Melbourne Park, Australia

Next is this beautiful maxi-card showing the tennis courts of Melbourne Park, issued in 2005, to commemorate the 100 years of the Australian Open Tournament. I wish this post was done in a more cheerful and ecstatic tone, but well, it still makes a suitable thing to post today :) And yeah, it is gonna be a yada-dada blabber, so you may just skip this one :)

As some of you may know, the Australian Open took place in the last two weeks...two weeks of great tennis, a lot of drama, and sleepless nights, cos time zones arent the friendliest sometimes...but all that waking up at 5 am was worth it, to enjoy the sight of dear Rafael Nadal. Who after missing last year's tournament due to injuries, showed exquisite performance here, reaching the finals...where to the surprise of many, on the other side of the net he had Stanislas Wawrinka...the Swiss guy who among else defeated Novak Djoković...and who until today had beaten Nadal zero times, out of the 12 times they had met...but the unlucky 13 turned out to be the charm for Stan..
I don't know what to think of today's final...too many expectations from Rafa, that's for sure...and as some called it, a bizarre final...why bizarre? cos of Nadal's back pains...for whole two weeks it was the blister...and now today, out of nowhere, he was struggling with terrible backache..i dont think ive ever, EVER seen this kind of Rafa...totally apathetic...unable to run for the balls...lousy serves...just losing poitns and moving from one side of the court to the other without even asking for his towel...Nadal, who asks for his towel after every single damn point, didnt ask for it once during several games..didnt even care about the placement of his bottles...i was speechless...and sad...and frustrated...i tried to stay realistic...tried not to make too much of a deal...but yeah, the audience was nothing but arrogant for booing him after the medical time out...cos im sure that all those who do not like Rafa, would stick to the story that he faked his injury, cos he wasnt capable of beating Stan, and at the first signs of Stan playing better than him, lets make excuses...no kidding??  You should actually thank him for not retiring...for struggling till the end just to give you a whole match...maybe not what you expected from a final, but at least he did give you an entire match...cos that's what you paid for, no? He did give Stan the chance to say he has beaten him, not that Stan won his first title cos Nadal retired...kuddos to you Rafa for that....for your humbleness...for never making excuses that an injury is the reason you lost...for saying that this is Stan's day, not yours...the greatest reason why Rafa has remained my very favourite is this attitude of his..never arrogant...never smashing racquets...always praising others...so as someone said, I dont care you lost today...Stan may be the winner, but you are the champion...
I do admit that when other players all of a sudden start complaining about injuries, there is this devil inside me that thinks they are just buying time, trying to recoup, to confuse the opponent...but i dont know if i have not done enough search. it is only when it happens to Rafa that the internet population goes nuts about how he is a cheater and blah blah blah...but if someone got the cheers and support from the crowd in the end, that was Rafa...yeah, the same crowd that first booed him :)


I just hope whatever that injury is, that it is nothing serious...I really cant handle another bout of Rafa-less tennis...i just need that daily dose of Rafa fighting on court :) Without him, tennis just wouldnt be the same for me

hugs to my dearest Zarah, who has stayed along with me for the past two weeks, through thick and thin...watching tennis together makes it much more entertaining, and easier to bear the tough moments...Gracias amiga!! ♥

Wimbledon 2010

Note: This is gonna be a longish, as the title says, Wimbledon related post...boring to many of you, I know...more of the Nadal rambling, which I know you are fed up with...but now that the Tournament has ended, and having the most appropriate card in my hands, this post cries to be written....the regular updates will come back from tomorrow on.
Well, I received this card back in February, and saying I was delighted doesnt really describe my reaction when I found it in the mailbox...those who have directly or indirectly been following me during tennis tournaments all year round, could get at least an idea how I felt :) Of course, I was so over-excited, I wanted to post it right away, but then this little voice inside me said: No no no Ana, not now...Wimbledon will happen in a few months, so it will be smarter if you save the card till then and use it to commemorate the event...good that I do listen to it sometimes.

