It was a fitting end to an epic 2017 Australian Open.
And it was so good, in fact, that the winner said during the trophy ceremony that he would have been happy if it had ended in a tie–or even a loss.
But without any exceptions, tennis matches and tennis tournaments can only end well for one player, and that one player on Sunday night in Melbourne was Roger Federer. Federer’s third five-set victory of the fortnight gave him Grand Slam title No. 18 and Aussie Open title No. 5, which he clinched by outlasting long-time rival Rafael Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 after three hours and 37 minutes.
Although the fifth proved to be a nail-biting thriller that was nowhere close to being decided until the final shot was shown to be in, no set was particularly competitive in terms of the scoreline. Federer took control in the first, breaking for 4-3 and holding his next two service games with the loss of just one point. Nadal hit back in the second, seizing a 4-0 lead before mostly cruising from there despite giving one of the breaks back. The two former world No. 1s took turns gaining the upper hand in the third and fourth, as well, with Federer once again inching ahead only to see Nadal respond in emphatic fashion.
That paved the way to a dramatic decider, which lasted only nine games but packed an unforgettable punch in a short amount of time.
Nadal delivered the first blow, but it was not enough to knock Federer out. After dropping his initial service game to fall behind 1-0 and then 2-0, the Swiss eventually broke back to get on level terms at 3-3. That ignited a streak of five straight games in Federer’s favor after he trailed 3-1. His second break of the set came in an incredible game with Nadal serving at 3-4, which ended when Federer forced the Spaniard into an error with a perfect cross-court forehand return.
The 35-year-old served thing out in clutch fashion one game later, but not before fighting back from a 15-40 deficit. Federer eventually converted his second championship point with a forehand winner off the sideline that Nadal unsuccessfully challenged.
Highlights:
“I kept on fighting,” Federer explained. “I kept on believing–like I did all match long today–that there was a possibility I could win this match. I think that’s what made me play my best tennis at the very end.”
“I think [it was] a great match,” Nadal assured. “I enjoyed to be part of it. I fought to try to have the trophy with me. I had some chances in the fifth with (a) break up. But (it) is true that after I had the break, he played very aggressive, hitting a lot of great shots. So (it) was tough to hold the serve every time.”
Holding serve every time is what Nadal managed to do in his fifth set against Grigor Dimitrov on Friday, but the Spaniard had to save three break points in two different service games in order for his lone break of the Bulgarian to be enough. Nadal survived two deuces, as well, while serving out the semifinal match at 5-4. Speaking of five-setters, Federer also went the distance in his semifinal against Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic bowed out of the tournament in a five-set, second-round stunner against Denis Istomin.
All of it set the stage for the icing on the cake, the 35th chapter of arguably tennis’ best-ever rivalry.
“It remains for me the ultimate challenge to play against him,” Federer said of Nadal. “So it’s definitely very special. I said that also before the finals: if I were to win against Rafa, it would be super special and very sweet because I haven’t beaten him in a Grand Slam final for a long, long time now. Last time I guess was 2007 at Wimbledon in a five-setter. Now I was able to do it again.
“Like I said on the court, it would have been nice for both of us to win, but there’s no draws in tennis. It’s brutal sometimes.”
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Hey Nny…How r u feeling today?better?
Mira Andi,
Hi! I am feeling better today! Not sad like I was yesterday! I am seeing the positives about Rafa’s great run at the AO. I can see the big picture.
It’s all good!
???
YAY!!!!That’s my girl!!…Now,all we have to do is looking forward and wait with interest what excitement Rafa would give us his fans for the rest of the season…God knows!There’s so much ahead of us Nny!!..I can’t wait…
What Rafael Nadal’s Loss to Roger Federer Means for French Open 2017
Rafael Nadal lost to Roger Federer in the Australian Open final on Sunday morning in a five-set instant classic.
Unfortunately for the Spaniard, this latest result has become something a trend.
There have been 11 Grand Slam tournaments since Nadal last won one, the French Open in 2014. Injuries have certainly played a part in that drought, but it’s becoming harder and harder to ignore that Nadal may never be the game’s top player again, even if his run at the Australian Open was fantastic.
