After an incomprehensible 11 month drought, Rafa is well and truly back with a vengeance!
And what a way to win – poor Verdasco looked like a struggling amateur on court compared to mighty Rafa in his very best clay court form, hammering home the victory in a ridiculous 6-0, 6-1.
Rafa’s now resting in Mallorca, preparing for Rome after having taking the decision to sit out Godo in Barcelona.
Well, I have to say I am damned pleased that he will take a break – it shows he is learning from last year’s bad experience and will be better prepared for the great events in Rome, Madrid and of course Paris in the coming weeks.
It shows all the signs of being an immense season for him. Should we even dare to dream of four from four?
Rafael Nadal beat David Ferrer to win his fifth consecutive “Godó” trophy, winning in two sets 6-2, 7-5 final.
Congratulations to Rafa – Barcelona is the closest he has to a “home” on the ATP circuit, and to have won these five titles in succession must be a dream come true for him. In fact, in his after match commentary Nadal said:
“I never imagined anything like this. To win again here in Barcelona, in my home club and at such an important tournament is incredible.”
Nadal now moves straight on to Rome, where he will be trying for his fourth Masters Series title, having lost last year to Juan Carlos Ferrero in the second set.
Last year it was a seriously bad blister that really knocked him down, but this year he’ll be facing some real challenges on the court too. Djokovic will be aiming to win back the title he won last year, Federer is trying to get back on track, and Andy Murray is charging from fourth and capable of anything.
My pick? Joker-Rafa final, with Nadal to win in three sets.
Rafael Nadal will play in his fifth consecutive “Godo” final, facing fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in a repeat of last year’s final.
In the semis, Rafa overcame Nikolay Davydenko in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2 in just under two hours.
The Mallorcan played an intelligent game, matching his opponents level and raising his rhythm whenever needed. In that way, he saved the only three break points that the Russian got as chances, and showed some better form, though perhaps not yet at his very brutal best.
The final against David Ferrer starts at 16:00 Spanish time. Use one of these links if you want to watch the game over the internet.
Links were updated and checked as the game started. The first two are in South American Spanish, good picture. No English streams seem to be available. Ya tocaba aprender castellano, no?
Rafael Nadal swept easily past Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 6-0 to win his 23rd straight match on clay.
In so doing he set up what looked like it would be a great quarter-final with David Nalbandian
Unfortunately that was not to be - David had to withdraw from the tournament with a hip injury.
Nadal’s semi-final opponent will be Nikolay Davydenko – a tough match, and one that I for sure will not be missing.
Here are the best links I could find for free live TV over the internet. Game started at 13:30 local time, Option 1 working well if you speak Spanish!:
Option 1: Godo tennis – Live TV – Rafael Nadal vs Nikolay Davydenko Update: Nadal won 6-3, 6-2
Refer to this post on how to watch live tennis over the internet should you need more information or assistance. Good luck!
Nadal said after the last match:
“It’s not nice to reach the semifinals like this but I have to think positively, to know that I’m in the semifinals, which is good news, and I’ll be trying to give my all.”
“I don’t think it’s a disadvantage for me not to play tomorrow. I will train a bit more intensively than usual and that’s it. It’s not pretty to reach the semi-finals like this, but I have to be positive, I’m in the semis of the Godó and that’s always a good thing.”
Rafa had few problems beating Frederico Gil of Portugal, winning quickly in just over an hour and a half, 6-2, 6-2.
Today he’ll come on sometime after 16:45 local time against Christophe Rochus of Belgium. Nadal has played Rochus just once before – at the Australian Open this year where he won very comfortably indeed in three sets, 6-0 6-2 6-2. It is hard to imagine Rafa having any troubles on clay.
It was impossible to find a good internet TV stream that worked yesterday, so I am posting the links below more in hope than expectation. If these don’t work, try the forums at MyP2P, perhaps Roja Directa, or see more information here. If my flight arrives in Oslo in time, will be watching and will update links as best I can!
Click on links below for live TV Streams over internet. UPDATE: Nadal won 6-2, 6-0
Option 1: Godo tennis – Live TV – Rafael Nadal vs Christophe Rochus (couple of options here, usually come on just before game)
Rafael Nadal returns to the courts Wednesday for his first match in one of his favourite tournaments – the 57th trophy for the Count of Godo, or the Barcelona Open Banco Sabadell as it officially known.
His first opponent is Frederico Gil of Portugal – a player he was able to beat with just a little resistance on the hard courts of Miami just a few weeks ago. This should be a straight forward match for Rafa, but I doubt he’ll be taking things lightly and we can expect another high-octane performance from our favourite Mallorcan.
The game is due to start sometime after 2:30pm local time. Internet TV links have been bad lately, but I have put my best guesses below and will try and check and update these as the game nears.
Click on links below for live TV Streams over internet.
Option 1: Godo tennis – Live TV – Rafael Nadal vs Frederico Gil (Update: Game over, Nadal won 6-2, 6-2)
Option 2: Godo tennis – Live TV – Rafael Nadal vs Frederico Gil
Refer to this post on how to watch live tennis over the internet should you need more information or assistance. Good luck!
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