More boat pardy from Ibiza ...

Smiley Rafa continuing to have fun ...

*Beep Beep*

pictures via Splash New Online

Hhhmmmmm ...

I've got a rainbow on my ass, and I'm not afraid to show it ...

Hottie in the freezer aisle ...

Hehe ... Rafa is in the Ibiza equivalent of ASDA.

picture via @SitTanyusha

Rafa's daily dose ...

"Having lunch with my friends. The landscape is amazing."

Ahoy, capt'n ...

Boat pics !!!

Yey!!! Rafa's on holiday !!!

Here's a report on Rafa from Ibiza ...

Rafa giving it large at the Julio concert ...

Loose lips ...

Tio Toni in El Pais: Rafa didn't have good sensations of any sort,not on his shots,his movement or his attitude. What failed most was...
— Sandy (@nycsandygirl) June 26, 2013

(cont'd) his attitude. That's why we lost. In the end, he didn't confront the match well." Article says this reinforces what others heard...
— Sandy (@nycsandygirl) June 26, 2013

Right Toni. If you say so ...

I looked at this picture, you see, and watched Rafa on Monday.  And of course I'm just a simple fan so I don't know anything.  But when I saw how Rafa let shots go on Monday, and couldn't make it to others; and how he tried to play every single shot on his forehand, and took backward, running steps with his racquet held out in his hand so that he could yet again avoid hitting a backhand ... my thought was that it was just a lack of preparation that was making him play so badly.  Or Rafa's attitude.

And from my friends who were there at the match and who reported that Toni was incredibly vocal to Rafa throughout it, but then he just stopped in the third set.  Was it because he resigned himself to the inevitable, or was it because Rafa told him that it was just not going to happen?

And by the look of that picture above after a stop off in Barcelona - where his doctor is - rather than a trip straight home, I think the taping all over it suggests something other than "a lack of preparation".

And what does Rafa have to say?? ...

Rafa Nadal via @davidjnadal "Each has his opinion. It's not mandatory to have the same opinion as my uncle"
— Camelia Melescanu (@cami_melescanu) June 27, 2013

Quite, Rafa ...

I tire of Toni ... I really do.  How Rafa handled himself with the media after that match was exemplary.  He refused to speak about his knee when asked, he gave credit to his opponent - credit being soooooo important to the baying masses out there.  He spoke about how the impact of grass affects him differently.  He said enough, without saying anything ... and that's the way it should be.  He then has to dust himself off and move on, and we as fans have to do likewise.  

So as with Rafa's injury lay off last year, Toni speaks in half-sentences, fans the flames, creates the headlines ... and puts Rafa in a position where it is he who receives the backlash of any negativity.  But as Rafa says, it's not mandatory to have the same opinion as Toni.  No it's not Rafa, and I don't ...

En casa ...

Beguine the beguine ...

With a new haircut and his lovely girlfriend on his arm, how does Rafa live it up with a night on the tiles ...

... he goes to a Julio Iglesias concert.  *facepalm*

You might as well look sheepish in this picture, Rafa.  Julio Iglesias!!!

He's even older than MY  Dad !!!

Back home ...

Rafa returned home to Spain today ... to Barcelona.

And no doubt a visit to the doctor. Sigh.

Rafa has the concentrate ...

Haha ... Rafa just has to get these questions right about his career. No, the boy never, ever gives up ...

posted by @Asrunn

The presser video ...

Rafa's presser ...

You can read Rafa's post-match presser here ...

Of Rafa ... I am always proud.

I've had steak pudding, chips and gravy for tea.

And I'm just having a glass of red.  Stuff it being a school night, I don't care.  It will be followed by another one.  And I've sat in quiet contemplation of what I might write in today's post.  So I'll do what I usually do and just write straight from the heart.

I'm sad about today's result, very sad.  But I don't feel anywhere near as bad as I did last year.  Because whilst Steve Darcis played a nice, intelligent match, it was entirely different.  It feels a whole lot different, and Darcis has behaved with grace and with respect for Rafa whilst taking pride in his own performance.

