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Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal confirmed for Viña del Mar

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#1 ·
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:
 
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#832 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Does Nadal playing Acapulco make him a Vulture? Not clear on the theory.
No, if you are protecting yourself from injury then fair enough.
 
#839 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

imagine Noledal meeting in RG or Wimbledon QF stages
 
#844 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Noledal in RG QF and Fedal in Wimbledon QF :drool:
Imagine the sickening sight of Ferrer or Berdych in a French Open final.

Urgh :hysterical:
 
#845 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Toni Nadal said on an interview in SER Deporte Baleares (a radio local program of the Balear Islands) that Nadal can return to competition before Acapulco, including the possibility of playing on Europe.

I find it very difficult, I think that he'll return on a clay tournament in South America, not on a hard court tournament. In addition, he started to practice on clay this week (this Monday). It seems strange, but Toni said it.
 
#853 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

The following could be a realistic 2013 schedule for Rafa..

Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, French Open, Bastaad or Stuttgart, Hamburg, Gstaad or Umag, and Kitzbuhel. He'd play 13 events all on clay, I think it's what he's truly become, a full-time clay court player (plus maybe Davis Cup too if it's on clay as well).
 
#854 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

The following could be a realistic 2013 schedule for Rafa..

Chile, Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, French Open, Bastaad or Stuttgart, Hamburg, Gstaad or Umag, and Kitzbuhel. He'd play 13 events all on clay, I think it's what he's truly become, a full-time clay court player (plus maybe Davis Cup too if it's on clay as well).
I'm a Nadal Hater , but this schedule is some delicious shit :D i like it. He'll still gain a lot of points ... 2000 from RG , 3x1000 MC,Madrid,Rome, he can have up to 7250 points ! If he wins them all ! Still TOP 4 easily. :yeah:
 
#859 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Hard court tennis is a bit harder on your body than clay, but it's not a whole other sport. Tennis is still tennis, running is running, 4 hours of running back & forth, back & forth, is still tough, on any surface. The surface difference makes it maybe 20% easier at most. Either you can do it or you can't.
For someone with a bad knee I think hardcourt tennis is a huge difference. Hardcourt is really tough on your knees and ankles, especially the way these guys run and slide on it nowadays. I could understand it if Nadal decides to play fewer hc tournaments. Would probably be one of his best decisions in his career.
 
#862 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

For someone with a bad knee I think hardcourt tennis is a huge difference. Hardcourt is really tough on your knees and ankles, especially the way these guys run and slide on it nowadays. I could understand it if Nadal decides to play fewer hc tournaments. Would probably be one of his best decisions in his career.
Yes and no.

The courts are tough if you are a grinder.
 
#863 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Any news on Nadal condition?
 
#864 · (Edited)
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Any news on Nadal condition?
Not a lot. All I know is that Nadal was training at 70% of his physical level before 20 of December, when an stomach virus put him off the courts for 10 days. In this 10 days they decided not to go to the Australian Open (in fact, an english journalist said that he was in Manacor in the first half of December and Nadal said to him that depending of his feelings in Abu Dhabi he would decide to go or not to go to Doha and the Australian Open... but they had the tickets to fly to Australia).

After the stomach virus dissapeared, he restarted practicing on Monday, 31 of December, but not on the hard court of "Centro de Tecnificación de tenis de Manacor". From now he is on the clay of the Tennis Club of Manacor. There are no news of his physical form since he started training on the Tennis Club of Manacor (he posted a lot of Facebook pics while he was training on hard courts, but I think that he is being now more conservative because of the expectation he created about his participation in the Australian Open, something that finally didn't happen), but I think that it is fine. Toni Nadal said on a radio programme that he thinks that Nadal will reach his best physical level this year.

Probably Nadal will be back on court before Acapulco. All the rumours were about a return on Sao Paolo, but some days ago Carlos Costa, the manager of Nadal, said that they were talking with the Viña del Mar tournament owners.
 
