RAFA MAKING FANS HAPPY WITH HIS SPIRIT AND HIS WINS

Semifinal
January 8, Friday, 2010
Rafael Nadal versus Viktor Troicki
8:00 a.m. USA EST

For online viewing of Doha Tennis try

www.fromsport.com

www.atdhe.net

www.vshare.tv/live/63138/LiveScoreHunter-Tennis

www.livescorehunter.com/Livescores/Livescore-Tennis

The Friday schedule - Order of Play (oop)

Federer vs. Davydenko play in the other Semifinal following Rafa's match

Rafael Nadal against Potito Starace of Italy during the 2nd round
Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe

ATP Qatar Open in Doha, Qatar

Round 2
Rafael Nadal defeated Potito Starace
6-2, 6-2
January 6, Wednesday, 2010
I would have posted this yesterday in a timely manner,
but my internet server was down.

Pictures of Round 2 ~ Rafael Nadal

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Round 2 ~ Doha ~ January 6, 2010
Nadal vs. Starace
Uploaded by Tennis24grTV
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After Round 2
Uploaded by Patxy270180

Rafael Nadal of Spain in action against Potito Starace of Italy during the 2nd round of the ATP Qatar Open at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on January 6, 2010 in Doha, Qatar. Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images Europe

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Nadal wins match with Darcis in Doha QF 2010
Uploaded by Tennis24grTV

Quarterfinal
January 7, 2010
Rafael Nadal took the win from Steve Darcis
who retired with the score 6-1, 2-0

Quarterfinal photos
Photos by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP/Getty Images or REUTERS/Fadi Al-Assaad

More QF photos of Rafa

www.nadalnews.com

Rafa admits to losing confidence - trying to build it back up

Fan Support Sites ~ Great sources of information

vamos brigade

Rafa's Babolat-sponsored forum

TV
www.atpworldtour.com

Qatar ExxonMobil Open – Doha, Qatar
ATP World Tour 250 tennis tournament
4-9 January, 2010 – Hard ~ Outdoors

Official Website

WHAT OTHER SPORT DOES THIS? BEGIN A GAME NEAR MIDNIGHT?

Rafael Nadal at the end of a victorious match over USA's Mardy Fish
US Open 08 Quarter-Final Match

It was late enough for the match to be over, and the players, Rafael Nadal and Mardy Fish, were just walking onto the Arthur Ashe court. It seems to me that there ought to be some rule that when a five setter is possible, it shouldn't start close to midnight. Thank goodness the match only lasted until 2:10 a.m. and not until 4:00 a.m. or 5:00 a.m. What other sport does this?

Tennis isn't one of the sports like basketball that have time frames. Like baseball, tennis can go on for hours. And there is always a press conference afterward. By the time the tennis players have had to wait for hours to play, putting off eating a decent meal until after the match, then play the match - sleeping seems to be an afterthought to tennis tournament organizers. Are they nuts?

In January this year at the Australian Open, Lleyton Hewitt won over Marcos Baghdatis in a match that ended at 4:33 a.m. Consider anyone's chances at winning their next match after a match that ends in the middle of the night. These tennis players travel over time zones and must get acclimated to new time zones in almost every tournament, so shouldn't the scheduling of matches that start after a decent hour be rescheduled?

This is insanity.

Matches are resheduled for darkness, rain and come this Saturday it sounds like wind and rain may be a reason at the US Open in New York City. How about rescheduling for sanity?

Link to article: Hewitt outlasts Baghdatis in Marathon January 20, 2008

Semi-Final matches are scheduled to play Saturday, but the weather report for Saturday is not good. Here are the players in the Semi-Finals:

Rafael Nadal ESP (1)
v
Andy Murray GBR (6)

Novak Djokovic SRB (3)
v
Roger Federer SUI (2)

Source of draw

TV Schedule

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images North America

Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts while taking on Mardy Fish of the United States during Day 10 of the 2008 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 3, 2008 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City.

(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America)

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images North America

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Quarter Final ~ Highlights
Rafael Nadal d Mardy Fish
US Open 2008
3-6, 6-1, 6-4, 6-2

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Rafael Nadal wims Premio Principe Asturias
This is in Spanish.
Uploaded by ananulasports

Rafael Nadal, 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports

The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal has been bestowed with the 2008 Prince of Asturias Award for Sports. The Jury for the Award announced its decision in Oviedo.

