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#1 · (Edited)
El entorno, lo mejor de Rafa
Por Jordi Arrese

Qué hace diferente a Rafa Nadal del resto de los tenistas? Tengo muy claro que lo que marca la diferencia es el entorno, la familia que le ha dado una educación exquisita, y un tío, Toni que, además es su preparador, y le dice las cosas tal como son. Nadal es un chaval de 18 años, humilde, sencillo que, gracias a esa educación, valora todo en la vida y está pendiente de que todo el mundo esté a gusto. Los tenistas, por lo general, de por sí se vuelven egocéntricos, y llegan a ser mimados por todo el mundo. Les dan casi todo hecho y encuentran todas las cosas fáciles. Si el entrenador fuera el que pagara, seguramente serían mejores y más fuertes de lo que suelen ser.

Con Nadal no pasa eso. Desde su entorno no han entrado afortunadamente en esta dinámica. Lo tratan como a un chaval de 18 años, sea o no campeón, cuando él razona como uno de 25 años. Lo educan para la vida y potencian esa parte salvaje que tiene y que, para mí, han convertido a Rafa en el jugador mentalmente más fuerte del mundo junto con el australiano Lleyton Hewitt.

Para mí no es una sorpresa que Nadal se presente en el Tenis Barcelona entre los once primeros del mundo. Desde que tenía 14 años ya dije que Nadal iba a ser un número uno, y creo que si no hubiese sido por la lesión que sufrió el año pasado, que lo apartó de la temporada de tierra, Rafa estaría en lo más alto. Porque antes de esa lesión había demostrado que podía ganar a todo un número uno como Roger Federer.

Pero Rafa todavía tiene mucho margen por delante para mejorar. Creo que tras cada torneo que juega, tras cada partido que gana, tras cada título que obtiene, Rafa Nadal es mejor jugador y persona, donde para mí merece un 10.

Rafa Nadal es, además, un buen jugador de equipo, que será muy útil al tenis español. Con su forma de ser, con su personalidad, con esa humildad y sencillez que tiene, Rafa ha conseguido que no haya un tenista que no quiera que gane; el que no lo desea es porque no tiene un buen corazón.

The environment, the best thing about Rafa
By Jordi Arrese

What does Rafa Nadal do differently to the other tennis players? I can clearly see that what makes the difference is his environment, his family who has given him an excellent education, and an uncle, Toni, who is also his coach, and he tells him things straight. Nadal is a young lad of 18, humble, simple, who, thanks to that education, appreciates everything in life, always makes sure everyone else is ok. In general, tennis players at the best of times become egocentric and they get mollycoddled by everyone. Everything is pretty much done for them and they find things very easy. If it were the coach who was the one paying, they'd definitely be better and stronger than what they usually are.

With Nadal, that doesn't happen. Fortunately, in his environment, they have not become involved with this sort of dynamic. They treat him like a young lad of 18, champion or not, when he speaks like a 25 year old. They educate him in life skills and strengthen that wild part of him that for me, have made Rafa the strongest player in the world mentally along with the Australian, Lleyton Hewitt.

It doesn't surprise me that Nadal is coming to the Barcelona tourament being in the top 11. Since he was 14, I always said Nadal was going to be number 1, and I think that if it hadn't been for his injury last year, which forced him out of the clay season, Rafa would be even higher. Because before that injury, he had shown he could beat a #1 like Roger Federer.

But Rafa still has a lot of room for improvement. I think that after every tournament he plays, after every match he wins, after every title he gets, Rafa Nadal is a better player and person and for me he deserves a 10.

Rafa Nadal is also a great team member, which will be very useful to Spanish tennis. With the way he is, his personality, his humility and simplicity, Rafa has made it such that there is no player who doesn't want him to win. For those that don't want him to win, it's because they don't have a good heart.
 
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#2,209 ·
So that's it for 2012. :sad: :tears: Let's hope for the best for the AO and 2013, vamos!

Nadal Withdraws From Paris And Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
Paris, France
by ATP Staff
25.10.2012

Rafael Nadal announced his withdrawal from the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris as well as the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London on Thursday due to a left knee injury.

Nadal said, "It’s disappointing for me to miss the last two tournaments of the season in Paris and London, but it doesn't come as a surprise. I will hopefully resume my tennis practice soon since I am making good progress with my recovery from injury. I am not ready to compete in time for these events so I will continue my recovery in Mallorca and work hard to be back as soon as possible."

Brad Drewett, ATP Executive Chairman & President, said: "We wish Rafa all the best as he continues his rehabilitation from injury. Rafa is an incredible champion and it goes without saying that he has been missed on the ATP World Tour over the past few months. We look forward to welcoming him back on the tour very soon."

Nadal has not played since 28 June, when he lost to Czech Lukas Rosol 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the Wimbledon second round.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2012/10/Features/Paris-London-Finals-Nadal-Withdraws.aspx
 
#2,211 ·
The return postponed again, no Abu Dhabi, he got a stomach virus now! :eek: :tape: :sad:
Rafa on FB yesterday:
I am very disappointed that I will not be able to compete this year in Abu Dhabi. I was really excited about returning to play and I always have a wonderful experience at the event and this is the first time I will miss the tournament.

