If you know me all too well, you would know why I haven't updated the past few days.
The ATP Rogers Cup in Toronto is underway! Finally, after more than a month of waiting since the Wimbledon championships, we now have photos and presses and tennis action from mi amore Rafael Nadal. Never mind the time difference between Toronto and Phnom Penh tee-hee-hee. And the Canadian press are totally in love with Rafa:
Toronto’s snarled Friday afternoon rush-hour traffic?
No problem when you’re the world’s best tennis player — and an international heartthrob — in town for the Rogers Cup.
The tournament kicked off with Rafa participating in the tournament draw held at the CN tower. Prior to this, my friend Ana sent me a link to the lovemeansnothing.ca site. It is Tennis Canada's site promoting the live webcast of the tournament's draw with Rafa in attendance. And it got me excited --- I wondered what kind of Rafa action was going to happen (aside from taking part in the draw, of course)? Will he jump off the CN tower afterwards?
Anyways, Rafa did appear but no jumping off the tower happened. He was given a hockey shirt (looks good on him but not really the kind of shirt we want to see on him, do we?hihihih) and a mini-replica of the the CN tower. After the draw, he was whisked away by a helicopter and taken to the York University's Rexall Centre, the site of Rogers Cup, for a practice session.
Okay, I've gotten over the initial surprise about Rafa's teaming up with Novak Djokovic for the doubles matches. According to tennis record books, Rafa-Nole (coined by the press as Rafole), it is only the second time in tennis history that the #1 and #2 players have teamed up - the first was in 1976 with Jim Connors teaming up with Arthur Ashe. But Rafole was denied a win by the young Canadian team. Despite missing the match (I spent hours and hours looking for a live webcast) I agree with Ana that although the Rafole team up created quite an excitement and huge interest, the first round loss was a blessing in disguise so that the two could better concentrate on their singles games.
After the pair's first round loss, are we going to see them again as doubles partner in the future? That remains to be seen. Can't wait for Rafa to play his first round match tomorrow, 6.30am Phnom Penh time. It is going to be a sleep-deprivation week for Ana and I, but for sure, seeing Rafa's smile and dimples popping in and out -- and a win -- will be enough to get us both through the week.
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I'm dancing on Cloud 9 since last night and obviously I won't be stopping and coming down any soon.
Rafael Nadal had just won his fifth Roland Garros title last night - all without dropping a single set. It's his 40th career title, his seventh Grand Slam, won this year's "Clay Slam", set a new record of 18th Masters title, and re-gaining the number 1 spot, all of which he achieved three days after his 24th birthday!!! Whew, and the world suddenly seems to be right, at least in the tennis world of Rafa and us, his fans.
Be calm. I am going to win.
- Rafael Nadal, Wimbledon finals 2008
Elizabeth Kaye quoted him saying this to his Uncle Tony and Team Rafa in the locker room while waiting for the game to resume at the rain-delayed Wimbledon 2008 finals match against Roger Federer. Read the whole article here -
Zen and the Art of Rafael Nadal - a wonderfully written piece about one of the greatest sportsmen of our time.
This quote showed Rafa's character and the moment I saw it, it quickly became my mantra throughout the tournament. I honestly didn't think Robin Soderling will win. I was not disappointed; I knew Rafa had already set his mind. Last night's finals match showed a cool, calm, and collected Rafa. Cool as he might have been last night but he sure did went out there on a mission: to destroy the bird (Robin) and the mission was completed in a very convincing fashion. Rafa didn't let his nerves bother him again. Robin Soderling had some brilliant moments showing his thumping shots there but, like Nicolas Almagro, it wasn't enough to even win him a single set; he had a lot of break points but Rafa wouldn't let him.Clearly, Rafa means business and when Rafa means business, we saw why he is the best defensive and offensive player there is. After the second set, Robin is seen walking slowly and tiredly towards his chair. It gave me an impression of a beaten man about to begin the third set.
It was an emotional experience to see Rafa fall down on the clay in celebration of his win, and later on, him sobbing and heaving in between sobs behind the towel. It was the first time I saw him cry after a game and it is quite understandable. Going up against the only player to have beat him at RG and winning it means so much more to him, considering the circumstances of his performance in 2009. It is awesome to see him again lift and bite the RG trophy he so deserves. It goes to show that when Rafa is 100% fit there is no one who could stand in his way at the RG. I hope this will shut all Rafa doom-sayers and Uncle Tony hecklers out there.
