IW 08 & 09 photos

Susanna728 sent in a link to her photo album from the 2008 and 2009 Indian Wells tournament – Enjoy! And thanks to Susanna728 for putting together the album and sending in the link.

28 Feb 2010 | by miri | 42 Comments

Rankings: March 1st

As Atch2 reminds me, the new rankings are out. Verdasco drops out of the top 10 after a brief stint and is replaced by another Fernando. Rafa’s zero points from Rotterdam have been replaced by his DC points. I’m not sure why, but I’m not complaining.

28 Feb 2010 | by miri | 4 Comments

Quely photos

There is a mother-lode of HUGE photos on the Quely site from their Rafa promotion. Enjoy! (Bonus Marc! included)

28 Feb 2010 | by miri | 28 Comments

Surrounded by cookies – yum!

Well, more like crackers, but a gal can dream, can’t she?

First up, a photoshoot with Rafa (papa Nadal and Carlos Costa came along for the ride).

Next up, a longer video with Rafa touring the factory, signing contracts and then a repeat of the photoshoot:

Posted by quelytv.

Thanks to Eliana for sending these in! (Eliana, you can always use the contact form if you’d rather send stuff that way.)

26 Feb 2010 | by miri | 37 Comments

Limited edition Fundación Rafa Nadal hat

A limited edition Fundación Rafa Nadal hat is available from Rafa’s official store for a steep fee of 25 Euros (at least steep to those suffering from a weak dollar and the fact that shipping is almost as much as the hat). According to the site header, however, profits from the sales on the site go to Rafa’s foundation, so that’s cool. More info.

26 Feb 2010 | by miri | 26 Comments

Site face lift

So, I decided to pull the trigger and upload the face lift. As usual, after doing that, I think it looks too big and fluffy. :)

If you are using any version of IE, you won’t see the happy roundy inviting corners that surround all the content – you’ll be stuck with boring square boxes. Don’t blame me, blame Microsoft.

If you are using IE6, the new look isn’t going to work for you at all. Your life here will be painful. Upgrade – you’ll feel better in the morning for doing it.

25 Feb 2010 | by miri | 62 Comments

Gypsy video in full (English version)

HD versions of the video:
English
Spanish

Looks like Sony is doing a good job of taking down all the videos. I’m guessing the one on Shakira’s official site will stick around, though. *fingers crossed* She also links to Yahoo, so I’m hoping this one will also stay. (Thanks, patzin)

Is it okay that my favorite parts are the ones when they are cracking up? It’s like Rafa just couldn’t take any of this “posing and looking serious” stuff anymore and

25 Feb 2010 | by miri | 247 Comments

Can I get an amen?

Thanks to @A_Gallivant for tweeting this article by Kelli DeMario that sums up my reaction to the whole video thing so well.

In a nutshell, Nadal was commissioned to play a role, just as an actor or a dancer might, if asked lend their talent to an artistic discipline. Shakira asked, and Nadal consented. Their respective legal representatives sat down and crafted a contract. A business contract. I thought it a rather illogical leap to

24 Feb 2010 | by miri | 76 Comments

Well, d’uh!

In the “blatantly obvious” category today, we have a report titled “Nadal concerned about injuries” – I mean, he’d be neck deep in denial if he wasn’t, right?

Rafael Nadal “is worried” about his constant injuries although the former top-ranked player is confident of getting back to his best form, according to Spain’s Davis Cup captain Albert Costa.

“He is worried about his physical state but he’s working every day to get better,” Costa said on Wednesday.

So, panicky headline turns into “no

24 Feb 2010 | by miri | 11 Comments

Rafa and tennis tots

Posted by meriko100 who sums the video up thusly:

Rafael Nadal got a visit from the kids, from Manacor tennis academy

21 Feb 2010 | by miri | 29 Comments