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
Disappointed with the draw
It is what it is. I am not happy nor am I upset, Rafa has to play whoever is in front of him. I hope Rafa is focused and plays his best.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa has himself to blame though. Had he played better, could have avoided this.
Getting through Novak, Murray, Fed back to back to win it all, virtually impossible. The bottom part of draw is heavily cushioned. Same happened in 2013.
Not worried about Murray or Fed. If Rafa gets past Novak he will beat both. Rafa beat both Murray and Novak (semis and final) last year. Fed is never beating Rafa on clay, not at RG.
This draw was rigged to stop Rafa getting much needed momentum. Everyone knows the further Rafa goes in a Slam, the better he gets so the organisers are not taking any chances putting him in Murray’s or Fed’s quarter, better put him in with the guy who gives him the most trouble.
I do not see who can be happy with this draw. Tennis is the loser.
Fed might even lose to Monfils, then who will be left in the bottom half? Crazy.
Nobody rigged this draw! Rafa made it happen when he couldn’t defend his points and win and his ranking dropped out of the top four. So let’s not lose all contact with reality. He had a one of out of three chance of getting Novak. It happened.
Conspiracy theories are really kind of insulting at this point. Rafa is the one who didn’t get the job done. Let’s at least keep it honest.
The typical whining and complaining about rigged draws! This time it’s especially outrageous in light of the fact that Rafa had losses all on his own. The reason for him possible facing Novak in the quarterfinals is all on him.
Are you talking to me @nny? Did you just call me a whiner and a complainer, unprovoked?
Sanju,
Yes, you are correct. It’s going to be as bad as I feared. Rafa had his chances to stay in the top four. We all know what happened. He put himself in this position. To pretend that there is anything good about this draw is really straining credulity.
“Rafa has himself to blame though.” You couldn’t be more profound @Sanju, you simply couldn’t……………..
If rafa beats Novak , he’l win RG.
If Rafa is not going to get La Decima, better he loses to the strongest guy on Tour than be knocked out by some nobody………….
If Rafa loses before the semis, he drops out of the Top 10…………..
Should Rafa make the quarters, he will play Novak on his (Rafa’s) birthday………….
Maria Speaks:
“Everyone expects so much of Rafa at this time of the year. An individual loses a few matches, someone who’s won this event, what is it nine times, I believe?
“He’s an incredible champion, and he has no reason to be here doing it again, and his will and motivation to keep doing it and to keep proving to himself that he can do it again is pretty remarkable.
“It’s actually been a little bit sad, because if I was in his shoes I’d be a pretty accomplished and satisfied player. Here he is just grinding away and proving everyone wrong. I think that’s pretty respectful.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/22/us-tennis-open-sharapova-idUSKBN0O71B620150522
RT @BackSwings : “Massive win for Federer having a half to himself. DISASTER for Rafa…if he wins this, that would be truly extraordinary.”
Oh the drama……….
As far as Rafa’s ranking is concerned, I’m taking solace from the fact that he has virtually no points to defend after Wimbledon. Providing he plays a full season he should be back where he belongs in the rankings soon. It is normal to go down in the rankings after taking time out but so far that has not affected Rafa at all.
Delpo is now ranked #558.
Well Rafa, Nole and Murray all in the same half with Berdych and Stan in Roger’s half as I predicted yesterday.
Congrats to me!!!
And Roger avoiding Nadal’s half last five years in a row at RG is a 3% chance in a random draw. It could happen randomly.
“And Roger avoiding Nadal’s half last five years in a row at RG is a 3% chance in a random draw.”
Do pigs fly?
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 1:17 pm
“Paris is very pleasant to them, but that statement says NOTHING about how a large part of the RG crowd usually behave badly against Rafa, about which Toni Nadal and Rafa have made clear comments on a number of occasions.”
Because it’s not true. The crowd didn’t like it earlier on when Rafa beat their hopefuls, Grosjean and Gasquet and they cheered on the underdog in Sod. It’s true that the FedFans usually make a nuisance of themselves as usual, but the people love Rafa and the establishment love and respect him. He gets the biggest birthday cakes ever presented to him year after year after year.
Nadline, I do believe that you know you are fubbing here. Or perhaps you too do not want to see the truth of the situation in Paris, not in a single year but in most if not all years starting with 2005: MANY fans at RG love Rafa… no question. MANY OTHER fans at RG do not love him (no problem) and behave atrociously especially against him (is a problem.
