“納達爾”名揚太空

RafaelNadal's dazzling career reached new heights this week when an asteroid was named after him following his epic Wimbledon victory.

The request to name the lump of rock after the man who ended Roger Federer's five-year reign as Wimbledon champion came from an astronomical observatory on Nadal's home island of Majorca and was approved by the International Astronomical Union.

Star gazers can find Nadal's asteroid between Mars and Jupiter and the 22-year-old has himself been invited to the Majorcan observatory to view it himself.

According to the website of men's governing body the ATP, the asteroid was discovered five years ago just before Nadal burst on to the scene. It is four kilometres in diameter and speeds through space at 20km per second.

The Astronomical Observatory of Mallorca said it was a tribute to "one of the greatest tennis players of all time".

Nadal beat Federer in five sets in one of the greatest matches ever witnessed last Sunday.

The four-times French Open champion is now setting his sights on gold at next month's Beijing Olympics.

剛剛摘得溫網桂冠的拉斐爾•納達爾本週再獲驚喜：他的名字將用來給一顆小行星命名。

近日，納達爾在溫布爾登網球公開賽中終結費德勒的五連勝，首奪冠軍。爲了向他表示敬意，納達爾家鄉馬略卡島的一個天文觀測臺向國際天文協會提出申請，要求用納達爾的名字給一顆小行星命名，並已獲得批准。

今年22歲的納達爾也應邀前往馬略卡觀測臺親眼觀測這顆以他名字命名的小行星。“納達爾”小行星位於火星和木星之間。

據ATP（職業男子網球協會）官網介紹，這顆小行星於五年前被發現，它的直徑爲4公里，運行速度爲每秒20公里。這顆行星發現後不久，納達爾便名揚網壇。

馬略卡天文觀測中心稱，用納達爾的名字爲小行星命名是爲了“向這位網壇最偉大的球員”致敬。

上週日的溫網公開賽盛況空前，納達爾苦戰五局，擊敗費德勒。

眼下，這位法網四連冠得主又將目光瞄準了將於下月開幕的北京奧運會的金牌。