Go Home, Rafa.

Go home.

Relax.

Eat some pasta tonight. Maybe treat yourself to a cookie or three. Then hop on a plane and wing your way back to Mallorca.

Relax on a beach or at home. Just relax. If there are personal (non-career/health related) problems deal with them quickly, quietly, then let 'em slide.

Remember: you have a wealth of people who believe you in you, within your family and without.

I'm sure you know this, are looking to do most of this already but sometimes it helps to get this stuff out into the ether. Everyone loses the thread once in a while and it's not like a quarterfinal result is chopped liver. You've done amazing things so far this season and for that you should be very proud. All the best for the future.

Feel better, come back strong.

SN: We Can't Be Winners All The Time

Rafa lost :(! It's one of the few times I've ever seen Rafa snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I'm writing specifically of the three breaks up he had in the final set. Still, can't take anything away from Juan Martin Del Potro. He played extremely well! He corrected a lot of bad behaviors which had put him in poor spots in previous matches. When I read the scoreline of his David Ferrer match I knew he hadn't come into this tournament to be any man's pigeon.

All credit to Sean Randall over at Xtreme Tennis for predicting before the tournament a quarterfinal bow for Nadal. I thought he'd at least make the semis. Now I'm curious as to how many points he's lost since I believe he made the finals last year. I think his improved record in the tournaments he's played so far (wins at the Australian Open, Indian Wells) even the one he lost (Rotterdam final) will offset the loss but I'm a bit fuzzy on the mathematical particulars. Then there's the whole Dubai 'goose egg' from pulling out; can he still drop that? (lowest score can be dropped)

Well, onto the other matches! You know, it used to be that if my favorite lost I stopped watching the tournament. At least it was that way with the WTA. I, however, plan on watching the rest of the quarterfinal matches (at least) on the men's side. It's the match-ups -- they are mouthwatering! Murray vs. Verdasco!!! Federer vs. Djokovic!!! Talk about another man whose on the path of proving he's nobody's pigeon! Djokovic seems to have regained his form. Then there's the Williamses. The sisters are playing today and their matches are always an exercise in the fascinating. I'm rooting hard for Venus in spite of what will occur should she win and Serena lose. You see, the WTA's ranking system is for shit and right now Dinara Safina, who currently can't find a serve or a shot to save her life, is poised to overtake Serena as #1 should she lose. That? Blows. Should this happen it will only underscore, as Jelena Jankovic did before her, all that is terribly, terribly wrong with the WTA. No one should achieve the number one ranking through anything less than winning. I mean a relatively sustained campaign of wins. So to get number one because everyone around -- to include yourself -- is doing too much losing is a travesty. An absolute travesty. Look, I love me some Dinara but no way should she be #1. Although I will concede that on paper she's in a better position than Jankovic when she became #1 (been to two Slam finals vs. JJ's none). Even knowing what is at stake, the WTA's credibility, I still can't make myself do it. I love them both but love Venus a little harder :). It's been that way from the start.

So, yeah, if all goes as I wish (not much luck so far), Venus for the win. I predict Dinara's head will explode if that should happen. Literally explode. Either that or she'll commit seppuku just to avoid the pressure.

VAMOS!

Reuters / Michael Fiala
retrieved from Nadal News

Rafael Nadal d. David Nalbandian 3-6 7-6 6-0

This is Rafa's very first victory over the man I affectionately call 'The Shark'. Nalbandian is the destroyer of seeds -- no player is safe. When he was fitter and I was still a tennis neophyte I wondered why he had not yet been to a Grand Slam final let alone won one. The answer: ultimately he is too lazy, too content to display only every so often flashes of brilliance. This makes him dangerous, his unpredictability; it's what makes him a waste of god-given talent. In the last year or so he has allowed himself to go to seed showing a shocking lack of concern for the state of his game. Increasingly seeming more content to get off the court as fast as possible than to scratch out the win. The question every knowledgeable fan asked once the Indian Wells draw was released: which Dave are we getting? 'The Shark'? Or 'Fat Dave'? He wasn't anywhere near the best of shape but it was soon clear that 'The Shark', not 'Fat Dave', had come out to play. He handled every comer in each successive round with skill and arrived in the fourth round on the wings of strong matchplay.

