WTF: RR2 presser
Rafa’s presser after his match with Federer. (Boy was thirsty!)
Posted by TennisNowTV.
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“the score was true!!” and then “i didnt have this free points, AS USUAL!!!” boy is really down….. Then there was some whining in the later stages of presser….. seems he is really out of sorts at the moment….. i wish he finds out the solutions quickly…..
Very philosophical presser. I cracked up at the deadpan way he said, “The score is true.” Lovely smile when he admitted he was tired. Now go eviscerate Tsonga on Thursday! Vamos!
Wow, that was indeed one big chunk of monologue. Any longer and it would have been a lecture, really ;)
Sometimes it really seemed as if he’s had enough – Look guys, it’s been a long year and I’ve played a lot of matches, I’m not wilting from sadness or dying from regret, this is how things are, I’ve lost like this before and I probably will again, but life goes on, I’m workin’ on it, and yes I’m healthy, okay guys? Thanks :D
The sigh @1:50 kind of cracked me up.
This too. “If I say something, I would lie to you, and I normally don’t lie to people.” So good to know.
Yes, after all that stress from the match I actually laughed a bit watching this…not that there really is any other way to go about it except laugh, shrug, hope he comes back better, and move on.
“Yes, after all that stress from the match I actually laughed a bit watching this…not that there really is any other way to go about it except laugh, shrug, hope he comes back better, and move on.”
Exactly. What else can one do? Rafa himself said during the presser that it’s not the end of the world and the best he can do is try his best in the next match. It’s pressers like these that make me think Rafa has a bit of a wry sense of humor at times.
“Yes, after all that stress from the match I actually laughed a bit watching this…not that there really is any other way to go about it except laugh, shrug, hope he comes back better, and move on.”
Well said Sofie!!
Its not the end of the world, its tennis!!!!!!
Rafa continues to amaze me. That is all.
Ditto! and Vamos!
Rafa is the GOAT of giving pressers. Nobody can disagree, no? Just love how he’s able to analyse and give thoughtful answers to each question including the bad ones.
That skipping Bercy question annoys me. Does Rafa play too much or take too long breaks?? But he gave a very elaborate answer which I agree. He’s training for the long term not just for 1 tournament and is trying to make the best decision for himself in this crazy tennis calendar.
But at least nobody brought up Djokovic. If anyone did I’d set fire to something.
Doing something that requires such dedication for so long is not easy. I don’t know how he does it. I accept that sometimes the fire might not be there. But the earth is round and things always come back. What Federer showed in this match is that there is no kryptonite! So you can do it to anyone too, Rafa! Vamos!
“But at least nobody brought up Djokovic. If anyone did I’d set fire to something.”
Thank goodness, lol
Loved seeing him smile, I missed that during the match. I think he’ll rule on Thursday!
Gosh, I hate to even admit this, but Fed was on fire & had Rafa’s number in that match. I don’t mean to be Debbie Downer & all but I sure hope that Rafa doesn’t pull a Borg on us by this time next year. I believe he has several years left to play some more unbelievable tennis w/his positive acktitude! I really admire him as a player (tennis player that is of course). Buena suerte against Tsonga Rafa :) Sorry, my Spanish isn’t that good as your English is getting better more every time we hear you give an interview. For someone who didn’t finish high school you get an A+ from me in the learning dept. Please go kick some French butt & have fun doing it (lol)!!!
ppl keep saying he didn’t finish high school but i was always the impression he did, so what’s the “true”?
Don’t know about the Spanish education system from from his book, it sounds like he did and finished high school at that boarding school.
I read somewhere, that for his parents it was very important, to see him finish school, and he has done so, which is good. But I guess, his real education was being on tour for so long.
Rafa is certainly not a well read intellectual, but I sense a keen intelligence, not just tenniswise. It will be very interesting to watch, what kind of career he will have after he retired. I certainly can’t see him handle his “after-tennis-live”like Sampras, who just vanished and still doesn’t know, what he “really” wants to do.
Dear Rafa, please try to be aggressive on second serve against Tsonga, you did this in the second set against Roger yesterday and you were really good in taking it early, but unfortunately Roger’s 1st percentage was very high, never mind. Rafa, this is indoor please please don’t stand that far behind baseline.
Just swing freely and show us that phenomenal racquet head speed.
Rafa, I still love you my boy.
Considering the loss it was one of Rafa’s best pressers. He did not look down in the mouth, he looked mighty good in fact (a certain person I know would say he had his “guapo subido”!!) Sometimes despite being British only a Spanish word will do as it does not translate suitably such as Roger being “intratable” or unplayable which is how I saw the match.
At first I thought that first question was not a kind question but it was actually the perfect opening – reminding Rafa of his thrashing of Roger in the RG final. I thank the questioner for it!
Whatever unkind tweets and comments that were made by journos and bloggers when the match ended were soon replaced by admiration for the way he handles his losses. In the press room – he is always the winner!
I’m hoping Rafa/Tsonga will be during the day on thursday. then i might be able to catch some of it.
Unfortunately Rafa/Tsonga is at 8 pm tomorrow which means TTV again or ATP for livescore. These matches look so much better on a big TV screen rather than computer which keeps sticking or losing focus!
How does Rafa keep producing these great pressers when he must be feeling so down?
Initially when I watched this presser I was a little bit taken aback at how matter-of-fact he was about the match but then I got thinking and realised that maybe this was the best way to deal with a loss like this. Recently I read an interview where either Annacone or Federer said that at this stage in Feds career he had learnt to not get too emotionally high or low with the wins and losses but to keep on an even keel and remain focused on the goal ahead. I say this because I believe that in the beginning of the year Rafa let those first 2 losses to Djokovic in IW and Miami affect him too negatively which completely threw him off his emotional axis and in turn affected the rest of his game. He’s had to pay the price for that the whole year and as a result he’s now having to rebuild his game and his confidence.
