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RAFAEL NADAL - A CHAMPION ON MANY LEVELS

Rafa Nadal is young, genuine and deeper than we know, I suspect. It has been a difficult year for Rafa. Hopefully, his knees will allow him to come back and play his beloved tennis.

Besides his hard work and talent on the tennis court, Rafa is admired for his humility, straight talk with tact, kindness and a giving spirit.

All the best to Rafa and his family.

Next possible tournament

Montreal Masters
August 8 - 16, 2009
Rafa will decide in the next few days if he will be playing in Montreal.

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TVE prepares for Tuesday July 28 in an exclusive interview with Rafa Nadal.

Uploaded by vamosrafelnadal

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From Rafa's homepage:

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Interview - first half
Uploaded by gandaines2

July 29th, 2009

Lorenzo Mila and Rosana Romero from TVE (the leading news channel in Spain) interviewed Rafa Nadal yesterday at his summer house in Porto Cristo.

During the show, Rafa spoke about his days away from the tennis courts, about his recovery, his return to the tennis circuit, but most importantly, how he is...

So how is Rafa Nadal?

“Good, the truth is that I feel good. But also, I have to wait and see how I continue to recover because I’ve only been back training for a week and a half and you always feel a bit better anemically. You start with lots of hope, but again, the real test would be to see how I go when I really push my knees and I think that is likely to happen in the upcoming days. So I hope it’s all good,” said Rafa.

What happened?

“What happened was that I was in a lot of pain for a while, when I came back from Miami and I was training in Manacor, I started to feel a strong pain, especially in my right knee. It was a different kind of pain [to what I’ve experienced before], so I took off the bandages in my knees,” he explained…”and everyone thought that it was because I felt great, but the problem was that it didn’t hurt there anymore, now it hurt in the superior end of the knee cap. And well, the bandages weren’t helping me at all and that’s when it all started to get worse, little by little.”

Video: Courtesy of TVE.

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Interview - second half
Uploaded by gandaines2

PART 2

Click in the header to read the full report!

Rafa said that he should have rested after Rome to play at his best in Roland Garros, but he wanted to play the Masters Series Tournament in Madrid, which turned out to be a big mistake. At the same time, he admitted that he had “been playing almost every day with an anti-inflammatory and I had too much pain to play well at both tournaments that were important for me, Roland Garros and Wimbledon."

"I decided it was best to stop and recover," because "you lose the drive to go back to train and compete, because you are not with the same energy, little by little it destroys you," he explained.

According to Rafa, it is "knowing how to overcome difficult situations or face them with a positive mindset and learn to enjoy suffering," that has kept him going. "It is a virtue that I’ve always had, I like to suffer, I have learned to enjoy suffering and I believe that is what helps me."

At the same time, the support and love he has received from his fans and family has been the one highlight out of this painful experience. “Without doubt, the best memory in the last two months has been the support I have received from everyone. From my website, where they’ve sent me tons of messages. I have nothing but gratitude for their gesture”.

So what has Rafa been doing in the last two months?

"I have spent more hours on the couch these past two months than in the past four years", he confessed.

This time away from competition has also allowed Rafa to follow other aspects of the sport today, politically and economically, "I've been able to follow many things, to see how colleagues have won some very important things, such as Contador at the Tour of France, or Pau Gasol in the NBA when he won 'the ring'. Of course I'm interested in the [economic] crisis and also in politics, but I never like to talk about those things".

The four-time Roland Garros champion said that his "dream" is to return to the ATP for the August 9 start of the Montreal Masters Series event, "I would like to come back in Montreal in a week and a half. I [will] have to force the knees and just see how far I can go."

"My main objective is not to regain the number one ranking. My main goal is to be well and happy to be playing tennis," Rafa said.

"I’m mentally ready to return now!"

Vamos Rafa!

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Nadal: "Mi problema real son las rodillas"

Source: www.rtve.es/deportes/20090728/nadal-problema-real-son-las-rodillas/286885

The google English translation is below the Spanish text here.

ELENA VILLAÉCIJA 28.07.2009Tras dos meses de parón, Rafa Nadal piensa ya en su vuelta a las pistas. El tenista ha concedido una entrevista exclusiva a Televisión Española, en la que quiso desmentir los rumores que apuntan a problemas familiares (la separación de sus padres) como la causa de su bajón físico. "Soy humano y es difícil de asimilar, pero no es lo que me ha afectado, el problema real eran las rodillas", aseguró.

