Two-time champion Rafael Nadal faces his first serious test at Wimbledon 2017 when he meets left-hander Gilles Muller in the last 16 on Monday. The 16th seed, from Luxembourg, has won more matches (10) than any other player on grass this season. This is Rafa’s 36th appearance in the second week of a major, compared to three for Muller.
Date: July 10, 2017
Match time: Rafa is second on No. 1 Court. Around 3 PM local time / 10 AM EDT – New York, Montreal / 4 PM CET – Spain, France, Germany, Italy / midnight AEDT – Melbourne. To convert to your local time, use this website.
Rafa on playing Muller:
He’s one of the toughest opponents possible on this surface especially. It’s his best surface without a doubt. He has a great serve, a great volley. He play well from the baseline here.
So yeah, he’s a tough, tough opponent. At the same time we are in the round of 16. You cannot expect to have an easy opponents. So it is a very tough one because he played a lot on grass this year. Let’s see if I am amble to keep playing well.
- Rafa is bidding to reach the quarterfinals here for the first time since he finished runner-up in 2011.
- Rafa is facing a Top 30 opponent at Wimbledon for the first time since falling to No. 2 Djokovic in the 2011 final. Since then, he has faced just 3 Top 30 players on grass – defeating No. 24 Bernard Tomic, No. 16 Gael Monfils and No. 28 Viktor Troicki en route to winning the title at 2015 Stuttgart.
- Rafa has won 28 consecutive completed sets at the Grand Slams – equalling his own longest-streak of consecutive completed sets won, which stretched from the quarterfinals at 2010 Wimbledon through to the final at the 2010 US Open. Nadal has not dropped a set at a Grand Slam since falling to Roger Federer in 5 sets in the Australian Open Final.
- Rafa is also bidding to reach 3 straight Grand Slam quarterfinals for the first time since 2013-14 – when he won the title at the 2013 US Open, reached the final at the 2014 Australian Open and won the title at 2014 Roland Garros.
Muller beat Rafa at the All England Club in 2005, but Rafa got one back in 2011. Our champ has an overall 5-1 record against the big-serving man from Luxembourg.
| YEAR | EVENT | SURFACE | RND | WINNER | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells CA, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R64 | Rafael Nadal |
62 26 64
|
| 2011 | US Open NY, U.S.A. |
Outdoor Hard | R16 | Rafael Nadal |
761 61 62
|
| 2011 | Wimbledon Great Britain |
Outdoor Grass | R32 | Rafael Nadal |
766 765 60
|
| 2005 | Wimbledon England |
Outdoor Grass | R64 | Gilles Muller |
64 46 63 64
|
| 2005 | Barcelona Spain |
Outdoor Clay | R32 | Rafael Nadal |
60 62
|
| QUALIFYING, CHALLENGER AND FUTURES MATCHES | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| YEAR | EVENT | SURFACE | RND | WINNER | RESULT |
| 2003 | Segovia Spain |
Outdoor Hard | QF | Rafael Nadal |
26 75 63
|
- If Rafa wins he will play either No. 7 seed Marin Cilic or No. 18 seed Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals. He leads Cilic 4-1 and Bautista Agut 2-0 in their previous meetings.
GOOD LUCK & VAMOS RAFA!
All the very best champ. Muller can be tricky but you are playing at a really high level. Unleash the beast n you’ll be in quarters
wish and hope Nadal will break Muller in his first serve for first two sets and will keep his fans cool rest
question:
If nadal of 2017 would play against the djokovic of 2015 who would win?
Rafa offcourse…..
Nobody even came close to Rafa post Miami… barring Rome(Which was intentional I suppose)
And in 2015 Djokovic could not do what Rafa did in last 10 matches….
Happy to read all the post here. But i dont know about all of you but i am very nervous for tomorrow. I said many times saw this guy muller playing this wimbeldon and he is playing well with confidence and has outaced his opponents. Muller has won the most matches on grass this year and has beaten nadal in 2005 at wimbeldon and has nothing to lose and believes he can beat nadal again.
Nadal should serve on a high level tomorrow because he knows if muller serves well tomorrow that he can not afford to have a sloppy game in a set. That can cause him the set and on the long term the match
Second return agressivly like he did against raonic during the quarterfinal at the australian open this year.
Convert the breakpoints he will get on muller serve because he will not get a lot. Be sharp, agressive and focus from the first till the last point.
Maybe i am exaggerating but i am just saying.
mjus, Fed just said in a Swiss interview today that he believed Rafa would make the final this year. So try to calm down and relax more.
Yep it’s true that grass is Muller’s best surface plus he is actually having the best season of his career, peaking (in terms of result) at the age of 34 (!). That should tell us that his form is great and his mentality must have improved.
However, he’s 34 years old. He has played a lot of matches on grass already in a short period of time. His volley is good but Rafa’s is even better. The best on tour if you ask McEnroe. And who can deny his passing shot is the goat? Even Fed fans tend to admit so lol.
Meanwhile, Muller’s return game is weak and his ground game is average at best. Besides, it would take a nerve of steel to be able to serve extremely well in every game when you are facing the big guys, among them Rafa is one the most intimidating, if not the most.
So all it takes is some missed first serves here and there and Rafa will punish him with his better and better return. Plus even if his 1st serve % is very high throughout the match, don’t think Rafa will get aced as much as his other opponents.
Rafa has been being more aggressive on return even though this year he had adjusted his ROS position to be quite far behind the baseline, not like his usual grass game in the previous years when he would stand very close to the baseline to return 1st serve. His BH return has clearly improved and now it’s better than his other side, which is great as he can drive his BH, flatten and put more depth into it much more consistently than his FH.
Now Rafa’s serve game. Everyone has already seen it’s a big improvement in his game. Not only it has more pace, its position is now better than it ever was. It keeps his opponents guessing and even if they guess it right, it’s not easy to return that tricky lefty slicy serve of Rafa, especially on their BH side. It has never been flashy or bomb-like, but it’s super effective. Even Agassi, the best or one of the best returners in the history of the game was impressed and said it might looke deceiptively “weak” while it’s actually not. And it was 2005 and 2006 when Rafa’s serve is miles behind his current version.
Don’t let the ace stats fool you. Always lots of unreturned serves in Rafa’s matches which usually isn’t shown in stats. Rafa doesn’t have to ace his opponents outright all the time. He only needs it the most in critical moments like facing BPs or avoiding them or in the TB.
Furthermore, his ground game is so impressive now. He’s playing his most aggressive tennis since he has been in the lime light and his shotmaking has impressed even his non-fans and haters. So relax. Even Fed was impressed.
The most important things are his nerve and his knees. His game can stay as it is now and he still has a very good chance to make the final. He just needs to avoid eccessive training and avoid having mental lapses like he did in the previous 3 matches.
Great analysis….vamos Rafa
All the very best of good luck Rafa. May you stay physically and mentally fit all throughout the 2nd week of Wimbledon. May you exemplary execute all those shot that will lead you to final. May God smile at you always.
Vamos Rafa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheers 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sounds as though the boys, Rafa and Andy have been having some relaxing Golf, so why not.
All the best Rafa tomorrow in your game against Gillies,
Love and prayers,
AlaineXXSydneyXXAustraliaXX
what can I say its all been said ,Rafa you are the best,
hope you rest today and then will sail through this week your in fact a talented and very watchable man gorg xxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi guys!!
I am posting here for the first time ever.Believe me I am following all of you from the very first post Of RNF page….You all are like a family for me bcz you all are crazy fans of Rafa.My first work in the morning to read all your comments….
I really love you all and read all your comments daily
This is the best form of Rafa fans
Special thanks for The admin and most craziest fans like Maria(uk),Puma (always scared of Rafa next opponent), Navdeep (Specific approach), Rainier(Best Analyst), Susie (passionate), Margo (A bit over the moon approach), Our Sweetheart Abuela nan Shirley, Rafa 1310, Rafantastic and all others….
