Category Archives: Rafael Nadal

Delpo And Nadal Have Fun In NYC

Posted on March 9, 2013 by admin| 1 Comment

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Posted in Ben Stiller, Juan Martin Del Potro, Media, Rafael Nadal

Tears For Nadal As He Destroys Ferrer In Acapulco Final

Posted on March 4, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

Rafael Nadal has destroyed world number 4 David Ferrer in his third final since he returned after a seven month injury time out. Nadal was in vintage form as he handled his good friend and compatriot 6-0, 6-2.

Whereas Rafa had struggled to make his opponents feel his power and find the mark with his shots over the last few weeks, there were no such issues for Rafa. For David, the two time defending champion, it was difficult to watch as the man who has stopped him so many times before seemed to finally find his footing on the red dirt. “I want to congratulate Rafa. He is not an easy player to beat. If I have to lose I am happy to lose to Rafa.” Read more »

Posted in Acapulco, David Ferrer, Indian Wells, Injury, Juan Martin Del Potro, Rafael Nadal

Nadal Claims 51st Career Title In Brasil

Posted on February 17, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

After his semifinal performance yesterday there were few who thought Rafa Nadal, who said his knee pain had been worse, would beat David Nalbandian and claim the Brasil title. There were even fewer who thought he would beat Nalbandian comfortably.

Nadal cruised to victory in his second tournament back since a 7 month injury time out, winning 6-2, 6-3.

Nadal, who last won the Brasil tournament in 2005 was understandably delighted with the result. Read more »

Posted in Brasil, David Nalbandian, Injury, Media, Rafael Nadal

A Long Way To Go For Rafael Nadal

Posted on February 16, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

Anyone who thinks two finals in two weeks means that Rafa Nadal is close to his normal form is delusional or not watching carefully.

Nadal, ignoring the tennis, seems currently to be deprived of one of his greatest gifts – his ferocious focus and intensity. He simply seems like a flat version of himself.

Sure this one legged (to say he has two functioning legs is a stretch) version of the Spaniard is still winning and making finals but he’s got nothing on the King of Clay he used to be and it seems to be finding Rafa a long time to get in touch with that person. Read more »

Posted in Brasil, David Nalbandian, Injury, King of Clay, Martin Alund, Rafael Nadal

Benneteau Tops Federer In Rotterdam

Posted on February 16, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

Julien Benneteau has claimed his second career win over Roger Federer, beating the world number two and defending champion in the quarterfinals of the Rotterdam tournament.

Despite trailing in the second set 1-4 Federer staged a comeback but it was not enough to stop the Frenchman walking away with a 6-3, 7-5 win.

One of Federer’s most underrated weapons is his serve which can be lethally accurate and consistently damaging. Federer’s serve refused to help him against Benneteau as he was broken three times in the first set – almost unheard of unless against Nadal and even more unusual on an indoor hard court. Read more »

Posted in Julien Benneteau, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Rotterdam

Nadal’s Doctor Preaches Moderation

Posted on February 13, 2013 by admin| 1 Comment

Rafael Nadal’s personal doctor, Dr Angel Ruiz Cotorro, has warned the Spaniard that he needs to slowly return to play and be more selective about when and on what surfaces he plays.

“What you have to do in this case is select tournaments properly, enter the circuit progressively.

On clay, movements are less aggressive because of the possibility to skid, which helps the tendon to suffer less. A quick surface is more aggressive than any Read more »

Posted in Clay courts, Dr Angel Ruiz Cotorro, Injury, Media, Rafael Nadal

Zeballos Wins Maiden Title By Defeating Rafael Nadal

Posted on February 11, 2013 by admin| 1 Comment

It took 2 hours and 46 minutes for Horacio Zeballos to claim his first ATP title beating the King of Clay Rafa Nadal 6-7, 7-6, 6-4. Zeballos put on a great show and refused to be intimidated by the record of Nadal, playing some incredibly points and being far more effective on serve than the Spaniard.

Zeballos became only the third man ever, behind Djokovic and Federer, to beat Nadal in a clay court final.

Zeballos was playing a huge tennis name and a clay court giant and yet the way Rafa was moving around the court made it feel like the great Spaniard was the underdog – the one legged underdog. Read more »

Posted in Horacio Zeballos, Injury, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Vina del Mar

Watching Rafa’s Return

Posted on February 3, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

When Rafael Nadal arrived in Chile to play his first match in seven months he was training without tape on his knees – tape that has been largely absent for the last few years.

His training session on Sunday was a different story. Not only was Rafa wearing his old faithful tape for patella tendinitis but he appeared to have a small patch underneath the tendon – something that he has rarely been seen with. Read more »

Posted in Chile, Injury, Media, Pablo Andujar, Rafael Nadal

Nadal Cautious On Return

Posted on February 1, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

After a 7 month break Rafael Nadal has admitted that he’s not only cautious about returning to play but that his knees are still bothering him. Previously he had stated that he wasn’t coming back until they were 100% because he didn’t want to take more time off… I guess he can’t hang out at home anymore because what he’s saying now sounds different.

“My knee is much better, and this is the most important thing now because there’s no risk of a big injury. But it’s still bothering me, which will keep me from playing all the time, which I would like to do. Read more »

Posted in Injury, Media, Rafael Nadal

Wawrinka Pushes Djokovic To The Brink

Posted on January 20, 2013 by admin| Leave a comment

Coming into his match with Novak Djokovic, Stan Wawrinka had been in great form but few really anticipated that he would provide much resistance against Novak, let alone keep him on court for five hours and almost beat him.

Ultimately Novak won 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 12-10 but Wawrinka is bound to now be a crowd favourite for years to come much the same way Fernando Verdasco became after his 2009 match against Rafael Nadal.

Wawrinka was simply impressive. He hammered 16 aces down compared to Djokovic’s 9 and didn’t serve a double fault until the fourth hour of the match. He punished 69 winners to 51 from Nole but was ultimately undone but his error count. Read more »

Posted in Australian Open, Fernando Verdasco, Gael Monfils, Gilles Simon, Injury, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Stanislas Wawrinka