The Tennis Times » raphael nadal

Raphael Nadal Slams Madrid Masters Organisers

The Insider — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:27:57 +0000

Raphael Nadal has had a lot to say at the Madrid Master and he has really been there more than 5 minutes. Nadal has been ripping the organisers of the Madrid Masters for several reasons.

Reasons include:

Tour Calendar (Rome should happen after Madrid, instead of vice versa)
Court Colour (courts are now bright blue away from the traditional orange clay colour)
Thinking they are the 5th Grand Slam

I really think Raphael is actually right about all those points. Madrid seems to be making a lot of changes this year and it doesnt seem like any of them is for the better.

Will the Australian Open Be Moved to February from 2010 on?

Xavier — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:58:10 +0000

As you might know there have been arguments about the tight schedule of the tennis player between the player representatives and the ATP for many years. One of the recent years’ complaints was for instance that the season lasts longer and longer, now until late November with the Masters Cup followed by the Davis Cup. This leaves the players not enough time to recover from a long season and of course cuts short the preparation time for the next season.

The latest complaint concerns the Australian Open: players like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal wouldn’t mind if the Australian Open was moved to February. Rafa argued: “Why play one of the most important tournaments one week after the beginning of the season?”

Andy Murray agreed with his rival Nadal and added another wish thinking of Wimbledon: according to him there is not enough time between the French Open and Wimbledon which makes it difficult to switch from clay court to lawn.

Let’s wait for the reaction of the ATP where recently some changes took place and Adam Helfant became new chairman and president…

Watch the 2009 Australian Open Television Commercial

The Insider — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 09:29:01 +0000

The Australian Open is slowly starting to launch their own TV advertising campaign in Australia. The tournament is scheduled to run from January 21st to February 1st. Take a look at their new ad and let me know what you think!

Rafael Will Miss Davis Cup Final Against Argentina

The Insider — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:28:58 +0000

Rafael Nadal will miss Spain’s Davis Cup final against Argentina because of a knee injury.

The top-ranked Nadal said Monday he was still struggling with tendinitis in his right knee following a week of treatment.

“The knee said no,” the 22-year-old said.

Spain team doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro said Nadal would need three to six weeks to recover from the injury.

“These are very difficult moments, but I have done all that I could to be ready for the final,” he said. “It was a huge objective, and I’m used to playing with pain, but this is a distinct, new pain that I couldn’t control.”

Nadal’s absence deals a big blow to Spain’s bid for a third Davis Cup title since 2000. Spain captain Emilio Sanchez Vicario has until Tuesday to name his team.

Spain plays Argentina on indoor hard court at Mar del Plata from Nov. 21-23.

“We’re sorry for him, but it’s good news. Spain is one thing with Nadal and another thing without him,” Argentine captain Alberto Mancini told Buenos Aires-based radio station Continental.

Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Shanghai Masters Cup

The Insider — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 11:43:39 +0000

Raphael Nadal has pulled out of the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai on Monday, citing fatigue after a long season and the need to prepare for the Davis Cup final.

It is good to see that Nadal is putting more emphasis on the Davis Cup final, especially considering he has already clinched the season ending world number one spot.

The world’s top-ranked player made the announcement on his Web site, describing his withdrawal as “one of the most difficult decisions in my career.”

2008 has been a great year for Nadal, winning two Grand Slam titles and an Olympic Gold Medal.

“It has been a long and difficult year where I managed to obtain great results, both on a professional and on a personal level,” he said. “I have mentioned on various occasions that the tennis calendar has been extremely hard with practically all weeks playing and where it forces players to compete week in, week out, making it impossible for a top level player to be 100 percent” for each event.

“On a personal level I had as one of my goals to become No. 1 during this year and competing at so many events might have harmed, especially at the end of the season, my physical condition, taking away the freshness needed to play at the top level of the game in these last events,” Nadal said.

Redesigning Rafa – Rafael Nadal and Nike Talk About Changing His Image

The Insider — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:41:42 +0000

In the last few weeks there have been a lot of talk in the USA about Raphael Nadal and how they are wanting to overhaul his image and make him a little more clean cut. Rafa and Nike want to move away from the muscle shirt and Capri pants — a “hunky rebel” look — to that of a more traditional tennis player: polos and shorts.

