Rafael Nadal Could Skip Cincinnati, Roger Federer Might Miss Montreal

It would be nice if he could play both events. But his health should come first. Likewise for Roger too. Roger should skip the Rogers cup and hopefully be ready for Cincinnati.

July 27th, 2013 at 6:02 pm

Brilliant news for both IMO!

Rafa:

Clearly he is prioritizing his health and taking it a tourny at a time: just what he should do and his fans want him to do more than anything else.

He’s playing it the only way he should do so: prioritizing the slams and not being afraid to pull out of an event IF it means a detriment to his health.

Montreal- hopefully- will be enough in terms of match practise for the USO open, so he does not need to lay Cincy at all.

– Fed:

Excellent news.

He is a 2 time winner in Canada so has 0 to prove there.

No ranking points to defend either.

Hence, it’s a perfect time to take a rest and comeback for the one event that suits him the most on outdoor HC IMO: Cincy.

Excellent decision by both IMO.

Also curious how arguably the 2 greatest players of all time do not seem to care for busting their chops for a MS and are prioritizing the slam instead.

It’s what the true greats always do.

Even Muzza showed sense and skipped FO for Wimby- rightfully so IMO.

Vamos Fedal!

July 27th, 2013 at 6:23 pm

I guess you’re right, Brando. Might be better for Rafa to skip Cincy and instead get more rest before having a go at USO. Hopefully he’ll have a good tournament in Montreal.

July 27th, 2013 at 6:39 pm

@James:

I think it’s absolutely the right decision.

He’s prioritizing the USO open as he should and is just seeking match practice in the prior events- as he should.

IF Montreal gives him enough then he’ll skip Cincy- as he should do so.

He’s playing it smart IMO: prioritizing his health and not playing on needlessly.

Wise move considering everything IMO.

Same with Roger.

There is a reason other than talent for why Fed has the most slam wins ever-17- and Rafa is 3rd in the Open Era list with 12: they know what matters most and what doesn’t on the tour.

They know when to lay it all on the line and when to just keep things ticking along.

Smart move by both and IMO: welcome news for their fans!

July 27th, 2013 at 6:47 pm

I think he should play both.

July 27th, 2013 at 7:34 pm

Are Washington courts slow or fast? Maybe Rafa should have played Washington in lieu of Cinci. Unlike Fed, Rafa historically needs lots of matches to get into form.

July 27th, 2013 at 7:42 pm

He doesn’t need lots of matches to get into form.

For example: AO.

He’s won there, been a RU. Exactly how many tourny’s did he play prior to that?

Just a warm up at Doha.

He also won IW without ANY HC tourny for close to a year.

The source for this news is MARCA though: they are very liable to being wrong regarding Rafa.

That said though: IF Rafa get’s enough court time at Montreal then I do not see why this is a bad move.

Either way:

He’s placing premium on:

1- How he feels physically

2- Match sharpness

IF he feels that he is ready for the USO post Rogers Cup then skipping Cincy is the right move.

IF he feels he still needs more matches, then he has left the door open to playing Cincy.

IMO Rafa is being flexible in his thinking here.

He’s not ruling out any options just placing emphasis on the correct objectives:

health and preparation for the USO open.

Time will tell but for now i’m happy with this bit of news.

Vamos Rafa!

July 27th, 2013 at 8:00 pm

Mmm, majors are different. He had Doha and played himself into form during the first week of AO ’09.

IW, yes first HC but he shook off the rust on the clay. He looked crap in his first tournament back which was to be expected of course.

Different matter with Rafa showing up cold at a 1000 level best of three with strong draws after having played just one match in the last two months.

2011 Montreal lost his first match back against Dodig. Went out in the QF 2009 Montreal after missing Wimby.

Even Rafa himself has said this. Needs matches for confidence.

Hope you are right though!!! I will be in Montreal for R16-Finals.

If Fed’s not there, hope Rafa doesn’t go out early too.

