Today was the final day of the tennis U.S. Open 2006 at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, New York. It was the men's final, so the eyes of the tennis world were focused on the dual between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer for the men's singles title. {Federer won. Boo.)
My eyes, however, were fixed in an entirely different direction...
That would be Rafael Nadal of Spain. Rafa for short.
Going into the Open, he was ranked number two in the world. Unfortunately he was eliminated in a stunning upset in the quarterfinal round. I shed a brief tear for having missed the opportunity to see him play a few more matches, but took comfort in the fact that there still is, after all, a plethora of Rafa related stuff floating around the Internet.
[Ahhh...the Internet. Great enabler of the horny masses.]
Rafa first caught my eye because he bares what I think is a striking resemblance to a certain other athlete some of us know and love. It's not just the bandana and the long hair, the boyish charm, or the killer body. I think he has a similar face too. If you're not convinced, check out the gallery I made of some of my favorite photos:
I must admit, he's a bit more animated than that other long haired bandana wearing guy. I think you'll agree if you take a look at this:
Rafa has also inspired a great deal of activity in the way of Internet fan sites. In fact, they recently merged one of the more popular fan sites, VamosRafael.com, with his official site. I found that quite interesting. Apparently there were two people who worked on this fan site, and one of them had gotten too busy to dedicate enough time to it. So in the interest of keeping it running, they merged with Rafael's official site, RafaelNadal.com. Unlike certain other athletes, his "people" apparently recognize the importance of courting the fans. His own site is very fan focused, and very organized. Check it out one day when you have a few minutes. (Just make sure to keep the sound turned off. There's a video on the main page that blasts music when it downloads.)
Anyway, enough of the fan site talk. Let me return to my original point, which is...this guy is HOT!
Rafael Nadal Links:
Official Site: RafaelNadal.com
Fan Sites: VamosBrigade.com, KingofClay.com
Video: ATPTennis.com, YouTube.com
