Rafael Nadal at the French Open
Darfur, President Obama and Questions Answered by Jan Pronk of UN
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Monday, May 25, 2009
7-5, 6-4, 6-3
Rafael Nadal plays his Round 2 match
Wednesday, May 27, 2009 on Court Suzanne Lenglen.
It is scheduled to be the 5th match of the day, however the 2nd match is to finish a match that's score is 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 5-3.
The first match begins at 11:00 a.m. Paris time. On my sidebar is the time for Spain, which is the same in Paris, France. The USA EST/DST is 6 hours behind Paris time.
Rafa's blog and fans' questions answered can be found at
timesonline.typepad.com/rafael_nadal
Email questions to Rafa rafa@timesonline.co.uk
Full schedule for Wednesday May 27, 2009
www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/scores/schedule
Partial Schedule:
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Court Suzanne Lenglen
11:00 a.m. Start time in Paris (6 hours ahead of USA EST/DST)
1 Women's Singles - 2nd Round
Dinara Safina (RUS)[1]
v. Vitalia Diatchenko (RUS)
Start Time Not Before 12:00 noon
2 Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Christophe Rochus (BEL)
v. Fabrice Santoro (FRA)
To Finish 6-3, 6-1, 3-6, 5-3
followed by
3 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Robert Kendrick (USA)
v. Gilles Simon (FRA)[7]
4 Women's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Nadia Petrova (RUS)[11]
v. Maria Sharapova (RUS)
5 Men's Singles - 2nd Rnd.
Rafael Nadal (ESP)[1]
v. Teimuraz Gabashvili (RUS)
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Rafa Nadal Round 1 - Roland Garros 2009Above 3 photo credits: Terra
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Photos of Round 1 - Rafa Nadal v Marcos Daniel May 25, 2009,
practicing prior to Round 1, Press Conference, Promotional, Babolat Contest,
Photo credits to Getty, Matthew Stockman, AFI, Associated Press, DPPI Antone Couvercelle and Art Seitz, Belga, Corbis, Babolat and unknown
Draws Roland Garros
TV Schedule Roland Garros
Tennis schedule for TSN - www.tsn.ca
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www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/interviews
Transcription of Presser
RAFAELNADAL
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.
Q. This question is not about the game. It's about your dress. You are in pink today. Why you are in pink today?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. Yeah, same like always, why I was white and yellow two weeks ago. Because it's better than dress the same color every week, no?
Q. The start of the game was a bit difficult today. Any reason?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, always tough, you know, beginning here. Roland Garros always is difficult. Yeah. I say, no, I expect a tough match, and it's normal, now. And when I start, normally I didn't start to play my best here the last four years. But the important thing is be with positive mentality and try to win, no? And I win. I won in three sets. That's important.
I played in some moments in the third a little bit better, so just try to keep improving to play better in this match.
Q. Is there a chance that in the third round you could come up againstLleyton Hewitt. You've played each other eight times before, and you've won four each. What do you make of him as a player?
RAFAEL NADAL: What?
Q. Lleyton Hewitt. You could facehim in the third round.
RAFAEL NADAL: I understood. Only the last.
Q. (Through translation.)
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I'm sure Lleyton is a great champion in this sport. He has very good career. So always is a pleasure to play against him, but right now we are in second round,yeah? Not yet. I have to wait.
Q. Do you feel that the heat change, the condition if compared to last year maybe or two years ago where it was pretty cool here, the condition of play?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, much better, no? I prefer to play with these conditions than raining or cold, no?
So it's much better for us, I think.
Q. Do you feel more confident or less confident than last year when you started Roland Garros?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I don't know. Important feelingis
Q. There is no difference?
RAFAEL NADAL: Every year is different, no? But I never compare, two years, so I don't know.
THE MODERATOR: Spanish questions.
Q. Yesterday you were telling us you're a bit nervous, anxious. Was it the way you felt today when you walked on the court?
RAFAEL NADAL: No, not really. Maybe at the beginning to start with. The court is big, and at the beginning, I didn't quite get the best feelings, but I won in three sets. That's very positive. I should have won more easily, but at 54,when I had to serve, then I had to serve again sometimes I missed some opportunities to win the set earlier, but it was a difficult match.
I had practiced well before, but I know that I can improve, and I hope I'm going to continue improving for my next match.
Q. My question is not about your game but about Fabrice Santoro. He's playing his 20th tournament here. What do you think about him, about his careeron the tour?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, he is a legend on the tour. He plays with his very own personal style. Two hands. He was a very charismatic player on the tour,and he's a model for all of us. 20years, long career. That's fantastic. We all wish we can play for20 years.
So he had a beautiful career, and he really deserves a tribute.