Only twice before in his professional career had Nadal stood across the net from him. Both were three set matches in 2007 (Paris and Madrid). Both times Nadal lost in straight sets. There is no shame in losing to 'The Shark'; many equally good players have lost to him. Federer, Djokovic, Murray; currently ranked No. 2, 3 and 4 respectively (Nadal is No. 1) and were at or near those ranks when they lost to him. He is Cheron and Styx rolled into one: he must be crossed and the one to whom a toll must be paid.

The match was a nail-biter. Nadal was clearly not at his best and Nalbandian was aggressive from word 'go'. He took it to Rafa again and again and again. I would have screamed aloud from the frustration but it was 1 a.m. central and it wouldn't do to wake the household. I finally did let loose with many a "Come on!" and "Vamos!" as the match wore on. Rafa was frustratingly passive with his returns in that first set. The situation was made worse by a slew of unforced errors on shots he almost never misses. The first half of the second set wasn't a picnic either. He had breakpoint chances on Nalby's serve, lost them, then surrendered his own serve the following game. 'The Shark' played lights out, aggressive tennis and though Nadal started to find his serve in the second set, his unforced errors were still a problem.

The turn-around happened during Rafa's serve at 3-5 which, if lost, would have given Nalbandian the set and the match. Nadal clawed his way through four matchpoints (!), cleaning up and gritting out his service game. Now it's 4-5 and Nalbandian's on serve for the set and the match; he tightened as Nadal's level continued to rise. One matchpoint. He faced one matchpoint on 'The Shark's' serve, fought passed it, broke him and went on to win the tiebreak -- yet another nail-biter in which Nadal quickly went up 5-1 only to see Nalby storm back, but not to worry! Rafa won the tiebreak in the end, 7-5. Already Rafa was in new territory: it was the first time in all their meetings he had ever taken a set off of Nalbandian.

Third set. Here is where the stuff outside of skill comes strongly into play, like fitness. Would Nalby's lackluster fitness be an issue in the deciding set? Playing Nadal is as much a tremendous physical feat as it is a technical one. He hits the ball with so much spin and from impossible angles while making impossible gets. It can be a demoralizing exercise, particularly when it appears one has him by the short hairs only to find he's slipped the grip. And so enters some more of the other stuff it takes to win -- the psychological component. Mental fortitude is a part of every athletic competition but it is an incredibly vital portion of tennis. I've seen greatly talented players turned into near journeymen due to a lack in confidence, a crack in their mental strength. One must have a mind like a steeltrap and an unshakeable self-belief to carry one not only through wins but also through disappointing moments. The natural dips and yips and how a player handles them are what winners are made of, the mental stuff is the stuff from which champions are forged.

That mental stuff is something Nadal has in spades. If not, he would have buckled under his own frustration and self-remonstrations in that first set and a half. There is something to be said for gritting out a match, for clawing and spitting out a win. Sometimes it tires a player out, the effort; other times it invigorates. It was the latter for Nadal. He had found the rhythm on his serve; he had found the rhythm in his shots; he had shown himself, his opponent and everyone watching that he can fight his way back even with the odds stacked against him. I won't lie. I was nervous. But the mental stuff, ah, that mental stuff is one of the reasons why I love him so. It is why I am a fan.

