Nadal. I wszystko jasne...

Nie było niespodzianki w finale turnieju ATP w Tokio. Rafael Nadal po raz siódmy w sezonie odniósł końcowy triumf. Tym razem ofiarą Hiszpana padł Gael Monfils, który przegrał w dwóch setach 1:6, 5:7.

Siedem triumfów, bilans spotkań 66-8 - oto jeden z najlepszych, o ile nie najlepszy sezon w karierze Rafaela Nadala. W niedzielę Hiszpan ponownie mógł cieszyć się z wygranej w turnieju ATP, tym razem w Tokio. Jego przeciwnik, Gael Monfils, nie miał prawie nic do powiedzenia.

W pierwszym secie Nadal wręcz rozstrzelał rozstawionego z "5" Monfilsa piekielnie mocnymi uderzeniami z końcowej linii, kończąc partię forhendem. Jednak w drugim secie Francuz, który przeżył chwilę grozy, gdy padł na kort łapiąc się za kostkę, zdołał nawiązać walkę. Najbardziej zażarty był 10 gem - właśnie wtedy Monfils pięknie odpowiadał na akcje Hiszpana, w tym serwisy.

Gra była wyrównana, ale wszystko zmieniło się, gdy dzięki slice'owi, Nadal wyszedł na prowadzenie 6:5. Od tego momentu Monfils był tylko statystą. Rafa zakończył mecz potężnym serwisem prosto w rywala, zdobywając swój 43. tytuł w karierze.


Za swój zwycięski debiut w Japonii Nadal dostanie 260 tysięcy dolarów. Okazało się, że na pieniądze jeszcze ciężej niż w meczu z Francuzem, musiał pracować tuż po spotkaniu, kiedy przez ponad 20 minut podpisywał się na wszystkim, poczynając od zdjęć i czapeczek, a na pluszowych misiach kończąc.

http://www.eurosport.pl/tenis/atp-tokio … tory.shtml

Robertinho napisał:

Czy istnieje możliwość zainstalowania na forum zegara odliczającego czas do zdobycia przez Rafę nieklasycznego Wielkiego Szlema?

Może jakiś nowy wątek? Jest opcja widgeta, ale Ona odlciza czas do początku AO, a nie do 30 stycznia 2011.

Robertinho napisał:

Dawidzie od kiedy to piszemy o opcji widgeta z wielkiej litery?

Chora maniera, akurat tuaj znalazła zastosowanie zupełnie przypadkowo.

Nadal wysiadł psychicznie i fizycznie

- Nie można zawsze wygrywać - stwierdził Rafael Nadal po sensacyjnej porażce z Juergenem Melzerem 1:6, 6:3, 6:3 w trzeciej rundzie Shanghai Masters. Numer jeden na świecie nie wytrzymał trudów ostatnich wyczerpujących tygodni, ale i całego sezonu.

Nadal trzy poprzednie mecze z Melzerem rozstrzygał na swoją korzyść. Tym razem nie był jednak w stanie. Dopiero w niedzielę z sukcesem zakończył Tokio Open, a turniej w Szanghaju był jego trzecim z rzędu.

- Ta porażka to żadne zaskoczenie. Nie grałem dobrze. Byłem wolny na korcie i robiłem więcej błędów niż zazwyczaj - opowiadał Nadal. - Jestem trochę bardziej zmęczony, zarówno psychicznie, jak i fizycznie - dodał.

Dostrzegł to też Austriak, który gdy tylko zwietrzył szansę, poszedł za ciosem i dobił rywala. - Po kilku gemach zauważyłem, że Nadal nie czuje się komfortowo - relacjonował Muelzer.

Rafael Nadal chyba ma dość sezonu. - Wszystko, co miałem zrobić w tym sezonie, już zrobiłem - stwierdził Hiszpan, który w tym roku wygrał French Open, Wimbledon i US Open i pozbawił Rogera Federera pierwszego miejsca na świecie.

