 Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal In an interview with Reuters in Madrid, the 11-times grand slam singles champion said he was still feeling some pain in his left knee and would only return to the court when that was no longer the case. "I am working as much as I can, I am doing everything they tell me to every day and the truth is that right now things are going well, more or less," the 26-year-old Spaniard said. "The only thing is that I need bit more time," he added. "We'll see how things develop in the next few weeks but my priority is to recover well, not quickly but well. "Obviously as soon as possible but the main thing is to have the certainty that you are fine when you do return. "I will return to the court when I feel that the knee no longer gives me any pain, whether that is in two weeks or in three or four." Majorca-native Nadal has been sidelined several times by knee injuries during his 11-year career and his latest was diagnosed as a partial tear of the patella tendon and an inflammation of the Hoffa's fat pad. The former number one has not played since suffering a shock second-round defeat to Czech Lukas Rosol at Wimbledon in June. He missed the Olympic Games after winning the title in 2008 and was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Open. Nadal is having intense physiotherapy and laser treatment and Spanish tennis federation (RFET) doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro said on Sept. 5 he could be back on court training within a month. AGGRESSIVE, DEMANDING "I think tennis is a very aggressive and demanding sport and obviously the knees suffer above all when you are playing on hard courts," Nadal said. "On fast courts the movements are much more aggressive, when you are playing at your maximum you have to push your body to the limit. "I have had problems with my knees, others have other problems. "The reality is that at the age of 26 and after a career of more than 10 years, with very good results, it has been my good fortune that my knees have not prevented me competing at the highest level for many years. "I hope that when I return they don't hinder me." Nadal played some of his best tennis in the first half of the year, losing narrowly to Novak Djokovic in the final of the Australian Open and winning a record seventh Roland Garros title on his favoured clay. He said his goal was to get back to a similar level of fitness to allow him to go toe-to-toe with the game's best again. "What I hope for is to be ready to compete again for everything I want to compete for, like I did in the first six months of the year," he said. "That is what I will try to achieve, it's what I will fight for and work every day. "I am 26 years old and I am confident I have plenty of years ahead. What I want is to recover well and to continue enjoying tennis and competition, which is what make me happy right now." EXCLUSIVE CLUB Nadal's Spain are chasing a fourth Davis Cup title in five years and play the Czech Republic in the Nov. 16-18 final. He said he did not know whether he would have recovered in time to feature. He has only lost one of 21 singles rubbers in the competition but 16 of those wins have come on clay and as the home team the Czechs are almost certain to select hard courts. "If things go well and I can make the final and the captain thinks I am the right person to play it then I'll be there," he said. "If not, I'll be supporting the guys from afar." Nadal has dominated the slams in recent years along with world number two Djokovic and number one Roger Federer but he said Andy Murray's U.S. Open win this month meant the Briton had finally joined their exclusive club. Murray's victory against Federer at Wimbledon to win the Olympic gold had given him the extra confidence to see off Djokovic in New York, Nadal added. "What has changed is his mentality," he said. "His game has not changed practically at all but winning the Olympic Games helped him a lot with the victory in New York. "Andy is a player with an impressive talent and I always said he would win a slam, not just one he'll win more than one." Nadal spoke to Reuters at the launch of Rafa Dream Day for sponsors PokerStars (www.pokerstars.com) where fans can win the chance to meet him, play him at tennis and compete against him in a poker game in Majorca. The interview was conducted on Sept. 17. | |||
dimanche 30 septembre 2012
Nadal recuperation on track, will not rush back
Chelsea win at Arsenal to extend unbeaten start
Premier League leaders Chelsea beat London rivals Arsenal 2-1 with goals from Spaniards Fernando Torres and Juan Mata on Saturday to maintain their unbeaten start to the season while handing Arsenal their first defeat.Both Chelsea goals came as a result of Mata free kicks and poor Arsenal defending with Torres out-muscling Laurent Koscielny to volley the European champions ahead at the Emirates Stadium after 20 minutes for his third league goal of the season.
Gervinho equalised for Arsenal three minutes before the break when he turned crisply and fired into the roof of the net for his fourth goal of the campaign.
Chelsea, who started with skipper John Terry as he mulls an appeal over a four-game ban for racist abuse, regained the lead after 53 minutes when Mata's free kick eluded everyone before clipping Koscielny and flying in past keeper Vito Mannone.
