The Mallorcan tennis player spoke loud and clear in the long interview that he spends L'Equipe

Rafa Nadal is the number one and as such it addresses one of sport's most prestigious newspapers in the world, 'L'Equipe', that yesterday he devoted a four-page monograph.

Rafa, who says that since he is number one "feels no more pressure," once again demonstrated its maturity. The same as projected at the time when he became vice president of the council players along with Roger Federer, president and the two pushed for the president of the ATP, the South African Etienne de Villers, took the decision not to continue in office. Regarding this issue, the world number one has it clear: "I wish that the future president of the ATP is a European and less arrogant Etienne de Villers," he confesses in the interview with the French half. The manacorí, who is in France to compete in the Masters Series in Paris, has become a man with power in the tennis world and he wants the sport is run by someone who understands better tennis players and that, among other things, compile a more rational calendar.

If something also characterized Rafa Nadal is his humility despite the successes it has achieved in just 22 years. In this aspect, the player has no hesitation in acknowledging that "Federer is the best and not me," it warns that "the square of the number one may be tough to maintain next year. " Also, the angry tennis player who confesses that she had been surprised during this season has been "Andy Murray, because he has demonstrated a clear progression."

His current ranking is not something that obsessed him according to his words: "I did not get up in the morning telling me that I am the world number one," says the tennis.

And if something needs to rest because Nadal is as yesterday confessed to "get to the limit in this end of the season. I arrive just a little. " The Mallorcan recognizes that "is the latest effort, I hope to get better prepared I have left," he said after confessing to "get worse than in 2007."

Rafael Nadal does not host the finals of the U.S. Open after falling in the semifinals against Scots Andy Murray in a match that was suspended on Saturday due to lluvia.Pese to defeat the world number one has been satisfied with his performance in the fourth Grand Slam of the season. "When I arrived, my situation was probably not the best to play a good tournament, with many parties on my shoulders. I fought and I have done a good championship, so I left the U.S. Open with positive things with a good tournament ", said the Balearic tennis.

Rafael Nadal was dismissed in the best U.S. Open of his career can only do as a number one. To be exact, the number one tennis world: fighting, fighting until the end as when the indomitable Stanley Ketchel made giant Jack Johnson to exclaim: "This man is not human." This Nadal which eliminated Andy Murray, only saying that it fell as large: dropping his fists, fighting until the last breath.

"Rafael is not in a good state of mind or form, for the great effort in recent months. This week we are paying. Except the Olympic Games thanks to encouragement he received from people and other athletes, but here we have been very fair. " Before the resolution of the semifinal Nadal-Murray, the words of Toni Nadal already sounded premonition.

Breaks. But Nadal can only be applied comparisons and phrases of peleadores or bullfighters of legend: Stanley Ketchel ... Manolete: "defied death as a god, fell fighting like a man." The exhaustion of Nadal is reflected in the 20 balls that break Murray took over four sets. Murray hit like a thunder, but that figure is quite unusual.

Despite the exhaustion, despite a Murray in the best moment of his career, and negotiating the termination of the penultimate energy, Nadal pulled ahead in the third set that Arthur Ashe suspended on Saturday with 3-2 and pull for Rafa. For simple refusal to defeat, Nadal won 6-4, extended the match and sowed tension and anxiety among the Team Murray, commanded by his mother, the famous Judy and Miles Maclagan, the coach who has recast the boy Scots.

Nadal withstood a test almost supreme in the second game of the fourth sleeve. That lifted seven balls break, intimidate Murray broke him back ... and went to the front: 3-1. But this Sunday in windy in Flushing Meadows, service and Nadal's legs were not with the rockets that took Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Rafa took ball for 4-2, but failed an easy volea, Murray broke ... and the shadow of the order was extended on Ashe.

In the tenth game, Murray sentenced before a Nadal defeated, not defeated. Federer wants to follow in the footsteps of Tilden. We will have to see it with Murray.

Rafael Nadal was classified for the first time in his career for the U.S. Open semifinals after beating American Mardy Fish in 4 sets, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 and 6-2, which assured him finish 2008 as No. 1 in the world. The flamboyant Prince of Asturias award for Sports is face in the semifinals at British Andy Murray, sixth head series, which defeated in the quarterfinals and after almost four hours party at Argentine Juan Martin del Potro, sixteenth favorite, 7-6 (2), 7-6 (1), 4-6 and 7-5.



The background for Rafa Nadal were more positive than before Mardy Fish. He had played against the United States on four occasions and never had yielded a single set. However, the party was unable to start for the worse Spanish. Fish saved a ball against break in the first game and then broke Nadal service.

