Posted: 22.03.09 15:06. Post subject: Пресса знает всё! :)

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:33. Post subject: Nadal and the life a..

Nadal and the life as world number 1

Having a place in the SF, the best player in the ranking talked about how it feels to be in the top of the planet
By Ariel Ruya translated by babi to vamosbrigade.com

MELBOURNE.- The access is restrict: the Asian security guy awe-respecting. "Not here" he says on English. "Come here with me. You only have a few minutes" says the leader, the star of this story. Going with him meaning to walk just a few steps by Rafael Nadal' side, the best racquet in the tennis world, it is close to going to a ball. Like you have the most beautiful date: everyone sighes as she walks. It is a small place near to the stadium where he spends most of his days. The site is a perfect oasis in LA NACION and the Spades Ace meeting who comes with tank top and shorts, as if he was boy in the neighborhood, simple and gentle.

"Honestly, nothing changed in my life with the #1 position. I'm not more known then I was before, when I was #2 and inside, I'm the same. It is a personal satisfaction, it was three years in a row as #2, it longed too much. It was a objetive accomplished. Up close, I'm the same as always, I live with my parents, in Mallorca, and this is not gonna change" he says surprised by the first question. But the next one makes him more uneasy. Who really is Rafael Nadal? What he enjoys the most outside the court? Is he always hurrying, as many young men today? "I don't like to be quiet. I like to have things to make all the time; I don't like to lay in the couch. I'm calm, simple, a very familiar guy who likes to be at home. I feel blessed from being from where I am. Mallorca is the perfect place to, to be quiet; they know me there since forever and I have a complete normal life there. I'm just one more" he says. And he jumps, in the ocean of his intimacy as if he was in a diving board.

- I like to fish, play golf, be with my friends, got out to have dinner or party. I have a big family: lots of young cousins (kids) and I like to be with them.

Why did you change your outfit and had a haircut?

- I don't know why I changed the outfit: I just changed it. I like it and I feel fine, maybe someday I get back to the old one. About the hair, well, my father told me many times (laughs). He always says: "Rafa, wouldn't you like to cut your hair a bit? Well, was it just a bit?

-їIs it possible to think about family as you are writing history on tennis?

-Of course. I used to play soccer and tennis since I was very young and my parents had always been with me. I have a very happy childhood. My family helps me a lot. I have a 17 years old sister and it doesn't matter if I'm a tennis player or something, we are treated as the same.
-You are a kid. But in the sport you are a veteran
-I'm young. Not in tennis, because I'm on my seventh year in the tour, but on everything else, I'm just like anyone else. I play soccer, hang out with my friends, I'm like anybody else.

-You made many dreams come true already. Are there any more?

-I'd like to have a family, but I don't think about it right now. I'm 22 years old and in this world you can think on something serious (at this age). When I'm done, my dream is to live on Mallorca, quietly. I have a boat and I would be there fishing. Having time to go to the sea and just fish.

"Have time" says Rafa, up close, as an army of curious people try to see him closer. Have time for Nadal is more like a wish. "Win AO would be a dream, stay as world number #1 all over the year or until the very end. There are a lot of dreams ahead" suggests him. But he keeps the other, the need to have a break to see what is happening in the world. To change roles, to the universe, just for a break stop spottin him.

"Wimbledon final, surely, it is the memory of the most beautiful day that sport gave to me. Though I always have a good time on Roland Garros. I'm a very happy person with my life. Everyday I woke up and say to me I'm fortunate" says the man that dive to become a legend, with his own simplicity and humbleness of a neighborhood boy.


"Everyone respects me, as #1 or as #2, I'm still the same. Inside and outside" he says. Inside and outside. Muscles to serve an unbreakable winning mind and the way of living as anyone else on Manacor, a tiny county, in the Baleares Islands, that only has 38000 habitants. One, at least, the best of all. There, they say, his girlfriend is always waiting for him. A girl from his house, that knows Nadal since he was only Rafael.

- How do you want people to remember of you when this adventure ends?

- As a good guy, nothing more. I value good people more than anything else. In addition to this, well, I hope they remember the titles, I already have some, no? But I'm more interested in the human being. A good person, you can write it.

"A good person" whispers Rafa. A line worthy of the king of humbleness.

http://www.lanacion.com.ar/nota.asp?nota_id=1094457

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:35. Post subject: The Legend of Two Su..

The Legend of Two Supermen: Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Poulomee Basu
February 11, 2009


This might be the millionth piece you read about Roger and Rafa, but since I wrote it, I might as well share it with you all.
I must admit that before yesterday I was not completely aware of how the larger majority (and particularly tennis folk) perceives Rafa. Today i have realised that a lot of people often look at him like the "bad guy in tennis"—the guy who "spoils" Roger Federer's party every single time.

They always acknowledge his talent, yes, but most of the post-match obituaries take the tone of what “Nadal took from Federer” rather than Nadal’s skill in the first place.

I can see where they are coming from. It was Nadal who stopped Rog when he wanted to win a record 6th Wimbledon. It was Nadal who has stood in Rog's way every single time he has been close to winning his dream—the French open. It was Nadal again who stopped him winning his 14th grand slam on that fateful Sunday.

And if you think about it—essentially what has Federer taken away from Nadal? Nothing. Except those two Wimbledons. I dare say the first time I don't think Rafa was ready to win it. But yes, it must've hurt him the second time. But the loss wasn't as ego-shattering as Rog's in 2008.

Lets look at the OZ final for instance. That final was our opportunity to savour the greatest rivalry in contemporary sport. And boy did it live up to its expectations. It celebrated the exquisite contrast in styles and temperaments all over again. It raised the level of tennis so high that we were left shaking our heads in disbelief instead of merely clapping.

In fact, the Times even went on to say that "Somewhere along the way on Sunday we discovered the true meaning of this rivalry. The two men asked questions of each other that they never imagined they would have to answer on a tennis court."

However even after this spectacular display of pure tennis—the final didn't turn out to be about Federer. His serve and his mind might have let him down, but it was all about Rafa. He delivered the message loud and clear. If Federer wanted to be the champion—he would have to beat him—Rafa wasn’t going to do it for him. And he didn't.

But instead of celebrating Nadal, the big story out of Melbourne is the "tears of Roger Federer". Just like the 2008 French Open was about what Federer failed to do, rather than what Nadal did right.

Let me get one thing straight—I have nothing against Roger Federer. I love him. In all honesty I love players who show emotion. I would rather not have this “calm and composed” veneer at all. Its their vulnerability which makes them relatable. Him breaking down might have been gut wrenching and uncomfortable sight all right. But in spite of all that I want to know “when do we start celebrating Nadal?”

"When does Nadal get to be the superhero instead of the villain who spoils the party?” When do we talk about him rather than compare him nonstop to the mighty Fed?

Have we heard Nadal speaking? He is perhaps the most polite professional athlete on this planet, yet people accuse him of a facade of false modesty. They question his respect for Federer as well as his humility. They constantly find his game less aesthetically pleasing compared to Federer's effortless display. They call him "less" talented. They call him Kryptonite to Federer's Superman.

To quote Tennistalk (as I cannot find words that better describe this):
"It is with considerable anger and frustration that I say enough is enough. Give this young man the credit he is due. Applaud his accomplishments instead of mourning all of the things he's taken from Federer. Credit his prodigious tennis skill, his superb athleticism, his unrivaled mental toughness and his kindness. Marvel at his consistency and admit that his number one ranking is NOT in name only.
"I can assure you that to do so is not a slight against the beloved Roger Federer. And come to the realization that perhaps there was never Kryptonite at all, but TWO Supermen instead of one."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/122872-the-legend-of-two-supermen-roger-federer-rafael-nadal


Легенда о двух Суперменах: Роджер Федерер и Рафаэль Надаль

Возможно, вы уже миллион раз читали о Роджере и Рафе, но раз уж я ее написала эту статью, я поделюсь ею с вами.

Признаться, до вчерашнего дня я не представляла себе, как большинство людей (особенно среди поклонников тенниса) воспринимают Рафу. Сегодня я поняла, что многие зачастую относятся к нему как к «плохому парню» в теннисе, парню, который каждый раз портит Роджеру праздник.

Они всегда признают его талант, да, но большинство послематчевых некрологов сводятся в первую очередь к тому, «что Надаль отнял у Федерера», а не к теннисным талантам Надаля.

Я понимаю, отчего это происходит. Именно Надаль не позволил Роджу выиграть 6-й Уимблдон подряд. Именно Надаль каждый раз стоял на пути Роджа, когда тот был близок к осуществлению своей мечты – победе на Ролан Гаррос. Именно тот же Надаль не дал ему выиграть 14-й шлем в то судьбоносное воскресенье (от себя добавлю, что именно Надаль не позволил стать Роджеру обладателем Большого Шлема в 2006-2007 гг., именно Надаль сместил Роджера с первой строки мирового рейтинга – прим. Ольги)

А если задуматься: что, по большому счету, отнял Федерер у Надаля? Ничего. Кроме тех двух Уимблдонов. Осмелюсь сказать, что в первом случае Рафа был не готов к победе. Да, второе поражение было болезненным, но не таким бьющим по самолюбию, как у Роджа в 2008 г.

Вспомним, например, недавний финал АО. Этот финал был для нас возможностью насладиться величайшим соперничеством в современном спорте, и мы получили это наслаждение. Финал снова продемонстрировал исключительно яркий контраст стилей и темпераментов. Уровень тенниса был столь высок, что мы порой качали головами в изумлении вместо того чтобы просто аплодировать.

Таймс даже написала: «В это воскресенье в какой-то момент мы поняли истинное значение этого соперничества. Оба теннисиста не могли себе представить, что им придется отвечать на теннисном корте на те вопросы, которые они друг другу задавали».

Однако даже после этого захватывающего тенниса это был финал не Федерера. Его подача и его психика дали сбой, и это был финал Рафы. Он послал громкий и ясный сигнал: если Федерер хочет быть чемпионом, ему придется обыграть его. Рафа не собирался помогать ему в этом.

Но вместо того чтобы отметить Надаля, главной сенсацией Мельбурна стали «слезы Роджера Федерера». Точно так же, как и в 2008 г. после Ролан Гаррос все говорили о том, что не удалось Роджеру, а не о том, что удалось Надалю. Хочу сказать прямо: я не имею ничего против Роджера Федерера. Я люблю его. Мне нравятся игроки, которые проявляют эмоции. Именно их ранимость делает их более близкими. То, что он разрыдался, было действительно душераздирающе, на это было неловко смотреть. Но, несмотря на все это я хочу знать: когда мы начнем отдавать должное Надалю?

Когда Надаль станет супергероем, а не злодеем, который портит праздник? Когда мы будем говорить о НЁМ вместо того чтобы до бесконечности сравнивать его с «могущественным Федом»?

Вы слышали, как говорит Надаль? Пожалуй, он самый вежливый спортсмен на этой планете. Однако его обвиняют в показной скромности. Подвергают сомнению его уважение к Федереру. О его игре постоянно говорят как о менее эстетичной по сравнению с игрой Федерера. Его называют «менее талантливым». Его называют Криптонитом Супермена Федерера.

Процитирую Tennistalk, поскольку я не подберу лучших слов:
«С негодованием и раздражением я говорю: хватит, наконец. Отдайте должное этому молодому человеку. Аплодируйте его достижениям вместо оплакивания всего того, что он отнял у Федерера. Признайте его поразительное мастерство, великолепный атлетизм, его непревзойденную психологическую устойчивость и его доброту. Удивляйтесь его стабильности и признайте, что его первое место в рейтинге НЕ номинально. Могу заверить вас, что тем самым вы не проявите неуважения к любимому Роджеру Федереру. И осознайте, что, возможно, вовсе никогда и не было никакого Криптонита, а есть ДВА Супермена вместо одного».