What part of the last phrase (MANY OTHER fans….) do you not understand or disagree with, nadline, as this is the one and only thing we are trying to present clearly to gussie?
chloro,
I appreciate your patience in trying to convey a sense of reality to some. But they will not hear you. When fandom gets to the point where there is a refusal to face the reality of it, then it’s gone too far.
They are just repeating the same thing over and over. It’s never going to change. You have more patience than I do. Cheryl wrote a truly memorable blog piece about the crowd and their abominable treatment of Rafa. It was one of her best. She had honesty and integrity and never would have dedicated a whole blog to something that didn’t happen.
They know the truth. But it’s all about continuing the refuse to face it. I don’t know why. I do not get it at all. It’s been so obvious and has been documented at length by bloggers. The tournament gives Rafa the birthday cake. Not the fans in the seats. They sing Happy Birthday because it’s just about being polite.
I like to think that the crowd has become more appreciative of Rafa in the last few years. But for far too long their hostility and resentment was appalling. It’s gone on far too long to have anything remotely to do with Rafa being Grosjean and Gasquet. That was just the very worst of it.
The number of rafa fans among the RG crowd has been growing over the years… many really are his fans. You just have to look at the pictures, posted often by gussie of the crowds surrounding him when he walks through RG, practices there, just like at other tournaments. It is NEVER of course all of the crowd at RG that behaves so badly against him, but it is NOT a small number of them either, and it has been happening virtually every year starting with the Grosjean / Gasquest and beating Fed incidents in 2005.
As for the cake, yes, it kind of behooves the tournament organizers since it is well-known that Rafa’s Birthday always falls in the second week of RG, and since he is been a champion there every time since his first appearance, minus the wonky knees year.
I am not quite sure that his incredible achievement merits giving Rafa this year the very highest honour the city can bestow on someone – for let’s be real, it really is just a sport – but at the same time that was a beautiful PR / political and human gesture and is not bad in taste – for, let’s be real again, to achieve something so difficult with all your best efforts over many years and while retaining humility and respectful behaviour is far more than many celebrated people do in their own areas of work.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 2:41 pm,
—The number of rafa fans among the RG crowd has been growing over the years… many really are his fans. You just have to look at the pictures, posted often by gussie of the crowds surrounding him when he walks through RG, practices there, just like at other tournaments—
==================================================
Maybe you just hadn’t seen pictures of Rafa surrounded by fans in the tournaments? I started to post these pictures BECAUSE someone here tried to convince me (& others) that Rafa didn’t have fans outside Spain. The pictures drove and are still driving this someone mad – pay attention to his reaction/actions when I have posted a picture of Rafa with his fans! 😆
gussie,
since you quoted me with this:
–The number of rafa fans among the RG crowd has been growing over the years… many really are his fans. You just have to look at the pictures, posted often by gussie of the crowds surrounding him when he walks through RG, practices there, just like at other tournaments–
what part of ‘posted by gussie’ or of the rest is ambiguous to you?
chloro
May 22, 2015 at 3:58 pm
===============================
If it wasn’t understandable to you, I add one words: “BEFORE”.
Maybe YOU just hadn’t seen pictures of Rafa surrounded by his fans BEFORE (!) I started to post them. “Tennis media” is dedicated to promote Fed and rarely publishes pictures of Rafa with his fans.
I see what you mean. You are right about this.
The other side of this is that it is not all of the media that is like that.
To name but two examples: Cheryl Murray and Tignor. Sometimes reported from Paris, othertimes from watching RG (and other tournaments) on tv. Reporting the whole picture in a number of articles. Including bad treatment of Rafa. Good treatment of Rafa. Everything else.
None of this, I mean, the media, the RG crowd, etc, is black-and-white, I mean only this way or that.
Sorry, I meant to say that it’s gone on far too long to have anything to with Rafa BEATING Grosjean and Gasquet! Typos in my last post!
chloro: “MANY OTHER fans at RG do not love him (no problem…….”
Like I said, they are FedFans. No problem. Why do you have to keep repeating that the Paris fans don’t like Rafa? They were chanting his name in the final last year. If you think they don’t like him, that’s fine but you don’t have to go on and on about it.
nadline: I know you back up gussie, no problem, but be fair about the facts. Those who chant his name are not the MANY OTHER fans I write about. The reason I repeat myself, as you well know, is because gussie (and occasionally you) keeps talking about the MANY fans of rafa at RG when we speak to her about the OTHER, as if that is an answer that explains everything.