W przeciwieństwie do zdarzeń z 2009 roku w tym sezonie kontuzje omijały Nadala szerokim łukiem. W końcu dały jednak znać o sobie problemy kondycyjne. Obecnie najlepszy tenisista na świecie cierpi przez napięty kalendarz. Okazuje się, że to zmora nie tylko kobiecego tenisa.

http://www.eurosport.pl/tenis/atp-maste … tory.shtml

King Rafa inaugurates Nadal Tennis School in India

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal arrived in India late on Saturday night and inaugurated the Nadal Tennis School at the Anantapur Sports Village in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. The tennis star quietly slipped in to the country unnoticed. The Spaniard was supposed to be in India for three days but had to cut short his trip after missing a flight and spent only a day at his newly-inaugurated academy set up in collaboration with Fundacion Vincente Ferrer (FVF), the Spanish arm of the Rural Development Trust (RDT), an Anantapur-based NGO.

He arrived in Bangalore late on Saturday night and drove down to Anantapur. The center court was inaugurated at 9.30am following which he interacted with a few children from the school and played tennis with them.

District collector of Anantapur Dr B Janardhan Reddy told DNA, “I had a chance meeting with him as I was close to the stadium and I even got to hit a few balls with him.”

The academy currently has three clay courts while plans are on to expand the place. He was accompanied by his mother Ana Maria Parera. Rafa will return home and get some much needed rest before the season-ending London Masters starting November 21.

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_ki … ia_1454136

Nadal Voted Among World's Most Influential Men

Rafael Nadal has been voted the second most influential athlete in the world by readers of AskMen.com, which attracts more than 16 million monthly readers.

Nadal was voted 15th in AskMen's Top 49 Most Influential Men of 2010. The only other athlete to poll higher was New Orleans' SuperBowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees (6th). Nadal finished higher than NBA star LeBron James (17th), actors George Clooney (18th) and Leonardo DiCaprio (43rd) and even US President Barack Obama (21st).

The magazine says of Nadal: "Once considered “The King of Clay,” Nadal’s game has evolved into an all-encompassing barrage of lethal weapons: he’s capable of defeating anyone, anywhere, anytime. The man plays with reckless abandon, and we love him for it." (Read full Nadal tribute)

AskMen this week announced the results of their annual reader survey with Jon Stewart from The Daily Show claiming the No. 1 position after over half a million votes were cast. The 2010 list of influencers honors men who have broken convention across the worlds of business, politics, technology, media, entertainment and lifestyle. The magazine says: "These are not men who have chosen the traditional path to success, but who have nonetheless redefined the way we live today – and have clearly impacted the fans who voted for them."

“It seems that this year in particular, our readers have chosen unlikely influencers; guys who don’t always play by the rules, and in many cases, created their own norms in opposition to the current times,” comments James Bassil, Editor-in-Chief of AskMen. “Jon Stewart earned his title by speaking frankly, and in the process, successfully engaging millions of ordinary citizens in politics. This year’s top 5 - Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Kanye West are more than that – all found success in their fields by taking unconventional paths… by breaking the rules of their industries.”

The complete roster of this year’s Top 49 Most Influential Men, including profiles of each honoree, can be found at www.AskMen.com.  In order, the top 15 are:

1. Jon Stewart
2. Bill Gates
3. Mark Zuckerberg
4. Steve Jobs
5. Kanye West
6. Drew Brees
7. James Franco
8. Elon Musk
9. Jose Mourinho
10. Graydon Carter
11. Stephen Colbert
12. Conan O'Brien
13. Jay-Z
14. Richard Branson
15. Rafael Nadal

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … -Poll.aspx

Chyba coś musi być na rzeczy. Po USO jedzie do Azji grać 3 tygodnie pod rząd, a teraz po 3 tygodniach przerwy nie da rady grać w tenisa (nawet zatankować)?
Inna sprawa, że start w Finałach ATP bez żadnego turnieju przecierającego wcale nie musi oznaczać komfortu gry, przynajmniej w pierwszych meczach.

Nadal out of Paris Masters

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the last Masters 1000 of the year.

Rafael Nadal, the current title holder of the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, has withdrawn from the Paris-Bercy Masters event scheduled for next week.

