Post-Barcelona Panic

(Prepare for a rather long and un-professional expression of my emotions- sorry.)

So, you know the drill. Rafa lost again. This time it came to Fabio Fognini who defeated him 6-4 7-6 in the 3rd Round of the Barcelona Open.

Normally after a loss the fans are negative at first, but then clouds start to clear and the excitement for the next tournament kicks in. This one is kind of different. For me, it's like the permanent worry in the back of my head is being brought closer by every loss we endure. It's reached the stage where the worry is so overwhelming it's drowning out the positivity. At the moment, I can't think of anything positive about this situation.

After Monte Carlo I was so excited. The general consensus amongst fans was a positive energy and excitement for the next tournament. Rafa had lost in the semi final, but he lost to the best player in the world at that moment. It was a turning point, a really happy day for everybody despite the scoreline. I was delighted and just so relieved that the nervous off-point Rafa had vanished. Or so we thought.

The match in Barcelona was terrible, let's face it. Rafa's game was so average today. I didn't watch any of this tournament apart from the last couple of points in the tiebreak, (which both Rafa lost.) I'm a student so I spend most of my time at school. I rushed home to catch the end of the second set and hopefully a third set, but I only arrived minutes before Rafa lost the match. Not ideal at all.

Rafa's press conference was quite depressing to be honest. It reflected onto me. I'm now very worried for him. I'm worried he won't be at his best level in time for the French Open. I'm worried he's running out of time in his career. Every time a loss like this happens, we're losing the potential time I could be spending supporting him when he's winning and in a positive frame of mind. It might be selfish, I'm aware of that, but I desire to watch him for the maximum amount of time possible when he's playing well. This slump is no fun for anybody.

On the positive side, Rafa is totally healthy and injury free. That is the most important thing. I guess we can't have it both ways though, huh?

It's a pretty complex thing to explain, there's so many feelings and thoughts going on inside my head right now. At the end of the day, we need to simplify it a little though. A tennis player lost a tennis match. That's it. Even though there's a lot of doubt and panic surrounding the situation as it's kind of a disaster, let's not forget that it's a tennis match. Nothing more. (I know that's a little bit hypocritical, but to be honest, that was more of a reminder to myself to stop panicking.)

There's a lot going on right now. Every Rafa fan is hit hard by this by the looks of things. Therefore, can we all just support each other to get through it together please? Isn't that what fans are for? Let's be a TEAM and hold each others hands when it gets tough as well. It's cheesy but so important. Let's stop the criticism of what you think and say and just understand that everybody deals with a loss in different ways. Tolerance is key!

So, to round up this jumble of panicky statements… I'm worried. Time is running out before the time of the French Open rolls around again. HOWEVER… This is the important bit. Adversity is something Rafa is used to. He knows how to deal with it very well. Remember last year when everything seemed to go wrong at this point in the season? Well, it's the same kind of thing. A little more disastrous of course, but the principle is there. If anybody can overcome this, we know it's our guy Rafa. Let's just try to relax and enjoy the ride. This period is way more difficult for Rafa than it is for us.

Remember, when everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top!

Hugs everybody!

Grace x

Meeting Rafael Nadal

Today I had the incredible experience of meeting and watching Rafa Nadal train in his hometown of Manacor, Mallorca.

I've been on holiday in Mallorca with my family but when I knew Rafa was going to be there too, I was determined to meet him. After the kind help of some Rafa fans I knew where and when he was training. I did my research and got directions to the courts and more information of how to meet him. I set off on Tuesday the 7th April with my fingers crossed that I'd meet Rafa Nadal.

I wasn't completely sure he was going to be there, but as soon as I saw Toni Nadal's Mercedes I knew I'd be in luck. I saw Maymo first- I said hello and he directed me to where Rafa was from the car park. I nervously walked up to the courts and I heard a grunt. I peered round the corner and there he was, a couple of metres away from me. Rafael Nadal. He was tall and tanned, much more gorgeous in real life. I burst into tears and had to compose myself in a corner, I couldn't believe I had finally seen Rafa.

For the next hour I watched Rafa play and took lots of photos. It was the best hour of my life. Seeing the man I love so much in person for the first time was incredible. At one point a ball rolled over to where I was standing, and a couple of feet away from me stood Rafael Nadal. I said 'Hi, Rafa' and he replied with a smile and a 'hello' in his rich Spanish accent. I burst into tears again at that point, shocked that I'd been spoken to.



I continued to watch the practice, fully immersed into every shot he made, ooohing and ahhing when a forehand hit deep into the far corner. At this point I realised I had left my letter in the car. I ran back to get it and when I was coming back into the court area, Maymo was there again. I asked him to give it to Rafa as I knew it'd be busy once he left the court. Hopefully my words of support and positivity will give him a boost.

After watching him practice some more serves, volleys and smashes, Rafa walked back over to his chair and put some layers on. It was the end of the session. At this point I ran around the viewing area to the entrance of the court and got ready to meet Rafa there. I walked in front of him as he signed hats and t shirts for the children. Then it was my chance. I shouted 'Rafa!' and got a perfect selfie. My mum was not far behind attempting to take a picture of us but my hair blew in the way- dammit. I waved Rafa off as he sped away in Maymo's car once he had fought his way through the crowd of fans.


I got back into my car and started crying yet again. At this point all my makeup was smeared off my face so I didn't care anymore and just sobbed at the realisation I had touched and met Rafa. Now you might think it's over dramatic, but when you support and admire someone for so long every single day, meeting them is something you don't think will ever happen. I look at pictures of him dreaming of meeting him and for it to actually come true is bizarre. It's mostly just shock to be honest. I thought It'd feel normal as I know him so well but actually it was quite the opposite. That first glimpse of him felt so strange and I couldn't really believe it. It was peculiar because you imagine scenarios of what it'll be like when you meet someone and it's nothing like that. I don't know how to explain the feeling. It's a wonderful mix of happiness, shock and lots of 'I can't believe that's Rafa Nadal' feelings.

I feel so incredibly lucky that I was able to see Rafa play up so close and get the opportunity to put my arm around him and take a picture. My dreams had finally become a reality. It's difficult to put into words how special and overwhelming the whole experience was. It was a dream.

I want to say a huge thank you to the lovely Rafa fans that have helped me find and meet Rafa today, giving tips from past experiences.


Most importantly I want to say thank you Rafa. Your kindness and patience let me have my dreams come true. I will never forget today. The 7th of April 2015 was the best day of my life so far.

For exclusive pictures of my experience see my Twitter- @_phenomenadal_