Rafa Improves at U.S. Open

by Sinclair

By reaching the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Rafael has continued to improve his game on surfaces other than clay. His showing this year has been his best ever at the American Slam, where last year he lost in the third round to James Blake. The loss came at the hands of Mikhail Youzhny, a 24-year-old Russian, who not only bested Rafael, but also Rafa’s fellow Spaniards, #11 seed David Ferrer and #6 seed Tommy Robredo. This almost single-handed sinking of the “Spanish Armada” shows Youzhny’s 6-3 5-7 7-6 (5) 6-1 win was not a fluke but a continuation of his impressive run at this year’s Open. Prior to the match, pundits and fans alike expressed confidence that Rafa would make the semi-finals. The more pressing question was could he reach his third SLAM final of the year and hopefully extend the head-to-head contest against World #1 Roger Federer? Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be, because although he played well, Youzhny just played better. In fact Mikhail himself said this was the best match of his career to date, including his big Davis Cup win that secured his country’s DC victory over France.



Although disappointed and sad, even in loss Rafael’s fans have much to be proud of. His sportsmanship and generosity of spirit were readily apparent in his press conference when he refused to make excuses and instead praised his opponent for being the better player on the day. It is as much for his character and conduct as it is for his tennis prowess, that both casual and knowledgeable fans of the game admire this young champion.


It is now onward and upward with the Indoor season coming up, including Stockholm, Basel, the Madrid and Paris Masters Series tournaments, and the Year-End Championships in Shanghai this November. All of us here at VamosBrigade extend our congratulations to Rafael for his progress and applaud his continuing efforts to continue to improve his game. We look forward to cheering him on for the rest of this year, and in years to come.