ARTICLES:
- Nadal: “Ronaldo is a great example of striving for excellence” (via marca.com)
… “I am not qualified to lecture anyone on anything, and I don’t think Cristiano Ronaldo needs any help from me. I don’t think the Real Madrid striker’s injury will prove to be a problem.”
- Nadal Stands Alone On Clay (via ATP World Tour)
… When it comes to clay, Rafael Nadal is the undisputed king. The Spaniard, who will be the top seed at next week’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, far outdistances other greats, according to the FedEx ATP Win/Loss Index. The lefty boasts a stellar .934 winning percentage and 298-21 mark on the surface.
- An open letter from a Rafael Nadal super-fan: 4 years (and counting) of stress (via oregonlive.com)
… Rafa ignites a passion in me that keeps me motivated to come back from adversity and fight to survive another day. I do believe all his fans have something in common. We admire Rafa’s fight, his attitude and his willingness to admit he is not the best on the ATP in terms of talent but he will fight and win trophies against all odds.
- 2014 French Open – Can Rafael Nadal make it 9 titles in 10 attempts? (via Yahoo Sports)
… What makes Rafael Nadal so special on the claycourt? To get the answer to that question, we’ll have to actually look at the reverse – what about his game doesn’t scream ‘claycourt greatness’? Be it his aggressive style of play, phenomenal stamina or never-say-die attitude, he’s no doubt the undisputed King of the dirt.
- April Preview: Nadal’s Most Prolific Month (via ATP World Tour)
… Nadal leads the way with 15 titles in the month of April, winning Monte-Carlo eight times and Barcelona seven times. He also won Barca once in May (2008).
- Statisfaction: April is Rafael Nadal’s Best Month (via Tennis Now)
… Nadal is just two wins away from his 300th win on clay, and with his next win on the surface he’ll pass Emilio Sanchez to move into 11th on the all-time list.
- Early-season ATP winners and losers (via SI.com)
- Nadal: ‘Los triunfos deportivos te hacen feliz, pero son alegrías pasajeras’ (via elmundo.es)
… “Claro que te hace feliz ganar Roland Garros u otros torneos, pero son alegrías pasajeras, momentos de mucha adrenalina; lo que te da la felicidad real son las otras cosas”, ha mantenido el tenista número del mundo, en alusión a su familia y a que las personas a las que quiere tengan salud.
VIDEOS:
PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal Press conference – ‘What Really Matters’
ICYMI: Rafael Nadal is the most famous Spanish athlete in the world
Rafa needs to serve if he win the toss he always gives Novak the opportunity to serve first and this makes Novak feels Rafa is intimidated by him,Rafa needs to play his A game and find new strategies to beat Novak because Novak is playing his perfect A game when playing Rafa but he doesn’t care to play a great game against other opponents but he still wins.he saves his best for Rafa. Rafa can beat Novak if he don’t make a lot of errors and take the lead first set
I think Nole is not necessarily in Rafa’s head, but he’s definitely in some Rafans’ head. Natalie seems to be one with a severe Nole mental block issue. It’s sad to see it went so far in her head that she thinks Rafa’s wins over the past 4 years were mere good luck and stealing…. Oh well, what can you say. That’s a very very sad fan.
Completely disagree!!
Natalie thinks that nothing is in Rafa’s hands when he plays against Novak meaning when Novak is at his best, Rafa can’t do anything- thanks God for net (RG 2013), thanks God for rain delay (RG 2012) , thanks God he stole USO 2013 from Novak, etc.
I’d say Novak should thank first rain delay in that RG 2012 final, when Rafa was set and break up and rain delay helped Novak to consolidate. Also in that AO 2012 final Rafa missed backhand at net, which was crucial miss like Novak’s net “thing” at RG 2013. Talking about stealing, as Rafa stole 3 rd set from Novak, the same happened in SF when Novak stole set (being completely outplayed) vs Wawrinka.
I have to say I unfortunately agree withe Nathalie! Rafa seems to have a psychological streeing wall standing in front of him when he plays Nole! Hope he believes more in himself and wins all clay titles! Vamossssss!