How did we find out about Rafa?

Continuing our look into how people first noticed Rafa we concentrate this week on the period from Roland Garros 2005 up to the end of 2006.

Roland Garros 2005

MAC –
For me it was Roland Garros 2005. I'd always been a huge tennis fan but had got bored. I never liked Sampras and Agassi was beginning to fade. No-one new and interesting (imo) had turned up for ages.

But - having nothing better to do I turned on the TV. I'd heard about this new Spanish teenage sensation but had assumed that he'd be dull and boring like all the other new players coming through. But then I saw him playing Grosjean.

Love at first sight. Never seen anyone play like that and look that good.

Been hooked ever since.


RafaLove* -
I found out about Rafa during Roland-Garros 2005. I know I didn't know him before because over here, my sports channel sucks so much, they only show Grand Slams and the Rogers Cup. That's it. So I don't get to watch any tennis at all. Except during Summer. (Australian Open is on while I'm sleeping) So Roland-Garros 2005, begining of June, I was in 8th grade! Wow, long time ago. I watched him play and was really amazed. Since then, I kept following him. When he came to Montreal in 2005, I got his autograph (and touched his arm ) and was really happy He was so so so nice to his Montreal fans I really enjoyed watching him play here, it was such a pleasure to watch and he was just brilliant. That finale against Agassi was a great match!


lsi –
First saw him RG 2005 and thought "who is Mr. Biceps?" Didn't really pay attention until RG 2006, which was when I fell in love. Or, more appropriately, obsession. Been hooked ever since! Like a fine wine, he just gets better and better with age. And judging from his family, that will continue to be the case for decades to come (at least in the looks department).



pandabears88 –
I first heard of him during Roland Garros 2005. I actually was a tennis fan since about somewhere between 1st and 3rd grade, or something like that, but not as much as I am now. I was the type that only watched the big matches, and only if my sisters were watching because they were fans of tennis before me. I was in seventh grade when I became a fan. I actually heard his name and said, "Whoa! that's really similar to Mr. Nadel." (my PE teacher at the time). Plus, my math teacher in sixth grade, always had the grand slams on mute when she was teaching. But anyways, I decided to look up who this "Rafael Nadal" was that was winning and got introduced to him. To tell the truth, I didn't think he was hot the first time I saw him but decided to research him and see how he played. Became a fan of how good he was and then it was the hotness that grew.

So in turn, my sisters influenced me to watch tennis, and I influenced them to watch Rafa!

Maybe I should thank Mr. Nadel. If their names were not so similar, then perhaps I wouldn't have looked him up.


bebe –
I'd been watching Roland Garros and Wimbledon on and off for almost 20 years, just because they were such great tournaments and am a francophile and europaphile. As a pre-teen in the 80s, I had a brief thing for Becker and his almost-equally-famous ass.

When I first saw Rafa --I think in RG 05-- I thought, that's a strange looking kid, sort of squinty like a pirate, "sweats like crazy", grunts, sort of an animal out there. Not into him at first and didn't even think he was good looking. Two years later, in 07, I happened to see him and thought, wow, this kid again? By now he was trimmer, taller, and less boyish: I thought he was attractive this time. And for some reason, this year, in 2008, my obsession began during Roland Garros. I found him GORGEOUS, charismatic; his playing style AWESOME. Funny how our perceptions change, but he really grew on me. That's how it was with my husband, too - maybe that's just me. Even though I could be his aunt or something at 36, Rafa is, as MAC once said to a British journalist at Wimbledon, just fun to watch and "beautiful to look at." You just can't beat the combination. How sad I will be when he retires and is no longer a young hottie. But then again, I will be excited to see him with kids, a family, doing charity work, etc. I imagine I'll continue to feel proud of the man he will continue to grow into.

oh, and I forgot to mention I was drawn to his humility and humor during interviews after matches too, which I just started really watching this year. And because I am Hispanic, I felt proud of him "representing" so well. And his accent, oh, well, you all know about that...

Wimbledon 2005

tennisfan2 –
I think it was Wimbledon 2005 (or whatever the last Wimby he played prior to the 2006-7-8) and he was running all over the place getting every ball. I picked him as my favorite then (to replace Agassi). He was amazing! But I only saw him on US tv in the GS matches that happened to be televised, so didn't follow that closely until this year. I signed up for access to Wimbledon matches this year and then joined VB and then found out I could see other matches on computer!!!


trishie g –
I think the first time I saw rafa was at wimbledon in 2005 I think and I can remember telling some people at a concert I went 2 after seeing him 2 keep an eye out 4 him cos he was hot and dat he was gonna be a class player

Cincinnati 2005

It is almost impossible to find images from Rafa's brief first round appearance at this tournament so I hope Laura McFarland will forgive me for using her legendary car park pics
cincimini -
I had been a tennis-fan in hibernation for years when I was given court-side tickets to the Cincinnati Masters in 2005. At that point, the only thing I knew about the ATP was that Roger Federer was number 1. I had never heard of the player that was scheduled to play against Berdych that night.
Rafa walked on court and the first thing that came to mind (right after "WOW!" ) was "Who is this kid? And why is he wearing those funny looking pants?"

