Sports - Rafa Nadal #5: Bc He's Phelps' Fave Player... Greatness Recognizing Greatness, Much?

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:22 PM

WELCOME TO THE 5TH
RAFAEL NADAL
APPRECIATION THREAD

"For Nadal has a genius of mind as well as body. He has some sighting
system which locks him on to the baseline, he has a grip and an intensity
that has never been seen before. He blazes with aggression and then,
wondrously, drips with simple, generous happiness when the fire
has burnt out.
He is old-fashioned values in modern dress.
He is proof
that good manners do not demand short back and sides and a three-piece
suit - and that you don't have to knock on the front door if climbing up on
to the ledge enables you to thank your family."
(The Telegraph - July 8, 2008)

~

~

1. lovder&Mer
2. Sparkling_Diamond
3. LostinKP
4. Icey_
5. merveille
6. for orange skies
7. Kitty_Fantastico
8. Sawyer&Kate
9. christallh24
10. Ninfa_LostMD
11. ^andra^
12. troubled.discussions
13. Brucas4life
14. JadorelesGossips

~

~

"...Now we were watching an exuberant Nadal, flag in hand, hugging family members, climbing into the Royal Box to shake hands with Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain. From Wimbledon to the streets of London, this was a great moment, a moment of transition in men’s tennis and transformation in one player’s life. No one for a moment doubted Nadal’s mettle. He had waged tremendous battles here, but had never beaten the great Roger Federer here.

Until now.

On this rainy, gusty Sunday afternoon, then evening, a young man had grown, in stature and legend...

Rafael Nadal, the prince, had become Wimbledon’s king."

- nytimes

credit to rafaaydin @ vamosbrigade

~
BEIJING - As Rafael Nadal stood in front of the medal podium,
his nation's flag draped across his back like a cape, he looked
a little like a Spanish Superman.

In tennis, he is.

"Nowhere in my best dreams I can imagine something
like what I did this year," Nadal said. "I know how difficult
it is to win these things, and especially here, because you
only have one chance every four years."

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

by merveille

WINNER: ATP MASTER SERIES MONTE CARLO, ATP MASTER SERIES HAMBURG, ATP MASTER SERIES TORONTO,
BARCELONA, LONDON /QUEEN'S CLUBG, ROLAND GARROS*, WIMBLEDON*, OLYMPICS (BEIJING 2008)

FINALS: ATP MASTER SERIES MIAMI, CHENNAI

SEMI-FINALS: INDIAN WELLS, AUSTRALIAN OPEN*, ATP MASTER SERIES CINCINNATI, US OPEN*

QUARTER FINALS: DUBAI

*Grand Slam

more detailed here

- QUOTES -

“I always wanted to be honest with myself and to those who have had faith in me.”

“The only way of finding a solution is to fight back, to move,
to run, and to control that pressure.”

“I am a little bit more famous now, there's some change in my life.
But I live in the same place. I have the same friends.”

“It wasn't the best moment to lose my serve.”

on Federer: “Look at his points. He is the No 1. That is
all there is to say. He is there to be beaten.”

"It's not only in one place, no? I have pain here...
In my famous ass." *press laughs*

"Winning a Grand Slam is very difficult: on grass, on clay ... on ice."

"I feel that we have to think about others. We’re lucky that everything is going so
well for us. We have to do something back for society. We’re lucky that we have a
good life and that we can do something that we like doing. Everything went our
way so we have to help people who are less fortunate."

"I was thinking : if I have to lose the set, lose 6/2, not 6/0, no?!"

"I'm 22. I'm no longer a young player, a young promising
player. I'm not a promising player anymore. Too bad."

Q: When you're fishing (at home in Majorca), what do you fish for?
Rafa: Fish.

“For tennis, the slams are more important. For sportsmen, the Olympics
are more important. I win here for a lot of people, not just for me.”

"There are always things to improve, on clay, grass and
everything. It is an error to think that it is impossible to improve."

He has this different vibe. He goes from looking downright predatory to all
of a sudden having this big goofy smile. The energy, the passion is just dripping out of him.
When he's playing, it's hard to watch the other side of the court.
- Mary Carillo, Time Magazine

"Federer's game is all about elegance and flow; Nadal disrupts it like a
street thug crashing a cotillion. That he does so while oozing testosterone,
flexing his biceps in a sleeveless shirt, only seals the image of a man's man,
Marlon Brando to Federer's Fred Astaire."
- Simon Barnes, The Times

"His self-effacement, lack of self-indulgence and sheer joy at the
life he is leading make him a refreshing antidote."
- A. Kervin, The Times

“He beat me when he was just 14-years-old. I consoled myself
thinking that I had lost to a future Grand Slam winner.”
- Pat Cash

