It was a good weekend for Spain, as they began their 2011 Davis Cup campaign with solid wins. Fernando replaced David Ferrer in the opening singles rubber against Xavier Malisse, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-1, and and then teamed up to Feli to defeat the Belgian doubles pair of Steve Darcis and Olivier Rochus, 7-6⁰, 6-4, 6-3. Rafa’s win over youngster Ruben Bemelmens rounded out the 3-0 live rubber win for Spain, and the Armada heads to the USA in July to take on the Americans in the quarterfinals. Vamos!

It’s that time of the year again! It’s Davis Cup week and the Armada is hoping to recover from their “la Mantita” against France in the quarterfinals last year with a solid win in Belgium.

David was originally called up to play the first singles match tomorrow, but due to a niggling injury, Fernando will instead play the first singles rubber against Malisse, followed by Rafa who goes against youngster Ruben Bemelmans. Fernando will team up with Feli on Saturday to play the doubles against Malisse and Olivier Rochus.

Despite the advantage of having three top ten players on their team, Fernando doesn’t think the visiting Spanish contingient are the favourites

“In Davis Cup, you must always consider the locals as favorites, there are statistics to prove it. They have the advantage of choosing the court type and speed, the balls, and they have the audience in their favor.”

Instead, says the team is confident in their chances. “We are preparing our best to arrive in perfect condition for the weekend. We are all feeling well physically and are fully confident.”

It has been another eventful year for Fernando and his countless fans.   After a long 6 months, Fernando rewarded us with another trophy, this time in San Jose.  The solid win (3-6, 6-4, 6-3) did not only mean his fourth  ATP title, it was also a milestone for Spanish players. It had been over 45 years since a Spaniard had won in the Bay Area, but Fernando did his country proud when he won the tournament.

Just two months later, he reached the finals of Monte Carlo by beating another top five player–and top seed in the tournament–Novak Djokovic.  Fernando was not victorious in the finals, but he was determined to win another title.  Just one week later, he did himself and all of his fans proud.  He won the Barcelona tournament earning him another 500 points and the infamous Godó trophy.  This was his second title in Spain and his first 500 title.  He, rightfully so, called it ‘the best moment in my career’.

Not to mention all the quarterfinals and semifinals he reached!  His year started undoubtedly as well as any player could want.  He rekindled hope for those who were beginning to lose it and his ranking went up to equal his career high.  We hope that 2011 may bring even more titles and an even higher rank.

There is a lot to be afraid of in this world…
But what we are afraid of has nothing to do with scary monsters or the dark…
No.  It’s the thoughts in our mind that terrify us the most.
What if I lose this game? …
What if I lose this set?  …
What if I lose this match?  …
And how do we overcome these terrifying thoughts?
We begin by reminding ourselves that what does not kill us, just makes us stronger.

In 2010, many people saw the Fernando they knew from the  2008 DC rubber against Argentina.  Just like then, he proved he can do it.  He can overcome stress and doubts and turn them into victory.  Just like in 2008, Fernando is not defined by what people expect from a match, but he is defined by what he expects.  By what he wants.  By the determination and the effort he wants to put in.  The countless hours of training in the gym and on court pay off, but ultimately it is about what goes on in Fernando’s head.  He knows he can overcome his own demons.  He has shown us, and more importantly: himself, what he can do.  Not just in 2008, but yet again this year!

We here at Verdasco News want to wish you all happy holidays and a great new year.  Hopefully a new year with a lot of victories by a certain man.  A man who is willing to put in effort to get what he wants.  A man who shows that his determination will always be stronger than the doubts of the public.  A man who gets energy and will, not only from his fans, but from deep within.  A man called…. Fernando Verdasco.

To put it in his own words: ‘Es tu cancha, es tu torneo.’  We want to add: ‘Es tu año!’

On another note… There has not only been on-court news this year.  There has been a lot of off-court media attention as well.  Therefore, I’d like to add some final words.  Some words to think about for the new year.

Gossip…
It’s just a harmless form of pasttime…
It’s careless talk that is often just biased fiction. 
It’s speculation that is based on unproven information. 
How can we protect ourselves from the venomous sting of such idle gossip?
The best way is to just speak the truth….
And to wait for people to start talking about…someone else.

Earlier this year, Fer also participated in the Fundación SOS’ “Twelve months, Twelve rights,” solidarity campaign, doing a photoshoot for a calendar where he, along with eleven other athletes, shared moments with children, representing in each of the photos one of the fundamental rights of children. The calendar is to commemorate International Children’s Day on November 20th. Click here to view the picture!

