Vamos Rafa - Bring it home for Spain. Hope you have a great match and that we shall see more of what we saw on Friday. It is a heavy burden on your shoulders today but we all believe in you no matter what. Your many fans will be with you on that court today. Good luck and God bless.

^^^^^^^well said!

Strange thing about Rafa, he seems to be adopting a defensive approach to this match, it's like he's looking to wear Delpo down, not a wise move. He's letting Delpo controlling the match right now. Moya was right in saying that Rafa could do better by moving more into the court and be more aggressive, something Rafa is capable of doing but not willing to do for some reasons or other.

Rafa seems too nervous in this match. Time to step it up before it's too late for Spain.

Whoa!!!Delpo didn't read the script.....................he's creaming Rafa!

Rafa's serve is letting him down.....................

No it's his court position and his defensive play letting him down. Of course it's also Delpo's very good play causing the damage. Time for Rafa to wake up and play more aggressively.

break 2nd set.... What TF is happening to my TPO?

Seriously Rafa? Lacking in passion? Well may be this is a way to protest against his team mates, in particular Feli and Nando? Rafa just lost here so that no one will take you for granted on clay! Delpo playing like the Sod of 2009! Awesome!

Rafans..If Rafa loses this tie..I think its actually signal of the bad times..This year Rafa has proven to us things we could never have expected from him..Losing 6 in a row to same player..losing 7 finals..2 GS finals..losing matches being up..

If he loses DC for Spain..its sumthing I doubt hell be able to live with and overcome..it will rub hard..irrespective of whether Spain wins DC by Ferrer doing the job..Rafa will give the feeling of having let down his country

I've had the same worry. At least now Rafa is playing a lot better. He looks more now like the fighter we know. The last hold, for 5-4 for example.

Well sanju, that's Rafa's problem. He has all the home support, has the game to be aggressive, and Delpo is not in physical tip top condition after his match with Ferrer, yet he does not capitalize on that! Too bad if he loses this and starts his new season with doubts in his head. Some soul searching to be done by Rafa after this DC final. To pick himself up or to call it quit, for I feel Rafa is not one who just want to hang around even without winning anything.

Still early to say all these, Rafa obviously is still fighting out there, that's good to see. Hope he shows more zeal and energy out there, no longer the defensive play of the first set.

Beatiful cross court running passing shot right to left. Not one we see often. This is a very different set from the nervous first one.

My god you guys are losing faith in Rafa and he is still playing his heart out of his sleaves..... Is that the expression.

Did the Spanish non playing captain able to treat Nadal with some of their trade mark "Magic potion" after the first set?;-)

Not losing faith, rather from his face, he looked a bit resigned. He's obviously nervous in the first set, didn't know what to expect from Delpo on clay, as they last played on clay four years ago. The thing about Rafa, he always starts shaky when he faces someone who has previously beaten him quite badly, eg players like Davy, Nole and Delpo.

Now he's playing better, having won the second set. Do remember what Rafa said about his confidence; that thinking too highly of his opponents sometimes have caused him to doubt himself. He needs his fighting spirit to keep him alive in matches sometimes.

Solitudine, is it the same magic potion that Roger uses?

Rafa has been different than he used to be for stretches this whole year. And that goes past Novak's amazing level and consistent wins against Rafa. His confidence has not often been there as it used to be. But I'm sure that is the very thing Rafa is working to gain back next year: the current problem to solve, along with how to manage to beat Novak at least a few times next year.

Justplease try to atleas keep the appearance on to not lose faith ion Rafa. He deserves fans who believe in him even when he is not playing his best tennis/

Yes Rafa not missing anything now! Strange boy, why in the first place not playing like this? He clearly has the weapons to do so!

He he he, ain't you the one who keeps mentioning that Rafa has lost his passion in tennis, sienna?

We are just worried that Rafa's head is not thinking clearly again, like when he's at the WTF. A sigh of relief, he's obviously thinking on the court now!

