HomePageBanner


Getting ready for the Australian Open 2012
by MAC

Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

It's that time of the year when those of us in Western Hemisphere get ourselves geared up for some sleepless nights and start making up the excuses to explain our failure to turn up at work. Time converters get an upturn in hits as we all try and work out just what time (and day) it is in our neck of the woods when it's 11am in Melbourne.

Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

One of the first things Rafa did when he got Down Under was to appear at another event to promote the Bacardi Champions Drink Responsibly campaign.


The Herald Sun took the opportunity to quiz Rafa on staving off injuries.

Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

Herald Sun - youtube version uploaded by FabiolaNadja



Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

Then he was off to help Kia Motors hand over the key for their fleet of 101 specially-equipped official tournament vehicles to Tennis Australia.


Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

As always, he was candid in his pre-tournament press conference.


Somehow he's found time to do some practising.


Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

On Monday (in Australia, still Sunday night in the US) Rafa will play his first match - against Alex Kuznetsov who is a qualifier. Kuznetsov hasn't made it into the main draw of a grand slam since the Australian Open in 2007 (where he lost to James Blake in round 2) nor had he ever progressed beyond the first round of an ATP Masters 1000 tournament. We will be cautiously optimistic (providing proper anti-jinxing precautions have been taken) about this round but, like Rafa, will worry about the seeded players in his quarter (Ivan Ljubicic, Feliciano Lopez, John Isner, Nicolas Almagro, Stanislas Wawrinka, Kevin Anderson and Tomas Berdych) if and when the time comes.

Rafael Nadal
Screencap by MAC

Vamos, Rafa! Have a bonza time!