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!

FerVerdasco83

There’s also a little feed on the sidebar where you can view his most recent tweets, right above the one to view the most recent tweets from this site’s twitter, verdasconews. In addition, there are some links to the site’s facebook, twitter and youtube accounts, and a link to send me an email if you need to!

Fernando is currently training in Las Vegas right now. His next tournament starts in just about a week, at Legg Mason in Washington DC. After that, he’ll be playing the Toronto and Cincinnati Masters before preparing for the final Slam of the year at the US Open. Vamos Fernando!

The players posed holding a symbolic red cards as a sign of social rejection against abusers.

The players joined the cause while in France preparing for last weekend’s Davis Cup quarterfinal in the town of Clermont Ferrand.

The cause is the result of an agreement signed on May 20 by Spain’s Equality Minister Bibiana Aido and President of the RFET to promote equality between men and women and to create awareness and encourage the prevention of gender violence.

The campaign, the minister said at the signing of the agreement, “holds the prospect of making a simple gesture, a symbol recognized by all, a gesture involving the whole society: drawing a red card against all abusers.”

Spain was knocked out of the Davis Cup in the quarterfinals with a clean sweep by France, 5-0, preventing them from attempting a Davis Cup hat trick. Fernando lost his singles match on Friday against Michael Llodra, and his doubles with Feliciano against Llodra and Julien Benneteau, both matches going to four sets.

Fernando is currently in Madrid celebrating Spain’s victory at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. His next tournament is the Skistar Swedish Open in Båstad. He has a bye in the first round and will play either Stephane Robert or Jonathan Dasnières de Veigy in the second. Vamos Fer!

The tie kicks off at 7am EST, 11am GMT and 2:00pm local time (check out this handy time zone converter to find your time zone!) and will be broadcast on several international channels (check here for times and stations)

Vamos and good luck, boys!

Fernnado is currently aiming to play both singles and doubles with Feliciano, and the two trained with coach Francis Roig and Nicolas Almagro and with David Marrero, who is accompanying the team during their stay in Clermont-Ferrand.

The official draw will take place tomorrow morning and the tie will begin on Friday!

(via noticias web)

WIMBLEDON 2010: Fernando Verdasco: A house near SW19? No way, who’d do the cleaning?

Being from Madrid and growing up on hard courts, it’s always tough getting used to the grass after a year away. But you must do it as soon as possible, because this is the most important tournament. If I could pick a Grand Slam to win, it would be Wimbledon.

My preparation has been hard this year because I finished the French Open with a foot injury and had to pull out of Queen’s, but I’m feeling fine now.

I arrived in London last Tuesday and played exhibition matches at the Boodles tournament at Stoke Park in Buckinghamshire on Friday and Saturday to get the rhythm of grass.

There are so many traditional things that make Wimbledon so special: how beautiful it is, the grass and the buildings; that they won’t let you have sponsors on your kit; all the players have to play in white; and that they serve strawberries and cream.

I’ve reached the fourth round three times now, but I’ve got sad memories of SW19 because I’ve lost big matches when I had really good chances to win.

They’re the hardest losses to take, probably the hardest of my career.

I was two sets to one up against Radek Stepanek and 3-0 up in the fourth in 2006, but failed to reach the quarter-finals. Then, in 2008, I was two sets and a break up against Mario Ancic and I lost 13-11 in the fifth.

They were really tough experiences for me. I’ve never played against Fabio Fognini, my first-round opponent, on grass before, although I beat him on clay in Acapulco, Mexico, this year.

But if all goes well, I could meet Andy Murray in the quarter-finals. I’m really looking forward to trying to make that happen.

It would be such a great experience to play the British No 1 at Wimbledon. If I reached that far, it would be one of those matches you keep in your memory for the rest of your life.

I know what it’s like to have your home crowd willing you on from the matches I’ve played in Madrid. It’s a great feeling, but it makes you feel more pressure because you want to win so badly — a bit like England or Spain in the World Cup.

I watched Spain’s first match and, of course, I would like to see all the matches — but I’ll put the tennis first.

My family are coming over for the tournament and we prefer to stay in a hotel in central London, rather than a house in Wimbledon village, because there are so many of us.

It’s a bit quieter. There will be around eight of us this year: my parents, my little sister, my cousin, a couple of friends and my fitness coach.

We had the chance to get a house near the All England Club this year, but my father didn’t really like the idea. It would be difficult to find somewhere to eat every night, plus we would have to clean and look after the house — and we don’t want to be doing that!

