Nadal Dumped By Darcis In Wimbledon First Round Shocker, Is The Knee Again An Issue?

This is a great day. Karma is real.

June 24th, 2013 at 4:14 pm

your jinx was the issue

June 24th, 2013 at 4:15 pm

Jesus friznuckin’ Kerist for the umpteenth time: the issue was not the knee. I repeat in bold all-caps, so that even the very nearsighted can read: THE ISSUE WAS NOT THE KNEE.

I mean, two weeks ago the guy was running like a maniac chasing down every ball and grinding down Djokovic in another five-hour marathon. Knee was fine then. It certainly was not injured in the final. I mean, did anyone look at the score? He destroyed a top-five player.

The issue was lack of match prep, due to the Nadal camp’s desire to maintain the near-pristine W/L record he had this year by skipping Halle. Possibly they needed some more time for him to recover physically for Wimbledon. Oops.

And when he says “nobody remembers the losses”–which he invariably does after a shock loss–he’s really telling the audience not to remember his losses. Clever, no? And everyone thinks he’s such a naive, innocent sort of fellow.

And Sean Randall, how’s that crow taste? Little dry?

June 24th, 2013 at 4:28 pm

He didn’t deny the knee was an issue?

Come on Sean.

He said he didn’t want to talk about his knee and that he’ll be fine for the USO swing (he did not say that exactly, but along the lines off anyhow).

You recognized why he lost today Sean. Simple:

1- Rafa, historically, is suspect in week 1 Wimby. With no prior match play grass, today we find out extremely suspect.

2- He just played a very poor match for his standards. He had real chances in which to take charge of the match, but he just did not step up at all. A real bad day at the office.

Last but not least:

3- Darcis just played the better tennis. Period.

No real mystery in this loss IMO.

TBH: Darcis played better than Rafa today, but I felt Rosol outplayed Rafa when atleast Rafa showed fight.

Today Rafa was having a real off day and Darcis beat him by keeping his end up well throughout.

A bummer for him and his fans, but as Rafa said: life and the tour goes on.

Let’s move on.

June 24th, 2013 at 4:34 pm

steve zero. Karma is a boitch. Just wait and see what unfolds!

June 24th, 2013 at 4:35 pm

Nadal will rebound. He showed no heart out there. Before I get attacked this is just my OPINION. I think he was still mentally fried from the clay court swing. In the past he was younger, hungier etc. True. He wasn’t this year. He geared up for months and months to win RG and couldn’t switch gears in time and the opponent didn’t capitutlate. Had Darcis folded he might have worked his way into form. But he didn’t and Wimbledon is over for him. I will now root for someone outside the top 5 to win. Not sure who yet.

June 24th, 2013 at 4:45 pm

That sounds like a good analysis to me, Kimberley.

June 24th, 2013 at 4:47 pm

For sure, Rafa definately ‘Tanked’ this match I tell yah, and for a valid reason too I may add….

Its not uncommon for professinal athletes in different sports to do so….

#VerySuspiciousIndeed

June 24th, 2013 at 4:52 pm

@Kimberly:

Great post Kimberly, and I agree with you.

June 24th, 2013 at 4:57 pm

Kimberly, he didn’t seemed fired up; I agree with you.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:00 pm

Well.. don’t people look stupid now?

June 24th, 2013 at 5:02 pm

Unbelievable! Who would have thought. Federer qtr does not look as bad now. Crazy opening day for a sure!

June 24th, 2013 at 5:11 pm

Hi, Kimmi, haven’t seen you for a long time. Did you notice Kvitova just scraped through? I watched her at Eastbourne, and it was the usual up and down against Wickermeyer – who won eventually, deservedly, too. Kvitova’s development seems to have come to a complete standstill. I think she should get rid of that father of hers. I don’t mean, you know, do him in. But dispense with his services as a coach.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:20 pm

Yeah, Hi Kimmi!

June 24th, 2013 at 5:22 pm

Some more irony: Fed fans love to say that if the grass season was longer he’d have more titles and whatnot. But would anyone disagree that a longer grass season (leading into Wimbledon, naturally) would’ve helped Nadal today?

I don’t think the knee was an issue, not the way Sean does. As in, I don’t think his knee is suddenly injured. But he does have knee problems (allegedly) and he stated that grass is tough for him since he has to bend so low. This makes a lot of sense. So for Nadal, the struggle comes from the shock to his knees. We’ve seen him adjust to grass at least 5 times in the past, so we know he can. But as he ages, he needs more time. If there were, say, 2 or 3 events that he could’ve played (in a spacious amount of time) maybe he gets 2 or 3 losses but he definitely gets some wins and his knees adjust and by the time Wimbledon rolls around, he’s used to it.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:28 pm

Completely agree with Kimberlys post,Rafa will bounce back,hes won the title twice anyway,dissapointing as it is,its hardly the end of the world,probably played too much tennis lately that finally caught up with him,although im dissapointed he lost so early,Murray was my favorite to win the title and still is so nothings really changed that much for me anyway.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:28 pm

Nadal was eating a banana on the changeover at 5-4 in the 3rd set. He wouldn’t have done that if he was resigned to playing only one more game. Darcis did great to get all those consecutive holds in the 3rd set including the final game.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:32 pm

Ben, interesting point, may be true this year. For myself, I don’t want grass season extended for any one player but because it can (excluding the cannon contests of the 90’s) make for beautiful tennis and is in many ways the classic and most respected surface.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:43 pm

I look on the bright side. When people talk about this match, they can’t use “Darcis” as a verb like they did with Rosol.

I got Rosol’ed out of Wimbledon but didn’t get Darcissed.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:43 pm

There is no knee issue. Bull excuse.

When Fed loses his career is over and I we read about on this site is how his best days are over and really did ever play anybody that tough.

When Rafa loses (in the first round no less) we read that it has to be some poor problem of those knees. He sat on his ass for two weeks after the French and lost. You cannot go on this site and post how breatlessly Nadal is going to win on grass and pull the French/Wimby and then suddenly go with the old knee excuse.

Man up, Sean! Your guy got his ass kicked. He lost because he stunk it up big time on the biggest stage in tennis.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:47 pm

THis has certainly been the rare historic First Monday at a Slam. The loss has wide implications.
NOvak is breathing a sigh of relief because Rafa is human, and maybe will not be quite as unrelenting in the summer as he has been in the spring.
ROger and Andy obviously know their road’s got a good deal easier for this tournament.
Rafa’s game seemed very off today. He was running around his backhand like I’ve never seen, which really is not indicative of pain or injury worry. On the other hand, his footwork was noticeably different, a bit less reckless and aggressive.
I do think, given his success at Indian Wells this year, that he’ll still be a force at the USO, and I reckon when next Wimbledon rolls around he’ll be one of the favourites again, but with a bit of the sheen knocked off.

AS FOR CLASS:
When Rafa was young, I thought Tony seemed a great mentor, and that he instilled in Rafa some very admirable traits and behaviour. You could see it in Rafa’s exit today, as good a handshake as he could muster, waves to the crowd, a forced smile, and waiting for Darcis to exit.
Unfortunately, Tony was screaming in the box much of the match, sitting right next to Darcis’ family and coaches.
Not cool, Tony. Watch and learn from your nephew.
Also, respect to Federer’s parents, if true that they were at Andy’s match today.

June 24th, 2013 at 5:50 pm

………
WTF Says:
Well.. don’t people look stupid now?

June 24th, 2013 at 5:02 pm
………..

Agree, lot of them if you go back and read their posts.