And talking of grace and respect, we know that Rafa has steadfastly refused to discuss his knee today or offer that up as any excuse, nor did he retire and take something away from his opponent.  He did what he usually does ... and that was to try his best.  I don't need or want to go into too many tennis specifics, but when he's struggling on service games, when he just chips back a return of serve, when he does everything he can to play on his forehand and engages in ridiculous backward running steps just to keep it on that shot and does everything humanly possible to keep the ball off his backhand ... something is wrong.  Anyone - unless you're a hater, noleisthebest or Peter Bodo - could see how impaired his movement was today, and it was visibly at it's worst in the the third set.  A message from one of my friends who was there read that he wasn't able to move, and was visibly in pain.  It seems the transition from the clay courts to grass is something that he's just not been able to overcome quickly enough this year.  It's interesting that Rafa says that grass is one of his most difficult surfaces because he has to play lower, and that probably hurts him.  And up until he started practising on grass last week, then perhaps he had no real idea just how much it hurt.

But I am left with the feeling now of what next?  How much longer?  Is this another injury set back that will take him weeks to get better, or will this two weeks and the natural break after Wimbledon be enough for him to recover.  And a recovery to what?  He's talking about the US Open, and which of the two warm up tournaments he might participate in ... but we've 8 months of hardcourts to look forward to now.  And I'm not.

I don't want today to take anything away from what Rafa has achieved since February.  It shouldn't cloud any of that, nor should it cloud my judgement of it.  And my pride as a fan seeing what he achieved.  It was the right move to make coming back on clay, and it helped him build that rhythm that Rafa so obviously needs.  He never does anything quickly, after all.

And I truly believe that everything about his comeback all rolled towards that major aim of the French Open.  And what did I say the other day?  A phrase nicked from Melissa which was that anything else would just be gravy.  Well, after that MC loss that came too soon in his comeback, he's been imperious towards the business end of tournaments.  Barcelona, Madrid, the humiliation of Federer in Rome and his sheer spectacular French Open win, well ... it's been miraculous, and I shouldn't forget that.

But I'll tell you one thing I don't want.  Rafael Nadal should not be going out in the first round of tennis tournaments.  And I don't want to hear the "the no-one has a God given right to win in the first round", because I still maintain, Rafa should not be going out in the first round.  And I don't want to see him in pain, and I don't want to see him suffer.  I know he likes to suffer on a tennis court, but he means something entirely different than that.  As a fan, what was pleasurable at all about today?  Or any of the times we've seen this before.  I was sat in Philippe Chatrier four weeks ago feeling absolutely sick to my stomach that surely no, it can't happen ... Rafael Nadal cannot go out in the first round of the French Open.  Well, he didn't that day, but he didn't have it within him to not let it happen today.

It's too early for obituaries, and if I come across like I'm giving them, then I'm sorry.  For whatever choices Rafa makes from this point on, and if he turns up in Montreal, Cincinnati or wherever, you can bet your ass I'll be here supporting him.  But not one of us knows the suffering Rafa had to endure over those seven months.  We saw some of it when his father broke down in Chile, when Rafa broke down in Mexico, when Toni broke down at the French Open.  I can feel my bottom lip going just thinking about it.

So another Major is upon us, and once again it's lost its sparkle.  And as for Rafa ... you're a 12 time Grand Slam champion.  You've won more Masters titles than anyone in the history of the game.  You've won at least one Major for the past 9 years ... re-group, and make the right decision for you.  

  

Pre-tournament interview ...

You cold, Rafa???

Rafa pre-tournament presser ...

Rafa's pre-tournament presser isn't yet up on the Wimbledon page (annoyingly), however, the following are quotes taken from Reuters ...

"I was not ready to play here. That's the real thing. I play with an infiltration (painkilling injection) from the first day," Nadal, seeded five this year, told reporters after practising on Saturday. 

"Last year I played here because it's a tournament that I love. I tried my best. But after Roland Garros my knee was not there any more. After here I was not able to compete in one more tournament during the rest of the season. 

"That's tennis and that's the sport. You lose, you win. That's part of the game. But that experience for me last year was too much. I suffered too much. 

"If you are in the final rounds and if you have to protect or play with an infiltration, it's fine. But playing with an infiltration from the first day doesn't exist. Wimbledon was not a good decision for me."

It still breaks me as a fan to hear what we all know now, that Rafa was in a bad state at last year's Wimbledon. We should have known from the start with that very odd match with Bellucci. Saying nothing about what happened after.