I know we wd support and follow him through all his life…. Vamosssssss Rafa
French-Wimbledon double is on the cards…
Muller be ready…..!!!!
Hello from all of us 🙂
Thanks alot
Welcome Khawartainmoor, and have a lovely time posting on this great site , that can at times can get very crazy. I will look forward to seeing your future comments 😁
Lol – passionate about tennis I am. Welcome.
Thanks alot Maria
As always we wd see hmmmm…
Haaa
Thank you Susie
If I am wrong about you then we all are wrong here…. haha
“Over the moon about Rafa” I am. And I’ll tell ya why.🤗
So you read where I said at the beginning of 2017 “the best is yet to come.” I was spot on.
About his matches, I do my own “research” 🤓 about his chances. Who said he should skip Rome when everyone said he should skip Madrid? Who was not worried about any of his FO opponents? Who has been for a great run or better when most are talking knees? Who was not worried about his perceived “lack of preparation” for Wimbledon? Who is for truth and accuracy when making comments on this great site?
OK. I am now out of breath. LOL
I also acknowledge that Rafa has his foibles, just like the rest of us. I face them all, good, bad, or indifferent. And don’t forget that Rafa rocks 159%. I hope we all keep entertaining you with our RAFA postings.
RAFA ROCKS 150%
Thanks brother for your research and postings….and believe me I knew it he would come back hard this year and he did already….Now Wimbledon wd be icing on the cake bcz I want him to snatch the title from Rogers home….
Please don’t mind…
We are like a family here….I know you
You always come here with the first post here
And I love you all
Actually my problem is I can’t digest his loss sometimes so I quickly turn my face to this beautiful forum to let myself calm
I cannot resist commenting on Khawartaimoor’s comments, the acuteness of which left me laughing-smiling for several minutes. Seems like the people who keep posting here form a group of inveterate Rafa fans with quite identifiable – not to say sometimes bizarre – characteristics. For my part, I certainly am scaredy.
Above all, this until now silent Rafa fan reminds me of my route to joining this group of writers. l had, until recently, only read comments. At one point, I also joined the writers bcz it was almost like finding friends on site.
In short, welcome new friend and thanks to this observation, I will try to be less scared.
WAMOS WAMOS WAMOS
Yeah please bcz you scare me too haha
Thanks for this greeting Puma
Actually I am reading this forum from many years and wanted to comment on the day when the whole world appreciate Our Beloved Rafa As The Greatest…..But I couldn’t resist
Love you all….
Very welcome to you, khawartainmoor – Looking forward to share our passion for Rafa and reading your posts in here 😊👍🏻
Vamoooss and the best of luck for tomorrow, Rafa Champ ❤️🍀🎾💪🏼😃
Like the photo of Rafa putting on his bandana – looks so fokused, totally ready for battle 🐂𗀟👏🏻
Oops, sorry for spelling your name wrong 😜😉
Oops again: Correction – “focused” (with an c that is 🙄😉) where’s that edit button, when you need it?
LOL 😁
We will Rock today…
He will thrash Muller I am sure.
Thanks for the greetings
You are always awesome…..
Thank you 😃🌼
🎾💪🏼 Go get it Rafa 🍀😘
Hi khawartaimoor :-). Many thanks for your support all those times and your kind words. Such a hello as well. 🌻
I used to be like you too. I read and clicked on the like buttons as much as I could lol. But now “look” at me. Undisputed heavy weight champion of the rambling/chanting league 🙈 lol. So hopefully from now on we will be hearing more from you. You’re very welcome. 🙂
About the “analyst” title, thanks again but I don’t think I’m anywhere close to being an “analyst”, let alone “the best” here. I’m just an overenthusiastic fan who has a lot of thoughts about Rafa and tennis and tend to make mobile phone users here suffer from having to scroll through the endless chanting of mine to get to those concise posts of other fans. Some might even resent me for being too critical at times, I guess. :p
But all in all I guess you might have known all that already. 🙂 I just want to clarify that there have been many great “analysts” here over the years and I don’t feel I’m any better than any of them.
But thanks again. You have made many RNF members happy today. 🙂
Thanks for warm greetings….
I don’t know much about you Rainier only thing I know whenever I wanted to write anything here then I look up to you and think that it was already written…..I would say I am as enthusiastic as you are…. Literally love your posts…
Thank you once again for withstanding with our Champ in Thick and Thin
I think you all made me cry today I never thought I would get this welcome after following all of you for many years…. Thank you very much
Made me even stronger as our Rafa is getting stronger day by day
‘Specific approach’ haha u too are an expert khawartaimoor. Let’s just all pray Rafa plays his best n moves into quarters .
Vamos
No Navdeep I really mean it…
Rafa should and would move on….
Vamosssssss Champ
Rafa is firm favourite not only to win this match but he can go all the way & win Wimbledon this year.he only needs to reach the final to take over the world number one spot from Murray.he’s in superb shape & form.the best i’ve seen him in a very long time.Rafa we love you.nobody in the game can match your personality either which is why you’re so popular amongst the fans.
Sorry, but it’s a joke that Rafa will play on Court No. 1 again and not on the CC.
It has been so long since the Big4 all play in the same day at Wimby and you can’t imagine they push their nation’s hope and the goaterer to Court 1. (Okay I was half joking. Dimitrov is certainly a much more popular player than Muller so add that to the goaterer thing, you get the obvious outcome.)
But no worries. A long as it’s dry and sunny and Rafa doesn’t have to play the last match, it’s all fine. 🙂
Rafa_1310, you know it’s all about Roger the God (haha)! He hasn’t been put on Court 1 yet! Disgraceful at this stage of the tournament. Obvious bias!
So thankful that you are back to playing your very best stuff. It is wonderful to see you hunker down when you need to. You are getting loud cheers from an 80 year old woman who has watched you from the very beginning. Actually wear my Rafa hat and vamos shirt on the streets jof Oregon. A Vamos for every day!!!!
Sorry Susie, I’m afraid I agree with Puma. Can you imagine Andy cursing n swearing if he is playing badly! Maybe a game with Roger F. would be relaxing. Vamos Rafa. God bless you. Your Aussie Abuela Nan Shirley. 🐂⏳👑⛵️😀😊😇
Rafa good luck tomorrow .you are playing so good is fun to wach you .vamossssssssssssssssssssssssssss Champ.your fans for ever.🎾🎾🎾👍👍👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😇😇😇🏆🏆🏆❤️
Good luck and Vamos Rafa.
Rafa, Müller is on a role but so are you.
Become known as the player who stopped him from reaching the last of eight at Wimbledon, which he has NEVER accomplished.
RAFA ROCKS 150%
CORRECTION: on a roll
RAFA ROCKS 150%
Can’t wait 🤗
Loove watching you play Rafa – it’s such a a treat 😍👏🏻 You’re soo talented and attractive in what you do 😘👍🏻🥇🌟☀️
The best of luck sweet champ ❤️🍀
VAMOS!! 🎾💪🏼😃
l will be watching you tomorrow and hope you do well,l now you will do your very best,l came to watch you at the mallorca open on the 22 of june,but missed getting your autogragh,l was not near the gate when you finish your practise,l have just spent four weeks in palmanove and to see you in the flesh was on my bucket list thank you for that you made a 70 year old lady very happy vamos rafa.
Rafa , Gilles Muller might be a tough opponent , but not half as tough as the opponent that he faces . I’m sure you will discard him like all the other who have crossed your path . Good luck on Monday and enjoy your weekend in London with your team and handsome ( I wonder who they take after) little cousins.
Rafa siguo confiando en ti k lo conseguiras…para rival duro tu sin menospreciar a ningun rival…t deseo lo mejor…RAFA VAMOS!!!!