Nadal aseguró que lo tiene "casi totalmente superado" y quiso aclarar que "eso sucedió hace varios meses y yo gané en Indian Wells, en Barcelona y en Roma. Sinceramente, mi problema real son las rodillas".

Después de estar dos meses alejado de la competición, el manacorense afronta con incertidumbre su vuelta. "El respeto que tengo por mis rivales hace que tenga muchas más dudas antes de empezar un torneo. Yo ahora mismo soy un mar de dudas".

Aunque su objetivo es competir en el torneo de Montreal, que arranca el próximo 8 de agosto, Nadal quiere "estar seguro de estar bien para volver a entrar en una pista". Por eso, no se atreve a fijar una fecha para su vuelta. "No lo sé ni yo, me gustaría estar en Montreal en una semana y media. Voy a forzar para probarme antes". "Me siento preparado mentalmente, cuando esté bien voy a volver para darlo todo", declaró.

Lo que sí aseguró es que la decisión de su vuelta es libre y que nunca ha "tenido presión para volver", ni de los patrocinadores ni de la ATP.

No le preocupa el número uno

Su principal preocupación no es recuperar el número uno, ahora en posesión de Federer, sino "estar bien, estar feliz jugando al tenis y mejorar, y para eso tengo que estar bien de las rodillas".

El tenista Rafa Nadal,que ha estado dos meses parado y que volvió a los entrenamientos hace apenas unas semanas aseguró que se encuentra bien, aunque "hay que ver cómo evoluciono cuando fuerce de verdad las rodillas, que será en los siguientes días, y ojalá que sea buena la evolución".

Disfrutar sufriendo

Nadal comentó cómo empezaron sus problemas físicos. "Llevaba varios meses con dolores. Cuando volví de Miami me empezó a doler la rodilla derecha, era un dolor distinto. Me quité las vendas y todo el mundo pensó que estaba perfecto, pero el problema es que ya no me dolía abajo, me dolía la parte superior de la rótula".

Nadal confiesa que a partir de entonces "todo empezó a empeorar, se fueron poniendo parches al dolor" hasta que dijo basta. "Decidí que era mejor parar y recuperarme" porque llega un momento en el que "uno pierde la ilusión, no te ves con la misma energía, te va destrozando".

El tenista admite que llegó a jugar durante mucho tiempo con dolor. "He estado jugando casi todos los días con antiinflamatorios y con infiltración algún día en Roland Garros", razón por la que llegó "demasiado cascado a los dos torneos más importantes: Roland Garros y Wimbledon".

Nadal reconoce que ha aprendido a convivir con el sufrimiento. "Sufres demasiado en cada momento, a mí me gusta sufrir, personalmente. He aprendido a disfrutar sufriendo. Creo que es una virtud que tengo. Cuando cada día vas entrenando mal, cuando cada partido se convierte en una historia que no sabes cómo vas a estar, la cabeza está llena de dudas".

"No he sabido cuándo parar"

El mallorquín ha estado dos meses parado, dos meses que reconoce que han sido muy difíciles. "Al principio sin ilusión de hacer muchas cosas, estaba tocado mentalmente, sentía que no había hecho las cosas como debía".

Y es que Nadal reconoce que debió parar antes y que no debió disputar el Masters de Madrid. "Fue un error mío. El máximo responsable de mí mismo soy yo. El problema es mío por no saber valorar cuándo parar, cuándo descansar", "quise jugar en Madrid y a toro pasado creo que fue un error".

En estos dos meses de parón, el manacorense ha estado centrado en su recuperación, trabajando más de cinco horas al día con máquinas, aunque también ha tenido tiempo para descansar. "He estado más horas en el sofá en estos dos meses que en los últimos cuatro años", bromeó.

También habló su rival y actual número uno, Roger Federer, de quien confesó que no le ha llamado en estos dos meses de parón. "No creo que su objetivo sea el número uno", sino "volver a ganar algún Grand Slam".

Al margen de los temas deportivos, Nadal habló también repasó otros temas de actualidad como la situación económica, la crisis y, madridista reconocido, habló sobre los últimos fichajes del conjunto blanco.

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Google translation to a above Spanish:

Nadal: "My knees are the real problem"

ELENA VILLAÉCIJA 28.07.2009Tras two months to stop, think and Rafa Nadal in his return to the slopes. The tennis player has granted an exclusive interview with Spanish television, which sought to dispel rumors that point to family problems (separation of parents) as the cause of his physical decline. "I'm human and it is difficult to digest, but not what I was concerned, the real problem was the knee," he said.

