Rafatennis Part II - Roland Garros 22 May - 5 June 2011

First topic message reminder :

So here we are then folks...the second slam of the year, with so much riding on it.

Will Novak get that No 1 that he so craves? Will Rafa get title No 6 to equal Bjorn Borg's records? Will Roger step back up and prove a threat and will Murray follow up his good form on the clay of Monte Carlo and Rome with a good run here?

The draw is out and Rafa faces John Isner in Round 1. Robin Soderling is in Rafa's quarter and Andy Murray in the same half.

Rafa has been in Paris for a couple of days already on the promotion trail with appearances at Armani and the Nike store. He's also been at the tournament site practising with Gilles Simon.

Good luck Rafa and vamos!

WAYNE ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

<running round the lounge like a loon>

<concentrates on Rafa>

Who BREAKS!!

Oh goody...Rafa breaks!

Please tell me you haven't got your tshirt over your head

Rafa hitting slightly out with a couple of shots here ... he's disappointed.

Very aggressive play though to get back 30-30.

ACE wins the game.

Denz.

No ... but I had to hang onto a couple of things whilst I've been jumping up and down ...

oh fabulous Rafa!! what a return

Rafa is a set and a break up....but Gasquet reads the game so well and has beautiful hands....he's playing great tennis.

Um yes....but who's winning at the moment

I wish Rafa would stop playing to his B/H

Good boy Rafa.....4-1 with 2 breaks

He's loving that one.

Well done Rafa....much easier in the 2nd set....now for tomorrow

Gasquet rather caved in during that second set, which is a shame after a great first set. Rafa looked ominously good again I thought.

Well, it was a tight first set with some very good play from Reeshard. Rafa not completely firing, but he's getting there. Reshaard dropped off in the second, and I'm still a bit concerned about him running round that b/h so much and leaving an open court, but so much better than what we saw last Sunday.

A quick second set, back to the hotel to put his feet up. Great stuff.

Woofs, are you a united fan then? If so I guess congratulations are in order.

<cough> I'm just a leeetle bit of a United fan. So thanks for the congrats, I felt sick watching Rooney taking that pen.

Anyhow, that's the thing with players like Reeshard, MFC.

He had his game plan, it was going really well in the first set, but he still lost the set and couldn't make his break points, and it gets to players like Gasquet, which is the difference between the likes of Rafa and him.

He needs to get that b/h working, defo.....he must have no confidence in it at all. But so much better than what we've seen lately.

Onward Rafa.....have a good rest today, and let Andy and Nole leave their skin out on the court tonight (sorry MFC)

Is Woofs a fan of United????....She paints her face in Red and White stripes every time we go out....got some very strange look in Nice

Well done to your chaps Woofs....and Housie's thrilled as well

Am backing Stoke now.....my lovely ex driving instructor is from the Potteries

All together now

<musical note>

My my my Deliliah
Why why why Deliliah

<musical note>

It's very quiet up here this afternoon

Come on Stoke ... you can DO it!!

:dancing: Most league titles held by one club. Happy Days!!!

I'm dibbing in and out, Denz. Need to finish off boring old chores. Will be around for the Muz/Djok match.

ANNNNDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE !!!

me too Woofs...feed hounds....got to go and get milk...Mr Denz has decided to come home for the weekend, instead of going straight to other job

Will be back for Andy if not before

Come on Andy...you CAN do it!!!!!!

Fancy Mr Denz ruining your quiet weekend, Denz. <tut>

My dry washing is now getting wet ... :run2:

Good afternoon, Rafateers & visitors

Congrats to Wooffie for (yet another) Man U Championship - they totally deserved it, Wooffs.

Back (at last) from hairdressers, and watching the Rafamatch. Def much easier knowing the result, but looks like a pretty good match from both so far - 3 all, 1st set. Gasquet has great b/h when he uses it!

Anyways, hope to cheer on Andy from my Dad's tonight, if I can persuade himto watch it. Otherwise, another Sky+ experience!!

Have a great day, everyone.

Hi Angie

Hope all is well with the hair ...We are a bit hair obsessed on this fred

Enjoy watching Rafa....I'm just so pleased he seems to have found some sort of form....not perfect as yet....but much much better

Hi Denz

Hair ok, I s'pose. Growing it, and not really in a style yet - tidier than yesterday is all I can say!!

Rafa def looking much better than earlier in week - and much better than Madrid. Looked much more focussed on his game today - seems to be over the worst of this illness.

Enjoyed today's match. I wasn't even too stressed in the first set.

I missed you all today as I was exiled to the small telly as Mr C had a mate round and hogged the sitting room and by default, the big telly then once the match finished I had to be a bit sociable.

