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Joined: Oct 25, 2018
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Mon Nov 12, 2018 12:13 am |
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NEW YORK -- Ask Rafael Nadal how his famously troublesome left knee is feeling on the eve of the U. Joe Schobert Jersey .S. Open, and hell balk a bit while formulating a response. "I am ..." the 12-time major title winner began, haltingly, during an interview with The Associated Press. "You know ..." he resumed, before smiling sheepishly and pausing again. Eventually, Nadal offered something of a complicated answer. "I have to say that I am very well, because the results have been amazing since I came back," he said. "If I say something else, (it) will sound strange." Thats because when the years last Grand Slam tournament begins Monday, none of the players setting foot on the blue hard courts of Flushing Meadows possesses as much momentum -- or is in as fine form -- as the No. 2-seeded Nadal. Hes won his past 10 matches heading into the first round against the 97th-ranked Ryan Harrison of the United States. Another past U.S. Open champion on Monday afternoons schedule is 2000-01 winner Venus Williams, a former No. 1 now ranked 60th who will be taking on recent Wimbledon semifinalist and 12th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. At night, Williams younger sister Serena, the defending champion, plays 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy, while 17-time major champion Roger Federer faces 62nd-ranked Grega Zemlja of Slovenia. The biggest curiosity when it comes to Nadal these days is how his knees will hold up. Theyve presented recurring problems for him over the years, particularly the left one, which kept him out of action from late June 2012 until February 2013. He missed the London Olympics, last years U.S. Open and this years Australian Open. "I feel more comfortable now than six months ago, thats for sure," Nadal said, then quickly added: "But I still have pain some days." He was asked whether he thinks that might be the case for the rest of his career. "Hopefully not," the 27-year-old Nadal said. "Hopefully not." Hard courts could exacerbate the matter because of the pounding legs take on the unforgiving surface. Nadal himself maintains that there should be more tournaments played on other kinds of courts. Yet hes been successful everywhere, winning the Australian Open and U.S. Open once each, along with Wimbledon twice, to go along with his record eight championships on the slower red clay of the French Open. Nadal is 15-0 on hard courts in 2013, with his current run of victories built en route to titles at Montreal and Cincinnati. "Hes on a great streak right now. Hes playing fantastic tennis. Hes playing as well as anyone in the world right now," said the 21-year-old Harrison, who will be making his Arthur Ashe Stadium debut against the tournaments 2010 champion. "So Im going to have to bring a really high level out." Nadals rivals at the top of the game have taken note, too, of course. Summed up defending champion Andy Murray: "Hes going to be very difficult to beat here." Top-seeded Novak Djokovic, who won the 2011 U.S. Open, said: "Nadal is definitely back, and hes playing maybe the best tennis that he ever has played on hard courts. ... He seems like he changed a little bit the game. He stepped in a little bit more. He knows that now he has to be a bit more aggressive than he usually is because of, I guess, his knees and everything and because hard court is not clay. Its not his favourite surface; its faster. Im sure he worked on that." Nadal agreed with that assessment: He is making an effort to hit balls earlier than he used to. He is trying to be more aggressive. "Im clearly very impressed, especially seeing him play really well on the quicker hard courts. ... Hes someone to be reckoned with. There were a lot of question marks when he came back. Especially, people thought he was just going to play on the clay courts, or most of it, and just some hard courts," said Federer, the champion in New York every year from 2004-08. "Hes playing a full schedule," Federer said, "and hes had an incredible season so far." All told, Nadal is 53-3 with a tour-leading nine titles, more than twice as many as any other man. He reached the final at 11 of the 12 tournaments he entered. A year ago, when Murray beat Djokovic in five sets in the U.S. Open final, Nadal was at home on the Spanish island of Mallorca, watching the tournament on television. Nadal wasnt particularly concerned about missing this particular tour stop, he said, as much as he fretted about when -- and, really, whether -- he would get back to playing his best. "I was worried about the recovery, not about being here," he said. "I was more worried about when I will have the chance to be back, how will the knee improve. ... Emotionally, there were ups and downs. It is hard when you are working every day and you dont see the improvement on the injury. That is the hardest moment, the toughest moment." The last time he was seen in Grand Slam action, at Wimbledon in June, Nadal was being beaten by 135th-ranked Steve Darcis, the only first-round loss of his career at a major tournament. That also was Nadals only defeat in his past 33 matches. If he and Federer both win four times at the U.S. Open, they will meet in the quarterfinals. They own a combined 29 Grand Slam titles, have faced each other 31 times (Nadal leads 21-10), including in eight major finals (Nadal leads 6-2) -- and have never been on opposite sides of the net at Flushing Meadows. "We deserved a final here in the U.S. Open. Yeah, that is strange that it didnt happen. I remember Roger having match points in the 2010 semifinals, 2011 semifinals -- so we were one point away. ... I missed it in 2009; I missed it in 2008," Nadal said. "Hopefully this time will be the good one." Denzel Ward Jersey . Gustafsson controlled the first round after getting top position on a throw, and came out much more forcefully in the second, buckling Manuwa with a Muay Thai knee, and finishing him off with strikes on the ground. Wholesale Browns Jerseys Online . -- DeMarcus Cousins had 29 points, nine rebounds and six steals to lead the Sacramento Kings to their third straight preseason win, a 107-90 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.Wales manager Chris Coleman is confident Gareth Bale will be able to handle the huge focus on him at Euro 2016. The 26-year-old Real Madrid forward is tipped to be one of the stars of the tournament in France, having scored seven of Waless 11 goals in qualifying to inspire his country to a first major championship finals since 1958.Slovakia provide Wales first Group B opponents in Bordeaux on Saturday and their coach Jan Kozak and star player Marek Hamsik have understandably identified Bale as Wales key threat. But Coleman believes being the centre of attention will not unsettle Bale at all. Bale scored seven goals in qualifying for Wales Weve grown used to that really, said Coleman. Once you become the most expensive player in the world and youre playing for Real Madrid - hes won two Champions Leagues in the last three years - its normal for the opposition to look at Gareth Bale and pay him a lot of attention. They need to pay him a lot of attention.So were used to it, hes used to it. Because luckily for us, if youve got a player whos playing where he plays every week, coming into this tournament, hes used to all the spotlight. Bale has won the Champions League twice with Real Madrid Hes used to having the eyes of the world on him and everything he does, on and off the pitch. Earl Watford Jersey. Hes looking forward to this and so are we. Joe Ledley is available to play for Wales against Slovakia, just over a month after breaking his leg. Catch up with all the latest Euro 2016 news with Euro Breakfast each morning on Sky Sports News HQ from 6am. Also See: Wales v Slovakia preview Ledley could face Slovakia King up for new Wales role Bale: Our time has arrived Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Adidas Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Nike Baseball Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys From ChinaWholesale Jerseys China Wholesale NFL Jerseys China Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Free Shipping Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys Authentic Cheap NHL Jerseys Canada Cheap Nike MLB Jerseys Cheap Soccer Jerseys China NCAA Jerseys Cheap Nike NHL Jerseys China Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys Store Cheap Football Jerseys Store Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Jerseys NCAA China Jerseys NFL Cheap Cheap Nike NBA Jerseys ' ' '
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