My rehab has gone well, my knee feels good and I was looking forward to competing. Unfortunately doctors have informed me that my body needs to rest in order to fight this stomach virus. I would like to say sorry to all my fans in the United Arab Emirates and around the world, but I hope to play and win in Abu Dhabi again next year.See More
 
#2,212 ·
Wonderful, no Rafa at Doha or AO either. Probably until Feb 25th. :eek: :tape: :help: :smash: :smash: :banghead: At least I will sleep through the nights now during the AO. :smash: :banghead:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/01/Features/Nadal-Delays-ATP-World-Tour-Return.aspx

Nadal Withdraws From Doha And Australian Open
Doha, Qatar

by ATP Staff
28.12.2012

Rafael Nadal has been forced to withdraw from the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha and the Australian Open due to a stomach virus.

"My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn’t allow me to practise this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled,” said Nadal.

I will have to wait until the [Abierto Mexicano Telcel] Acapulco tournament to compete again although I may consider to play before [that] at another ATP World Tour event.”

The 26-year-old Spaniard has not played competitively since 28 June, when he lost to Czech Lukas Rosol 6-7(9), 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 in the Wimbledon second round.

Angel Ruiz-Cotorro, Nadal’s doctor and Director of the Centro Mapfre de Medicina del Tenis, said, “Last week, Rafa Nadal suffered a viral process that provoked a gastroenteritis with high fever for four or five days.”
:help: :eek:
 
#2,217 ·
:sad::sad::sad::sad::sad::sad::sad:
 
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#2,218 ·
MADRID — Rafael Nadal, who is set to fly to Chile on Thursday to return to the ATP tour seven months later than planned, is a different man: he has a new racquet, a new approach to his business interests and a lot of questions regarding his tennis.

Can the former world No1 go back to being the player he once was? As soon as Nadal confirmed his return to the tour after a long injury break, the International Tennis Federation proceeded to test him for doping four times in two weeks, according to sources close to the player.

Overall, Nadal was tested "six or seven" times ahead of his return, International Tennis Federation president Francesco Ricci Bitti told DPA.

However, since he recovered from a double knee injury and started to play again last November, the Spaniard has spent most of his time trying to adapt to the new tool of his trade: Babolat’s Aeropro Drive racquet.

Like most players, Nadal is conservative when it comes to his play; he does not like to change what appears to be working. But that is precisely what coaches are there for.

"Uncle Toni (Nadal) put pressure on Rafa to change. If you want to be better, you have to take risks," said Eric Babolat, owner of the company that makes the racquet Nadal has been playing with since the age of 12. He said Nadal usually tells his uncle and coach, "I don’t agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll give it a try."

According to Babolat, the new racquet and new strings give "more power and more control" to the Spaniard’s shots. "More top spin, he already has a lot of that, but he wants more," he said.

The racquet maker concedes it is "a nightmare for rivals", the height that Nadal’s strokes attain due to this top-spin effect.

By the end of the year, the racquet could be even closer to science fiction, because the plan is to put on it a chip that will collect data about every stroke.

"It could become a habit, something usual after sport: sitting with your friends to compare each one’s technical data," Babolat said.

While Nadal adapts to his racquet ahead of the Vina del Mar, Sao Paulo and Acapulco tournaments he is set to play next month, his business activities are taking on a new dimension.

Carlos Costa, a former top 10 tennis player who has been Nadal’s manager for years, left the agency IMG, the world’s biggest in the field, to create a family company with Sebastian Nadal, Rafael’s father.

The move is just like the one that Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and his manager, Tony Godsick, made a few months earlier.

Godsick left IMG and now he and Federer manage all the business generated by the former world No1. There are no longer any commissions to pay or anything to debate: they have control of everything.

The same thing is to happen with Nadal from now on.

Once he has chosen his racquet and set his business interests on a new track, questions focus on the winner of a record seven titles at the French Open: at 26, will he be able to replicate the form and results of his best years? Several top commentators have doubts.

"I don’t think he necessarily needs time to be Nadal, but I think he needs some time for the other players to think of him as the old Nadal, because I think players lose a lot of respect: not respect for him as a person, but respect for his level," Mats Wilander said.

The Swede, a three-time French Open winner and former world No1, is sure that even if his name is Rafael Nadal, "he’s still an outsider" in Paris this year, with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer the men to beat.

"This is the year of Novak and Andy’s chance to win the French, and Roger’s already won it, but it’s obviously his chance too."

Tennis legend Andre Agassi, another former world No1, agrees. He thinks Nadal cannot be expected to return to top form before 2014.


More top spin will go down very well with GM's 'moonballing brigade.'
I always thought it impossible to dislike anything Swedish but Wilander proves me wrong. The man cannot open his mouth without mentioning Fed. Three time defending champion is an outsider, okay Mats - I wouldn't pay him in litter.
 
#2,219 ·
I don't know whether this is the right place to post this, but I found this very moving: an account of what these last seven months without Rafa meant to a Rafa fan. Beautifully written. I share many of those feelings because I like Rafa very much as well. Also, it includes a lovely very old video of Rafa doing a presser in his early days...Very sweet.

It's called

Fan-fare: Seven Months Without Rafael Nadal

http://www.changeovertennis.com/fan-fare-seven-months-without-rafael-nadal/
 
#2,220 ·
Nadal Voices Comeback Expectations
Vina del Mar, Chile
by ATP Staff
03.02.2013

After eight months away from the ATP World Tour, World No. 5 Rafael Nadal has acknowledged he must be patient during his comeback, which starts this week at Chile's VTR Open in Vina del Mar.

"I need weeks of working [on] the circuit. This is my first week and I don't think the goals are the same that the ones I will have in two more months,” the 11-time Grand Slam champion said. “I have to take it slowly and be humble to know that things won't be as good as they were before my injury. I need to be patient,” he added.