#865 · (Edited)
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

I think that people had dramatised a lot about Nadal's physical condition. Nadal trained on August (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2Mc1uZAzS3U), trying to go to the US OPEN. His knee has been a problem always. He decided not to go to the US OPEN, and after that he stopped training. He knows the feeling of playing and practising with pain on his body. He has done it before. But now this injury was a little bit different and more important, but he always know that was only a matter of time (he had some years ago a more important problem with one foot that put on risk his career).

In fact, I think that he was able to play on Abu Dhabi and Doha. And when I say that he was able, I say that you put Nadal in a court and he plays an acceptable first match. But Nadal wants more than play one acceptable match (and maybe win) if he knows that he can't reach, for example, the quarterfinals. But the problem with Nadal's condition is about Nadal's mental condition. He hasn't played in a long time, and he is a player that depends a lot of being fit to play a high level tennis. He has to gain confidence and recover all the feelings on court. He is not coming back to make Australian Open R16, for example. He is coming back to be 'competitive'. Nadal says lots of times the word 'competitive'. He means that being 'competitive' is being able to play his best tennis in order to have possibilities to win matches. To do all he can do in order to win, and then if he loses is because the other player played better and not more, not because he wasn't fine. For example, after Australian Open 2012 final he said that he was happy because he felt that he was competitive against Djokovic (after a 2011 with lot of loses, where he only felt competitive on the 3rd set of the US OPEN 2011 final).

If we think about Nadal's return with lot of care, it is not a good decision to come back in the Australian Open. Hot temperatures (reaching 40 degrees) and long matches played on five sets. He can return on Acapulco or before (on a South American clay tournament) and he can have his first feelings on court on his best surface and against players that are not a serious problem for him. Another question was: if I come back on Doha / Australian Open, what would happen if the knee is another time a problem? Starting to play on clay is better for him to defeat his fears.

I've not doubt that he'll play most of the tournaments that he played before. Cotorro, his doctor, said on an interview that this type of knee injury doesn't have to come back. Nadal always will have problems with his knees, but maybe problems less serious, like injuries that he had before. Nadal environment said on July/August that they will try to play more on clay and less on hard, but Toni Nadal said more than one time on radio interviews that with this ATP calendar they don't have lot of chances to make their own calendar, so Nadal will play almost the same tournaments that he has played before. If he is going to be as competitive as last years on other courts than clay (and grass too) is the real unknown thing.
 
#866 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Agree with your assessment VamosRafaNadal. I think if push came to shove he could have played and maybe won a match or two in Australia -- after all he was practicing with Moya who said that he was playing well; Toni said his level was good etc.; and Nadal said that though his knee was still a bit of a problem, it was a lot better than before. However ultimately as he could not have the "test" he wanted in Abu Dhabi and Doha they decided to be more conservative - why risk 5 set matches on hard court in 30C heat to get to the 4th round or QF? What is that worth to Nadal? Not much. He wants to either be able to fight for the big titles or not be on court at this stage in his career I think.

So I think the plan to return on the South American clay and get enough matches and rhythm in the run up to Monte Carlo makes sense. His PR manager Benito tweeted to a fan that Nadal was practicing on clay; Moya again gave an interview saying he thinks Nadal will be back at his usual/normal level this year; Toni has said the same -- said he doesn't know when he'll get there but that Nadal's time on court has been good. And finally his agent Carlos Costa was reported to be in discussions with Vina del Mar this week. There have been reports from Argentina and Brazil too about him playing. Obviously he won't play all 4 tournaments in the Golden Swing, but think they're sounding out who offers the best package/appearance fees and also keeping doors open in case he crashes out early for example and wants some matches in another tournament unexpectedly.

If we don't see him in February, then there will be deeper questions I think. But for now I think in a month or so we should have some idea of how he is and how he's playing.
 
