Barry Cowan believes players no longer fear Rafael Nadal following the Spaniards latest setback on the ATP Tour. Nadal loses to Cuevas Report as world number five suffers semi-final defeat Nadal has suffered semi-final defeats in each of the last two ATP events, both on his favoured clay surface, but after losing to talented Dominic Thiem at the Argentina Open, it was defeat to seasoned campaigner Pablo Cuevas at the Rio Open that should set alarm bells ringing.Cowan claimed last week that Nadal needed to win in Rio to rebuild his shattered confidence but rather than a morale-boosting fortnight on the red dirt, the world No 5 has been left with more questions to answer after a first-round exit to Fernando Verdasco at the Australian Open For me this is his toughest test as a tennis player. Is he going to come out of it? said Cowan.A year ago I said yes, I felt that great things were there for Rafa. Five in the world is no disaster but we are judging him on winning Slams and going through clay court seasons without even losing a match or even coming close to losing a match, but at the moment he is a long long way off that.For Rafa I really really worry that he is losing his nerve. At no stage on Saturday did he look confident, even when he won that first set. He keeps doubting himself. Whether he has lost a half yard of pace and thats affecting him, I think its more that hes lacking self belief and he is second guessing himself. Rafael Nadals opponents arent afraid to play him anymore - according to Sky tennis expert Barry Cowan It is sad to see a great player and a great champion struggle as much as he is at the moment.While world No 1 Novak Djokovic prepares to return at this weeks Dubai Championships, live on Sky Sports, after his triumph in Melbourne, Cowan believes 11-time Grand Slam champion Nadals dip coincides with some of the brightest prospects in the game now beginning to fulfil their potential.At the moment when you look at the game as a whole, there is a bit of a shift going on, added Cowan. Dominic Thiem is one of the new breed that do not fear fading Nadal Djokovic is head and shoulders above the rest, Andy has started the year playing superbly in the Australian Open. Roger [Federer] is injured at the moment and Nadal...there are massive question marks over.Then there is this young crop who week-by-week are starting to win titles - it was Dominic Thiem a week ago. [Nick] Kyrgios won his first title and didnt lose serve all week.It has been a good couple of weeks for the next generation of stars on the ATP Tour, Nick Kyrgios winning his maiden title in Marseille over the weekend, after Thiem claimed the Argentina Open having ousted Nadal in the last four - and Cowan believes the young guns are now playing without fear, including against Nadal. Nadal: More work needed Rafa Nadal reflects on another early exit I felt it was a tournament Rafa had to win and he didnt but it was just what happened and the way the scenarios built up through the week, said Cowan.At no stage on Saturday did he [Cuevas] have doubts about being able to cross the finish line and this is an old campaigner - what about the younger breed, the Kyrgios of the world, they are not going to fear playing Nadal because its about Nadal now, not Nadal five years ago.Rafa won so many of his matches on clay before he even walked onto the court, players didnt believe they could beat him but now players like Cuevas, who is 30 years of age, believes he can. Kyrgios victorious in France Aussie ace claims maiden ATP crown Also See: Kyrgios victorious in France Nadal crashes out in Rio Sky Live: Dubai Championships More work needed, says Nadal Nike Air Max Womens White Yellow . 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Irving scored 23 points, Tristan Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Denver Nuggets 117-109 on Friday night. Nearly half an hour after Bangladesh had achieved their greatest triumph in Test cricket, the atmosphere outside the home dressing room was festive. The floodlight towers were telling other parts of Dhaka that Mirpur was the place to be.A few minutes after the prize giving ceremony, some of the players headed out in their full whites.Are you going out for another game? someone asked Tamim Iqbal jokingly.Nah, we are going to take the team photograph, but you guys stick around, he said, and jogged away.Bhulu, known as the tea man to the stars, accosted Kamrul Islam Rabbi and told him a few secrets. Taijul Islam found an old acquaintance in the media. Imrul Kayes was gleaming, pleased about his contribution. Shakib was singular, seeing something on his phone. Unapproachable.BCB officials were also having a big laugh, slapping each other on the back. Not many were around, especially president Nazmul Hassan who is abroad. The groundsmen, nearly always the heroes who make play possible in the toughest conditions in Mirpur, had been handed their winning bonuses, a custom in Bangladesh grounds, and were also hanging around.Smiles all around. Some laughed loudly while others bravely asked some of the players for a selfie or two. Inside the dressing room, there was loud singing and celebration. They also cut a cake to celebrate Courtney Walshs birthday, perhaps keeping it in refrigeration for the end of the day.Mirpur, the middle-class hotbed, has become the place to be. You could sense that this had been a special day in their history - and on the teams home ground, where they have had so many memories.It was difficult to forget the 2012 wins over India, Sri Lanka and West Indies or the whitewashing of New Zealand in 2010 and later in 2013. Some big nights, one dramatic day in 2014, but none as astonishing as Sunday, October 30, 2016.Until the tea interval on the third day, things were not really going Bangladeshs way. They had muddled up their batting plans before England ran off to a fine start. It prompted the coach Chandika Hathurusingha to give a team talk during the interval.I have to use the words carefully because I wasnt happy, said Hathurusingha. We didnt do what we planned to do. So I actually had to talk to them in the tea break. I cannot tell you what I told them. I just reminded them what we were supposed to do. Some big players have to step up.Mehedi Hasan and Shakib responded superbly, picking up the ten England wickets in the next 22.2 overs.Mushfiqur Rahim said that it becomes easier for a captain when both young and experienced players step up in tight situations.It is a very big achievement in Bangladeshs Test cricket history. It came against a very good England side but there will be a timme when we will win a series 2-0 against any big team.ddddddddddddThis is a start. It feels great that the younger players are also contributing. We have a number of performers in the team, which is always great for a captain, he said.Mushfiqur said that the three-day finish was expected in some regard, because that was how Bangladesh had planned to tackle England in this Test series - with crumbling wickets that would aid their spinners, and they responded superbly. Mehedi took 19 wickets while Shakib and Taijul Islam took 11 and seven respectively.From the time we knew England were coming, we planned to make wickets that last three to four days. The sort of wicket that would help our spinners and trouble the English batsmen. We played well in Chittagong but I was surprised that it lasted five days.Here our bowlers executed our plans and the batsmen did well too, which made this win possible. We wanted to create this situation from where we could press towards a win. We are feeling really well, he said.Bangladeshs biggest stride in this Test series was perhaps their changed attitude towards play on pitches that offered more to the bowlers, who would ultimately have to take 20 wickets in a Test match to give them more chance of a win. Previously, the focus was mostly on giving batsmen slow featherbeds so that they could at least draw a game or two. It was appropriate in certain cases but they squandered opportunities of winning Tests.This time the change in attitude in the Test set-up grew from their giant leap in ODIs at home, as they won six ODI series from November 2014 till October this year.At least we tried something different. But these changes dont really happen overnight. We felt that we had enough resources in our bowling attack against any batting line-up.We executed our plans. Credit goes to Shakib, Miraz and Taijul. It was tough to get wickets in these pitches since they couldnt just turn up and get them. I hope you will see more such wickets in the future, said Mushfiqur.He also credited Tamim Iqbal for his contribution with the bat in the series. Tamim finished as top scorer with 231 runs that included the only century of the two Tests and a fifty in trying conditions.Runs are important in these wickets. Tamim was outstanding, especially in the first innings in Chittagong. I think that 78 was greater than his double-century. He utilized his good form, which is a really good sign.It was a learning curve for our batsmen, because we never played against such a strong team on such wickets. We have to handle it better in the future, and we will improve, he said. Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '