Tennis stars, Rafael Nadal and Andy Roddick feel that the off-season is not long enough for players to rest and recover from competition. “It’s impossible to play 1st of January and finish 5th of December,” said Nadal. “It’s impossible to be here playing like what I did the last five years, playing a lot of matches and being all the time 100 per cent without problems.”

After pointing out the fact that Federer skipped the Shanghai Masters due to fatigue, Roddick added:  “It’s ridiculous to think that you have a professional sport that doesn’t have a legitimate off-season to rest, get …read more

Juan Martin del Potro stunned Roger Federer and won the U.S. Open but he was eliminated from the Shanghai ATP Masters.  The third-seeded player lost to Jurgen Melzer after a wrist injury led him to quit early.

Meanwhile, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic both advanced to the next round.  Nadal took on James Blake and walked away with a 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 victory on the hardcourts at Qi Zhong Tennis Center.  This was a virtual repeat of the pair’s meeting in Beijing last week.  Nadal will next face fellow Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
Meanwhile, Djokovic easily beat Fabio Fognoni 6-3, 6-1.   Other …read more

Spain has drawn Switzerland as their opponent at the 2010 Davis Cup which means that Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer could sqaure off against each other in the first round.  Of course, this would only happen if they both participated and were not injured.

Federer doesn’t normally play in the event whereas Nadal prefers to represent his country when he can.  Spain won the title last year and beat Israel 4-1 last weekend during the semifinals but they did it without their star player who is currently battling an abdominal injury.
Meanwhile, the United States will face Serbia which means that a …read more

The end of this year has been a tough one for Rafael Nadal.  The star athlete has had to withdraw from the Thailand Open due to an abdominal injury.  He will need at least two weeks of rest, physiotherapy and medication in order to properly heal.
Nadal had planned on arriving early and taking a vacation on the Thai island of Krabi but has had to scrap his plans.  He was injured during his semifinal match against eventual U.S. Open winner, Juan Martin del Potro.
He also sat out from the Davis Cup in his native Spain over the weekend and earlier …read more

Rafael Nadal had quite an eventful day at the U.S. Open yesterday.  A male fan managed to make his way onto the court and over to Nadal after the Spaniard had defeated Gael Monfils.  The man then proceeded to give Nadal a hug and a kiss before security finally got to him and started dragging him away.

I would have COMPLETELY freaked out but Nadal acted like a true gentleman after he realized what was going on.  He not only smiled at the man who was blowing kisses and making “you’re #1” signs with his hands, but he tried to stop …read more

While Andy Roddick was eliminated by fellow American, John Isner, his 2009 Wimbledon foe, Roger Federer, had no problem steamrolling over Tommy Robredo  7-5, 6-2, 6-2.  Federer hasn’t lost any of his last 38 match and he hasn’t been defeated at the U.S. Open since 2003.  Federer will face Robin Soderling in the quarterfinals.
While Isner celebrated upsetting Roddick, his ride came to an end when he was beaten by Fernando Verdasco 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.  This is big news because this is the first time in U.S. Open history that an American man failed to make the quarterfinals. Verdasco will …read more

Young tennis players in New York City had the chance to find out how it feels to return a pro serve delivered by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams or John McEnroe.  Can you imagine how cool that must have been for the kids?

Nike also unveiled the looks Federer, Nadal and Williams will be sporting at the 2009 U.S. Open which begins next Monday, August 31, 2009.  I always love the vibrant colors that Nadal wears, especially since he’s always got on that headband.   Click on the images to get a closer look.

images used with permission

Rafael Nadal’s first match in 10 weeks ended prematurely due to a knee injury – but it wasn’t Nadal who was in pain.  While many worried that the Spaniard’s knees might give him trouble it was his compatriot, David Ferrer, who limped off the court.

Not only was it sad to see a player bow out in pain, it was a letdown for the crowd who were waiting to see how Nadal’s return would end.  The spectators all groaned when the ump announced the end of the match with Nadal leading 4-3 in the set.
“It’s always a pleasure to come back,” …read more

As expected, Rafael Nadal has arrived in Montreal for the Rogers Cup, an event that he won last year.  The Montreal Gazette reports that Rafa looked quite rusty during his practice but I’m not too worried at all.  Yes, I realize he’s still recovering from his knee injury but I think that he’s been really smart about it and even skipped Wimbledon to give himself time to heal.

I hate when people get all jittery during a player’s first day back at a major event following an injury – it puts too much pressure on them.  Rafa could have been jet-lagged …read more

It looks like Rafael Nadal will return to competing very soon.  His publicist says that the former No. 1 will begin practicing next week and is expecting to play in the hard-court tournament at Montreal which starts on August 10, 2009.
I’m happy that he’s been trying to take it slow and is giving his body time to heal.  Nothing is worse than rushing a comeback and then getting reinjured and having to be sidelined for even longer.
It was really disappointing when he had to pull out of Wimbledon last month (a decision that caused his ranking to slide to the …read more