#rafalint

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Rafa's 4th up on the main court in Miami tomorrow...and it will be on TV. Woot!

Articles:

Nadal crushes Giraldo in Miami - via ESPN UK

Nadal despacha a Giraldo en poco más de una hora - via marca.com (mangle)

Nadal: "A mí me llenó igual ganar los Juegos que el Grand Slam" - via marca.com (mangle)

Videos:

There are videos shot by someone with good seats to Rafa's match in user29639's YouTube Channel.

Photos:

Love @ll has uploaded more IW photos including bromance and adorableness.

You are following nidssserz on twitter so you can keep up with her photos from Miami, right? Tomorrow's her last day there, so don't forget!

Rafa does social media:

Rafa reminds us o the Ace Rafa contest.

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Ask a tennis player a question, and KIA will help you get an answer and a chance to win a t-shirt signed by Rafa! Submit your question.

Articles:

Quely would like to wish us a Merry Christmas and helped us acheive that by posting a photo of Rafa. Gold Bond powder? I thought only middle-aged women used that. *cough*

Casting an imaginary holiday dinner of tennis players by Courtney Nguyen (si.com). I can totally see Rafa as some sort of bouncy castle amusement ride for all his cousins.

Rafa Nadal receives a 3D HELMETS® by NZI Helmets - for, you know, that Harley he never rides.

Rafa does social media:

Rafa let us know that he's having fun practicing with Marc! And he posted a photo as proof.

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Match Articles: (You guys don't really want a lot of these, right? Not much one can say about today's match.)

Raquet Reaction by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)

The Deuce Court: Rafa's Rambling Presser by The Fan Child

Rafa isn't fuming mad, but I think it's clear to anybody watching this presser that he's fed up. There's so little time to rest and recover, and he seems desperate right now.

I agree. I think he's feeling it more mentally than physically, though. He's been on top and under a lot of pressure for a long time. I mean, he's had a year that 99% of the guys on the tour would kill for (hell, Fed would probably like to have had Rafa's year), he's ranked #2 in the world, and people are still talking about it like it's a horrible year. That's the kind of stupid, crazy expectations he's got to live up to and answer to over and over again in the press. That's got to add up. Right now, I think it's adding up to one mentally and emotionally tired Rafa. I hope he can find away to deal with that - he has in the past. I also think it's dangerous to read too much into this match. So, I'm just going to try to do my best to take a deep breath, relax, be with colm, and have illusion that Rafa will keep fighting.

Other articles:

Team nominations announced for Davis Cup final

Nadal to lead Spain vs. Argentina in Davis Cup

Transcript of the presser after the first round robin match.

Best moments from Nadal-Federer rivalry by Courtney Nguyen (si.com)

Videos:

Another version of the presser video

Match highlights

Rafa does social media:

Rafa posted a photo from his pre-match practice and said his tummy problem was okay.

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Articles:

Article in the Castelló Masters Facebook. From the mangle (you'll have to self-mangle, Google refuses to provide a link-able mangle), it sounds like Rafa's team won.

Rafa Nadal campeón también de golf al ganar el Pro-Am via abc.es. Again, from the mangle, sounds like Rafa's team won.

Rafael Nadal Lobs Tom Lewis Words of Advice via the Daily Express (WARNING: annoying autoloading video on the page).

Rafael no ha jugado bien y eso le ha pasado factura - interview with Toni. And, thanks to genny_ss, we have a translation instead of a mangle.

Videos:

More videos from the golf pro-am: long summary with a lot of Rafa and a lot of presser excerpts - rubbing his face while someone else speaks, talking about improving, multi-tasking, more in Spanish, getting a little squirmy, hiding his hands, and more multi-tasking.

Even more golf videos from other sources: on the driving range (wait, so at one point, Rafa had on a sweater over a vest over a shirt? Boy really likes to be warm, no?), and a report from rtvv.es.

Photos:

Two more Shanghai photosets from smallfish wu: smiley practice and doubles match. Aww, Marc! I've had to do that with shorts/pants too.

There are a few more photos on the Castelló Masters site.

And some more at Beyond the Baseline.

Rafa does social media:

Rafa let us know about his day golfing in English and Spanish (different photos with each).

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Articles:

Nadal Settles A Score; Joins Murray In Third Round via the ATP

Racquet Reaction: Nadal vs. Garcia-Lopez by Pete Bodo (WARNING! Video on the page will autoload.)

