
Some of you may remember it, back in May, shortly after David's surgery, I wrote a post about what I thought the next few months would be like for this blog. Back then, I thought that the Argentine press would probably take no more than an occasional, cursory interest in David, for as long as he was being kept sidelined. Little did I know...
So here's the latest round of the "David media marathon". First of all, I just came across this video, a special appearance of David on the show Tenis Pro. On a training bike at a gym in Buenos Aires (and with Pico working out next to him), David talks about a camping trip he undertook with a couple of friends. But even if you don't understand a word he's saying, this clip is definitely worth a look, simply because of David's mimics...

I can't embed the video here. But you can watch it, following this link.
Highly recommended.
But that's not all. Last night, another TV interview with David got aired on Fox Sports, this time as part of a program called 360°. I didn't get to see it but Tamar recorded part of the audio and also took a couple of photos off of her TV set, kindly allowing me to use both (thanks).
Update
There's a video of the first part of this interview (the one Tamar didn't record)...

You can watch it here.
This first part is all about David's injury and recovery. He says he's fine but he's still not allowed to run as that could endanger his hip. But he swims his 3000 metres and also trains at the gym and seems pretty happy with the shape he's in. Still, he feels that there's not too much time left until his comeback. After an injury that could have ended up costing him the three or four years he still wants to play [I guess it's official now, he really doesn't know yet how long he'll go on playing; he says something different in each and every interview.] For athletes it's very difficult, being injured and it affects your body as well as your head. He was lucky enough to have never had any serious injuries that required a long pause until this one. But he enjoys the time he gets to spend back home with his family and friends. Hip injuries like his one, David sees as a fairly new phenomenon in tennis. But tennis, like all sports, evolves and the game changes. Tennis has become a lot faster. And that affects the way you move on court, leading to injuries like his. During his time with it, some weeks were okay, others were not. Until eventually, he couldn't go on anymore. It was tough because he couldn't play his best tennis, kept thinking about the pain and simply didn't enjoy playing anymore. Suffering already in the first round, whether against a good or not so good opponent and not being able to train because of the pain. And that's the point where you just can't go on.

The range of topics in the rest of the interview was once again pretty much the usual, from questions about his comeback to Davis Cup (as can be seen on the photos)...
About his comeback, he says that his goals remain the same but that after surgery, he'll have to see what kind of shape he'll be in. Right now, he's feeling good, there are no problems with his hip, he should be okay to play again. But he's also aware that a lot will depend on his head, or rather what will be going on inside it. Apart from that, he once again defends his right to do what he wants in his spare time. And repeats that he has always been aware that the professional career of a tennis player is necessarily bound to be short one, more reason to be also interested in other things. Like for example, if I heard it correctly, golf. The problem with rally racing is that you can't really do it anymore when you have your own family. Asked about what it takes to beat Federer and Nadal, David says you have to walk on court, believing you can beat them, just like with any other player. You have to see yourself as meeting them eye to eye. The difference compared to other sports is that in tennis, the surface plays an important role. Playing against Rafa on clay is one thing, playing against him on a fast surface is another. But at the end of the day, it's just another match and you play well or badly.
Davis Cup. And last year's final. David repeats that there were various problems, surrounding the final and mentions Delpo being tired and in bad shape after Shanghai. Next year, the problem will be playing away ties but if Delpo and David are in good shape, the Argentine team should be okay [more on that below]. How difficult a Davis Cup tie is to play also depends at what point during the season it takes place and whether you feel confident at that moment or not. But even if he doesn't feel confident going into a tie, the special feeling of playing Davis Cup, of playing for his country makes up for it, for him. The Tour gets ever more tough, more competitive, more demanding. And you have to make that decision, whether you're going to play Davis Cup, or not.
His foundation. It started one year ago and it's about giving disabled persons the chance to do sports, not just tennis. After all, he's not just a tennis player, he does all kinds of things. After all, he doesn't like sitting around at home. [Though apparently, he likes sitting down with a reporter to be interviewed, these days.]

While David is optimistic about Argentina's future in Davis Cup, a recent article from clarin.com claims that Delpo may choose not to play the first-round tie against Sweden in March. He hasn't made his decision yet but that tie is apparently not a fixed part of his schedule. Looks like we might be in for a lot more Davis Cup drama...

















