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Thread: Rafael Nadal

  1. #31
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    An thrilling semi final between Nadal and Djokovic in Mutua Madrilena Masters this year.


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  3. #32
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    June 19, 2009

    Rafa played an exhibition match yesterday afternnon against Lleyton Hewitt at the Hurlingham Club where he lost 6-4 6-3 and will play against Stanislas Wawrinka today at around 2:30pm (local time).

    "I love to play at the Hurlingham Club. Today's match was a real test, as close to reality as it could get. I will come back and play again and then make my decision about playing at Wimbledon or not," said Rafa after the match.

    After the encounter, Rafa will hold a press conference.

    Many thanks.

    http://www.rafaelnadal.com/nadal/en/home

  4. #33
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Nadal withdraws from Wimbledon

    Friday, 19 June 2009

    Written by Byron Vale


    Rafael Nadal has announced he will not defend his Wimbledon title.

    The world number one and top seed had said after the French Open that he would not play Wimbledon if he was not 100% and so it has come to pass.

    "I’m here and I'm just not 100%. I'm better than what I was a couple of weeks ago but I don’t feel right," Nadal told a packed press conference on Friday evening at the All England Club.

    "To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career."

    After suffering a shock defeat in the French Open to Robin Soderling, Nadal received treatment on his knees in Barcelona and skipped the traditional Wimbledon warm-up at Queen’s in an effort to be fit for The Championships. He was diagnosed with tendinitis in both quadriceps tendons as well as a small amount of fluid on the kneecaps.

    "I tried everything. I didn't feel terrible but also not close to my best. When I enter a tournament my goal is winning and my feeling right now is I'm not ready to win.

    "It's very painful for me but I can't play at the tournament this year. It's tough but it is what it is."

    Nadal's absence will cause a reshuffle in the men’s singles draw. Number five seed Juan Martin Del Potro replaces Nadal at the top of the draw. The 17th seed James Blake moves to line 65 to take Del Potro's position. Nicolas Kiefer moves to line 56 to take Blake's position and lucky loser Thiago Alves takes Kiefer's position on line 61.

    Nadal revealed that he had been playing with considerable pain and he didn't know how long he would be out of tennis. But he said he expected to fully recover from his knee problems and that he would have a "long career".

    "I played with some problems on the knee for the last few months. I've been making efforts to play week after week. The truth is that sportsmen always play with pain and don't know where the limit is, where you can get to. I think I reached that limit now.

    "I will work very hard to comeback as soon as possible. One of the problems is I’m thinking more about the knees than what is happening on court and it’s very difficult to play like that."

    When Nadal was asked about his many fans and how disappointed they would be that he was not appearing at Wimbledon, the 23-year-old replied: "no more than me".

    Nadal also said he was not concerned that his absence would open the door for Roger Federer to reclaim the number one world ranking. "If I lose the number one ranking I’m going to accept it like the four years I was number two and work hard to improve and recover."

    http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/...395523523.html

  5. #34
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Nadal def. Federer: 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 2-6,7-6
    Nadal had established himself as the King of Clay by winning his first French Open the year prior to this match, where he beat Federer in the semis. Two weeks before this Rome final Federer had lost to Nadal at the Masters series in Monaco in a somewhat lack-luster final. All the pressure was on Federer to show that he could beat Nadal on clay before the French Open.
    Federer gets an early break in the 1st set but is unable to hold on to it. Nonetheless, it is clearly Federer who is in control of most rallies and he wins the 1st set in a flawlessly played tie-break.

    However, Nadal raises the level of his game in the 2nd set and Federer's level drops slightly. With no breaks, the 2nd set goes to a tie-break, but Nadal is in the ascendancy now and takes it. In the 3rd set Nadal is dominating Federer in the rallies and Federer is missing some crucial forehands.

    But just as one might expect that Federer is out the match, he returns to his better play from the 1st set. He breaks Nadal twice and takes the 4th set 6-2. He then goes on to get an early break in the 5th set, but just like the 1st set, he can't hold on to it. As things tighten up towards the end of the 5th set, both men have chances, but none greater than Federer, who holds two match points on Nadals serve at 6-5. Nadal survives to send the set to a deciding tiebreak. Federer again is up in the breaker on two occasions but can't hold on - and Nadal wins it 7-5 on his first match point.

    This is no doubt the best ATP match played in 2006 and is in many ways the great French Open final between the two that we never had. The level of play is sky-high, Federer is attacking the net with great success and Nadal hits topspin forehands like no one but Nadal does. It makes for a nice contrast in playing style. My only criticism is perhaps that the match is a little monotonous with many of the points following similar patterns, and that the slow clay doesn't allow Federer to hit as many miraculous winners as you see on faster surfaces. Nonetheless, this match is likely to go down as the best match the two ever played, and it is highly recommended.

    Stat of the match: Federer won 64 of 84 points when he came to the net (76%).

  6. #35
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    PLAYERS

    Making History in a Hurry
    Finals 2008

    by Joel Drucker
    | 07.11.2008


    Getty Images
    Rafael Nadal had legions of fans even before becoming No. 1.

    It has been known for some time that Rafael Nadal will be regarded as one of the best clay court players the game has ever seen. But after one of the finest seasons of the Open Era, can there be any doubt that Rafa is destined to become an all-time great?

    "Actually I walked up to Rafael Nadal. And he is probably my favorite tennis player to watch and I walked up to him and I was like, 'I just want to meet you and don't take a picture or anything, I just want to meet you.' And I told him, 'I watch you all the time when you play tennis and I love watching you play tennis.' I told him good luck."
    — swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of eight Olympic gold medals in Beijing

    Demonstrating the same tidal wave force with which he overwhelms his opponents, Rafael Nadal has sprinted his way into history. At 15, he won his first ATP match. At 17, he became the youngest man since Boris Becker to reach the third round of Wimbledon. At 19, he became the first man in more than 20 years to win the Roland Garros title on his main draw debut.

    His pace accelerated in 2008. Amazingly, Nadal did not win his first tournament of the year until April 27. Capturing his fourth straight Masters Series Monte Carlo title that day with a win over Roger Federer, Nadal commenced a tri-continental performance that will leave tennis aficionados dazzled for years to come. In just under four months, he won eight tournaments, wracking up a 48-2 record and a 32-match winning streak highlighted by victories at the French Open and Wimbledon. Just prior to the US Open, Nadal took over the World No. 1 ranking from Federer.

    It was a year that changed everything in shaping Nadal's mark on history, elevating him to pre-eminence as more than a clay-court specialist but perhaps placing him on a path towards becoming an all-time great.

    What's interesting, though, is that once again 22-year-old Nadal has sprinted his way into the conversation. Over the last five years, talk of history, legacy and all-time greatness has been largely confined to Federer, all for good reason given the Swiss' massive achievements. Yet as much as Nadal continued to enhance his game, not until that final point at Wimbledon did it become clear that Nadal too could end up a tennis titan.

    There were good reasons for this. A year ago, Nadal held three Grand Slam titles earned only at Roland Garros and a pair of runner-up efforts at Wimbledon. That's a superb, Hall of Fame-worthy resume, but as is the case with Gustavo Kuerten and Patrick Rafter, earning multiple Slams at one venue leaves a player perceived more as an occasional titlist than a champion for the ages.

    By proving himself a man for all surfaces – besides Wimbledon, Nadal in 2008 reached the semis for the first time at the Australian and the US Open – Nadal has significantly upgraded his place in tennis history. In nearly doubling his Slam output to five, Nadal vaulted past the likes of Kuerten, Jim Courier, Guillermo Vilas and now stands but one Slam title away from such multi-venue champions Becker and Stefan Edberg.

    While it's quite likely he'll earn his sixth Slam soon enough, as the 22-year-old Nadal nears his mid-20s, it's easy to imagine Nadal earning more Slams – figures that take him into the realm of such all-time top tenners as McEnroe (seven) and eight-Slammers Agassi, Connors, Ivan Lendl and Ken Rosewall. Start hitting doubles digits, and among Open era champions you enter the rarified air occupied only by Borg, Laver, Federer and Pete Sampras.

    It's easy to forget this, but early in 2008 there were times when Nadal looked weary, most notably when he lost in the Indian Wells semifinals to Novak Djokovic and the final of the Sony Ericsson Open to Nikolay Davydenko. As recently as Masters Series Hamburg in May, he stood one set away from dropping to No. 3 in the world.

    But in Paris, Nadal's tremendous sense of urgency and competitive fury was brilliant. His fourth straight French Open was his most dominant of all, the Spaniard failing to yield a set (a feat last attained at Roland Garros by Borg in 1980). At Wimbledon, he beat Federer in the greatest match in tennis history, 9-7 in the fifth. Again following in Borg's footsteps, Nadal that day became the first man since the Swede in 1980 to win Roland Garros and Wimbledon in the same year.

