NEW DELHI --- Joan Balcells doesnt recall the year he played Rafael Nadal. 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. Mar... Havlat Jersey . The giant slalom world champion slipped during her first run in the morning, landing on her back and then twisting forward before getting her leg caught in the protective material on the side of the slope. Sco... Darling Blackhawks Jersey . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. htt... . -- Claudio Bieler hadnt scored since early September, and not from the run of play since mid-July. [url=http://www.blackhawksshophockey.com/red-58-graham-knott-womens-jersey/]Grah... Knott Blackhawks Jersey . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness. Bra... Richards Jersey .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday.Ospreys have confirmed the signing of defence coach Brad Davis from Wasps. The vastly experienced Australian joined Wasps in 2013 after coaching at rugby league side Castleford and Premiership club Bath. Ospreys managing director Andrew Millward indicated the appointment will be the first of many at the Liberty Stadium as the club builds for the future.Millward said: We are under resourced in comparison to our competitors, and the board have agreed increased investment into the support team.This is the first of a number of planned changes.Davis, who played rugby league for Huddersfield, Wakefield and Castleford, haad the option of remaining as one of ex-Wales prop Dai Youngs assistants at Wasps.ddddddddddddBut Young insisted he understood the reasons for Davis seeking a new challenge.Young said: It is the nature of professional sport that players and coaches move on.Brad has done a great job for Wasps over the past three seasons and I would like to thank him for his hard work and efforts during that period. Also See: Premiership home Premiership table Fixtures and results Rugby Union on Sky Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '