RafaLint: May 13th

AP Photo/Andres Kudacki

Today’s Recommended Reading:
All the Tension Sluiced Away – by Jesse Pentecost

The conceit, unquestionably, is that even when Nadal wins easily there’s a requirement that he must be struggling against something. The discourse of el guerrero imparable is too pervasive to be casually set aside, and thus most analysis is made subservient to it. Nadal’s incredible technical skills on a tennis court, buttressed by tens of thousands of hours training, are constantly glossed over in favour of the preferred narrative that he wins through

13 May 2013 | by miri | 8 Comments

Madrid: Semifinal presser transcript

Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images
The transcript from Rafa’s semifinal presser is up on ASAP Sports.

Congratulations for your victory. You’ve already played four matches here in Madrid. Given the conditions of the court and also with the altitude and the fact that you’ve been seven months without playing, the feelings are worse or better than you were expecting before coming here?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, I didn’t know if I was going to be in the final, you know. Obviously

12 May 2013 | by miri | One Comment

IW: 4th round presser transcript

Photo by AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill

Rafa’s post 4th round match presser is up on ASAP Sports:

Q. You certainly held the crowd. Did they inspire you? That was an awful lot of noise for you out there today.

RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, all the support of the crowd since I am coming back every place, you know, around every tournament that I played was amazing, and today was not an exception.

I just can say thank you very much all the fans. You know, in

14 Mar 2013 | by miri | 4 Comments

RafaLint: February 12th

Photo by Fernando Borges / Terra

(Well, I started on the 12th, so I’m calling this the 12th)

First, check out BreakPointBR on twitter. They are doing a great job covering the tournament.

Articles:

Report Card: Rafael Nadal’s return at VTR Open offers room for improvement – by Courtney Nguyen (si.com)
Rafael Nadal believes hard courts ‘too tough’ on players’ bodies, says ATP needs to do more for long-term health of players – AP via nydailynews.com (Pretty much the same article, but different picture)
Nadal: “Mi objetivo real,

13 Feb 2013 | by miri | 7 Comments

Rafael Nadal’s String Theory

New technology has vastly changed the game of tennis over the past 25 years. While initially it was developments in racquet technology which shaped the advances in players’ abilities, racquet technology reached a virtual plateau in the early 2000’s. Of late, the choice of strings and string tension brings a new dimension to the game, giving each player distinct advantages and disadvantages.

23 Dec 2012 | by Aimee Schroeder | 4 Comments

Interview: To Infinity and Beyond

Lourdes Garzón interviews the “Vanity Fair” Personality of the Year and discovers the Nadal factor: a combination of talent, intelligence and perseverance. They talk about success, money, family and how to maintain a private relationship while leading a public life.

19 Sep 2012 | by miri | 21 Comments

Witnessing HIS7ORY Part 2

The final

I think I always knew it was going to be a Nadal-Djokovic final. Maybe it’s my 6th sense or the belief that things always have to be done the hard way. I had been so incredibly lucky the whole trip that I was wondering if a happy ending was too much to hope for. However in my heart I had faith in Rafa and knew he had it in him to get this win against his toughest opponent yet. After

18 Jun 2012 | by Nana | 16 Comments

Halle: Pre-tournament presser

There’s a transcript of the presser Rafa gave today on the tournament site:

Q: How difficult is it coming from Paris on such an emotional high to grass court and what kind of adjustment are you going to have to make? You were just out practicing. What were you concentrating on?

NADAL: Sure, the week after a tournament winning a tournament like Roland Garros is never easy because you play with a lot of tension, a lot of emotion. At the same time, we had a tough season. I specially played a lot of matches during this clay court season. So,

13 Jun 2012 | by miri | 13 Comments

RG: 3rd round presser transcript

Transcript from Rafa’s post third round match presser. (Thanks to a tweet by _harry91 which was retweeted by Curtos07.)

Q. Was it your best match since the start of the tournament?

RAFAEL NADAL: It was my best match?

Q. Don’t you think it was your best match since the start of the tournament?

RAFAEL NADAL: No, I think I did well. I played a solid match, but say it’s my best or not, was similar to the second

3 Jun 2012 | by miri | 2 Comments

AO: A huge fight, but not quite enough

#1 vs #2 in a slam final. We are spoiled by how often that happens in men’s tennis these days – the chance to see the top 2 players in the world slug it out in a major final should be relished. Unfortunately for Rafa, this match up doesn’t work as well as him as the one against Federer. In fact, last year Rafa fans started to fully realize the pain that FedFans have felt for years.

29 Jan 2012 | by miri | 168 Comments