Rafatennis - Rome Masters 1000 - 8-15 May 2011

First topic message reminder :

"Obviously I didn't play at my best. I didn't play badly, just normal. But that is not enough against Djokovic." That's the true Rafa! Well, one of them had to lose their streak and it wasn't third time lucky for Rafa against Djokovic.

With a quick turnaround, we are straight off to Rome, with Rafa in a battle to keep his No 1 ranking and take it into the French. The tournament has already started and the draw could prove tough for him, depending on whether potential opponents can take their good form from Madrid onto Rome.

Rafa's first match will be on Wednesday.

Good luck Rafa - dust yourself down and come roaring back. Vamos!

I am

He's looking and very able Wooffs.

Ok Lorenz serve.....

Rafa misses 15-0

and again...30-0

worried looks all around

Ace..40-0

Italians are loving this

Nets off a good Rafa return..40-15

and Rafa nets..totally U/E...he's looking a bit ragged

4 all

Eek, sorry, that was for Rafan above. Although I am sure that Wooffs wanted to know as well

My poor dog is waiting for me at the groomers to be picked up. Had his summer haircut today which means I dropped off a little bundle of curly fur earlier and will pick up a shorn lamb

Maybe if I stop watching the match Rafa will get his act together.

Rafa serves

Big hitting from Rafa...and Lorenzi hits out..15-0

good serve..30-0

and again..40-0

Rafa nets...another u/e on the f/h....9 in all they've said 40-15

now a d/f...40-30

Toni hiding behing hat and sunglasses

serve gone awry

and Lorenzi hits out on a 2nd serve...5-4 Rafa

Oh Cats, I love picking up the dog from the groomers. Hehe. They always look so puppyish again

Good afternoon Rafateers. I'm only able to follow on livescores and this isn't doing much for my nerves.

Hi Womble

Join the club! It is nerve-wracking

Lorenzi serves to stay in the set.....come on Rafa!!!!!!

excellent b/h volley from Lorenzi..15-0

Rafa must have been 10ft behind the baseline for that 2nd serve and he nets!!! 30-0

great net coverage by Lorenzi....40-0

Rafa is being made to look a fool

and Rafa nets again...5 all....this is really worrying girls....you should hear the glee in the commentators voices!

Rafa serves

oh no!!! Rafa nets again on a point which he should have won....and he hangs his head...0-15

better from Rafa there.....nice little slice..15 all

Lorenzi hits wayward and a vamos from Rafa...30-15

better hitting from Rafa...Lorenzi hits wide...40-15

and a fabulous rally from Rafa....Lorenzi couldn't keep up with that....game Rafa 6-5

Mine neither, Womble.

Do you want to join the email chain I've got going with Rafan???

<bangs head on desk>

Lorenzi Serves....come on Rafa!!!!!!

Rafa nets off a good s&v from Lorenzi..15-0

Rafa hits long off a good serve...30-0

and Rafa misses a sitter...the court was open...40-0

cracking return from Rafa..40-15

and Rafa hits out...6 all T/B

Is Rafa playing really badly or is Lorenzi another one of those playing the mtach of his life ?

Help !! What's going on?????

I walked away from the deak when Rafa was 5-3 up and came back and he'd lost the set !!

Rafa serves....misses the first one....0-1 hit the net again

Lorenzi serves

Rafa hits a wide c/c and Lorenzi got stuck in the clay...1 all

another good volley from Lorenzi and Rafa nets...2-1

Rafa serves

ooh Rafa did a d/shot..lorenzi got to it...but missed...2 all

Lorenzi nets off deep Rafa shots...3-2

Lorenzi serves

again, Rafa nets in the middle of a rally...this guy is reading him well at the moment....3 all

A volley that doesn't work....4-3 break Rafa

Brill d/ shot from Rafa...5-3

oh no!! he nets again off that bloody f/h...5-4

and again...6-5 set point to Lorenzi

Rafa misses a over head smash....set Lorenzi 7-6....and he played really well. He got everything back in that last point, was brave and really went for his shots. 16 0f 21 u/e from Rafa was on that bloody f/h. Rafa looks so tentative at times















Lorenzi serves

Ace....5 all

Right girls ... what? is going on here with Rafa.

