To Rest His Knees, Rafael Nadal Might Not Play Indian Wells

Despite the tournament not hosting competitive players, Rafa’s win should be really morale boosting for him especially considering the way he annihilated Nalbandian, one of the most talented players in the circuit but whose best years are behind him. Yet the scoreline suggests that Nadal had an easy time and this should be quite encouraging for him. But the bad news is that Nadal is not yet ready to play the hard court tournaments due to his bad knees and this should be discomfiting for him, his team as well as his fans. I hope he plays Indian Wells and Miami where he has always excelled, but I am not sure if he will play.

February 17th, 2013 at 11:29 pm

Good to have Rafa back and I hope his knees allow him to return to his aggressive style of play…. But…

He’s starting to look a little too much like Mary Carillo

February 17th, 2013 at 11:34 pm

I do hope Rafa plays Indian Wells and skips Miami. Larry Ellison (the tourney owner) is a Rafa fan boy. Rafa was invited and stayed at his house last year during the tournament.
Rafa has won 2 titles at Indian Wells but has never quite managed to win Miami inspite of reaching two or three finals.
At the end of the day Rafa will do what’s best for him.

February 18th, 2013 at 4:04 am

Giles, If I am not mistaken, Rafa has indeed won Miami. He beat Roger there in five sets in 2005. Correct me if I am wrong.

February 18th, 2013 at 7:06 am

Michael. I wish you were right but sadly no. Fed came back from two sets to love down to beat Rafa! #Painful

February 18th, 2013 at 7:52 am

Giles Miami,Cincy and Shanghai are the only masters 1000s that Rafas never won to the best of my knowledge.

February 18th, 2013 at 8:06 am

Rafa has never won miami [slowest hardcourt masters, so it is very strange. lost finals in 2005,08, 2011]

he has also never won cincinnati. [fastest outdoor hardcourts, even faster than USO. rafa has never even made a final here, but understandable, he is far from the best on faster courts]

Everything so far points to a career-ending phase for rafa. no surprises if he quits pro-tennis in next 2 years. A lot will depend on the FO this year. If djokovic nails him there, which I think he will, it is good-bye and long kiss good-night!

February 18th, 2013 at 9:18 am

It is my pleasure to update you everyday about my knee. You never know what you will get, keeps up the drama.

February 18th, 2013 at 9:26 am

But he’s still playing the exho…

February 18th, 2013 at 9:47 am

You should join the kardashians for a reality show.

February 18th, 2013 at 9:49 am

Giles, Yeah you are right. I confused the scoreline with Rome Masters. It is a surprise Nadal has not won Miami which has a hard court which suits his style of play. I think he also came very close against Novak in 2011 where he served at an awful 25% first serves in the match but still gave Novak a never ending duel. That is the way it goes sometimes in Tennis. You cannot help it.

February 18th, 2013 at 10:47 am

Alison, You can also include the Parrys Masters in the list. And the most important trophy that is missing in Nadal’s cabinet is the World Tour Finals.

February 18th, 2013 at 10:49 am

The Exo in MSG is ONE no pressure match for which Rafa earns a cool $1.5m. Should be fun!

February 18th, 2013 at 11:06 am

I don’t get injured before or during Exos. so the sponsors need not worry.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:15 am

On the one hand, I think it’s good for Rafa to skip hard courts to prevent further damage to his knees. On the other hand, I hate seeing Rafa play only clay tournaments which we know he’ll clean up on (assuming he doesn’t play Zeballos in the final). Where’s the challenge?

February 18th, 2013 at 11:18 am

You should join the kardashians for a reality show.
—
Xisca won’t be happy with me hanging out with trashy girls, sorry.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:23 am

HR. Trashy girls – definitely not your style! You are far too classy!

February 18th, 2013 at 11:38 am

Smart move IMO- IF he does skip IW and MI.

Until he does so, for now it’s speculation for the time being- and we all know it could turn out to be false.

When i ask myself what benefit rafa could draw from playing IW and MI the answer usually is close to nothing.

Can he realistically win either one? NO.

Can he possibly go beyond the SF in either one? NO.

Can it help him for the clay season and FO? Realistically, NO.

Is back to back HC MS bad news for his knees? YES.

Quite frankly speaking he has NOTHING to gain from playing the American swing- ONLY harm can be done to him here, unfortunately.

IMHO he should skip both events.

He’ll be better off resting, practising, sticking to clay events until the FO.

Post FO i think provided his health is there, he shall be ready to take on the competition and perform well as he would really be back in the swing of things in terms of matches, form, confidence etc.

Skip IW and Miami rafa- that’s what i hope you do!

February 18th, 2013 at 11:46 am

Nadal’s 2013 schedule for the upcoming months:

Abierto Mexicano Telcel
U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships
Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters
Barcelona Open BancSabadell
Mutua Madrid Open
Internazionali BNL d’Italia
French Open
Gerry Weber Open
The Championships, Wimbledon
MercedesCup
Bet-At-Home Open German Tennis Championships
ATP Vegeta Croatia Open Umag
Kitzbühel bet-at-home Cup

You heard it here first.

He will only play on clay and grass from now on.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:52 am

Indeed, Brando, Nadal should skip that hc tournaments and prepare for the european clay season and target especially Roland Garros.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:52 am

Nadal’s **alignment** looks good in a few month’s time. Will it be enough to win Roland Garros for an eighth time? We’ll see.

February 18th, 2013 at 12:00 pm

If Rafa doesn’t play IW I can’t see him playing Miami. As Brando says I hope he skips both.

February 18th, 2013 at 12:03 pm

jamie, What does your crystal ball?
Can you tell us the winners of these tournaments?
IW
MIami
Montecarlo
Madrid
Rome
RG
Wimbledon

February 18th, 2013 at 12:16 pm

These are “MY” predictions:

IW: Novak Djokovic
Miami: Andy Murray
Montecarlo: Novak Djokovic
Madrid: Novak Djokovic
Rome: Rafael Nadal
RG: Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon: Andy Murray

February 18th, 2013 at 12:44 pm

Jamie,

I predict that your astrologers predictions and your predictions will all be false except two.

February 18th, 2013 at 12:46 pm

Montreal: Roger Federer
Cincinnati: Novak Djokovic
USO: Novak Djokovic

February 18th, 2013 at 12:47 pm

Queen’s: Andy Murray
Halle: Roger Federer

February 18th, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Shangai, Paris, WTF?

February 18th, 2013 at 12:55 pm

So, Djokovic will win All the Masters 1000, no jamie?

February 18th, 2013 at 12:56 pm

He will not play IW, he cannot risk losing to Fed again. Afterall, its all about H2H.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:01 pm

@Steve 27

I predicted FOUR masters series for Djokovic, not all of them! FOUR.

Shanghai: Andy Murray
Paris: Juan Martin Del Potro
WTF: Andy Murray

February 18th, 2013 at 1:10 pm

I mean, if Djoker will win Montecarlo and Cincinatti, he will complete all the Master 1000 count. That will be even comparable to a career grand slam.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:12 pm

Djokovic completes the Career Slam in 2014.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:19 pm

It’s great to have Rafa back battling in the trenches. Skip Miami, Indian Wells, Madrid and focus on Mexico,Monaco, Barcelona, Rome and the french open. In my eyes you are the most exciting tennis player that I’ve ever seen.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:26 pm

I watch last 10 years every tennis match !!! ( I ustu play soccer in Hungary Honved. Puskas ustu give me Santa Clause gifts in the club). I love Mr adal personality and his game. I see what he could practice to beat everybody to become nr 1 again. I want him nr 1 again!!!!!

February 18th, 2013 at 1:29 pm

I would not compare winning all the Masters 1000 as “comparable” to winning a career Slam. There are reasons the Slams are held in higher regard and also reasons that few men hold career Slams, much less the Golden Slam. I do believe Nole can win the career Slam and/or Master’s 1000, so it is not a knock against Nole, but rather trying to keep the importance of Slams versus other tourneys in perspective.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:30 pm

Can someone stop making excuses for Nadal and legitimately justify him playing the MSG Exho? And he’s making 2 mil, not 1.5.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:32 pm

Why are we even going to bother watching this beautiful game when Jamie has already told us the outcome in the coming tourny’s?

February 18th, 2013 at 1:32 pm

Brando, because some of us don’t bother with jamie’s drivel..lol

February 18th, 2013 at 1:38 pm

Jamie, no way Rafa plays the US Clay Court Championships.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:41 pm

Ben, how bout because he is the one playing and he chose to play.

February 18th, 2013 at 1:41 pm

Ben. You just answered your own question! $$$$$$$ and a bit of fun! What’s wrong with that?

February 18th, 2013 at 1:45 pm

Ben Pronin, he may pull out yet. If he’s not playing IW or Miami, Nadal may choose not to come to the US at all (though that $2M payoff is probably too tempting)

February 18th, 2013 at 1:46 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qllxGMVuFeU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

In fact I think Rafa is rather looking forward to the Exo!!!

February 18th, 2013 at 2:04 pm

Big three than Nadal is a threat .But he should be be careful against Warwinka, Delpotro and Raonic. These Big hitter can upset him early stages.

February 18th, 2013 at 2:23 pm

I think if Nadal plays the exo in MSG, he won’t be allowed to skip both IW and Miami. That may even be true regardless of the exo, but “committed players” in the top 30 have an obligation to play a certain number of Masters 1000 events each year. They are allowed to skip for injury, but playing an exo prohibits you from playing the injury card in the ATP rulebook, I think.

February 18th, 2013 at 3:43 pm

TMR. Interesting, if true. But doesn’t make sense, Exo is ONE match whereas IW = 6 matches to final and same with Miami. Maybe you can check it out please??

February 18th, 2013 at 4:28 pm

I didn’t know about that rule the_mind_reels but I suppose there’s some sense in it, within reason.

February 18th, 2013 at 4:39 pm

To those who say I must rest and skip the exo:

Have people to feed at home. Haven’t worked in 8 months.

February 18th, 2013 at 4:59 pm

How come the Williams sister NEVER have to play IW?

February 18th, 2013 at 5:13 pm

Michael 10.49am i was just talking about the masters 1000 tourneys,i already knew about the WTF,Rafa fans are always reminded of that,so they are never likely to forget it.

February 18th, 2013 at 5:44 pm

The Williams sisters boycotted the IW event years ago. I assume they get fined annually? Or perhaps at this point they don’t have to play a full schedule, like Fed. After a certain number of years of “service” ATP players are excused from a certain number of matches. Presumably it’s similar with the WTA?

February 18th, 2013 at 6:34 pm

He is not playing IW cause of his knees, Who’s your Daddy Fed is the reason. He cannot handle another loss to an old man on his favorite slow HC surface. Best to run along and rest up so he can drink his Clay Koolaid on the Mud.

Oh wait…… yeah, are you really resting? Seemed like a cool 2mil will make your knees all better, even though its indoor hard, a known knee buster surface.

February 18th, 2013 at 6:56 pm

^^ I guess he learnt that strategy from Fed himself, who doesnt have the balls to play montecarlo.

February 18th, 2013 at 8:59 pm

w/ the schedule Nadal is playing he realistically will not be in the running for year end #1. he has ceded the year basically. Djoker is the most likely #1 followed by Murray and maybe Fed although it seems lik ehe is not playing for that this year.

February 18th, 2013 at 9:36 pm

@f

Lol , good try. Your reasoning sounds like Rafa. “Cause Fed does?”, LMAO. Not even close. Rafa is a proven whiner. Except when he gets paid 2mil, then his knees are well enough.

February 18th, 2013 at 10:09 pm

@Giles @jane:

I’m certainly no expert on the rules (and someone can/should check me on this), but the rulebook says these things:

* Every commitment player (so, someone in the top 30, which Nadal obviously is) has to play the singles event for every Masters 1000 event he is accepted to.

* Players meeting certain criteria can skip M1000 events (which is why Federer can), and it looks like Nadal has met one, maybe two of them, so I stand corrected about this part. He is, I think, eligible to skip one, maybe two of the M1000s.

It would look strange, though, if he played an indoor hardcourt exhibition and then pulled out of an outdoor hardcourt tournament citing injury.

February 18th, 2013 at 10:32 pm

^exactly. Or rest. Welcome to the Rafa tour. I choose when I want to play, when, and how. Don’t tell me to play faster, and I will show up at a match when I want, or at least after my opponet shows up. Call me when all the courts are Clay, and when the rules abideth by me. You know, I would be #1 still if they would have listened to my 2 yr ranking rule and change to more Clay courts. Otherwise, I will continue to whine to my legion of fans(especailly when I lose), who think I am right in all my ways. My knees will be most excellant when the money is right, even hard courts.

Please take notice,
Yes, this is my world. if you want Rafa, please make sure you cheer for my rights. Only then, I will be certain to win, although it will be very difficult and nearly impossible. But you know when I say that it is a joke, and its just to cover if I lose with my other excuses. My fans know this.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:28 pm

The exo is a charity in charity match. I plan to donate a part of my earnings to Spain, my beloved ailing country.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:49 pm

Spain’s only other option was to sell Paul Gasol. I am willing to help a country and friend in need because I such a good guy.

February 18th, 2013 at 11:59 pm

Nike is having a rough time.

Cycling Doper, now Blade Runner Doper, a laundry list of dopers. They should just change their slogan to “Just don’t do it”.

Thank you, you are very welcome.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:05 am

skeezer Says:
”He is not playing IW cause of his knees, Who’s your Daddy Fed is the reason. He cannot handle another loss to an old man on his favorite slow HC surface.”

2012 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Indian Wells
CA, U.S.A. Hard S Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-4 Stats

2012 Australian Open
Australia Hard S Nadal, Rafael
6-7(5), 6-2, 7-6(5), 6-4 Stats

2011 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
Great Britain Hard RR Federer, Roger
6-3, 6-0 Stats

2011 ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard S Nadal, Rafael
6-3, 6-2 Stats

2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals
London, England Hard F Federer, Roger
6-3, 3-6, 6-1 Stats

2009 Australian Open
Australia Hard F Nadal, Rafael
7-5, 3-6, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-2 Stats

2007 Tennis Masters Cup
China Hard S Federer, Roger
6-4, 6-1 Stats

2006 Tennis Masters Cup
China Hard S Federer, Roger
6-4, 7-5 Stats

2006 Dubai
U.A.E. Hard F Nadal, Rafael
2-6, 6-4, 6-4 Stats

2005 ATP Masters Series Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard F Federer, Roger
2-6, 6-7(4), 7-6(5), 6-3, 6-1

2004 ATP Masters Series Miami
FL, U.S.A. Hard R32 Nadal, Rafael
6-3, 6-3 Stats

hardcourt H2H

federer 6
nadal 5

one extra win constitutes domination? in what universe?

GRAND SLAM H2H

nadal 2
federer 0

one minute grand slam victories are all that matter [murray/fed H2H], but suddenly they are glossed over when nadal is involved. interesting.

OUTDOOR HARD COURT H2H

nadal 5
federer 2

is federer nadal’s daddy on outdoor hardcourt? or perhaps it’s the other way round?
is indian wells outdoor or indoor?
if nadal is scared of federer on outdoor hardcourt, why did he say at the australian open playing federer on outdoor hardcourt gave him ”calm”?

do you even follow the tour? or just sit making out with your feddy bear?

the irony of a federer worshipper claiming nadal is scared. in reality it’s been federer and his minions who have been scared of nadal for the best part of a decade.

”Oh wait…… yeah, are you really resting? Seemed like a cool 2mil will make your knees all better, even though its indoor hard, a known knee buster surface.”

what would any intelligent person do if they hadn’t played on hard courts for half a season and a masters series was coming up.
a. get some low intensity hard court match practise in an exo.
b. avoid any match practise on hard court and just play.

if you’re answer is b, you’re a fool.
if you’re not aware of the copious examples of players being out of action or losing early in warm up events and then using exos for timing/match practise, you are ignorant.

”Rafa is a proven whiner.”

you can’t stand ”whiners” yet you worship a 13slam winner who bawls like a 5year old after losing to nadal in a slam final. you worship the only player in history who has cried to an umpire that hawkeye was losing him the match.
you sure are consistent.

the problem with people like you is you love to come on forums making smug remarks, pretending to be an expert, attempting to mock people, but your remarks range from flimsy to utterly ridiculous. that’s the spectrum. your bias is so absurd and pathetic you’ve lost touch with reality, as i’ve just demonstrated. and you’re entirely oblivious to all of this.

you hate a player’s style or personality, that’s one thing. but bending reality to try and discredit them out of threatened petulance, well that’s just pathetic.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:29 am

“They should just change their slogan to “Just don’t do it”.”

LOL!

February 19th, 2013 at 12:48 am

Federer cried in 2006 AO final too, because he lost to rafa. oh wait…. Federer won the AO and nadal was home with another “injury”.

Rafa and his tards have to stop thinking the world revolves around them. The numero uno star in terms of popularity and achievements is still Federer. He doesn’t have to cry for losing in a GS which is the least prestigious of all – yes, even worse than the french open. [which has always been reserved for losers and players who cannot play on other surfaces]

Federer is walking all the way to the bank. If he wishes, he can hire nadal and family to kiss his arse! That’s how much more he makes than rafa, who can barely speak spanish. I really hope for his fans’ sake that rafa has a double digit IQ. you wouldn’t know it from the way he speaks for sure.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:48 am

As a whiner, rafa is in a league of his own. Way too many to be documented. Federer, Djokovic and murray whine too, but it is nothing compared to drama queen nadline.

People are sick and tired of his whining when the facts show him out. From his acts, you can say nadal’s concern is not the long tour, but the pay. He and is team should say that out. He is injured to play tournaments but if you give him 2million$, he is ready to play.

I am not against players making money from exhibitions. All top players make tonnes of money from exhos, but then you loose the right to play victim that ATP is wrong to have a full-season. Nadal and his team want to make the money from exhos and then come and criticize the ATP? Be ready to be called out on your whining.

He’s a whiner and quitter. quit the ATP council because people could not make head or tail of his whining. That’s a great leadership quality, eh? quit because you are not intelligent enough to present your point of view. and what points of view? 2years ranking – priceless stuff, only nadal and his dumb team can think of such stupid stuff!

February 19th, 2013 at 2:32 am

It’s a shame that stupidity isn’t painful!! #BFFClown

February 19th, 2013 at 3:39 am

@roy Excellent post! #PutTheFederinasInTheirPlace

February 19th, 2013 at 4:41 am

Nadal will not win this year’s French Open, he isn’t the same anymore, his movement isn’t the same, his strength isn’t the same, his confidence could be the same and his fighting spirit is the same. So it is a big ask for him to win it this time around. Jocovic or Federer or Murray has a bigger chance to win it.

February 19th, 2013 at 5:30 am

^^^Watch this space!!!

February 19th, 2013 at 6:18 am

At least somebody knows how important Rafa is to the Tour:

http://tensport.com.au/news/newsarticles/Tennis-Mass-security-for-Nadals-Mexico-event.htm

“A brutal gang rape and other crime have prompted a massive security operation for Acapulco’s tennis tournament, with 4,000 personnel to be deployed at an event headlined by Rafael Nadal.

The Pacific port has become Mexico’s deadliest city and local police have struggled to stem a brutal turf war between drug gangs where the intimidation of rivals includes the dumping of headless bodies in the street.

The unprecedented show of security at the tennis event is three times the size of Acapulco’s own police force and will feature army, navy, federal, state and municipal police, a senior Guerrero state government official told AFP.

Members of the deployment will begin to arrive on Wednesday, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity regarding next week’s tournament.

Tourists had been relatively shielded from the city’s violence until a group of gunmen stormed a beach bungalow on February 3 and raped six Spanish women after tying up seven Spanish men and a local woman.

The scaled up force will secure access to the Mextenis stadium, which has a capacity of 7,500, and the Hotel Fairmont Acapulco Princess, with a security perimeter being installed and cars will also be checked.

Former world number one Nadal, who won the Brazil Open on Sunday after a seven-month hiatus due to a knee injury, will be the top ranked player at Acapulco’s red clay tournament which begins February 25 and ends March 2.”

Poor Ferru, he will be the top seed but the tournament is “headlined” by Rafa………kinda fell embarrassed by this as a Rafan. Give Ferru his moment in the sun…………..

February 19th, 2013 at 6:22 am

^ Is it really so bad in Acapulco, what is the point playing tennis if you have to bring in 4000 security people to make sure that everything is OK …

February 19th, 2013 at 6:59 am

^^^Precisely why they are going “over-board” with security. The last they want is those sort of questions being asked. Worse publicity if the tournament is cancelled or moved elsewhere for security reasons.

February 19th, 2013 at 7:39 am

TMR. The Exo in MSG is a charity event!

February 19th, 2013 at 8:02 am

I hade said this in an earlier thread – if Nadal is smart, he will skip IW and Miami. He finally seems to have smartened up.

Given his long layoff, approachin 27th birthday and worn out knees – he doesn’t have too many options right now. His level is clearly below par, so he is not likely to win on hard courts. Then why risk it? Masters don’t matter, its all about slams. Right now, an 8th French title would mean more than anything else he can do.

He can’t break Fed’s 302 weeks at No. 1. He can’t win another hardcourt slam. Even Wimbledon seems difficult now. All he has left is clay. Why play hard courts at all? Just clean up the clay slate, try to maintain top 4 ranking, and try to win the French – sounds sensible to me.

Problem is – Players need to be playing year round to stay in touch. If he has long breaks all the time, it even threatens his ability to win the French. Losing to Zeballos and then losing sets to Berlocq and Alund, on clay, couldn’t have been a confidence booster.

I can tell you one thing – if Nadal doesn’t win the French this year – its retirement next…..

As for his knees, he has the rhetoric placed perfectly – if he loses, blame it all on knees. If he wins, Oh, he won IN SPITE of his knees. Nice touch.

Djokovic has got to be smiling – the No. 1 ranking is HIS for sometime now.

February 19th, 2013 at 8:10 am

roy,

You wrote a long post for what reason? I said for now, Fed is Rafa’s daddy at IW, as he couldn’t win on his fav slowest HC against him. Going on a older that dirt rant on H2H is pathetic. am talking about the last time they met. You’re only as good as your last match, and Rafa’s knee condition proves that theory. he is not playin IW cause he is afraid of Fed, lost to him last time, and his knees. I am guessing he is probably not up to par to compete with the GOAT. He is gonna play an exho though, so his knees can’t be that bad. eh? For practice? I say for a cool 2 mil. He can practice all he wants, there are plenty of HC’s. Hehe…..typical.

You then fo on another rant where Fed cries one time in his career when he lost and try to compare Rafa’ continuous historically documentend whining of excuses and injuries to that one incident.
Pathetic comparisan. Try again.

February 19th, 2013 at 10:26 am

[…] months on Sunday defeating David Nalbandian in the Sao Paulo final. Afterward the former No. 1 admitted that he’s still unsure if he’ll play on the hardcourts at Indian Wells next month on March […]

February 19th, 2013 at 10:42 am

While, according to some posters here , Rafa plays the “injury card” the ole man plays the “old age card”!!! Hahaha.

February 19th, 2013 at 10:50 am

^^So Rafa is not playing IW ’cause he is afraid of Fed.

Fed is not playing Miami because he is afraid of……who?

Honestly asking since you know all about players’ fears ‘n all…….

February 19th, 2013 at 10:51 am

Skeezer. Taking the mick out of the Nike Just Do It slogan can’t be a good thing! Fed wears …… ?

February 19th, 2013 at 10:53 am

skeezer. I have a new slogan for fed and fed alone. How about “Just Can’t Do It”??

February 19th, 2013 at 10:55 am

It is way too early to judge what Rafa can or can not do. I think it is not a new thing that he and his team are talking so much about the knee. Rafa is still young and has managed whatever problems he has in the past too. I will not write off his chances anywhere just yet. He is a great champion and champions usually find a way. I will give a champ like him at least two more years before coming to any conclusion about where his career is headed. This prolonged absence could turn out to be a blessing in disguise. I think the risk of a mental burnout was much greater than a physical burnout. A rejuvenated Rafa, due to this break, is more likely to prolong his career. It would be tough for him, however, to get back the top rank and Novak does look set to keep that spot for a long time with no real challenger for that spot in sight.

February 19th, 2013 at 11:00 am

10:26 am @skeezer says:

“……you’re only as good as your last match.” Amen to that.

Fed’s last match was a loss to Benneteau…….hmmmm, maybe Benny’s in the Miami draw, must check that……….

February 19th, 2013 at 11:05 am

^lol nadalista…Fed needs to pick up his play ;)

———–

“”Come on, Rafa. RT @TennisNewsTPN Nadal says São Paulo courts too fast to be considered clay. “Faster than the U.S. Open”, he says.
11:17 PM – 16 Feb 13”

Didn’t he win the USO ….ONE year?

Now you’re whining when you win.

February 19th, 2013 at 11:12 am

Djoker is reading all this, being wery wery quiet, and smiling.

February 19th, 2013 at 11:14 am

@giles,

Fed isn’t pulling out of Miami due to an excuse like “knees”, but can play an exho to practice for 2mil. Fed planned his annual schedule sometime ago…..there is a tiny “diferencia”.

February 19th, 2013 at 11:18 am

^^^ Blah blah blah blah. Whining, whining, whining! I think you can give Rafa a run for his money in the whining department!

February 19th, 2013 at 11:44 am

@skeezer says:

“…….Fed planned his annual schedule sometime ago”. Fair enough.

How do you know Rafa is “pulling out” of Indian Wells? Do you have his annual schedule? I haven’t seen his 2013 schedule.

Unless you have seen his schedule, you cannot assume that he PLANNED to play there in 2013.

His recent statements say he does not know if he will play IW, doesn’t mean he ever planned to play there in the first place.

February 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am

skeezer is the pathetic one in my eyes. Will take every chance to insult Rafa. For crying out loud, we know you’re a friggin fedfan. You worship the ground he walks on, etc… You remind us constantly of fed’s stats, ad nauseaum. To top it off, skeezer actually thinkis he can tell what fed or Rafa are thinking and make the decisions they do.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:31 pm

During fed’s “mono season” please someone tell me how many exhos he played and how many tourneys he didn’t withdraw from.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:32 pm

I did a little checking and fed played last year’s exho at the same place. Weren’t fedfans “whining” about his bad back and old age? (Not all fedfans, just the select nasty few). Besides, this was set up a year ago and there is a thing called committments that Rafa has to honor and it seems he honors them just like fed.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:43 pm

skeezer says: “Fed planned his annual schedule sometime ago…..there is a tiny “diferencia”.

So did Rafa. This exho was set up over a year ago and I’m sure that when fed played it last year, it was set up the previous year, just like now. So what is the difference?

February 19th, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Lets see what Nadal does against the top 10 players – on clay and outside. He is yet to play anyone in the top 50, I think.

Only those matches will tell where Nadal’s game is or isn’t. The rest is all speculation.

As for the past, records are records.

17>11>6.

That’s how it stands. When it changes, we can re-evaluate.

Interestingly, at the start of 2011, it was

16>9>1.

So its very clear who is on the rise and who is not.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:52 pm

trufan, no one could ever doubt that Nole is the one on the rise for awhile. With your stats though, fed only won 1 more Slam and Rafa won 2 more, so people trying to say Rafa is done are jumping the gun. Records are records as you said.

February 19th, 2013 at 12:59 pm

Giles Says:

“TMR. The Exo in MSG is a charity event!”
___

Are you just repeating what Humble Rafa said above, or…what’s your point?

If the exo *were* a charity match, does that somehow change Nadal’s motivation — as in, I will overcome any injury and play the exo because it’s for a good cause? Rafa withdrew from a charity match last year against Djokovic in Spain citing injury, so he seems capable of making smart decisions for his body, even if a good cause is on the line.

Having said that…I’m also pretty sure the exo at MSG is *not* a charity match. It’s possible, though, that when I walk by MSG every day on my way to work, I miss the large banners promoting a charitable cause. What charity is the money going to? The point of the BNP Paribas Showdown is to “kick-off” the North American tennis season and to try to highlight tennis in the United States.

February 19th, 2013 at 1:23 pm

I’m not even going to bother with the ridiculous amount of asinine comments being put up here. But I do want to address the exho issue.

Juljo, setting up the exho a year in advanced doesn’t mean anything. Nadal has pulled out of exhos before. And he only recently confirmed that he would, in fact, be making the trip.

But it doesn’t matter if it’s a serious match or not. Isn’t the issue that hard courts are bad for the knees? And Nadal’s knees aren’t fully healed, so why even risk it with a “practice” match? Just for money? Shows where his priorities are for sure…

February 19th, 2013 at 1:29 pm

Ben, has fed played any exhos since 2008 when the mono started, and if that wasn’t used as why he lost, his bad back, the twins, old age, etc….? Shows where his priorities are for sure as you say.

Exhos, as if you didn’t know but just aren’t willing to state, are usually ONE match or set, and are leisurelly paced and fun for the crowd. The players usually are miked up so quit all the worrying about Rafa and him killing his knees playing this exho.

February 19th, 2013 at 1:36 pm

Info on the exho:
Mar 4
Madison Sq. Garden

It’s Tennis Night in America! Olympic Gold medalist, Wimbledon and US Open Champion Serena Williams takes on world #1 Victoria Azarenka in a rematch of the US Open finals.

In the second match, eleven-time grand slam champion Rafael Nadal makes his Garden debut against 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro.

Interesting…..Rafa has NEVER played this exho before

February 19th, 2013 at 1:42 pm

http://www.themadisonsquaregardencompany.com/garden-of-dreams.html
TMR. Just to keep you abreast of the fact that MSG Exo is a charity match!!

February 19th, 2013 at 1:42 pm

Geez, Hey, quit worrying about Rafa’s knees and worry about your own favs. You never know what’s round the corner!! Anyone can get injured at any time! #VamosRafa

February 19th, 2013 at 1:51 pm

@Giles:

I’m glad you found a link that identifies what MSG’s main charitable commitment is, which is quite different from this particular exhibition being a charitable event.

By your logic, if this is a charity event, then so is the entire US Open (because of USTA Serves — http://www.ustaserves.com/ — which plays a part of the US Open) and also every single NY Rangers game that happens at MSG.

Here is a recent example of what a charity event at MSG looks like: http://www.121212concert.org/

February 19th, 2013 at 1:52 pm

What a great role model our TMF is

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

Absolutely classy.

February 19th, 2013 at 2:01 pm

juljo724 Says:
“Ben, has fed played any exhos since 2008 when the mono started, and if that wasn’t used as why he lost, his bad back, the twins, old age, etc….? Shows where his priorities are for sure as you say.”

I guess someone needs to educate you on mono.

Mono causes unpredictable fatigue and weakness only during tournament finals (especially when playing Rafa). Mono never causes any trouble during exos.

February 19th, 2013 at 2:06 pm

I don’t care what excuses Federer used for why he lost. The only time Federer has openly complained about hard courts is in 2009 when he said “thank God the hard court season is over.” If you want to count that as a complaint. And let’s just be clear that I never brought Federer up in my previous comments.

But we just had an interview with Nadal in which he said hard courts are seriously cutting players’ careers short. And all of the other terrible things about hard courts. The MSG exho has, historically, been a full best of 3 set match. So, who knows? It won’t be die hard but it will still probably be competitive.

And think of it this way. When a recreational player suffers some kind of injury, they tend to stay away from the court until it’s healed. They shouldn’t play, even though it’s pretty much always for fun. So why would a professional risk further injury just “for fun”?

February 19th, 2013 at 2:12 pm

Ben, you are assuming you know how Rafa thinks and feels. Has your teeny mind ever heard of the fact that Rafa has been off for SEVEN months and has been easing into playing tennis (just check all the snide comments from the fed fans whenever they heard of it) since December or so. The man even SKIPPED a friggin Slam!!!!!!! What else do you guys want from the guy???? Now ya’ll are biatching cuz he is playing an exho???????? Geez!!!!!! Let the guy play a friggin match on HC and play tennis, that is IF the fedfans don’t mind!

February 19th, 2013 at 2:23 pm

This is a previous post from ben and why I am acting so b****y because he ticked me off and surprised me. Between the 2 posts of his, have no clue how he thinks. Sorry if I offended anyone.

Ben Pronin Says:
Juljo, I know. That’s why the rules need to be enforced. They’re not Rules For Nadal. They’re the Rules For Tennis. All the players should follow and quit their whining (Isner, Berdych). But was Nadal even called for any violations in Chile? Were the umps even enforcing it? I mean, it seems like the (not really a) controversy is stemming from what he said, not what he’s done (at least recently).

Yeah he is, and I’m glad he did so in this manner. He’s pretty forthright and honest about how he feels. And it’s not really whining, not the way he said it. Isner whined. And so did Berdych. Nadal answered a question with a pretty thorough response. And I simply disagree with it. But the discussion goes on, so I continue to express my own opinions on the matter for those who agree with Nadal’s stance. No harm, no foul.

Gotta agree with alison, to an extent. Drama does follow Nadal around. But I’d rather he play tennis with all the drama than not play at all. Take the good with the bad. As long as he’s playing tennis.

February 13th, 2013 at 1:22 pm

February 19th, 2013 at 2:28 pm

My question is: why do Fedfans pay so much attention to Rafa if he annoys them so? Unhealthy obsession, much?

February 19th, 2013 at 2:36 pm

TMR. Don’t split hairs. Is the Madison Square Garden a charitable organisation or not? IT IS! That’s good enough for me!

February 19th, 2013 at 2:44 pm

But that’s the thing. Nadal is saying one thing, and then acting against it. Nadal playing the event is pretty much good for everyone but Nadal’s knees. The event wins, the fans win, BNP wins, the list goes on. But Nadal’s knees lose. I’m not assuming what Nadal thinks or feels, I’m going solely by what he said: hard courts are bad, they cause injuries, I have an injury, hard courts aren’t good for my injury.

And if he’s already considering skipping Indian Wells and/or Miami, which pretty much everyone on here agrees with, it makes even less sense that he’d play the exhibition. And also consider that, if he skips the hard court Masters, he’ll be randomly playing a hard court match in between an elongated clay court season.

And I don’t why you would even want to compare him to Federer. Federer is the scheduling master. Nadal (and his team) have proven time and time again they suck at scheduling. And if Nadal pulls out of the exho, which he still might, everyone will be praising his brilliant decision. But if he plays, for whatever reason, Nadal fans will defend him by saying he should just play, or whatever.

Let’s recall that a lot of people here said he probably shouldn’t play doubles but the Nadal fans thought it was ok until he pulled out of doubles in Brazil and it was “oh brilliant move, Rafa.”

February 19th, 2013 at 2:44 pm

The fed fans are sore as hell their man lost to Benneteau in Rotterdam. Didn’t the headline of the article on Tennis X read “Federer rots in Rotterdam.. “. They are bored. Their next favourite topic “let’s do some Nadal bashing”. #GetALife

February 19th, 2013 at 2:49 pm

ONE MATCH, TWO OR THREE SETS, A LOT OF FUN, AND $$$$ CAN HARDLY MAKE RAFA’S KNEES ANY WORSE!!!
I really would like to know what everyone’s real gripe is!
There are billboards featuring Nadal all over New York.
Rafa loves New York and the fans love him too. Have fun Rafa!

February 19th, 2013 at 3:07 pm

Have you ever seen someone tear their ACL? It doesn’t exactly require a vigorous beating. One wrong move and bam. God forbid that happens, though, to anyone. So saying one match, two or three sets, is irrelevant. But it’s ok just because there’s a lot of money involved?

February 19th, 2013 at 3:21 pm

^^^ That could even happen on clay or grass, no?

February 19th, 2013 at 3:35 pm

Ben. Are you in fact griping about the $$$$?

February 19th, 2013 at 3:38 pm

^Yes it could. However, have you ever played on indoor HC? Much easier to turn an ankle or twist a knee….I mean c’mon why do u think Rafa is wanting less HC?

—-

Re; money. Surre Rafa can do whatever he wants. But if he re injures his knee at some point this year looking back this WILL be discussed, no doubt.

February 19th, 2013 at 3:42 pm

On clay in Sao Paulo – Dustin Brown twisted his ankle and Hidalgo sprained his ankle. Accidents can happen on any type of court and anywhere.
Rafa wants to play tennis and he will decide where and when! End of story! #VamosChamp

February 19th, 2013 at 3:59 pm

skeezer. One more point – do you think Rafa is going to chase down EVERY ball in an Exo? Somehow I don’t think so, so quit the insincere concern and this goes for the other posters who are expressing concern over Rafa’s knees!

February 19th, 2013 at 4:05 pm

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/tennis/2013/02/19/brian-baker-recovery-diary/1930569/?
Rafa fans

February 19th, 2013 at 5:31 pm

Ben,
” I’m not assuming what Nadal thinks or feels, I’m going solely by what he said: hard courts are bad, they cause injuries, I have an injury, hard courts aren’t good for my injury.”

–I have a bad back and neck and am not supposed to pick up heavy things but sometimes I have to. Rafa is a pro athlete and knows he has to play HC at times, but according to you earlier, he was allowed to give his opinion. Fed complained about hawkeye and wanted it out, that hasn’t happened but he is still allowed to give his opinion. Rafa playing an exho may give him the practice or feel for movement and testing his knee in a point free match. (Doesn’t lose points or gain points). As you state, YOU can’t know what he is thinking.

Ben: “Nadal (and his team) have proven time and time again they suck at scheduling. And if Nadal pulls out of the exho, which he still might, everyone will be praising his brilliant decision. But if he plays, for whatever reason, Nadal fans will defend him by saying he should just play, or whatever.”

Make up your mind Ben. Do you want him playing tennis regardless, take the good with the bad and all the drama as YOU posted, just as long as he is playing tennis? And mind you, the fedfans were the ones mostly in an uproar about the schedule. Most Rafa fans were just hoping to see him play and wishing him well and hoped his knees proved to be up to the task, which, any idiot could tell you, will take some time regardless of surface. Seems again, with the exho, it’s mostly the fedfans doing the biotching, not the Rafa fans so get your fan groups right.

As far as comparison to fed, the ONLY thing I said about fed (since it is mostly fedfans complaining and making such a stick about the money) was that fed also played this exho the year before (and probably many other exhos over the years) so fed is not above doing something for money so get your righteous act off of him.

February 20th, 2013 at 11:54 am

Great link Giles, TYVM! Especially like the part where he says “However, his game relies so much on his footwork and movement that even a small decline in this area will seriously affect his ability to beat the top players.” Hmmm, could that be why he is playing the exho, to work on his footwork a little? And the part about him playing golf. Guess some of the fedfans on here will ream him a new one for daring to play golf!

February 20th, 2013 at 12:41 pm

@Giles:

We were having such a good exchange yesterday that I forgot to reply — apologies.

In response to your comment at 2.44p, I will stop splitting hairs as soon as you stop spraying patently wrong information around the comment board. You said:

“TMR. Don’t split hairs. Is the Madison Square Garden a charitable organisation or not? IT IS! That’s good enough for me!”

No, Madison Square Garden is not, in fact, a charitable organization. MSG is simply a venue that’s owned by a massive corporation that identifies as a “fully-integrated sports, entertainment, and media business.” It is, coincidentally, publicly traded on the NASDAQ (ticker symbol: MSG), and its president took home a cool $7.6 million in pay last year. If that’s the mark of a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, then sign me up for the charitable life.

There’s a difference between splitting hairs and actually just stating false information.

As for Rafa playing the exo, I hope he does so that I can go check it out.

February 20th, 2013 at 4:21 pm

There seems to be more “fedfan” obsession than Rafa here. Fedfans are to blame, its the fedfans, fedfans, fedfans, fedfans. Thought the articles written here were about Rafa. Apparently not. Rafanatics are more concerned now with Fedfans than there boy. Typical deflection strategy when Rafa speaks. Why don’t you just join the fedfan regatta? Am sure they will make room for you.

February 20th, 2013 at 4:25 pm

skeezer: “Thought the articles written here were about Rafa.”

Is that why in the blog about fed’s video to SA, your first 2 paragraphs are complaining about Rafa, and even tho you never said his name, everyone on here knows you meant him since it was so thinly veiled and your usual rants all over the board on here?

February 22nd, 2013 at 11:08 am