Exhausted Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Basel

Wise decision. Stay healthy for WTF.
Vamos Rafa!

October 18th, 2013 at 10:05 am

I think this is a wise decision IMO,common sense prevailing hes not saying hes injured,hes simply saying hes knackered and needs the rest,after the year hes had its hardly surprising that its all begining to take its toll,number 1 ranking or no number 1 ranking hes still been the best player this year,even if at the end of the year its not on paper.

October 18th, 2013 at 10:10 am

Just do what’s best for you Rafa. Your health comes first. You’ve had a gruelling year, albeit extremely successful.
Vamos Champ!
Stay Healthy!
Rest Up!

October 18th, 2013 at 10:36 am

“Not on paper” (as No. 1)? I think Rafa will easily maintain his current ranking at the top. He has no points to defend!

What an amazing talent this man is… and I’m a Federer fan.

PK

October 18th, 2013 at 11:08 am

REMCOM nice post,refreshing to here a Fed fan actually giving Rafa credit for been talented for a change,rather than words like warrior,fighter or beast.

October 18th, 2013 at 11:16 am

Rafa hasn’t been at Paris for a few yrs I think? Anyway, he needs some rest, a long and successful year to say the least. I had thought he might skip Paris but trade off w/Basel. We will see if it is enough time to recover for London.

Better to be healthy & fit for the long haul. Indoor not his best surface/ we will see.

October 18th, 2013 at 11:29 am

As soon as Rafa learnt Nole declined the wild card for Valencia, pulling out from Basel was obvious. The additional points were not all that necessary for the year-end number 1 if Nole wasn’t playing Valencia. Smart decisions by both Nole and Rafa. The body needs to rest, and so does the mind.

October 18th, 2013 at 12:10 pm

Very, very, very smart move.

For Rafa: health = wealth. Period.

He, naturally of course, seemed to be very tired in the Asian swing and I was very proud of his performance there all things considered.

Quite clearly he needed a break and this the best thing for him.

He’ll have a better chance of putting up a good performance at Paris and WTF feeling more fresher and rested as opposed to having toiled in Basel and feeling tired from overplaying.

He’s the player of the year, whether he ends up YE no.1 time will tell but ultimately:

Rafa fans would much prefer Rafa prioritizing his health as opposed to ranking points.

Smart move and Vamos Rafa!

October 18th, 2013 at 12:11 pm

@ Brando. Well said. I totally agree. The last thing he needs is battling through what would inevitably be tough matches.

October 18th, 2013 at 12:20 pm

Brando yeah agreed,losing in the final in Beijing,and the semis in Shanghai,to two of the best fast court HC players,is no disgrace,and nothing to feel ashamed of,regardless of those two resulte,hes still been the best player this year.

October 18th, 2013 at 12:24 pm

@Giles:

Exactly.

The matches- as we know- will be tough since it’s the most difficult, problematic surface for Rafa’s game.

It will become a bigger uphill battle if he turns up tired, fatigued and both his mind/ body not there to support his cause and help him produce his best.

He’s much better off now to have some rest, maybe even some practise prior to a shorter remaining period of the season.

He can possibly be fresh and rested enough to give his out most at the last 2 remaining events of the year with such a move.

As I said earlier: its a smart move.

October 18th, 2013 at 12:37 pm

I wonder just how much Nadal really cares about being No.1. This question isn’t meant as a slight against him. I just think he wants to do what gives him the best chance to win. If it means taking a break, this is what it appears he’ll do. Good on him. Sucks for the fans in Switzerland but then again, they may have seen more of Rafa than they’ll ever want to see.

October 18th, 2013 at 12:38 pm

I actually feel sorry for the tournament. They really were looking forward to Rafa’s presence in Basel. Gave him a good build up and Rafa was scheduled to play on the first day as well.

October 18th, 2013 at 1:52 pm

Swiss are gonna be bummed!