At 30, Nadal is not finished, but with another loss at a Grand Slam, it’s difficult to rate Nadal alongside Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Even Stan Wawrinka, with three Grand Slam titles in the past 12 tournaments, may have surpassed him.
Roland Garros was once Nadal’s fortress. He won the French Open nine times between 2005 and 2014. But even his favored clay has betrayed him the past two years, with Wawrinka winning the tournament in 2015 and Djokovic taking the title last year.
We have gone from Nadal being the universal favorite at Roland Garros to questioning just how far he might advance. While his dominance inevitably had an expiration date, most people would have expected it to be further down the line. Given the way Nadal dominated tennis from 2010 until 2013, when he won seven Grand Slams—two more than Djokovic and five more than Murray in that time frame—his drought in big tournaments has been a surprise.
His run at the Australian Open may dispel the notion that Nadal’s best days are behind him, however. But given the fact he advanced past Djokovic and Murray, it will be a disappointment for the Spaniard that he was unable to seize the opportunity to win another title in Australia.
While Nadal will be a threat at the French Open and might even win the tournament, a win in Australia would have been the sort of start to 2017 that would suggest another run of dominance was in the cards.
It wasn’t a negative start to the season, either. Perhaps a French Open conquest will inspire one more winning streak. Still, given his Grand Slam drought, it’s hard to make Nadal a favorite at Roland Garros over players like Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka.
Would this be the same Djokovic, Murray and Wawrinka who did not make the final at the AO?
exactly…I said before the AO even started so called tennis analysts would never consider Rafa the favorite…and then I run into the article like this to prove my theory and depress me even further…hope Rafa proves them all wrong!
He came so close this time but it was not meant to be…I still have hard time digesting it…articles like this do not help either…
natashao2013 (AT 6:25 PM),
If I may ask, why did you post this article (published by Bleacher report) here, if the article makes you depressed? 🙄
augusta, every article is like this…you won’t find any saying this loss was a good thing for Rafa and we all know it wasn’t…
The reason why I posted it is that I knew it would be this way: even Rafa reaching the finals of the GS does not make him favorite to win RG title…and Fed is already being discussed as the favorite to win Wimby…
natashao2013 (AT 10:41 AM),
It doesn’t matter who is oddsmakers’ favourite.
Nny…This is for u..http://www.thequotepedia.com/images/36/think-positive-positive-things-will-happen.jpg
PS…I believe this is one of Rafa’s moto in life…and that is why he kept coming back with success even after the heartbreaking injuries..
Mira Andi,
Yes! Think positive! Let’s just see what happens. I am not giving up on Rafa! As long as he wants to play and compete, then I will be there supporting him.
I read that Carlos Moya asked Rafa if he was ready to win titles again before he signed on to work with him. So we know that Moya needed that assurance from Rafa.
YES!!That’s the right attitude Nny!!…I am not giving up on him either..he proved us wrong many times Nny…Sometimes i felt so ashamed for doubting him even for one second especially for the last 2 years…Remember how determined he was to win gold in Rio?When at that he still hampered by injury?Still in pain?And he did win gold..and in single,he’s almost went to the final and if not for crazy schedule to play in doubles and singles..i’m pretty sure he will get through to the final..who would have thought that Nny?And i still believe Nny that if rafa is healthy,he still capable of giving us so much more…I don’t want to think much about his loss at AO…it’s irrelevant now..that loss not hampered my believe that rafa maybe will win at FO or USO..who knows…we don’t know about the future Nny…same as we don’t expect rafa to go to the final at AO when every single soul in this world thought that Andy and Novak who deserved to be there….SO,IN RAFA WE TRUST!!!!WOOOOHOOOOO!!!C”MON!!!
I am very sad that Rafa could not capitalise on this. I am sure he had very high hope of winning this. He was up 3-1 in the fifth and by just playing a few points better, we could have won.
But, I am hopeful of one thing now: Rafa is not going anywhere. Beating Zverev , Dimitrov in the manner he did and the courage he showed was so exemplary.
I am sad he lost to Fed but I am proud that he did not give the match away by choking or anything. Fed was playing REALLY good tennis so he lost to a better player.
Yes, Rafa could have made some adjustments and he only had to do a few things SLIGHTLY better to prevail there.