I can't remember what year it was but I watched his American hardcourt coming-out. At least that's how all the commentators labeled it at the time. I was in Texas visiting family and that was where they were playing. The headliner? Andy Roddick. He was in his prime, his game at its height. Federer was a problem that still had an answer then, one Andy was confident he would find. This was, of course, before the cumulative losses to The Fed crushed his game and psyche. At the time, Andy was my favorite male tennis player by far, I think my only one (I've always been more of a WTA girl). The tournament showed Andy off but also played out as a showcase for the rising talent on tour -- those wet, new shining stars glistening on the horizon. Amongst them was Rafa. I recall thinking that Rafa's game seemed very well-suited for hardcourts -- a rarity amongst Spanish and/or Spanish-speaking players.

The commentators were trying to decide which of them would rise to the top, ala cream. I picked Rafa. I had a sense that Rafa would eventually prove to be the better of them. So, I tucked the name 'Rafael Nadal' into my "stable" -- players I didn't actively follow but whom I wished well when I saw their names in the draws. As predicted, Nadal rose and rose and rose and rose. His wins didn't make him my favorite; no, that was still Andy going into 2007. It was his loss at Wimbledon that year which made me into an ardent fan.

He pushed it to a fifth. Prior to the final he had played seven straight days of matchplay due to inclement weather and crap scheduling. His opponent in the final (the eventual winner) had nearly that many days off in a row coming into the same match. So he was exhausted and near-broken (his knees, my poor Rafa's knees!). He pushed it to a fifth. Did I mention he was facing the best grass-court player on tour, if not history? And not just the best grass-courter but someone who was hailed (and still is) as The GOAT -- The Greatest Of All Time? AKA Roger Federer, a man who until that bright day in Wimbledon, England 2007, had never faced even a whiff of a fifth set on grass. Rafa pushed him to a fifth. Prior to that fifth and deciding set, Nadal lost his serve but once in a set he ended up winning. It was the gutsiest, most mental performance I had witnessed in tennis in too long a time. Even as he lost that fifth set, Rafa went down snarling and fighting. The loss hurt him deeply (he cried in the shower for 30 mins post-match) but he had won my admiring, unyielding fandom.

There is a certain safety to being his fan. He leaves everything out there so neither the victories nor the losses are ever hollow. One knows he musters his best for every point of every game of every match, that and then some. It's not that losses are easier just that there is a sense of peace there amidst the disappointment. Everything is left out there which is why he wins more often than not. Which is why I didn't give up on him in the face of four matchpoints on his serve, one on Nalby's. Yes, I groaned and yelped but I didn't surrender to the sensation of defeat because I knew he wouldn't. And he didn't. 6-0 in the third and final set. Everything was clicking by then: first serves in, shots cutting angles and kissing lines. Not one game lost by Rafa, not one game won by Nalbandian. Rafa was visibly relieved to have won; it was not his best tennis but it was winning tennis. That is so often the difference between losers and winners on tour, between the Nos. 1, 2, 3, now 4 and the rest of the tour.

Vamos, Rafa! Onto the quarterfinals! Onto Del Potro!


--
listening to the sounds of birds
hello early morning

Sports News (run and hide!)

BAD NEWS: Rafa Nadal lost in the semifinals of the Madrid Open to young gun, Gilles Simon. (Boo-urns!!!)

GOOD NEWS: By reaching the semifinals, Rafa officially secured year-end number one!!!!!! He is the first Spaniard to do so, if I am not mistaken. Hee! Absolutely lovely! Also, my girl, Venus, won the Zurich Open thereby clinching her place at Doha, the WTA's end-of-year Battle Royale -- eight women enter, only one will survive! The men, too, have an year-end Battle Royale in which my boy, Rafa, and eight others will be participating. I'm hoping Venus and Rafa are the last woman and man standing (just like at Wimbledon) but the competition is stiff. Fun tennis times ahead!

