Is Nadal the Best Ever?

BY MICHAEL EMMETT Those of you that have read my columns know how I really feel about Rafael Nadal – that has not changed.  However, I’m putting the gossip and allegations aside to look at the raw numbers and on-court evidence. With that alone, one could very readily argue that he is the greatest tennis player of all time. I have come up with several reasons why I believe Nadal is the greatest player the game has ever seen.  When sporting pundits argue this point they often look at who has the most grand slams.  And this could easily turn into a debate about who is better: Roger Federer (17 Grand Slams) or Rafael Nadal – tied for 3rd with Roy Emmerson for the most all-time Grand Slams with 12.  Let’s assume the Grand Slams are about even.  Fair to say, considering Nadal...

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Once Again The French Screw It Up!

BY MICHAEL EMMETT The French Open organizing committee should be ashamed of themselves.  Year after year, they do a horrible job in so many areas that they do a massive disservice to the world of tennis.  No Hawkeye, no lights, no roof, quarter finals being played simultaneously and no common sense.  They are so archaic in so many ways they deserve to lose their standing as a Grand Slam event.  And this is no exaggeration – they are really that bad.  The worst of the four grand slams keeps going downhill, plummeting faster than an avalanche. My biggest complaint this year is the draw and the scheduling – both were perplexing to say the least. Due to Rafael Nadal’s extended layoff at the end of 2012, his world ranking has dropped to #4. However, as we all know, the French...

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Short-Court Tennis is a Tremendous Waste of Time

BY MICHAEL EMMETT Can someone please remind me why tennis players world-wide are still engaging in the silly practice of Short-Court for a warm-up?  Warm-ups are meant to be quick, engaging and useful.  After two minutes, we should be sweating.  The way most amateur members stand on the service line and bunt the ball back-and-forth is a colossal waste of time.  The Short-Court warm-up was designed for pros who are still striking the ball in a full athletic swing generating tons of spin. Unlike most amateurs, they are maintaining the shape and speed on the ball while contacting it in the perfect strike zone.  Short-Court is not for everyone. If it was up to me, I would ban ‘mini-tennis’ forever for all club players.  Most people in the tennis industry agree with me – it is...

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One-Hit Wonders

BY MICHAEL EMMETT Since the Open Era began in 1968 there have been 41 one-time grand slam winners (24 males & 17 females).  Many on this list have been dominant players in their career with multiple opportunities to capture a second grand slam title.  These people (like Gabriela Sabatini, who had 15 grand slam semi-final appearances in her storied career) will not be discussed in the top 10 below. I will only be discussing the players who never really threatened to win another major.  To do this I adopted a formula based on grand slam results.  For example, many remember the name Pat Cash (he also won’t make the list as he did come close in back-to-back Australian Open finals in ’87 & ’88).  He won the Wimbledon championships in 1987. Based on giving 10 pts for a...

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Top 30 Players of All-Time Without a Grand Slam

BY MICHAEL EMMETT For the better part of the last 5 years, the person most recognized as the best player without a major was unquestionably Andy Murray.  With his dominating performance last September in New York, Murray squashed that moniker and joined an illustrious group of major championship winners. Now the question arises again – who is the best player since the open era began in 1969 to not a have a grand slam to their credit? Based on a simple formula that combines highest career ranking with grand slam success, here are my top 30 (both male and female) based on the sum of the two totals. The formula is based on rankings (career high of #1 = 10pts, career high of #2 = 9pts, career high of #3 = 8pts, etc.)  As well as grand slam results, all quarter final appearances...

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HARA - His Heart Set on Becoming the Next Milos Raonic

Tegbir Hara, like most eager, competitive, high performance tennis players has been playing the sport since he was four years old. Now, at 15 years-of-age Hara already has 11 years experience under his belt and is in full steam ahead mode. Hara currently works with esteemed tennis professional, Casey Curtis at the Mayfair Clubs Parkway location, just as Milos Roanic did when he was a junior player. This year, Hara had a run at the U16 Outdoor Nationals where he reached the finals. His dream is to one day beat Raonic, reach the Top 5 on the ATP World Tour and win Wimbledon. Hara sets high standards for himself, but has been putting in the time on and off the court to achieve his goals. Hara practices six or sometimes seven days a week for approximately seven hours a day. Hara is extremely...

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WTA Ranking System Needs Overhaul

BY MICHAEL EMMETT I’m not sure there is a bigger injustice in the world of sports than Serena Williams’ WTA ranking.  How is it possible that the most dominant player on the tour is ranked #3?  In one word – the WTA system is ‘embarrassing.’ The top two players on the WTA tour, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova, had a combined 0-8 record vs. Serena in 2012.   We’re not talking about a record near .500 – this is pure dominance and superiority in the greatest sense.  Serena manhandled these overmatched opponents – toyed with them at times, yet she is regarded as the third best player on the tour.  The more I come to grips with these numbers, the more shocking and disturbing it is for me. Azarenka, the top player in the world since the Australian Open, lost all...

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Sportsnet Fumbles London Event

BY MICHAEL EMMETT From what I hear, the match between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, in the last ATP event of the year, was one for the ages.  I say that because I didn’t see a point – the match didn’t come onto local airways until 10:27pm. But it could have been shown live at 3pm Toronto time.  As a result of poor programming, I had to wait through a boring triple overtime game between the dreadful Toronto Raptors and the Utah Jazz.  And by then, it was way past my bedtime.  Whoever made this decision to put the tennis match on so late after an abysmal basketball game should be fired.  For those who stayed up well past midnight to watch this instant classic, they said it was magnificent tennis and will be a match that goes down as one of the best ever played in the London...

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What About Wood?

BY MICHAEL EMMETT The title of this article would suggest I’m going to talk about bringing back wood racquets to the great game we all love.  Well, to be blunt – not even close.  I will explain shortly. All of a sudden, Canada has become a world group regular on the Davis Cup scene after their convincing win over a short-handed South African team in a playoff match that kept the Canadians from sliding out of the main event. Canada destroyed the South Africans in Montreal 4-1 with an impressive display of power tennis. The 16-country tournament will begin for Canada on Super-Bowl weekend in 2013.  The bad news is who the opposition will be.  The good news is they may be without their 11-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal who is recovering slowly from a serious knee problem. ...

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Fat Loss and Healthy Eating When You Have A Family

I don’t know about you but I eat differently on the weekends then I do during the week. Weekends are reserved birthday parties, extra circular activities, running errands and spending time with family. One of our dedicated clients emailed this past week with a really good question. We wanted to share it with you because this isn’t the first time we’ve been asked this. Q: I’ve been struggling lately because I’m finding it hard to get the rest of my family on board. It’s much easier said then done to only buy what I should be eating and only cook healthy foods when the rest of my family isn’t on board. It’s not that they aren’t supportive but my kids want to eat junk food. I have a responsibility to them and I don’t want to be cooking 2 meals every night. I don’t have...

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