RafaLint: May 30th
Photo by PATRICK KOVARIK/ AFP/ GettyImages
Rafa’s up third on Lenglen tomorrow – he’ll follow the completion of the Tsonga/Stebe match which is scheduled to start not before noon local time (and is currently tied 1 set and 1 game each).
Light lint today as Rafa practiced off-site.
Articles:
- Grounds Pass, Day 4, May 30 – by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)
- Rude wankers
- Say What? French Open first-round quote roundup – by Courtney Nguyen (si.com). Rafa, your skin is going to look and feel like leather by the time you retire from tennis.
Videos:
- Interview with CANAL+
- iB3 report on Rafa’s first round match.
- raficionada (aka @creamola_foam on twitter) is in Paris and sharing videos: practice; shirt change during the Bolelli match.
Photos:
- rafandready has posted some Roland Garros photos.
- Zimbio photosets from Rafa’s first round match: one; two.
Rafa does social media:
- Rafa was surprised that a lot of kiddos showed up to his off-site practice session. Love the little girl walking away smiling at her signed ball.
Tweets about Rafa:
Kevin Anderson’s wife is a Rafa fan:
I love @rolandgarros! I got to meet my second favorite tennis player (after @kevinanderson18 of course!) twitter.com/KelseyOAnderso…
— Kelsey Anderson (@KelseyOAnderson) May 26, 2012
Random:
- A day in the life of a tennis photographer – via The Tennis Space. Look at her. All fashionable and not sweaty. *narrows eyes and hisses* ;)
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That phone call prank just put me in a serious bad mood now. It’s seriously disturbing to wake people up for non sense reason, let alone an athlete who needed the most rest !
*sigh* I’m not happy :(
Why??!why would they do that to him?wake him up for this stupid reason!who the hell gave them his number. Poor guy!!
and they go and make “We love you Rafa” videos.
I’m angry.
I think this prank call business happened once before to Nadal during French Open. I forgot which year it was, but perhaps others would remember that incident as well. Since he had this done to him once, that’s why he quickly realized that it was another wake-up prank call this time -he was ready. Pretty sure he won the trophy that year despite of that. My questions would be:
a) why is it always Rafa? Not Fed, who can actually speak French quite well. Not Djoker, the no. 1 guy. Not Muzz, who I presumed would be very funny (the dude has very sarcastic humor). No~~!! It’s always Nadal these French radio shows calls really early to wake him up for the prank calls.
b) how the heck do these French radio team managed to get direct phone number to Rafa’s room? Once was a luck, but twice? Now that’s something else!
c) I get that Rafa’s team’s mantra is all humble and down-to-earth (unlike Fed, who rides in private jets and have a horde of security team protecting him). Now that it’s very clear that French radio teams (I’m sure a part of it due to resentment on a foreign dude who can’t speak the language winning 6 times already) is CLEARLY targeting him to harass, when will Toni Nadal will wise up and put some protective measures to counter this? I think the first prank call was done while he was staying in a hotel. But based on Rafa’s facebook photo, he seems to be staying at a rented house or old building hotel. Something should be done, no?
They did call Roger the following day (4th link from the top of the list).
From my rudimentary French, I gathered they didn’t get through.
They don’t have a direct number. They call the hotel. What really astounds me is that the hotel put the call through to Rafa.
Sorry, forgot the link to the station’s website:
http://www.virginradio.fr/#/Programmes/Hanouna-le-matin/Podcasts/Les-Coups-de-fil/29-05-12-Jean-Walter-appelle-Raphael-Nadal
They can’t even spell his name correctly!
oh, okay. So as I expected Fed had enough security surrounding him, so that these amateur radio personals couldn’t get into his room’s phone. And I guess I mis-remembered about the previous prank call to Rafa. As the poster Dianne pointed out below, now I remember that it was done during the davis cup in Belgium by some French-speaking belgium people.
The look on that girl’s face as she walks away with her signed ball is priceless. Just gorgeous.
Wasn’t he prank called last year? Not only rude, it was boring.
Yes, I think it was in Belgium during Davis Cup. I don’t understand how these people get calls through to his hotel room. It’s so rude.
Those hotels ought to do better than they have in ensuring privacy, security, and proper rest of their guests. Last year it was a Belgian radio station pretending to be Rafa’s mom. Just plain childish and totally inconsiderate.
I really wish that some day Rafa tells these people doing prank calls to piss off. Maybe that would shake them up!! Afterall they’re only pretending to like him and making themselves look absolute idiots in the process. They must think he’s stupid. Rafa’s the most polite & charming tennis representative considering his success so should be treated with great respect.
The picture of the little girl with her signed ball is just the sweetest thing. Hope she keeps it (the ball) safe.
What a stupid prank !! What I dont understand is why the Hotel let this happen ? Rafa should ask them not to disturb him when he is sleeping.
:((
Annoying as all hell that she can still look that fresh ALL DAY EVERY DAY despite maintaining that schedule. *Hisssss*! I did mention that at the AO this year, I saw her looking just the slightest bit dishevelled?! The operative word being slightly. If only she weren’t such a damn good photographer…!
I’d never seen Ella before. She’s really beautiful and so thin, but how could it be otherwise with all the stuff she has to go through!
that prank call has really made me mad. It wasn’t even funny. How dare they and how did this happen? I really hope Rafa is careful about what and where he eats and drinks.