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!

Well Feli gifted him that one, awful play from him. Like I said, not sure this helps Rafa at all though...

This is totally mad!!!!

He looks dog rough....footwork is rubbish and yet wins the first set.

Feli just collapsed!!!!!!!!!!

Oh great. So what is worse? He goes to 3 sets for a Feli win or he wins himself and then trots out from his sick bed to play tomorrow till someone defeats him.

Not sure Wooffie, but I'd go with losing in three sets today. At least then from tomorrow he can rest and focus purely on getting back to his best for the FO...

Do you think he just really wants to take the No 1 ranking into the French Open? Maybe that's what he's telling himself. I agree it doesn't make it right, and also think if he's not well he shouldn't play. But as Womble said, it's the flipside of what we love.

Come on Rafa - just kill it and get off quick. Vamos!

He could win this sick. He could beat Cilic sick maybe and then he'd probably play Roger and give him a win on clay just before the French - how annoying would that be ?

Blimey - they said on VB that Rafa has 95% first serves in!

You know ... I'm here at my desk wishing I just just speak to one of you about this. But how much did we will him to pull out of Doha?? And he didn't, he waited till he got beat. And his body broke down at the first challenge in the AO.

And the FO starts a week on Sunday ... I am finding it really hard to say anything positive about him right now.

Please will someone put me in my box!!

This match will do Rafa no good at all....they're a delay, and Rafa has been using an iced towel...sure sign he's got a temprature.

So he wins this....then what????? Idiot!!!

Rafa serves

Feli hits long..15-0...where is our winning Feli

and again....tho Rafa's serve is fine today..30-0

Rafa hits wide....challenge...yes...30-15

Feli hits long....40-15

and hits out yet again....game Rafa..1-0

This is MC Feli I'm afraid!

Well only last week it was mentioned that we'd rather Roger beat him than Novak...maybe that will happen this week (or was that just to keep Novak guessing about whether he could beat Rafa on clay? In which case - too late). But anyway, we're only a set into this yet, and that's jumping two matches on (for Rafa AND Roger )

I've now got to go out of the office. How can I concentrate ? Help, help, help !

I will text you, Womble.

Aha, found a better stream

Feli serves

Misses!...0-15

Ace! 15 all

Misses again...hits long...no it was in Rafa said...play again

Feli nets again...15-30

oh this is painful to watch

Rafa nets..30 all

feli s&v...40-30

and hit a huge f/h...game feli..1 all

Rafa serves

big c/c f/h...with better footwork...15-0

but careless on the next...15 all...hits long

Rafa hits c/c....30-15

and a huge one two from Rafa..40-15

and feli hits out....game Rafa 2-1

Stupid thing is....his shots are much better than yesterday...more power and his serve is soooo much better...but Feli really isn't playing as well as he has been.

Feli serves

Rafa hits out...15-0

Ace..30-0

Rafa hits out..40-0

and misses again...game Feli...2 all

Rafa serves

Rafa hits wide after a long rally...0-15

feli hits long..15 all

ace!..30-15

feli hits wide..40-15

and hits long....game Rafa..3-2

Rafa breaks, awful game from Feli

Feli serves

but hits wide...0-15

Rafa hits out..15 all

brilliant c/c return from Rafa..15-30

oh! the most wonderful rally from bot boys...and Rafa kills it with a f/h..15...40

Feli hits out...game Rafa...4-2

Rafa serves

Feli looks glum

big f/h from Rafa..15-0

Feli looks shell shocked

feli nets off a 2nd serve...30-0

feli hits long...40-0

and Rafa scoops a b/h up the line...game Rafa..5-2

I can't even find it within myself to feel pleased for him right now.

All over, and i hope you don't mind if I say it was a pretty awful match to watch... Still Rafa can cling on to his n°1 ranking a while longer...

Feli serves to stay in the match

and hits out...0-15

Rafa hits a wild shot...15 all

good volley from feli...30-15

feli nets...30 all

Rafa nets....40-30

feli hits long...deuce

great c/c from feli..ad

but he nets the next one....and screams in frustratrion!! deuce

feli hits long....can you believe this...MP Rafa!

but feli saves it with a cracking f/h into the corner off a short Rafa reply..deuce

and another good f/h from feli...ad Feli

but Rafa wins the next point off a long rally...deuce

and feli misses again....MP Rafa

and feli misses....GSM Rafa ..6-4 -6-2

Back soon

Feli made 30 (!) unforced errors in that match, that's just ridiculous!

Well done Rafa

And thanks for the updates Denzy and MFC!

Now Rafa...rest and recuperate - no practice, no sponsor stuff, nothing - to bed with you!

So a Rafa win. Well ... you reap what you sow Rafa.

But we're Rafateers, and we'll always be here supporting you. VAMOS!!

PS. Thanks guys for the updates. Its appreciated.

It wasn´t great by any means but at least he is through.

Denzi, Wooffie Womble and all you other lovely Rafateers could I ask you an enormous favour... if our boy gets through to the sems and indeed the final would you write a "report" for me for when I come home... I am going to Canada and wont be back until the end of the month and I wont see the end of the tournament.. please keep the Spanish Armada flag flying for me and give me all the Rafa news on my return.
Hopefully our boy will have got over whatever it is that is affecting his tennis at the moment... I would also love to know if anyone knocks the Serbian wonder of his pedestal.. (for a little while anyway).

Take care

Of course Haddie and enjoy your lovely trip!

