Rafa please do not exert too much pressure on yourself........you know you can play and win!!! Just take it easy...................may the force be wth you!!

VAMOS!!!!!!!!!

rafa is obviously worried and the confidence seems to be low.It is understandable too, some one who barely used to lose sets in the lead up to RG has lost twice this year and now his opening rounds have gone more than 3 hours on both occasions. However, I have belief in him. He needs a quick and dominant win in the 3rd round now. MOvement on clay comes natural to him and he can quickly improve it. He used his backhand better in the 3rd set agaisnt andujar when down 1-5 thats the way to play rafa ! just find a way to draw a little closer to that baseline and u'l be punishing opponents !

Rafa had a rough 1st round and a 2nd round opponent he had never played before on a very blustery day and who was playing above himself and highly charged, plus the fact that the French changed the balls on the advice of their players. No doubt they would have had the opportunity to practice with them.

I hope he settles down soon, I did not see Veic play Davy so I don't know what his game is like but I hope Rafa comes through easily.

Let's not forget that his first 3 rounds ar Wimbledon last year were far from plain sailing especially against Hasse and Petzchner. Rafa didn't play that well against Mina in the 1st round last year either, it takes him time to get going.


Vamos

Veic commits 100+ UE in his last match against davy..!!


I'm absolutely sure it will be easy affair for rafa.

Thanks mani4t, that's good to know. I wonder why Davy lost then.

From Rafa's post match interview:

Q. Pablo could have won two sets. He had two set points. And you said that you've played more than seven hours in two matches. This is something you frequently do. Your match is usually long. But this means a lot of pressure on you. The question is: Did this impact your game?

RAFAEL NADAL: Well, maybe the pressure for Djokovic was to play the finals. Is this what you mean? I have no pressure. I was not thinking about these points. It's not something that matters a lot to me. I'm really happy with what I did.I think I don't need to try and prove something to myself any longer. I am lucky enough, given all that I have at home with all the trophies I've won so far. Nobody can take them away from me. So all the pressure people can put on me now is all relative. At the age of 24 I've done so many things, many more things than I could have dreamt of in my career. So it's a question of finding my game, the best type of game for me.Frankly, I think I like playing long matches. I don't think it's bad for me to play long matches. On the contrary, this is a good physical and mental preparation for me for the tournament. After this, of course I need to improve my game from the qualitative point of view. This is what I've started doing. Well, for the time being, it's true I play better during practice compared to my game during the matches.

nadal said the correct thing ! hope he will improve.........

http://blog.oregonlive.com/tennis/2011/05/rafael_nadal_is_wobbly_early _on_--_and_thats_why_hell_win_another_french_open_title.html

Intere sting take from Douglas Perry.........didn't know he was a "believer".............

At least Rafa has a sense of what is not working in his game. Awareness is a good thing, because then you can try to change it. Reading his comments is always a pleasure, because he has such an intelligence about himself and how he is playing.

He does say that he is playing better in practice, but not in his matches. I am not sure how you correct that, but Rafa has shown himself to be a great problem solver.

I am hearing that Uncle Toni and Carlos Costa have has a serious talk with Rafa about what he must do to have a chance to win this year. It is true that Rafa has struggled in early rounds in slams, but not here. This has always been his home.

I really hope that Rafa can have a great match against this guy Veic. He needs an easy match and some great match play right now.

Vamos, Rafa!

Rafa Fans:

Have faith in Rafa. I have a great feeling.
I am wiling to bet that from out of nowhere his game will go from questionable to brilliant!

He may be feeling frustrated, upset and a little defeated but such negativity can only last so long before he gets sick of himself and his mind and starts taking it out on the tennis court. Something in himself will say "Thats it, I am sick of this, get out of my way, the championship is mine" and in that moment the fire will return and no one will be able to put it out.
It will be at this point that you will see him standing on the baseline smashing balls from one side to the other, hungrier than ever with that intense, unwavering look in his eyes that we are so use to.

You'll see and it will happen at the right time, setting himself up for the rest of the season.

isabeau,

I hope this means that you will be posting more frequently. I am grateful for your optimistic comments at a time when some Rafa fans are doubting him. Your feelings have been very good in the past, so I hope you are right now.

I truly hope that happens just the way you described it. I have even visualized it myself. Rafa going out on that court and finally just exploding with his best tennis. I have not given up on him and never will. He has surprised us before and confounded his doubters.

Good luck, Rafa!