Tournament balls need to be standardized, says Nadal by Peter Simpson (reuters.com)

Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and the race to the top ... in 2012 by Douglas Perry (The Oregonian)

The many faces of Rafa by Jonathan Scott (tennis.com)

The first question in Wertheim's mailbag is about Rafa.

Nadal: We want more freedom by Sun Xiaochen (China Daily)

An article in Chinese about a stenographer working in the tournament mentions Rafa. (Mangle)

Videos:

There's a little bit of everything in this iB3 report.

More footage from Taiwan exhibition presser event.

Photos:

Some of attendees of a Babolat event in Tokyo got to meet him.

More 2nd round match photos.

Rafa does social media:

Rafa shared a photo of him practicing on a court lined with Spanish flags...just like home.

Peace is a Human Right:

For more information, visit www.pazsinfronteras.org/. (Can Rafa get some line reading help from his friend Pau?)

Video:

Check out sergiocord16's YouTube channel for some DC videos.

Photos:

A newly posted photo from the Champions Drink Responsibly promo Rafa shot a while back.

Let's talk scheduling:

Martina Navratilova backs Andy Murray strike talk via BBC

STRIKE-POCALYPSE - James LaRosa's humorous take on what a strike might mean.

The next sports work stoppage: Tennis? by Roy S. Johnson (espn.com)

Random:

From Jon Wertheim's mailbag:

"Whistleblower" of Ann Arbor, Mich.: "I had the strangest tennis-related experience today. I am a new hire at Chase, and I'm taking numerous online training courses on all of Chase's policies and banking-related issues. In a course on mortgage fraud, there was a sample fraudulent pay stub. What was the fake employee's name? Rafael Nadal. It cracked me up, especially because of Chase's involvement in tennis. In the example, it was Nadal who was trying to defraud the bank. There must be a Federer fan deep in the heart of Chase bank."

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Before tomorrow's final, I just want to remind people, this is a pro-Rafa site; it's not an anti any-other-player site. No matter the outcome tomorrow, no matter how either player conducts himself on the court, this is not the place for hate and passing judgements on the perceived character of others.

Vamos responsibly, my friends.

Recommended Reading:

Wise Kid by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)

For the Poet Laureate, the Joy of Tennis Is in the Effort by Geoff MacDonald (NY Times)

Articles:

Nadal Holds Off Murray To Set Blockbuster Final via the atp

Nadal d. Murray: Raquet Reaction by Richard Pagliaro (tennis.com)

Andy Murray loses to Rafael Nadal in semis by David Ornstein (BBC)

Murray falls to nemesis Nadal as defending champion sets up US Open final with Djokovic by Malcolm Folley (Daily Mail)

Ten years later, players at US Open remember 9/11 by Erin Bruehl (usopen.org)

Rafa gets day off -- and he'll need it by Jane McManus (espn.com)

Nadal tries to break Djokovic's control by Douglas Robson (usatoday.com)

Video:

iB3 match report

Video from a lucky fan who was invited onto Rafa's practice court to watch him and Feli hit earlier in the tournament. And here's another short one.

Photos:

Match gallery at the US Open site.

Neil Harman tweeted a photo of Rafa & Benito.

USO Day 7 photoset on flickr by K. Chae

Rafa does social media:

Rafa tweeted support to Spanish basketball players Gasol and Fernandez

Not satisified with that display of support, he also posted a video to Facebook. I think the extra floofiness of the hair is somehow part of his support...somehow....it must be.

And, a few minutes after I posted this, he added a more serious message of support to the families of the victims of 9/11.

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Just a few pieces today since I'm tired and should be in bed because it will be a big day for me! An out of town guest, meeting twitter folks and the Davis Cup draw. (I know there's no Rafa there and heck, there weren't even any Spaniards at this event, but I attended and took photos at a Tennis Festival on Monday. Info and photos posted here if you are bored.)

Interview with Toni on the iB3 - no idea what he's talking about...other than Wimbledon and Djokovic which I here in there a few times

Els seguidors més fidels de Rafel Nadal - aka, how many times can Toni and his sons say "Djokovic" in 30 seconds. Love Toni laughing

Wimbledon Singles? Despite losing in the finals, Nadal and Sharapova still win the hearts of tennis fans

El inédito desafío de Nadal (mangle)

Nadal y Llorente, de marcha en el puerto (mangle)

Rafa & Dijana: He Said/She Said

Ticket City Suffers Now that Nadal Not to Play Davis Cup

Okay - off to bed. Have to pick up sapphireswell at the airport tomorrow!