UPDATED Sunday, January 29, 2012, 10:35 p.m. USA EST
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning set point in his men's final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day fourteen of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images AsiaPac
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning set point in his men's final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day fourteen of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 29, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac
Australian Open 2012FinalNovak Djokovic SRB (1) defeated
Rafael Nadal ESP (2)
5-7, 6-4, 6-2, 6-7(5), 7-5
Length of sets in minutes respectfully:
80, 66, 45, 88, 74
Match Length 5 hours, 53 minutes ~ a record for longest Grand Slam Final Match in historyMatch ended at 1:45 a.m.Sunday January 29, 2012. 7:30 p.m. Australian day and time
which was
Saturday, January 28, 2012, 3:30 a.m., USA EST day and time
Rod Laver Arena
Rafa's Presser after semifinal match - UnlistedThe
* Final match can be seen as a
replay 7:05:52
The Tennis Channel will reair the Final
Monday - schedule.The homepage says it begins at 7:00 p.m. USA EST, but the schedule at the link reads different times at 1:00 p.m. and again at 5:00 p.m. Maybe the the 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. times were set before the match length was known.
The Tennis Channel will likely reair the Final another time this week.
Personal feelings:
Rafa will always have my admiration for the person that he is.
He is gracious in victory and defeat on the tennis court.
Last year, I noticed that his sliced backhand didn't help his score. And today in the Final at the AO 2012 versus Novak Djokovic, I thought every time he used it - "Oh, no!!" And much of the time Rafa went on to lose that point. I wish he would stop using it when it isn't reaping good things. And it isn't working when Rafa plays Djokovic. I don't understand why he continues to use it in these cases. It only gives Djokovic time to think what he is going to do as it slowly comes through the air to him. Rafa plays with such heart, works so hard, so I would like to see him win easier whenever possible. I hope his coach, Uncle Tony, or Rafa, himself, will watch this match and notice the sliced backhand and how it is failing to give Rafa a point
way too many times.
Furthermore, set 1 and sets 4 and 5, Rafa played with tactics that were working (on the baseline, taking the ball early) and sets 2 and 3, he moved back from the baseline and it didn't work so well.
TV and Commentators that grate* ESPN commentators, Chris Fowler and Chris McKendry for me personally made me mute the volume most of the match during ESPN's broadcast of the Final. Years past ESPN's Brad Gilbert annoyed me in a similar way. But Fowler and McKendry were beyond bearable for me. The Tennis Channel's commentators Martina Navratilova and Bill Macatee were good. Usually I don't care to listen to Justin Gimelstob, but his role of analysis for the AO 2012 matches, was a fine fit for him.
Sandy Roberts, who led the AO 2012 Awards Ceremony, treated Rafa better than he did the year Rafa won in 2009.
The 2009 AO full Final Match.
MELBOURNE - Rafa Nadal soothed his disappointment at yet another loss to Novak Djokovic in the longest ever grand slam final by declaring he was at least free of the mental chokehold the Serb had placed him under throughout last year.
The Spaniard threw everything at world number one Djokovic in the Australian Open final but still came up agonisingly short to lose 5-7 6-4 6-2 6-7 7-5 in the early hours of Monday at Rod Laver Arena.
With a break in hand and two points from taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth set, Nadal missed an easy backhand down the line with the court wide open and an exhausted Djokovic rose from the abyss.
Having appeared on the verge of collapse, the 24-year-old Serb broke back and went on to complete an astonishing victory and condemn Nadal to his third successive grand slam final loss to Djokovic.
It was also Nadal's seventh successive loss to the Serb, all in finals.
Nadal apologized at his post-match news conference before ripping open a sachet of energy formula with his teeth and sucking it dry before taking questions. "Fine," he quipped after being asked how he felt following the five-hour 53-minute match.
"No, I'm tired, sure. Physically it was the toughest match I ever played ... I am tired."
While Nadal rued his missed chances, he also chose to look on the bright side. "(I had) very real chances to have the title and to win against a player who I lost six times last year," he said.
"But I didn't. I never put him in this situation during 2011, all of 2011, so that's another positive thing for me.
"I didn't have mental problems today against him. I had in 2011 all these mental problems. Today I didn't have (any).
"So that's another positive thing. (I) probably never say that many positive things after I lose."
USA TV Channel ESPN2 is beginning broadcast at 3:00 a.m. USA EST
The schedules are posted on the AO website daily the day before play.
Remember Australia is a day ahead of USA EST.
