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06/29/06 Rafael Nadal was stretched to the limit on Thursday as he struggled to beat American Robert Kendrick 6-7(4) 3-6 7-6(2) 7-5 6-4 on Centre Court of Wimbledon. The Spaniard will now play Andre Agassi, on his final visit to SW19, after his 6-4 7-6(2) 6-4 win over Andreas Seppi.
06/17/06 Rafael Nadal lost for the first time in nearly three months Friday when he retired in the quarterfinals of the Queen's Club with a sore left shoulder. Rafa won the first set 6-3 against Australian Lleyton Hewitt, who won the second by the same score. Nadal needed treatment on his serving shoulder during changeovers, and retired after the second set.
06/14/06 Rafael Nadal made a smooth transition to grass Wednesday, beating Mardy Fish 7-6 (1), 6-1 in his debut in this Wimbledon warmup at Queen's Club.
06/14/06 Rafa Nadal surprised with his girlfriend Xisca. She's 18 old and neighbour of him. According to the Spanish Magazine 'Cuore', Nadal's first love is a young girl that he has known for a long time. They have been surprised, in a very affectionate attitude, together on the beach. Rafa Nadal is in love for the first time in his life, according to the magazine Cuore. She is called María Francesca Perelló, and lives in Manacor.The tennis player got to know her through his sister, as they both belong to the same group of friends. She gets on very well with the whole Nadal family, including Rafa's grandmother. The relationship is so formalized that, before the photographs were taken on the cliffs of Porto Cristo, the young couple had called to visit his grandmother at her house.In the photographs that accompany the report the young couple can be seen in an attitude that is unmistakeable: kisses, pats and caresses, and pranks. The most tender, the loving push that Xisca gave her boyfriend. Cuore magazine claims that she is his staunchest supporter.In fact, on an internet forum, there is a young fan of his who has declared herself an admirer of Rafa. It would not be surprising to find that it is perhaps Maria Francesca, willing to defend her boyfriend even in cyberspace. Rafa showing his support for Spain in the World Cup (photos)... More photos from Rolan Garros...
06/12/06 Unflappable and unbeatable against anyone else, Roger Federer looked helpless at times Sunday, his bid for a fourth consecutive Grand Slam title disappearing in the clouds of clay kicked up by Rafael Nadal. Over and over, for three hours and with the temperature at 90, Nadal scampered and skidded his way to reach seemingly unreachable balls. Going long stretches without a mistake, No. 2-ranked Nadal beat No. 1 Federer 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4) to win his second straight. His 27-match winning streak at majors ended. Nadal's 60-match winning streak on red clay lives French Open title. So consider this: Nadal is now 6-1 against Federer over their careers. And this: Federer is 0-4 against the Spaniard in 2006, 44-0 against everyone else. Results...
06/07/06 Rafael Nadal advanced to the French Open semifinals and extended his record clay-court winning streak to 58 matches Wednesday after Novak Djokovic retired with a back injury three points into the third set while trailing 6-4, 6-4. "It's not nice to win like that," said Nadal, the defending champion. "I'm sorry for him. But this is good for me to head to the semifinals." Seeded second, the Spaniard improved to 12-0 at Roland Garros. A potential Sunday showdown looms against top-ranked Roger Federer, but first Nadal must beat Ivan Ljubicic. Results...
06/05/06 Rafa moved into the quarterfinals and extended his record clay-court winning streak to 57 matches by eliminating Hewitt 6-2, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 Monday. "He's very much like Federer, winning so many matches that it's sort of second nature for him," Hewitt said. With a sun-splashed center-court crowd backing Hewitt's upset bid, the Aussie played Nadal on even terms for 2 1/2 hours, winning 11 consecutive points during one stretch. But at 4-all in the third set, Nadal broke serve with a typically inventive shot — a backhand slice that barely cleared the net, landed on the sideline and bounced sideways as Hewitt chased it off the court in vain. Nadal held at love to close the set and broke three times in the final set, repeatedly feasting on Hewitt's second serve. "Late in the third and the whole fourth set, my serve did go off," Hewitt said. "That made it a lot harder to put pressure on him." Nadal was coming off a grueling victory that took nearly five hours Saturday. But he looked like the fresher player at the finish, advancing in 3 hours, 17 minutes on the warmest day of the tournament. Results...
06/03/06 Today is Rafa's 20th birthday, but his third-round opponent, Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, did not give Rafa any gifts. Rafa ultimately won, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, but it was not easy. The first set saw 3 breaks of serve by each player. Mathieu got the fourth break to take the set. Results...
05/29/06Rafael
Nadal won a record 54th
consecutive men's
claycourt match when he beat
Sweden's Robin Soderling 6-2 Results...
05/29/06 Rafa is now in Paris preparing to defend his first grand slam title at Roland Garros. In the first round, on Monday, Rafa will play Swede Robin Soderling. This will be the first time they have faced each other in an ATP match. The match is scheduled fifth on Chatrier stadium with an 11 a.m. start. Results...
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