I will give my detailed thoughts on why Nadal lost to Fed in my next post but before that , I am just going to say: VAMOS RAFA.
Rafa is NOT going anywhere. He is very fit and can battle with anyone. He will be a serious contender in all three remaining slams and his ranking will be much higher by the end of RG.
Rafa has a really good shot at RG.
The big plus is that he seems to be able to control his nerves and have confidence. The number of times he served an ace when he was 15:40 down on his serve is quite reassuring.
Nny…I am so sorry,i didn’t meant to bring back the painful memories about rafa’s loss yesterday but this article can give us the true insight of rafa’s defeat..Hope u don’t mind..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/did-federer-really-out-rafa-nadal-australian-open-2017
Nny..This too..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/australian-open-2017-rafael-nadal-and-being-on-the-other-side-of-final-for-ages
Mats Wilander said he thought Wimbledon was OK without Federer and Nadal until he saw how much difference their presence made in Australia. Federer himself publicly admitted at the trophy ceremony that tennis needs Rafa.
Mats Wilander is an idiot. Has always been 😉
He was also the only one who said that he didn’t want to see Fedal in the final
He tries to say things that cut against the grain barely resembling reality, unfortunately he called most of Rafa’s matches along with my the commentator I’d rather not listen to – Chris Bradnam.
I don’t think for a minute that anyone doubts that tennis needs Rafa!
btw, Rafa’s less time for resting did affect him in the final.
I’ve read somewhere in the Spanish press, from Rafa’s lips that when going for 4-1 in the decider, he had a passing shot to make – which ended at the net – he says he doubted whether to go DTL or CC and because of arriving a tad too late he mishit the shot…
So, he hints that had he been fresher he might have had a clearer shot…
Sour grapes, I know, but he ended up completely trashed (his own words too) after his match against Dimi.
Shireling, Rafa had one day off – and this is completely normal during a slam! He would’ve been equally tired if Fed had played his semis on Friday, too! Rafa having been tired wasn’t a result of the unequal scheduling! And I don’t believe that Roger would’ve been much more tired if he had one day less off, because his semis wasn’t as gruelling as Rafa’s.
The point I have tried to make several times now: we can’t blame Rafa’s tiredness on the unequal scheduling. We can only argue, that Roger might’ve been a tiny bit more tired himself if he had played on Friday, too. And I don’t believe that it would’ve been such a big difference for Roger.
I don’t thin that Rafa wanted to point at the scheduling dilemma, when he said that he was tired. He probably wanted to make the very straightforward point that he had a gruelling semifinal.
Federer’s SF also went to 5 sets, why do you think it wasn’t as gruelling? You don’t want the facts to get in the way because you just don’t want to accept that Federer had an unfair advantage.
No, Rafa wasn’t talking about the scheduling.
These are the facts:
Rafa was trashed because Dimi pushed him to his limits.
The unfair schedule allowed him for one day and one night less rest than Fed.
Whether anything would have been different had equal conditions been given to both players, this we’ll never know and it’s kind of pointless to talk about it now.
Let’s get on with the rest of the season – I’m curios to see how the draw pans out in RG… but much too soon for that.
Rafa may be had the worse of the scheduling but he by far had the better draw. Let’s be honest, Federer playing Wawrinka is way harder than Nadal playing Dimitrov. That Federer beat Wawrinka, after beating Nishikori, which was another five-setter, not to mention the fact that Federer is 35 and Nadal, should negate any scheduling excuses. It’s just the luck of the draw and the way things work sometimes. There is no doubt in my mind, that given a preference of playing Wawrinka or Dimitrov, Nadal would have taken Dimitrov every time. That it took him so long, is part of Rafa’s doing. If it were a straight forward 3-4 setter, like most predicted, there would have been no complaints whatsoever.
did you realize the player who won the second semifinal (meaning one less day of rest) has actually won MORE finals?