See my sidebar for Australian time
ScheduleTVThe Tennis ChannelAirs both in High Definition and not High Definition
The Tennis Channel reairs matches of Rafa many times
ESPN2Airs both in High Definition and not High Definition
ESPN2 sometimes reairs matches of Rafa, or at least parts of them.
Live Stream on Espn 3and
www.australianopen.com/live(except Australia, Europe, UK, Japan, New Zealand)
Rod Laver Arena and Hisense Arena both have retractable roofs.
❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧❧
NOTE: Men's matches are best of 5
Women's matches best of 3
This knowledge can help you judge when Rafa's matches will begin.
For example, women's matches can be over in an hour or hour and a half.
Australian Open 2012
Round 1Rafa Nadal defeated Alex Kuznetsov
6-4, 6-1, 6-1
Monday, January 16, 2012, Australian Time
Round 2Rafa Nadal vs. Tommy Haas
6-4, 6-3, 6-4 Wednesday, January 18, 2012, Australian Time
See Most Popular tab to see highlights of Rafa's Rounds 1 and 2
Round 3Rafa Nadal defeated
Lukas Lacko6-2, 6-4, 6-2
Friday, Jaunary 20, 2012, 11:00 a.m. Australian Time
which was
Thursday, January 19, 2012, 7:00 p.m. USA, EST Time
Match statsRound 4 - Round of 16Rafa Nadal defeated
Feliciano Lopez6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Sunday, January 22, 2012
which was
7:00 p.m., Saturday, January 21, 2012, USA EST
QuarterfinalRafa Nadal defeated
Tomas Berdych6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-3
Tuesday, January 24, 2012, First night match, 7:30 p.m., Australian day and time
which was
Monday, January 23, 2012, 3:30 a.m., USA EST day and time
replay of the match at ESPN3Transcribed interview with Rafa after Quarterfinal match at the Australian Open 2012NOTE:
Rafa Nadal (QF score: 6-7(5), 7-6(6), 6-4, 6-3)
vs. Roger Federer (QF score: 6-4, 6-3, 6-2)
I have another post: Rafa Nadal ~ Australian Open 2012 ~ Quarterfinal Pictures. I have another post: Rafa Nadal ~ AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2012 ~ RAFA NADAL ~ Semifinal PicturesI did this to post many QF and SF pictures. I have too many pictures on this post.
Semifinal
Rafael Nadal defeated Roger Federer6-7(5),
6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 Thursday, January 26, 2012, 7:30 p.m.,
Australian day and time
which was
Wednesday, January 23, 2012, 3:30 a.m., USA EST day and time
SemifinalNovak Djokovic defeated Andy Murray
Thursday, January 26, 2012
6-3, 3-6, 6-7(4), 6-1, 7-5
Live StreamingEspn 3also available are matches already playedsportlemonAustralianopen.comTVTV schedule in different countries around the worldThe Tennis ChannelAirs both in High Definition and not High Definition
The Tennis Channel reairs matches of Rafa many times
ESPN2Airs both in High Definition and not High Definition
ESPN2 sometimes reairs matches of Rafa, or at least parts of them.
ESPN2 always skip around from court to court, so ESPN3 Live Streaming is better choice, if you want to watch a particular match all the way through. Rafael Nadal attends Bacardi Limited 'Champions Drink Responsibly' event at Encore, St Kilda on January 12, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. January 11, 2012 - Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac.
PicturesFrom Zimbio ~
Rafael Nadal attends Bacardi Limited 'Champions Drink Responsibly' event at Encore, St Kilda on January 12, 2012 in Melbourne, AustraliaPractice session January 10, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia
Practice session January 12, 2012 in Melbourne, AustraliaPractice session January 14, 2012 in Melbourne, AustraliaMore Pictures
Daylife pictures of Rafael NadalRafa Nadal pictures ~ uk.eurosport.yahooAustralian Open WebsiteRound 1 PicturesRafael Nadal of Spain celebrates his victory over Alex Kuznetsov of the US in their first round men's singles match on day one of the 2012
Australian Open tennis tournament in
Melbourne on January 16, 2012. Nadal won 6-4, 6-1, 6-1. Photo by Getty Images.
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates defeating Alex Kuznetsov of the U.S. during their men's singles Round 1 match at the
Australian Open tennis tournament in
Melbourne January 16, 2012. Photo credit: Reuters.
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates a point in his first round match against Alex Kuznetsov of the United States during day one of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac.
