Michael Phelps may be paying the piper in the court of public opinion after a photograph of the Olympic swimming champion holding a bong commonly used to smoke marijuana was released, but World No. 1 Rafael Nadal refused to take pot shots at the swimmer in stating his support of his fellow Olympic gold medalist.

Nadal said while Phelps' image has taken a hit, he is human and like all of us prone to making mistakes.

"It does not portray the best possible image, but everyone can have a slip-up," Nadal said. "In the end sportsmen are just not machines. Everyone is free to do whatever they want."

Phelps, who acknowledges he is the man in the photo published in a British tabloid though he did not admit to smoking marijuana, has apologized both publicly and privately to his sponsors. The man who swept eight gold medals in the Beijing Olympics said his behavior was "regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment."

Nadal, who beat Novak Djokovic and Fernando Gonzalez in succession to win the Olympic gold medal in August, met Phelps in Beijing and the pair expressed their mutual respect for each other. Pointing out that the photo was taken when Phelps was out of competition and not training, Nadal said Phelps should be free to make use of his private time as he sees fit.

"He has been on holiday for some time," Nadal said. "He has attained all his goals and he is taking a sabbatical leave and he is totally free to be able to do it. He will have plenty of time to get back and prepare for the coming Games."

Tennis Week contributing writer Alberto Amalfi is a polo player and marathon runner based in Buenos Aires. He covered December's Davis Cup final between Argentina and Spain for this web site.