AO: El Classico
Getting up at 2:30am for a tennis match the day before I have a big meeting at work? Only for Rafa and Roger – their history, their class and their excellent tennis. The match started with Federer on fire. He broke his first chance and rode that break until 7th game. They stayed on serve and Federer took the set in a tiebreak. Things then got scarier as Rafa was broken at love to start the 2nd. He broke right back and they stayed on serve until the 6th …
Read the full story »AO: Semifinal photos
A few of the many, many photos of the semifinal against Federer.
Photos by WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images, PAUL CROCK/AFP/Getty Images, REUTERS/Tim Wimborne, Cameron Spencer/Getty Images, REUTERS/Darren Whiteside, Lucas Dawson/Getty Images, Quinn Rooney/Getty Images, Lucas Dawson/Getty Images, Scott Barbour/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images, REUTERS/Tim Wimborne, REUTERS/Vivek Prakash, Martin Philbey-Pool/Getty Images, and NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images
AO: Semifinal videos
Highlights from the AO site.
No way he can…no…not possible…oh he reached it…but he can’t actually hit a good shot from there…oh crap, he did! Amazing!
Posted by ESPN.
Post match interview – English:
And in Spanish:
To view the full match in HD (after signing up for membership), go to: partidoapartido.com.
AO: Semifinal presser
Rafa’s semifinal presser via Eurosport:
There’s also an excerpt on the AO site, and here’s the transcript.
Q. Congratulations. How do you think you have succeeded to turn this match around tonight?
RAFAEL NADAL: Thank you very much. Well, I think he started playing aggressive, very, very high level at the beginning of the match.
Always you can do a little bit more, no? But I really felt that when he plays like this, it’s almost impossible to rise there to that level, no?
But after
RafaLint: January 25th
It’s no surprise, but Rafa’s on the player entry list for Indian Wells.
Articles:
Win or lose, it’s a good start – by Rafael Nadal (The Age)
Mythbusters: Federer-Nadal Edition – by Carl Bialik (Wall Street Journal)
Federer-Nadal Rivalry Adds Another Chapter – by Christopher Clarey (New York Times)
Previewing Federer Vs. Nadal – by Geoff MacDonald (New York Times)
Video/Audio:
Laver has say on Nadal-Federer from Eurosport
Chris Evert and Chris McKendry preview the
AO: Rafa and Rod
You can really see the shy Rafa in this video of his meeting with Rod Laver – such an awkward set-up and it’s like they don’t quite know what to say to each other:
There are also some photos from the AO site.
RafaLint: January 24th
Articles:
Racquet Reaction: Nadal d. Berdych – by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)
Australian Open Day 9 recap: Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer set for semis clash – by Courtney Nguyen (si.com)
In Nadal Vs. Berdych, Conditioning Makes a Difference by Geoff MacDonald (New York Times)
Nadal flips Berdych to book Fed date a few days early – by Michael Gleeson (Sydney Morning Herald)
Rafael Nadal next up for Roger Federer – AP via ESPN
Federer and Nadal to Meet in Australian Open
AO: Quarterfinal photos
Photos from the quarterfinal match against Berdych.
Photos by VIVEK PRAKASH/AFP/Getty Images, Mark Dadswell/Getty Images, GREG WOOD/AFP/Getty Images, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP/Getty Images, WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images, and TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP/Getty Images
AO: Quarterfinal videos
Match highlights via the AO site.
Amazing shot:
Match report:
Posted by ESPN.
Post match interview in English:
And in Spanish:
Full match available rafanadalpartidoapartido.com.
AO: Quarterfinal presser
Here’s a video excerpt from Rafa’s presser. And the AO has kindly posted a transcript:
Q. The level of play tonight was quite exceptional. How did you manage to turn the match around, do you think?
RAFAEL NADAL: At the beginning wasn’t exceptional for me.
No, no it wasn’t.
Q. For him maybe?
RAFAEL NADAL: Maybe, but I think the level of the third and fourth set for me was very, very high, top level for myself playing on these courts. Very happy
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- Leah on RafaLint: January 27th
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- mafie on RafaLint: January 27th
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- silhouette on AO: Pre-final presser
- sia on AO: Q&A for The Age – continued
- miri on RafaLint: January 26th
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