Love the cinematic analogies Cheryl...........reminds me: watching Rafa lift the Barcelona trophy yesterday I had this vision of the Robert Duval character in Apocalypse Now strutting on that beach front scene saying, "I love the smell of napalm in the morning".............

not that Rafa is anything like that character......., he has a soul for starters (Rafa, that is), it's his assuredness when on a clay court......he wins and it's like, well, it's meant to be. That's where the Robert Duvall character came in........

Good read.

One of the all-time great movie lines EVER. :)

Though I admit that I'm partial to "These aren't the droids you're looking for..." :D Not that droids have anything to do with Rafa...but still....

"I don?t know what?s going to happen for the rest of the clay-court season. Perhaps playing that extra week in Barcelona will cost Nadal dearly in terms of fatigue when the French or Wimbledon rolls around."

I must admit I am a little concerned too about this........I hope I am wrong. I know that Rafa is only human and he can be beaten, even on clay but if he is going to get beat, let him get beat fair and square (like Nole beat him in IW and Miami) not because he was fatigued or something like that. I have a feeling this FO is going to be buzzing,..........Nole really feels this is his best chance of getting his hands on the trophy so my guy needs to get there fresh I reckon!

But then again, they could both be knocked out in earlier rounds........

this is such a ridiculously Nadal-centric site!

Articles - Latest commented

Nadal pauses before resuming clay quest in Madrid
Monalysa, Apr 25, 2011 6:49 PM

Nadal beats Ferrer for sixth Barcelona title
Augustina08, Apr 25, 2011 6:36 PM

Nadal, Ferrer square off in another clay-court final
cherylmurray, Apr 25, 2011 6:04 PM

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Blog - Latest commented
My annual clay court tribute to Rafael Nadal
rafaisthebest, Apr 25, 2011 6:10 PM

Approach Shots: Nadal not stopping after Monte-Carlo win
scoot, Apr 24, 2011 3:10 AM

VAMOS Rafa - no matter what
chlorostoma, Apr 20, 2011 10:38 PM

another great blog from you cheryl. always enjoy reading them.

i hope rafa has SOME rest at least this week and realises hard work requires sufficient rest too. his taking one day off during the off season still makes me nervous thinking that he works too hard and doesn't allow his body to recuperate as part of it :P

good luck rafa!!! we'll still be cheering for you no matter...

Cheryl,
What a wonderful piece, I really enjoyed reading it.
If Rafa wins at Madrid, it will prove he is not carrying any injury. I am a little concerned after reading that he had black tapes on his abdomen at Barca. If Rafa is not injured, he is going to win Rome and RG. And if he wins RG, he is gonna win Wimbledon.
Rafa is 24 going on 25 so he is much stronger than he was earlier. The virus was a big disaster for Rafa but if he has got over it, I don't think we have to worry about his being too fatigued.

stu - it's the clay court season. of course talk is going to be about Nadal.

stu
, 4/25/11 7:20 PM

I feel your pain........no, delete that, I don't. You could suggest a blog topic to Cheryl and co., i'm sure they are game............but be warned:if it's about anyone but Rafa I will not comment!...........why do i get the feeling you wouldn't mind that..........

Yes this is the clay court season and Nole wasn't in action in the past two tournaments and Fed was knocked out early in MC. I'm sure if there's a Fedal final in MC, Fed would be included in the conversation. Well Nole had his fair share of attention during his run of 24-0 hard court wins earlier on. Once Nole is in action this week and after, there'll be more talks centred around him too, though I think it won't be as much as the King of Clay.

I turn off the tv after about 15 minutes of begging Rafa to allow David Ferrer just a single point. Sport needs competition. With Rafa on court it's just no contest and it DOES get boring.

stu - has nothing to do with being Nadal-centric

check the latest commented in March and you would have seen the name "Djokovic" in all 5 articles and all 3 blogs. Check it in 2009 and you would have seen the name "Federer" in all 5 articles and all 3 blogs.

Couldn't this have waited until after Paris? Although I think this could turn out like 2009, even if Roger doesn't win somebody, anybody , else should win...to Topspin's point.

Cheryl, did Monte Carlo fans finally accept Rafa because they thought they might as well based on the principle: can't lick them, join them : or was it because Roger is a spent force? Both arguments would hold at RG if Rafa wins.
So at long last Rafa will get the adulation that the French fans have so cruelly and unjustly denied their greatest champion merely because of their partiality to Fed. The unkindest cut was cheering for Soderling when their champion was down and if anyone thought that it was because of a partiality for Sod, they clarified the point in the final by rooting against the same Sod and cheering for Fed.

Please, dont start about it being boring watching Rafa win on clay!!! No one complained when Fed was winning everything over and over and over again!!!.....well truth be told..................I did!!!!..........and thats why I love Rafa so...........bcos he came and changed things a litle bit!!!...........enough WAS enough and Rafa, finally someone with some gonnards, took it to Fed!!!!

However, with that being said, I was just saying to my mom this morning that if Rafa continues on his tear like he did last year, then perhaps WTF/ATP should suggest to Rafa that he gets paid (a large sum of course!!!!) to stay away from Roland Garros and perhaps the other Masters tourneys too so that somebody somewhere may have a chance!!..............lol.............just a thought!!!!

Well topspin, too bad you only watch for 15 mins. You missed the real action by Ferrer in the second set where he reel off four straight games, to lead at 4-2, though in the end he still lost the match. It's not like Rafa 6-1,6-0 his opponents like he did last year at MC, or Nole's 6-1,6-0 his opponents during the hard court season early this year. Rafa's dominance on clay is only for two months each year, not as boring as Fed's dominance on the hard courts and grass in 2005-2006, where he only lost two hard court matches each of the two years. When he came out to play, as long as it's not on clay and his opponent was not named Nadal, he would win almost always. His dominance and the predictability of his match results were even more boring as they lasted throughout the whole year, saved the clay season. It's the opposite of Rafa's dominance, Rafa's for two months but Fed's for the rest of the season. So which is more boring?

lucky,

Roger's above-mentioned dominance lasted 4 years, 2004-2007. Rafa's has lasted 7 years on clay so far, 3 years more so definitely more boring the longer it lasts.

