A page and forum to discuss all things Rafael Nadal.
Current ranking: 14
Last result: Australian Open second round (lost to Mackenzie McDonald)
Next tournament: Roland Garros
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes
A page and forum to discuss all things Rafael Nadal.
Current ranking: 14
Last result: Australian Open second round (lost to Mackenzie McDonald)
Next tournament: Roland Garros
Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes
To everybody
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/418069406493581312/photo/1
I love this photo of Rafa, and the Guardian sports photographer is a fan:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/gallery/2013/dec/31/sports-photos-2013-tom-jenkins#/?picture=425940454&index=14
“Rafael Nadal, ATP World Finals, O2 Arena. 11/11/13. 300mm lens, 1/30 f8, ISO 400. Nadal has to be one of the sportsmen I love to photograph most; he really shows the effort he puts in, especially when he hits one of his booming forehands. I had noticed in earlier games that the floodlights produced a “hotspot” on the baseline where the light was more intense, and he was also wearing an outfit that perfectly matched the colours of the court. So I deliberately over-exposed to bleach out the hotspot but keeping a shutter-speed that blurred the player significantly while still keeping him recognisable”
Hahaha, watch out world……Rafa’s ready for 2014!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151962945396026
“Ready to Give it my All in 2014”
Rafa’s going “for it”……
Never seen Rafa this pumped before pre-season, he usually demures and let’s others (Nike) do the cheer-leading for him but here he is pumpin’ along! He is throwing down the proverbial gauntlet.
Let’s do this…………….Vamos!
Rafa amused the reporters with his reaction to be told that the Australian Open courts are playing fast. http://www.tennishorts.com/doha-doings-cursing-losing-german-pride/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=doha-doings-cursing-losing-german-pride
LOL..but honestly, even my reaction is SHIT! are the courts playing ‘very fast’ ? :O I won’t mind them playing somewhat quicker but please don’t quicken them too much !!
^^”reaction to being told…”
Tournament director Craig Tiley says the court speed at the AO is unchanged. http://www.smh.com.au/sport/tennis/court-speed-at-australian-open-tennis-unchanged-says-tournament-director-craig-tiley-20140105-30c1e.html
Rafa will not be in the Davis Cup team to play Germany:
http://www.marca.com/2014/01/07/tenis/copa_davis/1389105696.html
Recently I posted an interview Francis Roig did, in Spanish and there were some mis-interpretations especially regarding Rafa’s view on catching Roger’s Slam count. The following is a more accurate English translation of the same interview:
http://www.nadalnews.com/2014/01/08/an-interview-with-francis-roig/#.Us5Isfs7ne0
Every Rafan knows Rafa’s story. Nevertheless, here is a recent interview (post WTF 2013 loss to Djokovic) that Rafa did with John Carlin:
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/2/28ff29b4-78c4-11e3-a148-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2q0EogtEH
So what do I like most about this picture? Not just that it’s a cute pic of everyone at the AO Kids Day but that Rafa is in a full squat position, both knees fully bent.
https://24.media.tumblr.com/06328f6973bc999f07e31873bf7ad0d3/tumblr_mz809wwunh1s4s9opo2_1280.jpg
Aww, thanks for spotting that @Jpacnw! This is excellent news because it shows Rafa’s knee is really improved.
Well done.
At pre-tourny Players’ party, Rafa in white shirt and jeans, can’t go wrong with that combo. Rafa also appears to be favoring the brown shoes, seen him wearing them often, maybe a present from Xisca?
http://rafanadal-kingoftennis.ru/news/photos_12_01_2014_rafael_nadal_at_the_img_tennis_players_party_at_crown_towers_in_melbourne/2014-01-12-2096
Hope that large bandage on his left wrist is not hiding a blister, never seen Rafa with it before:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.487365738050941.1073742302.229133313874186&type=1
YouTube Eurosport pre-tournament interview with Rafa in Spanish that’s translated: http://youtu.be/UzwlMY3HMns
A Fedfan who “gets” Rafa, Douglas Perry:
http://www.oregonlive.com/the-spin-of-the-ball/index.ssf/2014/01/rafael_nadal_plays_now_for_the.html
“Of course, there’s something else that bolsters Nadal’s case: his uniqueness. There have been a lot of “Baby Federers” over the past 10 years; Dimitrov is but the latest. This is because Federer’s game is classically beautiful, a combination of old-school values and modern-power necessity. But there have been no “Baby Nadals.” ”
“Add Nadal’s revolutionary forehand to his warrior spirit and his obsessive drive to improve, and you have a player like none before.”
