CAMELOT FANTASIES

Big match is here for Rafa.

He will probably take the title if he can run over Dimitrov.

Dimitrov had been playing great tennis.

He is confident and fit. He will swing for the fences.


Rafa has to be very focused and win majority of the long rallies.


Win the long rally and you win the match.


he has to also try to assert himself. Dictate play as much as possible.

He did everything that you suggested. Maybe Rafa reads here!

Now he gets the match needs for better preparation for the final.


Berdych is playing well. Rafa needs this test.


I still expect him take in straights.

It could hard fought 2 sets.

You called it. Two sets it was. And, it was good preparation for the final. He's looking good. A few more matches in Rome, and who knows? Either way, Rafa is on the upswing.

Video: Rafael Nadal - I'm still here ᴴᴰ

Rafa Related:

What if Rafael Nadal had picked soccer ?

When he was a precocious 12-year-old on the Spanish island of Mallorca, Rafael Nadal had to make a decision that millions of kids around the world have made at some point: Which sport to focus on exclusively. In Nadal’s case, which was a little different than most kids’, as he was top-notch in both, it came down to soccer or tennis. And this was no flighty hypothetical of a tennis prodigy dabbling in another sport. Nadal was a“promising striker” as Christopher Clarey called him in a 2005 New York Times article and had soccer run deep in the family, with his uncle Miguel Angel Nadal starring in three World Cups and playing for Barcelona, among other clubs. His father said Rafa could have been a fine professional footballer.
Nadal himself said it was the toughest decision he ever made, but he knew “tennis was the game at which I excelled, even if I enjoyed football as much, or more,” as he wrote in his autobiography, Nadal. But he didn’t look back, writing that when he watched interviews of himself winning the 14-and-under Spanish championship at the age of 12 he heard his younger self say “I enjoy football, but that’s for fun.” It was then he knew he had made the only call there was to make.

Question for Rafa.

Q : Rafa , this will be your 7th final here in Madrid , I don´t know if before starting this tournment did u see yourself in the final ?
Rafa Nadal : " Before starting this tournament , I didn´t know if I were going to even pass the 1st round , that´s the truth and at the end of the day , every opponent is complicated , and it gets even harder when you come after not having had good results but to change that , you have to work harder and you have to be more positive than usual and I am trying all I can to be able to change that dynamic .!.! "

order of play for tomorrow:


http://www.atpworldtour.com/scores/schedule.aspx?year=2015&eventid=1536

Rafa played his best match of the year yesterday. Even he was pleased with it. Berdych tried hard in the first set, taking it to a tiebreak, but gave up the ghost in the second set. Rafa had only 11 UFEs, I heard. Now that I think about it I don't know if that was in the Berdych or Dmitrov match, but getting those UFEs down was crucial. Good luck to both he and Andy, but I hope Rafa wins because he really needs this title, and it would be great to see him in the winner's circle again.

I couldn't agree more. I am so sick of this targeting "umpiring." All of these cases involve Spaniards. Meanwhile, Kyrgios hits a ball out of the part and the umpire says he didn't see it.

Enough is enough as more players demand improvements from the umpires
Tennis - It is a subject which is currently gripping the ATP Tour as more players scrutinise the fairness of the umpires.
09 May 2015 - 12:13 / by Adam Addicott

http://www.tennisworldusa.org/Enough-is-enough-as-more-players-demand-improvements-from-the-umpires-articolo23836.html
Earlier this week, Feliciano Lopez told the media that more needs to be done to ensure that match umpires treat every player on the court in the same manor. His comments came following a heated dispute with Carlos Bernardes regarding a point penalty which he received during the first round of the Madrid Masters. During the argument the Spaniard said that Bernardes 'doesn't have the balls to say something to other players'. Lopez is however not the only player to have this opinion as more players are now speaking out and calling for the ATP to do more to tackle the issue.
Rafael Nadal has also experienced confrontations with the umpires in the past regarding the rules. During the second round of the Barcelona Open he received a time violation warning. Players are only allowed to take a 30-second rest between points. Nadal accused his match opponent, Nicolas Almagro, of pressuring the umpire to give the warning.

"Everyone does what they want, but it's not very nice when a colleague (Almagro) is pressuring the umpire." Nadal said.
Time violation warnings are nothing new to the world No:4 as he received yet another one during yesterday's encounter against Grigor Dimitrov. Reflecting back over that specific warning, Nadal said that sometimes he feels that the umpires 'are only watching their watch' and called for them to improve on other rules.

"The umpires have to be a little bit better on the other rules. Have to be a little bit better taking positions like last what happened in Estoril. They didn't take the right decision in a very important moment". Nadal said.

"Things have to be fair for everybody, not just one particular person. In my opinion, there is another lot of worse things happening on the other side of the net that are for sure not the best example for the kids or even for anybody", he added.

Another incident occurred during a match between Nick Krygios and Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Portugal Open. During the extremely tense deciding set tie-break, the young Australian blasted a ball outside of the court in which he didn't receive a penalty. The umpire told Ramos-Vinolas that he couldn't penalize Krygios because 'he didn't see him do it' which left the Spanish player understandably furious.

The calls for change are becoming clearer, however there is yet to be any visible sign of action from the ATP. Until there is, expect more on court drama to happen in the near future.