Rafael Nadal is the Number one tennis player in the world and is considered the best Spanish player of all time. This season, the four-time winner of the French Open, also won the men's singles title at Wimbledon and was the gold medallist at the Beijing Olympic Games. Committed to the noblest values of sport on and off the court, his sense of social responsibility led him to establish a foundation focussing on social work among disadvantaged groups and cooperation for development.

Rafael Nadal was born in Manacor (Majorca) in 1986 and started practising tennis at the age of five. After setting a record of 160 consecutive weeks as second seed, he seized the Number 1 ranking from Roger Federer (Switzerland) on 18th August this year in a season in which he also successfully defended his titles at the Masters Series Monte Carlo -for the fourth year running- and at the Conde de Godó Championship, as well as winning his first titles at Hamburg and in Canada.

He began his successful career in the lower categories and in 1999 became Spanish junior doubles champion as well as winning the Nike Junior Tour International Masters Tournament in Barcelona, in the under-14 category. A professional player since 2001, he was one of the members of the Spanish team that won the Winter Cup in Montecatini (Italy). He reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon in the junior category in 2002 and that same year became Junior Davis Cup champion in a tournament in which he won two of the three points that gave Spain its victory over the USA.

His rise to fame on the international scene commenced in 2003, the year in which he began to face up to the world's top seeds. He reached the third round at Montecarlo and was ranked for the first time among the top 100 seeds, a record in ranking and age only previously achieved by Michael Chang (USA). An elbow injury stopped him from competing at French Open in 2003, where he was expected after winning the Prix Burgeon as the tennis player revelation of the year. He made his debut at Wimbledon in June 2003, winning his first Grand Slam title. His rapid progress as a professional won him the Tennis Player Newcomer Award conferred by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) that same year.

In 2004 he formed part of the team that won the second Davis Cup for Spain, becoming the youngest player ever to have won this competition. His good results on clay situated him as favourite in his first French Open, in 2005, where his victory in the final gave him his first Grand Slam title. That same season he won eleven individual titles.

In 2006 he also won the French Open and broke the record held by Guillermo Vilas (Argentina) by winning more than 54 consecutive matches on clay during the first round, as well as becoming the only tennis player to beat the World Number 1 at the time, Roger Federer (Switzerland), in a final. By the end of the tournament, he had been unbeaten in 60 consecutive matches, becoming the best player in history on clay. When he lost the final in Hamburg in 2007, his record stood at 81 consecutive victories. He won the French Open again in 2007 and 2008, making him the only player, alongside Borg (Switzerland), to hold four consecutive Roland Garros titles. In 2008 he created the Rafael Nadal Foundation, a charitable organisation focussing on social work among disadvantaged groups and cooperation for development.

The acknowledgements he has received include the Barón de Güell Cup at the 2004 Spanish National Sports Awards as part of the Spanish Davis Cup team; the 2006 Laureus World Breakthrough of the Year Prize; and the 2006 National Sports Prize, awarded by the Spanish Council for Sports. In 2008 he received the ESPY Best Male International Athlete Award (USA) and was bestowed with the Gold Medal by Majorca Chamber of Commerce.

The Prince of Asturias Foundation's statutes establish that the aim of the Awards is to acknowledge and extol "scientific, technical, cultural, social and humanistic work carried out by individuals, groups or institutions worldwide". Consonant with this spirit, the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports "will be bestowed upon the individual, group or institution whose lives are not only examples to others, but who have also reached new heights in mankind's struggle for excellence, and who have contributed by their efforts to perfecting, nurturing, promoting and disseminating sport".

This year a total of 29 candidatures from Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Jamaica, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Rumania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Ukraine and Spain ran for the award.

This is the seventh of eight Prince of Asturias Awards, which are being bestowed for the twenty-eighth consecutive year. The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts went to the Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela, founded by José Antonio Abreu, the Prince of Asturias Award for International Cooperation was given to the organisations leading the fight against malaria in Africa: Ifakara Health Research and Development Centre (Tanzania), the Malaria Research and Training Centre (Mali), Kintampo Health Research Centre (Ghana) and Manhiça Health Research Centre (Mozambique), the Scientific and Technical Research Award was jointly granted to five scientists, worldwide leaders in the creation of new materials for the benefit of mankind: the physicist, Sumio Iijima; the engineers, Shuji Nakamura and Robert Langer; and the chemists, George M. Whitesides and Tobin Marks. The Award for Communication and Humanities was given to Google, the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Science went to Tzvetan Todorov and the Prince of Asturias Award for Letters was given to Margaret Atwood. The Prince of Asturias Award for Concord will be announced next 10th September.