    Nadal's other six 2008 titles included an Olympic gold medal in Beijing, as well as three ATP Masters Series events (Monte Carlo, Hamburg, Toronto). During this run, he'd snapped up multiple titles on clay, grass and hard courts.

    "I know how tough it is to be No. 1," Nadal said during the US Open. "And I know for sure I can go back to No. 2 or No. 3 in next months, no? So you have to be ready for everything and try to enjoy this moment and accept everything."

    How does Nadal's 2008 rank among the greatest years in Open era history? The pinnacle is Rod Laver's unmatched 1969 calendar-year sweep of all four Slams. Five years later, Jimmy Connors won 99 out of 103 matches and every Slam he entered, the only gap resulting when Connors' participation in World Team Tennis led to his banishment from Roland Garros (another mitigating factor: the extreme shallowness in those years of the Australian Open field). In 1988, Mats Wilander also won three Slams, losing in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.

    In a three-decade span from 1969 to 1999, there were 20 different years when a man earned two Slams in a calendar year, led by Pete Sampras accomplishing this on four occasions between 1993 and '97.

    Federer has topped everyone but Laver, notching a trio of three-Slam years in 2004, 2006 and 2007.

    So while certainly Nadal's 2008 has been spectacular, it joins a long list of other notable tennis seasons. But perhaps the most engaging part of Nadal's success is his youth – and the way everything from his success to his demeanor gives evidence of even more great things to come.

    If Nadal's sprint up the mountain hasn't been quite as fast as Borg's, it's pretty darn close. The Swede is the youngest man in tennis history to have earned a fifth Slam, reaching that figure the week he turned 22 at the 1978 French Open. Nadal's fifth Slam, at Wimbledon, came a month after his 22nd birthday.

    The two also share a stylistic affinity. Like Nadal, Borg burst on the scene as a precocious, understated prodigy graced with an alluring mystique, the hair of a rock star and an iron will. Having built a cult as tennis' "Teen Angel," Borg earned his first of six French Open titles in 1974, 10 days after he turned 18. As is the case currently with Nadal, Borg on clay was a human backboard, able to cover the court for hours on end with scarcely an unforced error. But just like Nadal, early in his career, Borg's dominance on clay threatened to overshadow his overall excellence.

    Like Nadal, Borg at first was considered too much of a defensive baseliner to make an impact on the grass of Wimbledon. Everything from his grips to his volley skills was considered unworkable at the All England Club.

    Soon enough, though, the Swede and Spaniard proved the world wrong. In the quest to win Wimbledon, Borg and Nadal each dramatically improved his serve, slightly adjusted his court positioning closer to the baseline and, perhaps most telling of all, displayed a willingness to shed innate defense in favor of selective offense.

    "What's so impressive about Nadal is his increased understanding of how to play on grass," nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova said on the lawns of the All England Club. "He's hitting his backhand earlier, he's slicing it intelligently and his movement is just incredible."

    But in a less quantifiable, more emotional sense, Nadal and Borg part ways. Though Borg was unquestionably an all-time great by his early 20s, he'd also grown increasingly world-weary. The pressures of turning back such ravenous competitors as Connors, McEnroe and an ascending Ivan Lendl, the monk-like rituals he followed in practice, the demands of fame and, perhaps most painfully, the limitations of his attrition-based playing style – all of it made Borg more of a reluctant ruler than an ambitious, blood-thirsty warrior.

    Nadal, of course, is just the opposite. There's nothing jaded or bored in Nadal's attitude, no sense as Borg displayed that the life of a tennis pro is a drain on one's soul. There came a point in Borg's career, for example, when the smaller events meant far less to him than the majors, a pragmatism that perhaps in some ways hindered his growth as a player – and certainly revealed his competitive fatigue.

    "It's not a question of opting for quantity or quality," Nadal says about his active playing schedule. "You go for what there is, you play what you can play. There is no alternative but to play. Nothing more, nothing less."

    In that sense, while Nadal's grinding game has its ancestral roots in Borg (and even more closely, another clay-court maestro, left-handed Argentine Vilas), his battle-hungry temperament is more like Connors. This is a man who loves to compete, day in and day out. Not content to merely peak for the majors, Nadal has already won 12 ATP Masters Series titles, third all-time behind Andre Agassi's 17 and Federer's 14.