The victory lifted Chelsea four points clear at the top, at least until the rest of the programme later on Saturday.
Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo told Sky Sports: "I thought we were excellent today and deservedly won the game. From the start to the end we never defended too deep, we tried to take the initiative and go forward and create chances and the game went for us today."
OTHER CHANCES
Disappointed Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "We were a bit nervous at the start ... But we should never have lost this game.
"It is sad because we gave the game away at home, we conceded two soft goals on set pieces. They had three shots on target and scored two goals and you cannot concede goals at home like we did today. We gave a lot and the least we deserved was a draw."
Arsenal, who started the day in fifth place after two wins and three draws in their opening league games, came close to saving a point three times but were denied by a great Petr Cech save, the woodwork and a late rash shot from substitute Olivier Giroud.
Cech made an excellent one-handed diving save to deny Lukas Podolski a headed goal after 59 minutes and Giroud, who replaced Podolski after 66 minutes, shot into the side-netting late in the game after going round Cech - to the despair of Wenger on the sidelines.
Koscielny, who had a miserable afternoon, almost made amends but saw a late header come back off the post.
Terry, who on Thursday was found guilty of using racist language towards Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand last year, was roundly booed by the home fans every time he touched the ball at first, as was former Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
But as he has done so often in the past, former England skipper Terry appeared unaffected by his off-field troubles and was wildly applauded by the visiting fans and gave two young supporters his boots at the end of the match.
Disappointed Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said: "We were a bit nervous at the start ... But we should never have lost this game.
"It is sad because we gave the game away at home, we conceded two soft goals on set pieces. They had three shots on target and scored two goals and you cannot concede goals at home like we did today. We gave a lot and the least we deserved was a draw."
Arsenal, who started the day in fifth place after two wins and three draws in their opening league games, came close to saving a point three times but were denied by a great Petr Cech save, the woodwork and a late rash shot from substitute Olivier Giroud.
Cech made an excellent one-handed diving save to deny Lukas Podolski a headed goal after 59 minutes and Giroud, who replaced Podolski after 66 minutes, shot into the side-netting late in the game after going round Cech - to the despair of Wenger on the sidelines.
Koscielny, who had a miserable afternoon, almost made amends but saw a late header come back off the post.
Terry, who on Thursday was found guilty of using racist language towards Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand last year, was roundly booed by the home fans every time he touched the ball at first, as was former Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
But as he has done so often in the past, former England skipper Terry appeared unaffected by his off-field troubles and was wildly applauded by the visiting fans and gave two young supporters his boots at the end of the match.
Late goals earn Bayern Munich 2-0 win at Bremen
Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich left it late to beat Werder Bremen 2-0 on Saturday with goals from Luiz Gustavo and Mario Mandzukic as they extended their perfect start to the season to six wins in six matches.Brazilian Gustavo curled in an 18-metre shot in the 81st minute for the visitors and Mandzukic tapped in his goal of the season two minutes later to lift Bayern to 18 points, five ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt who host Freiburg on Sunday.
On the day of their 125th birthday, Hamburg SV were crowned 1-0 winners in their northern derby at home to Hanover 96 with Rafael van der Vaart setting up Artjoms Rudnevs for his second goal in two games.
After a bad start to the season, Hamburg have now moved up to 10th with their second win in three games.
Bayer Leverkusen continued their good run with a 2-0 home win over promoted Greuther Fuerth to move up to sixth on 10.
Hoffenheim, stunned by a car accident which left midfielder Boris Vukcevic in an artificial coma after he sustained life-threatening injuries on Friday, shared the spoils in their goalless draw at home to Augsburg.
VfB Stuttgart climbed out of the bottom spots with their first win of the season, a 2-0 victory at Nuremberg, with Vedad Ibisevic scoring one and setting up the other goal.
Champions Borussia Dortmund, on eight points, host Borussia Moenchengladbach later on Saturday.
dimanche 23 septembre 2012
samedi 22 septembre 2012
Final at the Camp Nou
Final at the Camp Nou! FC Barcelona vs Granada (2-0). Goals: Xavi (86'), Borja (92', o.g)
Ferguson asks United fans to avoid personal hatred
Manager Alex Ferguson has written to Manchester United fans attending Sunday's match against Liverpool, urging them not to let the rivalry between the clubs turn into "personal hatred".
