Rafael Nadal Inspired by Brazil's Ronaldo

With Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo watching, Rafael Nadal won the Brazil Open on Sunday — his first title after a seven-month layoff caused by treatment of his left knee.
Nadal said Ronaldo is "an example" to be followed because of his determination to rebound from a series of career-threatening knee injuries.
"He was unstoppable, one of the best players of all time despite all the bad luck he had with the knee," Nadal said.

His victory notwithstanding, the Spaniard said he is still bothered by his knee and is far from fully recovered. He hopes his Sunday will mark a new beginning in his career.
"There are days that the knee still hurts and it's very complicated," he said. "I need some time to keep improving and become more competitive again. Let's see how it goes."
Out of action since last year because a torn and inflamed tendon in his knee, on Sunday he beat former world No. 3 David Nalbandian of Argentina 6-2, 6-3 to win his 51st title, and first since beating Novak Djokovic last June for his seventh French Open championship.
The Brazil Open was Nadal's second tournament since his return. He played at the VTR Open in Chile the week before, losing the singles and doubles final. The final in Brazil was only his eighth singles match since the comeback.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion admitted the level of the competition in Brazil was not as high as in other tournaments
Nadal will play another clay-court tournament in Mexico this month and hopes to be fully fit by the French Open. He hopes to play at Indian Wells, Calif., next month but hasn't made a decision.
"We are thinking day to day, week to week," the 26-year-old said. "We'll see how I feel before making a decision on where I'll be playing in the near future, it will depend on how the knee improves."

Source: http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sports/2013/02/18/rafael-nadal-inspired-by-brazil-ronaldo/

Rafael Nadal wins first title since returning from knee injury at Brazil Open

                                         Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images


SAO PAULO, Brazil — Rafael Nadal beat David Nalbandian 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Brazil Open on Sunday, winning his first title since returning from a seven-month layoff to treat his left knee.
Nadal thrust his arms into the air and pumped his fist after Nalbandian sent a shot long to give the Spaniard his second title at the indoor clay-court tournament. He also won the event in 2005.
“I’ll definitely enjoy this one because of all the problems that I’ve gone through with the knee,” Nadal said. “When I won for the first time here I was just starting and hopefully this will mark a new beginning.”
It was Nadal’s 51st singles title, and first since winning the French Open for the seventh time last June.
Nadal struggled to find a rhythm in the beginning but was still able to break Nalbandian’s serve twice to take the first set, then rallied from 3-0 down in the second to win six straight games and close out and match in 1 hour, 18 minutes.

Seeking his 12th title, the 93rd-ranked Nalbandian was playing in a final for the first time since he was disqualified for kicking an advertisement board and injuring a line judge at Queen’s Club last June. The former world No. 3 hasn’t won a title since 2010 in Washington.
Nadal said his knee felt better on Sunday and it made all the difference.
“When the knee is feeling better like today I feel like that I can do more of the things that I used to do my entire life,” he said. “If the pain is bearable like it was today, then it’s fine.”
He had complained of soreness in his knee after Friday’s semifinal, which marked his second three-set match at the tournament.
Nadal still looked far from his best on Sunday, though, and didn’t seem to be moving well. The knee visibly bothered him at times and he left many balls unchallenged throughout the match.
But with the support from the local fans and with former Brazil star striker Ronaldo and mixed martial arts champion Anderson Silva in the crowd, Nadal took control of the match in the second set to secure the victory.
Nadal converted five of his eight break points against Nalbandian and was broken twice by the Argentine.
Nadal took the lead for the first time with a break in the sixth game, then broke Nalbandian again in the final game to close out the set. The Argentine came out strong in the second set and broke Nadal twice in a row to go up 3-0, but the Spaniard quickly rebounded with two breaks and then cruised to close out the match without losing another game in front of nearly 10,000 people packing the Ibirapuera arena.
“I didn’t play my best match today, Rafa was much better,” Nalbandian said. “I was ahead in the second set but I couldn’t take advantage of it.”
The 26-year-old Nadal, currently ranked fifth, returned to action at the VTR Open in Chile last week, losing the singles and doubles finals.
The final in Brazil was only his eighth singles match since his return. He withdrew from the doubles in Sao Paulo after winning the first match with Nalbandian as his partner. Nadal said he wanted to rest his knee for the singles tournament.
The 11-time Grand Slam champion admitted that the level of the competition in Brazil was not as high as in other tournaments but said that it wasn’t bad either, giving him the perfect opportunity to give his knee a good test. The Spaniard will play another clay-court tournament in Mexico in two weeks.
“Right now I’m just thinking about celebrating this title, it means a lot to me,” Nadal said. “I still need time, so I’m thinking day-to-day, week-to-week.”
Nadal had won four of his six career matches against Nalbandian, the last one a three-set victory in the quarterfinals of Indian Wells last year. Nalbandian’s last victory over Nadal was in 2007 in the final of a Master Series tournament in Paris.
The 31-year-old Argentine made his season debut in singles at the Brazil Open. He was out of action for several months last season because of an abdominal injury.

