RafaLint: July 29th
Suggested viewing:
Video from the Ace Rafa winners event – Rafa, Carlos and a lot of happy fans.
And here are some photos.
Speaking of contest winners, Babolat announced the winner of their “The Ultimate Photo Experience” contest.
Suggested reading – even in mangle form:
“Nadal es un cero en egoísmo” – by Juan José Mateo. An interview with Marcel Granollers. (mangle)
Articles:
- Accidental Tennis – by Steve Tignor
- The Olympics Tennis Book – is online for everyone to view. (Why does Daveed only get 2 pages? *sniff* Oh well, maybe it’s because that picture is stunning enough to make up for it.)
- Nike makes Lunar TR1 exclusives for LeBron James, Rafael Nadal, Larry Fitzgerald – by Juan Martinez (examiner.com)
- Who Tops The Social Media List At The Olympics? – by John Clarke (forbes.com)
- Statisfaction: Who Is the Best Returner of All-Time? – by Chris Oddo (tennisnow.com)
Videos/Audio:
- iB3 report on the CNN interview.
- Nadal y Ferrero le dan una sorpresa a Miguel Ángel – Rafa and Ferrero give support to a leukemia patient.
Photos:
- More photos from the Olympics book photoshoot. Including checks out Rafa’s photo in the Olympics tennis book.
- Rafa in the official Olympics program. *sigh*
- Ace Rafa photos
- Rafael Nadal Serves Up … Cocktails!
Rafa does social media:
Be sure to check out Rafa’s Facebook page to see him being a cheerleader for Team España.
Tweets about Rafa:
Bill Norris, longest serving ATP trainer who treated Rafa Nadal in younger days thinks he has done right thing in missing Olympics
— Richard Ingham Evans (@Ringham7) July 23, 2012
“It’s Rafa’s nature to try & please everyone but has to think of himself,” says Norris. “He has chronic tendonitis from over-use.”
— Richard Ingham Evans (@Ringham7) July 23, 2012
Norris says problems arose from Nadal’s style of play and feels it is essential he takes rest & minimises hardcourt play.
— Richard Ingham Evans (@Ringham7) July 23, 2012
is it weird if I have this pic on my fridge? “@SI_Swimsuit:@BarRefaeli wishes @RafaelNadal was playing today’s matches su.pr/7oNOkQ”
— Bar Refaeli (@BarRefaeli) July 28, 2012
Random:
- Spain’s garish London Olympics uniforms mocked by Spanish Olympians – by Greg Wyshynski
- Love this
- London Summer Olympics 1948 – a wonderful photo gallery.
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I was catching up on Olympic articles today and stumbled upon this video. Although nothing new to us Rafa fans, it has Rafa in it during the end and it’s somewhat cute.
(Video): “Why Olympians Bite Medals” http://sports.yahoo.com/video/why-olympians-bite-medals-221316431.html
The picture of Rafa from facebook saying how tough these last few days were for him for me made me teary..and yes Daveed looked beautiful…did not see Feli in uniform at the opening ceremonies ( or Marc!), any pictures ? Pau looked lovely though…this is tough..
No need to go through the “mangle” of the interview to Marcel Granollers by Juan José Mateo.
Here you have it properly translated into English by the author itself :-)
http://elpais.com/elpais/2012/07/26/inenglish/1343309276_084738.html
Many thanks for this link!
What a heartfelt tribute to Rafa…Thanks for posting.
Nice to see smily Rafa. Has Carlos put on some weight or has Rafa lost a bit. Seems a bit out of proportion both when you put them together.
Tignor is correct about Rafa. We miss him and it is a bummer but as Evans writes about Norris’ comments, it is probably for the best. I think the tendinopathy Rafa has can probably be best treated by stem cell therapy at some point but I’m not sure if the ITF would allow this. A few years ago Uncle Toni said Rafa would probably end up having to lighten his schedule in order to extend his career. I hope Rafa gets back to the 2010 schedule that saw him not take the court for two consecutive weeks outside of majors. That would mean skipping tournaments like Canada or Barcelona or Madrid in favor of rest. This worked well for him in 2010.