All the drama with the prize money…

October 18th, 2013 at 2:00 pm

Could be a risky move, slightly, assuming djokovic wins paris n london (undefeated). Nadal has to get 440+ points to stay at top. He can do that by reaching the semis in WTF. But he could be a bit unlucky if he gets delpo n federer (if fed makes it to WTF he’s a threat there, trust me) in his group.

Worst case scenario for rafa, QF loss at paris (180 pts) , exit from the RR stage of WTF with just 1 win and Djokovic winning both. I’m NOT saying that it IS GOING TO happen, but still it can happen. If that does happen, djokovic will finish the year as no. 1. Which would be pretty sad that even though rafa had a far greater year than djoko, he’d have to end up world no. 2

October 18th, 2013 at 2:12 pm

Ferrer must be the most untalked about world no.3 since the ranking system was introduced.

October 18th, 2013 at 2:16 pm

Does anyone know if points from DC final this year will count towards ranking for this year or 2014?

October 18th, 2013 at 2:27 pm

IF:

1. Rafa reaches SF at Paris

2. Wins 2 RR matches at WTF

Then regardless of whether Novaks wins at Paris, WTF in a undefeated manner, Davis Cup collecting maximum points this year then Rafa will still be the YE number one.

Period.

Bottomline:

Rafa needs a 760 point difference between him and Novak to seal the deal on the ranking.

Period.

So IF Rafa were to reach SF at Paris (360 pts) and Novak lost in the final (600pts out of 1,000 pts he needs here) then Rafa seals the deal regardless of whatever goes down in WTF since he’s secured a 760 points difference.

October 18th, 2013 at 2:38 pm

Yes they do. If Nole wins two singles matches, he can add 150 points. If Serbia wins, Nole would get an added bonus of 75 points.

Rafa’s magic number to clinch No. 1 is 820 points.

October 18th, 2013 at 2:40 pm

@ Brando. Seems doable, let’s see.

October 18th, 2013 at 2:45 pm

Rafa currently leads Nole by 2060 pts in the Race. However, this currently includes his 150 points earned in Vina del Mar. After Basel, Rafa will be forced to take a 0-pointer as a penalty at which point Vina del Mar will become “uncountable” so his lead going into Paris will be 1910 points.

If Nole wins Paris (1000 pts), WTF (max 1500 pts), two singles DC matches (150 pts) and Serbia wins DC (75 pts), then he can add 2725 pts to his current total.

Therefore, Rafa’s magic number is 820 pts. That is any combination of points earned by Rafa or potential points lost by Nole before YE of 820 or more will clinch it for him.

Tennis is so easy, no?

October 18th, 2013 at 2:52 pm

Alex Says:
Ferrer must be the most untalked about world no.3 since the ranking system was introduced.

October 18th, 2013 at 2:16 pm

No, Ljubicic would easily beat Ferru in that conversation (or lack thereof).

October 18th, 2013 at 2:54 pm

Or Coria or Haas certainly less than Ferru.

October 18th, 2013 at 3:00 pm

Wow, Tommy Haas was actually No. 2 for six weeks in the fall of 2002!!!

His slam performance that year was SF, 4R, Absent for wimby and 4R!!! His best Masters performances in the previous 12 months were one win, a final and two semis.

At that time Lleyton Hewitt was No. 1.

His slam performance that year was 1R, 4R,W, SF. Likewise, his best Masters performances in the previous 12 months were one win, a final and two semis!

Speaks volumes ’nuff said.

Oh My, how times have changed.

October 18th, 2013 at 3:12 pm

Coria was Number 3 in May 2004.

His slam performance over the previous 12 months was SF, 1R,QF, 1R.

His best Masters performances in the previous 12 months were two finals, a 4R and a 3R. He was absent for Rome, Cincy, Madrid and Paris LOL!!!

Contrast that with Ferru, today’s number 3 who has a final, SF and two QF in this year’s majors plus a Win, Final and two QF in Masters events or even No. 4 Andy Murray with a Wimby title and an AO final, a Miami win and three Masters QF.

Incredible really. Numbers don’t lie. Now where did I put my sock puppet?