Nadal said it has "almost totally" and wanted to clarify that "this happened several months ago and I won at Indian Wells, Barcelona and Rome. Frankly, my knees are the real problem."

After being two months away from the competition, the uncertainty facing manacorense his return. "The respect I have for my rival has made many more questions before you start a tournament. I'm now a sea of doubts."

Although his goal is to compete in the tournament in Montreal, which starts next August 8, Nadal wants to "be sure to be well back into a track." They do not dare to set a date for his return. "I do not know me nor, I would be in Montreal in a week and a half. I'm going to try to force sooner." "I am mentally prepared, well when I am going back to give everything," he said.

What I said is that the decision to return is free and that has never been pressure to return, or the sponsors or the ATP.

No one is concerned about the number

Their main concern is to recover the number one, now in possession of Federer, but "be well, be happy playing tennis and improve, and for that I must be okay for your knees."

The tennis player Rafa Nadal, who has been stopped two months and returned to training just a few weeks ago is said that, although "we have to see how it evolved when the force of truth knees to be in the following days, and hopefully that the trend is good. "

Enjoy suffering

Nadal said how his physical problems started. "He had several months with pain. When I came back from Miami I started to hurt his right knee, was a different pain. I took off the bandages and the entire world thought he was perfect, but the problem is no longer hurt me down, hurt me the top of the kneecap. "

Nadal confesses that since then "everything started to get worse, they put the pain patch" until she said enough. "I decided it was best to stop and recover" because there comes a time when "you lose the illusion, you are not with the same energy, we will destroy."

Accepts that the tennis came to play for a long time with pain. "I've been playing almost every day with anti-infiltration and one day at Roland Garros," why it was "too breaking the two most important tournaments: Roland Garros and Wimbledon."

Nadal acknowledges he has learned to live with suffering. "Suffered too much at one time, I like experience, personally. I have learned to enjoy suffering. I think it is a virtue I have. When you train every day worse, when each game becomes a story that you do not know how to , a head full of doubts. "

"I did not know when to stop"

The Mallorcan has been stopped two months, acknowledging that two months have been very difficult. "At first, without much hope of doing, was mentally touched, felt that he had not done things as they should."

And Nadal acknowledged that he had stopped earlier and should not compete in the Madrid Masters. "It was a mistake of mine. The head of myself is me. The problem is mine for not knowing when to stop evaluating when to rest," "I wanted to play in Madrid last bull and I think it was a mistake."

In these two months of break, the manacorense has been focused on their recovery, working more than five hours a day with machines, although it has also had time to rest. "I have more hours on the couch in these two months than in the past four years," he joked.

He also discussed his rival and current number one Roger Federer, who confessed that he has not called in two months of break. "I do not think their goal is the number one" but "to win back a Grand Slam."

Regardless of the sport, Nadal spoke also reviewed other issues such as the economic situation, the crisis and recognized Madrid, spoke on recent signings of all white.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is Rafa fan, Bee's summary of the interview
from this forum:
Original Forum from Rafa's website - Babalot supported now

For those of you who have not been able to see that TVE report this evening, I am posting some screen caps I made of it.

Rafa looked very well, very relaxed and we saw the smile that we have been missing for a while - the smile that came from the eyes, if you know what I mean.

He is still not committing himself 100% to playing in Montreal but hopes that he he will know in about 3 days.

He spoke about the problem with his knees, saying that the pain started in Miami and that he was playing with pain during all the other tournaments that followed. He mentioned about the fact that he was playing without the knee tapes, and explained that the problem was above the kneecap, not below and the tapes were not any help for this injury above the knee.

His family issues were discussed very briefly and very tactfully, with Rafa reminding us that he does not talk about his private life, but assuring that the problems that he was suffering during the last few months that affected him on court were his knees.

Although feeling very much better, he did say that he still doesn't feel perfect, hence the hesitance to make the decision at this moment about returning to the circuit in Montreal.

With regard to the No 1 ranking, hs said that losing the ranking to Roger was not his main priority. His main concern is to be well, to be fully fit in order to train hard and "although people don't always believe me" in order to improve, which he can only do when he is 100%.

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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

In Nadal's case, less will amount to more

Source: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=4363886&name=tennis

Rafael Nadal fans are undoubtedly nervous about the return of the muscle-bound Majorcan at next week's Masters event in Montreal. My advice? Don't expect too much.

