Rafa beats new wave player

Rafa won hist 2nd Round match at Roland Garros against Dominic Thiem of Austria in 3 sets: 6-2, 6-2, 6-3 and his record is now 61-1 at French Open.

After the match, Rafa said: “I played well. I played the way that I would like to play… and I'm happy the way I returned today… I was a bit nervous at the beginning of the match.”

“Dominic will have his chances to become a top star and fight for these tournaments… I think that he has huge potential and he could be one of the players who is going to replace us. His tennis style is really good. What he could work on is his footwork and how he moves on the court. That's all.”

Match stats:

In 3rd Round, Rafa will play against Leonardo Mayer of Argentina. On head to head, Rafa leads Mayer: 2-0. Their last match was in 2013 in Acapulco, where Rafa won in straight sets: 6-1, 7-5.



GO MARIA !!!

Strong

Rafa won his 1st Round match at Roland Garros against Robby Ginepri in 3 sets: 6-0, 6-3, 6-0.

After the match, Rafa said: "I won this round, but it was a bit difficult because of the weather, but it was very important for me, because it gave me the opportunity of having two days' break so that I can practise. That's always positive. When you win, you're always happy. Of course, as always, I had ups and downs, and I could have played being a bit more aggressive."

In 2nd Round, Rafa will play against Dominic Thiem of Austria. Rafa never played Thiem before.

VAMOS RAFA !!! 

Masterpiece

No problem for Rafa in semifinals at Internazionali BNL d`Italia. He defeated Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in straight sets: 6-2, 6-2 after only one hour and 22 minutes.

After the semifinal, Rafa said: "I think I started the match in a perfect way, in the second set he made more mistakes than usual. But, talking about myself, I played a solid match and was very good with my backhand. Yesterday I played a great match and today was a good confirmation that I play better, that the forehand starts to fly again, the top spins as well. A lot of positive things."

In Rome final, Rafa will play against Novak Djokovic of Serbia. About this match, Rafa said: "Djokovic always plays unbelievable, he’s a complete player and has all the shots. If I want to have chances to win I have to play my best tennis, be aggressive. It will be a very tough match. That’s the only way. I have to be ready for the competition."

On head to head, Rafa leads Djokovic: 22-18, but the last match was won by Djokovic this year in Miami final.



VAMOS RAFA !!!

Rafa vs Murray (PHOTO)

Photo: zimbio.com



VAMOS RAFA !!!

Another great comeback

Rafa managed to comeback again after he lost the first set against Andy Murray in QF at Internazionali BNL d`Italia. Eventually he won the match in 3 sets: 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 after 2 hours and 40 minutes.

In semifinals, Rafa will play aginst Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria. On head to head, Rafa leads Dimitrov: 4-0. Their last match was this year in Melbourne at Australian Open, where Rafa won in 4 sets: 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-2.


VAMOS RAFA !!!

Marching on

Another 3 set match for Rafa in Rome after the match against Simon. This time was against Mikhail Youznhy of Russia: 6-7, 6-2, 6-1 after 2 hours and 44 minutes of play.

After the match, Rafa said: "I played with passion and motivation even if the feeling was not perfect. "That’s always very good news, because when you have a lot of opportunities during the match, you keep fighting, trying to find solutions. That always means that you really want to win."

An In quarterfinal, Rafa will play against Andy Murray of Great Britain. On head to head, Rafa leads Murray: 13-5. Their last match was in 2012 when Rafa was forced to withrdraw.

About the quarterfinal, Rafa said: "It’s a positive match to play because you play against one of the best player of the world after two tough days. I don’t know how he has changed his play. I know he has a complete game but I have to focus on myself."

VAMOS RAFA !!!

First tough test in Rome

Three hours and 19 minutes needed Rafa to pass Gilles Simon of France. Rafa won in 3 sets: 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 at Internazionali BNL d`Italia.

After the match, Rafa said: "The conditions were difficult, it was very cold and the ball didn’t bounce a lot. It was a tough moment in the second set, but this was the first match on clay where I had to suffer, mentally and physically. I was not playing bad and I am happy to have dealt with that kind of anxiety."

"I look forward to playing the third set because these are the matches that give me more satisfaction, the ones that test you very deeply. I did it and I am very happy."

h In 3rd Round, Rafa will face Mikhail Youznhy of Russia. On head to head, Rafa leads Youzhny: 10-4. Their last match was last year in Madrid, where Rafa won in straight sets: 6-2, 6-3.


VAMOS RAFA !!!

Once again... King in Madrid !!!

Rafa kept his Mutua Madrid Open crown after Kei Nishikori was forced to retire with a back injury when the score was: 2-6, 6-4, 3-0 and he is the only player with 4 Madrid titles.

