Rafael Nadal on Monday stood up for US swimmer Michael Phelps, who apologised after being photographed with a pipe usually used for marijuana consumption.
"It does not portray the best possible image, but everyone can have a slip-up. In the end sportsmen are just not machines," tennis world number one Nadal said.
"Everyone is free to do whatever they want."
Remember this slip-up?
A photograph of Phelps was published in an English tabloid on the weekend that showed the swimmer using a long glass pipe. The photograph was allegedly taken at a party in South Carolina.
Phelps admitted that he was the person in the photograph, but did not admit to smoking marijuana, nor did he say whether there was any marijuana in the pipe.
Although not considered a performance enhancing drug, marijuana is on the list of prohibited substances and several sportsmen and women have been banned for use of marijuana.
Phelps, who has won 14 Olympic gold medals during his ongoing career - six in Athens 2004 and eight in Beijing 2008, - said in a statement that his behaviour "was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment."
"He has been on holiday for some time," Nadal said of fellow-Olympic champion Phelps.
"He has attained all his goals and he is taking a sabbatical leave and he is totally free to be able to do it. He will have plenty of time to get back and prepare for the coming Games."
Nadal and Phelps professed mutual admiration during the Beijing Olympics and even met briefly and had photographs taken together.
(Via earthtime.org; Image via startribune.com)
Finally Rafael Nadal is at rest in Melbourne posing with the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup following his victory at the men's singles at the Australian Open 2009.
When asked why does he need to fight that much with a racket in hand, Nadal said, "I love the competition, not only in tennis."
"I love the competition in all aspects of life. When I compete, I love to be there and fight for the win."
"Maybe," he said, after a pause, "I like more fighting to win than win."
Rafael Nadal also called on tennis officials to be mindful of the physical toll the hard surface takes on players in an ever expanding schedule.
“This calendar I am playing with this surface—hard court surface—is tougher than grass or clay for the body, and all the time we are playing more on this surface,” said Nadal.
“In my humble opinion, we have to change that a bit more."
“I can say that because I won a grand slam on hard (courts).”
Nadal, 22, has previously won four Grand Slams on the French Open clay courts, as well as Wimbledon on grass last year.“Before if I say that, a lot of people think `He wants to change because he’s a clay player.' But believe me, I don’t think anything about if I am a clay court player or not.”
“When I say this, I think about the best for the players and for the future. It’s not possible to have a lot of injuries on tour like this. So we have to try to change something.”
(Images by William West/AFP/Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports)
Phelps admitted that he was the person in the photograph, but did not admit to smoking marijuana, nor did he say whether there was any marijuana in the pipe.
