Rafael Nadal and his sterling silver trophy made the media rounds in New York after his U.S. Open victory. In each of his appearances, he said virtually the same thing—thank you, I’m very happy, rain is a part of the sport, no?, I’m gonna keep working hard.
On Live with Regis and Kelly, Regis Philbin commented on how different, and nice, Nadal looks in civilian clothing, after which Kelly Ripa accused him of flirting. Ripa, meanwhile, shied away from asking Nadal too many questions. When she did, she spoke loudly and slowly. Nadal’s spoken English may still be a work in progress, but he’s used to the press grilling him after every match, so there’s no need to e-nun-ci-ate. Nadal met Gossip Girl’s Blake Lively before the show, but Rafa already has a girlfriend, as Philbin, flirting again, found out.
On Today, they paraded Nadal and his trophy out into the plaza in front of the fans. The interview was pretty standard, but, again, Ann Curry felt the need to put her finger to her temple when asking whether he thinks about being one of the greatest players of our time.
With his heavy accent, Rafa’s got everybody fooled.
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—Sarah Unke*