Shot!

OK ... I'm probably not going to be very popular round here, and I can only tell half of the story, but I didn't see too much to be encouraged about in Rafa's match last night with Delbonis.

It was midnight, I found a decent stream, and I thought I'd settle down to see how he was doing. I think the 6-1 first set scoreline was entirely flattering as it wasn't a set won by Rafa but gifted to him by endless errors from his opponent. He was massively defensive I thought, and that's a sure fire way of telling that he continues to lack any confidence in his play. Rafa either chose, or was forced to be on the back-foot throughout, and it was mostly because of the actual lack of quality of his opponent that he scored the points he did, due to Delbonis' errors. Anyone of substance could have taken him apart.

That was the first set ... and admittedly, I then nodded off so never saw any of the second set and never saw "the shot" hit live. That shot aside, I'm assuming that the second set followed the same pattern as the first. I'm sorry to sound so down-beat, and having watched how Rafa pulled that backhand shot off, you have to marvel at the skill. And yes, it was brilliant to see Rafa's reaction to it - Rafa of old, and more of what we want to see. However, it's still my preference to be stunned by his shot making when he's being powerful and aggressive, rather than being pulled all over the court just to stay in a point and then recovering by a stroke of genius.

I'm not meaning to be critical of Rafa at all. It's not criticism I'm levelling, I'm just trying to realistic and honest about what I saw. I can't whoop yet that his "comeback" has now ignited and he's back on the right track. I don't think he is, and I think it's still requiring much more of that work and patience Rafa spoke about earlier in the week. I want nothing more than to see him off the backboard but perhaps for now it's still a blessing that he's playing the kind of player he is and he's still managing to get the matches under his belt - however they are gifted to him.

That said, I am hoping that little by little he regains his confidence. Because confidence will bring more of "that shot" ... but on the offensive.  ;)

Good luck tonight, Rafa.

Shirtless practice ...

God bless you, Rafa ...

#NADALENARGENTINA

Posting this for no other reason than he looks simply lovely in it ...

via Rafael Nadal King of Tennis

Measured Rafa ...

"Recovery is like a ladder which you don’t climb running but rather step by step.”

Rafa's been doing the press ahead of the start of the Argentina Open, and whilst I don't pour over every word these days, I just felt compelled to bring a bit of stuff over here, just because I've been so impressed by what he's been saying.

I remember a few years ago reading some quotes by Marat Safin who talked about how debilitating it was for him to have his first big injury (knee, I think), work hard to come back, get back into winning ways, get yourself up to the top again ... only then to be struck down by yet another injury and to have to start the process all over again. Now Rafa is no Marat Safin, ie. I think he is much mentally tougher than him and has a much better support network around him, but I've never forgot what Marat said. And that's simply because sometimes we can't really appreciate the patience and time it takes for an athlete to recover. 

There's me saying on Saturday how horrible that match was - but that comes from a place where I've been spoilt by Rafa in the past in that after his big injury in 2009, he came back to tumultuous success in 2010. After that lengthy absence in 2012/2013, he then came back to that glorious 2013 and the magnificence of his achievements there. And whilst I do feel that I am tempering my expectations for Rafa from now on in [sort of], I still can't help myself thinking that ooh ... this is clay, he's playing someone like Fognini and therefore he should win. It's like me looking at the field of the Argentina Open - in spite of what I witnessed last week - and thinking, oh well, possibly the same/similar opponents to last week, but the field isn't great, so he's a good chance of the title here ...

WOAH!!

"... you don't climb running but rather step by step."

Thanks for reminding me, Rafa ... you're right.

The newspapers like to cobble together the presser interviews to read like they've got an exclusive, but I particularly like how La Marca have reported Rafa. Have a read ...

"I don't know if the best Rafael Nadal will be back, but I'll give my best to try to make that happen. After a series of injuries that kept me off the tour for some of last season, it's difficult to analyse it in a positive light in spite of making the Australian Open final and winning Roland Garros", stated Nadal ahead of his campaign at the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires. 

"I'm physically fine. I didn't have a bad week in Rio and won quite a few good matches, although I did lose one that I had dominated. I had cramp, something which I've hardly ever had in my career, and at the end of the day, Fabio [Fognini] played better than me in the key moments. I'd have liked to reach the final. It would've given me added belief and a bit of a confidence boost", added the 28-year-old. 

