Nadal not thinking about another Wimbledon title

Updated June 26, 2012 18:16:26

Being neither "arrogant" nor "crazy", Rafa Nadal is refusing to think about a third Wimbledon title ahead of his first-round match against Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci on Tuesday.

Having won a record seventh French Open title at the start of the month by beating his great rival Novak Djokovic in the final, the Spaniard could be forgiven for allowing his thoughts to wander to the possibility of another title in southwest London.

"I'm very happy the way things went the last couple of months, since the beginning of the season," he told reporters.

"Thinking about winning another title here in Wimbledon is arrogant and crazy. That's something I cannot think about."

Britain's Andy Murray follows Nadal on to Centre Court as he begins his latest attempt to win a maiden grand slam title at Wimbledon against Nikolay Davydenko, while in the women's competition, champion Petra Kvitova and Serena Williams are both in action.

"I think after Wimbledon, it changed everything as a player," Kvitova said ahead of her first-round clash against Uzbekistan's Akgul Amanmuradova which will open the Centre Court programme.

"(In) the tournaments after, the players want to beat me for sure."

Queensland teenager Ash Barty will make her Wimbledon debut tonight, against Italy's Roberta Vinci.

Barty is the tournament's reigning junior champion, but has chosen to compete in the women's draw this year.

Veteran Casey Dellacqua of Australia faces a tough first round assignment against the number nine seed Marion Bartoli.

In the men's draw, Bernard Tomic will start favourite against Belgium's David Goffin, Lleyton Hewitt will meet the number five seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, while Matthew Ebden will take on Frenchman Benoit Paire.

Hewitt was the champion in 2002 but needed a wildcard to play at Wimbledon this year after missing several months with a toe injury.

He has a tough first-up opponent in Tsonga, who beat Roger Federer on to his way to the semi-finals last year.

Reuters/ABC

Tags: tennis, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted June 26, 2012 15:55:48

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Facts About Tennis Warehouse

Know About Essential Tennis Equipment

Tennis is also known as lawn tennis. It is a popular international racquet-and- ball sport that is played for recreational and competitive purpose. This can be played indoor as well as outdoor and consists of two players or a team of couple players that hit a rubber ball with the help of their racquets. There is net in between that divides the teams from the middle of the court. The court plays a significant role in this game.

Initially tennis was the game for aristocrats and was known as Court Tennis in USA, Royal Tennis in Australia, Jeu de Paume in France and Real Tennis in Great Britain. There are certain fundamental rules of this game but just like any other sport you need some basic tennis equipments to play this game effectively. Given below is the list:

Racquet: It is one of the most important tennis equipment to play this game. Today market is filled with variety of racquets for professionals as well beginners. There are major brands that specialize in manufacturing equipments.

They have everything that you need to improve the game of tennis. It is game that requires lot of stamina therefore the modern tennis racquet for an adult would be of dimensions 27" to 27.5". While choosing a racquet the following things have to be kept in mind like the head size, grip size, flex, length, sting patterns, weight and balance.

Tennis bag: This is important because you need a storage place where you can carry tennis equipments to play the game. Apart from being durable it should be portable also so that you can carry it everywhere without any hassles. Apart from physical stores there are online stores that sell tennis accessories. With the click of mouse you can select the product of your choice or order online.

Tennis shoes: These should not only be comfortable but court specific since the compatibility and conformity differs from pair to another. Like any other apparel make sure that your feet are protected. The toe area should have better protection than any other part of your foot as most of the tennis players use their toes for foreground grand strokes.

Nowadays tennis shoes come with special shock absorbers as well moisture absorbing mechanisms. Since this game requires a lot of sudden movement so make a wise decision of buying good shoes that will support and protect your feet.

Tennis clothing: This has undergone a complete metamorphosis than what it as several years back. Today tennis players have designer tennis apparels to suit their style and personality.

Most of the tennis shop stock up everything from boys' tennis apparel, girls' tennis apparel, neck tie coolers, ladies tennis apparel, men tennis apparel, stocks, caps, head gear to sweat bands.

Tennis ball machine: This is used by professionals as practice equipment. It helps players to handle all sorts of shots and practice footwork that their opponent might use. They come in different shapes and are great help.

Tennis Ball: This comes in different colors which can be green, yellow, white that is approved by USTA (United States Tennis Association). This has fixed size, deformation and weight.

All these are essential to play a game tennis.

Before purchasing essential tennis equipment it is always advisable to carry out a thorough research. This can also be done over the Internet that guides you through various online stores. These offer top-of-line tennis racquets, tennis shoes, tennis clothing and others necessities required for the game.