Expectations of a Rafan

When you're a tennis fan, you dedicate a huge part of your life to the player you admire. There may only be a select few people in the whole scheme of things that feel the same, but if even a few fans can relate to this, then I'll be happy.

Before a new season, it's a mixture of emotions. It's mostly doubts, but also that deep down excitement that we're always a little too scared to admit. Expectations are in everybody, but they're often seen as a bad thing. In the past, I've got negative comments towards my desire to achieve more on Rafa's behalf. I of course stand by Rafa at all times, but I'm competitive and ruthless inside. Sometimes that can be a good thing. For example, when I'm hungry to win, if it happens it's an even better feeling than going with the flow.

I don't know if this is making sense, but what I'm getting at is it's OK to have expectations. It's seen as over confidence, but really, it's just that raw belief in your player.

My expectations for this year are complicated. I want a grand slam win, a few masters titles and the ATP finals trophy. It's ambitious, but it's no fun without aspirations, right?

Dealing with these expectations is difficult. There's a fine balance between looking over confident or lacking in faith in your player. That's a battle I have to deal with very regularly. The criticism many of us get for either of these is unkind.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, having expectations is a good thing. It shouldn't be looked down on when you want to win. During Rafa's comeback, many Rafans had the opinion of 'I'm just happy to see him on court.' Well, yes, that's great, but why are you even a fan if you don't want to celebrate? Winning is the best part, and to talk about it like it's not why you've sticked around is incorrect. I'm a fan because I love watching Rafa play, but I could have left long ago. The heartbreak and misery I have been through is overwhelming, but I'm not going anywhere. My expectations for more victories keep me motivated to be the best fan I can be.

Vamos.

Doubles Success in Doha!

After a 1st round loss in singles, Rafa's success has been soaring in Doha. A long break with many difficult moments has suddenly got a lot brighter!

Rafico (Rafa + Pico) have won their first doubles title in Doha, defeating Julian Knowle and Phillip Oswald in the final! This is Rafa's 4th double's title in Doha and 9th overall! I could not be happier! Both players were absolutely delighted.

Rafico played a fantastic tournament winning some great matches and beating some tough opponents, including Novak Djokovic and his partner. 

Rafa and all his fans are so happy with the news, it's so special winning a title, especially when Rafa get's to do it with one of his best friends.

This news is fantastic regarding the Australian Open too. After a rough start in Doha we were worried he would not get any more match play before the grand slam. However, winning matches in doubles to win the title has clearly improved his play and his confidence. Unfortunately doubles was not streamed or broadcasted until the final as it was on court 1 (bad move Doha!), but watching the final was delightful. Rafa won some amazing points and his forehand was just brilliant! Very promising signs.

Winning a title will improve his confidence massively, giving him that extra bit of stability going into Australia. Rafa's prospects are looking a lot better now.

A big congratulations to Rafa and Pico. It was a pleasure to watch them pick up their title today, those smiles on their faces are unforgettable.

Thank you Doha!

The Comeback Continues

After an unsuccessful day against Murray yesterday, Rafa said he would improve and guess what? He did. Rafa takes 3rd place in the Mubadala Exhibition tournament by beating Wawrinka 7-6 6-3.

Rafa was still rusty, but today there were definitely reassuring glimpses of the Rafa we're used to seeing on court. His serve was very reliable today and there were a few familiar impressive shots. In the first set the match was patchy and featured lots of breaks of serve. Somehow, in the last couple of games and tiebreak, Rafa picked up his game and really played fantastically.

All I did was go and make a cup of tea and Rafa was up 2-0 in the second set! His level dipped as he got tired but he hung on until the end of the set, taking it 6-3. It was wonderful to see him play as I didn't have the opportunity to yesterday. His tennis is still not up to the level either of us would like, but it's certainly improving.

There were many charming comments and smiles in the post match interview which were a delight to see. Rafa seems happy with the progress he's made so far this year, saying that he did what he wanted to do in Abu Dhabi. If you missed Stan vs Rafa today, you can watch the match here.

