Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Rafa played fellow countryman Marcel Granollers in the 3rd round in Rome today. He didn’t start things off well – 2 double faults in a row – but he (and the wind) eventually settled down. The score looks like the match was easy, but in the first set things were tight with games lasting up to 8 minutes and often containing many deuces. In the second set, the score pretty much tells the story. Rafa is through to the quarterfinals where he will meet Berdych: 6-1, 6-1.

Stats:

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images

Rafa will play Marcel Granollers on Thursday. They are the 3rd match scheduled on Court Centrale with play starting at noon.

Articles:

• Racquet Reaction: Nadal d. Mayer – by Hannah Wilks (tennis.com)
• Spain’s Nadal cruises into Rome 3rd round – EFE
• ATP Wednesday – as it happened – from the tournament site
• Nadal Enjoys Routine Win In Rome – from the ATP
• Rafael Nadal has a losing record against just one active player – by Chris Chase (sports.yahoo.com) (But not quite right. Hrbaty is still “active” in that he still has an official ranking and has played some qualifying rounds this year. Who knew? Well, @Deepti did.
• Increasingly outspoken Nadal must learn to pick battles; more mailbag – by Jon Wertheim (si.com). I find this to be a more balanced view on Rafa’s recent outspokenness than the one people were mentioning yesterday. He makes good points for both sides.
• Eternally New – Tignor also seems to not completely agree with that other guy.
• Andre Agassi: Rafael Nadal is ‘Mount Everest’ at Roland Garros – by Reem Abulleil (sport360.com)
• Carlos Moyà: “Nadal no se puede ir con la sensación de que es un torneo hecho contra él” – an interview with Carlo. A brief English summary can be found here and there’s always the mangle.
• Rafa is #47 on the Forbes most powerful celebrities list. Here is their profile of Rafa, and here’s an ATP article about the list.

Photos:

• Rafa in his presser – by Monique Filippella
• Ooodles of photos from a practice session with Tipsy from In Rafa We Trust.
• Match photos from the same Facebook account.

Random:

• Rafa drawing/art by @gesiOH

Match highlights:

Hot shots:

From Rafapedia.com.

From the ATP, post-match interviews in Spanish:

and English:

Lastly, the ATP hot shot of the day:

I think hanging out with Marc! has done him some good. ;)

Photos by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/GettyImages, Clive Brunskill/Getty Images, REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito, and Julian Finney/Getty Images

More photos available on Zimbio.

Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/ AFP/ GettyImages

A transcript of Rafa’s very short presser is up.

Q: What can you tell us about tonight and tomorrow. After you lost to Verdasco, do you think you will have to be careful with Granollers?

NADAL: You have to be careful when you win and when you lose and with anyone you are playing. I will resect my opponent and when you play a Master 1000. Marcel is one of my best friends on tour – it is a great victory for him and . Today it was an important first set and I played aggressive and I made a mistake in the 1st set and then I felt good in the forehand. It is difficult to play against Mayer because he has without rhythm and he knows how to put you in a difficult position in the game but I didn’t suffer I think.

Marcel and a blank space had a great victory, I guess. (Man, I wish ASAP Sports was in Rome doing the transcripts.)

Q: Congratulations on tonight. Next stop Granollers. I think you have only played him once before, How well do you think you know his game?

NADAL: We know each other very well – even if he is from Barcelona and I am in Majorca. . We played often before and we were together in the under 12, the under 14 and the under 16 and we were in the world championships together and my best Tomas Alvar (?) also from Majorca, we were always together when we were kids and we know each other. It will be a tough match

Here’s the team Rafa was talking about:

Mañana R.Nadal vs M.Granollers , bonito encuentro, os dejo 1 foto 12 años menos (2000). bit.ly/Jfn1ct@arsenismash @calvonbauer

— Jose Manuel (@drosigt) May 16, 2012

Q: Yesterday could have been a difficult match. Today you seemed to be comfortable from the first point. What were you pleased with?

NADAL: To play against Florian – he plays not usual shots and he does things like a slice forehand and drop short and defends well low balls and goes to the net well but I felt well especially in the first set and if I had played well the first set then the match . it would have been easier but the important thing is that I didn’t suffer ……….inaudible and I made a mistake but for the rest, it was important that I didn’t suffer and I felt comfortable and playing inside the court I was playing very well.

Yesterday he could have had a difficult match? Yeah. Bye rounds can be sooooo tough. Happy for no suffering.

Q: What think about Mourihno?

NADAL: We are not talking about this. This is a tennis tournament. I think he is a winner and he has great personality and I met him and I think he brings to Real Madrid a competitive spirit and so I feel happy to know him and I think he is strong and probably has a different face from what he shows to everyone.

Um. Okay. All I know about Mourihno is that he’s the head coach of Real Madrid. I guess he’s controversial in some way.

Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/ AFP/ GettyImages

Thanks to today’s 2nd round match in Rome, there’s one less player on the tour that holds a winning head-to-head against Rafa. That’s because Rafa beat Florian Mayer 6-1, 7-5. I didn’t get to see the match thanks to a killer migraine – couldn’t take the light from my TV set. Those who did see it, please let us know how you think it went.


Stats:

(Thanks to Israel TennisResults for posting a screen grab of the stats – they are always helpful.)

Photo by Clive Brunskill/ Getty Images

First up, Rafa’s pre-tournament (and fidgety!) interview in: English and Spanish. His first match will be tomorrow (Wednesday) not before 7:30pm. Vamos!

Articles:

• Old Bosses, New Bosses – Tignor’s wrap up on Madrid.
• Toni Nadal: “Es más fácil ser buena persona que ser buen tenista” – interview with Toni from puntodebreak.com. (mangle)
• Roland Garros preview edition of Tennis 15-30.

Audio/Video:

• Entrevista a Rafa Nadal, en Londres – a Spanish interview with Rafa about the Olympics. One of the kind busy bees who are helping me out on Facebook posted a translation summary. Thanks!
• iB3 report on Rafa’s upcoming tennis center in Manacor.

Photos:

• There’s a couple photos from the Rafa/Tot session I didn’t include in that post here.
• Love this shot from Madrid. And, um, this one…really large.
• A couple of Rafa photos in this day one in Rome photo wrap-up.

Rafa does social media:

• Rafa shared a fun photo from the tot event.

Random:

• Behind the scenes of the Rome tournament – well, of players’ eating habits.
• Last book Sam Stouser’s read? Rafa’s bio.
• Seriously? No, really…seriously?

Now one from gazzetta.it.

And here’s some photos:

Photos by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

Photo by JAVIER SORIANO/ AFP/ GettyImages

• Nadal Looks to Regain No. 2 Spot – from the Rome tournament site.
• Ranking Drop Doesn’t Bother Nadal Ahead Of Roland Garros – James Buddell (ATP). Love the totally different impression this title gives from the first one…for the same interview.
• Report Card: Grading the Madrid Open – Courtney Nguyen (si.com)
• The Play in Madrid, and Not Just the Clay, Merits Attention – by Christopher Clarey (nytimes.com)

Videos:

• Tournament preview (with Rafa practice footage and a short interview) and day one wrap up.
• Video clip from the pre-tournament presser.
• Check out RAFAddicted’s YouTube channel for practice videos.

Photos:

• Monique Filippella tweeted some wonderful presser pictures:
  • yep, back in Rome
  • hmmmm, what kind of fish should I scare my fans with next time
  • seriously?
  • flashing a bicep and a smile
• Practice photos from In Rafa We Trust.
• From RAFAddicted: Rafa and Simon; Rafa & Pico.
• Barbara Grassi has also tweeted some photos: getting ready to pound a backhand; a forehand this time.
• Nice photo from the tournament site (don’t forget the “full screen” option they have).
• Some Madrid practice photos in this flickr set.

Tweets about Rafa:
Reem360 was on a conference call/interview with Andre Agassi today. She tweeted this:

Agassi still believes beating Nadal on clay best of 5 is the toughest task out there. Calls him the Mount Everest on clay

— Reem360 (@ReemAbulleil) May 14, 2012

Okay, time to get ready for bed. Now the big question, will I get up in less than 5 hours to watch Daveeeeed?

Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

A transcript of Rafa’s pre-tournament presser has been posted to the tournament site.

Q: Rafa, how was your fishing day the other day.

NADAL: Good. I had a day off in Majorca the other day. My first feeling after the match was to come to Rome to the next day but after talking to the people around me we decided to come home for some days and spend some time with my sister. She lives in Barcelona and I don’t have a lot of time to see her so I spent some time with her and with my family and fishing on Friday morning early. Being in the middle of the sea with fantastic weather and I was able to swim a little and so it was fantastic for me.

Guess he wasn’t too far out in the sea if he got to swim a little (given his fear or swimming if he can’t see the bottom). Glad he got to hang with his sister a bit.

Q: What do you expect form your fishing week here in Rome?

NADAL: Just the same. Try my best – try to play my best and if I am able to do it then I will have the chance to have a good result…..but just to do the same and try to play like I did in Monte Carlo and Barcelona and we got back to normal conditions and that makes the ….. readapt to play and I have 3 practices in the clay – once in Majorca and yesterday here — today is was very windy and difficult to practice but the feeling is there and I am happy how I am playing.

And since he doesn’t start until Wednesday, another day of practice on the courts there.

Q: …[inaudible]….

NADAL: I didn’t understand nothing.

Q: Do you compare your opponent to a type of fish.

NADAL: A lot of history about my fishing day. The fishes are there – I cannot see nobody when I am there – and I can see the opponent – it is a different history – I don’t understand rivals – we are here in the same tour and we are colleagues and we have to play against each other and I try my best to compete and beat as many as I can.

