Wimbly: post 2nd round presser clip
A clip from ESPN:
A lot of repeat footage here, but also a bit more at on the Wimbledon site.
Updated:
I forgot to check the Tennis Channel site before posting. Here’s an additional clip:
Hoping for a full transcript eventually. From the tweets that went out and this video, Rafa was his usual level-headed self about the loss.
A self-indulgent message:
I keep having people ask me if I’m devastated. True, this was not the outcome any of us wanted, but as Rafa says in the Wimbledon clip, “it’s not a tragedy, it’s only a tennis match. In the end, that’s life, there’s much more important things.” Since I just spent the evening delivering and helping set up physical therapy equipment for my mom’s partner, I got a rather intense reminder of that. He’s a piano player with no full-time employer and, in the US, that also means no or limited health insurance. He suffered a stroke two weeks ago and as a consequence has limited or no use of a good chunk of the left side of his body…including his left hand. He needs to relearn so much and has quite possibly lost the ability to earn a living by doing something he loves with his whole being. They have been working to try and cobble together inexpensive help for physical and occupational therapy. There’s no tragedy in tennis. There’s drama, there’s joy, there’s sadness, but tragedy? Not so much. Go live your life and try to not let this cloud your day too much. It’s tennis. There’s always another tournament.
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I want to say thank you again for the posts & especially this site because I seem to keep going to “the dark side”…I keep worrying that Rafa is going to pull a “Borg” & leave us (selfish, I know) settle down, get married or something. I started watchiing (loving/respecting) Rafa just a couple years ago…I hate that I missed so many wonderful championships…just wasn’t watching much tennis for a few years. He’s such a dignified gentleman on & off the court & his passion in life & for the game is so special to see (even John MacEnroe keeps saying this) that I want MORE. Anyway, sorry for the long post & Mira, good wishes for you & your family.
miri, I sympathize with your family issues, having been there myself. I hope you all are accepting and coping with whatever comes along.
That Rafa is always a surprise, and an inspiration. I’m not going to second guess “what happened” because anything I could say is just speculation. What I know is that he is an amazing person. I wish I could be as wise as he at more than twice his age.
On Nadal’s defeat:
“I feel for Nadal, but that 5th set was a joke, I was laughing for 10 min. in disbelief.”
–Roger Federer
“I just wanted Nadal to win and come back. I think he did everything right to try to stay in the match, especially in the fifth set. But [Rosol] played incredible. It’s adrenaline …. the decisions he was making, whenever he touched the ball, it was either a winner or an ace. … I’m curious to see how he’s going to play because to me he looked a little bit arrogant out there, so I wonder how he’ll react in his next match … You can beat Nadal, but if you lose the next round then nobody cares too much. I’m definitely going to watch him on Saturday to see how he will play.”
– Kim Clijsters
If you read Federer’s full quote, it comes off much better:
Q: Roger, a lot of us have not seen a guy play the way Rosol did last night, especially in a pressure situation – how much sympathy did you feel for Rafa going down that way?
A: Well, This is not against Rafa – but it was nice to see it was still possible, because I think 15 years ago you had matches like this so much more often on the faster surfaces, that a guy could just catch fire and just run through you.
Today it’s virtually impossible because you make so many more returns these days and conditions are so much slower, with the elements its so much harder to be..ummm..in that state I think, where as it was just amazing to see it was possible. Ok, he didn’t play like that for 5 sets but in the 5th it was just a joke and I was laughing because of his performance for 10 minutes after that. I couldn’t believe it that he pulled it off the way he did.
Of course I do feel bad for Rafa, because it’s a tough loss, its Wimbledon, it’s the way things happen. You figure he was not the overwhelming favourite going into the 5th, outdoors but….we’ve all been unlucky and lucky over the years, playing in tough, better or worse conditions for yourself or for the opponent, that they just equal out over the course of your career really.
Thanks, Miri, for the post. My material was sent me by an old newspaper friend in Tampa, and he doesn’t seem to have sent me a correct version, either — unless Federer gave two different interviews on the subject, which I doubt.
I’m not sure Roger came off so well in either version, but I was interested in the views of two top players who know Rafa pretty well, and not in how they themselves looked. Clijsters was funny, she seemed almost to take it personally. There was an interesting take by Cash as well.
