CAMELOT FANTASIES

Indian Wells is coming up in 8 days.


we will fire up the thread in a day or so.

Already? Wow, that was quick. TTC has been showing old IW matches today. I watched Serena vs. Graf and Rafa vs. del Potro. Tomorrow they're going to show Davenport vs. I forgot, but I may watch it because I love the way Lindsey hits the ball. She reminds me of Tomas Berdych with her powerful, laser-like strokes.

I hope Rafa does well. I like IW a lot.

Serena is 32+ and still dominating the sport.

I know it's pretty amazing. I give Rafa, Serena, and Fed a ton of credit. To be still doing so well after ten years in such a competitive sport is unbelievable. Many have come and gone, and these three are still standing. Gotta respect that.

Buenos Aires: Nadal with Vilas in his sights

Monday, March 2, 2015 By Myrtille Rambion

http://www.rolandgarros.com/en_FR/news/articles/2015-03-02/201503021425319159002.html

Rafael Nadal won his 46th title on clay on Sunday, inflicting a 6-4, 6-1 defeat on Juan Monaco in the final to close in on Guillermo Vilas’ record on the surface.

Having a friend as your opponent on the other side of the net combined with a threat of inclement weather might put plenty of lesser mortals off their game, mentally even more so than physically. But it takes more than that to shake Rafael Nadal – particular now that the Matador from Manacor seems to be getting back to his form of old.

On Centre Court at the Buenos Aires Lawn Tennis Club on Sunday, Nadal could have caught a cold, not least due to the rain which delayed the start by two hours and then halted play at 1-1 in the first set. And then there was his adversary, namely his good buddy on and off court Juan Monaco.

This however did nothing to halt the Majorcan in his quest for his maiden 2015 title, and indeed the first since last year’s French Open. Nadal brushed the Argentinean aside in two very straight sets, 6-4, 6-1 in just 86 minutes. This was Rafa’s 65th title on the circuit and 46th on clay, putting him three behind Guillermo Vilas who came along to watch the Spaniard get that little bit nearer his record.
I’m absolutely delighted because I hadn’t won a tournament in so long," said Nadal, who returns to the No.3 spot in the rankings on the back of this victory. "I hoped I’d win and I did everything I could to prepare properly, and in the end I achieved my goal." That goal however was a short-term one – the main aim of this #RGClay season will doubtless be an incredible tenth title at Roland Garros in a few months’ time…

"Winning trophies helps me to carry on," added Nadal, who only returned to the circuit at the Australian Open in January after suffering from wrist problems combined with an operation to remove his appendix. "My injuries are in the past now and I don’t have any physical issues anymore," he added. "The older you get, the harder it is to come back from injury, but I don’t see why I shouldn’t manage it. I have the motivation and the passion."

Nadal new commercial

wow. love it.

I posted this one at our other place.


check it out. it is truly awesome. watch the whole video:

That was nice. It's so cool being able to experience different cultures. The woman's voice was so beautiful it didn't even matter that I couldn't understand the words.

Fedal Wars: Federer Admits Nadal Could Catch His Grand Slam Total “Quickly”
by Sean Randall | March 10th, 2015, 4:27 pm

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2015-03-10/18663.php

Thankfully for many of you, it’s been a while since we’ve had a “Fedal Wars” thread. But this recent quote from Roger Federer opened the door. Sorry guys!

Federer, who was in New York for tonight’s exo match against Grigor Dimitrov, admitted yesterday that with a few more French Open titles Rafael Nadal could very well catch his Grand Slam haul of 17.

“If he wins the French Open a few more times and I don’t win any more, then clearly he can catch me very quickly,” Federer said.
And Roger’s right.

At 33, Federer maybe has 1-2 more Slams left in him, most likely at Wimbledon.
If Nadal can stay healthy – a big if! – and motivated, he could easily win 2-3 more French Opens and who knows what else, provided he gets through Novak Djokovic. Rafa will be 29 in a few months so the clock (and his body) is ticking. But he only needs three to catch Roger.

So could he do it? On paper he sure could. But this year I think he’ll have to get two more Slams to have a chance. I just don’t think Rafa can win multiple Majors in his 30s. Not with the issues he’s had with his body.
Luckily for Rafa, I don’t see any of the young guys making a strong push on the clay, so it looks like it will stay Djokovic and Rafa for the next few years. But Djokovic is getting close.

And Roger is still playing good tennis. The guy is still ranked No. 2!
“That’s not why I’m still on tour, just to remind you guys,” Federer quipped of the thought.
“I hope to make it more difficult for them,” he said of Nadal and Djokovic. “But at the end of the day, records are there to be broken.”
Warning: If you don’t want to talk “Fedal”, go somewhere else. In keeping with the spirit of this debate, this is an almost-anything goes thread.