Next up is Doha for Rafa, starting on Monday. He plays in singles and doubles, so hopefully it'll give him lots more match time. With a tournament and another week of practice, I'm sure Rafa will be ready for the Australian Open, starting in 16 days time on the 19th of January.

The draw for Doha is out, and Rafa will be more than happy with how it turned out for him.

Rafa's possible path to the final is as follows;

R1 : Qualifier R2 : Dodig QF : Mayer SF : Berdych F : Djokovic

Rafa will also be playing in doubles with Juan Monaco in Doha. The men's doubles draw is also out.

I cannot wait to see Rafa on court again next week. It's been a great couple of days in Abu Dhabi. Rafa leaves with positive feelings and improved confidence. 

The comeback continues… stay tuned.

@_phenomenadal_ 

This Is Just The Beginning...

Today marked the start of Rafa's 2015 season, playing against Andy Murray in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships in Abu Dhabi.

Nobody had high expectations, but it's fair to say a few were shocked at the scoreline. Nadal lost to Murray 2-6 0-6. However, as I've been told, Rafa's level of tennis wasn't as shocking as the score suggests.

Rafa was very rusty around the edges, but you would expect that after playing only 8 matches in the last 6 months. Rafa's game isn't there yet, but that's understandable. After the match, Rafa described it's issues. "There are only small things I need to adjust."
“At the beginning, I played very badly with my backhand, but that is normal after a long time out, and could not get my normal rhythm. I was also a little bit more tired than usual." 'I had a lot of chances to have a closer result.'

Rafa said he is going to work hard to improve his game, and I have no doubt in that whatsoever. The media (especially British) seem to label this loss as an 'upset', but there is no need to worry at all. For starters, this is only an exhibition tournament and only Rafa's first match back on tour after a long break. 

As Rafael plays more matches his game will begin to fall into place and very soon we'll see the Rafa we're used to once again. Of course it's normal to have doubts right now, but Rafa knows exactly what he is doing and how he needs to improve. I will trust his professionalism and await the magic…

Rafa has another match tomorrow against Wawrinka to determine 3rd and 4th place in the exhibition tournament. This is another great opportunity to get some more match play in against a tough opponent.

After Abu Dhabi, Rafa will play in Doha where he will compete in singles to defend his title, and doubles with Juan Monaco. The tournament starts on the 5th of January. 

Above all, the most important thing is that Rafa is back on court after a very long wait. It's incredible to have him back, and I can't wait to spend the rest of the season with him. 

Vamos.

@_phenomenadal_ 

2015: A Fresh Start

Happy New Year! The bittersweet year that was 2014 is long gone, now it's time to focus on a new 12 months ahead of us.

I'm delighted that it's nearly 2015. Months and months of messy, complicated injuries and tournaments are now put behind us, and Rafa is set to make his return.

Rafa is feeling healthy and motivated but of course, a little nervous of his return. A new season holds lot's of questions, 'Will Rafa be able to play to a good level again?' 'Will we see a repeat of 2013?'

We can't answer those yet, not even Rafa. We need to trust his professionalism and take each match as it comes.


The season starts for Rafa at an Exhibition tournament in Abu Dhabi. From the 1st-3rd of January Rafa and fellow ATP stars Djokovic, Wawrinka, Feliciano Lopez, Murray and Almagro will compete at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships.

Next, it's time to get serious. Rafa will defend his title in Doha at the Qatar Open. Playing amongst Murray, Berdych, Ferrer and Djokovic who is making his debut (Couldn't he have found another tournament? Dammit), Rafa will try to start the competitive season well. It's always a good week, last year Rafa met some falcons. (The terrified look on his face I'll never forget!)

Then the fun begins. The Australian Open 2015. I've made it clear that a title down under this year would be a very good way to start off the season for Rafa and his fans. After his bad luck in the past (click here) including last year, I'd love to finally get some joy for a 2nd time in Melbourne. Please Rafa!

Hopefully one of my favourite moments of 2014 will reoccur this year in Rio. A title at the Rio Open was a perfect end to a great tournament last year. A couple of thrillers later (Semi-final vs Andujar 3rd set tiebreak anyone?) Rafa became the first champion of this new tournament.

