Rafa Nadal Has Officially Achieved Rock Star Status

[The Baseline]

The commentators at indian wells were talking about how much of a rock star nadal was, and there is soo much truth to that. Words cannot describe how popular nadal has come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1sIVez6XzM

 

[Cup8489]

YOUR OBSESSION IS SHOWING

kthnxbai

 

[cc0509]

The only thing I think about when I watch this video is how nuts people truly are. To stand in line for hours upon hours on end in order to stalk a tennis player and get an autograph or picture? It is like a zoo of people. Scary.

 

[Sentinel]

That's nothing.

Đoković will be achieving film star status in a year or so.

 

[mandy01]

That's nothing.

Đoković will be achieving film star status in a year or so.

Maybe he'll hire Underhand as his PR guy :shock:

 

[BrooklynNY]

I really want to be Rafael Nadal, too.

 

[Pozarevacka]

The commentators at indian wells were talking about how much of a rock star nadal was, and there is soo much truth to that. Words cannot describe how popular nadal has come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1sIVez6XzM

3 observations:

1) It looked like more security than fans.

2) They were all little kids with big tennis balls.

3) I'll give you that word you are searching for: Retards.

 

[Starling]

3 observations:

1) It looked like more security than fans.

2) They were all little kids with big tennis balls.

3) I'll give you that word you are searching for: Retards.

hahaha. Good one. The truth is, most of the biggest tennis players do get mobbed. A long time ago Bjorn Borg seriously was treated like a rock star with mobs of teenage girls and young women mobbing him at events. It's nothing new. Federer certainly gets his share of mobbing too.

 

[Sentinel]

I really want to be Rafael Nadal, too.

What for ?
[ ] For Shakira ?
[ ] For the slams ?
[ ] For the pleasure of beating the GOAT ?
[ ] For the celeb/rock star status ?

 

[sbengte]

Fed put this up on his FB page presumably after seeing this thread

 

[slice bh compliment]

I agree. I've never been into autographs or anything, but even I become a 12 yr old girl beside his practice court, hahah. And I'm a middle aged hetero dude with a wife and kids.

I used to dislike his game (I'm more of a Nastase/Edberg/Mac/Goran/Roger/Pete/Boris/Noah/Guga/Rafter fan), but over the past three years, I've really come to appreciate him and I can see why he's become such a huge star.

Vamos Rafa!

 

[Jeepers]

That photo was taken just after Fed farted

 

[pound cat]

At RogersCup Montreal the tournament had enough sense to allow Nadal the stadium to actually be able to practice, & no one but his crew allowed in. This was 4 years ago and he wasn't the star that he is now.

 

[pound cat]

The only thing I think about when I watch this video is how nuts people truly are. To stand in line for hours upon hours on end in order to stalk a tennis player and get an autograph or picture? It is like a zoo of people. Scary.

Yes, the decline and fall is now in our midst...

 

[CMM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnXLiWAIStk

 

[aphex]

The baseline has officially achieved 12-year old girl stalker status.

 

[Sentinel]

The only thing I think about when I watch this video is how nuts people truly are. To stand in line for hours upon hours on end in order to stalk a tennis player and get an autograph or picture? It is like a zoo of people. Scary.

The kids probably were told that Rafa is a WWF (wrestling) pro. I hear tennis is not popular in USA.

 

[Fedex]

The commentators at indian wells were talking about how much of a rock star nadal was, and there is soo much truth to that. Words cannot describe how popular nadal has come.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1sIVez6XzM

Check out the crowds at 40 plus seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBqNZnMCLY if you want to see Rock Star status.
Never before or since has there been mass hysteria for a tennis player.
Borg needed police escorts to get through the crowds, fans were fainting.
It was like the Beatles or Elvis.

 

[borg number one]

Check out the crowds at 40 plus seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBqNZnMCLY if you want to see Rock Star status.
Never before or since has there been mass hysteria for a tennis player.
Borg needed police escorts to get through the crowds, fans were fainting.
It was like the Beatles or Elvis.

