Rafa Sleeveless In Montreal - 'Nuff Said.

So this is what it feels like having your christmas, birthday, and bar mitzvah wish granted by Jehovah, Baby Jesus and Oprah all at the same time.

Tight, sleeveless shirt worn with a smile. I swear, he can inspire world peace or something.

Rafa says,

"It's great to be back and I had a lot of fun playing."

Rafa partnered with one of the member in his coaching team who is also a former pro player, Francis Roig (who is a cutie himself) in doubles. They won their first match against the pairing of Novak Djokovic and Dusan Vemic with the score 75, 64. So far reports are saying that he looks real good on court. So a guy with wonky knees paired with a heavy smoker and drinker (read: Roig) beats Djoko and Vemic. Maybe Nole is especially sucky in doubles but... DAMMIT! The hope is starting to wisp out. Must. Reign it. In.

Honestly? It's just so good to see him back on court.

The Rafarse is in good form too, I see.

And, Rafanips!!

Ok, I will quit while I'm ahead.

WIMBLEDON: Oh, Nole.

Look, I'm sorry to say this to all the Nole fans because this will hurt, but as much as Tommy is a choker... Nole is one too.

*ducks from rotten veggies*

It sucks because I was kinda rooting for him too this Wimbledon. Doesn't help that Tommy won their last match because Nole choked there too.

I hope Nole figures out how to handle it soon. He's not lacking for talent or drive or ambition. Just needs a little reorganizing up north.

And on that note, I leave you with this picture of Tommy. I did say I was gonna post pics of only hot men today.

I'd totally hit that. Thrice.

WIMBLEDON: So Much Pretty On The Men's Side

Maybe I'm deflecting what with Rafa out of commission and all, but hot damn, when did these guys get so darned sexy?

Nole rocks a haircut and red accents by Adidas. He is through to the second round in 4 sets against Julien Beneteau, 6-7(8) 7-6(1) 6-2 6-4. He did, however, slid around on the grass more than he probably meant to. I heard more than one players were doing that on center court, so maybe (just maybe) it's not Adidas' fault after all. I suppose we'll see by Wednesday. But in the meantime, let's gaze upon the hotness that is Nole.

Nom.

You know who else is nom today? You'd never have expected this coming from me, but... Nando was looking very, very "touchable" today.

You guessed it - no more excessive hair gel! OMG ALERT VIDAL SASSOON. I want to run through my fingers in his lovely locks... and pretend it's Rafa's. Never say I'm not a loyal fan. Nando won his match against James Ward in convincing straight sets, 6-1 6-3 6-4.

And maybe James would not exactly be called pretty by us experts here in Tennis Lust, but look at those eyes and try to tell me it's not envy-inducing.

Tommy Robredo caused us a bit of a heart palpitations session by winning very tightly over Luka Gregorc 7-6(4) 6-4 5-7 7-6(3), but he wants to smooch us and we want to smooch him back, so we forgive him. Such generous creatures we are.

Sadly, the one arguably prettiest amongst the pretty lost today to Karol Beck in 5 sets, 1-6 7-5 6-3 4-6 10-8. Feli, how you disappoint us. And it's so annoying how you could be so pretty yet good pictures of you is very hard to find. Alas, we have to settle with this one.

The not so pretty one? Soderling also racked a win today.

Prettiest picture I could find of him.

Adidas Wants You To Know That They're Serious About This Soles Thing.

And speaking of the new Adidas outsoles... here's an ad to go with it. Featuring Marat smiling dorkily, the Bryan brothers, and Ernests Gulbis, who doesn't even have to try to look dorky.

Do the words "dorky" and "sexy" belong together? I think Marat have successfully fused it together.

I think this is more of damage control than anything else. Nole using Nike for Wimbledon last year was bad, bad, baaad PR by Adidas, but they really did deserve it. Omg, even *I* am getting sick of myself going on and on about this. No more. I will shut down the comm major in me.

UPDATE:

Don't say I didn't tell you so. Novak has his own advertisement for the soles. Okay, Adidas, we get it. No need to beat us upside the head with it.

I hope I'm not the only one who giggled at "CC Genius Novak Grass".

Thanks to @Out_at_sea for the notice!

Adidas Outsoles Everyone Else On Grass

Adidas reveals new outsole that will help protect Wimbledon's turf.



