Rafael Nadal Says He’ll Sue The French Sports Minister And Anyone Else Who Claims He’s Doping

As I said on the other thread, Spanish sport has an unfortunate history when it comes to drug testing. I try to keep an open mind on these claims, but one can’t help wondering. Rafa is personally popular and alway comes over as a nice guy, but then so did the American lady athlete who seemed so gracious and almost queenly (what was her name?). She kept denying having cheated but for whatever reason, suddenly confessed, and lost her Olympic medals. Her huge and noisy field athlete husband may have been involved, I suspect.

After that, I shall never, ever say of anyone that I’m 100 per cent certain they don’t take anything. Considering the ruthless way Uncle Toni has driven Rafa since his teenage years (and don’t forget he was even then picking up stress fractures), I would not put it past him to deceive his nephew about what he was actually taking.

Not a nice thing to say, and not something I could say if I were a journalist or broadcaster, but, as they say, them’s my sentiments.

March 14th, 2016 at 2:47 pm

Lol some of you guys better hope Uncle T. doesn’t read TX……;) Or else you got good lawyers…….

March 14th, 2016 at 3:10 pm

Rafa may no longer be anything special on a tennis court, but watch out for him and Uncle T in a court of law! He’s gonna be kickin’ ass in France (not at Roland Garros though).

March 14th, 2016 at 3:30 pm

^^^
lol lol lol

March 14th, 2016 at 3:31 pm

I think they realize they will have more time on their hands as time goes by and why not spend some of that time in France, after all the nicest part of his career happened in France.

March 14th, 2016 at 3:46 pm

While I’d like to see Rafa get better than he is, when he was winning on clay so much he never got time to enjoy Paris, that is true!! I also predict he will have more free time now.

Nadal and Uncle Toni do have some minefields with a lawsuit. “Discovery” can be a real bastard in lawsuits. The party being sued has the right to get the open book on Rafa’s test records. And the suppressed info Spanish sports authorities deemed best to be buried on the banned Spanish doctor and his huge list of top athlete patients. Which supposedly included Rafa and a few other Spanish tennis players.

March 14th, 2016 at 4:14 pm

Rafa has nothing to hide.

March 14th, 2016 at 4:32 pm

Good point CF1, I think that mat4 was referring to same thing when he said something like “it is better if Rafa doesn’t sue her since she was minister in 2009”, I guess she had some inside knowledge.

mat4, if you are around, why did you pick 2009, is that the year when Spanish court ordered Dr Fuentes to destroy blood samples of all sportspersons that he “treated” including documentation so nobody could ever find out who they were?

March 14th, 2016 at 4:53 pm

What about Delpo,hes also been off the tour for a considerable length of time?….

March 14th, 2016 at 5:41 pm

Just dropping by. Sorry, but I am very busy these months, won’t be able to post much.

I don’t believe Rafa will sue, whatever he says. In 2009, French labs were testing players at RG — the first and last time, and the minister knew well the results of those tests. A lawsuit could reveal way too much, and it would be dangerous for Rafa, for the FFT (a very corrupt organization — coming out of a major crisis), and for the ATP eventually.

So, Roselyne Bachelot will make excuses, say all was a misunderstanding, Rafa — or both — will blame the press, and nothing will happen.

March 14th, 2016 at 6:12 pm

it’s certainly an interesting story to follow mat4.

March 14th, 2016 at 6:23 pm

jane, WB:

Glad you’re here, both of you. Hope you are well.

Bachelot already back-pedalled, jane.

Margot:

Did you watch Casablanca?

March 14th, 2016 at 6:51 pm

mat4,

Same here, good to hear from you.

March 14th, 2016 at 7:18 pm

hope all is well mat4, other than busy-ness.

March 14th, 2016 at 7:24 pm

Mat4 just knows this neat stiff most commenters don’t no, as well as regular writers it seems – though they may know and not elect to write about it.
Bachelot happened to be minister the one and only time they tested everybody at RG using French labs..and she knows the results.
In 2009, RAfa was a hurting puppy with parents divorcing, a chronic knee injury got far worse as a result of the battle he and Novak waged that year. He came into RG met Soderling as everyone knows, then bailed from AEGON and Wimbledon.

The history may or may not be relevant-but Nadal knew he was in bad shape at RG. And not saying he did, but the greatest temptation to try new drugs is when a player with high expectations is not at the level they used to be and want to get back up there – fast.

March 14th, 2016 at 8:49 pm

you could make that case for any player thats having a bad run wanting to cut corners to get back to their glory days….

March 15th, 2016 at 3:22 am

But i repeat what i said about Delpo,dont people find that a tiny bit suspicious,sure he had a wrist injury or did he hmmm,not a deflection tactic by any means,but surely if your casting aspertions about one player,then there could be others too,and Andys back surgery????….

