Good luck with your recovery rafa.

Would love to see you back playing asap- BUT much rather you return once you are fully fit and well.

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:03 pm

Wish you speedy recovery Rafa.

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:06 pm

smart decision rafa! come back when you feel you are ready. we will be waiting for you!

love you and miss you!

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:25 pm

Didn’t realize you guys had such a personal relationship…

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:32 pm

Come back Rafa! Who will I be able to beat to regain my confidence?!

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:40 pm

I didn’t realize there wasn’t a week off before Toronto. Ouch, what a rough schedule for the top players who made it past the first few Olympic rounds.

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:44 pm

ben,

i didn’t know a person had to have a personal relationship to love and miss another human being.

you have enlightened me! just think, had you not opened my eyes, i would be stumbling somewhere in the darkness forever. thanks!

August 2nd, 2012 at 7:45 pm

He has next to nothing to defend; he may as well take the time to heal.

August 2nd, 2012 at 8:16 pm

Mem,

Post 7:25 Great!

August 2nd, 2012 at 8:18 pm

too bad for those rafa fans in toronto, there is no ticket refund here.

August 2nd, 2012 at 9:43 pm

“love you and miss you!”

“Didn’t realize you guys had such a personal relationship…”

That’d be Girls, not guys. Wait….there is mark…..and roy…and rick…..and borg…..wait…..nevermind. We all love each other and are one…..the rock, the tree, the “my” Rafa pillow…..

Joking aside….get well Rafa!

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:01 am

Hmm..not sure what’s going on in Rafa’s camp. Is he deliberately skipping these events to take more rest so that he can go on a tear in the later season or he is still recovering from the injury.

If Rafa’s camp thinks he can go on tear then they may get the calculation wrong. Roger may be a given for Rafa on big matches, but both Novak and Murray may hunt him down on HC. He may most likely face one of them in USO, which without much match preparation could prove costly for him Though Rafa does not depend on prep tournaments to peak for the slams, he may just need few matches of practice before the big ones.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:04 am

This is just terrible piece of news to come across. I am not exactly sure what is exactly Nadal’s ailment as his camp is yet to come clear on that. But it is evident that he has some major problems. Now I am not even sure he will participate in the US Open. That is a big blow to Tennis. Without Nadal, the competition loses its edge and I hope to see him back in perfect condition soon. All the best to Nadal and his fans.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:07 am

Nirmal,

Roger may be a given for Rafa on big matches

This is too much to swallow. Common, Roger has beat Nadal in two Wimbledon finals and twice at the World Tour finals. He lost to him in 2008 Wimbledon by the thinnest of margin and yet you say this ?

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:12 am

Is he deliberately skipping these events to take more rest so that he can go on a tear in the later season or he is still recovering from the injury.
—
Imjured. No more explanation. Now go back to your cave.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:12 am

Why 2014 ? Is he not going to play in 2013 too ??

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:13 am

Not predicting gloom to Rafa fans, but I had a feeling Nadal’s last years won’t be nice. He probably will not be one of those players who decided to retire, but injury will have a huge impact when it comes.
If we think he has major injuries that prevent him from competing in Wimby 2009, Olympics 2012. That match against Ferrer in AO 2010, He hardly can sustain 2 years without ailments this days, and he is still 26.

One thing is certain, he will get back, and win more, but eventually, this ciclos will end. It’s a pitty and hope he can play some more. Both Federer and Djoko’s legacy needs him around specially for this year to end with a bang in 3 man race.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:22 am

The Muray Vs Novak (blockbuster). It is very difficult to predict the winner since both are playing very well. Most of the commentators and critics have given the edge to Murray to win this one. But let me go against it and predict Novak to win this one in tough three sets.

As regards the Roger Vs Del Potro match, I would give 75:25 in favour of Roger considering that it is a tough match-up for Potro and what they are playing in on Grass where Roger is the eternal KING. But an upset is possible if Roger has one of his worst days in Office.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:33 am

The Muray Vs Novak (blockbuster). It is very difficult to predict the winner since both are playing very well. Most of the commentators and critics have given the edge to Murray to win this one. But let me go against it and predict Novak to win this one in tough three sets.

As regards the Roger Vs Del Potro match, I would give 75:25 in favour of Roger considering that it is a tough match-up for Potro and what they are playing in on Grass where Roger is the eternal KING. But an upset is possible if Roger has one of his worst days in Office.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:33 am

Canada Open alternates between Montreal and Toronto. Next year it’ll be in Montreal so Nadal won’t be back in Toronto until 2014. The custom is to apologize to the fans of the town, after all.

August 3rd, 2012 at 12:44 am

Picture says more then a thousand words.
He is chilling and relaxing.

