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Nadal's Comeback

15K views 129 replies 77 participants last post by  GhostUnholy 
#1 · (Edited)
Maybe it is just me, but i feel like Nadal is going to have a MONSTER come-back. Back to back wins at slams imo (rg/wimbledon). Murray does not have the gonads to stop nadal... only djokovic stands in Nadal's way. Nadal has had SO much rest, it almost seems inevitable that nadal will make a monstrous comeback.

Nadal to win RG/WIMBY. BOOK IT
 
#35 ·
Very difficult to be honest. Roland Garros is the most important challenge for him, and he'll be favourite if he recovers his level during the european clay court season and, firstly, the South American clay court tour plus Indian Wells and Miami.

If he is on fire Wimbledon can be a realistic objective (at least reach the semifinals, that probably will involve beating a top four player as I hardly see Nadal being a top 4 at this stage of the season). However, the USO seems to be very difficult for him.

We'll see, now it is time to be patient and cautelous.
 
#37 ·
Again, betfair odds are changing daily in favor of Djokovic. Week ago it was 2.05 Rafa - 2.7 Djokovic. Yesterday it was 2.52 vs 2.64. Today it's 2.48 vs 2.5...Maybe he is just downplaying his chances by cyting knee pain but it surely affects his odds if it's true. Next few weeks will say a lot.
 
#48 ·
the damage the poor guy has already done is permanent

connors is a walking cripple and he worked 10% of what nadal does

nadal has literally sacrificed his post tennis life for 11 slams- i'll be happy to see him back but really hope he changes up his game to be less taxing on his body

focusing less on hard courts- more on clay and grass is a huge step in the right direction
 
#50 ·
Lol, Clownnors was unathletic mug, not in the same dimension as Nadal, let's compare him to guys that are actually on his level like Borg, okay?
 
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#52 ·
Rafa is changing his racquet* :eek:
Rafael Nadal to return with new racket

When Rafael Nadal returns to court next week at the ATP 250 event in Vina del Mar, Chile, he won’t be carrying the Babolat Aero Pro Drive that has been his trusty racket of choice since he was 12 years old. According to DPA. Nadal will be switching to a newer Babolat model to — get this — achieve even more topspin.

“Uncle Toni put pressure on Rafa to change. If you want to be better, you have to take risks,” Eric Babolat, the owner of the firm that makes the racket Nadal has been playing with since age 12, told DPA.

“I don’t agree with what you’re saying, but I’ll give it a try,” Babolat said Nadal usually tells his uncle-coach.

According to the Frenchman, the new racket and new strings give “more power and more control” to the Spaniard’s shots.

“More top spin, he already has a lot of that but he wants more,” said Babolat.

More topspin? Well now you’re just getting greedy, Rafa.

Nadal will test the racket and his knees on a three-tournament swing that will see him play back-to-back-to-back clay court events in Chile, Brazil and Mexico. Speaking to reporters in Mallorca on Wednesday, Nadal said his goal in the first stages of his comeback is to ensure his knees can withstand the heavy load.

“The most important thing for me is the knee…that I can support the pain of the knee and then if I am able to play these three tournaments in a row I think it will work very well for me because I will have three important weeks to prepare for the rest of the season.

http://tennis.si.com/2013/01/30/rafael-nadal-racket/
*correct spelling, as per Canadian Oxford Dictionary
 
#63 ·
I doubt he would have come back to win in 5 anyway, even if it did continue.
 
#64 ·
I'm not saying he would have won, but I'm fairly certain it would have gone to 5 sets. And can you imagine how nervous Rafa would have been in the 5th set, considering all the losses he suffered in grand slam finals against Nole in 2011? Anyway, my point is, Rafa benefited way more than Nole from the match being suspended.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Roland Garros looks very hard for him to win this year after 8 months out of competition. Even winning a masters series on clay will be tough(not as difficult as winning RG) in 2013 after his sabbatical.


http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tenni...ess-nadal-in-comeback-mode/article4360021.ece
I don’t think he necessarily needs time to be Nadal, but I think he needs some time for the other players to think of him as the old Nadal, because I think players lose a lot of respect: not respect for him as a person, but respect for his level,” Mats Wilander told DPA.

The Swede, a three-time French Open winner, is sure that even if his name is Rafael Nadal, “he’s still an outsider” in Paris this year, with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Federer the men to beat.

“This is the year of and Novak and Andy’s chance to win the French, and Roger’s already won it, but it’s obviously his chance too,” Wilander said.
 
#70 ·
Possibly because he doesn't ever play 250s on clay. RG Semi Final in the past where he was defeated by Nadal, but OMG!

Some of the early replies in this thread are laughable. 'Monster comeback'? It's possible, but the more likely alternative is that he's a much weaker player than before, will continue to have injury issues, and won't win another major. Would be a real shame for that to happen to such a great player at a relatively early age, but this crap about him being rested, and the tour not knowing what has hit it - come on...
 
#71 ·
First slamless year on tour since 2005 seems quite possible, although I still regard Nadal as the slight favourite for the title. He simply stands few levels above anyone on clay and needs to pushed constantly to the limits for hours to concede defeat in the BO5 format.
 
#73 ·
he said he still felt the pain in his knees.
 
#77 ·
:p

 
#79 ·
I do not know what is wrong with Nadal knees but once the knees problem starts they will never end ,He is not a office worker as we know ,He is a tennis player and we all know how tough it is on joints of legs. I am afraid Djokovic has the same movements as Nadal just to win
sliding ,spliting on hard court is the worst thing you can do for your legs. Anyway they have more than enough money, I have a feeling Federer clold retire them and he will still play after them, This style of play soon or late will going to say something,
 
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