#871 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Agree with your assessment VamosRafaNadal. I think if push came to shove he could have played and maybe won a match or two in Australia -- after all he was practicing with Moya who said that he was playing well; Toni said his level was good etc.; and Nadal said that though his knee was still a bit of a problem, it was a lot better than before. However ultimately as he could not have the "test" he wanted in Abu Dhabi and Doha they decided to be more conservative - why risk 5 set matches on hard court in 30C heat to get to the 4th round or QF? What is that worth to Nadal? Not much. He wants to either be able to fight for the big titles or not be on court at this stage in his career I think.

So I think the plan to return on the South American clay and get enough matches and rhythm in the run up to Monte Carlo makes sense. His PR manager Benito tweeted to a fan that Nadal was practicing on clay; Moya again gave an interview saying he thinks Nadal will be back at his usual/normal level this year; Toni has said the same -- said he doesn't know when he'll get there but that Nadal's time on court has been good. And finally his agent Carlos Costa was reported to be in discussions with Vina del Mar this week. There have been reports from Argentina and Brazil too about him playing. Obviously he won't play all 4 tournaments in the Golden Swing, but think they're sounding out who offers the best package/appearance fees and also keeping doors open in case he crashes out early for example and wants some matches in another tournament unexpectedly.

If we don't see him in February, then there will be deeper questions I think. But for now I think in a month or so we should have some idea of how he is and how he's playing.
He was going to fall out of the top 4 regardless really. Ferrer was very close -- getting to the Final again and defending the points in his first tournament back was a long shot really. Whether he lost no.4 at the AO or at IW or Miami etc. the likelihood of him being able to avoid it was low. As for avoiding Djoko in the QFs - he'll play 1 or 2 HC tournaments (IW and/or Miami) and after that it'll all be clay. Think Novak might not be as happy to see him as a QF opponent either. Fact is on clay not being top 4 is the not the biggest thing for him.

Ranking alone is not a good enough reason to risk his body in the heat on those hard courts over 5 sets. He has nothing to defend after RG practically so makes more sense to focus on clay so he can defend a lot of those points (and win more in South America) and then gain points for rest of year after RG.
I totally agree with you. There is no need to come back early. Rafa has to feel that he is really ready to compete and play to win tournaments (otherwise, there is not a strong reason for Rafa to play tennis (apart from having fun) as he has won almost everything).

He said that the ranking for him it is not important. It's important to be the number one of the world, but if you had reached the nº1 and now you're out of this position, there is not a strongly reason to be worried of being nº2 or nº5. Of course draws will be more hard with a lower rank than nº5, but I don't that Rafa's rank will fall out of the first six players of the ATP ranking. And if he feels that he is able to compete, it is a good challenge for him. He plays for winning tournaments, and in a tournament you've to beat the best players. I think that Djokovic will be worried if he meets Nadal on a QF of Roland Garros, for example. Nadal has nothing to proove on clay, but Djokovic wants to complete the Grand Slam in career.

We'll see. There are reasons to think in positive. Barbadillo said that "Rafa is better now he is recovering and expected to return to the South American tour on clay Acapulco probably or possibly earlier. Indeed, he began to feel ill about 20 December. Doctors diagnosed a virus and recommended three weeks of rest. perhaps he was able to play here at the Australian Open, but, frankly, come unprepared, after six months of absence, it would be very unwise. In my opinion, this is the right decision. Anyway, this has nothing to do with the knee. I know that no one believes it, but it's true! He caught a virus that is painful, but it is not very serious.".

What a level-headed poster this "VamosRafaNadal" is.
Thanks a lot. I'm a Nadal fan, of course, but I'm not a Nadaltard. My love for tennis is more important than any tennis player that can play this game. I like all these guys on court, with their different game styles (but it is true that I preffer some kind of play among others). I think that tennis is a high-technique sport that allows us to have some great talks and new friendly discussions almost every day (as tennis is played almost every day) that can enrich us a lot. Of course that we can do some friendly trolling sometimes, be serious always is boring, but I think that in tennis there is not place for fanaticism and there is always a lot to learn. One of the synonyms of tennis is respect, and we can see it on the tennis court (where the croud supports more the game than the players). I'm in MTF to learn more about tennis and have a great time (and I think that this forum has some nice users that are interesting to read). Otherwise, I'll dedicate my free time to be a football extremist (something very common here in Spain).
 