March 15th, 2016 at 3:29 am

Margot, we posters wouldn’t need the lawyers, it would be Tennis X for publishing our comments. Look at any forum or Readers’ Letters page online, and you’ll see far more insulting stuff than anything said here. Look (or rather don’t look!) at the poisonous abuse spewed by people on YouTube.

March 15th, 2016 at 3:53 am

Wow! U guys are brave (or is it foolhardy?)….if Rafa does go ahead with a lawsuit….he could identify collateral damage to support his case.

While it’s not quite the same – when Andy came late to the Scottish Referendum he had to face hate mail/death threats so much so the police were called in…

March 15th, 2016 at 3:56 am

Agree Colin – but if they did go for Tennis X – they would have to give examples…and I’d rather not to be identified.

March 15th, 2016 at 4:05 am

Or it would be a good opportunity to meet some celebrities face to face and to spend some time with them, no matter how ;)

March 15th, 2016 at 4:16 am

^^ and if TX pays the lawyer, it would be fun :)

March 15th, 2016 at 4:17 am

and it also be like a team building for some posters, would meet eachother ;)

March 15th, 2016 at 4:19 am

OK VP ….see U soon.

March 15th, 2016 at 4:36 am

See U J-Kath, hope they will choose a nice location :)

March 15th, 2016 at 4:54 am

Cf1. 8 49 pm. FOS as usual.

March 15th, 2016 at 5:01 am

I think Rafa is right to sue the French company. Without a doubt. Prove his innocence, once and for all. Stop the rumours. Boring garbage.

You read so much of it these days, you don’t know what is true and what is not.

Rumours always flying around Federer too. All athletes.

Bravo rafa. Shut ’em up!

Horrendous.

March 15th, 2016 at 5:07 am

JK, I will tell them, that I am suffering from multiple personality disorder :)

March 15th, 2016 at 5:12 am

VP – I was thinking France during the 2 weeks of the French Open….

March 15th, 2016 at 5:13 am

VP @ 5.12am….Well done You -U’ll only be telling them the truth….???

March 15th, 2016 at 5:15 am

JK, not bad, not bad at all ;)
End of MAy and first jhalf of June in Paris…wow..would be awesome. I love Paris :)

Have U seen the movie Midnight in Paris? directed by Woody Allen….would like to live the same experience like the main character there :)

March 15th, 2016 at 5:16 am

JK,

@5:15…well, it would be the truth. I am Van and Persie, and I was Sarah :))))…I have proofs in TX archive :)

March 15th, 2016 at 5:18 am

VP – Have made a note to see it ASAP…definitely before we meet…

PS: Got to go …papers demand attention…seeyah…

March 15th, 2016 at 5:23 am

Good luck with the papers, J-K

byees

March 15th, 2016 at 5:28 am

Van Persie @ 4.19
Lol, at TX posters doing a bit of team building in the lawyer’s office! And don’t you worry petal, I’m up for a prison vist……….

March 15th, 2016 at 2:54 pm

Hehe, Margot, you naughty girl, I sense a weakness for felons there ;)

March 15th, 2016 at 3:18 pm

What we have seen Rafa in the last 2 years is what he truly is without illegal drugs: a mediocre player. He cannot prove his innocence because he had been doing it forever until recently.

If Rafa is honest and forthcoming like Sharapova, he should return all the GS titles and other titles he stole from other honest and hard-working players. For Nadal, that would be the least graceful thing to do, for the integrity of the sports.

Imagine Federer definitely would have at least 23 Grand Slams and 30 Masters, an untouchable milestone.

March 15th, 2016 at 5:44 pm

LTF

Gosh you know a lot!!!!

March 15th, 2016 at 6:57 pm

You’re right JK..this guy is better be prepared with whole arms and legs to be sued by rafa and uncle toni..

March 15th, 2016 at 7:21 pm

AM….if he manages to crawl away from here…..

March 15th, 2016 at 8:03 pm

Yes JK..like margot said..hope rafa & uncle toni don’t have a sudden desire to say HI to us here..otherwise we’re gonna see someone will wet their pants!

March 15th, 2016 at 8:10 pm

Yo JK,i just read your colourful personality or biography on the other thread..you forgot to add..a couple of bowls of love for andy,a couples of spoon of sharp tongue[which is good to bite a jerk here]a dozen bucket of humor[which i appreciated very much]a full house of good heart and a couple of teaspoon of love and hate for margot[no doubt over rugby lol]..that’s it…

March 15th, 2016 at 8:34 pm

Just wanted to say its a bit of a coincidence that after over a decade of these comments Rafa finally is starting to decide to sue people only a month or so after the 211 blood bags in the operation puerto trial are agreed to be destroyed.

March 17th, 2016 at 2:46 pm