"You cannot forget the tennis when you have Wimbledon in two weeks. It's impossible. But I stopped for a few days," Nadal said. "This time of year in Mallorca it's great as we have a little time to enjoy the sea. 

"Not playing a tournament before here always makes it a little bit tougher because you really play with the real feelings only when you are playing matches."

We know Rafa, that you will always try your best ... you took time out, you needed it, we'll see what happens.

"I didn't play a lot on grass the last couple of years, so I really take care about myself about the first round. I don't think about the other things," said Nadal, who plays Belgium's Steve Darcis on Monday.

"My view is if I arrive to the quarter-finals is because I will be ready. But for me, it's going to be very tough to be there."

But if you're there Rafa ... we too, will be ready.

VAMOS!!!!

Shirtless practice ...

Well ... this is summer in England, so maybe not, hey?

Nice shirt change though, Rafa.  Looking good ...

FeliWatch ...

Congratulations to the lovely Feli who won in a windy Eastbourne today.

He beat Gilles Simon, 7-6, 6-7, 6-0 ... and I swear, when he lost that second set I thought the match would go away from him. But no! Feli handled the conditions just that bit better than Simon and I'm delighted for him that he's won a title, and a grass court one at that. Happy for him!!

Rafa's daily dose ...

"Do yo think I can finish my practice?"

By the look of that sky, Rafa, you'd better hurry up ...

Cheeky cousins!!!

BOOM!!

picture - Florien Eisele/AELTC

Pfft! It's a cakewalk ... !!!

Cakewalk, cupcake ... pfft. Let's scoff the lot and be done with it! Hehe ...

With Rafa seeded at Number 5, all eyes on the draw this morning centred around a certain Spaniard's quarter. How did @loobyloo222 tweet it??

"Three hours and we'll know which lucky group of pigeons will have the big cat amongst them."

Well ... Smugly, Mooray and the Prince of Darkness better get ready to have their feathers ruffled.

OK, let's get the blah blah caveats out of the way ... all of them have get there first - I know that - but if Rafa was ever going to do something the hard way ... this is it.

And I feel totally with colm about it.

Sure, ugly old PoD turned out to be the one with the cupcake, but the Wimbledon seeding committee must be licking their lips with the potential matches they might have on their hands. Rafa vs. Federer. Rafa vs. Murray. Rafa vs. Djokovic. Hell, I'm excited about that!!

I just feel, my lovely blog readers, that Rafa's comeback was geared initially with the French Open in mind. That's his bread and butter, that's what he's all about ... he's Rafael Nadal, the King of Clay, and I just feel that if Rafa could choose just one trophy to win this year ... it would be that one. I think my body was wracked in anxiety for the whole of that two weeks because I just sooooo wanted him to do it ... and I equally wanted so much, for someone else not to.

And after Rafa's fantastic win two weeks ago ... hell, anything else is just gravy.

Wimbledon has always been one of Rafa's favourite tournaments, and I'm sure there's nothing he would like more than to win it again. But I just feel that his injury lay off has perhaps given him a new perspective. He knew it was right to give his body a rest after Roland Garros and to not compete at Halle. He knew that it would perhaps put him at a bit of a disadvantage in terms of grass court practice and that it perhaps would initially temper his Wimbledon chances. But he got a match today at Hurlingham, by all accounts played pretty well, and after hearing the draw this morning ... I bet Rafa thought - Bring It On!!

He loves a scrap and he loves to fight. He loves to suffer. He loves to have to pitch himself against the best, and above everything else ... he loves to compete.

I think this draw is right up Rafa's street and I bet he can't wait for it all to start.

The ultimate warrior faces the ultimate of draws. I feel it in my bones that Rafa is about to embark on writing another marvellous chapter in his already remarkable story.

I can't wait. Let's get ready to be strapped into the Rafarollercoaster. It's here ... it's Wimbledon. LET'S VAMOSSSSSSSSS!!!

Rafa quoffs with the toffs at Hurlingham ...

Rafa decided last minute that he needed some competitive play before Wimbledon, and so he appeared today in an exhibition at the super posh Hurlingham Club today.

He played Kei Nishikori and beat him in two tie-break sets.  

In their posh frocks and with champagne flutes in their hands, @creamola_foam @MadAliceCudlip @LizzieBee2 and @TrueBubs9 sounded like they had a completely spiffing time as they proved to be not TooPoshToVamos.