Four games Rafa, just four games and u can repair back to Mallorca with a smile.............

what unruly fans? I mean let the guys play..how can u scream so loud and stop play in between a game..

Rafa suddenly losing focus and accuracy..Delpo picking it up

momentum switch..Rafa lost the break..disgusting..Rafas forehand sudenly hitting only on the net

Guys..whats happening?

and there you go again....

But if he was ok then the humiliation by the hands of TMF will only be a sign of things to come.

Rafa gone into this shell again

This is shocking..literally shocking..break and lose your serve promptly

sienna, nadal beats a mug (Monaco) on the slowest clay there has ever been and people think it means anything?!

It means absolutely nothing. It's monaco people...

Goodness me, Rafa is really making life difficult for himself, isn't it? He was leading 2-0 in the fourth set and yet now he has to fight to stay in the set! Whatever happens to him? Rattled by the Argentinian fans?

Yes and he has trouble against DelP he never has trouble against him on clay I believe.

And let the carnaval begin he just brook back in the 4th.

Seriously bleck, Delpo playing like this, only Rafa can live with him, Fed would have no chance, Nole a slim chance. Don't forget Nole had it tough against Delpo at the FO this year, and Delpo then wasn't even playing as well as he's playing now!

Congrats to Spain! Yes another Davis Cup. Well done to Spain! Rafa, well at least you get the job done in four sets! Congrats! Rafa looks so happy and relieved! What a match!

Commies to Argentina, to Delpo in particular. Well I hope Argentina can win the Cup next year, before it's too late for Nalby.

what a match..what an up n down 4th set consecutive breaks of serve..Delpo couldnt serve out the set..Rafa couldnt serve out the match..n what a flawless tiebreak Rafa played to take this

Congrats Rafa!! Congrats Spain

Great job Delpo..you fought tooth and nail..you gave it your all..Should bode very well for your confidence..you outplayed Rafa in 1st..came close and gave him a run for his money in 2nd and 4th

Yes Rafas not had a good year..but in his so called not good year..he has won 69 matches second only to Noles 70 wins..

If you analyse..yes he lost 7 finals..was so close yet so far..but maybe this has been one of his better years as far as consistency goes next to 2005,2008,2010

Rafa clinches it for Espana!!!!!

Well done Delpo, you fought like a lion, did your country proud...............well done.

I think we can safely say we have a BIG FIVE on our hands in 2012..............if Delpo brings that determination and he stays healthy, he will be a force to be reckoned with........

But Rafa is a wall................in a way I felt it was a mistake for Delpo to bring the heat so early in the match. When he took the first set I just knew all he had done was awaken the beast......................

What I liked about Rafa was his attitude, even when Delpo was dropping those bombs and losing his serve, he did not budge, he returned the favour...................a sign of mental strength.................................

BRING ON 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice words sanju, taking the positives out of whatever happened this year for Rafa. At least his year ends on a high note. Hopefully the good vibe carries on to next year and Rafa will have a better season next year than this one! Vamos Rafa!!

Well bleck, if Monaco is a mug....................what do you call Delpo then?

That tie-break.......................Rafa schooled him!!!

well, this is for me rafa's best match of the year on clay and may be his best match of the year too ! this was the match where rafa was sooo tough and focused on big points, soemthing that had been missing the whole year.. nd the way rafa upped the level of his backhand i am quite impressed. His backhand has let him down the whole season but after set 1, he started hammering backhands with pace, angle ..he even beat the hell out of delpo's forehand with his backhand ! overall, really impressed with rafa, that forehand is one of the best ever :)

and delpo,, WHAT AN EFFORT, a true champion! kept fighting when it looked like its going to be a thrashing, commiserations to all argentina fans..GREAT EFFORT BRAVO !

HIGH FIVE RAFANS! he'' be back very strong next year, this win would boost his confidence big time

price of all time greatness...1 slam...two slam finals...davis cup...and still considered to be a bad year for rafa...should it?


Anyhow...Nadal showing us again its all about hard work,insistence,team work, keeping chin up through hard times,commitment and respect. Always respect.

