Forty Deuce

What The Hell, Queens?

Well, Queens had everything on the menu today.  We had upsets, injuries, and Americans once again proving that if it ain't football, baseball, or basketball, we are a bunch of p-words.

Rafa was pushed in three tight sets by Istomin, 76(4) 46 64.  More problematic than the challenge was a Rafa calling the trainer to look at his famous ass.  Afterwards, Rafa complained of some pain the back of his leg and up to his bum.  It sounds like a typical grass court injury (the players, used to the balls bouncing high on clay now have to get low for the balls on grass).  He said he'll get some tests and hopes he can play tomorrow.  Let's just be happy it wasn't his knees.

You knew it was going to be a bad day at the office for A-Rod when Dudi broke him in his second service game.  Gilbert observed that the grass was playing a bit slow and I have to agree.  Dudi played some inspired tennis though.  You have to think Andy needs more than just two warm-up matches for Wimbly though.

Then Nole got bounced by ATomic Killer X-Man.  Yeah...I don't know. 

And then, to cap it all off, Mardy No-Socks had to pull the most chickenshit stunt I've seen in quite some time.  After splitting sets with Muzz and jumping to a 3-0 lead in the third, No-Socks would drop the next three games to even it up at 3-3.  At that point, he started bitching and moaning about the light (it was about 8:30pm), the tourney referee was called out, a conversation was had (which didn't include Andy), play was suspended, and then No-Socks abruptly packed his shit and walked off the court.  Moose was livid and ripped the umpire for a good while.  As he pointed out, No-Socks was perfectly happy to play 10 minutes ago when he was up in the set  and "politely" reminded the chair that he had played until 9:30pm last week in Paris.  The crowd wasn't too pleased either.

Seriously, Britain.  With the amount of fight and lack of guile displayed by the Colonies these past few weeks, I have no idea why my dollar bills don't have the Queen on them.  Maybe instead of muskets and frigates you should have just rolled out some grass turf back in 1775, poured yourself a hot cup of tea, and watched as we all ran to Canada.

Dear England: Please hand us our asses on Saturday.  I'll be rooting for you.

Cruise Control

62 62 in 52 minutes.

63 63 in an hour and 12 minutes.

Kid Didn't Even Change His Shirt.

Rafa left Euro Disney, took a bit of a nap on the train, and popped up in London to do a "light hit" for 20 minutes in the rain at Queens. 

According to @DavidLawTennis:

 

As I said earlier today, In-cray-ah-blay.

Pic This: Euro Disney Still Exists?

Poor dude.  All he wants to do is hop on the train and get to Queens.  But no.  The FFT had to drag him to the soul-crushing idiocy that is Euro Disney and make him pose with a bunch of Furries.

In-cray-ah-blay!

Pic This: Au Revoir.

 

And so another RG comes to a close.  All in all, it was an odd tournament that had some unexpected twists and turns that ended in two memorable feel good moments that made you happy and proud to be a tennis fan.  You can't ask for more than that.

 

Autograph request fail.  Or win.  I'm actually not sure.

 

Come to Mama.  I'll make it all better.

 

Hey, does anyone have 3-Across?

It's all fun and games until Rafa doesn't show up.

 

I'm happy to see you too, Andy.  At ease.

Committed.

If there is one thing that unites great champion athletes it's a sense of delusion.  For some, that level of delusion can be comical or eyeroll worthy (I'm rolling my eyes at you, Serena).  For others it manifests itself in a self-confidence that seems independent of results.  I'd put Fed in this category.

In Rafa's case, it's a humility that is independent of results.  If you didn't know better as you watched Rafa collapse to the ground on match point, roar in exaltation and relief, and convulsively sob into a towel as he realized not only what he accomplished on this dominant two month run, but also how he had finally overcome the devastating professional and personal trials of the last year, you would have thought this was his first career Slam victory.  Leave it to Rafa to make Franny's celebration look mundane and entitled.  As the NBC commentator's remarked, you could see in his reaction that he genuinely thought this day might never come again. 

