[Punky]

Originally Posted by Mountaindewslave

I agree it will take some time for him to be his best again. I just hope he does!

you're right, gotta stick by Nadal through thick and thin

it will be hard bc i guess the mighty rafa for the past wont be around until he will have a lot of time on the tennis court so rafa fans should do WHAT I DID AS A FED FAN, block everything ppl say, not argue or something but let who want to say a bad thing say, i know my fed is not done after 2011 just like u have to have faith, those player are nothing like us, this is Elite athletes.

here for all of rafa fans

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZr0_ic1304

[Ivelina_P]

^That's what shows who is a true fan after all.

[Corey Feldman]

BOL Rafa, time for another monster clay court season.

[shawshank]

Rafa arrives in Chile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGHtN5UaCeU

[janko05]

Rafa is losing hair rapidly

[Roy Emerson]

I will be surprised if Nadal wins RG this year. Djokovic is the overwhelming favorite. Nadal has been out for too long(8 months?) to expect him to win a slam just 4 months after his comeback.

[GSMnadal]

Would be fitting for Nole to grab his career grand slam the same way Federer did it, profiting from an injured Nadal.

[BauerAlmeida]

Originally Posted by GSMnadal

Would be fitting for Nole to grab his career grand slam the same way Federer did it, profiting from an injured Nadal.

Nadal completed his career GS profiting from the absence of the defending champion who demolished him in that same tournament the year before.

So it would be the same for the 3 of them.

[rocketassist]

Originally Posted by BauerAlmeida

Nadal completed his career GS profiting from the absence of the defending champion who demolished him in that same tournament the year before.

So it would be the same for the 3 of them.

He also played Nole at the right time- when he'd gone slamless for nearly 3 years and had become a bit mentally frail.

[Roy Emerson]

Originally Posted by BauerAlmeida

Nadal completed his career GS profiting from the absence of the defending champion who demolished him in that same tournament the year before.

So it would be the same for the 3 of them.

Agree.

The three Career Slam winners of this era would end up achieving it without playing the defending champ who beat them there the previous year. I think Nadal won't reach Djokovic at RG. I suspect Nadal will lose early there, R16? Federer avoided Nadal and Nadal avoided Del Potro.

Agassi beat Moya in 1999 though. Agassi's Career Slam is the most impressive because of the diversity of the surfaces in the 1990s.


http://www.thehindu.com/sport/tennis...cle4360021.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.

[VamosRafaNadal]

Some media of the Nadal's arrival at Chile. He was received by the President of the Republic:




















(Twitter @manena)

[VamosRafaNadal]

Nadal has started practicing in Viña del Mar:

[BauerAlmeida]

Originally Posted by Roy Emerson

. Agassi's Career Slam is the most impressive because of the diversity of the surfaces in the 1990s.

Definetely. It would have been even more impressive had he beat Sampras in the Wimbledon final in 99', wining the 4 in a row.

[duarte_a]

Gonzalez looks chubby.

[Rumblingbelly]

Did he practise with Massu and Gonzalez?