Rafael Nadal from the US Open - Times Online - WBLG

Sorry if I've let you down, but I gave it my best shot

Hi everyone,

Well, it looks like the chances for being here on Saturday are very, very little, practically impossible if I am not wrong. I lost today again and it is actually a weird sensation to lose twice in a week. I felt I played better today, more aggressive, with more determination, but still not enough to beat a top player like Davydenko.

Tomorrow I will continue with the normal routine anyway. I will practice around 2pm at the tournament site. The important thing is to continue, to practice to continue improving and getting ready for the match on Friday. After that, I will be focusing and preparing the Davis Cup final.

I am not happy as you can all imagine but I am not down either. I felt better today, had some chances, played a good second part of the match and was close to bringing the match to a 3rd set. I am far from where I can be and that's encouraging. I suppose that what I need is to go back to El Cambio de Tercio for a good dinner with my team and regain all good habits, playing well included :-)

I also would like to say that I am sorry for all my fans here. I really feel great playing in the UK. Probably here, and apart from my home country, is where I feel I have more fans. I know a lot of you came from different places around the World also. Many, many thanks is the least I can say.

Many thanks.
Rafa

I'm still alive and looking to get back on track against Davydenko

Hello everyone,

Many thanks for all your support messages. They are really important to me. Many of you might be wondering how do you feel after a defeat and not going back home.

Normally when you lose a match in a tennis tournament, you leave home or if you are in the middle of a tour far away from home, stay to rest one day and move to the next one.

Here it is different. I lost yesterday but you can say I am still alive. I have been practicing today hard and I am really looking forward to that match tomorrow. Davydenko is a very difficult player, who isn't here, right? But he beat me the last time we played only a few weeks ago in Shanghai.

On a personal level, I took some time this evening and went to see the Champions League football match between Barca and Inter at a Sports Bar here in London with my team. Food? so, so... 

Rafa's Blog: It hurts to lose ... I am sorry to all my fans in London

 

Hi everyone,

I suppose that the question today to me that isn't shown here is why did I lose? Well, it is simple. I didn't play the way I had to play, the way I know how to play and that it is taking me to have it back.

I felt without that confidence in the right moments, I felt a bit lack on that concentration in those points and that was it.

I came back to the locker room and there was Toni and the rest of the team waiting for me. Those are sad moments, believe me. We are down, not much talking in the locker room, serious faces... Then Toni starts analyzing points and the game and well... it is not the end of the World!. He is right. But it hurts to lose!

And I am also sad for all those fans who want me to win...

Rafa's Blog: I just love being back in London!

Hi everyone,

Isn't it strange to be blogging from London at this time of the year?
I hope that you all will enjoy the tennis here in London as much as we are doing it right now. I am really happy to be back here in London. I have always said that Wimbledon is probably my favorite tournament and always enjoyed very much my time in London. Either at Queen's or at Wimbledon the people always treated me great and I feel this really as a special place. It is funny since from the first time I came, I was treated here in a special way.

I love being back here in London and with the possibility to play. I remember earlier this year those tough days when I was here and had to take the decision to not play Wimbledon. Those days are over, still I couldn't play Wimbledon and that hurt, but at least I have the chance to play here again in a new tournament, a new venue which by the way it is fantastic, with a great atmosphere.

I love being back in London!!!

Rafa

Loss to Del Potro will help me improve my game

Hello and goodbye to all,

It has been great being able to be with you all these past two weeks. In the end I left NY on the final Sunday but unfortunately it was not after playing the final. The semi-final match was not the best I've played and that loss will help me think about some things and hopefully keep improving. I wasn't really there yesterday. The other guy simply played much better than me and I feel I am not playing at that level needed to win a major.

Lots of people asked me about my injury and also if that affected my game. The truth is that I didn't play well and there is no excuse whatsoever for the defeat. He played better and deserved to win. Now I am flying back home and also would like to get my abdominal muscle checked. It doesn't look too good since I am in pain when serving but hopefully it is nothing serious.

I didn't want to talk about the injury during the US Open. There were several reasons for that: 1) I didn't want to give any extra information to my rivals. In the end I am playing, I knew I was going to go out and compete and there was no reason why to say I'm injured. 2) for respect to my opponent. I wouldn't feel too good if someone who says publicly that he is injured beats me and 3) I didn't really want to stop and wanted to play no matter what. I didn't want it to be checked after I did the last one a week before the tournament started.

Now I am back and will do everything to get it checked.

Once again many thanks for this opportunity of writing the blog and I hope to be back with you all soon.

