Rafael Nadal in the UAE

We speak to Spaniard ahead of Abu Dhabi championship.



The Mubadala World Tennis Championship, now in its fourth year, is one of the region’s most eagerly anticipated sporting events, bringing six of the world’s top tennis players to the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex in Zayed Sports City from December 29-31. We caught up with the number two seed and reigning champion, 25-year-old Spaniard Rafael Nadal, to see what’s in store for him at this year’s competition.

How does Mubadala help you in terms of preparing for the Australian Open?
Abu Dhabi is a great way to start the season and prepare for the tournaments at the beginning of the year, especially the Australian Open. The exhibition format allows us to compete at the highest level, but without the pressure of ranking points.

Do you like the format of the exhibition, where you are exempt until the semi-finals?
Yes, I like it a lot – it allows us to play exactly the amount of tennis we need, without exposing too much of our physical condition. It’s perfect.

How do the courts in Abu Dhabi compare with those in Melbourne?
They’re pretty similar, and that’s ideal for the preparation of the first grand slam of the year.

Which of your previous grand-slam triumphs gave you the greatest satisfaction and why?
I think they all have a special meaning and they were achieved in special circumstances. It would be unfair to point out one in particular.

How long do you think you can continue playing at the top level, considering the problems you’ve had with your knees recently?
I’m feeling great now and playing good tennis. As long as I’m healthy and able to compete at the highest level, I’ll be around. Hopefully I’ll be able to play for a long time!

What do you do in your spare time to relax? Do you always head home to Spain?
I try to be at home in Mallorca and enjoy my time with my family and friends. For me it is the best time and I enjoy every minute of it.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?
I always wanted to be a sportsman – I wanted to be a tennis player or even a football player. I’m happy that I ended up doing what I always wanted to do.

What are the worst aspects of the pressures of fame?
I don’t really have that pressure. Maybe because I’m from Mallorca and that’s a quiet place. I might feel it more when I go to big cities. But I try to enjoy it and give as much back as possible to fans and people in general. I feel I’m very fortunate.

You’re known for awesome groundstrokes, speed and power. What do you think is the best part of your game?
I can’t really say. I think tennis is a very difficult sport. It is a very complete sport and you have to be very strong, both mentally and physically, and have a high level of ability and skill.

What kind of food do you usually eat before a match?
I like pasta, plain with butter and olive oil. Maybe also with some fish. I try to eat healthy and not too much – it is better to eat bigger but fewer meals.

How much do you train?
It depends on the period of the season. I could be training up to seven hours a day in the pre-season, but less during tournaments, where I normally practise for two to three hours a day on days that I’m not playing.

Other than playing tennis, what do you do to keep in shape?
Tennis keeps me pretty much in shape, but I also enjoy playing football, golf or fishing – although fishing is clearly just for fun, not to stay in shape!

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Rafael Nadal to miss Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships

Paul Oberjuerge
Dec 29, 2011


Rafael Nadal, seen speaking to aspiring tennis players in Abu Dhabi at Zayed Sports City today, has been nursing a sore shoulder for months and plans to use February to recover.

ABU DHABI // Rafael Nadal decided to come to Abu Dhabi for the Mubadala World Tennis Championship only "three days ago" because a sore shoulder has hampered his preparations for the coming season.

He said he plans to take off the entire month of February to rest and practice and will not play in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships at the end of that month.

"I didn't know if I was able to come here until three days ago," the two-time defending champion said today at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex. "I didn't know if I had enough practice. I practised as much as I can, but not as much as I like.

"Hopefully, the shoulder will be good. It's always exciting for me to be in Abu Dhabi. I hope I made the right decision to be here."

Nadal, the world No 2, is due to play in the semi-finals tomorrow against the winner of today's match between David Ferrer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Nadal will play in Doha next week in the first week of the ATP season, and will play through the Australian Open, if his health permits.

He said he noticed pain in his left shoulder late in the 2011 season, and that it worsened markedly after he helped Spain win the Davis Cup early this month. He said he could not hit his forehand a week ago and has practised his serve only one day since the Davis Cup final.

"I have to stop after Australia and have a chance to practice," he said. "I need the February month to practice well to prepare for the rest of the season. The most important part of the season starts with Indian Wells [in March] and ends with Wimbledon, and this year it ends with the Olympics."