Each of the Prince of Asturias Awards, which date back to 1981, is endowed with 50,000 Euros, a commissioned sculpture donated by Joan Miró, a diploma and an insignia. The awards will be presented in the autumn in Oviedo at a grand ceremony chaired by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.

Link to 32 pictures of Rafa in Quarter Final with Mardy Fish

Video link - Rafa answers questions after Quarter Final match
Uploaded by ninzninz2

US Open - Nadal rocks New York to reach semis

Rafael Nadal turned dream wrecker at Flushing Meadows when he downed American favourite Mardy Fish 3-6 6-1 6-4 6-2 in a rowdy late late show that closed Wednesday's programme at the US Open.

In a match that started on Wednesday and did not finish until 2.10am local time on Thursday, world number one Nadal drowned out the deafening roars on Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the last four at Flushing Meadows for the first time.

"The night atmosphere here is always amazing here but I prefer to finish a little earlier," a beaming Nadal said court-side after securing a last-four showdown with Britain's Andy Murray.

"Thanks everyone for being here until two o'clock."

After overcoming a first-set hiccup, a merciless Nadal was steaming towards victory but was suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Serving at 3-2 in the fourth set, Nadal was distracted by a male fan who shouted out from the stands while the Spaniard was in full flight of his service motion.

Sportingly, Fish immediately stopped the point and then play was held up for several minutes as a security official went to deal with the offending fan.

Once the umpire had reminded the crowd of the etiquette of staying quiet during points, normal service resumed and a rampaging Nadal won the next three games, sealing victory when Fish sailed a the ball long.

At 2.10am, the finish was just 16 minutes short of the US Open record for the latest finish in New York. Eurosport, Reuters

Video link - Fan yells out just as Rafa is hitting the serve
Uploaded by kreature06

Chair Umpire Carlos Ramos gets a near-miss by Rafa's return attempt
Uploaded by kreature06

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RAFAEL NADAL TO PLAY MARDY FISH IN US OPEN 08 QUARTER FINALS

Rafa illustrating his desire and passion in Round 4
Photo credit: Daylife

Rafael Nadal hangs on against USA's Sam Querry in the US Open fourth round on Labor Day.

6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (Tie break 7-2), 6-3

Photo credit: Jeff Haynes/Reuters

Sam Querrey
Photo credit: Getty Images

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Rafa spotlighted on CBS TV channel
This was shown prior to the Round 4 match with Sam Querrey.
Uploaded by marylay77

Nadal battles into quarter-finals

Top seed Rafael Nadal secured a place in the quarter-finals of the US Open with a 6-2, 5-7, 7-6, 6-3 win over American Sam Querrey on Monday.

Chasing his first US Open title, Nadal made light work of the first set but found himself under pressure in the second and a string of unforced errors showed he was not invincible.

The 20-year-old American used his powerful forehand to take advantage of some uncharacteristic mistakes by Nadal on his trademark forehand. Though he lost his own serve twice, Querrey broke the world number one three times to take the set.

Buoyed by the home crowd, Querrey was going for his shots and hitting winners, while the French Open and Wimbledon champion pulled back on his serve and seemed to be tighter on his groundstrokes than usual.

After taking the third, Nadal seemed back in charge in the fourth, dragging a weary Querrey in long rallies to win a break in the sixth game.

But Querrey refused to give up, creating seven break points in a nail-biting seventh game that Nadal had to dig deep to survive.
Survive he did, taking the match with a crushing overhead shot.

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Slideshow created at Photo bucket of Rafael Nadal
Round 4
Rafa fought to win 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (tie break 7-2), 6-3
September 1
US Open 2008
against a worthty opponent in USA's Sam Querrey.
Photo credits: Elsa/Getty, AP, Kevin Lamarque/Reuters, Jeff Haynes/Reuters, Shaun Best/Reuters, Daylife, RTE Sport, AFP Timothy A Clary/Getty

Nadal tested at US Open, reaches quarterfinals

By BEN WALKER,

Source

NEW YORK (AP) Rafael Nadal withstood his first test at this U.S. Open, shifting into another gear to beat Sam Querrey 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3 Monday and match his best result at the tournament that's always bedeviled him.