#867 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Depending on Berdych or Del Potro - Nadal could fall out of the top 5. That's what a QF at Australia was worth. It's a harder road for him back up if he falls out of the top 4, since he could play Djoko in the QFs.
 
#868 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

Depending on Berdych or Del Potro - Nadal could fall out of the top 5. That's what a QF at Australia was worth. It's a harder road for him back up if he falls out of the top 4, since he could play Djoko in the QFs.
He was going to fall out of the top 4 regardless really. Ferrer was very close -- getting to the Final again and defending the points in his first tournament back was a long shot really. Whether he lost no.4 at the AO or at IW or Miami etc. the likelihood of him being able to avoid it was low. As for avoiding Djoko in the QFs - he'll play 1 or 2 HC tournaments (IW and/or Miami) and after that it'll all be clay. Think Novak might not be as happy to see him as a QF opponent either. Fact is on clay not being top 4 is the not the biggest thing for him.

Ranking alone is not a good enough reason to risk his body in the heat on those hard courts over 5 sets. He has nothing to defend after RG practically so makes more sense to focus on clay so he can defend a lot of those points (and win more in South America) and then gain points for rest of year after RG.
 
#870 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal out of Abu Dhabi exho

What a level-headed poster this "VamosRafaNadal" is.
 
#872 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona

Irish play James McGee (https://twitter.com/jamesmcgee01) posted on twitter today:

Great to get 2 hours of hard practice in today with @RafaelNadal Loved every minute of it. More tomorrow! #Vamos


Flavia Pennetta also posted some photos:

Today's workout in the gym has been more fun... I was in good company @RafaelNadal


 
#876 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona

...

Some Nadal fans here posted video/pictures of Nadal in training late November/early December. (Can't remember who exactly.) I remember some posters commenting how sharp he looked in training and how he might well have a good AO tournament.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't get too excited until he's actually back playing properly...
 
#878 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona

...

Some Nadal fans here posted video/pictures of Nadal in training late November/early December. (Can't remember who exactly.) I remember some posters commenting how sharp he looked in training and how he might well have a good AO tournament.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: don't get too excited until he's actually back playing properly...
I agree who knows where is form will be at but seems safe to say he will be back playing on clay in a few weeks in South America. will be exciting to see how good he is, certainly he is putting some effort into getting back into shape
 
#879 · (Edited)
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona



A pic training this morning (from @XaviBonastre). He is in Barcelona for three days (today is his second day) practicing at the Real Club de Tenis de Barcelona (the Tennis Club that he belongs), where the ATP Barcelona 500 is hosted.

This morning, Sao Paolo tournament organization confirmed that Nadal will be in the Brazil Open. The rumours of Nadal being in Viña del Mar are strong. It seems like Nadal will play on Viña del Mar, Sao Paolo, one week of rest, Acapulo, MSG exhibition, Indian Wells and Miami. Very exhausting calendar for him, but nice to have him back on court.
 
#881 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona

He wasn't playing Miami, right?
But thanks for the info.
Nadal IS playing Miami. For the moment, we will see if he can deal with his exhausting calendar in February-March). There was an error with some declarations involving that Federer won't participate in Miami but Benito Perez Barbadillo (Nadal spokesperson) said yesterday that this information wasn't correct and Nadal is, fortunately, going to Miami :)
 
#882 ·
Re: Rafael Nadal Injury/Health Update Thread : Nadal practicing on clay in Barcelona

He looks happy, thats the main thing.
 
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