As I just said to Rafan ... you do not go from standing on the precipice of winning a Grand Slam to losing sets to qualifiers on your best surface.

What is going on with him?? What??

Lorenzi serves....Rafa hits a good return..0-15

Fab c/c from Rafa 0-30

and Lorenzi hits long..0-40

that bloody f/h missed again....15-40

and Rafa hits long....30-40

Toni shuffling in his chair

and Rafa wears him down...game Rafa 1-0

I think the loss to Djokovic (losses?) have affected him a bit, the last one probably more than a bit. he looks to be suffering from lack of confidence, his forehand lacks its usual bite, and 21 unforced errors in one set in unheard of!

As a Murray fan who's been through some rough patches recently I deeply sympathise. I still expect him to pull through today, but has that aura of invincibility gone?

Nadal is looking off pace. What is going on???

Come Rafa you are so much more better than this

oh dear, simple overhead, into the net! he doesn't look himself today...

Rafa serves

Just brilliant hitting from Rafa...15-0

at the moment he's found his length and depth

but the serve could be better!!

Lorenzi airs the return..30-0

In a way my lovelies this could be what he needs a real kick up his famoos ass from a quali

another deep 2nd serve from Rafa....40-0

and another miss from Lorenzi..2-0 Rafa

Lorenzi serves

exchange of d/shots which lorenzi won..15-0

good serve..30-0

big smash from Lorenzi..40-0

but he misses the next wone..40-15

Rafa misses a total sitter of a smash! game Lorenzi 2-1 Rafa

Not being able to watch is awful and this sounds dire ... come on Rafa. Dig deep!!

Dare I say it ...

DON'T WORRY ... HE IS NADAL !!!

How are we supposed to work (and be civil to those we work with) with this going on?

Come ON Rafa! I can't bear this

He'll win Wooffie, don't worry. Despite being awful in the first set (by his standards on clay) he still only lost it in a close TB. Lorenzi is simply not good enough to beat even this poor Nadal IMO. However, if he plays like this against anyone ranked in the top 30 (Roddick excepted, obviously) I think he'd lose...

Agree with Mad for Chelsea - those losses are preying on his mind. The hard court losses less so, he did well to make both finals and they both went to three sets but Sunday's defeat has definitely rocked him somewhat. He needs to focus on what to do against Djokovic before he next plays Djokovic, not during an early round tie. Perhaps an early round test will help him re-focus.

Ok....Lorenzi is playing well. good s&v merchant...and is just going for it. Rafa was very tentative in the 1st set.....this one he's opened his shoulders more and is hitting better...not perfect, but better.

Lorenzi can't keep up with the long rally's and his B/h can collapse. Rafa is working this one out a she goes along.

Two good Long Rally's from rafa gives him 30-0

good serve...40-0

oh fabulous Rafa...huge f/h opens up the court...3-1

Lorenzi serves

and he nets...0-15

good serve..15 all

hell Rafa falls over....it's slippery....30-15...he's fine

but he misses the next shot..40-15

Ace...Game Lorenzi 3-2

Oh god I hope so.

We need him to be challenging.

COME ON RAFFAAAAA!!!!

I can buy the confidence thing being a problem if he was playing Novak or some other top player, but not against a qualifier on clay. I know he hasn't been on top form, but how can he make 21 unforced errors in a set on clay ? Really strange. Maybe he's doing a bit of a Roger and worrying too much about Novak (in Roger's case Rafa) and not enough about the guy in front of him. Rafa always says the right things about it's going to be a difficult match, etc, etc, but when everyone thinks you're unbeatable on a surface, some of it must rub off.

I've managed to do no work at all in the last hour.

Break point - help !!

Rafa serves

Hits long....0-15

keep focussed Rafa

hits long again....0-30

come on Rafa...keep thinking...keep positive

Lorenzi hits out....15-30

and he nets....30-all

oh hell Rafa....he misses again...30-40

and he misses again....game Lorenzi....3 all

Just when I thought he was getting his act together!!!

He looks to be lacking in confidence really, not going for his shots at all at the moment. Example in that game. At 30-30 he gets a mid court ball up the middle, usually he pounces on those, here he just puts it middling range to the backhand.

Lorenzi breaks back...

