CAMELOT FANTASIES

here is the order of play for tomorrow:

http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/schedule.aspx?EventId=416

que pasa princess TT.


I have been out on the road all day. I am just now getting home.


I will catch the rafa vs dimitrov match in a little bit.


I knew dimitrov was not going to have much of a chance against Rafa. he is  a rising star but he is no match for Rafa on any surface, let alone the red clay.

Well, you were right again. He was totally outclassed from start to finish.

I just finished watching the match princess TT.


paul annacone loves rafa. that came through today pretty clearly.

tracy Austin likes rafa a lot too.


rafa could be a little sharper but we have to believe that he did just what he had to today.

he will use the extra gears tomorrow when he needs to.

I will go with rafa in straights tomorrow. I think rafa will focus hard and nail down the first set.

nole should be under pressure after that. lets see how it plays out.

rafa can do this.

I just finished watching the match princess TT.


paul annacone loves rafa. that came through today pretty clearly.

tracy Austin likes rafa a lot too.


rafa could be a little sharper but we have to believe that he did just what he had to today.

he will use the extra gears tomorrow when he needs to.

I will go with rafa in straights tomorrow. I think rafa will focus hard and nail down the first set.

nole should be under pressure after that. lets see how it plays out.

rafa can do this.

I know. I've noticed that for quite awhile. He's never gone along with the crowd mentality when they've tried to slant the coverage against Rafa, or downplay his accomplishments. He will politely come forth with a more balanced perspective.

OK, the match is about to start. I'm getting nervous already. I woke up and my power was off. Talk about panicking. I called the electric company whose recorded message said that I didn't have an outage. But, I called right back and the message did say I had an outage. Then it said that they would fix it by 11:00.

Devastating news...until it ended up coming on at 9:30. Woo hoo. Back in business. Game on. Catch ya' later.

I don't know about you General hercules, but I'm going to have a drink and watch a movie.

Now what to choose?



Respectfully,
masterclass

I am out on the ocean general masterclass.


and I am still sick to my stomach. I just can't over these losses.

I have gotten over it, rather quickly I might add. We have to choose our losses. Do we want to win Rome Masters, or RG?

And really, this has been happening for awhile. Nole wins the Masters and smaller tournaments, but Rafa wins the big ones, RG and USO. We can't be greedy.

For one thing, Rafa is coming out of a mini slump. His last two matches before today were the best he's played all year. So, it was a big ask to expect him to beat his nemesis behind these two pressure packed matches.

There was a lot of pressure playing Andy. They hadn't played for 2 1/2 years and if he didn't beat Andy there would have been a lot of press.

And you know Dmitrov was coming for blood, him being the new hype. So, emotionally, I wasn't expecting him to win. Hoped he would, but didn't expect it.

So, as he starts to find his game he has to play an inspired Murray, ditto Dmitrov, and then Nole? And, after he's played three setters in a week? Looks like the match was close, but I switched it off when Nole won the second set.

Had Nole whipped him bad, I would be concerned, but considering all of the other factors, like I said, that was a big ask.

still we quickly got the inside track by taking the first set 6-4.

nadal should have been able to close the sale after that.

it was nole who was under pressure after that first set.



at any rate its not over. and it wont be over until Rafa lifts another RG crown.


here is my thinking on the matter: nadal can face nole only in the final so basically nadal only has to play 1 really good match at RG and that is in the final.

and with 6 matches to go before the final, rafa can start to find his groove and his rhythm.

he is clearly far more vulnerable now than ever in the best of 3 sets formats but getting to him in a best of 5 sets formats is still pretty much impossible.

I will believe it when I see it. until then Rafa is my favorite for the RG crown.

What is most encouraging, is if you look at the bigger picture, with the way Rafa was playing at the beginning of the week, struggling with Simon and Youzny, it didn't like he'd get to the final. But, he did, and he played an inspired Andy, that was some of the best tennis he's played in a long time.

A very pressure filled match, and to have to follow it up the next day with an attacking player like Dmitrov, who you knew was going to give it his all trying to live up to the hype, and he dismissed him easily because the Andy match ushered in a different level of play.

But all of that extra time on court without being able to rest properly, he did good. In fact, he did excellent. He actually exceeded all of my expectations because I didn't think he would make it to final.

The way I see it, that Andy match was pivotal. That was quite a challenge considering what was at stake, but it also showed Rafa that the level was still in him, and that gives him a lot to build on, come next week.

Simon, Youzny, and Andy gave him the tune-up that he needed. And although he spent so much time on court, when you look at the final, playing against his archest rival, he took the first relatively easy, lost the second set, and then recovered a break in the third.

Just imagine if he was just a little bit fresher. And it still wasn't easy for Nole.

So, I still have hope, because RG is the one that I want. I'm not concerned about anything outside of the majors.

He did good.

i think he will take RG.


if anything this loss may increase his resolve 100,000 fold now.


now he will fight tooth and nail for his crown. the one that matters the most. nadal did not become an all time great by accident or luck. he was born to be a warrior.

he has his warrior heart and his warrior spirit forever.


I am just me. it takes me a million years to get over his losses.


I don't really care so much about the Australian open now because we know he injured his back. it was the injury that kept him from fighting and battling there for that trophy.


I am more heart broken to see monte carlo, Barcelona, and now the rome title falling in other hands.


I did not even feel like having lunch today. I really was sick to my stomach for a few hours after I saw the score of the 3rd set.


rafa has to wake up and realize who is and how he stands alone to be able to challenge history. also he is still in his prime so he cant let others catch up with him.

they are all coming at him. he has to start cutting them off now.

there are no more options left and only 1 last card left to play: he has to shut them all down at RG.


I firmly believe that he will do it.

I used to be that way, and for about an hour or so after a match, even now  I feel a little *itchy, but then I remember that everything happens for a reason, and in its own time. So, while we may feel bad today, it will be nothing if Rafa lifts the trophy next week.

I think the loss will motivate him, too. I seriously don't want Novak to win. I hate to say it, but it's true. I'm tired of him for the last three years giving interviews about how much he wants to win the French. Of course he does, so does every other player out there. But every year since his ascension he keeps repeating that same old mantra. It gets on my nerves. That would be like every year Federer, Murray, and Rafa coming out talking about they want the Australian, of course they do, but it just sounds silly to me, and it makes me not like him as much as I used to. I used to like his game, not his personality, but his personality just doesn't jibe with me at all. It never has.