ARTICLES:

• Rafa Races Through Opener (via Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters)

Today was a good test for me. The result was easy, but the match was not easy and the opponent was not easy. I was able to win with a very positive score. … I don’t know how many unforced errors I did during the whole match, but for sure almost none. I played with the right mentality, the right concentration. I didn’t have mistakes in a row.”

• Nadal Makes Confident Start In Quest For Ninth Monte-Carlo Crown (via ATP World Tour)

“Today, I played solidly,” said Nadal. “Today, I played with no mistakes in a row. I played aggressively when I had to play aggressive. I hit some good passing shots than in the past couple of months. It is a thing that I haven’t been doing very well. I will go back to the hotel with a fantastic feeling, because I played probably the best match of the year for me… I played with the right mentality and the right concentration.“

• Wawrinka, Nadal, Federer reach third round in Monte Carlo (via tennis.com)

Following his loss to Fernando Verdasco in Florida, Nadal returned home to practice and changed his racket. He said he had thought about the change for a while but could not start playing with the new model earlier because it was not ready. ”With this new racket, I have less control,” Nadal said. ”Not today. In theory I have less control. In theory I have more power and more spin.”

• Nadal disfruta ante Pouille (via El Pais)

Para cerrar, juego en blanco para Nadal y, lo que es más importante, una amplia sonrisa y tres toques de autoafirmación en la cámara en la que estampó su firma. Lo dice él: “Aún tengo pasión por el tenis”. Y la tierra es su reino. Con esta última suma ya 326 victorias en 351 citas (93%). El mejor porcentaje de todos los tiempos.

• La nueva raqueta de Nadal (via ABC.es)

«No cambio la raqueta desde hace mucho tiempo, ya no recuerdo cuándo. Es un cambio para tratar de conseguir más efectos. Los agujeros entre las cuerdas son un poco más grandes que en la otra. Es cierto que con esta nueva raqueta probablemente tengo menos control. En teoría, consigo más potencia y más efectos», explicó.

• Semifinal: (2) Rafael Nadal vs. (3) Pete Sampras (via tennis.com)

“A match made in heaven,” Steve Flink says. “There could be no sharper contrast.” Indeed, the idea of a Pete vs. Rafa throwdown generates a lot of curiosity and speculation, but not a lot of consensus as to how it would play out. That shouldn’t be a surprise, considering that the two are tied with 14 major titles apiece, and each has dominated one Slam—Nadal at the French Open, Sampras at Wimbledon.

PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal cruises past Lucas Pouille to reach third round in Monte Carlo

VIDEOS:

• 2015 Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters – Wednesday Highlights (via TennisTV)
• Watch the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell live in HD (via TennisTV)