There's still a chance Nadal won't play next week, according to his Web site. In an interview with Spanish television, translated and posted on rafaelnadal.com, Nadal says: "I would like to come back in Montreal in a week and a half. I have to force the knees and just see how far I can go." Nadal has downplayed expectations for his return since he decided to skip Wimbledon, and he continues to do so in this interview, saying that although he feels good, "the real test would be to see how I go when I really push my knees, and I think that is likely to happen in the upcoming days."

The good news about Nadal's injury is that it doesn't require surgery; tendinitis is common and treatable. The bad news is, it's likely to be a chronic problem -- and perhaps a bigger problem for Nadal than it would be for most other players. This isn't because of the way Nadal plays; it's because of who Nadal is. No one on tour trains with as much intensity, and no one needs -- or to be more accurate, believes he needs -- more hours on the court to be his best. When Nadal can't play and train with abandon, he suffers not just physically, but mentally. Here he is again, speaking about the effects of his injury: "You lose the drive to go back to train and compete, because you are not with the same energy. Little by little, it destroys you."

For years, people have said that Nadal couldn't last because he plays such a grueling game and punishes his body more than other players. I have my doubts about that, simply because those opinions are based on appearances. Yes, Nadal's style of play looks more demanding than Roger Federer's, but just because Federer seems to glide doesn't mean his knees and ankles aren't taking a pounding. We've also seen plenty of graceful players -- Miloslav Mecir comes to mind -- suffer career-shortening injuries. The 10-month season is brutal on the joints and tendons of every player, even the pretty ones.

My concern is, can Nadal still be Nadal while playing less tennis? The encouraging news from his interview is that Nadal admits he made some scheduling mistakes this year. He said he shouldn't have played in Madrid after feeling a lot of pain in Rome. If he hadn't, he might have been healthy for Roland Garros. To my mind, he shouldn't have played in Rotterdam after the Australian Open, or in Barcelona, either. Going forward, we can expect to see Nadal less often, and that's a good thing if it allows us to see a healthy Nadal more often.

What we'll begin to learn the rest of this season, though, is whether we'll see a fabulous Nadal as often, or ever again. I hope so, because for my money, no one -- not even Roger Federer -- has played better tennis than Nadal did from April to August of last year, when he won the French Open, Wimbledon and the Olympic gold medal. The man was otherworldly. Can Nadal be that same player with a slimmer schedule, more carefully designed practices and more breaks? Up to this point, Nadal has needed to play -- and do it a lot -- to be his best. Playing hard, and suffering, have become his identity: "It is a virtue that I've always had: I like to suffer, I have learned to enjoy suffering, and I believe that is what helps me."

He's now in the process of changing that identity. The trick is doing it without killing -- slowly, as he suggested -- the great player inside.

www.rtve.es/mediateca/videos/20090728/entrevista-nadal/552787
The entire interview - 20:03

www.rafaelnadal.com
supported by Nike

www.vamosbrigade.com
Fan run website
at this website's forum there is a thread just for the July 28, 2009 TVE interview
with an excellent English translation by Babi
Register there and you can read it. It states that it is exclusively translated for their website.
Go to the section Rafa News and Pics and look for the specific TVE interview thread.
Then find:
Page 13 - First third of interview
Page 19 - Second third of interview
Page 22- Whole interview translation - with final third in blue



Original Forum from Rafa's website - Babolat supported now

personal life

Tuh-DAH! IT'S NADAL AND MURRAY IN THE FINAL IN ROTTERDAM FEBRUARY 15, 2009

ABN AMRO Rotterdam Tennis ATP World Tour Tournament Schedule for Sunday, February 15, 2009 - The Final
Times listed are Rotterdam time

14:00 Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils
(that is 8:00 a.m. USA EST)
www.tennistv.com/page

Note: I have seen the start time at 14:30 (8:30 a.m.) somewhere, but the time listed at the ATP site is the 8:00 a.m. USA EST

Below are some free live streams that I have found - it seems that is what you come here for - Good Luck!

http://www.atdhe.net/live-tv-3290.html

http://londonerr.ning.com/

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-wabuk-3.html

http://www.justin.tv/vipsports3

Not Free Live Streaming:
www.tennistv.com/page/Live
You see the same thing at the first link above, maybe just not as clearly.

