NEW YORK - Chasing his first U.S. Open championship, Rafael Nadal was so dominant, so determined, so defiant, his face curling into a sneer with every wallop of the ball.

With two marvelous weeks at Flushing Meadows capped by victory in a thrilling final Monday night, Nadal fashioned an emphatic answer to all those questions about whether he could grab the only major trophy missing from his collection.

Now owner of a career Grand Slam at age 24, champion at three consecutive major tournaments and nine overall, the No. 1-ranked Nadal is suddenly chasing something else: recognition as the greatest tennis player in history.

Approaching perfection for stretches - the guy played more than 40 points in a row without making an unforced error - Nadal beat Novak Djokovic 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 in a match filled with fantastic shotmaking by both men and interrupted by a thunderstorm a day after it was postponed by rain.

“For the first time in my career, I played a very, very good match in this tournament,” said Nadal, who never had been past the semifinals at Flushing Meadows. “That’s my feeling, no? I played my best match in the U.S. Open at the most important moment.”

Once seen as Roger Federer’s nemesis, Nadal has made his own greatness quite clear - and is more than halfway to Federer’s career record of 16 Grand Slam titles. Nadal’s total already is one more than Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi or Ivan Lendl won.

It’s clear where Nadal stands on the matter. He said “talk about if I am better or worse than Roger is stupid, because the titles say he’s much better than me.”

Djokovic, understandably, had a different take on Nadal.

“He has the capabilities already now to become the best player ever,” said Djokovic, who lost the 2007 U.S. Open final to Federer, but upset him in Saturday’s semifinals. “I think (Nadal is) playing the best tennis that I’ve ever seen him play on hard courts. He has improved his serve drastically - the speed, the accuracy. And, of course, his baseline (game) is as good as ever.”

Nadal is a year younger than Federer was when he got to No. 9, and about 3 1/2 years younger than Federer was when he completed his career Grand Slam at the 2009 French Open. Nadal is the seventh man in history with at least one title from each of tennis’ four most important tournaments.

Bjorn Borg was the only other man to have nine major championships by 24.

“It’s too far; 16, for me, is too far to think about right now,” Nadal said, with his typical humility. “My goal, all my life, was the same: keep improving.”

He takes that task seriously. When he started on tour his forehand was feared, his backhand wasn’t, so he worked on that. Then he got better at volleying. He says he decided a couple of days before the start of the U.S. Open to tweak the way he holds his racket to serve.

That added zip to his serves, now regularly faster than 130 mph, which helps him earn some easy points - important given the way he hustles so much and hits so hard, those booming forehands looking like uppercuts. He won 106 of 111 service games in the tournament, a key reason he finally came through in New York.

Everyone, even Nadal himself, used to try to explain why he kept leaving the U.S. Open without a trophy, why it was the only Grand Slam tournament he hadn’t conquered.

“The hard court,” he said, “always was the most difficult surface … for me.”

Here’s how the thinking went: His grinding style exhausts him. The wind plays havoc with his spin-lathered strokes. The courts are too hard and too fast. The balls are too soft. And so on.

Seems sort of silly, huh?

“Now no one can say he can’t win here,” said Toni Nadal, Rafael’s uncle and coach. “It’s very important for us to know that Rafael has learned so much, because players said Rafa could never win on hard courts, because he played too much topspin (or) he’s too physical. And now I believe there’s not much that the players he plays against can argue with.”

Well put.

Nadal is first left-hander to win the U.S. Open since John McEnroe in 1984, and the first Spaniard since Manuel Orantes in 1975.

Nadal first burst onto the scene as the so-called King of Clay, compiling a record 81-match winning streak on that surface and starting his French Open career 31-0. His five titles at Roland Garros have earned him accolades as the best clay-court player in history, but now he has become so much more.

He won on the grass at Wimbledon in 2007, edging Federer 9-7 in the fifth set as darkness descended, then again this year. He won on the hard courts at the Australian Open in 2009, again besting Federer in five sets.

All that was left was the U.S. Open. After complaining of fatigue in 2008, coming off his gold medal from the Beijing Olympics, then dealing with bad knees and a torn abdominal muscle in 2009, he set out to make this trip to Flushing Meadows different.

He curtailed his schedule a bit in the spring, to save some wear and tear. He took extra time off after Wimbledon, getting treatment on his knees and skipping the Davis Cup quarterfinals.

