Rafael Maymo gives a Rafael Nadal massage

Rafael Nadal withdraws from London Olympics

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Rafael Nadal, primeras declaraciones tras su retirada de JJ.OO

Rafael Nadal withdraws from Olympics due to injury

Spain's Rafael Nadal has withdrawn from the Olympics due to injury, saying he is not in condition to compete.
"I am not in the right physical condition to compete at the London Olympics and for this reason I will not travel as arranged with the Spanish delegation," the world number three announced in an e-mailed statement.
Nadal, the defending men's tennis gold medallist and an eleven-time Grand Slam singles champion, was a frontrunner to win another gold in London. He had been scheduled to carry the Spanish flag at the opening ceremony.
"Today is one of the saddest days in my career. Carrying the flag for Spain at the opening ceremony was set to be one of the biggest honours, one of the most special moments for me," Nadal said. "I have to think about my team-mates, I cannot be an egotist and think about myself here. I have to think about Spanish sport, and that one of my team-mates who is better prepared than me can take my place and compete to the best of his ability."
The favourites for the gold remain Wimbledon champion and world number one Roger Federer, world number two Novak Djokovic, and British fan favourite Andy Murray.

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Rafael+Nadal+withdraws+from+Olympics+injury/6958565/story.html#ixzz215EPv0Mw

Source: http://www.vancouversun.com/Rafael+Nadal+withdraws+from+Olympics+injury/6958565/story.html

Nadal laisse tomber

Rafael Nadal laisse tomber une bombe sur Londres. Le joueur espagnol déclare forfait pour le tournoi olympique en raison de sa condition physique.

C'est ce qu'il a annoncé jeudi dans un communiqué transmis à l'Associated Press. Il ne défendra donc pas son titre, acquis à Pékin en 2008.
Il est toujours gêné par une tendinite au genou gauche, et avait d'ailleurs annulé un match de démonstration contre Novak Djokovic, prévu le 14 juillet, pour ne pas forcer son genou à 15 jours des Jeux.
Il avait dit le 5 juillet qu'il se donnait deux semaines de convalescence avant de revenir au jeu. Visiblement, il a décidé de repousser son retour.
« Je ne suis pas en condition pour participer à la compétition. C'est l'un des moments les plus tristes de ma carrière. J'ai une pensée pour mes compatriotes », a-t-il expliqué.
Rafael Nadal devait être le porte-drapeau de la délégation espagnole à la cérémonie d'ouverture.

Source: http://www.radio-canada.ca/sujet/olympiques-londres-2012/2012/07/19/002-tennis-nadal-forfait.shtml

Blessé, Nadal n'ira pas aux Olympiques

MADRID, Espagne - Le joueur de tennis espagnol Rafael Nadal ne participera pas aux Jeux olympiques de Londres en raison de sa condition physique, a-t-il annoncé jeudi dans un communiqué transmis à l'Associated Press.

Cette décision a été une des `plus difficiles de sa carrière', a-t-il expliqué.

Nadal devait être le porte-drapeau de l'Espagne lors de la cérémonie d'ouverture des Jeux olympiques de Londres.

Il était le champion en titre, lui qui avait remporté le tournoi à Pékin en 2008.

Blessé à un genou, Nadal n'a pas disputé un seul match depuis son élimination au deuxième tour de Wimbledon face à Lukas Rosol.

Rafa Nadal - Bienvenida / Welcome, MyStarAutograph

Rafa's First Hand

Rafa en photos

Comme vous le savez tous/es Rafael sera le porte drapeau de l'Espagne aux prochains Jeux Olympiques de Londres, voici quelques photos prises lors de la remise du drapeau. Like you guys already know, Rafael will be the flag bearer of Spain at the 2012 London Olympics games. Here are some pictures of the ceremony where they give the Spanish flag to Rafa.

Classement ATP/ ATP Ranks

Classement au 16 juillet :

1. Roger Federer (SUI) 11075 pts

2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11000

3. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 8905

4. Andy Murray (GBR) 7460

5. David Ferrer (ESP) 5455

6. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 5230

7. Tomas Berdych (CZE) 4515

8. Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) 3220

9. Juan Martín Del Potro (ARG) 3180

10. Nicolas Almagro (ESP) 2665

11. John Isner (É.-U.) 2620

12. Gilles Simon (FRA) 2480

13. Mardy Fish (É.-U.) 2355

14. Juan Monaco (ARG) 2240

15. Marin Cilic (CRO) 1925

16. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) 1810

17. Gaël Monfils (FRA) 1715

18. Oleksandr Dolgopolov Jr. (UKR) 1690 (+1)

19. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 1680 (-1)

20. Marcel Granollers (ESP) 1635 (+4)

24. Milos Raonic (CAN) 1540 (-1)

Rafa en photos

Rafa in vacation mode with friends in Italy.

Rafa en photos

 Sardinia, Italy - Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal arrives in Sardinia on a yacht to vacation with some friends while having a fun on jet skis.

The day Rafa Nadal set a Scottish teenager on the road to stardom

Andy Murray's journey to becoming the first British Wimbledon finalist since 1938 might never have occurred but for a chance post-match conversation with a talented Spanish 15-year-old back in 2001.

Murray, then aged 14, had been playing in Andorra in an international junior tournament and was passing time with a Spanish competitor. As the teenagers chatted, the two compared training regimes.
'This guy was telling me he practised with people like Carlos Moya, who had been world No 1,' said Murray.

You've come a long way: Andy Murray

'He said he'd never beaten him, never even broken his serve - but it was significant he was playing him at all.
'I started thinking. I never got the chance to practise with Tim Henman. I didn't even meet him properly until I was 16.'
That Spanish teenager was Rafa Nadal and it could be argued it was the two-time Wimbledon champion who put Murray on course to become the first British Wimbledon champion since Fred Perry.
On that day in 2001, Murray immediately phoned his mother, Judy, back home in Scotland.
'Do you know who this guy practises with?' ranted Murray.