Anyone have any idea about Murray’s approach to Nadal for playing golf with him? Will all Rafa’s rivals stop at nothing in order to divert Rafa from his Wimb. No. 3 goal? I hope Rafa does not spend Sunday playing golf with, when it suits himself limping Murray.
WAMOS WAMOS WAMOS Rafa
Goodness. I’m sure if rafa wants to play golf with andy – he will. I think they’re quite good friends and both probably need to relax a bit. I dont think there’s anything sinister about it PUMA.
Hi Susie , hope you had another great day at Wimbledon yesterday and managed to catch a glimpse of Rafa among others.
Apparently Andy saw Rafa and his team playing golf on Friday before Rafa went on court , so he challenged him to a friendly putting competition. Andy said Rafa is a great golfer ,but putting is specific skill so he might stand a chance of winning as he wouldn’t have a chance in a round of golf. I think it’s great that they are still very good friends, I have read before that when they stay in the same hotel when playing at a tournament , they hook up on the PlayStation to play Fifa and remember Judy Murray saying that on one occasion when she was sitting on the sofa at Andy’s house he started laughing and cheering out of nowhere and when she asked him what he was doing he said he was playing FIFA with Rafa who was in Mallorca.
Go out and have some fun boys, before the hard work starts again on Monday.
Hi Susie :). Yep, Murray said that out of the Big 4 he had the best relationship with Rafa. He even said “Rafa Nadal is the only guy I love watching. I just love the guy” :p. Fed and Noval also said Rafa was such a great human being and of course Rafa also has said a lot of nice things about them. They all respect each other deeply, so please fans follow their lead even if you can’t like some player. No need for unnecessary assumptions and digging.
Hi Maria :). How have you been?
I really like Rafa and Murray’s “relationship”. They’re about the same age so like Murray said they had a different kind of bond than the one he had with Roger (and Novak). They once or twice even publicly bickered over who’s the better Playstation player at their presser lol.
I’m hoping for a Rafa vs Murray semifinal. 🙂
Hi Maria and Rainer (long time no posts). Managed to get back to wimbledon on friday with ground passes – nice to be able to mooch around on that day. Settled on Henman Hill to watch rafa’s match but they were showing Konta’s match first which was ok as she didn’t take long and then they switched to rafas match on centre. Straight sets once again and a great but tense 3rd set. Rafa is doing so well – he makes me proud. Hope he manages to get some R&R and do what he wants to do – whatever that may be. Lord knows he deserves it. Roll on Monday for what I hope is another great match.
Hi Rainier, I’m well ,how are you, I certainly have missed your posts and gifs.Im so happy that Andy and Rafa have maintained their friendship from their teenage years , personality wise they are quite different but I feel they have the same values and are not really into the celebrity fame game. Rafa has said he gets on well with Andy because he respects him and feels he’s a real honest guy ( just like Rafa). I know they can get quite competitive on the PlayStation,.Andy lost one time against Rafa , but said Rafa wasn’t that good and that he only won because Juan Monaco had helped Lol. ( Light hearted fun)
I’m sure you have seen it Rainer ,but if not go on you tube and find the clip where Rafa pranks Andy while he was having dinner with Kim in a restaurant (it shows the mischievous side of Rafa).
I also think Roger has a great relationship with Rafa , Roger has said”I know his family the best, . I know his mum, dad and sister. Yeah, our bond goes further back than the one I have with Novak or Andy. And for that reason I feel closest and most connected to Rafa”.
I can’t imagine anybody disliking Rafa .
Yes a semi final between Rafa and Andy would be something to look forward to . I have been watching Novak and I’m not liking what I see , he seems to be getting his form back , I just hope not quite in time for the final.
Thanks a lot for the kind words, Maria. I missed you guys too :-). Felt a bit guilty for not saying hi for quite a while. It’s been quite a journey since Madrid (and before that of course), so many emotions. I was still loving the game and Rafa as ever and feeing warm at the thought of the most ardent fans like you and Susie and many more here still sharing and connecting with each other no matter what. (Pls excuse the melodrama lol.)
