NADAL PLAYS ROUND 2 ON THURSDAY AUGUST 28 IN NEW YORK

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Photos of Rafael Nadal in Round 1
US Open
Nadal d Phau August 25, 2008
7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(4)
Arthur Ashe Kids Day
and more
Photo credits:
Flicker poster, Getty, Just Jared, ATP website,
Abaca Press, DPPI, AP and unknown sources

Rafa is not scheduled to play Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Rafa will play USA qualifier Ryler De Heart on Thursday in Round 2


Highlights of Rafa's Round 1's Set 1

Highlights of Rafa's Round 1's Set 2

Highlights of Rafa's Round 1's Set 3

I admire Rafa for his down-to-earth, humble and generous spirit with his fans, as well as his competitive spirit on the tennis courts.

Rafael Nadal's website:
www.rafaelnadal.com

Another website for Rafa's fans:
www.vamosbrigade.com
but not associated officially with Rafa

Rafa is blogging at the US Open
Times Online
And you can ask him a question by emailing him at
sport@timesonline.co.uk
Good Luck on getting selected for an answer.

Here is my second try to get a question answered at the US Open 2008 (he answered a question I sent in last year timesonline.typepad.com/rafael_nadal/us_open_2007) :

Dear Rafa,

What question would you like to answer?! That is the question I would like to ask you.

If you weren't a human being, what animal would you like to be and why?

Oh, and go ahead and be on David Letterman's show. He isn't that good at English himself at times. Ja Ja Ja! Besides, we love to hear you in any language. You speak better English than many of us speak Spanish. VAMOS RAFA!

But first, tell us so we can set our DVRs to record you.

I wrote to Oprah and requested her to have you on the Oprah show, but much easier to be on David's, as his show is in New York City.

Love to you from the USA, Rafa!

Muchas gracias!

Sandra Hammel

Newport, Rhode Island

Rafa's takes questions from the press:
www.usopen.org/en_US/news/interviews/2008-08-25

US Open.org - DRAW

The TV Schedule for the USA
on the USA channel
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
and for the night matches 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Online Viewing of the US Open
The USA channel is jumping from court to court and doesn't show us entire matches. You might try the following online link for viewing and see if they stay with Rafa's match. Right now, even they are jumping from court to court though. www.justin.tv/live
This works on both MACs and PCs.

VAMOS RAFA

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GENOCIDE STOPS WITH US

Remember the Darfuri people

Silence Kills

Use Your Freedom to Speak Out Against Genocide

WOW PHAU PLAYS WELL - RAFAEL NADAL WINS US OPEN ROUND ONE

RAFAEL NADAL in round one match at the US Open
against German Bjorn Phau
(Phau: pronounced by USA commentators as Pow)
August 25, 2008
Rafa wins 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(4)
Photo credit: AP

This is all from memory....so I may be wrong....
If any tennis professional player has reason to be tired, it is Rafael Nadal. He has played more tennis than any other player. He played two extremely difficult matches in Indian Wells as I recall. Then, he played in the Final in Miami. Then he went off to Europe and played in Monte Carlo and won the singles and the doubles. He won in Barcelona, Hamburg, The French Open, Queens, Wimbledon, Toronto, played enough in Cincinnati to go to Number 1 (I think it was the quarter finals) flew to China with a 12 hour time difference and won The Gold Medal in the Olympics, flew back to a time zone 12 hours different and now is in the US Open.

It is amazing to read just the headlines alone of his Round 1 match with Bjorn Phau of August 25. Then I have to remind myself, these writers of words make money from what they "say".

John McEnroe said it all so well in the night time coverage on USA tv channel Monday just before the ceremony to celebrate past winners of the US Open. He put it all in perspective.

There were some Rafa fans very upset that Rafa was going to play in the US Open in a new look. One with sleeves. Well, as it turns out, all the fans' angst about Rafa having some little pieces of fabric on the top of the biceps was a waste of energy and commentary. Rafa came out to play sleeveless.

Between watching the ceremony and the Democratic national convention, I post this. (Great speeches by Ted Kennedy and Craig Robinson and his sister, Michelle Obama.)

So this will have to do for now.

Two above photo credits by Getty/Elsa

Bjorn Phau from the match

Photo credits above: Getty

Fatigue not enough to stop Rafa

Source of the article

Rafael Nadal will never complain about winning in three sets - even if the victory required two tie-breakers against German qualifier Bjorn Phau in the first round of the US Open.

Seeded first in a major for the first time in his career, Nadal began his pursuit of tennis history - he is aiming to become the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in the same season - with a 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) triumph on Monday.

"To win in three sets is always a good result," Nadal said.

"I had some difficult moments, but that's going to help me in the pressure moments."

Nadal's first pressure moments of the US Open came at the hands of the world's 136th-ranked player.

"He's a good player," Nadal said of his first-round foe.

"But I helped him a little bit today. I played with a little bit less intensity than the last few months."