Rafa won the Semi Final match against Gael Monfils
6-4, 6-4
Rotterdam
February 14, 2009

Photo credits of first four pictures: Getty Images
Photographer is unknown, but probably Hamish Blair

ROTTERDAM COULDN'T BE HAPPIER TO HAVE RAFA IN THE FINAL

From www.rafaelnadal.com

14th of Februry

Rafa Nadal had no need to fight for his life last night as he breezed through his semi-final encounter against Frenchman Gael Monfils is straight sets, 6-4, 6-4 after and tour and a half of play at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam.

It is Rafa’s first time in the finals of the event, as well as the first time in a week that he didn’t play more than two sets on a surface that is possibly his least favourite in terms of the potential damage it can do to his body, (specially his knee). However, that was no excuse for the champion, he was out there blasting his shots with all his power and showing an incredible fitness level. Without doubt, a ‘key factor’ that contributed with Gael running out of gas at the end.

Once again, it goes to show just how difficult it is to keep up with the world number 1’s ability to recover and mental strength.

Next up for the Australian Open champ is another amazing tennis player, world No.4, Andy Murray. The Scotsman knows really well how to play and beat Rafa, which is why it is going to be a very difficult match. Nevertheless, we know he will go out there to win and hopefully take home the title.

THE MATCH

Monfils, the player who beat Rafa this year in the Qatar Open quarter-finals last month, made a poor start by dropping his first service game.He broke back but then surrendered his serve again in the fifth game.

Rafa, who went to three sets in his previous three matches this week, only needed a single break in the second set to close out Monfils.

Vamos Rafa!!

Above photo credits: unknown, but probably Hamish Blair of Getty Images

Two above screen caps credit: Boo Boo aka Mary of the fan site

The Original Forum from Rafa's Website - Before NIKE took it over and created a new Forum

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Dream Final in Ahoy: Nadal vs. Murray

Source: www.abnamrowtt.nl

The dream final is a reality. On Sunday Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will play for the title. This is the first time since 1984 that the number one and two of the seeding secured a place for the last day of the tournament. At that time Ivan Lendl played Jimmy Connors in Ahoy. It was never decided though, as the final had to be stopped due to a bomb alarm.

After Murray beat Ancic in the afternoon, Nadal jumped over the last hurdle Saturday evening to reach the final. He didn’t need three sets as the matches before, but his two set win (6-4, 6-4) over Gaël Monfils wasn’t that easy either. The match was full of long baseline rallies most of the times in Nadal’s favour as he was taking the initiative.

Monfils didn’t start the match in his best shape. He was still suffering from a soar throat and had some stomach problems; he even had to throw up a couple of times. Run-down from a long rally in the second-set he laid down on the court and symbolically surrendered. The next long rally led to the decisive break. Nonetheless the athletic Monfils scored some great points. With some devastating forehands he surprised his opponent, who wasn’t impressed or in danger at any time.

Nadal was extremely happy with his place in the final. He would love to see his name in Ahoy amongst the gallery of champions.

“It won’t be easy. But if I don’t succeed tomorrow, maybe next year then.” That sounded like music to the ears of everyone in Rotterdam. The ticket sale for next year’s edition starts at Monday February 16.

The Draw www.abnamrowtt.nl

Photo credit is unknown, but probably Hamish Blair of Getty Images

Photo credit: screen cap by Bee of the first fan site link just below

Two Fan Sites for Rafael Nadal:

The Original Forum from Rafa's Website - Before NIKE took it over and created a new Forum

vamosbrigade.com

Above photo credits: unknown, but probably Hamish Blair of Getty Images

Photo credit: Henk Koster

See you at the match
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Call President Obama at 202-456-1111
or 1-800-GENOCIDE
and pressure him to immediately take steps
to ensure the protection of civilians in Darfur!

An example of your phone call text can be found below.
It is encouraged that you make it personally your message. *

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And call the USA Secretary of State

The USA State Department public comment line works 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Please, call as soon as possible.

Call the State Department's public comment line 24/7 at 202-647-6575

The White House (9 AM - 5 PM EST weekdays) at 202-456-1111

or 1-800-GENOCIDE with a similar message as the one below.

If you have called already, please call again:

* I'm calling to ask President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton and Ambassador Rice to protect innocent civilians in Darfur in the wake of Bashir's arrest warrant. Please issue immediate warnings to Bashir and the government of Sudan specifying consequences of attacks on civilians. Please also prepare an emergency response plan to address further violence and appoint a full-time senior level envoy. Lastly, please stand firm in support of the ICC indictment and veto any delay in the prosecution of Bashir.