The positive side is that Rafa really seems to believe he’s working towards something and that’s more important than anything else. Uncle Toni said recently that in practice Rafa was playing at a very high level which I believe but it’s clear that at the moment he’s unable to bring that level into real matches and as someone mentioned on the Match write-up thread, it seems he’s developed some sort of stage-fright. We all saw how great he played in the DC semi, so that shows us that his best game is still there, he just has to find a way to tap into that and flick the switch.
Whether or not he can, no one knows but he won’t stop trying.
I mentioned the word “stagefright”, and to be honest, these tales about him practicing on a very high level, worry me more than anything else, because it shows his complete lack of confidence at the moment.
On the other hand, if he practices well, than the physical ailments can’t be all that bad.And the WTF is the worst “stage” for Rafa to overcome those selfdoubts, since you play only top10 players from day one in a best of three modus, and that on indoor hardcourt.
I think, it’s telling, that Rafa, despite all his problems since the beginning of the year, made three of four slam finals. At the slams he has the chance to gather some confidence and work himself into form over a fourthnight. This is not possible in London. The only break you get, is the fact that you can afford to lose one match. Let’s see, if he can make use of it.
Rafa’s looking at the bigger picture & gearing himself up for DC & 2012.
Remember WTF 2009? how can we forget when he didn’t win a set! Two weeks later he helped Spain win DC & we know what happened in 2010!! I find his pressers very calming & down to earth. He has a great head on those lovely shoulders & will prove his doubters wrong once again.
If only there were more people like Rafa the world would be a better place & I don’t mean just his looks!!
Every family needs a Rafa.
“Every family needs a Rafa.”
When do I get mine?!!!
What a great press conference.
Feet on solid ground. Eyes focused forward.
At the risk of mixing metaphors, I’ll add that Rafa’s head is definitely on straight.
So glad i watched the presser! I loved his smiles all around when he was saying “i tried my best. i always try my best, but it wasn’t enough tonight”. It seemed as if actually saying that lightened things up for him. Was really relaxed and chatty after that.
ALSO really liked his not having “regrets” about not playing Bercy, ‘coz he’s looking at the bigger picture, in the big scheme of things he’s happy with the choices he’s made.
also, REALLY liked his “tosay is a positive day becoz i played without (health)problems and i can play another day in this tournament.
and REALLY REALLY liked his “I will try my best to play against him another time in this tournament”. There’s a kid with ambition! :)
Rafa’s pressers are always great (except the one in Shanghai, which was really sad and a little frightning), and he always says, that he will try to be better next time and has to accept things as they are; but, what he says doesn’t really translate these days into what he does next time oncourt.Tom Perrotta tweeted, that Rafa is by far the best looser at the tour, but, as Pete Bodo wrote in his last peace about Rafa’s lost and still not found swagger, a little less humility and more productive anger might go a long way. I would love to see a bit of productive anger against Tsonga; especially after his remarks, how easy it would be to play Rafa, and that he has the surefire recipe how to beat him.
Wow did Tsonga say that? thats cocky of him, and I thought he was nice.. grrr… its easy to say on this surface though where He will feel confident on serve and volley!
I am soooo in 2 minds today. I want Rafa to fight for the a semi’s spot, but at the other hand I want him to drop the whole WTF and fly to Seville and be with the Armada to enegize him. DC ALWAYS energize Rafa. Donno if it is the team thing or being so proud to be Spanish and play for his country, but in DC Rafa is always a different ‘animal’. In 2009, after a disaster of the WTF he played DC like it was the end of the world and he needs to stop it (smile).
And, I am so worried because (although he said he is 100% healthy) I think he carrying ‘something’, because a 100% fit and healthy Rafa never played like he did so far this week.
I agree RAFAFAN, I think that a 100 percent fit Rafa kicks everybodys arse!
It certainly kicked Tsonga’s arse when they met in Córdoba… Tsonga was way out of depth there and will be wanting to prove something I am sure. I guess I am in two minds about tonight also – if he does not feel 100% well then I would much prefer him to not overdo it in London which would leave him less than ready for Sevilla.
Another Rafafan! This was an exceptional presser that goes with those classic moments to put together. The smiles, the water bottle drinking, the fiddling in his ears, the slowly brushing back his hair, the answers, especially “I will try my best to play against him another time in this tournament” – love it and the way he said tired, windy surface etc. all came to the for. Also rest assured he will not being doing a Borg – the way he said “this is not goodbye”. I didn’t think he meant the tournament, I got the impression he was saying that meaning he wasn’t going anywhere – like retiring soon!
Also he does have a knack of avoiding the questions. I don’t think he really answered the “why didn’t you practice” and could the lack of practice really be attributed to his failure, moonballing etc. not wanting to use the weight of the shoulder – even supposedly the shoulder was ok. Is this part of the “If I say something, I would lie to you, and I normally don’t lie to people.”
Anyway we know he doesn’t like to make excuses and wouldn’t be good for his PR. Haven’t really heard what Fed said about the match and Rafa although in the on court interview afterwards he had full of praise for Rafa.
I would love Rafa to knock the stuffing out of Tsonga but then face Djok (presumably) in the semis, I am not sure if that would be a good idea and will probably knock the stuffing out of Rafa and his fans once and for all! I just hope for a miracle really, that he bounces back and wins the WTF – What The Fu.. thing!
See… i thought he was very clear about why he didn’t practice – because he was having treatment for his shoulder. Now the shoulder is not a problem, needs no further treatment – so he can practice. One of the things he was most happy about after the match getting through it without any health problems!
Yes that would be a miracle..