Very true Fedex. Nadal and Federer are big "stars" of course, and have been great for the Sport. Yet, Borg was possibly the biggest "rock star" or "pop star" the Sport has ever known. He propelled tennis' popularity (along with that mix of Connors, McEnroe, Evert and Navratilova) into uncharted water a decade after the dawn of the Open Era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huaeDCsM9fU

 

[dominikk1985]

Of course he is extremely popular. so is every world number one. federer is also very popular despite coming from a small country who doesn't really care for sports exept maybe skiing.

 

[mandy01]

Check out the crowds at 40 plus seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgBqNZnMCLY if you want to see Rock Star status.
Never before or since has there been mass hysteria for a tennis player.
Borg needed police escorts to get through the crowds, fans were fainting.
It was like the Beatles or Elvis.

Borg had lovely legs.

One thing in Roger's case I can say,and that I like is that a LOT of fans(probably most of them) from his official site are VERY respectful and don't just throw themselves at him and often STOP people from doing so.They value his security above anything else .I'm sure many others do the same( of course the overall security at tournaments also seems to be REALLY tightened up in most cases).I hope fans realize this because
a) There's no need to put yourself in a position where you get pushed off by the guards.Have some dignity.

b)It's important to give players their space.Only then are they able to properly interact with fans.A mob scene can get very scary for them at times.

 

[mandy01]

Very true Fedex. Nadal and Federer are big "stars" of course, and have been great for the Sport. Yet, Borg was possibly the biggest "rock star" or "pop star" the Sport has ever known. He propelled tennis' popularity (along with that mix of Connors, McEnroe, Evert and Navratilova) into uncharted water a decade after the dawn of the Open Era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huaeDCsM9fU

You can haz lovely legz in ure avie but then you cannot leave without posting sum lovely legz piktures for us too :evil:

 

[Fiji]

Very true Fedex. Nadal and Federer are big "stars" of course, and have been great for the Sport. Yet, Borg was possibly the biggest "rock star" or "pop star" the Sport has ever known. He propelled tennis' popularity (along with that mix of Connors, McEnroe, Evert and Navratilova) into uncharted water a decade after the dawn of the Open Era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huaeDCsM9fU

It was the blonde hair.

 

[mr_eko]

Fed put this up on his FB page presumably after seeing this thread

On a side note, that was at the Rogers Cup in 2006 I think, maybe 2007. I was there all week so I'm pretty sure I was part of that crowd.

 

[rafan]

Very true Fedex. Nadal and Federer are big "stars" of course, and have been great for the Sport. Yet, Borg was possibly the biggest "rock star" or "pop star" the Sport has ever known. He propelled tennis' popularity (along with that mix of Connors, McEnroe, Evert and Navratilova) into uncharted water a decade after the dawn of the Open Era.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huaeDCsM9fU

Yes that is very true and he deserved his enormous populariy, but Rafa is somehting else. We get more communication from him and he involves himself more with people. Borg, although a wonderful player and argueably a much more exciting player than Federer, was more reticent.

 

[aphex]

Yes that is very true and he deserved his enormous populariy, but Rafa is somehting else. We get more communication from him and he involves himself more with people. Borg, although a wonderful player and argueably a much more exciting player than Federer, was more reticent.

Yeah, facebook wasnt very big in the 70s.

 

[borg number one]

Tney didn't call him the Iceman for nothing, which actually only added to the mystique around him. He was just being himself, and he wasn't a demonstrative player. Nadal is more like Connors in that respect. Borg was the polar opposite. His biggest reaction during that whole 1980 Wimbledon final was this at the end of that match. Nothing else.The fans absolutely loved him, young and old alike, people of all backgrounds, internationally. Like Nadal, he was extremely modest. Borg never criticized opponents much at all, and he didn't praise himself almost ever. He was quite remarkable.

 

[mandy01]

Yes that is very true and he deserved his enormous populariy, but Rafa is somehting else. We get more communication from him and he involves himself more with people. Borg, although a wonderful player and argueably a much more exciting player than Federer, was more reticent.

Hardly.Other than the fact that he looks utterly annoyed/irritated even practice sessions,he doesn't seem to interact with fans a whole lot at all.
That said,he certainly draws huge crowds.

 

[mandy01]

Like Nadal, he was extremely modest. Borg never criticized opponents much at all, and he didn't praise himself almost ever. He was quite remarkable.