I learn to live with this loss…I am more realistic now and when I come to think of the whole issue I realize that Fed deserved this win…he dispatched quality opponents in Berdy (although not an in-form opponent but the way Fed dealt with him was amazing), then Nishi and Wawa…not sure Rafa would have been as successful…both of them trouble Rafa even when Rafa is playing well…
I never expected Rafa would reach the finals in the first place…but I knew if he did I would have expected him to win the whole thing…
I was not even able to eat the whole day after Rafa’s loss…I was not angry, I was depressed as I thought Rafa wasted huge chance for the 15th..I was and still am upset that Rafa had one day less to recover and that the AO surface was speeded up for the sake of Fed…that is no longer speculation, it’s the fact…but I do not think it was aimed at Rafa…the AO wanted to prevent Novak from wining it again and Rafa was only the collateral damage in this whole situation…
Life goes on…Rafa will fight back I am sure…I see opportunities for him at the RG…although it depends on other factors as well which are named Novak, Andy, Stan, and those hungry young guns who play well on clay like Dominic, Grigor…it only gets harder for Rafa who is getting older and his style of play does not serve well to his age…
I am only afraid that rigged draws and unfair scheduling may as well destroy Rafa’s chances in RG…playing a five setter on clay will be taxing on his body and I am afraid if the rain interrupts the schedule Rafa will again be the one to punish, certainly not Fed…
I only hope Rafa will take positives from this AO and will not lose his belief and confidence…I hope he does not lock himself up in that shell of low confidence again…I hope he grows stronger and eager for success…
Vamos Rafa!
I’m upset because it’s the same with Rafa in terms of having the lead and then throwing away the lead and lost. If he’s not going to turn this trend around, he will have problems going forward.
Credit where credit is due. Fed was rewarded for his perseverance, kept working hard to reach slam final after slam final and one fine day, you would get your break and finally won one. He played the right way to win while Rafa didn’t. Fed is great and he getting his 18th slam is well deserved.
@ luckystar,
agreed. You are right on all counts!
Agree with you, Natashao and Luckystar. While the whiff of favoritism is certainly ugly, I can also accept that Fed earned his 18th slam because he played better in the final. Both players had a marvellous and unexpected run during this tournament. That’s the positive. The negative is indeed that Rafa yet again let slip away a lead. We can only wait and see how this will affect the rest of his season. Hopefully he will be able to see the glas as more than half full. He won after all against a handful of up and coming young players who are all very comfortable on a fast hard court. And he came very close to win the title. Nobody expected this at the beginning of the tournament.
And I may add: Fed also lost so many slam finals in the past years. Finally he was rewarded for his tenacity. Maybe the future has more in store for Rafa, too, although his body and style of play make things a little harder for him. And Andy as well as Novak will continue to give all players a hard time. Unfortunately both are very much serious contenders for clay court titles.
For tennis fans the season will be most interesting.
natashao2013 (AT 10:18 AM),
Rafa has lost his confidence in the past due to his INJURIES.
I know, augusta, but losing the match that he had in his pocket does help building confidence…that’s why I am worried…
But thanks so much for this photo of Rafa in Mallorka, he seems happy there and ready to move on!
Vamos Rafa!
Meant to say doesn’t help..
Nadal is up 3-1 in the 5th and you talk about rigged draws and the surface being sped up for the sake of Fed? Which bug gun did Nadal face before the final? Federer played Berdych, Nishikori, Wawrinka and Nadal to win. Don’t forget, Murray was in his half too and he is the best player in the world. And the draw was rigged in his favor? Faster surface or not, you expect a 35 year old, not on tour for 6 months, to benefit more from a faster surface than the youngsters whom you go on to describe in your next para as hungry young guns and perceivable threats to Rafa at Roland Garros. Think a little reality check wouldn’t do any harm.
and frankly, after YEARS of those slow, sticky courts, its ABOUT time they sped them up, and it made the tournament the best Slam in ages – God forbid tennis gets a boost, right?
Hey amy…Where r u??Rafa is not here anymore BUT MIRA IS!!he he…MISS U LOADS!!
Mira Andi (10:30 AM),
As for Rafa, he is in Mallorca:
https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal/status/826211571168903176/photo/1
Oh thank God!he’s safely arrived!!..Thanks augusta for telling me that…I’m so glad he choose to skip DC…He needs rest more than give a service to his country atm,me thinks..
Oh rafa has been really lucky!…when his plane was flying over my country’s sky,i’m still not in the mood to do my lawn mower fist pump,otherwise he will taste my delicious fist pump to his smart head for making my Nny and natashao so distressed these last couple of days!