October 18th, 2013 at 3:47 pm

Mathematically he can still lose #1 Ranking this year.

But a lot of ifs.
Exemple: If Djokovic wins Paris (+990 pts to his 11120 = 12110) and WTF without losing a match (defend his points from last year) he will have 12110 pts by the end of WTF. If Nadal do Quarters in Paris (add 180 pts to his 11520 = 11700 pts), wins 2 matches in WTF and loses the semis (add 400 pts to 11700 pts), Nadal will have 12100 pts and Djokovic will be #1 by mere 10 pts, plus whatever he gets if Serbia wins DC. This is not and improbable scenario if we took last years results. Djoko had won WTF without losing a match before and Paris and is the in form and fresher player, as it seems now.
Nadal never won Paris, neither WTF, maybe be spent mentally and phisically and only once played a final in WTF. Of course he has the motivation to try win this once and for all to complete his stellar resume.

What Nadal can control is: go deepest as he can in Paris to remove pressure when playing WTF, which is his worst surface.

With Djoko form I don’t doubt he can win this 2 toureys, but Nadal underperforming in WTF will be very surprising with the way he is playing on HC now (Murray out), unless he gets a hot Fed and Delpo in his group, because I can’t see him losing 2 matches in his group to fellow top 8. But on WTF surface, Tsonga, Fed, Delpo can beat him, even a hot Ferrer, so the luck of the RR will play a factor as well.

October 18th, 2013 at 3:53 pm

I come from a family of scholars. Please don’t say WTF, its wrong.

October 18th, 2013 at 4:11 pm

good, have some rest so that my Fed has more chanches to win Basel. I hope that delpo, wawrinka, djoko, tsonga and berdich will also miss Basel and that Fed will win. Go Fed and Nadal I wish you good fishing :)

October 18th, 2013 at 4:18 pm

^^^^ Why, don’t you think fed can beat any of the guys you mention? Lol. Lol.

October 18th, 2013 at 5:11 pm

I need to check my pre-moderated post so I have to sign in to do so. Apologize for the nonrelated post but that’s how it goes sometimes. Hoping I can cut and paste and remove the sock puppet comment as I’m guessing is why it hasn’t yet been deemed acceptable to tennis-x unless you just haven’t gotten around to it yet which might be the case. Anyhoo looking forward to my moderation period going away unless its now for life in which case that’s a shame.

#HashtagFilter

October 18th, 2013 at 5:20 pm

hawkeye Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.
Coria was Number 3 in May 2004.

His slam performance over the previous 12 months was SF, 1R,QF, 1R.

His best Masters performances in the previous 12 months were two finals, a 4R and a 3R. He was absent for Rome, Cincy, Madrid and Paris LOL!!!

Contrast that with Ferru, today’s number 3 who has a final, SF and two QF in this year’s majors plus a Win, Final and two QF in Masters events or even No. 4 Andy Murray with a Wimby title and an AO final, a Miami win and three Masters QF.

Coria certainly found a way to do more with less!

October 18th, 2013 at 5:22 pm

The main focus has to be the WTF. Paris bercy would be an excelente warm up tournament, but definitely for Rafa his goal is to win The Masters and his only two threats are Delpo and the Serb. The rest of the top 10, even his negative record agaisnt the swiss, this time it will be not enough to stop him.
Vamos!

October 18th, 2013 at 7:41 pm

Hawkeye…..My posts are always awaiting moderation…Don’t really understand why. I always try to kind and fair…..buy not for me to judge

Now to the article…..I personally don’t expect to see Rafa until the Aussie Open…..I think it would be in his best interest to do that. I almost made a comment on TX the other day that I would not doubt if Rafa skipped Basel….just had gut feeling he would withdraw……so glad he did! Smart move, Team Rafa…….VAMOS!!!

October 18th, 2013 at 10:51 pm

^^^ always try to be kind and fair….but not for me to judge…should have said.

October 18th, 2013 at 10:54 pm

Rafa’s decision was coming….i did sensed it in his beijing matches….but he played v.good in shanghai though.