This is cliched thinking imo.If we don't prevent ourselves from being blabber-baboons here I'm not sure why players should either .It seems we've wrapped ourselves around in a thoroughly artificial manner of thought wherein we've created a set(plastic) mould for what constitutes a good/poor public figure .We don't think twice before speaking but we want athletes to be perfectly political in expressing themselves.And I'm sorry but I don't see that as modesty.If you want to read PC material go listen to politicians.Just to make it clear this is not in any way a knock against Borg whom I have immense respect for.But this political correctness that we've made such an integral part of lives doesn't make anyone 'remarkable'.Borg seems to be naturally reserved in his demeanor.Nadal on the other hand-I'm not sure..Atleast I don't buy the Mr.Humbalito image.But then I'm not entirely objective either ( not that anyone else here is ).I do think of him as a generally nice guy though.
It's good to be graceful but it's also important to be natural imo.


btw-I'm waiting for the Lovely Legs' photos :wink:

 

[borg number one]

This is cliched thinking imo.If we don't prevent ourselves from being blabber-baboons here I'm not sure why players should either .It seems we've wrapped ourselves around in a thoroughly artificial manner of thought wherein we've created a set(plastic) mould for what constitutes a good/poor public figure .We don't think twice before speaking but we want athletes to be perfectly political in expressing themselves.And I'm sorry but I don't see that as modesty.If you want to read PC material go listen to politicians.Just to make it clear this is not in any way a knock against Borg whom I have immense respect for.But this political correctness that we've made such an integral part of lives doesn't make anyone 'remarkable'.Borg seems to be naturally reserved in his demeanor.Nadal on the other hand-I'm not sure..Atleast I don't buy the Mr.Humbalito image.But then I'm not entirely objective either ( not that anyone else here is ).I do think of him as a generally nice guy though.
It's good to be graceful but it's also important to be natural imo.


btw-I'm waiting for the Lovely Legs' photos :wink:

Don't get me wrong, I know Borg knew he was the best. In fact, I think he for example thinks he could take Nadal on clay or Federer at Wimbledon (he has said as much), but just listen to one of his interviews. So, no cliched thinking, he chose his words carefully, and was respectful and modest in his interviews/press conferences etc. He would never say some of the things even Nadal and Federer say. He was much more reserved in that way. He spoke softly and carried a big stick (Teddy R. quote). You are absolutely correct though, Federer thinks he's the very best, Nadal thinks he's the very best, Borg thinks he's the very best, Laver deep down feels the same way, same with Sampras, etc. These guys have to be wired that way to have the success they do in a sport as competitive as tennis.


Well, here you go Mandy,Borg was "ripped". A complete physical aberration.


Bjorn Borg-Legends of Wimbledon (Wimbledon DVD Collection)

(Part 1)
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1694076/5681964

(Part 2)
http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1694418/5686082

 

[Deleted member 21996]

nadal right there with his mob:

ps: i love ****s pretending Nadal draws anything close to what Borg did in his hey day

 

[rommil]

nadal right there with his mob:

ps: i love ****s pretending Nadal draws anything close to what Borg did in his hey day

One buttpick and those *******s will drown.......

 

[Deleted member 21996]

One buttpick and those *******s will drown.......

lolz & lmaoz!

 

[Starling]

Borg had lovely legs.

One thing in Roger's case I can say,and that I like is that a LOT of fans(probably most of them) from his official site are VERY respectful and don't just throw themselves at him and often STOP people from doing so.They value his security above anything else .I'm sure many others do the same( of course the overall security at tournaments also seems to be REALLY tightened up in most cases).I hope fans realize this because
a) There's no need to put yourself in a position where you get pushed off by the guards.Have some dignity.

b)It's important to give players their space.Only then are they able to properly interact with fans.A mob scene can get very scary for them at times.

I'm going to say, and mean it sincerely, Roger is THE most popular tennis player male or female in the sport right now. Nadal has not overtaken him there. He (Roger) gets more fan support in matches all over the world than anyone. When he plays Djokovic or Nadal, every time I watch, the crowd predominantly roots for the Fed, has been like this for years. He has like 300 thousand signed up members on his website alone, he's the most followed tennis player on facebook, and so on and so on. The guy is huge.. people truly love Roger Federer. He's been voted the fan favorite for how many years running now?