In the evenings, we like to go and have dinner at a Spanish restaurant in Kensington.

The owner is a friend of mine and knows all the Spanish players.

We go there quite a lot during the tournament. Wherever we are in the world, we normally go to Italian restaurants and eat plenty of carbohydrates but here, since we’ve found this restaurant, we can eat our own food, such as Spanish ham and tortillas.

We spend so much time out of Spain, it’s nice to find a piece of home. I also enjoy the strawberries and cream at the Club, although the cream isn’t too healthy. I can’t be having too much of that!

My day-to-day routine varies. It depends on the draw. We’ll go to Wimbledon and hit in the morning, then warm up and play a match. My best friend on tour is Feliciano Lopez, but I practise with a lot of different players.

If we have any free time, we might go for a walk down Oxford Street and do a bit of shopping. But in Grand Slams you must really focus all your energy on the tournament.

You just have to play and practice and then rest. Let’s just hope it doesn’t rain too much!

(via daily mail)

Fernando Verdasco attended the Forum Ferrándiz AS, where he said he hoped to be among the top five ranked players before year end and that he believed Rafael Nadal would again regain his number one ranking.

“It’s very difficult to finish in the top five, but I look and I see that it is possible. You have to have the results I’ve had these three weeks throughout the year. I will fight with everything I have to get it.”

“The last three weeks have given me great confidence, I have improved my self-esteem and I hope to be playing in the final in Roland Garros. If I have Nadal in my side of the draw, of course it will be very difficult. But with Federer, Djokovic or Murray, I think I have the potential to reach the final.”

Fernando also revealed that he nearly quit tennis at 15 years old because he was frustrated at not being able to reach his best level. He considers Feliciano Lopez to be his best friend, and that they have a good relationship that is “more personal, and very different from the ones I have with the other players.”

Fernando’s biggest dream is to win a Grand Slam and become the number one in the world, something he hopes to accomplish before he turns 33 years old.

“To be number one depends on many things, not just the ambition, but you also have to be lucky. Everyone would like to achieve it, some might get close, but very few do it. It’s my childhood dream, I am 26 years old now and I hope to play until I’m 32 or 33. I can see myself as number one, but I know how hard it is to do it.”

His biggest inspiration in tennis remains Andre Agassi, who had his greatest triumphs later in his career.

“I see people like Agassi who won Grand Slams and were number one even after he was 29 years old, and that gives me strength and confidence that I can still achieve that. He was always my idol, I like tennis and he was charismatic. I feel like I can identify with his game. ”

Asked about how the path of a player like him can remain in the shadow of Rafael Nadal, Fernando said he has a “healthy envy” for his younger compatriot. “I don’t feel bad because Rafa’s in front of me. I try to focus on him to become a better tennis player myself. Whenever you see a player who wins all the time, you envy him in the sense that you’d like to earn as much as him or more.”

He also praised said Nadal’s mental strength, praising his ability to handle the pressure of winning week after week. “What I’ve experienced these three weeks, he’s done for five years. Great mental strength even when he’s not having a good day is what I would highlight.”

Fernando also said that sport in Spain is at its best, with the best athletes in history. “God has put the best athletes in the history of sport at this time in Spain. Gasol, Alonso, Nadal, the Spanish football team. It’s something that can not be explained, but to put it simply, we have the best athletes now.”

In that sense, Fernando said that it is easier for Cristiano Ronaldo to win the league than it is for him to win a Grand Slam. “Cristiano has won the Ballon d’Or and is one of the best players in the world, I am still lacking in that. If he is out for two months with injuries, the team can play without him. In tennis, if you are injured no one plays for you. I do not like to compare individual to team sports because they have nothing in common.”

In addition, Fernando echoed Rafael Nadal’s complaints about the schedule set by the ATP. “It’s very long and very demanding. We have no holidays. If you are in Davis Cup, it ends on December 7 and then barely a month later you are playing again. There is no time to train. It is a season packed to the maximum that tires you out mentally and physically.”

As for the past controversies about Madrid and the high altitude, Fernando believes that the capital deserves more important Davis Cup ties, but acknowledges and understands that the team prefers to play at sea level. He made it known that the location debate is far more serious in the press than it is among the team: “We are united when we play, no matter where we play. This has been one of the keys to our success as a team.”

(translated from as.com & el semanal digital)