Source:  http://sports.nationalpost.com/2013/02/17/rafael-nadal-wins-first-title-since-returning-from-knee-injury-at-brazil-open/

Rafael Nadal reaches 2nd straight final since return

                                         (Andre Penner/Associated Press)
 

Nadal will face David Nalbandian in final

 Rafael Nadal outlasted 111th-ranked Martin Alund 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1 at the Brazil Open on Saturday, making it to his second straight final after a long layoff to treat his ailing left knee.

Nadal next plays David Nalbandian, the former world No. 3 who defeated Simone Bolelli of Italy 6-3, 7-5 to make it to his first final since being disqualified for injuring a line judge at Queen's Club last year.
Still looking for his rhythm and working his way into match shape, Nadal lost six straight points in the tiebreaker to go to a third set with the Argentine, who made it into the main draw as a lucky loser from qualifying after compatriot Leonardo Mayer withdrew with an injury.
Nadal then dominated the third to close out the match in 1 hour, 56 minutes.
Nadal will try for his 51st singles title on Sunday, and first since winning the French Open for the seventh time last June.
The Spaniard said he struggled with his sore knee throughout Saturday's match at the indoor clay-court tournament.
"I didn't feel well today, it was the worst day for my knee, and if the knee is not well it makes it very difficult to play," Nadal said. "But I am happy with the result. After seven months without playing it's good to reach the final again, even if I'm not at my best."

'I didn't feel well today, it was the worst day for my knee, and if the knee is not well it makes it very difficult to play. But I am happy with the result. After seven months without playing it's good to reach the final again, even if I'm not at my best.'—Spain's Rafael Nadal

Nadal is recovering from a torn and inflamed tendon in his left knee. He returned to action in Chile last week, losing the singles and doubles finals.
Nadal, who won the Brazil Open in 2005, had already struggled in his quarterfinal on Friday, escaping with a three-set victory. He dismissed the favorite label for Sunday's final.
"It will be very hard," he said. "I didn't feel well today but I hope that I'll be better tomorrow. I'm not the favorite but I'll try my best. [Nalbandian] has been playing very well. Let's see how it goes."
In the first semifinal, Nalbandian broke Bolelli just two games into the match and easily took the first set, then rallied from 3-1 down in the second at the Ibirapuera arena.
The 93rd-ranked Argentine converted all of his five break points.
"I started playing well, very solid," said Nalbandian, who is looking for his 12th career title and first since 2010. "I lost a bit of focus and it became another difficult match, but fortunately I was able to come through with the victory."
Nalbandian hadn't made it to an ATP final since his disqualification for kicking an advertisement board and injuring a line judge during the grass-court tournament in London last June.
He vehemently complained of a call that went against him early in the second set on Saturday, getting the tournament official involved in the discussion before eventually settling down.
Nalbandian is making his season debut in singles at the Brazil Open. He was out of action for several months last season because of an abdominal injury and withdrew from the doubles in Brazil because Nadal, his partner, decided to rest his injured knee.
"I'm glad to be back playing at a top level again and it's good to make it to another final," Nalbandian said.
He eliminated two-time defending Brazil Open champion Nicolas Almagro of Spain in the quarterfinals.