Rafa missed the Argentina Open in Buenos Aires in 2014, but at least he got to show off his trophies though, no? We're looking forward to seeing him in 2015.

Next up it's time for some Masters. Indian Wells is one of Rafa's favourite tournaments, and I am too very excited to see him play there. Miami is next, another hard court masters, one Rafa has never won.

Bring on the clay…

The best time of the year will come round, the clay season!
First up it's Monte Carlo! After 8 consecutive wins, we hope for a 9th title at the Rolex Masters. One of my personal favourite tournaments, it's just beautiful. Particularly excited for this tournament.

Barcelona is next, an ATP 500 tournament. Rafa lost in the QF in 2014.

Then the pressure will pile back on, Rafa is defending champion in Madrid and is aiming to win his 3rd consecutive title there.

We will watch Rafa at the masters in Rome playing to win his 8th title at the Italian Open.

Roland Garros is next! You know the drill Rafans, Rafa wins his next grand slam. Kidding! Even though our record is so mind-blowing, it's never certain! Rafa will compete for his 10th title in Paris.

Next up is the grass season. After a record of disappointing results, Rafa will really try to fix that this year. Playing in Halle first will hopefully help him warm up well for Wimbledon. In 2015 there is an extra week between Roland Garros and Wimbledon so that'll give Rafa more time to rest and adapt his game to grass.

After missing a whole North American season due to his wrist injury, I have no doubt Rafa will be excited to play there again.

The Rogers Cup in Montreal is first, a tournament Rafa has won 3 times previously.
Next up is the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, a masters Rafa won in 2013.

I am so excited for the US Open! Rafa's absence in 2014 was hugely noticeable, so everybody will be delighted to get him back. Rafa is aiming to win the last slam of the year for a 3rd time.

Asia is next on the list, as usual Rafa will compete in Beijing in the China Open and Shanghai Masters.

Back to Basel in 2015 and then Paris. Rafa has never won in Paris, but hopefully he can change that and get one step closer to completing his golden masters.

Last but definitely not least is the ATP Finals, which too, Rafa has never won. After an absence in 2014, I really hope Rafa can be back to his best in London once again.

I'm so excited for this season to begin. My dreams are going to come true again- watching Rafa play tennis on court. It's been a long wait, but finally we can see Rafa on tour.

Vamos Rafa.

ATP Finals 2014

The last of the players have qualified, and we're now just a few days away from the last tournament of the year, the ATP World Tour Finals at the 02, London.

The top 8 to qualify are as follows;

1. Djokovic
2. Federer
3.Wawrinka
4. Nishikori
5. Murray
6. Berdych
7. Raonic
8. Cilic


There are a few new faces in the field this year, Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic.

As you know, Rafa withdrew due to his appendectomy, so this gave one extra spot to the 9th in the race.

David Ferrer narrowly missed out on a spot by losing to Nishikori in the QF of the Paris Masters, it is the first time in 5 years he has not completed the race to London.

This year we've had the breakthrough of Nishikori, Raonic and Cilic- who won the US Open. It's been an interesting year to watch, hopefully that will carry on in London.

The draw for the tournament sorts the players into two groups A and B.

GROUP A

Djokovic
Wawrinka
Berdych
Cilic


GROUP B

Federer
Murray
Raonic
Nishikori


Some may argue (including me) that it's one of the most uninteresting line ups we've seen for a while, with Rafa and David gone. It's a different situation with the new generation creeping in as we don't know if they're going to bring excitement or just make us miss Rafa and David even more…

What are your thoughts on the lineup?
Who will win the ATP World Tour Finals Title in 2014?


@rafanadaladdict

Rafa + The Australian Open

I've surely made it clear by now that next year one of my goals on behalf of Rafa is him winning the Australian Open. Obviously we can't do anything about that, its up to him, but I'm pretty sure it's in the back of his mind too.. After the washout 2014 and disaster Australian Open final, its about time we watch Rafa bite another trophy down under.

If Rafa wins the Australian Open again some time (ideally 2015), he would be the proud owner of 15 slam titles, just 2 away from Federer. I want to see him win in Melbourne, as I wasn't around for the first time in 2009.

