2006: A look back at 12 months of excitement
by Lovely
What an emotional ride it has been for Rafael Nadal fans in 2006. Let’s face it, in 2005 we were more than spoiled when it came to Rafael’s wins. 11 singles titles including 5 Masters and a Grand Slam; matching the 2005 record of the man that many in the Tennis world are calling, (including our champion), “possibly the best player of all time”-Roger Federer. That’s some serious stuff! (For lack of better swear word). So it’s no surprise that we had high expectations for 2006. This year, especially in the second half of the season, seemed to have more lows than highs, but if you look at the record, in many areas he achieved better results than last year.
Rafael defeated 2 local favourites (Gilles Simon and Paul Henri Matthieu) on his way to a semi final match against Arnaud Clement, only to be defeated by a bee. The bee from hell! Rafa being so modest didn’t admit that the bee had taken a part in his loss. Tut tut Rafa! I mean, comeon it was obvious! Rafa breezed through the first set, 6-2 but the second set was another story. After the first set, still excited about his performance, Rafa ran to his chair to take a breather as well as to give us that usual in-between-sets delight of taking his shirt off; but little did he know that a bee had been stuck inside one of his folded shirts. He put his shirt on then ran back to the court, unaware that the bee was preparing for attack. For a second it looked like Rafael was being vain and that he wanted to give us a glimpse of that rippled stomach (not that we were complaining), but after a while it was clear that Rafa was trying to shake something off. He could’ve easily killed the bee from hell with one hand but Rafael being Rafael didn’t have to heart to kill the bee and instead tried to flick it off with his racket. It became Rafael VS the bee from hell. In the end the bee plummeted to its death but it managed to win the battle anyway. From that moment on the dynamics of the match changed and the Rafa from the first set had totally disappeared. Rafa went on to lose 3-6 5-7. You see! All the bees doing! Some even had a theory that another player had placed the bee inside the bag just before the match. But when all was said and done we couldn’t have hoped for a better comeback into the ATP circuit, especially after an injury and we were damn proud of him. And it was great to see those infamous OCD’s of his once again, such as butt picking, the bottles, towelling, and hair behind ears just before serve. Fantastico!
The following week Rafael was due to play in Rotterdam but a thigh injury prevented him to. Many of fans were disappointed and so was Rafa...
But that pull-out gave him time to prepare for Dubai. Another hard court tournament and the biggest challenge yet as many top players would attend and Roger Federer (the machine) was there to defend his title. Anticipation was still there-was Rafa back? If his performance at Dubai was anything to go by, yes, Rafa was back! Defeating excellent players such as Paul Henri Matthieu andTim Henman on his way to his first final of the year, where he would meet Roger Federer! If anyone that followed tennis told you that they weren’t excited about the prospect of watching those two play, I’m sorry but they were lying to you. Whenever those two face eachother it is nothing short of a blockbuster and it is the show that everyone looks forward to whenever they’re on the same soil. This meant so much to Rafa and to us the fans too. It was like proving that it wasn’t over, the rivalry was still there, much to Federers fans dismay! The atmosphere matched that of a world cup football match. With fans shouting and chanting for their favourite and holding flags. Roger owned the first set but Rafael owned the second….and third! OW, the “Boy wonder” won the match 2-6 6-4 6-4. In true Rafa fashion he fell to the floor to celebrate his win and it showed just how much that match to him. I think the ground was moving underneath me as I jumped to join in the celebration. The long ass ceremony had its memorable moments, amongst many was the familiar sight of Rafa and Roger sitting side by side, talking, giggling as if they’re the best of friends and not the number 1 rivals in the game.
Next stop on US soil was Nasdaq Miami.
Now it was the time of the season which everybody had been waiting for and the season that had earned Rafa the nick “King of clay!” Yup, Clay season! Monte Carlo was the first stop and doubts such as “Is he still the king of clay?” “Can he do it again?” emerged, but all those were put to rest when he defeated his first opponent Arnaud Clement with a commanding 6-4 6-4. It was clear the king of clay was back and had no intention of letting his crown slip without a fight. Not to anyone’s surprise, he stormed through to the final and there he met Federer and our mouths watered once again at the prospect of another blockbuster event. Even though we knew Rafael had a commanding record against Federer, every time they would meet in the back of our minds there’s always that voice that says- “could this be the day that Roger shows that he’s figured out how to beat Rafael?” because let’s face it, Roger is the best player at the moment and it would be more normal for number 1 to win and number 2 to lose, no? (Sorry, had to speak like Rafael there.) Well that answer to that voice playing in our heads was no! Rafael went on to win his first Masters shield of the year by defeating Roger 6-2 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5). Allé!
Next up-Barcelona, Barcelona, Barcelona..tut tut tut! He stormed through to the final, defeating 4 fellow Spaniards and Jarko Nieminem in the process-that was expected, but what was not expected was the revelation that there was one girl out there that had the status that many of us around the world wanted to have-being Rafael Nadals girlfriend! This “shocking” news sent Rafa fans world into a frenzy. Some chose not to believe it, some chose to believe it, some were in serious need of denial cookies, some openly admitted that they would’ve preferred if he was gay, and while some went into deep depression, imagining the way things could’ve been if she wasn’t in the picture, others put their detective hats on and their pipes in their mouths to do some serious investigating. Within days we knew her name, age, and hmm, did we know her dress size too? They meant business! However great the Rafa VS. Robredo final was (which he defeated Tommy6-4 6-4 6-0), i’m not sure if many followed. Most were trying to see if we could catch a glimpse of the girl that had “stolen” Rafa from us. Xisca! The name we shall forever associate with hurt, betrayal, thief, messed with faith...kidding. Xisca had arrived!
Rafa had 2 weeks to prepare for the second biggest Grand Slam of the year-Roland Garros! Rafael’s turf, Rafael’s hizzouse, Rafael’s territory, Rafael’s casa, Rafael’s....ahem you get the point. This was the tournament we had been excited about weeks before the clay court season had even begun. This years RG held another exciting event for fans-Rafa’s first ATP blog! It would give us an insight on his RG experience and gave us classics like “To drink I had an orange juice and another orange juice.” and made us wonder-if he didn’t like cheese or tomatoes then how did he have his pizzas?- amongst many other things. It was brilliant! After his brilliant clay court season there was no doubt that Rafael would make it to final even if there would be tough competitors along the way. The question was “would Roger also make it to final?” and “after coming so close to winning in Rome, would this be time Roger wins one on Rafael’s turf?” Rafaels first victim was Robin Soderling and in the process of butchering him Rafael broke the great Guillermo Vilas’s record of 53 consecutive clay court wins. Of course it didn’t come without it’s sour grapes. Vilas-"First of all, Nadal's performance is spanning over two years, which is not the same. Then, I have the feeling he added easy tournaments on his schedule just for that purpose," Tut tut, Vilas!
Although many had said that one day Rafa would reach the Wimbledon final, nobody had expected it to be so soon. He played a very convincing match against his first opponent but it was his second and third round matches that proved that Rafael had indeed arrived on grass courts. Unknown player Robert Kendrick’s was this close to sending Rafa packing, making some wonder if Rafa was really the higher ranked of the two. Being 2 sets down, Rafa refused to let himself lose the tiebreak in the third set. He won the tiebreak and then went on to win the intense match, coming up with shots we didn’t think he could make on the Grass courts. And then there was the legend! Andre Agassi was to make his last appearance in Wimbledon and the question was “would Rafa be the one to end Andre’s Wimbledon run?”..yes he was! The Kendrick match had no doubt given Rafa the confidence he needed to carry a grass court match. Rafa won 7-6(5) 6-2 6-4. It was a big moment for Rafael but he stepped aside and let Andre enjoy his last moments in Wimbledon during the on court interviews. Along The way there were rumours, but such rumours would only faze if they were true, so it didn’t stop Rafa from making an remarkable, surprise run to the finals; beating favourites such as Baghdatis along the way. He meets Federer in the finals and the pressure is piled as some believe that Rafa could take the title from Roger and question whether Roger really was the best of all time. Everyone had hopes, everyone waited anxiously but… Wimbledon is Roger’s turf, Roger’s hizzouse, Roger’s territory, Roger’s casa and it was clear when Roger battered Rafa in the first set (0-6) that this would not be the year that Rafa would take the crown from Roger. He put up an amazing fight and took a set off Roger which not many could say that they have done in Wimbledon. Rafa gave the respect of many and us fans couldn’t help but proud of him! He is amazing.
Next up was Cincinnati- we’d hoped that the rust had disappeared and it seemed so for the first 3 matches but then Rafael went on to lose to Juan Carlos Ferrero for the very first time in their 5 meetings. Some fans started to wonder just what the hell happened in the summer. But even though it seemed a low, he actually achieved a better result than he did in 2005 Cincinnati, where he had lost the first round to Berdych. Disappointed but we moved on and prepared for the next event.
His early exit from Cincinnati gave him time to prepare for the last Grand slam of the year-US OPEN. This time Rafa decided not to go back to Manacor and decided to stay on US soil. USA being the marketing home didn’t let the opportunity slip by to get their hands on the world number 2. Rafa played an exhibition match with Roger, sporting the outfit that was on the “devilish” Nike poster of Rafa, playing up the bad boy image that many had set up. Then there were the sexy photoshoots Sports Illustrated and interviews for various magazines, and not to forget the video where they forced Rafa to say out loud some the many things that attract us to him. His “Power..looks..forehand..backhand… retourn” Ass. That video will remain a favourite amongst fans for a long time to come.
After the short time off, it was off to Davis cup play-offs against Italy, where his fellow Spaniards and friends: Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco would join him. As Rafa had said many times, the Davis cup is one of his favourites and it sure didn’t hurt that the surface was clay. Tommy lost the first match and then it was up to Rafa (back in piratas) to save the day and he didn’t disappoint. He won his first match 6-0 6-4 6-3 and gave Spain hope. Next up was the doubles match that many red-blooded women were waiting for and it didn’t disappoint either. Rafa and Nando gave us many mouth watering pics that will remain favourites for a long while.
Rafael went on to win the last match and secured Spain’s place for next year’s play-offs.
Off to Stockholm for the first time and after the form he was in at the Davis cup we had hoped that maybe Rafael was back to his old shape. He won the first match 6-4 6-2, building our hopes up but then went on to lose to Joachim Johansson in 2 sets. It was known that he was trying to change some things in his game so it was mostly thought that he still had to adapt and get used to the changes he was trying to make. Or…maybe he was simply tired from having gone out to a club with good friend Feli the night before. Kidding. He’s only human and nothing wrong with letting your hair down once in a while.
Next up was TMS Madrid. Rafa had won in 2005 and we had hopes that he would repeat his success again. Stars including Beckham came to Madrid in hopes of watching Rafa lift that shield but, again, it didn’t come to pass. Rafa played two excellent first matches against Fish and Haas and then went on to lose to Berdych for the 3rd time. We had hoped that this would be revenge time but Rafa had always had trouble on hard courts against Berdych. The loss would’ve been almost bearable if it wasn’t for Berdych’s controversial attitude towards the end. Full of fire in his eyes, Berdych took it upon himself to shh the crowd and as a result Rafael told Berdych and the press just what he thought of him and his attitude. Giving his opinion about Berdych for the first time and Rafael is branded a “sore loser” by some. Well, true fans of his know that is not the case. From that day on Blake’s head would no longer be the main head on the dart board.
Hopes that Rafa would play at this years TMS Paris Bercy were tarnished when it was announced that Rafael, amongst many other players, would not participate in the event because of injury. Same thing happened last year and I was hoping that the organisers wouldn’t call it a day and drown their sorrows into a bottle of gin. Come to think of it I haven’t heard much from Cedric Pioline recently. We waited anxiously for any news on whether Rafa would attend the year end tournament and we it was announced that he would. His abdominal tear had recovered just in time…just in time!!
Next-Rafael and Roger fly to Seoul for an exhibition match. Roger won the match in 3 sets but the fun on-court interview is what stuck out the most from that event with Rafa and Roger showing that there was no bad blood between the two and that they viewed each other as friends. Hmm, until the next ATP clash!