Hehehe.......................be afraid, be very afraid, the Champ is here!!!

What a fight!!! Anyone who thinks this was a push-over for Rafa does not know tennis. Delpo fought like a lion, I think this is the best I have ever seen Delpo play on clay. I hope he brings this heat next year.....................well done, Delpo.

It's the head what won it for Rafa......................

What defence!! What bottle!! The backhand was back to its smoking best....................that's what did the damage today, more than the forehand. That backhand really rattled Delpo, you could see him thinking twice before evnturing to the net, he was terrified that racking backhand was gonna pass him!!



VAMOS!!!!!

Suddenly the fedfans and their Rafa-bashing cliches have gone all quiet.................

I was so nervous during the match that I decided not to post until the end of the match. Rafa really put us on a roller coaster during that match, but eventually he came up with the goods. Phew!!!

Vamos Rafa

Okay I ahve to say this..There is a poster on this site who had told maybe 1-1.5 month back 'bookmark this Monaco is going to win the Davis cup for Argentina''..Well I bookmarked it to only tell now it was bullshit..Its Rafa who won it for Spain..

The same poster has told us to bookmark many other things ' Rafa is on downhill' , 'Fed is on uprise', 'Fed may well clinch AO 2012' , 'Fed may win 17th slam in 2012' etc etc..I have bookmarked them all and will be duly pointing it back when the claims are flushed down the toilet :-)

Okay the Top 4 will fear to face Delpo on clay next year..this is a fact..Delpo can easily beat the top 4..n its right..Rafas resolve and head won it for him today..Delpo does have a rocking backhand n forehand

And yes Rafas backhand was rocking today..what passes..and I now understand what lucky meant when Rafa hits those DTL forehands..man those DTL forehands hit again n again in 2nd, 3rd set were a beauty..

Only point disappointing about todays match was Rafa not consolidating breaks of serve in 4th and not able to serve out the match when up 6-5..

n yes Rafans..when Rafa goes n prepares himself for 2012..I think I have to prepare myself to not be a nervous wreck during his matches and just not be that bothered about the outcome ..Its crazy those ups n downs..I could barely even gulp dinner and heart was like beating fast :-)

I think both players were playing on nerves with the cup riding on this match virtually. Rafa felt the pressure in the first set, but he came up with the goods. There must be some distraught Fedfans right now, put off their dinner by the majestic King of Clay, who according to Sky Sports is loved even more than the King of Spain.

Rafa wiil now have a rest ready for his next battle.

Guys..I didnt see first set..I saw after 1-1 in 2nd..The first serb was just 6-1 but it took 61 mns..what were they doing for 61 mns when score was just 6-1 ? Please feed me details :-)

^^^^^^^^^they are crapping themselves!!!

1. Rafa showed them today he is still a human wall;
2.not only do they have to worry about Nole and Muzza and Rafa, now Delpo's thrown himself into the damn mix.


.................and indoor hardcourts only come at the end of the season!!

Damn................................

If DElpo can work on his fitness, hell be serious threat to top 4..He along with Berdy, Tsonga can play spoilers to knock out the top 4 4th round onwards in slams based on whose part of draw they fall into

Great to see some of the Rafa fans who have not been here of late! I woke up to great news! I kept waking up and going back to sleep early this morning, but I only saw bits and pieces of the match and the final point and Rafa's reactions! I recorded the match and will watch it later today. I am so happy for Rafa!

sanju,

Bless you for bookmarking those predictions! You notice that the person who made them is nowhere to be seen. Hiding in a dark place after looking so foolish! Yes, we are going to hold the people who trashed Rafa to account!

Rafa losing that first set must have put a scare into everyone. It's easier to know it after he won the match. I had a feeling that Delpo would give it everything he's got. He wanted this for Argentina. The one thing that Delpo has to work on is his fitness level. I do agree that he will be a real threat in 2012. But Rafa stood strong today and showed everyone why he is King of Clay and a champion with an incredible spirit and great heart!