This is for good Rafa fans, you will get over it, I knew Rafa is going to do one better this year … to bomb out in the first round from 135. Player in the world.
Enjoy the song.

http://youtu.be/aQhKqlOccHE

June 24th, 2013 at 6:00 pm

El Flaco, I thought that too when I saw him eating at the changeover. If he thought it was over mentally, he wouldn’t have bothered. He was probably gearing up to try to take it to a 4th set. (Though I admit part of me was also thinking “No don’t eat a banana – it could spell doom!”)

June 24th, 2013 at 6:00 pm

For me the key to this match was Rafa’s attitude. That never-say-die attitude of his was suspect today. He really lacked the fight and the grit that make him so famous.

He actually had his chances today, but he didn’t attack, he didn’t go for his shots, he let the unexperienced but on fire player get back on track easily. He made silly uncharacteristic errors. Misfired a lot and his serve didn’t help. His movement was rather poor, he didn’t even chase down some balls, uncharacteristic of him. That made the difference. Kudos to Darcis though, he didn’t crumble, he didn’t choke under pressure. He played well and didn’t give Nadal time to settle in.

What Rafa did this first part of the season is monumental. But we also know that after RG he is not the favorite anymore. Nole, Murray and Federer are all bigger favorites than him on hardcourts and indoors. So characteristically the american summer and fall season aren’t his playground. Usually Nole and Muzza get much better in the second part of the season.

June 24th, 2013 at 6:03 pm

kimberly,

i agree with you guys! i can’t argue with truth, nadal didn’t seem to display his usual fight for reasons unknown for now. people are accustomed to speculating and that’s what they will continue to do. darcis deserves credit for the win!

it’s a disappointing lost, but rafa was clearly struggling; i expected a certain amount of rust and struggling, but as usual, i thought that he would conquer it and squeeze through somehow, but it wasn’t meant to be today. that’s tennis! rafa is rafa, he will move on with a positive attitude. i choose to look on the bright side, which is, he is back to tennis and competing at the highest level once again; that’s a blessing! im looking forward to his next tournament. wishing him all the best for the rest of the season!

June 24th, 2013 at 6:33 pm

Mem that really puts things into perspective,he lost life goes on,not the end of the world,as a fan you take the rough with the smooth,and big congrats to Steve Darcis just hope he can build on this win and take it forward,he played great tennis Rafa didnt end of,sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say too good.

June 24th, 2013 at 6:41 pm

Nadal’s game today was very uncharacteristic. It did not have the usual tenacity, mental fortitude, court speed, focus, etc, etc. that are the trademarks of his game. Those aspects of the game don’t just disappear without a rational explanation. What could that be? It could not be lack of love for the game, or the lack of a desire to win or because someone died in his family, or his girlfriend broke off with him.

June 24th, 2013 at 6:46 pm

How easy it is for fans of their own personal favorites to come out of the woodwork when everything in the garden is rosy,only to dissapear like a rat up a drainpipe when things get a little tough,real true fans stick around and take their medicine and move on,thats what you call real fans IMO.

June 24th, 2013 at 6:49 pm

This is a major boost to Roger’s and Murray’s chances, especially Murray’s. Unbelievable!

The bottom half doesn’t seem that much tougher than the top half anymore.

Go Nole!

June 24th, 2013 at 6:53 pm

@Alison re 6:49 post

Here here!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:03 pm

nadal has a history of five set, first round escapes at wimbledon. eventually, the numbers had to do what they eventually do: not work in his favor.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:12 pm

Federer’s chances of winning just improved by leaps and bounds. He seems to gain a lot of confidence when Nadal is not in the field.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:16 pm

@Alison: Most excellent post. REAL FANS stick around and face the music, when their fav is down, just as well as lap it up when they win. The rats running away? A few fans of Novak went AWOL when he lost at RG. His real fans stuck around despite it. Respect to them. A few of those ‘ rats’ as you put it have now returned. Why? To gloat at Rafa’s loss. Absolutely pathetic, gutless stuff! No need to name them: their hoggish way’s are apparent to all!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:16 pm

I don’t really see a lot of posters gloating about Rafa’s loss.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:20 pm

Haha, even The Great Davy could have beat Nadal today. On GRASS!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:21 pm

Tennis x hippy,

thanks! the reality is that there were a lot of people who didn’t believe that rafa would be able to compete at this level once he returned from the 7 months layoff, but he proved once again that his spirit was not broken and his will to overcome challenges was still in tact. as a result, i am too happy about that to be devastated over today’s lost.

i try to always be realistic! i understand the nature of sports. i understand that no matter how great a player is, he is not exempted from losing on any given day in any given round. i’m very proud of rafa, i will defend him in the blind of an eye, but i don’t buy into the myth that certain players are unbeatable. truth is, every player is beatable because every player is not going to be at his best every time he plays. they are human beings! therefore, i don’t boast when rafa wins and though i maybe disappointed, i move on when he loses. i expect his critics to highlight every lost as if it was the end of the world. that’s what they do; im use to it and nadal is too. what’s important to me is that we have rafa back and as long as he is playing, there will always be another tournament to play!

enjoy the tennis!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:21 pm

@Mem: great post.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:26 pm

Sean, Tignor, too, thinks it’s the knees:

“Darcis said he could tell right away that Rafa was off, but that he didn’t notice any specific trouble with his knees. I thought Nadal was slow and probably hurting. When he was asked if he had any physical problems afterward, Nadal made a characteristically terse deflection: “I think now is not the day to talk about these kind of things,” he said more than once.

Of course, Nadal didn’t say anything about his knees after the Rosol match last year, either, but he has since admitted that they were hurting him. We may see a similar evolution this time around. Nadal doesn’t want to sound like he’s making excuses by talking about an injury immediately after a loss. ”

More of his summary here:

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/06/turfed/48057/#.UcjVxphQ0VQ

June 24th, 2013 at 7:31 pm

I love how tomato cans like Rosol and Darcis end up getting asked over and over and over and over about a win over Nadal. Can’t wait for the 2018 Antwerp Open 2nd Round Darcis Press Conference: “When you beat Nadal at Wimbledon in 2013…”

June 24th, 2013 at 7:33 pm

He is not young in tennis terms anymore and no doubt the clay tournaments were very taxing. He is just plain tired and it showed. Nadal should either just stick to clay where it’s safe or cut down his schedule for the slams like Roger.
Today it showed that he is no longer able to run down everything like a bunny. Nor did he want to. Mentally he was fried!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:33 pm

I lost because I played badly, not because of my knees.

Since the real tennis season is over, I have no interest.

My opinion that grass is for cows is now reinforced. Let the cows graze while I reflect.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:46 pm

The Great Davy Says:
Haha, even The Great Davy could have beat Nadal today. On GRASS!
—
When Wimbledon surface has as much grass as you have hair, we can talk about your performance.

Great Davy has already had a great career. Any more win will only add to the Daviness.

June 24th, 2013 at 7:48 pm

Jane,

now that i think about it, i recall that over the weekend, Greg Garber of Espn ( i think it was Greg or Howard) had mentioned in one of his articles that he didn’t want to alarm nadal’s fans, but he said that nadal had a limp in practice. at the time, i just thought they were making a big deal out of nothing. i didn’t really focus on it. i certainly hope and pray its not the knee again. if he is having problems with knee, its a wise decision not to discuss it. i guess we will know soon enough.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:04 pm

“Of course, Nadal didn’t say anything about his knees after the Rosol match last year, either, but he has since admitted that they were hurting him. ”

Same excuse came later after the Sod beatdown at FO. I mean really, what else is new with this guy?

I give him credit though, he is trying is best not to give excuses this time, he knows better than anyone since he invented the Rafa Excuse Meter. The real reason Rafa lost will be brought out through the Rafa spin machine later according to Rafa. Just wait and see. Give it a month or 2. My guess is right when the HC season gets hot.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:14 pm

thanks Brando!