Out of the B4 I’m currently only impressed by Rafa, not because I’m his fan. Murray is not in his best form and he has a bit of a sore hip. His 1st match was quite good but he was pushing too much in the next two matches – I can’t imagine he can do any damage to Rafa should they meet in the semis, based on their form at the tournament so far.
Of course those big guys tend to up his game for big matches and especially against each other. But still, Rafa is a bad match-up in general for Murray. The crowd should they meet will help him a lot of course but I doubt he can win by that.
Novak’s serve is on its way back so his overall game is getting better. He’s being more comfortable at the net but still far behind Rafa and Fed. Other aspects of his game were still nowhere near his peak but he’s improving. But the most important thing is his mentality and with Agassi being with him all the time plus a new coach whose best surface was grass Ancic on board now, I think he must be feeling much more assured and confident. The field should watch out. But gamewise, if he and Rafa played right now, I’d pick Rafa as the heavy favourite.
Fed is playing well enough to win his matches in straights but he’s doing nothing special really. FH and movement have clearly declined. BH hasn’t found the hard court swing’s edge yet and probably won’t on grass due to the nature of the surface where the ball’s bounce is much lower and not that predictable like on hard court. It has more power now but it’s harder to timing on grass. So far I have only seen his “normal” BH at Wimby.
The most consistent and even improved aspect of his game at the moment, on grass, is his serve but this is old news. His volley is up there with Rafa’s as the best on tour but I’d give Rafa’s the edge and I don’t think I’m biased. (McEnroe in fact agrees with me :p). You might know from my posting history I’m the critical type so I’m very careful with any of my “praises” for Rafa. :p
But really, except for some of his dips and mental lapses, gamewise he’s the best and most impressive at the moment. If he just holds his nerve well and doesn’t dig himself a hole like he’s been doing in all 3 matches, size varied, he will do fine. Might not win the whole thing since it doesn’t depend on him alone, but with a little help from Mother Nature I think his run at Wimby this year will be a proud one.
Oh sorry for the chanting again. ☺️☺️☺️ I can’t recall your 😽 and 🐶 atm (sorry abt that) but pls send them a kiss for me. Thank you and Hi again! 🙂
It’s so nice to hear you’ve been enjoying your time at Wimby, Susie :). The other day I read that you were going there on Wednesday so did you get to watch the Young match inside? Hope to hear much more from you, directly from the grounds. 🙂 🙂
I hope Raffy isn’t too sad without you at home 😽. How has he been doing with his recovery, Susie?
Hi Rainer. Raffy is my cat (named after our very own rafa) and holly berry is Maria’s dog and her cat is Gollum. Thanks for asking after raffy. He has made a full recovery I’m glad to say. Yes I was at centre court all day on weds – 3 fabulous matches including rafa’s at the end and went along on Friday too and managed to get ground passes for the day. Your post is so full of optimism as to where rafa stands with the 3 others of the so called big 4. It put a smile on my face and I can only hope it comes to pass. A day off tomorrow for us all. May actually get some jobs done. Lovely to have you back by the way.
Hi Rainier, Holly and Golam have been well and truly kissed , as I expect has Raffy. I think Rafa in the final is a dead cert as I can’t see any other player being able to stop him in his present form. One thing for sure if Andy and Rafa meet , the Wimbledon crowd are very fair and will support both players ,they just enjoy great tennis ( and Rafa getting his shirt off , naturally) . Susie said she was at Wimbledon in 2008 ( I believe) and has been there this week , I think this could be some sort of omen , a repeat of 2008 is on the cards. Susie get back down there for the final pronto Lol ( your Rafas’s good luck charm,)
Rainer keep chanting on , as khawartaimoor as noticed you are the best analyst. Hope to hear your wise words tomorrow after Rafas’s win.😸🐕
Lol Maria. In 2008 I was there for the 1st week but only on one day and I was lucky to have tickets on rafa’s court. Same this year. But I’m afraid I won’t be back next week and am you g to enjoy it on the tele – same as in 2008!!! However in 2011 I was on court 1 and watched Roger play. Then Novak came on and all I could concentrate on was hearing rafa’s ‘noises coming off centre court at the same time. Didn’t see him that year and rafa lost to Novak eventually in the final. So lets hope its a good luck omen for this year. But win or lose rafa has played better here this year than he has in a long time and I am so proud.