"Rafa makes us vibrate, it's a pleasure to see him on court. It's very good for
Spain that someone who is an example to young people has emerged. He's
going to encourage others and there will be more tennis players in future."
- Pau Gasol (Spanish basketball player)

“For Nadal, a match is war."
- Brad Gilbert

My kids adore Nadal. He is so very approachable and a true champion at heart. He
played some tennis with them on Mallorca, and since then Nadal is their hero.
When he had to leave Court One one day because of the pouring rain, he actually
stopped and signed autographs for some children in the crowd. He got really wet,
but he didn't care. He realised that these children came out to see him, and as he
only played a few games because of the rain, he thought the least he could do
was stop and sign their programs. As a father, I know what this means to children.
The game of tennis needs new young fans and players, and stars like Nadal
inspire the youngsters.
- Richard Krajicek

"To say that three-time Roland Garros champion
Nadal is a humble guy is an understatement."
- Inside Tennis

“Rafa was a very enthusiastic young kid that loved sport. I have always said
I like the passion in things. I do not like to see people who don’t have a passion for
what they do — this is what Rafa has, ever since he was small, and the intention
was to realize that potential.”
- Toni Nadal

"He seems to be only getting better."
- John McEnroe

"Watching Nadal is like turning on an electric light."
- Santana

"It did not surprise me that he had the mental strength to
gather himself for the fifth, but this was still an incredible
match to win. We have a new king of tennis."
- Boris Becker

"But it's unbelievable how he puts so much pressure
on an opponent. They must think, "What I got to do, hit
three lines to win a point?" We can learn from that and
put it in our tennis."
- Ana Ivanovic

"He makes his brain work more than his legs.
He's the smarter player on the tour. "
- Mats Wilander

"What Nadal has done on clay over the past three years is nothing short of remarkable.
To be as dominant as he has been, winning 100 out of 101 matches! That's one of the greatest achievements in the history of tennis,
and I don't feel like it is recognized to the extent it deserves."
- Pete Sampras

"Actually I walked up to Rafael Nadal. And he is probably
my favourite tennis player to watch and I walked up to him
and I was like, 'I just want to meet you and don't want to
take a picture or anything, I just want to meet you.' And I
told him, 'I watch you all the time when you play tennis and
I love watching you play tennis.' I told him good luck. That
is probably the only person."
- Michael Phelps

"I think that he's probably the cleverest guy on Tour. Of
course he relies on his fitness too, but so does everybody else.
His fitness starts in his heart more than anything.
Of course he's strong, but I'm not sure he's stronger than
anybody else, he just wants it more."
-Mats Wilander

"If he hadn’t competed in the Games as a tennis player but if he had chosen
another sport, there’s no doubt that he would have gone for gold as well.
Nadal is a sportsman through and through
and more and more, he’s becoming a fantastic ambassador for the tennis sport."
- Richard Krajicek

"Besides the Packers, my favorite teams are the Red Sox, the Lakers and the Boston Bruins. I also love tennis. I had
a lot of people over to my place to watch the Wimbledon final this year, and we went crazy. I love Federer but
Nadal is my favorite. He's the man. I love his motivation and his heart is big.
He leaves it on the court. And when I found out he still lives with his family despite his success, that was it for
me. That's unbelievable right there. That just goes to show you where his heart is at, how much love he has.
So we were watching that match, and nobody thought he was gonna win. Everybody was telling me how
he hadn't beat Federer on the hard court and he could only do it on clay but I never had any doubts.
I knew his heart was gonna do it for him, and it did."
- Lil Wayne (blogging for ESPN)

“Personally I'd hope so because he's a great guy. What he's done, how he
plays on all surfaces, he deserves to be world No.1. There's no doubt that
his name should be up there with the greats of the game.''
- Lleyton Hewitt

"What he did to (Roger) Federer in the final of Roland Garros, isn't something any other tennis
player in the earth would do. Rafa destroyed Roger at France and later earned the Wimbledon
title, which is far from his favorite surface. I believe that was an extraordinary effort.
Nadal definitely deserves to be #1 in the world."
- Lleyton Hewitt

"I'm not as familiar with mental requirements for other sports, but I
can't believe there could be an athlete better (mentally) than Nadal."
- Jarkko Nieminen

“He's probably still one of the best players of all time
and he's never been No. 1 in the world.That's incredible, and it shows incredible
heart that he's kept the No.2 ranking for so long. It shows incredible kind of
mental fortitude to keep pushing, keep getting better, keep striving for that No. 1
ranking. He's proven he's, by far, the greatest No. 2 of all time.”
- James Blake