June 24th, 2013 at 8:15 pm

Alison,

Offence taken.

You are right, Rafa fans were gone after Wimbledon last year just reappear after IW this year then to disappear after MC. Then they came like a flood after RG. Now flood is receding and what is left behind is rubish, somebody has to clean it up now. Unfortunately the good Rafa fans has to do it.

I have been posting on TX for about three years, you know that, Nole was winning and losing and I was always here, I don have to prove anything to you or that pathetic hater who came out of closet after IW as two faced, sleazy, no substance creature.
RG was only two weeks ago and I posted two or three times since then and for your information I was far away in Northern Queensland enjoying Barrier Reef and sunny weather and came back sunday night. Some of us us have a life, real nice life and don’t need computer and blogs to live the life or idol to live our lifes through them.
I am blessed to live in this vast land of opportunity and be able to travel around as a part of my business. I learned how to put together business and pleasure without either of it suffering.
Last but not least, you will never hear me gloating, you should know that by now.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:17 pm

The simple fact is it is the entire package of Nadal; a champion past his prime, playing on a surface that is not conducive to his knees in its first week. Nadal has hammered his knees with his style of physical play and clay court madness; he will not win another slam played on a fast court like Wimbledon or USO. He barely beat Novak at the FO, who I felt choked in the fifth set. He has another FO or two at the most and if he gets a great draw, maybe AO. He will not get to 17. He will not tell you but he is managing his career to get as many FO as possible and clay court points as possible.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:25 pm

mem—I think he will make a nice run on the North American hard courts. He will have about 4 weeks rest and be ready to go. I think he has a great chance to do well at the US Open if his head is in the right place.

I don’t know what some of you people are talking about. There are a ton of Rafa fans, some hardcore ones, posting on this thread since the loss. Maybe you are referring to someone in particular but I am missing something.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:27 pm

A degenerative joint does not get to a 100% ever until you replace it. Of the three surfaces, the clay is the easiest on his knees, although it does the most insidious damage given the length of the points. I believe he has been told this and therefore, he is on a FO mode at this time. That takes nothing away from his opponents; his style of play got him 12 slams and it is also going to prematurely hamper his career.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:30 pm

Well, I sure hope it starts to get interesting tomorrow.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:33 pm

Pitchaboy—-If Novak choked the fifth set, Rafa choked the fourth. Nadal stood in the back of the court and hit some amazing shots from some unbelievable defensive postions. He won that amazing special match fair and square, don’t take that away from him. You can say he sucks on grass, is past his prime, is only winning on clay etc etc and you may have a point but he won that match and he deserved to win that match. And that match, the physicality and brutality, the mental warefare, may play a role in why he lost this one. Mat4 who I have been begging to come back says he feels their matches, while epic, are no good for their results later.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:33 pm

Bummer:

Initially I said that I thought he was fine physically but now I have to revise my opinion:

1. Greg Garber and skipping Halle:

On the weekend he said that he saw Rafa limp in practise. At the time I thought ‘meh’ probably nothing.

Rafa NEVER skips a grass warm pre Wimby, that action of skipping Halle alone should have signaled something was concerning him.

2. Body Language:

I saw the match w/o commentary and just focused on the play. Being completely honest: I paid ZERO attention to Rafa’s movement. Despite this I noticed Rafa’s unusual body language: lacking in energy, spirit, hardly any ‘vamos’, fist pumps, rather strangely subdued etc etc. Non- Rafa fans actually picked up on this (Nina, Jane for a couple). Where was the fight from the guy they label the most competitive? It just wasn’t there.

3. ESPN:

Post match i went online to see what ESPN made of it all(they have a great team). And BOOM: ALL that PATRICK McENROE and DARREN CAHILL were on about was Rafa’s knee, his movement. This alarmed me. Then JOHN McENROE and BRAD GILBERT elsewhere honed in on this.

Now I was seriously concerned: what went on?

4. ARTICLES ONLINE:

So then I read various articles on the matter and they ALL touch upon this point. But BRYANT went further: ‘what does this mean for Rafa going forward?’

WOW.

He really analysed Rafa’s movement in this match and the points that he made just totally alarmed me.

This is a tough article to read as a Rafa fan:

http://tinyurl.com/nbf2vb3

5- BBC HIGHLIGHTS:

So I decide to check the highlight’s to see for myself on this matter and :-(.

BORIS BECKER on commentary was talking of Rafa’s left knee as EARLY as the 2nd set. This is an ex pro here and he was pointing out:

– Rafa was moving very gingerly at times

– He continously avoided having to push off from the left leg (left knee is the issue)

– He really pointed out how Rafa alarmingly went to a great length to avoid htting a BH on one shot to hit the FH. And even then: he did so without bending his knee too much on the shot.

BECKER found this to be a telling sign that the knee is not right.

– Further, thought the last 2 sets BECKER said that Rafa was really avoiding bending on his left knee pretty much completely on many make able shots.

My thought of it all after that:

Forget the match. That’s gone.

But seeing the highlights and how so many experts during the match (BECKER, CAHILL, McENROE) and post it have touched upon the knee: I sadly think they are right.

And so is Sean.

Something really is wrong with that knee and TBH now:

I really think Rafa’s days are numbered.

I hope I am wrong but seeing how he struggled to bend his knee for shots, completely avoiding it on the left side alot of the time, and going to great lengths at times to avoid the BH:

the reality of his actions really paint’s a gloomy picture of the state of his knee.

I am one of those who believes Rafa is a honest sportsmen and moreso: a competitive spirit.

But 7 plus months out with a chronic tendinitis in the knee which was advised surgery by some, and then this:

I HATE to say it but I honestly think Rafa is on borrowed time.I really hope I am wrong but if so I just hope Rafa puts his health first and decide’s what’s best for him and his long term well being rather than pursuing something that his body just will not be able to support.

Here’s hoping for the best!

June 24th, 2013 at 8:35 pm

Without a question he deserved to win the FO, I will take nothing away from him. He has this never say die attitude that is unparalleled in sport. Unfortunately, he has the knee of a 45 year old due entirely to his style of play. I am willing to bet this guy has spent twice the amount of time on the court as Federer if one could count all the time they have spent in the last ten years. Fast and slippery courts are brutal on such legs and while I love the guy and have great respect for him he is likely done with grass and fast hard courts just as Federer is done with clay or slow hard courts. Time and tide wait for no man or woman.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:37 pm

Yes, Brando, his playing days at the highest level have been numbered for a while. After 2010 he has won nothing great on fast HC or grass. It is coming to a head now.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:39 pm

Brando—don’t even go there. DOn’t even say it. DOn’t even acknowledge the possibility. Even the haters want him to stay. He will play and compete in the US Open series after some rest. Come on, just a few weeks ago he was winning everything in sight. He said he thinks he will play a few more years in his press conference. I don’t think he will play past 30 but that’s three more years lets enjoy him!

June 24th, 2013 at 8:40 pm

Rafa didn’t play well yesterday and Steve Darcis played what was probably the match of his life. What was interesting to me was how different Rafa’s demeanor was from last year’s match against Rosol; then, he was frustrated and couldn’t believe what was happening. This year, he seemed frustrated but resigned, as if he recognised all too well that he wasn’t going to be able to give what it would take to win.