In OKAY NEWS: Andy Murray (of Great Britain) ultimately won the prize, the Madrid Open championship. If one knows anything about tennis, then one knows Great Britain hasn't had a real Grand Slam contender in ages. There have been pretenders in recent years -- Rusedki (a transplant but whatever, he's a Brit citizen) and Henman, both damn good ones at their height. However I don't think they had the spark young Murray has, the pure talent and "tennis brain" which makes him lethal at present and lethal in the future. His attitude is a problem though. I admired Murray first out the gate but it was this which cooled any burgeoning fan-dom for him in my heart. I still like his game, even admire it. He is one of those players I'll rarely if ever root against unless, of course, he faces any of my boys. ^^

Well, congrats Andy, Rafa, for a year well done.

In EVEN BETTER NEWS: The Giants won their football game on Sunday. I didn't have the pleasure of watching it, although I did enjoy myself some football that day. I heard they didn't play their A-game, which isn't good, but the score differential (respectable) makes up for that in my opinion. They are still leading their division which is good, so I'm crossing my fingers for their continued success this year. One game at a time, baby!

Sports News (Rafa Forever!)

A big HUZZAH for Rafa Nadal!!! He beat a difficult opponent in rising star, Ernest Gulbis -- watch out for him and others in 2009 -- in the second round of the Madrid Open.

After winning the first set (7-5), Nadal dropped the second (3-6) yet won the third and deciding set (6-3). Good job, Rafa! Just keep doing what you do best out there, son.

Here's a big RAZ for the NY Football Giants for Monday Night's game against the Cleveland Browns. Now, I have no beef with the Browns, nor do I care about them one way or the other. I

just care about my beloved Giants -- and they did not show up to play the game of which they are capable, while Cleveland did (hats off to them).

I was so thoroughly disappointed in what I perceived as Eli's befuddled leadership on the field, a discombobulated mess which seemed to trickle down throughout the offensive line; in the defense, who stopped the hard-charging, high-scoring Patriot offense on a dime yet somehow couldn't stifle the Browns offense's inexorable movement of the chains; and with the coaching staff on the sidelines who seemingly were unable to come up with a counter to the heat the Browns were bringing that I walked away early in the 4th quarter (post another Eli interception).

Only one team in NFL history has achieved perfection -- say hello, 1972 Dolphins -- and the Giants wouldn't be my Giants if they didn't f-up every now and again. However. Let's make this an infrequent occurence, okay, Giants?

Also, stop trying to force the pass to Plax!!!! For three-quarters of the game I watched them do this and I was like, what? Is he T.O. now? Must we make him feel included after the suspension, must we utilize him by giving him the ball even when play after play shows that boat won't float?!?! Look. I know Burress is great, and great for us, but it does neither him nor the team any good to give him the ball when clearly it isn't working (at least not this game)! What I found masterful about the Seahawks game last week was the Giants willingness and effectiveness at finding other receivers to fill the Plaxico-shaped hole on their side of the line of scrimage. It showcased our range and depth. Let's remember the lessons of the Seahawks at Giants stadium and keep to that, shall we?

What I saw Monday was the old, sloppy, pre-2007 post season Giants -- that is no longer allowed!!! To cut the Giants a little slack, I will say something must have been in the air week 6 because a lot of dominant teams racked up losses in games they were expected to win. So there's

your slack, now KNOCK IT OFF!!!!

--
Not listening to anything right now. But I guess we can go with a little
*Tilly and The Wall's Pot Kettle Black -- awse!


*tap the bold link for a free listen, no download :(

Football! Tennis! Perfection! Sports News!

FOOTBALL
Whoohoo, Giants!!!! Keep it up! Keep it up! Keep it up!!!

A more tepid 'whoohoo' for the Cowboys, whom I also love. I know, same division -- don't care! ^^ I just -- sigh, I have a problem with Romo. He rubs me the wrong way; I don't know why. And no, it has nothing to do with Jessica Simpson. In fact, I think she got a bum rap on the whole 'jinx controversy'. I just don't like him.

TENNIS
Nadal, my lovely, this is late in coming but congratulations on all your success this year, it is much deserved. *kisses*

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What am I listening to now? Lupe. I have fallen in love with 'The Cool'.
Streets Are On Fire, y'all!