Rafael Nadal sealed a record-extending 10th title at the Rome Masters after defeating his great rival Novak Djokovic in three sets in Sunday’s final.
“I was lucky in some moments, especially against [Denis] Shapovalov,” Rafa said, referring to the last-16 match he won in a tiebreak in the decider.
“And then I think I played a good tournament, I have been playing better and better, finding my rhythm on clay. I had a very positive week and I’m very happy.
“It’s amazing to have this trophy in my hands for the 10th time. It’s something impossible to imagine but it happened so I’m super happy and can’t thank my team enough.”
It’s really refreshing when two current younger tennis talents, Iga and Casper, reveal they each have a sports psychologist on their team.
I wasn’t aware that Casper has a history with Rafa. In 2018, he started collaborating with the RNA and has been training there.
Good luck to both of these youngsters.
I think his younger sister currently study and probably do training there as well.
Casper has two goals to work toward; beating Rafa on court and in golf😂
Opelka just played Rafa and is now seeded for the FO. Let’s see if his seeding makes a difference in the draw. It’s the ONLY reason I mentioned Shapovalov.
Already the FO is upon us. Can’t say I’m not a little nervous about what Rafa’s draw could look like.
Wow I think many players have one goal, Casper has two. What an ambitious guy!😂
Same for me Margo…….Good draw for Rafa please!🙏
Shapovalov pulled out of the FO due to a shoulder problem. His withdrawal opened the door for Opelka to be seeded.
Shapo is not one of my favorite players, but I feel sad for him, and hope he recovers well.
Mimi and Pauline…no comment link after your posts
I agree about the poor manners of some of the young, and older, players.
They should be taught that they will lose but be gracious about it. Have it banged into their heads.
If overwhelmed by a loss and you want to cry, go ahead and cry but still congratulate your opponent between tears.
Congratulate your opponent when you lose.
Show respect.
HOW HARD IS THAT. Stuff like that gets me nuts.
Doesn’t Serena do that, saying come on. I don’t watch her nor do I care for her.
I am such a Rafa fan that it’s hard for me to accept any type of crap behavior.
What is it with these young gens?Maybe we’re just spoiled Rafa fans! Rafa plays with such passion and love for the sport that he is exciting to watch. I have noticed this with Sloane as well… She often looks tired, like she would rather not be there. Honestly they are boring to watch & I end up changing the channel!
Spoiled Rafa fans we are.
👍
Tsitsipas, Monte Carlo winner, has won his second title of the season, beating Norris in Lyon 6-3 6-3. And Tsitsipas is No. 1 in the race to Turin.
Oops… beating Norrie
Well…lucky Roger was vaccinated in time to play Geneva and be with his family while competing there. Does anyone know if the ATP will be offering vaccines to its players? I haven’t looked into the restrictions for RG but sure hope that Rafa will be safe as he has yet to be vaccinated as far as I know.
Believe it or not but Djokovic is having them given out at his Serbia Open in Belgrade. Sven tennis posted his photo after receiving his second shot there yesterday. Wonders never cease.
SERIOUSLY? Vaccine or saline solution 😂
Sorry Pauline, I thought it was odd [Djokovic getting vaccinated] because he said he would keep it private if he ever did get vaccinated. Hence my first comment.
I think I misunderstood your post. I thought you meant Djokovic got vaccinated.
If Djokovic is offering vaccines it goes in line with his professed belief that people should decide whether or not they want a vaccine. He believes that players should not be forced to be vaccinated in order to play on Tour.
I believe all players should be vaccinated as soon as they are offered the vaccine. He doesn’t understand or is ignoring why the medical establishment is pushing for everyone to be vaccinated except for those with immunocompromised systems.
Margo- Guess I hadn’t made it clear that it was Sven who had taken the shot. Will try to be more precise next time. No word as to whether N.D. himself has had it.
All’s good Pauline. At least he’s doing something positive, something you brought to light.