(перевод: Ольга)

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:35. Post subject: An Open Letter to Ra..

An Open Letter to Rafael Nadal

February 17, 2009
by Long John Silver…

Dear Rafael…
Buenas Noches, Felicitations! Hope after the Australia, you had a good break in Majorca and got some time to put your feet up.

Rafa, I am not going to pretend I know more than you…that would indeed be preposterous. But not only as a fan of yours, but as a fan of the game in general, I (and the fans around the world) need you to be healthy in the long run.

The web pages around the world ran amok the day before yesterday when you lost to Andy Murray. Andy played very well like you acknowledged, congratulations to him…but we also looked at the bigger picture.

Your knee got into trouble again, and that is not a good feeling for us to see you struggle on court for two sets. It is a tense time for us to see you take medical time outs as well. If am honest, I must confess I have been puzzled by some of your strange choices over the past few weeks.

After playing Fernando and Rodge in the semis and finals in Melbourne, there was no doubt how tired you must have been. But why in this world would you then enter both singles and doubles?

If it was someone my equal, I would have called it a dumb decision, but I am sure you know more about tennis and your body than I do, and hence am going to call it puzzling?

I know your game is based on momentum, and that is why I always doubted how you were ever going to win Australia, because you have no momentum going in. That’s why it was so special to us that you managed to win it. We as tennis fans were incredibly happy when you did that.

I understand that by entering singles and doubles, you play more and garner more momentum. But think about it, momentum is only worth anything if you are in any state to play, meaning if you don’t drive yourself to the point of exhaustion.

It is not an unconstrained problem…momentum makes you play better, WITH THE BOUNDARY CONDITION that you don’t drive yourself into exhaustion by playing too much.

I very well know you say, there is never a good time to not play, and I think Dubai is very important with 500 points. But think about not playing every single clay court tournament that ever existed this year. Hamburg, Monte Carlo and Rome…then Roland Garros.

Por Favor, do look after yourself, and most of all. look at the bigger picture. That one more tournament in any one of those places isn’t going to make a significant difference in how you play Roland Garros, I am sure the moment you step into Philippe Chatrier, you will feel at home.
It is quite OK to lose some points in one of those tournaments; maybe choose the one with least points to drop. You can do what you always do to please the sponsors, still show up to sign autographs and for photo sessions.

We need you to save your miles and legs, for Roland Garros, Wimbledon…and most importantly New York. You have traditionally been very tired every time when you have come to NY because of the all work you had done until that point of time.
You now have this rare opportunity to win on all four surfaces. Save yourself…is what as fans, we ask you.

Forget the little tournaments, we can certainly accept you losing in NY if you are playing well, and someone played better. But what a shame it would be if you lost because of bad decision-making and avoidable injuries.

After Dubai, go back home, drink some Cava and eat a bit of your mum’s lovely paella. Spend some time with your girl-friend, play soccer and maybe go fishing. But we need to fresh and fit as a fiddle for the slams. I’m sure if I know this, you, your team, and Uncle T know this too.
But I just wanted to say this because we do care about you. Maybe I could lend you some stamps, and even offer to post your letter stating the leave of absence from some of those clay grinding tournaments.

In return, you can play NY fresh, and buy me a beer, mate.
And Rafa…please bring back the sleeveless Pirate tee when you can, don’t get sucked into the ATP’s “acceptable apparel” marketing machine. We loved the Pirate tee’s, and we miss it very much now.

See, that wasn’t that bad…no ?

Abrazos!

Long

http://www.tosports.ca/?p=3400

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:36. Post subject: What Can Bloggers Le..

What Can Bloggers Learn From Rafael Nadal

I know a lot of Americans don’t watch tennis. But if you have recently, you have probably seen the Spanish bull called Rafael Nadal. Here is a 22 year old young man who has already won 6 grand slams (way more than the mighty Roger Federer had when he was 22). But his path to where he is today is something that all bloggers need to observe and learn from. So here is a summary of his journey.

A few years ago, Roger Federer (13 times Grand Slam champion) took the reigns from Pete Sampras (14 times GS Champion). He was elegant. He was unstoppable at times. And he dominated the tennis world like no other person ever did in the history of the game. But while top 10 player in the world were losing to Roger left and right, a young kid from Majorca managed to beat the mighty master on his favorite surface. Roger went on to lose only a handful of games in the next few years, but most of those were to Rafael Nadal. Nadal went on to quickly become the No. 2 player in the world. He couldn’t match Roger on faster surfaces, but he dominated Roger and other players on clay courts.

Rafael Nadal’s inability to make an impression on faster courts made folks believe that he was just another “dirt baller.” A guy who’s good on clay but not too good on hard-courts or grass. 3 years ago nobody gave Nadal a chance to reach the finals of Wimbledon. But he did. Nobody game Rafa a chance to challenge Roger at Wimbledon. But he pushed Roger to 4 sets in his first try. The very next year, he pushed Roger to a 5th set. But in 2008, Rafa beat the master on his favorite surface grass. Skeptics claimed that grass was becoming slow, and that victory was a fluke. What did Rafa do? Beat Federer in the finals of Australian Open (a hard court tournament) to put all the doubts to rest. Rafa has now beaten the greatest player in the history of the game on his favorite surfaces - on fast courts, slow courts, and anything in between. What does that say about Rafa?

Bloggers who feel like giving up should take a close look at Rafa’s story. The guy was against it by having Roger Federer in the same era. Guys like Andy Roddick, James Blake, Hewitt, Safin, and Agassi all failed to win more major tournaments partially due to Federer beating them in the finals. Not the case with Nadal. He refused to lay down and die. He went to work. He worked on his weaknesses, and he dissected Federer’s weaknesses diligently. Roger played with grace. Nadal didn’t care about being cute. He wanted to win. He was willing to die for his cause. Everybody who came to play Roger had lost the match before it even got started. Those guys gave in easily. Nadal didn’t care about who Roger Federer was. He cared about winning, and he believed in his chances.( I like this. )That is why he is on track to become the greatest player of all time (replacing (guess who?) Roger Federer). If you look at the stars in your field and feel like giving up, just imagine Rafa Nadal. He could have given up. He could have stopped being such a pain for Roger Federer. But he did not, and you should not either! Those who give up don’t get the prize. It’s as simple as that.

Are you thinking about giving up?

http://www.bloggingot.com/blogging-tips ... ael-nadal/

Коротенько последний абзац:

…Надалю пришлось играть в одну эру с Роджером Федерером. Роддику, Блейку, Хьюитту, Сафину и Агасси не удалось выиграть больше ТБШ отчасти из-за того, что Федерер побеждал их в финалах. Совсем другое с Надалем. Он отказался ложиться и умирать. Он принялся за работу. Он работал над своими слабыми местами и тщательно изучал слабые места Роджера. Роджер играл грациозно. Надаль не заботился о том, чтобы выглядеть на корте красиво. Он хотел побеждать. Он был готов умереть ради этого. Все, кто выходил играть против Роджера, проигрывали матч еще до его начала. Они быстро сдавались. Надалю было все равно, кто такой Роджер Федерер. Он жаждал победы и верил в свои силы. Поэтому он на пути к тому, чтобы стать лучшим теннисистом в истории. Если вы взвешиваете свои возможности и готовы отступить, просто вспомните Рафу Надаля. Он тоже мог сдаться. Он мог перестать быть такой болезненной проблемой для Роджера Федерера. Но он не сделал этого, и вы не делайте! Тот, кто сдается, не получает приз. Простая истина.

(перевод - Ольга)

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:48. Post subject: Цитатки Интересные ..

Цитатки

Интересные предсказания британской прессы аж в 2003 году!

Robert Philip:

quote:

Год назад ему дали прозвище «Супер Марио», после того как он победил 7-го сеяного Роджера Федерера в 1-м круге; сейчас хорват столкнулся с еще более мощным соперником в лице «Супербоя», или Рафаэля Надаля. Испанец, которому в этом месяце исполнилось 17 лет, мог бы еще два года играть в юниорском чемпионате, но он носит мантию «лучшего тинэйджера всех времен» (да-да, включая Борга и Беккера), поэтому он предпочел прокладывать свой путь в мужском Туре. Уроженец Мальорки, Надаль одержал убедительную победу: 6-3,6-4, 4-6, 6-4 по почти средиземноморским солнцем. Вряд ли он выиграет Уимблдон в этом году, но только подождите, Генри Хиггинс, только подождите* – владычество Испании не за горами.

* Из мюзикла «Моя прекрасная леди» (прим. Ольги)
(23 июня 2003 г. - The Telegraph)

John Barrett

quote:

Выиграть семь пятисетовых поединков подряд на грунте делает задачу практически невыполнимой для подростка из-за больших физических затрат. Не сомневайтесь, однако, что Надаль сможет стать чемпионом Ролан Гаррос в ближайшие три года.

(23 мая 2003 г. - FT.com article - "Young Nadal is one they'll want to avoid")

Пэт Кэш потихоньку становится шутом гороховым

quote:

«Если он сможет восстановиться после самого длинного матча в истории АО, преодолеть гандикап в виде лишнего дня отдыха у Роджера Федерера и выиграть свой первый ТБШ на харде, я встану перед ним на колени и буду почитать его как супермена».

(1 февраля 2009 г., The Sunday Times)

Нет, вы представляете себе эту картину маслом? Хотелось бы на фотки посмотреть, да что-то их нет. Видимо, Кэша под белы руки от Рафы поскорее увели, чтобы тот избежал еще большего потрясения после церемонии награждения

Фернандо Торрес (нападающий «Ливерпуля» и сборной Испании)

quote:

Когда находишься далеко от дома, начинаешь больше ценить его. Последний год был фантастическим для нас в области спорта. Ты так гордишься всеми победами! Мы все смотрели финал АО во время сборов перед матчем с «Челси». Мы так орали во время каждого розыгрыша, как будто он был последним! Come on Rafa, come on Rafa! Потому что он один из нас (в “Ливерпуле» играет несколько испанцев – прим. Ольги). Так же, как и Контадор, Састре, По Газоль… Да, сейчас мы объединены как никогда. Давайте двигаться в том же направлении. Вы даже не представляете, как высоко англичане отзываются об испанских спортсменах!

(Из интервью журналу AS)

Грег Руседски:

quote:

«Я думаю, что Энди может стать номером 1, но его слишком перехвалили в Австралии. Я ставил на Федерера, но суперменом оказался Надаль. Наша эпоха знает атлетов, таких как Бьорн Борг или Лэнс Армстронг, которые являются суперменами. У них есть от Бога что-то такое, чего нет у других. Чем больше я думаю об этом, тем больше я осознаю, что у Надаля это «что-то» есть».

17 февраля 2009 г., Гардиан

Тодд Мартин в интервью Tennis Week

quote:

TW: После того, как Надаль бился в том пятичасовом матче против Вердаско, а затем победил Федерера в другом пятисетовом матче, длившемся более 4-х часов, я сижу и думаю: как, черт возьми, ему это удается? TM: На меня это не произвело никакого впечатления – я имею в виду время, которое Надаль провел на корте. Он натренирован для этого. Меня поразило то, что в таких обстоятельствах он переигрывал соперника головой в первых четырех сетах финала. Больше всего меня впечатляет тот уровень игры, который Надаль смог поддерживать в течение этих 10 сетов подряд благодаря своей воле. Его психологическая устойчивость потрясает. Это что-то умопромрачительное.