Q. What can you tell us about the way Marcos Daniel plays after your game?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, I don't know. His backhand is better than his forehand, but I think I made it a bit easy for him. That's my opinion.
Q. How fit are you as compared to the previous years?MyP2P.eu :: Grand Slams - Roland Garros
RAFAEL NADAL: Oh, comparing again. Well, physically, I feel well, I don't want to compare with last year, because I can't remember. That was a year ago, you know.
But I feel good, and last year, I played a match well, I didn't play well, really, and little by little I felt better. This year well, it's not a very good start. I'm not going to say it's positive. I would have preferred to start with a very positive start, but I hope this tournament is going to be long enough for me to give me time to adapt and to improve and get good feelings all along the tournament.
Q. About the fact you didn't play that well, are there any compartments in the game where you felt you were not at your best?
RAFAEL NADAL: Well, my leg game was not that good. I didn't play well with my legs. But, you know, in sports it's in a tenth of a second you have to catch the ball and everything can change in a game. You need to be present there, on time. If you play well, you have the feeling you'll be on top of the next ball, but today I was a bit short in my shots. I was not very precise. It wasn't neat and clear during this match,so this is what I need to improve.
I need to play more I need my shots to be longer, and I do need to improve on that.
Q. You played at the hottest hour of the day. Now, for the upcoming matches, what would you prefer? Would you prefer to play at a different hour because of the heat? Isit affecting you?
RAFAELNADAL: No, I have no problem with that. I can play at any hour, and this is perfectly bearable temperature.
Photo credit: Associated Press
Photo credit: CBS Sportsline
Photo credit: CBS Sportsline
Photo credit: CBS Sportsline
Photo credit: CBS Sportsline
Photo credit: CBS SportslineFrom May 24 to July 15, 2009
Take a picture of yourself biting your tennis racket and email it to
mordstaraquette@babolat.com
The prizes are pictured above.
View the pictures at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/babolatvs
Rafa will select the ten winners. Note in your email that you belong to the forum sponsored by Babolat.
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Video of interview with Rafael Nadal in June 2009 Vogue USA.
Uploaded by meriko
Video of Round 1 match Rafa vs. Marcos Daniel
www.youtube.com/watch?v=coRoSr8SNFc
Roland Garros 2009 Videos
www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/multimedia
Training at Roland Garros
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cKZE4tX1Wo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV8ZuqreOes
Rafa Fan Forums
The Original Forum from Rafa's Website - this forum is now sponsored by Babolat
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Water only fast
In this fast only water is consumed.
Refugee rations fast
Cracked Wheat - Daily, 7 oz. (weight not volume) (686 Calories)
Farina Wheat Cereal - Daily - 1.17 oz (weight not volume) (123 Calories)
Yellow Split Peas - Daily 1/6 Cup (82 Calories)
Oil - Daily 2.4 TSPNs (96 Calories)
Sugar - Daily 2 TSPNs (30 Calories)
Salt - Daily 1/10 Teaspoon per day.
Total of 1,017 Calories
People Fasting in Solidarity are listed at
fastdarfur.org
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Support UNICEF's Emergency Programs in Sudan
DONATE AT unicefusa.org/site/DonationUNICEF is working around the clock to meet the needs of children following the suspension of 16 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) by the Government of Sudan. The biggest impact will be in Darfur, where an estimated 2.7 million people--half of them children--have been displaced from their homes and where the suspended NGOs were key partners in the provision of lifesaving services.
You can help by using this form to make a secure, tax-deductible donation to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, supporting UNICEF's efforts in Sudan. $50, $100, $250, $500 or any amount you can give will make a difference.
If you prefer, print a form to send your donation by mail or call 1.800.FOR.KIDS (1.800.367.5437) to donate by phone.
Source: http://bechamilton.com/?p=550
In this 30-minute podcast I ask former UN Special Representative to the Secretary General for Sudan, Jan Pronk, questions that you submitted through the website, plus a few follow-up questions of my own. (My apologies for the poor sound quality at the beginning of the interview - it gets better once Pronk starts speaking at about 1.15 minutes in.)
Until you get time to listen, here are the questions we covered and some select highlights:
What do you think accounts for the drop in violent deaths that the CRED report suggested took place after April 2004?
Pronk explains different phases of the crisis and the improvements that came once the Security Council started addressing it, humanitarians got in there etc. But he also notes that one reason for the drop is that by the time he arrived in Sudan in “people had been killed already . . . there weren’t too many more people left to be killed.”
When I re-stated something he had referred to as an “improvement” in the statistics in camps once there was humanitarian access, he was very quick to pull me up on the use of the word “improvement” and to make clear that it was more accurate to call it a “new situation” that was partly due to humanitarian access, but also partly because “so many had been killed already” and that “to a certain extent the Government, together with the Janjaweed, had gotten what they wanted . . . they had wanted to empty that part of the country in order to make it available for themselves . . .”