Rafa has had bad luck so many times at the Australian Open, its like a cursed tournament for him. Let's take it back to the start, and re-live the good and the bad Australian Open moments…


2004

Rafa reached the third round, losing to Lleyton Hewitt in three sets. This was Rafa's first Australian Open appearance.

2005

Rafa improved in Melbourne by one match, this time he still lost the Lleyton Hewitt, but in the fourth round. 

2006

This was the first time Rafa missed the Australian Open, due to his foot injury. 

2007

Progress was still being made for Rafa. In 2007 he reached the quarterfinals beating Murray along the way, he lost to Fernando Gonzalez. 

2008

It just kept getting better for Rafa (his outfits certainly weren't however!) In 2008 he reached the semi finals, but he was beaten by Jo Wilfried Tsonga. 

2009

All the hard work finally paid off! After years of trying, Rafa finally won the Australian Open 2009! He breezed through the early rounds, but in the semi finals playing Verdasco, the match lasted 5 hours 14 minutes, the second longest match ever at the Australian Open. In the final he played a familiar face, Roger Federer, who he beat in 5 sets. 

2010

Rafa was put under pressure being defending champion in 2010. He reached the quarterfinals where he played Andy Murray. In the third set Rafa retired 3-0 down due to pain in his right knee. This was where it seriously all began… the long road of knee injuries. 

2011

After a fantastic 2010, including 3 grand slams, Rafa was aiming to win 4 majors in a row. He reached the quarterfinals where he played his friend and fellow Spaniard, David Ferrer. Unfortunately, Rafa suffered a hamstring injury early in their match and therefore lost in straight sets. Rafa's grand slam streak had ended. 

2012

Rafa was having a successful 2012 in Australia. He reached the final beating Berdych and Federer along the way. Rafa had reached the final of all 4 slams consecutively. In a 5 hour 53 minute final (the longest grand slam final ever) Rafa was beaten by Djokovic in 5 sets. An incredible effort, but not enough. 

2013- A 7 month left knee injury layoff included missing the Australian Open. A very difficult time for Rafa and his fans. 2013 was a Rafa-less Australia Open, due to a stomach virus. We had to wait for the return...

2014

In 2014 Rafa played a fantastic tournament, reaching the final and again, beating Federer along the way. He was all set to play Stanislas Wawrinka in the final. In the practice at the start of the match, Rafa felt slight pain in his lower back, but carried on. Gradually as the match progressed it started to get increasingly painful, even to the point he was wincing in agony, and could hardly hit the ball. He refused to retire. Booing from the crowd and outrage from Stan added to the heartbreak of the situation. By far the worst moment I've ever had to experience with Rafa. A very unlucky tournament.

(Sorry for making you sad for looking at this picture)

9 years of the Australian Open, and we have won once. It's about time we add to the trophy cabinet. This year was so awful and heartbreaking, that I want to make up for it. 

That's the goal, a 2nd Australian Open title. I'm sure Rafa and his fans would all love that.

No pressure, Rafael…

@rafanadaladdict

Looking Ahead- 2015

This year has been… complicated.

Let's Recap...

It's been a long and treacherous 2014 for Rafans. We started off 2014 with a bang, a Doha title. Then it all went wrong… Rafa was playing amazing in the Australian Open until the disastrous final where he obtained his back injury. Very emotional times for us. Since then it's never been the same.

Straight after the Australian Open Rafa won in Rio, but that definitely was not how the rest of the year panned out. No way was it that simple. Poor tournaments ran from Indian Wells to Barcelona. The clay season was Rafa's worst for…. well, a long time. A title was won in Madrid, although it wasn't ideal due to Nishikori retiring in the final. Rome was an improvement, although we lost to Djokovic in the final. A huge amount of doubt built up. Is this Djokovic's year? Will Rafa still win Roland Garros? Stress ran through every Rafan's veins.

Then something amazing happened. A 9th Roland Garros. It was hands down the proudest I'd ever felt, and I loved every second of the win. Finally we had something to celebrate, and it was unforgettable.