 Posted: 22.03.09 15:57. Post subject: Александр Кузмак: ..

Александр Кузмак:

Великая сила инерции

Как же все-таки велика сила инерции в человеческом восприятии! Сколько еще побед Рафаэль Надаль должен одержать над Роджером Федерером, чтобы его успехи перестали считать признаком какой-то слабости (несобранности, неготовности, тактической неграмотности, невезения – нужное подчеркнуть) швейцарца? Вот уже пять раз подряд, на разных покрытиях, в разное время года и суток, при разной игровой подоплеке Рафаэль доказывает почтеннейшей публике одно и тоже – он сильнее Федерера, а воз и ныне там: "повезло", "неудобный соперник", "сам отдал", "если бы не развалился"…

Матч на "Род Лейвер Арене" - лишнее доказательство одной и той же теоремы. Лишнее, подчеркну, потому, что еще два года назад в интервью вашему покорному слуге Борис Беккер и Джон Ллойд выказывали восхищение тем, как обучается 20-летний испанец игре на любых покрытиях, как впитывает он тактику игры на харде и траве, как велика его способность к адаптации. И все это умножено на совершенно уникальный талант испанца, поэтому Роджер проигрывает Надалю по делу. И проигрывает не психикой, а именно в игровых компонентах.

Чем силен Федерер, если обобщить коротко? В первую очередь, быстротой мышления и игрой по восходящему мячу. Роджер бьет не сильнее – он бьет быстрее. Быстрее принимает решения, быстрее воплощает их в жизнь. Федерер силен именно в темповой, обоюдоострой, открытой игре, где швейцарец все время действует на опережение, "читая" игру оппонента и перехватывая инициативу.

Надаль же этой возможности Роджера попросту лишил. Во-первых, Рафа левша, что уже неудобно. Во-вторых, феноменально быстро передвигается по корту. В третьих, и это наиболее важно, Надаль силен теми вращениями, которые он придает мячу. Тем самым Рафа сбивает Федерера с ритма атаки, и, главное, мячи с высоким и перекрученным отскоком крайне трудно играть – для этого каждый такой мяч надо "обрабатывать ногами". А еще труднее делать это с одноручным бекхэндом Роджера. А теперь добавьте к этому шесть лет разницы в возрасте и поймете, почему Федерер "разваливается" в решающий момент. Потому что не выдерживает. После матча Роджер прямо сказал: "Я выдал сегодня свой максимум"…

Поклонники изящного, эстетичного стиля Федерера склонны обвинять Надаля в эдакой теннисной брутальности. Вероятно, в чем-то они правы. Игра испанца, без сомнения, в большей степени основана на его физических талантах – силе и выносливости. Но не признавать, что эти два компонента уже сегодня ставят Надаля выше своего соперника, также, увы, не получается. Потому что Федерер, как вы видели, выдал свой максимум. А вот Надаль, вероятнее всего, нет.

Любопытно, что Роджер уже плачет не после побед, а после поражений от Рафы. А это стопроцентный признак сегодняшнего бессилия швейцарца, игрового бессилия. Столкновение двух диаметрально противоположных игровых стилей рождает фантастические спектакли, но развязка их одна и та же, и считать очередную победу Надаля над Федерером не силой одного, а слабостью другого сегодня выглядит неубедительно и противоречит элементарному здравому смыслу. Смущенный испанец извиняется (!), видя плачущего соперника, и утешает(!) Федерера(!!) – ты, мол, еще выиграешь свой 14-й турнир "Большого шлема". Но неужели это так уж важно?

Федерер – великий теннисист, возможно, самый великий в истории тенниса на данный момент. Это признано всеми, в том числе самим Надалем. Но, честное слово, разве плохо, если на белом свете уже появился кто-то, кто сумел доказать над ним свое превосходство? По-моему, это замечательно. Это – прогресс. Это – будущее. А может быть, это "Большой шлем" для Надаля? Кто знает, во всяком случае, сомнений в том, кто победит на "Ролан Гаррос" пока нет. Пока…

http://news.sportbox.ru/Vidy_sporta/Tennis/Aleksandr-Kuzmak-Velikaya-sila-inercii

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:14. Post subject: §Ў-§С-§С-§С-§С-§С-§..

А-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а-а!!!! Французский теннисный интернет журнал GrandChelem # 11 разместил высказывания о Рафе разных игроков, я с таким удовольствием читала! На VB.com Moondancer перевела все на английский язык (огромный труд!) Щас выложу

Вот ссылка. Главным редактором этого номера была Амели Моресмо!

http://www.welovetennis.fr/medias/magazines/MAG11.pdf


http://www.welovetennis.fr/medias/magazines/MAG11.pdf

Editor in chief (for this edition only), Amеlie Mauresmo:

I think that heЎЇs really well brought up. I donЎЇt think that heЎЇs a star in the stuck-up sense of the word. I have the impression that heЎЇs a guy with both his feet firmly on the ground. With a good work ethic, family values, the values to share, not self-absorded and thereЎЇs the game as well because you can see it when he plays football, when heЎЇs playing with a ball, you can see him laughing.

Him being an islander? For me, that reflects his family values. HeЎЇs on his island over there, in a closed circle. He sees whatЎЇs happening in the world, he travels but when he returns back home, they go fishing or they enjoy simple things together and he stays humble in his behavior. I think that Toni plays an important role. I have no uncle or no other family member who could become my trainer. With the other uncle, the one who has played professional football, he learned about sport on a high level. Talking about relationships; his uncle could not always be sweet to him and you have to be willing to put up with that. You have to be willing to receive a couple of punches head-on in order to get up again. I trained every day next to him during the previous US Open and frankly, it was impressive. He uses so much match intensity. He plays for a long time. HeЎЇs somebody who needs to spend a lot of time on court. But I agree with Gilles Simon that we need to attach a bigger importance to the effectiveness of his shots. He always has a maximum intensity on a physical level. It must be hell for no matter who is standing on the other end. Regarding Federer, I think that Nadal has built the foundation in his certitude on clay and itЎЇs given him the space to stay behind Federer for all those years, to stay grounded and to work on his flaws. The way he has dominated Roland Garros last year was as if it was a joke. He ended up using FedererЎЇs tendencies to move forward on court, he slices his backhand and he goes more and more to the net where heЎЇs sincerely not clumsy.

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:16. Post subject: Продолжение... Mikh..

Продолжение...

Mikhail Youzhny about...

Facing Nadal

I can’t really say that I have a special tactic to beat him. Maybe I’m simply more in shape against him (smiles)…Our first encounter goes back to 2004. Rafa was still very young. When I beat him in Chennai (6-0, 6-1), he’d just had an extremely demanding match the day before against Carlos Moya (6-4(3), 4-6(8), 7-6(1) in 3 hours and 55 minutes - note from the editor). Rafa has improved a lot in the previous years. Against him, you can’t say: “Right, you have to play like this, like that and then, you’ll beat him.” No matter the score, no matter his shape at that moment, he never surrenders one ball. Rafa has an extraordinary fighting spirit. I adore how he fights on court. Even when he’s hurting somewhere, he doesn’t show a thing during the match. It’s impossible to tell whether he’s in shape or not, whether he’s tired. No player likes to play against him…When you look at the draw, you simply wish to see your name as far as possible from his name. (Smiles). But, you just have to deal with it.

Nadal and his island

We travel all year long and sometimes, you need to return home. To simply enjoy the moments with our family, our friends. Certain players can handle the traveling better than others, to always be so far away from their loved ones. Rafa goes back to his island for perhaps two or three days, a week here, one there. However, after that, he’s raring to get going again and to win a couple of Grand Slam tournaments (laughs). But to really answer your question, you have to know how it went when he was a junior for example, when he only just started his career. Even then, when he had reached the top 50, he was already very strong and you could already see that this was an extraordinary player. But, you could not yet imagine just how far he would go… I think that at this point, nobody is ready to make an estimate on how far Rafa can go, how much he can still improve and where he’s going to stop. Today, he’s the world number one but he’s still young. He has already won Roland Garros 4 times consecutively, four times Monte Carlo,…he has won an incredible amount of matches on clay last year.

Nadal and his uncle

The influence of Toni on his career, that’s a difficult question… It’s hard to judge in how far the relationship between a player and his coach influences the results. To be able to have an opinion on this question, you have to know his background since the beginning. You have to know how they work together. Toni has helped Rafa achieve some very good results, helped him get to this level; there’s no doubt about that. Rafa continues to improve. He’s always tweaking his game. So, you could say that Rafa is improving on his own, but I remain convinced that Toni being at his side has helped him enormously. Should Rafa change his coach, you would be able to tell the difference. Perhaps it would be better but it could just as easily be worse. Me, being trained by my uncle? Well, I’ll have to try it…(smiles).

Nadal in Roger’s shadow

They both get better because of each other. Before, it was Roger who occupied the number one spot. Today, it’s Rafa but he hasn’t stopped improving, he’s still moving forward. See, he has just won the Australian Open…
Now, the question is whether Roger will be able to compete with Rafa this season. We’ll see how it goes (smiles)...He plays incredible but he already has knee problems at his age…
Nobody knows what will happen. He could just as easily get seriously injured, forcing him to stop his career or he could stay at number one for a long time like Roger and go on to win Grand Slams like Pete (Sampras). Rafa has proven to the world that he’s able to win every tournament and that he can win Grand Slam events on every surface. He has already played three consecutive Wimbledon finals and he has won the last one. He has also won Queens. Nobody can continue to say that he’s only a clay court player. Today, things have changed, he can win everywhere.

Being a lefty

Being a lefty gives you advantages but also disadvantages. When a guy plays, he doesn't say: "he's a lefty and I don't like playing against" or "I've never succeeded when playing against a lefty". You can say: "I've never been able to beat Nadal". This you can say. But not: "I have never succeeded beating a lefty".
So, I think that you can get blocked on the name of an opponent but on the fact that he's a lefty or not.

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:19. Post subject: Продолжение... Grig..

Продолжение...

Grigor Dimitrоv about...


Facing Nadal

The first thing that I told myself was: “Yeah, I really did it! I went on court and I was beaten by Rafa and it lasted two and a half hours!” I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep that following night (smiles). In all honesty, I wasn’t expecting to play such a good match, especially in the second set. However, I really went for it, I took advantage of each low ball. For me, it was an incredible match and we’ve shown some beautiful things on that day. Because, you can’t forget that Nadal is one of the fittest guys on tour. He runs really, really well and he has improved in an incredible way. His leg work makes him even more dangerously. That’s not counting the fact that he’s mentally very, very strong, he doesn’t surrender one thing and he’s always fighting 200%. He simply has a huge psychological advantage over his opponent when he steps on court.

Nadal and his island

Of course, education does play a role in success. School, obviously is an important part of life for everybody. I think that it’s important for an athlete, regardless of what sport is played, to have a certain level of education to be able to continue to do what you want afterwards. For me, education is very important. I think that most parents want their children to be well brought-up, to be well behaved in life. They will always look for the best ways to achieve that, to help their child on the good road. For every parent, it’s crucial to bring up your child well. And when you have received a good upbringing, you will develop your qualities and this will help you in the future, no matter what you do.

Nadal and his uncle

He’s certainly the best person to guide Rafa. At the moment, their association works rather well! (smiles) The most important thing is that Rafa feels well in the company of his coach. It helps him mentally if he feels well in the company of all those who surround him…and it works! Rafa and Toni have been working in a certain way together for years and they’ve set up a certain game(style) and they have their own routine. Toni works hard for Rafa and Rafa has an absolute faith in his uncle. However, it’s not evident that somebody from your family is involved in your career. Everything depends on the sort of relationship two people have. I think that they have found their balance. This balance allows Rafa to be as strong as he is at the moment and to win so many tournaments.