He is just not fit to play tennis matches at his required level. He is just not up to par with the other 3 maybe even with the othe 7/8 top players.

I think we will see him play at the Asian swing. Dave already said something like that.Last year Murray had his way over there for the absence of Roger and Djoker. Nadal is catching big money an he will secure (he thinks) there his top 4 status.

There is nothing wrong with Nadal. Just not in shape unfit. No injury what so ever but lack of training.
He knows he doesnot stand a chance so he gamble on the asian swing and the run in the yearend. Made 1 fianl maybe another one

August 3rd, 2012 at 1:52 am

@Jane i don’y agree. the concept of pts tp defend i ssomewhat illusory. at the end of the year all the pts are added up then we see who is ranked where. the top 3 are pretty even at this pt. each has a major. Fed has 2 masters. Nadal and Djoko have 1. #1 is up for grabs. pts are at a premium right now. By Nadal forgoing the olympics and now Canada there is less and less chance that he can be year end #1.

August 3rd, 2012 at 2:01 am

Michael,

Yeah. I do not see Roger beating Rafa anymore on GS. In 3-setters, yes it may happen. Bot not in a 5-setter. At Wim 2008, it was Rafa’s bad that he let Roger get into the match. It should have been done and dusted in 3-sets.

August 3rd, 2012 at 3:35 am

I just get a feeling, Rafa by taking these few months off might extend his career by another 2 years. He compensated greatly when he lost few weeks in 2009. He had a fantastic 3 seasons. Maybe this is a break he needs before he goes on another tear. Let’s see.

August 3rd, 2012 at 3:38 am

Extract (by Magnus Norman – ex-Swedish tennis player) from the book ‘TENNIS: OFF THE RECORD’ by Norman Pearlstine, published on 10 September, 2005

Bit of a long post, but worth a read about why players skip tournaments.

“In the spring of 2003, panic begins to spread at the ATP headquarter in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Within a short time they have received seven reports of doped tennis players.
The reports stems from the Swedish company International Doping Tests and Management (IDTM), which for approximately one year has been taking care of testing for doping of tennisplayers under ATP. One of the doped players is ‘sentenced’ (Bohdan Ulihrach), but is later aquitted of the charges and the six other cases/charges are laid to rest. One year later another player (Greg Rusedski) is aquitted of charges for using doping.

We have dug up what appears to be not only the greatest doping scandal within tennis, but also one of the greatest in the history of sports” /…/

Agassi:

“The American Andre Agassi is only one of many top-stars who have been mentioned often as part of the gossip surrounding the possible use of doping, in spite of that he is one of the players on the tour who have been tested most often. The reason for this gossip is the fact that he is able to transform himself within a month from being slightly overweight and weak into becoming trimmed and strong.

These stretches of recuperation and build-up he often spends in his hometown of Las Vegas, and when it’s time for a comeback on the tour, he simply amazes competitors, doctors, physiotherapists and masseurs as he suddenly appears stronger than ever. This was the case prior to the AO in 2002. AA showed topform when he played at the warm-up tournament at the Kooyong stadium, and was favoured as one the most probable to win the AO tournament the way he had won it 3 times earlier.

However, only a few hours before the start of the AO competition in Melbourne, the American skipped the tournament and no sooner was there talk about that his own medical staff had been taking tests that showed that the American would not have been able to pass a doping test.

A number of tennis’ great players have to live with the same accusations. If they have been away from the tour for say 6 months, then speculations begin to skirmish. If the player afterwards can’t prove that he actually underwent surgery or in any other way can’t convince the surroundings of his actual illness, then the accusations will be left standing that he has been put on suspension in secrecy (for doping that is) or that he has chosen not to play in order to wait for the final results.” /…/

ATP:

“In the summer of 2003 all the normal routines are suddenly broken.
The questioning of players and witnesses is rapidly pushed aside in the Tribunal which has otherwise used to conduct lengthy cross-examinations. The primary aim this time is to get to a quick finish of the examinations about the doping cases.
The seven positive doping tests are submitted in the time period betwéen August 2002 and May 2003. Normally these matters would have been treated and finished off in the period from between August 2003 and ending May 2004. But already the at the 16. of June 2003, ATP accepts the theory that it happened to be the organisation’s own personnel who was the cause of the positive doping tests. This would apparently have happened by distributing vitamins and other products to the players which during the production had been contaminated with a forbidden substance that caused the Nandrolone doping.

