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Rafael Nadal: French Open
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Rafael Nadal has met considerable hostility from the Parisian public during his performances at Roland Garros. He is often booed throughout and even after the match, especially when playing against and beating French players such as Mathieu or Gasquet. Commentators on French TV, such as Guy Forget on France 2, openly say they want him to lose during matches, claiming that "we don't need construction worker arms in tennis". After the 2006 Roland Garros final against Federer, Nadal started by praising Federer in his speech. The translator mistranslated the speech, leading the public to think he was praising himself. Nadal was ... booed and whistled at throughout the speech.
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Battling Federer for supremacy will be young French Open champion Rafael Nadal (3-1) who won his first hard court event in Montreal last week. Americans Andy Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion and Andre Agassi, champion here in 1994 and 1999 are 5-1 and 10-1 favorites respectively. Lleyton Hewitt, the 2001 champion is listed at 12-1 as is 2000 champion Marat Safin.
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Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (born June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca) is a Spanish professional tennis player. As of April 2007, he is ranked second in the world. He is a two time Grand Slam champion, having won two consecutive French Open singles titles (2005-2006). Nadal holds the longest winning streak among male players on a single surface in the open era. From April 2005 to May 2007, he won 81 consecutive clay court matches.
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Rafael Nadal broke Argentinian Guillermo Vilas's 29-year record of 53 consecutive clay court match victories after defeating Robin Soderling in the first round of the 2006 French Open. Following the victory, Nadal was presented with a trophy containing the cross section of the construction of a clay court. Vilas was on hand for the ceremony, although Vilas has refused to acknowledge Rafael Nadal's feat as more impressive than his own (which was accomplished in a single season).
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Rafael "Rafa" Nadal Parera (IPA: [rafa'el na'ðal]) (born June 3, 1986, in Manacor, Mallorca) is a Spanish tennis player. As of January 2007, he is the World No. 2. Nadal's clay-court winning streak stands at 62 matches, the longest among male players in the open era. He has won two consecutive French Open singles titles.
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Shifting to the clay court season, Rafael Nadal won two ATP Masters Series events in Monte Carlo and Rome. At one point in the year, Nadal won 24 consecutive matches, the longest winning streak of any teenager in the open era, topping Andre Agassi's run of 23 matches in 1988. By May 2005, Nadal had reached the top 5 in the world rankings, becoming the youngest player to break into the top 10 since Andrei Medvedev in 1993.
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