Call your Senators and Representative Today!

Find your elected politicians contact information at this link:

http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Genocide Ends

When Enough of Us

Stand Up Against It

JOIN US
1-800-GENOCIDE
www.savedarfur.org
www.genocideintervention.net
www.standnow.org

www.miafarrow.org


Write President Obama
www.whitehouse.gov
You can also call or write to the President:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Comments to President Obama: 202-456-1111

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IF NOT,

THEN,

YOUR SILENCE

CONTRIBUTES

TO

ANOTHER

GENOCIDE.

www.savedarfur.org/content

RAFAEL NADAL MEETS GAEL MONFILS IN ROTTERDAM'S SEMI FINALS FEB 14, 2009

ABN AMRO Rotterdam Tennis ATP World Tour Tournament Schedule for Saturday, February 14, 2009
Times listed are Rotterdam time
at http://www.tennistv.com/page/TournamentsIndex/0,,11444,00.html
Not Before 14:00 Mario Ancic vs. Andy Murray
Not Before 19:30 Rafael Nadal vs. Gael Monfils
(that is 1:30 p.m. USA EST)

Below are some free live streams that I have found - it seems that is what you come here for - Good Luck!

http://www.atdhe.net/live-tv-3290.html

http://londonerr.ning.com/

http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-wabuk-3.html

http://www.justin.tv/vipsports3

Highlights of the Quarter Final - Rafael Nadal vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at this link www.tennistv.com
Nadal Survives Tsonga Barrage

Top seed Rafael Nadal withstood a valiant fightback from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Rotterdam.

All pictures above are Rafa from the Quarter Final February 13, 2009 with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Photo credits are unsure, but I am guessing they are taken by one of the Getty photographers. So far, it has been Hamish Blair of Getty Images.

Photo credit: DPPI Willem Vernes
...............................................

...............................................
Slideshow of the quarter final match
Rafa vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga February 13, 2009
The slideshow was made at Photobucket
Photo credits:
I'll go out on a limb and guess Getty Images,
since I don't really know.
So far that is what I have found to be the case,
where I have seen credits being posted.
The paws on a picture are placed there by Ines-Ganda from Rafa's forum.

Battling Nadal edges Tsonga in Rotterdam
February 13, 2009

(CNN) -- World number one Rafael Nadal again showed his amazing battling qualities as he held off Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in three tough sets to reach the semifinals of the Rotterdam men's Open.

The top-seeded Spaniard had been taken to three sets in both of his previous matches this week, and Friday proved no different as he beat seventh seed Tsonga 6-4 6-7 6-4.

The Australian Open champion had chances in the second set to wrap up a quick victory, but could not convert as Tsonga won six successive points in the tie-break to take the match to a third set.

Meanwhile, second seed Andy Murray is also through to the last four after his French opponent Marc Gicquel was forced to pull out of their quarterfinal clash with a hamstring injury.

Don't Miss

• Nadal pushed hard by teenager

Despite the injury, Gicquel still managed to take the second set off the Briton before eventually retiring with the scoreline at 7-6 4-6 3-0.

Murray will next meet Croatia's Mario Ancic, who put out 2007 champion Mikhail Youzhny 6-4 6-2. Ancic, ranked 28th, has lifted two of his three career titles in the Netherlands and was a Rotterdam semifinalist four years ago against former world No.1 Roger Federer.


Rafa Beats Tsonga for Semifinal Showdown Tomorrow (February 14, 2009)
from www.rafaelnadal.com

13th of February, 2009

What a match!!! For the third time in a row Rafa Nadal was pushed to the limit by another great player, this time around it was French sensation, Jo-Wilfred Tsonga before prevailing in three long sets, 6-4 y 6-7 (5) y 6-4 at the World Indoor Tournament in Rotterdam.

As all of you already know, Rafa said before the start of the tournament that “Last year I played real bad at Rotterdam, it was my worst tournament during the season and that is why I want to play better here, I just want to give back to the Dutch fans and show them my game and dedication”.

After only 2 weeks of that memorable final in Melboure, Rafa is again in the finals of another very important tournament, however, this one is played on a different surface, Indoor hardcourts.

“Tsonga is a very difficult rival, and to me, winning is already a great achievement. Today’s match has been very challenging and I’ve just taken advantage of the chance that I was given at the right moment” , said Rafa after finishing the match.