And that, in a nutshell, is what drives Rafa.  The cynics will say that he's the epitome of false modesty.  After all, how can the player anointed "the King of Clay", with the results he's had on this surface over the course of his career, possibly think that, if healthy, he wouldn't ever hoist the Coupe de Mousquetaires again?  He ran the table in the pre-tournament run-ups in dominant fashion.  He didn't drop a set going into Sunday's final.  He was the unanimous favorite as he picked apart and broke down challenger after challenger, ramping up his level of play from match to match.  I mean, come on, Rafa.  You can't be serious.

But that's Rafa.  He's dead serious.  He's dead serious when he tells you he gets nervous before every match.  He's dead serious when he tells you that he knows that he can play well, create good chances, and lose.  He's dead serious when he tells you that he accepts the fact that he can either win or lose on any given day when he takes the court. 

Take that practical, if not sometimes delusional, view of his tennis mortality and combine it with the fiercest competitive fire on the tour, and Rafa's results and his reactions make sense.  The guy believes he can lose against anyone and therefore he will do anything and everything to prevent that from happening.  That explains how he hit the ground running today, Vamosing and fist-pumping as early as 1-1 in the first.  It's why he took the game to Sod from the first ball, tracking down every single ball, no matter how hard it was crushed, and forced Sod to hit another ball.  Rafa was everywhere.  It was a jaw-dropping, dizzying display of defense that I haven't seen from him since the AO09 semifinal.  

As for Sod, I thought he played.  To put it in WTA terms, he pulled a Sam.  He played well enough to win most matches.  Just not this one.  Rafa was just too good and Sod acknowledge as much after the match.  Rafa forced him to hit winner after winner just to get a winner and on this day, his serve wasn't as effective as in previous rounds.  Could he have made some adjustments?  Sure.  Would it have made a difference?  Probably not.  And so for the second year in a row, he beats the top seed and defending champion, only to lose in the final.  And thus begins the rather unfair talk as to whether Sod has the guts to win a Slam.  But whatever.  Dude played well.  He just ran into a delusional madman.

Delusions, while they do have a negative connotation, can be a mechanism for self-preservation.  Again, see e.g., Serena Williams.  Blocking out the negative to remain in a positive state of mind is understandable and expected among the greats.  But Rafa's tact, of blocking out the positive to remain in a neutral to negative state of mind, takes iron-strength character to pull off.  Without that character, he's just a Spanish Debbie Downer.  He's no different than any other headcasey Negative Nelly on the tour.  With it, he's a humble, fiery competitor who plays without a lick of entitlement.  That's fucking scary.

Vamos, kid.  We've missed you.

Welcome Back, Kid.

A 64 62 64 devastating sleeper hold of a statement.  Rafa just suffocated Sod with his dizzying and at times, impossible looking defense, that saw Sod having to hit 3-5 winners just to win a point (if he'd win it at all).  The pressure clearly got to Sod as the match wore on, the toll of the tournament took out his legs, and with all of that, his mind.  The dude just couldn't go toe-to-toe with Rafa for three sets.  Just like Franny, he saved his best for last.

I'll be back with more later.  But congrats to Sod for a great tournament and congrats to Rafa on an incredible run.  He wins three straight Masters on clay, wins his 5th RG without dropping a set, avenges his loss over Sod, and reclaims the #1 ranking at a time when he can only gain points from here on out.  Amazing stuff. 

Can He Do It?

When it all boils down to it, that's the singular question for each of these guys.  Can Rafa withstand the barrage that is a fearless Sod to avenge last year and re-establish him at the top of the game?  Can Sod continue his unconscious hitting, show that last year wasn't a fluke, and establish himself as the only guy in the game who can stand toe to toe with Rafa and Fed without a lick o self-doubt?

This is juicy as all get out.  See you in the morning.

Air Quotes: Forgive and Forget. Maybe.

Q. You have played him a couple of times, and you had some psychological battles. How would you describe your relationship to him?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't have nothing to say about the relationship. For me, the relationship with him was normal. I had a little bit more tension than usual match in Wimbledon match 2007?