Well instead of crying ourselves into depression and wondering how we’re going to survive the remaining 3 weeks without Rafa, we can sit down and reminisce on the year that this has been. This year had it all-the injury scares, the doubts, the surprises, the shocks, the ecstatic moments, the lows and Xisca but when is all said and done all we want is what Rafa wants- for him “to be happy and to improve as a player.” He’s still young and we have to remember that at his age many players hadn’t achieved the impressive record that Rafa has. You can’t help but be proud to be a fan of his because he’s truly a one of a kind and anybody that has followed him and his career would know that. That is why I’ve been a fan for so long. After the loss of confidence we’d experience during some periods this year it is nice to finish the year with this quote from my champion “I’m beginning to believe it’s not by chance that I’m number 2”, music to my ears! VAMOS!
JANUARY - And another season begins
The month of the first Grand Slam of the year-Australian Open (AO). However exciting it was to watch the top players in the world battle it for that Trophy, we couldn’t help but ignore that a big factor was missing and that factor was the energy, liveliness, excitement, sex appeal, and joie de vivre that Rafael brings to the men’s game. Although Baghdatis brought some excitement and a headline other than “Roger’s AO”, it just wasn’t the same without Rafael Nadal and even those that weren’t necessarily his fans said so. We can’t express the sadness, horror and pain we felt knowing that Rafael, for four months, had been injured and unable to compete, so god only knows how he must’ve felt sitting at home, watching his peers compete at a tournament that he had been eager to take part in. During those 4 months out, he had support from his fans, friends, and his family, while I had support from fellow Rafa fans, junk food, Vodka and old butt shots! Ok maybe not junk food and Vodka but true about the butt shots. We were holding our breaths for any positive news and we got it when it was announced that Rafael had travelled to test his new inch deep insoles which had been redone by Nike. Things were starting to look up, it had been a long 4 months without Rafael and we waited impatiently for the day when he would hold that racket and shake his hair again, amongst others of his eye-catching, jaw-dropping features.FEBRUARY - Bee from hell
Rafael’s first event of the year-Petit As exhibition match against Fabrice Santoro in Tarbes, France. These kids (in the pic below) expressed perfectly how the fans felt about having him back on court even if it was just an exhibition match. We were so happy to have him back that we wanted to squeeze him tight until his head would swell and his eyes would pop out. It was just excellent to get rid of that image playing in my head that Rafael was sitting on his couch, red puffy eyes and feeling as if the world had ended. Ankle still taped and not quite 100% yet, Rafael still managed to win the match 6-2 1-6 10-3 and it felt so good for me as a fan to have that happen. It showed the fighter in him was still in there.Rafael defeated 2 local favourites (Gilles Simon and Paul Henri Matthieu) on his way to a semi final match against Arnaud Clement, only to be defeated by a bee. The bee from hell! Rafa being so modest didn’t admit that the bee had taken a part in his loss. Tut tut Rafa! I mean, comeon it was obvious! Rafa breezed through the first set, 6-2 but the second set was another story. After the first set, still excited about his performance, Rafa ran to his chair to take a breather as well as to give us that usual in-between-sets delight of taking his shirt off; but little did he know that a bee had been stuck inside one of his folded shirts. He put his shirt on then ran back to the court, unaware that the bee was preparing for attack. For a second it looked like Rafael was being vain and that he wanted to give us a glimpse of that rippled stomach (not that we were complaining), but after a while it was clear that Rafa was trying to shake something off. He could’ve easily killed the bee from hell with one hand but Rafael being Rafael didn’t have to heart to kill the bee and instead tried to flick it off with his racket. It became Rafael VS the bee from hell. In the end the bee plummeted to its death but it managed to win the battle anyway. From that moment on the dynamics of the match changed and the Rafa from the first set had totally disappeared. Rafa went on to lose 3-6 5-7. You see! All the bees doing! Some even had a theory that another player had placed the bee inside the bag just before the match. But when all was said and done we couldn’t have hoped for a better comeback into the ATP circuit, especially after an injury and we were damn proud of him. And it was great to see those infamous OCD’s of his once again, such as butt picking, the bottles, towelling, and hair behind ears just before serve. Fantastico!
The following week Rafael was due to play in Rotterdam but a thigh injury prevented him to. Many of fans were disappointed and so was Rafa...