I don’t know how anyone who actually watched the match can say that the knee wasn’t a factor. As Brando said, from the first set he was clearly pulling up short on several points and running around his backhand so that he wouldn’t have to plant the left leg. Like Ben, I think the rapid turnaround from clay to grass is just too much of an ask for him right now. Maybe an extra week would help, I don’t know, but I’m not sure we’ll see him at Wimbledon next year. I just hope that with a long rest now, he’ll be fit for the rest of the season. Kimberly, like you I still think he has a great chance at the US Open.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:44 pm

Boris Becker, a good father, okay commentator, bad husband and a horrible knee doctor.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:46 pm

When you are not a fan of any one player and watch the game for the game’s sake it is painful to see Fed getting thwacked by Tsonga in the FO or Nadal getting beat up today. Great men inevitably fading with time. Enjoy while it lasts.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:46 pm

Kimberly, Rafa was asked in his press conference if he was concerned about taking a long break again, and basically he said no, that he’d be back “not that late” so I am going to believe that until I hear otherwise and assume he’ll be ready to go for Canada.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:47 pm

The winner is coming from the bottom half of the draw.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:48 pm

A surprise, yes. Shocking, no. Cos the guy actually lost 2nd round 12 months ago… Coming into this, without any grass match at all, against another 100-plus ranked player, I must say I sort of saw it coming. Having said that, I must agree with Rafa himself that it is not the end of the world, cos there is always another tourney, another Slam coming up. Best of luck, Rafa.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:48 pm

Frankly, I am kind of fretting Nole’s match versus Mayer tomorrow; Mayer is the highest ranked of any of the big four’s first round opponents and he was in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon last year. Hopefully Nole plays with focus and gets through okay. Today just reminds me that anything can happen in tennis – or in sports more generally.

June 24th, 2013 at 8:51 pm

kimberly,

i’m not sure if im misinterpreting your comments, but im not the one who said nadal’s fans are not posting because he lost. i think someone said it earlier, but i really don’t remember who it was, i just know it wasn’t me!

btw, do you know what tournament nadal is scheduled for next?

June 24th, 2013 at 8:52 pm

@Kimberly: I’m sorry to have done so, but after that highlight show:-(. I hope you are right. Rafa has 6 whole weeks until Rogers Cup: some r and r, self reflection/ assessment, and careful planning could help him for the USO swing. I hope that he turns up at Rogers Cup. Should he do so then that is a positive sign about his knee. Also he wouldn’t sign up for China Open and Basel when he could easily skip them should he be overly concerned about his knee would he? O just hope he is fine and well. I’ll take a round 1 as long as his health is fine. Here’s hoping for the best!

June 24th, 2013 at 9:02 pm

posting for the rafa fans’ sake who like to gloat about H2Hs and that claydal is greater than Federer across all surfaces:

I am sure most Nole fans feel that way and the murray fans, it is even worse. the guy does not even the winning h2h that Federer and Nole have outside clay against rafa. In that sense, murray fans are the ones who are deep down celebrating the demise of claydal. To them, he is just not claydal – as he is to Federer [8-7 outside clay], Nole [12-7] outside clay, Ferrer [3-3 outside clay with wins in both hardcourt slams], davydenko, hewitt and all others who have a winning h2h against nadal outside clay.

Long Live Wimbledon and its sacred and hallowed turf that puts ball-fetchers at their rightful place – below the aggressive shot makers!

June 24th, 2013 at 9:04 pm

mem—your very presence shows what others saying is not true, that Rafa fans vanished from this site approximately 1pm today and won’t return until montecarlo next year. Last time I checked, mem, myself, tennis x hippy, brando, are all here.

Although Rafa’s losses do wonders for my own game. Being that pissed off apparently aids my on court performance. My timing was flawless today. Of course, I was on a hard court (my fav) after playing clay all weekend.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:10 pm

@Kimberly/ Mem: re ‘Absent Nadal fans’: that’s just some nonsense. Ignore it. It’s baseless stuff. No comment is needed to respond to such rubbish. The threads are evident enough to the truth of that. Period. Rafa has lost today: I see virtually all his regular fans commenting. In his 7 months absence all the regulars were still here: the threads testify to that truth. Ignore the rubbish and keep posting as you do.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:12 pm

Sean and Ben:

You got to stop selling people this notion that Rafa is the greatest grass courter/hardcourter/indoor player of this generation.

a)1 title outside clay in 30 months.

b) 2 consecutive losses to 100+ ranked guys on grass.

c) has inferior record than both Roger and Nole on hardcourts/indoors.

He has no chance of turning this around. In fact, it is a more likely scenario that even Murray the 4th and substantially much lesser of a player than the top 3, might end with a better out-of-clay record than claydal.

Nole will definitely end his career as a better player than nadal on hardcourts, grass and indoors and weeks at no.1. Whether he will overhaul nadal’s 12 slams in the next 5 years is the biggest and most realistic question tennis writers should be asking and I am sure you will be forced to come around.

You guys used to make fun of Dave for pointing these out. Guess who is eating crow now and who is laughing as rafa’s clay-court based game keeps being exposed by absolute nobodies on grass.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:12 pm

Nadal not scheduled to Rogers Cup. I hope he plays both Masters and USO, with a good mindset. I think he could do very well if he is rested and prepared. Maybe he should take a wildcard into one of the earlier US Open series events? Not sure he can get any more points but the preparation would be good.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:14 pm

Kimberly, How can he not be scheduled to play Roger’s Cup? He’s already skipped one Masters with Miami. Isn’t he allowed to skip only one Masters per year due to his # of match wins/years on the tour? Also I don’t think he could take a wild card into one of those US Open series events because they are 250/500 events and Rafa has already played a couple of 500s and at least one 250. I think they are allowed 4 500 events a year, and he’s scheduled both Bejing and Basel, so unless he cancels one of those, he’d be unable to claim any points from a USO series event.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:17 pm

“Although Rafa’s losses do wonders for my own game. Being that pissed off apparently aids my on court performance. My timing was flawless today. Of course, I was on a hard court (my fav) after playing clay all weekend.”

I wish you all the success on the tennis court, Kimberly.

You rafafans have to not get defensive. We saw you guys jumping the bandwagon to murray last summer when nadal sat out. So spare Federer fans the jumping the bandwagon and disappearing act mumbo-jumbo.

It is not our fault that you guys consistently pick the runner ups – nadal in Fedal and andy in Nolandy. As they say, you guys know how to pick’em!

here is a quote dedicated nadray fans:

“Quote of the Day: Nadal on his loss
“This is a sport of victories, not a sport of losses. Nobody remembers the losses. I don’t want to remember the losses… That’s the positive and negative about this sport. It’s tough losing in the first round but the tour continues, life continues.”

Bow to the greatness of Roger and Nole – the greatest shot-makers of the last decade.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:18 pm

Rafa, enjoy the rest well and see you in Montreal….

Geez, theres nothing wrong with his knees…:)

June 24th, 2013 at 9:19 pm

Jane, I meant he is scheduled for Rogers Cup.

Hey Danny Morris, I am not a bandwagoner. I already stated that my choice would be for someone outside the top 5 to get the victory. Why? Because I am so nice I want to see someone new win? NOOOOOOOOO. To aid Nadal in staying competitive in the points race!

June 24th, 2013 at 9:24 pm

For Rafa, he has won wimby twice. And he has won a slam this year. Why should he prove anything to anyone out there? Surely 2 wimby titles and at least a slam so far this year is proof enough, no?

June 24th, 2013 at 9:25 pm

#TennisAmazingFact

‘In both their amazing careers, Federer has never ever, ever, once played againt rafa at the US OPEN….’

Maybe 2013 could be the year?