I was in big doubts about when should I post the card...before Wimbledon starts...during...after...eventually decided to go for 'after' and make a summary of all the events and happenings and the outcome....and oh what a perfect outcome we had :D Rafael Nadal, lifting the trophy....Rafael Nadal walking out with 2000 ATP points and firming even more his 1st position...Rafael Nadal shutting the evil mouths of many...but Ill get to the last issue later
This year's Wimbledon has produced loads of surprises and memorable moments, and can you believe it, it didnt rain even once!
The most memorable event would definitely be the epic match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut...the match which lasted for 11 hours and 5 minutes....stretching out over 3 days...where on the second day they played for around 8 hours straight...so crazy and so unbelievable, record breaker in many aspects...It was sometime during the 6th hour of that second day when I tuned it...and in total disbelief watched what was happening on Court 18...a match of the very first round...yeah, exactly...in general, a match on Court 18 surely wouldnt catch my attention...but this one did...a match of a kind you dont even see in the final battles...with two men barely standing on their feet, Isner especially...they were winning their serves, but couldnt possibly run after balls...and thats how it went, one game after another, both clinching to their serves...everyone wondering if this was ever gonna end...honestly, it was so crazy and unique, i wasnt sure if I wanted it to end...you dont really get to witness something like this every day...well, it eventually did end...the third day, where Mahut eventually couldnt hold his serve, and it was understandable that Isner was gonna use the opportunity and put an end to this drama/nightmare or however you wanna call it...uhmm...pity...not coz it ended, but coz I actually wanted Mahut to win...he was so more down to earth and so kinder, he is so less known...it seemed as if he would appreciate this win much more than Isner...but there you go
At the end of it all, a ceremony was held, where prizes were given to both of them...am not sure what exactly, and I know that Mahut got a consolation prize, trip to the Maldives..honestly, I dont think that when losing a match like this, there could be a consolation...it is not the kind of a normal match you lose...it is THE match...the one everyone would talk about tomorrow, next month, next year, after 50 years...the match whose 5th set lasted longer than the previous longest match...even Mohamed Lahyani was given a prize for being the chair umpire throughout the entire match...speaking of him, I cant recall I saw him afterwards...but he definitely is my favourite chair umpire..I so much wished he would be in charge of some of the Nadal matches, esp. after those French guys turned out to be sort of biased and unfair and bringing some really unjustified judgments...well, later about it

Another thing which would make this Wimbledon remembered is coz her Majesty, the Queen decided to turn up, at the match of Murray against Nieminen...good for Andy, he won...I wonder, if the Queen showed up at Murray's match against Nadal, would that have helped him somehow or no...

Then come the early calls for danger...from no one else but Federer who faced being kicked out by Falla at the very very first round...Federer playing 5 sets at Wimbledon's earliest stages was incomprehensible to many (to me as well to be honest) but it was the reality...not that I didnt enjoy it :)

I knew I shouldnt laugh at it, coz eventually Nadal found himself into 5 setters as well against Haase and Petzchner, but I have to say I liked both guys and how they played so they are like one of my Wimbledon findings..both matches with some controversy...once Nadal is given an official warning due to the fact he received coaching from uncle Tony...then, Nadal seeks for medical treatment...eventually he is called a liar...as if he set it up on purpose in order to get some time..funny how when other players never were called liars for such a thing, esp. Soderling, whom I got to dislike even more after this. Not to mention how Soderling asked for a medical time out right when Rafa was about to serve for a set...no one was available, but instead Pascal telling them to continue with the game, they had to wait..which was totally unfair and against the rules...but I never heard anyone speaking of Soderling as a liar or a deceitful player which is what he actually was...and please keep the French umpires away in the future