Source: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/tennis/story/2013/02/16/sp-brazil-tennis-rafael-nadal-130216.html

Rafael Nadal advances in Brazil

SAO PAULO -- Rafael Nadal overcame a poor start and a difficult third set to advance to the Brazil Open semifinals, beating Carlos Berlocq of Argentina 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 on Friday night.
Nadal jumped and thrust both arms into the air after he closed the match against the 78th-ranked Berlocq in 2 hours, 24 minutes, staying on track to win his first tournament after a long layoff to recover from a left knee injury.

With the crowd behind him, Nadal broke Berlocq's service in the final game of the match to secure the victory and a spot in the semifinals.
Berlocq had broken Nadal's service early in the third set to go up 3-1, but the Spaniard recovered and took advantage of a couple of double faults by Berlocq to start the final game.
"I knew there was a chance I was going to lose it, but luckily I was able to recover in the end," Nadal said. "I'm very happy because it was a very difficult match against a great opponent. I'm happy to reach the semifinals and now we'll see how it goes."
Nadal will face 111th-ranked Martin Alund, who beat 88th-ranked Filippo Volandri of Italy 7-5, 7-6 (5). The 27-year-old Argentine never had won a match at the top tour level until he came to Sao Paulo. He beat 25th-ranked and fourth-seeded Jeremy Chardy of France in the second round.
"I know very little about him but he has been having a spectacular tournament," Nadal said. "He has been playing very well and is coming into the match with a lot of confidence."
Nadal was broken twice in a row in the first set and had to save a break point early in the second. He squandered three straight chances to break Berlocq's service a few games later before finally coming through at 4-5 to clinch the set and stay alive.
Despite the victory, Nadal didn't appear in his best shape and had a slight limp at times toward the end of the match.
There was a tense moment in the seventh game of the first set after Nadal sprinted to try to reach a drop ball near the net. He nearly fell and immediately started limping, apparently favoring his injured left knee, but replays eventually showed that he only slightly twisted his ankle and he seemed fine the rest of the match.
The match was stopped for a few minutes after the play as organizers had to work to fix a damaged spot on the court. Many players, including Nadal, had criticized the temporary clay court at the Ibirapuera arena, saying it was too slippery and unsafe at times. Nadal also attacked the ATP and complained of the bad quality of the ball provided in Sao Paulo.
Nadal was out of action for nearly seven months because of his knee injury. He returned to action last week at the VTR Open in Vina del Mar in Chile, losing the final in both singles and doubles.

The 26-year-old Spaniard has been saying there is still pain in his knee but it is improving considerably. The 11-time Grand Slam champion will also play in Acapulco, Mexico, this month.
The 30-year-old Berlocq was trying to win his first ATP title. He reached the semifinals in Chile last week, losing to eventual tournament winner Horacio Zeballos, the Argentine who beat Nadal in the final.

Source: http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/8951637/rafael-nadal-defeats-carlos-berlocq-reach-brazil-open-semifinals

Rafael Nadal beats Joao Souza at Brazil Open

Rafael Nadal beat world number 140 Joao Souza in straight sets at the Brazil Open as he continued his comeback from a serious knee injury.

The Spaniard, 26, won 6-3 6-4 in his opening singles match in Sao Paulo, having played one doubles match before withdrawing to protect his knee.
Nadal had few problems seeing off Souza, and the 11-time Grand Slam champion will next face Carlos Berlocq.

Nadal injury timeline

28 June, 2012: Nadal loses to Lukas Rosol in second round of Wimbledon
14 July: Pulls out of an exhibition match with Novak Djokovic because of tendonitis
19 July: Withdraws from the Olympics with tendonitis in left knee
15 August: Withdraws from the US Open
3 September: Announces he has a partially torn patella tendon
25 October: Confirms he will not play in the Paris Masters or ATP World Tour Finals
20 November: Practises on court for the first time in Majorca
25 December: Pulls out of the Abu Dhabi exhibition with a stomach virus
28 December: Withdraws from the Australian Open because of the virus
5 February, 2013: Nadal returns alongside Juan Monaco in the Vina del Mar doubles before playing his first singles match 24 hours later

Nadal came through three singles matches before losing to Argentina's Horacio Zeballos, the world number 73, in Sunday's final.
He was still well short of his best against Souza in front of a packed crowd in Sao Paulo, but when he came under pressure early in the second set, Nadal saw off the break point with a first serve.


 Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/tennis/21468152