Video highlights and interview from Rafael Nadal’s win over Mackenzie McDonald.
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Thiem has demolished Ruud [6-4, 6-3, 6-1] and is on to the 4th round.
Thiem is looking way too sharp. The good news is that his quick finish along with Halep’s wipeout of Anisimova and now Mertens so far cruising vs.Garcia means Rafa’s match will most likely start on time. A blessing with the rain in Paris stopping play on the other courts.
Hope all plays will be resumed soon🤞
Thank goodness Rafa vs Travaglia is on Chatrier! A couple of his matches were on Lenglen last year.
A third set coming up for the ladies, a little longer before we see Rafa.
MAD-vedev was fined $5,500 for racket abuse and audible obscenity according to the Tennis Channel. Others have also been fined but his is the highest. That was one expensive racket.
Yes Mimi,
Everything was humming along nicely until Garcia tied things up. 😂
Promise I will never again talk about timing. I seem to be a jinx.
Let’s appreciate Rafa’s match whenever he gets on.
Pauline, I thought (was hoping, sorry to any Garcia’s fans😬) Mertens would win in two sets, so I could see Rafa sooner, but Garcia didn’t agree lol. Great match by both ladies, too bad only one can advance……
Good luck to Rafa, let’s enjoy the greatness of our champ everyone👍😉🥰
Plays have resumed👏
Responding to Mimi, as I understand it, Rafa has been scheduled away from Chatrier in the past so that other ticket holders would have a chance to see him. Obviously not a concern this year with fans excluded.
As with TV and so many other things Rafa and Roger are the box office draws. Djokovic not as much. Dominic of course is now a big draw as well.
Actually David the Thiem/Zverev final in NY drew only 299,000 viewers. Lowest ever rating and down from over a million just a few years ago. As Rafa stated it will take time for the other guys to build a loyal following. That is if it ever happens at all as tennis is way down the list among young fans. Soccer and basketball are tops. Once we older fans disappear the future isn’t looking too bright sadly.
I see. Thank you David🙏
Should clarify that my comment is based on the American rating. Don’t know about Europe or elsewhere. Here in Canada tennis at times draws less viewers than poker or darts according to open court. Not good at all considering the number of top players.
I hope that I can see Rafael play. At the moment my connexion is down. What about yours ?
Pauline re yours @ 5:28PM
Uh oh….Veljovic? She is the umpire Diego was cozying up to when trying to get her to agree with him about too much talking while he was playing in a previous tournament.
She’s usually good so I’m surprised she’s making bad calls. Like you said she’s probably having a bad day.
She’s the one who was on the Trevisan/Gauff match yesterday which Lorna spoke of. The day before she had a dispute with Gilles Simon who seemed to have a valid complaint. In fairness other umpires are struggling a bit also. Guessing the players have become accustomed to Hawk Eye and not having it leads to many questions. Trouble is Hawk Eye isn’t accurate on clay but there is another technology that does work. It is expected to be in use next year.
That would be great! Maybe less drama on court between umpires and players with help of technology……🙏
I agree: there should be hawk eye on clay courts, especially in the French Open. I am amazed that not more clay court players have not asked that this be done. Especially in this year’s FO, there have been so many bad calls!
French health minister Olivier Veran just stated that the Covid situation is getting worse in Paris which could be placed on maximum alert next Monday. All restaurants and bars would be closed and tighter restrictions placed on other activities.
Gyms have already been shut down. Assuming that includes in Rafa’s hotel.
Will this change anything at R.G? Something to keep a very close eye on.
Crap almighty!!!
Yikes! That doesn’t sound good, especially with talk that the so called bubble isn’t operating properly, with players being able to come and go as they please without checks. I hope Rafa, his team are staying safe and keeping well away from hotel guests.
No, it doesn’t sound good at all Lorna. I just hope Rafa stays away from EVERYONE except his people. I would think they are taking this pandemic very seriously.
Supposedly back in February when Rafa was in Africa with Roger, Bill Gates and Noah, Gates told Rafa that it was going to be very bad. He also suggested that they wouldn’t be able to fly three months from then [Feb. 7] so Rafa has seen the spread of the virus almost from the beginning.
Let’s see how the tournament will handle the ever increasing numbers of infection in Paris.
I don’t know why some of my comments aren’t coming up in the right place 🤷🏽♀️
Same with me Lorna. Hide and seek anyone?
Or my posts take forever to show up. LOL
You know what ? I am becoming addict to your comments. They are very rich, Pleasant, informative, in a good spirit. I come here several times a day to read them. Thank you for that.
I am joining the group to wish Rafael all the best for tomorrow.
Yet another win Rafa.Everything is so different this year.l hope and pray you do well in your next match.You are still my no 1 champ.You can do this Rafa.Good luck Rafa.We love you.xxxxx
Good luck for tomorrow. Vamos Rafa❤️
Rafa’s match will be the last one tomorrow after Thiem/Ruud and then two WTA matches.
Let’s hope Travalgia is worn out from his 5 setter.
Onward and upward Rafa.
Travaglia
LOL I said the same thing. I want Rafa relaxed and full of energy.
The antic never stop, or so it seems.
Sara Errani accused Kiki Bertens of faking injury. After the match she reportedly told Kiki “f- -k you” in Italian.
Against rules, Zverev jumped over the net to his opponent’s side of the court to see where a ball landed.
Medvedev is now nicknamed MAD-vedev by social media for smashing his racket during his first-round loss.
On another note, Raonic tested positive and was not allowed to play at the French Open. It’s the first I’m hearing about this.
Correction:The antics
Add to that some questionable calls by M. Veljovic. She is not having a good tournament so far. Blew one badly yesterday. She’s causing a lot of grief to the players.