Nadal is scheduled to play a first-round doubles match with Argentine Juan Monaco on Tuesday against the second-seeded Czech team of Frantisek Cermak and Lukas Dlouhy. His singles campaign will begin Wednesday, following a first-round bye as the top seed.

"I hope the tournament will help me to get the feeling I need to add week after week after a long period without competition,” said the left-hander, adding that “results are the least important thing right now".

"If my knee doesn't hurt I have no fear. I've had had more serious injuries in the past and I got stronger after them,” said the 26-year-old Spaniard. “This is the injury that has sidelined me the longest so maybe it will take me a bit longer to get back my confidence, the good feeling on court, but if my knee doesn't hurt I don't see why I couldn't get back my movements and game style.”

The former World No. 1 isn’t thinking about ascending to the top spot of the Emirates ATP Rankings, and is instead focusing on one match at a time and one week at a time.

Nadal added that he was grateful for the support he has received to date in Chile. “It's been fantastic; the people have been incredible to me.”
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/02/5/Nadal-Comeback-Expectations-Chile.aspx
 
#2,223 ·
Uncle Toni: Rafa's knee may bother him for next few weeks
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2013 /BY AP

VINA DEL MAR, Chile -- Rafael Nadal's ailing left knee may still bother him for a few more weeks, his coach said Monday.

Nadal practiced for 90 minutes with Nicolas Massu of Chile on Monday, his fourth straight day of training since arriving in the country for his first match in more than seven months.

Nadal opens up Tuesday in the VTR Open, playing doubles with Argentina's Juan Monaco. On Wednesday, he will play singles in the second round against the winner of a first-round match between Argentines Guido Pella and Federico Delbonis.

"The knee is much better, but they've told us he will feel some discomfort and lack of mobility until the end of the month," said Toni Nadal, the seven-time French Open champion's coach and uncle. "But it's definitely getting better."

Nadal has avoided surgery so far, getting therapy in hopes of speeding the healing. But the slow recovery from the inflamed knee means Nadal has been trying to lower expectations as he uses three Latin American clay-court tournaments to prepare for a run at an eighth French Open title.

Nadal has practiced in Chile wearing a white bandage around his knee.

"The bandage is normal and is part of the treatment," his coach said.

Nadal will be watched closely in doubles Tuesday, which is meant to give him extra playing time on top of his matches in singles.

His uncle has called the small Chilean tournament "our first French Open."

Nadal has the best clay-court record in the Open Era, winning 93 percent of his matches. Many will expect him to sweep through this event as he would in the first week of the French Open, perhaps without dropping a set. Anything less will add to speculation about his future and could add pressure.

"His game is much better than when we got here," Toni Nadal said. "It was better yesterday and even better today. We're looking to the doubles as an added test."

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/02/uncle-toni-rafas-knee-may-bother-him-next-few-weeks/46301/
 
#2,228 ·
RAFAEL Nadal says athletes implicated in the "Operation Puerto" trial into blood doping must be named.

In an interview with the French sports daily L'Equipe, the Spanish tennis star said he felt his reputation, and that of Spanish sport as a whole, had been tarnished by the trial.

A judge has refused to demand that doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, the suspected mastermind of one of the sporting world's biggest blood doping rackets, provide the names of athletes implicated in the scandal.

The ruling could avert a huge fall-out from the high-profile trial in Madrid but Nadal said that naming names would have been the correct thing to do.

"What is happening in Spain, I don't understand it," he told the magazine.

"I don't understand why Dr Fuentes is not giving names. And I don't understand why the judge has not asked him to do so.


"I don't understand why we never get to the bottom of these things. We need to clean everything up. I believe this doctor has worked with foreign athletes but because he is Spanish it is Spanish sport that is being prejudiced.

"As an athlete that hurts me. Because of people like (US cyclist Lance) Armstrong, we all have a dubious image."

Nadal, who made his comeback to competitive tennis this week at the Vina del Mar clay-court tournament in Chile, also admitted his relief at being back on the court after a lengthy injury absence.

But he said he did not expect to be back to his best until later in the season.

The former world number one returned after more than seven months out with a knee injury to beat qualifier Federico Delbonis 6-3, 6-2 in the second round.

He said before his return that his troublesome knee was still a source of nagging pain but he added that there was never any fear of a relapse.

"Fear? No. Stress, yes, that's to be expected. Relief and joy, certainly," he told L'Equipe of his feelings after his first singles match since a shock defeat to little-known Czech Lukas Rosol in the second round of Wimbledon last June.

"At the moment it's all about patience. I need to take things one step at a time and accept that I won't be at my maximum level straight away. I'm not scared because I know my knee is in good shape."

The Mallorcan will now face either compatriot Albert Montanes or another Spaniard Daniel Gimeno-Traver in the next round in Vina del Mar.

The tournament is all part of his preparations for the European clay-court season, and his bid for an eighth French Open crown.

"I want to be at 100 per cent for Monte Carlo and the European clay season," he said.

