In Sunday’s Monte Carlo Open final, for the first time in eight matches and 18 months, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic. Does Rafa’s victory mean his Djokovic problem is over? Or do this week’s extenuating circumstances put a damper on Nadal win? Busted Racquet examines both sides.

Theory No. 1: A win is a win and Nadal will no longer find Djokovic to be unbeatable

It doesn’t matter how a streak ends, so long as it does. Djokovic was playing with a heavy heart in Monte Carlo. He had a gutty comeback win on the day he learned of his grandfather’s death. By the time he got to Sunday’s final, Djokovic looked like he was going through the motions. But he still showed up and still got outplayed by Nadal, something that hasn’t happened in a big-time match since the 2010 US Open final.

Nadal’s block was mental, not physical. Look back at list of recent losses to Djokovic. In most of them, you can pick out one turning point that swung the balance of power. (Serving at 3-2, 30-15 in the fifth set in Melbourne, Nadal had an easy backhand winner that he pushed wide. Djokovic went to break and tie the match. In the US Open final, that 17-minute, eight-deuce game in the second set could have changed the trajectory of the entire match.) The difference between the two players was ever-so-slight.

So now that Nadal has a better attitude about the match, the slight edge that Djokovic had will disappear. Nadal will continue his dominance on clay, while Djokovic will be holding runner-up trophies through the grass-court season. With a full head of steam heading into Wimbledon and the Olympics, who knows, Nadal could regain No. 1 by the US Open.

Theory No. 2: Djokovic was playing on physical and mental fumes. The win is mostly meaningless.

Here’s Novak after the match:

“I definitely don’t want to take anything away from Rafa’s win. He was a better player. But it’s a fact that I just didn’t have any emotional energy left in me. I’ve never been caught up in this kind of emotional situation before.”

Inner-monologue translation:

“I definitely want to take away from Rafa’s win. He was a better player than me today but only because I’m drained. My grandfather died five days ago and I missed his funeral. You think this match is a harbinger of things to come? Please. Rafa’s win today is like winning an exhibition. Just wait until Madrid.”

The answer: Both players know it’s theory No. 2.

Nadal isn’t a rube. He knows that he played a wounded opponent on Sunday at an event he always wins. It was an aberration. (Not his victory, but the level of play of his opponent.) Rafa isn’t naive enough to think that this match represents a shift in the dynamic of the rivalry. To do that, it’s going to take a win in Madrid or Roland Garros, when Djokovic is at full physical and mental strength. Winning in Monte Carlo was nice, nothing more. For now, it gets an asterisk.

Serena Williams held a Twitter Q&A with her fans on Friday, self-referentially dubbing it #serenafriday and answering all sorts of queries from fans. She spoke about her love of football, how excited she was to get her license and that she doesn’t have a favorite movie. She also dropped a mini-bombshell upon the masses: “I will never date again,” she wrote.

What did Serena mean? Is she not dating again because she’s found Mr. Right? Is she so jaded from years of tabloid rumors of relationships with former Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington and rapper Common and child actor/singer Drake that she’d finished with the ritual? Or is “dating” an archaic term that insinuates sock hops and drive-ins and Serena doesn’t believe that having dinner with a potential suitor in those terms?

She was not forthcoming with that information, despite follow-up questions from fans. What else did we learn from #serenafriday?

• She likes the Australian Open better than the US Open.

• Serena has been to Ireland.

• “An 80s character named Ted” is Serena’s dream TV role.

• She has no favorite movie.

• If Serena wasn’t playing tennis, she’d probably be sleeping.

• Tennis is the only sport she plays.

• Serena is able to give virtual hugs to fans who ask for them. But just a hug only. Virtual dating, one would assume, certainly has to be a Williams no-no.

Getting to No. 1 is nothing new for American Lisa Raymond. She’s been at the top of the WTA doubles rankings five times in her lengthy career, on-and-off for much of the past decade. Her recent rise to No. 1 is a bit different. In topping this week’s list, Raymond becomes the oldest man or woman in history to be at the top of a professional tennis ranking.

