PHOTOS: Rafael Nadal reaches Rogers Cup semifinals with win over Marin Cilic

Rafael Nadal had to come from a set down to see off Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals of the Rogers Cup in Toronto.

The world No. 1 lost the opening set 2-6 but got himself back in the match with a 6-4 win in the second.

Rafa sealed his place in the last four by taking the deciding set 6-4. The 32-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion, who is a three-time champion in Canada, will now face Karen Khachanov for a semi-final berth.

Asked on Court why he and his generation of players continue to dominate, Rafa said, “We don’t have a name like the NextGen, but we still have a passion for our sport.”

11 comments

  1. Will to win-so proud of your fighting spirit. 👊💪👏stay healthy-you looked so
    absolutely in the moment❣️Continued success🍀👑

  2. Rafa sounds like it was a great match.

    All the best for next match,

    Love and prayers,

    AlaineXXSydneyXXAustraliaXX

  3. Corrected Comment:

    Margo on August 11, 2018 at 5:49 AM

    Rafa’s NextGen quip is funny. But I guess he forgot the Big Four. I remember Rafa asking his interviewer if his name was Big Four when he referred to Rafa as one of the Big Four. It was covered here 2-3 years ago. Maybe a longtime member will remember it. Rafa had us all laughing.

    RAFA IS WORLD #1 IN NAME AND ACTION

  4. Well done Rafa for being the last man standing! I’m so impressed with how he remained calm throughout the match, especially in the first set when he was taking a pounding. I can’t see anyone stopping him now.

  5. OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA & VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) CI………..CI……….CI……..GREAT MATCH SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) ; ) : ) : ) : ) VAMOS AND CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BEAUTIFUL AND ULTIMATE RAFA STYLE VICTORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) IT WAS SO EXCITING TO SEE YOU FIND SOLUTIONS AND UNBELIEVABLE TIMELY ACES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVE EVERYTHING YOU DID………FROM A TO Z……AND WE LOVED EVERYTHING YOU DID…….VERY HAPPY FOR YOU SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) I AM SO PROUD OF HOW WELL YOU GOT USED TO THE TIME CLOCK ALLOWED FOR SERVE….. YOU ARE SO AMAZING DEAR RAFA AND IT WAS STRIKINGLY CLEAR THAT YOU WOULD BE THE WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) BECAUSE YOU ARE SO BLESSED WITH A VERY SPECIAL FIGHTING ENERGY……FIGHTING AND WAITING FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT….SO ENGAGED AND SO PASSIONATE……. WE LOVE YOU AND SENDING LOTS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS YOUR WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) SORRY I DID NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO WRITE BEFORE THE MATCH OR DURING BUT WE WERE OUT FOR DINNER AT FRIENDS AND SO WE ALL WATCHED IT TOGETHER BUT I DID NOT USE THEIR PC TO COMMENT DURING THE MATCH…..BUT LET ME TELL YOU WE WERE SO EXCITED FOR YOU EACH TIME YOU PLACED BRILLIANT QUICK RETURNS…..AND JUST WATCHING YOUR TENNIS INTELLIGENCE IN PLAY IS SO SPECIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) HAPPY YOU HAD BRILLIANT MOMENTS….BRILLIANT SERVE GAMES…..BRILLIANT SPEED…….AND BRILLIANT SPEEDY NET MAGIC……..PLUS YOUR BRILLIANT IN TACT IMPECCABLE SPORTSMANSHIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOU HAD A GOOD POINT THAT WAS AN IN RETURN ON HIS SERVE AND YET THEY CALLED IT OUT….. BUT WE SAW THE REPLAY AND I WAS SO LOUD…..SCREAMING IT WAS IN…..BUT THEN YOU WON THE MATCH SO BRILLIANTLY AND PRACTICALLY AND PATIENTLY AND WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) OUR FRIEND SAID: THE GUY IN THE RED IS BETTER LOOKING…..I SMILED AND SAID YES….HE IS FROM MALLORCA, SPAIN…..A REAL HANDSOME HUNK….. THE LAST THING I WANT TO SAY IS I NEVER HAD BEER OR WINE WHEN I WATCH YOU PLAY….TONIGHT I DID AND THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE WAS MAGNIFIED WITH JOY AND THE BUZZ I FELT MADE ME SO CALM AND THROUGHOUT THE MATCH KNOWING YOU WOULD PREVAIL……YOU WOULD CLOSE THE MATCH WITH A WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOUR BEAUTIFUL BODY LANGUAGE EXPRESSED YOUR CONFIDENCE AND STRIDE AND DRIVE AND YOUR FOCUS AND DETERMINATION WAS SO BRILLIANT…AS USUAL….SO IT WAS EASY FOR ME TO READ YOUR WAYS TOWARDS THE WIN…….. AND I APPRECIATE HOW CLASSY YOU BEHAVE ON THE COURT AHEAD OR BEHIND YOU MANAGE TO KEEP YOUR CLASSY ATTITUDE AND SPORTSMANSHIP…..PLUS I LOVED HOW YOU ALWAYS CHALLENGE FOR REAL WHEN YOU SEE OR THINK THERE IS A CHANCE FOR MISCALL…….NOT CHALLENGE JUST TO PLACE DOUBT IN YOUR OPPONENTS AS SOME PLAYERS TOO OFTEN DO…….. ANYWAYS….I AM THRILLED FOR YOU AND TONIGHT YOU JUST ADDED TWO MORE FANS, OUR FRIENDS…THEY WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH YOUR PLAYING STRATEGY….AND METHOD AND PATIENCE……AND YOUR CLASSY SHOTS AND MOVES AND SPEED COVERING THE ENTIRE COURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) OK SWEETHEART…..CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN AND HAVE A BEAUTIFUL EVENING CELEBRATING WITH ROIG AND RAFAEL AND MARK AND YOUR OTHER GOOD FRIEND …….. GO RAFA GO AND ENJOY EVERYTHING SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS AND GOOD NIGHT AND SWEET DREAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVE YOU SWEETHEART AND SO HAPPY FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) ; ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) HAVE A GREAT NIGHT & A BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) IT WILL BE A GREAT MATCH FOR YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) LOTS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS & VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) LOVED YOUR GAME TODAY…..EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS SO RAFA AND SO MAGICAL……WITH YOUR INTENSITY AND DRIVE AND PASSION YOU PREVAILED SO BEAUTIFULLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) YOU ARE ONE BEAUTIFUL PERSON RAFA NADAL AND THE WAY YOU PLAY REFLECTS ON ALL YOUR BEAUTIFUL VALUES AND TACT AND CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) MY FAVORITE WAS WHEN YOU SENT HIM A SPEEDY FOREHAND THAT WAS RIGHT NEAR HIM BUT YOU WERE SO QUICK IN RETURNING THAT BALL HE HAD ZERO CHANCE….AND WENT TUMBLING UNDER…….. MUCHAS GRACIAS SENIOR CHAMP AND KEEP SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

    • Rafa’s so funny with his NextGen quip. I guess he forgot the Big Four. I remember him saying to a journalist “Is your name Big Four, or My name is not Big Four, during an interview. Maybe one of you longtime members remembers this. Everybody had a good laugh with Rafa.

      RAFAMAZING FOOLED ALL THOSE

  6. What a match! Cilic played like 2014 but Rafa found a way to win. So proud. Take rest after this tough match and than all the best for the semi-final. Go for it. Vamos Rafa <3

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