Defending champion Rafael Nadal held his nerve to reach the last four at the Pacific Life Open by beating American James Blake 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 in the quarter-finals on Thursday. The second-seeded Spaniard broke the American in the eighth game of the third set before serving out to seal victory in a contest lasting just over two hours.
Spaniard Rafael Nadal stayed on course for his first ATP title of the year with a 6-1 6-3 demolition of American wildcard Donald Young in the Pacific Life Open. Ninth-seeded American James Blake powered past Spaniard Carlos Moya 6-3 6-4 to set up a fourth-round clash with Richard Gasquet of France.
There was no rain break, no twilight five-set drama and no Wimbledon trophy on offer on Friday but none of that bothered ageless Swiss maestro Roger Federer. The only thing that mattered to the 20-time Grand Slam champion was that, unlike in his last grasscourt duel with Rafael Nadal 11 years ago, he had won the "crazy last game" which sealed his passage into a 12th Wimbledon final.
The Australian said he saw nothing to change his opinion that the Spaniard is untouchable at Roland Garros.
World number one Rafael Nadal recorded his 20th straight win on clay as he began his quest for a sixth title in Madrid, defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3, 6-1.
Clay maestro Rafa Nadal was in cruise control in the latest phase of his French Open build-up while Robin Soderling, the man who ended the Spaniard's Roland Garros reign, crashed out of the Madrid Open on Wednesday.
Rafael Nadal survived an early scare at the Barcelona Open on Friday to beat Argentine Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4, 6-2 for a place in the semi-finals.
Rafael Nadal will not be protected with a higher seeding at the French Open, tournament director Gilbert Ysern said on Saturday.
World number one Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal reached milestones as they eased into he Monte Carlo Masters Series semi-finals on Friday.
World number two Rafael Nadal criticised the ATP on Thursday for promoting a court surface he said was the toughest on the bodies of the players.
World number one Rafael Nadal was installed as the top men's seed for the US Open on Monday as the Spaniard bids to complete a career grand slam.
World No 1 Rafael Nadal broke the stubborn resistance of Poland's Jerzy Janowicz's to win 7-5, 6-4 and reach the last eight of the Paris Masters on Thursday.
Nadal has turned back the clock to sweep through the European claycourt season with titles in Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid and is a daunting obstacle for anyone with genuine title ambitions.
Rafael Nadal blasted past Serb Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-4 to improve his record to 2-1 at the Masters Cup.
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.
Two fellow Spaniards who have already beaten him on his favourite clay surface could lie in wait for favourite and defending champion Rafael Nadal at the French Open.
Rafael Nadal came to the party just when it mattered most as he partnered Marc Lopez scripting a decisive win against Leander Paes and Saketh Myneni giving Spain an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Davis Cup Play-off tie against India in New Delhi on Saturday. Paes and Saketh Myneni, combining for the first time in Davis Cup, lost 6-4 6-7(2) 4-6 4-6 but not without a brave fight that tested the Rio Olympic gold medallist pair for three hours and 23 minutes in the must-win rubber. The defeat also prolonged the Indian legend's wait for the world record wins Davis Cup.
Nadal no longer 'immovable' object in Paris.
Rafael Nadal's comeback from a long-term knee injury has been put on hold by an illness that has ruled him out of an exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
Former champion Rafael Nadal shrugged off concerns about his fitness ahead of the Australian Open and paid tribute to fellow 'Big Four' rival Andy Murray, a day after the emotional Briton revealed plans to retire.
Factbox on Rafael Nadal, who beat Dominic Thiem to win his 12th French Open title:
Spaniard Rafael Nadal will sharpen his grasscourt game at London's Queen's Club ahead of Wimbledon in June, organisers of the Aegon Championships said on Tuesday.
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.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga upset second seed Rafael Nadal 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 in the Australian Open semi-finals.
'It's a new era and will be like adapting to a different routine. Moya has come with new ideas and new methods of working that have worked well and we are excited'
Rafa Nadal said playing Roger Federer always brings the best out of him after he bludgeoned his way past the Swiss on Friday to reach the final of the Australian Open.
World number two Rafa Nadal scraped into the quarter-finals of the Cincinnati Open after beating fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco 7-6, 6-7, 7-6 in a fierce battle on Thursday but his rivals all had comfortable paths into the last eight.
Rafael Nadal beat holder and top seed Roger Federer 7-5, 6-7, 6-3 in the final of the Hamburg Masters.
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).
Former World No 1 Rafael Nadal's doctor has revealed that the 14-time Grand Slam winner would receive stem cell treatment on his back that is in poor health.
Tennis champion Rafael Nadal has said that he is eager to experience the incredible energy of Brazilian carnival before gearing up to defend his title at the Rio Open.
Rafael Nadal survived a battle of creaky knees against David Ferrer on Wednesday, the fellow Spaniard retiring hurt from their second round match at the Montreal Masters to gift the world number two a comeback win. American fifth seed Andy Roddick, another player enjoying a career revival this season, also advanced with a tidy 6-1, 7-6 win over Russian Igor Andreev.
Images from Monday's action at the Australian Open.
Tennis is paying the price for being an Olympic sport and its new dope testing regime treats players like criminals, world number one Rafael Nadal says. The Spaniard is leading criticism against the procedure adopted by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), who signed the World Anti-Doping agency (WADA) protocol last year.
Big-serving Milos Raonic fought back from a set down to upset Rafa Nadal 4-6, 7-6(10), 7-5 in a pulsating quarter-final at the BNP Paribas Open on Friday.
Second seed Rafael Nadal beat fellow-Spaniard Juan Carlos Ferrero, while Andy Roddick got past France's Richard Gasquet at the Pacific Life Open.
Former world number one Rafa Nadal withdrew suddenly from the doubles at the Brazil Open on Wednesday because of what organisers said was a desire to preserve his strength for the singles competition.
Twice finalist Ruud overcomes Davidovich Fokina test
Rafael Nadal beat Nikolay Davydenko 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 to enter the semi-final of the Masters Cup.
Rafael Nadal needs only the US Open title to complete a career set of grand-slam titles but the relaxed Spaniard says he will never allow it to become an obsession.
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