Rafael Nadal is blogging again for The Times Online during his US Open campaign and discusses the "stolen kiss" incident from the other night in his latest entry entitled "That fan was funny - although I didn't like his kiss!". We figured, but anyway...
Hello everyone,
Hope you all are good. I am great and feeling very good. Yesterday it was very late when I posted my blog. I think that it is the first time ever I have done it after coming back from the tournament so late. I ended up going to sleep after 4 am. It is quite late even for a Spaniard... Specially if you are a tennis player and have to play.
Many people asked me today about yesterday's match. I said to everyone who asked me that I found I played better, starting to feel good. But when I was elaborating on my game I was immediately cut and asked not about the match but about the incident of the guy jumping on court and kissing me and everything you've seen on TV.
To be honest, I didn't see the guy coming. I'd just taken my shirt off to change it when I saw a guy coming to me, kissing me and saying that he loved me... Then I saw the security jumping to him. I didn't think it was important, not serious, and tried to stop the security at some point to leave the guy. You can actually read my lips saying "it's OK". Not that I know a lot of English to explain to them that it was OK, that he was cool and that for me it was OK. Not that I liked the kiss... :-)
So I didn't really give too much importance to it. I just thought, as I say it was funny.
I understand that the tournament's security got nervous, but I was cool with it. As a matter of fact, when I was in the locker room, one of the main guys of the tournament, David Brewer, came to the locker and asked me if I was OK and if the guy had hurt me. I told him I was fine and to please not to do anything to the guy. Jokingly I said "One fan I have tonight - please leave him". I was told that the guy was going to be prosecuted (I think it is the correct way to say it). Hope he is OK.
I understand it is a delicate issue but I have to say that this tournament really takes good care of me. They are really, really nice with me and have lots of attentions with me and my team. From my side no complaints whatsoever, on the contrary I have to thank them for everything they do. Maybe the only complaint is the scheduling... We'll talk another day about that...
Hope this whole thing is taken positively and no one suffers for something like this.
So thanks US Open staff for everything.
It warms my parts, eh, heart to hear Rafa be so understanding about the scary incident. He's taking it in stride and not making a big deal about the fact that the fan was a man who planted the smooch.
I'm pretty sure not every boy baller would react the same way to the incident.
(Photo: AP)
It's nice that he's taking it so kindly, shows what a kind-hearted person he truly is. But I hope his kind-hearted response doesn't give the crazies any future ideas. Because what the guy did was totally and completely NOT okay. We're lucky it was just a camera and lucky lips the guy was coming at him with.
ReplyDelete"I'm pretty sure not every boy baller would react the same way to the incident."
ReplyDeleteYou mean like Gasquet would have taken the fan into the locker room's shower immediately?
Rafa has a great ghostwriter...
ReplyDeleteHe says he dictates generally while having his massage/warm down and Benito his PR translates and scribes.
ReplyDeleteStill sexier to imagine it in Rafa's voice and less fluent English, though.
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Aw isn't this post just endearing? It's refreshing and lovely how sane and down-to-earth he is.
ReplyDeleteSo sweet of him to ask not to do anything to the guy.
Just when I thought I couldn't love you more, Rafa...
BTW, BEST ANSWER EVER by him today to the "if you were left alone on an island" question. :D
I really liked his reaction when the guy approached him, it was incredibly nice, but I think he shouldn't take this so lightly. What if the guy had a knife? I'm glad he's being prosecuted, because maybe this will make the crazy fans think twice before doing something like that.
ReplyDeleteBoy that girl in Mallorca got lucky. A stolen Rafasmooch, no possibility of jail time, and Xisca didn't even come after her.
ReplyDeleteYou're our hero, Rafa.
(And we read your blog. You have waaaaaay more than one fan here in New York.)