Indeed, the Olympic champion was not nearly as sharp as he has been of late, presenting his German opponent with a handful of opportunities - thanks to 35 unforced errors.

The 22-year-old Spaniard dismissed the notion that he may have been looking past a lesser opponent, suggesting fatigue could have been a factor.

"I try to go round to round," Nadal added.

"I'm not thinking any further than the second round right now."

"I'm a little bit more tired than usual. The thing is to try to be good. Mentally and physically, I think I am playing good tennis."

Despite the long trip from Beijing, where he played some of his best tennis at the Olympic Games, Nadal was not willing to attribute his minor fatigue to anything but the normal grind of the professional tour.

"The system is very tough," Nadal said.

"The problem is I played Toronto, Cincinnati, Beijing, then came back here. So, two times in two weeks, I've had 12 hours of jet lag."

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Photo by Reuters

Nadal finally turns back pesky Phau

By Ricky Dimon

Rafael Nadal needs almost three hours to put away qualifier Bjorn Phau. He is joined in the U.S. Open second round by Gael Monfils.

Rafael Nadal d. Bjorn Phau 7-6(4), 6-3, 7-6(4)

Phau was advertised as one of the fastest men in tennis--along with Nadal--and the German qualifier sure lived up to that billing. Much to the delight of a packed house in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Phau made spectacular scramble after spectacular scramble and just would not go away; not even when his game slipped a bit in the first-set tiebreaker or when he got broken at 2-3 in the second. Phau dropped serve again at 4-4 in the third, but broke Nadal for the first time in the match for 5-5. Another tiebreaker was needed to decide things, and once again Nadal's game held up fine under the pressure whereas his opponent could not sustain the same level he had been showing throughout the afternoon. After two hours and 59 minutes, Nadal finally booked his place in the second round. Nadal will have to cut down on his unforced errors (35) as the tournament progresses.

Read the full article

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Round One
Rafael Nadal d Bjorn Phau in the US Open 2008
August 25

Photo credits by Elsa of Getty Images

Nadal Off to a Shaky Start from the Gulf Daily News - The Voice of Bahrain

US Open-Games weary Nadal and Dementieva battle on from Reuters UK

Head to Head Statistics of Nadal and Phau

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Some of the 1st set in the 1st round US Open August 25, 2008
Nadal d Phau
Uploaded by USOpenFreak2008

Youtube of Rafa's medical time-out in Round 1

RAFAEL NADAL PLAYS ROUND 1 MONDAY AUGUST 25 AT THE US OPEN

Rafael Nadal training
US Open 2008
Photo credits: Abaca Press

Rafa's first opponent will be the qualifier Björn Phau (GER)

Imagine qualifiying for the US Open and getting Rafael Nadal in the first round. Would that be exciting or overwhelming?

Rafa will play Round 1 Monday, August 25, 2008
He plays after two matches by women on Arthur Ashe Court
The first match on Arthur Ashe Court begins at 11:00 a.m.

The start time of Rafa's match depends on how long the women's matches take.

The TV Schedule for the USA
on the USA channel
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
and for the night matches 7:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Online Viewing of the US Open
The USA channel is jumping from court to court and doesn't show us entire matches. You might try the following online link for viewing and see if they stay with Rafa's match. Right now, even they are jumping from court to court though. http://www.justin.tv/live24_2
This works on both MACs and PCs.

And I believe this one only works on PCs:
http://pages.tvunetworks.com/channels/index.jsp?g=3#

	The US Open 2008 11:00AM EST 8/25
	The US Open 2008 11:00AM EST 8/25
	The US Open 2008 (IE ONLY) 11:00AM EST 8/25
	The US Open 2008 (IE ONLY) 12:30PM EST 8/25
	The US Open 2008 12:30PM EST 8/25

More on TV access:

USA Network is covering the US Open for the 25th consecutive year and will broadcast more than 107 hours of action, starting with the men's and women's opening rounds on Monday, August 25, and culminating with the Women's Doubles final on Sunday, September 7. USA Network's expansive US Open coverage includes afternoon and evening telecasts, as well as a late-night taped replay of the Match of the Day.

CBS Sports is serving up its 41st consecutive year of US Open coverage and will broadcast more than 37 hours of this year's event, including the prime-time Women's Singles final on Saturday, September 6, and the Men's Singles Final on Sunday, September 7.

Eurosport, the exclusive European broadcaster of the US Open, reaches 59 countries in Europe and televises the event in 20 different languages.

US Open.org - DRAW

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Rafael Nadal at the US Open 2008
Grapple in the Apple
Arthur Ashe Kids Day
Training
Press

Photo credits: Getty, Astrid Stawiarz, Abaca Press, US Open website, Just Jared, Wire Image and Mary from The Forum at www.rafaelnadal.com

The Times - Rafa will blog every day from the US Open
You can send in questions for Rafa by email: sport@timesonline.co.uk

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Rafa and some fans requesting autographs in New York
Uploaded by toppixautographs

VAMOS RAFA