“It’s definitely a lot more special this time than ever before,” Raymond said in a WTA news report. “I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my career, and I found the right partner too.”

Raymond, 38, will be a co-No. 1 with her playing partner, Liezel Huber. With each successive win, she’ll move up the all-time doubles list, where she currently sits at No. 6 in most tournament victories (behind such names as Martina Navratilova and Billie Jean King).

“She has worked so hard to be back at the top and I can’t even imagine doing that at 38,” said Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez. “She and Liezel make a great team and will be going for the gold at the Olympics.”

Other Lisa stats:

• Fifth time reaching No. 1 and her first ascension to the top spot since 2007.

• Made her No. 1 debut on June 12, 2000. Bill Clinton was president, “Gladiator” was winning the box office and Caroline Wozniacki was 9.

• She won the career Slam in 2006 by winning the French Open. Overall, Raymond has won six Grand Slam titles.

The video for Caroline Wozniacki’s debut single, “Oxygen,” was released on Friday. Words cannot do it justice, but we’ll try. Dim the lights, turn up your speakers, hit play and follow along with our comprehensive, second-by-second breakdown of this monumental musical achievement.

0:00 — A DJ drops the needle on some vinyl. It’s the first time Caroline Wozniacki and every other viewer born after 1990 have ever seen such a thing.

0:07 — Caro leaves the hotel. In a show of rock star decadence, she’s staying at a Courtyard by Marriott. GANGSTA. I’m guessing she trashed the room by tipping over the combination lamp/ethernet port.

0:15 — There’s a dog. The dog goes through a stationary revolving door with no human assistance. The special effects budget on this video must have been in the high teens.

0:20 — The dog finds a young man dressed like a 45-year-old’s interpretation of what a hipster is. Maybe it’s one of those skinny jeans sniffing dogs.

0:23 — “Breathin’, breathin’.” If there’s not a creepy .gif of Caro robotically singing those words within the next 24 hours, then I don’t know the Internet.

0:26 — Caro drives away in a Lexus SUV. Do companies ever pay reverse product placement?

0:36 — Caro and Not Rory pull up in their respective cars. Mitt Romney is slightly disappointed the dog was in the back seat.

0:44 – If we’re to believe this video, Caro spends 75 percent of her day signing autographs, posing for photographs and getting Autotuned by dudes in purple hats.

0:55 — The video has more balls than I’d have expected. They’re everywhere.

1:03 — As Caro sings “oxygen,” there’s a shot of the dog panting. I see what you did there, Mr. Director.

1:10 — Caro and Not Rory flirt via messages written on tennis balls and delivered by the dog. How Nicholas Sparks hasn’t come up with this idea is beyond me.

1:21 — Director, to Caroline: “Look more maniacal when you sing. No, no. Deaden those eyes! Looks creepy. Think Jim Pierce! Good.”

1:40 — There’s a tightrope walker.

1:46 — Caro, Not Rory and the dog get on a subway train. Those crazy Europeans and their lax animals-on-public-transportation laws.

1:52 – HEY NOW! While holding the subway pole, Caro and Not Rory softly brush against each other’s hands. I hope they brought Purell. Those poles are germ magnets.

1:57 — It’s not clear whether the shots of musicians playing instruments match up with the use of said instruments in the song.

2:04 — Her name is Caroline. I apologize for calling you Caro.

2:09 — The dog is in the restaurant! A White House secretary immediately calls to make reservations.

2:18 — Not Rory is her match point.

2:22 – For a brief second, it looks like Caroline is out to dinner with Conan O’Brien.

2:30 — Caroline receives a phone call and rudely gets up from her chair before the bill comes. Always an effective move. I’m noting that for later tonight.

2:31 — She’s leaving! What happened? Who was on the phone? It must have been an emergency. Why else would she have had to get up in the middle of dinner without explanation. I’m guessing it was so important that there was no time for explanation. What other reason to leave in the dead of night?

