Pic of the Week

Latest blogs

Must sees

Recent Articles

Affiliates

25th August

In a battle of wills and tremendous speed, Rafa took care of business and defeated German qualifier Bjorn Phau 7-6(4) 6-3 7-6(4) in the first round of the US Open. He will next play American qualifier Ryler De Heart probably Thursday, although Wednesday night has been rumored.

The draw came out last Thursday and what a joy it was to see Rafa's name at the top for the first time at a Grand Slam. Congratulations Rafa!

Rafa's route to the final won't be a cakewalk. He has a possible fourth round encounter with Ivo Karlovic. James Blake or David Nalbandian (who he has never beaten) await him in the quarters and it will likely be David Ferrer or Andy Murray in the semis.

The good news is that he will be writing a blog for The Times again.

Work out match times in your time zone with this handy converter.

Info  Pics  AV  TV & Live-streaming info  Official Site  Draw

US Open 2008 - Preview

The US Open has never been a happy hunting ground for Rafa. For Rafa's fans it has always been the Grand Slam that gives us the most heartache.

Rafa's first appearance there as a professional was in 2003. He won his first round match against Fernando Vicente but lost in straight sets to Younes El Aynaoui in the second. In 2004, ranked 49, he won a hard fought first round match against Ivo Heuberger but lost easily to Andy Roddick in the second.

We had high hopes in 2005. He'd had a marvellous year, had climbed to number 2 in the world and had won 9 titles including his first hard court Masters title. The first two rounds were fine despite having to play two Americans (Bobby Reynolds and Scoville Jenkins) on their home turf but that third round against James Blake was just horrible for us. Constantly harrassed by the infamous J-Block and at a loss to know how to deal with Blake's aggressive play he looked uncomfortable throughout and lost in four sets.



The start of 2006 was tough with Rafa still suffering from the knee and foot problems that marred the end of 2005. He came back well, though, winning in Dubai and storming through the clay season. His first Wimbledon final demonstrated his determination to be more than a great clay courter but his showing at the hard court Masters leading up to the US Open was not encouraging. We were thrilled to see him do well in the first four rounds and were once again disappointed when he lost to an inspired Mikhail Youzhny.



2007 gave him another hard court Masters victory, his usual storm through the clay court season and a really close Wimbledon final. It was suggested that the loss there really affected him for the rest of the year and certainly he didn't seem happy across the pond. His match against David Ferrer was heartbreaking as his body finally gave up.



So now it's 2008. He has exceeded our wildest expectations and claimed not only his fourth Roland Garros title but also a Wimbledon title, an Olympic Gold Medal and the number 1 ranking. So far he has looked happy and confident and he certainly enjoyed the Arthur Ashe Kids' Day.



No-one has ever won Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the US Open in the same year since they have been played on different surfaces. A win would be marvellous but above all we wish him a happy and healthy tournament.

Buena Suerte, Rafa