RickyDimon,
"check the latest commented in March and you would have seen the name "Djokovic" in all 5 articles and all 3 blogs."

Don't know how to check, but I'm pretty sure that's not true.

I'm not complaining, it's just an observation.

stu, I see you're a regular on another "fed-centric" blog but obviously you don't see that as a problem......only on here when Rafa is the subject. Even posters on the other site have expressed the idea that they see how boring fed's dominance could be and some have even said now it's Rafa fans turn to enjoy the glory that fedfans had for a long time. Also, it is wondered if it is not the absolutely outstanding and record breaking feats Rafa has shown us on clay that bore some people, but rather the fact that they are not his fans is why they are bored?? Let's not forget that Rafa also holds many records that aren't on clay, that the tennis season is majority HC, and Nole and fed were not even playing in recent weeks.

Clay season is not going to disappear just because you find it boring. It isn't Rafa's fault that the top players aren't playing or lose before they play him. Get used to it and you'll find that clay tennis requires much more than physicality, and the mental tenacity and brains it takes to play clay tennis (constructing points, sliding, angles and spins) is what makes it very exciting!!!

Just for you stu............some of us may be dyed-in-the-wool Rafa fans but we do appreciate healthy competition......check out the following story about Nole (all in the context of sizing up the threats to Rafa's dominance of course):

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/feedarticle/9613087


A s a good nutrition fanatic this makes sense to me, truly does and congrats to nole for finding the key to unlocking his potential. Explains the weight loss, high ernegy and endurance levels. Nole is here to stay, he means business. Funny how his turnaround coincided with Rafa's illness early doors..........

I will still pick my guy in any given clay-court match, against whoever, including a spinach-infused Djoker!!

Fed's dominance in the game is what stopped me from watching this sport that I love so much. No one could challenge him. Men's tennis was devoid of any competition and without that, then that is what I consider boring. It's one thing to dominated one part of a tennis season, but to dominate hard and grass really makes it all meaningless.

The Fed fans may have loved it but I thought it was terrible. If Fed had to work a little for the wins, was pushed even a bit, then it might have been less abhorrent to me. It would be up to a young Spanish player named Rafa Nadal to bring back true competition to the sport. He is the reason I began to watch again. When I saw him push Fed to five sets in the 2007 Wimbledon, I was absolutely blown away. He played with no fear and awe of Fed. I think Rafa resurrected the sport from the doldrums.

So now there are complaints about Rafa winning on clay being boring? At least he is challenged at times. Not every victory is a cakewalk. Rafa has had to earn his wins. He doesn't dominate on hard and can more than hold his own on grass. I consider watching him play on clay to be a privilege.

As far as this site being Rafa-centric, I think that Cheryl and Ricky stated the facts. Once Nole is back in action, we will be hearing all about him. I think his unbeaten streak has gotten a lot of attention, as it should.

wow f4t, you're making quite a few assumptions here. did i ever say i found the clay season boring, or deny the fact that a player requires special skills to succeed on clay?

whats the problem with making an observation about every single article on this site being about Rafa? did i say it was wrong? phew.

Some fedfans are actually coming to realize that Rafa will be part of tennis history whether they are a fan of his or not and now grudgingly give him props for his mindboggling feats he has displayed, not just on clay. But there will always be those who cannot accept that someone else can dominate tennis besides fed.

Tho I was disappointed to see Rafa lose 2 finals to Nole, I knew the better player that day won and Nole fully deserves any accolades given to him. His matches with Rafa are always great and it is always a pleasure watching them play! Nole is always a threat and should be treated with that kind of respect, as Rafa treats him!

i would also pick your guy in any clay court match against anyone, rafaisthebest, but thanks for that link :)

You are most welcome stu......is Nole your favourite per chance?

stu, click on the tab "news" up at the top and it lists all the articles tennistalk has recently posted. Once you see that, you will see that many top (and less top) names are discussed and posted about. You are obviously upset that, to you, only Rafa fans are posting on Rafa articles. It is not Rafa fan's fault that other fans are not posting on articles about other players. Why don't you start posting on those articles and you can make them the "last commented" ones?

One person dominating is not boring, what makes it boring is how the dominating person plays the game and Rafa is not boring. When I watch Rafa plays, I can feel his intensity in my living room. Every single point he fights like no other. Rogar on the other hand lack the intensity. He rarely shows any emotion when he is playing. To me that is boring so I guess boring is in the eye of the beholder.

f4t: "It is not Rafa fan's fault that other fans are not posting on articles about other players"
yes, it's nobody's "fault", but it makes this a Rafa-centric site. which is all i was trying to say.

rafaisthebest - Nole fan yes, but I don't root against Rafa unless Nole is his opponent. And I rarely pick against Rafa even if that is the case ;)

I can see somebody saying "enough already, let somebody else win" to a certain extent...but after winning a tournament 7 times in a row, you sort of have to sit back and say "too good".

As for why the Monte Carlo crowd finally embraced Rafa...it might be a combination of both of those reasons. Roger is no longer dominant and maybe the fans simply like to back a winner. I'd like to give them a little more credit than that and say it's that they've finally realized that the greatest clay courter of all time plays his best tennis at their tournament.

It's a pretty cool distinction, actually. :)

There is a historical perspective here that shouldn't get lost. We have been fortunate to see two of the best to ever play this game have a special rivalry. I got to see Borg's spectacular dominance on clay decades ago. I remember thinking that I would not see this again in my lifetime. I never even considered the possibility that anyone could come along and do what he did on clay.