After the final, Rafa said: "Winning at home is always more special than winning anywhere. Having the chance to play in front of your home crowd... is unforgettable for me. This city gives me a lot. This is a very important victory for me."

"I'm very sorry for Nishikori. He's an unbelievable player that will fight to be in London [at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals]. I am sure of that. I really hope that the injury is not too bad and he will be able to compete in Roland Garros."

In Rafa`s schedule the next tournament is Internazionali BNL d`Italia. The tournament starts on May 12.



VAMOS RAFA !!!

Fighting for the crown

Rafa is again in Mutua Madrid Open final after he defeated Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in straight sets: 6-4, 6-3.

After the semifinal, Rafa said: "It was an important victory for me. After a great match yesterday, I have the confirmation today that the improvement is real. It's very good news for me. I think for moments I played great tennis against an opponent that is playing really well and improving a lot. "

"He's a really dangerous opponent today. He's had great victories this year. So it is an important win for me. To be in a final here in a difficult tournament at home after losing in the quarter-finals for two weeks in a row means a lot to me. So I'm very happy."

"Psychologically, in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, whenever I had difficult moments, I was not ready and I was a little bit down. Here, I managed to be ready straightaway. For example, in the second set I had a ball to go up 5-0 and he played well and then I committed an error at deuce when it was 4-1. At 4-3, I responded again. I managed to serve well and play a good passing shot and to break again. "

"All of those symptoms are symptoms that I am mentally more stable and more confident that things are going to go well. This is great news in order to go out and play tomorrow's match, but also for what may come in the future."

Ra In the last act, Rafa will play against Kei Nishikori of Japan. On head to head, Rafa leads Nishikori: 6-0. Their last match was this year at Australian Open, when Rafa won in straight sets: 7-6, 7-5, 7-6.

VAMOS RAFA !!!

Rafa into last 4

Rafa had no problem against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic in Madrid quarterfinal. He won the match in straight sets: 6-4, 6-2 after one hour and 28 minutes of play.

After the match, Rafa said: “It was a match with a lot of intensity, and perhaps it was my toughest match in the tournament. I knew that I had to go a step forward [level-wise]. I think that I did it pretty well. I played pretty well during a long time. To make it to the semi-finals for first time in the clay season, here in Madrid, is great news for me.”

Rafa In semifinals, Rafa will play against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain. This will be the first match between them.


VAMOS RAFA !!!

Rafa into Madrid QF

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal overcame a second-set fightback from Jarkko Nieminen to reach the Mutua Madrid Open quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-4 victory on Thursday in the Spanish capital. 

Defending champion Nadal let slip a 3-1 lead in the second set and saved a break point in the ninth game before breaking the Finn to claim victory in 80 minutes. The Spaniard reached his 63rd ATP World Tour Masters 1000 quarter-final as he improved to a perfect 8-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head record over Nieminen.

After the match, Rafa said: "During the first hour I played better than yesterday, more dynamically and with more intensity. I knew what I was doing with every ball with no surprises. I was defending properly and knowing what was happening in every single moment. Perhaps that's something I wasn't able to do in recent weeks. "

"The negative thing is in the match I had an opportunity to close it out with great feelings and I made a few mistakes in a row. That made the match more complicated. I gave the opportunity to Jarkko to play more aggressive and with more determination." 

In Madrid quarterfinal, Rafa will play against Tomas Berdych of Czech Republic. On head to head, Rafa leads Berdych: 17-3. 

VAMOS RAFA !!!

The King is back

Easy win for Rafa in 2nd Round at Mutua Madrid Open against Juan Monaco of Argentina: 6-1, 6-0 in one hour and 9 minutes.

After the match, Rafa said: "I think I moved better and played well, better than I normally play on the clay. I was dominating over the points and playing very well. I think I've done positive things."

With the win, the Spaniard improves his FedEx ATP Win/Loss record to 684-134, surpassing Arthur Ashe’s 683-225 mark. Now at 11th place, Nadal must surpass Boris Becker’s 713 wins to enter the Top 10 in the all-time list.

"No matter how many victories I've had, I'm very happy that I can be compared to Ashe," said Rafa. "To be on the same level with a person like him, it's always a great satisfaction for me."

In 3rd Round, Rafa will play against Jarko Nieminen of Finland. On head to head, Rafa leads Nieminen: 7-0. Their last match was in 2012 at Monte-Carlo, where Rafa won in straight sets: 6-4, 6-3.

VAMOS RAFA !!!

Press conference in Madrid

Photo: zimbio.com



VAMOS RAFA !!!

Practice session in Madrid

Photo: zimbio.com



VAMOS RAFA !!!

Rafa`s outfit for Roland Garros 2014

Photo: tennis-buzz.com



VAMOS RAFA !!!