ARTICLES

• Rafa Nadal takes on Spain, emerges with victory for charity (Pokerstars blog)

“..The result, a smiling tennis legend who had just beaten his entire country at a poker contest.”

• Rafael Nadal’s futile heroics (TheAustralian.com.au)

“…for this observer at least, the final with Wawrinka is the equal of anything that has gone before. Nadal was battling a magnificent opponent, seeping blisters and excruciating back spasms. He was battling an unsympathetic crowd. At times, he seemed to be battling a complete absence of hope. But he kept fighting, kept striving. As a motif for sport, as well as life, it is difficult to think of anything more inspirational.”

• Rafael Nadal suffers setback in quest to overtake Roger Federer (Yahoo Sports)

“…Nadal will need more than just a few more French Open titles to eventually tie or pass Federer in terms of total Grand Slam hardware. Amidst his 12th season as a professional player, Nadal is thus far averaging about 1.5 Slams per year since winning his first in 2005. Sitting at 13 and looking up at 17, Nadal would theoretically need to continue playing for approximately three more years to equal/surpass Federer’s current total.”

• José Padilha, el hombre tras los 100 millones de dólares del nuevo “Robocop” (Teinteresa.es)

“…El filme se estrena el día 12 en EE.UU., pero a Padilha lo que verdaderamente le quita el sueño es conocer a Nadal. Está previsto que el tenista español acuda este mes al Río Open de Tenis, y quiere invitarle a ver la película. “Soy un fan enorme. Ojalá le guste”, concluyó.”

• Novak Djokovic’s Blueprint to Regain the ATP No. 1 Ranking (Bleacher Report)

Djokovic must defend Monte Carlo. If not, it’s Nadal who will likely take advantage and gain at least 400 points with a title victory. Besides, it would be nice to pick up Nadal’s gauntlet and throw it right back. Another win at Nadal’s second favorite venue is a psychological boost for the French Open. Put more doubt back into Nadal.

• Tennis’ bizarre convention of the losing speech (CNN)

VIDEOS

• Rafa answers fan questions and plays live on Pokerstars’ Rafa vs. Spain
• Rafael Nadal’s best moments in Doha and Melbourne

PHOTOS

• Best offbeat photos from Aussie Open (Tennis.SI.com)