Sure enough, decades after Borg left the game, Rafa came along and managed to dominate and do so with spectacular finesse and form on clay. I just feel blessed to have been lucky enough to see it twice in my life. I don't ever want to take it for granted. Rafa winning his seventh MC in a row, just made me realize even more that we may never see anything like this again. Even Borg couldn't do some of what Rafa has done. I would like to think that finally the MC crowd might have understood the historic nature of what they were seeing and what it takes to achieve something like that. I can't know for sure, but I would like to think that Rafa's true greatness and exceptional brilliance and consistency finally gave them a moment to take it all in. :)

It's the historic nature of Rafa's feat at Monte Carlo that makes those people there finally realized how special it is what Rafa has achieved and done there. Just imagine, Rafa is the only one out there who has the possibility of making it eight in a row or even nine in a row. No one else is near to doing it, not even Rafa himself at other tournaments. Fed had his five in a row at Wimbledon and USO but couldn't get his six in a row. Nole has his three in a row at Dubai and is still long way to go before reaching seven in a row. So what Rafa has done at MC is truly special.

NNY, well said about Fed's dominance and it's boredom, that's exactly how I felt during those periods, preferring to watch something else than tennis matches, until I learned of a certain young Spanish player who was able to challenge the Fed. One match and I was immediately taken in by how this young Spaniard played the game, tireless and never gave up, and most importantly, he was able to beat the TMF when others failed to do so.

numero - two months per season vs nine months of dominance over four long years, I think two months per year is more 'endurable' if you happen not to like Rafa's dominance on clay. Nine months of boring dominance by Fed had caused me to stop watching tennis almost totally, till the savior boy of tennis came along, at least to me, at end 2005 or early 2006. I watched the clay court tennis in 2006 and liked what I saw, about how Rafa beat Fed on clay that year.

I think the reason why some Fed fans don't like Rafa is because they feel that Rafa may one day threaten Fed's slam achievements, especially if Rafa can stay fit and healthy. They wish for someone to stop Rafa from threatening Fed, now that Fed himself seems unable to stop Rafa. Here comes Delpo and so they embrace him, thinking that he's the one, forgetting that Delpo is also the one stopping Fed's six in a row dream at USO. Now that Delpo has injured his wrist and is still on the comeback trail, who knows, they'll pin their hope on Nole to do the job. Again, Nole is the one blocking Fed's way to the final at AO and who knows, had Fed reached the final at AO this year, he might win his 17th slam given how poorly Murray played in the final. Rafa will have his work cut out for sure but knowing Rafa, he'll continue to fight his way out and exert his authority over the field to remain as no.1. His reign won't be boring, for he has to fight hard to beat some others on the hard courts, making tennis viewing more interesting than a one man's dominance over a four year period.

luckystar - I think it's even more basic than that. I think it's now a habit that started because Rafa kept Roger from all of those calendar slams. And then when he started encroaching at Wimbledon...well...you can understand why the two fan bases can't get on even though the players themselves do.

Oh yes Cheryl, I forget about the calendar slams. Rafa was the one stopping Fed on two occasions -2006, 2007. I bet some of Fed's fans were relieved when Rafa didn't get his Rafa slam this year, for not even Fed could win four slams in a row!

It's the passion of all the comments that makes me proud to be a tennis fan! Whether your a Rafafanatics or Federerphiles or Nolejunkies its all the same......PASSION PASSION PASSION.

I believe that all victories belong singularly to the player. I can cross my fingers and scream at the TV, but all the credit goes to the player.

Nadal has spent a lifetime honing his game and it shows. This article simply gave the man credit where credit is due. Its not about anyone or anything other than a singular writer talking about an amazing clay court run.

Nole hasn't done this yet, Fed hasn't done this yet and lets face it, this particular surface has truly belonged to one man, (not to understate the genius of Borg). So why get up in anyone's face about it, the records are what they are. I hope that Rafa goes for another unprecedented sweep, it makes tennis history not only greater but more important.

With out the amazing runs of players like Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Ilie Nastasie etc. etc.. wouldn't tennis be a bore if we didn't have amazing champions of their own era. I think we owe Nadal and Federer a huge thanks for bringing the game to the level we are enjoying today.

Long live the King of Clay! Vamos Nadal!

chopcus,

You said what I was trying to say, only better. Without the historic achievements of those who came before, what would today's players have to aspire to, live up to, try to emulate. You mentioned a wonderful list of the some of the greatest to ever play this sport. I was lucky to see them all. They each left their mark on the game in their own unique way.

It took forty one years for Rafa to duplicate what Rod Laver did in 1969 when he won RG, Wimbledon and the USO consecutively in the same year. Rafa also won the career slam. He had the chance to match Laver's feat of winning four straight slams, something no one has done in over forty years. He didn't manage to pull it off, but at least he gave himself the opportunity to do it. What the great champions who came before did was leave markers of excellence, a road map, a guide for all who would follow. Now the players of today can see if they can break some of these records and create new ones.

cheryl,

Honestly, I never thought about how Rafa denied Federer the chance to win the calendar slam! I only thought about the career slam, not realizing that there were a few years where Federer was in a position to be the first man to duplicate Laver's feat of winning the calendar slam. However, there was a young Spanish player with a will of iron who plays on clay like a God. He did deny him that and I can understand to some extent the depth and intensity of the feelings of some Fed fans.

You have reminded me why the two fan bases of Rafa and Fed will never see eye-to-eye. Very true.

Thanks Cheryl for the enjoyable blog as usual expressing in words what we all know to be the case.

stu, do you remember me commenting a week ago that all the blogs where entitled Djokovic this and Djokovic that? It's easy to see things through tunnel vision when you are on the other side of the fence, but I don't think there is any bias at all towards Rafa on this site. When I first started posting on TT nearly 5 years ago, Rafans used to complain that it was all about Federer. I think TT is very topical so, obviously, when Djokovic was having his amazing run this year it was all about him, now is Rafa time, so let's have our day in the sun. The Vamos thread is an old thread that is used for posting arbitrary things concerning Rafa because you can't create a thread on TT as you can on other sites. If Nole's fans want to do the same, no one will stop them.