From tennishead :

Working with the All England Club, adidas Tennis developers have been developing a new outsole – which will appear on the new CC Feather IV Grass shoe – which will provide the best possible grip on grass courts while reducing the wear and tear of the grass that accumulates during the course of competition.

The development of this new shoe came as a result of the All England Club’s desire to see a more grass-friendly shoe used during The Championships, with the London 2012 Olympic Games a specific concern, as the Olympics – held at Wimbledon – will take place just a few weeks after the Grand Slam has finished.

Well, yeah, but does it really have grip? See, adidas thought skeptics like me asking skeptical questions, so they got ahold of Tim, Stefi and Andre to give it a test drive on the recent exo in the Center Court. Henman says:

“I tested the new adidas grass court outsole extensively practicing on both Wimbledon and Queen’s courts and found it provided amazing grip and support on both dry and damp surfaces. Wimbledon is a very unique playing surface so I was especially pleased to be involved in the creation of an outsole that would reduce the wear and tear of the grass while also providing players with a truly high performance grass shoe.”

Well then! I guess Nole won't be working Nike shoes this year, eh adidas? Dinara, Laura Robson, Nando, Marat and Jojo Tsonga are just a few of adidas sponsored players who will get to take advantage of this new soles at the coming Wimbledon.

ROME: Semis, Here Comes Rafa.

Rafa won 63, 63 over Nando in Rome. To his credit, The Hawk gave it his all and then some, even causing his knee to go bad again and calling the physio, and made me wish that physio was yours truly. Ah, the wonderful world of ATP trainers. There's nothing else like it, is there?

Not sure what Rafa is so surprised about in this picture. Really, all I can think of is, Eyebrows! and, Chocolate Eyes!

Despite some negative body language from Nando, for most of the match he looked quietly confident, and he made Rafa werq! today. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, I like him as a person and for him to ascend in play and rankings makes me feel good. On the other, there is that something about him that is just difficult for Rafa to shake off. I know, the scoreline doesn't say much, but most of the games in the second set went to deuce many times. One game in particular was more than 8 minutes long. That game probably caused Nando to call the trainer and go "ooh aah ouch" on tv and made me fan myself, and that kinda worried me a bit. This happened at AO - although that one was very understandable, I mean 5 hours? Peel me off the court already - and then the match with Ginge in IW/Miami (can't remember which) he called the trainer too, and I'm not sure if he played badly because of the bad knee or he called the trainer because he was playing badly. Oh boy, I think I just confused myself. My point is, he probably needs to lose a few pounds as whatever the problem is, all those muscles are not helping. I suggest he get himself a Yorkshire Terrier, as it really worked for me in losing weight. Just sayin'.

Other matches of the day results in no upsets. Well, for most people at least. Me, I'm quite upset of my Freaky Tall (tm Miri) losing to the King of Smurfs, but that's just me. Roger needed to scramble up a tiebreak to  put away Mischa Zverev, but after that it went pretty smooth. Shame, as Mischa is preeeeetteeeeh. He also had a beaut of a one handed backhand, and he was rocking that BH volley most of the first set. Shame.

I just don't understand the gangsta necklace. Is it coming back in style? And what is it about Argentines that makes them so hairy:

I'm not sure if it's a turn on or a turn off, but since I'd still hit it, I'm guessing it's more the former than latter.

So tomorrow, Roger vs Djoko starting at 1.30 PM, and Rafa vs Gonzo or Monaco at 4.

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?

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: 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.

MONTE CARLO: Launch Party (UPDATED: Video)

3 days outta the loop and Monte Carlo started without me. Life's so not fair.

So here it is, guys, the mess that is the Monte Carlo launch party.

Oh my Lord, Rafa. I'm quite speechless here. Is that your father's jacket? Your Uncle Tony's? Tio Miguel? Costa's?

WHOSE IS IT?? YOU'RE KILLING ME. Get thee to a tailor, stat. Do not torture me so, I beg of you.

See Ginge? He's not trying too hard. Fitting jacket, brushed curls, scary snaggleteeth, but nice smile.

Dare I say Nando looks quite.. hittable here? Oh, Nando. If only you keep it in your pants more often.

Nole, I think I have a jacket almost exactly like that. I don't know if it doesn't bode well for me, you, or both of us. Your gf's very cute though.

Beautiful man. Terrible dress sense. That's all. I'd totally hit it though.

UPDATE: Video