I too hope that Rafa makes adjustments to his calendar – especially in the hard court season(s). I want him playing happily for some years to come!
On a side note, I would think it unlikely the ITF would outlaw Stem Cell injections when it already allows Platelet Rich Plasma injections; as is the case with PRP, the stem cells used would still be Rafa’s. It will interesting to see if he and his team go down the Stem Cell route. After all, tendinopathy is undoubtedly multi-factorial in its development (indeed, some new research is suggesting that abnormal differentiation of tendon stem cells may actually play a role in the development of the condition) and therefore one ideal treatment is unlikely to exist.
CO – My understanding of stem cell therapy isn’t that much but there was a recent case of a tracheaotomy performed from a windpipe that was created from the patient’s stem cells. The trachea had developed abnormally early in life but they were able to use the stem cells to produce a ‘good’ trachea, harvest it and then transplant it into the patient. I think this is where the promise of stem cell therapy really is. I think at some point though, the ITF and WADA would have to eventually ban stem cells for replacing body parts this way. I’m not sure where they will draw the line. I think the stem cell route probably holds the most promise for Rafa.
I agree; the stem cell therapy that is about life saving tissue replacement is an entirely different thing and should never be sanctioned in sports injuries, in my opinion. I hope Rafa has success with whichever intervention he goes for. But given the manyy, many variables associate with tendinopathy, there are no guarantees that SCT will prove more beneficial than PRP.
Agreed. I’ve heard Kobe Bryant’s PRP treatments were more successful than Rafa’s. Bryant had these done in Germany along with Alex Rodriguez and other athletes who go there for this. The latest NBA player to do this is Brandon Roy. He was able to get the treatment and come out of retirement. I think most of these cases are where there’s no cartilage in the knee. I’m not sure any of these guys who went to Germany had tendon issues. I’ve read the treatment in Germany is a little more advanced than initial forms of PRP, which is what Rafa underwent. It seems like a combination of rest and therapy along with an adjusted playing schedule (especially on hardcourts) might be the best medicine. The ironic part about Rafa is he seems to be okay on clay, which is the most difficult “surfrace” for most other players, while the knees bother him on hardcourts the way other players are bothered by physical ailments on clay. I’d love for Rafa to get back to the 2010 version of him. Just play less and get treatment whenever possible.
“Rafa serves up cocktails”…must agree that Rafa is the most charming bartender ever! Not sure I would drink (or do anything else) responsibly if he were serving the drinks:)
Totally agree.
I miss him. *sniff*
After reading all this that’s the only thing that’s on my mind..
I miss him. *sniff*
Me too
Me too…what a void in the tennis world without him. I’m guessing even the commies are missing him…both the critics and the supporters. His presence is so powerful and compelling.
Yes Julie, Rafa´s absence makes you realize how much impact he has on all of us: The fans, the commies, even his fellowplayers.
That´s why it is so strange, when he´s not around.
Let´s hope he gets fully recovered from his injuries, and it may take some time still, but it will be so worth waiting for.
Here´s to a healthy, well rested Rafa!
No, I am not surprised Bar that you have that picture on your fridge. That man is gorgeousness personified. I can’t believe how great he looks in that SI photo shoot and I can’t take my eyes off him. And Rafa in the Olympic programme…no words. I miss you Rafa. Badly, very badly. You mean a lot to me.
Well of course; Bar picks the one where Rafa looks nekkid. I’m sure it inspires every day. ;)
Oh and I love the little girl too. However, I would contest that I am Rafa’s #1 admirer, not her!! :)
Regarding the Babolat Ultimate Photo Contest, looks like Eva B. won & her prize is an Unforgetable Encounter w/Rafa! That sounds intriguing. I wonder what she is in store for?
Rafa looks great in the video! The injury must be tough, but he’ll be back in about a month and have a great chance of winning the US Open.
The tennis world is very flat without Rafa. The little girl photo is precious! I enjoyed the article on the best returners.