But that pull-out gave him time to prepare for Dubai. Another hard court tournament and the biggest challenge yet as many top players would attend and Roger Federer (the machine) was there to defend his title. Anticipation was still there-was Rafa back? If his performance at Dubai was anything to go by, yes, Rafa was back! Defeating excellent players such as Paul Henri Matthieu andTim Henman on his way to his first final of the year, where he would meet Roger Federer! If anyone that followed tennis told you that they weren’t excited about the prospect of watching those two play, I’m sorry but they were lying to you. Whenever those two face eachother it is nothing short of a blockbuster and it is the show that everyone looks forward to whenever they’re on the same soil. This meant so much to Rafa and to us the fans too. It was like proving that it wasn’t over, the rivalry was still there, much to Federers fans dismay! The atmosphere matched that of a world cup football match. With fans shouting and chanting for their favourite and holding flags. Roger owned the first set but Rafael owned the second….and third! OW, the “Boy wonder” won the match 2-6 6-4 6-4. In true Rafa fashion he fell to the floor to celebrate his win and it showed just how much that match to him. I think the ground was moving underneath me as I jumped to join in the celebration. The long ass ceremony had its memorable moments, amongst many was the familiar sight of Rafa and Roger sitting side by side, talking, giggling as if they’re the best of friends and not the number 1 rivals in the game.
MARCH - Denial cookies
Off to US grounds and his second time performing at Pacific Life Open, Indian Wells. Still on a high from Dubai, Rafael’s confidence gets him through to the semi finals, defeating top players such as Grosjean and Bagdhatis (not to forget the hilarious moment when Baggy imitated Rafa’s boxer jump at the net), only to lose to Blake, the man that some say is to Rafael what Rafael is to Roger. Who can forget the disappointing loss of US0 2005 in which Blake pretty much owned Rafael from start to finish and let’s not even mention the J-Block. Our hopes where that this would be the day that Rafa would get his revenge, but it didn’t come to pass. There was a dark cloud and everybody was upset, Rafael too I guess but he seemed in denial about it. Hence..denial cookies as I called them. He walked in the presser room, smiling and munching on those cookies as if there was no tomorrow! Oh well..we all have our comfort foods.Next stop on US soil was Nasdaq Miami.
APRIL - The Arrival!
There were some events in Spain as Rafa prepared for his next tournament. Over the months we had heard that a wax figure was going to be made in honour of our champion, so we had been waiting anxiously for the final result and then... IT came...Now it was the time of the season which everybody had been waiting for and the season that had earned Rafa the nick “King of clay!” Yup, Clay season! Monte Carlo was the first stop and doubts such as “Is he still the king of clay?” “Can he do it again?” emerged, but all those were put to rest when he defeated his first opponent Arnaud Clement with a commanding 6-4 6-4. It was clear the king of clay was back and had no intention of letting his crown slip without a fight. Not to anyone’s surprise, he stormed through to the final and there he met Federer and our mouths watered once again at the prospect of another blockbuster event. Even though we knew Rafael had a commanding record against Federer, every time they would meet in the back of our minds there’s always that voice that says- “could this be the day that Roger shows that he’s figured out how to beat Rafael?” because let’s face it, Roger is the best player at the moment and it would be more normal for number 1 to win and number 2 to lose, no? (Sorry, had to speak like Rafael there.) Well that answer to that voice playing in our heads was no! Rafael went on to win his first Masters shield of the year by defeating Roger 6-2 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(5). Allé!
Next up-Barcelona, Barcelona, Barcelona..tut tut tut! He stormed through to the final, defeating 4 fellow Spaniards and Jarko Nieminem in the process-that was expected, but what was not expected was the revelation that there was one girl out there that had the status that many of us around the world wanted to have-being Rafael Nadals girlfriend! This “shocking” news sent Rafa fans world into a frenzy. Some chose not to believe it, some chose to believe it, some were in serious need of denial cookies, some openly admitted that they would’ve preferred if he was gay, and while some went into deep depression, imagining the way things could’ve been if she wasn’t in the picture, others put their detective hats on and their pipes in their mouths to do some serious investigating. Within days we knew her name, age, and hmm, did we know her dress size too? They meant business! However great the Rafa VS. Robredo final was (which he defeated Tommy6-4 6-4 6-0), i’m not sure if many followed. Most were trying to see if we could catch a glimpse of the girl that had “stolen” Rafa from us. Xisca! The name we shall forever associate with hurt, betrayal, thief, messed with faith...kidding. Xisca had arrived!