#VamosRafa

July 27th, 2013 at 8:33 pm

Sad to see Federer and Nadal gradually fading away from the sport both in terms of motivation and form. Nadal might be still a beast on clay but he seems to be picking and choosing when he turns out on hard courts. He came to Wimbledon totally unprepared for the grass and seemingly unmotivated. Worth remembering that Nadal has been around very near the top of the game for 8/9 years now and it takes a toll both mentally and physically. He’s won everything there is to win. Where does the motivation come from to get up every day and keep doing it? There are signs for me that he doesn’t want to do it anymore.

As for Federer he will always be able to produce the odd great performance but at the age of 32 now hes prone to throwing in the odd shocker and if he wins a major again or even threatens i will be shocked. Such a shame.

It is only when these 2 are gone and we are left with the likes of Murray and Djokovic at the top that we will realise what a huge part of the game these 2 absolute legends made up. We need some young guys to step up please otherwise i see a potential slump in the sport in the latter part of this decade.

July 27th, 2013 at 8:56 pm

Rafa is picking and choosing his hard court tournaments so as to lengthen his career, not because he’s losing interest. If he were losing interest he wouldn’t have won 7 of the first 9 tournaments he played this year, including another FO. Roger is carrying an injury and has been all year, so you just have to wait and see how things go. He’s been written off before and gone on to do some great things, so write him off at your peril.

July 27th, 2013 at 9:36 pm

@Anna: great post. Love the perspective on matters you have there. I think you are absolutely right. Sometimes folks are very prone to reading far too much into things or placing a far greater importance on certain outcomes than they actually deserve. Rafa’s picking and choosing to prolong his career. His love for the sport remains the same it’s just he is now making wise moves that a 27 year old with a perennial knee issue has to make. That’s the start and end of it. Roger desperately needs a rest for his back and likewise he is taking a break. The hoo ha is all over nothing IMO. It’s a simple case of: it is what it is. Nothing more than that.

July 27th, 2013 at 9:59 pm

Rafa should play both. Concinnatti fast court matches help Rafa to perform better in US open

July 27th, 2013 at 10:19 pm

sorry but without being in Rafas head you have no idea of the level of his motivation. Its there on clay but he seems to be at war with hardcourts where he knows apart from at Indian Wells he will struggle against Djokovic and probably Murray. He has indicated in the past for example at the 2011 Tour finals that sometimes the desire isnt there. Who knows really.

It was sad to see him so poor at Wimbledon. Remember when he used to win the French Open then get on the Eurostar to immediately practice at Queens? Where was that this year? Toni said after Wimbledon there was no injury to his knees so something went wrong somewhere. I dont think it should be taken for granted that Nadal will play on for another 5 years and Federer will be gone within 2 in my opinion.

July 27th, 2013 at 10:26 pm

Graham, check out the Race to London (after having played ZERO tennis for SEVEN months).

#Really?

July 27th, 2013 at 10:58 pm

As regards Nadal, the blog post above says “but he’s told Marca”.

He’s never told Marca anything.

There’s not a single quote in that Marca article. There’s no sentence claiming Rafa (nor his team) told Marca anything.

All that this Marca article consists of are speculations out of the pen of that journalist.

Therefore, we do not know nor do we have any confirmation that Rafa has any elbow injury and that he considers skipping Cinci.

Besides, both Marca and specifically that journalist have been known to have wildly speculated many times before about Rafa (claiming he will skip certain tournaments, for example) – only to be proven wrong by subsequent events.

They only write such articles (with such titles) to increase number of clicks.

July 27th, 2013 at 10:59 pm

Thanks for the kind words about my girl. She is sweet and beautiful.

July 28th, 2013 at 12:17 am

In Switzerland, it is customary to give cows as gifts if you meet a friend after a long time.

For birthdays, they give elephants.

For marriages, it is tigers.

If someone is being really stupid, they just give him a bigger racquet, so he can make a bigger fool of himself.