Nadal won the Dubai tournament in 2006, but his last appearance in it was in 2007. Novak Djokovic, the world No 1, is the three-time defending champion on the event, which begins on February 27.

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Shoulder injury hampering Rafael Nadal's preparations for 2012

Dec 30, 2011 12


Far from fighting fit: Nadal continues to struggle for fitness.

Two-time defending Abu Dhabi champion Rafael Nadal revealed that a shoulder injury he picked up before the World Tour Finals in London has interrupted his preparations for the new season.

Despite his nagging injury, Nadal managed to win the Davis Cup final for Spain against Argentina earlier this month, but the 25-year-old played that tie in Sevilla under the influence of painkillers, and he admits that since then, the shoulder has been a problem.

“I had a problem before London in my shoulder, I had to stop for ten days before the World Tour Finals in London. I got better, I was OK. After the first match against [Mardy] Fish I felt it a little bit another time, but next day I had an infiltration (injection) in the shoulder and it worked fantastic, I was able to play perfect the next two days in London and the Davis Cup.

“But after the last match in the Davis Cup against Del Potro I felt the shoulder. I didn’t want to stop in December, because I understand that I don’t have enough time to stop and to practice to prepare for the next season. So two days later on Wednesday I was on court practising and on Friday I had to stop, I had a problem on the shoulder.

“I really didn’t know if I was able to come here until three days ago. I didn’t know if I had enough practice. I practiced as much as I can, not as much as I would like, and hopefully the shoulder will work well, it’s not 100 per cent perfect, it’s better, that’s why I’m here.”

The Mallorcan, who said he only practiced his serve for one day, is unsure about the outcome of his trips to Abu Dhabi and next week in Doha, but believes it will give him some much-needed practice for the Australian Open next month.

He says: “For me it’s always exciting to be back here in Abu Dhabi and the beginning of the season is always important and I believe, I hope I made the right decision to be here and to be in Doha next week because even if I’m not in my best condition, if I’m not playing my best because I didn’t have enough time to practice, being here and practising with the rest of the professional players will help me a lot in Australia.

“I understand this tournament for me is like a practice especially in the situation that I am in today. It’s not like the last few years that I arrived in very good conditions, no problems, had a very good practice in Mallorca. This year I had a very good practice but only for one week. So I understand it’s not enough. I understand this tournament is not a tennis level test for me, this year it’s a test for my shoulder and just practice for Australia, this year it’s like this.

“Hopefully I’ll be fine. But I only practiced my serve one day. So I will see how it will respond. It’s true that last week my shoulder improved a lot especially playing with my forehand because two weeks I really couldn’t play my forehand. I really hope that the shoulder will give the right answer.”

Nadal, who faces David Ferrer in the semi-finals on Friday, explained the need to add new variety to his game, to be able to challenge the rest of the field. He says: “I think that last year I played sometimes a little bit predictable. My game doesn’t have enough surprise for my opponents especially the last part of the year, that’s true. That’s what I believe. I have to play more aggressive, change a little bit more directions, not play every point the same and last year I think at the end of the season I think I was predictable.”

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Rafael Nadal admits the only constant in world of tennis is change

Paul Oberjuerge
Dec 30, 2011


Rafael Nadal, seen here training at a tennis clinic in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, does not expect to be at the top of the game forever.

For half a decade, men's tennis belonged to Roger and Rafa. Or Rafa and Roger. It was a bipolar world order, and they regularly met in the finals of major events to sort out the technicalities of who would be No 1 at any given moment.

Then came Novak Djokovic and the magical 2011 season that vaulted the Serb to No 1, and the cosy company of two had become the crowd of three. Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, each knocked down a peg, are learning to cope.

"I can't speak for Roger, but I can accept the situation and congratulate Novak," Nadal said yesterday at the International Tennis Complex. "But Roger is not going to be there forever. I won't be there forever. Novak won't be there forever. Tennis changes; the sport changes.

"It's good to have players in the top for a long time, because that's good for the fans. But at the same time it's good to have new people coming in. Not that Novak is anything new; he was No 3 for several years, and he deserved to be there."

Federer said he has had a good rivalry with Djokovic, but agreed that it will never be seen in the same light as his epic duels with Nadal, which included meetings in both the French and Wimbledon finals for three consecutive years through 2008.

