This post has been a long time coming ...

I'm shallow, aren't I? I can only just bring myself to post about Rafa's loss on Sunday to Djokovic ... who I am going off quicker by the second, but more of that later.

Well, something had to give as we knew. Either Rafa's clay court run or Djokovic's 2011 un-beaten run, and sadly for us, it was Rafa's. I suppose I'm most disappointed because of the way he played. Remember in Miami I said that I was disappointed for him, not with him. Its different here. Rafa's game-plan was awful, his tactics non-existent, he never gave any variety of his shots. He was being blasted by Djokovic's cross court backhand ... yet still kept hitting at it. So from having break points in the opening game of the first set, Rafa then quickly fell 0-4 behind. Credit to him that he actually worked to make some in-roads in that set to level at 5-5, but at 5-6 and serving, Djokovic got two lucky net cords and with gasps from the crowd, the second one was what gave him the set.

But Rafa came out of the blocks all guns blazing and broke for the first game of the second set ... and then was weak on his own and the break was won back. Serving at 3-5, Djokovic pushed up to attack and had 3 match points and a shot out won it for him.

Rafa has a lot to learn from this, and to be beaten on clay ... its a dent to him. There was no hug at the net this time, our boy was head bowed at many points during the trophy ceremony, being subdued seemed to be the order of the occasion. After the match though, I was very heartened to hear this (and forget all that No. 1 stuff the media are obsessed about ... its never been that big a deal to Rafa at this stage in the season anyhow) ... "I have to see what's missing and work with a cool, open mind to decipher things and find the solutions."

That's the altitude, Rafa. See what's missing, understand things and work out how to put it right. Such a grounded, level headed approach and I feel so warmed to be his fan.

As for Djokovic ... well, it was a really classy display his team showed when wearing their "6" t-shirts whilst celebrating in their box, wasn't it? Remember the furore over Feds' "15" jacket?? How is this different?? And the Bryan Brothers tweeted a video of Djokovic and his team, outside the players' hotel on Sunday night, waving around a Serbian flag, shouting, singing, jumping up and down and publicly celebrating their win on the streets of Madrid.

How would we feel, readers, if there had ever been a video in the public domain of Rafa and the Team, shouting, singing and dancing and waving the Spanish flag around in the country of the opponent that he'd just beaten??

I thought Djokovic had learnt from some of the crassness of his own behaviour and that of his family and team in 2008. It seems though, that success can bring out some of the worse behaviours in people, and he is fast losing any good will and rapport built up by rival fans over the past couple of years. He's losing mine, and its not that Rafa gets beaten ... that happens ... its how Djokovic and team are behaving after doing so that is leaving an increasing bad taste.

So roll on Rome Rafa ... and if you do meet him in the final ... I hope you DESTROY him. Vamos!!!