Here I’ve posted/translated some of his recent interviews talking about his tennis, his personal life, girls, football, his future and more. Hope you enjoy!
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“My first big challenge in 2011 will be to win the Australian Open”
Discussing how he feels about his season:

“I’m a little disappointed with the season I’ve had, albeit after a good start–I was number 3 in the race after Monte Carlo, but I have not had the expected year-end. I didn’t have a good American hard court season other than the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, and after that a horrible Asian swing.”

On who he thinks the favourite for London is:

“It’s hard to say one because they are all the best, but it is clear that the track conditions are not conducive to the Spaniards. I wish I could say that Rafa and David are favorites, but I see more possibilities for Federer, who seems to be back in top form, and Soderling, who comes in after winning in Paris and whose game is perfectly suited to the court conditions.”

On his hopes for next year:

After London, Fernando plan to relax for a few days in Madrid, then leave for the U.S., to begin his intense preparation for the next year. In 2011, he’ll begin his season in Brisbane, followed by the Kooyong exho (which he won last year, defeating Tsonga in the final) all this in preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year. “Although it sounds a bit strong, my challenge for myself at the start of next season is to win the Australian Open. Two years ago I was in the semis before falling to Rafa in five sets. It’s a special tournament for me.”

On Real Madrid & the upcoming ‘El Clasico’ match against rivals FC Barcelona:

“It will be one of the best Clasicos in recent years as Real Madrid and Barcelona are both better than ever. I definitely don’t think we will be beaten 2-6 like we were at the Bernabeu two years ago; for that match, I was at the stadium and I wanted to die! Of course I hope Real Madrid wins this time!” He was also asked about the similarity between his hair and the new look of Cristiano Ronaldo: “Did I copy his hair? No way, plus he has much more of his hair shaved on sides. And I did it first at Indian Wells last year when I had my mohawk!”

via marca
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“I don’t have time to think about sex, just tennis!”

“I have no time to think about sex, just think about tennis”

Fernando has a new sponsor with Head and Shoulders and during a recent campaign, he did an interview, answering some questions.

What does Fernando Verdasco think about?
I think especially tennis because that’s what takes up almost all my time during the year. Now that I’m finishing the season, it’s more about vacations and rest, to recover to get to 100 percent for next year. But in little more than that. I have other things to do that sometimes can stress me out a bit, but tennis is what most occupies my mind.

But surely many other things go through your head when you wake up every morning …
When I wake up I think about what I have to do that day. If I’m playing, I think of the game but in this day and train. But if, for example I have something like a presentation try to concentrate on everything I have to do to be perfect and have everything under control.

It provided that men think about sex … In your case you?
I do not have time to think about sex! (laughs)

And when you take a shower … What are you thinking?
In the shower I try to relax and not think about anything. But the human brain is always thinking whether you’re in the shower, sleeping or playing tennis. If it’s after a match, I’m thinking about how I played.

Is there something you lose sleep over?
I lose sleep over an important match only. Tennis is my profession, my life and this is what I think about most.

And speaking of girls, would you like to know what women think?
I think sometimes they do not know themselves what they think! (Laughs).

Surely more than once, you’ve wondered “what is she thinking …?”
I’m not much interested, but sometimes I do I wonder how a woman is thinking at any given time.

Would you love to know what your opponent is thinking during a match?
Yes! (laughs) I wonder what he will do, how he’ll play or if it he more or less nervous.

40 percent of men worry about having abs; what are you worried about in regards to your image?
I obsessed over my physical appearance. I a lot of training for tennis. I’ve always been fortunate to have a constitution that I have no trouble gaining weight. When I’m not playing tennis, I eat the same and don’t pick up weight. But I do train a lot, that’s true.

And you use creams, to make you cuter?
I use moisturizer on my hands and face because my skin too dry in the sun and air. As tennis players, we are always in the air and I have to take care of my skin so I don’t look like I’m 40, I do not want that. But I’m not obsessed at all with my look.

When will we see you playing again?
I’m going to London on Friday to be an alternate for the World Tour Finals and will be waiting in case someone is injured. I’ll be there a few days and when there is no possibility of playing, I’m going back home so I can organize my holiday. Although beginning December 7 I will end my holidays to continue training and on the 29th, I will go to Australia to begin training for the new season in January.

(via que!)

“It was a good year, but it is clear I expected more. I’m going to end up in the same position as last year. I always try to improve year after year and if I end as I can not do.

