Welcome back KING! #StayHealthy

January 15th, 2013 at 4:02 pm

Indoor? Clay? Blue?

January 15th, 2013 at 4:29 pm

News reader:
Good news for Nadal fans! Nadal’s return to the court will be Abu Dhabi… No, wait… Sorry, it will be the Qatar Open. Hang on, sorry, er no… It will be the Australian Open! Yay!… What? Now it’s Acapulco? Ok, great… Oh, for f’s sake, you mean to say now it’s changed again? To where? The Brazil Open you say?
Sorry viewers, I’ll believe it when he’s actually on a court

January 15th, 2013 at 4:30 pm

Joer! Pa’ alante Rafa!

January 15th, 2013 at 8:56 pm

In my opinion, Nadal is doing the right thing and has put the right foot. He has made the right calculation and has aptly re-started his career after a lull in a clay court tournament, his area of strength. He will spill over this regained confidence to other courts as well in future. I wish all the best to Nadal and his fans.

January 15th, 2013 at 11:50 pm

I must admit im with JC on this one,and i say this as a fan of his,hes returning in this tourney,no hes returning at that tourney,too much speculation,and a discussion thats been beaten to death that many times,its all getting rather tiresome now,ill believe it when i see him on tennis court,to be quite honest im beyond caring anymore,just play Rafa enough with all this BS.

January 16th, 2013 at 4:57 am

^^ I must say you agree with posters at the risk of sounding anti-Rafa!!!

January 16th, 2013 at 5:23 am

Sorry Giles if it comes across that way,to make it clear,im a die hard Rafa fan,and that wont change anytime soon,but im tired of all the speculation,means as fans its hard to know what to think anymore,returning not returning,when all i want is too see him play,then and only then ill be happy.

January 16th, 2013 at 5:41 am

alison. I admit these have been extremely frustrating times for all Rafa fans, not excluding the media, who just want to see him competing again. But we must not lose sight of his recent woes. Whether the rest of the world believe him or not that is their prerogative. The man loves tennis and is one of the greatest competitors out there. Does anybody really believe he is enjoying being away from the sport he has been playing since he was 3? More fool them! At the end of the day Rafa will do what is best for him and his body and I think his return to competition on his beloved clay is the perfect scenario. #VamosKing

January 16th, 2013 at 6:10 am

Giles nothing more to say really other than great post,totally agree.

January 16th, 2013 at 6:24 am

Alison, Giles

Not only Rafans. But every Tennis lover is eagerly expecting his return to the court to provide the necessary spark. It is only in his absence, we realize his significance and it is a big vacuum really out there. Players such as Roger, Nadal are generational players and they come once in a while. It must be sometime before we see likes of them again on court or perhaps we may not be privileged to see such Champions never again. All that we can do is enjoy while they are playing and Nadal is eager and daring to return. He has made the right decision to open on his favourite clay courts. May be, he will take sometime to settle and after that we can see the usual Nadal sprinting on court like he is running a 100 meters run.

January 16th, 2013 at 7:41 am

Hey Giles/Alison
Not anti-rafa, just anti-hum durgeon & ‘boy-who-cried-wolf sydrome’ from any player. I wish him well on the road to recovery

January 16th, 2013 at 7:52 am

Michael. Cheers!

January 16th, 2013 at 7:57 am

JC no problem honestly.
Michael yeah thankyou, but TBH im tired of speculating.

January 16th, 2013 at 9:21 am

alison Says:

Sorry Giles if it comes across that way,to make it clear,im a die hard Rafa fan,and that wont change anytime soon,but im tired of all the speculation,means as fans its hard to know what to think anymore,returning not returning,when all i want is too see him play,then and only then ill be happy.

January 16th, 2013 at 5:41 am

Gee thanks for letting us know: it’s all about YOUR pleasure, Rafa’s health status be damned…..

With fans like these, does Rafa need haters?

January 16th, 2013 at 9:28 am

It must be frustrating for Rafa’s fans. I have a family member who is devastated by this delay and is chomping at the bit for his return. I am sure he’ll be back when he says. But I wish he’d keep his hair longer! :)

January 16th, 2013 at 9:30 am

Nadalista dont get me wrong im as frustrated as the next person with the absence of Rafa,but im even more frustrated with all this speculation,i just want to see him back playing,obviously when he is fit and healthy and not before,the waiting i dont mind,the speculation is whats annoying.

