Ben Solomon/Tennis Australia

EFE/EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

REUTERS/Bobby Yip

ARTICLES:

• Rafael Nadal already 2014 Sportsman Of The Year (via examiner.com)

… If you ever wanted to see a sportsman, you saw one on Sunday as Rafael Nadal gave a master class at the 2014 Australian Open men’s final. Gracious in both triumph and defeat, no enemies on the tour and a resume that could end up being the best of all time. He may have lost the match, but he won everything else there was on Sunday in Melbourne.

• Has anyone in sport got more fight in them than Rafael Nadal? (via The Guardian)

… If you needed someone to make a throw or shot or putt or kick to save your life, who would you choose? Over the past 25 years there are a handful of people I would trust not to go wobbly… But right now? It has to be Rafael Nadal, doesn’t it?

• Nadal should recover quickly, says coach Toni (via Eurosport)

“The doctor said it’s a tightening of the muscles and a few days rest should be enough,” said Toni. “He went into the match after feeling twinges during the week but very minor ones that normally do not affect you at all. “In the second game of the second set he felt a pinch. When I asked him after treatment what was happening he said ‘it’s over’.”

• Crowd’s boos add to pain for Rafael Nadal, says coach Toni (via theaustralian.com.au)

… “He had to continue. He knows that people have paid money for tickets to be here for the match, the grand slam final. He knows a lot of people are seeing the television. He does not want them to have, how do I say, the stopped show. “Whatever happens to his body, he will finish for them. The crowd here had always been very good for him and Rafael will not complain about no thing, ever. “But he is disappointed, of course. I wish it had not been like this for him. He wanted to play for the crowd and if he was not going to win, he wanted Wawrinka to be winning a match point. Not shaking hands when a match is stopped. This is important.”

• Will Injuries Derail Rafael Nadal’s Quest to Be the Greatest of All Time? (via bleacherreport.com)

… Will Nadal become the undisputed greatest player of all time? Can he be healthy and dominant? Fans and media want clear-cut judgments and answers, but such longitudinal measurements cannot be created before their time. We need more patience before we see the finishing strokes to Nadal’s career canvas. Nadal fans hope this will be in the distant future.

• ESPN Incorrectly Tweets That Rafael Nadal Won The Australian Open (via huffingtonpost.com)

… ESPN’s @SportsCenter Twitter account incorrectly proclaimed Rafael Nadal the winner of the Australian Open final on Sunday.

• Why Rafael Nadal is the nicest tough guy in tennis (via firstpost.com)

… But there is no mistake: Nadal is the nicest tough guy in tennis. He would wade through fire if he had to, his marathon matches with Novak Djokovic are the stuff of legend but it is perhaps, his mental toughness that is his greatest asset.

• AUDIO: Toni Nadal explica en ‘El Larguero’ cuándo se ‘rompió’ Rafa Nadal (via cadenaser.com)
• The feeling of Rafa (via grandslamgal.com)
• ICYMI:

1. New ATP Rankings
2. Sergio Ramos, Jorge Lorenzo and other stars show their support to Rafa Nadal
3. Interview with Rafael Nadal: Australian Open 2014 final

VIDEOS: AO Final: Rafael Nadal vs Stanislas Wawrinka

• Watts: Funniest moments – Eurosport’s iconic clip show looks at the lighter moments from two weeks in Melbourne.
• Como se vivió la derrota de Rafa Nadal en Ciudad de la Raqueta.
• ICYMI: Enjoy Australian Open extended ride with Rafael Nadal in this uncut version of Kia Open Drive.

PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal humble in defeat against Stanislas Wawrinka