Thank You Mr Perry for articulating what some of us Rafans have been saying for a long time: Rafa is unique, there is nobody else like him.
#NoBabyNadal
holdserve19 says:
January 13, 2014 at 8:22 pm
vamosrafa I do not agree with you that Rafa dominated only in 2010. Do you mean to say domination means 3 slams and yen. 1? Multiple slams and no. 1 seems more reasonable. Rafa dominated in 2008. Not only did he thrash the GOAT at RG, he beat him on the GOAT’s best surface i.e. grass, snatched the no. 1 ranking and won the Olympics.
Again in 2013, Rafa dominated the season from almost the moment he came and won 2 slams, 5 Masters and YEN 1.
If you say he did not dominate because he did not dominate the Fall season then by the same argument Djokovic did not dominate in 2011 ( supposed to be one of the greatest tennis seasons ever) because he fizzled out in the fall. Everyone thought it did not in any way detract from his season.
In 2012 Djokoic won only 1 slam and was YEN 1 but certainly did not seem invincible in slams or Masters.
Rafa has 3 multiple slam years with yen 1. Djokoer has just ONE multiple slam year.
I think in your attempt to be objective you are being unfair to Rafa.
Reply
vamosrafa says:
January 13, 2014 at 10:01 pm
no no no holdserve, not at all ! this is NOT what I think…i posted this ridiculous idea to show nadline that how unfair the scenario gets if we try to paint a diff picture than reality… Your concern is EXACTLY what I was trying to demonstrate !
If you ask me about rafa;s 2008,2010,2013, I will now tell you what I think about them. For 2008, rafa was by far the most dominant player on the planet. He won multiple slams, gold medal and knocked federer off his throne..it also featured that sick 32 match winning streak from hamburg to cincy SF… the streak covered 3 surfaces so my all-time fav streak! reflects utter dominance…
in 2010, well, he was the ruler of 3 diff surfaces ! YEN1 , enough said !nobody was even close..
2013: rafa did not play australia. BUT, won 5 masters 100 ..2 slams, YEN1,10 titles, dominataed the top 10 and thrashed his main rival in slams, even on his weakest and his main rival’s weakest surface..
Let me make myself clear : I believe rafa was very much dominant in 2008,2010,2013….I just mentioned a potential stupid argument to nadline to clarify my other points.. it has nothing to do with how I view rafa’s no.1 years.
Thanks for addressing your concern 🙂 glad I am clarifying…let me know if there’s any other concern
Ricky Dimon says:
January 13, 2014 at 4:47 pm
one off?
he dominated 2011, finished No. 1 in 2012, and was basically one net touch away from finishing No. 1 in 2013. He has also won 24 matches in a row.
So there are a lot of reasons why he is the favorite.
…..
Ihave moved this discussion from the Match thread.
Some of you have rose tinted glasses when you see Djokovic. Ricky, you might as well say Rafa was one shot away from winning the AO 2012.
So the fact that Rafa served for the match at RG in the 4th set counts for nothing. It’s the one break that Djokovic had in the 5th set that’s the be all and end all even though he was given a breadstick in the 3rd set. Also Rafa did not play a full season in 2012, had he been healhy, who knows who would have finished the year as #1. Rafa ended 2013 as #1 because he was the most dominant player with 2 slams and not even a full season. You can alll try to play it down, but the facts are the facts.
At the moment, Djokovic cannot be mentioned in the same sentence as Rafa as Roger.
vamosrafa,, you have come round to my way of thinking.
Rafa was one shot away from winning the 2012 Australian Open. I would never deny that. That was 2 years ago. Very little relevance now.
The relevance is that you are citing Novak’s YE #1 in 2012 to argue your case that even though he only won one slam that year he was the most dominant player and I am saying that he may not even have won the AO 2012 had Rafa not missed that shot, since we are in the could have should have arena.
Let’s see both their glasses half full, not just Nole’s.
Not going to happen @nadline. Rafa’s glass will always be considered half-full and personally, I hope Rafa views it that way too so that he is constantly motivated to prove something, slowly piling up the trophies and records. Then let history be the judge.
Look who’s the most talked about player at the Oz Open 2014 as at 14 Jan? And he hasn’t played a match…..yet.
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/social/leaderboard/index.html