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Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

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#1 ·
http://www.tennispanorama.com/archives/35199

Nadal: “The 25-Second Rule Will Harm the Fans”



Rafael Nadal Tennis Panroama News

By Barbara Galiza

(February 12, 2013) São Paulo - Returning to Brazil for the first time since 2005, Rafael Nadal will play the ATP 250 São Paulo this week. In his pre-tournament news conference, the world No. 5 commented on the improvements on his health and the new enforcement of the “25 seconds between serves” rule.



“People want to see long matches, competitive rallies and amazing shots. For me to play in a high level for four hours, I need more than 25 seconds,” said the Spaniard, famous for taking long between serves. ”I don’t think players are happy with the new rule. The umpire will have to decide when it’s up to follow it or not. Because if it’s something mathematical, it will harm the fans.”



Nadal returned to competition last week, in Chile, after being away from tour for seven months because of a knee injury. He was the runner up in Viña Del Mar, losing to the Horacio Zeballos, ranked 73th.



“I’m not ready to think about titles, I’m thinking about playing day by day”, he said. “I’m not worried whether this (the injury) is going to be a problem for the future, I’m worried about the time it will take (to be 100%). Last week was a positive result. There are days my knee limits me physically, but there are days it’s better. Every week, I have less bad days.”



To Nadal, part of the blame for his injury is the length of the hardcourt season. The surface isn’t ideal to the body.



“I find hardcourts the worst for the body. You don’t see footballers playing on hard fields, or any other sports with aggressive moments (being practiced on the same surface). They’re the most harming for articulations, knees, backs.”



“I don’t think a change to more clay and grass tournaments will be possible in my generation. The ATP needs to be more careful to prolong their player’s careers. I want to be able to still practice sports after I retire. Tennis careers are very important, but life is more,” said the 26-year-old player.



Even though he said to be taking tournaments day by day, the Spaniard admitted that the next Olympic Games is something in his mind:



“Being in Rio 2016 is a big goal of mine. I want to be there in condition to compete and also win what could be my last Olympics.”



Nadal also reaffirmed his stance on public records of the anti-doping controls held by the ITF. To him, if blood tests and urine tests are kept private, tennis is at risk.



“We need to know the person on the other side of the net is in the same condition as you are. Sport needs to be example to kids and an example of hard work. Everyone needs to know how many blood test and urine tests we go through or we will have the same problem as cycling”, he said.



Barbara Galiza is a journalist from Rio de Janeiro covering the Brasil Open as media in São Paulo for Tennis Panorama. She likes tennis and writing. Sometimes she blogs, most of the time she tweets. – @fiercetennis. Follow her São Paulo updates on @TennisNewsTPN.
 
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#111 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

Bitch needs to calm down, enough with these ridiculous comments
:lol:

just had delicious dinner and then saw this comment, don't ask what happened. neither people's dinner isn't sacred to this guy
:haha: your posts are just absolute gold.

It seems like Nadal wants 'tennis', the sport itself, to adapt to him, not the other way around. He also made a comment about the ATP 'not caring enough' about players in relation to court surfaces. His exact words are:

"The ATP has to start thinking about ways to lengthen the players' careers. I can't imagine football players playing on cement, I can't imagine any other sport involving aggressive movements such as tennis being played on such aggressive surfaces such as ours. We are the only sport in the world making this mistake, and it won't change."

"Aggressive surfaces"? :stupid: What? It depends on how you play on hard court. Actually it's less taxing if you adopt a more aggressive approach to these so-called 'aggressive surface'. Sure if you try digging out every freaking ball and run around for 5+ hrs on a hard court it might not constitute a very smart stratagem but why not, oh I don't know, say here's a nutty idea, adopt a different style for- and actually adapt to- the surface you're playing on? He is not saying he doesn't have the skill set or imagination to adapt is he?

And it is baffling to me because a) his analogy fails b) clay season is already long enough, some might say too long c) court surfaces have been homogenized anyway which in fact helps a counterpuncher like him. Is he saying get rid of hard courts altogether and have only grass and clay? I hope the man is not getting senile.. I mean he is after all still 26 years old..
No player can change his playing style.

I have a theory here.
Nadal has been spewing similar nonsense for quite some time(2-year ranking,less tournaments in a season,now 25 seconds rule),because he wants people to accept his inevitable and quickly upcoming retirement.By making an idiot and utterly egotistic bastard out of himself,he just wants to spare his fans and every tennis lover of the world the grief that would come should he retire in glory,loved and respected by tennis afficionados all over the world.He just cares so much about not breaking people's hearts that he is willing to sacrifice his popularity :rolleyes:

Seriously though,the only thing you need to interpret these remarks is this part " for ME to play in a high level for four hours..."
Tells you all you want to know about "Humblito".

I may sound bitter,but too much is too much.I want to remember Rafa as an amazing competitor,not the ultimate whiner.
He was never unanimously loved and/or respected.

The amount of hate this guy gets just for stating his personal opinions is pathetic.
It's just natural, considering the :bs: he's spewing.

You want to take longer than the rules allow? Pay for it. Lose a first serve and take your time if you feel like. But take it like a man

Some people just want to get away with it and do not do their time. You can't have rules be taylormade for you.

Someone needs to tell Nadal that he is not the center of the tennis universe, too...
Stupid fanatics created this monster called Nadal and now he thinks he's tennis personified.
 
