EL TORO DE RAFA: monte carlo

Showing posts with label monte carlo. Show all posts

Sunday, April 19, 2009

MONTE CARLO: VIDEOS - Semi Final Tie Break & Post Match Interview

29 shots rally and I missed it. Sheesh.

I still cannot believe he could understand French accented English and not Brits.

Love how he said "for example" with the hand gesture. Very teacher-like.

MONTE CARLO: Semifinal Match Pictures

MONTE CARLO: Rafa Through To Final, Shocked Much?

Rafa won 62, 76(4) over The Ginge Hotness and walked into his 5th Monte Carlo final.

My thoughts of the match? Until it was 4-1 for Rafa in the second, it was yawn. Yawn yawn. Yawn yawn yawn yawn. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwn. And then my stream died, and THEN it got interesting. 13 games into the match, it got interesting. There is no god. I missed the whole interesting part, sad to say. Here's hoping someone upload the tiebreak on youtube. Well they better! It was tiebreak gold.

The whole match Ginge was juggling the ball inside his shorts pocket and that's not me trying to be cheeky. Somehow, after how many matches of his I've seen he decides that his first semifinal against Rafa - on clay no less - will be the time when he develops sudden discomfort to the ball inside his shorts pocket. He was also vaguely looking like he was trying to remember if he turned off his coffee maker.

4-1 in the second, when I'm two nods away from falling asleep, Miri told me not to doze just yet, as usually this is about the time when Ginge resurrects himself. Heh. I think we bloggers have to bite our tongues on jokes next time, because that's just what Andy did. And then just about everyone in my twittosphere started accusing me of giving Andy the kiss of life I claimed to have given him during his matches against Fognini and Kolya! Sheesh. I'm good, but I'm not that good okay.

Anyhoo, it was a good semi. Scary part is that now Ginge must have figured out a little on how to beat Rafa on clay, and trust me he will figure it out before long. That's how smart of a player he is. Oh, and we got the first real fistpump from Rafa in Monte Carlo.

He brought the cows home alright. Sorry Ginge, no #2 for you just yet. Rafa will meet Djoko the Smurf in the final. Don't forget to send out good vibes and mojo to Rafa tomorrow as Djoko demolished (well, two 3 setters, but I just wanted to use that word) 3 Spaniards on his way to the final, not to mention Roger's BFF Wawrinka. Good luck, Smurf. Rafa will kick your ass.

Funny note: According to @fonger in Twitter, Robby Koenig from TTV mentioned something about horny Rafa fans. The other commentator suggested they should be called Rabid Toro Fans. Now, how do we get them to visit this blog? Anyone?

Saturday, April 18, 2009

MONTE CARLO: Saturday's OOP

[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND)
Not Before 1:30 PM
[3] N Djokovic (SRB) vs [13] S Wawrinka (SUI)
[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs [4] A Murray (GBR)
N Djokovic (SRB) / V Troicki (SRB) vs [2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB)

If I'm not mistaken, if Smurfy and Ginge both wins, Ginge will move up to #3 in rankings. If both loses, he still moves up to #3. But if Ginge loses - and I'm just throwing this out there, not saying he really will - and Nole doesn't, everyone's staying where they are for now.

And yes people, BryBros is still in MC, so no, they're probably not attending Roddick's wedding. Yes I know, gasp and all that, but maybe, just maybe, a Masters title is more important to them than listening to Elton John and eating barbeque? Just sayin'.

Ginge vs Rafa is always fun, even when Rafa's hobbling on one leg ala Rotterdam. Nole vs Roger's BFF, bring it on. Both are playing great so far. I can't wait til tomorrow! *rubs hands in glee*

MONTE CARLO: Ginge vs Kolya - Best Match So Far

In my not very humble opinion at least. The second set was just thrilling stuff and pure grit from both players. Both have played once already during the day and it showed, especially on Ginge. But he held on amidst his yells and shouts and screams of "Fuck!", "Come on!", and "What is that!". How do you not love a player of this caliber?

A very funny thing happened at deuce on Andy's winning game. Kolya's ball was called long by the judge, but the umpire wasn't too sure and down he came from his chair. Ginge was totally knackered by then, and he just pointed to what was supposedly the mark with his racquet and said "it's there" with not much care. But the umpire didn't agree, he pointed to the mark inside the court and well, suffice to say Andy went BALLISTIC. Ears steaming, roof hitting, violence in your mind kind of ballistic.

"What!!"
"It's that one!!"

"Oh my god!"
"I can't believe this!"

I was sort of hoping he would say "You can't be serious!" ala McEnroe, but alas, I had to be satisfied with head clutching, complete and utter disbelief and so much panic in his voice it was cracking. The match alone is worth watching, just for that scene. It was that priceless. I will hunt down a video of it in youtube, here's hoping Ginge's fans would get off their asses and upload something interesting about him. Don't look at me, I don't have the kind of bandwith to upload videos, so I'm off the hook.

