rod laver

Nadal does not have any pressure to become the successor to the Australian Rod Laver, the last player to win four Grand Slam tournaments in a row

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer opens, officially, the season this week at the tournament in Doha, where they both want to prove their motivations in a special session that promises sensations.

For Nadal, returning to Doha means remembering that this same scenario had two points in the final tournament before the Russian Nikolay Davydenko. It was a bad omen at the beginning of the year, then continued his retreat in the quarter-final of the Australia by a knee injury.

But after closing 2010 with seven titles to his credit, including three Grand Slam (Roland Garros, Wimbledon and U.S. Open), and number one in his pocket, Nadal started 2011 as best you can, winning for the second time the exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi, this time to defeat Federer in the final.

In Doha, Nadal and Federer can see new faces. And you will not like the exhibition games played in Madrid in the Magic Box, "United for Children", or is in Abu Dhabi. In the capital of Qatar in Manacor start, and quite serious, a challenge that will not talk much, but can soar further in the history of the sport: the conquest of Australia Open for the second time, and thus achieving four Grand Slam tournaments in a row.

"No I consider now the fact of achieving the fourth Grand Slam followed. It will be difficult to win in Australia. There are many applicants. Then we'll see," Nadal said after being crowned champion in Abu Dhabi.

Nadal said then that does not have any pressure to become the successor to the Australian Rod Laver, the last player to win four Grand Slam tournaments in a row, although in their case, "Rocket" made in the same year, in 1969, something no one has never again "will be a tough season with the likes of Federer, who wish him well in this year. It will be hard for everyone and I hope it's good for me." Health is the most important thing for me and for all. Without it the rest of things are impossible, "Nadal said.

Federer aims to recapture this year's world number one beat the record of American Pete Sampras as the player most weeks has been on top of the rankings. Leaving Abu Dhabi made it clear that Doha was there and tried new shots to add to your repertoire, and perform in Melbourne with higher aspirations to defend the title with greater assurance.

"It's a special Australia Open defending the title," said Federer. "Since then the focus will be on them. The tournament will be exciting."

In Doha, Nadal and Federer are the biggest favorite. The table includes French Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the Russian Davydenko, the Latvian Ernest Gulbis, Serbia's Victor Troicki Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in Spanish and German Phillip Kohlschreiber.

Share Doha week with Brisbane, where the Swede Robin Soderling, Andy Roddick and Fernando Verdasco Spanish are the first figures, and in Madras where the Czech Tomas Berdych is the main attraction.

Nadal will begin tomorrow, Monday, with doubles match, which is paired with Marc Lopez and will open fratricidal duel against Pere Riba and David Marrero. Individual table start against Slovak Karol Beck, 103 of the world, while Federer will do against a player who comes from the previous phase.

Any of the scripts provided prior to second-round match with Rafa Nadal measuring a semidesconocido Lukas Lacko was fulfilled at face value. The Spaniard had no opposition in the Slovak

Any of the scripts provided prior to second-round match with Rafa Nadal measuring a semidesconocido Lukas Lacko was fulfilled at face value. The Spaniard had no opposition in the Slovak, who little more than a sparring match in which intensity could be the same as the training of a number 2 worldwide. With little wear, the best news for Rafa Nadal advances to the third phase of the Open de Australia, where Phillip Kohlschreiber measured.

Rafael Nadal (2) Luckas Lacko was imposed by an aggregate score of 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 after an hour and fifty-two minutes of play in the crash that closed the day shift at the Rod Laver Arena, which recorded a full house and encouraged the Spanish as a more aussie. Despite suffering high temperatures (it was 32 degrees in Melbourne), Nadal quickly acclimated to the weather, the track and his rival anything but Lacko, who came on campus as big as your opponent, is that this was the first time the Slovakian was measured at a Top-Ten. Rafa seriously entered the game, achieving a partial 5-0 (three breaks included) who did that would herald the first set with a 'donut' in his favor. However, a tentative reaction Lacko, who once broke the Spanish service, lasted a little over the set, which fell from the Spanish side after just over half an hour of meeting.

Despite not signing a brilliant statistics, Nadal was comfortable on the track, leaving a good feeling and even seemed to be proved before a brave Lacko I tried getting on track and giving a glimpse of a good punch right. Rafa again break the service of his rival in the opening game of the second race and from there was carried away. To give the game some but it should be noted that Nadal is playing back on the track too, with the fingers of one hand increases the net to wrap up the points. Still, the superiority of Spanish on the table was considerable.

The beginning of the third set was spectacular for the Spanish. Nadal reeled off nine points in a row, striking a white break and ratifying the same with the same condition. The Spanish made no mistake when Lacko left the half-court ball and put distance in between from the first swing. There was even room for Rafa makes the gesture and laugh after a shout from the stands which momentarily stopped the game. A further point which indicated the intensity of a shock which was used without hardly being aware, offering freshness and Nadal confident for the next engagement at Melbourne Park. In third round, Rafa Nadal will have to measured at the German Phillip Kohlschreiber (27), who beat American Wayne Odesnik with a score of 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. The Spanish was measured 6 times before Kohlschreiber, always with victory for Nadal. To continue the streak ...

THE INJURY OF THE MATHIEU DA NADAL GO TO THAT DOMINABA 6-4 AND 3-0

What can be better than a small training to prepare for the quarterfinals. Less than one hour on the track (49 minutes) compared to French Paul-Henri Mathieu to confirm his passes (6-3 and 3-0). The injury to his opponent allowed Nadal reach its roof in Australia almost without sweat. Mathieu was dismissed from the track almost asking forgiveness from the 'number two' but assured that Nadal has already forgiven. A slight session before measured at the Finnish Jarkko Nieminen.

Because Mathieu raced to drift from the beginning. It stood as he could until the fourth game, the timing for Nadal to snatch the service. A game like the rest blank hallmark of the best game of the Spanish tennis player who had no intention of the French perdonarle one.

It was also the moment in which the physiotherapist made its first foray into track to meet the twin battered the French. His four-hour marathon in the previous round, compared to Austrian Stefan Koubek, began to pass bill. And it is that the injury, including 6-0 in the mourning and display of Rafa Nadal in the Rod Laver Arena, the party did not give much more of themselves.

The Balearic closed the first sleeve with his draw. Quite an unexpected ally in the beginning of this season. In second set there was only one racket on the track. Nadal chained three consecutive games, two of them white, with two 'breaks' included. An epitaph for a training session unexpected.

Nadal smiled at the media. The victory came in their plans but not how to achieve it. "Sorry for Henri (Mathieu), which was playing at a high level, but when you have a party as hard as he had in the previous round against Stefan Koubek, these things can happen," he said.

Nonetheless, Nadal said, will not change his usual preparation. "I will continue with my usual routine a little over an hour. Training More time will not change much," analyzed.

His opponent in the quarter-finals will be Jarkko Nieminen. A conducive to rival that has already stretched out on three occasions. "It's a very hard player and make things very difficult. Especially in this type of surface." Nadal was warns, before an opponent who does not appear to be in Australia for tourism, as has proved to end the dangerous German Philipp Kohlschreiber (29), 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (9 ), 6-3, winner in Auckland and one of the sensations of the beginning of the season. If Nadal maintenance level, its roof in Melbourne has the hours counted.