The Girl with the Goalden Boot

Thursday, August 16, 2007

 

Nadal withdraws from Cincinnati Masters
CINCINNATI (Reuters) - Second seed Rafael Nadal withdrew from the Cincinnati Masters on Wednesday suffering from a combination of cramp in his left forearm and dizziness.

The Spaniard was trailing 7-6 4-1 to Argentine Juan Monaco in his second-round match when he decided to quit, having had an injury timeout at the end of the first set.

"I had some cramping here," Nadal told reporters, pointing to his left forearm.

"I wasn't grasping the racket very well. I didn't feel anything when I was touching the racket."

Nadal said he had also felt unwell throughout the match.

"I wasn't feeling very well when I went to the court. On the way, I felt dizzy all time. It was a tough day.

"Monaco was playing well but I couldn't play more than three balls on every point. I wasn't feeling well. I didn't have power in the legs."

Nadal said he had tried to finish the match but had been unable to.

"It was stupid to continue playing because I felt I couldn't do anything," he said.

"I couldn't move and the dizziness was getting worse. It's stupid continuing (when you are) suffering on court for nothing."

World number 25 Monaco, who has won three titles this year, now plays American Sam Querrey.

source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUKL1572076920070815

*sniffle* I woke up at 3am to watch this match. He really looked unwell, I thought it was heat exhaustion or something. He can normally sprint from one side of the court to the other and back with no problem, but he couldn't run at all yesterday. He should've retired earlier, maybe at the start of the second set. I hope this week off will be enough for him to recover in time for the US Open.

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10 Questions - time.com
He is the second best tennis player in the world. Now the Spanish master of the clay courts will try to beat out No. 1, Roger Federer, in the upcoming U.S. Open. Rafael Nadal will now take your questions.

They say you really admire Roger Federer. How can you have a rivalry with someone you admire? —Rafael Flores, San Salvador, El Salvador
Yes, I admire him, but there's really no rivalry. Roger is No. 1 in the world; I'm No. 2. I'm just trying to do everything I can to get as close to him as possible. But in general, I think you can maintain a rivalry while admiring your rival. When I play him, it's a special motivation to play better. On the other hand, it's just another match, no? There's a little more attention, maybe, but it's another tennis match.

Do you think your playing style relies a lot on physicality? If so, are you worried that your career might be shorter than other greats like [Andre] Agassi or [Ivan] Lendl? —Valentín Feito, Madrid
I started playing very young, and if my career ends short, then it would be because I started playing younger than almost anyone else. My tennis is aggressive, though I wouldn't say that it's more physical than technical. I rely more on technique than physique, but being physical is always a help to me.

Can you explain the decline in American men's tennis? —Randy Arnold, Chattanooga, Tenn.
[Andy] Roddick is No. 4, and [James] Blake is in the Top 10. So it's not bad, no? It's not the same as when [Pete] Sampras and Agassi were No. 1 and 2. But American tennis is working.

How do you feel about women tennis players earning the same salary as men? —Candyce Pecot, Los Angeles
I don't have much opinion about that. I totally agree that women and men are the same in all areas of life, but my opinion is that, well, if we are the same, then women should have to play best-of-five sets [instead of best-of-three] if they want to earn the same amount of money.

What do you think about the recent doping scandals in cycling? Do they affect the tennis world in any way? —Andres Valentin, Madrid
For one, tennis is a much cleaner sport than cycling. Cycling has seen a lot of people involved in doping recently. I think in general this is negative for the image of all sports, and anytime something like this happens, all athletes are damaged.

What's up with biting the trophy when you win a tournament? —Kylynn Fontaine, Bethlehem, Conn.
I started doing it one day when I won my first tournament. I continued. I don't know, I just prefer that to kissing the trophies. It's one of my trademarks.

Why wear the Capri pants that you have to constantly pull out of your rear? Why not shorts? —Sara Norm, Chicago
[Laughs.] It's not the fault of the clothes. It's a habit that I picked up when I was competing when I was young. I am trying to break the habit, but it's not easy.

If you could play against any player in history, who would it be? —Simon Coakley, Stanford-le-Hope, England
I'd choose [Bjorn] Borg. He had such an incredible mental approach to the game. He had ice in his veins, and I'd love to see what I could do against him. If I had to say, I suppose he'd win.

Are you still able to lead a normal life now that you're famous? —Cherie Snyder, Seattle
In Mallorca, I can live a normal life. I go to the supermarket without signing autographs. That's because in my small village, everybody knows everybody. The people know me not because I am a tennis player but because I am a guy from [my hometown] Manacor.

How long does it take you to recover from a tough loss like this year's Wimbledon final? —Ellen Polo, Warwick, R.I.
I give 100% on the court, so I do get upset when I lose. But it doesn't take me much time to recover. The first hours after the match are tough. After a while I forget, and I look forward to the next days back home in Mallorca. I love fishing and golfing there, for example—just being with my old friends. I'm a good loser.

source: http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1653408,00.html

Lola Nadal 9:40 PM