"Today after my practice I received a very nice visit."
*sigh* ... I've stood on that balcony at Manacor Tennis Club. Sadly Rafa didn't pop along that day. *sigh* ...
Friday 29 March 2013
Thursday 28 March 2013
PinkPantsWatch ...
Watch Feli, Fer, Pico and Nico the Oompah Loompah in their recent Esquire magazine shoot at kindly fanboy, Uncle Ellison's Indian Wells mansion.
And not a smug tosser or foul mouthed vulgarian in sight ...
Rafa's daily dose ... or is it "Maymo's School of Photography" ?
"Today it's my turn to be the cheff! Let's see what happens ..."Steak instead of pasta wiff gambas?? That's very adventurous offf you, Raffa ... ;)
But all the classic signs are there. The Devils' eyes, slightly out of focus, the shocking exposure ... Maymo's been playing with his Brownie again. *cough*
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Some play with a rubber ducky in the bath ...
Rafa plays poker. In a bath ...
Rafa in a bath ...
*thud*
Thing is though, in the second version of the clip below, Rafa wins.
Hands up who wanted him to stand up from that bath and punch the air in victoree?? Erm ... own up, cos I know I was not the only one. ;)
Tuesday 26 March 2013
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Muchas felicidades a la Roja!Congratulations to Spain!"Aah ... well, little Rafa's happy, so that's good.
Glad he didn't have to watch England's second half performance ... :-/
Monday 25 March 2013
Back to practice ...
Rafa's back on the practice court in Manacor - yeyyy!!
Here he is giving a short interview ...
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Back to the practice on the clay court. A nice day!"A nice day?? Lucky you, Rafa. We're still freezing our arses off in the UK!!
Friday 22 March 2013
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Supporting la roja with my friends!"Typical Friday night in for Rafa ... watching the footie with his mates.
VAMOS!!
Thursday 21 March 2013
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Relaxed evening at home."Aaah ... you deserve it Rafa.
[another nice grainy picture from Maymo though .. ;) ]
Wednesday 20 March 2013
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Resting for a few days at home. I'll come back to practice to prepare the clay tour."
Have a good rest, Rafa. And we'll see you in Monte Carlo !!!
By the way ... you have no idea how close this post was to being an entry to Maymo's School of Photography. Rafa's not the only one that's returned to some form then. ;)
Tuesday 19 March 2013
FeliWatch ...
OK ... now I seriously am getting some angst with this dolphin.
Look at Feli's face as he gets ready to pucker up, and then the smug reaction from bloody Flipper as she gets a full on snog. #bitch
FeliWatch ...
Is it wrong to have dolphin envy??
And by the look on that dolphin's face, someone's getting a right good tickle ... *steam*
And speaking of FeliWatch, I'm wondering if someone can help me out here. Back in July, I made this FeliPost which was a fan's account of meeting him on his way back from Columbia. Now for whatever reason, for the past few weeks, that post has had tons and tons of hits. In fact, it is now by far and away the most popular post on the whole of this site. A Rafa fansite!!
So if you're someone who's visiting this particular page, can you post a comment to let me know why. Thank you.
But in other news, the following url sites of prostituki-lipetska and bankey-kredity also send people to this site!! Can't think what's worse ... people listing this site on a Russian hookers website or being cyber stalked by noleisthebest. :D :D
Monday 18 March 2013
Where do I start ... ???
Well hello to all you out there. Yes you. You lovely people who have followed this blog for however long it's been in your attention, but especially so in these difficult, past months through the injury layoff and the nervousness of the return, and all I want to ask is this ...
Who's smiling now?
You've watched the match, you saw the drama, you don't need me to take you through it. So this lead-in post about the 2013 final of Indian Wells is just to discuss emotions and feelings, the highs, the lows, what it is to follow Rafa and how very, very happy I am for him that he became the victor of the first Masters 1000 series of the 2013 season.
Three weeks ago I was packing, getting ready to go to the South of France for a little break, when it was being wildly reported from some so-called reputable journalist sources that Rafa was to withdraw from Indian Wells and Miami. And I believed it. But then maybe three weeks ago before he started his run at Acapulco, that was exactly how he was feeling. But as he progressed through that tournament, and after his magnificent performance in the final against David Ferrer, he had a turnaround ... he was doing more than California dreaming ... he was going there.
I love Indian Wells. Sorry, but it's there that the season really seems to start for me. I enjoy seeing the beautiful setting, I enjoy watching the tournament, and I also enjoy how much the players seem to like it there - from shirtless practice to playing football on the grass, it all seems so relaxed and well ... happy. And not only is Rafa shamelessly openly supported by it's owner - Larry Ellison - but he is also fantastically well supported there by us, his regular fans.
And over on VamosBrigade, I just love to read the blogs posted by the fans who actually go there and follow him. It's brilliant to read their experiences, see their pictures, watch their videos and follow their tweets. And this year was no exception. BlueBird and Attitudette posted fantastic blogs as we learnt about all their shenanigans and tales from Da House ... from locks that took an age to fathom how to open, to the infamous craft table, from pom poms to banners, to burning in the bleachers and to free wifi in Starbucks that serves us all so well.
