Weekend winners: Rafael Nadal, Justine Henin

Bite me!

Rafael Nadal's 17th Masters Series, which surpassed Roger Federer and tied with Andre Agassi, is probably the best motivation for me to get back into blogging.

You know what? Agassi achieved the feat at the age of 34 but Nadal is only 23!

Almost like Wimbledon once again - minus Roger Federer

Pure hotness

Nadal defeated compatriot David Ferrer 7-5, 6-2 after two rain delays to capture his 5th Rome Masters title in six years!

Now I can't wait for Madrid Masters and the French Open, where he fell hard last year.

Where are the medals?

In the men's doubles final, Bob and Mike Bryan beat fellow Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey 6-2, 6-3 for their 4th title of the year and 60th in their careers.

The retired Australian pair of Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde hold a record of 61 career titles.

Justine won't be retiring again anytime soon.. perhaps in 2013

Meanwhile, Justine Henin won her first title since coming out of retirement, defeating Samantha Stosur 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 in the final of the Porsche Grand Prix.

In the women's doubles final, Gisela Dulko paired up with Flavia Pennetta to defeat Kveta Peschke and Katarina Srebotnik 3-6, 7-6, 10-5

(Images via Yahoo! Sports, Sina Tennis)

Sweet 16 for Rafael Nadal

A breath of relief for all Rafael Nadal fans!

Finally his title drought is over.

Nadal won his first tournament in nearly a year, defeating fellow compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-1 at the Monte Carlo Masters final.

This title is more than a come back story.

Nadal has now become the only player to win SIX consecutive titles at the same tournament since tennis turned pro in 1968, and he has tied top-ranked Roger Federer with 16 Masters titles, one behind Andre Agassi’s record.

Too bad Nadal has decided to pull out of this week’s Barcelona Open due to soreness in his knee that developed in Monte Carlo.

He has won Barcelona the last five years and could have break another record here.

Oh yeah, I'm back. Sorry for being away for too long. Nadal's win definitely inspires me to start blogging again.

(Images via Yahoo! Sports)

Rendy Lu Yen-hsun poses for Adidas photo shoot

Asia's top tennis player Rendy Lu Yen-hsun was at the National Taiwan University today for training plus Adidas promo photo shoot.

Rendy is far from boring when it comes to photo shoot.

Currently ranked at 103, Rendy is looking set to bounce back into the top 100.

He'll fly to Indian Wells tomorrow to play in the ATP Masters 1000 qualifying round.

(Images by Elvis Dai via Facebook)

Fernando Gonzalez saddened by Chile quake

Chilean Fernando Gonzalez posted in his official Twitter account on Monday saying that he has been attempting to return to his family in Santiago following an 8.8 magnitude earthquake that struck early Saturday morning.

He also posted a message on his official website:

"Hello friends. I was watching TV and I found out about the earthquake. I’m so sad for the victims and families. I’m at Mexico City. This night I’ll fly to Lima to try to get a new flight to Santiago."

"Thank God I could talk with my family after the earthquake. I watched TV all the time and I’m so sad with the news. It’s tough I can’t be in Chile. I’m praying. I would like to help with the reconstruction of my country."

"I hope to see them again as soon as possible."

"A big hug for everyone and ¡Fuerza Chile!"

Gonzalez and his Chilean Davis Cup team are scheduled to host Israel in first round World Group action beginning Friday in Coquimbo.

The Chilean tennis federation would like the tie to go ahead as planned.