Congratulations, Rafa on getting this great win for Spain!

Rafa, the warrior is back! We should all be so proud of him! This match was somehow his 2011 season in a nutshell, scary and threatening to become one of our major disappointments, but this time the real Rafa was there to WIN THE FINAL! I don't blame him for being nervous...there was too much at stake there...his head was full of those lost finals, one of them coming from Nole on clay in Madrid in front of his home crowd...Rafa simply had to have all those pictures from the past and doubts in his head...

Rafa being nervous and less confident and Delpo fully allowed to play his aggressive tennis, and what do we get: the first set lost 6:1.

Then Rafa's head coming together and him deciding to fight back no matter what: he wins 6:4 (although Delpo was still on the high and it was a very difficult set for Rafa to win)

Rafa gaining his confidence back, believing in his game, hitting angles and deep forehand winners, with beautiful backhand passing shots and we naturally get the convincing third set: 6:1 for Rafa.

Rafa still on the high making winners all over the place, taking an early break, and then suddenly Delpo wakes up to make his last try (why not, the crowd was crazy out there, he was simply forced to give it all) while Rafa becomes defensive and doubtful again. His head starts getting full of those thoughts of the lost finals when he was clearly in the lead, of all those matches that he should have won and all the bad luck he had in 2011, so Rafa starts making errors again. But this time his mental toughness finds it's way back: he decides to fight back and he breaks back. Again, I am not surprissed he failed to serve out the match, as he was too nervous and too emotionally wasted, while Delpo again gave his best as he had nothing to lose. Finally, Rafa was left alone with his head and his inner self and he decided not to let himself down this time. He played one of the best and the most courageous tie-breaks in his career and there he is: the WINNER and stronger than ever!

RAFA THE CHAMPION! This win has much more meaning than anyone could think! This win will be a breakthrough for Rafa?s 2012 season!

Rafa, thank you for giving us our old Rafa back!

GOOD LUCK RAFA FOR THE SEASON 2012! We all LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!

VAMOS RAFA!!!

Are you listening Fedfans - RAFA JUST WON HIS 20TH STRAIGHT DAVIS CUP RUBBER - 20TH.

How much more passion do you want, The Special One had plenty of passion today and to spare.

VAMOS RAFA

As happy as I am for Rafa to win against a foridable threat in DElpo, I am more happy we may well be spared of the prophecy, soothsayers, 'look I told you this and that' etc for the next few weeks..I shudder what it could have been had Rafa lost this one..

However I dont dislike any Fedfan on this site except solitudine..and the reason is the filth and spiteful negative comments he makes..He wished bad for Rafa few days back..and the language he used to wish Rafas downfall was in such poor taste..and a negative person wishing bad for others wont know where to look when all that negativity hits him back with interest directly ..

Its perfectly okay to uphold your favourite..its also okay being happy when your favourites biggest rival loses but to actually wish bad for a person is not the sign and make of a good person at all..

Poor rafafanatics
What this match has shown us that even on clay . I might add the slowest of slow clay Rafa struggled against DelP. WHo is a mediocre player on this surface to say the least.

And about the passion ... It was not us who started to talk about lack of passion.

IT WAS RAFA HIMSELF!!

I am glad he got some fighting spirit back. tanking matches to avoid Fed is not appropriate for a former #1.
So now it is just wait until teh realtion between Rafa and T explodes and we will be the first to notice.....

We spoke too soon. Pathetic attempt to rain on Rafa's parade!

Sore loser!

Haha..bitter people..I just cant help but laugh at such bitter negative people..Royal ignore..talk to my hand bitter people..lol..

