Ivanovic in love with Nadal?!?!

Overhead where we sat, Nadal was whacking monster forehands at Djokovic. But we were torn away and ushered into a small room for the official interview. Nadal remained on her mind tough, because at one point, ESPN's Bonnie Ford asked if she sought to cultivate Nadal-like intensity, upon which she grew really animated, saying:

Ana_2 "Oh God, especially on clay! I just watched a few games and the heaviness of his ball, it's something. When I'm on court now, I try to imitate that." Perhaps she felt she was confessing a guilty pleasure, because she colored and laughed. "But it's unbelievable how he puts so much pressure on an opponent. They must think, "What I got to do, hit three lines to win a point?" We can learn from that and put it in our tennis."


"Your forehand looked pretty good in that last game or two yesterday," I ventured.

"I tried to do his forehand," Ana said, suddenly carving out an air forehand that conveyed to idea. Then she broke down laughing, as if the very idea was preposterous. Turning serious again, she said, "Really, I tried it with my sparring partner, because when he hit that way I could feel how much heavier it is to hit back. I think I should think more about the spin than try to flatten out the shot."

While Ana was articulating her Rafa wannabe fantasies, I couldn't help but think back to the earlier press conference with Dinara Safina. At that event, Safina spend a good amount of time confessing to waging a struggle not often acknowledged but common to players of her class.I cherry-picked the presser for these three quotes; that Safina went back to the subject so frequently itself is telling:

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5.- Hi Rafa, first of all, congratulations for your birthday and for the terrific tournament you're having. Now I want to ask you something that 90% of us for sure that play tennis in Spain want you to get straight for us once and for all. Your press agent probably won't let you answer, your mother may scold you and your uncle will tell you to stay focused on the match, but you have to clear up this doubt that eats away at all of us who suffer through each one of your matches: Is Ana Ivanovic as gorgeous as she looks as if she is on tv?

Yes, she really is very pretty and very nice, though I don't know her very well. My press agent thinks the same, and so do Maymo, Carlos Costa and the rest of my team. I'll ask my mother, too.. hehehehehehe.

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babbette said:

And Rafa said this in his Spanish blog when a fan asked about her...

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Nadal_Freak said:

Vamos Rafa. Go get her.

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Magix said:

I thought Rafa was taken, no?

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1970CRBase said:

Nadal should ask her to practice with him at Wimbledon.

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fridrix said:

Rafa. You gotta lock that down, buddy.

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fridrix said:

Rafa. You gotta lock that down, buddy.

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Sangria Munky said:

RAfa is with Xisca (his partner)

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helloworld said:

They're gonna have a hard time communicating with each other... no?

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Greenfin Beta said:

there are other ways of communicating...

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lovecr717 said:

Perhaps a mixed double

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Sangria Munky said:

RAfa is with Xisca (his partner)

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bhallic24 said:

Lol Rafa and Ivanovic in French Opens doubles would murder the field.

Imagine a Rafa and Federer men's doubles team, on any surface. I think the rest of the doubles field would just forfeit. I think they should give that a try before they both retire. Just for the hell of it.

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babbette said:

yeah he is

but, well, he wouldn't be the first tennis player to fool around. Even though he seems too good to do that to a girl, one never knows with men of power. 8)

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