Q. 8.
RAFAEL NADAL: 8, no. No, no.

Q. 2007.
RAFAEL NADAL: 7?

Q. Well, it doesn't matter.
RAFAEL NADAL: 2007? Yes, it matters. (Laughter.)
2007, but after that, no, I didn't have not one problem with him. I think he's doing well, and at the same time he improves his level of tennis. He improve his level of kind of person, no? I think he improve his personality the last year.

Q. How?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he say more times hello to the rest of the yeah, I am speaking serious. I am speaking in the positive way, not in a negative way. Sure.

Q. He didn't say hello earlier?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he was very shy in the beginning. I think so, no? But I think he improves a lot.

The Way It Had To Be

For all the pre-match jockeying among a subset of fans wanting a Nadal-Berdych final, this is the one that true tennis fans wanted, nay, *needed*.  Sod was able to withstand a solid challenge from Tomas before the brave Czech ran out of gas under the hot Paris sun (huh?  Where's that been?) and Sod was able to turn it up a notch and take the last two sets.  Rafa overcame a DoucheStamp who left it all out there in the third-set to make his return to the final.

And so, this is the way it should be.  In order to reclaim his crown, Rafa needs to avenge his loss to Sod.  And in order to claim his maiden Slam and have no asterisk whatsoever in the vicinity of his name in the books, Sod's gotta go through Fed and Rafa.  It's hard not to see the parallels between Sam's run and Sod's.  No one will question them if they raise the Coupe this weekend and they will have rightfully earned their place in the conversation.

I'll be rooting for Rafa, obviously.  But I have to say, I'll be the first to stand and do a slow clap for Evil if he pulls this off.  Because aside from being a fan of any particular player, a fan of the sport of tennis, or a fan of storylines, I am first and foremost a fan of sport.  And seriously, this would be an even more impressive feat than DelPo beating Fed at USO 09. 

And it makes me hate Sod even more for making me say that.

Go Tennis.

Pic This: There Better Be Chocolate Somewhere In There

Happy 24th Birthday, Rafa!

Noleo, Noleo, Where For Art Thou, Noleo?

Look, I'm happy for DoucheStamp.  I really am.  You can't not be happy for a journeyman player who breaks through at a Slam, putting together quality win (Ferrer) after quality win (Gabs) after quality win (two sets down to Novak).  And his celebration was so joyous.  He's the Franny of the ATP.  Let's face it, she probably has a douchestamp, too.

But what of this kid?  Up two sets and a break he once again, as he has done throughout the tournament, lost his focus and let his opponent back into the match.  Only this time, he didn't get away with it. 

I suppose people will be talking about this call.  With D-Stamp serving for the match in the fifth and down 0-15, Nole hit what looked like a forehand winner.  Bernardes called it out.  ESPN's Shot Spot showed the ball clipped the line.  To Nole's credit, and contrary to some idiot headlines, he didn't blame the call for his loss.  Nor did the call change his opinion that Hawk-Eye should stay the hell away from Roland Garros.  The bottom line is that he had numerous chances to break back in that game and he couldn't.  Meanwhile, Melzer the Veteran came out swinging, determined to "win" the game and not just let Nole lose it.

Sigh.  I feel like I've said this at every Slam of the past two years, but I hope the kid figures it out.  He used to be my absolute favorite player to watch.  Fluid game, effortless serve, amazing movement, intelligently aggressive counter-punching.  Now I can barely stand to watch three games in a row, regardless of whether he's winning, without wanting to switch to another match. 

Tennis is better when Nole's winning.  That's a fact.

And he's still #1 at post-loss net-exchanges.  I mean, it's nice to be #1 at something.

Have fun with this, D-Stamp.

Pic This: Nike Tips Its Champs?

 

 

Collision Course

Nole keeps quietly moving his way through the draw (though not without the slight hiccup) and will face DoucheStamp for a shot at the semifinals.  You have to like his chances at a Rafa rematch.  I wonder if the prospect of that match finally lights a fire under him.  He just seems to be playing with a slight lack of intensity, which to me, explains why he keeps going four sets against guys he should be dumping in straights.

