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#Post#: 11792--------------------------------------------------
'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: Rafalution Date: March 11, 2014, 4:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Last year - I was here, same event, same weeks of the year, same
everything, except one thing.. I had ZERO expectations. Rafa was
coming off the .... you all know this.. 7 months off, one final
at Vina Del Mar (loss), and two tourney wins at Sao Paulo and
Acapulco- his Golden Swing. So, when I prepared to come here
last year (Indian Wells) I had hopes- but was very short on
expectations. I was, as we all were, blown away by Rafa's
triumph on the desert hard courts. At that point, again we
remembered- this is Rafa Nadal- maybe he REALLY CAN DO ANYTHING.
However, when I renewed my box seats I knew that lightening
rarely strikes twice in the same place, and a year apart to
nearly the day. As I think you know, Maria is also my favorite,
so I was feeling quite high, feet weren't on the ground for days
and days. I renewed my tickets for this event the morning of
March 18th. The final was March 17th. I've looked forward to
this event for a year.
The last time I had entered the stadium prior to this week, I
had recalled the departing view of my last visit- Raining
purple, silver, green confetti on a newly crowned champion at
Indian Wells, a miraculous achievement by all athletic standards
when one looks upon where he had been 9 months before. I have
such fond memories of that and I will never forget them. This
could get ramble-some, but I will try to compose this as best I
can as so much is running through my mind with the loss of both
my champions today.
After Maria and Rafa played their first matches, I didn't have
GREAT expectations, as I said, I didn't come with many this year
or last, and didn't expect a repetition of last year's glory.
However, I didn't quite expect this either. Thankfully, (or
luckily), I am a tennis fan and not just a Masha/Rafa fan, so I
will enjoy the rest of my time here. On balance, however, this
is my retrospective of the journey so far.
I've had a great tournament thus far. I have met the players I
wanted to meet, received great compliments, and met excellent
people that I tweet with. I have a wealth of joy to take from
this tourney. I am a bit phased right now, but I will be fine.
It will hurt tomorrow when it really sinks in that both my
favorites have been ousted far too soon for my liking, but that
is the nature of sport. Both of my favorites are great champions
and great winners AND losers, they are tough, tougher than us
soft-hearted fans that just want to see our players do well. We
almost have an expectation that when we come to see them, they
must win for us. That is a misguided and selfish ideation, but I
digress.
Rafa had great practices, I didn't attend Maria's, as she
practices out in what I call the Mashalands *marshlands* of IW,
as she has had bad experiences with photographers in the past
taking rude photos of her and the likes, so she practices on a
smaller court, practice court 9, henceforth to be referred to as
PC9. (Rafa is always showcased on the 'SHOW Practice Courts'-
PC1 and PC2 with grandstands- this tournament really is the
FAN'S tournament and I highly advise you add it to your list if
you attend events. That's was my plug to IW- they make
everything SO easy. Practices are scheduled and the schedule is
posted, there is seating available on PC1 and PC2 and others as
well. It is a really easy tournament to gain access to player
autographs and photos! Highly recommended to the fan that has
the desire to stalk the practice courts and autograph seek.)
Now, to today. Wellsageddon, if I must name it. My own little
earthquake in the desert occurred this day session, and I am not
devastated, just bummed. It will pass. I think of all that these
players have contributed to my life and I can't let this loss be
the definition of my experience down here this tournament, and
refuse to put any blame on them- they played their guts out- as
they are both wont to do- ALWAYS.
I know I am straying. I am sorry, just a lot swirling.
So, now to Rafa Nadal, in my opinion, the hardest working
athlete I can think of, and I am a Messi fan, (FC Barcelona),
thus I am saying a lot when I call him the 'hardest working
athlete'. He practices with full gusto. He doesn't spend a
second of practice goofing around. I saw Monfils, whom I love,
play a game of 'tennis bowling' for 15 minutes at the end of his
session. Its no wonder the man hasn't achieved more, now I have
seen it in person. Again, I digress. *If you want to know the
Monfils tale, I will write it some other time, and elsewhere.