"I hope to be able to keep on improving in Buenos Aires. I'm motivated by the day to day. You have different feelings over your career. In 2005 everything was new and ten years later it's a different situation in which most things are very positive although I'm on the back of seven tough months that prevented me from building up any momentum on the tour. It's now the moment to make up for lost time." he concluded.

As I say - measured - and impressive and mature. No it's not 2005 Rafa, and no everything is not new. It is ten years later and it is a different situation and that's something that this fan has to keep remembering ...

Sooooperman!!

OK, the tournament ended horribly, but will still probably contain one of the standout moments of 2015 ... 

Pity Rafa didn't ask Bernades to eat them ... his shorts that is. LOL

At 3 o'clock in the morning, Rafa left for a bathroom break - in not very salubrious surroundings - and whilst he didn't quite put his underpants over his shorts, he put them on the wrong way. Surprise, surprise Bernades told him there was no time *cough* to change them, so Rafa wrapped a towel around himself and took them off accordingly.

Hilarious ... 

Adios Carlos ...

Rafa's finally had it with Bernades. He's going to ask that he doesn't umpire his matches any more.

My memory does serve me with a number of incidents ... all with him being in the umpire's chair. Rafa once said to him something like his balls were in his throat he was trying to move that fast.

And I look forward to Bernades (or any umpire for that matter) implementing the penalty for audible obscenities regarding ****ing someone's mother and sucking someone's d*** when they are so eloquently delivered in Serbian, or when seven shades of Scottish sh*t are knocked out of a racquet. Because rules are rules after all ... 

Carnival's over ...

Well that was just plain horrible, wasn't it?

I had high hopes for Brazil. Whilst I might not have spent the time posting the pictures and videos on here, I was nonetheless totally enjoying Rafa being, well ... Rafa. Having a blast, joining in with the carnival, partaking in a little samba. And I sat back and smiled and clucked like a Mother Hen saying to myself, "never change, Rafa" as he again reminded me why I love him so much. He's totally natural, totally spontaneous, and totally fun. As you sift through social media and vomit over the forced selfies of Smugly and roll your eyes over Beaverhead's totally media staged "mobbing" of him as he desperately tries to find any passer-by to pay him some attention at a Belgrade supermarket, you say to yourself that those two desperately want it, but will never have it. Rafa's charisma and charm, it's priceless ...

But the tennis hasn't been. The time difference and his match scheduling meant that I had to record the matches, and then I never find the time to watch them, but he's been struggling for form. I don't understand the technical stuff about the balls, but the heat and humidity has been tough, and I don't think the organisation of the event has been the best. The scheduling has been a joke and frankly, who doesn't struggle to stay up to do anything past 3 am, never mind play a competitive tennis match as Rafa had to do in his quarter final. It's just plain stupid.

But I still expected a result against Fognini. Now I know he brightened up Canada or someplace for my friends who were out there during that bad, Rafa-less time in 2012, but frankly, I think Fognini is a disgrace to tennis. He turns up for matches with an attitude reeking of "I won't win", so barely tries, and this I think was the story of the first set last night. As the commentators frequently reminded us, all Rafa had to do was put the ball into play because Fognini was making no attempt. But there's nothing I can come up with to describe Rafa's absolute collapse in the second. Being a break up twice would have normally left you thinking of victory, but no, he played possibly the worst set I've seen since Wimbledon 2011. Just awful.

He's subsequently spoken of getting tired in that second set, which is unusual. Perhaps not so unusual Rafa when you've had invasive surgery, time out, little tournament practice and only got to bed at probably 5 am that morning. That's hardly conducive to a top athlete, is it? He also lost it with Bernades who penalised Rafa over - you've guessed it - the infamous 25 second rule. Common sense Carlos ... common sense. If the ATP is adamant over a rule that means no player takes more than 25 seconds between points, what about ensuring that a tournament has to accommodate exactly the same amount of recovery time between matches for players? Or disallow the start of any match at midnight? How about that?

I still felt that Rafa would win though. Even though he'd started cramping all over the place, I still thought he'd hold serve and take the tie-break. Cramping ... something Rafa has said had never really happened to him over his whole career. Well that says a lot about the conditions, the scheduling and the tuning of his body, doesn't it?

