RafaLint: June 22nd
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
2nd round match articles:
- Nadal notches up Sweeting victory – by Ron Atkin/Wimbledon.com (includes highlight video)
- Rafael Nadal v Ryan Sweeting – as it happened – by Jacob Steinberg/Guardian UK
- Rafael Nadal cruises to low-key win over Ryan Sweeting – by Kevin Mitchell/Guardian UK
- Nadal surprised by ‘in decline’ query – by Kate Battersby/Wimbledon.com
- Nadal still looks the man to beat even if he is not the main event – by Brian Viner/The Independent
- Rafael Nadal on course for Andy Murray semi following defeat of Ryan Sweeting – via The Telegraph
- Nadal up for ‘tough’ match vs Muller at Wimbledon –
by Chris Lehourites/AP - Racket Reaction – by Ed McGrogan/Tennis.com
Assorted vids:
- Warming up pre-match
- tve report on the Sweeting match
- Mini Reportaje Espíritu Ganador -1. Wimbledon 2011
- 1st round interview in Spanish – really an audio with still pictures
- Selfridges Ultralounge: Rafael Nadal PSA
- Ubaldo Scanagatta con zio Toni Nadal
Misc:
- USTA announces full slate of public events for Davis Cup week in Austin (Wooo!)
- In the Pre-Media at Wimbledon – by Steve Law
- A day in the life of a Wimbledon photographer – by Alexandra Willis (Thanks, Maria. I might have to get that book! Here are some pictures from it.)
- Oh look, that book is available for pre-order: Wimbledon: Visions of The Championships
- Five of the best: The greatest Wimbledon finals of the Open Era – by Gordon Macrae
Rafa on Facebook:
First, he let us know he had his rackets ready and had a warm-up hit with Yen-Hsun Lu. Then he recorded and posted some “good night” videos: Spanish and English. Look at him, picking a dramatic setting, hiring a camera operator, dealing with the windy, blowing kisses to the fans and smiling, smiling, smiling.
Loading ...
The English video on FB just cracked me up. He’s so happy!!! I imagined the kisses blown in my direction. *cough cough* My day is made!
Love his FaceBook videos!! Finally he’s found someone to take videos for him! He’s getting quite good at all this posting, taking things up a notch slowly, but surely. I love the blowing kisses part; anyone feeling flirty? Most of all, I love all the smiling…Rafa’s smiles really make me smile :))))
Just thinking out loud about Rafa’s pic being used for the cover page for the Wimbledon book of photos – the photographer said something about slow shutter speed. The photo suggests to me a great deal about how still Rafa’s head (and maybe the shoulders too) was when he’s trying to return that ball ? I am amazed by that photo!
That must be the dorkiest kiss-blowing of all time ;) BTW, I heard a male voice yelling out Rafa before he blew the kiss in that direction. Hope it wasn’t the person he was directing at ;P
I subscribed to the Times this month & saw this Ben Smith article about about how Hawkeye has shown that the closed roof slows the ball down. Here’s a snippet of it:
“Francesca Schiavone, the French Open runner-up, played the first two sets of her victory over Jelena Dokic on Monday in the open air. The final set was played under the roof and the difference in ball speed was significant.
At impact, her fastest first serve was unchanged at 102mph (164km/h), whether the roof was open or closed. But Hawk-Eye shows that by the time the serve had reached her opponent it had lost as much as 5mph when the roof was shut.
It was the same story for Rafael Nadal. Hawk-Eye shows that a 122mph serve was reaching Ryan Sweeting, his opponent under the roof yesterday, 4mph slower than it had against Michael Russell outdoors on Monday.
“Due to the increase in humidity when the roof is closed, balls are heavier and travel slightly slower through the air,” Pete Irwin, one of Hawk-Eye’s experts at Wimbledon this week, said.”
The article by Gordon Macrae about the 5 best Wimbledon matches also includes a very basic mistake. The 1st match it lists: Federer-Nadal, where Nadal won his very 1st Wimbledon title is listed to have happened in 2001!!!!!
Even toddlers know Rafa won the Championships in 2008!
I can’t believe how “Smiley” Rafa is at Wimbledon, its lovely, he seems so “colm”.
I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to see all those smiles and see his joy (on and off the court) again. I am, after months of anxiety finally completely with colm again. Vamos!
Rafa had the same ‘body language’ at US OPEN last year — so calm and smiley and happy! He even smiling during matches, which in the past was seldom seen. So happy he’s happy!
Beautiful happy boy!
Wonder who the journo was who asked that ridiculous question? Loved Rafa’s answer.
The translation of the friendly banter & barbing between the two old dawgs, Tio Toni and that venerable Italian tennis journo, Ubaldo Scanagatta (last link of the Assorted vids).
BTW, Toni manages his Italian (and his German, and his French) rather well, I might add.
Ubaldo: How is your little nephew feeling?
Toni: He’s feeling great. He won today.
U: And perhaps he’s feeling great because he had some luck. Raonic withdrew, he’s one of those guys who can serve very well.
T: Yes, indeed.
U: Muller played Rafa in 2005. What happened?
T: What happened was that he was better than we were.
U: Then you? Both of you? Always together…
T: Yes, always together, my nephew and me.
U: But when he loses, it’s his fault.
T: No, no. When he loses it’s my fault, when he wins it’s because he’s good. At the moment, he’s playing fairly good. Nothing extraordinary.
U: I think this grass suits Rafa. It’s pretty slow.
T: I don’t know. I cannot remember the “old days’ grass”… I was lying on the beach in Mallorca during those days, I was not at Wimbledon.
U: Who is the most dangerous player for Rafa at Wimbledon?
T: Muller.
U: No, this is the reply Rafa would have given. Don’t reply in a diplomatic way, please.
T: How many possibilities do we have to meet Federer or Djokovic? If we meet one of these two it would happen in the final, so… But it’s certain we’re going to meet Muller. Muller is the problem now. But if you are asking me which players are the best players, and this is different, I answer that these are Federer, Djokovic…
U: Come on, Tio Toni, we all know these are among the best players. What are you saying?
T: Yes, Federer, Djokovic, Murray and… Fognini.
U: Get out of here, get out of here…
Robert — Thanks so much for the translation!
Thanks! That’s a friendly banter. Is Ubaldo the one who showed a shirt to Rafa during RG saying he wore it during a final & subsequently lost a dinner bet?
Yes.