*Doh*a round up ...

OK ... I'm a bit late with this post, but lets finish off the sickness-fest that was Doha. But just before we do, I see that racy old minx from the day before was once again sitting behind Rafa waiting to see him peel the sweat soaked shirt from his back. We're only two weeks in, but she gets my vote for Rafateer of the Year ...

Anyway, Rafa took to the court on Friday to play the semi-final against Nicolay Davydenko, and whilst Rafa broke and took an early lead, he very quickly ran out of steam. Davy took the first set 6-3 and at the change over, a clearly fevered Rafa called the medics and had an MTO, but to no avail ... what could they do??


The second set didn't get any better, particularly when Davy raced to a 5-0 lead. When a bagel seemed on the cards, Davy started to lose his nerve and Rafa won 2 games. When he then went 40-0 up on Davy's serve, even in the state Rafa was in, we all thought ... "surely not??". A fit Rafa would have made a fist of it, but Davy managed to pull himself together and win the game to take the match.


As Rafa looked like he was dead on his legs, it seemed almost impossible that he would be able to pull himself together to play with Marc! in the doubles final. But ... this is Rafa, and whilst Marc! said that it was OK for them to pull out, Rafa wouldn't hear of it. According to a subsequent interview with Marc! Rafa told them that as they won the doubles back in 2009 and then he went on to lift the Australian Open, then they had to do it!! Superstitious? Surely not! *cough*


Well ... win the match they did, via a 6-3, 7-6 scoreline. I'm probably late in posting these reports because I have to say that I was really fed up with Rafa over this whole Doha affair. The boy was out on his feet against Lacko, and it was only Lacko's lack of conditioning and fitness that meant he couldn't finish Rafa off. But inspite of his sickness, he kept he commitments to both singles and doubles when I just felt he should withdraw, get over the illness and give himself the best chance possible to recover for the AO.

But this is Rafa ... *doh* And yet we STILL love him ...