To me, it sounds like Federer was having the same reaction one half of my brain was having: WTF IS THAT AND WHERE DID IT COME FROM! (Sorry for the all-caps, but that’s what my brain was feeling like at the time.) He went on to say that he hopes this gives players more belief when they play “against us”. Kim’s reaction sounds like the other half: “You can do eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet! Oh Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
Oh, as Rafa said…”phphphpahphphpthpt”
G*d, yes, I cracked up at Rafa’s reaction! I wish I could duplicate it!
I saw the shots blasting in like a meteorite shower — or that commercial some years ago where Rafa is swinging at a rain of tennis balls. Sort of like being in NASA’s wind tunnel. You could get hurt out there!
Oh I am curious, can you please provide the link? Where did Rafa go “Pppfffftt”? Thanks.
Already provided ;) In yesterday’s lint post – it’s the iB3 report. Here’s a direct link to it – check out around second 26. I have no idea what he’s actually talking about, but to me, it sums up the match.
Thanks Miri :)
He just says “it’s surprising for everyone to see someone play at the level he’s played in the fifth set, a level that (funny sound, lol) is a little above reality, no?”.
Thanks Cristina. Now I understand what that was all about :) So good to have someone here who can explain the Spanish :)
Thanks, Cristina.
You’re welcome gals :)
I think it’s a pity his post-match conferences in Spanish never seem to be available anywhere…
Check IB3 TV — although I think that’s in Galician/Catalan …
All very subjective of course, but to me, Djokovic and Federer made it very clear in their pressers they had no sympathy for Rafa, and that is expected, they (esp Federer) should be very happy to see Rafa out in 2nd round.
Federer, in particular, made no effort to contain his delight.
What a contrast to Kim and the Spanish players. It is nice to see he is well liked by those who do not see him as a threat.
does anyone have a good source for the other players comments regarding Rafa’s loss. I already read the Federer one but looking for others, especially Andy Murray. And I will make no comment about what any of the other players said because we are not to talk bad about other players on this site. I will just say I knew I loved Kim and this is all the more reason!!!
Hi ds,
You can see the players comments on the wimbledon website http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/news/interviews/index.html
Go check out Kim’s and Pico’s responses. Kim in particular, I adore that girl, the way she stands up for Rafa when he’s down, she’s a gem!
They are just marvellous, and both are now rooting for Andy to win the thing now that Rafa is out!
Thanks. I agree Federer didn’t seem to make any effort to hide his joy…
I have to disagree – I noticed no “delight” in Djokovic regarding Rafa’s loss. Federer on the other hand seemed to me unable to hide his joy, which makes me a bit disappointed in him. I guess this is one of the (MANY) reasons why I like Rafa so much (and why Djokovic is growing on me) that he enjoys the challenge, he wants competition. :)
I remember being devastated after the AO final but this time I took it easy and a big part of it is due to what Rafa said about the difference between losing a tennis match and a real tragedy.
Miri, what you’ve shared with us here only adds to the perspective we should always have on what really matters in life.
Thanks again Miri for all that you do for the site and Rafa’s fans and I hope your mother’s partner will regain his health as quickly as possible.
From Murray press conference (hope it’s OK to post here):
Q. How much of the Nadal‑Rosol match did you watch? What were your thoughts on that?
ANDY MURRAY: When I came off the court I saw a couple of points at the end of the first set, and then I did all my press and went home.
Then I saw probably about five or six games in the fifth set.
Q. What impression did that leave? What was the reaction to seeing that?
ANDY MURRAY: Well, it’s just a freak match, I think. I mean, the guy played unbelievable. He just hit absolute rockets. You know, then obviously today lost in straight sets to Kohlschreiber.
It’s very tough. The way that he was playing, for it to be going in, there’s no margin for error. He’s hitting the ball so low over the net, so flat, so hard, that, yeah, it was always going to be tough to keep up.
Like today it was pretty breezy out there. You try playing that brand of tennis in the wind, it’s tough. He played quite an amazing match.
Q. Roger said last night he said it’s good for the sport that these upsets can still happen. Obviously the four of you have dominated at Grand Slams recently. Do you think the same?
ANDY MURRAY: To be honest, I mean, I don’t know. I think, you know, a lot of people have said to me that the quality of matches at the end of the Grand Slams have been unbelievable the last few years.
You know, people like seeing that, but I think upsets are part of any sport. Some people like them; some people‑‑ I’m sure Rafa, Rafa has a lot of fans that wouldn’t have been too happy about it.
But it’s just part of part of sports. They haven’t happened that much over the last few years in slams, but they will start happening more. I don’t think necessarily consistency from the top players can continue that much.
Haha, you can tell who Rafa’s friends are. I am rooting for him to win Wimbledon! He’s so classy.