Nadal hits back at Noah claims

Spanish stars including Rafael Nadal and Pep Guardiola have reacted with fury to comments from French tennis great Yannick Noah that doping was widespread in Spanish sport.

Noah’s outspoken comments came in a column in Le Monde, in which he asked: “How can a nation come to dominate sport to such an extent overnight?” and accused Spanish sport of having “a secret to keep.”

“If you haven’t got the magic potion, it’s difficult to win,” he continued. “They appear to have stumbled across a whole potful of the stuff. Lucky devils.

“Those that win are the ones who manage to slip through the net, that are quicker than the (doping) controllers and that use products that cannot yet be detected.”

Spain has enjoyed stunning success in a variety of sports in recent years, with their national football team winning Euro 2008 and the 2010 World Cup.

Their basketball team are the reigning European champions and took silver at the 2008 Olympics, while world number two tennis player Nadal, cycling star Alberto Contador and Formula One driver Fernando Alonso are all major sporting superstars.

Nadal dismissed Noah’s comments as “stupid”.

“This guy does not deserve to write in newspapers anymore,” Nadal said. “What he said is completely stupid.

“He knows better than anybody that to say that today is a totally stupid thing because you know how many anti-doping controls we have during the season, year by year.”

Guardiola, coach of European champions Barcelona, said: “This man can either show some proof or he can shut up.”