June 24th, 2013 at 9:26 pm

kimberly,

good for you! rafa’s lost motivated you even more. that’s what im talking about! we are to focus on the positives as does rafa.

so the Rogers Cup is next on the schedule. i wish he would take a wildcard before then. you never know, but if not, i will be eagerly waiting whenever the time comes.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:29 pm

Oh okay – that makes sense Kimberly.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:32 pm

Brando,

very thoughtful comments about nadal’s health. we will keep the faith and see what happens. im sure he will be just fine after some r & r. after all, when you think about it, he has played a lot of tennis since February.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:35 pm

I am so sad I won’t able to continue the “rivalry” at Wimbledon. But there is always the US open.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:41 pm

I am not much of a fan of Nadal’s slow and grinding baseline tennis, but I have a tough time believing he might have lost the two tiebreakers because of a knee issue. He played no tennis after winng the FO, and certainly no warm-up tournament on grass to aggravate any knee issue.

Fact is, he lost to a guy who played the kind of tennis to which Nadal is most vulnerable — hitting hard and playing aggressive on a court that was less slower and bouncy that Nadal would have liked. In previous years, Nadal got out of tough earlier rounds on grass by simply finding a way to hit the ball back and psyching out lesser opponents. Now the lesser opponents are catching up.

I would venture to say that while Nadal did make some adjustments to his game, the biggest reason for his success at Wimbledon was because of the the slower grass in the last 6-8 years. Nadal would not have won a single Wimbledon playing on the same grass that Sampras played on.

This is not to diminish Nadal’s greatness. It is just that for Nadal to win on other surfaces, the conditions have to be just right. On Day 1 at Wimbledon this year, they were not.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:52 pm

knee= KO
Zero mobility
I watched the game and I have no one, but no doubt that the knee not working. And not me, Robert Carter has said throughout the replay. Mobility balls to the terrible and has not even tried to run. Moreover, the party’s over limping noticeably. Rosol Same as last year but worse because Rosol made ​​a catch in 2012 and Darcis, who has played well, there has been much less intractable. The problem, the only thing that matters, is that if a year later in the same spot as when stopped in 2012, the next thing is the operation is not less than one year in dry dock.

June 24th, 2013 at 9:53 pm

Nadal fans, just aceept he not so good outside clay, knee or no knee. Nole dont lose like that. Nole in such situation would break his racquet, call for trainer for few minutes, gather his thoughts, regroup and then bang show Darcis who boss is. Just see Nole win 2nd Wimbledon this time. Ajde Nole!

June 24th, 2013 at 10:08 pm

“Long Live Wimbledon and its sacred and hallowed turf that puts ball-fetchers at their rightful place – below the aggressive shot makers!”

Yes, Danny Morris. Couldn’t agree more.

June 24th, 2013 at 10:18 pm

Tennis x hippy chic Says:

How easy it is for fans of their own personal favorites to come out of the woodwork when everything in the garden is rosy,only to dissapear like a rat up a drainpipe when things get a little tough,real true fans stick around and take their medicine and move on,thats what you call real fans IMO.

—-
I agree that this is your opinion, and it is kinda funny. It sounds like you trying to put up a brave face underneath a well of emotions :)

It’s called being human, hippy chic. It’s normal.

June 24th, 2013 at 10:21 pm

I just heard JohnnyMac refer to Rafa as the GOAT!

I never liked JohnnyMac, not when he was playing, not now.

But I agree with him on this one!

June 24th, 2013 at 10:48 pm

Really tired of the GOAT discussion. JohnnyMac can say all he wants, but you are no GOAT if you have not defended a single GS title outside of FO even once? That said, you cannot compare players from different eras. Let’s just be contact with the fact that perhaps Nadal is the greatest clay courter, and Federer the greatest shot-maker the game has ever seen.

June 24th, 2013 at 10:52 pm

LEGEND

“Legend Says:

And I would never say Rafa’s draw is tough now.
He has his favorite bunny in the quarters whom he will beat without any fuss?”

I would agree with your “Legendary comment”. Not tough at all. Especially the first round. But somehow he could not make it past the first rd against the worlds #135 to reach the supposed “bunny”. That is the way the game is played, not H2H weenie-less.

See its easy to go back and find this kind of crap like you did with yours truly. Hope you sit on this while you roast a marshmallow and contemplate over a fire you smallest of weenies. Ain’t karma a biatch?

June 24th, 2013 at 11:15 pm

Nadal is the biggest sore loser the sport has seen. He implies that EVERY SINGLE one of his grand slam losses is due to “the knee”. Congrats to Darcis for a fantastic performance!

June 24th, 2013 at 11:15 pm

Roger fans, Roger has told John Isner in shower that he likes WWE! The legend is a fan of pro wrestling! He get even cooler now.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:21 pm

^Now that totally sounds like HR pissed off. Busted, Where is RFF? Too humiliated to bring him out> hehe..

June 24th, 2013 at 11:27 pm

Didnt know Roger like wwe. More respect for true tennis legend now.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:27 pm

skeezer, this news I see in twitter. You check yourself if dont believe. It great that he also enjoy other sport. Isner always like wwe and in showers in Wimbledon he discover he not alone. I likes wwe, so I happy.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:30 pm

HR,

Whatever floats your boat for a laugh. Don’t want to talk about your first round loss and you new Daddy?

June 24th, 2013 at 11:32 pm

HR,

Here is one for ya!

“Giles Says:
Rafa won his Exo match against Nishikori in two tight sets 7-6 7-6. Word is Rafa looking good!
Vamos King!a?

June 24th, 2013 at 11:33 pm

skeezer, you check? You also like wwe? Big Isner now have friend to talk wrestling beside tennis.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:38 pm

skeezer, here I post for you

from twitter: @christophclarey John Isner says #Federer is pro wrestling fan and that they talked about in the showers at #Wimbledon on Monday. “I kid you not,” Isner said

Christopher Clarey
@christophclarey Isner said #Federer follows WWE: “He’s got it on his TV here, so he watches it He’s a legit fan” #Wimbledon

June 24th, 2013 at 11:44 pm

TZ,

No I am not. Have fun entertaining yourself with that. Lets look at some other jewels, shall we?

“I think the way Rafa finished the 5th setter gives Rafa a significant advantage:
1. He showed his physical stamina is back by going to 5, and he still looked fresh;
2. He showed his mental strength is back by remaining focussed even through Novak’s “water the court” meltdown;
Of course he had lapses during the match and that’s why it went to 5, but I thunk it was important to send a message, on the above 2 points, to the locker room.
Now he’s got his “aura” back, half the job’s done because most of the players will be beat before they leave the locker-room………….”

June 24th, 2013 at 11:46 pm

I wanna see a tennis match much like….

*The 2009 Australian Open Semifinal;

‘Nadal vs Vadasco’

#HandsDownBestTennisMatchEver

June 24th, 2013 at 11:48 pm

“1. He showed his physical stamina is back by going to 5, and he still looked fresh;
2. He showed his mental strength is back by remaining focussed even through Novak’s “water the court” meltdown; Of course he had lapses during the match and that’s why it went to 5, but I thunk it was important to send a message, on the above 2 points, to the locker room.
Now he’s got his “aura” back, half the job’s done because most of the players will be beat before they leave the locker-
room………….”

skeezer, Keep dreaming, Nadal lose 1st round Wimbledon match. This happen to Nole? No. Nole real tennis great. Why you praise Nadal?? You is not Federer fan? Next time also Nole beat him again.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:52 pm

I hope one day I see Roger Federer come to wwe ring with Brock Lesnar or John Cena. That be so cool. If he come Wrestlemania I watch in NY.

June 24th, 2013 at 11:56 pm

Hey TZ,

Good talking to you. That was from another Rafafanatic poster, not my quote. I have plenty of those. Please pay attention and stay with the program.