Rafa

Rain forces us to play the waiting game

 

Hello everyone and sorry I didn't post yesterday. We got back to the hotel at 12.30 midnight after being practically all day at the tournament site. I had to eat dinner very fast and went to sleep immediately since I had to get up early today hoping we would play. As you know we didn't so we spent practically all day at the tennis center doing... nothing. Just waiting for the weather to clear and waiting and waiting and waiting to go out and play. 

They tournament organizers and the ATP reps  told us when we got to the stadium that there would be a window at 1 or 2 pm and that we could go out and play to finish our match... That window was never open :-)Someone forgot to do it... So we waited and waited.

Apologies from Rafa

Frank Praverman

Due to the late start of his match against Fernando Gonzalez last night and then the rain delay, Rafa did not get back to his hotel until late and needs to rest before the resumption of his quarter-final. He apologises for not blogging today but promises to be back tomorrow.

That fan was funny - although I didn't like his kiss!

Hello everyone,

Hope you all are good. I am great and feeling very good. Yesterday it was very late when I posted my blog. I think that it is the first time ever I have done it after coming back from the tournament so late. I ended up going to sleep after 4 am. It is quite late even for a Spaniard... Specially if you are a tennis player and have to play.

Many people asked me today about yesterday's match. I said to everyone who asked me that I found I played better, starting to feel good. But when I was elaborating on my game I was immediately cut and asked not about the match but about the incident of the guy jumping on court and kissing me and everything you've seen on TV.

To be honest, I didn't see the guy coming. I'd just taken my shirt off to change it when I saw a guy coming to me, kissing me and saying that he loved me... Then I saw the security jumping to him. I didn't think it was important, not serious, and tried to stop the security at some point to leave the guy. You can actually read my lips saying "it's OK". Not that I know a lot of English to explain to them that it was OK, that he was cool and that for me it was OK. Not that I liked the kiss... :-)

So I didn't really give too much importance to it. I just thought, as I say it was funny.

I understand that the tournament's security got nervous, but I was cool with it. As a matter of fact, when I was in the locker room, one of the main guys of the tournament, David Brewer, came to the locker and asked me if I was OK and if the guy had hurt me. I told him I was fine and to please not to do anything to the guy. Jokingly I said "One fan I have tonight - please leave him". I was told that the guy was going to be prosecuted (I think it is the correct way to say it). Hope he is OK.

I understand it is a delicate issue but I have to say that this tournament really takes good care of me. They are really, really nice with me and have lots of attentions with me and my team. From my side no complaints whatsoever, on the contrary I have to thank them for everything they do. Maybe the only complaint is the scheduling... We'll talk another day about that...

Hope this whole thing is taken positively and no one suffers for something like this.

So thanks US Open staff for everything.

Goodnight and, er, good morning

Hi everyone,

It is really late tonight but decided to write a few sentences since I am still with no sleep, meaning I can't fall asleep, because of the match. It is 3.30 am here in NY and we got back at 1.45am from the site. This is what I say about the last night match at the Open. Always so late. The problem is to go to sleep.

I had dinner with my team in the room and got the treatment and massage I always take at night before going to sleep. I am not saying it is a big disadvantage but it definitely doesn't help. Maybe I will be able to sleep at 4 and I will go to the tournament site at 11.30 or 12 since I am practicing at 1 or 1.15 pm.

Tomorrow I promise I'll write a longer one.

Good night and good morning everybody.

Rafa

I don't like playing late at night - we asked to move Monfils match

Hello everybody,

Remember that at each time I blog there is that day where I don't know what to say? Well, today is that day. Not really sure what I am going to write.

I am in my room with Tuts, the Nike guy from Spain that follows me is here since he arrived today from Barcelona. He arrived and will stay until the end of my tournament. Let's hope he made the trip until the week end. We are here and he is helping me tonight with this blog. The person who normally helps me is not here tonight since he is at the stadium watching Novak play.

We are here watching TV and talking about different things. It's been a while since we didn't speak since I have been away from home now for 4 weeks. Time goes fast. Already 4 weeks competing away. But the thing is that I am very happy since I am playing. One month at home goes slowly, but competing it goes faster. It is funny that people many times want what they don't have. If you are away you want to be home and if you are home you want to be away :-). In my case I want to be playing!

Tomorrow I don't have to awake early. Total opposite since I am only coming to the tournament site at 4 pm, warm up and play last match. Once again I am playing last match of the day. To be honest we requested to play a bit earlier...

Rafa