Quite sensible, as basel is only a 500 pointer….then he could play Bercy-WTF well rested. But i won’t be surprised, if rafa fails to win either of them….still F & SF results will be enough for him to make him the numero uno player, i guess….at the end of the year.

But if Nole somehow manages to reclaim that pos to finish a hat-trick of YEN1….that will be absolutely PHENOMENAL. I think he is pretty aware of the value of that feat and thatswhy he is going at it hammer & tongs since USO.

But whatever the result is at the end of the day….its going to be “HUGE” for either of them….and thats wat we fans “die-for” to witness :)

October 19th, 2013 at 12:14 am

federer’s chances just improved. better make sure djoker doesn’t take a wild card now…

October 19th, 2013 at 12:25 am

Wise and judicious decision from Rafa and his Team learning from the past. I think he is now bracing up for the WTF which he is yet to win. This time, Rafa has good chances to win that coveted title which has eluded him all these years. Winning that will surely add another feather to his already well decorated cap.

October 19th, 2013 at 2:05 am

I wouldnt be surprised if he pulled out of the WTFs,to pour his focus on the AO next year JMO.

October 19th, 2013 at 2:18 am

Rafa has plenty of time to focus on AO 2014. First things first, WTF 2013.
#VamosChamp
#StayHealthy

October 19th, 2013 at 3:23 am

Fed has class and I know he can beat those guys. Just firs serve must function good.

October 19th, 2013 at 4:54 am

Agree with txhc. WTF just a glorified exho.

October 19th, 2013 at 7:50 am

I hope any penalty for not playing Basle will not decide the No.1 ranking. That would be horrible, especially with the year Rafa had.

October 19th, 2013 at 11:01 am

http://alturl.com/coyof
Hahaha. Pseudofed has kidnapped Rafa!

October 19th, 2013 at 11:03 am

Rafa only pulled out after learning that Novak declined Valencia WC. If Novak played Valencia, Rafa would play Basel, tired or not.

October 19th, 2013 at 8:22 pm

Agree with Sirius i think it would be sad for Rafa,if he didnt finish the year as world number 1,given that hes been the far superior player this year overall to Novak(no offence Novak,and fans),having said that i doubt he would trade the two GS and the stellar year hes had for that number 1 ranking,if Novak were to end the year as number 1 it will all seem rather hollow IMO,a saying comes to mind between the two players,losing the battle but winning the war.

October 20th, 2013 at 1:43 am

Meant to say Rafa might have won the battle,but he could probably end up losing the war.

October 20th, 2013 at 1:49 am

Yeah,yeah,right……he is tired……the hypocricy goes on and on,from him and from all of you……

October 20th, 2013 at 6:40 am

So, Rafa is in the trunk because of losing a Masters SF ??

Hehe you Fed-biased trolls…

October 20th, 2013 at 8:32 am

Tennisfan i really dont see whats hypocritical about saying hes tired,surely all players get tired?surely every human being gets tired at one time or another?a little perpective wouldnt hurt from time to time is all im saying surely.

October 20th, 2013 at 11:48 am

tennisfan. Are you a robot then??

October 20th, 2013 at 12:04 pm

hello guys!!! you have to consider that winning DC for djoko may mean somthing like 500-600 pts… – if Nole gets paris takes about 800-850pts and if he takes also london undefeated he’ll be at about 1.200pts. and if Rafa loses in paris qf 180 + one win in london rr makes 430points. plus 400 of advantage he has makes 830. with nole ending n1 by 470points. that means that even if Rafa gets to semis in paris he’s not sure to end n.1 – or either if he gets to London semis he’s not sure. in the end, in case of nole winning paris london and DC, rafa really needs to get in both london and paris into semifinals, or if not at least to be in the final in one of those. basically rafa still needs to be really strong untill the end.

