Il rejoue mais je sens à travers son interview que son poignet lui fait encore mal ...je croise les doigts pour que cela aille !!!
Before returning to competitive play after recovering from a wrist injury, Feliciano Lopez took some time out with the Mutua Madrid Open to look back on the highlights of his career so far and talk about the big stories in the world of tennis like Rafa Nadal's return, which he describes as “being necessary for tennis”.
On a cold February morning, when most of his fellow professionals are competing in Sao Paulo, Rotterdam or San José, Feliciano Lopez (20th September 1981, Portillo de Toldeo, Spain) is in the Caja Magica training hard to get back to full fitness after months of barely any playing time due to an unfortunate wrist injury. The Spanish player who has played in the biggest number of Davis Cup finals ever sat down with Madrid-Open.com after his training session to talk about his return to competitive tennis as well as the highlights of his career.
Feliciano, this season you have been frustrated due to injury, how are you feeling now?
I'm feeling good, I've been training for about a week and a half now. When I got back from Australia I decided to take a break because I had been carrying a wrist injury for a while. I've had it looked at and have been working on it and truth be told it is still causing me some problems, but it is a lot better now.
What are you short-term plans?
If everything goes well, I will be heading to Memphis on Friday where I'll be staying for a month. I'll be playing in Memphis, Delray Beach, Indian Wells and Miami, and when I come back from Miami I'll get the clay season under way.
What are your objectives for this season?
I'd like to finish the year in the top 20 again. I think that is an attainable objective for me to have, and given the circumstances and my age, if I managed to do that, it would be a great year.
You will be taking part in the Mutua Madrid Open again in May. What is your goal for this year's edition of the tournament?
It is a tournament we all want to play well in, especially me, because I've followed it all my life and it has a special place in my heart. I've played in some great matches here over my career and I can't wait for it to start. Fingers crossed I play well.
Going back to when you began playing tennis, who did you model yourself on?
When I was younger Stefan Edberg was by far my favourite player. He seemed so elegant and I loved his playing style. Then as I grew older I really liked Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios. Carlos Moya also rose to prominence when I was younger which inspired me. I have liked a lot of players, but when I started playing my favourite was Edberg.
Last summer you were very close to winning a medal in the Olympics alongside David Ferrer in the doubles event. What was that experience like?
It was difficult to take at the time because it was once off opportunity for both David and I. It was a special occasion and it really affected us. It was particularly difficult because we had four match point opportunities to reach the Olympic final and win a silver medal at the very least, and that really hurt. David reacted quickly with a good US Open and I also started to regain my confidence bit by bit, but it was hard at first. There are over three years to go until the next Olympics so I hope we will be fit enough to make it to Rio de Janeiro, but that's a long way in the distance.
Those Olympics were obviously played in Wimbledon, a place where you have had some memorable experiences having reached the quarter-finals on three occasions. Is it a tournament that holds particular significance for you?
Yes, and for many different reasons. From the very first time I played there I've always done well because I like the courts and it's a surface that suits my style of play, but Wimbledon is a special tournament for every player. If you had pick one tournament, Wimbledon would it, it's the tournament you dream of winning from a young age. In Spain the tradition has been to win Roland Garros because of the style of play and due the way tennis is developed here, but in reality Wimbledon is the dream tournament.
What are your thoughts on Rafa Nadal's return to the courts after seven months out? How would you rate his comeback so far?
I'm very happy. It was necessary for him to comeback, not just for us, his friends, but for tennis in general. A player like Rafa is important for a number of reasons. I was watching the tournament all week and I thought it was great. To start off by reaching a final is a very positive sign. Obviously he would have liked to have won, but he has to take the positive from it which is that he is playing and competing again. The last seven months have been really tough but he's back now and can now regain his confidence bit by bit.
As for the Davis Cup, the last time you took part in the competition was against Argentina in Seville in 2011. Would you like to take part in the tournament again?
Absolutely, I have always said that the Davis Cup is really important and I still follow it. I couldn't play in Canada this year because of the roblems I was having with my hand, but the captain and everyone else knows that I am willing and able to come back whenever I'm called upon. Last year the team played fantastically, and I wasn't able to make it to the final. However, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future so I hope I can make my way back on to the team soon.
You have won four Davis Cup finals. What are your fondest memories of this tournament?
There have been so many. I made my debut in a final in Australia ten years ago, and it was difficult because we almost won it. Nobody thought Spain could beat Australia on grass back then. That was the first time I played in doubles with Alex Corretja, and it was tough because the Australians beat us pretty heavily. Alex picked up an injury so it was a tough defeat, but it was a positive debut all in all, because to play in a final at just 20 years of age was an incredible experience for me. After that there have been many great memories. I remember one round here in Madrid, in Las Ventas, which was amazing, the final against Argentina is without a doubt the best, and last year in Austin was also really special. If I had to choose three, they would be my debut, the round in Las Ventas, Madrid and the final against Argentina.
You are part of a once off Spanish generation of players who have enjoyed years of incredible success. What does the future hold in store for Spanish tennis?
It's difficult to say. We have had years where the level has been almost too high and now people are accustomed to us winning almost everything. Over the last seven years we have had an idol in Rafa Nadal, who has won everything. Even before Rafa there were other great players who were up there among the best in the world, and as a team we have won five Davis Cups in twelve years. This level of success can't last forever. It is the same for football and basketball. These are generations of highly talented players who also know how to play as part of a team, which is very important. I think it will be difficult to repeat what has happened in tennis, but we must work hard and take advantage of this success so that at a grassroots level young players push themselves and discover what talents they do have. The future is not going to easy, but we have to have faith that new players will emerge.
By Roberto Hernández
Le seul avoir déjà le poing serré !
Sujet: Re: Feli López - 3 
Ven 25 Jan 2013 - 3:20
... Ca tombe mal en effet pour lui, notamment en ce qui concerne la Coupe Davis qui lui tient tant à coeur, mais il aura peut-être durant la Saison des Points à prendre dans quelques Tournois spécifiques où il a été d'emblée éliminé l'An Passé ??? Faudra pas se louper si c'est le cas, il saura peut-être compenser ce qu'il va perdre dans le Mois à venir 
...
Quelques photos ont été prises de lui lorsqu'il se rendait à l'hospital. 
et il joue cette nuit à 2h 
Tu n'auras pas veillé pour rien ce soir si tu l'as fait 