Nadal in Roger’s shadow

They’re both big fighters. In recent times, I’ve seen Roger lose quite a few matches against Rafa. But I can really not discuss about the reason behind Roger’s losses, whatever it is. It’s none of my business. I adore both players, I adore their playing style so let the best man win! I don’t want to risk saying something that may offend others. I’m still too young and I’ve not yet reached the top level so it’s not up to me to talk about it. My opinion doesn’t count.

Being a lefty

Yes, perhaps...Personally, I don't think that it matters much whether an opponent is left handed or right handed.. I don't get more worried because of that. Maybe being a lefty gives you an advantage but...well, everything depends on the situation. In any case, he's a lefty and that's how it is, you can't do anything about that and he's not to blame for it. (smiles)

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:21. Post subject: Продолжение... Extr..

Продолжение...

Extract from the book by Luca Appino

Barcelona, September 2002.

A day of testing racquets is scheduled with Rafa, Feliciano Lopez and Svetlana Kutznetsova (all three were part of the Babolat team back then). Before the test, they warm up and they play a couple of points. The atmosphere is good, Feliciano and Rafa have always been real friends. On the little stands of the Sanchez-Casal Academy, I’m seated next to Emilio Sanchez and Carlos Costa. Like usual, the heat is gripping. I was stilling dealing with jetlag because I had come back from Brazil and I must admit that I had trouble starting my work day. So, I asked Rafa and Feli to play another little tie break before beginning the very precise protocol for testing racquets that day. To my big surprise, Feliciano starts to make fun of Rafa: “Even if I sit down to return, you won’t be able to hit an ace!” In those days, Rafael’s serve was far removed from the one he has today. The ball didn’t really go fast. The challenge begins and indeed, it ends without Rafa hitting an ace. During this friendly duel, there was no tension at all but there was a real understanding between the two of them. I love Rafa’s attitude, the way he stays calm when he’s being teased because it’s important to really focus like crazy when you’re trying to hit an ace. Besides, during this tie break, Rafa didn’t give his long-time friend a lot of points. At the end of the test, after having worked for two hours in heavy heat, Rafa returned on court to train…his serve.


Feliciano Lopez

“I can no longer make fun of his game now”

Rafa’s good friend and compatriot, Feliciano Lopez, has accepted to give his comments on one of the chronicles of “Rafa’s world”. It’s an amusing chronicle of a 16-year old Mallorcan who could serve for hours without ever hitting one single ace against his friends. Feliciano thinks back and laughs but not for much longer.

The king of no aces?

I remember participating but I honestly can’t recall where exactly we were testing racquets. I remember very well that I said this to Rafa (about not being able to hit an ace). Today, it’s clear that I could no longer make the same remark. His entire game has evolved a lot and his serve the most. I did tell him that day that he would not be able to hit an ace but there are a couple of inaccuracies in that chronicle. Luca’s memory is not that good (laughs). Rafa has always done this at the end of a training session: he stays with Toni, to practice and improve his serve.

The king of intensity?

When I saw him for the first time, I could not imagine that he would be able to reach such a level one day. He gave it his all to improve each year and, as you can see it for yourself, each season. He gradually raises his level. The first time I saw him was in Barcelona. He must have been 12 or 13 years old and he played a tournament…for 14 year olds. I watched his match for 5 minutes and that was all it took to be impressed with the way he fights. He was very aggressive on court despite his young age. The second time was in Seville for a challenger. We trained together and I was really amazed by his attitude on court. He always wanted to win each point! After only two or three shots, he tried to finish the point, he tried to make a winning point…I was really amazed with the sort of authority he tried all that (smiles).

The king of improvement?

I knew that he would once be a great player. I had no doubt that he would one day reach the top 10. Each year, he improved and each year, he impressed me more and more. I think that this is the real key to his game: he improves every season. If you compare the game he had in 2005 when he had conquered Roland Garros for the first time with the one he has now…jeez…he’s a totally different player and he’s only 22 years old! He still has so many years in front of him and he still has an impressive margin for improvement. Rafa is thoroughly convinced that he needs to improve. Each year is more difficult and the pressure increases. Now, he’s the number one and everybody wants to beat him. So, without any doubt: he really wants to improve his game!

The king of jokes?

We’ve known each other for a long time and we constantly joke. We know each other through and through and it’s always been like that. In general, the atmosphere among the Spanish players is excellent. Rafa is very funny and so is his uncle. They’re always joking (making fun of) with everybody. Especially of me! But it doesn’t affect me because it’s always done in the best spirit; to laugh. It’s never mean. I understand their jokes, they understand mine. Now, I can no longer make fun of his game! (laughs). He’s the best player in the world so…I can only shut up. When I told him that he needed to improve his game or his serve or whatever, I really said that to tickle him. When we play together, we joke around non-stop and most of all about our own game.


Отрывок из книги Луки Аппино

Барселона, сентябрь 2002 г.

Назначен день тестирования ракеток Babolat с участием Рафы, Фелисиано Лопеса и Светланы Кузнецовой (тогда все трое играли этими ракетками). Перед тестированием они разминаются и разыгрывают несколько очков. Атмосфера очень хорошая, Фелисиано и Рафа всегда были настоящими друзьями. На небольшой трибуне рядом с кортом Академии Санчеса-Казаля мы сидим вместе с Эмилио Санчесом и Карлосом Костой. Как обычно, жара жуткая. Я к тому же только что прилетел из Бразилии и мне было трудно втянуться в работу. Поэтому я попросил Рафу и Фели сыграть тай-брейк прежде чем начнется официальная процедура тестирования Babolat. К моему изумлению, Фелисиано начал подшучивать над Рафой: «Даже если я буду принимать подачу сидя, ты все равно не сделаешь эйс!» . В те дни подача Рафаэля была далека от сегодняшней. Мяч действительно летел очень медленно. Они начали играть, и Рафа действительно не сделал ни одного эйса. Во время этого дружеского поединка не чувствовалось никакой напряженности, напротив, было видно, что они хорошо понимают друг друга. Мне нравится поведение Рафы, то, как он остается спокойным, когда его подначивают, потому что для того, чтобы выполнить эйс, нужна сумасшедшая концентрация. К тому же во время тай-брейка Рафа проиграл Фели не так уж много очков. По окончании тестирования, проведя 2,5 часа под палящим солнцем, Рафа вернулся на корт, чтобы… тренировать свою подачу.


Фелисиано Лопес

«Сейчас я не могу смеяться над его игрой»


Король без эйсов?

Я помню, что участвовал в тестировании ракеток, но не помню, где. Я очень хорошо помню, что сказал Рафе о том, что он не сможет сделать ни одного эйса. Сегодня, понятно, я уже не могу позволить себе такого высказывания. Его игра в целом стала намного лучше, и, главным образом, подача. Я действительно сказал ему в тот день, что он не сможет подать эйс, но в воспоминаниях Луки есть неточности. У него не такая хорошая память (смеется). После тренировки Рафа всегда оставался вдвоем с Тони, чтобы поработать над подачей.

Король энергии?

Когда я впервые увидел его, я немо себе представить, что когда-то он достигнет такого уровня. Он отдавал всего себя, чтобы совершенствоваться с каждым годом, с каждым сезоном. Вы сами это видите. Он постепенно повышает уровень своей игры. Впервые я увидел его в Барселоне. Ему было лет 12-13 (ему было 12. – прим. Ольги), а он играл в турнире для 14-летних. Я минут 5 смотрел его матч, и этого было достаточно, чтобы поразиться тому, как он сражается. Несмотря на юный возраст, он был очень напористым на корте. Во второй раз мы встретились в Севилье на челленджере. Мы вместе тренировались, и я был удивлен его отношением к тренировке. Он хотел выиграть каждое очко! После 2-3 ударов он старался закончить розыгрыш виннером. Я был поражен, с каким важным видом он пытался это сделать (улыбается).

Король самосовершенствования?

Я знал, что однажды он станет отличным теннисистом. Я не сомневался, что когда-нибудь он войдет в десятку лучших. Каждый год он улучшал свою игру и с каждым годом он удивлял меня все больше и больше. Я думаю, что ключевой момент в его игре в том, что он каждый сезон играет еще лучше. Если сравнить его игру в 2005 году, когда он выиграл свой первый Ролан Гаррос, с теперешней…черт побери, это совершенно другой игрок, а ему всего 22 года! У него впереди еще столько лет, и он много что еще может совершенствовать в своей игре. Рафа твердо уверен в том, что ему надо улучшать свою игру. С каждым годом становится все труднее, давление возрастает. Сейчас он номер один в мире, и каждый стремится его обыграть. Так что, вне всякого сомнения: он действительно хочет совершенствовать свою игру.

Король шуток?

Мы знаем друг друга очень давно и очень хорошо, и мы постоянно шутим друг над другом. Так было всегда. Вообще, испанские теннисисты прекрасно друг к другу относятся. Рафа очень смешной, и его дядя тоже. Они постоянно над всеми подшучивают. Особенно надо мной! Но я не обижаюсь, потому что это делается от души, чтобы посмеяться. Их шутки никогда не бывают недобрыми. Я понимаю их шутки, они понимают мои. Сейчас я уже не могу смеяться над его игрой (смеется). Он лучший теннисист мира, так что… мне остается только заткнуться. Когда я говорил ему, что ему надо улучшать игру, подачу или что-то еще, я на самом деле говорил это, чтобы подшутить над ним. Когда мы вместе тренируемся, мы безостановочно смеемся и шутим, в основном, над своей игрой.

(перевод - Ольга)

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:22. Post subject: Продолжение... Gil..

Продолжение...

Gilles Simon about...

Facing Nadal

For me, it's always a pleasure to play against him. Every time. Because he's irreproachable when talking about his attitude (behavior). Because no matter what happens, he always respects his opponent. Because despite all the tournaments he has won and the fact that he's number one, he doesn't consider himself to be above the others. So, really, it's always a pleasure to play against him. Physically, you can sometimes see that he's tired. That was the case in the Australian Open for example. But what's incredible is his focus. His ability to keep his focus, even when it's tough. You can see it: he moves a bit less well, he runs a bit slower but his focus stays the same. He stays concentrated on each point. Even when it lasts 5 hours, he will stay focussed throughout those 5 hours on each point and this is nearly impossible to do. He's the only one I see capable of this.

Rafa and his island

I don't know if it matters that you live on an island or not. However, I do think that the education plays an important role because he's a player who is very respectful to all his opponents. And even if he had a couple of habits when he just started out that even I didn't really like (like encouraging himself after each point), he has really changed. He has toned it down. Personally, I think that the key to his success - and it still plays a role today - is that he's been very much underestimated in comparison with the level he had. I think that this awful; they way some have branded him as this clay court beast who can only run....I think that the fact that he doesn't let such things get to him is his strength but he uses it. Even today, being the number one, he still indicates that Federer is ahead of him even if it seems contradictory after having beaten him I don't know how many times and on every surface.