2:46 — It’s daytime. Caroline is curbside at the airport, looking back fondly on the city she’s about to leave. If only she had more time to savor it! But, no, she had to quickly rush to the airport 10 hours ago.

2:54 — There’s Not Rory at the airport! That’s where they met! And he still has their flirty tennis ball! It was meant to be! Or not; Caroline smiles and drives away. Wait. What? She went to the airport, got out of her car, had her driver unpack her bags and then got back in a car and drove away? What games are you playing, Wozniacki?

3:12 — The camera pulls away to reveal lights, cameras and crew. This was just a video shoot! It wasn’t real! Real Rory McIlroy breathes a sigh of relief, as do we, for the song has mercifully ended.

3:18 — Actor Not Rory and Actor Caroline hug, thus showing more affection than they did in the entire fictional video.

Nobody in tennis intentionally wants to cut their hair short.

In the same week that Maria Sharapova fooled the world by releasing photos of her wearing a wig, Andy Murray showed up to the Monte Carlo Open with an actual haircut. The Scotsman had a new buzzcut that was supposed to be a metaphor for a new attitude. Gone were the shaggy locks and all the baggage that came with it. Murray was focused on business heading into the biggest summer of his life. (Or so the story went.)

Turns out the world No. 4 just used the wrong setting on the clippers. His mother, Judy, Great Britain’s Fed Cup coach, regaled the press with the story earlier this week.

“Andy borrowed some clippers from Treacle [trainer Matt Little], and didn’t know that it would be so short,” she said in Sweden. “Once he had started shaving his head at grade one, there was no going back; he had to carry on as you couldn’t have the hair different lengths. So he hadn’t worked out the settings on the clippers before he used them.”

All I’ve seen is a transcript of Judy’s quote, so it’s impossible to tell whether she was using her dry sense of humour. Reporters who were there seem to think she was serious, so we’ll take her at her word.

For the record, mom didn’t mind the accident. “Doesn’t matter, though,” she said. “I like the haircut.”

Thanks, The Tennis Space

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Hours after finding out his beloved grandfather, Vladimir, had died, Novak Djokovic battled back from a one-set deficit to defeat Alexander Dolgopolov at the Monte Carlo Open, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4. The world No. 1 was on a practice court earlier in the day when he received the news and left the court in tears.

Djokovic had lived with his Vladimir during the 1999 bombings in Serbia and credited him with having a great influence on his career. After his win in Thursday’s third-round match, Djokovic raised both hands to the sky and wept.

A recent “60 Minutes” piece included a clip of Novak visiting with his grandfather at his apartment in Belgrade. The world No. 1 spoke about how his grandfather, parents, brothers, aunts and uncles lived in the two-bedroom flat during the 78-day campaign. Cameras showed the basement bomb shelter where they’d retreat when air raid sirens sounded.

Last month, Djokovic tweeted about his grandfather’s influence after a win in Miami. “I wanted to dedicate this title to my grandfather Vladimir, who is always sending me lots of positive energy,” he wrote. “He is my hero and a fighter. He thought (sic) me since i was young to never give up.”

Canal+ captured video of Djokovic walking off the court after hearing of his grandfather’s death via cell phone. It’s a sad sight.

Djokovic didn’t talk to the press after the match and it’s unknown if he’ll remain in Monte Carlo for the rest of the week. He is seeking his first title at the clay court event. If he’s to win one for his “deda,” he’ll likely have to beat Rafael Nadal, who hasn’t lost in the event since 2003.

Maria Sharapova fooled us all. Two days after posting pictures of a new, short haircut on Facebook, the tennis star revealed that they were a fake. She revealed Wednesday that she was wearing a wig in the two photos that caused an international uproar.

To prove herself, Sharapova posted a new photo of her hair — still long and blonde – along with a disingenuous message that attempts to convince her Facebook followers that she didn’t mean to confuse anyone:

Wow, when I posted those photos with the short hair I had no idea everyone would all go bananza….( my dear friends, I never actually said I cut my hair!) so for the sake of my email inbox and it’s stressful 24 hours, I would like to showyou the below pictures…my hair is still long…and blonde…and well it’s pretty much the same! We did a shoot a few days ago and I sported all types of hair styles…long and yes short (a wig!!!).