Some small summary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fq8EuOlkIQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0c-CCRsk54
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiQAQoGFWZc
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/match_reports/2010-06-24/201006241277372113616.html
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-06-26/201006261277585066729.html
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-06-26/201006261277584555733.html

you be the judge what was justified and what not

Another thing that must be noted for this year's Wimbledon was Federer being kicked out...in the QUARTER-FINALS! Wow! I could have just gone out and celebrate! The so much called God of Wimbledon was out! Berdych had the honour to do so! Yup, I disliked Roger before, but like Soderling, now he even made a firmer position on my dislike list...he may be a great player but is such a sore and terrible loser...just now I realized how self-centered he is...and how cynical....one of the reasons why I love Nadal is coz he is the total opposite...but Federer got the nerve to say, after he lost, that he sees Del Potro as the favourite, just unfortunately he is not playing, and that Nadal and Djokovic have been playing awfully! Oh please, for the love of God, can you hear what you are saying?! You, who have not won a title for months, got the nerve to say Nadal and Novak are playing a lousy game?? Not even once given the credit to them nor to Berdych who played amazingly?? All of a sudden Roger has pains and his back is killing him and oh boy we should feel sorry for him and thats why he lost, otherwise he would have beaten everyone in straight sets 6:0 each...yada yada yada...it was the same in 2008 when he lost to Nadal in the finals...oh well, the light was pretty bad and I couldnt see...yeah yeah...Nadal was playing in the same light and he got to beat you...why dont you just for once admit that someone played better than you and you played an awful game..Nadal always says it...sometimes I hate it how modest Nadal is and how much he appreciates and publicly praises Federer, coz Federer obviously doesnt deserve it....anyways, Fed, I hope you and Mirka are having a blast of a holiday since you so cynically stated you wont be watching the finals..yeah, it is painful I know...
Thumbs up for Berdych though and for the game quality he had produced, which was still not enough to beat Nadal...I just dont know why was Novak so absent-minded when Berdych and he played

And even though Im not much into women's tennis, I must point out one name here, Tsvetlana Pironkova...a young Bulgarian who shocked many..82nd on the WTA, but reached the semis and on top of that, kicked out Venus...I dont like the Williams sisters, and I was so pleased to see one of them being outplayed by someone who is rather unknown to the tennis world

And I musnt forget one very important moment...the journalists at wimbledon.org....I havent seen so many biased, unprofessional and cynical reports at one place...totally underestimating the great plays of Nadal, while lifting his opponents in the sky...they all made it as if Nadal deserved to win nothing, as if he won due to being lucky, as if he only struggled to win, even going to extents and criticize his English..as if thats the cruical matter when playing tennis...but when they were to describe Murray, oh boy, Andy produced such an outstanding, tremendous game! The cherry on top was the last article about Zvonareva...
The initial title was something like, Zvonareva's dream turns into a nightmare, but they got to change it eventually
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2010-07-03/201007031278171346992.html

I was appalled when I read it..instead of giving her the praise she deserved for reaching the finals, i get to read this...I think that the management at wimbledon.org should take a look into the matter and who is working for them...and this is not just my subjective opinion...this is an opinion by many who found the articles throughout the tournament, absolutely biased and even cynical...many of the comments were even deleted eventually...mine were never published...could only presume why, and you could only guess what my messages contained...but I hope that next year and at the upcoming tournaments, I wont have to read crap and gibberish like this...this is one of the reason why I could never work as a sports commentator...I would never be able to be subjective and I would always cheer for someone...but at least I have the decency to admit it...

Ok, to finally close this....Wimbledon came and went...leaving many new great and not so great memories, but for sure, on the overall, it was an exciting one!
Thank you Nadal for bringing another day of joy and for shutting the mouths to the many evil guys and gals who underestimated you and who so much wanted to see you lose...you are my number one, and will always remains so!

PS. Dont you think he is adorable when arguing with Pascal? :P
PPS. Big hug to Zarah and Beatriz, my two dear Partners-in-Crime when it comes to Nadal :)
PPS. I warned you it was gonna be a longish post...so no complaints will be admitted ;-)

Happy Birthday Rafa!

