FanHouse RafaelNadal

Just how hurt is Rafael Nadal, anyway? He's not defending his Wimbledon title because his knees weren't at 100 percent. Now Nadal has been left off of Spain's Davis Cup team for next month's matches.

Spanish coach Albert Costa says Nadal "is not well." This was obvious to anyone who watched his exhibition match with Stanislas Wawrinka, a match which Nadal lost. There is no real shame in losing to Warwrinka, who just gave Andy Murray all he could handle in one of Wimbledon's best matches this year. Nadal, however, is (as of now) the world's No. 1 ranked player and thus isn't supposed to lose to anybody.

Nadal is suffering from tendinitis of the knees. As anyone with tendinitis knows, it's slow to get better, and that's assuming it ever does, said the writer, three seconds before he shook out his aching hand. Will Nadal ever get better? And what if he doesn't?

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Roger Federer found himself in a serving contest Monday at Wimbledon-and won.

The five-time champion hit 23 aces, never lost serve and advanced to the quarterfinals by beating familiar foil Robin Soderling 6-4, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (5).

Federer improved to 11-0 against Soderling, including a victory in the French Open final three weeks ago to complete a career Grand Slam.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- When Roger Federer misfired on an important shot Friday, his knees buckled and he stomped behind the baseline, miffed at his mere mortality.

The moment quickly passed, and Federer advanced to the second week at Wimbledon by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-1.

Federer lost a set for first time this week, with two errant forehands costing him the tiebreaker. That merely extended his Centre Court workout by half an hour.

Another day, another big pile of Euros: Roger Federer had little trouble beating Spain's Guillermo Garcia-Lopez at Wimbledon on Wednesday, dispatching the Spaniard in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4. Federer is through to the third round and still well on track to play for a record 15th major title. Federer currently shares the record of 14 majors with Pete Sampras.

Of course, in the internet age, there are always people who can see the cloud behind every silver lining. Reading message boards and article comments, it's clear that more than a few tennis fans feel that Federer should get an asterisk next to his record if he wins out at Wimbledon. Why? Because if he wins and sets the new record, he will not have beaten Rafael Nadal to do so. Since Nadal is the top-ranked player in the world, it would seem that any title which doesn't pass through him is tainted.

Venus is not Serena. They don't dress alike, sound alike, play alike or look alike. They stand out alike, yes, because they are a novelty together, they are great and they are sisters.

But we have combined them in every way for some obvious reasons, but frankly, that's not fair to Venus.

Venus Williams is a better champion than Serena Williams. More elegant, more gracious.

On Tuesday, Venus starts defense of her title at Wimbledon, where she has a royal feel. She is the queen. And in the most elegant place in tennis, Venus stands apart.

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WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Robin Soderling has advanced to the second round of Wimbledon by beating Gilles Muller 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-1, 6-2.

The French Open finalist again relied on the big serve and booming forehand that helped him best Rafael Nadal at Roland Garros, hitting 31 aces and saving all eight break points on Monday.

Soderling is an eight-year veteran on the tour but had his big breakthrough when he beat Nadal in the fourth round in Paris. He lost to Roger Federer in straight sets in the final, and could face the Swiss star again in the fourth round here.

This is a disaster for tennis. Just say it simply.

Rafael Nadal will not play Wimbledon, which starts next week. He announced it on Friday, after two weeks of rehab for tendinitis in his knees.

"I'm better than I was a few weeks ago," he said. "And I just don't feel ready."

The disaster isn't just for the big party tennis was about to have, a two-week celebration of last year's classic Nadal-Federer Wimbledon final. That might have been the greatest match of all time, and even if it wasn't, it jump-started an entire sport.

Instead, there will be one giant hole in the middle of the Wimbledon draw.

WIMBLEDON, England (June 17) -- Rafael Nadal's French Open stumble failed to strip him of the world No. 1 ranking, and it won't cost him the top seed at Wimbledon either.

Nadal, the tournament's defending champion, was seeded No. 1 for Wimbledon on Wednesday. Top-ranked Dinara Safina, who lost to Svetlana Kuznetsova in the French Open final, earned the women's No. 1 seed.

There were no big surprises when the All England Club announced the seedings for the grass-court Grand Slam tournament, which opens June 22. The draw will be released Friday.

PARIS (AP) - Rafael Nadal's unbeaten run at the French Open is over.

The four-time defending champion lost to Robin Soderling of Sweden 6-2, 6-7 (7-2), 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) Sunday in the fourth round, ending his record 31-match winning streak at Roland Garros.

Soderling, seeded 23rd at this year's tournament, ran Nadal ragged on center court with his hard serve and booming forehand.

"This is just one more match," Soderling said.

What we're seeing at the French Open is the evolution of sport. Rafael Nadal, Modern Tennis Man, won his 29th consecutive match at Roland Garros Sunday, breaking Bjorn Borg's record of 28. Nadal is going for his fifth straight French title, which would break Borg's other unbreakable record.

And this isn't a baton handoff through history as much as a climb up the evolutionary ladder. Borg is Neanderthal man. Nadal is actually the same guy, modern epoch.