Have fun Haddie

Love this tweet

"NeilHarmanTimes: Rafa just retrieved ball from behind scoreboard that ballgirl couldn’t reach. Don’t see that very often"

Rafa has signed Seve again on the camera....this has hit him very hard.....he's such a caring sweet person that it must have had a reflection on him. Rumours that he was upset he couldn't go to the funeral.

Have a lovely time Hads

Thankyou bless you all

Good afternoon Rafateers

Many thanks to Denzy & MFC for the updates - I think I've done even less work today than yesterday - and that's a scary thought!! I'm having lunch early to get some work in this pm, as plan to finish at 4!!

Wish Rafa hadn't played sick, but what can you do with the boy!? I guess he must have believed that he could play well enough, but hope it doesn't take too much out of him in the next few days/weeks.

Hope you have a great time in Canada, Haddie - gorgeous country.

Well he couldn't, Denz. He had commitments here, difficult for him but that's the way it is.

I know I forget sometimes that he's still a 24 year old young man, and stuff happens in his life that gets to him ... just like it does any regular person. These freds are to cheer and support him because we get mighty fed up of all the other hateful stuff out there, so I shouldn't go on. But sometimes I just don't agree with everything he does as far as is health and career are concerned.

I just feel that he doesn't learn his lessons, and he's the one that suffers in the long run. Why didn't he pull out of Rotterdam? Why didn't he pull out of Doha? Why did he once again add Barcelona to his calendar?? Its just him though, its just the way he is ... frustrating or what? And I would change that element of him. I don't think it would detract from him being the lovely person he is. He reaped the rewards last year of some of the decisions he made. I would hate him to conversely suffer this year, for doing likewise.

I know Woofs....he can be a real conundrum at times. He wasn't 100% today and yet played better. Yes his movement was a little off and Feli helped him by playing so poorly, but his serve was excellent...his groundies were more of what we expect, and he obviously found his inspiration that he left in his hotel room yesterday!!

I don't know wether to kiss him or kick him that's how he makes me feel....apparently if he gets through his next match, he's guaranteed the No 1 ranking for the French.....this has a lot to do with him playing on here. I love his warrior like tendencies, but I hate what he could be doing to himself as the next few weeks are so important.

Oh Rafa

<sighs> I feel like a group

Just got some stats off twitter.

88% first serves in ... won 81% of them. He won 100% of points off his second serve. Feli won 45% off his.

And yes ... I've been reading that getting to the semi's keeps him No. 1 at the French so he'll have that full year. I'd also like to say I don't care about that ... but actually ... I do. I want it for him because he has worked so bl**dy hard to challenge to get it and to challenge to get it back. Nothing has ever come easy for Rafa ...

And I bet Toni feels like hugging and kicking him right now too ...

Woofs...and a for everyone else as well

I don't know if I should laugh or cry at times with him....ooh he's sooooo bl**dy maddening

but... as well

Yes he's has to work like stink for what he's got.....why doesn't he ever get it easy

Off to do this <dog>before it takes root :run2:

My Rose could do with a trim again. But NOT the shorn sheep look she had last time ...

So...who do we want Rafa to face next - Cilic or Fish? I don't think I've seen Fish play on the clay before, but I would imagine that generally his game might be trickier for Rafa because he's good with the drop shots etc isn't he?

I can't seem to look at the H2H bit of the ATP site at the moment. So irritating!

Well, I'm back. Thanks to Wooffie for the score updates and Haddie have a good trip.

I assume he's pleased he won so I'll try and be pleased for him. The fact that tennis players fly so much, I'm surprised they don't get sick more often. I always seem to catch something whenever I step on a plane.

The good news, I guess, is that there is a reason for yesterday's shocker of a performance. It's not that Novak has knocked the stuffing out of him or he's forgotten how to play on clay or there's some underlying injury. Yes, he probably should have pulled out and yes, it might affect his chances at RG, but there is something undeniably gallant about him that makes him keep wanting to play.

Rafan, probably Cilic.

Anyway, must work really hard for the rest of the day - will return later.

And whether or not others scoff, Womble, looking back to yesterday we were just waiting for something to come out to say what was wrong with him. Of course every player can have a shocker, but we've watched him too much over the year.

I'm going to work really, really hard for the rest of the day too.

And me! :run2: :bowler:

Update from Neil Harman ... decipher this Rafa-ism if you like ...

"Rafa had a fever this morning. "If I have one day okay. If I have it 5 more days, goodbye. See you at Roland Garros", he said."

Clear as mud!!

Poor Rose

Oops didn't check before I posted......

So if Rafa is still poorly tomorrow...he doesn't play

If he feels better he plays

Or maybe not.....

Oh hell...I give up

No entiendo Rafa!

Hi all

Just got in and catching up. All I can say is I'm glad I didn't have to watch that. Why Rafa? Just get home and rest. Obviously it's not a 24 hour bug.

So it's Cilic tomorrow, which I am happy with.

Hope Rafa's got his feet up!

Or maybe Toni's tied them to the bed ... :run2:

Ahem...I'm the one that ties players and coaches to my <spare> bed.....

Well, at least Rafa is staying positive even if we are all panicking ...

''Why wouldn't I be okay for Roland Garros?" he said. "In 2009 I wasn't okay. My knee was destroyed. I'm worried about tomorrow not in one week and a half's time.''

Probably someone mentioned it but I was reading so quickly before, how did he look today, body language wise. Better than yesterday?

Worried? Moi?!