Better late than never: Andy Murray and Tim Henman represented Great Britain together

'Carlos Moya! Do you know who I practise with? My big brother! He's playing four hours a day. I'm playing four hours a week.'
From that conversation came the upheaval in the life of the Murray family they credit with turning a talented teenager into a world-class player.
It was to Catalonia that Murray turned in search of the environment Nadal had been enjoying.
The tennis centre of which the Spaniard spoke and where he hit with Moya was the Sánchez-Casal Academy, on the outskirts of Barcelona, run by Emilio Sánchez Vicario, brother of 1995 and 1996 Wimbledon ladies' finalist Arantxa, and Sergio Casal.

Early days: Andy Murray in training

Rejecting an opportunity from the LTA to train at Queen's Club, Murray, then 15, left his Dunblane home and embarked on a new life at the academy.
Fees were £30,000 a year and, although the LTA put up £10,000, Judy and her husband William, from whom she had separated, were hard-pressed to meet the rest.
Only when Judy persuaded the likes of Tennis Scotland, Sport England and soft drinks firm Robinsons to contribute could Andy take his place.
'Judy was very clear what she wanted,' said Sánchez. On his arrival though, Sánchez was initially unimpressed.
'I remember the first time I played with him, he didn't look like anything,' he said. 'But when we began to play, he started hitting his shots, he had all these angles that kept putting me in difficult positions. It was amazing.'

Inspiration: Rafael Nadal (right) was an example to Andy Murray

For two and a half years, Murray honed his game under the legendary Colombian coach Pato Alvarez.
In the Catalan sunshine, he could happily hit for four hours a day and train for an additional two with an intensity unknown in British tennis.
'I think the club system in England is part of the problem and perhaps the situation with weather,' said Sánchez.
'Here we only have 50 days of rain a year. In England there is a shortage of courts and competition.'
Within months of graduating, Murray won the junior US Open and began his march up the senior rankings.
And notwithstanding the nationwide disappointment of not being able to cheer on Nadal in the Wimbedon final, there will at least be a corner of Spain celebrating if Murray fulfils his destiny.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2170261/Wimbledon-2012-The-day-Rafa-Nadal-set-Andy-Murray-road-stardom.html#ixzz2038InTM4

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2170261/Wimbledon-2012-The-day-Rafa-Nadal-set-Andy-Murray-road-stardom.html

Rafael Nadal's Tendinitis Sidelines Him Again, Could This Shorten His Career? Fan's Take

Rafael Nadal announced today that he won't be able to play against Novak Djokovic on July 14 in what was to become a historic exhibition played in front of over 80,000 people because of a flare-up of tendinitis in his knee. He will instead spend the next two weeks rehabilitating his knee. This will delay his preparation for the Summer Olympics in London later this month but will not stop him from competing.

Fans will remember that it was tendinitis in both of his knees in 2009 that sidelined him for much of the year. Nadal had started the year by winning the Australian Open but injured his knee soon thereafter. What followed was the most frustrating year of his career. He suffered his only loss at the French Open, was forced to withdraw from Wimbledon because of the knee problems, and lost in straights sets in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open to Juan Martin Del Potro.

At the time, many wondered if Nadal's knee issues would become a recurrent theme and potentially drastically shorten what was becoming one of the greatest tennis careers ever. Those fears were allayed, however, when Nadal returned in 2010 and won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in one of the most dominating years a single player has ever had in tennis.

Given his aggressive and physical playing style, however, Nadal's knees have continued to take a pounding. Perhaps this is why Nadal has been so vocal in his opposition to the long and difficult schedule that the ATP requires of its players. It's possible that by being forced to play 80-90 matches each season Nadal's career will be shortened by at least a few years.

It's difficult to know if Nadal's team is just playing extra cautious with him right now following his early exit from Wimbledon. They might feel he simply needs a mental break from the game and will use the excuse of treating his knee to give it to him. I don't doubt that Nadal's knees would benefit from some extra time off. Typically the top ATP players take an extended break of at least a month between Wimbledon and the hardcourt tuneup tournaments in front of the U.S. Open. This year, with the Olympics falling right in the middle of that break, the players will be under greater physical and mental pressure.

I certainly hope Nadal's knee issues are nothing serious. No matter the reason, I'm glad he's taking a break at this point in the year before the pounding that his knees will take during the hardcourt season that is coming. I'm looking forward to watching him compete at the Summer Olympics and at the U.S. Open and I want to watch a healthy Nadal. Certainly the world of tennis is much better when he is playing.


Julie is a lifelong tennis fan and a featured tennis contributor for the Yahoo Contributor Network. She considers Rafael Nadal to be one of the greatest players ever and loves to watch him play.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/rafael-nadals-tendinitis-sidelines-him-again-could-shorten-100800363--ten.html

Nadal cancels exhibition to rest for Olympics

 Nadal said doctors have told him to rest for 15 days because of tendinitis, so as to be ready for the London Olympics. (Photo: AP/Anja Niedringhaus)

MADRID, Spain -- Rafael Nadal has cancelled an exhibition match against Novak Djokovic because of knee trouble.
He said doctors have told him to rest for 15 days because of tendinitis, so as to be ready for the London Olympics.
He and Djokovic were scheduled to play on July 14 for charity at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, the home to Real Madrid.
"I will now work on my rehab as well as taking some short holidays to resume my practice in 15 days," Nadal said in a statement.

Source: http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/2012/07/04/rafael_nadal_cancels_exhibition_olympics/