The next oponent he will face for a place in the final will be the winner of the match between Julien Benneteau and Gael Monfils.

Well done Rafa and good look in the semi-finals tomorrow! The End

Storyline(s): The big one for me is the rise of Bulgarian teenager Grigor Dimitrov, who upset Tomas Berdych in the first round and took Nadal to three in the second. The kid came in to the tournament as a wild card and ranked 478 in the world, but comes out being touted as “better than Federer” by his coach, Peter Lundgren, and as a future top ten player, “for sure” by Rafael Nadal. Speaking of Rafa, he’s been (understandably) struggling by his standards this week, having been stretched to a third set in both his matches. Like their WTA counterparts in Paris, the French guys are also representing well this week, with Tsonga, Monfils, Gicquel and Benneteau all making it into the quarters. Still in it to win it*: All those French guys plus Youzhny, Ancic and top seeds Murray and Nadal.

Hot matches: Oh, there are many! Just in the quarters we have Nadal vs. Tsonga in a replay of Aussie Open 2008. Monfils could play the winner of that match in the semis (if Gael get’s past Benneteau) and Murray (if he gets past Gicquel) will play either Youznhy or Ancic. And who wouldn’t want a Nadal vs. Murray final? The above text from What's On Tennis: ABN AMRO Rotterdam, SAP Open, Brasil Open

Thrice As Nice
Rafael Nadal was pushed to three sets for the third straight match Friday in Rotterdam. But the Spaniard prevailed once again, beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-4, in the quarterfinals.
Source: www.tennis.com

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France reacts during the match against Rafael Nadal from Spain in the quarter-finals at the ABN Amro tennis tournament at AHOY - Friday February 13, 09:19 PM in Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Nadal topples Tsonga to reach Rotterdam semis- Summary
www.earthtimes.org
Rotterdam, Netherlands - Top seed Rafael Nadal reached his first semi-final at the ABN-AMRO World Tennis on Friday as Jo- Wilfried Tsonga set up match point with a double fault after serving 26 aces. Nadal, who has gone the distance in all three of his matches, earned a 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 victory, taking just under three hours. "This was definitely my best match of the week," said the Spaniard, who came here after his Australian Open title with just three days off. "Tsonga was extremely tough. This was a very important win for me."Nadal grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third set but lost it a game later. Tsonga's serving error in the tenth game, which set up the Nadal match point, finally made the winning difference for the Spanish world number one.

Read the full article

Several articles about Rafa news.google.com

The Original Forum which used to be accessed through the Rafael Nadal website

See you at the match!

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RAFA NADAL PLAYS JO-WILFRIED TSONGA DAY 5 IN ROTTERDAM

SEE THE MATCH FEBRUARY 13, FRIDAY, 2009
ROTTERDAM
http://www.atdhe.net/live-tv-3290.html
This is free and works on MACs and PCs
The match is going on now, which started at 1:30 p.m. USA EST
which is 7:30 p.m. in Rotterdam

http://www.abnamrowtt.nl/cctv/
http://www.tennistv.com/page/Home/0,,11444,00.html
UPDATE: You have to be a paying customer today to see it live from the links just above. There is a link above the screen at this link - I chose the English flag - Livestream International - to hear English commentary. I am a paying customer with an annual pass since last year. This year the live stream is much improved. It is accessible from both MAC and PC - which is an improvement over last year. The picture is great, but usually you can find a free live stream somewhere.

Caption for picture above: Rafael Nadal of Spain acknowledges the crowd after victory in his match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during day four of the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament at the Ahoy Centre Rotterdam on February 12, 2009 in Rotterdam, Netherlands. (Photo by Hamish Blair/Getty Images)

Rafa won over Grigor Dimitrov
7-5, 3-6, 6-2
February 12, 2009
All photo credits: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

................................

The Original Forum at Rafa's Website - Before Nike took over and created a new one

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Genocide Ends

When Enough of Us

Stand Up Against It

JOIN US
1-800-GENOCIDE
www.savedarfur.org
www.genocideintervention.net
www.standnow.org

www.miafarrow.org


Write President Obama
www.whitehouse.gov
You can also call or write to the President:

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Comments to President Obama: 202-456-1111

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IF NOT,

THEN,

OUR SILENCE

CONTRIBUTES

TO

ANOTHER

GENOCIDE.

www.savedarfur.org/content