A sight for sore eyes

Okay, Rafa looks kinda goofy in this pic, but I don't mind. It's just good to see him back at the office. Today he and Francisco Roig lost in doubles in the second round of the Montreal Masters Series against Max Mirnyi and Andy Ram. They split sets 6-4, 3-6, and then lost 8-10 in a tiebreak. Tomorrow Nadal plays singles for the first time since the French Open (save for some exhibition matches in England in which he was testing out his knees).

So, here's my idol, Rafa, and then there was me tonight. Kinda miserable. I was playing singles against an affable woman on my team who plays with little pace but lots of consistency. I've been reading Brad Gilbert's great book, Winning Ugly, which discusses strategy. I knew going in that this woman is a "retriever." I let her dictate play. She would get her serve in fairly consistently, I'd push it back short, and then she rushed the net and put it away. Thing is, I didn't change it up. I rarely pressured her. She played her game and beat me soundly, 2-6. I was quite frustrated. I'd much rather play someone who hits with more pace, but I know it's crucial at the 3.0 level to be able to deal with a player of this ilk.