Nadal Shocked by Sharapova's Failed Drugs Test
Rafael Nadal has denied he has ever used a banned substance to gain an edge or to speed up recovery from injury.
Nadal spoke out in the wake of Maria Sharapova's failed drug test which has rocked the world of tennis.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner said former world No 1 Sharapova "should be punished" before using the opportunity to scotch unfounded allegations that he had used performanceenhancing drugs.
"I have never had the temptation of doing some- thing wrong. I am very far from that, doping," said the Spaniard, who has been hard hit in recent years by injury.
"I am a completely clean guy. I worked so hard during my career that when I get injured I never take nothing to be back quicker."
The 29-year-old left-hander has been periodically dogged by whispers of doping during his trophy-laden career.
"I heard it a few times again about doping," said Nadal. "I am a little bit tired with that.
"I believe in the sport and the values of the sport. The sport is an example for society. It is an example for the kids and if I am doing something that goes against that, I will be lying to myself, not lying to my opponents."
Nadal said over the course of his career he has taken advantage of some new treatments for his knee problems, like stem-cell therapy and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) therapy, often known as blood spinning.
"I have been open all my career. I never tried to hide nothing that I did," Nadal said. "I did PRP and then I did stem cells.
"The first time with PRP it worked fantastic and the second time it was bad. I had to stop playing tennis for seven months.
"And with stem cells I used it two times on my knees and it worked very well. "I am not doing, never did, and never going to do something wrong."
Nadal added there is a Spanish team doctor who monitors what medication the players are taking to make sure it is safe.
"He has been the doctor for all the Spanish players for a number of years. I would never take nothing that he doesn't know about," he said. Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) has yet again imprinted its name in the history books by being the first to host an American football match in the entire West African sub-region.
The historic match which pitted the Lagos Marines against hosts ABU saw the more experienced home team devour the visitors 26-14 in the highly entertaining encounter last weekend.
Being the first time, oganisers were not anticipating the unprecedented large turn-out of spectators that thronged the ABU Sports Complex to catch a glimpse of the gladiators in the historic game.
Fans of American football who were attracted from all over the country were excited all through the encounter, presenting Nigerians with another pulsating option to the regular football.
Speaking in an interview after the encounter, President of the Nigerian Institute of American Football, Professor Adamu Ahmed said that he was impressed by the impact the first outing had on the spectators.
“We are really thrilled with the huge followership this first game has generated,” he noted with excited.
He explained that the thought of ABU hosting the match was first muted in 2012 during the 50th anniversary celebration of the institution, a decision all stakeholders are today very proud of.
“Through a network of alumni of ABU led by NBA star, Ejike Ugboaja, we were able to bring coaches to Nigeria to lecture in seminars. We then started the national secretariat at the ABU Faculty of Agriculture,” explained Professor Ahmed.
He said that the vice chancellor of the university contributed tremendously in the development of the game so far by providing moral and financial support.
“The vice chancellor was magnanimous in starting a certificate course in American Football which will in no time transform into a diploma course,” he revealed.
The Nigerian Institute of American Football has coaches Oliver B. Johnson, Daryl Hayes, and Ricardo Dickerson as members. ABU alumni, Ejike Ugboaja is also a board member. As more winners continue to emerge in the on-going Guinness ‘Every Minute Made of Black’ Promo, continuous accolade have been trailing the unique football promo from many Nigerians and lovers of football including winners who have emerged and are being rewarded by Guinness.
Dubbed the biggest football promotion so far in recent times, every minute made of black promo has continued to reward and thrill consumers with so much excitement, while also gaining more acceptance and relevance especially amongst football fans nationwide.
Ace Sports Pundit and CEO, Elev8 Sports, Mr. Abiola Kazeem who was present at the Headquarters of Guinness Nigeria Plc. during one of the cheque presentations described the promo as the biggest part of the Barclays Premier League this season as thousands of football fans have been super excited at this first of its kind promo.
“As a sport analyst, I can boldly say that the promo has generated lots of interesting moments and excitement as fans are eager to follow the game through to the end, awaiting the possibility of a win at every minute of the game. The BPL season has been fun with lots of actions on the field of play and EMMOB promo makes it much more engaging with huge participation and winnings.”
Many of the winners who have already received their instant airtime and cash noted that Guinness has fulfilled its promise to provide more exciting football experiences for its consumers at every minute of each BPL game.
One of the lucky ‘one hundred thousand naira winners’, who recently received his cheque, Mr. Onifade Oluwashola shared his experience on how he won saying “I was at a party and was served Guinness big stout, I initially threw the crown cork on the floor but my friend told me about the promo, insisting that it is real. When I got home I opened the crown cork and sent the code with my team name, Arsenal to 1759. I was reimbursed immediately with #250 naira airtime and also got a message that I have entered the weekly draw. After one week, I got a call that I should show up at Guinness office that I’ve won #100,000, I didn’t believe it till I got the winning code to collect the money on my phone.