Hi Susie , I agree , no matter what the outcome of this coming week Rafa and his fans will all be very proud of what he has achieved this year . I would so love to see him win Wimbledon again though or just get to the final so he can take the number one spot. ( Sorry Andy) . Did you get to see Uncle Toni in the crowd ? Can’t imagine not seeing him there next year with the coaching team. Watched an interview he did ( could listen to his voice all day long, quite soothing) this past week , he was asked if next year he would travel to any of the tournament’s with Rafa as a fan , to which he replied” When Rafael pays the ticket of the flight , then I can fly , If not then it is to expensive” Lol
Definitely going to miss him.
Hi Maria – i saw uncle toni from afar. He was sitting in one of the players boxes. I think it was on the right of the scoreboard but it depends where you were sitting i suppose. I also checked out the footage you recommended and it was an interview with Marcus- is that the one you meant? He was talking about expensive tickets and that this would be his last Wimbledon unless someone bought him a ticket. Cheeky boy. Lol. I’m sure Rafa could stretch to that if he wanted too. All set for tomorrow’s match I hope? It’ll be tense but a good one in sure.
That’s the one , will be watching tomorrow and the rest of the week, great that the players get a rest today, but us also, as I’m starting to get square eyes Lol .
Hi Susie and Maria. Thank you for your kind words. I’m happy to be back :-). So many comments today, it took me a while to find your posts, smiling all the way :-). If only we had more reply options here on RNF…
So great to hear Raffy is now fully healthy 🐾, Susie. I still remember everything you said about him. I just couldn’t recall Maria’s Holly Berry and Gollum/Golam (? pls Maria reconfirm) names at the time of writing, I mean chanting yesterday. :p
Thank you Maria for the kisses and Raffy I believed will be kissed a lot when Susie gets back home. 😾😿🙀😻😽
It’s lovely your little stories about your Wimbledon/Rafa experiences, Susie. (And thanks Maria for telling them in more details). I’m so proud of Rafa as well and I guess so are many many fans. Will you be watching all Rafa’s matches and did you get to watch any of his practice sessions, Susie?
Hi Rainer. It’s my fault as I spelt golam wrong. Sorry Maria. Raffy is well kissed and groomed and ready for the tennis next week. Lol – he has no choice. When I I initially got him from the rescue i left the tv on for him when I went to work with the Wimbledon 2008 men’s final DVD playing – he had that for days on end poor thing. He has therefore grown up with rafa. No rainier i didnt see rafa practice at all. On weds i went straight to centre as I had tickets. On Friday we took a chance and queued up for ground tickets which we got but spent the day mooching around and enjoying the ambience and then Henman Hill for 1pm. Saw David Beckham walking about though – the man has a permanent smile and loves his tennis I believe. Its the laver cup next for me in prague in sept – if rafa stays injury free he is playing for europe. So no more galavanting till then. I’m so looking forward to tomorrow’s match. Rafa will be fine and will come through this I know it. As Maria said – all these players should look across the net and bottle it when they see who they are facing!! Couldn’t agree more.
PUMA, unless Andy has dug holes around the golf course and then covered them with grass in the hope that Rafa would step into one and sprain an ankle, I don’t see any nefarious intentions on Andy’s part.
If anything, Andy appreciates and is thankful to Rafa for the time Rafa spent explaining to him how and with whom he was training so many years ago. It is quite possible had Andy not convinced himself to train in Spain after that conversation he never would have reached the enviable world No. 1 spot.
Watch the video and ask yourself if Andy, who has nothing but praise for Rafa, is capable of what you are accusing him. Golf is a very relaxing game for most, and both of these guys need a shot of relaxation.
RAFA ROCKS 150%