Rafael Nadal concerned about knee

MONACO -- Rafael Nadal is fretting over his troublesome left knee as he attempts to win his eighth straight Monte Carlo Masters and end a title drought dating to last year's French Open.
Nadal pulled out of his semifinal against Andy Murray at last month's Sony Ericsson Open. He then received treatment for a knee tendon problem after having already skipped a chunk of the season to rest his knees following the Australian Open.
"It's OK now. (I need) time to see how it is at the top level, run without thinking about the knee, when I put all my pressure on the knee," Nadal said Monday. "It's the start of the clay-court season for me, and hopefully it will work well."
But the 10-time Grand Slam champion expects to be rusty in his second-round match against Finland's Jarkko Nieminen on Wednesday. He started practicing only four days ago.
"I's not enough after 15 days off without chances to practice a lot because I couldn't move my knee," the 25-year-old Spaniard said. "I'm a little bit scared, but seems like today I am able to practice with no (problems)."
Nadal rested his knee after the Australian Open, where he lost his seventh straight tour final to top-ranked Novak Djokovic. He didn't play again until several weeks later at Indian Wells, where he lost in the semifinal to Roger Federer in straight sets.
At the following tournament in Miami, his left knee flared again. He withdrew hours before he was to play Murray.
"It's not easy to explain, in English especially. Even in Spanish it will be difficult. I had a little bit broke in the tendon on the top, but especially behind the knee," Nadal said. "I did (have an injection). I did the treatment two times."
He is relieved to be back on clay, where there is less stress on his knees.
"The worst surface for the players is the hard," Nadal said. "I believe we are wrong in the tournament(s) to play more and more on hard (courts), and less and less on clay and grass."
Since 2005, Nadal has won at Monte Carlo and Roland Garros every year except '09.
"It's special to come back to a place where I have more success than (anyone)," said Nadal, who has won 37 consecutive matches in Monte Carlo and holds a 39-1 record. "The conditions worked for me in the past, I always played my best tennis here, I believe."
The six-time French Open champion, who could face Djokovic in the Monte Carlo final, is playing down his title slump.
"I didn't win a title, but how many final I played?" asked Nadal, who has 46 career titles to 73 for Federer. "I am doing my calendar to try and win important titles, or the most important titles on the tour, to try to be healthy as long as I can."

Source: http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7820011/rafael-nadal-worried-left-knee-heading-clay-season

Nadal rattrape le temps

Touché au genou à Miami, Rafael Nadal n'a repris l'entraînement que jeudi. Mais son genou va bien et il vise un 8e titre d'affilée.

 

Rafael Nadal n'a pu s'entraîner que quelques jours sur terre battue. (EQ)

A la Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal porte maintenant ses initiales sur son polo. A Monte-Carlo, il a gagné ses galons depuis bien longtemps. Quand il arrive dans la petite salle de presse, il continue de pianoter sur son téléphone sans se soucier de la hauteur de plafond bien basse. En Principauté, il est chez lui avec ses sept titres d'affilée. « C'est toujours spécial de revenir ici car c'est un des plus beaux clubs du monde et je détiens le record de titres », avoue le Majorquin. Pourquoi une telle réussite ? « Je suis un peu chanceux », avoue-t-il en souriant avant d'ajouter que les conditions lui vont bien.

Mais le sourcil pointe rapidement pour évoquer son genou, toujours fragilisé par des tendinites. Blessé à Miami, il n'a pas joué pendant quinze jours et n'a repris l'entraînement que jeudi. La course contre la montre a donc démarré et même la pluie ne peut l'arrêter. Avec le mauvais temps, il a pris samedi la direction de Grasse pour trouver des terrains couverts. Le lendemain, il a enchaîné trois heures sur les courts du MCCC. « J'ai besoin de passer du temps sur le terrain et j'ai besoin de match », souligne le 2e mondial qui tente de positiver la situation : «Mon genou va bien, je peux m'entraîner normalement et c'est la chose la plus importante aujourd'hui. »