If you had two children and one repeatedly shoplifted from my store I would at some point come knocking at your door and have a conversation about it. If you then said “but my other child never shoplifts at your store” would that be useful to the conversation?
MANY OTHER fans of course should read: MANY OTHER among the crowd
Sorry you’ve lost me. I don’t understand your analogy. I am not just supporting gussie, I am just tired of this song being played repeatedly every time RG comes around. Some of you think that is Rafa’s legacy in Paris; never mind his 9 titles. I don’t think that’s how Rafa would like to be remembered in RG even if it were true; he deserves much more than that.
There are usually more people watching Rafa practice at RG than attend some matches. The fans follow him around everywhere………..some hatred. Change the record.
The analogy is very simple for you to understand, nadline, I’ve been reading your comments for years and you are very sharp. It just says that pointing to nice fans in fact is irrelevant to discussions about the atrocious behaviour of MANY others.
The only reason Cheryl Murray, Tignor, and others including some of us here made a point to writing about it is that has not been just ‘some hatred’. There just isn’t anything comparable in intensity or consistently directed over the years at any one ATP player at any other tournament. Yes, the NY and Aussie crowds are rowdy generally but this is an extreme (and by no means SMALL) phenomenon. What makes it stand out even more is that it is directed at the one male tennis player who both wins nine times at RG and is of such fine behaviour himself.
But you knew all that already.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 3:12 pm
—The only reason Cheryl Murray, Tignor, and others including some of us here made a point to writing about it is that has not been just ‘some hatred.—
===================================
Thank you for reminding again the same imaginary story! This is a great example how SOME (boos and hisses) in somebody’s story became HALF THE STADIUM (booed) in somebody else’s story! And this is also a great example how story-writers are capable of seeing in other people’s heads and knowing exactly WHY they booed somewhere FAR AWAY from something ( i.e. somewhere FAR AWAY from the court where Rafa played)! I am wondering why nobody booed on Court Philippe Chatrier, where Rafa played! 😆
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CCiZFm-W0AABvbr.png
Many RG crowd fans love Rafa but the great majority of RG crowd (mostly Parisians) fans (no less than two thirds IMO) are obnoxious French fedfans.
Among the many obnoxious RG crowd members… I suspect a number are perhaps not even fedfans, but anti-Rafa for other reasons (Spanish, etc). But most must be fedfans as for many years since the rise of Federer so many people have been fedfans unless they were or became Rafa fans.
The Spanish factor, not the only one outside of the Fed factor, is a large one in any case. Several times while vacationing in Spain or Portugal during the soccer eurocup or worldcup I watch finals and semi-finals involving the Spanish on French tv. The anti-Spanish bias in the commentating was extreme, well outside of any resemeblance of objectivity.
Even when Paris honours Rafa you have to spoil it by digging up this farce. Give it a rest!
Paris is not the RG crowd nor is the RG crowd a random sample of the Paris population.
Most Parisians don’t care about tennis.
The farce is people denying the immensity and consistency of the bad behaviour… which is the only reason we are still talking about it.
Now, the award is a beautiful thing. (And possibly precipitated by PR concerns over same shameful topic, in addition to the positive reasons to award it to Rafa).
This whole thing is about much of the RG crowd, not about Rafa. It clearly bothers him at some matches enough that he commented on it. But no more than that. I doubt he spends much time thinking about it the rest of the time. It will have no part in how his achievements in Paris will be remembered, of course. But he won’t on a personal side not forget the treatment, even if he won’t think about it often.
I wrote this a few years back on TT: I used to take the train to Paris often while I lived nearby in Belgium. I loved the city and the experiences there. The rude behaviour did not even register in my mind back then. Only in subsequent visits from across the pond I started to notice the rudeness and then it was hard not to notice. Half the people I met in the city of light, if we talked about it, apologized for the other half. Same for other people met in other parts of France, they too had similar views of HALF of the parisians. The repeated rudeness did in time flavour my feeling of Paris, can’t help it. I still like the city a lot, but something has changed.
Similarly, it takes a lot of doing for Rafa to say anything negative in general about a crowd anywhere. I think this might be the only crowd he has ever said anything negative about. Of course that was only about the MANY OTHER among the crowd, not the once behaving like grown-up human beings.
Paris is a beautiful city wasted on the French. The nicest person I met there turned out to be American.
The nicest person I met there turned out to be from another part of France, and after 8 years in Paris had the similar views about (many of) the Parisians as I had.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 3:20 pm
—it takes a lot of doing for Rafa to say anything negative in general about a crowd anywhere. I think this might be the only crowd he has ever said anything negative about.—-
=================================================
Rafa only said that he would like to get more support next time, and is was in 2009!!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CFoFOG7WMAA4EMO.png
You are in deep denial, gussie, and the cherry-picked quotes are not helping.