So Ginge won 76(1), 64. The scoreline just didn't do the match justice. I wish Kolya all the best in upcoming tournaments, he played great - unless he meets Rafa or Ginge. All's fair then.

What a win.

Oh - and to reward him, he has to play against Rafa tomorrow. Yeah. I'm looking forward to Ginge just frazzling away from nerves and throwing tanthrums on court while Rafa just looks on with that stony expression he has. Good times.

MONTE CARLO: Ljubi Might Be Top 5 Once, But Rafa Is Top Gun Nowadays

Rafa wins comfortably (and looking it, too) 63, 63.

71% first serve, 9 winners, 13 errors to Ljubi's 13/31. The double fault surprised me, as it does everytime he does.

Ljubi played well, but as you can see from the stats, the UE's are his downfall. Too many nets, too many screwed forehands/backhands. Mind you, he does have a great one handed backhand, but today it nets or just full-on missed.

Rafa went for good groundstrokes and great movements. The rest is history. It *is* clay. I'd like to say that Rafa can win most matches on clay with one hand and one leg tied behind his back, but I know I'm terribly biased.

Wait - maybe I'm not after all:

See? He even finds time to pose:

So much win, you guys.

Other scores of the day so far:

[3] N Djokovic (SRB) d [7] F Verdasco (ESP) 62 46 63
13] S Wawrinka (SUI) d [Q] A Beck (GER) 62 64

Up next is Ginge vs Kolya. I'm so hoping Ginge will win, but with Kolya, I'm not so sure, Ginge is lacking some hotness in his matches. But I'm still taking off my panties and twirling it in the air for him.

Rafa will face whoever wins the Ginge/Kolya match. But baby, baby, is he en fuego or what.

MONTE CARLO: Rafa Served Bagel To Go 4th

Rafa won 63, 60 over Nicolas Lapentti.

I missed the first set because I converted the time wrongly, but from what I have heard he was not playing too good, but not bad either. Yes I know, cryptic. Basically the scoreline did not reflect the match. The first set was a breakfest, but the second, from what I've seen, is so-so.

The thing about Rafa that I have noticed is that when he goes against players that say, has skills amounting to 4 on the richter scale, he brings out a 4 himself, maybe a 4.5. But when he's facing Federer or Ginge or Nole, he brings out the big guns, 11 on the richter scale. Have I confused you enough for the day? Good.

Other results so far during this crazy day:

[4] A Murray (GBR) d [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 76(11) 64
[8] N Davydenko (RUS) d [12] D Nalbandian (ARG) 64 57 63
[WC] I Ljubicic (CRO) d S Bolelli (ITA) 75 76(2)

Oh Ginge, I wish I could quit you.

Ginge had a thriller tie break yesterday against Clown (Fognini), and there was F-bombs all over the court. It was kinda awesome actually. The second set, Foggy was up 3-1 before I gave Ginge the second kiss of life in 2 days (bothersome man) and he won it 64.

Who was surprised that Roger lost? No, not me. Wawa played great against Rafa in Miami and Roger has a wonky back and his decision to play was very rushed and reeks of lack of preparation, and dare I say, a little panic that Ginge/Nole will be inching closer to his ranking? I personally don't think Roger needs to care where he is in the ranks, but he does sound like a man who cares. He also didn't seem quite surprised to lose, if we read his presser. I think I'm quite happy with that, that the loss doesn't bother him too much. He needs to gas it up during slams and nothing else for all I care. Get that number 14, Roger.

BTW, if I may, he's looking DILF hot here.

Right now Nandole is in a 3 setter. 62, 46, 42 for Smurfy. I'm kinda liking him more since he found his head (worst pun ever) at Miami.

After Nandole finishes, Beck vs Wawa will commence, and then we'll get our second fix of Rafa. He's going against Ljubicic who beat Beau Bolelli earlier. Ginge is going against Kolya right after that. Just working out the schedule is wearing me out. But everyone's playing quite well.

A great quote from a friend:

Stella: The guys know this is a great opportunity to make the final with Roger out. They really want that runner up plate.

Friday, April 17, 2009

MONTE CARLO: Friday's OOP

So according to this, Rafa will be playing twice, so does Ginge and everybody else, and if Nando wins doubles he plays three times.

