I wonder if he'll be flying with RyanAir? :)
Good to see him back.

@Shireling , 2/18/11 2:10 PM

Rafa might fly on a private jet after the Davis Cup tie. :)

http://www.as.com/tenis/articulo/nadal-avion-privado-juegue-davi s/20101211dasdaiten_1/Tes

Oh Augustina08,
Well given the choice between one and the other, I'd probably take a private plane too :)
btw, this davis-cup match-up isn't an obvious win for Spain at all

Can't wait for this. How many times can a girl watch recordings of Rafa's matches? Lol

why isnt this an obvious win for spain? i really dont think belgium have players than can cause trouble to a country that has such exceptional players.

Spain could win this tie with Almagro, Robredo and the Lopez boys playing doubles.

nadline,

So I am not the only one who has been entertaining myself by watching Rafa's matches! Lol!

No, you are not the only one -- I even check The Tennis Channel every morning to see if some old matches with Nadal are being shown again -- have you seen the Armani ads -- OH MY.

Number1Wa,

Yes, I have seen the Armani ads - OH MY! To die for! I will take whatever I can get at this point. The match I want to see is the 2009 AO final, but I no longer have it on my dvr. I plan on getting the dvd, so whenever I get Rafa withdrawal I can watch it. So far I have watched his match with Murray in the semis at the WTF, their semifinal match at Wimby, Rafa's wins at RG and the USO.

I can't get enough Rafa!

Members of the Belgium Davis Cup team are:
Xavier Malisse (#49 in the ATP rankings)
Olivier Rochus (#113)
Steve Darcis (#128)
Ruben Bemelmans (#180).

I hope Rafa won't play more than 3 sets in each his match.

The matches I have watched so far are the AO 2009 SF & F, the 2010 USO F and the 2010 WTF S-final with Murray. I tend not to watch recordings of matches that Rafa lost, maybe once to calmly see why he lost, but wouldn't watch them over and over again. One of my favourites is the 2009 match with Nalby at Indian Wells, when Rafa saved all those break points. I think I'll watch that next.

Unfortunately, Sky is not showing the Spain/Belgium DC, instead they will be showing Austria v France, so more frustration until I/W.

nadline,

I remember that match with Nalby at IW. I don't have it in my dvr recording anymore. I am sure you will enjoy seeing it again!

I don't believe that there will be any televised coverage of DC in America either. So it looks like we will have to wait for IW to see Rafa on court again.

Won't Tennis Channel broadcast the Davis Cup matches?.

vij,

I was under the impression that they will not be showing the DC matches. I have the tennis channel and love it, because I get to see so much more tennis than I normally would.

Maybe they will! I usually check out what's on the tennis channel each week, so maybe there will be a nice surprise!

i'm reading rumours on twitter that rafa has pulled out of indian wells and miami. anyone know anything more about this?

I think it is unlikely that Rafa would pull out of those two tournaments without pulling out of Davis Cup. What can he give as a reason?
If he does pull out of DC, then I would give some credence to these rumours.

Sib69,

I checked on one of the Rafa forums to see if there was any information about him pulling out of those tournaments. I didn't see anything. I am curious who is posting this stuff on twitter.

This is an excerpt from an article on the ATP website dated today, saying Rafa will compete in I/W and Miami.



PLAYER NEWS
Nadal-Federer Dominance Is Over, Declares Rafa
Rafael Nadal

by Kate Flory
|

26.02.2011


World No. 1 Rafael Nadal has declared that the dominance he and Roger Federer once shared at the Grand Slams is now a thing of the past. Furthermore, despite contributing nine trophies to their joint haul of 21 major titles since 2005 Roland Garros, the Spaniard insisted that it was Federer who was truly on top.

Speaking to Spanish media, the Mallorcan commented, ?In 2005, 2006 and 2007, perhaps you could say there was a bit of a monopoly, but it was down to Federer. I was also there, but a little less. For sure I think this monopoly ended some time ago. There are many players ready to challenge now.?

After an enforced spell on the sidelines due to a left adductor tear suffered in his quarter-final exit at the Australian Open, Nadal is due back in action on Davis Cup duty for Spain against Belgium next weekend. Following that, the 24 year old will contest the first two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments of the season in Indian Wells and Miami.

nadline,

Thanks so much for posting this article from the ATP website to clarify that Rafa is not withdrawing from these events!

I started to get so worried when I read the thing about the twitter rumors. Thank goodness it appears that they were only rumors and nothing more!

If something happens, I usually hear it on a Rafa forum first, so when there was nothing at all about it, then I started to relax again.

yeah, i figured it was nothing more than just stupid rumours. made no sense at all. if he was even thinking about pulling out of indian wells and miami he would have pulled out of davis cup first

Sib69,

Yes, we can all relax! We will get to see Rafa and it can't be soon enough! I think it's better to stay on this particular topic thread, where there can be some good-natured conversation.