STADIUM 1 start 11:00 am [17] A Mauresmo (FRA) vs A Groenefeld (GER) - WTA S Querrey (USA) vs G Canas (ARG) - ATP [1] D Safina (RUS) vs T Pironkova (BUL) - WTA [WC] M Lopez (ESP) / R Nadal (ESP) vs F Cermak (CZE) / M Mertinak (SVK) - ATP Not Before 7:30 PM M Fish (USA) / A Roddick (USA) vs J Chardy (FRA) / G Simon (FRA) - ATP [WC] U Radwanska (POL) vs [6] S Kuznetsova (RUS) - WTA
Nadal: the secrets of his success (series of interviews with players) GrandChelem Online Magazine, n°11 - welovetennis.fr
Gilles Simon about... Facing NadalFor me, it's always a pleasure to play against him. Every time. Because he's irreproachable when talking about his attitude (behavior). Because no matter what happens, he always respects his opponent. Because despite all the tournaments he has won and the fact that he's number one, he doesn't consider himself to be above the others. So, really, it's always a pleasure to play against him. Physically, you can sometimes see that he's tired. That was the case in the Australian Open for example. But what's incredible is his focus. His ability to keep his focus, even when it's tough. You can see it: he moves a bit less well, he runs a bit slower but his focus stays the same. He stays concentrated on each point. Even when it lasts 5 hours, he will stay focussed throughout those 5 hours on each point and this is nearly impossible to do. He's the only one I see capable of this.
Rafa and his island
I don't know if it matters that you live on an island or not. However, I do think that the education plays an important role because he's a player who is very respectful to all his opponents. And even if he had a couple of habits when he just started out that even I didn't really like (like encouraging himself after each point), he has really changed. He has toned it down. Personally, I think that the key to his success - and it still plays a role today - is that he's been very much underestimated in comparison with the level he had. I think that this awful; they way some have branded him as this clay court beast who can only run....I think that the fact that he doesn't let such things get to him is his strength but he uses it. Even today, being the number one, he still indicates that Federer is ahead of him even if it seems contradictory after having beaten him I don't know how many times and on every surface.
Rafa and his uncle
Yes, Toni plays a crucial part in his success. However, having trained with Rafa several times, I can tell you that in practice, he tries out an enormous amount of things that he either can't do or doesn't do often. It's not that he takes more risks than usual but it's a matter of taking nothing but risks! (smiles) He hits really hard and he looks to win the point within two shots to improve his game. The first time I trained with him, I told myself: "NEVER again will I play with him! (and I'm not the only one). That's saying something...and yet, I adore it because he was there to work on his game and to win points within two shots...I watched his match the next day: he made no mistake, played from the back of the court, played defensive and yet, just the day before, in training, he would do serve-volley, return-volley etc... So, all this to say that he's totally different during practice compared with his matches. (smiles)
Nadal in Roger's shadow
I watch the matches and I see Nadal win 10 times, 15 times against Federer. I simply can't think that Federer is stronger than Nadal. He used to be but that's no longer the case. Nadal used that to continue to get stronger. When we didn't expect him on grass, he reached his first Wimbledon final: "Well, it was luck, he had a good draw". Second final in Wimbledon: "yeah, but..well, he will never pull it off against Federer...". Except that even then, he lost in five sets. And finally, he wins. He, who others have branded as the player who can only win on clay. What I find incredible is that even today, certain people still find reasons to believe that he's only a brute who stomps and runs...It's so much more than that. Nadal's strength is that for 2, 3 years, he continued to be...number two! This with 5000 ranking points! Just think how many have been number one with less points. He never let go... That's not even speaking of the frustration that the only reason why you're stuck at n°2 is that there's this alien Federer who plays at the same time as you. You can see that this has discouraged the other players. Djoko was close but you have the impression that he's taken a step back. At first, he said: "I'm going to devour those two" but then, after seeing how much it took to reach a final, to win all the time, you could sense, especially in his attitude (even if he kept his n°3 ranking), that he took a step back. Nadal, such a force! To stay number 2, to beat Federer a lot of times, to hear that he's 100 times better than you...I think that this must have been tough and he just used it to make his move and to finally reach that number one spot. And he's the indisputable number one nowadays. They can say whatever they want, he's the indisputable number one with a considerable lead!