When Rafa played Stepanek, I could see his service motion has
changed, he has this little devil/angel thing - the angel
telling him to give it his all, the devil reminding him his body
will only allow so much, and the ghost of Australian Open back
pain. Knowing that he didn't practice his serve tells me a lot
about why he played sooooo many practice sets out in the
practice courts. He does usually play sets, but against
Wawrinka, he played BALLS OUT, and again, Robredo, he played
hard, but the level of Robredo's game doesn't lend itself to the
same type of practice sets as the 2 he played with Stan. He
practiced for an hour before even venturing into sets. He has
his routine and he sticks to it. Then he started sets. This man
practices for 2 hours or more on off days, so no one can tell ME
that he wasn't practicing enough. The devil was reminding him
not to serve too wildly, as his back could easily be injured
again. He said in his presser- (ad lib) it wasn't his back that
was the problem, in his mind, it was his backhand and forehand,
nothing more.
The match against Steps, however, showed me that the lack of
practice on his serve post Oz was on his mind and bothering him.
However, during practice he worked mostly on his corners, down
the line shots, and the backhand down the line, which was
gleeful. Then when he would play sets, they would play proper
sets. My evaluation of his play versus Stepanek is multifaceted.
He had issues with the serve, Steps came out with the knowledge
that Rafa was not 100% (or so I assume- as that's all I can do)
and he took it to Rafa. He was lucky to win this match. Rafa has
lost two matches this year, both to players he had never dropped
a single set to. That is telling about his sharpness on the
court. Tonight, against Dolgopolov, he was clearly not happy- he
said in presser- he was not happy with the match pace- it was
evident. He was burned more times than I've seen against anyone,
sans Djokovic, on the forehand corner tonight and against Steps.
My only explanation is this, the man cannot quit doing what he
loves. Zebras don't change their stripes and Rafael doesn't
adjust passion for body - unless body says HALT! I don't believe
body said HALT - I believe he was simply outplayed. He has
nothing to prove to me, or anybody for that matter. He only
could want to be proving to himself, because he has everything
else down to a science. I am no Rafa expert. I am no tennis
expert. I am simply a fan that reports what she sees. He was
outplayed.. he scored more points *7, I think* than Dolgo, but
tennis is the fairest of sports when it comes to scores, its
which points he wins and when, not the total number. I find
this both frustrating as a fan and fascinating. It makes the
sport all the more heartbreaking and breathtaking - its a
quandary for me to decide if its good or bad, but I love tennis,
so it is what it is, not for me to say if its good or bad, it
is what it is.
In retrospect, I came here with a LOT less than I am leaving
with, mostly alllllll good. This was hard to watch. The demise
of both my players on the same day, but that is sport. I am a
passionate fan, but mostly I am concerned one. I don't want my
players hurting and it was clear that they were, Maria seemed
physically to have pain in the shoulder, as usual, and Rafa,
emotionally. He just was so annoyed with himself. That's hard
for me to digest. In the end, he could have won or lost, *duh*.
What I mean is, it could have gone either way. It just didn't go
his way tonight. I give Dolgopolov MAJOR props for his effort
and improvement over the years. I also feel like he needed this
win. With what is going on in his homeland, this has to be a
positive distraction. I don't have any ill will towards him, and
Rafa would be ashamed of us (tsk tsk) if he thought we did feel
badly toward his opponents simply because he was bested by them.
I don't 'review' tennis matches point by point. I look at it as
a whole. As a whole, it was an exciting match *both were* but I
can say I am deflated- probably overly fatigued as well.
I will close this with a few of the moments that were
highlights, getting my autographs three times, talking to him
about the shoes, meeting Maymo, getting Maymo's autograph, and
of course, violating Maymo's precious hands.. (kiss on the
knuckle. There are worse things that one could conjure up, I was
being kind. They are the hands that help maintain our champion's
physiotherapy, and that is priceless.)
My moments of glee are abundant, countless, and unforgettable.
Its sad to see him go, but as he said...
'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
and as I said... nobody died, so my life will go on. I love him
(and Maria) and I will always take this with me as a hard
experience, but one that I will learn from- about myself, my own
resilience and the resilience that every tennis player must have
to go week in and out losing and winning and losing again, and
getting up every day to do it again. So, like the players I
adore so much, I will get up and do it all over again, maybe at
a slower pace, maybe with less of a bounce in my step, not so
much gusto - but I am a tennis fan and always will be, and
Rafael Nadal is a force to be reckoned with, any day of the week
and ....
Life continues....
#Post#: 11796--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: thetruth Date: March 11, 2014, 6:49 am
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Rafalution link=topic=686.msg11792#msg11792
date=1394528738]
Last year - I was here, same event, same weeks of the year, same
everything, except one thing.. I had ZERO expectations. Rafa was
coming off the .... you all know this.. 7 months off, one final
at Vina Del Mar (loss), and two tourney wins at Sao Paulo and
Acapulco- his Golden Swing. So, when I prepared to come here
last year (Indian Wells) I had hopes- but was very short on
expectations. I was, as we all were, blown away by Rafa's
triumph on the desert hard courts. At that point, again we
remembered- this is Rafa Nadal- maybe he REALLY CAN DO ANYTHING.