And Rafa won, flexed his muscles, and fucked some air.  So...just another Monday afternoon for him.

 

Pic This: RG Days 5-9 (I Have Some Catching Up To Do)

 

Please keep playing well.  We need your brand of crazy on a more regular basis. 

And I have a whole notebook full of poetry dedicated to you.  You're my muse!

Ah.  The irony of yellow.

 

Scuba!  Scuba!  Scuba!

 

Embrace your inner Techno.

 

No snark here.  I just found this series of photos sweet and Rafa's look at the end hilarious.


Glad to see there are still Rudolf Fekete fans.  Never forget!

"This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill - the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."

Air Quotes: Rafa Will Not Play Your Little Game.

Q. I have a different question for you. Everyone in tennis loves Roger, respects Roger. He is said to be the best of all time. Yet two out of every three times you play him, you win. You've won six of the last seven times. Who's a better player?
RAFAEL NADAL: You like this. You are focused on the Roger thing, eh? (laughter.)
Yesterday with the clay. Today with the if somebody says I am better than Roger, I think this person don't know nothing about tennis. That's my answer.

Q. How so?
RAFAEL NADAL: Why?

Q. Yeah.
RAFAEL NADAL: So you don't know nothing about tennis.
You see the titles of him and you see the titles of me? It's no comparison. So that's the answer. Is difficult to compare Roger with me now, because he has 16 Grand Slams; I have 6. Masters 1000, yeah, I have more than him. But for the rest of the things the records of Roger is very, very almost impossible to improve.

Q. The question is: Still, for the fans, it is interesting when you step on the court with him, you usually win.
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I am No. 2 in the world for five years, so I think I am a good player, too. Sure, I can beat him. No. 2 can beat No. 1. That's the thing. It's not a lot of difference between No. 2 and No. 1 or between No. 1 and No. 10. That's the tennis, and the tennis very close, the level, all the time.
But I can beat him, yes. The same time, the thing is I beat him a lot of times on clay. I beat him on other surfaces, too. But the most of the times I beat him on clay, so I played with him more times on clay than on the rest of the surfaces.

Pic This: The Pains of Being Pretty at Heart.

Oh, hello, BEST PICTURE OF RAFA EVER.

"When you go on the court you know you can lose, you can win, and you have to accept both things."

Great interview by Chris Fowler. Love the parallels between Rafa's perspective on his own game and how that reflects on his views of Spain's chances at the World Cup.

"We have to be humble. The players, sure, are humble, but the crowds, too. We have to know how difficult it is to win this trophy."

So you don't view it as anything less than a World Cup title is a disappointment?

"For me, no. Because I see how difficult it is to win this title. The important thing I think is play well, play to have a good three matches in the group, be there, and later we have a good potential to win. But, remains a lot."

The kid is just amazing.

Air Quotes: Call Me, Ishmael.

In the past, I read that you watched series of Lost or Prison Break. What are you currently watching at the moment?
Kim, London

Rafa: I am watching the movie Moby Dick, a classic.

Ummm...ok. 

But more importantly, can we get some Rafa on Jake action?

Air Quotes: Zing!

From Rafa's Q&A:

What one song would you like to sing in the Karaoke Booth at Roland Garros this year?
Dustin, USA

Rafa: I am thinking about it. If Marc Lopez does it with me, I'll do it. otherwise I'll simply introduce Novak singing Gypsy... :-)

Pic This: Day 3

And with that, the first round at RG is in the books.  Mildly uneventful from a seed perspective.  But that's the fun part about actually watching the matches as opposed to score-tracking:  All the little funnies along the way.

"So then this guy named Christian something opens the door and they all go inside..."

Oh don't be coy.  It doesn't suit you.

Do they have Rockette's in the UK?

Watch!

This used to be funny.  It's kinda not anymore.

Oh, Cone.  I miss you.

More after the jump.