Being a lefty
His weapon is his cross-court forehand that works like an enormous whip. To start with, he has a big advantage against players with a one-handed backhand and this wins him a countless amount of points. Furthermore, the fact that he's a lefty helps him a lot. He doesn't have a heavy serve but it's bothersome because he uses incredible angles. If he'd used the same serve as a right-hander, it wouldn't hurt so much. Now, a bit of slice on the ad court when you return and wham, he shoots his forehand.
Nadal: the secrets of his success (series of interviews with players) GrandChelem Online Magazine, n°11 - welovetennis.fr
Mikhail Youzhny about...
Facing Nadal
I cant really say that I have a special tactic to beat him. Maybe Im simply more in shape against him (smiles) Our first encounter goes back to 2004. Rafa was still very young. When I beat him in Chennai (6-0, 6-1), hed just had an extremely demanding match the day before against Carlos Moya (6-4(3), 4-6(8), 7-6(1) in 3 hours and 55 minutes - note from the editor). Rafa has improved a lot in the previous years. Against him, you cant say: Right, you have to play like this, like that and then, youll beat him. No matter the score, no matter his shape at that moment, he never surrenders one ball. Rafa has an extraordinary fighting spirit. I adore how he fights on court. Even when hes hurting somewhere, he doesnt show a thing during the match. Its impossible to tell whether hes in shape or not, whether hes tired. No player likes to play against him When you look at the draw, you simply wish to see your name as far as possible from his name. (Smiles). But, you just have to deal with it.
Nadal and his island
We travel all year long and sometimes, you need to return home. To simply enjoy the moments with our family, our friends. Certain players can handle the traveling better than others, to always be so far away from their loved ones. Rafa goes back to his island for perhaps two or three days, a week here, one there. However, after that, hes raring to get going again and to win a couple of Grand Slam tournaments (laughs). But to really answer your question, you have to know how it went when he was a junior for example, when he only just started his career. Even then, when he had reached the top 50, he was already very strong and you could already see that this was an extraordinary player. But, you could not yet imagine just how far he would go I think that at this point, nobody is ready to make an estimate on how far Rafa can go, how much he can still improve and where hes going to stop. Today, hes the world number one but hes still young. He has already won Roland Garros 4 times consecutively, four times Monte Carlo, he has won an incredible amount of matches on clay last year.
Nadal and his uncle
The influence of Toni on his career, thats a difficult question Its hard to judge in how far the relationship between a player and his coach influences the results. To be able to have an opinion on this question, you have to know his background since the beginning. You have to know how they work together. Toni has helped Rafa achieve some very good results, helped him get to this level; theres no doubt about that. Rafa continues to improve. Hes always tweaking his game. So, you could say that Rafa is improving on his own, but I remain convinced that Toni being at his side has helped him enormously. Should Rafa change his coach, you would be able to tell the difference. Perhaps it would be better but it could just as easily be worse. Me, being trained by my uncle? Well, Ill have to try it (smiles).
Nadal in Rogers shadow
They both get better because of each other. Before, it was Roger who occupied the number one spot. Today, its Rafa but he hasnt stopped improving, hes still moving forward. See, he has just won the Australian Open Now, the question is whether Roger will be able to compete with Rafa this season. Well see how it goes (smiles)...He plays incredible but he already has knee problems at his age Nobody knows what will happen. He could just as easily get seriously injured, forcing him to stop his career or he could stay at number one for a long time like Roger and go on to win Grand Slams like Pete (Sampras). Rafa has proven to the world that hes able to win every tournament and that he can win Grand Slam events on every surface. He has already played three consecutive Wimbledon finals and he has won the last one. He has also won Queens. Nobody can continue to say that hes only a clay court player. Today, things have changed, he can win everywhere.
Being a lefty
Being a lefty gives you advantages but also disadvantages. When a guy plays, he doesn't say: "he's a lefty and I don't like playing against" or "I've never succeeded when playing against a lefty". You can say: "I've never been able to beat Nadal". This you can say. But not: "I have never succeeded beating a lefty". So, I think that you can get blocked on the name of an opponent but on the fact that he's a lefty or not.