It all worked. Nadal only had one blip all tournament: The second set Monday evening. Perhaps bothered by some pro-Djokovic supporters yelling between serves - earning an admonishment from the chair umpire - Nadal fell behind 3-1 by making four mistakes, including a double-fault, to get broken at love.

When Nadal pushed a backhand long to close a 19-shot point, 2008 Australian Open champion Djokovic screamed, “Come on!” It was part of a run of 11 consecutive points for Djokovic, who went ahead 4-1.

As quickly as Nadal lost his way, however, he gathered himself, his strokes gaining steam, his footwork as good as ever. A violent backhand on a 23-stroke exchange allowed Nadal to break back, and he held to 4-all, which is when there was a two-hour rain delay.

Djokovic took that set - the only one of 22 played by Nadal in New York this year that he lost. He came oh-so-close to being the first man in a half-century to win this tournament without dropping a set.

Source (article): MSNBC

Source (pictures): NBCSPORTS

Spain’s victorious World Cup squad have landed in Madrid amid scenes of joyous celebration in the country’s capital.

A sizeable crowd chanted and car horns sounded as skipper Iker Casillas, carrying the trophy, led the team down the steps of the plane.

The players will have a brief siesta before a reception hosted by Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

More than one million fans are expected to line the streets for an open-top bus parade starting at 1800 BST.

The parade will end about two hours later at the esplanade near the Puente del Rey, where the festivities are expected to continue officially until midnight.

Many fans made the trip to Barajas Airport to greet the returning heroes from South Africa.

The flight landed at 1338 local time with Spanish flags flying from the cockpit windows and two fire engines making a guard of honour with their jet streams.

The plane was emblazoned with the words ‘Campeones’ (Champions) and ‘Orgullosos de nuestra seleccion’ (Proud of our squad).

Casillas, who was in floods of tears after the final whistle in Johannesburg on Sunday night, again appeared to be on the verge of crying as he led his team across the tarmac to a waiting coach.

They were taken to a nearby hotel to eat and rest before they head to the Royal Palace for a reception with the Spanish royal family and then to the Moncloa Palace to be greeted by the prime minister.

European champions Spain won the World Cup for the first time in their history thanks to Andres Iniesta’s extra-time winner against the Netherlands at the Soccer City Stadium.

Source (article): BBCNEWS

Source (picture): CBC.CA

World Cup favourites Spain suffered a shock defeat by Switzerland as South Africa 2010 served up its first major upset.

The European champions from Spain enjoyed almost total control of the game in Durban but were wasteful in front of goal and went behind after 52 minutes when a long ball found its way through to Gelson Fernandes, who bundled it into the net.

With Barcelona trio David Villa, Andres Iniesta and Xavi unable to conjure a breakthrough, coach Vicente Del Bosque threw on Fernando Torres, Jesus Navas and Pedro, but to no avail as the Spanish slumped to only their second defeat in 49 games.

The result piles pressure on Spain, who were widely-tipped to finally end decades of underachievement on the game’s biggest stage and Del Bosque’s men could now be forced to face Brazil in the second round if they finish Group H as runners-up. Chile beat Honduras 1-0 in the earlier match.

For the unfancied Swiss, it was a historic first victory over the Spanish and another triumph in the glittering career of their German coach Ottmar Hitzveld.

Del Bosque’s men had quickly settled into their rhythmic short passing game and, with Switzerland struggling to get the ball out of their own half, the match came to resemble a training session.

The first real opening fell to Spain right-back Sergio Ramos, who received the ball in space on the right before dragging his shot wastefully wide, much to the anger of his better-placed team-mates Xavi and David Villa.

Moments later, Iniesta slipped a pass through to Gerard Pique, who cut inside his man before firing straight at goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.

The next attack saw David Silva chip a delightful ball over the Switzerland defence for Iniesta, who was brought down on the edge of the area as he tried to get his shot away. Villa fired the resultant free-kick straight at the wall.

The Swiss were forced into a change midway through the half when former Arsenal defender Philippe Senderos limped off with a foot injury and was replaced by Steve Von Bergen.

Lone striker Villa looked skilful and lively, but when he finally found space in the box, he opted to pass, and chipped tamely across the face of goal.

The second half began in a similar vein until the Swiss took the lead with the first real attack of the game.