Wimbledon was a big improvement of the last few years, and Rafa was finally getting his health in order after the back struggles earlier. We reached the 4th Round, which was a big improvement from last years 1st round exit.

Things were looking up. However, that wasn't the end of it.

All at once there was news splashed across every tennis article 'Nadal withdraws from Toronto and Cincinnati' Ah, the wrist injury. Obtained in practice, it was a simple case of bad luck. Rafa's had a lot of that.

The recovery took longer than expected (no surprises there), and Rafa withdrew from the US Open. I was devastated, he would miss the whole North American season he had so much success at last year.

Finally it was time for his return after 3 lonely months, Beijing. Not expecting much, he reached the quarter finals. Shanghai was next.

Believe it or not, that was not the end of the bad news. Appendicitis.

Rafa lost his first match in Shanghai, but he carried on- amazing.

Basel was going well, until a match vs Coric. Rafa lost 6-2 7-6. He was totally out of sorts and it really was disastrous. In a press conference afterwards he said he will have treatment on his back next week (still not fine since Jan) and his appendix will come out on November 3rd.

2014 has now finished for Rafa. That's it. No Paris, no London, just recovery. Good riddance.


2015

Next year owes us something great. My ultimate aim for Rafa is to win the Australian Open for the 2nd time, and a 10th Roland Garros. That's the dream. Rafa got so close to winning the Australian Open this year, and I want another shot. And well, a 10th French Open, that would just be incredible. I feel very protective over Roland Garros, I will always want him to retain the title.

I hope next year will bring him good health, as this year has definitely not given that. I hope to celebrate a lot more. It's been a hard season, the hardest ever. I could not be happier to say goodbye to 2014.

Next year I want to make it a good one.

I'm so excited, it can't get worse than 2014, right? Bring it on 2015.

Shanghai and a Troubled Appendix

It's been a roller coaster few days. Rafa lost in Beijing to Klizan last week, but said his wrist was fine so he played on in Shanghai.

Once he arrived in Shanghai he wasn't seen. No practice, no photos, nothing. It was later revealed to us that he had appendicitis and had been staying in his hotel and making brief visits to the hospital. Not what we wanted to hear the day before a match.

Rafa is Rafa, so he refused to withdraw and got ready for his match on Wednesday. We knew it would be a loss. He never retired though, he puts up with the pain. A long couple of hours later Feliciano Lopez won 6-3 7-6. It was a fight, but he was suffering from a serious condition, how could anyone expect him to win?

It was a very worrying match. Rafans know better than anyone that health is the number 1 priority. I didn't care he lost, but I was distraught to know he was in pain. Rafa has taken very aggressive antibiotics to stop the pain. These were positive for him because they meant he could put back surgery even further, but they made him very weak and dizzy.

Appendicitis is an inflammation of the appendix, and doesn't ever go away completely. Once you've got it, in most cases at some point you'll have to take it out in an operation. Recovery time is not too long, but it can be inconvenient. If you have it taken out early (like Rafa), the recovery time should be between 2-4 weeks, but it depends. Rafa plans to have his appendix taken out at the end of the year, after the World Tour Finals. We hope his problem will go away until them, and will not bother him in these last few important tournaments.

We only had Rafa back for 3 matches, but now he's gone again, with yet another health issue. It's endless, and very very hard for us.

The sad truth is there will be a time in the near future when after one of the issues he will no longer be able to get back up. We need to think realistically. One time there will not be a glorious comeback from an injury period, and we need to prepare ourselves for that.

I miss Rafa already, and to know he's been in pain kills me. On a side note, Rafa is now number 3 in the rankings due to his tournament absences, but that is NOT the important thing. Rafa needs to be healthy and happy to win tournaments, and he is not.

Let's wish Rafa a speedy recovery and give him strength at the end of a difficult year. #GetWellSoonRafa

@rafanadaladdict

Kin9 Of Clay

There have been so many memorable moments over Rafa's career. 14 Grand slam titles, 64 titles, 27 masters titles and an olympic gold medal. There's a lot to choose from. There's one tournament that sticks out of course, Roland Garros. Rafa's record in Paris is 67-1. In 10 years, Rafa's only lost one match at the French Open. Damn you Robin Soderling…! Let's take a trip right back to where it started, starting with Roland Garros 2005.