 

[Starling]

Tney didn't call him the Iceman for nothing, which actually only added to the mystique around him. He was just being himself, and he wasn't a demonstrative player. Nadal is more like Connors in that respect. Borg was the polar opposite. His biggest reaction during that whole 1980 Wimbledon final was this at the end of that match. Nothing else.The fans absolutely loved him, young and old alike, people of all backgrounds, internationally. Like Nadal, he was extremely modest. Borg never criticized opponents much at all, and he didn't praise himself almost ever. He was quite remarkable.

Borg was nice looking, mysterious, amazing player, soft spoken, smooth and sophisticated. He was really different than what the tennis world was used to with all the bad boys and brash Americans.. the public ate it up and he became a mega star.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

I don't believe that Borg had more popularity than Federer and Nadal. There are huge tennis fan bases in China, India, Pakistan, middle east etc. that were not very acquainted to tennis in 70s and 80s. Tennis has truly become a more global sport now.

 

[borg number one]

I don't believe that Borg had more popularity than Federer and Nadal. There are huge tennis fan bases in China, India, Pakistan, middle east etc. that were not very acquainted to tennis in 70s and 80s. Tennis has truly become a more global sport now.

Borg was big in every part of the world, Asia,South America, Europe, the USA, you name it. If you listen to Bob Kain in the videos I posted above you'll hear him speak about it. He said that Borg was the catalyst for players going from the 100K range for endorsements to the million dollar range (this is back in the late 1970's) and that all the players of today should thank Borg for that quite a bit. Without Borg, and some other key players, tennis would not be nearly as global as it is today. Also, at the same time, though tennis has more global "reach" perhaps overall, in countries like the USA, Australia, and England, the numbers reveal that tennis is actually less popular than it was in that era. So, you have tennis becoming more international, but you see some decline in terms of popularity in other countries which really led the way when tennis was developing all the way through the Open Era and the 1970's. As the poster mentioned, you also have a very different time. No facebook or the internet back then where folks could talk about their favorite players. So the dynamics have changed. See this Time cover from about 1980. When do you see a tennis player on the cover of Time magazine?

 

[cc0509]

One thing in Roger's case I can say,and that I like is that a LOT of fans(probably most of them) from his official site are VERY respectful and don't just throw themselves at him and often STOP people from doing so.They value his security above anything else.

Roger's loyal fans may be respectful but they are still fanatics nonetheless. If anybody wants a dose of how carried away some fans get they need to go over to RF.com and read the forum comments. I have never in my life seen such blatant hero worship in my life. Some of these fans are so far from reality it is sickening. I like to read the forum from time to time and each and every time I am more amazed than the time before. It is like a train wreck though--you know you should not look but you can't help yourself!

 

[Sentinel]

After Sir Rafa got kissed by a man he achieved Rock Hudson status which is >>>> rock star status.

 

[Sid_Vicious]

"I'm bigger than Jesus, no?" - Rafael Nadal

 

[rafan]

Hardly.Other than the fact that he looks utterly annoyed/irritated even practice sessions,he doesn't seem to interact with fans a whole lot at all.
That said,he certainly draws huge crowds.

When he is on court he is totally focused rather than irrititated I would say. Rather than fly from Paris a couple of years ago after the french open win he took the train via the tunnel and delighted many fans because he signed a lot of autographs. On court he is 100 per cent dedicated - just as Federer was the times I have seen him. The first time I saw Rafa on court I could not believe how sour he looked .... until I saw what he could deliver. Rafa starts to be the great warm person he is as soon as the match is over

 

[rafan]

This is cliched thinking imo.If we don't prevent ourselves from being blabber-baboons here I'm not sure why players should either .It seems we've wrapped ourselves around in a thoroughly artificial manner of thought wherein we've created a set(plastic) mould for what constitutes a good/poor public figure .We don't think twice before speaking but we want athletes to be perfectly political in expressing themselves.And I'm sorry but I don't see that as modesty.If you want to read PC material go listen to politicians.Just to make it clear this is not in any way a knock against Borg whom I have immense respect for.But this political correctness that we've made such an integral part of lives doesn't make anyone 'remarkable'.Borg seems to be naturally reserved in his demeanor.Nadal on the other hand-I'm not sure..Atleast I don't buy the Mr.Humbalito image.But then I'm not entirely objective either ( not that anyone else here is ).I do think of him as a generally nice guy though.
It's good to be graceful but it's also important to be natural imo.