Look, I’m not sure if it’s just his forehand. Let’s say it’s more his movement than
anything else. His forehand and backhand [it] seems are never going to break
down really, especially on clay. I can’t see people talking about his backhand
being a weakness. It’s amazing what kind of pace he can get off the backhand
and how good his slice has become. People underestimate his game entirely.
- Roger Federer

“You know, there's so many different ways to assess speed. You got guys that are
tremendously fast, but they only use their speed defensively, then you really don't
care about how fast they are because they're only going to have to run more. You
got other guys that can use their speed offensively, but if you get them on the
defence they can't hurt you on the stretch, so you can take a point over early and
they can be fast but never turn a point around. Nadal has the ability to run as fast
as the best of 'em, but on the stretch actually hurt you. You know, he can
transition those points into offence. That makes you sort of walk on egg shells.
He draws out errors that I think normally you wouldn't make against any other
player, which is a credit to the way he plays the game”
- Andre Agassi

“Nadal is marking an epoch. No other player has done what he has done.
It is normal that the rest of us are put a bit on one side. I even think it is good for
us, as that way we try to follow, even just a little, in his footsteps."
- David Ferrer

"Rafael Nadal is the one that amazes me most: his determination and
power are unique. I had the opportunity to practise with him when he was
15 years old and he seemed like a real veteran with the power he had. At
some time he will be the number one. Rafa is the Ronaldinho of tennis and
we’re not finished hearing about him"
- Gustavo Kuerten

"It's impossible not to be motivated by him.....
He motivates every one of us."
- Tommy Robredo

"We feel very proud with having the number one and although it is
impossible to reach his level we will try."
- David Ferrer

"Rafa is a great person. Mind, I’m soaping him because I want to win
when I play Playstation with him tonight.”
- Nicolas Almagro

We are pretty good friends, we know one another and get on well. I remember that when I lost to Fernando
González in Australia, having had to retire because of cramp in the fifth set, Nadal came over
to me in the locker room. I was shattered, in a very bad way, and
he put his hand on my shoulder and said: "Don't worry about it, the
same thing happened to me two years ago when I was your age."
Things like that fill me with pride and I really value them."
- Juan Martin del Potro in June 2007

"I think Rafael's incredible. Getting to No. 1 in the world, as he will on
Monday, is something I have to commend every single person that's got there.
Because there is no easy way to get there. There's no fluke winning one slam,
winning one tournament to get to No. 1. You have to prove yourself as the best
in the world. With our ranking system, it's over a one-year rolling calendar. So
for the last year, on Monday, he's been the best player in the world. And that's
just a phenomenal feat. So I got to commend him. I'm happy for him. It's been
just about everyone's goal, is to get to No. 1 in the world. Everyone's dream.
I hope it's all he's dreamed of. I hope he stays for as long as he deserves it.
It's tough to say how long it will be 'cause it seemed like when Roger was in the
middle of his, it would never end. But everyone's human. Everyone's bound to
have some bad times, some ups and downs. You never know. There's so many
things that could happen: injuries, illness, lack of confidence, or he could continue
improving. The rate he's improved in the last year, two years, is incredible. If
he keeps that up, then, yeah, his reign can be very long. I'm proud of
him and really happy for him to be No. 1 in the world.
He's deserved it over the last year."
- James Blake

"I don't know if you can draw up a tougher scenario than playing Nadal on clay, away, in
front of his fans. Even Roger (Federer) on grass you can serve and the points are a bit
quicker. This is probably the toughest scenario there is. [...] I felt like I hit the ball okay.
In my opinion he is the greatest clay-courter of all time,
and I'm not a great clay-courter, and it's tough especially when he comes out
and hits it like he did today."
- Andy Roddick

10/13 Mutua Madrilena Masters Madrid (IH)

10/27 Paribas Masters (IS)

11/10 Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai (IS)

11/17 Davis Cup Final

~

PREVIOUS THREADS

#1. Because he's our #1.
#2. Because Roland Garros, Wimbledon & #1 position? 2008 FTW!
#3. Because Playing Like A Raging Bull, This Hot #1 Stormed His Way To Gold!
#4. Because Paris? London? Beijing? Venit, Vidit, Vicit. Now New York.

Want to be added? Just ask

Got an art/quote to submit to the OP? Don't hesitate and PM the thread starter with it.

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lovder&mer (View Post)

I heard

go ahead Karen I will post the pics in the new thread again

I hope Phelps can make it

Yeah, me too. But the guy must have an incredibly busy schedule atm.

***NikNak*** · 09-01-2008, 02:25 PM

I didn't know that Rafa was Phelps' favorite player. Sweet.

Thanks for the new thread. I corrected the spelling in the title, which I like alot.