ATP supports it’s finding by the fact that in the contents of further 36 doping tests they have found the presence of Nandrolone at a level just under the allowed limit of 2.0 nanogram per mililiter, and claim that it would be impossible for so many players to have consciously placed themselves in a position where they risked to be suspended or relegated from play. This theory is put forward and accepted just 5 weeks after the start of the investigation and this in spite of that there was no sure evidence in favour of it.
However, the misery does not stop there. At the same time it is decided that these actions (leading to a possible doping suspension) are not to be investigated at a later time. This is a very remarkable decision, which also, as shown later, shall prove to be most unfortunate.

The theory proposed by the ATP is evidently wrong. All of the remaining tablets and drinks that have been suspected of containing doping are subsequently analysed.
Not one of these remaining items show up to be contaminated.
But this finding comes to late as the ATP have already decided to close and bury the case.” /…/

Argentinians:

“The Argentinian, Guillermo Coria, gets away with 7 months of suspension in 2002 after he tested positive for taking anabolic steroids. ATP gave the explanation then that the low penalty was due to that the Argentinian lacked school education and therfore could not get aquainted with the information about what the tablets contained. The supension stopped Coria from any participation in the ATP and Gran Slam tournaments as well as any display matches. Coria and his counselors ought to have been more than happy with the verdict as he was allowed to return to the tennis circuit 17 months earlier than if he had received a normal full suspension verdict of two years.

But the fast and technical Argentinian was not satisfied with this. He wanted to provoke. During the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires where he would normally have been of the major stars, he played an exhibition game in front of a full crowd in the stadium. The match was not arranged by some devious and less caring persons, but by people who run the ATP tournament in Buenos Aires. ATP got news about the break of his suspension but saw no necessity for fining either him nor the arrangers.

A number of players contacted the ATP boss, Mark Miles, who however declined to interveen. This signals that he obviously thinks that suspended players should have the right to play exhibition matches even though the rules says otherwise.
Two years before Coria’s suspension, his countryman, Juan Ignacio Chela, got caught. But he evaded penalty even easier. During questioning he said that he thought that what later showed up to be anabolic steroids happened to be normal vitamin pills – and the ATP bought that explanation. This meant that Chela could return to the game after only 3 months of suspension

Chela and Coria got company during 2003 on the list of doping-suspended Argentinians. The person was Mariano Puerta, who gave a positive test during the ATP tournament in Vina del Mar, Chile, containing the prohibited substance, Clenbuterol, an astmatic medicine – used to treat horses normally.
[Mariano Puerta got his suspension reduced to 6 months because he was a family provider. When Roger Federer watched Puerta playing on TV during the French Open, he shook his head and said: "It stinks of horseshit"]

The South American trio has one common denominator: they are all treated by the same doctors.
But no one can prove that this factor is the cause of the positive doping tests.” /…/

Canas:

“It is by no means desirable that tennis ends up in the same position as athletics, where a number of arrangers have barred
sprinter-queen Marion Jones. after it’s been rumoured that she has been doped. If the tennis world had acted in the same fashion, then, e.g., the Argentinian Guillermo Canas would have stood out with his absence from the tour for many years, despite the fact that he only in February of 2005 got caught with a positive doping test during the ATP-tournament in Acapulco.

Canas is – by the way – another example of the extra-ordinary long case handling time for doping cases in tennis. In spite of having given a positive test after the QF loss against Rafael Nadal, he was allowed to play on as if nothing had happened. He played another 9 tournaments after Acapulco, reached, e.g., the SF in Miami, QF at FO, SF in Halle and had reached the spot of no. 8 in the worldranking for 2005. Then he suddenly withdrew from Wimbledon and a few days later he admitted to his own guilt, even though he blurred his testimony by saying he had a victim of allergy.

Canas was caught with the substance hydrochlorothiazide (hct), which is a forbidden diuretic compound that is used to cover up for the use of anabolic steroids. Earlier on he American doubles specialist, Oliver Graydon, has been measured with to high levels of diuretic substances in the blood/urine.

Graydon, who played for the Swedish team Sandareds TK and used to be the boyfriend of Swedish athletics star, Jenny Kallur, got away with 2 months suspension, as the levels measured in his test were only marginally higher than the allowed limit.

In the case of Canas, the levels were more significant.
His test, which was submitted 21. of February and carries the number 384347, was analysed on the 9. of March. It was concluded that the limits for the substance was clearly overstepped.

During the investigation of the case, information pertaining to the above mentioned case from two years earlier (where 36 players had levels just below the acceptable level) of high – but still legal – levels of Nandrolone surfaces, and – not surprisingly – it’s revealed that Canas was one those 36 players.

August 8 this year, Canas is sentenced to a two year suspension, and thereby he becomes the first well-known tennisplayer in history who is not given a significant reduction of suspension. His sentence is declared only a few weeks after we (the authors) have told ATP of our intention to reveal the truth about the doping policy of the organisation.”/…/

ATP:

“The fact that this way of looking at things is not shared by the ATP leadership is not surprising. But the reaction from the headquarter of the organisation is still very remarkable, when it’s known that we (the authors) are undertaking an investigation of the cover-up about doping and that we also wants to investigate the overall doping policy of ATP.

The chief of the communications department of ATP sends out an e-mail to all ATP employees with strict instructions as to not answer any of our questions about doping.

It is David Higdorn who sends out the e-mail. Higdon has the title of vice-president in communications and according to the mail, only he can answer our questions

These orders are not followed by all employees, but none of them wishes be cited. On the contrary, they express fear of being fired if they openly talk about their private thoughts regarding the way ATP handles it’s doping policy.

“It’s a way of scaring us into silence and this is not the first time it’s happening. This is a very typical American way of running a company”, says one of the employees, who won’t let himself be interviewed after having read the e-mail from Higdon. So it’s up to Higdon to answer our questions.

Why has ATP not signed the Wada-code?
- There are certain minor items in the way of our signing.

What are these items?
- Mostly the unannounced tests. It is more difficult for tennisplayers than for others athletes to tell exactly where they’ll be at different times. If a player is knocked out in the first round in a tournament, he might leave town.

Why do you think there has been such a rise in cases of doping in tennis since 2003?
– Where do you have any proof of that?

You can find it in the information on your homepage.
– It’s still wrong to claim there has been an increase. There has been a number of minor cases, but overall it’s wrong to conclude that there has been more instances.

Is doping a big problem in tennis?
– Doping is a potential problem in all sports, but in the tennis sport we have the toughest control program of all and every player know of the risks of being caught.

Why do you have shorter suspension periods than other sports?
– It’s not decided by the ATP as such, but by an independent tribunal.

But it’s still supervised by you?
– That’s correct.

So there is a connection there?
– To insinuate anything the like by that statement is to bring into doubt the credibility of the tribunal.” /…/

Jonas Arnesen
SvD:s tennisexpert
Patrik Cederlund
Tennisjournalist
Magnus Norman
Previous tennis star

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:34 am

*about why SOME players MIGHT skip tournaments.

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:45 am

Get well soon Rafa. Can’t wait for you to start kicking @SS again. Take all the time out you need to come back 110%!!

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:57 am

Agnostic
Thanks for your insight. You are a person who keeps his/her eyes open.

August 3rd, 2012 at 5:18 am

Rest up Rafa,and only come back when you are 100 percent ready,your health is the most important thing tennis can wait,vamos Rafa.

August 3rd, 2012 at 6:48 am

Nims,

Yeah. I do not see Roger beating Rafa anymore on GS

If a Rosol can beat Nadal at a Major why not Roger ??

August 3rd, 2012 at 6:57 am

^Because Nadal owns Roger!! Simple!

August 3rd, 2012 at 7:14 am

Mark,

Taking out Clay from our calculation, the H2H is 8-6 in Roger’s favour and still you say Nadal owns Roger ??

August 3rd, 2012 at 7:33 am

^Why would you want to take out clay from the equation? Last time I checked, it is a legitimate playing surface.

August 3rd, 2012 at 7:49 am

Michael, There are few reasons why Roger cannot beat Rafa

1) Roger does not have the power of Rasol. That’s the only weapon to beat Rafa on GS.

2) Rasol never had beaten so many times by Rafa like Roger. Mentally he is going to approach the match differently than Roger. For Rasol, it’s nothing to lose.

3) Roger may not meet Rafa in the 2nd round of Wimbledon. That’s where Rafa is more vulnerable, probably till the 4th round. Not sure in the future if they will meet. Once Rafa gets through to second week, it would be almost impossible for Roger to beat Rafa.

Also note, Rosol beat Rafa only once. Let’s see what happens if they can meet again. First meetings are always tricky for top players and Rafa was an injured player.

August 3rd, 2012 at 7:50 am

Rafa, take enough rest to recharge and make a super comeback that will make envious idiots even more desperate to make themselves look like fools.Tennis needs Rafa to play at the highest level for atleast next4-5 years.Good luck.

August 3rd, 2012 at 10:09 am

Nirmal Kumar Says:
3) Roger may not meet Rafa in the 2nd round of Wimbledon. That’s where Rafa is more vulnerable, probably till the 4th round. Not sure in the future if they will meet. Once Rafa gets through to second week, it would be almost impossible for Roger to beat Rafa.

Maybe this will be sooner then you think.
Top16 meet in 4th round.

Rafa is unlikely to defend Garros when he keeps this going for another 2 months. 2 – 3 months out and Rafa needs almost a year to come back to a level fit to challenge the elite. IF he can do it at all. The decline is very steep.

August 3rd, 2012 at 1:09 pm

Daniel,

eventually every player’s career ends; some sooner than others. that goes without saying. you seem to live in constant fear of nadal. you would just love for him to retire wouldn’t you? then, you wouldn’t have to stay on edge about how close will he get to roger’s accomplishments. that’s what the doom and gloom is all about. you pretend it isn’t, but you are just fronting. you are always mentioning gloom and doom for rafa. if you guys say that no player can threaten roger’s records, why are you so obsessed with what’s going to happen to nadal? if he retires, he retires, if it’s two years from now or two months from now, can you stop it? so, what’s your point?

rafafans are not ones who appear to be in constant worry, it’s the fedfans more than any other group.

August 3rd, 2012 at 1:44 pm

great news. no one except morons will miss his ugly game. good riddance!

August 3rd, 2012 at 2:40 pm

Rest and heal and return when you are hungry and ready to show the pretenders how to play tennis your way. You’re amazing!

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:22 pm

THE GREAT RAFAEL NADAL has won 11 slams with his “ugly game”. The others should try it some time!!

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:25 pm

Yes he has an incredible record despite a style of play that no one should recommend to any friend or relative. It is a virtual guarantee of injury. Nadal is the most extreme case of physically aggressive tennis – a stronger and vastly uglier style of play than say Agassi – who considered himself the ‘punisher’ of his time. Sampras was physically much less strong than Agassi but won more slams because he played more economically; when you punish others you punish yourself too…

Nadal has changed the game with unprecedented spin generation and physicality, but that doesn’t alter the fact that Federer’s game (despite his vulnerability to Nadal on his backhand) is vastly more beautiful, classic and intelligent.. but sometimes brute force overcomes intelligence…

August 3rd, 2012 at 4:41 pm

Out of ALL these many posts, only ONE of you bothers to comment on the most obvious thing to ask?? WHY won’t he be playing until 2014??? That’s TWO YEARS FROM NOW!!! Only one person commented on that, yet the rest of you took no notice! I think a two year breakfr tennis is massively serious! His quote didn’t say he’d be back in 2013, it said not until 2014!!! Isn’t ANYONE else curious about a 2 year absence?

August 3rd, 2012 at 6:12 pm

maureen,

there’s nothing to be curious about?

do you think nadal would announce a two absence this early in the year even if it were in the works? why would he? why would he create a firestorm for his critics and others who lie in wait for something negative to feast on?

personally speaking, i don’t have a habit of analyzing every little thing rafa says or does or any other player. i leave that to others! however, i doubt that he meant 2 year absence from tennis. i suspect that it has to do with the rotating of the tournament from toronto to montreal. i guess we will see soon enough! in the meantime, i’m eagerly awaiting his return, whenever he decides it’s time.

August 3rd, 2012 at 7:19 pm

I wonder if Rafa’s knee prob has to do with his aggressive style of play…he may need get lighter or to modify some aspects of his game to make it easier on his knees…

August 3rd, 2012 at 9:01 pm

Am so sad Rafael, but your health is more

important, you still have years ahead of you.

Take it easy. I will pray for a quick

recovery. All the best. Marie Therese.

August 3rd, 2012 at 11:48 pm

Nirmal,

Not just Rosol. Even Novak/Murray/Tsonga/Gonzalez/Ferrer/Soderling/Del Potro have beat him in the past in majors. Have I missed anything here ?? It is not that he is invincible there except may be Clay courts. Do you mean to say that Roger is an inferior player compared to these players I have mentioned above ? Roger has beaten Nadal twice in the past at Wimbledon. Their major record looks quite a skewed one because many of their meetings have been on Rolland Garros. Outside Clay, it is 8-6 favouring Roger and that is something you should look at closely if you want to analyse their H2H.

August 4th, 2012 at 12:10 am

Mark,

Because Nadal owns Roger!! Simple!

Yes, Nadal owns Roger and other players on Clay. Not so on other Courts outside Clay.

August 4th, 2012 at 12:12 am

Nirmal,

If you take the Hard courts which is the predominant surface in Tennis, Novak has 11-5 edge, Davydenko has 6-1 against Nadal. Does that look impressive for Nadal.

On the other hand, you take Roger, he has a phenomenal record against these players on all courts.

I think this much would clarify the H2H argument that you always keep moaning on.

August 4th, 2012 at 12:16 am

This is all a part of Nadal’s diabolical plan to spook Federer!

August 4th, 2012 at 12:18 am

Michael,

you’re funny, i have heard it all “outside of clay.” you sound “outside reality.”

August 4th, 2012 at 1:10 am

mem,

Because I am a fan of tennis first.

Watched long before Fed came and will long after he is gone.
And Nadal is part of what is happening now, and for the top four to be the fab 4, we need him.

I may not like the root of his game, but always liked greatness and want to see how far can he go in RG for example, 1 loss in 8 years is insane.

And I don;t want his career to finish over injury, or he be forced to retire. We know his style is brutal and eventually every great champion folds. And it is worry, the same way DelPo surgery was worry, the same thing that happen to Kuerten when he was # 1 in 2001 and never came back.

You seem to not be a fan of tennis, but Nadal only and everybody that thinks slight different from you in any way is a treat, specially anyone who appreciate and praise Fed’s game (all tennis community per say).

I will keep worried hoping that nothing serious happen. Because you know what will people say in the future: Oh, but Nadal was forced to retire in an early age, who would know how far he could go if only….
Him not playing can hurt the legacy of both Djoko and Fed. So they all have to be competing as much as they can with one another to elevate their status.
And, after this season where we got to see, Fed x Djoko on grass, Fed x Murray on grass and today Murray x Djoko on grass, guess what is the only match missing: Fedal in US Open!

August 4th, 2012 at 1:27 am

Oh, and this year I went to RG and was able to saw Nadal play live. Same for Fed and Djoko live at last year US Open and Fed in Wimby 2009.
When all is said and done, I can say I saw this great champions in their primes, where they play their best.

August 4th, 2012 at 1:32 am

Mem,
you’re funny, i have heard it all “outside of clay.” you sound “outside reality.”

The reality is Nadal has a negative 1-6 against Davydenko and 5-11 against Novak on hard courts. Roger is 8-6 against Nadal on Courts outside clay. How much you try to spin out otherwise will not cut ice.

August 4th, 2012 at 1:55 am

“You seem to not be a fan of tennis, but Nadal only and everybody that thinks slight different from you in any way is a treat, specially anyone who appreciate and praise Fed’s game (all tennis community per say).”

i am sure mark and mem are related delusionally. they reside very far up rafa’s butt and cannot see reality.

i think rafa should get some pills for his trds too when he gets injured. you know those pills that help him recover miraculously like no on ever did. what is his doc’s name, again? rafatrds need to double their dose during such stressful times so that they dont embarrass us with their display of stupidity in full flight.

August 4th, 2012 at 1:55 am

there is a very good chance rafa will spend the rest of his life in a wheel chair if he keeps playing his ugly one dimensional game. i have never seen him play any other way, so I wonder if he is even capable of playing differently.

August 4th, 2012 at 1:58 am

Recoup not recup.

August 4th, 2012 at 2:33 am

Daniel,

good for you, you are a tennis fan first! i am delighted that you are; i am a tennis fan too!

you are a little confused aren’t you? you are one of those people who constantly preach gloom and doom for nadal. if you so want him around why are you always predicting his end? you say you don’t want him to be forced to retire; well, you could have fooled me. maybe you need to re-read your 12:22 a.m. post.

August 4th, 2012 at 2:33 am

Michael,

like i said, you are too funny! i thought nadal’s overall h2h was 18-10 vs roger and something like 5:6 vs. davydenko.

oh i see! you can take out any stat you want on any surface you want to alter the h2h to favor whomever you want. oooooh, i get it!

maybe i’m missing something, but what does nadal’s h2h vs davydenko have to do with his h2h vs. federer? does it change the results? i’m just a little slow understanding sometimes.

bottom line, i think nadal’s h2h against federer really, really bothers you, but do not agonize, i come bearing good news; just take out the stats you don’t like on whatever surface you choose and adjust them to your liking. that should work!

August 4th, 2012 at 2:51 am

Rafa fans should realize their part in making this gladiator dying now. During matches they keep cheering him up eventhough he is at his limit. Fans should stop praise him for the way he play. Media should stop using that epic word on his match. You kill him. You all kill this guy. It is not epic. It is abuse of man for the sake of his fans pleasure and tv rating…

August 4th, 2012 at 2:59 am

Mem,

i thought nadal’s overall h2h was 18-10 vs roger and something like 5:6 vs. davydenko.

Overall, you are right. But I did mention the H2H excluding Clay. Reason is simple. If Sampras plays against Kuerten on Clay, he will probably lose 10 out of 10 times, but that doesn’t mean Kuerten is Greater than Sampras.

oh i see! you can take out any stat you want on any surface you want to alter the h2h to favor whomever you want. oooooh, i get it

Yeah, it is just a debate. Nadal being the GREATEST on Clay will always have a skewed record against any player because such is his dominance on that particular surface. Therefore, that needs to be taken away when we speak about the most dominant surface in Tennis ie. hard courts.

maybe i’m missing something, but what does nadal’s h2h vs davydenko have to do with his h2h vs. federer? does it change the results?

It tells a lot. You know the H2H of Davydenko against Roger ? it is 16-2 whereas he has a positive record against Nadal. Roger leads Novak on all court surfaces in H2H whereas Nadal trails Novak on other courts except Clay. What this reveals is that in Tennis match-ups play critical part in the H2H.

i think nadal’s h2h against federer really, really bothers you, but do not agonize, i come bearing good news; just take out the stats you don’t like on whatever surface you choose and adjust them to your liking. that should work

Roger need not be bothered about it as he is already heralded as the BEST EVER. What counts at the end of the day is the records you pile up and not H2H.

August 4th, 2012 at 3:02 am

It is getting tougher and tougher for this guy. Opponents now seems to hit harder and harder to beat him. And the fans give full applause when he break his ligament to chase the balls back and forth left right at full speed. Over and over.. You all must be obsessive and sick fans..

August 4th, 2012 at 3:10 am

Mem,

If Nadal is really the player to beat to establish somebody as GOAT, then Nadal should have positive record against everybody in Tennis on all courts. But that is not the case, sadly though for his fans.

August 4th, 2012 at 3:15 am

Roger has a negative h2h against 2 active players.
Although given the circumstances Ker is not considered active I feel (sadly) and he is quickly turning the h2h against Rafa

For did to happen he only needs Rafa to start playing tennis again and reach the final stages of tournements.

Remember Fed is winning 2 out of 3 against Rafa
But Rafa in decline and hitting a slump that will last for months and months it is not likely that he will return to the scen quickly.

In the meantime tennis goes along great without Rafa. The semies were slamlike material.

August 4th, 2012 at 3:58 am

nadal having a better h2h against fed/djokovic is only because those 2 are much better on clay (their weaker surface) than rafa who is inferior to both of them outside clay.

how does rafa end up playing nearly 50% of his matches against these 2 on a surface that they play only 25% of the time? because rafa is one-dimensional when compared federer/djokovic!

except bjorn borg, fed, lendl and agassi, all other french open winners are jokers like gaudio, costa bruguera, muster and other one-dimensional players!

talented players like sampras, connors, mcenroe, becker and edberg never even won FO!

bottom line : clay is for one-dimensional players! any player would have a wimbledon/uso before french open! french open is like the 1500m event in swimming or the 800 metres in track and field. you must be an idiot to want them more badly than the other show-piece events!

but hey, rafatrd logic dictates french open and clay are the greatest things for tennis!

August 4th, 2012 at 4:33 am

Borg is one dimensional player, right kid?

August 4th, 2012 at 10:28 am

If you look at the list of French Open winners, most of them are not high quality players as compared with the Wimbledon champions. Those are the true greats. Nadal is one of them. He has two. Federer is also included. He has seven.

Borg is great but he gave up too soon. I hope Nadal does not become like him. Great but had to leave too soon. I hope his knees get better. I like Federer but Nadal is really good too. In a lighter kind of way. We’ll see where he gets at the end of his career. It could be better than Federer. But now, no. Not quite close really. He still has to pass many better players. Sampras is blocking his way to Federer heights.

August 4th, 2012 at 11:12 am

Polo great post,some of the haters seem to forget Rafa has actually won wimbledon twice,as well as been in 3 other finals,as well as winning the AO and USO each once and been in 2 other finals,therefore actually completing a career GS,and there is only 3 men in history to win more GS,and he is still playing,while i doubt he will reach Federers dizzy heights,regardless of whatever happens next hes had a career to be proud of,what i would like him to do next is win some slams somewhere else other than clay,to even things out,im ready for the haters and TBH,im past caring anymore.

August 4th, 2012 at 1:34 pm

Michael,

excuse me, i didn’t know the atp was in the business of excluding wins on certain surfaces; but since we are excluding surfaces, lets just exclude indoors hardcourts where nadal is 0:4 vs roger. while you are at it, we might as well exclude grass, where rafa is 1:2 vs roger. how is the h2h looking now? you do the math.

btw, you must be a closest rafafan because you are the one who is always worrying. i assure you if you acknowledge the facts you will feel much better and less paranoid.