I was wondering why Milos withdrew just before the draw was announced. Thanks Margo🙏
You’re welcome Mimi. I was surprised about that.
Me too, during the Western & Southern Open in New York, Milos reveals his reason for following the rules strictly during the pandemic because he has aged parents with co-existing conditions. He says he saw his mother only once and has not seen his father several months.
Wish him well and looking forward to have him back soon ❤️
Yes Margo, it was all kicking off yesterday. Sara Errani was understandably upset at losing her match, but she was out of order in her reaction to Kiki Berten cramping. To add to all that, Putinseva spectaculously smashed her racquet at the end of the match when she lost. It took her several frenzied attempts, but she managed to produce a mangled mess in the end.
I really think that somehow they need to seriously address the issue of incorrect line calls by umpires, especially on clay, mainly because they look at the wrong ball mark. It happened yesterday to Martina Trevisan in her match against Coco Goff and it was clear that Coco’s ball was out. Double bounces are also a subject of contention, as in the match with Kiki Mladenovic. Some sort of VAR system would eliminate any subjectivity.
“… several frenzied attempts..”
Every time I read that I crack up thinking about how that looked 😂
This will be a good test for Rafa, to see how he copes under the roof in cold, damp conditions.
There’s a very high chance of rain tomorrow, so it’s likely that Rafa will be playing under the roof. Get used to it champ, because you’ll probably have to play under the same conditions further down the line.
Good luck tomorrow.
Good roof practice for Wimbledon?
I just hope we will still be able to see this great sportsman for many years to come. The last 16 years that I have been supporting him was very special and I would miss it dearly whenever he decides that it is enough!!!
Here here!!
They may throw giant rocks in your way : cold, wet, windy, indoor conditions, new balls which you wouldn’t even give to a dog to chew on, no time to have match experience on clay…..
But you are the King of clay , a wonderful balanced person and in my view the best sportsman in the world. I will always support you with all my 71 year old heart !
Well done Rafa, the magic is back !!!⭐️⭐️⭐️
I totally agree with everything that guineabear1 has written. I, also in my 70s, have been watching Rafa since his debut at Wimbledon in 2005, when I was lucky enough to watch all his three matches live as a participant in Wimbledon’s queue. During that excellent first match against Ancic, I think the No 5 seed, on an outside court, and blighted by rain delays, I was amazed that this young boy was so confident, and such an excellent tennis player, even on his first match on grass, and more than anything showing such a desire to win every point even then. I managed to speak to him that day as he came off court, and he was delighted that I knew that he had beaten his hero Moya earlier that year. I have been following him ever since, sometimes live, but mainly on television, and I think he is a better player today than ever, and such a genuinely lovely guy, still so humble even with all his great successes. Long may he continue to play! I shall be watching when he wins his 13th Roland Garros trophy next Sunday!
Who is the 80 year old lady who got to see Rafa in Australia last January? I’m 72 which is not that old but I’ve never seen Rafa play in person. I hope to see Rafa in Montreal and/or New York in 2021. Next year will be amazing.
Magali, do you live in Paris? Sorry about all the problems with your building.
Go Rafa! Let’s put round three behind us.
Rafa played a very good match today. He is adapting to the heavy ball ( it even sounds heavy and sodden ) and colder conditions .
It’s super to see him back. Tennis is so much better when Rafa is competing . 🇪🇸🌟☘️
David-FYI: Rogers Cup for the ATP will be in Toronto in 2021 as it was cancelled this year.
The WTA and ATP alternate between Montreal and Toronto every year so that fans get to see both the men and the women. I’m sure the players enjoy exploring the two different cities as well.
BTW video highlights is from the previous round against E. Gerasimov, not against M. McDonald?
Nice to see your father, sister, and more team members supporting you in person🥰
Good luck against S. Travaglia next 🍀❤️ Vamos Rafa!
Well don Rafa congratulations vamossssssssss champ you can do it 👍🎾😘👍🎾😘
Congratulations, wonderful Rafael!!!!!
As I mentioned earlier, there are too many bad line decisions on clay by umpires – numerous in this tournament so far. As well as the one which was incorrectly called against Martina Trevisan, the one against Denis Shapovalov cost him two match points and he went on to lose the match. Serving for the match at 30-15, a screen shot showing his opponent’s ball being clearly out (the umpire ruling it in) was circulated on social media. No surprise that Denis felt aggrieved and got things off his chest, calling for a hawk-eye system, criticizing the surface, the balls, the absence of a proper “bubble” and the scheduling, as he had to go straight back out on court to play a doubles match afyer playing five sets.
In many ways, the tournament is seen as the poor relation of the other slams and the fact that it’s held in Autumn under unfavourable conditions, does nothing to endear many players to it. In the interest of all concerned, the tournament organisers really need to get to grips with these issues.
Sorry, this comment mistakenly appeared as a reply to a much earlier post by someone, so here it is again.
As mentioned earlier, there are far too many bad line calls on clay made by umpires – numerous in this tournament. Ad well as the one which was i correctly called against Martina Trevisan, the one against Denis Shapovalov today, cost him two match points and he went on to lise the match. Serving for the match at 30-15, a screenshot of his opponent’s ball being clearly out, (the umpire ruling it in) was curculated on social media.
No surprise that Denis vented his feelings by calling for a hawk-eye system, criticizing the surface, the balls, the absence if a proper “bubble” and the scheduling, as he had to go straight back on court to play a doubles match.
In some people’s eyes (not mine) , the French Open is viewed as the poor relation of the other slams, and the fact that this year it’s held autumn in less favourable weather conditions, does nothing to endear some players to it. In the interest of all concerned, the tournament organisers really need to get to grips with these issues.