น้องต๊อบพูดถึงราฟาค่ะ แปลคุณคุณ Moon@VB เช่นกันค่ะ Nadal: the secrets of his success (series of interviews with players) GrandChelem Online Magazine, n°11 - welovetennis.fr
Grigor Dimitrev about...
Facing Nadal
The first thing that I told myself was: Yeah, I really did it! I went on court and I was beaten by Rafa and it lasted two and a half hours! I was so excited that I couldnt sleep that following night (smiles). In all honesty, I wasnt expecting to play such a good match, especially in the second set. However, I really went for it, I took advantage of each low ball. For me, it was an incredible match and weve shown some beautiful things on that day. Because, you cant forget that Nadal is one of the fittest guys on tour. He runs really, really well and he has improved in an incredible way. His leg work makes him even more dangerously. Thats not counting the fact that hes mentally very, very strong, he doesnt surrender one thing and hes always fighting 200%. He simply has a huge psychological advantage over his opponent when he steps on court.
Nadal and his island
Of course, education does play a role in success. School, obviously is an important part of life for everybody. I think that its important for an athlete, regardless of what sport is played, to have a certain level of education to be able to continue to do what you want afterwards. For me, education is very important. I think that most parents want their children to be well brought-up, to be well behaved in life. They will always look for the best ways to achieve that, to help their child on the good road. For every parent, its crucial to bring up your child well. And when you have received a good upbringing, you will develop your qualities and this will help you in the future, no matter what you do.
Nadal and his uncle
Hes certainly the best person to guide Rafa. At the moment, their association works rather well! (smiles) The most important thing is that Rafa feels well in the company of his coach. It helps him mentally if he feels well in the company of all those who surround him and it works! Rafa and Toni have been working in a certain way together for years and theyve set up a certain game(style) and they have their own routine. Toni works hard for Rafa and Rafa has an absolute faith in his uncle. However, its not evident that somebody from your family is involved in your career. Everything depends on the sort of relationship two people have. I think that they have found their balance. This balance allows Rafa to be as strong as he is at the moment and to win so many tournaments.
Nadal in Rogers shadow
Theyre both big fighters. In recent times, Ive seen Roger lose quite a few matches against Rafa. But I can really not discuss about the reason behind Rogers losses, whatever it is. Its none of my business. I adore both players, I adore their playing style so let the best man win! I dont want to risk saying something that may offend others. Im still too young and Ive not yet reached the top level so its not up to me to talk about it. My opinion doesnt count.
Being a lefty
Yes, perhaps...Personally, I don't think that it matters much whether an opponent is left handed or right handed.. I don't get more worried because of that. Maybe being a lefty gives you an advantage but...well, everything depends on the situation. In any case, he's a lefty and that's how it is, you can't do anything about that and he's not to blame for it. (smiles)
บทความนี่ก็น่าสนใจค่ะ พูดถึงแมทที่ AO ส้มไม่รู้ว่าส้มเคยเล่าไว้หรือยัง ว่าระหว่างแมทที่เล่นกับนันโด้อ่ะค่ะ ราฟามีขอพรด้วย ไม่รู้ว่าพรอันนี้รึเปล่าราฟาเลยชนะ AO
แปลโดยคุณ Moon@VB เช่นเดิมค่ะ Nadal: the secrets of his succes. GrandChelem #11
Nadal and his star to wish upon
This photographic document that youll discover here is a bomb. Dont look for it because you wont find it in any other magazine. Sure, maybe two or three pictures were published in the press but the entire series of 12 pictures is a world exclusive entitled Nadals world for the book of Luca Appino and Toni Nadal. Our photographer, Gianni Giacco was behind the camera to immortalize this magical moment.
The scene takes place during the semi-final against Fernando Verdasco. Gianni has decided to keep his focus on Rafael Nadal, especially during the changeovers. Most photographers use these breaks to put down their camera for a bit and have a little breather before launching the next hunting session. No break for Gianni, however. When you want to capture Rafa, when you want to wait for that magical moment when the animal reveals himself in all its essence, you need to be like Nadal; patient, concentrated and ready to let go of nothing. You cant afford to not pay attention each second.