"Novak and I have had many exciting matches, but because he usually was 3 or 4 and I was 1 or 2, we often played in the semi-finals," he said. "The rivalry never got to the point that it was with Rafa, and it never will because we were 1-2 for so long. But Novak is a great player, and I respect what he has done."

Like Nadal, he was keen to point out that Djokovic did not materialise from thin air. "Rafa was my main rival, but Novak and [Andy] Murray announced themselves several years ago. It wasn't like he wasn't one of the best.

"He was able to put together a quite extraordinary season. I expect from the three of them, Novak, Rafa and Murray, another extraordinary season. We all played every well in 2011."

Despite Djokovic's 10 championships in 2011, including three slams, and his 41-match winning streak to open the season, Nadal and Federer each are convinced they had very nice seasons - circumscribed only by one man playing out of his mind.

Nadal won three tournaments, including the French Open, and reached seven additional finals, losing six of them to Djokovic. "I was happy. I wasn't perfect, but I was playing really good, not perfect," Nadal said. "Against Djokovic last year I had to be perfect and I wasn't."

Federer won four championships, handed Djokovic his first defeat, at the French, and won the final three tournaments of the season, including the Paris Masters and the ATP World Tour Finals.

Aside from a rocky beginning, "I was very solid all the way through," Federer said. "I haven't lost to someone outside the top 20 for a long time. What was missing was that last breakthrough.

"For me, it was about keeping my cool, keeping sane, not going crazy over multiple tough losses. My reaction since losing to Novak in the US open is what I like.

"I didn't go into a hole and say, 'Oh, my God, I'm terrible. What is happening to me?' Face the fact that you're playing guys who are going well. I haven't lost a match since, and I've been very pleased since."

Nadal and Federer, and the tennis world, are waiting to see if Djokovic can produce another season like he did in 2011.

"Novak will be the favourite to finish at No 1," Federer said. "The question will be whether he can have the same kind of year, which no one expected form him."

Both Nadal and Federer said they would like to return to No 1 this season. If Djokovic stumbles, and they pass him, we might yet see a few more Roger-Rafa finals.

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Shoulder injury restricts Nadal's preparations

It is still not 100 per cent fit, Spaniard says.

By M. Satya Narayan, Chief Sports Reporter
Published: 00:00 December 30, 2011
Gulf News


Image Credit: Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
Rafael Nadal at a press conference for the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Abu Dhabi: Deposed as world number one by Novak Djokovic, Spanish ace Rafael Nadal starts the New Year with a suspect shoulder.

Nadal, the defending champion in the Mubadala Tennis Championship, said he decided to play here just three days ago due to his lack of practice.

"I had a problem before London in my shoulder and had to stop for about ten days before the World Tour finals. It felt better but again it resurfaced. In December I did not have enough time to practice because of that and I only decided to play here three days ago," said the world number two.

"So hopefully the shoulder will work well here. It is still not 100 per cent fully fit. I hope I have made the right decision to be here and to be in Doha next week," added the 25-year-old, who will be skipping the Dubai Open as he plans to make up for the lack of practice and physical fitness in February after the Australian Open.

"I have had very good practice but for only one week. I understand this is not enough. February will be my month to practice for the rest of the year."

Battle for top spot

While commending Djokovic on his achievement, Nadal said that he felt at times his own game was flawed. "I did play sometimes very predictable, I have to change direction, not play the same way all the time," he said

Commenting on the battle for the top spot, Nadal said: "Novak [Djokovic] played some [of the] best tennis and he deserved to be there. Roger, I or Novak are not going to be there forever. Tennis changes, the sport changes and it is good to have players at the top as it is good for the fans, makes it interesting for the sport. Novak has been number three for the last three or four years."

The Spaniard, however, said he was not changing much in his game after losing the top spot to Djokovic. "This is not the time to change many things, this is the time to keep playing well, to keep improving my tennis, and I will just try and be competitive in all Tournaments. Last year I was competitive in all tournaments and played in three Grand Slam finals."

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Nadal «manque d'entraînement»

Le 30/12/2011 à 11:00 | Mis à jour le 30/12/2011 à 11:05

Engagé vendredi au tournoi d'exhibition d'Abu Dhabi, Rafael Nadal évoque une blessure gênante à l'épaule dans les colonnes de l'Equipe.