I have another one;

And one of my all time recent fab favs from “roy”

http://www.tennis-x.com/xblog/2013-06-23/12819.php#comment-462655

Maybe he likes wrestling with you, no? I am sure showers are available also, maybe you just need to ask him.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:01 am

Sure, I lost today to a better player.

Is it just me or is Skeeze running around like a 14 year old who just had sex for the first time?

June 25th, 2013 at 12:11 am

Hey skeezer, good talking you too. Rafa fans make excuse hehe but he not so great.
Wrestling and showers for Isner and Federer in Wimbledon. Isner say that.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:12 am

Humble Rafa, sorry your idol lost because he not good outside clay. Now Nadal fans should accept Nole much better.

I told skeezer Roger and Isner like talking wwe in showers in Wimbledon. Skeezer dont like news I think. Dont know why.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:15 am

HR,

Ok. Please decide first. Post as TZ, HR, or RFF. But don’t start supporting on each other in your posts. Its beneath you and frankly unbecoming to your fanhood. It is most embarassing when you talk between your monikers for support(me? Don’t need to for attention).
Now your starting to come after me with sex @14, rather than banter. It just shows me you gave in. Thought you had more class than that. Maybe you just can’t handle the banter. Oh Well…maybe i assumed to much on that one. Hey I know its been a tough day for all your monikers, but the sun will come up tomorrow.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:21 am

Blame it on the dodgy knees or the inspired dare devil Tennis from his opponent or the lack of sufficient match practice before a premier grass court event or Nadal’s uncertainity and second guessing his prospects et al, Rafa was condemned to the worst kind of humiliation in a major having been eliminated in the first round and that too by a 135 ranked player who has only two wins to his credit so far this year. This is the second time running, Rafa has been eliminated early in Wimbledon. The last time he was dumped by a little known Rosol who was a 100th ranked player in five sets and this time it cannot get any worse as he was dislodged by a 135 ranked player in straight sets. Well, the sinking of Nadal is inexplicable having had a momentous year so far where he won Indian Wells apart from the clay court events, he normally wins. Coming into Wimbledon, he was definitely one of the favourites but he had a tough passage right from the quarters. But he didn’t wait that longer and he was consumed by a journeyman. This is rather intriguing that Rafa who gives goose bumbs to even the best Grass court player namely Roger, is finding it difficult against such journey men in early rounds ? What is that these players are doing better against Rafa, Roger or Andy are not able to do ? That is unexplainable just like some of the laws of Nature. But never underestimate Rafa with this loss. He is sure to bounce back and this early exit will give him the much needed rest and adrenaline ahead of the hard court season. All said and done, the Sean Jinx has hit Rafa rather hard !!

June 25th, 2013 at 12:26 am

The turning point of the match I would say is when Rafa was serving for the second set. Had he won that game, the match would have turned upside down. But all credit to Darcis, he just didn’t allow Rafa to settle and played some inspiring shots and did some dare devil volleying. He seized the moment and had Rafa in the ropes.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:29 am

Well in some of the drop shots, Rafa was limping to retrieve. He had some little bit problem with the knees. No doubt about it. But it is good that he did not offer it as an excuse for the defeat and gave all credit to his opponent. Full marks to Rafa for his sportsmanship. My thought is that when you get on court, you are fully fit. If you are unfit, you must withdraw before the match.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:33 am

I’m sorry, anyone who watched the Nadal match and doesn’t think the knee was an issue is a moron. And that’s my calm, measured response. If I had seen this thread earlier in the day, I would have been harsher.

Ben, you talk about an “alleged” knee injury. What the F is wrong with you? Nadal missed seven months after Wimbledon last year. Dude has a knee problem.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:33 am

Well said Michael. No one knows exactly what was going on with Rafa . Personally I think lack of preparation so he found hard time to adjust himself with the new ground. Others I don’t know. But credit to Steve. He did amazing job.

Well congratulation for Roger and all his fans. He is in the next round. Good luck!!

June 25th, 2013 at 12:37 am

Michael,

“What is that these players are doing better against Rafa, Roger or Andy are not able to do ? ”

Hasn’t Fed beaten Rafa 2/3 on Grass meetings?

Imo the grass “is the way grass is suppose to play” in the early rounds. Later, when it wears down, the new underbelly wreaks its ugly head and plays like a Clay court. Ball bounces much higher off the dirt, and when the ball hits the ground hit grabs, rather than goes through the material.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:40 am

Skeezer,

I didn’t mean that way. Well Roger has definitely had the upper hand against Rafa on grass courts atleast. But the point is he extended Roger even in 2007 to five sets and in 2008 we well know it was a humdinger of a match and ranked as a Classic. But Roger found Rafa a hard nut to crack even in grass courts. See Rafa’s record against Andy especially in Grass, he has beat him all the times he has played and you know about Andy who is a natural Grass court player. Yeah I get your point that the Grass wears down over time to play somewhat similar like clay courts later in the tournament and players like Borg and Rafa took advantage of this. But still Andy has no excuse to lose that much times against Rafa on grass courts atleast. So, Rafa has that big game to take on the best even in his most disfavoured court. However, ironically, he finds it hard against players like Robin Haase, Philip Petszhner, Rosol and yesterday an unknown like Darcis. That is the intriguing part according to me ? Somewhat which is unexplainable ??

June 25th, 2013 at 12:50 am

Metan,

You cannot consider a single factor in isolation. There were many aspects in play in the defeat. But as you said, all credit to Darcis. I hope he uses this momentum to his advantage and go far in this tournament. Better he doesn’t goof up like Rosol.

June 25th, 2013 at 12:55 am

Though it’s fair to claim Rafa’s knees had a say on the match, but the kind of tennis Darcis played was sublime. He pushed Rafa to the limits and made him side step on the BH, which was obviously his problem yesterday. He could not bend his knees to hit his BH, but he could have easily come through with this against many other players.

No comments on other matches at all? I know this is a big story, but the forum makes it look like this is the only story y’day.

June 25th, 2013 at 1:37 am

what is the mystery here?

nadal struggled to move around the court, struggled to get down to hit low shots. he gave up chasing balls.
darcis made one of the fastest players on tour look like a sluggish oaf.

if you think that’s because of anything but major physical issues you’re a moron or a federer fanatic or both.

darcis is a decent grass player but get real. this was not like other nadal performances at wimbledon against big servers where nadal was fast and powerful throughout the match despite losing sets.

nadal couldn’t run or hit with steve darcis, a guy ranked outside the top hundred, never been inside the top 40, never made it past the 2nd round at wimbledon and who has spent most of the year playing challengers.

work it out.

of course, it’s more fun to pretend the 5time finalist can’t play on grass. laughable.

June 25th, 2013 at 1:40 am

Nirmal,

Darcis played like a Top ten player and it was difficult to believe that he was afterall only a 135th ranked player. The way he served, sliced the balls much to Rafa’s discomfort, the way he targeted Rafa’s backhand especially and some of the winners he hit were fabulous. He wasn’t gripped with nervousness even when he served out for the match and that unbelievable winner he hit at 15-all in that game decided the match in his favour. I only hope he carries on with this form and go deep into the tournament. He should not collapse like Rosol.

June 25th, 2013 at 1:45 am

Michael.

I know there are many aspects for example he knew that grass court is most difficult for him then why he didn’t have enough preparation like joining small tour Halle or Queen for better preparation and practicing. Eventhough Rafa is a top guy it doesn’t mean that he underestimated his opponent ability to play who ever he is.

Rafa is also type of player who slow to rise his game into high level.