January 16th, 2013 at 9:54 am

Jane nah shorts much better,like Nando with his hair like it is though must say.

January 16th, 2013 at 9:56 am

^ I have always liked the older Rafa look – sleeveless, longer hair, even the pirate pants; it set him apart as a renegade. :)

January 16th, 2013 at 10:04 am

Jane yeah i did like the pirate shorts and the sleeveless shirts,but i like the shorter hair,but that said it did set him apart from the rest,no doubt about it.

January 16th, 2013 at 10:25 am

Nadalista, what are you the Nadal fan base police?

January 16th, 2013 at 10:50 am

While i dont doubt Rafas injuries,over the last few months,i think his fans have stomached enough negativity to last a lifetime,and its for that reason im just waiting to see him play,im not a fan whos expecting miracles,and immediate sucess,or is arrogant enough to expect their fav to win everything,just to see him play will do for starters,then he can build on from that,wherever or whenever.

January 16th, 2013 at 1:15 pm

^Sorry injuries or illnesses.^

January 16th, 2013 at 1:18 pm

I dont care what u guys say, I just miss Rafa and I want him back on court ASAP

January 16th, 2013 at 1:21 pm

Did I say I love him too :)

January 16th, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Minor breaking story: Rafa is set to also play at Vina Del Mar from the 4/2/13. This shall be his comeback tourny.

So his comeback schedule looks like:

1- 4/2/13: Vina Del Mar (Chile) (250 pt tourny on clay)

2- 11/2/13: Brasil Open (Brzail) (250 pt tourny on indoor clay)

WEEKS REST

3- Acapulco (Mexico) (500 pt tourny on clay)

Few quick thoughts:

- First and foremost it’s excellent news for his fan since it indicates he is well, eager to return and we shall see him sooner than initially thought.
- Good news for rafa’s fans in South America and the latin tennis community in general that such a tennis icon shall be playing his trade in their region.
- Smart move: Taking one step at a time on his return by starting with a couple 250 pt tournies, then a 500 pt one before going into a MS event and so forth.

It’s good for rafa to return on the surface that he learnt his tennis on and built his reputation from.

PS: Considering he’ll be playing 3/4 weeks of tennis, I believe he’ll either skip one or maybe both of the IW/ Miami HC swing in the states.

IMO, i think he should skip one of them maybe both.

January 16th, 2013 at 1:43 pm

Thanks for the info Brando.

January 16th, 2013 at 1:59 pm

April 2013? That is quite along time to be out when he was going to play AO ( Jan 2013 ) but pulled out with a Tummy Ache. Oh well…..

As his fans say, “he’ll play when he is ready to play, and we love him for that”.

Too bad there is not a time limit off the court as well…..wait…he has not been that great at time limits…..

January 16th, 2013 at 2:08 pm

Brando’s dates are posted European style.
4/2/13 = 4th of February 2013 = 2/4/13
11/2/13 = 11th of February 2013 = 2/11/13

Does it really make sense that he’s starting in April then his next tournament is in November? C’mon…

But what a surprise, Nadal is playing the South American clay swing. I doubt we’ll see him on hard courts for a long, long time.

January 16th, 2013 at 2:50 pm

Brando. Vina Del Mar has not been confirmed.

January 16th, 2013 at 2:57 pm

@Alison:

Your welcome.

January 16th, 2013 at 3:09 pm

@Skeezer:

Ben’s correct as to how i posted the dates.

Did not know it worked in a different way in the States.

Interesting little difference that is was unaware of.

January 16th, 2013 at 3:12 pm

Brando im done now on the subject,its a discussion now thats going around in circles.

January 16th, 2013 at 3:12 pm

@Ben:

‘ I doubt we’ll see him on hard courts for a long, long time.’

Me too. I highly doubt he’ll play both IW and MI. More than likely he’ll skip one of them if not both.

IMO, he would wise to skip the HC swing at this early stage of his return.

He’ll certainly (if fit) play the US HC swing post Wimby though i would imagine.

January 16th, 2013 at 3:14 pm

@Giles:

His agent said that they were negotiating his turning up there and playing a while back.

Today some websites have actually said that it’s a done deal pretty much.

I’ll find a good link for you if i can, reporting this.

IMO it would be a wise move if he did play. I think he will do so.

January 16th, 2013 at 3:17 pm

Yeah Brando, we like to do things backwards in the States so we mark dates Month/Day/Year instead of the more sensible and chronologically ordered Day/Month/Year.