A long goal-kick was flicked through to Eren Derdiyok, who bundled it past goalkeeper Iker Casillas and the falling Pique to leave former Manchester City midfielder Fernandes with a simple finish.

Spain, who won all 10 of their World Cup qualifiers, looked visibly shaken and Del Bosque responded by sending on Torres and Navas just after the hour mark.

Iniesta and Torres both curled shots wide before former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso almost broke the crossbar with a stunning strike from just outside the area.

With Spain committing more men forward, the game became stretched and Switzerland came within a whisker of taking a 2-0 lead when Derdiyok cut inside Pique and Carles Puyol before flicking a shot which had Casillas beaten but bounced back off the post.

The last 10 minutes were a predictable Spanish onslaught but, with Torres looking rusty on his return from knee surgery, Spain seemed to run out of ideas as their efforts became increasingly desperate.

As it was, Switzerland held firm for a truly memorable victory - their first in a World Cup opener since 1954.

Source (article): BBCNEWS

Source (picture): TELEGRAPH.CO.UK

Germany provided a real signal of intent with a thrilling demolition of 10-man Australia to get their 2010 World Cup campaign off to a flying start.

Coming into the tournament without injured talisman Michael Ballack, doubts over the future of coach Joachim Loew and the second-youngest squad in the competition, many might have expected Germany to struggle in South Africa.

But if their effervescent display in Durban is anything to go by, the three-time champions could be real contenders for the title come 11 July.

Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose continued their remarkable scoring record at international level with a goal apiece to take their joint tally to 88, Thomas Mueller and Cacau added the gloss, while in playmaker Mesut Ozil they appear to have found a real superstar.

They were aided by the harsh dismissal of Australia’s key man Tim Cahill, given a straight red card for a clumsy but hardly malevolent challenge on Bastian Schweinsteiger on 55 minutes.

Germany, though, had given notice of their attacking class long before that.

Klose has already been denied by Aussie keeper Mark Schwarzer when Podolski drilled in the opener from Mueller’s cross, and moments after Klose had wasted another glorious chance, poking wide from eight yards, the Bayern Munich man nodded in Phillip Lahm’s delicious cross to make it 2-0.

In fairness, Australia had the odd half-chance, Jason Culina heading a Brett Emerton cross over and Richard Garcia sending a snap-shot past the post - while a second-half appeal for handball against Per Mertesacker in the box might have warranted closer inspection.

But what Germany lacked in defensive strength, they more than made up for in pace, power and technique up front.

Ozil twice had the chance to get on the scoresheet having been sent through one-on-one, his first effort cleared off the line by Lucas Neill and his touch failing him the second time.

And then came Cahill’s sending off, after which Germany’s domination was absolute.

Schwarzer did his best to keep the score down, saving twice from Klose, and once apiece from Sami Khedira and Podolski as Germany tore through the Australia defences time and again.

But the Fulham keeper could do little about Germany’s third, Mueller tucking in off the post from the edge of the area, and even less about their fourth, substitute Cacau tapping in from Ozil’s centre.

Loew took the opportunity to rest the likes of Klose, Ozil and Podolski thereafter and, as a result, the Germans were unable to maintain their fluidity in attack in the closing stages.

Australia even carved a late chance for a consolation, Nikita Rukavytsya volleying straight at keeper Manuel Neuer from Scott Chipperfield’s cross.

However, the Germans’ work had long been done at that point and they saw the match out in comfort to take top spot in Group D and serve warning to their rivals in South Africa.

Source (article): BBCNEWS

Source (picture): STYLEHIVE

The 2010 World Cup in South Africa got under way with a spectacular and vibrant opening ceremony at the 94,000-capacity Soccer City in Johannesburg.

The ceremony was followed by the first game of the tournament between the hosts and Mexico, which ended 1-1.

Africa is staging the World Cup for the first time, with 32 nations competing in 64 games until the final on 11 July.

Nelson Mandela was due to attend the opening ceremony but withdrew following the death of his great-granddaughter.

Zenani Mandela, 13, died in a car crash when travelling home from the pre-World Cup concert in Johannesburg on Thursday.

She was one of the 91-year-old anti-apartheid icon’s nine great-grandchildren.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation released a statement saying it would be “inappropriate” for Mandela, a former South African president, to be at the opening ceremony.

“We are sure that South Africans and people all over the world will stand in solidarity with Mr Mandela and his family in the aftermath of this tragedy,” added the statement.

