the man! 20 Apr 2009 from web

Nadal reaffirms title as King of Clay

Featured TwitPic: Murray vs. Djokovic from 'the cheap seats'

"View from the cheap seats. Murray up 5-1 first set." (Posted by @daveroark, Sony Ericsson Open, Miami, Fla., April 5, 2009)

Featured TwitPic: Murray vs. Djokovic from 'the cheap seats'

Israeli athlete denied visa for Dubai Tournament

Per the Jerusalem Post, "Israeli tennis star Shahar Pe'er has been denied a visa for this week's WTA tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates."

A man in the UAE seemed confused by the news.

@tomsp (Abu Dhabi, UAE): If Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer can play in Qatar, I don;t really see why she can;t play in the UAE http://tinyurl.com/acj9j7


The news sparked reaction from other parts of the world.

@Yael_80 (Glasgow, Scotland): I really can't believe that 46% of people polled on cnn.com believe the UAE had a right to refuse an entry visa for Shahar Peer. WTF.


@magzalez (Gainesville, Fla.): UUGGH, can't believe the UAE denied Shahar Peer (Israeli female tennis player) a visa to play in Dubai this week! WTA needs to take action.


@PDMojo (St. Louis, Mo.): Weak, WTA. Very weak. Clearly the reason they didn't cancel is because Dubai is rolling in cash. If this were Serena, story would be huge.


@JodiEchakowitz (Toronto, Canada): UAE denied a visa to an Israeli tennis player. Someone needs a good lesson on separating church (sports) from state (politics).

Israeli athlete denied visa for Dubai Tournament

Nadal downs Federer in five sets

Per the Brisbane Times, Rafael Nadal of Spain is the "undisputed king of tennis" after he ousted Roger Federer of Switzerland in the Australian Open men's finals in five sets, 7-5, 3-6, 7-3 (7-3), 3-6, 6-2. The 22-year-old won his sixth major and became the first Spaniard to win the Aussie Open.

The epic match forced some to lose sleep.

@marragem (Brisbane): Want to/need to go to bed but how can I miss this great fight between Federer & Nadal


The event was number one in trending on Twitter for some time, as @kinshasha pointed out.

@kinshasha (Brisbane): Even with the SuperBowl countdown well underway, Aussies are leading twitter-trends w/ Federer, Nadal, Australian Open, #ausopen, Rafa, etc

The culmination of the tournament was emotional for some, such as @djmattyg007, who was live twittering the match.

@djmattyg007 (Melbourne): and there goes yet another year of tennis. really am gonna miss it, can't recall ever watching so much of it before, especially over cricket

Nadal downs Federer in five sets

Serena wins Aussie Open

Per Sky News Australia: American Serena Williams is eyeing her second Grand Slam after handing Dinara Safina a "devastating" defeat, 6-0, 6-3, in the women's finals.

The initial reaction from Australia came in different flavors.

@larryhudson (Melbourne): Still stunned at Serena Williams' performance. Disappointing but amazing.



@ggw_bach (Sydney): so Serena wins again. What a champ.



@djmattyg007 (Melbourne): Safina got steamrolled by Serena Williams. she won in less than an hour 6-0 6-3. kind of boring really.

Serena wins Aussie Open