And then he did his little boxer jumps and his sprint to the baseline and the butt pick and the grunt on his first swing.... and that was it :
I was hooked.

And it's been a rollercoaster ride ever since .

Roland Garros 2006

B E A R B E E -
well,2006 I was asked to do assignment about tennis player...so I search on internet,and so many players there..I saw the ranking, Nadal is world no 2.. I don't know why, after view his profile and all the succesness, I like him..then,continue watching him playing..now,I'm studying at university,which have no tv...but now I 'm at home..2months break!! I watched Roland Garros, Artois, Hamburg and will be watching Wimbledon!!haha....I love rafa..saya sayang rafa!!!


dani –
I was and I am totaly crazy about Boris Becker.
When he retired, I stopped watching tennis. Players after him were so boring.
And I saw rafa in Roland Garros 2006, I found a lot of Boris in him, not the same game, but the same intensity, charism, joy for game and for life.
Since then I 'm a Rafa fan and proud to be a VBer


CarolBBohan –
Saw him in a match and couldn't take my eyes off of him. Haven't been able to, since


scorpio1641–
I first saw Rafa during his match with Paul Henri Mathieu in Roland Garros 2006.

I was a casual tennis fan in the early 90s, since I tried to learn it one summer. But I've never really followed the tournaments much. But when I saw Rafa playing that time, he made me look. He had such a presence and an intensity when he was playing that match that I fell in love at first sight.

I later learned how humble and nice he was outside the court, and the initial attraction turned into a full-blown love affair

Thanks Rafa, for bringing me back to tennis.


kamfira –
I was flicking through the channels in 2006 and I caught the final few games of RG06 final. I wasn't really into tennis big time, I'd follow wimby until henman was out that sort of thing, and I was amazed that the court was ORANGE and clay. And then I noticed who was playing, that guy who always seemed to win wimbledon, federer, so I though lets have a watch. It was at this point I looked at the guy across the court, fiddling with the lines, wiping his face obsessively, picking his ass that I realised, hang on, he's much better looking than federer and looks much cooler. I can't remember what he was wearing but it was something bright, and federer just didn't have the same appeal. Then they did a closeup of his face, and I just started cheering him on, I barely knew his name, and my parents just gave me odd looks as I shouted "Nadal!".

I was so happy when he won and then got all of that clay down his back and went into the crowd, and my heart melted. What a gentleman. He was signing autographs whilst looking as if he was about to collapse.
I kind of forgot about the man known as Nadal for a while, until wimby final, which by chance I was watching. This time, I learnt his first name, and this time I was disappointed. But happy, for I had had more nadal-viewing-time. It was after this I started looking at websites etc.

So yes, that is the story of how I came to know rafa (sort of)

Wimbledon 2006

aoa –
Like others here I too a long time tennis fan 70's and 80's but lost interest mostly with Sampras, Fed. I liked Agassi so I watched Wimby with sadness 2006 but liked the young man on the other end. I was taken in by the commies talking about Rafa trained at home by his uncle etc... the whole story. I loved all of that, plus is humbleness, and good looks and exciting tennis. Who couldn't fall for him. I then saw him in person at IW in 2007 and now heaven help me I can't get enough Rafa tennis.

US Open 2006

*Marcela* -
The first time that I saw Rafa was at the 2006 US Open. I wasn't really into tennis and didn't know anything about him, but I was looking for something to watch on TV and he was playing, so I watched - don't remember who he was playing with - and for some reason I really liked him. So I watched some other matches, had tears in my eyes when he lost but forgot about tennis afterwards.

Just as a coincidence, a few months later he met the Brazilian football team in a hotel (I want to say it was in Sweden, but I am not sure ...) and took a picture with Ronaldinho, my favorite football player ever. I saw that pic and thought "that's the cute tennis player, what a cool picture !!" But once again I forgot about tennis afterwards.

Then the 2007 Australian Open started, and for no reason I started watching it, and there it was Rafa, so unique with his sleeveless shirt (which I still miss, btw ) and from that tournament on I started to follow tennis and Rafa, and now I'm obsessed with him My friends just roll their eyes at me and say I only like him because I think he's hot, but we all know that he's much more than just "hot"

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Finally, next week we'll take a look at the people who became fans in 2007 and after.