September 2011
91 posts
1 tag
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RafaLint: August 31st
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Today’s recommended read:
For Nadal, It’s All About Finding ‘Solutions’ by Geoff MacDonald (NY Times)
US Open articles:
Straight-Set Wins and Shrugs From Nadal and Serena Williams by Karen Crouse (NY Times)
Nadal toils...
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August 2011
84 posts
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USO: 1st round presser
Rafa’s first round post-match presser transcript and video can be found here.
Q. How did you feel today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, you know, I was practicing very well during all the week. I was for sure nervous. That’s normal. It’s normal start the tournament like this with some nerves. And what happened today, he didn’t help because he played very fast all the time. All the...
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USO: El Mundo Q&A #1
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Rafa’s answering questions in El Mundo, and his first entry is up. From the mangle, it seems to me:
He’s okay with the idea of “better safe than sorry” when it comes to hurricane precautions even if...
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USO: 1st round videos
Match report from the USO site. Hopefully there will be more match videos tomorrow.
Rafa arriving and practicing today:
Nice little intro to the night session.
Pre-match interview:
Post-match interview:
Original Article
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RafaLint: August 30th
Mainly catching up on stuff I owe you guys from yesterday, but I was dealing with a dying computer. I’ll post match coverage/articles in tomorrow’s lint.
Beyond adorable interview with Rafa on CNN this morning:
If the above is region-blocked, you can also see this on YouTube.
Stuff to read:
Tonis responds to questions about his relationship with Rafa via espndeportes.com...
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USO: 1st round photos
Some photos from tonight’s roller coaster ride.
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Photos by REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz, EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images, AP Photo/Charles Krupa, AP Photo/Elise Amendola, and REUTERS/Kena Betancur
Original Article
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As the USO turns
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To start his US Open defense, Rafa played Golubev (#98) under the lights in Ashe stadium tonight. Golubev is the kind of player that can give Rafa trouble – especially in the early rounds. He’s a big hitter with a lot of easy power. His...
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USO: Article and video interview in Spanish press
There’s an interesting article in elpais by Juan Jose Mateo (mangle). If the mangle isn’t misleading, it seems like Rafa’s foot was still really bugging him in Montreal and he’s been adjusting his training to help deal with the situation. This seems to be backed up by this interview sent in by Inés:
She didn’t have time for a translation, but she very kindly sent a...
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RafaLint: August 28th
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US Open articles:
Off the Court, Nadal Wears Chef’s Whites by George Vecsey (NY Times). About the book and the upcoming USO.
2011 US Open Men’s Preview: The Experts weigh in via TennisConnected
Pese a los dedos, pese a su pie: Nadal confía...
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Rafa 2002 vs 2011. Same smile, dimples and untied...
vamosmaymo:
Photo: ITF Junior Tennis, Reuters
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RafaLint: August 27th
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Coverage of Rafa in the city:
WE LOVE RAFA NADAL! (and his Armani pants) by Naomi Attwood (Grazia Fashion)
Rafael Nadal Debuted His Armani Ad at Macy’s, Hysteria Ensued by Tiffany Yannetta (Racked NY)
Rafael...
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USO: Pre-tournament presser
Rafa’s pre-touranemnt presser transcript is up on the official site.
Q. What are your thoughts about being here during a hurricane, and how will you spend your time?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don’t know what’s going on, I think. Nobody knows exactly what’s going on, no? But having the club closed, all the places in Manhattan will be closed, so not much. Just stay in the hotel. ...
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Mind Games: Is Nadal Ready for the Open?
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There’s an article about Rafa, his season and the upcoming US Open on time.com: Mind Games: Is Nadal Ready for the Open? by Sean Gregory. A few excerpts:
In fact, Nadal’s current 84% match-victory rate is his lowest since 2004, the...
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RafaLint: August 26th
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Rafa in the city:
Due to the impending hurricane, Rafa’s book signing has been cancelled. Safety first! (I hope Rafa brought a flashlight.)
Rafael Nadal’s Winning Ways (Women’s Wear Daily)
...
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Videos from the Armani event
Posted by Armani.
Some duplicate footage, but lots more here:
Posted by catdii.
And last, but not least, Rafa posted a video to his Facebook.
Original Article
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RafaLint: August 25th
Are you sitting down? No? Okay. I’ll wait.
Ready? Rafa for Armani jeans.
Give yourself a minute. Take a deep breath. Ready? Rafa for Armani undies.
Book reviews/promos:
More to Rafa than meets the eye by Kamakshi Tandon (ESPN.com)
A good spin on it via the Economist
Stuff to read:
Nadal’s New Challenges: ‘I’m Not a Kid Anymore’ by Tom Perrotta (Wall Street...
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USO: Draw photos and video [Updated]
Rafa helped out with the women’s draw today. Here are some photos.
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Photos by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images for USTA, REUTERS/Mike Segar, and TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
Update:
And here’s a nice video interview from ESPN.
Original Article
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USO: The draw
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The draw is a done deal. Who knows when they will get around to posting it, but we do know this: Rafa’s first round match is against Andrey Golubev - it will be their first time to play each other. Other things we know: Ferrer, Roddick,...
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Rafa on Letterman
Dave was his usual unprepared self. I think he was trying to “help” Rafa too much with questions that were easy to answer and ended up walking all over the segment. He’s certainly done better sports interviews before. He couldn’t stop Rafa from being totally adorable, though.