Hehe ...

You can see @creamola_foam tweets of the match here and the Daily Mail have published an article here ... which includes a picture of some bird who obviously hasn't even made the B-list of Made In Chelsea characters, but whose eyes are literally popping out of her head in the presence of Rafa ... lol

Rafa's out to dinner ...

... at El Cambio di Tercio.  His and everyone else's favourite Spanish restaurant in London.

"Who wants to taste?"

Taste whot Rafa?? You?? ..................... *faint*

Rafa's daily dose ...

"With Marc in Wimbledon! Classic walk between courts."

A look back at Wimbledon ...

nou.amic over on VB posted this absolutely fabulous link today of photographs looking back at Wimbledon since 1933.  Have a look through it.  There's some lovely pictures and some great memories ...

And of course one of my all time favourites ... this one of Rafa in 2010.  It's completely heavenly ...

Rafa's Wimbers practice ...

Rafa back with the grass under his feet. Tis a lovely sight ...

And no ... Toni's said nowt about "eating the juicy grass". Bullocks is talked in another camp ... :-/

Rafa's daily dose ...

"First practice in Wimbledon."

Good luck, Rafa!! So glad to see you back on our shores!!

VAMOS!!!

Yey!! Airport footage - he's on his way to Wimbledon!!!

Rafa at the airport this morning. How exciting. He's heading off to my shores and will start his preparation for Wimbledon. *happydance*

Have to say that I find some of the people's reactions in the airport quite hilarious. When Rafa is being interviewed, there's an old biddy just peeking round to look at him, and I thought that she was about the right age to be one of his fans - like us - *chortle* ... but it seems like she's just looking and checking he's busy before sneaking past Rafa in the queue!! :D

And then we have the bloke-in-the-pink-shirt. Bloke-in-the-pink-shirt seems at first to be thrilled that he'll just be on the telly ... but then asks for an autograph and gets his wife ... his wife!! ... to take a picture. What about her??? Typical English bloke ... selfish git. :D

I hope you ladies that can are now staking out the ASDA near Wimbledon because you're sure to find Rafa there amongst the onions today!!

Excited!!

Rafa gets ready to Wimble ...

Rafa Simpson ...

via @RafaelNadalFC

Rafavid in EuroDisney ...

He's just priceless, isn't he? Rafa and team on the rides ... he just cracks me up!!

Rafa en rafeles ...

Rafa gave an interview to l'Equipe which was published yesterday.

Read Moondancer's translation of it here from VB ...

Rafa vs. Ferrer ... the French Open final

Wow!! Is there anything this boy can't do ... ???

He flies ...

via @mariam_rafa

Taxi for Nadal!! ... Rafa returns home ...

Oh there's so much to love in this piece of arrival home airport footage.

Rafa looking relaxed and happy; Pico on taxi duty; spontaneous applause; high-5's; sneaky waist squeezes in lucky photo opportunities ... tis great!

Welcome home Rafa!! Enjoy your couple of days off before returning to practice again on Thursday. I fancy a few boys' nights will be in order, so I hope you've got yourself something to entertain you, Xisca. ;)

Rafa and Sully ...

"Usain ... ???"

Look, I haven't gone on much about that twonk who ran onto the court yesterday. When we first saw it - and after it had all been defused - we made a bit of a crack about it. We blamed noleisthebest - she loves me <3 - and has this crazy fascination for me.  But in an on-court interview, John McEnroe asked Rafa all about it ...

JMAC - "Tell me about this crazy idiot on the court, how did that affect you? This person that came on the court ... "

RAFA - "Usain??"

:D :D :D Oh Rafa. Never, ever change.

See the video above for the question ...

Lady hug ...

Hey Sully !!!

You can smuffer me with your furry paw ... !!  *giggle*

Rafa at EuroDisney ...

*snort* ... h'ok, lets start wiv the cute picture.  The laydees luff ...

Sully ... let's do this thing.  By the way, where ees Goofy??

I raise the trawfee ... you raise the furry paw ...

Don't touch me wiv the furry paw ...

*snort* ... I hef the Magic Kingdom.  Ees called Roland Garros ...

I told you about the furry paw ... I doopt your intentions ...