"Here in Chile, all that matters is how I feel and how my knee reacts. To lose here is not a problem. After so long out losing would be the logical thing."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/t...ion-puerto-named/story-e6frfgao-1226573101166
 
#2,229 ·
Nadal tired but vows his best at Brazil Open
(AFP) – 9 hours ago
SAO PAULO — Rafael Nadal said Tuesday that he felt a bit tired after a hard but positive tournament in Chile but vowed to do his best at this week's Brazil Open.
"I am happy to be here in Brazil for the second time," the 26-year-old Spanish tennis star told a press conference. "My knee is OK...There are days when it hurts, this limits me but I have confidence it will improve."
The 11-time Grand Slam champion, who lost the singles and doubles finals Sunday at his comeback event in Vina del Mar, Chile following a seven-month knee injury absence, is the top seed at the Brazil Open, an event he won in 2005.
"I am a bit tired after a hard week in Chile. But it was positive. The process of recovery follows its course. As always I come here to do the best possible and hope that things turn out all right," Nadal told a press conference.
He said it was impossible for him to change his style of play because of his left knee injury.
"I hope to continue with my style of play and I am confident that my body will respond," he noted.
Asked when he expected to be 100 percent fit, he responded: "I cannot know the future. If my knee allows, I will do everything possible to be at my best."
"I am a player who plays with a lot passion, a lot of energy. I suppose that does not help the knee."
He said his worst moment during his seven-month absence was when he realised he could not compete for Spain and defend his title at the London Olympics.
"My long-term objective is to be in Brazil in 2016 (for the Rio Summer Olympics). I am going to work to arrive in good conditions at what are likely to be my last Olympics," he said.
Considered my many to be the best ever clay-court player, Nadal was back in Chile last week for the first time since a surprise second-round exit at Wimbledon in June.
Since then he has been sidelined by a torn tendon and inflammation in his left knee, with his return this year further delayed by a stomach virus.
Nadal, ranked number five in the world, is helping boost the prestige of the $455,775 Brazil Open, part of the Latin American clay court circuit that also includes Vina del Mar and the Mexico Open in Acapulco in which he will compete later this month.
He will see action here late Tuesday when he teams up in doubles with Argentine David Nalbandian to face the Spanish pair of Pablo Andujar and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Nadal, who has claimed seven of his 11 Grand Slam titles on the clay courts of Roland Garros, won the Brazil Open in 2005 when it was held in Costa do Sauipe in eastern Bahia state.
The tournament was moved to Sao Paulo last year when Spaniard Nicolas Almagro won.
Copyright © 2013 AFP.
 
#2,230 ·
This is quite a nice article IMO.

Steve Flink: Nadal stunned by inspired Zeballos in Vina del Mar final

2/11/2013

He had been away from tournament tennis for no fewer than 222 days, across more than seven months, through the most trying period of his illustrious career. He returned in Vina del Mar as both a dreamer and a hard realist, hoping he could capture the ATP World Tour 250 event on his beloved clay, knowing how difficult it is to recover your old form when competing becomes tantamount to a brand new experience. He probably realized that fans from all parts of the world were pulling for him unabashedly, expecting this eleven time Grand Slam tournament champion to reemerge triumphantly in Chile, wanting him to celebrate his comeback on the best possible terms.

In the end, it did not quite work out that way for the estimable Rafael Nadal, the most charismatic player in the game. Nadal swept through three matches without the loss of a set to reach the final, and was only two elusive points away from capturing his 51st career singles championship. But in a suspenseful battle of left-handers, Nadal could not find a way to finish off 27-year-old Horacio Zeballos, a surprisingly obstinate adversary who seemed spent physically yet refused to surrender down the stretch. Zeballos secured his first ever title on the ATP World Tour. Ranked No. 73 in the world coming into this event, he played like a far more accomplished competitor, losing his excellent serve only once in three sets, toppling an off key Nadal 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-4 in a two hour, 46 minute clash.

In many ways, Zeballos played madly inspired tennis while Nadal grew increasingly apprehensive over the latter stages of both the second and third sets. From the outset, Zeballos was finding the corners with supreme placement and good variation on his southpaw serve. In the opening set, Nadal was not even creating opportunities to get a service break. To be sure, he stood too far back behind the baseline on second serve returns, and missed some relatively easy returns when he might have made his presence known more tellingly.

In six service games en route to a first set tie-break, the remarkable Zeballos made 70% of his first serves, released five aces, and won a staggering 24 of 28 points on his unshakable delivery. To be sure, Nadal was not as assertive as he needed to be on the return, unable to get the depth he needed to take control of rallies. Meanwhile, Nadal had a few anxious moments on his own serve, which he handled resolutely. Serving at 0-1, he commenced that game with a timid double fault into the net, fell behind 15-40, but raised his game decidedly, took command off his forehand, and held on with four points in a row for 1-1. At 2-3, Nadal was pushed to deuce, but once more he met the challenge sternly and held on. From that juncture, the Spaniard served three love games in a row on his way to a tie-break.

Unsurprisingly, Zeballos played that tie-break untidily. He went behind a mini-break immediately by carelessly driving a backhand crosscourt wide. Nadal marched to 3-0, and never looked back. Zeballos managed to unleash two winners in the tie-break but Nadal did not make a single unforced error. The Spaniard prevailed seven points to two, as a besieged Zeballos unraveled, losing four out of five points on serve.

It seemed only a matter of time before Nadal would exploit his experience, stamp his authority, and close out the account with his customary front-runner’s fervor. The heavy favorite clearly had his chances to do just that. Leading 2-1 in the second set, he moved ahead 15-40 on Zeballos’s serve, but did not display his customary big point prowess. On the first break point, Nadal left his first serve return much too short, and Zeballos thumped a forehand approach crosscourt that was too much for the Spaniard to handle. Then Zeballos served an ace down the T. He soon held for 2-2. Not long after, Zeballos was back in serious jeopardy, serving at 3-4, 0-30. Nadal seemed poised to break and thus give himself a chance to serve for the match.

