Manacor, September 30th 2009

Based on the medical tests done today in Barcelona, Rafa Nadal will return to competition next week. After long hours of tedious exams, it was concluded that Rafa is physically fit for competition.

He will travel tomorrow (Thursday) to Pekin where he will begin the end of the season, followed by Shanghai, Paris-Bercy, the Masters in London and finally, the final of the Davis Cup.

He will also support Madrid’s Olympic campaign from Pekin which is exactly where the last Olympic Games were held and where Rafa got a gold medal for Spain.

Rafa Nadal: “It is very sad for me not being able to go to Copenhagen. I have to continue with my tennis schedule which makes it impossible for me to go to Denmark”.

“Nevertheless, I will still support Madrid’s Olympic bid spiritually and I take this opportunity to thank Madrid’s mayor and the sport’s secretary of defense for always counting on me to support this project.

I know what a great job they’ve done and I know we deserve to win”.

“Madrid, I wish you all the best - (I have a special feeling in my heart about this one)!”  

Vamos Rafa!

Mallorca, September 27, 2009

After a couple of days of rest, Rafa Nadal will be back training today in Mallorca for what will be the preparation of the end of the season.

The No.2 tennis player in the world, together with his childhood friends enjoyed a week of relaxation in the Côte d'Azur (located in the French Riviera), before heading to Monte Carlo, which is one of Rafa’s favourite places to visit in the world.

His visit to the famous and prestigious city was a lot more especial than usual because he got to spend time enjoying its life and spectacular scenery instead of concentrating only on his tennis and stressing out about results. 

During his stay, he was invited to the Monaco Yacht show by the organizers of the event, where he got the chance to see one of the most beautiful and luxurious yachts in the Principality.

Rafa’s plan (subject to change) is to travel to Beijing this week.

Vamos Rafa!

23rd of September, 2009

Seven of Nike’s most exciting athletes- including Maria Sharapova, Sofia Boutella, Alexandre Pato, Manny Pacquiao, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and our very own Rafa Nadal, are the faces of the new Nike “AW77” hoodie campaign which showcases the highest standards of craftsmanship and performance innovation.

 “I think in the end, the most important thing is being true to yourself, being honest with yourself. You know what you are doing wrong, then, you correct and improve.”

“Off the court, I see that being normal will help you be better on the court. I like more or less to feel comfortable with what I wear on and off the court. And I like to be well dressed,” said Rafa during the photo-shoot which was shot in Madrid.

Manacor, Balearic Islands, Spain - Sept 21, 09

Rafa won’t be able to play in Bangkok due to the stomach injury he's been suffering since Montreal. He will remain 10 days inactive. This is the second time is not able to play in Thailand due to injury.

"I am very disappointed not to be able to play in Bangkok. I was looking forward to this tournament but the injury I have been suffering during the North American summer swing needs to be taken care of. I am really looking forward to playing next year in Thailand where I have a very loyal and big fan base."

Murcia, September 19th 2009

Rafa Nadal spent an amazing weekend in Murcia supporting his 'Armada' team-mates who beat Israel 3-0 in the semi-final round of the Davis Cup yesterday and made it into the finals, where they will play against the Czech Republic in December.

While in Murcia, Rafa continued a more detailed examination of his stomach with his personal doctor and the medical head of the Spanish Tennis Federation, Angel Ruiz Cotorro to determine the effect this injury may have on him.   

At the moment, the plan is for Rafa to play Bangkok, followed by Beijing and Shanghai.

Vamos Rafa!

Murcia, September 18th 2009

Rafa Nadal arrived in Murcia yesterday and is really looking forward to a fun couple of days with his team-mates for this weekend’s semi-final Davis Cup tie against Israel at the Torre Golf Resort Torre Pacheco.

Rafa is not playing, however the Spanish team captain, Albert Costa has put together an amazing group of players who will battle on court for a place in the final: Feliciano Lopez, Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer and Juan Carlos Ferrero. 

The Australian Open champ is very excited to know that he will be cheering from the stands with another ‘Armada’ member and close friend who is also suffering physical problems: Fernando Verdasco. 

Rafa has been feeling a lot of pain in the low right-abdominal area for some weeks now, and will take advantage of this trip to continue a more detailed examination of his stomach with his personal doctor and the medical head of the Spanish Tennis Federation, Angel Ruiz Cotorro to determine the effect this injury may have on him.  

Vamos Rafa!

