Manacor practice ...

Here's Rafa in the Mallorcan sunshine continuing to practice hard today. And whilst yesterday we had the slightly worrying news that Rafa is still feeling some pain, the main piece of news today was Rafa's new racquet.

It was referred to in David Nadal's tweets of yesterday, and it seems that it was something Toni wanted him to do - which Rafa didn't agree with - but he's giving it a go anyway. Babolat say that the new racquet and new strings give Rafa “more power and more control” to his shots.

“More top spin, he already has a lot of that but he wants more,” is what Babolat have said.

You have to laugh about the cries of derision to this news. You know, the moans about him playing with an even bigger margin and even more defensive. Well I'll tell you what. Rather than Rafa playing to his strengths and terrorising his opponents with even more top-spin in order to perhaps break them down a bit quicker than before to save the mileage on his knees ... let's send him out there with a frying pan with a pink ribbon tied round the handle to make everything look so much prettier to assuage those who deride and tear his game to pieces anyway!

Just remind me again what tennis is about. Is it about winning? And doing what you do best in order to attain that win?  And improving on something that you do best to make it even more effective to get those wins?  Hmmm .. thought so.

Wonder if a pair of pink shoe-laces are quivering with anxiety about the total pulverisation of a backhand??

source : Reuters/Enrique Calvo via @RafaelNadalFC