May 23, 2009

Roland Garros is finally here!

This Sunday 24th of May will mark the beginning of an amazing journey that (if everything goes fine), may rewrite the tennis history books… Again!

In Rafa’s mind however, the simple thought of becoming the first man to claim five successive French Open titles is not easy to grasp:

"I expect to play well. And we will see if I am ready to win or not, but of course it would please me very much to win it for the fifth consecutive time," then he continued, "If I play at my best level, I think I can have a good result in Paris, and if this is not the case, I must take it calmly because this has been a good year for me," said a cautiously optimistic Rafa on Wednesday as he left for Paris.

After attending the official draw ceremony with Ana Ivanovic at the prestigious ‘Loges Club’ yesterday, and having trained already at the Phillipe Chatrier and Suzanne Lenglen courts since his arrival, Rafa looked very happy to be back in France, but insisted that people are getting ahead of themselves, “[In order to win the tournament again] I first need to win seven matches.”

That’s correct! The defending champ will commence his bid for the title against Brazil’s Marcos Daniel, and if he wins, either Igor Kunitsyn or Teimuraz Gabashvili will be waiting for him in the next.

Looking ahead, he could potentially meet former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt in the 3rd round, compatriot David Ferrer in the fourth, and Fernando Verdaso in the quarterfinals.

The World No.1 is sharing the top half of the draw with Andy Murray (who he could meet in a hypothetical semifinal), while Roger Federer has been drawn to meet Novak Djokovic in the semis, should all of them get that far.

Vamos Rafa!

May 22, 2009

The French Open draw is out, and these are the players that will be standing on Rafa’s way to a fifth consecutive RG title. 

In the first round, Rafa will commence his bid against a qualifier, and if he wins, either Igor Kunitsyn or Teimuraz Gabashvili will be waiting for him in the next.

Looking ahead, he could potentially meet former world No.1 Lleyton Hewitt in the 3rd round, compatriot David Ferrer in the fourth, and Fernando Verdaso in the quarterfinals.

The World No.1 would be happy to know that he is sharing the top half of the draw with Andy Murray (who he could meet in a hypothetical semifinal), while Roger Federer has been drawn to meet Novak Djokovic in the semis, should all of them get that far.

“Paris has always been very special to me and I have beautiful memories of my victories here. [At the same time] I’ve had a great start to the clay season and I feel like I’ve arrived in Roland Garros well prepared. I will try to do the best I can to win again, but right now, I’m just concentrating on training well,” said Rafa yesterday after an exhibition match at the Paris Masters Guinot Mary Cohr tournament, which he won 6-3 6-3, against Arnaud Clément.

“We will see if I’m ready to win or not, but there is no doubt that it would be a dream to win here again for the fifth time”.

Vamos Rafa!

In Paris, Rafa has the chance to rise the Musketeers Cup for the fifth time, a feat that has never before been accomplished.

And he can do it consecutively, 5 times in a row, winning it every single year he has took part in.He faces a formidable challenge: to do what no one has done before.

And in his quest for the fifth, he can rely on five weapons. 

With his short sleeved Nike Summer Bold Open Polo, Rafa will be ready to play his utmost for each ball of each point of each match of each set.  

It is pink with a bright contrast yellow horizontal stripe, it is made with the Dri-FIT fabric which pulls sweat away from the skin and includes mesh inserts in strategically located areas that are prone to accumulate moisture to keep Rafa cool and dry throughout the match, no matter how hard it is.

The long shorts Nike Summer Long Check Shorts incorporate two mesh pockets in the front and a zippered pocket in the back. It also includes Dri-FIT mesh inserts to ensure a comfortable fit and provide complete mobility so he can run across the court with his feline agility and put the meaning of “unreachable” into question.

Made with a mix of cotton and spandex, the wristbands ensure the perfect fit. Furthermore they include the wicking Dri-FIT fabric that wicks away moisture so Rafa can brandish his racquet firmly and comfortably.The bandana matches with the wristbands and it is made of cotton for a fit that is both snug and comfortable. The Dri-FIT fabric absorbs and gets rid of moisture, keeping sweat away from his eyes.

Thanks to the Drag-On X technology, the Air Max Courtballistec 1.3 are the most stable and resistant shoes made by Nike Tennis.

The Air Max unit in the heel and the Lunarlite foam at the front provide soft cushioning, and the asymmetric lacing in the medial TPU part provides superior protection and flexibility.

The sole’s design guarantees the best traction on clay and is made of Xtra Durable Rubber in order to resist the brutal intensity that Nadal puts on every single one of his actions.

He is ready for this feat. He can (and he will) do it.

VAMOS, RAFA!

Five.