FRIDAY RESULTS: Spain 2 - Israel 0

David Ferrer beat Harel Levy 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 and Juan Carlos Ferrero gave Spain the lead with a straight-set victory over Dudi Sela 6-4, 6-2, 6-0.

Mallorca, September 16th 2009

Rafa Nadal is currently at home in Mallorca resting and relaxing after a very long trip from New York a couple of days ago.

He may have not won the US Open but it is certain that the Amercan/Canadian tour has been a total success for Rafael given that he’s only been back playing at a competitive level for a month and a bit.

The No.2 player in the world reached the quarterfinals in Montreal, later made it to the semis in Cincinnati, and even matched his best US Open result by playing the semifinal for the second year in a row. Hopefully, next year he will beat his best result ever at the US Open and surprise us by reaching the final. 

DAVIS CUP: Rafa Nadal will travel to Murcia this weekend to support his Davis Cup team-mates when they face Israel.

Vamos Rafa!

Mallorca, September 14th 2009

After yesterday's US Open semifinal match against Juan Martin Del Potro, Rafa Nadal went straight to a press conference where he gave multiple interviews to the Spanish media and then headed back to the hotel to pack-up his bags and go to the airport to catch his 9:00pm flight back to Spain.

He is now resting in Mallorca and will be getting some tests done this week on his right-abdominal area to get an idea of how affected it is. The idea is to then travel to Murcia to be with his Davis Cup team-mates for this weekend’s tie against Israel.

At the moment, the plan is for him to play Bangkok, followed by Beijing and Shanghai.

ATP RANKINGS: The South African Airways ranking system was updated today and it is our pleasure to announce that Rafa Nadal is officially back as the No.2 player in the world with 8.845 points. Andy Murray is number 3 with 8.390 points and Novak Djokovic,stays in fourth place with 7.480.

In No.1 place, Roger Federer lost a few points this week, but remains well ahead of everyone else with 11.240 points.

Vamos Rafa!

New York, September 13th 2009

After waiting 36 hours to resume his rain-delayed quarterfinal, Rafa Nadal took only 34 minutes to finish off Fernando ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez in straight sets yesterday morning, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-2), 6-0 and advance to the semifinals of the year’s final Grand Slam event.

 “I’m happy to be in the semifinals for the second time in my career. It is a very important result for me.” Rafa said on-court after the match. “It doesn't matter to play two days in a row. Well, the condition for me will be the same for the four [semi-finalists]. I'm more fresh than last year, 100% sure.  We will see how I am physically tomorrow.  But mentally, the last year was totally destroyed mentally.  Mentally this year I am perfect." 

Rafa and del Potro will battle today for the 7th time in their careers, however, this time around it will be for the chance to reach their first U.S. Open final. The match is scheduled first at 11:00am (local New York time) in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

Head-to-Head: Rafa has a 4-2 lead over Del Potro, but the Argentine beat him in their most recent meeting, at the Rogers Cup in Montreal last month.

“I think he's very complete player, no?  In the past, he didn't serve like he is doing right now.  He has an unbelievable serve right now.  From the baseline, he is very solid.  He doesn't make as many mistakes,” said Rafa about his opponent, who is one of the tallest in the ATP tour. 

“He is very big, so, anyway, if the movements are not 100% perfect, he still is very long and he will arrive to every play.

So for [someone] his [height], his movement is okay, no?  He's good.  I think he's a complete player”

Vamos Rafa! 

Order of play

New York, September 13th, 2009

After an amazing two weeks of tennis, Rafa’s run at the last Grand Slam tournament of the year has come to an end.

The anticipated semi-final encounter against Juan Martin del Potro today was as difficult as it could get, giving Rafa very little room for error and eventually finishing a lot faster than one would have wanted: 6-2 6-2 6-2 was the final score.

"In the middle of the season I had my knee problems and everything was more difficult after that," said Rafa after the match."But I'm still happy I got to the semi-finals. It was disappointing that I have my right abdominal muscle problem now. To compete with players like Juan Martin in this condition is difficult."

“In general I am very happy how I came back,” continued Rafa. “Today, well, sure, I can't be very happy, but at the same time, I feel that I really couldn't do a lot more. He was much better than me today, and I congratulate him for that. [Overall] I had a good result, very positive after coming back.”

There is no need to be sad, Rafa Nadal knows very well that his trip to New York has been nothing short of successful. Not only did he match his best performance at the US Open, but most importantly, he’s back as World No.2 in the ATP rankings after only one month back in competition.

Full post-match interview

Well done Rafa!