Rafa is in big trouble against his compatriot Verdasco. The beast is wounded but not yet dead. Once again on the barricades, the world number one digs very deep inside himself to find the necessary resources. And for this occasion, he went deeper than ever before
End of the 4th set, Nadal returns to his seat. The procedure is set in stone; the two water bottles are waiting for him in their military line-up, one a bit smaller than the other, each in a precise distance from the feet of the Spaniard. He grabs hold of bottle number two, the smallest one, takes a sip and puts it down again. Near the plastic bottle, he discovers one of the many dandelion achenes that float around at the Rod Laver arena. The end of the month of january is in the middle of the intense pollen season in Melbourne, so you can see a lot of those little sparks floating around in the stadium.
So, Nadal starts an amazing ceremony. He grabs hold of the little achene, holds it close to his heart and shuts his eyes firmly. His face betrays a moment of intense focus of which the spectators and photographers are unaware in the middle of their little breather. Gianni captures it all
Nadal makes his little wish. In the middle of that boiling stadium, Nadal acts as if hes all alone in the world and he makes his wish
The wish is revealed two days later to Gianni by Phillipe Bouin who, in turn, has heard it from Toni Nadal. The wish of a champion is the wish of a child: if I win this match, Ill win the Australian Open. Nadal sets his little prisoner free to continue its travels through the sky and maybe, it will reach the tennis gods.
Never before in the history of tennis have we seen this. Never. If somebody claims the opposite, let them prove it with pictures and let them hand over the evidence. They will obviously start talking about the inner voices of Noah, Mauresmo or Ivanisevic before their grand slam match point and theyve all talked about it extensively. But to put your faith in a little achene in the 4th set, thats something else. You need to master the art of magical thinking, you need to believe in magic, you need to believe, you need to be religious. The battle all the way through, constant focus, being steadfast within yourself is that religion. Its the religion of tennis.
Nadal is special. By writing this down, this is an effort to let you really feel that this player has something really transcendental, reaching for the forces of nature and to show just how much hes unique. Just ask yourself this question: can you imagine Roger Federer, John Mcenroe, Björn Borg or Rod Laver ever doing the same thing?
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Nadal sets his little prisoner free to continue its travels through the sky and maybe, it will reach the tennis gods.
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Nadal: the secrets of his success (series of interviews with players)
GrandChelem Online Magazine, n°11 - welovetennis.fr
Mikhail Youzhny about...
Facing Nadal
I cant really say that I have a special tactic to beat him. Maybe Im simply more in shape against him (smiles) Our first encounter goes back to 2004. Rafa was still very young. When I beat him in Chennai (6-0, 6-1), hed just had an extremely demanding match the day before against Carlos Moya (6-4(3), 4-6(8), 7-6(1) in 3 hours and 55 minutes - note from the editor). Rafa has improved a lot in the previous years. Against him, you cant say: Right, you have to play like this, like that and then, youll beat him. No matter the score, no matter his shape at that moment, he never surrenders one ball. Rafa has an extraordinary fighting spirit. I adore how he fights on court. Even when hes hurting somewhere, he doesnt show a thing during the match. Its impossible to tell whether hes in shape or not, whether hes tired. No player likes to play against him When you look at the draw, you simply wish to see your name as far as possible from his name. (Smiles). But, you just have to deal with it.
Nadal and his island
We travel all year long and sometimes, you need to return home. To simply enjoy the moments with our family, our friends. Certain players can handle the traveling better than others, to always be so far away from their loved ones. Rafa goes back to his island for perhaps two or three days, a week here, one there. However, after that, hes raring to get going again and to win a couple of Grand Slam tournaments (laughs). But to really answer your question, you have to know how it went when he was a junior for example, when he only just started his career. Even then, when he had reached the top 50, he was already very strong and you could already see that this was an extraordinary player. But, you could not yet imagine just how far he would go I think that at this point, nobody is ready to make an estimate on how far Rafa can go, how much he can still improve and where hes going to stop. Today, hes the world number one but hes still young. He has already won Roland Garros 4 times consecutively, four times Monte Carlo, he has won an incredible amount of matches on clay last year.
Nadal and his uncle
The influence of Toni on his career, thats a difficult question Its hard to judge in how far the relationship between a player and his coach influences the results. To be able to have an opinion on this question, you have to know his background since the beginning. You have to know how they work together. Toni has helped Rafa achieve some very good results, helped him get to this level; theres no doubt about that. Rafa continues to improve. Hes always tweaking his game. So, you could say that Rafa is improving on his own, but I remain convinced that Toni being at his side has helped him enormously. Should Rafa change his coach, you would be able to tell the difference. Perhaps it would be better but it could just as easily be worse. Me, being trained by my uncle? Well, Ill have to try it (smiles).
