Doubts- Rafa

Doubts run through every tennis fans head. They're inevitable, necessary. However, the doubts running through Rafa fans heads are often unnecessary. When you want a win for a long time, doubting it makes pulling it off even more special. When the doubts are constant though, it gets tougher to try to ignore them.

After every loss Rafa has, the journalists rub their hands together in glee and get writing. They have another opportunity to portray Rafa as the crumbling, diminishing tennis star. It's very negative and it's tiresome. I'm not going to lie and say they don't worry me. The doubts are in the back of my head all the time, and they're weighing me down.

'Will Nadal win another slam?'
'When will the former champion be finished?'
'Retirement beckons for Nadal.'

Those are just some of the headlines I see on a daily basis. Being a fan is hard enough as it is, but with these so-called professional opinions spread across the tennis world, it's even harder. So far, I'm proud to say that every time he's faced with these doubts, he delivers. He proves everybody wrong time and time again. That's special.

Why do these journalists keep doubting him though? One day, Rafa might not prove everybody wrong. They are waiting for that moment, and quite frankly, it terrifies me. Every single year questions regarding Rafa's Roland Garros record arise. Surely one year he won't win? What happens if he doesn't? What's scary is the doubts that will come after/if he loses at the French Open. Retirement will be uttered from all the media's lips.

It's hard to have this burden over you constantly, but when the hard times pay off, my god it is worth it. Last years Roland Garros win was unforgettable. I will never regret becoming a fan because even though it's tough, moments like that make me feel on top of the world.

I guess the moral of the story is, every time this happens, every year, the media are not right. For sure, they'll be a time when they get their glory, but right now, they're not going to win.

Rafa is not finished, he's not over, he will fight. I can guarantee you that he'll put in 100% and find a way to prove everybody wrong… once again.

Vamos.

Australia 2015 Draws To A Close for Rafa

It's the 27th January, otherwise known as Day 9 of the Australian Open. Today, Rafa played Berdych in his quarterfinal match and he was defeated 6-2 6-0 7-6.

The first two sets were very bad from Rafa. DF's, countless errors, little depth and weak shots allowed Berdych to dominate. It wasn't the Rafa we knew whatsoever, and he was very frustrated with himself for playing so badly.

We knew it wouldn't be that easy for Tomas though, he is Rafa after all. In the 3rd set we saw sparks. By the end of the set, he was relatively back to normal. (Definitely not great, but a lot better than before) Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. He fought very hard, but Berdych held his nerve incredibly well, and didn't give any points away in the tiebreak.

It was a difficult and quite bizarre match to watch. We don't really have any answers to why it went like it did, but we don't have to. It's sport, and losing is just routine. Rafa said he had no physical problems in his presser afterwards.

I'm a little disappointed of course, you always want more for Rafa and have your eyes on the prize. I wanted this very badly but realistically, it was a big ask after a long absence.

If you asked me three weeks ago, 'Do you think Rafa will reach the quarterfinals?' I would have probably said no, so he's done incredibly well. He played some great matches, including that incredible comeback against Tim.

I'm very proud of him and I'm so excited to see what the rest of the season has to bring.

Rafa is travelling back to Mallorca on the 28th January, and will start his training on Monday, to prepare for the South American part of the season. He will play in Rio de Janeiro to defend his title and Buenos Aires. Both clay! Yipee!

I'm so excited to see him back in action again after a successful week in Melbourne.

Positive thoughts, people! This is only the beginning! The comeback 2015 has just begun!

Vamos.