#78 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

It seems like Nadal wants 'tennis', the sport itself, to adapt to him, not the other way around. He also made a comment about the ATP 'not caring enough' about players in relation to court surfaces. His exact words are:

"The ATP has to start thinking about ways to lengthen the players' careers. I can't imagine football players playing on cement, I can't imagine any other sport involving aggressive movements such as tennis being played on such aggressive surfaces such as ours. We are the only sport in the world making this mistake, and it won't change."

"Aggressive surfaces"? :stupid: What? It depends on how you play on hard court. Actually it's less taxing if you adopt a more aggressive approach to these so-called 'aggressive surface'. Sure if you try digging out every freaking ball and run around for 5+ hrs on a hard court it might not constitute a very smart stratagem but why not, oh I don't know, say here's a nutty idea, adopt a different style for- and actually adapt to- the surface you're playing on? He is not saying he doesn't have the skill set or imagination to adapt is he?

And it is baffling to me because a) his analogy fails b) clay season is already long enough, some might say too long c) court surfaces have been homogenized anyway which in fact helps a counterpuncher like him. Is he saying get rid of hard courts altogether and have only grass and clay? I hope the man is not getting senile.. I mean he is after all still 26 years old..
 
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#84 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

And it is baffling to me because a) his analogy fails b) clay season is already long enough, some might say too long c) court surfaces have been homogenized anyway which in fact helps a counterpuncher like him. Is he saying get rid of hard courts altogether and have only grass and clay? I hope the man is not getting senile.. I mean he is after all still 26 years old..
Yep, about 1/3 of the season is played on clay. And I think that's the correct amount of clay events.
 
#80 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

Yeah... old Rafito is slowly losing his mind it seems... So much nonsense in this interview.. Shame really..
 
#81 · (Edited)
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

“I find hardcourts the worst for the body. You don’t see footballers playing on hard fields, or any other sports with aggressive moments (being practiced on the same surface). They’re the most harming for articulations, knees, backs.”



“I don’t think a change to more clay and grass tournaments will be possible in my generation. The ATP needs to be more careful to prolong their player’s careers. I want to be able to still practice sports after I retire. Tennis careers are very important, but life is more,” said the 26-year-old player.
Oh Rafa, you do know that tennis is one of the easiest sports on the body right, comments like this make me think you've never played the game before, removing hardcourts, what the, does that mean you will never play on a HC again. :facepalm: :eek:
 
#82 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

I have a theory here.
Nadal has been spewing similar nonsense for quite some time(2-year ranking,less tournaments in a season,now 25 seconds rule),because he wants people to accept his inevitable and quickly upcoming retirement.By making an idiot and utterly egotistic bastard out of himself,he just wants to spare his fans and every tennis lover of the world the grief that would come should he retire in glory,loved and respected by tennis afficionados all over the world.He just cares so much about not breaking people's hearts that he is willing to sacrifice his popularity :rolleyes:

Seriously though,the only thing you need to interpret these remarks is this part " for ME to play in a high level for four hours..."
Tells you all you want to know about "Humblito".

I may sound bitter,but too much is too much.I want to remember Rafa as an amazing competitor,not the ultimate whiner.
 
#87 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

Nadal is ageing fast it seems ... cause ... i'm sorry for his fans ...
IF Nadal ever become the GOAT he'll be the most undeserving GOAT in all of the sports history !
SUCH A MATADOR and ENDURING Nadal with lots of stamina :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: The CLAY goat can't play tennis if he can't rest 25 seconds + between points just to concentrate and play to the maximum the next point :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: Kneedull :facepalm:
 
#90 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

You want to take longer than the rules allow? Pay for it. Lose a first serve and take your time if you feel like. But take it like a man

Some people just want to get away with it and do not do their time. You can't have rules be taylormade for you.

Someone needs to tell Nadal that he is not the center of the tennis universe, too...
 
#102 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

just stop talking Nadal, clown

see the pic if Rafa in Brazil and his team (toni, costa and the other sad scrub) on ATP website, all posing like gangstas, idiots

this post dedicated to Castafiore.
 
#104 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

U all know im not a hater (besides my working place) but i hope this 25 seconds comment is a journalist Mistake or quote taken out of context bc i really really dont agree with this, a rule is a rule and any player who cant play by the rule should leave the game, tennis is bigger then any player no matter who is he


rafa should Keep a low profile, talk less with Journalists and fire all his PR team bc it starting to sound Ridiculous.
 
#108 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

I really shouldn't have clicked on this thread. :eek:

Rafa, seriously... :facepalm:

It's quite simple: abide to the rules of the game.
If you don't like those rules, it's your problem, and not the game's. :shrug:

I can only hope these quotes were indeed taken out of context, but I barely see any reason to believe so...
 
#109 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

he will never change, he's only happy when he's winning

and he's only ever satisfied when surrounding conditions suit him.
 
#122 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

I do hope the umpires won't be intimidated by the status of the players (especially top 4) and actually enforce the 25-second rule. It makes tennis more enjoyable to watch as a spectator.

I can understand why Rafa doesn't like the rule but in all the years I've watched tennis, the majority of the players have been able to abide by that rule and not waste an unreasonable amount of time toweling off a dry forehead between every point. If others can do it, so can he.
 
#124 ·
Re: Some more gentle comedy from Nadal....."25-second rule will harm the fans"

poor Rafa. Now that he will never win a slam again, we get to see his true side much more often.
 
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