Rafa in Miami 2012: Withdrawn!!

(With a tip of his hat, Rafa says goodbye to Miami.)

Ay, such sadness! Rafa withdrew from competition in Miami today. His left knee has been bothering him since last week in Indian Wells. He barely got by Tsonga on it in the quarters, winning 6-2, 5-7. 6-4, and trying to play at the top level necessary to compete with Murray in the semis could've injured it even worse. So now he rests and hopes he's solid for the clay court season starting up in mid April, and Murray has to face Novak in the Final on Sunday.

I'm disappointed for Rafa. If not for his knee, I thought he had a really great chance at winning against Novak. His level of play had been so strong. Let's all wish Our Hero a speedy recovery! VAMOS!

On a closing note, I am posting a video of one of my new favorite songs written by Ryan Scott Oliver and sung by Lindsay Mendez called "The Party Goes With You." The rest of the tourney won't be the same without you. For when you strike your goodbye pose, Rafa, everybody knows, everybody knows, the party goes with you.

Rafa in Miami 2012: Fourth Round

(Rafa dominates again!) 

Round of 16 action is completed, and Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, has once again triumphed. He took down Kei Nishikori from Japan 6-4, 6-4 and advances to the quarterfinals.

Nishikori came out strong, and broke to take a 2-1 lead in the first set. But Nadal broke back and then took command of the first set. Rafa then raced off to a 3-0 lead in the second but had to fight off a surge by Nishikori at the end. It was another straight-set victory, but it took 2 hours and 10 minutes - much longer than Rafa's previous two matches. Nishikori put up some fight!

Next up, Nadal is playing Tsonga in the quarterfinals. I've never been a big Tsonga fan. I definitely don't want Rafa to lost to him. Hopefully he'll continue to play his top level tennis! Vamos!

Rafa in Miami 2012: 3rd Round

(This is just what I look like prepping for a forehand! Only not left-handed! And not as muscular! And Nadal's shot will likely clear the net!)

Continued Success! Yesterday, Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, eased his way into the fourth round of the Sony Ericsson Open, shrugging off 25th seed Radek Stepanek 6-2, 6-2. Nadal was pretty much in control the entire time. Radek managed two break points against Rafa but couldn't convert either of them. Meanwhile Rafa broke Stepanek twice in each set, finishing him off in 87 minutes. Easy peasy.

Next, Rafa will face off with No. 16 Kei Nishikori of Japan - another player he has never lost to. Let's keep up the winning ways! I really feel Rafa has a good shot at the title this year! VAMOS!

Rafa in Miami 2012: 2nd Round

(large and in charge!)

Our Hero, Rafael Nadal, is back in action this week in Miami. In his first match since losing to Federer in the semis of Indian Wells, Rafa easily sprinted to victory. He dispatched Colombia's Santiago Giraldo 6-2, 6-0 claiming the final 10 games and winning the match in only 69 minutes. Wepa!

So glad to see Rafa dominating after that unfortunate loss to Fed. Everything was working for him. Next up in Round 3 is Radek Stepanek from Czech Republic. Rafa has won all 5 of their previous meetings. Let's hope he can make it 6-0! Rafa has never won this event and I'm really hoping 2012 will be his year for the Miami title. VAMOS!

Rafa in 2012 Indian Wells, Finals (Yes, FINALS!)

(Champs!)

Okay, so it's true that Rafa didn't play in or win the singles final, but he did play in AND win the doubles final! Our Hero, and his partner marc Lopez, reclaimed the BNP Paribas Open doubles title with a solid 6-2, 7-6(3) win over Americans John Isner and Sam Querrey earlier today.

It was a bummer for Isner who also lost the singles title even earlier today to Roger Federer. Fed is playing exceptionally well right now. Please, sportswriters. Stop telling him he is old at 30. He's not. He's younger than me. And probably you. And he's an elite champion and a winner. So stop the nonsense.

 I am very happy that Rafa gets to end the tournament as a winner - even it's doubles and not singles. It sucks that it comes at a double loss for Isner, who was attempting to become the first man since Jimmy Connors in 1991 to win both the singles and doubles titles at Indian Wells. Instead, he lost both in the same day! Has that ever happened before? That's an unfortunate distinction to hold. But let's recall that Isner played the longest match ever and he won that one too, so he's got some great records to his name and a really bright future for this season with a win over the extremely dominant Novak Djokovic.

If it feels like the Miami tournament starts immediately, that's because it does. Opening round action is tomorrow! Who will win that one? It seems like there are more names in the mix than there were at the start of Indian Wells. I hope Rafa can make it to the final there and bite into that champion's trophy. Vamos!!

Rafa in 2012 Indian Wells, Semifinals

(You'll get 'em next time, Rafa!)

Oof. That was a rough one. After a long rain delay, and following a truly electric semifinal where Isner beat Djokovic, Nadal and Federer faced off in what was a pretty one-sided affair with Nadal losing in straight sets 6-3, 6-4. All credit to Roger for handling the windy and rainy conditions better. Nadal just never got into the right rhythm  The first 3 games of the first set went to Roger. Then Rafa answered with three straight games of his own. Then Fed answered AGAIN by taking the next three games and the set! It was as if Rafa couldn't really get it together until he was down 5-2 in the second set. At that point it was way too late. Well, no.I think I've seen Rafa pull out wins where the score was that dire, but not in these conditions and not against Fed when he was playing that well.

Oh well. What can you do? Our Hero must look ahead. He's still in great condition and competing well. It was just an off night in bad conditions against a terrific opponent. It happens! As for the Final, I would LOVE to see Isner win his first Masters 1000 event. American success is always nice to see and a cause to celebrate. But I've been liking Fed's success lately. So either way it's cool. And then whatever happens, Isner has to go back on court later this afternoon to play the rescheduled men's doubles final - against Rafa! Obviously, I'm cheering on Isner in the singles much more so than in the doubles. Vamos!

Rafa in 2012 Indian Wells, Quarterfinals

(Somebody's feelin' it!)

This evening, Our Hero, Rafael score a come-from-behind victory over David Nalbandian of Argentina 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 in the Indian Wells Quarterfinals. Nadal previously hadn’t lost a set in the tournament, but Nalbandian was playing at the top of his game, impressively winning the final three games of the first set to take the early lead. Then he led 4-3 and 5-4 in the second, but Nadal refused to surrender and fought his way back to take the set, and level the match. Then Nadal went up 5-2 in the third, but then Nalbandian rallied again to bring it to to 5-4. Nalbandian had a few more chances, but could not capitalize, and Rafa took the match. Thank goodness!

Next up: Federer in the Semis! That's going to be crazy. I'm hoping he can win against his long time super-rival. I would also LOVE a John Isner win over Djokovic in the other semi. And let's not forget Rafa is still alive in the men's doubles draw. He plays for the doubles final tomorrow! Lots of tennis still left to be played. I hope tomorrow the luck of the Irish is with the Spaniard! VAMOS!.