Just to show you that it's all evenly balanced I've found some of the Nole blogs of the past few weeks:

The Novak Djokovic freight train

2011-03-22 18:18:40

Djokovic back in action, Gonzalez returns

4/25/11 6:50 PM | Ricky Dimon


Thu 10/03 06:46
Approach Shots: Djokovic?s perfection on the line in Indian Wells


Sun 03/04 03:56
Miami final picks: Djokovic vs. Nadal


Mon 21/02 17:31
Approach Shots: Federer, Djokovic return in Dubai


Indian Wells final picks: Nadal vs. Djokovic

2011-03-20 02:02:04

Fri 17/09 14:52
The US Open blog part 2 - Why I changed my mind about Novak Djokovic View all posts

Roger's above-mentioned dominance lasted 4 years, 2004-2007. Rafa's has lasted 7 years on clay so far, 3 years more so definitely more boring the longer it lasts.

numero , 4/25/11 9:46 PM


So what's wrong with dominating for 7 years, isn't that what everyone wants to do?

I would love Rafa to make this clay season even better this year than last year by adding Barca to the clay slam. If he is healthy and concentrates on one match at a time it's do-able; but Rafans don't take anything for granted, we know he has to go on court and compete for these titles so we are keeping our fingers crossed point by point.

Everyone enjoys history being made infront of their eyes, so one day, numero, you'll be telling your grandchildren that you were there!


Vamos

If you are a hater absolutely you will get bored, but for fans, is so inspiring.... seeing Rafa in clay is just seeing an angel.... VAMOS RAFA!!!!

So what's wrong with dominating for 7 years, isn't that what everyone wants to do?

nadline
, 4/26/11 11:34 AM

By your argument, what was wrong with Roger dominating from 2004-2007? Nothing but I think lucky and Native will disagree because they said they stopped watching. Well clearly they have proven that they're iffy tennis fans at best by admitting that they stopped watching. I've never stopped watching since I started. Luckily there are many tournaments so Rafa can't win all of them.

Well I hold my hand up as one who lost interest when Roger was winning because I don't like his style and it almost looked like he was being handed matches on a plate. So my boredom with Roger's domination wasn't because he was winning too much it's because it was boring to watch because no one seemed to challenge him until the Great Rafa came along.

Everyone challenges Rafa, they try their hardest and he still overcomes them most of the time, that's what's so good to watch. Rafa plays sublime exciting tennis.

I will never tire of Rafa dominating on clay and I look forward to him breaking more and more records on the surface and eventually, they will just have to name the clay season the Rafael Nadal Slam.

I see número is trying to twist some arguements around. When número watches two months of dominance each season, he says it's boring, yet watching four years of almost complete dominance by Fed he doesn't find that boring, so why complain about two months when you can bear with nine months complete dominance? Isn't that hypocritical? It all boils down to the fact that número doesn't like Rafa. Unlike número, I watch tennis because I like the game to be competitive and I like seeing some intelligent play. I can see intelligence in Rafa's plays, especially on clay, and I can see how he turns things around on his least favorite surface to snatch victory from the mouth of defeat. I certainly don't like one sided affairs especially when they last nine months out of the whole season. In fact I find Fed's matches more watchable now as he has to fight hard sometimes to win his matches, making then more interest and less predictable.

Beautiful article, Cheryl. Thank you.

I don't see why some sourness needs to come cloud this topic.

Let's simply embrace the historic and nearly impossible accomplishments Rafa has achieved on the difficult red surface. Historic, truly.

In the past people have embraced Borg's amazing achievements, and those of many other greats. In recent years people have embraced Federer's many historic records and achievements. Let us equally, humanly and simply do the same with those of Mr. Nadal.

Cheryl, thanks for another great blog post! I loved the movie references. We all have our favorites. I often imagine this quote as Rafa faced Soderling in last years RR final: "Hello, my name is Rafael Nadal. You killed my hope of winning here last year. Prepare to fail".
Glad to hear that the MC crowd is finally embracing Rafa. Roger was not a contender this year, so all they had left was to pick their choice of Spaniard. A tough thing for a Frenchman to do!
I hear some complaints about the dominance becoming boring. I disagree because I think lately many players, his fellow compatriots in particular have raised their level to present Rafa a challenge. He still wins, but he has to work hard. Despite the straight set defeats, Ferrer was a fighter who brought a challenge to Rafa. Last year Rafa had great moments with Ferrer, Almagro and Verdasco. The funny thing is that his game is not that superior as to warrant his dominance. It is his mental toughness that makes the biggest difference. As Robin said, Rafa can be beaten, and rivals are studying him and looking for ways. Like Roger said, he is now the one with the target on his back. So he needs to keep focus and work even harder to win. I find that far from boring. Like him, we never take any of his victories for granted. And then we are sometimes pleasantly surprised when we see him play the US open and virtually see the hard stiff court magically turn to clay under his feet, as often happens with the will of his opponents.
Vamos!

Steve Tignor's latest article has two parts, the second being on Rafa's amazing achievements and his consistently high hunger to win.

In one of the posts someone reminds us that:

"I'm not the only one to say it, but it bears repeating: cherish this era in men's tennis while it's happening, 'cause it won't happen again. The records of Nadal and Federer have skewed our understanding of what's normal in sport."

Chlorostoma you beat me to it:

Read Steve Tignor?s perspective of Rafa?s clay prowess:


http://blogs.tennis.com/thewrap/index.html



I particularly his description of why Rafa is so compelling to watch on clay:

He hit winners on defense and on the run, and he didn?t drop a set. Is this boring? Personally, I enjoyed seeing the particular arc that Nadal found on his forehand; the ball, as it comes off his strings, flies across the net, and dive bombs inside a line, has a life of its own. The trajectory, with its big dip in the middle, is distinctive?????.