You Suck!

62 62 62 

Said Rafa after the match (while looking adorable, might I add):

"I played really bad. (laughter.) That was today."

Well then, I hope you win 62 62 62 and play badly for the rest of the tournament, Rafa.  This is my wish for you.  Oh, and thank you for not abandoning your wristband in favor of the watch.  I like the double up look.

Any Way You Slice It, That Watch Is Sexy As Hell.

I've stayed out of the whole "Rafa's Gonna Wear an Expensive Watch!?!? ZOMG?!?!" fray because, honestly, I don't really give a shit.  It's a sponsorship deal.  He didn't buy the watch for crying out loud.  Feli just signed with Jaeger LeCoultre. Ana wears a $12,000 Rolex.  Fed's is probably more than that.  I don't see it as a character flaw.

But I thought this tidbit from Boyfriend's Mailbag was interesting.  Miguel Seabra, a tennis and fancy watch expert (no really), weighs in on the whole brouhaha:

Hi there, colleague!

Regarding the Nadal watch issue: as a specialized tennis & watch journalist (I'm the only one editing a tennis and a watch magazine), my take is you missed the point regarding Nadal's new timepiece and what the sponsorship represents.

For one, Rafa's not paying those $525,000 dollars (of course) and that particular watch is not an expensive exercise of futility; Nadal's intense style of play provides an excellent test to Richard Mille experimental technology (just like Felipe Massa wears a Richard Mille while driving a Formula 1 car under immense trepidation). Secondly, Richard Mille is not a bling brand; it's a highly technical avantgarde watchmaker and that watch is not about the $525,000 price tag at all -- it's about the complex technique & spacelab material! ....The irony: a 'straightforward' character like Rafa endorses a highly complex watch by a ultra-prestigious niche brand (Richard Mille) while 'sophisticated' Roger is sponsored by a worldwide known luxury brand that produces uncomplicated timepieces (Rolex).

He's been practicing with the watch, supposedly he should start playing official matches with it at Roland Garros. But will he? Players and especially champions are creatures of habit...

I think the more interesting angle of this story is whether wearing the watch during play is going to bother Rafa.  Brad Gilbert was talking about it yesterday.  It's one thing for someone with a one-handed backhand to wear one (Justine used to), it's another for a two-handed backhander to wear one (though Caro used to).  Add to that the fact that Rafa is right handed but plays tennis left-handed.  Which arm do you put it on?  Typically you wear watches on your non-writing/non-dominant hand.  So...yeah.  We'll see, I guess.

Mouth Guard???

Rafa's Bag Check. Yeah. You heard me.

(FYI - For some reason I can't view it via Firefox or Chrome.  Had to go to Safari.)

Moved the video to after the jump.  Apparently it was auto-playing automatically every time you refreshed the page.

Required Reading

Gotta love the Slams just for all the interesting reading.  Some cool and interesting pieces:

A behind the scenes look into the "cool" WTA.

Tignor's awesome take on Ernie.

Kamakshi Tandon previews the Moose/Dickie match.

Doug Robson takes a look at Rafa's knees.

A profile of Andrea Petkovic on the RG Site.  In a nutshell, she's awesome.  And a nerd.

QuIsner blog from Paris.

An interview with Ana Ivanovic.

The GOAT GOAT Beater?

A pretty fair piece from Steve Tignor on how the Rafa/Fed H2H relates to Fed's GOATness. 

Liked this:

This one is more meaningful than most: It proves again how the GOAT exists only in theory, and that when we descend from the world of statistics, of Slams won and years spent at No. 1, the sport is still all about individual matchups, figured out and played out one at a time. Federer remains the best, the GOAT, for his ability to dominate more of those match-ups than anyone. Nadal, for now, has a more peculiar title, one unique to tennis. Call him the Fly (In the ointment). He's the best at beating the best.

The fact is that the H2H is the only blip on Fed's ridiculous resume, so it's easy for everyone to key in on it and make it the cornerstone of their argument that Fed's not the GOAT.

But he is.  And it's annoying as all fuck.