The Order has been restored, sports analysts/writers say. Indeed, as Rafa is, once again, the King of Clay. I know my friends Ana and Lui will agree with me when I say that us fans have had a great ride with Rafa, so far, and that we all can't wait for the rest of the year to unfold in the tennis world.
Now, it's on to the green, green grass; Rafa has a second Wimbledon title to chase.
P.S.
Imagine the delight of the French audience when Rafa spoke a bit of French during the awarding ceremony. By doing so, he not only has reclaimed his Roland Garros title but also regained the hearts of the French tennis fans.
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Twenty-fours years ago today, a baby boy was born in the town of Manacor in the Spanish island of Mallorca. He picked up a tennis racket when he was three with the encouragement of his uncle... and the rest, as the saying goes, is history. These days, this little boy is now called the mighty King of Clay... at his tender age of 24, he already has accomplished what other older tennis players had, winning titles and breaking records while maintaining a modest, polite, honest, and boyish demeanor.
I sure believe you, Rafa! Lovely feature about him here. You can find the interview online. A must read.
Okay, I just want to get this out of my chest; something about last night's quarterfinals match between Rafa and his compatriot Nicolas Almagro. I really got scared there when Almagro broke Rafa on his first service game and, before I knew it, the score immediately went up to 3-0 against Rafa. Maybe it's the nerves, I don't know, but Almagro produced smashing forehands that Rafa could not return. But when Rafa was able to chain his nerves, the odds dramatically changed: he came back with a vengeance and emerged winner in three sets with two tie breaks to boot. The tie breaks were very well played, I have to say.
Rafa, still not in 100% fighting form in my opinion, but definitely not the Rafa with the ailing knee we saw last year. I thought he played very well against the promising Almagro in a rather tight match. Almagro was awesome, too - his first serve percentage and big forehands served him well - but he just couldn't win a set. He fought extremely hard and he was very close but apparently ran out of resources as he was still unable to beat Rafa. Rafa's just too good for him last night.
Lastly, I was so happy, too, that the match was broadcast live over one of the local cable television channels here in Phnom Penh. It saved me a whole lot from the hassle of having to switch from one lousy live stream channel to another, or worse, click the refresh button every minute when the screen freezes. I'm looking forward to the semis, Rafa against Austrian Jurgen Melzer who crushed the third-seed Serbian Novak Djokovic in a dramatic five-set match. It was incredible for Melzer to win against Djokovic knowing the Serbian has never lost after a very comfortable 2-0 lead.
***
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Okay, this is, again, one of my girlish posts...
This just came out from Yahoo news... Girls, let me introduce to you the new Professor Charles Xavier...
James McAvoy!
It's now official: James McAvoy, a Scottish actor, and one of the well-regarded actors in Hollywood today, will play the young Professor Charles Xavier in the new iteration of the X-Men franchise. How great is that?
My jaw dropped when I read the news. And for a few moments, the initial shock was replaced by excitement. And who wouldn't be? Not only that he is a brilliant actor but he is also ridiculously good-looking! Imagine his floppy hair and scruffy red beard, his charming Scottish brogue, and oh, those lovely blue eyes and mischievous smile that speak to me (hihihihi). I'm glad that he is already married -- otherwise I would be amongst the fighting and biting and kicking girls out there vying for his attention.
Enough said.
I know Prof. X was played to a tee by Patrick Stewart, but do I expect James to live up to the standards set by the prolific actor? My answer is a resounding YES! I mean, have you seen him in The Last King of Scotland (with Forrest Whitaker) and in Atonement (Keira Knightly)? He stormed Hollywood when he played the leads in these movies. If you are not yet convinced, how about in the movies Wanted (with Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman), or, in Becoming Jane (with Anne Hathaway), or, or in that HBO mini-series, Band of Brothers (produced by Steven Spielberg)? Oh goodness, you are missing a lot. Better go to your nearest DVD stores and get a copy of his movies to know what I'm talking about. Really.
James was once a Catholic schoolboy in Glasgow and had thought about entering priesthood, if not for a chance meeting with a Scottish actor who invited him to audition. From there, his movie career just blossomed.
The new X-men movie is called X-men: First Class and will focus on the formative years of Professor X and Magneto and where their relationship took a wrong turn. I can't wait to see James breathe life into his role as the young Prof. X ... Already, I am anxious to know whether James will get to keep his hair or sport a shiny pate?