Just one (shortish) post today, since this day HAS TO be commemorated, and since I have the perfect card to do so! Yup, this IS a card, especially created for me by my dear friend Ana in Belgrade <3
Do I hear some jealous threatening females voices?!!! One from Spain and the other one from Cambodia??? :P :P :P :P

Well, today, 3rd June, our boy Rafa is turning 24....age at which he has achieved so so so much more than many of his tennis counterparts...I often hear how Federer is great and how he has won xy number of titles.....BUT..when making such comparisons, people obviously seem to forget that Federer is 5 years older than Nadal and is sort of normal for him to have won more matches....except that an irony follows here, coz it is Mr. Nadal himself, with his 24 years (he actually achieved all this at 23, he is turning 24 today only), who has won 18 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments....which is a RECORD! Which is TWO more than Roger (who is 28) and ONE more than the previous record-holder, Andre Agassi, who was actually not more, not less but 33 years old when he achieved that record...so please...stop giving me your arguments of how great Federer is and how much Nadal sucks....I am not denying Federer's success...I may not like him at all, but I do have the courtesy to admit he is a great tennis player..however, if you are about to criticize Nadal, at least find me someone equal to his age, with equal experience and THEN make the comparisons....you dont have such a person? I rest my case...please call me when Nadal is 28 too
Should I mention that it was Nadal who took Wimbledon from Federer?? When everyone was sooo suspicious about how Nadal would adapt to grass, he managed to get to the finals, twice in a row, with which he proved that he can be good on grass as much as he is on clay....the next year proved to be a third luck charm and Wimbledon was in Nadal's hands....and their overall stats are 14:7 in Rafa's favour....hm!
Apologies to all the Federer fans and Nadal haters for this post, but lest not forget, this is MY blog, and MY post, so I can pretty much speak my mind, no? Feel free to write your own post about Roger or whomever else you want, and I promise i wont say a bad word there, nor will I argue....just as i WON'T allow that happen here...save the bad comments and insults for yourself please....I know this sounds harsh but i am also well aware of what this sort of posts may provoke, so this is just like a warning :) But this is Nadal's day, so let me enjoy it as I want it....and even though I dont like Federer, i DO like YOU as my friends....and you can hate Nadal to guts, but I never let that interfere in my relations with other people....just like i hate it when politics interfers too...

Right now Roland Garros is being played, where Rafa reached the semis, where he is going to play against Melzer, who rather surprised me by outlasting Novak in 5 sets....having in mind that Melzer is the oldest remaining guy in the tournament (29)...so I cant be still about his play to Nadal, even though Nadal has the 2:0 overall lead against him....Nadal is the guy who mentally is extremely strong, physically even more....I just hope and keep fingers crossed he doesnt have one of his bad days :P
Another thing that I love is that Fed is out, which means he will lose his last years points which gives Nadal the chance to come closer to regaining ATP number 1, and if he wins RG, number 1 is his! But lets not make predictions...whenever I do, they dont come true :) For those of you who follow tennis, esp. Rafa, are quite familiar with last year's events and why Rafa skipped many matches and why he played so poorly in general

Here are some stuff I wanted to share with you

a 12 year old kid, called Rafael Nadal :) isnt he cute :)



Nadal winning his 18th ATP Masters...can you just see how Federer missed that ball?????



Nadal vs Federer at Wimbledon 2008...by many considered as one of the greatest, most thrilling and most tense matches ever, interrupted by rain twice....it ate my nerves personally...but it was Nadal eventually who took the title home....I literally cried after this one (the second time i cried was when he wont the 18th ATP tournament)



I was about to speak also about Nadal's modesty and fairness in general, where he admits if the line umpires had made a mistake when calling the ball out if it was actually in....at the last Nadal-Federer meeting, when it was OBVIOUS the ball was IN, and Nadal should have won the point, Federer just raised his arms saying "i have no idea where it fell"...yeah, right....it was shown later that the ball WAS *IN* indeed, but oh well....the justice was served in the end, since Nadal won :)

And without any further ado....HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAFA!! Wishing you many many many more Happy Birthdays and MANY MANY MANY more matches and tournaments and titles!

And the greatest thanks to Ana for sending me this card in the first place and making this post possible.
And I also want to dedicate this post to my dear Nadal-friends, Zarah, with whom I often watch Nadal's matches, comment, laugh, cry, curse :P And Beatriz, with whom even though I havent been able to watch a match yet, is as supportive for Nadal as I am, and who shares with me the joys and disappointments of his matches.

Ok, I am finally gonna go silent now :D