btw-I'm waiting for the Lovely Legs' photos :wink:

Yes I too believe it is important to be true to yourself however we have our uk football player icons in this country and I know which image I would prefer.
Their antics both off and on the pitch often make me cringe. I am never ceased to be amazed how well the tennis players conduct themselves when they are confornted by different time zones/weather/courts and having to play when the whole world is watching just you. Borg did it his way, as much as Rafa is coping with the adulation in HIS own way. They cannot just go out and have a few drinks after a tight match because there is always tomorrow to consider whereby they have to face an even harder oponent. I think sometimes it is the nature of the game that motivates political correctness.

 

[Deleted member 21996]

"I'm bigger than Jesus, no?" - Rafael Nadal

no no no.. you got it all wrong..

John Lennon - "We're more popular than Jesus now..."

Noel Gallagher - ""If you're not in'it to be bigga than the Beatles..."

Rafa Nadal - "Rayham Bigg'har the RH'oasis, No?"

 

[mandy01]

Yes I too believe it is important to be true to yourself however we have our uk football player icons in this country and I know which image I would prefer.
Their antics both off and on the pitch often make me cringe. I am never ceased to be amazed how well the tennis players conduct themselves when they are confornted by different time zones/weather/courts and having to play when the whole world is watching just you. Borg did it his way, as much as Rafa is coping with the adulation in HIS own way. They cannot just go out and have a few drinks after a tight match because there is always tomorrow to consider whereby they have to face an even harder oponent. I think sometimes it is the nature of the game that motivates political correctness.

hmmm..I think you're thinking in terms of extremes here.When I say I'm not a fan of PC material ,I'm not implying you have to be a first rate jerk .There's always a mid-way.I admit the lines are blurred and much of it is on our perception .I think generally speaking the top guys right now are nice guys.Some might find it boring but I don't.I like it this way.

 

[mandy01]

When he is on court he is totally focused rather than irrititated I would say. Rather than fly from Paris a couple of years ago after the french open win he took the train via the tunnel and delighted many fans because he signed a lot of autographs. On court he is 100 per cent dedicated - just as Federer was the times I have seen him. The first time I saw Rafa on court I could not believe how sour he looked .... until I saw what he could deliver. Rafa starts to be the great warm person he is as soon as the match is over

I don't know..He never seems seems to be enjoying himself ,his tennis at all.:-? But again,to each his own.

 

[beast of mallorca]

I don't know..He never seems seems to be enjoying himself ,his tennis at all.:-? But again,to each his own.

The only one not enjoying is you because you are too scared that Rafa may beat your Idol's slam number. But there we go, to each his own.

 

[TMF]

I don't know..He never seems seems to be enjoying himself ,his tennis at all.:-? But again,to each his own.

He always look so serious, win or lose. For him, it's like job and that he doesn't have a choice, not something that one enjoy doing.

 

[Deleted member 21996]

The only one not enjoying is you because you are too scared that Rafa may beat your Idol's slam number. But there we go, to each his own.

Why is it that these idiots always come back with even dumber statements?

and how long until Mods do something about this guy!!! how many avatars has he been thru by now? close to 20??? like he gets banned every odd month and the next month he comes back with a dumber persona!

 

[CMM]

He always look so serious, win or lose. For him, it's like job and that he doesn't have a choice, not something that one enjoy doing.

Yes, that's why he's always criticised for his "over the top" celebrations.

 

[beast of mallorca]

Why is it that these idiots always come back with even dumber statements?

and how long until Mods do something about this guy!!! how many avatars has he been thru by now? close to 20??? like he gets banned every odd month and the next month he comes back with a dumber persona!

I'm not sure who you're talking about but if there is anybody that needs to be banned is you, using insults to show your "intelligence"...nice work. Shows your level of......nahhhh, just look in the mirror. You might "see" what I mean.