MAY - Thriller of the year!
Still getting over the shock, still trying to catch a glimpse of her, but ready for Rafael’s next Clay tournament. MS Rome! He was on a roll and there was no stopping him. He stormed through to the final, defeating top players such as Moya, Henman and Monfils to meet, once again, Roger Federer in the final! Once again our mouths water, but never in a million years did we expect a thriller like the one we were treated to at this year’s final. Those 2 legends managed to keep us on the edge of our seats for a total of 5 hours 6 mins. Showcasing out of this world shots, giving it all they had from start to finish. My mum and sister not being fans of tennis couldn’t help but join along in my excitement as they saw the event. It was just sensational and hands down the best match of the year for me. Of course what made it even better is that after all, Rafael defeated Roger 6-7 7-6(5) 6-4 2-6 7-6(5). Brilliant!Rafa had 2 weeks to prepare for the second biggest Grand Slam of the year-Roland Garros! Rafael’s turf, Rafael’s hizzouse, Rafael’s territory, Rafael’s casa, Rafael’s....ahem you get the point. This was the tournament we had been excited about weeks before the clay court season had even begun. This years RG held another exciting event for fans-Rafa’s first ATP blog! It would give us an insight on his RG experience and gave us classics like “To drink I had an orange juice and another orange juice.” and made us wonder-if he didn’t like cheese or tomatoes then how did he have his pizzas?- amongst many other things. It was brilliant! After his brilliant clay court season there was no doubt that Rafael would make it to final even if there would be tough competitors along the way. The question was “would Roger also make it to final?” and “after coming so close to winning in Rome, would this be time Roger wins one on Rafael’s turf?” Rafaels first victim was Robin Soderling and in the process of butchering him Rafael broke the great Guillermo Vilas’s record of 53 consecutive clay court wins. Of course it didn’t come without it’s sour grapes. Vilas-"First of all, Nadal's performance is spanning over two years, which is not the same. Then, I have the feeling he added easy tournaments on his schedule just for that purpose," Tut tut, Vilas!
JUNE - Death to bananas!
Roland Garros continues. Rafael’s was now on 54 consecutive matches but his winning streak almost came to a dramatic halt…because of a banana! Oh dear, during the fantastic match VS Matthieu Rafa was serving for the third set at 5-4 15/15 then he walked over to the umpire and asked for medical assistance. Everyone held their breaths and wondered what was going on and hoped it was nothing too serious. Ahem, after a few seconds he looked to his uncle, pointed to his throat and held up a banana peel. Only then did we realise that the worst had happened..,.a banana was stuck in Rafa’s throat! The crowd whistled and boo-ed, thinking this was just an attempt to distract the rhythm. I for one was very worried about this and in no way did I find any of this amusing. Not in the slightest! After his time out he picked up where he left off and went on to win the match. Not only did he celebrate making it through a near death experience but that day Rafael also celebrated the cross over from boy to man! YAY! It was a very happy birthday indeed. Other than Hewitt, Novak and Lubjicic there were nomore threats on his way to the final. There he met Roger Federer for the 4th time! We were a bit confident as to who would win but there was no doubt that doubts started to dance in our heads once Roger had breezed through the first set. Unphazed, Rafa then went on to win the match 1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6(4) and then came to be the most emotional win from our champion. He fell to the floor and tears fell as soon as it was clear Roger would fail to return his shot. Still full of emotion he ran to his family. The most touching moment was when he went to cry in his father’s arms and his father couldn’t help but shed tears of his own. Rafael revealed in his blog that at that special moment he said “Daddy, thanks for everything.” *sniff* Brilliant!JULY - So soon?