Anyways Rafa fans..tomorrow if Fed performs badly..let us not behave the same and recognise hes a great and hes entitled to have his bad patches/stretches and that doesnt diminish his efforts..thats all that we can learn from the behaviour of such bitter people

And Delpo is not a mediocre player on clay..he pushed Nole..he almost beat Fed in 2009 RG semi..Fed had to battle for 5 sets to take out Delpo..I am sure neither of the top 4 think hes a mediocre player..yes some resident experts on this site think..but who cares what they think :-)

tanking matches to avoid Fed..lol..haha..He didnt even tank matches and lost to Djoko 6 times in a row and was there on opposite side of net to get beaten..god what wierd logic and assumptions..God bless them with some reasoning!!!!

sanju,

Read carefully. It's not just Solitudine. That person is a pure troll, who only comes on here to trash Rafa when he loses. You won't see that person now because he has just won a great victory. There are a few who show up at times to say the worst things possible about Rafa.

However, just read the post @ 7:43 pm! Accusing Rafa of tanking matches to avoid Fed? If that was the case, then Rafa would have pulled out before meeting Fed! Also, comments about Rafa's personal life are abominable and disgraceful.

You don't see Rafa fans discussing Fed's personal life or his family or even his relationship with Annacone. I would never stoop that low. I have too much respect for Fed. Some of his fans, however, are another thing entirely.

Here is what Rafa said:

"I don't think Pico played a bad match. I think there were more good decisions from me than mistakes from him.

A week ago people said I was done and now they say I'm not human. I went to the locker room and he told me I was great. I tried to encourage him a bit, because I think he did not play badly, but I missed only very few times" Nadal said after the victory.

After leading Spain to the Davis Cup title over Argentina, No. 2 Rafael Nadal tells reporters in Seville that he will not play the competition in 2012, instead focusing on Olympics in London. Some reports have it that he will also focus on trying to get the No. 1 ranking back.

^^He is the defending champion at the olympics as well, so it would be nice to defend his crown. I understand that Albert Costa is also standing down, and Moya might take over.

I am happy that Rafa will skip DC next year. He has given so much to his country in winning DC matches. I know that he wants to focus on the Olympics and the calendar will be even more crowded in 2012. I do think Rafa has goals for the new year. He has been a warrior for the Spanish team in DC and now he has to take care of himself and look forward to making more history!

Rafa rocks!

vrael and vamosrafa,

It was great to see you here cheering on Rafa! You have been missed. We have had all we can handle here and could use your help.

It's nice to have you back to celebrate Rafa's well earned victory today.

Rafa, you are the man!

NNY, hello there :) great to have a word with you again ... rafa is the man , INDEED ! these two wins have given me great hope for 2012..i am 110% sure rafa will be one heck of a force come 2012 !

vamosrafa,

Well, please don't be a stranger. Come 2012 I hope to see you posting here on a regular basis. You are missed! :)

So happy for Rafa, Ferrer and Spain. What a happy end to this tennis season for Rafa. It really looked a bit like 2009 DC final for Rafa, after a disappointing WTF. Hopefully Rafa's 2012 will be like his 2010 and gives us more to cheer and cherish about!

Concerning Delpo, well we all know he has the potential to be a top four player and some said he'll be the no.1 player some day. He has improved his movement even on grass this year so yes, 2012 he'll be a big threat to the top guys. Still, the top guys all have the skill to prevent him from playing his best. We see from this match, that if you give Delpo the freedom to hit his shots freely, what kind of damage he can do to you. The key is not allowing him the freedom to hit freely, something Rafa did from the second right through the third set.

I believe that's what Murray did to Delpo everytime he beats Delpo. The top four guys all have the skills to deal with Delpo but they have to play at the top of their game if Delpo is playing like he plays today. Both Fed and Rafa had a taste of it during the USO 2009. I agree that 2012 should be one very interesting year, if the top four are all back to their best, and with Tsonga, Delpo, Berdych, even Isner, all playing well. Maybe Sod will be back after his illness; also I hope for Ferrer to continue his good form into the new season. I really respect Ferrer, for working so hard, does his best for his country and never bother to be in the limelight. He's such a lovely guy!

Also, welcome back vamosrafa and vrael, where have you guys being all these while?

