Subject :MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal kept telling anyone who would listen that his fitness levels wou
MELBOURNE, Australia - Rafael Nadal kept telling anyone who would listen that his fitness levels wouldnt stand up to the rigours of a two-week Grand Slam tournament. Womens Air Max Outlet . Tomas Berdych proved him right.Nadal, who had played only eight matches since last June coming into the Australian Open because of a right wrist injury and appendix surgery in early November, was knocked out in the quarterfinals 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (5) on Tuesday by Berdych — who had lost 17 straight matches to the Spaniard.It is obvious that I needed something more to be more competitive, Nadal, a 14-time major winner, said. As I said when I arrived here, the process always is not easy. When you have injuries, comebacks are difficult. But without being at my top level of tennis, I was able to be here in quarterfinals. Is not a bad result at all for me.Berdych, while thankful for the win, was reminded of a quote from the late Vitas Gerulaitis after beating Jimmy Connors for the first time in 16 matches: Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.So no one, not even Nadal, could beat Berdych 18 times in a row?Ive heard that one already, Berdych said, smiling.The other mens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when top-seeded Novak Djokovic plays Milos Raonic and defending champion Stan Wawrinka takes on U.S. Open runner-up Kei Nishikori.Berdych will play sixth-seeded Andy Murray in the semis after the British player beat local hope Nick Kyrgios 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3. Kyrgios came back from two sets down and saved a match point in the fourth round Sunday before beating Italian Andreas Seppi, the player who eliminated Roger Federer in the third round, but there was no such comeback on Tuesday.The 19-year-old Kyrgios, who walked onto the court with his headphones on and gave two thumbs-up to the crowd, was at his crowd-pleasing best. After hitting a backhand drop shot at the net for winner in the second set, he spread out his arms for applause, and in the third set, he hit a between-the-legs shot that Murray easily returned.It was a tricky match, Murray said. I tried to start as quick as possible because I know how dangerous Nick is. Hes a huge hitter of the ball, so I tried to keep it out of his strike zone as much as possible. Thankfully it worked.Kyrgios, who beat Nadal in the fourth round at Wimbledon last year, likes Murrays chances now that both Nadal and Federer are out of the Scotsmans half of the draw.I said to him at the net, This is your time, go for it. I think hes got a really good chance of winning the whole thing, Kyrgios said.On the womens side, Maria Sharapova moved closer to another Australian Open title, defeating 20-year-old Eugenie Bouchard 6-3, 6-2.The Russian made all the big points look easy and advanced to play Ekaterina Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.I felt pretty good from the start, didnt feel I had too many letdowns, Sharapova said, adding that her close call in the second round — facing two match points against a qualifier — sharpened her focus for the rest of the tournament.The last time Sharapova and Bouchard met — in the semifinals at the French Open last year — Bouchard won the first set before Sharapova came back to take the next two. The Russian then won the title at Roland Garros.This time, Bouchard, who made the finals of Wimbledon and two other Grand Slam semis last year, didnt come close to taking a set, looking flat from the outset while being broken in her opening service game. The Genie Army, a group of young Australian men who croon about the Canadian player, was left to sing another day.She didnt give me many chances, and against the great players you have to take any chances you can get, Bouchard said.The other womens semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Serena Williams plays last years finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.If the Williams sisters play each other in the semifinals, it would be their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament since the Wimbledon final in 2009 — won by Serena. Authentic Air Max 2017 Sale . The Spanish champions decision not to sign a defender during the January transfer window may have backfired after Valencia took advantage of a lethargic, uninspired effort by its hosts at the Camp Nou, where former Spain coach Luis Aragones -- who previously coached the Catalan side -- was honoured after his death on Saturday. Wholesale Air Max 95 . The 36-year-old said a few months ago he would hang up his boots at the end of the season, but has since changed his mind. "Its a pity the season is ending now, as I am in good physical shape and enjoying myself," Di Natale said.Nick Diaz got a hug the other night, out of the blue. A male fan came up to the oft-prickly UFC fighter on the street and showed him some love. Somebody just walked up and hugged me, Diaz recalled. I figured I know this person, I live in a small town. Then it was like I dont know this person at all. Ive got to deal with that. The 31-year-old bad boy from Stockton, Calif., wasnt really complaining. Pressed on the issue, he conceded the happy stranger was a nice guy and a huge fan. He gave me the hug first before he told me that, Diaz said with a laugh. But he was really excited, he really was a big fan. And I appreciated he wasnt weird or nothing. He was just a fan. It speaks volumes about Diaz that the former Strikeforce champion attracts such a following despite often refusing to play by the rules and showing a snarling persona rather than a smile. There are two kinds of Diaz watchers: those who applaud his I dont give a damn attitude and those who tune in hoping he will have the trash talk beaten out of him by his opponent. For the UFC, thats two fan bases in one and helps explain why it keeps going back to what amounts to a six-foot walking headache. UFC president Dana White was reaching for the aspirin again this week when Diaz failed to show up for a public workout session Wednesday ahead of his UFC 183 showdown Saturday with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Its the first fight for the 39-year-old Silva (33-6) since he suffered a gruesome leg injury in a loss to title-holder Chris Weidman at UFC 168 in December 2013. Diaz (27-9-1) had elected not to get on his scheduled flight, the UFC later explained. The fighter landed in Las Vegas later Wednesday but not before White tweeted a photo of a milk carton with Diazs face on the side. White said this week that a film crew dispatched to Diazs home for the UFC Embedded video series had been unable to find him. This is a fighter who was pulled from a UFC 137 title bout with then-welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre after refusing to show up for press conferences. He once brawled with fellow fighter Joe (Diesel) Riggs in the hospital after their UFC 57 showdown. Diaz has also been suspended twice for positive marijuana tests. Cheap Air Max Online. Diaz told the Nevada State Athletic Commission after the most recent failed drug test that he had been prescribed a medical marijuana card to help deal with his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). When Diaz did fight St-Pierre at UFC 158, he showed off his chatty side by launching into a stream of consciousness monologue of which White later said (In terms of) craziness, that was a 10 out of 10. He is a fascinating human being, very tough to figure out, White added. What most people care about, he does not. Hes a very unique individual. Younger brother Nate is equally abrasive. His signature win involved flexing his muscles and displaying two middle fingers while opponent Kurt Pellegrino was locked in a triangle choke. After losing to GSP, Nick Diaz had reporters and White shaking their heads when the fighter confessed: Ive never paid taxes in my life, Im probably going to go to jail. Diaz, a black belt in jiu-jitsu with slick boxing skills, has also admitted he doesnt much like fighting for a living. Its pretty rough. I dont recommend anybody to be a fighter, he said last July. Fighting is not something I enjoy doing. Its something I do that I feel I have to do and thats just the way it is. I dont like to hurt anybody, he added. Im a non-violent person. And yet when he is in the cage, he usually belittles his opponents with a torrent of trash-talk. Diaz, whose workout regimen includes triathlons, has fought at both welterweight (170 pounds) and middleweight (185). He says he walks around at close to 200 pounds and that making 170 has been pretty rough in the past. For all his quirks, the UFC Primetime show before his UFC 143 fight with Carlos (The Natural Born Killer) Condit showed Diaz as a loyal, single-minded athlete willing to dispense with the social niceties in search of excellence. Diaz often said he wants to be known as someone who who kept it real. But he does it while travelling a bumpy road. Like my lifes a mess, Diaz said in March 2013. Im not afraid to admit it. ——— Follow @NeilMDavidson on Twitter Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys China Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic Wholesale Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys China NFL Cheap Jerseys ' ' '
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