Playing for the sixth year at Flushing Meadows, the No. 1 Nadal rallied to reach the quarterfinals. He got quite a workout - and a scare - from his unseeded, 20-year-old opponent.

"Very tough," Nadal said. "Sam is a big player, a big server. He has a great future."

Down 6-5 in the third set, Nadal suddenly flashed the form that won at Wimbledon, the French Open and the Olympics. Hitting harder, grunting louder and moving in closer, he quickly forced a tiebreaker and jumped to celebrate.

Nadal won the final four points to take the tiebreaker and later served out the match.

Ranked 55th, Querrey gave a solid show and became the first player to take a set from Nadal at this Open.

Crowds at Arthur Ashe Stadium love to root for underdogs, especially Americans. The fans in his private box were vocal, particularly the three who had their shirts off and spelled out S-A-M on their chests.

A bit jittery at the start, the 6-foot-6 Querrey boomed 20 aces and showed no fear, trading big shots with Nadal all match long. He drew a standing ovation at the end for his effort, and smiled broadly.

"Came up a little short. The guy's too good," Querrey said.

Nadal next plays unseeded Mardy Fish, who reached the quarterfinals at the U.S. Open for the first time with a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 32 Gael Monfils.

Rafa had an untypical game with his errors and forehand today:

Fourth Round

Rafael Nadal (1) def. Sam Querrey, 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-3

Nadal Querrey

1st Serve Percentage 66 58

Aces 5 20

Double Faults 6 8

1st Serve Winning Pct. 72 76

2nd Serve Winning Pct. 49 38

Winners (including service) 37 52

Unforced Errors 41 50

Break Points 6-12 4-16

Net Points 27-34 26-42

Total Points Won 135 123

Time of Match 3:13

Source

Djokovic needed nearly four hours to get past Cilic

6-7 (7), 7-5, 6-4, 7-6 (0) Sunday night.

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RAFAEL NADAL PLAYS USA'S SAM QUERREY LABOR DAY IN US OPEN 08 ROUND 4

Round 3 Rafa and Viktor
US Open 2008

Above photo credits: Getty's Nick Laham

Rafa fired up in the match with Viktor Troicki on Saturday
Photo credit: Elmundo

Rafael Nadal (ESP) plays Sam Querrey (USA)
Monday, September 1, 2008
Round 4
US Open
This will be the 2nd match on Arthur Ashe Court
If you click on Rafael and Sam's names above it will take you to their last press Questions and Answers

The first match begins at
11:00 a.m.
Mardy Fish v Gael Monfils

then Rafa plays Sam
but not before 1:00 p.m.

Full schedule

US Open T V Schedule

Online viewing:

http://tennislivechannel.blogspot.com/

http://www.justin.tv/live24_2

Rafa is blogging while at the US Open:
timesonline.typepad.com
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Rafael Nadal vs. Viktor Troicki
Round 3 US Open August 30, 2008
Uploaded by USOpenFreak2008

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Slideshow of the Round 3 match
Rafael Nadal and Viktor Troicki
Rafa won
6-4, 6-3, 6-0
Photo credits to Getty, Elsa, Nick Laham; Daylife,
New York Times, Elmundo, US Open website and unknown

The photos with the dark exposure are Getty's Nick Laham's photos.

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RAFAEL NADAL AND VIKTOR TROICKI PLAY IN ROUND 3 AT US OPEN 08

Rafael Nadal pictured in Round 2 match with Ryler De Heart
US Open
August 28, 2008

Photo credit: Getty

Round 2 in match with Ryler DeHeart
Above 3 photos credit: Rob Loud

Rafaeal Nadal will play Viktor Troicki from Serbia in Round 3

Play Starts at 11:00 a.m. ~ August 30, 2008 Saturday
on Arther Ashe Court

Rafa plays after
Alona Bondarenko and Venus Williams on Arthur Ashe.
So Rafa will play no earlier than noon,
as long as no one withdraws.
But rain could be a factor, also.