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:26 PM

^The Phelps quote is in the OP, actually:

Quote:

"Actually I walked up to Rafael Nadal. And he is probably
my favourite tennis player to watch and I walked up to him
and I was like, 'I just want to meet you and don't want to
take a picture or anything, I just want to meet you.' And I
told him, 'I watch you all the time when you play tennis and
I love watching you play tennis.' I told him good luck. That
is probably the only person."
- Michael Phelps

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 02:28 PM

TFTNT Karen
I love this OP!!!!!

the pics

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:32 PM

Thanks for the pics, B. I just LOVE that last one. I should attach angel wings to his back.

Quote:

Thanks for the new thread. I corrected the spelling in the title, which I like alot.

What did I do wrong?

ETA - Oh, see it from in the previous thread. Stupid me.

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 02:34 PM

I love this one also, my fave

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:40 PM

You know, I think maybe Rafa needed this wake-up call. He always says he likes the US Open but I never feel like he has the same hunger when it comes to it, like he does with Wimbledon.

I'd just love for him to win a HC Slam. Just love. I'm already satisfied as a fan this year but can you imagine how extraordinary it would be for him to win the US Open? Three Slams on different surfaces in a year.

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 02:47 PM

YouTube - Rafael Nadal US Open 2008 Interview

this vid is great!!!!!

I can't really imagine how'd be if wins USO this year and I was much more confident before today's match. not that he played bad and there is no return. I think he was so tired and so drained and it broke my heart. anyway I hope he is fully recovered on Wednesday. Maybe this match wasn't for him to wake up, but fans like me that thought USO was a given already.

Sparkling_Diamond · 09-01-2008, 02:56 PM

You really thought that? Me never. Not the US Open, no. Rafa doesn't seem to agree (and thank GOD he doesn't) but him and this tournament don't go hand in hand. I enjoy watching Rafa play on clay a lot more. He's like a fish in the sea there, totally comfortable, owning the court. On grass he's quite dominant too, though it's not the same yet. With HCs, despite his recent wins, I still don't get that feeling that he feels 100% at ease there.

That vid you posted was what I was talking about, the thing they showed before his match. I liked it.

The drawing didn't turn out that pretty though.

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 03:02 PM

I think he can play very well on HC but he is miles away from his grass and clay game but there is a factor to consider on USO: tiredness.
It is not only Rafa who is tired. Most players are very tired as well though Rafa is the one that played more and supposedly no one should be as tired as he is.
And when everyone around is tired and playing on high summer I think Rafa may have an advantage over others even though he is the most tired.

***NikNak*** · 09-01-2008, 03:54 PM

Thanks for that quote. I didn't see it in the OP.

I still love that Phelps wants to meet my man, Jordan.

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 04:24 PM

Phelps is a high standard guy

more pics

christallh24 · 09-01-2008, 04:51 PM

Wow, we're on a new thread now.

Sorry, I didn't get a chance to excuse myself, but my cousin showed up crying. Her boyfriend (and father of her 9 mo. old) had a really, really, really bad breakup today. Family before Rafa.

I did finish watching the match, though. That was...hard. I had to fight myself to watch it without knowing whether or not he had won. I'm just glad that he, like Nole, got through it. I do love what a self-motivator he is. That's about all I have to take from that match.

I do have to say, I thought/think the same thing as you, Karen. I never thought the USO was a given. I started off the year feeling he wouldn't win the AO, knowing he would win the FO, that he had more than a 90% chance based off of last years results, that he would win Wimbledon, and finally, hoping he would get, at least, one round further into the USO. But, after the fab year that he's had, I was more optimistic than I had been. I still am, I guess.

Whatever happens from here, if he doesn't win, I mean, I'm happy with all Rafa has given his fans. What I don't look forward to, if he doesn't win, I mean, are the "Well, I guess Rafa is no Roger Federer after all" debates. A.FRIGGIN.GIN! Ugh.

And again, I will wonder, how much does one young man have to prove?

Please, do disreguard this rather depressing post.

ETA: I love the title, Karen!

Oh, and not Phelps fan, but he has excellent taste (RAFA!JORDAN!he better mean Micheal), in other athletes!

*Babi* · 09-01-2008, 05:16 PM

I wasn't this positive when the year began.
I was positive about USO since Toronto I think.
But as the main threats to him was falling during last week I was totally excited and thought the final was a given.
Anyway I think a match like this one brings people back to earth and if there is a slight chance that Rafa also felt that his way was much easier than he expected I think now he is a bit concerned as well. Maybe he had this feeling deep inside his heart... because in fact big threats really fell and he should be relieved as we should.
Anyway this is tennis we are talking about and anything can happen. I still have hopes he can make the final and finally wins.

Hope your cousin and her bf are better Christal


Fan Forum > General Discussion > Sports > Rafa Nadal #5: Bc He's Phelps' Fave Player... Greatness Recognizing Greatness, Much?