Compare an opponent to a fish? The hell?

Q: Before coming here – you met Novak – did you talk to him about soccer or about the blue clay the other day.

NADAL: We have always a good relationship with each other. We always talk about things but when I talk about someone I don’t say what I talk about …. The blue clay is past and I said what I had to say in Madrid about my feelings about that. My feelings are there .—– my goal now is Roma and I don’t think about blue clay I think of Roland Garros. I lost and I didn’t have the level that I needed to win. I am here in Rome and it is one of my favourite tournaments and I love playing here – I always have a fantastic feeling playing here I love the crown and its always a big emotion to come back to this fantastic place – I am motivated to play my best.

I like a motivated Rafa.

Q: We has such a fantastic final with yourself and Novak..

NADAL: For him
…[Laughter]….

Heh

Q: Well, it was a great match to watch.

NADAL: Well, 6-4 6-4 – it wasn’t such a great match to watch.

Not close enough for you, Rafa?

Q: I’d like to know what you have to do to beat Novak or whoever you might have if you want to win this time.

NADAL: I will think about Mayer – I lost him in Shanghai last year and so let me think about the first round. It is stupid to think about the final now –I don’t know any tournament that starts with the final. You know – here we are in a Masters 1000 and so you have a lot of good players and every point is difficult but I will try my best since the first round and if I am able to play my best I will go to the final.

When will people ever learn – one point, one game, one set, one match at a time.

Q: Given that the conditions were so different last week, was it that Federer was able to adapt better that a lot of players and does this show how the conditions can affect a tournament.

NADAL: I said before about last week – its over and I think about Rome ……..Federer is a fantastic player – probably the best in history and probably the best to adapt to every court but that is the sport and tennis… That is the real thing and the problem is not to adapt to the court but the conditions have to be similar to every court. If we think about changing the balls to play every tournament with the same balls for the clay court season and then this is possible but then we play on different courts. How strange is that. I don’t know why we are talking about the tournament. I want to congratulate Roger and that’s it.

Yes. Let’s just stop talking about Madrid, shall we?

Q: Now with the Olympics, you are the only current player to have a gold in the singles. Would it be particularly special to win another at Wimbledon.

NADAL: No – Wimbledon aren’t an Olympics.

Heh, so literal minded. (I can relate.)

Q: No, I wasn’t going to say. Would the gold medal be more of a priority that winning another Grand Slam.

NADAL: I am thinking of Rome now and that is the real thing. Every tournament is very important. Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the Olympics and to win any of these is fantastic and so I cannot say I prefer the Olympics so Wimbledon and I will be there and try my best in every moment and have the right result to compete then this will be a dear form. Wimbledon is difficult because you play the best of five sets and you play on a surface where sometimes the match is decided in a few balls – you can imagine how I will be playing the best of thee in the Olympics. It is the perfect tournament for surprises and for perfect scores and so it is going to be a big challenge for everyone. The Olympics are probably the most important event is sport – in tennis we are lucky to have a fantastic tour – Olympics are probably the most difficult event to win for a tennis play. When you start your career you can probably have one change or two change to win the Olympics – you can have three but you have a very long career and the timing has to be good. This is why it is difficult and I am lucky to have won.

Hadn’t thought about it being 3 sets on grass before. Tight matches could really be a crap shoot.

Q: Is it important to get into second place before Roland Garros.

NADAL: I don’t know how things are in the race. I know I am 100 points behind Roger with is like 500 points or 550 behind Novak. My positions not bad – I had a good start of the season – 2 or 3 hard matches – the final in Australia – that made a big decision with 100 points and semi finals in Miami I didn’t play for an injury of the knee and last week with the conditions. That is a tournament which is usually a favourite for my game. That is why I am number 3 in the race and not number 2. I am happy I am in Rome to keep playing as I play – to arrive with number 2 or 3 isn’t going to change my game. If you are number 2 or 3 then that doesn’t change. You just have to win. You have to win in the semi finals – even if you are number 2 or 3 doesn’t make a big difference and I want to keep playing and end the clay court season and start the grass court season.

Miami is a tournament that is usually a favorite for his game? One he’s ever won? I don’t get that. IW seems to go better for him. (Edit: As JC pointed out in the comments, he’s talking about Madrid and my reading comprehension is sub-par.)

Q: Rafa – you seem to track the rankings. You seem to know what points you have and what the other players have. Do also the other players do this?

NADAL: I think everybody follows. I don’t know much about the entry – seriously but the race says what you have been doing during the season. When I start the season in January I see it like a league – a soccer league – you start and then you finish and the entry is there bit the race is when you know how you are doing – but the race is the real points that you are playing …. That is the real thing that I follow. You start from zero and you finish at number 6 or number 5 and then you come back to zero again, that is my way of seeing sport.

Doesn’t sound like a 2 year ranking system to me. ;)