Zeballos had other notions, throwing in a gutsy drop shot winner to make it 15-30, taking the next point for 30-30, then holding for 4-4 with consecutive down the line winners off his elegantly produced one-handed topspin backhand. Two games later, serving at 4-5, Zeballos was two points from defeat at 15-30. Nadal had a golden opportunity there as the Argentine missed a first serve. Nadal lined up a forehand crosscourt return off the second serve, but smothered that shot with excessive topspin into the net. That was the single most important point of the match, and a glaring missed opportunity for Nadal. Zeballos aced Nadal for 40-30, and then caught his luminous rival off guard with a biting sliced backhand down the line, drawing a running forehand error from the Spaniard. Both men held to set up another tie-break, and the smart money was clearly on Nadal.

And yet, Zeballos was not the same disheveled player he had been in the first set. He was nearly impenetrable. Serving at 2-3 in that critical sequence, he aced Nadal down the T in the Ad Court, and then ripped a scorching forehand approach off another short return from Nadal. The Spaniard missed the passing shot. Nadal was plainly nervous, missing a manageable two-handed backhand long down the line to give Zeballos a 5-3 lead. Nadal took the next point, but Zeballos was serving at 5-4, two points away from forcing a third and final set. He produced an un-returnable serve to make it 6-4, but Nadal majestically saved that set point with a superb backhand drop shot sliced delicately down the line, provoking an errant forehand passing shot wide from his adversary.

When Zeballos missed a routine backhand wide on the next point to allow Nadal back to 6-6, the Spaniard was once again only two points away from extending his career record in clay court finals to 37-4. In his renowned career, Nadal had lost to only two players in finals on the clay, falling against Roger Federer at Hamburg in 2007 and Madrid in 2009, bowing against Novak Djokovic in the 2011 Rome and Madrid title round matches. As the two players changed ends of the court, the crowd surely sensed that Nadal was primed to put this match into his victory column.

At 6-6, he elected to take something off his first serve, sending it to the backhand. That was probably the right tactic; Zeballos, after all, was error prone off the return on that side for most of the match. But now, at this crucial moment, he laced his return confidently down the line with plenty of margin for error for an outright winner, stunning Nadal, silencing the crowd. Serving at 7-6, an emboldened Zeballos audaciously drove an inside-out forehand behind Nadal, drawing a short reply from his opponent. Zeballos promptly stepped in for another inside-out forehand driven with utter conviction for a clean winner.

It was one set all. But Nadal broke Zeballos at love to commence the final set as the Argentine missed three out of four first serves. That was the first service break of the entire match, and Nadal had a chance to put the loss of the second set permanently behind him, to move on inexorably to victory. But his anxiety surfaced again. With Zeballos dictating from the back of the court and Nadal entirely too passive, the Spaniard drifted to 15-40 before making it back to deuce. Nadal made a glaring unforced error off the forehand to go down break point again. He swung his first serve wide and followed it in, with the court wide open for him to deposit a backhand drop volley for a winner. But he anxiously sent that shot into the net. Zeballos had climbed back to 1-1.

On they went to 3-3, but Zeballos was visibly tiring as Nadal moved him from side to side and corner to corner, looking to send his opponent into submission once and for all. In that pivotal seventh game, Zeballos was down 15-30, and he received a warning for going over the 25 second limit between points. The Argentine needed to recover his resources and catch his breath. But he collected himself admirably, serving an ace out wide for 30-30, followed by an unstoppably deep second serve, and then a forehand winner up the line.

Zeballos had held on tenaciously for 4-3, surviving a potential crisis in the process. Nadal was physically stronger than Zeballos, probably by a considerable margin. But Zeballos was going for broke, taking all of his chances, driving through the ball immaculately. Nadal managed to hold on from 3-4, 30-40 with a clutch play, moving up to the net, making a crafty backhand drop volley down the line, provoking an errant forehand passing shot from a harried Zeballos. Nadal held on for 4-4, but that brave stand did not sway Zeballos, not in the least. Zeballos held at love for 5-4 with back to back aces from 30-0, his 12th and 13th of the contest.

Serving to stay in the match, Nadal could not find the freedom to go for his shots with gusto, and Zeballos was playing almost unconsciously, as if he had absolutely nothing to lose. He was astounding, cracking an inside-out forehand winner, making an exquisite forehand drop shot winner for 0-30, then pulling off a dazzling forehand crosscourt winner on the run off a backhand down the line from Nadal. Now at triple match point, Zeballos released one last devastating crosscourt forehand that was unmanageable for Nadal. Zeballos had boldly broken at love to complete a thoroughly improbable 6-7 (2), 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory. In the end, he clearly deserved his victory, outplaying Nadal down the stretch, refusing to give any ground when defeat seemed inevitable.

To be sure, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity for a journeyman. Zeballos might have a career year in 2013, and perhaps finish the season inside the top 50 in the world. But he almost certainly won’t play another match like this one with Nadal ever again. He was magnificent, but he was not confronting the essential Nadal. He was competing against an all-time great who was getting reacquainted with match play after a long time away from his trade. Nadal simply did not have the inner conviction to win his first tournament back, even on his favorite surface, even when he moved within striking distance of seizing the title.

The loss was clearly a blow to Nadal, but it need not be devastating. His plan is to move on to the Brasil Open in Sao Paulo this week, take a week off, and then compete again the following week on clay. He will reassemble his game comprehensively over these next significant weeks, and become more and more like the Nadal of old. I have no doubt that his confidence will be restored. The larger question is whether or not Nadal’s left knee will allow him to perform at peak efficiency over time. I thought that—all things considered—his court coverage was impressive in Vina del Mar. Under the circumstances, after such a long time away from rigorous competition, considering how many doubts surely lingered uncomfortably in his mind, Nadal moved remarkably well. And yet, understandably, he was somewhat fragile under pressure, not as steely a competitor as he has always been, uncertain about what to do when the chips were on the line.