August 4th, 2012 at 3:39 pm

Mem,
How you can you exclude hard courts when it is the most dominant surface in Tennis ?? I fail to understand your argument ? Like I said and repeat it again if Sampras plays against Kuerten 10 times it would probably be 10 out of 10 for Kuerten. Sampras may be lucky to win a match. Ofcourse, Nadal is not Kuerten. He is a Great player on all surfaces. But he will always have a skewed record in terms of his dominance on Clay. On hard courts however, he is not upto the standards that he sets on Clay courts. Remember he is 11-5 against Novak on hard courts and that is very bad for me. It simply highlights the Nadal’s inferiority to Novak on the most dominant surface.

August 5th, 2012 at 12:24 am

Michael,

your mentality is quite disturbing! you actually believe this stuff you post. no need to pursue it any further, i can see you have a problem! case closed!!!

August 5th, 2012 at 12:45 am

^add me to the “disturbed mem list”. I totally understood Michaels post. It seems more and more of us are having problems and issues according to the world of “mem”.

August 5th, 2012 at 1:27 am

skeezer,

why aren’t i not surprised! birds of a feather do flock together! they also exhibit the same mentality.

August 5th, 2012 at 1:52 am

Michael your right the H2H argument is such BS,lets just say that Rafas a genius on clay,and an absolute pile of GARBAGE,on every other surface besides,the sensible amongst us realize this and except this,as its the only way to exsist peacefully,Novak will more than likely surpass Rafa in GS anyway one day,so what in the grand sceme of things does it really matter that much.

August 5th, 2012 at 6:58 am

Michael,
your mentality is quite disturbing! you actually believe this stuff you post. no need to pursue it any further

It is not believing. It is a fact. Nadal is 5-11 against Novak on hard courts and 1-6 against Davydenko. If Nadal is so dominant on all surfaces like he is on Clay, he will not have such kind of a bad record against these players.

August 5th, 2012 at 7:45 am

Alison,
our right the H2H argument is such BS,lets just say that Rafas a genius on clay,and an absolute pile of GARBAGE,on every other surface besides,the sensible amongst us realize this and except this,as its the only way to exsist peacefully

I see your posting loaded with sarcasm. It is not just the way I put it. I have said that Nadal is an all court player with mastery on red Clay (not blue ones where he has a problem). I have never said that he is a pile of garbage on other surfaces as you put it. In view of his dominance on Clay where he is rightly called the GREATEST, he will for sure to have skewed record against the other top players. The problem is the likes of Roger and Novak are consistent on all Courts including Clay while Nadal during the prime years of Roger was not so consistent on other surfaces as he is now.

August 5th, 2012 at 7:50 am

Michael Novak is more dominant on hard courts granted, but has yet to win the FO,Nadal has won wimbledon twice and been in 3 other finals,Novaks been in 1 wimbledon final only but won that granted,so you could say Novaks only a hard court player, yes granted it is the most dominant surface in the tennis calendar,but i would not say that means hes an all surface player,consistent on all surfaces i mean come on the guy lost in the semis at wimbledon,and the final at RG,ill leave Roger out of the discussion though case closed nothing to prove there,i know Novaks your second favorite player,who will most likely end up as the second best player in this era,and im not a hater,but that argument sounds a liitle biased IMO,btw sorry for the sarcasm,if thats the way it came across ,Novak and Roger are both amazing players be proud of them both.

August 5th, 2012 at 8:20 am

Alison,

I am sure still the import of my statement has not sunk in on you !? I never mentioned anywhere that Nadal is just a Clay court wonder. What all I said is that Nadal’s prowess on Clay Courts is out of the World where he is rightly heralded as the GREATEST. This doesn’t mean he cannot play on other courts. He has good records on other courts but those pale in comparison when compared to his pile-ups on clay. Out of the 50 tournaments that he won, about 37 would be on Clay. This clearly shows his dominance on this surface. Ofcourse he has good records at Wimbledon where he has made 5 finals. But if you take the US and Australian, you will notice that he made just two finals there and during the prime years of Roger, he made just one final at the Australian Open and none at the US Open. So he did not give many chances to players like Roger in their twilight years. Whereas Roger was more consistent on Clay where he was without interruption reaching the French finals and other clay court master tournament finals which was not the case with Nadal. That is one of the main reason for this skewed record.

August 6th, 2012 at 6:21 am

Don’t finght for Roger or Rafa.
both are great players.

Regarding head to head.

On Clay(Rogers weak surface) rafa is best thats why he has better record.
On indoor(rafa’s weak surface) roger has good record agaist Rafa.
If you exclude Clay then you have to exclude Indoor too.

Consistency wise Roger far better player than Rafa.

At the end both are great players

August 6th, 2012 at 3:45 pm

Michael ok point taken.

August 7th, 2012 at 6:00 pm