Mira Andi (AT 11:39 AM),
Rafa’s doctor (Ruiz-Cotorro) said on Rafa’s withdrawing from DC:
“It’s not the time to risk by playing DC. Spain has a great team.”
Yeah augusta…It’s great to see someone see sense..knowing rafa,he’s always don’t know how to say NO if it’s involved his country..Very glad he skipped it..
Mira Andi (AT 12:45 PM),
Rafa has played for Spain when it has been necessary. This time, if Croatia won’t make changes to its DC team, Spain will survive without Rafa.
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie.aspx?id=M-DC-2017-WG-M-ESP-CRO-01
augusta…Cilic,karlovic,Boric also missed from croatia’s team right?So,i guess Spain will not be in much danger..yes?
@augusta008 Thanks for the link! I wasn’t aware that Cilic and Karlovic were not playing the 1st round DC. That does look very doable for Spain’s current DC team! Vamos Espana!
Ramara (AT 1:05 PM),
🙂
Viva España!
Hey natashao2013…YES!!That’s it!!…Don’t think too much about the loss anymore okay?it’s all in the past now…it’s no use to distressed ourselves over things that was not meant for rafa…This things is not in our hands or rafa…it’s in God’s hands…To make u feel even better…just think one thing…When rafa went on court..he wants to win so bad and not to lose…But it didn’t happen that way….there’s still so much out there for rafa to play natashao..so much..if he’s healthy[let’s pray for that okay?]…i’m pretty sure win will come to him naturally again…VAMOS NATASHAO AND RAFA!!!!!
thanks Mira Andi! You certainly are the shining star of this site…I love you posts…keep doing that…you bring humour and positive vibes to this site…thank you for being with us…
He he..thanks natashao..I just can’t bear to see u or others still suffered from the rafa’s heartbreaking loss…Hey,u will feel much better if i give u this?
http://lovenamepix.com/LoveNamePix.php?post_id=86&input=Rafa&input2=Natashao
Don’t be sad or distressed anymore okay?…Cheer up,chin up and b@#b up!
VAMOS RAFA AND NATASHAO!!!
Or this natashao…
http://mynamepix.com/images/user/n_32b59fa0.png
http://mynameart.com/mypics/719_78814858618394640.jpg
Mira Andi,
You are so sweet ❤
Thank you for this! You made my day! ?
Vamos!
He he…That’s my girl!!Mission accomplished!!…Now,promise me Natashao..no depressed or sadness anymore okay?..VAMOS NATASHAO AND RAFA!!
PS…Psst!natashao!…Don’t tell xisca i gave u those okay?Otherwise,we’re both going to wake up next day without our a@# attached to our backside!!…Oho!oho!ho!ho!…i don’t want to imagine!!
?
Hawkstradamus picked Fed to win AO and many said it couldn’t happen.
Djokovic completed the first Grand Slam since Laver.
I have a theory.
Expect clay to play much faster this year.
#StayTuned
No matter what was out in Rafa’s way in terms of draws it scheduling, it did not stop h from winning 9 RG titles. So this favoritism only extends so far. I am not about to start speculating about conspiracy theories for RG!
Fed won because both Novak and Murray got knocked out early and that had nothing to do with speeding up the courts. Nobody could have predicted the top two players losing early in the tournament. But both Rafa and Fed capitalized on it. Good for them!
That’s why conspiracy theories do not determine what will happen. Players who come out and give it their all and believe that they can win, are the reason why this sport cannot be fixed or pre-determined.
I took this loss very hard. I had my heart set on Rafa finally winning the double career slam. I am happy that he got to the final. I am frustrated by how he lost. But I do have confidence Moya and his ability to help Rafa get even better. I am looking ahead now.
In many cases, as you say great players including Rafa have overcome advantages/disadvantages, intentional or otherwise.
However, I think there are definite examples of it making a difference.
I think new time violation rule being enforced had an effect on Rafa’s slam production partially responsible (along with injury) for the anxiety that lead to what Rafa called a “mental problema” and a “vulgar” forehand.
I think without this new rule and its enforcement, Rafa would have more slams.
I think AO courts were made faster to help Fed and on traditional AO court/ball speed, I do not think he would have won give how close it was with both Wawrinka and especially Nadal.