Pfft. Oh, it was just such a horrid match, won by a god-awful man and one which we just have to draw a line under and move on. It kind of makes you realise though, just how good that "comeback" in 2013 was, doesn't it? There's still time, but I do feel I have to measure my expectations now. Appendectomies, wrists, the back, knees, confidence, mental well-being ... he's walked a long road since that breakthrough year 10 years ago.

Here's hoping that Argentina can bring him some joy ... or at least a good steak dinner. Keep going Rafa ...

Slippin' and a slidin' ...

When Rafa posted, "Getting ready for the clay!! ;)" did any of us expect to see that??!!?

No ... me neither, but I LOVE it!!

Rafa's Happy daily dose ...

"Back to my practice sessions and back to the clay, in a cloudy day in Mallorca."

It  may be cloudy where you are Rafa, but you're still our little ray of sunshine ...

Seeing him at the Manacor tennis club took me back to 2012 when my friend Rafan and I took a short break to Mallorca in February, a little time after the Australian Open. But back then the tournaments for Rafa continued on the hardcourts and we didn't know the location of where he did his hardcourt training, so we took a [ever hopeful] trip to the clay court tennis club instead (photos here ) -  only to be told that Rafa had been there the day before but wasn't expected in that day. Shame. But we went to the restaurant in the main square which houses the Nadal family apartments above it. And saw Rafael - Uncle Rafael that is - exit the building from the door by the restaurant. LoL.

Happy days ...

And talking of happy, ie. the Happy Slam, well I've documented it a few times that it hasn't exactly been the happiest of places for Rafa over the years. Indeed he's not actually even played there in 2006 and 2013. In 2007 he left defeated with pain all over - hhere, hhere and hhere, even in his famoos ass. 2010 saw him retire due to his knees, 2011 saw him play on whilst injured before losing to Daveed. He could barely walk after the marathon in 2012 - and we don't need to be reminded what happened later in the year. His back went last year; so to see him leave Australia just because he simply lost a match and without being debilitated by any sort of injury ... well that's good new, isn't it? And to have him posting pictures of himself straight back out there practising, well, it's even better.    

There wasn't too many happy reactions following yesterday's final, sadly won by Beaverhead, but to be honest, I wanted the pair of them to lose. And I didn't find #Kimgate at all amusing - nor her t-shirt - because if she or any girlfriend ever directed 4-letter expletives towards Rafa's box, I wouldn't find it funny at all. But then the Murrays have been doing a lot of whinging at the Happy Slam, haven't they? Whinging tweets because Rafa evoked sympathy after his match with Smyczek whilst all Murray is ever called is a Drama Queen. Haha .. they're not wrong, are they? Whinging at the press over questions about his past and present coaches. And then there was his on-court screeching at the PoD's possom playing antics - falling over dying one minute then running about like a gazelle the next. Well, haven't we seen all that several times before? It never mattered previously though - so long as he was beating Rafa that is.  But the thing is Andy, grabbing your own body parts and pulling terrifying grimaces only to then engage in 57 shot making rallies makes for a slight case of "Hello Kettle, Pot calling", doesn't it? And you still allowed yourself to fall for it, didn't you? Urgh ... I came here to do this post with the intention of it being "happy", but a match played between two of the most uninspiring and churlish players going doesn't rock my boat. And as my friend Angie said yesterday, and I quote ...  

"What I can't be arsed with the most is the double standards of the commies in relation to the swearing, part grabbing, drama-queening. Basically, if it's anyone else, it's bad, but if it's Murray, it's ok, and to be understood cos of the tension, stress whatever.

And while I'm on the subject of behaviour, why is it that loud swearing, racquet smashing, and general obnoxiousness is seen as having a character, and entertainment, but being slow between points is a capital crime. Unless, of course, it's Murray who gets a time violation warning."

Quite. And yes - for any passing lurker - Rafa IS perfect.  LoL

So after seeing how the Happy Slam ended, we should be in a good place, and happy that Rafa - for once - left Australia un-injured, and happy that he's straight back practising on the courts, happy to be working hard, happy to be back on the clay, and happy to hopefully be getting those match wins and match practice that will take him back to a happy place some time later in the season.

Vamos Rafa! Clapping along cos I feel like a room without a roof ... :)