Pronk made reference to R2P and also talked about how people within the UN system asked members of the Security Council about Darfur, but that throughout 2003 “they continuously refused to put it [Darfur] on the agenda of the Security Council . . .”
I asked who was blocking it and why. He said the requests were directed at the U.S. and U.K. - and that “later on we understood that they were afraid to make life too difficult for the government in Khartoum which was involved in a peace negotiation with SPLM/SPLA in southern Sudan . . . I understand it as a [sic] reasoning; I think it’s wrong reasoning . . .”
What can the Obama Administration can do to assist UNAMID?
His reply started with: “UNAMID is in disarray.”
He said UNAMID needs to get up to the authorized troop level and be given the equipment - in particular military helicopters - that it needs, and has been promised. “It is as if the international community thinks ‘they are only Africans’ . . ” he said.
In terms of what the Obama Administration can do to change this:
1. Get the force up to standard in terms of size and resources
2. Implement sanctions “to make life difficult for those who are responsible for the policies in Darfur”. Until this happens they can continue to make it difficult for whatever UNAMID contingent is there to operate effectively.
3. Demand that the Government of South Sudan starts to step up and take responsibility for Darfur now that they are part of the Government of National Unity.
Regarding the first point, I asked what Western countries can do to increase troop numbers to the authorized level when the GOS won’t let Western troops into Darfur. He said that there needs to be political pressure on, in particular, Asian countries - Bangledesh, Nepal - to increase numbers. But he also had a novel idea (which you should listen to properly rather than just rely on this brief summary) about getting GOS consent to re-deploy the (primarily non-Western) troops from UNMIS in South Sudan to UNAMID in Darfur. Then Western troops could be deployed to UNMIS to replace them, since the GOS “does not have the right to question the composition of UNMIS in the South.”
On the third point, I questioned whether the GOSS has the leverage to push on Darfur given their fear about the future of the CPA. You can listen to his answer, but in short, he acknowledges they are in a difficult position but thinks they have more leverage than they realize.
How many military helicopters are needed?
They only have four and they need “some dozens . . . it is outrageous that they have not been made available - as if there are no [military] helicopters in the world.”
Why, after almost 3 months, have the agencies that were expelled not been re-admitted. What can and should governments do to change this?
He talked about needing a strong and, most important, unified response. “The fact that the United Nations has divided the U.N. presence into two missions is of course not helpful. The Government of Sudan always tries to divide and rule. . . The U.N. has weakened itself. It was [a] stupid decision, asking the people of Sudan to stay together and then to make yourself into two missions in that specific country. I never understood the political wisdom of that decision . . .”
What do you see as the prospect for a united Sudan?
You need to guarantee:
1. Peace in the South
2. Peace in Darfur
3. Development
4. Guarantees of fundamental rights (He commented: “In the period I was there, I really had the impression that they (the Government of South Sudan) were doing good things . . . they really did a good job in the first two years. . “)
“If these four conditions . . . would be met, there’s a chance for unity. If these conditions would not be met, I bet the people in the South would vote for independence. . . .”
Saving Lives - Sudanese demonstrate at the White House
On Friday, Sudanese from across the US came together to demonstrate in front of the White House. Check out a slideshow of photos from the event.
ABC news covered the event:
On Friday, a small group of Sudanese immigrants gathered in front of the White House to express their disappointment in Obama for not being active enough on Darfur from the outset of his presidency.
“I voted for him,” said protestor William Deng, of the Southern Sudan Project. “And I did it because I knew he was going to do something about Darfur. But now he’s silent, he’s never done anything. And I feel, I regret that he doesn’t do anything about our issues.”
Dozens of US activists and members of the Sudanese diaspora marched in front of the White House on Friday just days before two members of the US Senate arrived in Khartoum to meet with top aides of President Omer Al-Bashir.
Protestors held signs saying “Save Lives Now”, “El Bashir & NCP to ICC”, “Restore Aid Now,” and “End the Genocide.”
Source: http://blogfordarfur.org/2009/05/25/saving-lives-sudanese-demonstrate-at-the-white-house/
Photo credits Natasha Ghent-Rodriguez
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Write to President Obama
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Tell him we need his leadership for the short and long run
on the issue of genocide and the
6 year old genocide on the unarmed Darfuri civilians, families.
President Obama can be called:
202-456-1111
or
1-800-GENOCIDE
Find USA elected politicians contact information at this link:
www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
Check this out
www.darfurscores.org
Your elected officials get graded on Darfur
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JOIN OTHERS TO PUT AN END TO GENOCIDE
www.enoughproject.org
www.savedarfur.org
www.standnow.org
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