«Mon genou va bien, je peux m'entraîner normalement et c'est la chose la plus importante aujourd'hui. »De quoi le rendre plus nerveux qu'à l'accoutumée ? « Je suis toujours nerveux », répond Rafael Nadal avant d'avouer que ce manque de préparation ne le rassure pas car il a besoin de passer du temps sur terre battue pour s'acclimater à la surface. Enfin tout est relatif... Il suffit de se souvenir de son temps d'adaptation pour passer de la surface rapide de l'US Open à la terre battue de Cordoue en Coupe Davis... Allez, vingt-quatre heures à la louche. Alors après une semaine à Monte-Carlo, les risques de dérapage sont minimes.
Source: http://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Actualites/Nadal-rattrape-le-temps/277596

La blessure de Nadal est inquiétante

                                           Rafael Nadal (Photo PC)

MONACO, Monaco - La blessure au genou gauche de Rafael Nadal inquiète à l'aube du Masters de Monte Carlo.

L'Espagnol vient tout juste de reprendre l'entraînement après avoir bénéficié de 15 jours de repos. Ce dernier avait déclaré forfait quelques heures avant la demi-finale qui devait l'opposer à Andy Murray à l'Omnium Sony Ericsson, pour recevoir des traitements au tendon du genou gauche.

Rappelons que le champion de 10 tournois du Grand Chelem avait déjà manqué une partie de la saison pour soigner son genou juste après les Internationaux d'Australie.

Malgré tout, Nadal tentera de remporter le Masters de Monte Carlo pour la huitième année consécutive. Une victoire pourrait aussi mettre fin à une léthargie qui perdure depuis sa victoire aux Internationaux de tennis de France l'année dernière.

Nadal amorcera le tournoi mercredi alors qu'il affrontera le Finlandais Jarkko Nieminen, qui a vaincu non sans peine le vétéran Radek Stepanek en deux manches de 6-3 et 7-6 au premier tour.

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Rafa en photos

Rafael Nadal Monte Carlo Rolex Master 2012

Thanks Novak!

Rafa Nadal inicia los entrenamientos con vistas al Masters 1000 de Monte...

Rafa's ebay page for his Kia

Here's Rafa's ebay page for all interested buyers of his Kia. The money will go straight to his foundation. The page is in Spanish.

Voici la page de la vente de la Kia de Rafa, l'argent ira bien évidement à sa fondation. La page est malheureusement en espagnol.

http://www.ebay.es/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=251038982101

Kia ProCee'd Rafa Nadal

Nadal/Djokovic to clash in Bernabeu

Real Madrid have confirmed that tennis stars Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will play a charity exhibition match at their Bernabeu Stadium on July 14.

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The event is to raise money for the Realmadrid Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation, which both use sport as a tool to encourage social integration.
It is hoped the chance to see the top two players in the world in action will attract a crowd in excess of 80,000 people, and it will be a particularly special occasion for Nadal, who is a passionate Real Madrid fan.
A statement on the Real Madrid website read: "The pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium will turn into a tennis court on 14 July for a charity match between Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
"It will be organised by the Realmadrid Foundation and the Rafa Nadal Foundation, hoping to gather a record 80,000+ crowd and collect proceeds for projects developed by both foundations."
Djokovic and Nadal were the finalists in this year's first Grand Slam in Australia. Serbian Djokovic prevailed 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 (5-7) 7-5 in an epic contest lasting five hours and 53 minutes, making it the longest final in Grand Slam history.

Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/laliga/story/real-madrid-rafael-nadal-to-face-djokovic-in-bernabeu-exhibition-041012

Toni Nadal: Rafael Nadal to start training on Wednesday

World No. 2 Rafael Nadal uncle and Coach Toni Nadal insists that, Rafa is going to begin the training session from Wednesday, where he will start preparations for Monte Carlo Masters championship.

