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Looking forwards

It's odd to think that before the AO, so much was said about how quickly men's tennis was changing. Of course, it will change. But at the moment, men's tennis seems still all about Roger and Rafa. I'm not sorry about that. I want to know how their story unfolds in 2009.  

Rafael Nadal

Hot, sweating... perfect.

AO 2009 - the aftermath

Well, that was exciting, wasn't it? 

Rafael Nadal is only the fourth man to win major singles titles on three different surfaces, after Jimmy Connnors, Mats Wilander and Andre Agassi. Unlike those people, who did it over a number of years, he's actually the first ever man to win major singles titles on three different surfaces in one year. I shuffled over to wikipedia to check this out and as far as I can tell it's true. No other man has ever done this, not even Rod Laver, because he won his grand slams on two surfaces. Rafa is a phenomenon.  

But, not only is he quite good at tennis, here's a man who also finds time to organise his commemorative stuffed wombats into his trophies during high pressure moments.

 

Oh and while I'm here posting about tennis related geekery, here's a really fascinating breakdown of the 2009 AO final. It uses a system to calculate effectiveness of play called the 'aggressive margin', but added to this is a breakdown of each time Roger and Rafa played a shot in order to force the other into error.

pic from Corbis

Body language

Just a couple of random examples. I love the affection and closeness, and also it's a bit like they're making up after a fight. 

Rafa v Iker

Isn’t he just the cutest beast that ever stalked the tennis courts?

I don't know why I love this picture, but I do. Could it be because Roger looks yummy, despite the dire suit he was made to wear at the TMC? Also, the man has so much poise, whatever he's doing.

Elegante

El Mundo has voted Roger Federer the second most elegant man in the world. The most elegant award goes to Karl Lagerfeld. Who, okay, is elegant, and I've always liked the extremely stylised nature of his clothes. But, in words of Mugatu, he's only got one look!

Rafa's favourite victories

Rafa has been writing fanfiction and posting it on his website. In Touch -- You have to wait for it to load, then click on 'victories'.  

Here are some excerpts:  

2006 - Roland Garros: Federer is not only a champion, but also a gentleman and an elegant rival. He did not try to humiliate me, he did not draw blood. I don't think he wanted to win like that, against a frightened opponent who hardly put up any resistance. He wanted to win against Rafa Nadal.  

Wimbledon - 2007: I made him show his best, far from the lord of grass performing a ballet to a fellow puppet. This time he sweated, he sweated as never before and I even managed to bother him a bit.  

Wimbledon - 2008: Nothing around me was important, time stopped, the voices faded and the stands were no more than mist. Roger and I were alone.

Monte Carlo - 2006: Another final against Federer. I correct. It is never 'another'. It is never 'one more'. Every meeting is the first and the last.

I love the theatrical metaphor, Rafa! In fact, I love it all.