However, when I renewed my box seats I knew that lightening
rarely strikes twice in the same place, and a year apart to
nearly the day. As I think you know, Maria is also my favorite,
so I was feeling quite high, feet weren't on the ground for days
and days. I renewed my tickets for this event the morning of
March 18th. The final was March 17th. I've looked forward to
this event for a year.
The last time I had entered the stadium prior to this week, I
had recalled the departing view of my last visit- Raining
purple, silver, green confetti on a newly crowned champion at
Indian Wells, a miraculous achievement by all athletic standards
when one looks upon where he had been 9 months before. I have
such fond memories of that and I will never forget them. This
could get ramble-some, but I will try to compose this as best I
can as so much is running through my mind with the loss of both
my champions today.
After Maria and Rafa played their first matches, I didn't have
GREAT expectations, as I said, I didn't come with many this year
or last, and didn't expect a repetition of last year's glory.
However, I didn't quite expect this either. Thankfully, (or
luckily), I am a tennis fan and not just a Masha/Rafa fan, so I
will enjoy the rest of my time here. On balance, however, this
is my retrospective of the journey so far.
I've had a great tournament thus far. I have met the players I
wanted to meet, received great compliments, and met excellent
people that I tweet with. I have a wealth of joy to take from
this tourney. I am a bit phased right now, but I will be fine.
It will hurt tomorrow when it really sinks in that both my
favorites have been ousted far too soon for my liking, but that
is the nature of sport. Both of my favorites are great champions
and great winners AND losers, they are tough, tougher than us
soft-hearted fans that just want to see our players do well. We
almost have an expectation that when we come to see them, they
must win for us. That is a misguided and selfish ideation, but I
digress.
Rafa had great practices, I didn't attend Maria's, as she
practices out in what I call the Mashalands *marshlands* of IW,
as she has had bad experiences with photographers in the past
taking rude photos of her and the likes, so she practices on a
smaller court, practice court 9, henceforth to be referred to as
PC9. (Rafa is always showcased on the 'SHOW Practice Courts'-
PC1 and PC2 with grandstands- this tournament really is the
FAN'S tournament and I highly advise you add it to your list if
you attend events. That's was my plug to IW- they make
everything SO easy. Practices are scheduled and the schedule is
posted, there is seating available on PC1 and PC2 and others as
well. It is a really easy tournament to gain access to player
autographs and photos! Highly recommended to the fan that has
the desire to stalk the practice courts and autograph seek.)
Now, to today. Wellsageddon, if I must name it. My own little
earthquake in the desert occurred this day session, and I am not
devastated, just bummed. It will pass. I think of all that these
players have contributed to my life and I can't let this loss be
the definition of my experience down here this tournament, and
refuse to put any blame on them- they played their guts out- as
they are both wont to do- ALWAYS.
I know I am straying. I am sorry, just a lot swirling.
So, now to Rafa Nadal, in my opinion, the hardest working
athlete I can think of, and I am a Messi fan, (FC Barcelona),
thus I am saying a lot when I call him the 'hardest working
athlete'. He practices with full gusto. He doesn't spend a
second of practice goofing around. I saw Monfils, whom I love,
play a game of 'tennis bowling' for 15 minutes at the end of his
session. Its no wonder the man hasn't achieved more, now I have
seen it in person. Again, I digress. *If you want to know the
Monfils tale, I will write it some other time, and elsewhere.
When Rafa played Stepanek, I could see his service motion has
changed, he has this little devil/angel thing - the angel
telling him to give it his all, the devil reminding him his body
will only allow so much, and the ghost of Australian Open back
pain. Knowing that he didn't practice his serve tells me a lot
about why he played sooooo many practice sets out in the
practice courts. He does usually play sets, but against
Wawrinka, he played BALLS OUT, and again, Robredo, he played
hard, but the level of Robredo's game doesn't lend itself to the
same type of practice sets as the 2 he played with Stan. He
practiced for an hour before even venturing into sets. He has
his routine and he sticks to it. Then he started sets. This man
practices for 2 hours or more on off days, so no one can tell ME
that he wasn't practicing enough. The devil was reminding him
not to serve too wildly, as his back could easily be injured
again. He said in his presser- (ad lib) it wasn't his back that
was the problem, in his mind, it was his backhand and forehand,
nothing more.