It won’t be long before the redoubtable Nadal resurfaces. I expect him to be closer to the height of his powers by April, when he will seek a ninth crown in a row on the red clay of Monte Carlo. Barring an unfortunate recurrence of his knee injury, Nadal will undoubtedly be in full flight when he heads back out onto the French clay to pursue an eighth title at Roland Garros. Meanwhile, he will keep taking it match by match, tournament by tournament, moment by moment, making progress steadily, rebuilding his psyche, adding layers to his conviction. The loss to Zeballos will not haunt Nadal. It will only add to his motivation and make him work even more ferociously to attain his goals.

Even in defeat, it was a joy to see Rafael Nadal back out among us, giving it his all, reminding everyone that there has never been a competitor quite like him in the sport’s storied history. Let’s give this exceedingly humble individual the time he needs to rediscover his winning ways, to start automatically playing the right shots at the right times, to become again the match player that he has always been. Rafael Nadal has come back earnestly and unequivocally to his profession, and the game is better for it.

www.tennischannel.com
 
#2,234 ·
Loved this article.

Nadal, the man who refuses to bow to anyone


Rafael Nadal serves during a practice session at Wimbledon ahead fo the championships Source: Getty Images

HOW can you look vulnerable when you're a break up in the fifth set? Answer: by playing Rafael Nadal.

I was pondering that question in the Court Philippe Chatrier in Paris just a few weeks ago. Novak Djokovic was leading 4-2 in the final set in the semi-finals of the French Open, but it was clear to me and to everyone else that one break was never going to be enough.

If you want to beat Nadal, you have to beat him at least half a dozen times, and all at the same time. That's what lies at the heart of Nadal's game, Nadal's nature. It's a truth that you can find at every level of analysis, a trait you find when you examine a point, a match, a career.

So here's my conclusion: don't get into a fight with him. You'd have to kill him.

And here's the great mystery of it all: how can a man who stands so far away be so intimidating? If you want to win a tennis match, the first step is to take control of the court. To seize space and time. To own the place. That's a psychological truism of the sport, and also basic tennis strategy. You make your opponent feel like an interloper on his own side of the net. With weight and depth of shot, with reach and power and angle and spin, you crowd him out of his own space.

But that's not Nadal's way. You want the court? Help yourself. Nadal gives it all to you. You've got your own side of the net, and he gives you all of the other side to put the ball in. Where's he gone? He's miles away, somewhere near the stop-netting, tripping over the ballboys and the towels and the umpires' chairs. It seems that you can do what you like. You're up against an absentee landlord.

But that's not how it works out. You've helped yourself to the court but there's no triumph in it. The ball keeps coming back to you. Then comes the dizzying, dismaying understanding: your winners aren't winners any more. Your best shot comes back to you. It's like trying to knock over the wobblyman in the nursery.

Let's look at a characteristic point from that fifth set. Towards the end of a long and convoluted rally, Djokovic hit three successive winners. Or they should have been winners, three shots that came singing out of the sweet spot to find the edge of the line right in the place where Nadal wasn't. Certainly they'd have been winners against anyone else. But each one came back.

No, it's not like playing the wall. Nadal isn't passive-defensive. He's aggressive-defensive. It's something to do with that forehand, something to do with top spin. He rolls his racket into the ball with ferocity, the ball is struck with full power, it's steaming well beyond the baseline but no, it dips, lands in, then kicks like Eric Cantona. I've read that most players put 3,000 revolutions per minute into a forehand top spin; Nadal is closer to 5,000. That's one hell of an edge.

There are three ways of failing when Nadal puts you under that sort of pressure. In this case, Djokovic was pushed into a tiny error, and he caught the net. A couple of inches higher, though, and the ball would have landed in - but well short. In this second case, Nadal comes in, take the ball high on the bounce and buries it. And in the third case, you are so frustrated by Nadal's tenacity that you try to beat him with something even better than your best shot. And inevitably miss.

And that in a microcosm, in a point, is Nadal. It's not just that he has the best defence. He is also the best ever at making defence an act of aggression, either by turning defence into attack or by forcing - rather than merely waiting for - the error. More than any other player I've seen, Nadal forces the unforced error.

So let's look at Nadal in the context of a match, rather than a point. And he shows the same thing time and again. Against Djokovic in that semi-final in Paris, he was two sets to one up, but lost the fourth to a brilliantly resurgent Djokovic. The momentum was all against him. The break of serve in the fifth made that quite clear. But it still wasn't enough. Nadal had been defeated but he hadn't been defeated enough. So Nadal took the match and went on to a straight-sets victory over David Ferrer in the final.

Ferrer is at present ranked fourth to Nadal's fifth. Yeah, right.

But that's because we now need to look at Nadal at the level of career. It's a fact that he's wrecking himself every time he steps on to a tennis court. He's had tendinitis in both knees. What do you expect if you spend your life running like a madman from side to side? Last season he was out for seven months trying to get his knees fixed.

So the rankings system gave up on him because he wasn't playing.

Meanwhile, we Brits also gave up on him a little, not least because it was nice to think that Andy Murray had one fewer god to beat every time he set out on the grand-slam trail.

But Nadal did not give up on Nadal. Not, as I think we've established, his way. He made a comeback that first stuttered and spluttered, then burst into flame, with victories on the clay in Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before he cleaned up in Paris.

So now he's back at Wimbledon, where he won in 2008 and 2010. Grass is easier on the knees than some surfaces. No one is writing him off. He is seeded to meet Roger Federer in the quarter-finals and, if he wins, the possibility of Murray in the semis. How much longer can he carry on? He played each match in Paris as if it were his last, but that's nothing new. He'll play Wimbledon the same way. Savour every day of it.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/spo...to-bow-to-anyone/story-fniiw3ie-1226668632542
 
#2,235 ·
Any news about a warmup ATP250/500 event he might be playing before Toronto ?
 
#2,237 ·
I thought this was a really nice article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324094704579065852498500102.html
Nadal: The Soft Hands of a Hard-Court Champion

The Spaniard Tops Djokovic for His 13th Career Grand Slam Title

Everyone knows what makes Rafael Nadal, who won his second U.S. Open title Monday evening, a champion. It's the best topspin forehand in history. Speed, footwork and otherworldly powers of concentration. A mastery of tactics, and a peerless eye for opportunity. He's also relentless. But against Novak Djokovic in Monday's U.S. Open final, Nadal relied, when it mattered most, on his hands.

"He has unbelievable feeling," said Francis Roig, Nadal's part-time coach, earlier in the tournament. "To survive a difficult situation, nobody has hands like him."

There was danger aplenty in Nadal's 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory. After a sleepy first set, Djokovic, the world's top-ranked player and the best hard-court player on the planet the past three seasons, went on the attack and left Nadal staggered. He won a 54-stroke rally on break point for a 4-2 second-set lead. (Over the course of the match, there were 52 rallies of nine shots or more.)

For a while, all Nadal could do was absorb the blows and use his hands—his touch and timing—to hit the perfect shot when he needed it most.

"Sometimes I really don't know how I am able to beat him," Nadal told a small group of reporters after his victory. "The matches are always very, very close and anything can happen."

"Feel" is an oft-debated word in tennis, and there's no data to back up who has more of it. Roger Federer, of course, is considered to have as much as any player ever. John McEnroe, Rod Laver and other legends of tennis's serve-and-volley days come to mind. Andy Murray, whose soft hands helped him win Wimbledon this year, is in the conversation too.

Nadal is a much different player. His strokes are more brutish than pretty, his tactics more bullying than stylish. Yet he has hands comparable to all the graceful champions who have come before him.

In the seventh game of this match, Nadal returned a Djokovic overhead and then hit a passing shot on his way to a two-break lead. In the third set he hit a perfect drop shot at deuce when he was down a break of serve. In the final game of that set, Nadal used a remarkable combination—precise backhand lob, then a drop shot, then a reflex forehand volley winner—to rattle Djokovic, who had led 30-0 in the game.

Nadal ticked off the next three points in succession and won the set. As he bent down and pumped his left fist repeatedly, the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium went berserk. In the fourth set, Nadal took an early lead and didn't let it slip.

For Nadal, the victory completed an astonishing career comeback. Last year at this time, he was in the midst of a seven-month layoff with a knee injury. He returned to the tour in February, played through pain—and kept reaching finals. His numbers for the year: 60-3, 12 finals in 13 tournaments, 10 titles, his eighth French Open title and his second U.S. Open title, which places him third on the all-time list with 13 major singles titles, behind only Federer (17) and Pete Sampras (14).

After his victory, Nadal collapsed to the court, walked to the net to shake Djokovic's hand, and then collapsed again and began to cry. Never had he been so emotional after winning a major title.

"It's normal that I was crying, I came from a not good situation, a tough one," he said. "All the things that are happening to me is a surprise."

The biggest surprise of all: Nadal is 22-0 on hard courts this year, with titles in Indian Wells, Montreal and Cincinnati, along with the Open. It's an impressive record for the best clay court player in history. Chances are Nadal will finish the season as the No. 1 player in the world.

For Djokovic, the loss ended a year that was both spectacular—he reached three major finals for the second straight year—and disappointing (he won just one major title, as he did last year). He looked dejected, if not quite gutted, after the match.

"In the important moments he played better tennis, and that's why he deserved to win," Djokovic said. "I congratulate him, and I move on."

Nadal, who is 27, and Djokovic, 26, have been the two best players in the world for three years now, winning nine of the 12 major titles in that span and 12 of the last 16. The Open final was their 37th meeting, the most matches between any two men in the Open era. Nadal now leads 22-15.

But where does tennis go from here? These two are unlikely to sustain this remarkable run for much longer, no matter how weak the generation behind them seems to be. There will be challenges from men their own age (Andy Murray is 26, Juan Martin del Potro is 25, Stanislas Wawrinka, who reached the semifinals here, is 28) and maybe from an aging Federer, too (he's 32). Djokovic's big-match confidence will remain a question. So will Nadal's knee; he said it has never felt 100% since his most recent injury.

"I can have pain, but the most important thing is I can play with no limitation," Nadal said. "That's something that is happening."

If it continues to happen, these two may yet push each other to even greater heights. First Nadal dominated their rivalry, then Djokovic broke through and beat Nadal in three consecutive Grand Slam finals. Nadal has adapted. It's up to Djokovic, or someone else, to move the game forward once again. That is, assuming there's anywhere else left for tennis to go.
 
