RafaLint: September 13th

Q&A

El Mundo Q&A #5 and here’s the mangle.
El Mundo Q&A #6 (mangle)

Articles about the final/USO:

Racquet Reaction by Peter Bodo
Nadal Is Again Unable to Overcome Djokovic by Jorge Castillo (NY Times)
The game that crushed Rafael Nadal by Greg Garber (espn.com)
Mr. One More Ball by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)
Djokovic Wins Most Electric Men’s Final in Years by Lindsay Sakraida (NY Mag)
Djokovic now the best of the best by Richard Deitsch (SI.com)
Video: Best

13 Sep 2011 | by miri | 19 Comments

USO: Final photos

Photos from Monday’s Final.

Photos by REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images, EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images, Nick Laham/Getty Images, Al Bello/Getty Images, Chris Trotman/Getty Images, and REUTERS/Gary Hershorn

13 Sep 2011 | by miri | 9 Comments

USO: Post-final presser video

Here’s the video of the presser:

13 Sep 2011 | by miri | 17 Comments

USO: Final videos

(Photos tomorrow – I’m so tired!)

Hot shots:

More match highlights from PartidoaPartido here.

Match report via usopen.org.

Match report via CBS (try this if that first one doesn’t work)

Epic Rally:

Mary, Dick and JMac wrap-up the match:

Rafa’s trophy ceremony speech:

12 Sep 2011 | by miri | 15 Comments

USO: Post-final presser

Odd that we have a very quickly posted transcript and no video yet, but I’ll take what I can get. Why? Because once again, Rafa proves he has more class, balance and wisdom than someone almost twice his age… No silliness from me, just Rafa:

Q. At any time was fatigue a factor in the match today?

RAFAEL NADAL: At the fourth. But, it was a tough match. Physical, mental, everything was, yeah, I think it was a quality

12 Sep 2011 | by miri | 46 Comments

USO: Not this time

#1 verses #2 in the US Open final, that hasn’t happen since the Samprass/Aggasi days. Then, it was the #2 who ended up winning. But this is hard-court and one that requires non-stop aggressive play. When confident, Rafa can do that. When not? It’s damn tough. Add to that a player oozing confidence and no visible weaknesses, and it’s not good. Rafa fought, he fought hard, but it just wasn’t enough. Djokovic wins his first US Open: 6-2, 6-4, 6-7(3), 6-1.

12 Sep 2011 | by miri | 211 Comments

Edy at the US Open

This was my third visit to the US Open having been here in 2006/7. A lot has changed since I was here, the new Chase center(smash zone) on the left as you enter through the East gate is just one of the newly added features to the tennis center. The biggest change has been the addition of court 17. It’s a mini grand stand and, I must say, very intimate. You get so close to the action. Reminded me of watching a club championship as I watched Karlovic and Dolgopolov fight for a chance to play Novak Djokovic in the

12 Sep 2011 | by edy | 5 Comments

USO: Sunday interview

Interview that aired on Tennis Channel last night.

12 Sep 2011 | by miri | 5 Comments

RafaLint: September 11th

Before tomorrow’s final, I just want to remind people, this is a pro-Rafa site; it’s not an anti any-other-player site. No matter the outcome tomorrow, no matter how either player conducts himself on the court, this is not the place for hate and passing judgements on the perceived character of others.

Vamos responsibly, my friends.

Recommended Reading:

Wise Kid by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)
For the Poet Laureate, the Joy of Tennis Is in the Effort by Geoff MacDonald (NY

11 Sep 2011 | by miri | 27 Comments

USO: Semifinal presser transcript

The presser transcript from the post-semifinal presser is up on the US Open site. They’ve also put the video on YouTube in case you have problems with viewing their site.

Q. How does it feel to be going back to the final?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, for sure is emotional day for me, you know, winning against one of the best players of the world and being in another final of the US Open. So is very, very special, especially because it’s a final Grand Slam. That’s the first thing. Second thing, I had

11 Sep 2011 | by miri | 16 Comments