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Tous les chemins mènent à gay Paris pour cette annee Roland Garros tuornoi!
Excusez mois, excusez mon Français. Je suis ètudier la langue de mon propre et, simplement parce que le Roland Garros a commencè je voulais fair ètalage que peu Français j'ai appris.
Before anyone's nose bleeds, here's the translation:
All roads lead to gay Paris for this year's Roland Garros Tournament!
Excuse me, pardon my French. I'm studying the language on my own and just because the Roland Garros has started I wanted to flaunt a little French that I have learned so far.
I don't even have an idea if the above sentences are grammatically acceptable to the French but this is my blog and I can write whatever I want. Uh-huh.
Okay, back to the Roland Garros (RG) now. Round one has just started, and it's okay I missed it because Rafa wasn't playing anyway. The Spanish Armada are complete - Rafa, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Nicolas Almagro - and of course, there's Roger Federer, Fernando Gonzales, the two Andys - Roddick and Murray, Novak Djokovic, Robin Soderling, not to forget the Frenchies Gael Monfils and Jo Wilfred Tsonga. Whew, that's a lot of names to remember. But I don't need to 'cos I know who exactly I'm rooting for :D
Of course, all-eyes are on the defending champion Roger Federer but his poor showing in the previous clay tournaments make everyone doubt if he still has the tennis mojo to successfully defend his title this year. He is also set to break Pete Sampras' record of 286 weeks at number one. Tough job because it would mean reaching the semis to stay in the number one spot. Rafa, on the other hand, is fresh from winning all three clay-court ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments in the same year, and a record 18 titles tying him to Andre Agassi for the number one spot. I have to point it out though that Agassi was able to achieve this when he was already in his 30s, while Rafa was able to do in his early 20s, 23 years to be exact. So Nadal is hungry to win RG to complete his historic clay slam and I am hoping he doesn't lose fuel during crucial moments. Nadal has an amazing 31-1 record at the RG, losing only last year to Robin Soderling.
Sounds exciting, eh? These two top-seeds have the right motivation to go for the title and we sure expect a terrific two weeks of tennis action from them. Already, the Rafa and Roger fans are yacking online, more like a fiery word war, about who's the best player, who's better than whom, who's going to win the title this year. And then there's the name-calling and mudslinging -- whew! I don't know if you have ever visited an online tennis forum, it's like a circus out there it's almost like the Philippine elections. Okay, lousy analogy but you know what I mean.
I'm not really into thrashing players or anything like that. I'm just excited and looking forward to see two weeks of great tennis. I love watching Rafael Nadal play and, I have to say, that it will be a great bonus to us fans if he wins this much-coveted clay-court title. Even my girlfriends agree - right, Ana, Lui? But of course, no matter how hard I want to be calm about this whole Roland Garros thing, I can't deny that I'm a mixed bag of emotions watching my boy show his game... and this tiny, little nagging thought in my head that Rafa is very much capable of doing this, and surely he will:
So there, I've said my thoughts.
Have a fun and exciting Roland Garros week!
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Great Scott! It's Kevin McKidd! *pardon my girlish streak*
Move over McDreamy and McSteamy...
Time to roll the red carpet and make way for Dr. Owen Hunt, played by the carrot-top Scottish actor Kevin McKidd. The character was recently introduced in Grey's Anatomy, and already, his strong-minded Army surgeon character shook things up at Seattle Grace Hospital upon his arrival. His character is so angst-anger-emo-ridden, a tortured soul, could be attributed to his painful past in war-ravaged Iraq which he plays so convincingly.
Little did I know that Kevin McKidd is the same actor who played Tommy, a character in one of my favorite movies, Trainspotting. Tommy, a footballer-turned-heroin-addict, was one of Renton's mates, the lead character played by another Scott actor Ewan McGregor.
In Grey's Anatomy, there is something going on between him and Dr. Yang, another strong-minded character, and I feel that it is going to be a rocky, roller-coaster experience between the two. I so love the scene in last night's episode where he revealed to Dr. Yang about the death of his whole unit during his last tour in Iraq, and kissed Yang again after telling her he doesn't need her. Gah.
Kevin McKidd definitely doesn't have the boy-next-door looks but his ruggedly handsome appeal and intense looks make me compare him to Daniel Craig - although I like Kevin much, much more than Daniel. There is an aura about him that makes girls go oooommpph! Don't you agree with me?
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