Nadal Plans to Sue French Minister

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Rafael Nadal has said he will sue the former French government minister Roselyne Bachelot after she alleged that the Spaniard’s lengthy absence from tennis in 2012 was due to a positive doping test.

Nadal, who beat Gilles Müller 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 in the second round at Indian Wells on Sunday, has never failed a drugs test and responded angrily to the allegations made by Bachelot, who served as sports minister between 2007 and 2010.

“I’m going to sue her, and I’m going to sue everyone who [is] going to comment [on] something similar in the future, because I am tired of that,” said Nadal. ‘There is a couple of times I heard comments like this … this is going to be the last one, because I’m going to sue her.

“I am tired about these things. I let it go a few times in the past. Not more. A minister of France should be serious. This time is the time to go against her.”

Speaking in the wake of Maria Sharapova’s revelation that she had failed a drugs test, Bachelot said: “We know that Nadal’s famous seven-month injury was without a doubt due to a positive [drug test]. When you see a tennis player who stops playing for long months, it is because he has tested positive and because they are covering it up. It is not something that always happens, but yes it happens more than you think.”

When asked about Sharapova’s failed test last week Nadal said: “I really don’t know anything about the doping and I am a completely clean guy. I worked so much during my whole career and when I get injured, I get injured. I never take anything to get back quicker. I believe in the sport and in the values of the sport."

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Rafael Nadal Clean Guy

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Rafael Nadal has denied he has ever used a banned substance to get an edge or to speed up recovery from injury.

Asked for his reaction to Maria Sharapova's failed drug test, the 14-time Grand Slam champion took the opportunity to address speculation he has used performance-enhancing drugs.

The Spaniard, 29, said he was "a little bit tired" of the rumours, adding: "I am a completely clean guy.

"I have never had the temptation of doing something wrong."

Nadal added: "I believe in the sport and the values of the sport.

"It is an example for the kids and if I am doing something that goes against that, I will be lying to myself, not lying to my opponents."

Nadal has never failed a drugs test but has been the subject of speculation that he dopes.

In 2011, former French Open champion Yannick Noah wrote a newspaper article saying Spanish sporting success was due to doping.

A year later, a satirical French TV show featured a life-size likeness of Nadal filling up his car's gas tank from his own bladder before being pulled over by traffic police for speeding.

Then in 2013, Belgian former professional player Christophe Rochus questioned Nadal being able to dominate the 2012 French Open and then be injured two weeks later at Wimbledon.

Nadal said he has taken advantage of some new treatments for his knee problems, like stem-cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, often known as blood spinning.

Nadal speaks to the media in Indian Wells before the start of the BNP Paribas Open

"I have been open all my career," he said. "I never tried to hide nothing that I did. I did PRP and then I did stem cells.

"The first time with PRP it worked fantastic and the second time it was bad. I had to stop playing tennis for seven months.

"With stem cells, I used it two times on my knees and it worked very well. I am not doing, never did, and never going to do something wrong."

Nadal added that he trusts a doctor to monitor what medication he takes.

"He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years," he said. "I would never take nothing that he doesn't know about."

Former world number one Sharapova announced on Monday that she failed a drug test at the Australian Open in January.

The five-time Grand Slam winner tested positive for meldonium, which was added to the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned list this year.

Nadal said Sharapova deserved to be punished as an example to others.

"It is difficult to imagine that something like this can happen, but mistakes happen," he said. "She should be punished.

"I want to believe it is a mistake for Maria. She didn't want to do it. But obviously it is negligence. She must pay for it."

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Shared Singles Record Safe - Sampras

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Pete Sampras thinks the Wimbledon men's singles record he shares with Roger Federer is safe for the foreseeable future.

"I don't know if someone in the next 10 years will be able to win five or six Wimbledons," the retired tennis great said during a conference call Monday leading to next month's induction into the Rogers Cup Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Sampras, who will also play in the Rogers Legends Cup, and Federer have both won seven singles titles at the All England Club. Scotland's Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon crown this month.

"This was Andy's time. It was Andy's event to go and get and he did it," Sampras said. "He's definitely the man to beat at the U.S. Open."

Murray is ranked No. 2 behind Novak Djokovic. David Ferrer is No. 3, followed by Rafael Nadal and Federer.

"I think the biggest thing for me is Murray in the past 12 months has just stepped up," Sampras said.

But he doesn't see anyone being able to conquer Wimbledon's grass courts the way he and Federer did.

"Roger and myself, our game on grass was so ... dominant," Sampras said. "I think Murray can win some more and Djokovic, but I don't think that dominant game is out there that's going to win it seven times. But I could be wrong."

Of course, there is always the possibility Federer could add another. After his second-round loss at Wimbledon this year, he switched to a larger-faced racket.

"I don't know where his head's at, whether he's going to stick with it," said Sampras, who switched to a similar racket after he retired.

Sampras says it helped his backhand and made his serve more powerful.

"I wish I would have tried it, at least a little bit on the clay, when I was playing," he said. "It would have helped me a little bit."

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Ferrer Wins Paris Masters

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David Ferrer clinched his seventh title of 2012 by beating Jerzy Janowicz in the Paris Masters final.

The Spaniard won his maiden Masters event with a 6-4 6-3 win against Poland's Janowicz, the first qualifier to make the Paris final in eight years.

Fourth seed Ferrer was too consistent for the world number 69, who had beaten five players from the top 20, including Andy Murray, in reaching the final.

Ferrer will play in the ATP World Tour Finals starting in London on Monday.

He has been drawn in a group with Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Janko Tipsaravic while Janowicz is now set for a place in the world's top 30 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

Janowicz had the first break point in the ninth game but wasted it by sending a forehand into the net and when he sent another forehand long in the next game it allowed Ferrer take the opening set.

The Pole hit back in the third game of the second set, breaking for 2-1 when he successfully challenged a Ferrer forehand that was called in, but he committed a number of unforced errors allowing Ferror to break straight back.

Janowicz tried to pressure his opponent but Ferrer had too much experience and he wrapped up the win after one hour 27 minutes.

"I was very nervous because it was my chance to win a first Masters title but somehow I knew this time was my turn," said the Spaniard.

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