Five victories in Monte Carlo. Five Conde de Godó trophies.                                               

Five are the continents on which Rafa has won. Five are the senses that he puts on the court.

It is not the number 5 who chases Rafa: It is Rafa who chases the number 5.

Now, his goal is to win five Roland Garros titles. Five times in a row.

And that’s why he’s asking for five minutes of your time.

If you agree to give them to him, keep reading.

Still here?

Then write down a message supporting Rafa on the palm of your hand. It can be a five word sentence or a five letter word.

Got it?

Good. Now record yourself on a video giving Rafa Nadal a hand message and showing that message to him.

Done?

Perfect. Then go back to the homepage, click on the Upload your video button you’ll find in the banner at the right and show your support for Rafa on his YouTube channel.  

And if you want to see the cheers that other fans have sent up until now, click here.

VAMOS RAFA!

May 21, 2009

Rafa Nadal will arrive in Paris today, ready to start a 3-day schedule full of commitments.

Today, the World No.1 will make his first appearance in Paris at a promotional exhibition tournament (which you can read more about below).

On Friday, at 11:30pm (local time) Rafa will take part in the draw ceremony for Roland Garros, followed by his first official pre-tournament press conference.  

On Thursday, the defending champion will continue his professional obligations with the media, only this time it will be a private meeting with the Spanish press.

Guinot Mary Cohr Masters exhibition

Several of tennis' top players are set to share the court — as teammates and opponents — in a unique new event that will be staged on red clay in Paris providing ideal preparation for the French Open. 

Rafa, Federer and Murray lead the field for the inaugural Guinot Mary Cohr Masters exhibition. Eight other players including Marat Safin, James Blake, Tommy Haas, Stanislas Wawrinka and the Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Arnaud Clément will join the top-ranked trio for an unusual and original set-up. The team competition will feature the same balls and court conditions as Roland Garros. 

The 12 players will be divided up into two teams of six, Guinot vs. Mary Cohr, coached by internationally renowned captains. Two best-of-three set matches a day from 1:30 p.m. onwards will commence. Each player will play once only during the three-day tournament and the two captains will challenge one another on the Friday just before the presentation of the trophy. Because the stands are nearer the courts than anywhere else, the spectators will get a close-up of the stars in competition.

A few days away from the kick-off of the Paris Grand Slam, the main contestants of the Musketeers Cup will already feel they are steeped in it. Event organizers say the event "is not an exhibition but rather preparation in ideal conditions. Same climate, same surface, same balls as during Roland-Garros, perfect practice conditions."

DRAW AND ORDER OF PLAY

May 21

1:30pm Roger Federer vs Stanislas Wawrinka

Followed by Rafa Nadal vs Arnaud Clement

May 22

1:30pm Kei Nishikori vs Tommy Haas

Followed by Marat Safin vs James Blake

Vamos Rafa!

May 19, 2009

As per the ATP Tournament Organizer's announcement yesterday, Rafa Nadal became the first tennis player to book his place in the end-of-season ATP World Tour finals in London. 

Rafa's excellent start to the season has earned him enough points to secure his spot where he will be joined by the world's top seven other men.

"To qualify was one of my goals and shows this season has already been a great success for me," said Nadal.

"London brings me great memories and the fans really support me each year."

This year's event will take place from 22-29 November at the O2 arena in London.

The round-robin event, which this year will have 1,500 ATP world ranking points going to the winner, will be held at London's 02 Arena, formerly known as the Millennium Dome, for five years.

May 18, 2009

Straight after the final of the Madrid Masters Series tournament yesterday afternoon, Rafa Nadal flew home to Manacor where he will be resting and training real hard for the next couple of days.

On Thursday morning, the World No.1 will make his way to Paris, where he is expect to appear at a promotional exhibition match later that afternoon.

On Friday, at 11:30pm (local time) Rafa will take part in the draw ceremony for Roland Garros, followed by his first official pre-tournament press conference.  

On Thursday, the defending champion will continue his professional obligations with the media, only this time it will be a private meeting with the Spanish press.

Vamos Rafa!

May 17, 2009

Altitude and attitude collided in Madrid's Magic Box yesterday as Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic took turns elevating each other's games — and raw appetite for victory — to astounding heights in a high-quality clash that was nothing short of transcendent tennis.

Rafa shrugged off a knee problem and saved three match points to beat Novak Djokovic 3-6 7-6 7-6 in a dramatic semi-final match at the Madrid Masters Series tournament.

It was a brutal contest with both men playing with huge determination and the intensity just grew as the match progressed. In the end sheer courage was the determining factor, with the Spaniard refusing to buckle against his Serbian opponent.