Natashao @7.15pm on 4/12/11 - your post was just great and you summed up things perfectly. Everything you wrote was spot on and like you I am so proud of Rafa, as all his fans will be, but the thing that stands out is that we saw the OLD Rafa that we know and love is on his way back.

To see him smiling was magic.

Vamos dear Rafa, enjoy some time off with family and friends and I hope 2012 will be a great year for you.

Rafa of course can always fall back to his willpower and his ability to make something out of nothing. But it is all very poor. His fitness levels are the lowest I have seen in ... ever. He can make somthing happening if he is not overplayed by his opponent. He has proven that he is the 4th player in the world atm. He has nothing on Djokovic, Federer or Murray they will be able to bring him down from the claythrone.
If this is his level then it looks very bad for him. And the mindset that brought him victory in the DelP match is defin itely not enough to carry him through a succesful 2012.
I am sorry to say but that is how it stands. He will take time of just like he did in the 5 weeks he got after asia and we will see how he is in januari. He needs passion to train and try to bring his body and fitness up to par with the other three.

sienna, I'd like to think that nadal is done but he managed to pull some spectacular comebacks in the past.

The slams is where we can truly acess a player's form. Come the AO will see the real form of the top players.


With that said, the del potro - nadal match was very poor in quality but had great emotion. Del potro being broken that often is not normal, even on clay. His serve was terrible, serving only near 180 km at max.

Nadal ran a lot as usual. He did that against djokovic in the us open and we know the result of that match. Had del potro been a little fitter he would have won the match.

ahahaha, poor Fed fans are consoling themselves by making stupid "if" cases...if Delpo was fitter, if there was no sun above or if there was an earthquake...your pathetic & ridiculous excuses...

No matter how Rafa feels in the future, he will always be able to beat Fed and you guys will be here long enough to see it...Fed winning WTF was nothing comparing to Fed not wining any GSs this year and you all know it...Rafa's game considered poor while he reached THREE GS finals...and as for the AO: Rafa has very little points to defend...he will be enjoying his tennis in AO: no pressure, no high expectations...exactly the way Rafa likes it to be so that he can again prove everybody wrong...

Fed fans constantly tracking Rafa's life, his fitness, his training, his family life, his eating habits, his mindset...it can only mean one thing: you are, people, SO AFRAID of Rafa...and that is one thing I definitely agree with you: you SHOULD be afraid...

VAMOS RAFA!!!

Strange! We read here two Fed fans posting so much about Rafa! Why do you bother so much about Rafa?? You should be busy posting about Fed. Whatever will happen to Rafa only time will tell, he controls his own destiny, nothing you can do or say to influence that, so stop speculating.

bleck
Did you noticethe double standards some posters have on this site? That Luckystar isnt (s)he something?
Always throwing dirt and sleaze around whenever Fed is playing. Not so long ago after Fed's first RR match claiming that he was so way below par and off his level from last year. etc tec every thread where Fed is mentioned he takes aim for Roger.
And when we simply speak up and try to give us an honest view off the state of Nadals play he tells us off. Why does this person care so much for what we have to say.
Claiming not to read any of the comments we post but reokying to every comment posted by a Fedfans on this site. And I mean literaly every comment that is being posted by a Fedfan gets a counter post from Luckystar.
What do you make of this?

reokying = replying

I posted once in this thread luckystar, is that too much for you. 1 post in 71, 1/71=1.4%, too sensitive are we.
I didn't speculate about nadal's near future, do you even read the posts?

From my previous post,


"I'd like to think that nadal is done but he managed to pull some spectacular comebacks in the PAST."

"The slams is where we can truly acess a player's form. Come the AO will see the real form of the top players."