Rafa fans once again go into a frenzy when pics of Rafa and Xisca strolling in London are released. *sigh*Although many had said that one day Rafa would reach the Wimbledon final, nobody had expected it to be so soon. He played a very convincing match against his first opponent but it was his second and third round matches that proved that Rafael had indeed arrived on grass courts. Unknown player Robert Kendrick’s was this close to sending Rafa packing, making some wonder if Rafa was really the higher ranked of the two. Being 2 sets down, Rafa refused to let himself lose the tiebreak in the third set. He won the tiebreak and then went on to win the intense match, coming up with shots we didn’t think he could make on the Grass courts. And then there was the legend! Andre Agassi was to make his last appearance in Wimbledon and the question was “would Rafa be the one to end Andre’s Wimbledon run?”..yes he was! The Kendrick match had no doubt given Rafa the confidence he needed to carry a grass court match. Rafa won 7-6(5) 6-2 6-4. It was a big moment for Rafael but he stepped aside and let Andre enjoy his last moments in Wimbledon during the on court interviews. Along The way there were rumours, but such rumours would only faze if they were true, so it didn’t stop Rafa from making an remarkable, surprise run to the finals; beating favourites such as Baghdatis along the way. He meets Federer in the finals and the pressure is piled as some believe that Rafa could take the title from Roger and question whether Roger really was the best of all time. Everyone had hopes, everyone waited anxiously but… Wimbledon is Roger’s turf, Roger’s hizzouse, Roger’s territory, Roger’s casa and it was clear when Roger battered Rafa in the first set (0-6) that this would not be the year that Rafa would take the crown from Roger. He put up an amazing fight and took a set off Roger which not many could say that they have done in Wimbledon. Rafa gave the respect of many and us fans couldn’t help but proud of him! He is amazing.
AUGUST - Power, looks, retourn!
After a long break, everyone was excited at Rafa’s returns to the circuit in Toronto Canada. There to defend his title, we had hopes that he would do so but from the first match it is easy to see that the break had taken it’s toll and he was still a bit rusty. He managed to win the first two matches against Massu and Lee but then went on to lose to Berdych who was fast becoming a close second to Blake in our hit list.Next up was Cincinnati- we’d hoped that the rust had disappeared and it seemed so for the first 3 matches but then Rafael went on to lose to Juan Carlos Ferrero for the very first time in their 5 meetings. Some fans started to wonder just what the hell happened in the summer. But even though it seemed a low, he actually achieved a better result than he did in 2005 Cincinnati, where he had lost the first round to Berdych. Disappointed but we moved on and prepared for the next event.
His early exit from Cincinnati gave him time to prepare for the last Grand slam of the year-US OPEN. This time Rafa decided not to go back to Manacor and decided to stay on US soil. USA being the marketing home didn’t let the opportunity slip by to get their hands on the world number 2. Rafa played an exhibition match with Roger, sporting the outfit that was on the “devilish” Nike poster of Rafa, playing up the bad boy image that many had set up. Then there were the sexy photoshoots Sports Illustrated and interviews for various magazines, and not to forget the video where they forced Rafa to say out loud some the many things that attract us to him. His “Power..looks..forehand..backhand… retourn” Ass. That video will remain a favourite amongst fans for a long time to come.
SEPTEMBER - USO/cola cao/ Rafando.
As Rafa said, he had “a big illusion” for this years USO and so did we. On his way to the Quarterfinals, Rafa defeated top players such as Philipoussis, Horna, Moodie and Novak, and our hopes were that he would also defeat Youzhny to reach his very first USO semi final but again that didn’t come to pass. From the beginning it was clear that this was an all or nothing match for Youhzhny and in the end Rafael only managed to steal a set from him. However sad and despaired we were, in that last set, Rafael warmed our hearts when he flashed that award winning smile towards his uncle. It was brilliant to see that he could smile even when we all knew what the outcome of that match would be. But when all was said and done, the fact was that he had achieved a better result than the precious where he exited USO in the third round. Vamos!After the short time off, it was off to Davis cup play-offs against Italy, where his fellow Spaniards and friends: Tommy Robredo, David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco would join him. As Rafa had said many times, the Davis cup is one of his favourites and it sure didn’t hurt that the surface was clay. Tommy lost the first match and then it was up to Rafa (back in piratas) to save the day and he didn’t disappoint. He won his first match 6-0 6-4 6-3 and gave Spain hope. Next up was the doubles match that many red-blooded women were waiting for and it didn’t disappoint either. Rafa and Nando gave us many mouth watering pics that will remain favourites for a long while.