“The match was very even, and could have gone either way. In fact, I had two match points and I’m certain kind of meter or two lines, one of them up to second serve. I played at a good level but it is not good enough when you do not get the victory.

“I do not know yet if I will go to London as an alternate. I’ll see how I feel. If I feel like it, I’ll go, but I might prefer to relax and try to recover as much as I can for next year.”

Fernando will be playing Brisbane in addition to Kooyong as a warm-up tournament before the Australian Open next year.

“I really think that tournament helped me so much to play good and to make the semis at the Australian Open, so I’m coming back with that feeling, trying to do as good as possible in Brisbane, trying to win the tournament … and of course also to play good and get a good rhythm for the Australian Open. It was a tough match for me to lose. I really wanted to win that tournament. But after, I really played unbelievable in the Australian Open and it really helped me to get a lot of rhythm from the first week of the year.”

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Fernando will finish this year as #9 in the world, same as last year. He had an excellent first half of the year, winning the Kooyong exhibition, a title in San Jose defeating Andy Roddick in the final, and winning Barcelona defeating Robin Soderling in the final. Aside from those two victories, he recorded several other victories against top ten opponents including Djokovic and Berdych. In addition to this, although he didn’t exceed his past results at any of the slams (though he did equal his best results at the French and US Opens) he reached his first Masters series final in Monte Carlo, and his second Masters semifinal shortly afterwards in Rome. The second half of the year post-Wimbledon was a bit of a disappointment, but we can’t ignore the fantastic first half of the season he had!

That’s all from me for now, as I said, I’ll do my best to provide any updates about what Fernando’s doing in the off-season if I can! Thank you for coming here and reading the site and commenting, submitting content, retweeting, liking our posts on facebook, and just coming together as fans of Fernando.

If there’s anything I can do to improve the site, please don’t ever hesitate to let me know! Thanks so much!

Fernando remains ranked 7^th in the world, equaling his best ever ranking from spring 2009, but his inability to get a win during the Asian Swing puts a dent in his race ranking to quality for the Year End Championships in London, as he drops down to 9^th in the race. This means that the next two weeks will be crucial if he hopes to qualify for London.

Fernando will need to reach the semifinal or better in Valencia in order to earn points. This is especially crucial as his current second best 500 series points come from his semifinal appearance from last year, and if he fails to advance to the semifinals this year, the 180 points he earned last year will be replaced by the 90 points he earned for his quarterfinal showing in Acapulco, meaning he’ll lose points, bad news for his London hopes.

The slight good news is that David Ferrer cannot earn any points in Valencia unless he reaches the final (his three best 500 series results are W, F & SF) so if Fernando can reach the final or win the title, he would gain some ground heading in to Paris.

However if neither of them gain any points in Valencia, David will have a 170-point lead over Fernando going in to Paris, with no points to defend from last year, versus 45 to defend for Fernando. Fernando will also have to contend with Roddick, who gains points in both Basel and Paris, and even Youzhny, who, despite needing to defend a final in Valencia, can still have hopes to qualify because he to has no points to defend in Paris.

So the next two weeks at going to be VERY important for Fernando’s hopes to qualify for London. He kicks things off in Valencia against American qualifier Michael Russell. Vamos :)

Not sure if there will be any streams available (most likely no) but hopefully we’ll get some good pictures aftewards :)

Fernando will also be joining John McEnroe and Nikolay Davydenko at a launch event in Manhattan to introduce Dunlop’s new Biomimetic rackets. I’m not sure whether or not he is currently using his new racquet, as he was playing with a blacked out frame in Cincinnati.

Speaking of Cincy, in case you missed the tweet, you can view my pictures from Fernando’s matches and practices in from last week here at my Picasa gallery! Enjoy :)

Also, we’ve just hit 100,000 total page views here at Verdasco News! I want to thank everyone who comes here for information on Fernando! I know it’s been a bit slow the past couple weeks as I’ve been out of town, but aside from university starting up in a couple weeks, I’ll be able to update the site a lot more. If there’s anything info-wise you’d like to see here, please don’t hesitate to drop me an email or leave a message in the comments, I’ll see what I can do to make your visit here even better! I’m always glad to bring you guys as much up-to-date news and information on Fernando as I can, and I hope you continue to visit the page and keep on supporting Fernando!

After next week, Fernando is back to 8^th in the race to the Year End Championships in London, and goes back up to 8^th in the world, at the expense of Del Potro. If he has a good run in Cincinnati and can defend his quarterfinal at the US Open, as well as gain points in the Shanghai and Paris Masters, he can further strengthen his chance to qualify for the Finals!