Pelagius gets it wrong... spectacularly

Two months ago, after watching Rafa Nadal lose his Monte Carlo crown to a  surging Novak Djokavic, I noted his slow return to form following his injury lay-off of last year and predicted he would win no Majors this year

I have just now witnessed the architect of my hubris pull off a sensational win in that very tournament (I refer here to the win rather than the match itself; which was a very one sided affair, illustrating how far ahead of the rest of the field Nadal has become on clay). Throughout the championship he never looked in any doubt of achieving the unique record of eight wins at a single a Grand Slam tournament. No one, not Bjorn Borg, not Pete Sampras, not Roger Federer even, ever did that. And we can only suspect that other Majors may be vulnerable to the redoubtable Majorcan this year. In 2008 Nadal achieved another unique record when he became the only man ever to have won the French, Queens and Wimbledon in the same year, breaking a psychological taboo which had been in place for several decades. Obviously no one had told Nadal about it. I wonder what odds you could get on that particular treble this year?
[supplement:11.6.13: not good. I understand he isn't playing at Queens this year]

In the Gotterdammerung department, the quarter-finals saw the exit of a great champion of yore: the peerless Roger Federer. He's not quite as quick around the court as he used to be; he's 32 for chrissake and that's pensionable age for a professional tennis player. But he remains the consummate artist. At one point in his match against Tsonga he was forced out wide on the right and whipped a forehand which propelled the ball, fizzing with top and sidespin, between the umpire's chair and the net post, before finding its way to the baseline, precisely at the corner of the court. His French opponent seemed to stare at the ball afterwards, baffled momentarily by what Federer had just conjured. Oh, tennis! I love you so much. I can't play any more because of me knees, doc, but I can still enjoy. So I say: bring Wimbers on, if you please!