Rafael Nadal Wants To Eclipse Pete Sampras’ 14 Slams Mark
By  Rachelle Corpuz on March 05 2015 12:23 PM

http://au.ibtimes.com/rafael-nadal-wants-eclipse-pete-sampras-14-slams-mark-1426864

Rafael Nadal is seeking to eclipse Pete Sampras’ grand slam record. Both Nadal and Sampras have 14 grand slam titles to their names and the Spaniard recently said that he would love to add another grand slam title to his long list of tennis accolades.
After leveling Sampras’ record by winning the Roland Garros crown last year, Nadal is on pace to even go beyond rival Swiss tennis great Roger Federer, who has reached the 17 grand slams mark. He ended his title drought since Roland Garros by winning his 46th claycourt title in Buenos Aires.

Despite being hindered with injuries in the past, Nadal is on a quest to continue to add titles to his tennis legacy, with a chance to not only surpass Sampras’ but also Federer’s grand slam record. Speaking to Euro Sport after his recent title victory, Nadal spoke about his desire of claiming a 15th grand slam title and taking down Sampras’ record.

“I have 14 now, it’s true that I have the same ones that Pete Sampras has and I would love to have one more than Pete,” Nadal told Euro Sport. “So I want to try my best to be 15 so we’ll see.”

According to Nadal, breaking records is something that he doesn’t really contemplate on every day. He said that his main goal is to take each tournament one at a time and go from there. Nadal, who just reclaimed the World No. 3 spot from Andy Murray, said that he wants to play it by ear and let things go as they may. Nadals feels it is the best route for him to take so he can achieve anything that he wants in his tennis career.
Nadal’s Buenos Aires’ title is his 65th win on the Association of Tennis Professionals’ tour. The Mallorca native has gone past Sampras and Bjorn Borg, who both have 64 tournament wins. It is also the first title that Nadal had won since claiming his ninth French Open crown in June 2014, his first for this year too.

Nadal will play his next tournament at Indian Wells, where he is a three-time champion, from March 9 to March 22. He headlines the men’s field alongside other top-ranked players Federer and Novak Djokovic. The tournament also features the top 10 players on men’s tour, namely, Murray, Stan Wawrinka, Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic, Marin Cilic, and David Ferrer.

Toni Nadal Worried: ´Winning the French Open Becomes Harder for Rafael Nadal´

Tennis - Toni Nadal is worried for his nephew and protege Rafael Nadal. The 9th time French Open champion could have a hard time keeping his crown this year according to Toni

Rafael Nadal  10 Mar 2015 - 00:26 / by Ivan Pasquariello
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Toni-Nadal-Worried-Winning-the-French-Open-Becomes-Harder-for-Rafael-Nadal-articolo22856.html

Toni Nadal is worried. The start of the clay season for Rafael Nadal and his entourage allegedly should open the doors to the best part of the year for the Spaniard. Title after title coming in with the declared goal of going double digits at the French Open, reaching a historic 10th title. But Toni is worried, he stays worried even now, that Rafa should be ready to collect his glory in slides and brick, in front of the world, a champion again.
According to Toni, Rafael is not the same as he used to be before:
"I believe it is a mental issue. When someone isn't feeling at his best mentally, that affects all other aspects, including the physic and the movements. What is the cause for this mental problem? Rafa is missing consistency. He has based all his career on constancy and consistency, and now he is missing it. To get back to competition had a price to it, and now we are paying for it" revealed Toni to the Spanish press, on online platform El Confidential.
"The win in Buenos Aires sure worked as a positive motivational boost, but that won't be enough to play at the best in Indian Wells and Miami. We lacked in consistency, and now we are finding it back".
Toni is worried for the disconnections he has seen in his nephew over the past weeks, possibly sings of an initial down curve in form.
"It happened to him in Doha, where he played very well in the first set and then he left the match. In Australia he faced the same issue. He played good matches and then against Berdych he has been a disaster in the first two sets. In Rio the same thing, he stopped playing after the first set. These things started happening frequently most recently and that causes doubts and fears" revealed Toni.
Asked if Rafa is going to go back to be his best version ever, Toni replied:
"The sport isn't stable. Messi isn't the best anymore? He stopped being it, but then he recovered and now he is back in full form and he is the same as always. Now it is Cristiano Ronaldo who is not playing too well. See? Things continuously change and evolve" explained Rafa's uncle and coach.
Will Rafael Nadal win his 10th title at the French Open this year?
"As every year goes by, it is always harder for Rafael to confirm himself at the French Open. Before there were two or three dangerous opponents, now there are at least ten players who could beat him. Last year was even more under threat. We were coming to the tournament after facing some tough losses on the European red clay. Then Rafael came to Paris and played a great tournament" admitted Toni to conclude the interview.