So if I understand correctly they want to turn Rafa into a Roger Federer clone! I really cant see the point of this from Nike. Tennis is getting a lot of negative press because sometimes it is just so boring and there aren’t any real personalities left in the game anymore, and then suddenly you decide to try to make a good looking guy, who is bringing more women to the game, a preppy!

Nike, this is really not going to work and more the point I think you will be selling a lot less product because of it!

Winners Have Strict Routines – Like Nadal

The Insider — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:16:03 +0000

Everyone who watched the Wimbledon Final between Federer and Nadal were treated to a sensational moment in history! What a great match. The first thing that struck me was the routines that Nadal goes through especially before the match.

Routines give you, as the player a feeling of ‘control’ over some of variables around you. Control leads to confidence in a situation and confidence makes you feel relaxed.

For example, Nadal starts controlling what he can even before the match starts. He has strict pre-match routines. Nadal walks out onto court with a racquet – like a with a weapon in his hand. He places his bag, bottles, towels around his chair in a very specific way. He is basically owning a part of the court, somewhere he can feel comfortable.

Perhaps, the most obvious routine is how he sprints to the back of the court after the coin toss. This routine every match is the mental cue for ‘lets get ready to fight’.

Other obvious routines that you will see other players do are things like: Never stepping on a line when not in a point, bouncing the ball x number of times before a serve, straightening your hat before serving or tucking your hair behind your ears before a serve.

Some pre match routines are: The night before a match check your strings, grips and clothes are ready. One hour before check your towels, water bottles, food for the match. If you need to travel ensure you know the destination and allow much more time than required. You don’t want to be rushing.

With each routine comes a sence of familiarity. Building routines will bring confidence, reduce the chance of things going wrong and improve your results.

Stay tuned on this site – We will go into more detail in the future and give some great examples of players routines and some that you can try yourself.

So, keep an eye out for other peoples routines ..

Michael

Federer, Nadal and Djokovic Already Qualified For The Masters

The Insider — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:09:20 +0000

Roger Federer, Wimbledon champion Rafael Nadal and Australian Open holder Novak Djokovic are the first three players to qualify for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, organisers said on Wednesday.

So we already have 3 out of the 8 field already decided and we have barely just made it past the middle of the year. That means if one of those 3 players dont win the US Open, then whoever does will be straight into the Masters. Well I guess that is just a bonus after winning a Grand Slam.

This year the Masters event is being held out side of China and is making its way to London. Im looking forward to seeing how many people make it to the O2 arena in London to see the best players in the world shoot it out.

Congrats Raphael Nadal for Wimbledon Win!

The Insider — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:02:35 +0000

After winning probably the Wimbledon final of the century, Raphael Nadal is now going to take some well earned time of from tennis and just relax. He has pulled out of the Stuttgart tournament this week in which he was supposed to defend.

Anyways, Congrats Rafa on the Wimbledon win!

Wimbledon Final: Federer vs Nadal

The Insider — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:56:02 +0000

Im sitting here watching the Wimbledon final between Federer and Nadal, and this is really starting to remind me of some Borge and McEnroe matches. It seems like every time these to play the level of tennis is just getting better and better. Nadal has just had 2 match points in the fourth set and Federer has pulled off some of the best passing shots I have ever seen to get out of the set and the match. Currently they are at 2-2 in the fifth set and I really cant see Federer losing from here. The commentators just stated that no one has had a match point in the Wimbledon final and lost since 1949. At this rate I think Nadal is going to be the first. Federer has definitely not played his best today, but he still seem to play with a great deal of heart. This time I think his heart will get him through. Nadal on the other hand has again stepped up his game and seems to be playing at a level that no one would have expected. As it is Wimbledon it would be the same if there wasnt some drama and now the rains have come play is again delayed. Looks like they will be finishing it tomorrow.

The Tennis Times » raphael nadal

Raphael Nadal Slams Madrid Masters Organisers

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