June 25th, 2013 at 2:35 am

Metan,

I feel that Rafa if he was very serious about winning Wimbledon should have skipped one of the clay court Masters. The whole thing boils down to bad scheduling once again by the team managers of Rafa. Rafa overplayed himself in the clay court season and to protect his knees had to necessarily skip the preparatory tourney for the Premier Grass court event. If he had taken part in Halle, then he would had a feel of the grass courts and the results could have been different at Wimbledon. But his over exposure on Clay proved to be his nemesis in the end. I hope Team Nadal would learn from this fiasco and turn a new leaf next year. Rafa has nothing to prove on Clay. He is heralded as the GREATEST. Given a choice, he can as well skip even the French to prepare himself for Wimbledon. However, it would be wise if he skips Madrid and Rome.

June 25th, 2013 at 2:48 am

Michael,

I was surprised at the depth of the slice he could make. It was just awesome. It was like watching Roger hit the slice during his prime. And his willingness to keep taking risk and come out with right shots were a revelation.

I was surprised he came to the net for matchpoint, when Rafa has passed him a ball before.

June 25th, 2013 at 3:41 am

NK,

Agree, Darcis played very deep and that is what made Rafa very uncomfortable. I think Skeezer mentioned that grass is still very green and ball doesn’t have a bounce nor take a spin that Rafa likes and could save Rafe. He was very much in it and I thought after break in second set for 6:5 that Rafa will turn the match around and that was his reaction too, even in TB he had a set point and he looked like winning, but credit to Darcis for stiking to his game plan and running away with the match in third set. BTW, when was the last time Rafa lost again onehanded BH?

June 25th, 2013 at 4:03 am

Wogboy @8.17pm June 24th where did you get that idea?i was not refering to you or the Nole fans,so i dont really know how you arrived at that conclusion?i actually have a good raport with yourself and the Nole fans on this forum,i have always seen you as one of the nicest and fairest fans on this forum,my post was just an overall generalisation,im dissapointed that you would think that of me :(

June 25th, 2013 at 5:02 am

@WB
BTW, when was the last time Rafa lost again onehanded BH?

That’s a great point you make. Infact I made similar point during FO, that one handers could never beat Nadal.

June 25th, 2013 at 5:26 am

Nirmal,

I am still wondering where was he all these years ? He has struggled to get past the first rounds and it is surprising that he can play such high quality Tennis. Infact, he beat Berdych at Olympics too. So, he is a player definitely capable of playing fabulous Tennis, but also pretty inconsistent which has proved to be his nemesis. Rafa too was hoping that Darcis game would fall apart sooner than later, but he was disappointed as the later had other plans. Now with Rafa as a scalp, Darcis can pat himself of achieving something in Tennis because not many beats Rafa in a major or even small tournaments.

June 25th, 2013 at 5:51 am

Michael, Yes.. I remember how Nadal had praised the lower ranked players and still how close they are to the top players when it comes to skill. It’s the general fans like us who take early rounds for granted, more so from Roger’s consistency, we think it’s a big shock for top players to loose. He has set a monster for the Top players to follow and even for fans.

Even Roger was close to getting eliminated in 2010 against Falla. It was very close and Falla just fell apart at the crucial moment.

Darcis should be really proud, not just because of the victory but the manner in which he achieved. He did not lose a set against Nadal. That’s crazy.

June 25th, 2013 at 6:05 am

hippy chic,

To make it eaisier for you where did I get that idea from I put three posts together. Firstly I didn’t see anybody gloating or deserved to be called rat at the time of your post on this thread. On the other thread it was nowhere near gloating as it is when Rafa fans are doing when Nole or Roger lose, time frame between IW and now. If you check that thread you will not find not one single my post out of 300+ posts. After you posted your “rat post” on this thread another post arrived from that NEUROTIC BOTTOM LINE poster,(I guess he is BOTTOM in his private life , if he is he), that is the poster that has hissy fits as soon as somebody mention name NOLE. In that post it is clear who was his target. I repeat, by the time you posted nobody was gloating and you didn’t have right to call anybody rat. But I can tell you that quite a few Rafa fans deserved to be called that name for what they were posting after every loss of Novak or even Roger since IW. Now read those posts and put yourself in my position.
……………..
Wog boy Says:
………
WTF Says:
Well.. don’t people look stupid now?

June 24th, 2013 at 5:02 pm
………..

Agree, lot of them if you go back and read their posts.

This is for good Rafa fans, you will get over it, I knew Rafa is going to do one better this year … to bomb out in the first round from 135. Player in the world.
Enjoy the song.

http://youtu.be/aQhKqlOccHE

June 24th, 2013 at 6:00 pm
…………

Tennis x hippy chic Says:
How easy it is for fans of their own personal favorites to come out of the woodwork when everything in the garden is rosy,only to dissapear like a rat up a drainpipe when things get a little tough,real true fans stick around and take their medicine and move on,thats what you call real fans IMO.

June 24th, 2013 at 6:49 pm

……….

Brando Says:
@Alison: Most excellent post. REAL FANS stick around and face the music, when their fav is down, just as well as lap it up when they win. The rats running away? A few fans of Novak went AWOL when he lost at RG. His real fans stuck around despite it. Respect to them. A few of those ‘ rats’ as you put it have now returned. Why? To gloat at Rafa’s loss. Absolutely pathetic, gutless stuff! No need to name them: their hoggish way’s are apparent to all!

June 24th, 2013 at 7:16 pm
………

June 25th, 2013 at 6:25 am

“you will not find one single my post…” should say

June 25th, 2013 at 6:29 am

Wogboy i dont know what else to say,likewise i have never gloated about Roger or Novaks losses either,TBH the posters i had in mind were the Rafa fans anyway,not saying that they are rats that was probably the wrong choice of word,and i do apologize for that,as i already said i always have had a good raport with yourself and your fellow Nole fans,i have only ever wanted to come here to talk tennis with fellow posters not to engage in personal warfare with anyone,im actually pretty cool about the loss anyway these things happen,better player won simple as that,its not the end of the world,i think you took it personally that my post was directed at you which was the last thing on my mind,sorry if it came across that way,ill be dissapointed if we dont get on anymore :(

June 25th, 2013 at 6:55 am

Nirmal,

Well, Roger himself used to frequently say that he created a monster when the Media critiqued and dissected each of his rare defeats. I have lost count the number of of times Media had written off Roger ? He gave the answer by coming back again and again thereby disproving their bad prophesies. But the Media haven’t learnt the right lessons and they do not learn from history. Perhaps they need such celebrities to sell their publication and they use it to the optimum. An article bearing the brand of Roger/Rafa/Novak will garner the maximum attention and publicity. As you rightly said, early rounds are literally mine fields. But, we are taking it easy because the top Three namely Novak, Roger and Rafa navigate through quite easily and it is taken for granted that they will come to the semi/final stage in every tournament that they play. It is here the semi/quarter final streak of Roger acquires paramount importance. It is such insane consistency which has been the hall mark of Roger right through his career. Ofcourse in 2010, Roger was lucky to scrape through against Falla who fumbled at the finish. But it was Roger who used that opportunity to achieve the break through and he must be credited for it. Well, what should be discomfiting Rafa is not the defeat but the scale of it. Losing in straight sets to a little known is a tough proposition and should be a shattering blow to the morale of Rafa. But knowing him, he is sure to bounce back and prove everybody wrong. That is the hall mark of a great player which Rafa is.

June 25th, 2013 at 7:08 am

Not so happy that nadal lost, but happy for the Rafanatics … now the boasting will end.

So much for the 3rd Wimbeldon, and more so on the 21 – 10 coming ….

