[Han Solo]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Nadal will return and win RG, and Wimbledon is possible with a good draw and some luck, but he is done at winning anything above 500 on hard. The sensible thing to do would be to only to play enough HC tournaments to maintain a top 4 ranking and consequently save his knees and prolong his career.

Too many people are saying this. Sorry, I just don't see it that way. He narrowly lost AO 2012 against Djokovic - the current king of AO - and previous to that he made the USO final.

If he comes back good enough to win RG, why can't he make the final days of the HC majors and give himself the chance of winning them, like he did earlier this year?

[Sunset of Age]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Nadal will return and win RG, and Wimbledon is possible with a good draw and some luck, but he is done at winning anything above 500 on hard. The sensible thing to do would be to only to play enough HC tournaments to maintain a top 4 ranking and consequently save his knees and prolong his career.

Hi there, SetSampras!

Apart from that - sensible post, I think I may agree on most of it.

[moon language]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Nadal will return and win RG, and Wimbledon is possible with a good draw and some luck, but he is done at winning anything above 500 on hard. The sensible thing to do would be to only to play enough HC tournaments to maintain a top 4 ranking and consequently save his knees and prolong his career.

If he returns to his prior top level then he could definitely win another slam on hard. It won't be any more or less likely than it was before, which is to say, it will still be very difficult for him and he'll need things to fall in the right order.

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by Han Solo

Too many people are saying this. Sorry, I just don't see it that way. He narrowly lost AO 2012 against Djokovic - the current king of AO - and previous to that he made the USO final.

If he comes back good enough to win RG, why can't he make the final days of the HC majors and give himself the chance of winning them, like he did earlier this year?

It was an exaggeration and it is possible, but it will be very hard for him to win more hard slams. Nadal is clear fourth favourite for the AUS 2013 open and it will be very difficult for him to win that tournament given the long lay off and the lack of match practice. The US open doesn't suit his game, as well, and he won't play to the 2010 level again on hard. Nole and Murray are clearly much better than him on hardcourt and he really needs to avoid playing them back to back in order to have a realistic shot.

He turns 27 next year which is when a lot of great players have not won any more, or very few grand slams, and it is very hard to tell how long it will take to regain a high level of play after such a long injury. Del Potro took a whole year and while this injury is not as serious his recovery time will be much longer due to age.

Overall I would give him about 10% chance to win the AUS although it is hard to price accurately until we can see his level after the layoff. That chance could be higher for future hard slams if Nadal comes back at a high level, but he will always be a big underdog.

[TechnoViking]

Originally Posted by moon language

If he returns to his prior top level then he could definitely win another slam on hard. It won't be any more or less likely than it was before, which is to say, it will still be very difficult for him and he'll need things to fall in the right order.

Returning to his previous top level, on any sort of consistent basis, is unlikely although he could win one if everything goes his way AKA USO 2012 and or he finds his top level for a couple of matches. If Nadal plays, for say another four years, then he has a decent chance of winning one more non clay slam, which will most likely be Wimbledon.

[pepita1964]

Nadal will play another four years?! Someone is dreaming but dreams are free of charge no problem.Rafa will turn 27 next year and his style of play is so demanding on his body that i do not see him playing more than two years. If he does not win a GS next year or someone like Rosol happens it would be very tough for him to carry on. He is a boy on confidence and likes to win.Winning is everything for him.Rafa does not play because he loves the game.You can see what Djokovic did to him last year and Rafa lost his passion for the game.Federer can retire him but they both are like a day and night.I wish them a lot of luck because they are great players.

[Whiznot]

Someone needs to inform Topspindoctor that two-handed shots are for girls and small children--not grown men!

[kidbourbon]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Nadal will return and win RG, and Wimbledon is possible with a good draw and some luck, but he is done at winning anything above 500 on hard. The sensible thing to do would be to only to play enough HC tournaments to maintain a top 4 ranking and consequently save his knees and prolong his career.

Why couldn't he win the Aussie again?

[kidbourbon]

Originally Posted by pepita1964

That is why he became tennis player. He just does not have that aggressive mind, but if we speak about Federer he is the most aggressive player i have ever seen. He is always a step forward he does not know what is that to defend.Federer could be a striker just because of this aggressive mind

That's just silly.

Pull up a McEnroe match. There are plenty on youtube.

[pepita1964]

McEnroe is a different player you can not compare this generation to McEnroe's.I am talking about current players.

[pepita1964]

You can watch Federer 19 years against Sampras at Wimbledon . Federer has such a variety in his game.

[moon language]

Originally Posted by TechnoViking

Returning to his previous top level, on any sort of consistent basis, is unlikely

We have no idea if it's likely or not.

[Just like heaven]

Originally Posted by pepita1964

Nadal will play another four years?!

Yes, he will. Maybe even more.

[Just like heaven]

Originally Posted by moon language

We have no idea if it's likely or not.

I think we do. Check out his interviews.

[Tag]

Originally Posted by pepita1964

You can watch Federer 19 years against Sampras at Wimbledon . Federer has such a variety in his game.

federer doesn't play like that anymore

yes, he could have been the love child of sampras, edberg and lendl in a three-way, but that's not how things happened

nowadays, he looks aggressive because he's surrounded by defensive players, because he goes to the net occasionally, and in this slow court era, uses variety