Rafa and his uncle

Yes, Toni plays a crucial part in his success. However, having trained with Rafa several times, I can tell you that in practice, he tries out an enormous amount of things that he either can't do or doesn't do often. It's not that he takes more risks than usual but it's a matter of taking nothing but risks! (smiles) He hits really hard and he looks to win the point within two shots to improve his game. The first time I trained with him, I told myself: "NEVER again will I play with him! (and I'm not the only one). That's saying something...and yet, I adore it because he was there to work on his game and to win points within two shots...I watched his match the next day: he made no mistake, played from the back of the court, played defensive and yet, just the day before, in training, he would do serve-volley, return-volley etc... So, all this to say that he's totally different during practice compared with his matches. (smiles)


Nadal in Roger's shadow

I watch the matches and I see Nadal win 10 times, 15 times against Federer. I simply can't think that Federer is stronger than Nadal. He used to be but that's no longer the case. Nadal used that to continue to get stronger. When we didn't expect him on grass, he reached his first Wimbledon final: "Well, it was luck, he had a good draw". Second final in Wimbledon: "yeah, but..well, he will never pull it off against Federer...". Except that even then, he lost in five sets. And finally, he wins. He, who others have branded as the player who can only win on clay.
What I find incredible is that even today, certain people still find reasons to believe that he's only a brute who stomps and runs...It's so much more than that. Nadal's strength is that for 2, 3 years, he continued to be...number two! This with 5000 ranking points! Just think how many have been number one with less points. He never let go...


That's not even speaking of the frustration that the only reason why you're stuck at n°2 is that there's this alien Federer who plays at the same time as you. You can see that this has discouraged the other players. Djoko was close but you have the impression that he's taken a step back. At first, he said: "I'm going to devour those two" but then, after seeing how much it took to reach a final, to win all the time, you could sense, especially in his attitude (even if he kept his n°3 ranking), that he took a step back. Nadal, such a force! To stay number 2, to beat Federer a lot of times, to hear that he's 100 times better than you...I think that this must have been tough and he just used it to make his move and to finally reach that number one spot. And he's the indisputable number one nowadays. They can say whatever they want, he's the indisputable number one with a considerable lead!

Being a lefty

His weapon is his cross-court forehand that works like an enormous whip. To start with, he has a big advantage against players with a one-handed backhand and this wins him a countless amount of points. Furthermore, the fact that he's a lefty helps him a lot. He doesn't have a heavy serve but it's bothersome because he uses incredible angles. If he'd used the same serve as a right-hander, it wouldn't hurt so much. Now, a bit of slice on the ad court when you return and wham, he shoots his forehand.



Жиль Симон

Игра против Надаля

Я всегда с удовольствием с ним играю. Всегда. Потому что он безупречен в своем поведении. Потому что что бы ни происходило, он всегда уважает соперника. Потому что, несмотря на все выигранные турниры и первое место в рейтинге он не считает себя выше других. Так что играть с ним всегда приятно. Иногда бывает заметно, что физически он устал. Например, как на АО. Но его концентрация невероятна. Его способность сохранять концентрацию даже когда ему очень трудно. Заметно, что он немного хуже передвигается по корту, он бегает не так быстро, но его концентрация остается прежней. Он сконцентрирован на каждом очке. Даже если это длится 5 часов, он будет сконцентрирован на каждом очке все эти пять часов, что практически невозможно. Он единственный способен на это из тех, кого я видел.


Рафа и его остров

Я не знаю, имеет ли значение, живете вы на острове или нет. Однако я считаю, что воспитание играет важную роль, потому что он игрок, который очень уважает всех соперников. И даже если у него были привычки в начале карьеры, которые раздражали даже меня (например, заводить себя после каждого розыгрыша), то он сильно изменился. Он стал делать это гораздо реже. Лично я считаю, что ключом к его успеху было и остается по сей день то, что его очень сильно недооценивали. Я считаю, что это ужасно - то, что некоторые навесили на него ярлык грунтового монстра, который может только бегать… Я думаю, что его сила в том, что он не берет это в голову. Даже сегодня, будучи первым в мире, он всё равно говорит, что Федерер впереди него, хотя это вступает в противоречие с тем фактом, что он выиграл у него, я не знаю сколько раз, и на всех покрытиях.


Рафа и его дядя

Да, Тони играет ключевую роль в успехе Рафы. Однако, потренировавшись с Рафой несколько раз, я могу сказать вам, что на тренировках он пытается сделать огромное количество вещей, которые он или не может, или не делает часто. Не то, что он играет более рискованно, он играет только рискованно! (улыбается). Он бьет по мячу очень сильно и стремится выиграть очко в два удара, чтобы улучшать свою игру. После первой тренировки с ним я сказал себе: «НИКОГДА я больше не буду с ним тренироваться! (и я не один такой). Это о чем-то говорит… И тем не менее, я преклоняюсь перед этим, потому что он пришел работать над своей игрой и выигрывать очки в два удара… На следующий день я смотрел его матч: он играл безошибочно, на задней линии, в обороне, а за день до этого, на тренировке, он играл подачу с выходом к сетке, прием с выходом к сетке и так далее… Так что на тренировках он совсем не такой, как на матчах (улыбается).


Надаль в тени Роджера

Я смотрю их матчи и вижу, как Надаль выигрывает у Федерера 10 раз, 15 раз. Я просто не могу считать, что Федерер сильнее Надаля. Был когда-то, но не сейчас. Надаль становился всё сильнее. Когда мы не ждали от него успехов на траве, он впервые вышел в финал Уимблдона. «Ну да, ему повезло, у него была хорошая сетка». Второй финал Уимблдона: «Да, но… да он никогда не справится здесь с Федерером…» И это даже тогда, когда он проиграл в 5-ти сетах. И, наконец, он побеждает. Он, на которого наклеили ярлык умеющего побеждать только на грунте.
Я считаю невероятным то, что даже сегодня находятся люди которые считают, что он всего-навсего зверь, который с топотом бегает по корту… Насколько это не соответствует истине. Сила Надаля в том, что 2, 3 года он продолжал быть… вторым номером! С 5000 рейтинговых очков! Только подумайте, сколько игроков были первыми с меньшим количеством очков. Он ни разу не отступил.
Я даже не говорю о разочаровании из-за того, что единственная причина, по которой ты застрял на 2-м месте, - это Федерер, который играет в одно с тобой время. Мы видим, как это обескураживало других игроков. Джоко был близок к успеху, но такое впечатление, что он сделал шаг назад. Сначала он говорил: «Я размажу их обоих», но потом, когда он увидел, чего стоит выйти в финал, всё время побеждать, его настрой поменялся (даже притом, что он сохраняет 3-е место); это особенно чувствуется, что он отступил. Надаль, это такая сила! Оставаться 2-м, побеждать Федерера много раз, выслушивать, что тот в 100 раз лучше, чем ты… Я думаю, что это было очень тяжело, но он сделал прорыв и стал, наконец, первым. И сегодня он бесспорно номер один. Пусть говорят всё что угодно, он бесспорный номер один и с большим отрывом!

(перевод - Ольга)

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:25. Post subject: Еще из того же интер..

Еще из того же интернет-журнала:

Nadal: the secrets of his succes.
GrandChelem #11

Nadal and his star to wish upon

This photographic document that you’ll discover here is a bomb. Don’t look for it because you won’t find it in any other magazine. Sure, maybe two or three pictures were published in the press but the entire series of 12 pictures is a world exclusive entitled “Nadal’s world” for the book of Luca Appino and Toni Nadal. Our photographer, Gianni Giacco was behind the camera to immortalize this magical moment.

The scene takes place during the semi-final against Fernando Verdasco. Gianni has decided to keep his focus on Rafael Nadal, especially during the changeovers. Most photographers use these breaks to put down their camera for a bit and have a little breather before launching the next hunting session. No break for Gianni, however. When you want to capture Rafa, when you want to wait for that magical moment when the animal reveals himself in all its essence, you need to be like Nadal; patient, concentrated and ready to let go of nothing. You can’t afford to not pay attention each second.

Rafa is in big trouble against his compatriot Verdasco. The beast is wounded but not yet dead. Once again on the barricades, the world number one digs very deep inside himself to find the necessary resources. And for this occasion, he went deeper than ever before…

End of the 4th set, Nadal returns to his seat. The procedure is set in stone; the two water bottles are waiting for him in their military line-up, one a bit smaller than the other, each in a precise distance from the feet of the Spaniard. He grabs hold of bottle number two, the smallest one, takes a sip and puts it down again. Near the plastic bottle, he discovers one of the many dandelion achenes that float around at the Rod Laver arena. The end of the month of january is in the middle of the intense pollen season in Melbourne, so you can see a lot of those little sparks floating around in the stadium.

So, Nadal starts an amazing ceremony. He grabs hold of the little achene, holds it close to his heart and shuts his eyes firmly. His face betrays a moment of intense focus of which the spectators and photographers are unaware in the middle of their little breather. Gianni captures it all…

Nadal makes his little wish. In the middle of that boiling stadium, Nadal acts as if he’s all alone in the world and he makes his wish…

The wish is revealed two days later to Gianni by Phillipe Bouin who, in turn, has heard it from Toni Nadal. The wish of a champion is the wish of a child: “if I win this match, I’ll win the Australian Open”. Nadal sets his little prisoner free to continue its travels through the sky and maybe, it will reach the tennis gods.

Never before in the history of tennis have we seen this. Never. If somebody claims the opposite, let them prove it with pictures and let them hand over the evidence. They will obviously start talking about the inner voices of Noah, Mauresmo or Ivanisevic before their grand slam match point and they’ve all talked about it extensively. But to put your faith in a little achene in the 4th set, that’s something else. You need to master the art of magical thinking, you need to believe in magic, you need to believe, you need to be religious. The battle all the way through, constant focus, being steadfast within yourself is that religion. It’s the religion of tennis.

Nadal is special. By writing this down, this is an effort to let you really feel that this player has something really transcendental, reaching for the forces of nature and to show just how much he’s unique. Just ask yourself this question: can you imagine Roger Federer, John Mcenroe, Björn Borg or Rod Laver ever doing the same thing?

Benjamin Rassat.


Этот фотографический документ настоящая бомба. Вы увидите его только здесь. Конечно, некоторые из этих фотографий попали в прессу, но вся серия из 12-ти снимков – это эксклюзив под названием «Мир Надаля» для книги Луки Аппино и Тони Надаля. Наш фотограф, Джанни Джакко, увековечил этот волшебный момент.

Действие разворачивалось во время полуфинала против Фернандо Вердаско. Джанни решил сфокусироваться на Рафаэле Надале, особенно во время смены сторон. Большинство фотографов используют эти перерывы, чтобы взять передышку. Но только не Джанни. Если вы хотите «поймать» Рафу, если вы хотите дождаться того волшебного момента, когда «зверь» раскрывается во всей своей сущности, вы должны быть таким же как Надаль: терпеливым, сосредоточенным и ничего не упускающим. Ты не можешь позволить себе пропустить ни секунды.

У Рафы большие трудности в матче со своим соотечественником Вердаско. Зверь ранен, но еще не убит. Первый номер заглядывает вглубь себя, чтобы найти силы для борьбы. На этот раз он заглянул особенно глубоко…

Конец 4-го сета. Надаль возвращается на свою скамейку. Всё действо как картина маслом: две бутылочки с водой ожидают его, четко, по-военному, выстроившись в линию. Одна чуть повыше, другая пониже. Он берет бутылочку номер два, ту, которая пониже, делает глоток и ставит ее на место. Рядом с бутылочкой он обнаруживает пушинку одуванчика, одну из тех, что во множестве летают на Rod Laver Arena.

И Надаль начинает удивительный ритуал. Он ловит пушинку, на мгновение подносит ее к сердцу и зажмуривает глаза. На его лице отображается глубокая сосредоточенность, которую не заметили зрители и фотографы, отдыхающие в перерыве между геймами. А Джанни поймал этот момент…

Надаль загадывает желание. На глазах огромного, бурлящего стадиона Надаль ведет себя так, как будто он один в целом мире. Он загадывает желание…

Спустя два дня Джанни узнает об этом желании от Филлипа Буина, которому, в свою очередь, рассказал о нем Тони Надаль. Желание чемпиона – это желание ребенка: «Если я выиграю этот матч, я выиграю Australian Open». Надаль отпускает свою маленькую пленницу, и пушинка продолжает свой путь к небу; возможно, она долетит до теннисных богов.

