The World No 4 is unfazed by rankings drop before Madrid tournament and the French Open.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal believes his call for all his anti-doping tests throughout his career to be released to the public is the only way to end the scourge of doping accusations in tennis. Nadal filed a lawsuit against former French sports minister Roselyne Bachelot on Monday after she accused him of covering up a failed drugs test. The Spaniard then requested that the International Tennis Federation release the results of his anti-doping tests throughout his career and in the future. "My philosophy is easy to understand. I believe in my sport, that is the most important thing, I believe my rivals are clean, our sport is clean and I believe in our anti-doping programme and it is independent one," Nadal said on Sunday. "The sport should be clean and must look clean. In my opinion it is much better for the transparency of the sport in general to say Rafa Nadal is doing an anti-doping control today, the result will be in two weeks and in two weeks you publish the results, the anti-doping control is negative. "That will be much easier for everybody, it should be much easier for the world of sport and for sure will be easier for you guys (the media).
Top seed and defending champion Novak Djokovic rallied to see off Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-4 in the Shanghai Open quarter-finals on Friday and world number one Rafa Nadal also booked his place in the last four.
Former champions Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams have all entered next month's Western & Southern Open in New York, which will serve as a tune-up for the US Open, tournament organisers said on Wednesday. Organisers of the August 20-28 event, which was relocated from Cincinnati this year because of COVID-19, said defending champions Daniil Medvedev and Madison Keys are also among the initial entries.
Professional sports events in Italy have been played without fans since March due to the COVID-19 pandemic but sports minister Vincenzo Spadafora said fans would be allowed to attend the closing stages of the tournament on Sunday and Monday.
Andy Murray reached the final of the Madrid Open for the second year running by beating Rafael Nadal in straight sets 7-5, 6-4 on Saturday.
IMAGES from the French Open matches played on Thursday
Rafael Nadal announced on Sunday that he would be opening his 18th season as a professional at the Brisbane International in January.
He paid for losing the first two sets 6-3 6-4 and while he hit back impressively to win the next two by the same margin, he was unable to complete what would have been only his fourth recovery from two sets down. 'I played well for moments, but I was a lot of times fighting against the score, too many times in the fifth'
Novak Djokovic's steady progress in the last few seasons is a testament to his mental strength and physical conditioning.
Rafael Nadal saw off Rogerio Dutra Silva 6-1, 6-2 on Wednesday to reach the last 16 of the Barcelona Open, while Andy Murray advanced after opponent Bernard Tomic withdrew.
'I wake up today and say to myself, 'Today is the day that I'll play'. I need to play with the right energy, and I need to increase the level of my game'
Nadal produced a rich vein of form as he thrashed Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets to clinch his fourth Canadian Masters 1000 title at the Rogers Cup
World number one Nadal will meet Greek teenager Stefanos Tsitsipas in Sunday's showpiece when he will target a record-extending 11th title in Barcelona a week after claiming the Monte Carlo Masters for the 11th time.
Nadal braced for tough Cilic test in Melbourne showdown
Since returning in January Rafael Nadal looks a man reborn. No wonder it is hard to find anyone not backing him to claim 'La Decima' in Paris.
Rafael Nadal flirted with a shock defeat at the Rome Masters as Novak Djokovic stretched his unbeaten run and Roger Federer eased through on Wednesday.
Top seed Rafael Nadal produced a claycourt masterclass on Saturday to demolish German Denis Gremelmayr 6-1, 6-0 to reach the final of the Barcelona Open.
Nadal claimed his second grand slam title of the year -- having won the French Open in June -- beating No. 28 seed Kevin Anderson of South Africa in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, 6-4 at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, on Sunday.
Fernando Verdasco sent shockwaves through the Australian Open on Tuesday by defeating Rafael Nadal 7-6(6), 4-6, 3-6, 7-6(4), 6-2 to send the former world number one crashing out in the opening round.
Seven-times Grand Slam John McEnroe knows how it feels when a tennis career starts going in the wrong direction.
Images from Day 6 of the US Open in New York, on Saturday.
Rafa Nadal could face world number one Novak Djokovic, defending champion Roger Federer or home favourite Andy Murray as early as the Wimbledon quarter-finals after being announced as fifth seed for the tournament on Wednesday.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have shared the grand slam spoils this year and it would take a hard heart not to hope for a fairy tale rematch next month of their epic 2008 Wimbledon final.
Rafael Nadal needs to play more aggressively if he is to claim a record-extending 11th French Open title as a pack of young wolves is breathing down his neck, according to three-time Roland Garros champion Mats Wilander.
Spanish veteran Feliciano Lopez extended his career by at least one more day with an emotional victory at the Mallorca Open.
Rafael Nadal held off a fierce challenge from one of the hottest prospects in the game when he outlasted German teenager Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2 to reach the last 16 of the Australian Open.
Rafael Nadal, who said his injured wrist is improving daily, beat Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in his first-round match on Monday's opening day of the year's last Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal beat Czech sixth seed Tomas Berdych 6-2, 6-4 to reach the Italian Open final on Saturday with a dominant performance that he described as emotional after his long injury absence.
American Frances Tiafoe celebrated his 21st birthday by stunning Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov 7-5, 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 7-5 in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday.
'Obviously Rafa is in great position to finish World No. 1'
Spanish tennis maestro Rafael Nadal has defended his training methods and outrightly rejected to have used any banned substance in order to speed up his recovery from injury.
Former champions Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have pulled out of the Rogers Cup in Toronto, leaving the tournament without three of the world's top four players, Tennis Canada said on Tuesday.
Fans literally broke Twitter, going gaga over Rafa's muscle-exposing sexy style.
Novak Djokovic turned on the style to outclass old adversary Rafael Nadal and reach the final of the ATP World Tour Finals with a 6-3, 6-3 victory at the 02 Arena in London, on Saturday.
Former world number one Rafa Nadal wasted a match point as he slipped to a surprise semi-final loss to Austrian Dominic Thiem on his beloved clay at the Argentina Open on Saturday.
"But if you need a reminder of who he is, just look at his career stats and grand slams that he won."
Australia's Nick Kyrgios has branded Rafael Nadal a sore loser, the Spaniard's uncle Toni an "idiot" and said world number one Novak Djokovic has a "sick obsession" with being liked.
Images from Day 4 of the Australian Open in Melbourne on Thursday.
Rafael Nadal, who lost all four of his previous Miami Open finals, will be out to snap a run of three straight defeats against Roger Federer.
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