The match against Steps, however, showed me that the lack of
practice on his serve post Oz was on his mind and bothering him.
However, during practice he worked mostly on his corners, down
the line shots, and the backhand down the line, which was
gleeful. Then when he would play sets, they would play proper
sets. My evaluation of his play versus Stepanek is multifaceted.
He had issues with the serve, Steps came out with the knowledge
that Rafa was not 100% (or so I assume- as that's all I can do)
and he took it to Rafa. He was lucky to win this match. Rafa has
lost two matches this year, both to players he had never dropped
a single set to. That is telling about his sharpness on the
court. Tonight, against Dolgopolov, he was clearly not happy- he
said in presser- he was not happy with the match pace- it was
evident. He was burned more times than I've seen against anyone,
sans Djokovic, on the forehand corner tonight and against Steps.
My only explanation is this, the man cannot quit doing what he
loves. Zebras don't change their stripes and Rafael doesn't
adjust passion for body - unless body says HALT! I don't believe
body said HALT - I believe he was simply outplayed. He has
nothing to prove to me, or anybody for that matter. He only
could want to be proving to himself, because he has everything
else down to a science. I am no Rafa expert. I am no tennis
expert. I am simply a fan that reports what she sees. He was
outplayed.. he scored more points *7, I think* than Dolgo, but
tennis is the fairest of sports when it comes to scores, its
which points he wins and when, not the total number. I find
this both frustrating as a fan and fascinating. It makes the
sport all the more heartbreaking and breathtaking - its a
quandary for me to decide if its good or bad, but I love tennis,
so it is what it is, not for me to say if its good or bad, it
is what it is.
In retrospect, I came here with a LOT less than I am leaving
with, mostly alllllll good. This was hard to watch. The demise
of both my players on the same day, but that is sport. I am a
passionate fan, but mostly I am concerned one. I don't want my
players hurting and it was clear that they were, Maria seemed
physically to have pain in the shoulder, as usual, and Rafa,
emotionally. He just was so annoyed with himself. That's hard
for me to digest. In the end, he could have won or lost, *duh*.
What I mean is, it could have gone either way. It just didn't go
his way tonight. I give Dolgopolov MAJOR props for his effort
and improvement over the years. I also feel like he needed this
win. With what is going on in his homeland, this has to be a
positive distraction. I don't have any ill will towards him, and
Rafa would be ashamed of us (tsk tsk) if he thought we did feel
badly toward his opponents simply because he was bested by them.
I don't 'review' tennis matches point by point. I look at it as
a whole. As a whole, it was an exciting match *both were* but I
can say I am deflated- probably overly fatigued as well.
I will close this with a few of the moments that were
highlights, getting my autographs three times, talking to him
about the shoes, meeting Maymo, getting Maymo's autograph, and
of course, violating Maymo's precious hands.. (kiss on the
knuckle. There are worse things that one could conjure up, I was
being kind. They are the hands that help maintain our champion's
physiotherapy, and that is priceless.)
My moments of glee are abundant, countless, and unforgettable.
Its sad to see him go, but as he said...
'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
and as I said... nobody died, so my life will go on. I love him
(and Maria) and I will always take this with me as a hard
experience, but one that I will learn from- about myself, my own
resilience and the resilience that every tennis player must have
to go week in and out losing and winning and losing again, and
getting up every day to do it again. So, like the players I
adore so much, I will get up and do it all over again, maybe at
a slower pace, maybe with less of a bounce in my step, not so
much gusto - but I am a tennis fan and always will be, and
Rafael Nadal is a force to be reckoned with, any day of the week
and ....
Life continues....
[/quote]
This is a beautiful post. So very well written.
I understand exactly what you are saying on all levels. As a
fan, I am careful not to put unrealistic expectations on Rafa,
or anyone else. I always wish him the best, but I am not
disappointed in his losses, because I know that as a player he
will always give his best, win or lose. Even in a loss I never
feel cheated. He is a pleasure to watch for me, because in life,
we don't always win, so it is unrealistic to expect that from
others.
Sometimes these losses allow me to finally exhale. And as far as
IW or Miami, while they are decent prizes, they are not the
ultimate in tennis, so if he must lose, I'd rather it is here
than in a tournament such as a major.
One of the things that I've noticed most about Nadal's career
trajectory is that lows are always followed by highs, highs so
great that the lows fade into obscurity. So this tournament is
just another day in the life for me.