Никогда ранее в истории тенниса мы не видели ничего подобного. Никогда. Если кто-то возразит, пусть представит доказательства, пусть покажет фотографии. Конечно, сейчас начнут вспоминать о «внутренних голосах», которые перед матчболами на ТБШ слышали Ноа, Моресмо или Иванишевич и о которых они немало говорили. Но поверить в маленькую пушинку в 4-м сете – это что-то совсем другое. Для этого надо верить в волшебство, надо просто верить, надо быть религиозным. Бороться от начала до конца, не терять концентрации, сохранять твердость духа – вот эта религия. Это религия тенниса.

Надаль особенный. В этом игроке есть что-то действительно сверхъестественное, обращенное к силам природы. Он уникален. Задайте себе вопрос: вы можете себе представить Федерера, Макинро, Борга или Лэйвера делающими что-либо подобное?

Бенжамин Расса

Фотографии можно посмотреть здесь:
http://www.welovetennis.fr/medias/magazines/MAG11.pdf стр.19

Видео того момента, о котором рассказал автор
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75d_zYSXX08

(перевод - Ольга)

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:26. Post subject: Rafael Nadal: Mind O..

Rafael Nadal: Mind Over Matter


The Bleacher Report
by Emma (Contributor)
March 16, 2009

Mind over matter.

There is not a single person on this entire planet who understands the meaning of this phrase better than Rafael Nadal.

Already this year, he has displayed this incredible character trait of his on several occasions: the Australian Open and the Rotterdam Open. There may have been others, but these are the two I shall focus on.

Two finals, two completely different situations.

Rafa's Australian Open semifinal lasted a record-breaking five hours, 14 minutes. He should have been—and probably was—physically exhausted.

Every article, every prediction I read, was writing him off. Federer would be the out-and-out winner, they said. No competition.

But they forgot just who they were talking about. The man with the impenetrable mental strength, the man who had transformed his entire career in four months.

They forgot.

And he came out that Sunday and reminded us all why he is the World No. 1, why he is the man nobody should ever write off.

His loyal fans (myself included) hoped he would win. Of course we did. But did we expect it? Is there really anyone out there who can honestly, genuinely say they expected Rafa to win that final?

Somehow, I doubt it. But win he did, despite everything that had been said to the contrary. Perhaps because of everything that had been said to the contrary.

His mind is a fortress. Tell him something is impossible, and he goes out of his way to make it possible, to achieve.

He truly used his mind to overcome his exhaustion and ignore his critics. And, in doing so, he cemented his place in tennis history.

Take the Rotterdam final. He started the first set not playing his best tennis, but came through looking like he still had a shot at the title.

Early in the second set, he got injured. Or, at least, made his injury one hell of a lot worse if it had been there all week.

He took time out, he got treatment. When he came back, he wasn't moving well. Struggling. Yet he still took the second set. "On one leg," as Andy Murray put it afterward.

His pain was obvious. Any other player would have retired. But, as always, Nadal's mental strength must be taken into account with any physical pain.

The man does not enjoy retiring. He has a lot of pride in himself, and that is by no means a bad thing. He likes to finish his matches, he doesn't like to quit, even with very good reason.

He is also too much of a sportsman. He didn't want to deny Andy Murray that victory. Nor did he want to take away from that victory after the match, refusing even to talk about the injury in his interviews.

It's just one more example of the kind of champion that is Rafael Nadal.

And now, there's a lot of talk of the calender slam for Rafa. Can he do it? Most would say not.

But then, I think we've all learned what happens when we tell the man he cannot do something.

 Posted: 22.03.09 16:28. Post subject: Это комментарий к ст..

Это комментарий к статье Питера Бодо о финале на АО. На мой взгляд, очень полное и толковое изложение всего того, что сумел улучшить Рафа в своей игре за прошедшие годы. Я ее обязательно переведу.

Posted by Juan Josе 02/03/2009 @ 9:37 PM

I've been thinking a lot about what Nadal just did this past weekend. The phrase that came to mind was that the 9 hours and 37 minutes that he was out there for the semis and the final were the most amazing feat I've seen by any player in any single Slam.

Now, we normally reserve such praise for an immaculate, in-the-zone performance. Something like Gonzo's demolition of Haas two years ago, which still ranks as the most ridiculous display by someone who is possessed by the tennis gods that I've ever seen.

Let's say it from the get-go: Nadal was never in that zone. Not close, really. And he really wished he was, especially in the most difficult (for him) match of the two: that semifinal against Verdasco.

I have never seen anyone play with Verdasco's unabashed aggression off both wings for five hours plus. I've seen guys blast others away and end the whole affair in an hour and a half. But I've never seen a guy just fire rockets all over the place, from any part of the court, for five hours and fourteen minutes. In that semi, Verdasco did more than enough to earn a place in the final. He was in that "zone". Every little part of his game was coming together. You could see the eagerness, the fearlessness in his eyes.

And yet, he lost.

I bet Nadal wished he could have hit the ball deeper that day. There must have been something wrong with his strings or the tension. He had his sticks re-strung during the match. And for someone who never, ever slams his racket to the ground, he did something that was both bizarre and comical: after a missed shot midway through the second set, he punched the stringbed in his racket. He actually punched his own stick.

Now, if the book on Nadal on hardcours is to attack him relentlessly, how did Nadal escape, on a day when he couldn't find any depth for most of the match? He also struggled with depth in the final, but at least then he had that comfort zone, that money spot that didn't require him to hit his forehand with depth: Federer's high backhand. Against Verdasco, he had nothing remotely similar.

So how did he do it? By using every little tool in his arsenal to not only fend off the bombardment, but to unleash some bombs of his own.

Usually when I watch a tennis match, I act like a soccer-like fan-coach. "Hit to the backhand---hit there again!" "Don't come to net" "Serve out wide!", "Don't slice to the forehand". In the Federer-Roddick match, I had a field day with A-Rod. But in the Nadal-Verdasco semi, I had nothing.

Against Verdasco, most guys had success by letting Verdasco beat himself. You played steady, going for his often erratic backhand, and tempting his forehand to crumble. I noticed that he doesn't really counter-punch on the forehand side: you push him out wide on that side and he's all to eager to hit a defensive forehand slice. So I was telling Nadal, "attack the forehand!".

And he tried, sometimes. The lack of depth was a problem, but Verdasco's reluctance to miss was a bigger issue. If Nadal went to that spot, Verdasco would make a point of returning the shot with interest. Then I told Nadal "Come on, play the angle game. No one not named Nalbandian can beat you at the angle game". And he tried. Only to see Verdasco hit outrageous angles back at him. So that didn't work that well.

So, play steady and once in a while attack the backhand. Which turned into running everything down, even things he threw at Verdasco's backhand. As the match wore on, it was clear that Nadal didn't have access to any freebies, he couldn't really settle on a single part of real estate. This had to be a heavyweight, all-court dogfight. A slugfest.

Now, Nadal doesn't win that match if he hadn't embarked years ago on the quest to become a more complete player. To be sure, he could have stuck with the things he already did well and camp out on clay. But as I wrote yesterday, back in 2006 Nadal made it clear that he wanted to start his own siege on Federer's kingdom. And it was clear that he had to take his game to another level. Slowly but surely, he did.

Here's a short list of things that Nadal didn't do in 2005 and does pretty frequently these days:

- Nadal developed his biggest weapon. From being an over-the head-followthrough oddity it became one of the most feared weapons in the game. He can hit a forehand from anywhere on the court, and virtually attack from any spot. Inside-out, cross-court, down the line. You name it. And you surely don't want to approach the net after hitting to that side. Good luck handling the rocket that's coming to you. The other significant improvement Nadal made is to make his angled cross-court forehand as mean as possible, while still keeping the percentages up. If you watch him on clay on a day when he's feeling particularly wicked, you'll see how he pummels people so far wide the add court that you fear that his opponent might end up running into a billboards.

That last scenario happens when the opponent is fortunate enough to get some depth on his replies. But what makes Nadal way more dangerous than if he just stayed back is his eagerness to punish the short ball. He's probably the best at it. No one does all the little things necessary to turn those difficult short balls into clean winners as consistently as he does. And it is here when he takes some spin off the ball and finishes the forehand across his chest. The thing is, this is not a flat forehand. It still carries a lot of spin, and it's still a high-percentage shot.

- The backhand. If you took someone who never saw Nadal play and made that person watch last Sunday's final, that person would have been hard pressed to name Nadal's weak side. You could have told him that once upon a time Nadal never even considered attacking with his backhand (unless he was attempting a pass---he was always good at those) from the back of the court. It used to be that everyone and their mother started their gameplan by attacking Nadal's backhand. Good luck these days, as he has more than one alternative to make you look dumb.

While he still rarely (in the final he hit two, in the semi I think he didn't get a single one) attacks with his backhand down the line, his cross-court backhand has become vicious. He's developed incredible timing on it, especially because he hits it flat (this might be the lone flat stroke in Nadal's arsenal).

So if three years ago Nadal hit his backhand short and spinny, with no aggression to it, almost inviting you to pummel him on that side, he now can hurt you with it immediately, or at the very least, give himself a chance to hurt you properly with his main weapon. And in the past year, he's developed a new tool:

- The slice backhand. I remember when he started using this shot a little over a year ago. It was hilarious. He was obviously not very good at it. I would even say "thank you, Nadal" when he hit one of those pathetic slices to Djokovic. The basic problem was that he hit it short and his ball didn't skid. So it sat there, waiting to be killed. Any other player would have pulled the plug on this little project, but Nadal being Nadal, he kept at it. He kept trying to get better at it. Incredibly, his slice worked even on clay, a surface where you're not supposed to hit slices. Then again, Nadal could probably try any shot and it would work on clay.

Still, from that sad little shot he used to hit, we arrive to those ridiculous, Federer-esque slices he threw out there at Verdasco, trying to buy himself some time, trying to disrupt Verdasco's timing. It was just amazing to watch how good that slice backhand is these days.

- His volleying. Again, when he started improving this aspect of his game, it was clear he needed to put in the long hours. There's a video from Queens from about 2 years ago when Nadal hits the most hilarious volley of all time. So bad he had to laugh himself.

Last Sunday, Nadal hit one of the most amazing volleys of the tournament against Federer in that pivotal third set tiebreaker. It looked classic, it looked perfect. And to think that two years ago he would have driven it to the ground is just astounding.

About the net game, I think Nadal is the one person that truly understands the point of going to the net in the 21st century. Mainly, you cannot charge the net trying to find something. Trying to dare your opponent to hit a great shot. That used to be the old wisdom: you attack the net because you have a higher percentage shot by volleying than does your opponent by hitting a perfect passing shot. Now, EVERYONE can hit perfect passing shots. Off any wing. So hitting a volley after someone hits a killer pass these days is way more difficult than hitting that same passing shot.

Nadal understands that you come to net to finish a point. Not to tempt anyone, not to dare someone to come up with something great. You come in with the point half in your pocket, so you can truly have a high-percentage shot. So you'll rarely see Nadal get passed, and you'll rarely see him miss a volley. He'll get to net, but he'll only get there when it's absolutely right to be there. Which is the most important piece of strategy you can have.