One reason we watch sports is to see that somebody cares. But there's another reason not to ignore Rafael Nadal?s long-running clay-season excellence: You won?t see anything like it again. Looking at it in the long view, every one of his titles at this time of year is a stunner.

EXCELLENT article by Tignor. Looks like many of us are thinking the same way.

Love Steve Tignor. :)

Rafa broke 3 more records in the past week:

The first in the open era to win an ATP title 7 times successive times
He broke his own record of winning 19 Masters titles
He is the only player in the Open Era to have won two ATP tournaments at least six times.

Seems like everyone is gunning for Rafa.


Djokovic confident he can beat Nadal
Belgrade
April 26, 2011 - 7:17AM


World No.2 Novak Djokovic, enjoying a 24-0 winning record this season, is confident he can pass the supreme claycourt test by beating Rafael Nadal on the Spaniard's favourite surface.

"Nadal is the best in the world, he is dominant on clay, but this year I am playing against him with much more self-confidence," said Djokovic who is top seed at the Belgrade ATP tournament this week.


"Nadal does impossible things because he improves his performance on the clay every year, although many believe that is not possible," Djokovic said.

"By such approach he is forcing all other tennis players to improve. He motivates me, (Roger) Federer and all the others to be better," he added.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/tennis/djokovic-confident-he-can-beat-n adal-20110426-

Yes excellent article by Steve Tignor, maybe the likes of número should learn to appreicate what Rafa brings to the court, the clay court at least, and stop saying that his dominance on the clay court is boring. At least the Spaniards, Fed, Sod and Nole tested him and pushed him hard on the clay court. It's not like he's beating everyone 6-1,6-0 on the clay court everytime he takes to the court. I love the way he moves on clay; the way he constructs the points to trap his opponents; the way he can turn defence into offence; the way he chooses the right moment to approach the net and makes the right shot selection most of the time.

Sod and some others said Rafa is beatable on clay. Of course he's beatable, the question is how often is he beatable? From 2005 till now, he was beaten only six times, six times in how many matches? I counted the number of matches he played in 2005 alone, I think it's about 56 matches and he lost two. Those figures were comparable to Fed's 2005 and 2006 hard court numbers, where Fed played sixty over matches on hard courts, losing only two during the whole season. However, Rafa's dominance on clay was for a longer period, ie over the years. The worst year was 2009 where he lost two matches when he played twenty seven matches. Best years being 2006 and 2010 where he didn't lose a match on clay.

What Nole says about forcing all the other players to improve (think Ferrer, e.g.) rightly puts the lie to Kuerten's opposite professed belief.

(Kuerten might simply not like what Nadal's records are gradually doing to his own claycourt records... but as we always say, records are there to be broken, especially when the likes of Roger and Rafa come along once every generation... or more.)

And Nole is in the best possible place to know.

Something I find especially exciting is to see how Rafa gradually is improving year by year, on all surfaces. Yes, sometimes his level is not the same as what we are used to, yet he still manages to do incredible things to get the win. Nole is absolutely right that Nadal keeps improving every year even though it looks like for this particular individual, who has improved on so many aspects of his own game every year for years, it is not possible to improve much more. Without this Nadal would not have the almost impeccable claycourt record going on in his 7th year. Or finally make it to a US Open final and even win it, just for a different example. An embodiement of what I called Rafa in a speech I gave last September: Humble Warrior.

Correction: in 2005 Rafa played about 45 matches on clay and not 56 matches; and Fed played fifty over matches on hard courts in 2005 and not sixty over matches.

Well it's good that the likes of Sod and Nole come with confidence about their game on clay. What matters is not just confidence or belief alone but their actual performance on the day itself. Fed did come with confidence too in the past but he was successful only two out of twelve times he met Rafa on clay. We shall see what will happen if Nole or Sod happens to meet Rafa on clay.

Hahahaha!!!!! This has got to be Bodo's funniest piece everrrrr...............

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/

Boy, I do love the smell of napalm in the morning...............Go Rafa, go Rafa........

Next they'll be asking Rafa to "throw" matches...........pathetic. Now I want Rafa to go give 'em hell each and everytime he steps onto the court.............

"You need to re-invent yourself, and stepping away from the clay would be a good start." (Bodo)

Like.............Stepping away from the clay and reinventing yourself eh, winning 2 Wimbledons and AO and USO apiece would be a start!!!!!!

In all of this people tend to forget that Rafa is still only 24. He really is a phenomenon.

Oh my goodness, now I have numero of all people, telling everyone here who I am as a fan of this sport. I can speak for myself, thank you very much!

The very idea that a diehard Fed fan would have the gall to characterize my feelings about watching the sport of tennis, would be laughable if it wasn't so insulting! As though numero knows how I feel or what I think. So I said that I stopped watching when Fed was dominating and that means that I am an "iffy" tennis fan"?

You know nothing about be numero. Remember that, if you remember nothing else. I have been watching tennis since I can remember. I idolized Billie Jean King as a young girl growing up, I also had the utmost respect for the incomparable Rod Laver, the rocket, a man who did things that have yet to be matched, and then there was John Newcombe, Roy Emerson, Pancho Gonzales, Ken Rosewall, Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. I saw them all. I even watched Fed for a while, until I got tired of seeing him win lopsided matches. There was no competition and while Fed fans might have loved it, I found it totally and endlessly boring.

Rafa has had to earn his wins even on clay. He brought back the excitement and saved tennis from terminal boredom. Just because I didn't want to watch Fed have beatdowns all the time, does NOT make me an "iffy" fan.

Just more propaganda from the ranking cranky Fed fan!

I made a typo in my previous post and I want to make sure that everything I said comes across loud and clear.

In my third paragraph, I meant to say - You know nothing about ME, numero!

This has gotten on my last nerve. If someone watches Fed dominate and win matches without even the slightest hint of competition and finally decides that it's not enjoyable, then they aren't a true tennis fan? I am sure that numero and other Fed fans were more than happy to watch Fed win easily and often. Competition is the one thing that they did not want, that they feared. And their worst fears came true when a young man named Rafa Nadal came on the scene and played Fed without any fear whatsoever. They have never come to terms with it and never will.