2005

Rafa won his first grand slam title, beating Roger Federer in the semi finals, and Mariano Puerta in the final.

6-7 6-3 6-1 7-5

2006

Rafa won his second grand slam title, this time beating Roger Federer in the final. He became the only person to do so in a grand slam final. 

1-6 6-1 6-4 7-6

2007

French Open number 3, and guess who he beat in the final? Yep, Roger.

6-3 4-6 6-3 6-4

2008

Just before winning Wimbledon for the first time, Rafa picked up his 4th Roland Garros. He thrashed Roger Federer again in the final, bagelling him. He became the fifth man in the Open Era to win a grand slam title without losing a set. 

6-1 6-3 6-0

2010

A year after losing to Soderling, Rafa got his revenge to win his 7th grand slam. He regained the number 1 spot, and won the tournament without losing a set for the second time.

6-4 6-2 6-4

2011

Rafa became the most successful player along with Bjorn Borg in the history of the French Open, winning his 6th title. Again, he beat Roger Federer in the final.

7-5 7-6 5-7 6-1

2012

After a dramatic two day 3 hour 50 minute final due to rain delays, Rafa defeated Djokovic to win a 7th French Open title. He defined himself as the greatest clay court player in history, winning the most Roland Garros titles EVER.

6-4 6-3 2-6  7-5

2013

After an emotional 7 month injury break, Rafa was back. His dominance at Roland Garros was still very much intact! After a marathon semi final defeating Djokovic, he beat David Ferrer in the final for an 8th title! Hist8ry!

6-3 6-2 6-3 

2014

Saving the best until last, this year. I was living and breathing the French Open for those 2 weeks. They were the most stressful two weeks of my life. He did it though… all doubts were swept aside. It was the most emotional win, and Rafa beat Djokovic to win his 9th title. I was Dreamin9.

3-6 7-5 6-2 6-4

That certainly brought back memories! 9 titles over the last 10 years. 

Let's make that ten. 

@rafanadaladdict

I Wanted to Talk- Rafa's Return

So. Here we are. Almost 3 months have passed, and it's time for Rafa to come home.

It's been an incredibly tough summer for me, my life has felt an unnecessary gap. It got to the point where I couldn't take it any more, and I was just spiralling into sadness. Every day I needed him back. I needed to see him, watch him. I needed the guidance and the support, as Rafa is what keeps me happiest. I wasn't getting that.

I've pulled though, I've still had a good summer, just not a great summer. If Rafa was playing, my summer would have been perfect. I spent all of my school holidays without him, which meant lonely, long days at home thinking about his absence. I wasn't distracted.

The darkest 60 seconds for me were on the day Rafa announced his Toronto and Cincinnati withdrawals. I was happy, listening to some music, when i clicked onto twitter. My timeline was filled will news of wrist injury, and withdrawals. I was gobsmacked. I didn't let myself believe it. It was just a day of lots and lots of tears. He has gone through too much injury, and i couldn't believe it was happening again.

When it came to September, I was back at school and kept busy again. I had my friends to make me laugh, make me smile. A gap closed up, for sure.

I've sat on the edge of my bed, hovering over my laptop reading bad news all summer long. There were constant tweets about Rafa's withdrawals, the pain, the splint. Constant. There was no break from it. It really dragged me down.

It was only in the last couple of weeks that clouds started to clear. Good news started to emerge, and the almost unimaginable happened. News that Rafa will return. I started to convince myself that this injury was serious, as its always hard to stay positive. I took many deep breaths, and started to come to terms with it.

We would get Rafa back. My world would suddenly become a lot brighter. I cried, a lot. It was happening.

I just wanted to talk, I guess.

I can't explain how excited I am to see Rafa playing tennis again. I am counting down the hours, the moments until he steps back onto that court, running to the baseline and positioning his water bottles once again.



We've all been through this together, and its been hard for us all. This is just my take on it. Read if you want, i just wrote this because I want to talk. This was hard for me to write, but I just wanted to express my feelings. Thanks x

RAFA'S RETURN!

