Rafael Nadal

The chase for history is compelling on its own. With a win Sunday over Rafael Nadal in the final of the Australian Open, Roger Federer would tie Pete Sampras as the top winner of major tennis tournaments with 14. That will add to the argument that Federer is the greatest tennis player ever, a designation Rod Laver, whose name is on the stadium court here, said would not be wrong. "We'll have those arguments forever," Laver said. "But Roger's name is there."

Second-seeded Andy Murray overcame an injured Rafael Nadal, 6-3, 4-6, 6-0, Sunday to become the first British winner at the ABN Amro tournament in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The top-ranked Nadal was bothered by a right knee injury and had to call a medical timeout in the second set, before deciding to continue the match. "On one leg he could still go on," Murray said of Nadal. "That's how good he is."

The red clay on the various European tennis courts might just lie there all listless and expressionless in a dead-on impersonation of dirt, but the savants long since swear the different clays of the different cities possess different personalities.

Now that humanity has located one male out of 3 billion who could beat Rafael Nadal at a French Open, and now that this man has shoveled toward Roger Federer a shimmering opportunity to become the greatest tennis player ever by next Sunday evening, people with a life might just have a question: Who in the world is Robin Soderling? He's 24. He's Swedish, from Tibro. He's the son of a lawyer and a housewife. He's ranked a respectable but quiet No. 25.

In a farcical scene that threw another dollop of surrealism on five wacko tennis weeks in Europe, Rafael Nadal departed Wimbledon 2009 for good Friday night, almost in the dark and almost alone. Outside the gates waited one enduring fan, a young British woman, as the defending champion and three other men -- including Novak Djokovic -- walked toward Gate 16 at going-on-10 p.m., only to find the gate locked and the guards gone home. "How do you get out of Wimbledon?" joked Nadal's manager.

FRIDAY'S FEATURED MATCHES (world rankings in parentheses) Venus Williams, U.S. (3) vs. Agnes Szavay, Hungary (31) After losing a set Wednesday night before darkness suspended play, Williams felt angry, "but then I wound down and I had my little dog with me." You'd think that in Paris, they'd let her bring the dog to provide calm and perspective during changeovers. Rafael Nadal, Spain (1) vs. Lleyton Hewitt, Australia (48) Many athletes try hard.

It took Rafael Nadal only 33½ minutes to finally finish off his 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), 6-0 U.S. Open quarterfinal win over 11th seeded Fernando Gonzalez of Chile at Arthur Ashe Stadium. This match had begun Thursday night but been halted by rain with Nadal ahead 7-6 (4), 6-6, 3-2 and its continuation was rained out along with the rest of the schedule Friday. But today Nadal won the first six points, including four straight to finish the second set tiebreak. Nadal's strength early on this day was patience.

There's a great story waiting to happen at the U.S. Open. It would be bigger than Melanie Oudin, bigger than a trimmed-down, fired-up, invincible-looking Serena Williams winning again. Bigger than anything John McEnroe might say. OK, maybe not that big. On Friday, out of the depressing, drenching mist that hovered over the U.S. Open and washed out play, came the thought that, from adversity comes opportunity. And that opportunity is Rafael Nadal's. Presented with his circumstances, others would be sulking and scoffing.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga pulled out a stunning victory over Roger Federer , and Juan Martin Del Potro followed with a two-set win over Rafael Nadal on Friday to advance to the semifinals of the Rogers Cup in Montreal. The two stars were ousted after entering the tournament after time off. Nadal was coming back from 10 weeks off to treat tendinitis in both knees, and Federer was out while his wife gave birth to twins. Down 5-1 in the third set, Tsonga used two service breaks to take the lead and then beat Federer in the tiebreaker for a 7-6 (5)

Rafael Nadal would be the first to say he's coming back from sore knees and it's no big thing. Richard Gasquet would be the first to say he's coming back from a raw deal and it's a huge thing. The two young tennis stars played a first-round match on center court at the U.S. Open on Wednesday. Nadal won, as expected. Gasquet showed flashes of brilliance in the 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 defeat, as expected. But this was much more than your routine match. This one had connections, multiple story lines and an off-court soap opera.