June 25th, 2013 at 7:31 am

@Alison: What exactly are you apologizing for? What exactly have you done wrong to be attacked on here? You did a great post using a rat analogy. Even Skeezer liked it ( I don’t see him getting attacked for liking it, I wonder why). You named no names or references. Great post. Now if someone thinks that rat reference was to them then maybe it’s their conscious telling them that the rat reference is for them. Certainly not you Alison. And then if someone is foolish, idiotic and overly emotional like a 12 year old child over such a non-reference analogy to wet their bed over it, then don’t bother apologizing to such an idiot. Especially when their is 0 need to. Most especially when such a chump derides others by bringing personal life into. Now that’s a colossal chump: even trolls don’t do that. So you have no need to apologise Alison when you have done no wrong. If someone thinks they are a rat when you didn’t refer to them as one then maybe it’s because they think of themselves as one? Who cares anyhow: great post earlier once again.

June 25th, 2013 at 8:31 am

http://alturl.com/bakgv
Rafa fans. Nice read.

June 25th, 2013 at 8:33 am

Thanks @Giles, nice read indeed.

June 25th, 2013 at 8:57 am

@8:31am,

And the BOTTOM LINE is …

June 25th, 2013 at 9:05 am

Wimbledon has been “slow” since 2001. Not just in the past 6-8 years.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:26 am

@Giles. Thanks for the link. Nice read and great info inside.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:30 am

@Wogboy @ 905:

bottomline will be delivered as Tenniszod/nadalista.

Brando ID is exclusively meant for meltdowns and rants.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:45 am

Alison, Commiserations for yesterday. Goodluck to your next fave – murray, right?

Kimberly, you are definitely not a bandwagoner. You, Alison are the most fair rafa fans. James crosses the line a few times like I do, but hey that is how guys are. LOL!

June 25th, 2013 at 9:48 am

Ben :

What about AO, Miami and Indian Wells and the general conditions on ATP tournaments.

I remember some ATP players complained some time back that WTA uses lighter balls to favor serena and maria and to some extent, ivanovic against counterpunchers like wozniacki and jankovic. Let me see if I can google the link for the source.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:51 am

Danny Morris,

Thanks,

I got it now, I am a bit slow but I get there.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:51 am

Mayer has a tricky serve.

Did you guys see that on the IMB slam-tracker they have a section called “social sentiment”? I guess they can track this every 10 minutes but “number of tweets” – LOL. I mean, really. Let’s leave sentiment off the graphs.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:53 am

Danny Morris i am actually cool about Rafas loss, read my post to Steve O on the other thread,although i didnt think it would be this early,Rafas my favorite followed by Andy,but Rafas won the title twice anyway,so Andy was the one i wanted to win,so nothings really changed for me on that score,he always has been my second favorite player anyway as hes a Brit,im a Brit, and im half Scottish too,nothing to do with me jumping on the Andy Murray bandwagon or anything as sinister as that.

June 25th, 2013 at 10:02 am

Hi Wog boy, weird how Tomic has lost the plot in this match after being two sets up. Mind you, Cali-Sam is good on grass.

June 25th, 2013 at 10:15 am

Hi jane,

There is something likeable in Cali-Sam.

June 25th, 2013 at 10:31 am

Querrey seems so meek that he cannot instill fear in his opponents.

June 25th, 2013 at 10:38 am

Agree, Wog boy, but Tomic pulled it out. Nervously watching Nole/Mayer. But TV cut over to Tomic

June 25th, 2013 at 10:39 am

Miami and Indian Wells are slower due to conditions and probably the balls. I don’t know how they’re making a hard court so slow.

The Australian Open was always the slower hard court slam! It’s actually faster now since it switched from Rebound Ace.

June 25th, 2013 at 11:16 am

Danny
@945
Thanks for the heads up
Yeah WOgs we are slow. Hehe

June 25th, 2013 at 11:19 am

http://alturl.com/jziaj
Rafa fans. Boris Becker’s take.

June 25th, 2013 at 11:29 am

@Ben

” I don’t know how they’re making a hard court so slow.”

Uh. C’mon Ben you should know better. Look up ITF and other HC manufacture sites. IW has the slowest rating on the tour. How do they do it? fatter materials underneath, Texture, added materials like sand in the paint, you know the drill. You play right?

June 25th, 2013 at 11:31 am

I play, I don’t make tennis courts.

June 25th, 2013 at 11:41 am

Thanks @Giles!

June 25th, 2013 at 11:56 am

http://alturl.com/cidx9
Rafa fans. You’ll love this!

June 25th, 2013 at 2:26 pm

I hate excuses after a loss, specially one that was so deserved and I’m far from being a Nadal fan. But and there is always a but… it is said that you have to bend lower on grass so your knees are going to hurt worse and the game on grass requires an extra effort from Rafa due to the circumstances. I’m sure the match against Nole didn’t do him any good. Actually, Rafa should start to blame Nole for his bad knees, I can’t count the brutal matches these two have played, my favorite rivalry.

It didn’t look like Rafa hurt but it’s almost impossible to see the pain, the invisible pain, even if it’s there. Who knows how much pain does Rafa play in? No idea. However, the pain or the knees are not always the (sole) reason for Rafa’s losses. He was uncharacteristically subpar yesterday, his game was gone, his shots weren’t solid, he missed some by a wide margin and put a lot of balls in the net. So knees or no knees Rafa still played a bad match and Darcis played a very good one.

I always remember a phrase Nole likes to say: “There is not really such a big difference between the number 1 and number 100; All that separates them is the mind”. And rafa’s mind or spirit wasn’t there.

June 25th, 2013 at 4:27 pm

Ben pronin
You already lost that discussion with Dave.

Wimbly really slowed down in 2002.

Just look at the players who made the semies?

June 25th, 2013 at 5:24 pm

Boris Becker
“Nadal left knee doesnt bends well, especially on the backhand shots … seems he are looking purposefully put on the grass in knee angles where they do not mind (…) tries to protect her, especially in the flexures ”

I do not understand how Rafa Nadal Wimbledon has come to play in these conditions after winning Roland Garros. In its current state, did not have to do it. I would not have done. I had stayed in Palma, resting and recovering from the effort of Roland Garros. It was hard to see well on the track. In any case, I wish him well and hope that the injury he has not been further aggravated in the future. “

June 25th, 2013 at 6:43 pm

It was a tough loss for Rafa, but as he has done again and again, he will make a comeback.

June 25th, 2013 at 8:49 pm

The winner is coming from the bottom half.

June 25th, 2013 at 9:05 pm

Well Boris Becker has suggested that Rafa should skip Wimbledon from now on. What is he concerned is that Rafa’s nagging knee problem is made worse on grass courts since he has to bend too much to dig in balls which puts lot of pressure on the already battered knees. I am not sure how Rafa and his camp will take this suggestion forward ?

June 26th, 2013 at 1:17 am

Rafa was hobbling towards the end of the match. Definitely, the 1st week fresh grass (reportedly more slippery than usual likely due to the wet/cold weather) played a factor.

I’m guessing he was hoping to manage the 1st week until the courts became more “seasoned” and less slippery.

Darcis, Cilic, Shvedova, Tsonga, Stepanek, Isner, Azarenka – all out injured on Wednesday.

June 26th, 2013 at 11:53 am

Sharapova hits the deck again. Crowd is screaming that the court isn’t safe. That fall looked brutal.

June 26th, 2013 at 12:02 pm

Nadal was a running, fist pumping, ball curving machine during the entire clay court season. He was a cyborg hitting forehands. Now he losses on grass, but only because because of his knee. I’ve simply never seen a player receive more excuses that Nadal. Not another athlete in any sport, ever.

Thats my take.

June 26th, 2013 at 1:56 pm