But over the weekend, 'Tude did a blog post about when Rafa said that he missed the fans more than we missed him. Another VBer (SW828) is apparently to have said that he has no clue. And 'Tude's post went on to describe that if Rafa were to see and witness all that his fans do, and think and say about him, and how we feel in those tense moments and the warmth we feel and share when he wins ... then he may actually have a hint of a clue. And the thing is ... that post really touched me. Because none of us who write this stuff have any "journalistic" or writing experience whatsoever. We do it off our emotion and off our feelings, because we want to share what we think about this very special player. And some of us - the lucky ones - who do have the opportunity to go and see him play, want to share every second of the experience with you in the hope that it makes it real for you and most of all ... that you enjoy it and share in the absolute F.U.N. that it is, at times, following Rafael Nadal. But more so, because of the wonderful people you meet either by the practice courts, courtside or via the internet.
Rafa shed tears when he won in Acapulco two weeks ago, but yesterday was about nothing other than his unadulterated joy. However, there were tears last night - mine - as my pride and joy for him in victory couldn't be expressed in any other way. I ran about my lounge in joyful celebration as much or if not more-so than some of his Slam victories. And if it wasn't for the fact that I was dressed in my pyjamas without the aid of a TenaLady, I might have screamed and hollered, jumped up and down, and cried some more.
Rafael Nadal. You are the most charismatic, exciting force that I have ever seen on a tennis court. I have never known the gamut of emotions watching you as I have with any other player. You are a total inspiration. I feel privileged and honoured that I have had the luxury of watching you play in my lifetime, and just when you think after 11 Slams and 21 Masters he can't make you feel any more proud ... he just does.
Vamos Rafa. You are a special, special player ...
[I'm going to take my time just posting a series of pictures, videos and whatever else takes my fancy as I catch up on yesterday's events. Bear with me, and let's just enjoy it. xxx]
Sunday 17 March 2013
Rafa is OUT of Miami ...
So it's now official.
Rafa is out of the Miami Masters and here's a link to the player list via @TAlternative
It's not a wholly surprisable omission considering that he's reached the final here at Indian Wells, and it's obviously a hardcourt tournament he thinks he can do without.
I think it's a very sensible decision. Rafa's got some invaluable work outs here in Indian Wells where I'm sure he's learnt a lot about himself, his knee and has had much improved opposition. But now its time to rest ... until he heads off on to the clay.
VAMOS!!!
Rafa's daily dose ...
"Ready!!!"Pity you didn't reveal more of the thighs, Rafa ... but Good Luck, Champion!!!
Rafa gets Ready to Rumble ...
Rafa's on the court and warming up for THE FINAL !!!
Go Rafa!! We're with you all the way!!!
Rafa's daily dose ...
"I'm going to the shower, then press conference and rest for tomorrow's game!"Good luck, Rafa!! We're all with you!!!
Someone who knows something about tennis ...
Geez.... I've missed Rafa. Love the struggle, love the fight, love the emotion, love the hate to lose attitude. #vamosrafa
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) March 14, 2013
Darren Cahill ... man of tennis. Yep, someone who actually does know a thing or two about tennis ... and appreciates Rafa for all his worth and what he brings to the game.
And equally, what he brings to tennis as a man ...
Rafa being Rafa after his semifinal win. twitter.com/darren_cahill/…
— Darren Cahill (@darren_cahill) March 16, 2013
You beauty !!!
Oh Rafa. You know sometimes you think you're going run out of superlatives when talking about this man ... and then he goes and amazes you one more time.
Irregardless of the H2H with Berdych, I had more worries about this match than I did with Feds ... but he was marvellous. Rafa played a really good first set, but it was still pretty close.
But in the second set, you could feel Berdych knocking on the door on each of Rafa's serves and when the pressure was on, this is the area where perhaps Rafa is still showing his rust ... he got nervous. A second serve luckily caught the net and went in to give Rafa yet another chance ... but the double fault and break still came.
But whilst Rafa may have his rust on the big points, his steely determination to fight, to scrap, to work hard, to lift his game, all of that is still there and never was it more in evidence than when Berdych served to take the second set ... and Rafa broke.
And he didn't win another game again. Rafa still showed his nerves when holding match points, but oh ... the sheer joy he expressed on victory was just immense. No Rafa, in all honestly we probably didn't expect to see you in the final of a hardcourt tournament this soon either. But you're there. And you totally deserve it. Better still, that odious, foul-mouthed Serb was knocked out in splendid fashion by Juan Martin Del Potro. Take that, you and all your equally obnoxious fans.
By the way, it's my birthday today ... so if Rafa could deliver the best of presents, how good would that be?? VAMOS RAFA!!
Saturday 16 March 2013
Rafa's daily dose ...
"A great day in Indian Wells. Enjoying the rest day!!"Have fun, Rafa!! And good luck tonight!!
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