"I've been too predictable a player ... "

Hey everybody.

I hope you all had a lovely time over Christmas and for those still on a break, enjoy yourselves.

It seems though that Rafa has been busy, and none more so by giving an interview to Juan Jose Mateo, which appeared in El Pais yesterday. Here's the link, and I'm afraid you'll have to put it through a mangle, but hopefully you'll be able to get more than a gist out of it.

I'll do a bit of para-phrasing here, but in summary, its another very honest, very open interview about how Rafa is feeling, his 2011 performance and what the immediate future has for him. Interestingly, one of the questions was about how self-critical Rafa is in public, and that Roger Federer never does it. No he doesn't, does he? *whistle*, but I do wonder sometimes why Rafa is so open, so revealing. And that's great when you're a fan because you get to know more about the complexities of the man than you do perhaps with Mr Perfect, and why would you let your opponents know so many of you deepest thoughts?

But that's just Rafa ... nothing fake. Straight from the soul, and yet another reason to add to the many why we support him.

But back to the interview. Rafa believes that you lose a bit of intensity over the years. That bit of self belief in keeping it going, keeping positive, that things will start to go well for you. He mentions the number of years he's been in the top two, that people talk often of all his injuries, and yet he doesn't believe he's had that many ... issues, yes, but not enough of a sustained nature that have made him drop from the top of the game. And whilst the injury discussions got wrapped up in the years at the top and intensity discussion, I do think it prophetic that he discusses his loss of intensity (remember the 100 years old statement at the French Open?), and we can't forget that he's been at the top of the game since 2005. Players like Federer and Djokovic made it there at 23/24, Rafa was No. 2 at aged 19, and he's had to maintain that intensity for a long time. And before others may cry, "well, Roger's had to do that too", with the Federer question, Rafa answered that Federer has completely different weapons than him, that for him, the intensity is less as he's become distinguished for his game, not his mental strength, but for Rafa its the opposite. Rafa is distinguished for his mental capability to overcome difficult situations, for his drive, his concentration, the intensity in his legs ... and its all that that has been lacking at certain moments this year.

Rafa is honest in saying that he's been too predictable, that he won too many matches in 2011 being dependable on his opponent, rather than depending on himself. Regarding the Djokovic factor, he's felt that in his matches, he's not gone that extra yard. He says that his first failure in Indian Wells was the key, because throughout that match, he felt that it all depended on him, like it was in his hands but then he started to play really badly (that dreadful 1st service percentage in the second set, if you recall), and he feels that winning that match would have taken away a lot of the anxiety with all the others. Miami was close, but surprisingly he says that the Rome match was the one that hurt most of all ... and it hurt him because he didn't take himself to his limit. When he says he did go to the limit - in that US Open final - he got a set back, he got to break points on Djokovic's serve at the start of the fourth. But what he regrets though, is that his hamstring got tired which is something he'd had to deal with after he got that very bad cramping in the presser after the Nalbandian match, and had it not done so, who knows? He knew though, that he had taken Djokovic to his limit in that match, that there was play where he had been dominating him when in so many of their other matches, it had been the other way around.

Interesting that when Rafa speaks of going to his level, Djokovic pulls a MTO after almost losing his own serve and before Rafa had to play his. Because its my belief that Djokovic's gamesmanship enters into matches like this one and the Rome semi-final in that he acts and looks to all intents and purposes like he's dying out there when he most certainly isn't. But what it buys him is players like Rafa and Murray who are playing at their absolute level, [so far] looking over and thinking that they perhaps can dip it a little because of the physical state of their opponent. Not correct, because its at that very point when a dip in their intensity helps Djokovic either to recover, or because of his better level of fitness now it means that he still, in fact, has reserves to draw on and he is helped because his opponents are lured into a false sense of thinking that they don't perhaps have to batter it at the same intensity. They should turn their back and not even look ... let's see for next season, huh?

And speaking of next season ... what does Rafa have to say about it? Well, he says its about playing inside the court more (erm, we all know that), but its about recovering the desire to give more of himself, to getting back to cruise level and then getting it at an even more higher level than that. He thinks he's been right to be self-critical, but not to take it to a point where he was on a downward spiral, although he admits that he kind of switched off after the US Open. He's not expecting it all to come back straight away in January, but he wants to have worked himself up to that position for IW/Miami and to kick on from April which including Wimbledon and the Olympics, is where he wants to be right back on top of his game.

So in conclusion, Rafa's loss of mojo has been evident since the clay court season if you ask me. He's explained that because of the years he's been playing at the levels he has, he perhaps lost some of his intensity; that the match in IW was his till his poor play overtook him and anxiety in subsequent matches got to him. His loss of intensity meant he didn't push himself to his limits in matches, but when he tried, he nearly got there. I just wonder too, that whilst Rafa was experiencing all that (notwithstanding the illnesses and accidents he dealt with which aren't mentioned) ... what of his personal life? I wonder exactly when his parents started making those tentative steps that they were getting back together? How did that all happen, and how much did Rafa know about it? When did it happen? Was he hopeful then nothing came of it, and then somehow it all did? I fail to see how all of that going on in the background (and perhaps a shift in his relationship with Toni), didn't fail to affect Rafa too, somewhat.

I dunno ... I think one hell of a lot has gone on personally, mentally, emotionally, physically and professionally this year, and that its the sum of all these parts that have affected Rafa at times. He's not starting 2012 in the very best of shape considering his shoulder issues, but in the Davis Cup final, at 1-6 down, a game down and 0-40 down on his own serve which he'd only held for one game in the course of the match, he drew on his intensity, his once famed self belief, and even with Del Potro making huge strides in the 4th set ... Rafa won.

A great interview, Rafa. Positive thoughts for 2012 ...