Congrats to United, (my bro will be thrilled) and good luck to Andy tonight. Do it for MFC Andy!!

to all.

Good evening Rafateers and MFC if you are here!

Well done to Rafa this afternoon, I've only watched the first 8 games so far so I've got the good times to come.

Can Andy do the unthinkable tonight and put one over on the undefeatable "Serbinator"?!

After that 3rd game Djokovic has really stepped it up. At the moment I can only see one winner

Come on Andy!

Evening Rafateers

After that third game, I though we were going to be in for some match ... only not so ... yet.

Come on Andy!!

And yes ... that is yet ANOTHER of Sky Marcus's annoying habits. Excess use of the word "Serbinator". :sleep:

Hi Rafan and Wooffs

Djoko looks bushed but playing lights out. And just as I typed that Andy broke.

Evening lovely Cats

But its gone to 3 sets!

These two are brutal! They're going at each other hammer and tongs!

Is Mo on double duty today? Didn't he umpire Rafa's match, or was that yesterday? Not that I'm complaining

Evening Cats

It has turned into a great match! I think Mo is in double duty today

Rafan It really has. Very exciting!

Pheweee - what a match. Poor old Andy, so close to becoming the one to break that winning run. Where does Djokovic find that extra oomph from?!

Well - it's what we wanted. They ran the legs off each other. To coin Rafa's phrase, let's see what's going on tomorrow

Vamos!

VAMOS RAFA!!!!! We will be here to cheer you on, as olweys!!

EN RAFA, CONFIAMOS !!!!!

Nadal will power to victory tomorrow.

He's 5x Rome Champion for a reason.

No altitude to aide Djokovic tomorrow.

Well, we hope so Sonic.

Rome has to favour Rafa over Madrid and I think he wants to fight hard for this tournament. And we will cheer him on every step of the way.

Wooffie wrote:Well, we hope so Sonic.

Rome has to favour Rafa over Madrid and I think he wants to fight hard for this tournament. And we will cheer him on every step of the way.

To be honest, Madrid is the most pointless clay court event. High at altitude and a rapid court. If Spain wanted a clay Masters event, Barcelona should've been promoted.

Rome is very slow and Nadal loves it there.

Good Morning (just) all my luvverly Rafateers

I'm looking forward to this afternoon's match....of course with a little trepidation as I do all Rafa's matches....I never ever totally relax when he's playing

Last night's match was a corker...really edge of the seat stuff ....I'd like this afternoon to be a little less tense Rafa

Its afternoon now ... so good afternoon all lovely Rafateers!!

I fully expect today to be every bit as much a rollercoaster as Rafa's matches usually are. And sometimes perhaps, we want it too much for him. If we think Djokovic won't be at 100% because of last night, well, Rafa's not quite at 100% either. And I can't believe I'm saying this, but it is only a tennis match.

I think doing it in honour of Seve is one of the things that is driving Rafa forward here. And I hope so very hard that he finds his game here today and can be more proud of his performance than last week. Rafa is popular in Rome (has everyone seen this - blimey!! a whole load of people wanted to "go to the toilet" that day!!!), so he'll get good support and we'll be cheering him on here too. Rafa has faith that if he keeps getting to the final, one time he will beat him.

Good luck today Rafa!! VAMOS!!!

Good afternoon Rafateers!

It's raining in Rome . The women's final is delayed, so goodness knows what time the men's final will be on. I wonder what classic match Sky will show in its place to fill the time.

Why oh why oh why?

Because everything for Rafa has to be done the hard way, Rafan.

Oh b****r Why does it always happen to Rafa

Hi everyone This is a pain. And not helping my nerves any

I may go and wash my hair. I meant to do it at 2pm, but then Oprah came on interviewing Barbra Streisand, and then Robert Redford, and Barbra sang "The Way We Were" ... and I was in pieces. And I am rambling ... but that's because my nerves are shot!

I've done all my chores so I could watch the match so I have nothing to keep me occupied

I can't even think of a game.....

Poor Cats

I'm going to sit and watch all the Rafa matches I've recorded in the last week - well hopefully not all of them, pleeeeeeease let the weather clear so they can play today!

Imagine this ladies - if we were there for the final, flying home tomorrow, will it get done or not?! Oh wait a minute, it's deja vu

Last year Wooffs was in a bad mood because her hair was getting ruined and I was that we'd be back in the UK before Rafa finished his match. The Italians just got fed up waiting and went home. The loons!

Rain update: Apparently due to stop at 5 Rome time (how do they know that!!) and will then be clear for the rest of the evening. So, what do you reckon? Boys will get on around 7 Rome time or thereabouts?

Just looking at Neil Harman, and he reckons 20% chance today.....not brilliant, but hopefully it'll get done sometime tonight.......

I want Chocolate :run2: