Poll: How Many Matches Will Rafael Nadal Lose This European Clay Season?

Ardent Rafa fan, IMHO I ONLY genuinely think MADRID is the only clay event where Rafa may lose.

– MC: His best clay event. He LOVES it there.
– BARCELONA: LOVES the event, weak field.
– ROME: LOVES the event, and IF he is at his best close to unbeatable there.

And then:

– ROLAND GARROS: LOVES the event, and it is a 5 set format.

He is not unbeatable as last year he lost to VERDASCO- that proves that theory wrong.

Yet IF Rafa plays his best clay court tennis then i wish not sound arrogant- it really does not matter who is across the net as the result more than likely will favor the Clay GOAT!

April 11th, 2013 at 5:28 pm

Brando much agreed although i think that loss to Verdasco was a bit of a fluke,he stepped off the gas in that match after been well in control,its unheard of to see Rafa do that.

April 11th, 2013 at 5:35 pm

@Alison:

Hi Alison-

As a fan of his I am pretty calm and relaxed regarding Rafa at MC, BARCELONA, ROME and RG.

IF Rafa play’s his best tennis then he should be fine.

MADRID is the only event were I think Rafa may be vulnerable to a loss from the outset due to the altitude and even then:

He’s won that event and even on INDOORS! :-)

April 11th, 2013 at 5:41 pm

Brando hi yeah DITTO lol.

April 11th, 2013 at 5:44 pm

He tanked against Verdasco at an event he hates. Not really a precursor.

Only event Nadal is truly unbeatable is Monte Carlo. And Barcelona. Madrid, even Roger stands a chance there. Rome, well if Djokovic channels some 2011 form. And he does have a loss at RG. Although, yeah, he’s basically unbeatable there. So I’m going bold and saying 2 losses. What’s the point of making predictions if you’re gonna play it safe :D

April 11th, 2013 at 6:00 pm

^ not wrong, what is the point?

On the other note, there are conflicting reports coming from MC. The tournament director, Željko Franulović, is saying Novak is playing MC, there is no confirmation from Novak team. Maybe BadaBing is right, he might play few games just to start CC preparation.

April 11th, 2013 at 6:18 pm

He will win all of them.

April 11th, 2013 at 6:22 pm

It is however many times we play this clay court season.

Battle of the 300 year old bodies.

April 11th, 2013 at 7:49 pm

Dear Rafa fans,

Enjoy the energy and action from young Rafa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhfd3V–Rb0

Fedt@@rds (specifically old bimbos like Geezer the but lover), pls stay away from it. May not be good for your health. Pong tennis at its worst.

April 11th, 2013 at 8:16 pm

Warm up for the clay season:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeurmzFDtnA

April 11th, 2013 at 8:19 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIU0-ExPjzc

April 11th, 2013 at 8:21 pm

If not for HD, I would still hate clay. Like the highlights from the 2004 Davis Cup. You can’t see anything. On match point I had no idea the ball was out because I had no idea where it went.

If only blue clay wasn’t such a fail.

April 11th, 2013 at 9:04 pm

genuinely think MADRID is the only clay event where Rafa may lose.
—
Madrid is not clay. In fact, I don’t even consider it a tournament. It is tennis for losers. The Madrid winner has no relevance.

April 11th, 2013 at 9:36 pm

It’s also time for “Who will win the French Open?” Poll. The fans of a certain #3 are waiting to nominate their Anointed One.

April 11th, 2013 at 9:40 pm

LOL, just dropped to check what is going on in tennis and it’s fun to read ‘Humble Rafa’ on a roll! :)

And, cannot pass up a poll. Of course Rafa will not lose a match. I mean, if he gets in a situation that it looks like he will lose a set, my bet will be on him withdrawing the tournament.

I just hope Djokovic, Delpo, and old Federer are up for making it a competitive Clay season; or, Andy Murray could surprise.

April 11th, 2013 at 11:36 pm

“The Madrid winner has no relevance.”

Well, since the tourney moved to clay the Madrid winner won WImbledon last 4 years:) Dying to see if this year this odd coincidence remains.

Regarding Nadal, he never won the 5 clay tourneys in April May stretch, once he sweep everything (2010) but didn’t play Barcelona. 2006 he also won everything but didn’t play Hamburgo. So he had never won 3 Masters, Barcelona and RG in the same year. Actually he only won 3 masters on clay once (2010) from 6 years where he played the 3 Masters (07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12).
I think 1 lost is a safe bet.

April 11th, 2013 at 11:42 pm

contador,

You should drop by more often, there is shortage of nice posters and cheerful posts … lately.

Daniel,

You did your math, good job.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:16 am

Great memory, Daniel. But in his entire career on clay, Nadal has only lost one GS match = un-freaking believable! I was just reading the ATP stats – sheesh, his win/loss career record for clay is 266/20.

You are usually very wise in your bracket picking ;) One match lost to someone sort of in an earlier round in Madrid is a good guess – or skipping Barcelona and/or Madrid. I just can’t see him losing to Djokovic like he did in 2011. He would not put himself in the position to lose…unless someone manages to pull a “Soderling”. I miss Soderling.

Staying with Zero losses, though you do make a good case for one match loss :D

Ah, you are sweet, Wog Boy. I try to keep up, even though my posting time is rare these days. Definitely will be doing an MC bracket this weekend.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:09 am

Good stats Daniel. Interesting how the Madrid winner has gone on to win Wimbledon. Strange that, eh?

And for being such a beast on clay, interesting he hasn’t won 5 clays. Hmmm. Maybe this year. :)

April 12th, 2013 at 1:10 am

I don’t think Rafa is going to play all the clay tournies. There is a chance he may skip Rome this year.

April 12th, 2013 at 2:59 am

Pitty of his knee issues

April 12th, 2013 at 3:03 am

Fleischer thanks for the Rafa videos,they made great viewing,but just one question please could you stop attacking each and every poster whos not a Rafa fan?its becoming really tiresome,face facts not everybody likes the guy,its their perogative.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:12 am

alison. Fleisher attacks the attackers. I quite enjoy his posts! Hahaha #TitForTat

April 12th, 2013 at 5:35 am

Of all the clay tournaments, the only place where Rafa is vulnerable to an extent is Madrid where his record is not that good relatively speaking. I think if at all he can be beaten, it is over there. As regards the rest of the Clay tournaments, I think his terrific run is likely to continue especially considering that his only real challenger Novak is dealing with some physical issues and may not be 100%. There is a possibility that Novak might skip Monte Carlo. So, it would be Rafa all the way to yet again adorn the hat of “King of Clay”.

April 12th, 2013 at 6:45 am

^We will see^.

April 12th, 2013 at 7:01 am

http://alturl.com/39anq
Safe journey. Vamos Champ!

April 12th, 2013 at 7:30 am

If Nadal were to lose at every clay tournament for the remainder of the year, I don’t think he’d lose the title of “King of Clay.” He’s got that thing cemented.

It does seem like 1 loss is a safe bet. If not else, fatigue might get him. It’s happened in Madrid, and even in Rome. Plus if he’s seeded low, and has to battle Murray, Federer, Djokovic consecutively. Or even Del Potro and Ferrer. You know, that’s a lot. At some point one of those guys could take him out.

April 12th, 2013 at 8:26 am

fit djoker is obviously the biggest threat.but…

del potro has very good clay win percentage according to atp website.
he almost took the davis cup final to 5 with nadal. it was a close match.

federer is still dangerous in 3 set matches on clay. even the 5 set matches can get close, like the final 2 years ago. but on a hot day federer can serve well and be dangerous in a 3 set match.

murray is better than he seems on clay. he played a close match with nadal in the semis of RG. he served for it in one of the masters clay against novak during novak’s zone run.

April 12th, 2013 at 8:43 am

He’ll win them all, provided the knee holds up.

April 12th, 2013 at 9:03 am

Another interesting stat, usually Nadal’s worst years on Clay are uneven years: 2007 first clay lost to Federer in Hamburgo; 2009 lost to Fed in Madrid final and that RG match; 2011 2 losses to Djoko in Madrid and Rome. In the pother hand, even years he is sublime: 2006 and 2010 he was flawless and in 2008 one lost to Ferrero in Rome with awful blisters.

2013….? Will see

April 12th, 2013 at 9:18 am

How is 2008 sublime compared to 2007 or 2012? One loss in each year. A loss to Federer is better than a loss to Ferrero and especially Verdasco. His only “bad” years were 2009 and 2011. But 2011 he still won French.

April 12th, 2013 at 9:34 am

2009 was his only bad year. 2011? ANY Rafa fan could tell that his clay tennis was averge at best- far from his vintage best. His struggle v Isner, world number 100 plus Bolleli ( him or some other unheralded Italian at Rome) that year on clay was enough to signal that fact. Yet, despite playing average for his immense standard he still won: FO, MC, Barcelona and was RU at Rome and Madrid. He still walked away with the most titles and the most important ones for him (FO and MC) that year!

April 12th, 2013 at 9:50 am

“ANY Rafa fan could tell that his clay tennis was averge at best- far from his vintage best.”

Obviously

April 12th, 2013 at 9:55 am

Naturally a fed fan cannot be as observant: average or vintage Rafa, they still fear a arse whooping for the GOAT from the bull on clay! Obviously of course!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:01 am

Sure, only because Federer doesn’t play his vintage best.

April 12th, 2013 at 10:10 am

That goes without saying of course. He’s to busy acting like a mental midget infront of his greatest rival. Rafa’s got him and he knows it. Apparent to all except those in denial. Heck: I wouldn’t be surprised if Rafa said jump and fed were to respond: “how high?”. LOL!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:19 am

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/04/courier-rain-kept-djokovic-winning-french-open/47063/#.UWgZGqyHPFw

Blasphemy!!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:24 am

Fear what? There is no fear with a Fed fan. The King and Champion of an untouchable 17 GS Titles, he has the grand prize of prizes!

The King of 1 surface would gladly trade his H2H against opponents for 17 Slams anyday. Ask him.

Any player also knows that winning titles is more of a judgement of your year than having a tough match or 2. So you had a tough match during the tournament, did you win it?

April 12th, 2013 at 10:27 am

Giles quit being Fleischer, your obvious writing skills, links, etc. gives it away, and one of you is always around for the other. Live in the same house? hehe….

April 12th, 2013 at 10:29 am

Yes, blasphemy indeed: one observer gives a opinion that is meaningless to the outcome that is a matter of fact. Have We seen that before? Ben I’m sure you would have said a thing or 2 about Wimby 2008 final? It was the light that did him I tell ya!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:32 am

Fear what? More like welcome. I love it when Fed is opposite side of the net to Rafa in GS finals- a match everyone remembers!:-) In all seriousness: I have great respect or Fed and IMO at his best he still is no.2 on clay today, and I back him to do well this year. Just when the riff raff kick starts then old wounds must be reopened!:-)

April 12th, 2013 at 10:38 am

This is Courier trying to justify the @ss whipping US received from Serbia! Why hasn’t he said this before now? Why almost a year later? If my grandmother had balls she would be my grandfather!! #ManNotFitToCaptainUSDavisCupTeam

April 12th, 2013 at 10:40 am

skeezer. Give it up man, I told you before, I am Giles and Fleischer is Fleischer. Our posts are very dissimilar. #ReadCloserToTheLines

April 12th, 2013 at 10:45 am

@ Giles: Relax. Novak HIMSELF said they were right to go off when they did, his ONLY argument was: it was a bad as the start of set 3, so why did they play on and go off now? And he was right: the umpire should have called play off at the start of the 3rd set when it begun to rain heavily. NO ONE questions the reason to go off just the timing off it. Anyhow, when it wasn’t raining- as one wishes for all tennis matches- their was only one winner wasn’t there? Nole: he’s not a sour loser and he know about Rafas quality on clay as he plays him not Courier! Rafa: he has the trophy- and I’ll take that everytime over some BS IF my aunt had balls she would be my uncle crap!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:48 am

Andy Murray’s fear: http://lauraettinger562.blogspot.com/2013/04/rafael-nadals-reputation-on-clay-courts.html

April 12th, 2013 at 10:55 am

“Our posts are very dissimilar”
NOT.
Sorry Giles, don’t believe you. Don’t think others do either.

BTW, so you speaking for Courier? I’ll listen to the multi slam and former # 1’s opinion before your posts any day. He has qualifications. Just speak for yourself and Fleischer and post your Rafa links, that is your element, no?

______

Brando,

I know you have respect for Fed, but you know a Fed fan would respond to that post of yours, guess it had to be me. ;)
BTW…said it well with your last post re : Courier. Rafa has the trophy, nothing will change that.

April 12th, 2013 at 10:56 am

Geezer the but loving bimbo,

How are you ?

How is your Rafa a$$ tattoo on your face ?

April 12th, 2013 at 10:57 am

Giles Says:
skeezer. Give it up man, I told you before, I am Giles and Fleischer is Fleischer. Our posts are very dissimilar. #ReadCloserToTheLines

April 12th, 2013 at 10:45 am

Cool down buddy,

Geezer’s head is tightly locked inside Rafa a$$. This specimen cannot comprehend facts….leave that bimbo alone.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:04 am

The poll should be: Can Murray reach his first final on clay?

April 12th, 2013 at 11:04 am

Blowing that lead in the second set did him in.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:05 am

Giles,

and there ya go, ON CUE.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:07 am

@skeezer: LOL, I know and I don’t blame you for it. And yep: In the final analysis, we could argue all we want about IF’s but they never change reality, and In this case where the trophy went.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:12 am

“How is 2008 sublime compared to 2007 or 2012”

Perception. I said compared to uneven year, as I already admit that all even years he playes better than uneven.
This is a question for the Rafa fans as well: Between 2007, 2008 and 2012 which clay years you consider the best. I rank 2007 low beacuse in 2008 he was crushing everybody, apart from that bizarre Rome loss he was dominating and I consider form in RG as well. It was his best ever on the turf. Coamparing to 2012, he had 3 Clay Slams versus Djokovic finally ending a 7 match losing winning streak. I rank it higher in importance as well. 2007 He was still backing up 2006 results but in 2008 was his career turning point when he finally won Wimbledon and had no defeats to Fed etc.
I don’t know, when I look back I think/feel his even years where the best compared to all other uneven years. I rank 2007, 2011 and 2009 below all even eyars, maybe we can have a case only for 2007 being equal to 2008 or 2012. But 2011 and 2009 are beying doubt his worst clay years. 2011 his form was just bad (maybe due to Djoko match) and 2009 he lost RG.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:15 am

@Ben: are you referring to wimby 08?maybe. Maybe Rafa f’ing up that sitter of a BH in the AO final 5th set did him in. Ultimately: IMO the winner of the trophy is always the worthy winner. Why? Since he is still the last one standing and the unbeaten one at the end of the tournament. Period!

April 12th, 2013 at 11:17 am

@Daniel: I rate all years highly except 2009 and 2011. Why? 2009 is obvious, no explanation needed. 2011? Glad you said it: his form was bad. And of course: his struggles v Novak had alot to do with this. Rafa to his credit admitted this and rightly praised Novak. TBH though: who wouldn’t struggle with doubt when a player is winning every match he plays regardless of surface or opponent? Doubt naturally creeps in. Yet, despite this in 2011 his results read: RU at Rome an Madrid, Win at Barcelona, Monte Carlo and French Open. Thus considering his struggles that year, IMO, 2011 clay swing was excellent since despite his struggles: he still was te most successful player on clay that year.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:23 am

Daniel, I thought we were looking at just his clay season results. If you include Wimbledon, then nothing compares not 08 and 10.

I’d agree with you about his overall form. In 2008 it was insane, same in 2010 and even 2012. But other years it wasn’t as great, although the results were pretty much the same outside of 2009. I think it’s a cop out to say he was subpar in 2011 just because super Djokovic got him twice. Those wins were a long time coming. And I still don’t think he has any excuse for losing in Rome when Djokovic was coming off that ridiculous late match against Murray.

Brando, yeah. But choking on one point isn’t the same as losing 4 straight games for no reason when you’re already behind. Either way it doesn’t matter, that’s all I really have to say about that match.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:26 am

“3 clays slams should be 3 clay wins”. Pass lunch time already, hunger is making me type different from thinking:)

April 12th, 2013 at 11:30 am

skeezer. My moniker is embedded on my screen. Do you really think I would go to all the trouble of changing monikers just to entertain you? Anyway I couldn’t give a stuff what you do or don’t believe. After all you are only skeezer or do you have dual monikers? Have you given up BFF?

April 12th, 2013 at 11:31 am

Wasn’t 2011 the year super vac started using the EGG?

April 12th, 2013 at 11:34 am

Giles Says:

After all you are only skeezer or do you have dual monikers? Have you given up BFF?

April 12th, 2013 at 11:31 am

That bimbo showed up as Alex recently….could see Andrew Tennis for sometime.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:39 am

Fleischet. You are right. Thought I recognised the clownish post.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:46 am

^^ Sorry misspelt your name

April 12th, 2013 at 11:47 am

“Do you really think I would go to all the trouble of changing monikers just to entertain you? ”

Yes. Easy. you’re using 2 browsers…

“Anyway I couldn’t give a stuff what you do or don’t believe.”

This is where it gets laughable. Sure you don’t, that is why Giles aka Fliescher always responds to my posts. Hehe….

Everyone knows here I am the one and only, and don’t use chickensh!t dual monikers like you types.

_______

Regarding Rafa’s Clay season, the ever so wonderfully worded “queen” says it best;

“He will win all of them.”

April 12th, 2013 at 11:47 am

Anothers polls: How many sets will Nadal lose this year on clay?
Can Ferrer win Barcelona? Can Gasquet reach his first quarter final on Roland Garros this year?

April 12th, 2013 at 11:49 am

LOL again reading skeezer vs Giles/Fleischer!

skeezer, i am no one to talk when it comes to grammar, spelling, ect. on these posts, but…notice how Fleischer spells “butt”. I mean he/she misspells the anatomical butt all the time. Giles uses “@ss”… and does not misspell the anatomical “butt”; just noticing while laughing.

The back and forth is comical. What a genius Giles/Fleisher is if they if they are sock puppets of each other! hahaha…

Brilliant.

My argument in favor of Rafa not dropping a match is guessing that team Rafa is just smarter with Rafa’s schedule and body parts as he ages. Let’s say Rafa goes out and wins it but has an tough MC. It would be smart then to skip Barcelona/ and, or, Madrid. Really all he needs is MC, Rome, and another FO ;)

I like the even/ odd years idea for picking but staying with Zero matcb losses. He could definitely lose 2 sets, maybe 3 during the course of clay season, though. If he loses a set or 2 in MC, that will not be a good sign – he would best not play Barca and Madrid for sure, then.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:52 am

contador. It is a compliment to be referred to as a genius but that is not the case. Re: the spelling bits, well spotted.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:00 pm

I think Rafa will skip Madrid, just a gut feeling. He hates playing there and seems to be (hopefully is) more cautious with his schedule. MC, Barcelona and Rome would be plenty of preparation pre RG.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:05 pm

Brando. I personally think he will skip Rome so he has 2 weeks rest before FO. Madrid is his home tourney and after the fiasco last year with the blue clay, I think he will want to play there.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:10 pm

@giles: I have to disagree. He has 1,000 points to defend at Rome, loves the tourny, it is far more prestigious and the ONLY reason he even bothers with Madrid is ….. It’s in Madrid! I think he’ll skip it: he’ll cite his health and righfully skip it. Either that or he’ll turn up and tank early. I just do not see Madrid being a event Rafa cares about at all. Remember also he does play in Barcelona- a home tourny itself. Time will tell, but I hope he skips Madrid- he can do well without it IMO!

April 12th, 2013 at 12:16 pm

Giles,

Contador is just another bimbo who takes cheapshots at Rafa indirectly aka geezer the butt lover.

“Of course Rafa will not lose a match. I mean, if he gets in a situation that it looks like he will lose a set, my bet will be on him withdrawing the tournament. ”

I guess he/she/it has not seen the warrior in Rafa who took on the GOAT on all the surfaces when he was just a teenager.

These bimbos need some mental therapy.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:16 pm

PS: 5 weeks rest, 2 weeks tennis, 2 weeks rest, Rome, week rest, FO- that is a smart schedule IMO.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:18 pm

^^ good post Fleisher! lols

Why so sensitive Fleisher? I was simply inferring that if Rafa is not feeling right, he’ll not risk losing ;)

April 12th, 2013 at 12:23 pm

Brando. Your scheduling sounds good but will Rafa follow that plan? Let’s just wait and see. All depends on his health.
#VamosKing

April 12th, 2013 at 12:26 pm

http://alturl.com/cjt5k
Our champ looking good and ready! #VamosKing

April 12th, 2013 at 12:31 pm

@Giles:

Excellent pic Giles. Nice to see. Thanks and you are right: let’s wait and see. :-)

April 12th, 2013 at 12:43 pm

^^ the beast does look ready!

Don’t you Rafa Fans agree that it is a good idea for Rafa to be thinking long-term when scheduling and being super sensitive to sensations in his knees?

Peeps, including myself, have been guessing out loud that Rafa has a short shelf life in tennis due to his style of play. But team Rafa could sort it all out to make us all look dumb. For instance, if he has to really work to get what he wants over clay season, it might be smart to go out early at Wimbledon and skip US Open altogether.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:47 pm

Sampras thinks Rafa is one of the three GOATs and also gives weightage to his H2H over Federer.
http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Sampras-Says-Rafael-Nadal-Can-Break-Grand-Slam-Rec.aspx

I think it is wiser to believe Sampras who held the record for most slams, weeks at no 1, year end finishes, etc. instead of fedt@@rds who ignore the H2H.

April 12th, 2013 at 12:56 pm

Contador People are always saying he has a short shelf life in tennis due to his style of play,even though hes still ranked in the top5 and winning titles,and hes been playing for for 1o years i believe,and is still playing now,hopefully he will cut down on the shedual,but i dont believe he would tank at Wimbledon or miss the USO without good reason,surely the GS are most important part of a tennis players season,its what they build their season around,sorry JMO.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:07 pm

Sampras is one of the few guys who gives weight to the h2h because he is comfortable with his own h2h against his main rival, Agassi.

Either way, not saying anything new here. I’d say most people would include Nadal in the top 5. I don’t know about top 3. Federer, Sampras, Laver, Borg, and Nadal. No particular order here, that’s really hard to dissect. But I’d say that’s easily top 5.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:13 pm

I like to get compliments from real people, not frogs.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:17 pm

If Rafa wins FO this year, he will become the first one EVER to win GS titles for 9 consecutive years and this record will most probably stand FOREVER.

But still some fedt@@rds will continue to say he wont have a long career because of his playing style….LOL.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Rafas been more aggressive with his tennis since returning from injury,going for his shots more,trying not to get involved in too many long rallies,trying to shorten the points and the matches,i hope this is a style that he adopts permanantly,that attacking positive tennis is so great to watch.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:24 pm

Borg could be the number 1 by slam count. He never played AO and retired at 26, yet he won 11 majors. I think he could’ve won 1 or2 more channel slams if he continued and 2+ AO if he played there as i think it was played on grass

April 12th, 2013 at 1:26 pm

@Ben Pronin:

I agree.

Whilst it’s true I am a Rafa fan, hence bias is hard to dismiss even when i try to be objective, when I look at the the open era (1968 onwards) and ask myself the question:

Which player’s have either had more success or are regarded as highly or moreso than Rafa?

Then ONLY 4 names come to mind (not in any particular order):

– Laver – Borg – Sampras – Federer

That’s it!

I think for many, if not the majority, and it may even be a consensus by now Rafa has EITHER matched or surpassed all other’s in the open era with his achievement’s.

I think outside those 4, really you are looking at the likes of Lendl, Agassi, Connors, Edberg, Mcenroe, Wilander etc and IMHO i think for many Rafa has either matched or surpassed them already.

BOTTOM LINE:

IMHO i think consensus MAY be that Rafa is a solid top 5 player of all time- looking at his achievement, record, level of respect etc – possibly without any doubt.

By the end of his career he could feasibly (fitness permitting of course) end up being a solid top 3 of all time, without any doubt.

He’s already in a strong enough position to claim a better or certainly level as Borg.

He has the career slam which Sampras does not have so and he may even match or surpass his slam haul.

Ultimately: who knows.

All i know is that as a Rafa fan i may genuinely and completely pleased with what he has achieved already in the game.

He’s pretty much held in the highest rank of the game’s legend’s already- ANYTHING else from here on would be a pleasant bonus!

VAMOS RAFA!

April 12th, 2013 at 1:26 pm

Shame when posters cannot make a point without resorting to name calling,so sad when a thread has to turn into another food fight,be nice if people could stick to talking tennis.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:28 pm

@Alison:

Completely agree.

I LOVE this new attacking style Rafa has adopted and i think it makes him an even better player, especially to watch.

As Rafa has said already:

seemingly on his return he has won more fans than ever before. :-)

April 12th, 2013 at 1:29 pm

Brando most excellent post,whatever happens next and he could retire tomorrow,and still his fans can sleep easy and be delighted with his legacy,Feds got nothing left to prove,and Rafa has got little left to prove either.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:35 pm

Brando :-)))…

April 12th, 2013 at 1:36 pm

@Alison:

Completely agree with you.

Rafa and Fed have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to prove.

Whatsoever.

WHATEVER they achieve from here is nothing other than a sweet bonus.

Genuinely: ONLY a YEC is missing from Rafa’s CV and yet as a fan of his I am not to fussed about it at all.

Sure it would be nice, yet his legacy is more than secure already.

His IMPACT on the game- the true measure of a legend- is more than colossal even already.

Now, like Fed, put simply: it’s just a PRIVILEGE to watch a legend play!

Sheer fun!

And yes, you are right:

:-)))))))))))))))))))

April 12th, 2013 at 1:39 pm

yes, alison I am guilty as charged :D But I don’t think of “going out early” as the same as “tanking.” If he is struggling to much in a match or his knee doesn’t feel right, retiring or withdrawing is better than being stoic while in pain or going too deep in a relatively unnecessary tournament.

On form Nadal would never lose to Zeballos or Verdasco, for that matter. But in those instances Verdasco on blue clay in Madrid, or Z-ball in a 250 tournament is strategic management.

BTW Hello to you, you must be excited for clay season, alison!

Fleischer’s link was interesting. And it has occurred to me long ago that if Nadal basically plays what clay tournaments he likes best and minimizes the his schedule, he could easily surpass Federer’s GS record by winning FO’s with a Wimby double thrown in once or twice. the next 4 years.

I try to imagine how and why Federer is even still playing but then, I see him in a sweater vest on a nasty looking clay court in the alps and I am reminded how much Federer enjoys his job. Nadal might be sick of striving for #1, he’s chilled out and just play for the love of the game when and where he wants to for another 5 years, you know?

As long as another once in a generation player like Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic are not showing up on tennis radar, hey may as well train, do what you love, and make tons of money. They also get to give back too. That has to feel good.

Heard a rumor of Djokovic paying the entire bill for a Serbian-American girl needing cancer help w/ treatment bills from one of the commentators during Davis Cup. Nole was trying to be anonymous about it, but that is what he did. Such sensitivity does make me love his being #1 in tennis. Makes me love it when he rips his shirt off, knowing he is a great character; takes the cynic out of me :D (maybe it is a fairy tale I want to believe about a sports hero?)

April 12th, 2013 at 1:39 pm

Brando,
Rafa is such a great champion who can come up with a completely new game AFTER winning slams for eight consecutive years and beating the crap out of all the greatest players on ALL surfaces.
VAMOS !!!!!

My guess is that Rafa and his uncle have just ONE GOAL embedded into Rafa….that is to win most number of slams and establish beyond doubt that Rafa is the GOAT. They both are relentlessly working towards it.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:43 pm

@Contador:

RESPECT to Novak for that.

I have ALWAYS liked him and never thought he was anything other than a genuinely nice guy, from afar of course, who is one of the crown jewels of the modern game.

Heck: I even didn’t hate him on his naughty streak v Rafa.

I understood, as much as i hated it, that it was a case of a highly talented player, on the form of his life, whilst my guy was on a bit of a downer.

Accepted it, and acknowledged Novak’s tremendous feat in that regard.

My ONLY dislike of him is the Hulk Hugan style celebration. I just dislike that extremely.

Nonetheless, i recognize it;s a case of different strokes for different folks.

Ultimately:

I think he has helped Rafa big time.

He has forced Rafa to improve, play a more attacking brand of tennis and as a Rafa fan: I am enjoying this new style of Rafa than ever before.

Kudos to the djoker for forcing Rafa to improve!

April 12th, 2013 at 1:48 pm

@Fleischer:

IMHO, i think:

Rafa GENUINELY regard’s Fed as the best of all time.

It’s not lip service, courtesy, respect but more of a genuine belief.

Rafa is POSSIBLY the hardest working athlete in the game, and he knows how hard it is to play the game.

He knows Fed can do things that NO ONE else can- hence the REAL RESPECT.

I think he LOVES the game and moreso: he LOVES COMPETITION.

I think he doesn’t really care about Fed’s record, but moreso that he continue’s to play as long as possible the sport he loves.

Chasing records usually leads to burn out.

With Rafa though despite the setbacks, his LOVE and PASSION for the game means that he always does whatever he can in order to continue playing this game that he loves.

The record books just take care of themselves really- a by product of success NOT a pursuit for Rafa, IMO.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:53 pm

Contador lol hello to you and nice to see you posting again,i always look forward to watching Rafa play wherever or whenever win or loose,although on clay is where he has the most success,but im not one of those fans whos arrogant enough that i expect or think he has some right because he has done so well in the past,every dog has its day and domination doesnt last forever,as for Novak i like the guy although hes not my favorite he has a kind heart,and thats a lovely thing to do,although im not keen on the shirt ripping but thats JMO sorry.

April 12th, 2013 at 1:54 pm

@ alison

Rafa manages his schedule pretty well and maximizes his gains wherever he thinks he can. The breaks he has had in 2009 and 2012 have served him well. Agassi had one big break in the 1990s and it prolonged his career. Rafa’s intense playing style just can not be sustained. Physical and mental burnout is inevitable. Longish breaks help in R&R. It is almost like getting a new lease of life. Sounds like a nice strategy to play at full tilt and manage the damage through R&R. Rafa deserves a lot of credit for sustaining the passion for the game despite the troubles he has had. At this rate and with smarter scheduling, he could be playing well into his thirties and proving a lot of people wrong.

April 12th, 2013 at 2:29 pm

Rogerafa yeah i hope your right,however we will see i suppose.

April 12th, 2013 at 2:39 pm

I think for Nadal to be regarded as GOAT, if Fed doesn’t win anymnore Slam, he will have to balence more the Slams. Otherwise he will always be remembered for clay results.
If he reaches 16 or 17 Slam, with the HxH on his favor people will still debate because if out fo those 16 or 17 Slams, 11-12 are Franch Opens it won’t look good, well it will, could imagina anybody holding 10 Titles in the Slam?!:)
The way he gets to 16 or 17 will also make a huge impact in how he will be regarded.

He has to win more outside clay and so far, last 7 non clay Slams played he has 3 finals (all lost to Djokovic), missed 2 Slams and 0 titles. He is not getting any younger, had a serious injury preventing him from playing the longest he ever had after turing pro and now has a low rank, trying to regain his spot back at the top.
He has a huge mountain to climb and next 2-3 years will define his legacy, not that it is not established as of now, as some had already said, he is top 5 all time. But how much further can he go?

And the interesting part is that is not entirelly on his hand / racquest, Djoko, Fed and Murray will all have an impact on each other, as seen last year.

As long as they are all healthy as possible (for the longest parts of the season as possible) the better for us, to be able to view history being made every tourney watching Fab 4 play.

April 12th, 2013 at 2:45 pm

Agree with Daniel not that he doesnt have a pretty great legacy already,it wouldnt do any harm to add more titles especially GS away from clay,another AO and USO would be a 2nd career GS,only achieved by Rod Laver,that would put him in the conversation on par with Laver,and 2nd only to Roger,im not saying he will do it,but it has to go down as a possibility,to do that would be some achievement given the roll Novaks been on,and Andy making a breakthrough and winning his 1st GS,all makes things very intersting.

April 12th, 2013 at 3:47 pm

@Daniel:

Is that an estimation regarding rafa or the anxious projection of a Fed fan worried by the threat of his great rival? :-)

LOL, relax!

As i said: as a rafa fan I am more than happy with what he has achieved already.

ANYTHING from here onwards is nothing more than a mere bonus!

And regarding Fed: No concern whatsoever.

People will ALWAYS think of the other when one is mentioned, so closely are they identified to one another.

Rafa doesn’t need to surpass Fed’s record to prove anything:

He ALREADY has shown where it matters the most, ON COURT, that when he and Fed cross the line on to the court and umpire announce’s ‘play’ he can MORE THAN hold his own v Fed.

NOTHING inferior or superior to Fed on that front.

Rafa has RESPECT from Fed on that front and more than enough in the tennis community regarding any comparison to Fed.

I say: let’s just enjoy BOTH whilst they are still here playing at a high level and leave the comparison’s, IF fans want to do so, at the end of BOTH their careers!

Right now all that we know is:

Look at it however you want- BOTH are firm, established legends whose name is held in mighty esteem within the tennis community!

That’s more than enough and pretty ONLY 3 player’s in the history of the open era could claim a similar regard, if at all!

So let’s enjoy them both whilst they are here since we shall see others, but more than likely not the likes of FEDAL ever again!

April 12th, 2013 at 3:48 pm

Brando great post you always have an uncanny knack of getting to the nitty gritty of a situation,granted sometimes you do get over emotional,but most of the time its just gentle teasing,and pretty harmless stuff which you have even given to Rafa whos your favorite,so its never personal,but your more often than not fair and objective with your reasoning.

April 12th, 2013 at 4:02 pm

@Alison:

Thanks Alison for the generous praise.

I take my cues from a great poster such sie….er sorry, brain fart there almost, a brilliantly fair poster such as yourself! :-)

April 12th, 2013 at 5:25 pm

What does this mean: nothing left to prove? If they had nothing left to prove, then they wouldn’t keep playing. First and foremost, they all want to prove to themselves that they can be even better players than they already are.

But Nadal can still prove he’s the greatest, and not Federer. Should he surpass Sampras’s slam haul and get close to Federer, or even surpass it. He can prove that he’s one of the greater hard court players by winning a few more hard court slams. He can prove he’s one of the greater grass court players by winning some more Wimbledon’s. As of now, he’s just ok in all of those. Only on clay is his greatness above and beyond cemented. So he has plenty left to prove. Maybe not to his fans, but to the history books and maybe even to himself.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:29 pm

What does this mean: nothing left to prove? If they had nothing left to prove, then they wouldn’t keep playing. First and foremost, they all want to prove to themselves that they can be even better players than they already are.

But Nadal can still prove he’s the greatest, and not Federer. Should he surpass Sampras’s slam haul and get close to Federer, or even surpass it. He can prove that he’s one of the greater hard court players by winning a few more hard court slams. He can prove he’s one of the greater grass court players by winning some more Wimbledon’s. As of now, he’s just ok in all of those. Only on clay is his greatness above and beyond cemented. So he has plenty left to prove. Maybe not to his fans, but to the history books and maybe even to himself.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:29 pm

Brando thanks and yeah same about you too :-)really lol.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:31 pm

“@Brando
Says:
@Fleischer:

IMHO, i think:

Rafa GENUINELY regard’s Fed as the best of all time.”

Shhh. You sure you wanted to say that to GileFleischer?

One thing is for sure, Fed will never lose 7 consecutive finals in a row to one guy. A remarkable record.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:31 pm

More a real arpoach Brando.

When I saw one match of Nadal is SA I thought, hum he will never be the same again. When I saw he play DelPo in MSG I thought, damm this is how Nadal should play all the time. And then IW happen and something with Djoko is not inspiring me safety. I don’t know seems he is not there where he was in 2011 and 2012. May e he will get his act together soon. But all this together and this could be another Nadal year. Of coruse anything change overnight and tennis is a what have you ddone for me latelly sport. And latelly is Nadal with momentum, Murray with a ugly Miami ein and Fed not winning in a long time and we are movimg to clay so you get the picture. But first we have to see how Nadal’s knee will react after 5 tourneys with some possible grueling match in the way. He always dominates clay. And I have a strange feeling Murray will make some noise this clay. It wouldn’t surprised me if he is the one to have a win against Nadal. He is the top 5 Nadal played the least on the turf plus Murray new mindset. Will see.

Agree with you, just enjoy and some speculation ocasionally, meaning all the time here:)

April 12th, 2013 at 5:33 pm

“Sampras thinks Rafa is one of the three GOATs and also gives weightage to his H2H over Federer.”

Idiotic at best. Anyone can take a timely quoted piece ( dated 2010, Rafa’s best year ) and make Kool Aid. ( Sampras said Fed was the GOAT in 2009 )Have you asked Sampras since Rafa lost 7 consecutive finals in a row?

Rafa is one of the best all time greats, but not based on that post.

#YellowKoolAid

April 12th, 2013 at 5:39 pm

Ben as fans of one or the other their legacies are already cemented and fans are more than happy,Rafa though obviously to a lesser extent than Roger,stands to reason that of course they would want to achieve more otherwise whats the point of been there,but i think the point is Rogers fans are obviously delighted with his achievements,likewise Rafas fans too,and i dont see anything wrong with that,why cant our acceptence be accepted?

April 12th, 2013 at 5:44 pm

My 2013 Clay Prediction:

Monte Carlo- Rafa
Madrid- Nole
Rome- Nole
Roland Garros- Roger

April 12th, 2013 at 5:47 pm

Alison, I mentioned that sure, for the fans, perhaps they have nothing left to prove. But that’s only for the fans. To say they have NOTHING left to prove is misguided. That’s not why they play.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:48 pm

OK Ben fair enough.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:51 pm

Like Skeezer says Rafa is one of the all time greats,Feds the best ever,im more than happy with that,thats good enough for me.

April 12th, 2013 at 5:59 pm

@Ben,

“To say they have NOTHING left to prove is misguided. That’s not why they play.”

Care to explain further?

April 12th, 2013 at 6:01 pm

contador,

The name of the girl is Tijana Ognjanovic, she needed heart transplatation and the only hospital in the world that could do it was Houston children hospital. They quoted $1.050.000 to do it, after negotions with the members of former Serbian Royal family (Karadjordjevic) they dropped the quote to $750.000 what was far to much money to collect for poor family. Then, while Novak was playing in America his family gave good chunk of money on behalf of him (never said how much), after hearing of Novak giving alot of money for little Tijana, few Serbian basketball players who play in CSKA (Russia) orginized with their friends in Russia and sent more money, the rest was collected in Serbia in no time. Then it was problem to find who is going to fly her to Houston because of her conditions which are getting worst. That was sortoed out last weekend and she is alredy in Houston Texas. Nobody knew for sure Nole gave the money, his family nor team said nothing and they still don’t say anything.
You can google little Tijana Ognjanovic, God help her.

April 12th, 2013 at 6:05 pm

^ sorry for typos, I guess you are used to it by now.

April 12th, 2013 at 6:09 pm

Wogboy i only hope everything turns out well for the little girl :-).

April 12th, 2013 at 6:10 pm

alison,

Thanks, we all hope too, she is a little angel, but then all kids are.
You can google “Images for Tijana Ognjanovic”

April 12th, 2013 at 6:32 pm

Wog boy, contador, thanks – I hadn’t heard anything about that story before.

I put one loss for Rafa, and Daniel – the stat man – makes me feel good about that pick. Although I think contador could be right too.

The clay season feels like the easiest to predict part of the season; it’s come down to polling how many matches Rafa will lose!! Crazy.

April 12th, 2013 at 6:39 pm

Wogboy your right all kids are angels,i dont actually have any but i have plenty in my family,my nephew lost his little baby daughter called Grace who was only 18 months old,he was heartboken to put it mildly,so sad to see poorly children,i will google the images you have piqued my curiosity :-))

April 12th, 2013 at 6:40 pm

Really puts all this bickering into perspective,about what is basically after all only a game(sigh) :-(

April 12th, 2013 at 6:44 pm

CONFIRMED:

Novak will play MC.

He had his first practise session today and shall in a public event v Andy Murray on Saturday.

Good stuff!

April 12th, 2013 at 6:46 pm

Thats good news Brando,everybodys fine,let the tourney begin:)

April 12th, 2013 at 6:51 pm

jane

No probs, I knew about that but, if contador didn’t mention it I wouldn’t either, if you google “images for Tijana Ognjanovic” you will find artical in english “Please help our little girl to get a new heart.” Explains much better than I did.

As for Nole, as I said before, BadaBing might be right. He might take it easy, play few matches, just to feel the clay and start CC preparation, unlees they knock him out at the very begining:)

April 12th, 2013 at 6:58 pm

I don’t know; I kind of wish he weren’t playing Monte Carlo, Wog boy, but I am sure he and his team know best. Monte Carlo is beautiful to watch, with the sea as a backdrop, so I do always enjoy the event. You know it’s only 1 of 2 Masters Nole doesn’t have. Some year I hope he can win it.

April 12th, 2013 at 7:04 pm

jane,

Not wrong, the view is to die for:) Yes I know and he played multiply finals in both of them just to be denied by best in the game, Roger, Rafa and Andy:(
I am with you but I guess they know what they are doing, he basicly didn’t have any preparation for clay.

April 12th, 2013 at 7:11 pm

Geezer the butt lover,

You are a funny bimbo indeed.

When Jim Courier said something against Rafa your response was:
“I’ll listen to the multi slam and former # 1′s opinion before your posts any day. He has qualifications.”

But when Sampras says Rafa is on par with Federer based on his all round record and H2H this fedt@@rd’s response was:
“Idiotic at best.”

Its so easy to trap these fedt@@rds…..LOL.

Geezer the butt lover has to take his head out of Rafa’s a$$ and enjoy his tennis. I know it is difficult for fedt@@rds to appreciate tennis…but still…

April 12th, 2013 at 7:16 pm

“One thing is for sure, Fed will never lose 7 consecutive finals in a row to one guy. A remarkable record.”

You are right Geezer, Federer could only manage 5 in a row to Rafa (including 3 GS finals on 3 different surfaces) during the span of an year. He was not good enough to make that many finals in MS tourneys during that span.

April 12th, 2013 at 7:26 pm

Fleischer,

“Idiotic at best.””

U are a piece of work, straight from Rafa Kool Aid (Yellow).

Iidiotic was referring to YOU.
How many times do I let you get to Bat? Not many left, make em count…hehe.

Regarding your supposed stats on Roger, why don’t you point us to what your referring too, so we all can validate it? Regardless, its not 7. Remarkable record.

April 12th, 2013 at 8:44 pm

Oh for goodness sake Fleisher…
True, certain Federer fans have a certain sick, cult-like mania for their favorite. IE: MadMax, Gannu and similar ilk with their frightening anger issues and Skeezer’17’ who obviously fancies himself, herself (well, pick one of 3 possible and equally plausible first person personal possessive pronouns) Federer’s personal, face-first gastroenterologist.
But why must you besmirch the Nadal clan-base with such childish and uninventive assaults?
Oh, and while I am at it…do you tennis-xers really find this HumbleRafa person clever? Really? Maybe the first couple of times that schtick could fly as original. But after 100s of times the same spiel gets regurgitated and you still guys find it clever…Really?
Lastly: some of you NEED TO GET LIVES. Sure, have your favorites…get a thrill from a great sport…talk about it…get fired up and all… However, the way some of you carry on, I can’t help but wonder how boring your own lives must be. You take so much stock in someone else’s accomplishments… Do Nadal, or Federer or Djokovic even know (or care) who you are?

April 12th, 2013 at 9:12 pm

skeezer,

It would be 8 if it wasn’t for incredible play of your man:)

April 12th, 2013 at 9:45 pm

Wrong one, should put :( and not :)

April 12th, 2013 at 9:46 pm

I hope ND plays some ‘easy’ matches and gets to the quarters without too much trouble. After that, I trust him to make a correct decision.

April 12th, 2013 at 9:55 pm

Djokovic knows who I am!

April 12th, 2013 at 10:48 pm

@Wog boy,

“It would be 8 if it wasn’t for incredible play of your man”

and it would be a perfect calendar slam.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:18 pm

Wog boy Says:

“It would be 8 if it wasn’t for incredible play of your man:)”

You would have been “Wog Girl” if not for your d!k.

April 12th, 2013 at 11:22 pm

Geezer the butt lover,

I was expecting such a rant from after being exposed. Have fun with Rafa’s a$$ you ugly bimbo…..LOL

April 12th, 2013 at 11:25 pm

^ I wasn’t talking to you, punk!

Dind’t your mum teach you nice manners, you don’t talk to person unless that person talks to you!

April 12th, 2013 at 11:52 pm

“Regarding your supposed stats on Roger, why don’t you point us to what your referring too, so we all can validate it?”

We all know about your selective memory…you need to come out of Rafa’s a$$ to enjoy the tennis in him.

Let me educate you again….

Federer got his a$$ whooped consecutively at:
MC 2008
Hamburg 2008
FO 2008
Wimby 2008
AO 2009

April 12th, 2013 at 11:55 pm

Wog Girl,

If you are afraid about responses from others in a public forum, keep your discussions limited inside your bedroom with Geezer you pinky.

April 13th, 2013 at 12:00 am

@giles aka Fleischer aka Butt-Flosser

7 is the record. Not 5. Your Love owns it, no one else.
Your desperate inane attempt to bring Fed in again is a big fail, 3 strikes your out. Now you bring in Nole fans, just shows the quality of what your multi moniker is about.

Go back to posting link pics of Rafa in underwear and such and calling names like a 7. Yr old. There in lies your only talent.

Every player can have an achilles heal. But only one can hold the all time Slam record that is against the field of players. Thats Tennis. There can be only one.

This is typical talk from Rafanatics right before Clay season, nothing new here. Thankful its only a season, not the complete season of Tennis that proves the best player(s) overall.

April 13th, 2013 at 12:31 am

There is a good possibility that French Open Final will be Nadal’s 42 consecutive match win.

April 13th, 2013 at 12:58 am

I still think roger can beat rafa in Roland garros .
The painful memory of 2011 french open comes in my mind .He was up 5-2, had set points and blown it away .
What would have happened had he won the first set ?
You never know .Roger is very unpredictable .He is silently preparing for his clay court matches .Who knows with what NEW weapon he might come up ?

The only player who can beat rafa in french open is Roger . I don’t think nole can ever do it .Yes he good on clay but not better than federer.

Rafa has a great chance to win it as usual but if he potentially meet roger in semi finals and nole in finals or vice versa then anything can happen.

You guys think its ok to underestimate roger ,nole or murray just because rafa is a king of clay.

The brand new version of murray can give trouble to rafa as well.

My bold prediction
FRENCH OPEN = Roger federer ( Doesn’t matter if he face rafa or not ) .

April 13th, 2013 at 4:01 am

Jatin nice post completely agree,i think only an idiot would rule Roger out,even if i am a Rafa fan,hes only the favorite based on his past records at the FO,im a great believer in that whats happened in the past is irrelevant anyway,tennis is about the here and now,but i wouldnt count Novak out though as i think he wants to make history with a career GS,same for Roger who wants to make 2 career GS,and Rafa of course whos going for no8,and wanting to make history by been the 1st player in the open year to win a GS for 9 straight years,a new version of Murray can trouble Rafa,but also what about a new version of Rafa?all to play for makes this years FO very interesting.

April 13th, 2013 at 4:40 am

Fleischer will you please stop calling other posters and other players names?your making this forum very unpleasant,please can you just stick to talking tennis?

April 13th, 2013 at 4:43 am

Monte Carlo thanks for that bit of info,42 consecutive match win streak is insane.

April 13th, 2013 at 4:46 am

@alison

Absolutely.Tennis could be unpredictable sometimes.
The new version of Rafa looks scary .His renewed attacking game is a pleasure to watch .I really want to see him play against andy though .
I think they played against each other in monte carlo some years ago and andy gave him a really tough fight .And now this new andy is far better than the previous versions of andy .

I am not counting novak out but i don’t see him as a french open winner .Because
Firstly ,he is suffering from ankle injury and secondly he didn’t look too good in indian wells and miami either .
Rafa was blowing him up in the previous roland garros final until the rain comes up.
Nole could still be a threat but i don’t see him as a winner.

As far as roger.He is completely different animal .We count him out all the time and out of nowhere he always bounce back .
I saw last picture of him practicing and he must be preparing for something .He still looks so motivated .

This french open is going to be very unpredictable and certainly not a cup of cake for rafa as many of the guys here are predicting or saying

April 13th, 2013 at 4:55 am

Dear Alison. No offence but I think you should stop picking on Fleischer with regard to name calling. Do you by any chance read skeezer’s posts and his name calling? There is no point in trying to preach on this forum, after all it is a dysfunctional tx site and anything goes. If all the posters would be prim and proper this forum would be quite boring with Fed’s achievements being thrown at us at every turn and twist.
Posters can say what they like within reason of course.
Once again no offence.

April 13th, 2013 at 5:39 am

@Rsutherland – “do you tennis-xers really find this HumbleRafa person clever?”

No.

April 13th, 2013 at 5:45 am

“plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose…..”

It’s that time of the year again, boys and girls, the Rafael Nadal Invitational Season, time of the year dentists all over the world do a roaring business replacing Fedbots’ teeth enamel from all that gnashing of teeth…….

Hehehehe!!

*trots off to make sure seasonal Rafa-Kool-Aid is in place for all the victory toasts to come, AND ice, baby…….for the G & T, sunscreen (check), sun-hat (check)…*

VAMOSSSSSSS!!!!

April 13th, 2013 at 6:25 am

^^^ You are funny! Lol
Vamos King

April 13th, 2013 at 6:30 am

http://alturl.com/ahsvr
MC draw is out folks.
Seems like Joker made a fast recovery! Lol

April 13th, 2013 at 7:59 am

Ugh, tough draw for Andy at MC. Could face Wawrinka, Monfils, Tsonga Almagro, Rafa. Not ideal for the first clay tournament. Waiting for the full draw to be posted to see the paths of Rafa & Nole.

April 13th, 2013 at 8:27 am

Nole has Isner, Gulbis, Raonic & Delpo in his quarter. Berdy or Gasquet in the SFs.

Nadal could meet Verdasco in the 2nd R. Has Kohlschreiber, Simon & Tipsy in his quarter. Easy peasy.

April 13th, 2013 at 8:36 am

^ thanks DA. Yes it looks tough but I’m kind of happy Novak decided to play. It would have been much worse if Andy had gotten that draw as top seed.

April 13th, 2013 at 8:51 am

Hi All,

I love Fed, but Rafa isn’t done. He could manage another 6. Image FO for the next three years and 1 other for the next three years. If he pulls equal, the H2H or Olympic Gold trumps Fed, if he pulls within 1 GS, both of the others togeher pip him. If he pulls within 2, its still Fed by a nose. This is very much up in the air… but one thing is for sure, Rafa needs 4 more at least.

There is one odd angle I haven’t seen talked about… Grass and hard courts being fast, gives three fast court GSs, while there is only the FO on the slower side. If it were two and two, one has to believe Rafa and Roger would be 17 and 11 to Rafa’s favor… with several years left to widen the gap.

Would love to hear from you as this idea is still baking.

Johnny

April 13th, 2013 at 9:02 am

Some 1st round popcorn matches: Gulbis vs Isner, Malisse vs Dimitrov and Dolgopolov vs Tomic, Jankowicz vs Anderson.

April 13th, 2013 at 9:08 am

Nice draw for Rafa. Andy caught a tough draw here- not ideal. Novak? Delpo and berdych will definitely test that ankle by making him play defense with their big game. Roll on the start of the tourny!

April 13th, 2013 at 9:45 am

Giles. On Cue with Fleischer, your other psuedo moniker.
Quit lyimg. I only started back at name calling you cause you psuedo started it. Get a life and grow up and knock it off.

April 13th, 2013 at 9:45 am

@nadalista

Hecka funny post. Beautiful creativity. Are u for hire to write for Fedfans? ;)

April 13th, 2013 at 9:48 am

The year 2006 represented 8 which is Federer’s birth number and it was his best year ever.

The year 2010 represented 3 which is Nadal’s birth number and it was his best year ever.

The year 2011 represented 4 which is Djokovic’s birth number and it was his best year ever.

The year 2013 represents 6 which is Murray’s birth number, will it be his best year ever?

April 13th, 2013 at 10:09 am

Nadal to win Roland Garros and Murray to win Wimbledon and the USO this year.

You heard it here first.

April 13th, 2013 at 10:14 am

Murray is done and he won’t win another major.

You heard it here first.

April 13th, 2013 at 10:26 am

@ Skeezer,

Take a chill pill skeezer. Rafafans (including me) r just evry excited to see Rafa play especially on clay where he performs his best. We waited so long…

Skeezer says:
“This is typical talk from Rafanatics right before Clay season, nothing new here. Thankful its only a season, not the complete season of Tennis that proves the best player(s) overall”

I guess that is you mad talk? cuz I do not believe you think Rafa is not a complete player with slams on every surface…c’mon Skeez!:)

April 13th, 2013 at 11:01 am

queen. The person you just addressed is a crank, he forgets his medication from time to time. #PoorSoul

April 13th, 2013 at 11:09 am

skeezer Says:

I only started back at name calling you cause you psuedo started it.

What a great reason. He fuc&ed his mom, so I am fuc&king my mom. Are we all from a civilized society.

April 13th, 2013 at 11:15 am

^^^^^
Not a very civilized way to advocate civility.

April 13th, 2013 at 11:51 am

@queen
2010 proved Rafa is an all court player. U know who those posts are addressed to ;)

April 13th, 2013 at 11:53 am

@ jatin

“I still think roger can beat rafa in Roland garros .”

That is SOME belief you have in Roger’s ability on clay. Roger could not beat Rafa at RG in his prime. I do not see how he is going to do it now.

“The only player who can beat rafa in french open is Roger . I don’t think nole can ever do it .Yes he good on clay but not better than federer.”

I think Novak is the only player who can go toe to toe with Rafa over five sets on clay. Sure, he would need some luck to beat him. Rafa, at his very best, is a different animal on clay but if his level is not that high and Novak plays well, he has a a realistic chance.

April 13th, 2013 at 12:02 pm

In your dreams Jamie – Roger will get Wimbledon again!

April 13th, 2013 at 2:32 pm

Thanks Wog Boy for giving me the name and adding some substance to the rumor I heard. The commentator in Boise was wrong on the details but maybe right about Nole paying the bills part but on my search engine and news feeds here in the US, I cannot find any story about Djokovic paying for Tijana’s treatment.

I guess I want to believe he would what I heard. My opinion of him keeps rising at any rate.

hope I am not the only one in the bracket challenge!!

April 13th, 2013 at 5:20 pm

Anna Says:

“Roger will get Wimbledon again!”

In your dreams Anna.

April 13th, 2013 at 9:59 pm

Skeezer Says:
@queen
2010 proved Rafa is an all court player. U know who those posts are addressed to ;)

April 13th, 2013 at 11:53 am

Oh Skeezie bimbo.
You are getting exposed again. I am getting what I wanted from you. Continue ranting.

April 13th, 2013 at 10:02 pm

skeezer Says:

“Go back to posting link pics of Rafa in underwear”

My dear old lady,
Should I remind you that this is a tennis site and not a porn site. You can check your mirror for that.

April 13th, 2013 at 10:06 pm

skeezer Says:

@nadalista

Hecka funny post. Beautiful creativity. Are u for hire to write for Fedfans? ;)

———

Thanks for the love……would be honoured to write for Fedfans but I have a feeling my sometimes caustic humour would not be very welcome. It’s a shame, Fedfans have lost their sense of humour lately…….I suppose that’s what happens when your fav suddenly forgets the way to the winner’s circle.

Please keep winning for sometime, Rafa, please…….

April 14th, 2013 at 2:16 am

What a pessimistic title for a poll. Very strange. I would rather be positive and optimistic and say, “How Many Matches Will Rafael Nadal Win This European Clay Season?” Be positive rather than negative.

April 14th, 2013 at 10:56 pm

Roger will get Wimbledon again!

Be careful Anna, Raonic could be a threat to the old man. I agree with Jamie on this , Murray is the favorite to Wimbledon.This is his time to win SW 19.

April 15th, 2013 at 11:19 am