“We continue to believe that the World Cup is a momentous and historic occasion for South Africa and the continent and we are certain it will be a huge success.”

The 40-minute ceremony began with a five-plane military flypast over the stadium, which resembles a huge African cooking pot.

A group of drummers and dancers performed a ‘Welcome to Africa’ song that included an introduction to all 10 tournament’s venues.

The next sequence saw a gigantic beetle show off its football skills with the Jabulani - the official football of the finals - before large pieces of cloth were used to show a map of the continent.

Musicians and artists from the other African finalists - Algeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria - also had their chance to perform in a joint sequence.

Multiple Grammy Award winner R Kelly then sang the ceremony’s showpiece song, ‘Sign of a Victory’ with South Africa’s Soweto Spiritual Singers.

But one of the loudest cheers was reserved for Mandela, whose image appeared on screens to a message of hope from him in song.

Not everyone made it to their seats by the start, with traffic problems delaying some fans.

But Archbishop Desmond Tutu and president Jacob Zuma were in attendance, along with the likes of United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, Mexican president Felipe Calderon, Prince Albert of Monaco and United States vice-president Joe Biden.

The global TV audience for the tournament will be made up of viewers in more than 215 countries and will run into hundreds of millions.

The festivities began in earnest on Thursday, with Shakira among the artists at a vast pre-tournament concert in Soweto.

The Colombian pop star performed the official World Cup song Waka Waka and was joined by a cast of international stars, including the Black Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys, along with African stars Amadou & Mariam and Hugh Masekela.

Since it was chosen as the first African host of the World Cup in 2004, South Africa has spent about 40bn rand (£3.55bn) on stadiums, transport infrastructure and upgrading airports.

The tournament, which is made up of 32 nations, could add as much as 0.5% to the country’s GDP in 2010 and will bring in an estimated 370,000 foreign visitors.

There are 64 games in total, with the final taking place at Soccer City on Sunday, 11 July.

There have been concerns about ticketing policy and security in the run-up to the tournament.

Fifa has come under fire for the way tickets have been distributed, with critics claiming its preferred method of making tickets available online excluded many locals who did not have an internet connection.

However, football’s world governing body has made a number of tickets exclusively available to South Africans and announced on Wednesday that 97% of the 3.1m tickets had been sold, allaying fears of empty stadiums.

As for security, there have been concerns about the safety of fans, media and players travelling to South Africa.

Sixteen people - including two police officers - were injured at a stampede ahead of a World Cup warm-up match on Sunday between Nigeria and North Korea outside Makhulong Stadium in the township of Tembisa near Johannesburg.

And journalists from China, Spain and Portugal were targeted in two separate armed robberies in and around Johannesburg on Monday and Wednesday.

However, Fifa president Sepp Blatter insists the World Cup will be a success.

“Everywhere, one can feel, I hope, that this World Cup is very special, the first on African soil,” he said. “We find ourselves in a position of indescribable anticipation.

“More importantly, this competition will prove that South Africa, and the African continent in general, is capable of organising an event of this magnitude.”

Some of the world’s best players will be on display in South Africa, among them Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.

But some big names will be missing because of injury, such as England duo Rio Ferdinand and David Beckham, Germany skipper Michael Ballack and Ghana midfielder Michael Essien.

Didier Drogba - an icon in African sport - fractured his elbow in a recent friendly against Japan, but is hopeful of playing a part in the Ivory Coast’s campaign.

England are among the favourites in South Africa and get their Group C campaign under way against the United States in Rustenburg on Saturday.

Defending champions Italy start on Monday with a match against Paraguay, Brazil face North Korea in their first game on Tuesday and Euro 2008 winners Spain start their bid for a first World Cup win by taking on Switzerland on Wednesday.

South Africa began their campaign with a 1-1 draw with Group A rivals Mexico.

Managed by Brazilian Carlos Alberto Parreira, the Bafana Bafana took the lead on 55 minutes when Siphiwe Tshabalala found the net with a wonderful left-foot shot.

The Mexicans levelled through Rafael Marquez in the 79th minute, but South Africa hit the post through Katlego Mphela in the 90th minute.

Source (article): BBCSPORT

Source (pictures): SGFSOCCER, SCRAPETV, CUP2010, SOUTHAFRICATRAVELGUIDE