I thank God that Rafa came along and rescued this sport that I love so much. There is nothing without true competition. Fed fans don't understand sport if they loathe and fear competition!

Nativenewyorker,

There will always be fans who cannot respect others opinions. Hold fast to what you enjoy and forget those who simply don't get it. I've been watching tennis for over 40 years and with each era comes some amazing personalities and players. The differences are what make it exciting. As a big fan of Nadal's, I must say that his energy on court makes it exciting to watch. His singular focus is intoxicating to watch and it makes his matches all the more interesting to comment on. For various reasons other players bring their game on a consistent basis to Nadal. Even when he wins 6-0, he makes the other guy play hard, its not like the deer in the headlights type of match.

Enjoy the clay court season, its going to be fun!

@lucky and Native

Perhaps I misunderstood your earlier posts. Shouldn't have put it in a way that was offensive but wanted to offer some advice. If you didn't like watching Roger's matches from 2004-2007 you could have watched other matches. As a true tennis fan you wouldn't have stopped watching altogether.

As an example, currently I watch lots of tournaments but not much of Rafa on clay. Sunday I watched Goerges win in her home country ; way more exciting to see a new face doing it for the first time rather than someone doing it for the ????? time. What's the point of watching him play Ferrer on clay? We know how it turns out. If he plays somebody like Nole then at least there's some intrigue, maybe Robin or Murray or if Delpo can get hot. Until then I'd prefer to see how Milos is progressing or how Gonzo's comeback is going. Luckily there's more to tennis than Rafa.

Absolutely there are more tennis too watch because there are so many good players nowadays, both men and women.... so many good matches.... but the most wonderful to watch is Rafa Nadal.... especially on clay... Watching Nadal played Dodig, played Ferrer or even Murray... it's unbelievable feeling, because these guys also very good players in clay but seeing Nadal always find way to win is really really really amazing... if people say its boring, I could only suggest them to go to the doctor and check the brain.... probably been contaminated with some virus called "hate"!!!

Well I did start watching tennis again since end of 2005 after someone introduced me to this Spanish boy who was playing tennis. From then I did watch Fed, but that was mostly when he played against Rafa. Fed vs Roddick was the worst match up for me, having to endure seeing beatdown after beatdown so I won't want to watch that.

Rafa vs Ferrer was and is never a beatdown even on clay; Rafa has to work hard to earn his win. If you don't mind Fed handing out beatdowns all the time, where his match outcomes were so predictable, then I don't see why you should mind Rafa working hard to earn his win even though the outcome may seem predictable.

I guess the difference between a Fed fan and a Rafa fan is that Fed fans don't like competition for their Fed. To them Fed reign supreme above anyone else so they enjoys all the beatdowns Fed hands out to his opponents, believing in the fairy tale that if Fed plays his best, nobody can beat him!

Rafa fans OTOH, loves Rafa for his fighting spirit, his passion and his never say die attitude. His fans know that win or lose, Rafa will give his best. They/we love to see him compete, see how he solved the problems when facing difficulties; see how he snatch victory from the mouth of defeat; see how he develops his game year after year to become an all court player, conquering surface after surface to become the top ranked player. His fans, like him, would not take things for granted and welcome the competition and the challenges coming his way, for Rafa strives on competition, it's through competition that Rafa knows what he still needs to improve on to stay ahead of the pack. His wise words: I go to practice not to practice; I go to practice to learn something; and that's Rafa's atttiude, towards his career, and shall I guess, towards life in general too.

Domination is always going to be boring to some, but whether it's Roger dominating everything BUT clay or Rafa on the dirt it's still darned impressive. And Tignor's right -- we probably aren't ever going to experience something like this again and we've the 2008 Wimbledon final as conclusive proof.

I for one am pretty grateful to both of those men for what they've done for my sport. :)

Poor numero, if he prefers to watch everyone except Nadal then he is missing out on something which may not come ever! Pity poor numero that his hatred of Rafa has curtailed his opportunity to see the greatest clay courter of all time in action. Tignor has pointed out how every time you watch Rafa you discover something new, some other aspect of this player which explains some part of his many faceted genius.

I've read Bodo's latest article... with some incredulity.

I don't mind the satire and the daring, on the contrary.

Only in his hands and with Rafa as a topic it came across with too much violence, and too much insistence. It was the same violence I thought I sensed in his previous articles on Rafa, especially the second last one.

I know that commentators cannot be entirely objective, and that they also have their favorites, whether they show it clearly in their writing or not. And that's all fine. But in Bodo's case I can only say that while he knows a great deal about tennis and about how to write when it comes to Rafa his supposed objectivitiy is far from actual objectivity. And worse: his aggression (hatred? envy? anger at what Rafa's wins have done with some aspects of Roger's career? and other reasons?) comes through too much for a professional writer of his standing. Especially when presented as just in an exercise of free unbridled humour. Sometimes people protest too much that they are just having fun.

My feelings when I was reading Bodo's latest pronouncement on Rafa? Only sadness. I felt it was sad that he had stooped so low.

Don't get me wrong: if it had been just pure satire with a little unease at Rafa's accomplishments given that Bodo is no fan, I would have enjoyed the article and that's that, and not write here. But with the present article I enjoyed his freedom and some of the humour but felt sorry for the writer.

Better to read what Tignor writes about Rafa; Bodo can't see what Tignor sees in Rafa, it's just like Rafa fans vs Fed fans. However I do read the comments following Bodo's piece, but try to avoid comments following Tignor's piece (that's where the trolls like to attack Rafa). Also their RR piece is the worst, each time after a Rafa match, trolls swamp the place for an all out attack on Rafa, accusing him of taking PED and whatever. There are simply too many sad people around in this world.

numero,

Yes, you do presume way too much in your characterization of who I am as a tennis fan. To enlighten you, I actually did watch Georges beat Wozniacki in her home country. I don't watch much of women's tennis but when I first saw Georges at this year's AO, I really liked her game a lot. It was a wonderful moment for her and her family and her home country. She played brilliant, aggressive tennis and held her nerves. Yes, I do watch other matches besides Rafa! However, I did make sure to see the replay of the final with Rafa and Ferrer. He had to work a bit to get it done, as Ferrer is such a tough competitor, but it was another great victory in his home tournament, where he was unable to play last year.