- The Serve: It's still not great. And this is the one item on the list that probably won't improve that much for the rest of the way. Like TЁЄo Toni says, this is not a natural movement for Nadal, and the serve is the one instinctive, organic part of everyone's game. Sampras said it best himself, by not saying what exactly made his serve the best ever. He said he didn't know. It just happened.

Nadal had to learn it, and he clearly understands what needs to be done. And his serve is very successful anyway, because it carries so much spin, and has that tricky lefty trajectory. Only two or three players force him to come up with something special on this side, and nowadays, he does.

He is using the lefty wide serve on the ad court a lot more, and he should. But he's hitting that hard one down the line (the one used on a couple of break points against Federer) that gives him a free point more often than not, since everyone is covering for the dreaded wide serve. And he's developed a very efficient body serve that forces people to adjust in a milisecond. This gives him either a short ball or a free point.

So while he doesn't serve particularly hard, on a good day Nadal will place his serve really well. He'll look for corners, he'll surprise you most of the time. And again, this is for the times when the basic, serve-to-the-backhand strategy doesn't work. Which is rarely.

- His return of serve: This is also an area where Nadal wasn't really that good. He's not an instinctive returner, and too often he used a longer swing. But slowly but surely, he was reading serves better, and he was shortening that swing. He rarely goes for winners off returns (and he can), but he's also understood the changing times, and he's becoming increasingly good at not missing second serve returns. And he's getting them deeper and deeper. Which is a problem for everyone. Because if you once could serve Nadal out the court, now he rarely gives you free points. And the more he steps in for second serves, and the deeper his returns get, the more pressure he puts on other people. Which is why he leads most of the return of serve statistical categories.

- His positioning on the court. This one is the key, because it enables him to dispatch opponents quicker. And the strategy is simple: you want to stay close to the baseline so you can pounce any short balls that come your way. If you're too far behind, the odds that you come up with a momentum-changing shot are slimmer, and you're going to be doing way too much running. And while sometimes that's inevitable (e.g, the Verdasco match), it's not advisable that you're running around like crazy in the third round, chasing down balls from someone ranked 58 spots below you.

So the kid worked on all of these things for a couple of years. He worked hard, and he worked relentlessly. Of course, it wasn't a one-man journey: Toni Nadal might just be the greatest coach of this era. If anything, Toni is successful at keeping Nadal hungry, giving him constant reality checks. Everyone remembers how after Nadal won his first French Open, the gift his uncle gave him was a list of things he did wrong in that match. As an example of what's more common on the ATP, Marian Vajda's reaction to Djokovic winning last year's Australian Open was to proclaim that Djokovic could become no.1 by the end of the year. Which of course, he didn't.

Toni Nadal understands tennis. He understands his nephew. He understood what needed to be done, and what still needs to be done.

It was particularly touching to read Nadal's presser after the final. If the French Open was his destiny, Wimbledon was a dream, then this Australian Open was about reaping the rewards of hard work. A symbolic prize for all those hours working on his game. For all those minutes spent on hardcourts everywhere.

And it was fitting that his 9 hours and 37 minutes in the semis and the final were more like a gruelling comprehensive grad school exam than a virtuoso performance in front of an audience. He was drilled on every little thing he learned, and on the things he already knew. He was drilled over and over again.

And he passed. Knowing that his former self wouldn't have been able to do it. Knowing that if it weren't for all that work leading up to that fateful weekend, he wouldn't have done it.

And that's why I'll always remember those 9 hours plus as the most impressive feat I've ever seen on a tennis court.

http://tennisworld.typepad.com/tennisworld/2009/02/rafa/comments/page/1/#comments

 Posted: 22.03.09 20:20. Post subject: Надаль. От Налбандян..

Надаль. От Налбандяна до дель Потро

Автор: Андрей Скачковский по материалам ATP
"Чемпионат.ру"


Интрига в долине Коачелла сохранится, видимо, до последнего удара по мячу в воскресенье. Вся "большая четвёрка" по-прежнему в строю. Но если Федерер и Маррей уже заработали себе право сыграть в полуфинале, то Джоковичу и Надалю за это удовольствие ещё предстоит побороться. После первой в карьере победы над неудобным соперником – аргентинцем Давидом Налбандяном – первую ракетку мира и турнира в Индиан-Уэллсе ждёт встреча в четвертьфинале с Хуаном-Мартином дель Потро.

Пока все три личные встречи, которые состоялись в 2007 году, выиграл Рафаэль Надаль. Но не надо забывать, что 20-летний аргентинец только в прошлом году ворвался в первую десятку и заявил о себе во весь голос. Тем не менее фаворитом считается Рафа, которого каждый день неугомонные журналисты расспрашивают обо всём на свете, в том числе и о предстоящем матче.

— Рафаэль, не напоминает ли вам матч с Давидом Налбандяном немного Австралию, поединок с Вердаско?
— Наверное, если сравнивать, я должен быть лучше готов физически. Я же не играл пять часов. Как долго продолжался матч с Налбандяном?

— Два часа и 48 минут.
— Это нормально.

— Что думаете о поединке с дель Потро?
— Мне удалось спасти матч, поэтому следующий я надеюсь сыграть более агрессивно. Матч против Налбандяна даёт мне уверенность и надежду на следующий. Мне надо сыграть его как следует, чтобы победить. В противном случае это будет просто невозможно.

— Вы выступали тут и в парном разряде. Это как-то повлияло на вас?
— Вы подразумеваете, что я устал больше, чем обычно? Нет, абсолютно нет. На этот раз я играл очень поздно. А спал более восьми часов. И ничего не делал целый день. Так что нет.

— Откуда вы всё-таки взяли в себе силы в матче против аргентинца, чтобы спасти столько матчболов?
— Удача. Думаю, что мне просто повезло. Во всяком случае, я недоволен своей игрой. Недоволен собой и тем, как провёл два первых сета. Мне многое вспомнилось из последних двух матчей. Он [Налбандян] играл хорошо, и меня беспокоил его удар слева. Поэтому я не смог войти в матч наилучшим образом с психологической точки зрения. Но самое важное, что я выиграл. Я вышел в четвертьфинал и очень этому рад. Очень доволен, как мне удалось сыграть на матчболах. И на тай-брейке я сыграл лучше. В третьем он устал, как я думаю. Но я играл лучше.

— Как насчёт его удара слева, который доставляет вам проблемы?
— Я опасался его удара слева, и это было ошибкой. Сейчас я так думаю, потому что у меня есть хороший плотный удар справа. Я играл слишком много ему под удар справа, и он "убивал" меня, играя под удар слева, разве не так? В конце концов, мне удалось изменить ритм с помощью резаного удара, и это здорово мне помогло. Так что решение я нашёл.

— Можно ли сказать, что, когда во втором сете игра изменилась и публика завелась, это стало поворотным моментом?
— Поддержка публики важна всегда. Я могу только сказать спасибо зрителям. Они по-прежнему приходят на трибуны и поддерживают меня, за что я им очень благодарен.

— Что вы имели в виду, когда говорили, что не смогли войти в матч наилучшим образом с психологической точки зрения? В чём заключается проблема?
— Я так сказал, потому что не вышел на матч с чёткой идеей, как сыграть. Я вышел на матч, не имея тактики и понимания, как его можно выиграть. Наверное, так случилось, потому что я легко проиграл ему в двух предыдущих матчах и точно не знал, как надо играть. Поэтому я не мог быть доволен собой. Во всяком случае, если я ему проиграл в двух матчах, то это означает, что я играл неважно, а он играл хорошо. Причём он играл агрессивно и мощно, играл лучше меня и выиграл. На этот раз я тоже играл не в том ритме и не так агрессивно в начале матче, он убивал меня, что не могло мне понравиться.

— Вы единственный игрок в истории, который был правшой, а затем стал левшой. Какое преимущество это вам даёт?
— Это не совсем правда. Даже в футбол я играю лучше левой ногой. Даже не знаю. Для кого-то лучше правая, для другого лучше левая. Не думаю, что мне помогает именно это.

— Когда вы шли сюда, то что-то напевали. Вы в хорошем настроении? Всё идёт так, как вы ожидали? Ваша уверенность на высоком уровне?
— Ну, не знаю. Если я пою, это ещё ничего не означает. Когда сыграешь хороший матч, то и о турнире думать приятно. Этот турнир очень спокойный, поэтому он мне нравится.

— Интересно, когда игроки выходят на определённый уровень, то многие перебираются в Монте-Карло, Нью-Йорк или другие очень космополитичные места. А вы остаётесь в вашем родном городе. Почему?

— Может быть, они должны приехать на Майорку, потому что это действительно очень хорошее место. Там я нахожусь со своей семьёй. Мы живём не вместе, но в одном доме, что очень важно. У меня есть друзья со школы, я живу на очень хорошем острове. Это идеально подходит для меня, и я никогда не собираюсь уезжать оттуда. Нельзя никогда говорить "никогда", но, поверьте мне, это не тот случай.

— Как вы находите здешнее покрытие? И считаете ли вы, что существует большой разрыв между вами и Роджером, Новаком, Энди и всеми остальными?
— Что касается покрытия, то всё в порядке. Оно не очень быстрое и не очень медленное. Нормальное. Что до второго вопроса, то мы хорошо играли последние несколько лет. Но в туре много других хороших игроков. Когда я еду на турнир, то не думаю о Джоковиче, Федерере и Маррее. Я думаю о своём матче первого круга, потом второго и, если выиграю, третьего. Здесь дель Потро, Налбандян, Давид Феррер, Симон – много хороших игроков. Думаю, что нечестно думать только о четырёх.

 Posted: 22.03.09 20:22. Post subject: Азаренко: беру приме..

Азаренко: беру пример с Надаля

Виктория Азаренко после победы над Динарой Сафиной объяснила, как ей удалось одержать победу. В решающем сете россиянка вела 3:1, но теннисистка из Белоруссии сумела взять пять геймов подряд и выиграть матч.

"У меня в голове в тот момент был образ Рафы Надаля, тот стиль, в котором он всё время играет", — приводит официальный сайт турнира мнение Виктории о ключевом моменте поединка.

"Как бы ни складывался матч, он продолжает бороться. Думаю, что его менталитет, с моей точки зрения, является лучшим, чем у кого бы то ни было. Я старалась биться так же как он, и это здорово мне помогло", — резюмировала она.

Источник: "Чемпионат.ру"

 Posted: 22.03.09 20:23. Post subject: Марат Сафин о Рафе ..

Марат Сафин о Рафе

tennis.com


Q. If I could just ask you a question about Nadal. When he first came on the tour, he's always been very comfortable on clay. Has it surprised you how he's been able to develop his game on the other surfaces as well and become such a dominant player on the other surfaces?

MARAT SAFIN: He's very enthusiastic, and he's just into the game and he's 100% concentrated on the game. He has a lot of just motivation to get better and better.

Of course he's much more talented than he looks, because also a lot of people thought he doesn't have such great hands, but apparently he has unbelievable touch. He sees the ball quite well, unbelievable athlete.

So just it's easier to adapt yourself to other surfaces, and he adapt very well. Also he improved his serve and decided to go to the net. Just he breaks everybody mentally. Before the match, everybody knows that they don't have any chance.

He learns how to play on other surfaces, and I think it just was amazing. Nobody thought actually he managed to play great on grass, but he made it. It's really surprising, but it also makes you can take the hat off in front of him to show him my appreciation that he managed to do that in such a short period of time.

Q. He's also defending champion at the next two Slams. Would you say he has any chance given the level of competition?

MARAT SAFIN: He will win them again. He will win them. What's the problem. If he's not injured and he's playing well, so he will win it again.

Q. What about the US Open?

MARAT SAFIN: He has all the chance. But I don't know, for some reason he didn't play very well on that tournament, in US Open, but I think he has a chance. This year will be his year. I think he going to manage, because he's playing too good.

