Nadal slams French campaign
02/10/2012 05:50:25 PM
Rafael Nadal has slammed a 'general campaign' in France, which discredits Spanish athletes by suggesting their success is due to the use of illegal drugs.
The Spanish Tennis Federation said on Wednesday that it would sue French TV Canal+ for "unacceptable and damaging insinuations" in a cartoon about Nadal.
Nadal said the cartoon was 'sad.'
"It's the kind of humour that for one day is fine but if it is repeated over and over again it's not right and I think it oversteps the line a bit," Reuters quoted Nadal as saying.
"I don't think it's just one media, it's a general campaign by the neighbouring country," Nadal, a six-time French Open champion, said.
"It's sad to see a campaign like that against something that has cost so much to achieve.
"There's no question of pills or syringes or anything like that I can assure you."
The cartoon in question, on the show 'The Puppets', shows Nadal filling up his car's gas tank from hiw own bladder before being stopped by police for speeding.
"Spanish athletes. They do not win by chance," is seen on the screen surrounded by the logo of Spanist Tennis Federation among other including football and cycling.