Who called this one? Exactly no one, that’s who.
Coming into this year’s tennis season, sports writers and commentators were contemplating career obituaries for Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, rather than predicting that they would sweep the season’s Grand Slams. Who could blame them for preparing for the end of Roger and Rafa, whose stocks were slipping?
Nadal’s 2016 results were a dour read: loses the first round at the Australian Open; withdraws from the French Open—where he had won nine titles—with a wrist injury before the third round; misses Wimbledon due to a bum wrist; fails to win a medal at the Rio Olympics; fourth round loss at the U.