FRIDAY, 17 APRIL, 2009

COURT CENTRAL start 10:30 am
[1] R Nadal (ESP) vs [Q] N Lapentti (ECU) 01 - To Finish 0-1
Not Before 12:00 PM
[7] F Verdasco (ESP) vs [3] N Djokovic (SRB)
[Q] A Beck (GER) vs [13] S Wawrinka (SUI)
[1] R Nadal (ESP) or [Q] N Lapentti (ECU) vs S Bolelli (ITA) or [WC] I Ljubicic (CRO)
[4] A Murray (GBR) or [Q] F Fognini (ITA) vs [12] D Nalbandian (ARG) or [8] N Davydenko (RUS)

COURT DES PRINCES start 10:30 am
[4] A Murray (GBR) vs [Q] F Fognini (ITA) 76(11) 10 - To Finish 7-6 1-0
M Cilic (CRO) / N Kiefer (GER) vs [2] D Nestor (CAN) / N Zimonjic (SRB)
[1] B Bryan (USA) / M Bryan (USA) vs [6] M Fyrstenberg (POL) / M Matkowski (POL)
N Djokovic (SRB) / V Troicki (SRB) vs F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) or [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) - After Suitable Rest

COURT 2 start 10:30 am
[12] D Nalbandian (ARG) vs [8] N Davydenko (RUS)
[3] L Dlouhy (CZE) / L Paes (IND) vs [7] J Knowle (AUT) / A Ram (ISR)
F Lopez (ESP) / F Verdasco (ESP) vs [4] M Bhupathi (IND) / M Knowles (BAH) - After Suitable Rest

COURT 9 start 10:30 am
S Bolelli (ITA) vs [WC] I Ljubicic (CRO)

Yeah. Good one, Monte Carlo. Very good.

MONTE CARLO: Hola Xisca!

I did say I was gonna look for some Xisca/Maribel pics in Monte Carlo, and bless google and some very good friends, I found some.

That's Maribel. Holy Lord, she's hot. With El Toro cap! Flove.

Why do I always covet her tops? First the white top she wore to Cincy, now this yellow one.

With Mama Nadal.

I'm sorry, I don't care what anyone says, Xisca is a frigging beautiful girl. There. I've officially joined the church of Xisca.

Thanks Stella!

Pics from Hola Magazine, with article.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

MONTE CARLO: It's A Family Trip!

Haven't seen a picture of Xisca or Maribel, but here's a totally scary paparazzi video of the Nadal's bunch. Mom, Xisca, Maribel and Benito.

Okay, I feel dirty now. I think I will refrain from posting such vids next time. Sorry.

MONTE CARLO: Rafa's 2nd Round Presser

For those of you who didn't watch the match, notice anything different from Rafa? Ignore the totally delish pose and look down. No, lower.

No? Answer:

Q. You don't play anymore with the straps on the knees?
RAFAEL NADAL: You never know. Maybe tomorrow I gonna put another time. We think about to take out for a while. We gonna see what's happen. So for the moment it's okay. So I happy for that.

Q. Do you remember when it was when you played without them the last time?
RAFAEL NADAL: Yeah, I think last year here I played without against Ferrer. And before I don't know. One year.

Q. Does it make a difference?
RAFAEL NADAL: I don't know. I have to try more matches than one, no?

Here's the presser.

MONTE CARLO: 2nd Round Post Match Interviews; Rafa & Uncle Tony

All thanks to GOTOTENNIS!

Lord knows I'm so not trilingual, so here's the translation FreakyFrites managed to glean from the video.

On Rafa’s 6-2, 6-3 victory over Chela today: “Rafa didn’t play that great but for the first day, it’s okay. . .It wasn’t easy. Chela is always a tough player. But still, Rafa didn’t play that well.”

If he had a preference for Rafa’s next opponent, either Lapentti or Safin: “I never prepare him for one player because you never know.”

Interviewer: “So far this season, Rafael has been more offensive - playing more in the court. Is this something you want him to do also on the clay?”

Toni Nadal: “We try each year to be a little more like this. Last year was a good year for us because he played well in Wimbledon and Queens and this year, as well, in Australia. But the change onto the clay is hard. . .but it’s always good for him to play more aggressive.”

Then they show Rafa playing in Monte Carlo in 2003. Don’t really say much about it except it’s “Baby Rafa.”

In closing, the interviewer asks Uncle Toni if Rafa will win his 5th title in Monte Carlo this week.

Uncle Toni: “It’s always easier to lose than to win. . . I think he has a small chance to win it!”

Firstly, I'm shocked that Rafa can understand English questions put forward with such thick French accent, when he always looks terribly lost with clean, no fuss American accents during pressers. Secondly, Uncle Tony speaks French?! He just got about 10 degrees hotter. That is celcius degrees btw.

MONTE CARLO: Rafa Through To 3rd

Rafa won 2 and 3 against Chela. Tell me, why does his headband never stays put anymore?

Have to say I'm not terribly impressed with his play, or any play in Monte Carlo so far. Ginge got through but not looking terribly unbeatable. Roger won but Seppi was keeping up with him two for two most of the time. And wtf was up with the Frenchies going down like flies in first round?

Eventhough Rafa didn't look very convincing today, the headlines are irritating me to no end. Yahoo says "Rafa wins, but his performance belied a bit of rust". Yeah whatever guys.

I really.