#justheretohelp#

July 28th, 2013 at 12:23 am

I think Rafa’s participation in Cincy will largely depend on how deep a run he can make in Montreal. He loves playing in Canada, the other not so much. As long as he plays quite a few matches and feels he is ready to take on the challenges that await in the USO that’s all that matters.
#VamosKing
#StayHealthy

July 28th, 2013 at 3:48 am

@Hawkeye,

Regarding your post @ 8:33 pm, I agree with you. Rafa does need match play to get his rhythm and timing on his groundstrokes. I remember Rafa going out in his first match against Dodig at the 2011 Montreal. That was when he had to take time off with the foot injury he had at Wimbledon. So he came back with virtually no time to even practice.

Cincy has always been tough for Rafa. The extremely fast courts do not suit his game. At least this time we know that Rafa has been practicing. That’s one good thing. I assume that it will depend on how deep he goes at Montreal. If he gets to the semis or finals then that may be all the match play he needs. The great thing for him is that he can only gain points. So that puts him in a good position.

I hope you get to see Rafa! Lucky you!

July 28th, 2013 at 4:00 am

Brando Says:
Brilliant news for both IMO!

Rafa:

Clearly he is prioritizing his health and taking it a tourny at a time: just what he should do and his fans want him to do more than anything else.

He’s playing it the only way he should do so: prioritizing the slams and not being afraid to pull out of an event IF it means a detriment to his health.

Montreal- hopefully- will be enough in terms of match practise for the USO open, so he does not need to lay Cincy at all.

– Fed:

Excellent news.

He is a 2 time winner in Canada so has 0 to prove there.

No ranking points to defend either.

Hence, it’s a perfect time to take a rest and comeback for the one event that suits him the most on outdoor HC IMO: Cincy.

Excellent decision by both IMO.

Also curious how arguably the 2 greatest players of all time do not seem to care for busting their chops for a MS and are prioritizing the slam instead.

It’s what the true greats always do.

Even Muzza showed sense and skipped FO for Wimby- rightfully so IMO.

Vamos Fedal!

July 27th, 2013 at 6:23 pm

Brando,

I could not have said it better myself! So wanted to say I agree with you, and how much I am enjoying reading your posts right now. It’s good that there isn’t any bickering (for now).

July 28th, 2013 at 5:56 am

We Rafa fans are gonna have to get used to Rafa not playing tourney after tourney……I am so very sad to say. IMHO those days are over……and it’s killing this Rafa fanatic!!

Vamos Rafael Nadal and I will enjoy and look forward to the tournaments you are able to take part in!!!

July 28th, 2013 at 8:48 am

The tournaments are back to back so it’s not that big of a deal to skip Cincy. Nadal will have 2 weeks off before the US Open for hitting and practice sets. One week off is preferable, but he is willing to trade health for the risk that he will be light on matches which makes him a little more vulnerable in the early rounds.

July 28th, 2013 at 9:40 am

@Madmax:

Thanks Max. :-)

I agree with you re bickering: there really is no need for that at all.

At the end of the day: both are seen as esteemed legends of the game, both have fantastic records that are the envy of former and present pros, both have a enormous fan following, both have iconic stature in world sport etc etc.

Both players have a great respect for one another. They likely look at the other and see not someone as inferior or superior to them but likely an equal: someone who is interwoven into their legacy and identification greatly.

I love them both and fans need to lay off the silly bickering and appreciate them both since when that day arrives when they both shall bid adieu to the tennis stage then they shall truly realize what they did not fully appreciate.

For me it’s not a case of who is inferior or superior to the other but rather a growing appreciation of 2 phenomenal sportsmen who made me fall in love with the game of tennis due to their sheer brilliance on court.

Long may they have the health to continue doing what they both love to do: play the game of Tennis to the awe of many in this world.

July 28th, 2013 at 11:54 am

@Brando. Your comment is like a breath of fresh air…balaced and rational.

July 28th, 2013 at 12:02 pm

Brando wonderfull post,and so say all of us.