    How large a legacy Rafael Nadal will leave is one of the great questions of contemporary tennis. In large part it's a question that's been under a rock for many years but is now, much like Nadal, staring the entire sport – and Roger Federer most of all – right in the face. He faces many more battles. But while Borg waved his white flag and surrendered at the age 25, Nadal wouldn't have it any other way.

    "I only want to progress," says Nadal. "That's what you have to do if you are No. 1 and want to stay there. I want to stay there and I will fight to do that."

    http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEU...o-History.aspx

  7. #36
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Voted for Nadal in ESPY's best Tennis Male Athlete award for 2008.

    15 ATP Master's 1000 series Titles @ 22.
    8 ATP Titles in 2008
    Snatched the world number one ranking after 160 weeks.
    Won Wimbledon and Australian Open.
    Olympic Gold Medal. Poor Guy will be dropping 800 points for that next month.
    Has 3 ATP Master's 1000 series titles this year. Actually he has won 5 Monte Carlo 1000 series from 2005-09. And he won in Barcelona also.
    Actually he will emulate Agassi's record(Not Roger's record of Career Grandslam) if he wins an US Open Title this year or may be next year or in the future until 2012. Since both Agassi and Nadal have Olympics Singles Titles and Roger has a Doubles Title.



    P.S: Anybody interested in voting go here

    http://promo.espn.go.com/espn/specia...ys2009/#/home/
    .

  8. #37
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Vamos Rafaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!

    Nadal Targets Montreal Return
    Player News
    by ATP Staff
    | 06.07.2009

    Reigning ATP World Tour Champion Rafael Nadal is targeting his return to tennis at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Montreal, beginning 10 August. The Spaniard is the defending champion at the Rogers Cup, having defeated Nicolas Kiefer in the final last year. He also triumphed in Montreal in 2005 with victory over Andre Agassi.

    The 22 year old was not able to defend his grass-court titles at The Queen’s Club or Wimbledon due to knee tendinitis. At the time, the Mallorcan said: “To not play Wimbledon is one of the toughest decisions of my career. I have some time now to recover and will work very hard to return as soon as possible.”

    Speaking to Matt Dickson of The Daily Mail though, Nadal’s spokesman Benito Perez Barbadillo confirmed that the Spaniard is expected back on the practice courts within the next few weeks. He is currently doing pure fitness work, while having treatment on the tendinitis in his knee.

    “The plan is still very much that he plays in the Montreal Masters beginning on August 10. He is entered into it and that is what will happen if things go as we think they will,” said Perez-Barbadillo.

    With his return to the court, Nadal will also look to win back the No. 1 spot in the South African Airways 2009 Rankings. The Spaniard’s 46-week reign atop the Rankings came to an end on Monday as Roger Federer reclaimed the No. 1 position after clinching his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.

    http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Ten...al-Return.aspx

  9. #38
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Update on Rafa
    RAFA UNDERWENT MED EXAMS TODAY. WILL RESUME PRACTICE ON MONDAY AND WILL PLAY MONTREAL
    .
    Manacor, Balearic Islands - Spain, July 14th, 2009
    Rafa Nadal underwent further medical tests today in Barcelona. He is slowly recovering from his injury and will resume practice next Monday July 20th. He will back in action in Montreal where he is defending champion.
    Rafa travelled to Barcelona yesterday and underwent medical exams to see the evolution of the insertion tendinitis of both Quadricipitals Tendons through an MRI and radiography under the supervision of his doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro.
    "The evolution of his injury is positive and the player will continue with his physiotherapy and muscular work and will resume his tennis activity in a progressive way starting next Monday July 20th, estimating his return to competition on August 8th at the Montreal event" says Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, Rafa's doctor.
    Rafa will travel back today to Manacor to continue with his recovery plan and will resume his tennis practice next Monday.
    Rafa Nadal: "I am happy with the way the tests went and of the positive evolution of the injury as the doctors are saying. I am really looking forward to practice again and to do again what I most like: to play tennis. The event in Montreal is important and I expect to be there fit to play. Until then I need to continue to work on my recovery and practice well."
    .
    http://www.rafaelnadal.com/nadal/en/home

  10. #39
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    stomach is churning already...vandhuttAnya vandhuttAnya!

  11. #40
    Senior Member Platinum Hubber ajithfederer's Avatar
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    Vaaamoss Rafaa :P

    Plum/Others, FEI - Spain singam is the defending champion in Cincinatti.

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