Nadal in Rogers shadow
They both get better because of each other. Before, it was Roger who occupied the number one spot. Today, its Rafa but he hasnt stopped improving, hes still moving forward. See, he has just won the Australian Open
Now, the question is whether Roger will be able to compete with Rafa this season. Well see how it goes (smiles)...He plays incredible but he already has knee problems at his age
Nobody knows what will happen. He could just as easily get seriously injured, forcing him to stop his career or he could stay at number one for a long time like Roger and go on to win Grand Slams like Pete (Sampras). Rafa has proven to the world that hes able to win every tournament and that he can win Grand Slam events on every surface. He has already played three consecutive Wimbledon finals and he has won the last one. He has also won Queens. Nobody can continue to say that hes only a clay court player. Today, things have changed, he can win everywhere.
Being a lefty
Being a lefty gives you advantages but also disadvantages. When a guy plays, he doesn't say: "he's a lefty and I don't like playing against" or "I've never succeeded when playing against a lefty". You can say: "I've never been able to beat Nadal". This you can say. But not: "I have never succeeded beating a lefty".
So, I think that you can get blocked on the name of an opponent but on the fact that he's a lefty or not.
น้องต๊อบพูดถึงราฟาค่ะ แปลคุณคุณ Moon@VB เช่นกันค่ะ
Nadal: the secrets of his success (series of interviews with players)
GrandChelem Online Magazine, n°11 - welovetennis.fr
Grigor Dimitrev about...
Facing Nadal
The first thing that I told myself was: Yeah, I really did it! I went on court and I was beaten by Rafa and it lasted two and a half hours! I was so excited that I couldnt sleep that following night (smiles). In all honesty, I wasnt expecting to play such a good match, especially in the second set. However, I really went for it, I took advantage of each low ball. For me, it was an incredible match and weve shown some beautiful things on that day. Because, you cant forget that Nadal is one of the fittest guys on tour. He runs really, really well and he has improved in an incredible way. His leg work makes him even more dangerously. Thats not counting the fact that hes mentally very, very strong, he doesnt surrender one thing and hes always fighting 200%. He simply has a huge psychological advantage over his opponent when he steps on court.
Nadal and his island
Of course, education does play a role in success. School, obviously is an important part of life for everybody. I think that its important for an athlete, regardless of what sport is played, to have a certain level of education to be able to continue to do what you want afterwards. For me, education is very important. I think that most parents want their children to be well brought-up, to be well behaved in life. They will always look for the best ways to achieve that, to help their child on the good road. For every parent, its crucial to bring up your child well. And when you have received a good upbringing, you will develop your qualities and this will help you in the future, no matter what you do.
Nadal and his uncle
Hes certainly the best person to guide Rafa. At the moment, their association works rather well! (smiles) The most important thing is that Rafa feels well in the company of his coach. It helps him mentally if he feels well in the company of all those who surround him and it works! Rafa and Toni have been working in a certain way together for years and theyve set up a certain game(style) and they have their own routine. Toni works hard for Rafa and Rafa has an absolute faith in his uncle. However, its not evident that somebody from your family is involved in your career. Everything depends on the sort of relationship two people have. I think that they have found their balance. This balance allows Rafa to be as strong as he is at the moment and to win so many tournaments.
Nadal in Rogers shadow
Theyre both big fighters. In recent times, Ive seen Roger lose quite a few matches against Rafa. But I can really not discuss about the reason behind Rogers losses, whatever it is. Its none of my business. I adore both players, I adore their playing style so let the best man win! I dont want to risk saying something that may offend others. Im still too young and Ive not yet reached the top level so its not up to me to talk about it. My opinion doesnt count.
Being a lefty
Yes, perhaps...Personally, I don't think that it matters much whether an opponent is left handed or right handed.. I don't get more worried because of that. Maybe being a lefty gives you an advantage but...well, everything depends on the situation. In any case, he's a lefty and that's how it is, you can't do anything about that and he's not to blame for it. (smiles)