Toni just gave an interview on Spanish radio. Said:
- Rafa's career is not in any danger. They are just being cautious.
- Rafa would like to play in Rio 2016 and hopes to compete there (again I suppose emphasising this is not some career ending injury). They all want to extend his career as much as possible and to do that they are taking the conservative approach -- "no more patches". (By this I think he is referring to earlier remarks he made about how this year they've just tried to manage injury in a piece meal way by taking time off in Miami etc. but that is not correct. He needs to wait till he is 100%.)
- It is not the same tendinitis as before, but is related to the same issue.
- Toni's been hearing that Nadal's career will be short all his life - but even if he retired now it would not have been a short career as he's played for a decade as a professional - since he was 16.
They also had some doctor on who said Nadal's tendon had degenerated and needed 3 months of rest. Given that he had most of June off, July and now August, maybe a DC return in September is not too far fetched...
Basically, as always, I think the "his career is over" brigade are going a bit far. If anything this sounds like he's learned from past mistakes and is following exactly what the doctors tell him to try and get the most from what remains of his career. Beating any of the other 3 - Andy, Roger, Nole - would have been tough at the US Open - let alone when not at full match fitness and without competitive play. If he was still suffering a bit, then better to be cautious - at this stage he needs to basically try and maximise slam chances.
As a reminder - think of the Nadal we saw at WTF 2011 - listless, passionless, bagelled by Federer. Next major tournament a few months later - few games away from winning the Australian Open. His body will always be an issue but the fire and motivation to me has been a bigger concern - at least that seems to still be there and perhaps be even stronger due to setbacks. Sounds like Rio 2016 might just be the think that keeps him going even if it seems farfetched right now that he'd be competitive in 4 years time. :lol:
it's just one very little sentence in an interview which was posted before which said that he was not "certain" that he would play the Aus open which caused all that fuss, I guess.
But this is just a way for him to say that he doesn't know and lives day by day.
Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined since Wimbledon due to a knee injury, tells the Daily Mail that the ATP tour has too many hard-court events, and that he might add more clay-court tournaments to his schedule, such as those in Latin America in February.
"I can’t pretend not to play on hard courts when two of the Slams are on hard courts, but there is a mistake "with our game," Nadal said. “You don’t watch footballers playing on a hard surface, or basketball players, those sports with rapid movements. It’s not going to change for me and my generation. Hard courts are very negative for the body. I know the sport is a business and creating these courts is easier than clay or grass, but I am 100 percent sure it is wrong. I may have to play more on clay than before, but there aren’t that many options."
Rafael Nadal, who has been sidelined since Wimbledon due to a knee injury, tells the Daily Mail that the ATP tour has too many hard-court events, and that he might add more clay-court tournaments to his schedule, such as those in Latin America in February.
"I can’t pretend not to play on hard courts when two of the Slams are on hard courts, but there is a mistake "with our game," Nadal said. “You don’t watch footballers playing on a hard surface, or basketball players, those sports with rapid movements. It’s not going to change for me and my generation. Hard courts are very negative for the body. I know the sport is a business and creating these courts is easier than clay or grass, but I am 100 percent sure it is wrong. I may have to play more on clay than before, but there aren’t that many options."
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
One of the 2 main surfaces (Clay or Hard) will always have an advantage over the others. If US Open switches to clay, clay tournaments are gonna be more numerous than hard tournaments because this shift would imply an extended summer clay season. If US Open would switch to grass, a better balance would be created, but grass is the most expensive surface.
Obviously any player would want his favorite surface be more wide spread than other surfaces.
One of the 2 main surfaces (Clay or Hard) will always have an advantage over the others. If US Open switches to clay, clay tournaments are gonna be more numerous than hard tournaments because this shift would imply an extended summer clay season. If US Open would switch to grass, a better balance would be created, but grass is the most expensive surface.
Obviously any player would want his favorite surface be more wide spread than other surfaces.
I think it is getting obvious now that Nadal doesn't feel like he will be able to surpass Federer in greatness, and has been trying to change things in tennis lately for his own benefit.
Meanwhile, Roger plays the game and listens to lower ranked players like the great ambassador he is. He was great in 2004 and legendary in 2012, no matter how much tennis changed in between.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
The courts had the same distribution of surface when he became a professional player. It's not as if they have changed to his disadvantage since he started, is it? It's been that way for years. So I'm afraid it's tough luck, Rafa. Being at the top involves being able to play on all surfaces.
The courts had the same distribution of surface when he became a professional player. It's not as if they have changed to his disadvantage since he started, is it? It's been that way for years. So I'm afraid it's tough luck, Rafa. Being at the top involves being able to play on all surfaces.
actually, since the 70s, it's indoor tennis which has mostly disappeared ( http://tennis28.com/charts/ATP_Surfaces_1980_2006.GIF ), and Nadal and Djokovic will finish it off with the calendar project the ATP finalizes for them.
But I think the topic of surfaces is mostly polluting this thread which should be about Nadal's physical problems and comeback.
Nadal is Achilles, the tragic hero with a lot of heart and energy, greatly gifted by the Gods, but with a weakness in the legs (Federer is Hector, the well-balanced hero who is the last protection of the old citadel of classical tennis and his wife Andromaque/Mirka against Achilles and his allies but is killed by Achilles ; and Djokovic is Pâris, Fed's younger brother who causes the death of the citadel but kills Achilles Patroclus ? Carlos Moya ? Cassandra ? anyone who predicts rightly the death of the old citadel Ulysses who finds the idea of the Trojan Horse ? I don't know :lol: )
Why should Nadal care about low ranked scrubs? Leave that to crybabies like Stakhovsky who can't win a GS first round match. Oh no a guy looking out for his own interests, let's crucify him This forum is full of kidiots.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
No dude. A guy of his stature, who has been successful, SHOULD KEEP HIS MOUTH SHUT, instead of trying to change things for his own benefit, while affecting other tennis players (most players play better on Hard than on Clay, btw).
In comparison, that's one more reason Roger/Noserer is legendary.
Oh... Nadal doesn't like Hard, because it hurts!
He's such a baby.
He should have listened and changed his playing style while everyone else was pointing it out.
This is not a tragedy. This is 'Chronicle of an Injury Foretold'.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
So he most likely won't play the DC final, looks like this tie will be very competitive, good chance for the Czechs.
On another note, it will be great for the Latin American clay swing if he plays here next year. I just wonder if the tournaments can meet his expected guarantees. Acapulco has more points and money to offer so he would surely play there.
So he most likely won't play the DC final, looks like this tie will be very competitive, good chance for the Czechs.
On another note, it will be great for the Latin American clay swing if he plays here next year. I just wonder if the tournaments can meet his expected guarantees. Acapulco has more points and money to offer so he would surely play there.
We kinda knew that sometime ago ( or strongly suspected), he wouldn't be back before the end of the year. No real news there. The bigger news is now the rumblings that his off time may extend into 2013.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
Federer has played many more matches than Nadal, and especially on hard courts.
What is Nadal talking about?
Just because his knees are ruined by his own style of play and by slowing down of hard court (which benefited him the most by the way), he is now blaming the number of HC tournaments?
I am expecting this post to be deleted by overzealous nadulltard mod who deleted my previous harmless posts.
Federer has played many more matches than Nadal, and especially on hard courts.
What is Nadal talking about?
Just because his knees are ruined by his own style of play and by slowing down of hard court (which benefited him the most by the way), he is now blaming the number of HC tournaments?
I am expecting this post to be deleted by overzealous nadulltard mod who deleted my previous harmless posts.
The only problem with hard courts is that they're too slow. Slow HC forces players to grind, and thus destroy their joints. If HC were faster, points would be shorter, and grinding wouldn't be the only way to succeed. They should make outdoor HC's medium-paced and indoor HC ultra-fast, maybe change to carpet. Then we'd have a good equilibrium, 1/3 of season on slow surface (clay), 1/3 1/3 of season on medium-paced surface (outdoor hard), and 1/3 of season on fast surface (grass and indoor hard/carpet). It would also be easier for grinders' bodies if there were less tournaments where they'd do well. And fairer for non-grinders as they'd have equal amount of tournaments that'd suit to them compared to grinders.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
yes, let's get back to the topic of Nadal's health and potential comeback everyone, there's nothing new from Nadal on the surfaces topic which has been debated on MTF for years already :shrug:
I think many people are interested about his health, and it will get difficult to use this thread for that if it's polluted like that. It would be a pity if the thread was closed for that but if you keep on like that, it surely will.
Wait, so he hasn't been practicing up till now . Or is that tennis practice. Seems unlikely he'll play the WTF if he only starts practising in the middle of October but who knows.
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Spanish Press: Nadal not in DC etc
Finally good news. YAY! I hope it works out.
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