Nadal's camp has not as of yet stated a reason for the withdrawal.

http://tennistalk.com/en/news/20101105/ … is_Masters

Nadal confident he will be ready for ATP Finals

PARIS (AP) -Top-ranked Rafael Nadal said Monday the shoulder injury that forced him out of the Paris Masters won't prevent him from playing at the ATP World Tour finals later this month.

Nadal told a news conference he has a small case of tendinitis in his left shoulder and that he withdrew from the final Masters tournament of the season to avoid risking a serious injury before the London event and next year's Australian Open.

Nadal said he will need one week of full training to be ready for the ATP Finals, which run from Nov. 21-28.

``I'm fine. I went to the doctor and he told me the injury could worsen if I was playing,'' Nadal said. ``This is the end of the season and all those matches took a toll on my shoulder.''

After winning the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open this season, Nadal is guaranteed to finish the year at No. 1. He has played in 33 of the past 35 Masters 1000 tournaments.

``It's disappointing not to be able to play here,'' said Nadal, who reached the finals in Paris three years ago. ``It's the last Masters 1000 of the year and for sure one of my favorites in the world. It was not an easy decision but I played all others Masters 1000 and all Grand Slams this season.''

The Spaniard added he is determined to ``play well in London on the most difficult surface for me, where it will be difficult for me to win.''

Nadal was eliminated in the round robin phase at last year's ATP Finals after losing his three matches without winning a single set.

``I will have a special motivation, and I'm going to give everything I can to play well here,'' Nadal said. ``I want to improve the image of last year. I'll try to win.''

Nadal, who has not played since a third-round defeat to Jurgen Melzer at the Shanghai Masters on Oct. 14, recently said he was feeling some fatigue from his successful season. But the 24-year-oold doesn't think changing his schedule would improve things.

``Playing less is almost impossible if you want to stay on top,'' Nadal said. ``After that, I think you can change a few things, but not many. It worked well for me in 2010 and I will more or less try to stick to the same program next year.''

http://www.tennischannel.com/news/NewsD … ewsid=8359

NADAL EAGER TO IMPRESS IN LONDON

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is keen to put the finishing touches on what has been an outstanding 2010 season by coming out on top at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in two weeks time.

The Spaniard has been forced to withdraw from the BNP Paribas Masters this week due to tendinitis in his left shoulder, but during a visit to the Palais Omnisports in Paris on Monday, assured media and fans that his injury would not be a concern at the season finale in London.

Nadal, who was advised by his doctor to rest and undergo intensive treatment for six to seven days before resuming practice, said: “For sure, for me [it is] disappointing not to be here. [It] is the last Masters 1000 of the year, and for sure one of my favourites of the world. So was not easy decision.

“This (the injury) is not a big problem, but I have to be careful, because if I had an injury now [it could] be difficult to play London and to play well in the beginning of the season next year. I'm not worried about London.”

The 24-year-old Nadal has enjoyed one of the best seasons in the Open Era, winning three major titles at Roland Garros (d. Soderling), Wimbledon (d. Berdych) and the US Open (d. Djokovic), where he became the youngest player to complete the career Grand Slam. He has also won three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophies and will finish as the year-end No. 1 in the South African Airways 2010 ATP Rankings.

The left-hander was the first player to qualify for the elite eight-man field at the year-end championships, following his triumph at Roland Garros, and is keen to lay to rest the demons of last year’s trip to London, when he arrived not at his physical peak following a succession of injuries and lost all three of his round-robin matches.

“I going to be with special motivation, with special allusion, and I'm going do all in my hands to play well there," said Nadal. "It is a goal for me to try to improve the image of last year in London. I think I am focused to try to do this.

“We will see what happens; I am focused on trying to play well there. [It] is probably the most difficult surface against the most difficult opponents for me, so probably is the more difficult tournament for me to win during the year. But I am here to try."

The Mallorcan will be joined at The O2 in London by Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Robin Soderling, with six players in contention to clinch the remaining three spots in Paris this week.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … ondon.aspx