Pic This: My House.

Welcome home.

Aw.  Sharpei Rafa is one of my favorite Rafas. 

I want to take a nap in the folds of his face.

Oh, don't be shy.  Git it done, boy.

Pic This: Something's Wrong With This Picture.

Air Quotes: Reigning In The Bull

“I don’t want to say the names but good players, who have been at the top, they have gone down. It is the same because every year there are better ones coming, new ones, like Gulbis, [Marin] Cilic. [Andy] Murray arrived two years before, [Novak] Djokovic three years before. Rafael came to the top very young, which was good for us, but at the same time it is a problem because he was very high at 19-20 and you must get better because when you don’t improve, the new ones will make you bad and I know he can do all the things better. We are in this process.”

-- Uncle Toni, on trying to get Rafa to improve by playing a less physical game.  The whole article is fantastic.  Read it.

"That's How You Do It! That's How You Debate!"

Interesting post-match stuff from Fed and Rafa:

"Rafa's and my clay court seasons are decided at the French Open, and not before," the 28-year-old Federer said.

"It's unfortunately -- or fortunately -- like that. If we win all the tournaments like Rafa now and then go out in the first round of the French, everything will be questioned."

Nadal, who became the first player to win a hat-trick of claycourt Masters Series titles in one year, was not prepared to endorse Federer's views.

"Well, that's a respectable opinion that I don't share," the Spaniard said defeating the Swiss 6-4 7-6.

"And not because I have won the three (Masters) leading up to it, which some might think, but because I think it is unfair to think the whole clay season is decided by one tournament."

A fun argument, really.  But their two different perspectives sure do underline their respective careers.  There's a reason Rafa has 18 Masters Shields: He actually takes the smaller tournaments seriously week-by-week.  Fed's focus is obviously the Slams.

Nothing new, and unfortunately, I probably fall in Fed's camp on this one.  But it's kinda fun to see them disagree.

Air Quotes: Sigh. True.

“Am I favorite to win at Roland Garros? I was last year and I lost.”

-- Rafa, after striking out Fed.

Get The Man an "18" Jacket.

"I just keeding!"

It was a tense match that saw both players how off some spectacular shot-making and untimely mental letdowns.  Despite it being close, Rafa looked much more comfortable throughout the match compared to Fed, whose forehand let him down so much he started to rely, very effectively, on drop shops.  Well, they *were* effective until he went all Gulbis with them.

Neither Rafa or Fed played at their best but Fed did find himself with a 4-2 lead in the second set tiebreaker.  But then he inexplicably went dumb, gifting Rafa three straight points.  From there Rafa would close it out, the final point being a hilarious swing and a miss by Fed that can only be described as Kuz-like.  I guess last year's RG champs are having a hard time reading that dirt.

So what do we make of this?  Not much, in my opinion.  Rafa goes into RG as the clear favorite, obviously, but if Fed can work his way through RG and build his confidence match to match (and find his forehand, while he's at it), I don't count Fed out.  I've learned my lesson.  I don't do that anymore.

But for the time being, VAMOS RAFA.  18 Masters Shields, breaking the record previously held by some wigged out meth-head.  Go boy.

Final-ly

One Match Away...

Fed dropped a set before avenging his loss to Ernie, and Rafa had no problem against Gael.  Rafa is definitely the more in form player right now, but Fed seems to be gaining in confidence (though the first set saw completely shambolic Fed).

Fed will have to get through Daveed first.  And Rafa will have to contend with Nico.  Don't be retarded, Nico.  Go away.

Cruisin' For a Bruisin.

Pardon me as I have a moment. 

...

...

...

Ok.  I'm good.  That was nice.

The faves keep cruising on the men's side, as Rafa, Fed, and Muzzard keep trucking.  I realize now that I'm using "faves" loosely with my inclusion of Muzzard.  But you guys know what I mean.  Rafa had a tougher scoreline but seemingly easier match against Isner in straights, Andy demolished Hanescu 2 and 1, and some guy named Federer beat another Swiss guy.  