Depuis sa victoire en finale de la Coupe Davis le 4 décembre dernier, Rafael Nadal est perturbé par une blessure à l'épaule qui l'a tenu éloigné des terrains pendant la quasi-totalité du mois. «Je ne me suis entraîné que ... un jour ! Il y a une semaine, je ne pouvais pas frapper de coups droits», confie le Majorquin dans les colonnes de l'Equipe, vendredi. «Déjà avant le Masters, début novembre, j'avais mal à l'épaule mais mon état s'était un peu amélioré, détaille-t-il. Mais après le dernier match de la finale de la Coupe Davis, la douleur à l'épaule est revenue [...] J'ai recommencé l'entraînement le mercredi et dès le vendredi, j'ai dû arrêter ».

Le numéro 2 mondial a même pensé faire l'impasse sur le tournoi d'exhibition d'Abu Dhabi, où il sera confronté à son compatriote David Ferrer vendredi (14 heures). «Je suis là, mais je manque d'entraînement, concède-t-il. Ce n'est pas du tout un moyen de tester mon niveau de jeu, mais seulement de pouvoir bénéficier de bonnes conditions pour accumuler de l'entraînement face aux meilleurs joueurs. Et aussi voir comment mon épaule réagit». En recherche d'un regain de forme, celui qui confirme vouloir modifier son jeu devenu «trop prévisible», assure aussi qu'il ne disputera pas les «prochaines rencontres de Coupe Davis» en février : «J'ai besoin de me ménager une période d'entraînement».

www.lequipe.fr

Nadal chute contre Ferrer

30/12 16h04 - Tennis, Exhibition

Rafael Nadal ne jouera pas la finale du tournoi exhibition d’Abu Dhabi. L’Espagnol s’est incliné contre son compatriote David Ferrer en demi-finales vendredi (6/3 6/2).

www.sport24.com

Nadal loses to Ferrer in the semi-finals of the Mubadala World Tennis Championships

Dec 30, 2011 33


Out: A not fully fit Nadal lost to good friend Ferrer.

Two-time defending champion Rafael Nadal will not play the final of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship for the first time in four years of attending the Abu Dhabi showpiece after the Spaniard suffered a straight sets defeat to David Ferrer on Friday.

Nadal had revealed he wasn’t 100 per cent fit heading into the tournament, having been hampered by a shoulder injury that affected his preparation for the new season.

The Mallorcan however said his shoulder is better and despite the 6-3, 6-2 defeat he suffered against his good friend Ferrer, Nadal was grateful to be able to fight for 75 minutes on court.

“The positive thing is that I spent over an hour on court against a player who is playing with fantastic rhythm,” said Nadal. “I said before that I arrived without my best preparation, so the most important thing is that this match helped me improve. That’s the perfect practice to keep improving a bit.

“His (Ferrer’s) level of legs, his movement was much better than mine today.

“My shoulder is better but the problem is when you have an injury with the shoulder all the muscles around lose all the power.

“I felt OK, not perfect but OK, but I need a little bit more power for everything. A little bit more confidence with the shoulder to hit the balls with enough power, to hurt the opponent. I need time for that. You always play a little bit scared of the injury and I need time to play without thinking about that.”

The match looked like it was going to follow a similar pattern as the one before it between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, when Ferrer raced to a 5-0 lead but Nadal stepped things up in game six when he held to love, to finally get on the board.

With most long rallies going Ferrer’s way, Nadal switched things up a bit with some smooth slices and some decent finishes at the net to get one of the breaks back and improve the score to 2-5.

The world No2 found himself down two break points again though in the following game, but he held off Ferrer to win his third straight game and make it 3-5, but Ferrer sealed the set with an unreturnable serve in the following game.

The second set again saw Ferrer take the initiative and the 29-year-old quickly went 4-0 up. Nadal tried to get more into the rallies and managed to hold serve twice but it wasn’t enough to halt Ferrer, who grabbed the win after Nadal hit a forehand long.

Ferrer, who faces Djokovic in the final today, was thrilled with his victory and believes he had a bit of an advantage having already played a match on that court the day before. He says: “I played a really good game, better than the first game. I’m more adapted with this court and it was easier for me than him.”

The Spanish duo were seen practising together before their clash, and were having fun on court during their warm-up, but Ferrer joked that there is an area where they are rivals rather than friends.

“In PlayStation he is my rival. I think in PlayStation I am better. In tennis he’s better than me but in PlayStation, I am the Rafael Nadal!” says the Valencian.

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