10-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal, who has been improving his knee treatment and first training session will kick off from Wednesday said Toni Nadal. He added doctors advised to take couple of days and must follow the program to recover soon from knee injury.

  Nadal will get six to seven days to prepare better for the 2012 Monte Carlo Masters 1000 series ATP Tournament, before heading into the Monte Carlo.

Toni Nadal said Nadal should focus more on his fitness, where he is schedule to play seven major ATP tournaments this season, including Summer Olympics in London and will defend French Open at Roland Garros. Spaniard is looking forward to win Monte Carlo Masters tournament for eighth straight time in their career, as he won seven consecutive titles from 2005 to 2011.

25-year-old Nadal is likely to be seed as No. 2, ahead of the five-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic as No. 1 in the Monte Carlo Masters championship, an ATP World Tour 1000 series event, being played here on outdoor clay courts at the Monte Carlo Country Club in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France.

Source: http://www.livetennisguide.com/2012/04/09/toni-nadal-rafael-nadal-to-start-training-on-wednesday/

Nadal-Djokovic pour une bonne cause

Rafael Nadal a déjà rêvé de porter les couleurs du Real Madrid. Le 14 juillet, l'Espagnol affrontera Novak Djokovic dans un match d'exhibition à Santiago-Bernabéu, l'antre du Real Madrid.

Grand partisan du club madrilène, Nadal avait d'abord demandé à Roger Federer, qu'il a affronté à quelques reprises dans ce genre d'occasion. Mais le Suisse a décliné l'offre parce que le rendez-vous se tiendra entre Wimbledon et les Jeux olympiques, deux objectifs majeurs dans sa saison.

D'ailleurs, l'or olympique est le seul titre qui manque au palmarès du vainqueur de 16 tournois du grand chelem.

La surface n'est pas encore déterminée, mais Nadal et Djokovic, également grand amateur du Real Madrid, espèrent battre un record aux guichets. En juillet 2010, Kim Clijsters et Serena Williams avaient inscrit une nouvelle marque en réunissant 35 681 spectateurs pour un match d'exhibition dans un stade de Bruxelles.

Tous les profits seront versés aux fondations de Nadal et du Real Madrid.

Par ailleurs, Nadal a publié dans sa page Facebook mardi qu'il avait repris l'entraînement. Il y a 10 jours, le numéro deux mondial avait dû déclarer forfait pour sa demi-finale au Masters de Miami.

Source: http://www.radio-canada.ca/sports/tennis/2012/04/10/002-nadal-djokovic-exhibition.shtml

Earth Hour People's Postcode Lottery Rafael Nadal

Bacardi Limited Publishes 2011 Corporate Responsibility Report

 Family-owned Bacardi Limited, the world’s largest privately held spirits company, continues to build on its long-standing foundation of corporate and social responsibility as it improved its global environmental efficiencies, increased engagement with responsible suppliers and announced world tennis champion Rafael Nadal as the new Bacardi Limited Global Social Responsibility Ambassador and face of its award-winning “Champions Drink Responsibly” program in its most recent Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report. The report, titled “Spirit for Life,” reinforces the Company’s purpose and values as a CR leader in the spirits industry in order to promote responsible drinking and deliver a more sustainable future. This CR report is released as Bacardi celebrates its 150th anniversary and focuses on the Company’s efforts to manage social and environmental impacts of its business in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011. ( Photo: Business Wire)

Source: http://eon.businesswire.com/multimedia/eon/20120403005441/en/2590955/Bacardi-Limited/Corporate--Responsibility/Rafael-Nadal

Rafa en photo/ Rafa's new picture for Bacardi

Nuevo Spot TV Kia Sportage 75'' Longue version/ Longer version

Rafa Nadal, protagonista de la nueva campaña del Kia Sportage

Rafa & Toni Nadal découvrent Babolat Play & Connect, la raquette du futur.