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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Rafael Nadal added a second Olympic tennis gold medal to all of those Grand Slam trophies, teaming with Marc Lopez to win the mens doubles championship for Spain at the Rio de Janeiro Games.Nadal and Lopez came back from a break down in the third set and claimed the last three games to beat Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 in the final Friday.Amazing experience, Nadal said, especially doing that with one of my best friends.Theyve known each other since they were kids, first meeting in Barcelona when Nadal, who is four years younger, asked Lopez to play a set for fun. They joked about it at their news conference, agreeing that Lopez won 6-0, but trading good-natured barbs and chuckles because Lopez insisted Nadal was 14 at the time, while Nadal said he was only 12 and, therefore, couldnt possibly have had a fair chance.He was a phenom, Lopez recalled.Nadal has gone on to collect 14 major championships, as well as an Olympic title in singles at the 2008 Beijing Games. This gold he got to share with Lopez, a first-time medalist.The silver for Mergea and Tecau is the first tennis medal for Romania in Olympic history.The bronze went to Steve Johnson and Jack Sock of the United States. They beat the Canadian team of Daniel Nestor and Vasek Pospisil 6-2, 6-4.It is going to be an incredible feeling for the rest of the summer, the rest of the year, for life, Sock said. We are going to have this forever. Its something that we can share.Sock and Pospisil won the 2014 Wimbledon doubles championship.It was another busy day for Nadal, who won his singles quarterfinal in three sets earlier Friday and had been sidelined since withdrawing from the French Open with an injured left wrist.To win a gold medal today, after 2+ months with no practice, with no preparation at all, just working in the gym, is something not easy, he said.Nadal does not play doubles often, focusing on a singles career that has included stints at No. 1 in the rankings and a record nine French Open titles. Of his nine previous tour doubles titles, four came with Lopez, although they hadnt played a match together this year until arriving in Brazil.Lopez won his first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June, pairing with Feliciano Lopez -- theyre not related -- to beat American twins Bob and Mike Bryan in that final.On Friday, the Romanians appeared to get the upper hand when they broke Marc Lopez to lead 4-3 in the final set. Lopez double-faulted to love-40, then hit a mediocre lob. Tecaus overhead was netted by Nadal.But in the very next game, with Tecau serving, the Spanish duo broke right back. Mergea sailed a forehand long to set up a break point, then put a volley into the net, making it 4-all.After Nadal held for a 5-4 edge, the Spaniards broke again, converting their third match point when Mergea sent an overhead long.Nadal and Lopez, both near the baseline, dropped their rackets and fell to the court, staying down for a few moments to enjoy the victory.After the winners got up and shook hands with their opponents and the chair umpire, Nadal pulled Lopez in for a big hug.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich Cheap NFL Jerseys Authentic . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. Wholesale Jerseys China .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? 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Every day for the past two years at Western Sydney, Jonathan Aspropotamitis watched his skipper and realised how much leadership quality was lacking in his game.But now that the revered Nikolai Topor-Stanley has left the A-League, the 20-year-old prodigy knows now its time to put all that knowledge to good use.The communication side of the game, being more of a leader and taking more initiative when Im in the back four, trying to speak to the guys in front of me, Aspropotamitis told AAP.Thats the biggest thing Ive learnt from him and Im really thankful for that.Obviously hes a big loss to the club but weve just got to move on and fill the void because all the leadership that he portrayed to the club, weve all got to step in.In typical Tony Popovic fashion, the Wanderers coach spent little time dwelling on the loss of their foundation player this week, instead focusing on their next match against Newcastle.Aspropotamitis said the playing group knew how much influence Topor-Stanley had on the club.ddddddddddddThree grand finals, Asian Champions League ... every success the club had hes been a part of, the 20-year-old said.But weve just gotten on with things. Everyone knows the influence he had, but its business as usual. Its part of football.Being in the world of football we are, theres always people being persuaded away, especially when youre in a successful team.After making his first appearance of the A-League season against Adelaide last week, Aspropotamitis admits he now has a chance to cement his spot in the team.Because hes left, theres a spot there if Im able to take that opportunity, he said.But because Ive learnt so much from him and I was happy to do so if he did stay. The competition for places with us centre-backs was fantastic and still is. ' ' '