January 16th, 2013 at 4:01 pm

Tx Ben and Brando,

Thought those dates were odd. Still, Febuary is a long time since Dec 30. As far as him only playing only Clay, this tennis fan is not holding my breath. I’ve learned to believe it when I sees it with his camp. Who knows, he could be back on HC (maybe part of the HC summer leading into and playing USO). It is actually the Clay swing into Wimby that has been his past issues, and one could question his Wimby participation this year. He goes b@lls to the wall most every Clay season, his homey surface, and Wimby is right after. One thing is for sure, it looks like he is going to manage his schedule according to what his body suits him, and that is not a bad thing.
……oh and anoder ting, give up the doubs Rafa! Bada Bing!

January 16th, 2013 at 5:33 pm

Brando ” I highly doubt he’ll play both IW and MI. More than likely he’ll skip one of them if not both.” – Aren’t Masters Tournaments mandatory? I believe he can skip one but is two okay? I don’t actually know the rule in this case, so I am just asking because I am curious. Or perhaps is Rafa far enough along so he gets that extra leniency in his scheduling? Or maybe you’re saying he’ll just take the penalty/fine/whatever for missing?

January 16th, 2013 at 10:04 pm

Alison, I am not asking you to speculate but only be pragmatic based on Nadal’s past records. He has done it in 2010, so it should be possible in 2013 tells my gut sense although some of the positives are not in Nadal’s favour like he had in 2010. This is not to shatter your confidence but to tell the reality. First of all, he is ageing which might go against him. Second, he has to face a rejunevated, irrepressible and extremely confident Novak with Andy also joining the league by virtue of his victory at the US Open which should have given him tremendous confidence approaching slam events. Not that Nadal has not beaten them. He has done so in the past and he well might do it again. But he will be encountering a refined version of these players who would be bolstered with confidence from some of their recent wins. All said and done, though Nadal’s path is not rosy, yet he has the wherewithal to move ahead.

January 17th, 2013 at 4:12 am

Michael thats exactly my point,im not going to jump for joy or get excited about this so called amazing season he may or may not have when the guys not played for months,only for it all to back fire if things go pear shaped,its not 2010 its 2013 Rafas 3 years older now,over the past few months he and his fans have had to stomach that much negativity,not that i mind objective critisism,but some of the comments between fellow posters about their favorites have been boderline sick,much more like that and its hardly worth been here for Rafa fans,and i for one wont be if it gets like that again,one things for sure the scales will tip one way or the other and i dont know which time will tell,nothing lasts forever anyway and Rafas had a career most players would kill for,hes along side Borg and Laver on slams won,hes an all time great,and theres only 3 players with more,hes done just about everything there is to do in tennis terms,surely 11 GS is enough even if he were to retire tomorrow?

January 17th, 2013 at 5:31 am

^BTW said it before but i hope for an open and well contested season,with the GS been shared out,and hopefully that will be the case this season as it were the last one,not with just anyone player dominating the year,competition is whats great for the sport not domination well IMO anyway.^

January 17th, 2013 at 6:02 am

I have noticed lately that there doesnt seem to be many Rafa fans left on this forum,the bulk tend to be Novak and Roger fans now,just myself(well for the time being)Brando,Giles and that seems to be it really,Kimberly not much these days,Mark,Mem seem to have dissapeared,and whatever peoples feelings are about them they are still very passionate about Rafa,maybe they all got so fed up with the negativity their favorite has to stomach that they decided its not worth the bother of been here anymore,just a thought.

January 17th, 2013 at 6:42 am

^ Once Rafa ( hopefully) will start winning some tourneys I am sure we will see many more Rafa fans on this forum. Wait and see!! And of course the haters as well!

January 17th, 2013 at 7:34 am

@alison Fear not, when our guy is back I’ll be back too and for sure the passion is still there. I even think Rafa understands more now than ever before how important he is to the game..it’s just not the same without him. Let’s be optimistic and remember that he is one of a kind and if anyone can have a truly historic comeback, it’s Rafa Nadal. See you in 4 weeks!

January 17th, 2013 at 7:37 am

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1910017&l=a65bcad78c&id=148883365132821. Brando. Vina del Mar confirmed today! #VamosRafa

January 17th, 2013 at 10:50 am

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BA0vb-gCIAAQBGq.jpg like the new haircut!

January 17th, 2013 at 11:32 am

Giles nice haircut,hes a very handsome guy.

January 17th, 2013 at 5:30 pm