The Premier League match is the first between the two fierce rivals since the publication last week of an independent report into the Hillsborough stadium disaster which exonerated Liverpool fans of any blame in the 1989 tragedy that claimed 96 lives.
Sunday's occasion is likely to be highly emotional with players and staff having urged fans all week to show each other respect.
In Ferguson's letter, which will be handed to away fans entering Anfield, he says United "stands with our great neighbours Liverpool".
"Our rivalry with Liverpool is based on a determination to come out on top - a wish to see us crowned the best against a team that held that honour for so long," he adds.
"It cannot and should never be based on personal hatred. Just 10 days ago we heard the terrible, damning truth about the deaths of 96 fans who went to watch their team try and reach the FA Cup final and never came back," said Ferguson.
"What happened to them should wake the conscience of everyone connected with the game."
An anti-Liverpool chant of 'it's never your fault, always the victims' was heard from some quarters at Old Trafford last weekend in United's 4-0 victory over Wigan Athletic.
Some United fans said those chants did not refer to Hillsborough but to the fallout from the Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra race row last season.
Liverpool forward Suarez was banned for eight matches for racially abusing United defender Evra at Anfield in October.
FLORAL TRIBUTES
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler suggested Evra and Suarez should lay floral tributes before Sunday's game to mark the tragedies both clubs have suffered.
Fowler told BBC radio it would be appropriate for the pair to help defuse the tension by showing unity before kickoff.
"It would be nice for Luis Suarez to put some flowers at the United end regarding the 1958 Munich air crash and for Patrice Evra to do so at the Kop," Fowler said.
"The two clubs do have a rivalry but some things are far more important than football and this is one of them."
Eight United players and three club staff were among 23 people killed in Munich.
Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand before the start of the last game between the two clubs at Old Trafford in February.
Tributes have been paid to the 96 who died at Premier League matches since the Hillsborough report was issued, with Liverpool's neighbours Everton staging a particularly poignant one before the match with Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday.
United defender Nemanja Vidic, who has been sent off twice at Anfield, believes the Goodison spirit should be taken into Sunday's game.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper he said: "We have to show an example and be on top of the situation and behave well.
"There is a lot of history with these two clubs. We have had some tragedies, they have as well. I think we should respect each other because we are big clubs and clubs that are respected in the world."
Two United fan groups, the Manchester United Supporters Trust and the Stretford End Flags, have urged supporters not to sing disparaging songs about the Hillsborough disaster.
Rival fans have sung distasteful chants about Munich in the past.
Liverpool go into the match fourth from bottom and without a league win this term although they beat Swiss side Young Boys 5-3 in Berne in the Europa League on Thursday.
United have won three of their four league games, are second in the table and beat Galatasaray 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler suggested Evra and Suarez should lay floral tributes before Sunday's game to mark the tragedies both clubs have suffered.
Fowler told BBC radio it would be appropriate for the pair to help defuse the tension by showing unity before kickoff.
"It would be nice for Luis Suarez to put some flowers at the United end regarding the 1958 Munich air crash and for Patrice Evra to do so at the Kop," Fowler said.
"The two clubs do have a rivalry but some things are far more important than football and this is one of them."
Eight United players and three club staff were among 23 people killed in Munich.
Suarez refused to shake Evra's hand before the start of the last game between the two clubs at Old Trafford in February.
Tributes have been paid to the 96 who died at Premier League matches since the Hillsborough report was issued, with Liverpool's neighbours Everton staging a particularly poignant one before the match with Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Monday.
United defender Nemanja Vidic, who has been sent off twice at Anfield, believes the Goodison spirit should be taken into Sunday's game.
In an interview with The Sun newspaper he said: "We have to show an example and be on top of the situation and behave well.
"There is a lot of history with these two clubs. We have had some tragedies, they have as well. I think we should respect each other because we are big clubs and clubs that are respected in the world."
Two United fan groups, the Manchester United Supporters Trust and the Stretford End Flags, have urged supporters not to sing disparaging songs about the Hillsborough disaster.
Rival fans have sung distasteful chants about Munich in the past.
Liverpool go into the match fourth from bottom and without a league win this term although they beat Swiss side Young Boys 5-3 in Berne in the Europa League on Thursday.
United have won three of their four league games, are second in the table and beat Galatasaray 1-0 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Inscription à :
Articles (Atom)