I would have had to watch Fed play a good deal to see him give everyone else all those beatdowns, now wouldn't I? I tried to hang in there, but the worst was seeing Roddick losing every single time to Fed, totally unable to make it competitive at all. It got to be unbearable. I didn't have a real favorite at that time, but did enjoy watching Agassi play into his mid thirties and finally retire in 2005 or 2006, I am not exactly sure. I also liked Safin when he first came along. He had the kind of talent to be the next great champion, but unfortunately it was never realized. There just came a point when I had no one to cheer on anymore. The complete lack of competition was a complete turnoff. As far as I was concerned, I had seen enough of Fed winning. That's why I stopped watching for two years. I will always regret it, because I missed the beginning of Rafa. I finally was persuaded to watch the 2007 Wimbledon and, once I saw him play I knew immediately that I had found the second great tennis love of my life. Borg was the first and it was a long time to wait for Rafa, but it was worth it! So now I had someone to cheer for, a new favorite, the excitement was back. Little did I know that he would push Fed to five sets in the final. I didn't know anything about him, or I would not have been surprised to see it happen. All I know is that for the first time in too long, I was watching a real match, there was suspense, great tennis and enjoyment. Fed won, but I knew that Rafa would come back next year and beat him. I also knew he would become the #1 player. I didn't know when, but I knew it would happen. I have seen too much tennis not to know greatness when I am watching it.

What is great is that Fed inspired Rafa to become even better and Rafa challenged Fed to become even better. The brought out the best in each other when they played.

I do watch other matches, like the final between Worz and Vera earlier on, this recent final between Worz and Goerges. Also the final between Somdev and Anderson at S Africa, Nishikori vs Sweeting. So, it's not all about Rafa, but I'll never miss a Rafa match for sure. I'll also try to watch as muchnas possible of Nole, Murray, Davy and Delpo too, unless their matches were not shown or telecast. I like watching Fed plays nowadays, after his 2006, against most players, now that his results seem unpredictable. I think no one can deny that Fed is an incredible shot maker, even when he's older now and past his peak.

To me whether it's Nole, Sod, Murray or Delpo against Rafa, there's not much intrigue. They, like Ferrer, can push Rafa on clay, however to beat Rafa, their chances had to be lower than that Fed has against Rafa. Fed in 2006 had the best chance in Rome, and he almost beat a healthy Rafa there. While Sod had beaten Rafa at RG, he simply can't replicate that effort against a healthy and fit Rafa. Sod wasn't playing badly in FO 2010, the fact that he could beat Fed in the QF in four sets indicated that Sod himself was playing very well; still he fell short when meeting Rafa and lost in straight sets. Only Fed among the active players, managed to beat Rafa twice on clay. Nole came close at Madrid in 2009 but that Rafa wasn't the Rafa of 2010 or 2011. In fact Gulbis was more impressive last year at Rome against Rafa, given that Rafa was fit and healthy and coming off a stunning performance at MC. Let's see how this clay season turns out and who's the one who can push Rafa on clay.

As Rafa said recently, Nole has always been a good player so he's not just improved in the last couple of months, but Rafa has had the better of him most of the time. Rafa knows more than anyone that he has to play well to win and if he doesn't he is likely to lose. He knows that, so he doesn't need all these people coming out of the woodwork vying to beat him on clay or whereever. Rafa knows that he cannot win all the matches he plays, so no change there. If he tries his best that's all he can do.

He wins virtually all his matches on clay when he is firing on all cylinders and he is No 1 for a reason; he's got multiple clay titles because he is the best on clay and nine times out of ten he will win on clay, we all know there could be that one time that he doesn't, because he is human he is not a machine.

Of course everyone goes on court to win against whoever but until some of these players defend 4 titles back to back 7 years in a row, Rafa should be given the respect he deserves.

I have a confession to make: I do not watch, correction, I cannot watch ATP matches where Rafa is not participating in. They bore me silly, honest, no disrespect to the other players but that's the way it is. I just cannot watch, my mind wanders....

So, if Federer, Muray or Nole fans are afflicted by the same "disease", I totally understand. However, I have a feeling a lot of the people complaining that Rafa is boring are actually tuning in to watch his matches! Why anyone would tune in to watch someone who bores them to tears.........boggles the mind.

Anyway, each to his/her poison....................mine is Rafaaaaaaaaaaaaa!! Can't wait for Madrid........

Actually, I do watch others because I like to know what Rafa is up against, but Rafa is the only player who keeps me up late or gets me up early. I only watch recorded matches if Rafa is involved and only the ones that he wins, so I'm slowly being overrun with DVDs of Rafa's matches.

I do hope Rafa continues to 'bore' these people because that means he continues to win the clay matches. I'm not sure if they find his winning boring or whether they find his play boring. I find it hard to believe that anyone can find Rafa boring.

Nad, spot on...I do find it hard to believe there are people out there who find Rafa's matches boring...to be honest I love when Rafa's match gets that certainty dimension, when he is so superior to his opponents that match goes on his racket and comes out victorious in less than an hour...when those times come, I sit and enjoy the match with no fears, intimidation and with eyes wide open :) but, there are not so many matches like this any more...the competition has gotten stronger and Rafa is made to work hard for his victories...and when it is the case his matches are just brilliant...he fights so hard, he brings intensity and brilliantness in his matches that there is no way anybody could say it was boring...let?s be honest, though: I love when Rafa is dominant and my favorite match is his FO final 2008 vs. Fed when he simply demolished Fed...how can anyone see that boring? That was pure excellence and master class...

and I watch other matches too, when I have time...I love watching tennis, I simply enjoy learning about newcomers and I tend to support fresh force in the tennis...but Rafa is someone I work my schedule around...I never miss his matches, but when I simply have to, I record them and watch as soon as I get back...I hate when it happens since I always tend to be unfocused and nervous when I have to work while Rafa is playing... I learned Rafa is affecting my life: I am just not at my best when forced to work while Rafa is on court :) I guess my bosses know that by now. :-) VAMOS RAFA!!!