Q. Over your career, you've played a lot of fabulous players: Rafa, Federer, Sampras. Not breaking it down surface by surface, but overall, who do you think the best player you've ever played is?

MARAT SAFIN: Well, I played Nadal only once, but from what I see, I think that Nadal is better than everybody. I play against Federer many times, and he just surprised me every time. Each time the way he's moving the ball, the way he changes the pace, the way he's moving, the way he's destroying your game, basically.

Takes him four games to destroy you completely. He serves pretty well, he returns, and that's it. Eventually, you just gonna break down.

Q. He's just 22. Do you think in a number of years we could be talking about him breaking...

MARAT SAFIN: No, I was talking about Federer before. I think Nadal, because I was talking about Federer, because the way he's changing the pace and the way he's changing the game and the way he's moving on the court and the way he makes you look ridiculous on the court with his movement.

The greatest thing that he has, it's, yeah, three games and you are over. (laughter.)

But Nadal, he got into his brain. Nadal, he just manage to get into his brain. Psychologically Federer cannot beat Nadal psychologically. But tennis wise, I think Federer is better.

Q. How did he get into his brain?
MARAT SAFIN: Maybe by beating him many times

Вот коротко то, что сказал Марат о Рафе:

Он с энтузиазмом относится к игре, он сконцентрирован на игре на 100%. У него огромная мотивация становиться лучше и лучше.

Конечно, он гораздо талантливее, чем кажется, потому что многие считали, что у него не такие хорошие удары, но очевидно, что у него потрясающее чувство мяча, он хорошо видит мяч, он отлично подготовлен атлетически.

Он хорошо приспосабливается к разным покрытиям. Он улучшил свою подачу и стал выходить к сетке. Он ломает соперника психологически. Перед матчем все знают, что у них нет шансов.

Потрясает то, как он учится играть на других покрытиях. Никто не ожидал, что он будет превосходно играть на траве, но он добился этого. Это действительно удивительно. Я могу снять перед ним шляпу в знак восхищения тем, что он сумел сделать это так быстро.

На вопрос, есть ли у Рафы шансы выиграть следующие два ТБШ, Марат ответил: он снова выиграет их. Он выиграет. Без проблем. Если у него не будет травмы, и если он будет играть хорошо, он снова выиграет.
Что касается ЮСО, то у него есть все шансы. До сих пор по разным причинам он не очень хорошо там играл, но у него есть шансы, потому что он очень хорошо играет.

Затем Марата спросили, кто лучше: Федерер, Рафа или Сампрас, поскольку он играл с каждым.
Марат: Я играл с Надалем только один раз, я думаю, что Надаль лучше всех.
Потом он сам заблудился в этих трех соснах и всех запутал, сказал, что как теннисист Федерер лучше, но выиграть у Надаля не может по псих.причинам, поскольку Надаль побеждал его много раз.

 Posted: 22.03.09 20:25. Post subject: BCBG писала: Здравс..

BCBG писала:

quote:

Здравствуйте все! В 11 номере французского интернет-журнала GrandChelem, ссылку на который Ольга кинула три страницы назад, я нашла интересный кусочек текста. Это было в рубрике "Лучший комментарий": • A la suite d’un texte inspiré d’une discussion improbable entre le fondateur de GrandChelem et une bande de jeunes autour de la rivalité Federer/Nadal. Voici en réponse une tranche de vie racontée par un de nos internautes :« C’est drôle ça, il y a quelques mois, en rentrant du bureau, je passe par le parc monceau et alors que j’étais au passage piétons, j’entends des fllettes au premier étage d’un immeuble, appeler les passants, mais je ne peux distinguer clairement ce qu’elles leur racontent. Je m’engage dans la rue George Berger et je passe devant elles c’est alors qu’elles me crient, « Monsieur, monsieur, vous étiez pour Federer ou Nadal hier ? « je leur réponds que j’étais pour Nadal. Elles ont alors joyeusement crié, sûrement toutes heureuses que j’ai cité le nom de leur champion. Nous étions lundi, c’était en juillet; la veille Rafa avait battu Roger en fnale de Wimbledon. J’étais heureux parce que je me suis dit que le tennis recommencait à intéresser du monde. Ca a réussi à me faire oublier qu’elles m’avaient appelé monsieur alors que je n’avais pas encore 32 ans et que j’en parais 25. » Краткий перевод: Забавно, насколько месяцев назад по пути на работу я проходил через парк Монсо и еще на пешеходном переходе услышал девчушек, которые с первого этажа жилой резиденции что-то говорили проходящим мимо людям. Я не мог разобрать ясно, что они говорят. Я вышел на улицу Жорж Бержер и прошел рядом с ними. Они воскликнули: "Мсье, Мсье, вы были за Федерера или за Надаля?" Я им ответил, что я был за Надаля. Они радостно зашумели, безусловно, совершенно счастливые оттого, что я назвал имя их чемпиона. Это было в понедельник, это было в июле. Накануне вечером Рафа победил Роджера в финале Уимблдона. Я был счастлив, потому что теннис снова стал итересен так многим людям. Эта мысль даже помогла мне забыть то, что они назвали меня мсье, хотя мне еще не было 32 и выглядел я на 25.

 Posted: 22.03.09 22:11. Post subject: BNP PARIBAS OPEN M..

BNP PARIBAS OPEN
March 21, 2009
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA

Rafael Nadal

R. NADAL/A. Roddick 6-4, 7-6

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. We're used to seeing you hit hard off of both wings most of the time. Today you seemed to be incorporating a backhand slice. What was your strategy behind using that shot today?
RAFAEL NADAL: It wasn't a strategy. It was just the slice backhand, no? But in some times, sure, I played too much slice backhand today. Sometimes it's good have the slice backhand to change the rhythm of the point.
I use it too much today. That's not the right way.

Q. Today was the second time you were serving for the match and you got broken. Can you take us through what happened there in the second set when you were serving for the match?
RAFAEL NADAL: Scared maybe.

Q. Scared maybe?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Laughter.) I don't know. Yeah, it was -- yeah, I had important mistake. I have important mistake in 30-All with the forehand. I have bad selection of the shot, because I was -- I played with too much risk. Yeah.
For me, the worst game wasn't the 5-4. For me, the worst game was the 2-1, 30-0. For me, that's the worst, because in 5-4 you are serving for the match, and always is tough. But with 2-1, 30-0, 6-4, 2-1, 30-0, I had the match completely under control.
Yeah, this is not the right moment to lose that game, no?

Q. After your last match you went out and practiced your serve. Were you happier with your serve today?
RAFAEL NADAL: Some moments, yeah. Some moments, yes; some moments not very happy. But, well, not bad.

Q. You played a pretty good tiebreaker though. You must have at least been happy about that.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, it was important I played better the tiebreak. The 6-5 game, 5-6 with my serve, I played better. I served better, because in the second set I started to play more defensive, no? So that's the reason, I think.
Anyway, the wind was hard, but that's the reason why I have more problems having the match under control, two times the break.
Maybe with 6-5, I started again to play a little bit more aggressive. I served a little bit more, well, I don't know, more direction.
So in the tiebreak I did the same, having good points. So that was important to keep that mentally after two times losing the serve.

Q. They're saying tomorrow the wind here might be about 40, maybe 50 miles an hour.
RAFAEL NADAL: Tomorrow?

Q. Yeah. It's normally pretty calm here. In those circumstances, what do you have to do to play well in the wind?
RAFAEL NADAL: Move. I have to move more than usual. That's what I think.
Sometimes if you stop, I don't know, half second before to touch the ball, now you have to stop later because the ball can move all the time.
So I have to keep moving all the time and try to play inside the court. Because if you play the ball when the call is coming, I don't have to wait to the ball. I have to go to the ball.

Q. What is it that makes Murray difficult to play?
RAFAEL NADAL: Murray?
Well, he played well for the last one year. Yeah, everything, I think. He's very complete player. He has a good serve, has very good control from the baseline. Yeah, everything.
He has, well, good hands, very good dropshot. So he can play aggressive, he can play defensive, so he's a very complete player. Yeah, I think the chances play with Murray than him.

Q. You, of course, are known for biting the trophies, but you won many trophies over your career so far. If you had to choose just one or two trophies as your very favorite, which would they be?
RAFAEL NADAL: Trophies in my career?

Q. Yeah.
RAFAEL NADAL: Wimbledon and Roland Garros, yeah.

Q. Which Roland Garros?
RAFAEL NADAL: Second.

Q. Because? Why?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I had important injury in 2006. End of the season was tough moments to me, yeah.
I really don't know in that moments if I gonna have the chance to come back in the top positions or still there playing at the same level than before.
Yeah, when I won there it was really emotional, no? Some tough moments in the last moments of Roland Garros 2006.

Q. Two years ago you beat Roddick pretty handily in the semis. How did you think he's better today compared to when you played him two years ago in the semis?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know, no? I saw him always good, yeah. Sure, he's playing better this year, I think.
He started the season, I don't know, with good illusion, trying to play more aggressive. I saw him play very good matches.
I think he's -- he has more motivation right now than the last few years. That's what I see on the TV. I don't know. That's my feeling.

Q. You talk about Andy Murray has gotten a lot better this last year. What have you seen him do that's taken him to the next level?
RAFAEL NADAL: What he has to do to...

Q. What has he done this last year to get so much better?
RAFAEL NADAL: I think he's more focus all the time mentally, no? He's more regular, no?
Yeah, before he has one good match and later he played one set well and two sets not at the same level. Right now he's playing all the time very solid and very regular. He's not having strange illusion, no?
You look his results the last seven, eight months, he's not losing against anyone. He only lose against the best, and not a lot of times. I hope tomorrow. (Laughter.)

Q. It seems like maybe one of the reasons why you've been dominating and almost never losing now, is because even when you're not playing so well, you're finding ways to win; is that true?
RAFAEL NADAL: That, I think, is not new for me, no? I think the best players -- I think everybody can play and can win. Everybody can play well and can win everybody when one player a playing at his best level.
The important thing is continuing win a lot of the matches when your level is not in the top. So I think all my career I have that. Yeah, I think that's (Translated from Spanish.)
THE MODERATOR: It's a quality of mine.
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I think it's a positive quality of mine. If I'm not playing at my best level -- normally I didn't have a lot of loses in first, second round. Hopefully. You understand right now, no?
But, yeah, that's what I did well all my career, no? That's a mentality thing: Being positive and accept if you are not playing your best, you have to fight.

Q. It should be is fantastic final against Andy. Is he an opponent that you enjoy playing against? If so, why?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I enjoy playing everybody. I enjoy playing tennis and being here. Sure, enjoy being in another final. Masters Series final is very good news for me.
Tomorrow I have a match to enjoy and try to play my best tennis. It's going to be a challenge for me, and I'm going to try to play my best tennis. Only like this I gonna have chances to win against Andy.
Yeah, but anyway, the result is fine. Being in the final here is really important to me, no? Having 600 points and continuing have the good wins and good results is really important.

Q. Any disappointment not playing Roger?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I don't know, no? I think tennis are not only Roger and me. I told you guys one hundred times, but, you know, it's very difficult play against Roger every final, no?
You know, in the history, how many Grand Slam or finals we have? I don't know. Big rivalries, Børg, McEnroe, how many? Do you know?

Q. Four.
RAFAEL NADAL: Four? We already have three, three and one. Seven, so it's a lot. That's very difficult to be all the time both players on the final in the same level.
It's really strange.

 Posted: 23.03.09 04:57. Post subject: Nadal crushes Murray..