Schedule of the US Open 2008
Photo credit: unknown

* See Rafa's interview with the press at this link after the US Open 2008 Round 2 match with Ryler DeHeart or downloaded here by ninzninz2

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Part 1

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Part 2

Photo credit: unknown

* Rafa is blogging again at Times Online

Hello everyone,

First of all I would like to apologize because this will be a very short blog. The reason for this is that I have just arrived to the hotel and it is half past midnight. This is the thing I like less about the night matches. Today it wasn't too bad since the match was pretty fast. But if a match lasts 3 or even 4 hours, I could have gotten here by 2-3 am and you know how it is: press, something to eat, the transportation back to the hotel and also the tension after a match that has you awake until late. It can be 4 or 5 in the morning when you really go to sleep. Not the best when you are going to compete in less than 48 hours.

But on the other side I have to admit and say that the night crowds here in NY are somehow special. Very noisy, very much into the match, a fun experience. Very different from Wimbledon that is also fun and the ultimate thing. You know what I mean.

I came to the hotel as I say over midnight and we are waiting in my room, Rafa Maymo, Tomeu Salva and me to have room service dinner. In the mean time I write this blog and the one I am writing for a Spanish newspaper. They are similar but not the same for those of you that speak Spanish. Of course that the things I do are the same in any language, right?

Sometimes I read your comments to the blog but not every day. It depends if I have time, if Benito is around (he helps me with translations), etc. But I do read them sometimes. Thanks in any case for the comments and support.

Tomorrow I practice at 12 and therefore I will leave to the site around 10.30. Not much time to sleep but you know that I normally sleep 6/7/8 hours max every day. Enough to recover!

Thanks again.

Rafa

* Rafa answers fans' questions

Hi Rafa, you are a tennis hero to many people and a lot of girls have a crush on you (including me!). Did you have a tennis hero when you were growing up and if so, who was it? Also have you ever had a crush on a female tennis player? Kaz, Melbourne : )

RN: I am blushing now! No, I did not have any tennis hero growing up and no crush in female tennis players...

Hola Rafa, there has been so much speculation about your outfit, so I'd like to hear your opinion. You're playing now in your old outfit, is that your choice? Is there going to be new image of you later this year and what is the reason for that? Hopefully you wouldn't do anything might affect your game. I wish all the best for you! Renja, Finland

RN: Yes I am. It is always my choice. Lots of talks about this. I will slightly change things when I feel comfortable with everything.

Good day to you, campeon! Congratulations to a fantastic 2008 campaign, you deserve all the congratulations your fans and fellow tennis players have showered you with. My question is this: have you had any pets or have you ever wanted one? Thanks and good luck to you on your campaign for the US Open :D

RN: No, I have not and I cannot have any. No time to take care of them

Do you need sometimes to be alone, in silence, with your own thoughts? What did you do in this moments? gracias for making us happy when we see you. Saludos, Florencia

RN: Yes, of course. Those moments are normally before a tennis match. I like to be listening to music and be alone.

Hi Rafa. As an English speaker learning Spanish, I've noticed how much your English has improved. Even in some of your earlier "invented days", you did so well, as it must have been very difficult in press conferences and interviews with questions being fired at you. Do you have a tutor or take any lessons?

RN: Many thanks. No, I don't have a tutor nor take lessons. The people traveling with me help me and again, the traveling helps a lot as you can imagine.

My question is that you seem like an almost perfect person to me, because you are a great player, very modest, humble and have a lots of respect to others. It's hard to imagine but what do you think your weakness is? Love,Hiromi, Canada

RN: Well, I have many. Believe me.

Hi Rafa! I was wondering what your feelings were towards playing doubles versus playing singles. Do you prefer one over the other, and do you have future goals for perhaps a doubles career as well? Also what's the biggest challenge in playing with a partner? Thanks for your time, and your blogs are great Angela Toronto, ON, CAN

RN: I like to play doubles but I can't do it always since my schedule of matches is too busy.

Hi Rafa, Do you use music to get motivated? What’s in your iPod? Mary

RN: Yes I do. I have a lot of Spanish music but not only.

Hi Rafa, I love your performance specially this year - my question to you is, do you have glass of wine when you are having dinner or you stick with non alcoholic drinks? Thank you Rafa and Good luck in US Open. Yudi, a big fan in Egypt

RN: No, I don't normally have wine. I actually don't like the alcohol.

Hey Rafa! I know you are a massive fan of football, but what I want to know is, what do you think of the English Premier League? And have you ever been to a Premier League match? Siobhan, 21, Liverpool

RN: I like a lot the Premier league. The football is really fast and exciting, Now with so many players from Spain there I also watch it even more.