Where am I "speculating" about "what will happen" to nadal? I'm saying that come the AO, a slam, we we'll see...

sienna, after Fed's WTF tournament is over, I didn't post anything about his supposed 'future' in tennis. I only mention him together with the other top four guys, or when we're comparing say players' proficency on various surfaces. Unlike you, you post incessantly about Rafa and his future in tennis. Who knows what lies ahead, and who knows what Rafa is thinking? Is not up to us to decide for him about his future. Even if you post here hundred times about his future, you won't change a thing, unless you're only here to rattle the Rafa fans. And what's the point of doing that? Whether they're rattled or not, it still won't change a thing of what's going to happen in future on the tennis courts!

bleck - and you said you're not speculating, when you said that had Delpo being fitter, he'll win the match! How do you know? From what I saw from the match, it's Rafa's passive play in the first set that allowed Delpo to play the way he played to win the first set. If Rafa started the match playing aggressively like he did in the third set, I doubt Delpo could have his way. In the end who ran alot? I would say both ran alot, Delpo was made to run from side to side and have to come to the net to win points, taking the risk of being passed at the net by Rafa's spectacular passing shots.

I have to say all the top four guys have to run alot these days, especially when they're playing agains each other, simply because they're so quick and can get to so many balls and return with interest, that it's difficult to hit an outright winner, unless one can serve big and followed up with big forehand all the time. Even then a very good returner of serves, like Nole or Murray, will constantly put their opponents under pressure in their service games.

bleck, give the poison arrows a rest, will ya? Rafa was majestic, Delpo was majestic. Rafa won fair and square.....................is that so difficult to acknowledge? No wonder people interpret your ramblings as fear, which quite frankly, is just pathetic........................

luckystar let's try to be honest and not twist things.

You wrote "Whatever will happen to Rafa only time will tell, he controls his own destiny, nothing you can do or say to influence that, so stop speculating."

When you mentioned speculating you were clearly talking about nadal's future, not what happened in davis cup. I didn't speculate about nadal's form, on the contrary, I said let's wait and see.

Rafans did you notice this during Rafa's celebrations yesterday? After he commiserated with the Argentine team, Rafa went up to celebrate with his family members and as he was going back on court, someone (I think it was his sister) tapped him on the shoulder and Rafa turned round, unbuckled his watch and handed it over! I think they did not want it going "awol" amidst all the celebratory confusion. I think they (the family) have been extra careful after that incident in Canada when his watch was stolen.........................

Fine bleck, that part about speculating into the future may not apply to you, but the other part of my comments hold true, ie both sienna and you have been posting too much about Rafa, and I don't mean only on this thread. Is that clear now?

And do note that the Rafa fans had already stopped posting on this thread before you two started posting on this thread and reviving it again, and hence my comments that followed after that.

vrael and vamosrafa: welcome back!

I missed the last few points of the fourth set and the superb tiebreak... went to watch my wife perform on stage.

But I read that Rafa went to hug every one of the Argentinian players. In character for him. Would that most people on the planet were that considerate and respectful of others.

hello NNY...:-)

Congratulations all rafans on the victory.

hello chlorostoma...:)

I never left,not been posting much for there was nothing much to say...:|

next year should be interesting....rafa needs to get his act together if he wants to add to his Gs total.

Oz open is not far away...will have lots to post then..:D

a big HELLO to luckystar and chlorostoma :) , I have been here but as vrael said there was not much to post... whenever i wanted to post i was put away by the trash posted by some posters here, u know what i mean na ... the advent of 2012 will give us the chance to have plenty of good discussions :D

@NNY, dont worry I am always here :) rafa's support at tennistalk aint dwindling any time soon :)k

vamosrafa,

Please do not leave us! I know why you haven't been posting. Yes, there has been a lot of unfortunate comments by a very few. But there have been some things done about it. I know that we will have the great exchanges and lively discussions we have had in the past.

It's not the same without you.

Also, a big hello to chlorostoma! Nice to see you, too.

I thnk we have a lot to look forward to in the new year. I hope that Rafa can remember how he figured it out and got himself going against Delpo. That is the thinker, the master strategist, the fighter that we all know and love.

Also, vrael, be sure to come back for the new year. I believe that Rafa will find the answer to his problems with Nole.

Now that Rafa has helped Spain win another DC, I hope he can take it easy and enjoy the holiday season. It's been a long year for him. He needs to have some fun with family and friends.