ARTICLES:
… “I was a little bit nervous,” admitted Nadal. “I didn’t have a great memory of the last match playing against him. After that match I didn’t play [a] match in a tennis court for almost eight months, so it was a bad feeling in that moment.”
- In 2014 Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic Covet the Other’s Domain (via sports.yahoo.com)
… Desire has always been a critical component of these two players’ prodigious games. Meaning this could be the year that their respective motivation at the other’s best event could be enough to change the pattern from years past. That variable, along with the fact that no male player has won the first two Slams of the year since Jim Courier in 1992, should make the first half of the Slam season in 2014 something amazing to behold.
- Nadal: “Let’s Talk About 2014” (via ATP)
… “So this year is a special feeling and the goals are very similar – just health. That is the most important thing. Without health, the rest is impossible.”
- Deportistas de 2013 – RAFAEL NADAL. Solidez y confianza. – by Pau Gasol (via elpais.es)
… La mentalidad y la capacidad de superación del mejor tenista español de todos los tiempos le permitieron recuperar su mejor nivel y regresar al número uno del mundo.
- Nadal tries new knee treatment to prolong career (via nz.sports.yahoo.com)
“With this last treatment I feel more comfortable on my knee during the rest of the day,” he said. “I feel that I can have a more normal life than I had during the last year and a half, because then I was playing tennis, and the rest of the time just relaxed. Although I played good I was not able to enjoy myself practising other sports outside of tennis. For me, that’s a very important part of my life. It is true that I am a professional tennis player, but I feel more happy when I am able to do different things.”
- Top 10 Monde 2013 : Rafael Nadal (tennis) à la 2e place (via eurosport.fr)
- Toni, la armadura de Nadal (via copaclaro.com)
- ICYMI: Pre-tournament presser transcript
PHOTOS:
- Rafael Nadal beats Lukas Rosol to advance to R2 in Doha
- Rafael Nadal turns magician’s helper at the players party in Doha
- Rafael Nadal holds a falcon in Doha
VIDEOS:
- Doha: Nadal vs Rosol – Highlights
- ATP World Tour Uncovered reviews Rafael Nadal’s outstanding comeback in 2013, with contributions from Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja: ATP World Tour Uncovered Rafael Nadal
- Rafa Nadal afectado por el accidente de Michael Schumacher
- An exclusive interview with beIN Sport
- In case you missed it: Rafa vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Abu Dhabi
I wish you a Happy and Healthy New Year, Rafa! May you stay well and strong and keep on winning. You bring us, your fans, so much happiness and pleasure.
Happy New Years – 2014 Rafa!