Rafael went on to win the last match and secured Spain’s place for next year’s play-offs.
OCTOBER - Blake who?
Just before the Stockholm event we were treated to another one of Rafa’s ads and this time it was the hilarious ad for Time Force watches. It was with B-baller Paul Gasol and provided much entertainment for us all.Off to Stockholm for the first time and after the form he was in at the Davis cup we had hoped that maybe Rafael was back to his old shape. He won the first match 6-4 6-2, building our hopes up but then went on to lose to Joachim Johansson in 2 sets. It was known that he was trying to change some things in his game so it was mostly thought that he still had to adapt and get used to the changes he was trying to make. Or…maybe he was simply tired from having gone out to a club with good friend Feli the night before. Kidding. He’s only human and nothing wrong with letting your hair down once in a while.
Next up was TMS Madrid. Rafa had won in 2005 and we had hopes that he would repeat his success again. Stars including Beckham came to Madrid in hopes of watching Rafa lift that shield but, again, it didn’t come to pass. Rafa played two excellent first matches against Fish and Haas and then went on to lose to Berdych for the 3rd time. We had hoped that this would be revenge time but Rafa had always had trouble on hard courts against Berdych. The loss would’ve been almost bearable if it wasn’t for Berdych’s controversial attitude towards the end. Full of fire in his eyes, Berdych took it upon himself to shh the crowd and as a result Rafael told Berdych and the press just what he thought of him and his attitude. Giving his opinion about Berdych for the first time and Rafael is branded a “sore loser” by some. Well, true fans of his know that is not the case. From that day on Blake’s head would no longer be the main head on the dart board.
Hopes that Rafa would play at this years TMS Paris Bercy were tarnished when it was announced that Rafael, amongst many other players, would not participate in the event because of injury. Same thing happened last year and I was hoping that the organisers wouldn’t call it a day and drown their sorrows into a bottle of gin. Come to think of it I haven’t heard much from Cedric Pioline recently. We waited anxiously for any news on whether Rafa would attend the year end tournament and we it was announced that he would. His abdominal tear had recovered just in time…just in time!!
NOVEMBER - Friends
After making a quick stop in London to promote his Island Rafa goes to Shangai for the year-end Masters cup. We were nervous but excited at the prospect of a first match against James Blake. Rafa was unable to bag his first win against him but all was not lost. He went on to the semi finals, defeating Robredo and Davydenko in the process. In the Semi finals he met Roger Federer for the first time since Wimbledon. Rafa still not 100% and Roger full of confidence and at its best it was hard to see an outcome other than that of Roger winning. Roger won in 2 straight sets but the match was by no means a walkover for him. Rafa came up with unbelievable shots and played his best tennis of the second half of the season.Next-Rafael and Roger fly to Seoul for an exhibition match. Roger won the match in 3 sets but the fun on-court interview is what stuck out the most from that event with Rafa and Roger showing that there was no bad blood between the two and that they viewed each other as friends. Hmm, until the next ATP clash!
DECEMBER - Another season over.
Before taking his well deserved break Rafa competed at Malaga masters from 1-3 December where top Spanish players such as Moya, Lopez and Ferrer took part. He won that event, defeating Lopez and Ferrer along the way.Well instead of crying ourselves into depression and wondering how we’re going to survive the remaining 3 weeks without Rafa, we can sit down and reminisce on the year that this has been. This year had it all-the injury scares, the doubts, the surprises, the shocks, the ecstatic moments, the lows and Xisca but when is all said and done all we want is what Rafa wants- for him “to be happy and to improve as a player.” He’s still young and we have to remember that at his age many players hadn’t achieved the impressive record that Rafa has. You can’t help but be proud to be a fan of his because he’s truly a one of a kind and anybody that has followed him and his career would know that. That is why I’ve been a fan for so long. After the loss of confidence we’d experience during some periods this year it is nice to finish the year with this quote from my champion “I’m beginning to believe it’s not by chance that I’m number 2”, music to my ears! VAMOS!