For example, the more recent interview with Rafa that was posted here on tenngrand a few days ago, did you just conveniently suppress rafa’s words about the RG crowd that were in it?
Not to mention Uncle Toni’s words which backed up Rafa’s conservative words.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 5:28 pm
—You are in deep denial, gussie, and the cherry-picked quotes are not helping.—
=====================================
Please post Rafa’s quote(s) what would help YOU.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 5:28 pm
—-For example, the more recent interview with Rafa that was posted here on tenngrand a few days ago, did you just conveniently suppress rafa’s words about the RG crowd that were in it?—
======================================
Please post the time of my comment.
No one here is saying that everyone in the crowd dislikes Rafa! That’s absurd! What we are saying is that there are many in the crowd who have not been supportive of him over the years, sometimes exhibiting obnoxious behavior.
Why is this even being argued? It’s a fact! But then we get accused of saying something that we never said, i.e. that ALL the crowd is against Rafa.
No one ever said that! But good luck with trying to get through to someone like Augusta!
nativenewyorker7 says:
May 23, 2015 at 4:38 pm
—But then we get accused of saying something that we never said—
—But good luck with trying to get through to someone like Augusta!—
==========================================================
NNY, I don’t know whom you are writing about in the first sentence, but as for me, let me remind you that I have always presented your actual quotes and you have been very angry about that! Try to be honest!
Jeez, the drama, anyone would think Rafa just got shot, he just got a relatively bad draw, in a tennis tournament…………that’s all.
Calm down Rafans. As Rafa would say, life goes on…………
Why are we debating about whether Paris likes Rafa or not? Does it really matter? He won it 9 times nevertheless. 🙂
We used to debate it on tennistalk on a few occasions, e.g. when Cheryl wrote a sensitive post about.
I find two things about this quite fascinating: how extreme that behaviour is against one athlete in particular (I can’t think of anything similar anywhere at any time in tennis), and how strongly gussie and sometimes nadline want to pretend it is just a minor one-time or so little thing.
chloro says:
May 22, 2015 at 5:00 pm,
—Cheryl wrote a sensitive post about—
=============================================
She made you believe that HALF THE STADIUM booed somewhere FAR AWAY from the Court Philippe Chatrier where Rafa played! I keep wondering why NOBODY booed on Court Philippe Chatrier!!! 😆
Sanju says:
May 22, 2015 at 3:37 pm
—Why are we debating about whether Paris likes Rafa or not? Does it really matter?—
========================
It’s important to chloro to convince people that Paris doesn’t like him ( see May 22, 2015 at 1:17 pm).
Sanju,
The issue is that some here will not tolerate even the suggestion that the Parisian fans at RG do not wholeheartedly support Rafa. It’s more of this obsessive fandom that has been too evident on here at times.
Nothing bad or remotely critical of Rafa can ever be said. You know what we are talking about and it’s not just the French crowd not liking Rafa. You have been called out for some of your comments that were considered to be unkind or unfair to Rafa. When you felt pessimistic, don’t you recall how you were chastised the usual few who will have decided that absolute and total hero worship of Rafa is the order of the day?
It’s also about being honest. It’s not the end of the world to face the fact that the French haven’t completely embraced Rafa over the years at RG.
If it’s not the end of the world, then why are some here so determined to argue about it endlessly and say it never happened, never existed? That’s the more important question.
Just found out about the draw. All I can say is NOOOOOOOOO!!!
The one person Rafa didn’t want to meet in the quarters was Djokovic. If it had been in the final he could have won I think because he could have built up his form and confidence by then…but the quarters is too soon. Also, I’m not sure that if he did beat Djoker that he would win the next match…he’s been very inconsistent and to beat Djokovic he would almost certainly have to play a very long and emotionally and physically draining match. I don’t think that the next match would then be a given…
Gutted…..
Oh and never mind my desire to see Rafa get a good draw it also feels absurd for the best 2 claycourters by miles in the last few years to be meeting this early – it’s not good for the tournament that they should do so…
I think Djoker will still be wary of playing Rafa but he’s going to like playing him as early as possible so this will suit him…
http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Rafael+Nadal+French+Open+Day+9+yqCUYl8fHnkx.jpg
At least Rafa will still go out and celebrate his birthday should he lose in the quarters!