Tomorrow, Rafa travels to Montreal. He practiced today in Manacor – see the Storify for reports from a fan who was there.
In schedule news, Rafa will play doubles in Montreal with Fernando Verdasco (source). It was announced that Rafa will be seeded #8 in singles for Montreal. Since then, Ferrer has withdrawn due to an elbow injury, so Rafa will move up to #7.
Tickets are still available for the exhibition Rafa is doing at John McEnroe’s tennis academy the week before the US Open. You can buy them here.
Rafa has been added to the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day line up. Taking place the Saturday before the US Open, Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day benefits the USTA Foundation which helps fund the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network (NJTL), a nationwide group of more than 500 nonprofit youth-development organizations that provide free or low-cost tennis, education and life-skills programming to more than 225,000 children each year. You can buy tickets here.
Lastly, Rafa is scheduled to play in the IPTL this winter. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased here.
Post Hamburg final press conference excerpt:
(Posted by Rafael Nadal King of Tennis)
Articles:
- Summer Intrigue – by Steve Tignor (tennis.com)
This doesn’t mean Nadal is in decline, or won’t win more majors. It means that there’s a good chance we’ll see more weeks like Hamburg in his future. The world will wonder what’s wrong with Rafa, why he’s missing so many forehands, and why his levels go up and down—and he’ll find a way to win anyway.
- Nadal Records a Must Win in Hamburg – by Steve Flink (tennischannel.com)
Nadal is in the process of recovering his confidence. He has never taken anything for granted, not even when he was celebrating his finest seasons and largest triumphs. Considering that he is clearly among the best ever to play the game of tennis, Nadal is an uncommonly modest man, a fellow with deep humility, and an individual who readily admits that it is his nature to wrestle incessantly with inner doubts and insecurities. But the fact remains that he knows what he has already achieved and is not content to rest on his laurels. The guess here is that the “Essential Nadal” will be back in full view next year, but we will get more than a few glimpses of his greatness before the curtain closes on 2015.
- Rafa Nadal’s Hamburg win analysed by Mark Petchey – via skysports.com
- Nadal Beats Fognini For Hamburg Crown – via atpworldtour.com (includes a highlights reel)
- Rafael Nadal battles past Fabio Fognini to claim Hamburg Open title – by Reem Abulleil (sport360.com)
- Nadal wins 47th clay title with 7-5, 7-5 win over Fognini in Hamburg – AP via tennis.com
- “Let’s forget the best Nadal” – via marca.com
- Spain’s Nadal willing to play Group I Davis Cup tie – via tennis.com
- „Wir müssen uns fragen, welches Spiel wir sehen wollen“ – interview with Toni in German (mangle or here’s a translation by @bellezzavitale on Twitter.)
- Francis Roig: “Nadal tiene que hacer un esfuerzo mayor para ganar ahora” – an interview with Roig via tennistopic.com (mangle)
- Nadal: “Luché con la mentalidad correcta” – via europapress.es (mangle)
- Rafael Nadal to lead Indian Aces in IPTL 2015 – pdf file via iptlworld.com
Video/Audio:
- Hamburg victory speech (or this version)
- 2015 bet-at-home Open – ATP Hamburg Story of the Tournament
- Audio of a post-Hamburg interview (Spanish – here’s the mangle of the text on the page)
- Rafa and Fognini’s spat (another version)
- Hamburg Final Highlights
- Rafa Nadal and Fabio Fognini play fantastic rally in Hamburg final – via skysports.com
- iB3 report on the Hamburg final
Photos:
- There’s some Rafa in Hamburg in this flickr set by Ottmar H.
Social media related to Rafa:
Other stuff:
- US Open press center to be renamed in honor of Bud Collins – by McCarton Ackerman (usopen.org). Linked because…picture of Rafa and, well, Bud’s cool.
- Tour Wife Tales with Kelsey Anderson: Travel 101 – interesting column about life on the tour