I’d be more impressed if Sharapova admitted she pulled one over on the world rather than giving an unconvincing excuse. She got us. Own it, Masha.

I like to think I have a good nose for Internet hoaxes, but I was all in on this. Did it seem a little strange that she’d undergo a major transformation six months before her wedding? Sure. But given that she’s not a known prankster and that the cut was a realistic one, my BS detectors barely registered.

In case you didn’t see it, here are the pics Sharapova uploaded earlier in the week:

Plausible enough, right?

Tuesday is Jo-Wilfried Tsonga’s 27th birthday. When we saw his age, we had the same reaction we always when such dates hit the tennis calendar: Initially, we were surprised that he was so old. Then we thought about it and were amazed he was so young.

In honor of Tsonga’s birthday, we looked through player profiles to get a refresher course on how old some of the sport’s most popular players are. Take our “Who’s Older?” quiz to see how you are at evaluating the ages of tennis stars. Was Novak Djokovic born before Andy Murray? Which American teen star has a birthday four days before another?

1. Tsonga (4/17/85) older than Baghdatis (6/17/85)

2. Federer (8/8/81) older than Williams (9/26/81)

3. Murray (5/15/87) older than Djokovic (5/22/87)

4. Sharapova (4/19/87) older than Murray

5. Sharapova older than Petkovic (9/9/87)

6. Davydenko (6/2/81) older than Williams

7. Monfils (9/1/86) older than Ivanovic (11/6/87)

8. Radwanska (3/6/89) older than Cibulkova (5/6/89)

9. Jankovic (2/28/85) older than Kuznetsova (6/27/85)

10. Harrison (5/7/92) four days older than McHale (5/11/92)

11. Hantuchova (4/23/83) older than Clijsters (6/8/83)

12. Zvonareva (9/7/84) older than Bartoli (10/2/84)

13. Williams (6/17/80) older than Schiavone (6/23/80)

14. Tebow (8/14/87) older than Del Potro (9/23/88)

15. Gaga (3/28/86) older than Rafa (6/3/86)

On Monday night, Maria Sharapova unveiled a new, short haircut on her Facebook page to rave reviews from her seven million fans.

“So what do you guys think??,” she wrote. “I kind of love it!”

Us too. Masha wears this with style and grace. Then again, she’s such a beauty that she’d probably be able to rock a buzz and pull if off.

Sharapova has mostly kept to the same hairstyle since making her WTA debut as a teenager in 2002. She’s favored a long ponytail and visor combination for much of her career.

What will she do with her new ‘do on the court? We vote for the Gordon Gekko.

It will serve as a footnote, at best, in sports pages and Internet sites on Monday, but a bit of history was made early in the day when John Isner surpassed Mardy Fish to become the No. 1 player in American men’s tennis. In doing so, the 26-year-old becomes only the 12th player in 40 seasons to ascend to the top spot.

Most of the list include all-time legends (Connors, McEnroe, Agassi, Sampras) or one-time Grand Slam champions (Chang, Roddick). It’s a sad reflection on the state of American tennis that the three most-recent new No. 1s (Blake, Fish and Isner) are all without a major. The only other player to have reached that spot without the benefit of a major was Brad Gilbert, who snuck ahead of McEnroe and Agassi at the beginning of 1990.

The full list (in order of the first time they reached No. 1)

1. Sam Smith

2. Jimmy Connors

3. John McEnroe

4. Andre Agassi

5. Michael Chang

6. Brad Gilbert

7. Jim Courier

8. Pete Sampras

9. Andy Roddick

10. James Blake

11. Mardy Fish

12. John Isner

Isner reached No. 1 after making the finals of the US Clay Court Championships in Houston. He lost the final to Juan Monaco.