Nadal glad to return to Paris for Masters

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
AP Sports Writer

PARIS — Back in Paris for the first time since his fourth
round exit at the French Open, Rafael Nadal doesn’t hold a
grudge toward the French crowd.

The four-time Roland Garros champion lost to Robin Soderling
last May in the French capital, ending his record 31-match
winning streak with a large portion of the crowd supporting his
opponent.

Nadal was hampered by tendinitis in both knees at the time but
didn’t mention them.

The second-seeded Nadal, who will enter the Paris Masters on
Wednesday against Nicolas Almagro, said he was happy to return
in a city where “I have special feelings.”

“For sure I always had good fans here,” Nadal said Tuesday at a
news conference. “I had some troubles last year when I went out
of the court with my injury here. It was a bit disappointing and
believe me, it was more difficult for me than for the crowd.”

Nadal had dominated the French Open since his first match on the
red clay at Roland Garros before losing to Soderling. In his 31
previous matches, he had lost only seven sets – the last one
coming against Roger Federer in the 2007 final.

“It’s one of the most important cities in my career, if not the
most,” Nadal said. “I won Roland Garros four times here and
every time I come here I have special feelings, especially in
Roland Garros.”

The six-time Grand Slam winner slipped from No. 1 to No. 2 in
the rankings after being forced to relinquish his Wimbledon
crown without playing because of injuries. Nadal pointed out
that he is always warmly welcomed by fans in the Parisian
streets.

“Sure, the crowd can have its own opinion,” Nadal said. “But
when I am in the streets walking around, the people always are
really nice with me.”

Nadal returned to competition in October following a month off
because of a pulled stomach muscle sustained at the U.S. Open.
He reached the semifinals at Beijing before losing to Nikolay
Davydenko in the final at Shanghai. His last victory on the tour
dates back to April at the Rome Masters.

“I played only two tournaments in normal conditions during that
six month spell,” Nadal said. “I played one semifinal and one
final in normal conditions. And with not very good conditions, I
played the quarterfinals in Montreal, the semifinals in
Cincinnati and the semifinals at the US Open. So the results are
doing well.”

Nadal, who never won the Paris Masters, has few illusion he will
be able to win the title this year among a strong field of
opponents including top-ranked Roger Federer. He said he’ll be
focusing his energies toward the Davis Cup final.

Defending champion Spain will host the Czech Republic on clay in
Barcelona from Dec. 4-6.

“I know for this year it’s going to be difficult to win another
title,” Nadal said. “But I have a chance in the Davis Cup final,
and I’m gonna try to help my team to win it.”

Nadal also reiterated that the World Anti-Doping Agency’s
out-of-competition drug-testing rules, which stipulate that
athletes must say where they will be for one hour each day, were
to strong.

Earlier this month, the International Tennis Federation
confirmed a one-year suspension for Belgian tennis players
Yanina Wickmayer and Xavier Malisse for failing to report their
whereabouts to anti-doping officials three times this year.

“I am the first one who wants a very clean sport, more than
anybody else,” Nadal said. “But sure I would love to see a few
changes. I think that’s too much to have to say every day of
your life where you are.”