Rafael Nadal of Spain wipes his face in his first round match against Alex Kuznetsov of the United States during day one of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 16, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates in his second round match against Tommy Haas of Germany during day three of the 2012 Australian Open at
Melbourne Park on January 18, 2012 in Melbourne,
Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand in his second round match against Tommy Haas of Germany during day three of the 2012 Australian Open at
Melbourne Park on January 18, 2012 in Melbourne,
Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Rafael Nadal of Spain serves in his second round match against Tommy Haas of Germany during day three of the 2012 Australian Open at
Melbourne Park on January 18, 2012 in Melbourne,
Australia.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 18: Rafael Nadal of Spain plays a forehand in his second round match against Tommy Haas of Germany during day three of the 2012 Australian Open at
Melbourne Park on January 18, 2012 in Melbourne,
Australia.
Round 3 ~
Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts after making a shot against Lukas Lacko of Slovakia in their third round men's singles match on day five of the 2012
Australian Open tennis tournament in
Melbourne on January 20, 2012.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 20:
Rafael Nadal of Spain looks on in his third round match against
Lukas Lacko of Slovakia during day five of the 2012
Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 20, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images.
uk.eurosport.yahoodaylifeDay 6 Practice Pictures ~ January 21, 2012zimbioRound 4 Pictures
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning a game against
Feliciano Lopez of Spain during their men's singles match at the
Australian Open tennis tournament in
Melbourne January 22, 2012. Photo credit: Reuters
More Round 4 Picturesdaylifeuk.eurosport.yahoozimbioQuarterfinal PicturesRafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning match point in his quarter final match against Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic during day nine of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 24, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Mark Dadswell/Getty Images AsiaPac
I posted many quarterfinal pictures at another post
Rafa Nadaland also pictures may be found at the following links ~
daylifezimbiouk.eurosport.yahooSemifinal Pictures
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his semifinal match against Roger Federer of Switzerland during day eleven of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 26:
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his semifinal match against
Roger Federer of Switzerland during day eleven of the 2012
Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal of Spain celebrates winning his semifinal match against Roger Federer of Switzerland during day eleven of the 2012 Australian Open at Melbourne Park on January 26, 2012 in Melbourne, Australia. (January 25, 2012 - Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images AsiaPac
More semifinal pictures
Articles regarding the semifinaldaylifeAsk Rafa ~ send a question to Rafael NadalRafa answers question at Elmundo in Spanish
Australian Open Twitter#Rafa
#Nadal
@RafaelNadal
#AusOpen
If you want to get Rafa at the top of the social leader board on Twitter:
add
#Nadal to your tweet
These two fan sites are a great source of up-to-date information
Vamos Brigade
Rafa's Babolat-sponsored forum
This is the Nike Rafael Nadal website:
www.rafaelnadal.com
Join Us at Facebook
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Article links ~
Nadal doubts that he will win the Australian Open Nadal finds passion to knock over DjokovicRafael Nadal fears for battered kneesAustralian Open Roger Federer Downplays Rift Rafael NadalMy opinion: the writer of this excerpt is a Federer fan, and not a Rafa fan, as I am. I think Rafa was being honest. And his only possible desire to take back is that the reporting will spin and blow up what he said and what his words simply meant - his truth).
Excerpt here ~ from the article
Nadal and Federer, despite their healthy respect for one another, have butted heads on several issues for a while.
Nadal thinks there aren't enough breaks in the schedule for players during the season; Federer takes his own mini-breaks during the campaign and thus has never agreed with the Spaniard's observation.
Although Nadal, reportedly, backed former Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek to become the next head of the men's tour, Federer, according to reports, didn't.
Nadal was obviously simmering.
But for Nadal to air his grievances against Federer in public was wrong, as he duly noted. Interestingly, though, he didn't take back what he said, that Federer essentially didn't want to look like the bad guy as the players sought changes to the game.
"You know, what I said," Nadal said in a news conference. "I feel sorry for say[ing] that, especially to you. Because when I say that, I have to say him personally. But that's it."
Later, Federer classily took the high road.
"I have no hard feelings towards him," he said. "It's been a difficult last few months in terms of politics within the ATP, I guess, trying to find a new CEO and chairman. That can get frustrating sometimes.
"He's mentioned many times how he gets a bit tired and frustrated through the whole process, and I shared that with him. It's normal. But for me, obviously, nothing changes in terms of our relationship. I'm completely cool and relaxed about it. He seemed the same way, or at least I hope so."
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Labels: Australian Open 2012, Rafa Nadal, Sandra Hammel ilovemylife Rhode Island