Roger has also revealed his outfit colors for Roland Garros; black shorts with a red- or cherry-colored top. I guess he is still looking to play the FO.
According to Eurosport, Roger said “I want to play a lot of tennis,” he said. “I’ll hit a lot of balls and hope it will help me for the grass courts.
“I’m convinced that hitting a lot of balls – you have to really power through the ball on clay because otherwise you’re not going to have an impact on this surface – is going to be beneficial for me for the grass-court season.”
Am I wishing for too much for Rafa to win both the French and Wimby? The competition is hot but so is Rafa. Let’s see “what’s gonna happen.”
Congratulations to the Emilia-Romagna Open winner 17-year-old American Coco Gauff; her first singles clay-court title 6-1, 6-3, and her second overall. She also won in doubles with Caty McNally 6-3, 6-2. Coco is the youngest player to complete the singles/doubles sweep in nearly 17 years. She intends to play Roland Garros, and if she qualifies she will be at the Olympics.
She has a lot of promise.
Wow singles and doubles👏👏
Also congratulations to Casper Ruud, champion in Geneva, just finished watching the replay, impressive performance!👏
He credits his improved serve. He hopes to reach the second week of the FO but admits it will be tough.
Mimi, Re yours @9:07pm
Diego! 😍 HANDS OFF!!!!
Casper will be at #16 tomorrow. He seems like a nice young man also.
As for Coco while she is an outstanding talent she needs to improve her manners. She is not gracious at the net after a defeat. Plus her constant C’mons every time her opponent misses a shot is very unprofessional. She is young and now is the time to correct this unappealing behaviour.
Margo, Casper has had a good clay season so far, good luck to him in Paris.🍀 My husband watched part of the final with me and thought Casper plays like Rafa.🤔
“HANDS OFF!!!!” 😭
Pauline, I agree with you. While all these rising stars do have the talents, some of them really have to work on their behaviors……I didn’t know Coco is one of them as I don’t watch her matches but thought it was wonderful that she won singles and doubles in the same tournament at the age of 17. She is a big deal maybe, but I think she has been given too much attention. I couldn’t believe TC showed her match and not Rafa’s the other day. I usually have TV and IPad on for his match, I was mad and had to turn off my TV that day.😵
Yes Mimi winning both titles was an impressive feat. We don’t get TC here but perhaps they are hyping her too much with Serena aging out. She is a bright, articulate young woman who can achieve a lot off the court but I would hate to see young players emulate her on court actions.
As you say she isn’t the only one. Our own D. Shapovalov has at times behaved badly.
Wishing for more players to follow Rafa’s shining example of treating everyone with respect and showing good sportsmanship.
Mimi, Casper will be with Rafa this week at the Academy practicing for RG. He also will try to beat Rafa at golf. I hope Rafa doesn’t tire him out 😂.
Margo,
Golf too? I am sure Rafa will, Casper better be ready hahaha.
Hope they prepare well and have some fun at the same time.
OMG I am already so anxious! When is the FO?🤣
For any tennis historians out there, in the lead up to The French Open, The Tennis Podcast has a three part “Roland Garros Re-lived” series. I listened to the first one today on the life and career of Suzanne Lenglen and found it very interesting.
Lorna, I’m no tennis historian by a long shot but thoroughly enjoyed learning about the life of Suzanne Lenglen. My next Cognac will be a toast to her. Thanks so much.