I don’t call it a conspiracy though.
I have written a zillion times that Rafa & U.Toni have explained several times that Rafa lost is confidence due to his INJURIES.
U.Toni in his interview with COP, a radio network in Spain, in Dec.2015: “Getting injured in the AO 2014 final was a big blow. When he recovered [therapies helped him temporarily], the wrist issue happened [July 2014] and then appendicitis [Oct-Nov. 2014] when he was trying to come back. All this caused him a huge stress and lack of confidence in his body [in the 2015 season]. He was going on court [in 2015] without knowing/trusting what his body would do.”
http://www.cope.es/player/Toni-Nadal-en-El-Partido-de-las-12-Rafa-volvera-a-ser-el-de-antes&id=2015122301340002&activo=10
I know you have augusta08. I am not as dedicated a Rafan as you! 🙂 OK?
I am just speculating and we won’t always agree you and me.
Rafa’s team also explained that the wrap on Rafa’s wrist in early spring 2016 was just for precaution and nothing to worry about.
But it was.
Injury was obviously a big part of the anxiety problem. Perhaps the catalyst of what was waiting to happen.
It is just a theory and my opinion, that is all augusta08. It is not necessary that we all agree. But based on what Rafa has said about his pre-serve rituals combined with the time violation new rule and enforcement primarily called against Rafa and much less rarely disproportionately with other players who routinely exceeded the time, I do think there was another factor:
“The Spaniard’s multiple on-court rituals, meticulously carried out in every match, are also performed in order to control anxiety and achieve a comforting sense of things being in order. In Nadal’s own words, the rituals are ‘a way of placing myself in a match, [and] ordering my surroundings to match the order I seek in my head.’
Ritual and avoidance behaviors are common ways in which anxious people deal with their difficult mental experiences. But this mental approach is at risk of breaking down if rituals are not performed successfully. Nadal explains in his book that his system of rituals is ‘like a great matchstick structure: if every piece is not symmetrically in place, it can all fall down.’”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neil-endicott/rafael-nadals-tennis-psyc_b_9904880.html
And herewhere Rafa talks about “mental injury” as opposed to “physical injury”.
“Sometimes I recover from injuries. This time what I had, with my not having the control of my nerves or my emotion, is like coming back from an injury, too,” he told reporters.
“It’s not a physical injury, but it’s a mental injury. And this for me is another challenge.”
http://www.thenational.ae/sport/tennis/rafael-nadal-says-he-fought-through-not-having-control-of-my-nerves-or-emotion
It was an extremely serious problem for him.
Rafa said ‘In that moment I said that if I continued like that, with the anxiety I had, I would have retired because I didn’t enjoy (myself) anymore. When you play with anxiety or you are not happy, you cannot travel around the world without enjoying what you do.”
So even if my theory is incorrect (maybe it is), the anxiety itself was serious and very real for him to say he would have quit.
But he is a true champion and exception from most, and he has mostly conquered it to get back to amazing form with the French Open last year and Australia this year.
Vamos Rafa no matter what!!!
I have wriiten a zillion times that Rafa had a loss of mental focus and concentration. We can debate the underlying cause of it and how much injuries played a part in it.
All one has to do is see how Rafa was changing tactics and strategizing and playing with more concentration and intensity in this AO, to see that there has been a big change.
Nobody here knows Rafa personally. So there is no reason for anyone to presume that only they know to a certainty what was going on with Rafa. We are all speculating to some degree and giving our opinions.
I don’t know why there is so much resistance among some here to the idea that Rafa lost his mental strength. That is a big component of what makes a player successful. It is not just physical.
Rafa was mentally focused and fighting hard in all his matches. Coming from behind, fighting off break points and taking opportunities to be aggressive and close out matches. That is a big chance from the Rafa we have seen for most of the last two years.
Rafa has acknowledged his mental problems in his own words. Injuries played a part, but that is not the whole story.
There is no reason why we can’t have our opinions without being attacked or critized for them.
on Nativenewyorker (AT 5:39 PM),
I have quoted a zillion times U.Toni’s words.
AT 5:15 PM,
Rafa’s left wrist injury in 2016 (!) has nothing to do with lacking confidence in 2015 (!). Period.