July 28th, 2013 at 12:05 pm

[content removed]

July 28th, 2013 at 3:10 pm

Madmax, are you Carl Bialik? If you aren’t. why are you repeating his column without acknowledgement? That’s called plagiarism.

July 28th, 2013 at 6:55 pm

There is a rumour that Roger may skip the US Open. But I am not sure how far it is true ? Nevertheless, I would say he has taken the right decision to skip Montreal given his ailing back and he should not stress himself too much. That being said since he won Cincinnati last year, there would be tremendous pressure on him to repeat that feat given that his rankings has already slipped to the fifth position. It is really a disastrous 2013 so far for Rgoer. As regards Rafa, well Cincinnati has not been his favourite tournament for a long time. Traditionally, he doesn’t get his best Tennis working out there and so I would say he has taken a rational decision to skip the tournament. Rafa already had a terrific 2013 with that streak of tournament wins and he will be playing with much less pressure despite his early round loss at Wimbledon. However, the favourites in Montreal and Cincinnati would be Novak and Andy – necessarily in that order.

July 29th, 2013 at 5:40 am

Brando @ 11.54 – Great post. You reflect my thoughts. Thanks.

July 29th, 2013 at 5:44 am

No, no plagerism intended at all. Sometimes the link is broken and if it is, I always cut and paste that with the link as it is still interesting to read. That’s for certain.

Carl Bialik? I wish!

July 29th, 2013 at 8:53 am

There is nothing on Fed’s website to say that he is withdrawing from USOpen. They would be the first to know.

I think the scaremongering needs to stop.

No player is 100% fit when they go onto a tennis court, they are, all of them, always playing with a sore this or sore that, mostly elbow or just soreness in the legs but they are used to this as athletes. It’s working out that pain with a programme that is tolerated.

Fed’s back pain is nothing new – he has just not moaned about it, day in, day out, he just gets on with the job, come what may.

Whilst it is important to rest, he has had plenty of that at the beginning of the year and that was the whole point. Now I think to do the same, would be to go into panic mode, plus he would lose the flow of practice sessions and with such closeness to the USOpen, I think playing in Cincinnati will show him where his game is at.

I am curious though whether he will continue to play with the new racquet or whether he will ditch it.

He is doing all he can in order to try and change things, but I think he will have to accept more and more, that he will be facing these tough times more frequently.

It is the after care that needs to become more urgent, so a careful treatment plan (and surely, this is high priority for him?)is what is needed.

Could start with more physio, and more massage in those key areas of concern.

The bad back will be here to stay, it’s part of his working life and that’s the certainty of it, it’s the ongoing care and what he can do to minimise that pain.

I am wondering, after reading Agassi’s book and the injections he had in his back before he played, what exactly IS allowed before a player walks onto the court?

Are they allowed pain relief to this extreme? What is the maximum dose?

We have seen Fed wear the tshirt type ‘back brace’ under his normal tennis shirt, and seen him taped up too, but there must be medication which is allowed, strong inflammatories for example, because I remember reading something about Murray, and the monitoring of his thigh, so if anyone knows then please share.

July 29th, 2013 at 9:05 am

I am worried about Roger…

But, I think..

Roger participates in Canada. probably he loses again early. And, Roger challenges Cincinnati again…

Even if what will happen to those results, Roger will participate in US open!!!

go Roger!!!!

July 29th, 2013 at 10:10 am

Roger, please rest your back.
Rafa, please rest your knees.
I hope you both come back stronger and healthier!

July 29th, 2013 at 1:45 pm

Rumours started by Marca that Rafa could skip Cincy are baseless as Rafa told the press yesterday that he will play Montreal and Cincy.

http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/07/30/rafael-nadal-confirms-montreal-and-cincinnati/

July 30th, 2013 at 3:53 am

thanks @rafaeli. If Rafa goes on to play both Montreal and Cincy, his intention is clear. He wants the no.1 ranking again. Also he doesn’t want to repeat his Wimbledon mistake, ie going to the event without enough match practice on the surface.

July 30th, 2013 at 4:59 am