I was just saying the other day how I get "feelings" and that
was so true of this tournament. I saw Rafa's match against
Stepanek (which he could have very well have lost) but, I was on
the phone and barely paying any attention. It was as if I knew
that this tournament would not end well so there was no reason
for me to invest emotionally.
His second match I still did not have the passion that I usually
have. There were no butterflies, anticipation, or hope. I
honestly wished he hadn't played because I am first and foremost
concerned with his health.
He doesn't need to be #1, win every match, be the GOAT, win the
most slams, or anything else for me to be a fan. I am a fan
because he approaches life in a healthy way, makes use of his
talents, and is a gracious and sincere loser. That to me
outweighs any trophy a person can win.
I love Rafa because he has a realness to him that I don't see in
many other athletes. The only other one who displays the same
attitude to me, is Murray. They understand that it's a game,
first and foremost, and are respectful to their opponents at all
time. Who the person is means more to me, than what a person
wins. So, as much as I love Rafa, I am not an idolator, nor do I
live through his exploits. I just want him to be happy and
fulfill his dreams. Me? I get the pleasure of watching him as he
goes about his task.
I am glad to be his fan. No one else has ever touched my heart
to the level that he does, and it isn't solely because of his
tennis exploits, as much as it is for the person he shows to the
world.
Been a fan since day one and will always be a fan whether he
ever strikes another ball.
#Post#: 11844--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: Rafalution Date: March 11, 2014, 5:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
I will even watch him strike that tiny white ball *golf* if that
is what he decides to do next....
Love him for all you have said and more. The feelings around the
grounds have changed. The excitement and buzz is sorta gone. So,
its a different perspective for me than had I been the armchair
umpire. Very different feeling when one is AT the event. Love
your passion for him. He is a taskmaster. He just does his
business. I love him as the person I know he is and love him at
the top of his game and bottom of lowest lows. :) Thanks for the
reply!!!
#Post#: 11847--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: Clay Death Date: March 11, 2014, 5:47 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
what a wonderful post. one of the best I have ever seen.
awesome stuff lady rafalution.
I just got back from the Hollywood Casino not too long ago. just
checking some scores right now.
I am also about to fire up a "Rafalution World Picture and Art
Gallery" right here at the amazing Rafalution World.
vamosssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss.
#Post#: 11854--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: thetruth Date: March 11, 2014, 6:32 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Rafalution link=topic=686.msg11844#msg11844
date=1394577594]
I will even watch him strike that tiny white ball *golf* if that
is what he decides to do next.... Love him for all you have
said and more. The feelings around the grounds have changed. The
excitement and buzz is sorta gone. So, its a different
perspective for me than had I been the armchair umpire. Very
different feeling when one is AT the event. Love your passion
for him. He is a taskmaster. He just does his business. I love
him as the person I know he is and love him at the top of his
game and bottom of lowest lows. :) Thanks for the reply!!!
[/quote]
I will too, Rafalution. The first time I saw that man I was
hooked. I had never seen anyone compete with such ferocity and
passion. I told those around me, "this boy is special," before
he even won his first FO.
I know what you mean about the buzz. The first time Rafa came to
the Cincinnati Masters we had to park near the highway it was so
packed. There was a buzz and electricity in the air that was
unparalleled. They actually needed shuttle buses to pick up the
people from where they parked their cars (which they had not
foreseen).
I've seen many players at the Cincinnati tournament and only
Rafa and Serena generated that kind of buzz and electricity.
Pete brought a lot of buzz too, but not quite to the level of
Rafa's.
I think the ATP and the commentators did Rafa a horrible
disservice in not properly marketing Nadal. They were so hell
bent on (sorry) shoving Federer down our throats that they tried
to make Rafa the anti-hero. What's even more impressive is that
it didn't work. Rafa's stature in the game comes directly from
his fan base. He fills the stadium without the usual media hype.
When we first started watching Rafa my sister said, "that boy
needs to be studied," and I agree. There is so much to learn
from Rafa. That's why we watch him. That plus, he's hot too,
LOL.
#Post#: 11859--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: Rafalution Date: March 11, 2014, 6:55 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=thetruth link=topic=686.msg11854#msg11854
date=1394580744]
[quote author=Rafalution link=topic=686.msg11844#msg11844
date=1394577594]
I will even watch him strike that tiny white ball *golf* if that
is what he decides to do next.... Love him for all you have
said and more. The feelings around the grounds have changed. The
excitement and buzz is sorta gone. So, its a different
perspective for me than had I been the armchair umpire. Very
different feeling when one is AT the event. Love your passion
for him. He is a taskmaster. He just does his business. I love
him as the person I know he is and love him at the top of his
game and bottom of lowest lows. :) Thanks for the reply!!!