Update: The full episode is now up on the CBS site as is just Rafa’s segment. Also,...
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Cincy 2011 – It’s Rafa Time!
Traveling all the way from Oregon to attend W&S Open, I had 3 goals: (1) see as much Rafa as possible (2) don’t pass out in the sun (3) get Rafa’s autograph on my Davis Cup Spanish flag - joining Daveed, Feli, Nando & Marcel. Success! From the draw party to the final Sunday, I was lucky enough to see Rafa 14 times.
Rafa 1: Saturday morning – The site is not telling where and when Rafa is...
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RafaLint: August 24th
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Rafa in the city:
Rafa will be taking part in a tennis clinic for 30 children from The Child Center on Thursday.
Per some tweets, Rafa has been added to the list of people appearing at Thursday’s Taste of...
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Videos from Bacardi event
B-roll from the event people:
Interview in Spanish for CNN (thanks, Inés):
Original Article
Rafa: Making fantastic faces since 1998
stronglyadorabletennisgirl:
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Champions Drink Responsibly photos
Photos from today’s Champions Drink Responsibly event in NYC.
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Photos by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images for Bacardi and Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Original Article
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Shelleyellie in Cincy
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miri has asked me to create a post on my thoughts about Cincy. I have been back home for a few days now (and back to work, unfortunately) and I have had a few days to reflect back on what the 2011 Western & Southern Financial Group Open...
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Late Show with Dave Letterman
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Rafa has been added to the Wednesday guest line-up on the Late Show with Dave Letterman: guest list. (Cracks me up that his “credit” is listed as “Babolat Tennis Racquets” and not something like, say, “Tennis...
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My very first Rafa experience
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I’ve been a hardcore Rafa fan for about two years now, following him only occasionally before that. Thanks to the Internet, I have now caught up on all things Rafa as far back as they go. The ultimate dream of course was to watch him play live. The...
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And the winners are...
The poll is closed for the book contest and our winners are:
AllyR with “Physically, I am Perfect”
Shelleyellie with “Strip Playstation, my secret shame!”
Jui with “I’m Photogenic, But I Can’t Act. At All: The Story of ‘Gypsy’”
AbigailA with “‘I love you, man:’ My Weirdest, Funniest, and Most Touching Moments with...
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RafaLint: August 23rd
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Not pretending this will catch you guys up with everything. I’m so far behind I’m just having to cut my losses at some point. I’m still exhausted and haven’t sorted through my photos beyond the ones posted by...
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Cincy: Sometimes, you just get burned
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The heat can burn you, an opponent can burn you, and it turns out, a plate at a restaruant can burn you too. Hampered with burns on his fingers, a long match the day before and, most importantly, an opponent playing well, Rafa lost to Mardy Fish...
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Win a copy of RAFA - time to vote!
It’s time to vote for the winners of the Win a Copy of RAFA contest. A neutral party has helped me narrow the entries down to a final ten. Vote for the four you like the best. Voting ends at midnight (Eastern US Time/GMT -5) on the 22nd.
[poll id=”79”]
Original Article
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Cincy: Catching up
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Sorry I abandoned you guys! I wasn’t thinking and forgot that Kalliopeia who usually helps me out by posting match results when I’m away was going to be at the tournament too. And last night, I was too tired to post anything.
So,...
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Cincy: Vamos, Team Cuteness!
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Rafa and Marc! played Tipsarevic and Troicki in the first round of the men’s doubles in Cincinnati today. I have no idea how they played or how the match went since I was trying to get a bad hair-cut repaired, but looking at the score...
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Nominate a champion
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The Champions Drink Responsibly campaign would like to know who your champion is. Nominate your champion (a friend or family member who is drinking age) and if they are picked, you’ll get a shout-out from...
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Cincy: Pre-tournament presser transcript
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A transcript of Rafa’s pre-tournament presser is up at ASAPsports.com:
Q. In 2008, you won a bunch of tournaments to overtake Roger Federer for No. 1; Novak is doing that this year. Can you compare the two years in terms of...
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Cincy: Pre-tournament interview vids
First up, one from tennistv.com.
And another from CincyProTennis:
Original Article
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Rafael Nadal: A Man Who Never Quits or Makes...
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There’s a new article about Rafa by Michael Mewshaw in Newsweek/The Daily Beast, check it out. It deals with some of the same ideas as Barber’s infamous piece (tightly controlled images, but in a far less confrontational and...
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RafaLint: August 14th
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Stuff to read:
Approach Shots: Nadal, Federer look to rebound Cincy by Ricky Dimon.
Cincinnati Masters: Men’s and Women’s Draw Preview and Analysis by Nima Naderi.
Photos:
Fun set of practice photos from Forty Deuce Tennis.
Interesting...
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Win a copy of RAFA!
RAFA, the book, that is. Thanks to some nice promotion people, I have three copies of Rafa’s new biography to give away. Since they also gave me a preview copy to read and review, I’m going to throw in the one I ordered from Amazon as well.
How to Participate
1. Put on your thinking caps and think of a chapter title you’d like to see in the book, such as “Ode to my Famooos Ass”. Your title...
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Tennis Magazine: US Open Special
Rafa’s on the cover of the most recent copy of Tennis Magazine. The article that goes with the title is by Pete Bodo. It doesn’t really contain anything new - just talks about how incredibly honest Rafa’s post Wimbledon final presser was and Bodo’s feelings that Rafa is at a turning point in his career.
There’s also an opinion piece by Chris Evert on what she calls...
