Rafael Nadal lost at Monte Carlo when he was 16 and hasn’t lost since. (Thomas Lovelock / Sports Illustrated)

The Watch List spotlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. This week, Rafael Nadal goes for an unheard of nine-straight titles in Monte Carlo, while Serena Williams is in action for Fed Cup.  

Monte Carlo Rolex Masters

[Complete Singles Draw]

In the pantheon of absurd records and statistics that make up Rafael Nadal’s “King of Clay” portfolio, none is as viscerally striking as his eight-straight titles in Monte Carlo. His last loss in The Principality was to Guillermo Coria in 2003, when he was just 16 years old. He returned two years later and hasn’t lost a match since, coming into this year’s tournament on a 42-match win streak. He comes into the tournament as the No. 3 seed for the first time since 2010 and he’s been drawn into Andy Murray’s half of the draw, with Novak Djokovic and his gimpy ankle firmly on the other side along with Juan Martin del Potro, Tomas Berdych and Richard Gasquet. Not that it really matters, especially given Djokovic’s injury concerns. Nadal is the man to beat here and he’s the favorite. But that doesn’t mean he’s the only one we’re watching this week.

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Serena Williams (right) beat sister Venus at the Family Circle Cup last week. (Stephen Morton/AP)

Serena and Venus Williams will play together on the U.S. Fed Cup team for the first time since February 2012 when the Americans host Sweden in the World Group Playoffs on April 20-21 in Delray Beach, Fla. Along with Sloane Stephens and Varvara Lepchenko, the Americans are fielding a surprisingly strong team comprised of the top four American women, all ranked inside the top 30.

Sweden will send a team led by 54th-ranked Sofia Arvidsson, Johanna Larsson, Hilda Melander and Sandra Roma. The U.S. is attempting to avoid relegation to World Group II after losing their opening tie 3-2 to Italy.

Daily Bagel: Robson picks doubles partner at Wimbledon

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Agnieszka Radwanska was displeased with the Fed Cup experience in Israel. (Getty Images)

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — Agnieszka Radwanska said the Polish Fed Cup team has written a letter to the ITF complaining about the crowd and tournament conditions during the Europe/Africa Group I playoff in Eilat, Israel in early February. Radwanska, who gave a remarkably curt press conference after the tie, was disappointed in the umpire’s inability to control the hostile crowd during Poland’s tie against Israel.

“[There were] a lot of things going on that shouldn’t be on that level,” Radwanska told a small group of reporters during her pre-tournament press conference at the BNP Paribas Open on Wednesday. “A lot of unfair behavior and things going on there. They wanted me to go to the press conference. After those kind of matches I shouldn’t really go. I went but my answers just showed how the matches went.”

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Rafael Nadal’s return was encouraging, but he eventually lost in the VTR Open final. (Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)

The Report Card hands out grades for the week in tennis. Last week, it was all about Rafael Nadal’s comeback at the VTR Open, though the women drummed up some dramatics in the Fed Cup.

Rafael Nadal: B-plus. Was Nadal rusty in his return to the court in Chile? Absolutely. Was his play a serious cause for concern? Absolutely not. The most important result of the week was that Nadal completed his matches, didn’t have to call a trainer and, on the whole, did not seem overly cautious or hesitant with his left knee. As Rafa emphasized all week, winning the title was secondary to the diagnostics.

“A week ago we didn’t know how the body would respond,” he said. “[Now] at least I know we can compete at a certain level. I think that was a positive week. … I will try to keep improving my physical sensations day by day, which is the most important thing because I don’t feel that my tennis level is bad. I need more time on court.”

The idea that Nadal needs time to get back into match mode was clear. After cruising through four relatively straightforward matches, Nadal ran into Horacio Zeballos. The 27-year-old Argentine was riding high on confidence after beating three seeds to make the final, running his tally to 14 consecutive wins on clay (including ATP Challengers) in the process. Zeballos went for broke in gunning for the lines, and, more often than not, he made his shots. It was “Rosol on Clay” if you were so inclined, and Zeballos exploited Nadal’s rusty movement and lack of confidence by stepping in on anything left short.

It will take some time before Nadal gets the measure of his forehand in match shape (his depth was woeful throughout the week), and he’ll need some more play to regain his split-second decision-making clarity. There were too many drop shots left unchallenged by Nadal, which could have been more mental than physical. Just give him some time.

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Rafael Nadal hasn’t played since bowing out of Wimbledon in the second round. (AFP/Getty Images)

The Watch List spotlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. Rafael Nadal highlights this week’s lineup. 

VTR Open

Clear your calendars for Wednesday: Nadal takes the court at the VTR Open in Vina Del Mar, Chile, for his first singles match since losing to Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon. That’s a seven-month layoff for the 11-time major champion, who was seen practicing hard in Chile this weekend with strapping around his left knee. Nadal said he still feels pain, but he’s opted to come back two weeks earlier than anticipated to test the knee and his confidence.

He’s been downplaying his chances in his return, but the ATP 250 field should offer little resistance early. He has a bye in the first round and will open against either a qualifier or No. 92 Guido Pella. If the seeds hold, he’ll face Daniel Gimeno-Traver, Jeremy Chardy and defending champion Juan Monaco for the title. Chardy is the hot hand after beating Juan Martin del Potro at the Australian Open and making the quarterfinals, while Monaco just won two matches on clay over the weekend in Davis Cup. Nadal has also paired with Monaco for doubles. Their first match will be Tuesday.

[Singles Draw]

I'll save the suspense as far as nadals return this week. If he plays the tournament on clay this week, he rolls to the title ….—
  (@andyroddick) February 03, 2013

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WTA CEO Stacey Allaster did not renew the WTA’s deal with the ITF after the ITF increased Fed Cup requirements for Olympic participation for Rio. (Getty Images)

Back in the spring, the International Tennis Federation announced its intention of strengthening the link between a player’s Davis Cup and Fed Cup participation to Olympic qualification. Prior to the 2012 London Olympics, players had to play two ties in the two years prior to the Olympics to maintain their Olympic eligibility. But in May, the ITF announced it would double those requirements for the 2016 Rio Olympics, requiring players to play four ties over four years to be eligible. The ITF made the decision without consulting the players, leading to Maria Sharapova having a one-on-one sit-down in Miami with the higher-ups at the ITF to discuss her displeasure.

“I’m disappointed,” Sharapova told the press in Stuttgart. “I met with them one on one in Miami. They didn’t listen to us at all.”

Of course, moaning about the rule change in advance of the London Olympics would have been an unnecessary negative distraction, but now that the dust has settled, WTA Chairman and CEO Stacey Allaster has remained firm about the WTA’s opposition to the ITF’s new rules. In this interview with Steve Flink for Tennis Channel (well worth a read), Allaster explained the Tour’s rationale for refusing to renew its agreement with the ITF, even after the ITF reduced the obligation to three ties in four years.

“The ITF decision on commitment to Fed Cup for the 2016 Olympic Games is a clear indication that they are not moving anywhere near the idea that Fed Cup and Olympic Games eligibility should be delinked.”

Allaster elaborates, “They think that it is fair and they believe playing the Olympic Games is a reward for representing your country. That is where we have a philosophical difference. We believe our athletes are playing for their country every day. I know when Maria Sharapova was in the trophy presentation after winning the French Open at Roland Garros, the Russian flag was raised. Draw sheets always have the athlete’s country beside their name. Compared to other professional sports, athletes at the caliber of ours in tennis do not have the same eligibility requirements with their national associations or their international federations. We think that is unfair.”

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Venus and Serena Williams won doubles gold at the Beijing Olympics despite a less than stellar commitment to Fed Cup. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

In last week’s Toss, SI.com tennis producer C.W. Sesno came on to discuss the recent stability at the top of the WTA, a change from the last four years. Here to stay, or another fad? The readers have spoken, but barely: 56 percent of poll takers think the WTA’s top four will remain competitive at the top of the rankings.

This week, tennis blogger Ben Rothenberg joins The Toss to delve into the recent changes the ITF put in place for qualifying for the 2016 Olympics.

Today’s Toss: Should there be separate Olympic qualification requirements for tennis players?

Courtney Nguyen: Thanks for joining me this week, Ben. I don’t know about you, but the “B”, “L”, “U” and “E” keys on my laptop are no longer functioning thanks to Madrid, so let’s do everyone a favor and not talk about that whole mess. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have Olympic fever than a bad case of the blues.

Before we dive into this debate a bit of background is in order. The ITF recently announced a significant change in the qualification rules for the 2016 Olympics. Currently, players must make themselves available for two Davis Cup or Fed Cup ties in the two years before the Olympics, hence Serena Williams’ recent sojourn to Kharkiv, Ukraine in April. But beginning after the London Olympics, players will have to make themselves available to play four times in an Olympic cycle. It’s fairly obvious that the impetus for the change is to use Olympic qualifying as a way to get players to commit more regularly to Davis Cup and Fed Cup, competitions that are run by the ITF. The change hasn’t gone down well with the top players, who have complained that it forces them to play more in a season that is already long and grueling.

We can talk about whether the changes are good or bad but I thought it would be fun to discuss an even broader issue: Should there even be Olympic qualification rules for tennis players? Why not just do a modified direct acceptance scheme (limiting the number of players from a single country) like they do at the Slams, which is based entirely on ranking?

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Tomas Berdych upset Andy Murray on Friday to reach the Monte Carlo semifinals. (Getty Images)

1. Is Tomas Berdych the ATP No. 5?: Berdych is through to the Monte Carlo semifinals after upsetting Andy Murray today, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 6-3. It wasn’t a great performance from Murray, who struggled with his forehand all day, though Berdych was solid, proving once again that the idea that big men can’t play on clay should go out with the trash.

I’ve been impressed that Berdych has been able to gradually improve over the last two years and become a mainstay in the top 10. The Czech always had top 10 tools, hitting big from the baseline, but his propensity to choke away matches was pretty legendary. Ever since his Wimbledon final run in 2010, Berdych found his belief and his swagger and he got … mean. Where he used to have a reputation for being soft and relatively shy or soft-spoken with the press, there’s a newfound edge about the guy now. Ask a question that’s slightly critical and he’ll give you a dismissive and smug answer while looking at you dead in the eye. To be clear, he’s not rude, snippy, or defensive about it. It just seems like he’s embraced his role as the spoiler and the bad guy and he’s OK with it now. Whatever it is, it’s working for him on court.

In my mind, he’s the ATP No. 5 right now.

2. Fed Cup roundup: What does Russian Fed Cup captain Shamil Tarpischev know that we don’t? Despite the fact that Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova is 3-8 in 2012 and hasn’t beaten anyone in the top 40 in a completed match this year, Tarpischev chosen to nominate her for singles on Saturday against Serbia. In fact, Pavlyuchenkova hasn’t beaten anyone in the top 20 in a completed match since the U.S. Open, though one of the players she did beat back then was Jelena Jankovic, who she’ll  play on Saturday. No love for Maria Kirilenko, Tarpi? Saving her for singles and doubles on Sunday? We’ll see.

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Rafael Nadal has won seven straight titles at the Monte Carlo Masters. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

The Watch List spotlights the must-know storylines for the upcoming week in tennis. This week, Rafael Nadal aims for his eighth straight Monte Carlo title, while the Fed Cup features some intriguing ties.

Monte Carlo

Cliche alert: What happens when immovable object meets unstoppable force? Rafael Nadal hasn’t lost in Monte Carlo since 2003 (his first year playing the event) and he’s going for a jaw-dropping eighth straight title there. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, the man who owned him in 2011 and beat him twice on clay last year, has decided to crash the party and kick off his French Open tune-up campaign in Rafa’s sandbox. How dominant has Nadal been in Monte Carlo? In the last five years he’s lost only two sets. To say he’s comfortable in Monte Carlo is an understatement.

So what do we make of his chances this year? Nadal withdrew from the semifinals of Miami because of tendinitis in his left knee, and though he’s still in the No. 2 spot, he hasn’t won a title since Roland Garros. But Rafa’s always been able to get his feet back under him in Monte Carlo. Needless to say, a clash between the top two seeds in the final would clearly set the tone for the rest of the clay season.

Of course, both guys need to get to the final, which is no guarantee. Djokovic has the tougher half of the draw, with last year’s finalist, David Ferrer, in his quarter (see the complete draw here). A freshly shorn Andy Murray, who is one of two men in the draw who has taken a set off Nadal in Monte Carlo, has also been drawn into Djokovic’s half. But Murray, who defeated Djokovic earlier this year in Dubai, has never beaten the Serb on clay, and he has a tricky path to the semis himself.

Murray has Victor Troicki in the second round, and could face Jurgen Melzer and Tomas Berdych along the way. All winnable matches for Murray, and yet, would it surprise anyone if he lost one? For the first time in his career, Murray comes into the clay season with a good amount of pressure to back up his strong 2011 results (semifinalist in Monte Carlo, Rome and Roland Garros).

Nadal, on the other hand, shouldn’t face much resistance until the quarterfinals, where he could face fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro (who has never beaten Nadal in seven attempts). From there, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is the only potential semifinalist who could give Rafa problems, but the fact is we don’t call him the Clay G.O.A.T. for nothing. I suspect he’ll make it through to the finals with nary a peep (assuming he’s healthy, of course).

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Serena Williams won both her singles rubbers to help lead the U.S. past Belarus in Fed Cup. (Steven Senne/AP)

Fed Cup action headlined the week of tennis, with the U.S. bageling Belarus 5-0 on the heels of two singles wins from Serena Williams, and an unlikely Serbian played hero to send the Serbs to the World Group semifinals in April.

Let’s take a closer look at the week’s action with some grades.

U.S. vs. Belarus Fed Cup tie: C-plus. Victoria Azarenka took all the “Woo!” out of Worcester, Mass., (OK, enough grunting jokes already) when she ruled herself out of both singles matches due to a mysterious lower back injury. Without the prospect of a Serena vs. Vika showdown, the weekend quickly turned into Williams Watch 2012, as we waited to see how well Serena was playing and whether Venus would play at all. As it happened, Serena played what she described as “the worst match” of her career in a 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over Anastasia Yakimova, and Venus indeed took the court in a quick 6-1, 6-2 doubles win with Liezel Huber. (And In non-Williams news, Christina McHale notched two strong singles wins as the Americans cruised to a 5-0 win.)

I suspect Serena would be far harsher with the grading, given that her form was so sketchy in her match against Yakimova on Sunday. She wasn’t happy with how the decisive rubber unfolded, saying the opening set was “definitely the worst set (of her career), by far.” She continued: “At one point I hit a forehand almost in the stands, and I almost walked off the court.” While her comments after the match were lighthearted after a lopsided U.S. victory, she was clearly upset enough to “pull a Baghdatis” on a changeover. And that was probably the best piece of hitting she did during that troublesome first set. “Probably a lot of power, which I have,” Williams said, when asked what makes a quality racket smash, “and a tremendous amount of anger. It just gets better when you have more anger.”

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