Attention all tennis fans! I'm sure you've noticed a huge gap in our sport for the last 3 months… Rafa. It's been almost 12 weeks without him, and a lot's happened since. Tsonga won Toronto, Li Na retired, and Marin Cilic won a grand slam. Some crazy stuff's happened.

Every day of the summer I've been keeping my fingers crossed for good news. There's been bad news, potential good news, rumours and all, but I can now confidently say: Rafa's coming home.

I'm absolutely ecstatic. It's been an emotional few weeks.


On 15th September, Toni Nadal said that 'Rafa's backhand is on 80%. He will be ready for Astana, Beijing and Shanghai. The rest of the season will stay as planned' It happened to be my birthday on that day, and you know what? Best birthday present EVER.

(I've waited a few days before I released this news just to make sure it's reliable and official. What Toni announces is normally accurate, but I didn't want to give anyone false hope.)

Rafa's been hitting an increasing number of powerful 2 handed back hands, and it's been a while since he's been seen with the splint. The recovery obviously took longer than we expected, but this is Rafa remember, his body doesn't like to recover quickly…!

First Rafa will play an exhibition match in Astana, Kazakhstan against Tsonga on 25th September at 7pm. That's 2pm GMT.

Next it's Beijing. Starting on 29th September, the ATP 500 tournament should be a good practice before Shanghai and Paris.

Rafa has lost a lot of ranking points to widen the gap between himself and Djokovic, and Federer is very close behind. However, Rafa has very little points to defend in Asia, so if he can play to a good level, hopefully he can try to secure the end of year number 2 ranking. (Roger is number 2 in the race currently.)

Health is the most important thing. All I want right now is for Rafa to be back on tour, playing pain free, and it looks like that will happen.

I'm so incredibly excited to see him back on court very soon.

Get ready everyone, the king's returning.

Rafa- The Boy From Manacor

Rafa is a fantastic example to us, to anyone. He is human just the same as everyone else, it's not just his career that makes him a wonderful person. I think I can speak for all Rafa fans, he has changed our lives.

Whenever I'm asked why I'm a Rafa fan people assume its because of his looks. I'm not shallow, that's defiantly not the reason. (Although it's an added bonus!) His heart, thats why. He is a shy, caring and humble person. It's clear to see that Ana and Sebastian have done a fantastic job of bringing him up. Toni contributes to his attitude too, his whole family do. The family is not famous, they're not ones to hog limelight, they're just a typical Spanish family. Rafa tries to be too. He's the most humble guy I've ever had the honour to know.

You could argue that we don't know him, but truth is, we do. Any piece of media or information that is out in the big wide world, I have. He's genuine, and thats why we know him so well. Videos, pictures and interviews are Rafael, not Rafa Nadal.

"Tennis is lucky Rafa Nadal chose to play it.'

Rafa plays like he has something to prove, thats what makes him so dangerous, but thats why he's so respected. He's the greatest player of all time in my opinion, but he certainly doesn't think that. He lets us measure his success.


Rafa is respectful. He has never smashed a racket. I'm proud to say he respects every opponent, however unlikeable they may be. 

“Nadal has never broken a racquet. It would be showing a lack of 

respect to people who actually have to buy the equipment to play 

the sport"- Toni Nadal

Rafa is shy, modest and normal, and it's so admirable. He doesn't know how good he is, and he even surprises himself with some of the shots he makes. Every single time he wins Roland Garros, the emotion is still absolutely huge. 


He is a fantastic role model for all children, those that play tennis and those that don't. Out of all the tennis stars in the past and present, who would you want your child to emulate? Rafa is the obvious answer. 

Rafa needs to snap back into his laid back Spanish life the minute there's a break in the season. He always goes home, he loves it. Often in interviews he explains how Mallorca is the best place for him. He could choose from hundreds of glamorous destinations worldwide, but he chooses home. 

I love Rafael, we all do. Thank you to his family and friends, for they have shaped the beautiful person he is today. Rafa- you're perfect to me. 




@_phenomenadal_