Hola,Rafa! This is probably one of the weirdest questions,but- are you ticklish(carachoso:)? Marija

RN: Not much.

Send Rafa a question: rafa@timesonline.co.uk

Maybe your question will be selected for Rafa to answer.

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These pictures are "screen caps" created by Mary

at The Forum at www.rafaelnadal.com

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RYLER DE HEART and RAFAEL NADAL PLEASED THE CROWD IN US OPEN ROUND TWO

LOVE RAFA IN RED AND WHITE

OH, YES AND SLEEVELESS
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Slideshow of pictures from the US Open Round 2 Match August 28, 2008
Photo credits: Getty, Don Emmert, Matthew Stockman, Elsa, Reuters and unknown
Rafael Nadal d Ryler DeHeart
6-1, 6-2, 6-4
Very entertaining match - more than the score shows

Nadal advances at US Open

Source: ukpress

World number one Rafael Nadal ousted American Ryler De Heart 6-1 6-2 6-4 in the second round at the US Open .

Nadal, who was known as a clay-court specialist before his domination this year, looked comfortable on the hardcourt here against the inexperienced De Heart.

Despite dropping the first two sets De Heart did not seem intimidated, winning the first three games of the third before getting overwhelmed by Nadal's superior talent.

De Heart played with an incredible enthusiasm and quickly won over the crowd, which included his fiancee and former college coach - who each gave him a standing ovation despite the loss. In the next round, Nadal will face Viktor Troicki, who advanced when number 25 Philipp Kohlschreiber retired with an undisclosed injury. Troicki was leading 2-6 6-3 6-4 3-0 when the match was halted.

While Nadal has had two easy matches thus far, James Blake had a much easier time in Thursday's match than he did in the opening round. The ninth-seeded American advanced to the third round of this year's final major, when Belgian Steve Darcis retired in the third set with Blake leading 4-6 6-3 1-0.

A quarterfinalist here in 2005 and 2006, Blake was eliminated in the fourth round at the US Open last year and the 28-year-old has yet to make it past the quarters in any major during his career but has enjoyed the most success in this event. Up next for Blake is countryman Mardy Fish, who upset 24th-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, 6-2 3-6 6-3 6-4.

Also on Thursday, fourth-seeded David Ferrer defeated German Andreas Beck 4-6 7-5 6-3 7-6 (7/5). The world number four who reached the semi-finals here a year ago, Ferrer next will face Japan's Kei Nishikori, who won the first two sets, 6-1, 7-5, against Roko Karanusic before the Croatian retired.

Like Ferrer, Andy Murray also had his hands full as the Scot edged French lefthander Michael Llodra 6-4 1-6 7-5 7-6 (9/7). Murray, who never has advanced beyond the fourth round in Flushing, will meet Jurgen Melzer in the third round. The Austrian moved on with a 6-0 6-2 6-2 victory over Czech Jiri Vanek.

Also on Thursday, seventh seed David Nalbandian of Argentina defeated Kazakhstan's Andrey Golubev, 6-2 6-4 6-2 while number 10 Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland advanced with a 6-4 7-6 (8/6) 6-2 victory over American Wayne Odesnik.

Other seeded winners were number 14 Ivo Karlovic of Croatia, number 16 Gilles Simon of France, countryman Gael Monfils, the 32nd seed and number 17 Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, who continued his hot streak of late. ..............................................................

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Muscles
Uploaded by serenitylivesforever

Video -See Rafael Nadal playing football
Uploaded by TheMasterOfTennis1

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RAFA IS BACK STRONG AND HEALTHY

Rafa's new colors this year are "Rafa orange and gray".

Number 2 in the world of tennis, Rafael Nadal won his first match in the Australian Open 2008 with 7-6, 7-5, 6-1 over Viktor Troicki, a Serbian qualifier in his first grand slam appearance. Nadal will face Frenchman Florent Serra in the second round Wednesday in Australia, which is actually Tuesday in the USA.

Rafa's first blog post is up at his site, Rafael Nadal . Until, the English entrance is operating, go to the Spanish entrance, then the tab "Zona de Fans". It is in three languages for his fans: Spanish, French and English. You'll find his blog post translated in the English section "History in the Making" under the "topic" hb1820 blog Australian Open 2008. The pictures here are posted at Rafa's site by his fans. "All things Rafa" are found there, including the quickest way to find his current interviews and articles.
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