This sets up some tasty match ups tomorrow with none tastier than the Rome rematch between Ernie and Fed.  Nice to see Ernie follow up his Rome results with a strong run here.  Also on tap: Rafa vs. Gael (my knees swelled up at the mere mention of this one), Muzz vs. Daveed (you're toast, Andy), and Douche vs. Nico (two dudes I can't really stand). 

Oh, look.  Funny Gael pictures.  Welcome back, Gumby.

They Do What They Do.

Rafa came through an oddly tricky match against a dude who looked like Sveta's older sister, and Muzzard started his Madrid campaign by not losing.  So happy times for all!

Pic This: Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrafa!

Rafa's in Madrid sweating, tousling, and bending.  And looking adorbz.

Feli's going to be really sad he missed this.

This Is What You Call Momentum

Rafa takes his third straight title on clay, taking out Daveed in straight sets.

Smiles all around!

Well...not *all* around.

Tell Me How You Really Feel, Rafa

Use your words, Rafa.

How fun was that?  I had such a blast watching that match.  Some of the shotmaking by both guys was just awesome.  I love that Rafa finally got a strong challenge on clay and he was able to steel himself and come out on top.  No one competes like Rafa.  No one.

 

Hell of a match, Ernie.  Hell, that was one fuck of a tournament you just had yourself.  Please don't be crazy and lose all this momentum and belief.  You played so well until that last game.  Some of those forehands had me gasping for air.  Well, and if I can just be honest here, so did some of those dropshots.  But not in the same way, unfortunately.

You're awesome.  I love that people are talking about you again.  I loved seeing you play up to your oft-discussed potential this week.  And I love that you look homeless.  Now please don't fuck, Vika.  Seriously dude, your dick will fall off.

How about this guy, huh?

One of These Things Is Not Like The Other....

 

Pic This: Yup. In A Nutshell.

Awesome pic.

Pic This: Aw. Cute.

Who's excited for World Cup....

Forza Rafa!

Rafa speaks Italian. Come on.

Pic This: Adorbz

Practicing with some kids in Rome.

Augh. Put Your Phones Down And Start Making Out Already.

Totally cute.

Listen To The Knees

Rafa's skipping Barcelona.  Good boy.  We get it, you're ridiculously awesome on clay.  Glad you realize that you don't have to like, prove it all the time.  Rest up, kid!

Super Happy Fun Times!

You can always come home again.

Wow, Rafa.  That wasn't just your sixth straight Monte Carlo title.  That was a statement.  Rafa absolutely demolished the field, showing again why he's the best, by a long ways, on clay.  With all the questions surrounding Rafa these days (knees! semi losses! no title in a year!) I definitely had small doubts creep into my mind before his matches.

But boy, he completely killed everyone in his path.  And perhaps more striking to me was *how* he did.  It seems like so long since I've seen Rafa play on clay.  I wax poetic about it on the podcast that I'm tardy in posting, so I'll leave my comments at that.  Let's just say, Rafa on clay blows my mind.

Woodshed Saturday

Could it be?  Did Fer finally get a prescription for his chronic TED?  That was a shellacking he laid on Nole, taking out the top seed, 62 62.  This gets him his first Masters final, back into the Top 10, and, well, it was a big fucking win.  The biggest win of his career in my humble opinion (outside of Davis Cup, of course). 

Unfortunately, he's gotta play this guy:

Could Rafa *really* win six straight in Monte Carlo?  I mean...if you really let that stat sink in it's retarded remarkable. 

Either way, Go Tennis!

But really, go Rafa.

Ocean's 11

Monte Carlo Player's Party.  Always a classy affair.

Oh, Rafa.  I'm not sure you'll ever look comfy in a suit. 

Augh.  Jelena is so adorable.  How dare you?

Skelator never looked so good.

Mmmm.  Nenad.  And...Steve Buscemi.  Or something.

Oh, look who decided to roll out of bed to join us. 

Ass.

Pic This: I Always Loved Thigh Meat.

I mean, you can't not stare.