Haha! You’re welcome, Margo. 🍷
Apologies for this belated comment but I must agree with Ziggy about Sinner’s demeanour at the end of his match with Rafa last week in Rome. (I have just watched the replay.) Rafa chose Sinner as his practice partner for their two week quarantine stay in Adelaide before the Australian Open. Sinner should have been honoured by that. Yet he could hardly shake Rafa’s hand, let alone look at him or smile at the end of their match! I was very surprised and disappointed with his conduct. (Had he not practiced with Rafa for two weeks in Adelaide I think he would have had a much harder time working out how to play him.) Rafa has never shown such disrespect to an opponent that has beaten him, no matter how disappointed, even when he was a very young man. Sinner is undoubtedly a great player in the making but his popularity will never match his play. I watched their match very closely and I think Sinner plays very like Djokovic, very consistent from the baseline but with more powerful ground strokes than Djokovic. Not much flair though, unlike Rafa or Roger. You are right Ziggy; Sinner has no charisma at all. I don’t think he will ever attract the support of fans around the world in the way that Rafa has done throughout his career. (Tsitsipas and especially Shapovalov have much greater presence on court. If only Shapovalov could become a little more consistent.) Personally, I can’t abide arrogance in anyone, no matter how good they are. Sinner will no doubt win many tournaments in the future but I will never support him. He will be one to watch out for at the French Open though. He is that good already. I hope Rafa doesn’t have to play him early on.
Ginagigi..,I totally agree with you. Sinner should have been honored to play probably the best tennis player in history! He just has a very flat personality but still that’s no excuse for not having respect for your opponent… Especially Rafa! We could chalk it up to him being only 19 but look at Rafa when he was 19! Rafa was full of personality and charisma! Too bad he has great potential… but don’t think he won any fan base acting like that!
Yes. I was poised to be a fan of Sinner UNTIL his “cold fish, no eye contact” handshake with Rafa. I noticed it right away, rewound it and asked my husband if he saw it, too. Makes me sad that he could not show respect in defeat. Youth is no excuse. ‘Come on kid, mind your manners and learn from your mistakes.
Dallas in USA,
I had similar feelings about Jannik Sinner. I was about to add him as one of my favorite players, but I don’t think so……
Margo …Don’t sell yourself short. You have an amazing amount of knowledge about tennis and the players. I remember how I used to rely on your post for the scheduling and who is playing etc.! I hope Mimi & Lorna get to see Rafa win his 14th RG! I did hear about the new variant in England… hopefully the vaccines will work otherwise who knows what’s going to happen. Look at India… it’s frightening. I’m taking this time off to revamp for RG. I see that Halep had to pull out as well as Stan. Stay safe! 💜💜Rafa!
LOL thanks Ziggy but I’m not buying it. I will say Suzanne Lenglen brought a lot to women’s tennis. She’s been an unsung hero for far too long, in my opinion. Lorna didn’t “warn,” LOL, how long the podcast is but it was well worth the time.
I would like to put my two cents in about the discussion of Sinner’s post match behavior. It’s not as if he ignored Rafa although his “semi-handshake” was noticeable. Yes, Rafa practiced with him but I feel practice is a two-way street. Rafa gets to play a variety of players with different strengths affording Rafa to learn how they play or maybe learn something new. Rafa said as much himself when he said he knew Sinner’s shots. I remember when it appeared that Rafa was practicing exclusively with Goffin.
Rafa and Roger have their own sports talent firms. It is possible that a player who has a good relationship with Rafa would bring a talent such as Sinner to his talent firm. Something to consider for sure but I doubt Rafa would recruit a sports talent if the person was not in keeping with Rafa’s values.
I read Sinner’s post match remarks. He was extremely upset with himself perhaps because he felt he could have done better and forgetting who Rafa is. Since he came on the “scene” Sinner has been praised and is very much in the media. I think he has to come back down to earth.
I wouldn’t go as far to say that he should be honored to have been able to practice with Rafa but he could show some sportsmanship and gratitude. Hopefully he will learn how to lose graciously. I’ll stick with Diego.
Diego!🤩
With a radiant smile, a sooo relaxed Rafa has a short video on YouTube sending an invitation to come to his museum where he has just installed his Rome and Barcelona trophies. He looks just sooo happy and I couldn’t be happier for him.
The title of the video is “Rafa Nadal leaves in his museum the trophies of Rome and Barcelona.” I’ve watched it several times because he just exudes HAPPY.
