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NEW DELHI --- Joan Balcells doesnt recall the year he played Rafael Nadal. Nic Dowd Jersey . He sure does remember beating him though. Over a decade and a half since, his favourite student Ramkumar Ramanathan was set to play the same foe here on Friday, before Nadal chose to pull out.Ramkumar didnt win against Feliciano Lopez, the Spaniard fielded in place of Nadal. But he was impressive: his will, grit and game belying his rankings.Lopez is a tough player, dominant with his serve, which shows whats kept him in business as a top-50 player for 15 years now, Balcells told ESPN from Teia, Spain. Ramkumar was rushing through some parts of the match but hes young and has a lot of time ahead of him. He won some good points and this is another step forward in his progress. Lopez is ranked 170-odd places above Ramkumar.Balcells, 41, was part of the Spanish team that won the Davis Cup final against Australia in 2000. Nadal was also on that team. Some time later, Balcells beat a bristling, teenaged Nadal in straight sets at a Challenger event in Sevilla.He was just 16 or 17 years old then and had already beaten a couple of the top 10 players, he said. I still recall our scoreline: 6,4, 6-4. After the match, his uncle Toni walked up to me and congratulated me before saying that his nephew was young and not used to facing a serve-and-volley player, which was the reason why I won. It was funny. Balcells was one of the few exponents of the serve and volley style of play in Spain during his time.Ramkumar, who is from Chennai, has a strong Spanish connection, having trained at the much-vaunted Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy in Barcelona since 2010. A big serve is one of the reed-thin 21-year-olds foremost strengths. Ramkumar has a good serve but he still has to get better at his volleys and baseline shots, said Balcells, whos associated with wetennisbcn, a tennis club in Teia.Rueing not being able to travel to New Delhi for the Davis Cup tie to watch his ward take on the Spaniards, the former world No. 57 had already told Ramkumar that the experience and the learning from such matches would trump the results. I told him to enjoy such moments on the court, Balcells said. These experiences will stay with him.Unwilling to be brushed aside as a pushover, Ramkumar put up a feisty show and managing to wrest a set from Lopez, the world No. 26. I did the best I could, Ramkumar said after the match. It wasnt enough though.Four years ago Emilio Sanchez, former world No. 7 and founder of the Sanchez-Casal Tennis Academy, had talked up Ramkumar: Remember his name, this kid from India will make news one day. Balcells believes Sanchez was right on the money. T. J. Oshie Capitals Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. John Carlson Capitals Jersey . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. http:///...hie-capitals-jersey/ . Paul Pierce couldnt believe he missed at the end. Young scored a season-high 26 points to spark a huge effort from the leagues most productive bench, and Los Angeles beat the Brooklyn Nets 99-94 on Wednesday night after blowing a 27-point lead. Having spent much of his career openly battling officialdom, controversial ex-runner John Steffensen has joined the board of Athletics Australia.Steffensens relationship with AA reached its lowest point at the 2012 London Olympics, when he missed selection for the individual 400m and accused the governing body of racial discrimination.He also labelled then AA chief executive Dallas OBrien a liar. Steffensen was later banned for six months for bringing the sport into disrepute, the second suspension of his career.But AA president Mark Arbib - who replaced David Grace last year - has brought the Athens Olympics 4x400m relay silver medallist and 2006 Commonwealth Games individual 400m champion back into the fold.Steffensens close relationships with leading Caribbean and US sprinters are highly valued by AA, who will launch a new TV-friendly summer athletics series next year. Tom Wilson Capitals Jersey. .Athletics means a great deal to me, its the same pressure as running, you have to deliver, said the 33-year-old Steffensen.I look forward to joining a team that is working so hard to get the sport to the forefront of Australian sport.Steffensen replaces former 50km walk world record holder Nathan Deakes on the AA board.Arbib said he was delighted by Steffensens appointment.He has been a passionate contributor to the sport of athletics for many years and has inspired many, Arbib said in a statement.His appointment to the board is a game changer for Australian athletics. ' ' '