#2,238 ·
US OPEN: RAFA NADAL—THE MOST ASTOUNDING NORMAL GUY ON THIS PLANET
by Bill Simons | Monday, September 9th, 2013



NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning the men’s singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Day Fifteen of the 2013 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for the USTA)

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 09: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning the men’s singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia on Day Fifteen of the 2013 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 9, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images for the USTA)
Ten days ago, as I wandered through the US Open players lounge—amidst the usual blur of coaches, girlfriends, and hangers-on—an over-the-top player was playing foosball with two young American kids. It was loud, intense and fun. An adolescent glee-fest arose from the din—such joy.
No one knew who those two kids were. Everyone knew who the player was: Rafa Nadal.
Elated and captivated by the intensity of the game, here was an unbridled delight. One of the world’s most celebrated sportsmen seemed to be but a boy: simple, uncomplicated and captivated by the pleasure of play.
Such is Rafa Nadal, a man with few of the nuances of the comic and occasionally philosophical Novak Djokovic. A happy lad, free of the sullen moods of Scot Andy Murray, and the occasional flashes of metro self-absorption by Roger Federer.
I wondered, what makes this man seem so content. So I asked Rafa about the relationship between his game and his life. “I always had the theory that [the] most important thing is to be happy, enjoy what you are doing, and be fresh mentally … Everything very normal. Nothing strange in my life. I practice. I practice physical performance, practice tennis. I go fishing. I play golf. I go party when I have the chance to go party. That’s all. Really normal guy, normal life.
So, unlike Djokovic, Rafa doesn’t go to Buddhist temples. He’ll eat pizza and other “non-gluten” forbidden pleasures.
In a vain, “look-at-moi” age of ego and excess, Rafa is the most humble champion tennis has ever sported. To him, every tournament is “one of the best” in the sport. To him, Federer is amazing. Rafa is never the favorite in any match anywhere, and God forbid if you dare suggest the master of all matters clay is the best clay-court player of all time. When we asked him why he is beloved around the world, he replied: “I am not the right one to answer .. The only thing I can say is I try to be fair. I try to be correct with everybody. I try to be friendly with everybody. That’s all, no? … I am a positive player … I try my best in every moment. Even [when] things are not going well, I am never very sad or doing a negative attitude. Outside of the court I try to sign [autographs for] everybody. I try to make the photos. I act like a normal person (smiling) … But what really makes me happy is what I did to have this trophy with me. So that’s what really produced me these emotional moments [when he cried on court after his win today]—working hard in tough moments, trying to be positive.”
Yes, you could say that Rafa’s appeal is basic, even animalistic. Federer’s Nike symbol is that fancy medieval “RF.” Rafa’s symbol is a bull. And none other than the women’s finalist Victoria Azarenka told IT that she would be rooting for Nadal in the final “because he [practiced] with his shirt off.” Need we say more?
But don’t be fooled, there is little that is really normal about Rafa.
He obsesses over the smallest of details: Have you ever seen a player place his courtside bottles with more surgical care? He tugs at his pants and twitches as if he’s being attacked by an unhappy mosquito. His left bicep rivals that of Atlas. He was born on an island in the Mediterranean—hardly a tennis factory—and coached by his unsparing Uncle Toni. He briefly played right-handed, but now is a southpaw—an inconvenient, often overlooked, reality which drives many of his foes nuts. And that high-bouncing corkscrew forehand of his is a wonder of the modern game. Nerds tell us it has about a billion RPMs. And, were it not for that dandy shot, Mr. Federer may well have won well over 20 Slams.
Beyond this, Rafa has always been able to change his game: faster serve, slower serve, standing in, more aggressive, great backhand slice, improved volleys. Plus, he arguably (along with Jimmy Connors and Pancho Gonzalez) is the toughest fighter in tennis history.
Today, Rafa was outplayed in the US Open in the critical third set against Djokovic. But a slight lapse by Novak—the loss of a scramble-point, and a flubbed forehand from the Serb—opened the door just slightly. Rafa pounced, blasting a forehand winner to steal the set, and really the match, which he won 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
Then again, one senses that in every game, every point, every stroke, Nadal invests. It matters, the urgency clear. But why? Rafa told IT, “I’ve always had it [that fighting spirit]. I did because I worked so hard since since I was a little kid. It’s true that my uncle made me play under a lot of pressure in every practice when I was a kid. Playing under that pressure in every practice I was able to play with as high an intensity as possible. I’m sure that [because] he did that for me all those years, that is precisely why today I’m able to exist in this tournament.”
Alas, what a typical Nadalian understatement!
Of course, Rafa more than existed in this tournament. He convincingly won his 13th Slam. And, in this stunning year, in which Federer and Murray have had mixed results and which Rafa is coming off seven months of recovery from a bum knee, he has shown once and for all that he is no mere clay specialist. Yes, his dominance on dirt oddly obscures that he has reached five Wimbledon finals. But this year, incredibly, he has a 21-0 record on hard courts. Indeed, commentator Mary Carillo said that the best matches she has seen on grass, clay, and hard courts have all featured the Spaniard: Nadal’s 2008 Wimbledon final, his classic marathon 2012 Aussie Open loss to Djokovic, and Nadal’s triumphant victory over Djokovic in the semis at this year’s French Open.
But ultimately what makes Rafa so wondrous is his disarming simplicity. His joy for the game. His willingness to embrace the battle. His heartfelt recognition of his foes and his love.
His love of the moment. His love of the arena. His love of tennis.
Having said that, the 27-year old now has 13 Slams, 26 Masters titles, an Olympic Gold, and has led Spain to Davis Cup glory again and again and a hefty winning record against Federer. So let the Greatest of All-Time debates roar loud. After all, it’s only normal.
http://www.insidetennis.com/2013/09/12528/
 
#2,239 ·
"Such is Rafa Nadal, a man with few of the nuances of the comic and occasionally philosophical Novak Djokovic. A happy lad, free of the sullen moods of Scot Andy Murray, and the occasional flashes of metro self-absorption by Roger Federer."

What is self-absorption means? Arrogant? :confused::devil:
 
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