Big hold for Lorenzi that. Pressure really on Nadal now, though at least he let rip a couple of forehands in that game

Lorenzi serves

but misses and hits long....0-15

Rafa hits c/c..0-30

but nets....15-30

and hits a good overhead...30 all

he's not letting rafa dictate

but nets off a tricky reply from rafa...30-40....come on Rafa!!!

and again...he comes into the net and hit a drop volley...deuce....he's reading rafa so well

and volley's again....Rafa is sooooooo far back he can't do anything!!!

Rafa really fought for that point...hit a good overhead and lorenzi missed...deuce

Great return from Rafa...right at his feet...couldn't hit the volley...Ad Rafa

but another good serve...deuce

and a huge c/c from Rafa...with a come on!! at the end of it! ad

but another good serve from lorenzi....deuce

and again..ad Lorenzi

and again...game Lorenzi.

He's just playing really smart....and Rafa has no answer at the moment.

I swear that something soon is going to come out about all this.

I cannot do ANY work!! <paces> <breathes hard>

you guys should try being Murray fans for a couple of weeks

Was he knocking on the door then?? Can he break this guy down???

It's as if Rafa can play a couple of good positive games....but then retreats again....not him at all

Rafa serves

Lorenzi tries a d/shot but the wind carries it out..15-0

and he hits out over the baseline....30-0

Rafa misses yet another smash..30-15

Lorenzi hits out again....40-15

and a huge f/h from Rafa....game Rafa...4 all

Lorenzi serves

Rafa misses again off a Lorenzi volley...15-0

good serve..30-0

Lorenzi nets...30-15

but hits a c/c...out...no Rafa says it's in....

and that time Rafa gets him at the net...30 all

just a fabulous C/C from Rafa...right at his feet....30-40

And just a wonderful Rally....I can't tell you....game Rafa..5-4

Rafa breaks, some great defense in that game, with a bit of luck too (Lorenzi missing an easy volley at 30-0, hits a backhand which has rafa scrambling but is wrongly called out). Can he close it out?

Break Rafa - thank goodness ! My confidence in his serve at the moment is zero, though.

Rafa serves

<clunk click>

oh pleassseeeee let him get this

but he misses down the line by a fraction..0-15

lorenz misses a huge 2nd serve by Rafa....15 all

Lorenzi nets...30-15

but he misses c/c...oh Rafa.....30 all

oh blimey...he missed by bloody miles...30-40....him Toni and little Rafa all look mystified

Vamos!!!! big yell from Rafa after that f/h..deuce

and Lorenzi nets...Ad Rafa...and (whisper it) a set point

YES!!!!!!! hit hits an overhead....6-4 Rafa

and Rafa takes the set! See, nothing to be worried about really was there?

Question to Rafa fans: do you not think he sometimes overdoes the "running around the backhand" thing? Particularly on a day like today, when his forehand is struggling, shouldn't he hit more backhands? Also when playing guys like Djokovic who can use their backhand to counter to his forehand corner, thus putting him out of position...

<faints>

Thank the Lord Almighty, Sweet Jesus and all the Saints above.

<breathes>

What on earth is going on? I can't believe he faced break points then as well. Well done Rafi for getting that set...

All Murray fans reading this - deepest sympathy coming your way - I'm feeling it right now!

What it is MFC is that he obviously has ZERO confidence in his own backhand and therefore has to get it on his forehand at any opportunity.

He wants to watch his summer 2008 matches to remind himself how much he learnt and improved on the backhand side.

I still feel <sick> I just had to hide in the loos and have realised that I am sitting here with stains all down my front from my lunch!!

I know what you mean. I guess we've been spoilt because Rafa has been so solid over the last couple of years. When he's lost, its usually been because the other guy has played a blinder.

3rd set

Lorenzi serves

lovely down the line from Rafa...0-15

but he hits long....15 all

big serve from lorenzi..30-15

Lorenzi nets..30 all

and nets again off a good Rafa return...30-40

and Rafa breaks on a good f/h...1-0

But why Wooffie? Rafa's backhand may be his weakest wing, but it's still in the top ten in the world for me. It's a very good shot, and when his forehand is letting him down as badly as today he should use it more (and against Djokovic and Murray).

Anyway I think Lorenzi is done now, Rafa to walk this set...