Rafa's matches are never boring! Even on clay, how often we see Rafa showing his master class tennis? Not often I must say; to me his 2008 FO and 2010 MC were master class performances throughout the whole tournament. Other times, we see master class performances here and there in matches but rarely throughout the whole tournament. Its not that Rafa is not playing well, but rather he need not always play his master class tennis on clay to win.

He had his close matches in 2005 against Coria; 2006 against Fed; 2007 against Davy in Rome; 2008 against Nole & Fed in Hamburg; 2009 against Nole in MC and Madrid, lost to Fed and Sod too; 2010 against Gulbis in Rome and Almagro in Madrid and now 2011 MC against Murray and Ferrer. No doubt he dominates over everyone on clay, but that does not make his matches boring, and against top players on clay, almost always NOT one-sided. Rafa loves to compete, so he always goes out there to compete and will only up his level when necessary. I must say after his knee injury in 2009, he has tried now to shorten his matches and be more aggressive wherever possible. The match against Monfils in Barcelona was a good example of Rafa knowing his opponent well and came out all guns blazing and never allowed Monfils any chance to come back into the match (reminded me of Rafa's match against Dolgo and Fed in Miami this year too), and hence we see him spending less time on the court as far as possible.

Or well, what joy this week must be to the "Rafa winning everything on clay is boring" brigade.............he is GUARANTEED not to win ANY clay tournament this week!!

He is not there to spoil the unudulterated pleasure of those watching (and playing) at great and important clay tournaments in Germany, Serbia and Estoril...........!

All I can say is enjoy it while it lasts.........

Even when Rafa is dominating in a match he plays with all his heart, he doesn't treat his opponent with contempt like some top players who think all they have to do against a lower ranked player is to patronise them by not even trying.

It's come to the point now where I have to check Rafa's calendar before I arrange to do anything, I try and fit things around Rafa's matches, so this week my friends (yes I do have some) have had a look in. I had to go to a wedding on the Sunday that Rafa and Roger played the final in Madrid in 2009, so couldn't watch it, but I was thinking about it all the time and looking forward to watching it when I got home, when someone blurted out that Federer had beaten Rafa 64 64, at first I thought she was teasing me because she knows I'm a Rafa fan, I was so disappointed.

Rafa is far from boring.

The draw of the Madrid Masters is available (see page 2 after the Qualifying draw):
http://www.madridopen.info/cuadros/atps.pdf

#1 Rafa, #3 Federer, #5 Söderling and #8 Melzer are on the top (left) side of the draw.
#2 Djokovic, #4 Murray, #6 Ferrer and #7 Berdych are on the bottom (right) side of the draw.

Rafa's first opponent could be Marcos Baghdatis and second - Del Potro.

such a tough draw for Rafa...Fed has a difficult one as well..Nole in the best position right now, nobody in his way until quarterfinals...and Andy should not be worried either, his draw is also far from difficult...

No draw is difficult for Rafa on clay. He's able to beat Nole followed by Fed back to back a few times on clay, so no issue. If he wants to continue as king of clay, he has to beat whoever he faces on the clay court.

That's it, luckystar. Victory is only worth it if you earn it because too easy a winning makes the prize light. No matter who is in Rafa's way, if he overcomes them all it makes his winning all the sweeter.

Let's just hope he doesn't have a service blowout like he did at I/W against Djokovic. If he is fit and well and playing his best he is the best.

Vamos

Watch Rafa play a charity match Gainst Moya for cancer in Madrid.

Rafa is so much more relaxed in a Spanish setting, normally, he is very conscious of his limited English in these charity matches.

Sorry, forgot to post the link:

http://rafaelnadal.com/content/rafa-stands-cancer

Andy Murray: I'm ready to topple Rafael Nadal after practice sessions with world No.1

May 2 2011

THEY say practice makes perfect and Scots star Andy Murray insists he's ready to topple Rafa Nadal after training with the world No.1.

Murray has been out with an elbow problem in recent weeks but feels he is back to his best ahead of this week's Madrid Open following his sparring sessions with Spanish ace Nadal.

Murray, who will take on either Ivan Ljubicic or Gilles Simon in his opening match on Wednesday, said: "I practise with Rafa quite a lot and had a really good session with him here. We played 16 games and it was eight all. We played for an hour and 40 minutes, really high-intensity stuff.

"It was good for me to test the elbow out and I felt OK.

"I am still improving as a player and feel I can beat Rafa but it's very difficult because he's one the best players of all time although I believe I can get there."

Should they just hand the trophy to Murray now?

No need to be bothered by what Murray says. He can say whatever he wants but what is important is the result. If nobody can beat Rafa at Madrid, then I think nobody can beat him on clay this year. Madrid is the place where Rafa is most vulnerable, relatively speaking. Let's see how the top five guys fare starting tomorrow to have a better idea where their games are now.

Murray hasn't even won his first match yet and he is already bragging about beating Rafa who he can only play in the final.

I am hoping for a Rafa-Andy final. Both Djoko and Federer to crash out in the semis or preferably earlier to blunt their onslaught on Rafa's no. 1 ranking.

Murray is taking a lot for granted, considering that he will most likely have to go through Nole to meet Rafa. My feeling has always been that talk is cheap. If this makes him feel better, that's fine. However, it has precisely nothing to do with what may or may not happen on the court. As Rafa has always said, you have to go out there and do it on the court, that's the only thing that counts.