I agree with you!
Sorry if I wasn’t clear. It is not what I intended to imply.
My point is only that everything is not always as it seems to everybody including Rafa’s own team. They did not think that there was anything to worry about Rafa’s wrist. Yet turned out to be a big problem a couple of months later at the French Open.
Augusta,
You need to take a chill pill and calm down! Really! What is with this nonsense of “period”! Really? You don’t tell me when the discussion is over. That is quite rude and really unnecessary. You need to accept that not everyone will agree with you, that you are not the last word on all things Rafa.
I don’t care how often you quote Uncle Toni, because you have ignored Rafa’s own words that clearly indicate he had a problem with his mental concentration.
I cannot discuss something with a person who persists in displaying intolerance. I am entitled to state my opinion and reasons for thinking so, even if you don’t like or agree.
I was polite to you in my reply and would appreciate it if you would make an effort to reply in kind.
Period!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2VKQfX5tSE
Sorry gussie, I couldn’t resist.
on Nativenewyorker (AT 8:56 PM),
Comma. I had no intention of disussing with you. Period.
And I’ll say it again augusta08, I sincerely apologize for anything I’ve said to offend you in the past.
I understand if you do not accept my apology.
To natashao,Nny,amy,sanju,augusta,hawks,luckystar and my other dear rafa fans..this great article to soothe our wounded soul..
http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/rafael-nadal-greatest-fighter-in-sport
Mira Andi (AT 3:39 PM),
Thanks! 🙂
Some notes.
The article: “…the other hero of the 2017 Australian Open had quietly boarded a plane without much fanfare and left for the clay courts in Majorca. ”
The author doesn’t know that Rafa is going to play 4 HC tournaments before the clay season, and there are 19 hard courts at his own Sports Centre in Mallorca.
.
The article: “…His fingers are always taped. However, the real bruises are deep inside.”
Rafa’s fingers are always taped during matches to protect fingers, his fingers are not damaged.
augusta..You’re most welcome!..Btw..that’s alright..let the author wrote what he wants…the article itself almost made me cry with everything he wrote about rafa…
Mira Andi (AT 4:45 PM),
🙂
The problem is that people are using articles as a source of information.
Agreed!
Must always consider the source. For example, Bodo is a moron. That’s why I prefer to read direct player transcripts or at least direct quotes.
He never said that Rafa’s fingers were bruised! He was saying that the bruises are inside as a figure of speech! It means bruises to one’s heart or psyche or mind.
It was not meant to be taken that literally.
Mira Andi,
Thanks for posting another great read!
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He he…Thanks Nny!btw…I hope u don’t mind,i want to ask u again..how r u today?Okay?…Oppss!I missed u!!He he..
Mira Andi,
Hi! I am feeling much better! You always manage to cheer me up! Also reading Kevin’s comment to Rafa fans was wonderful.
I am looking forward to all of the tennis ahead! I did read that article giving odds already for RG. Now that is really looking way ahead! I am trying not to think about RG yet.
I hope that Rafa can get back into the top four before RG. That would make it easier for him.
Having you here to bring good cheer and happy thoughts has been a blessing! You have a great spirit! I don’t know what I would have done without you!
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Nny!…First of all i want to give u this to cheer u up okay?
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/19/8f/a1/198fa13b7da5b7f0d4b5bb37fa7d1b88.jpg
http://i.quoteaddicts.com/media/quotes/68/3392301-sending-you-healing-hugs.jpg
Nny!I am so so so so glad to hear that you’re okay now..and so so so so so glad to know that I can make u HAPPYYYYYYY!!!!..YAY!!Who would have thunk!!ha ha ha..U know what Nny?You made me feel the same..everytime i came here,it’s your post that i seek first..ha ha ha..sorry guys!You’re so loving and caring and sweet and warm and i smack my stupid head multiple times already for not come here sooner…Btw…i too can’t wait to make a journey with u and amy and natashao and other dear rafa fans on Rafa rollercoaster for the entire season..can’t wait to traded live comments with u,can’t wait to soothe your worry again and again and again and can’t wait to WOOOOOHOOOOO’d with u when rafa win…and lastly to cry with u in case rafa will hold his La Decima!He he..u can’t fault me for dream big Nny!