“I love these matches, it’s very special to play these matches,” Rafa said. “If I don’t fight here (in Spain), when am I going to fight?”

At the press conference Rafa said he had congratulated Djokovic for his amazing performances on clay, for the way he played today and had also wished him luck for the French Open.

"He's probably feeling down now but when he analyses the match in the cold light of day he'll take positives out of it and see he was very close to beating me," then he continued, "He's a great player, he always has been. It seems to me he's getting better with every game."

In today’s final, Rafa will play against Roger Federer, who beat Juan Martin del Potro 6-3 6-4, in the other semifinal.

HEAD-TO-HEAD AGAINST FEREDER

RAFA 13 - ROGER 6

Rafa and Federer have already met 15 times in ATP World Tour and Grand Slam championship finals and it will be the pair's first meeting since the final of this year's Australian Open, which Rafa won in five sets.

As off today, Roger Federer is 1-9 against Rafa on clay. Federer’s one victory came in 2007 in the finals of Hamburg, where he beat a tired Rafa in 3 sets.

ORDER OF PLAY

MANOLO SANTANA start 1:30 pm

[1] D Safina (RUS) vs [9] C Wozniacki (DEN)

Not Before 4:00 PM

[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs [2] R Federer (SUI)

Vamos Rafa!

May 17, 2009

Some days you win, others…they are just not meant to be!

Today, it was Roger’s turn to celebrate his first victory against Rafa since late 2007 as the Swiss won the Madrid Masters title in straight sets: 6-4, 6-4 this afternoon.

“[Roger] was superior to me, the court may have favored him as well but [at the end of the day], he was much better than me. I lacked aggressiveness and he served really well,” said Rafa in an interview.

Never the kind of person to come up with excuses, Rafa explained that yesterday’s 4-hour match against Djokovic wasn’t the reason why he lost. 

“What happened out there is simple, he was better than me. Surely it doesn’t help playing for 4 hours yesterday but the way he was playing today, there was no way for me to stop him.”

“I have nothing else left to say, apart from congratulating him. He deserved to win,” concluded Rafa.

As to Roger, he highlighted that there was “no easy way to win against Rafa,” then he continued, “I played well today, served well, and took the right decisions when they mattered the most.”

After playing the longest 3-set match in Masters Series history yesterday and wowing his home crowd for the entire week, it is fair to say that Rafa had an incredible tournament and can fly back home knowing that making it into the final was still an amazing result. 

Rafa will now rest and prepare himself for Roland Garros, which starts next week. 

A special thanks to everyone for their support during this week, it means a lot to Rafa! 

May 16, 2009

Less than 50 minutes of play was enough for Rafa to power his way into the semifinals of the Madrid Masters Series tournament after beating his friend and compatriot Fernando Verdasco 6-4, 7-5 in yesterday’s quarter final clash.

“It’s taking me a while to get used to the courts and the altitude...[It’s tough when] the ball kind of goes away from me [when I try to hit it], and that is why I’m very happy about this victory, because I knew it would be difficult,” said Rafa at his press conference after the match.

It was clear for the World No.1 that he wasn’t going to give up that easy after being down 0-4 in the second, “At that moment, I was thinking of playing more aggressively heading into what was going to turn into a third set, however, at the same time it occurred to me that if I was able to get my break back, then he would lose a bit of patience”, then he continued, “[Shortly after] I put myself ahead 5-4 and tried to finish the match right there. I suffered a bit with my serve but I think I played my best game at 6-5,” he concluded.

Rafa’s semifinal opponent today will be third-seed Novak Djokovic. The Spaniard has an impressive 13-4 head-to-head lead over the Serb, including victories in the recent finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome

Despite the statistics though, Novak is still optimistic about his chances tomorrow and was very respectful towards his opponent:

“Initially, the psychological advantage goes to the one that has won the most; and between the two of us, that would be him. However, the more times I play with Nadal, the more times I get the chance to prove myself…. I will try to surprise everybody [tomorrow].”

“I’ve played against him on this surface a couple of times in the last few weeks and the last time especially, the match was very close,” then he continued, “When you play against Rafa, you have to be mentally prepared.”

Rafa at the same time doesn’t feel the favourite to win against Djokovic. ”The altitude favours him. I’m only one out of 4 favourites...I trust I will play the best I can and hope I can count with the support of my home crowd more than ever.”

RDER OF PLAY - SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2009

MANOLO SANTANA start 11:00 am

A Mauresmo (FRA) vs [9] C Wozniacki (DEN)

Not Before 1:00 PM

[1] D Safina (RUS) vs P Schnyder (SUI)

Not Before 4:00 PM

[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs [3] N Djokovic (SRB)

Vamos Rafa!