ARTICLES:

• Nadal and Ferrer confirm participation for 2014 Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (via barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com)

… Nadal is set to play his tenth event at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona. In his nine appearances, the 27-year-old left-hander has lifted eight trophies at the Pista Central, only losing to fellow Spaniard Alex Corretja in the second round at his debut in 2003.

• Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal: A New Wrinkle in a Historic Rivalry ( via sports.yahoo.com)

… No matter what happens in the future, it’s refreshing to see on-court rivals treat each other with so much respect and admiration off the court. If that type of behavior doesn’t produce the same insane quality of tennis that we were all becoming accustomed to, than so be it.

• A rivalry that just won’t go away (via espn.go.com)

… The Nadal-Djokovic rivalry has clearly become dominant in men’s tennis, and its twists and turns are eagerly anticipated in the year ahead. But for the past week, it has been more about fun (and profit) than games and competition. After a grueling season, maybe that feels like a vacation in itself.

• ATP Turning Points of 2013: The Resurrection of Rafa (via tennisviewmag.com)

… When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and that is exactly what Rafael Nadal did in 2013. Throughout his career, the Spaniard has possessed an indomitable spirit and a propensity to fight to the finish of every point, game, set, and match. When he was sidelined for seven months, however, many wondered if Nadal would be able to return to his former self.

• 2013 BTB Awards: Biggest surprises (via tennis.si.com)

… Rafael Nadal goes undefeated on North American hard courts: Amid all the concern over how his knee would hold up on the hard courts, Nadal couldn’t have performed better. He opened the hard-court season by winning the BNP Paribas Open, the first hard-court tournament of his comeback, and won the Rogers Cup in Montreal and the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. He capped a 22-0 run on North American hard courts with his second U.S. Open title. Wasn’t this surface supposed to be his weakest?

• Rafael Nadal, muy cerca de jugar el ATP de Buenos Aires en 2014 (via mundod.lavoz.com.ar)
• Nadal, the legend of Spanish sport ( via marca.com)
• Best Grand Slam Matches Of 2013 – Part 1 & Part 2 (via ATP World Tour)
• Best ATP Matches Of 2013 – Part 1 & Part 2 (via ATP World Tour)
• Top-15 Rallies of the 2013 ATP World Tour Season (via thesixthset.com)
• 2013 BTB Awards: The best reads of the year (via tennis.si.com)
• Solidaridad en el paraíso (via fundacionrafanadal.org)
• Nadal dejó ver las fotos del sábado (via eldia.com.ar)
• Quick Hits (via The Slice)
• Give Thanks: 10 Tennis Blessings – “Rafael Nadal’s Cosas cover shoot;  I mean, let’s be honest.” (via tennisviewmag.com)
• New categories! Don’t forget to VOTE — 2013 RAFA AWARDS!

VIDEOS:

• Missing Children – Missing Ballboys
• Nadal, exclusivo de Pura Química (via ESPN)

PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal Gets Best Spanish Athlete Award