After an MRI and a tentative practice Andy Murray has decided to withdraw from Barcelona, the cost of further damage being deemed to be more significant that the gains of playing. Murray released a statement on his website saying; “Under advice from medical experts, I have had to withdraw due to a right elbow injury. I’m going to take four or five days rest and begin practising at the start of next week.”
Murray is expected to participate in Madrid.
Posted in Andy Murray, Barcelona, Body Watch, Injury, Madrid
Tomas Berdych has had to pull out of Barcelona after helping out with some promotional duties (see earlier post). According to the Barcelona tournaments official website the world number 7 has apparently been struck down by gastro.
Berdych will be replaced in the draw by Portugal’s Rui Machado.
There is still no word about Andy Murray’s participation.
Posted in Barcelona, Injury, Rui Machado, Tomas Berdych
The Barcelona 500 event has kicked off and Feliciano Lopez, Tomas Berdych and Nicolas Almagro have done a spot of modeling at a shop in the city centre.
Clothes horse Lopez said “fashion is very important, but I usually wear sports clothes.” Read more
Posted in Barcelona, David Ferrer, Dunlop, Feliciano Lopez, Injury, Monte Carlo, Nicolas Almagro, Nikolay Davydenko, Tomas Berdych
After driving 600km from Monte Carlo to Barcelona Andy Murray is now awaiting the results of an MRI on his elbow to see if he will play on Wednesday as scheduled. The Scot says that, despite not playing much in the last few months, the elbow mostly feels inflamed.
Murray will receive results from the MRI later today and will announce his decision to play or withdraw from Barcelona. Read more
Posted in Andy Murray, Barcelona, Body Watch, Injury
Rafael Nadal may have just won his seventh consecutive Monte Carlo title but it wasn’t a pretty win. He didn’t play particularly good tennis and has twice been trumped on the American hard courts by Novak Djokovic but still Nadal has felt the need to try and play Barcelona to add to his point tally with the goal of being year end number one. “That’s where I have to play my best, where I have to defend a lot of points.”
It seems a strange response to the pressure when something is clearly not right in his game. He’s been complaining of being abnormally tired despite having four weeks off after the Australian Open. Nadal has titles to defend in Madrid, Rome, Roland Garros and Wimbledon and his knees don’t need the extra strain. If he’s so tired someone in his team needs to step up and tell him to go back to Mallorca for some rest. Read more
Posted in Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal
The globetrotting efforts of Rafael Nadal and his girlfriend Xisca Perello have moved from Abu Dhabi to Barcelona where they were there for the launch of the Barcelona Tournament of 2011, an event Rafa has won five out of the last six years, having not attended last year.
Xisca seems to be becoming a more present place in Rafa’s place and media commitments, spending less time hiding in the background since she watching him win Wimbledon and posed with him and his team at the US Open. Read more
Posted in Barcelona, Media, Rafael Nadal, Xisca Perello
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Rafael Nadal’s accomplishments over the last few weeks go without saying but it is, to a certain extent, expected that he will dominate the clay court season.
Aside from Rafa there are a few players who have stood out this month (May), such as Ernests Gulbis, who’s flashy play made Federer go home with his tail between his legs. Sam Stosur has been in fine form as she moved inside the top ten and won a title in Charlestown.
Fernando Verdasco has played an incredible clay court season and deserved to be player of the month. Verdasco was a winner at Barcelona, finalist at Nice and Monte Carlo and a semi-finalist in Rome. The Spanish number two blasted winners and serves all over the clay courts of Europe and managed to star in FHM and head across the water to New York for the MET Gala.
When he’s had his clothes on Fernando has played so well, and so frequently that he was only really beaten by Nadal or fatigue, recently looking gaunt at Roland Garros. Sure, he may have made a mistake in accepting a a wild card to Nice when he should have been resting ahead of Roland Garros, but he has played brilliantly on clay and produced some awe inspiring shots and is more than worthy of the tile of Player of the Month.
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Fernando Verdasco and his heavily strapped elbow have passed Leonardo Mayer to book a place in the finals in Nice against Richard Gasquet. After 1 hour 41 minutes Verdasco walked away the victor with a 7-6, 7-5 win. In winning his semi-final match Verdasco claimed his 30th win of the season, only surpassed by David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal, however, the issue is that his body appears to be showing signs of distress.
After looking exhausted in Rome, and then regaining his momentum in Madrid, one has to wonder why Verdasco, who won Barcelona, felt the need to play another tournament in the lead up to Roland Garros.
Richard Gasquet is looking for his first title since 2007, and a good start leading into Roland Garros where he will face Andy Murray in the first round.
Posted in Andy Murray, Barcelona, Fernando Verdasco, Injury, Madrid, Nice, Rafael Nadal, Richard Gasquet, Roland Garros
Once again the player of the month has to be Rafael Nadal. It’s impossible to look past the Spanish number one after he created history in the month of April, creating so many headlines that he almost took over Tennis Perspective. Incredibly during April Rafa won his sixth consecutive Monte Carlo title, his fifth Rome title in six appearances and he tied Andre Agassi’s record for 17 Masters 1000 tournaments. Read more