I just watched it.🤩 Thanks Margo.🙏
You’re welcome Mimi and Lorna. Hope you enjoy[ed] it.
I must watch it. Thanks Margo.
Good luck Lorna and Mimi on getting tickets to see Rafa.
Thank you Margo!🙏❤️ I actually have tickets, but I need UK to lift the travel restrictions in June hopefully, otherwise the tour will be canceled.🤞
BTW., Diego lost again, to R. Gasquet this time.😔 Dominic also lost, sorry Margo, I know you like him too.
Mimi, I don’t know what to make of London’s virus reports. During the last two weeks infection rates were plummeting due to the high vaccination rate. Now, infection rates are rising in different “pockets” of England attributed to the variant first identified in India. I hope the country can get back on track to beating the virus.
I think Wimbledon will go on but with a reduced number of fans. It would be a shame were it canceled.
About Diego. I had hoped that he would stay at number 8 at least for a while. BUMMER.
About Dominic. I love his accent. Too tired to comment on his tennis. Going to sleep.
Hi Margo,
Hope you had a good night 😴.
I agree, I don’t think Wimbledon will be canceled this year. Last I heard is 25% capacity, but they are hoping for more, and it all depends……when I said the tour will be canceled, I meant the tennis tour I joined, not the tournament.
Thanks, Margo. I live in hope 🤞🏼
You and Mimi have to go. You’re going to be our “live in-person” eyes and ears on the battlefield. 🤓
Love Diego… now he has personality! He reminds me a lot of David Ferrer. Just a real grinder and capable of winning almost everyone. I hope Diego wins a GS… David Frerer never did. I’m a huge fan of both of them! I know David has retired but I miss him on tour. I would like to see Diego play Opelka( have they ever played each other)? That would be fun to watch & I bet Diego would win! As far as Sinner he just might have a very boring personality and we can’t change that! I have not watched him enough to form an opinion I was just commenting on that one match with Rafa. I had heard that Rafa had practiced with him and that is to Rafa’s benefit no doubt! To go up up against an opponent you have never played it’s always a risk.
Does anyone plan to go to Wimbledon this year? I have added “Watch Rafa at all four GS” on my bucket list. I am waiting for UK to place US into the “Green” stage of entry.🤞
It’s on my bucket list too Mimi. Sadly it won’t be possible this year as I won’t be fully vaccinated in time. My first Pfizer shot was April 5 but the second isn’t until July 26. In Canada we have to wait 4 months in between.
Best of luck to you. Wonderful that you have been to the other three GS’s.
My hope is that the National Bank Open (formerly Rogers Cup) will get the go ahead in Toronto. At the moment talks are ongoing but if our government nixes it the organizers may hold it as a joint event in Cincinnati.
Thank you so much Pauline!🙏❤️ Good luck to you too!🍀
I thought I would never go to Wimbledon because I don’t like the “special” formula they use. I heard this year it’s different as there aren’t enough tournaments on grass due to the pandemic, so they will follow the rankings like others. Most importantly, I made my decision because I don’t want to regret after Rafa retired, nothing is forever unfortunately……
Hoping for the best to attend Wimbledon 2021, if not, my deposit will roll over to Wimbledon 2022, but Rafa will be one year older. I consider myself a lucky Rafa fan.🙏 I also went to the Rogers Cup once in 2019, and Rafa was the champion defeating Medvedev.😊 BEST to the National Bank Open Pauline, maybe I will go watch Rafa defend his title?
Mimi, I’m hoping to get to Wimbledon next month. They’ve scrapped the public ballot this year (thank goodness)and making tickets available online in early June, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can get a ticket to watch Rafa. I hope you’re able to get here to watch our him too.
Lorna,
So nice of you, thank you!🙏❤️ Good luck to us.🍀
We were told to think “Green” the last update I heard from the tennis tour company, and that’s what I am doing daily lol
Rafael I’d like to come with you in Roland Garros!! Bravissimo per aver vinto Roma…mille baci, Eva