[/quote]
I will too, Rafalution. The first time I saw that man I was
hooked. I had never seen anyone compete with such ferocity and
passion. I told those around me, "this boy is special," before
he even won his first FO.
I know what you mean about the buzz. The first time Rafa came to
the Cincinnati Masters we had to park near the highway it was so
packed. There was a buzz and electricity in the air that was
unparalleled. They actually needed shuttle buses to pick up the
people from where they parked their cars (which they had not
foreseen).
I've seen many players at the Cincinnati tournament and only
Rafa and Serena generated that kind of buzz and electricity.
Pete brought a lot of buzz too, but not quite to the level of
Rafa's.
I think the ATP and the commentators did Rafa a horrible
disservice in not properly marketing Nadal. They were so hell
bent on (sorry) shoving Federer down our throats that they tried
to make Rafa the anti-hero. What's even more impressive is that
it didn't work. Rafa's stature in the game comes directly from
his fan base. He fills the stadium without the usual media hype.
When we first started watching Rafa my sister said, "that boy
needs to be studied," and I agree. There is so much to learn
from Rafa. That's why we watch him. That plus, he's hot too,
LOL.
[/quote]
(thanks for the quote lesson- it has been soooooo long since I
'forum posted')
I read this and it is hilarious because my SISTER and I talk
about it the same. I read this to to her, your post, and she
said.. "You're reading me your reply? Sisters???" I said, "No,
this is a reply." She was laughed and said it sounded like
something I would write. Yes, he is hot and all that, but alas,
I don't look at him THAT way... but wouldn't pass him by if I
had the chance... but seriously, he is the wrong gender for this
woman. ;)
#Post#: 11861--------------------------------------------------
Re: 'He played better than me, life continues" - Rafa Nadal
By: thetruth Date: March 11, 2014, 7:55 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Rafalution link=topic=686.msg11859#msg11859
date=1394582104]
[quote author=thetruth link=topic=686.msg11854#msg11854
date=1394580744]
[quote author=Rafalution link=topic=686.msg11844#msg11844
date=1394577594]
I will even watch him strike that tiny white ball *golf* if that
is what he decides to do next.... Love him for all you have
said and more. The feelings around the grounds have changed. The
excitement and buzz is sorta gone. So, its a different
perspective for me than had I been the armchair umpire. Very
different feeling when one is AT the event. Love your passion
for him. He is a taskmaster. He just does his business. I love
him as the person I know he is and love him at the top of his
game and bottom of lowest lows. :) Thanks for the reply!!!
[/quote]
I will too, Rafalution. The first time I saw that man I was
hooked. I had never seen anyone compete with such ferocity and
passion. I told those around me, "this boy is special," before
he even won his first FO.
I know what you mean about the buzz. The first time Rafa came to
the Cincinnati Masters we had to park near the highway it was so
packed. There was a buzz and electricity in the air that was
unparalleled. They actually needed shuttle buses to pick up the
people from where they parked their cars (which they had not
foreseen).
I've seen many players at the Cincinnati tournament and only
Rafa and Serena generated that kind of buzz and electricity.
Pete brought a lot of buzz too, but not quite to the level of
Rafa's.
I think the ATP and the commentators did Rafa a horrible
disservice in not properly marketing Nadal. They were so hell
bent on (sorry) shoving Federer down our throats that they tried
to make Rafa the anti-hero. What's even more impressive is that
it didn't work. Rafa's stature in the game comes directly from
his fan base. He fills the stadium without the usual media hype.
When we first started watching Rafa my sister said, "that boy
needs to be studied," and I agree. There is so much to learn
from Rafa. That's why we watch him. That plus, he's hot too,
LOL.
[/quote]
(thanks for the quote lesson- it has been soooooo long since I
'forum posted')
I read this and it is hilarious because my SISTER and I talk
about it the same. I read this to to her, your post, and she
said.. "You're reading me your reply? Sisters???" I said, "No,
this is a reply." She was laughed and said it sounded like
something I would write. Yes, he is hot and all that, but alas,
I don't look at him THAT way... but wouldn't pass him by if I
had the chance... but seriously, he is the wrong gender for this
woman. ;)
[/quote]
Good. One less woman to fight off!
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