With a very aggressive game, in which Fish was played everything no matter what if it fell or not the clubs that launched from the bottom of the track, American got that Nadal does not find its rhythm game during the first sleeve. With points short and supported in a draw devastating, which got up to 9 aces, Fish noted the first set for 3-6 before a Nadal who had two other balls in the break the fifth game when they lost 1-3 on the scoreboard.

The reaction of the worlds number 1
Nadal reacted as the number 1 which is nothing more to begin the second set. He won his first service in white, broke the Fish and kick him returned the 3-0 that the U.S. had endorsed him to Nadal in the first set. Nadal began playing high balls from the bottom of the track and Fish, not forced to accumulate errors. The vol of American remained in the network and their balls did not find the lines so primet frequency as in the set. Thus, Nadal equalled the match after win the second sleeve for a comfortable 6-1.

Presented battle over Fish in the third set. However, the minimum Nadal took that opportunity again break Service American, in the seventh game, to sign the partial 6-4. Rafa also had trouble certify their passage into the semifinals the fourth set. The game of draw-volea of Fish lost his entire Nadal effectiveness and sentenced to a further break in the seventh game a match which ended at 2:10 in the morning, an hour longer own a golfa meeting that a meeting of tennis.

With this victory Nadal enters the club of 20, the number of player who has reached the semifinals of the four tournaments Grand Slam in one season. Something of what today only can boast Federer, Nalbandian, Djokovic and from this Thursday Nadal.

Nadal Ivanovic and the head of the U.S. Open series in 2008

The Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal and serbia Ana Ivanovic premieres in a Grand Slam tournament of their respective terms of world number one, to be located on Tuesday as early favorites of individual Open table tennis United States.



According to the list released by the U.S. Tennis Federation (USTA), Nadal, newly crowned Olympic champion in Beijing, heads a select field that includes 10 Champions Grand Slams, including the former number one of ATP, Swiss Roger Federer, second-seeded in New York.

The U.S. Open, the last of the four biggest tournaments of the season, will be played from August 25 to September 7 in the courts of Flushing Meadows in New York.

Nadal, aged 22, was released on Monday in Firstly the ATP ranking, displacing Federer, who defended the position in the course of 237 consecutive weeks.

The Mallorcan tennis player has won eight of the last ten tournaments he has played, including two Grand Slam: Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

In Flushing Meadows will seek his ninth title of the year and 31 of his career in a tournament on fast tracks which so far has been very elusive.

The Spanish attempts to become the first man in the same year won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open, since the legendary Rod Laver do so in 1969.

Behind Nadal and Federer were located on Serbian Novak Djokovic (N.3), the Spanish David Ferrer (N.4), Russian Nikolay Davydenko (N.5), Britain's Andy Murray (n.6), the Argentinian David Nalbandian (N.7), Americans Andy Roddick (N.8) and James Blake (N.8), and Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka (N.10).

Nalbandián is the best Latino ranked among the 32 seeded men's table, and that includes the Chilean Fernando Gonzalez (n.11) and the surprising Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro (n.17), winner of four successive tournaments this year.

The serbia Ivanovic, 20 years and who won his first Grand Slam title this season in the French Open, ha ido rising as the foam and will be seeking its third parchment of 2008.

Behind her compatriot Ivanovic were seeded Jelena Jankovic (N.2), Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (N.3), American Serena Williams (N.4), the twice U.S. Open champion and Russian Elena Dementieva (N.5), individual gold medal in the Olympic in Beijing.
The relationship of the 10 first planted in each branch is:

-- Women:
1. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)
2. Jelena Jankovic (SRB)
3. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS)
4. Serena Williams (USA)
5. Elena Dementieva (RUS)
6. Dinara Safina (RUS) 7. Venus Williams (USA)
8. Vera Zvonareva (RUS)
9. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)
10. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS)


-- Men:
1. Rafael Nadal (ESP)
2. Roger Federer (SUI)
3. Novak Djokovic (SRB)
4. David Ferrer (ESP)
5. Nikolay Davydenko (RUS)
6. Andy Murray (GBR)
7. David Nalbandian (ARG)
8. Andy Roddick (USA)
9. James Blake (USA)
10. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

The luck was not on the side of Rafah, in his painting he has played hard bones of roer 4, Novak Djokovic third favourite to take the gold medal, Australian Lleyton Hewitt in second round, Andy Murray recent winner of the Masters Series Cincinnatti Radek Stepanek and a specialist in fast tracks.

In his first statements of Manacor said: "It has been the worst thing that can touch." He knows that his picture is very complicated, but since rafa-nadal.com give you all the spirits of the world that we know you're the best, that's why your number one, and the best always meet expectations against major rivals, winning the gold against these rivals, will be much more valuable .

Vamos Rafa! AND BRING so precious metal gold, for all your fans and all the Spanish fans.