October 20th, 2013 at 2:18 pm

I hear the excuses already staring. IF Novak wins it’s a hollow victory, # 1 isn’t important to Rafa,his health is more important than his ranking. When he took the # 1 spot it was a different story. I don’t understand why a player that has a history of dibilitating knee injuries, who was coming off of a seven month hiatus because of these knee problems , would even take on such a schedule, unless he was gunning for the # 1 position. Please stop with the hyperbole. This is what happens when you toot your horn about your man and try to detract everything about his opponent. Having said that, Rafa has had a great year, I wish him well and I am not at all embarassed about Nole’s year either. Who ever ends at #1 will have earned it, no excuses, no put downs from me.

October 20th, 2013 at 2:40 pm

Only 2 players can stop him Djoker and Delpo. For next 3 yrs all slams and major titles will be shared by them cause i dont see any other player being on top. Nishikori, Dimitrov, Wawrinka, Berdych might threaten a bit but not more then that.

October 20th, 2013 at 2:40 pm

Suzette i dont know if that post is aimed at me,as im not saying Novak would not deserve it,im just saying that after the year Rafas had it would be only fair if he finished the year as number 1,and everybody here knows i would say the same about Nole or any other player,and i dont make any excuses about injuries,hes the one who chooses to play the amount of tournies he plays,and Nole has indeed had a terrific year with nothing to feel ashamed about,its not always about one fan group sour graping about another player,things are not always that black and white,sometimes there are grey areas,after the year Nole had in 2011,2012,i think his fans would,ve had the right to feel pretty p*ssed off had any other player Rafa or whomever had finished the year as world number 1,just saying.

October 20th, 2013 at 2:57 pm

Charles i think Murray at his best is now a major factor when it comes to GS now too,i havent seen him play Rafa at a GS in a long time,so it will be interesting when they do meet again,but hes had Novaks number lately,as they match up well against each other.

October 20th, 2013 at 3:05 pm

If joker wins DC he earns 225 pts, not the bombastic figure of 600 pts quoted by @andrea!!

October 20th, 2013 at 3:20 pm

@Giles:

Relax.

Ignore the hoopla being banded around by others.

The YE no.1 is on Rafa’s racquet. Period.

IF he gets:

1. SF at Paris.

2. 2 RR wins at WTF.

Then regardless of whatever Novak does Rafa shall be the YE no.1.

Rafa just needs to do what he’s done far better than ANYONE this year: kick butt when it matters.

He’s the clear Player of the Year, won the most majors, MS events, titles and put the whupping to his main rivals when it mattered most.

Whether he gets the YE no.1 ultimately does not matter regarding his year: he’s already done the damage and the rest is all gravy.

Besides: why sweat over a few weeks? It does not exactly make a career now does it?

Barring a certain Mr Roger Federer, I wonder by how many points Rafael Nadal is leading his so called rivals.

I think it would rather be cruel to do a comparison, so let sleeping dogs lie shall we.

LOL: forget the nonsense yapped by some, don’t let it to ya and if Rafa gets the YE 1 it’s all good, and if not: then he’s still more than good compared to the rest.

Just chill out and enjoy the show!

October 20th, 2013 at 3:32 pm

‘Barring a certain Mr Roger Federer, I wonder by how many points Rafael Nadal is leading his so called rivals.’:

Should be:

Barring a certain Mr Roger Federer, I wonder by how many points Rafael Nadal is leading his so called rivals in the career end ranking.

October 20th, 2013 at 3:34 pm

@ Brando. Your posts are, as usual, right on cue. Yes, let’s enjoy the show!!
Vamos Rafa!

October 20th, 2013 at 3:51 pm

If someone had told me at the begining of the year that Rafa had the chance of been ranked number 1 again,i would,ve looked down to see which leg was been pulled,most people were predicting he would never win a GS outside of clay again,and he would fall out of the top 10,he would never win a HC title again,i guess some people are busy now scraping the egg off their faces.

October 20th, 2013 at 4:34 pm

Hippy chick, if I was targeting you I would have said so. I think you are mistaken, though, because clearly it is usually is one group sour graping against another. I have no problem conceeding that Rafa has had a stellar year and if he is #1 a the year end, I will aplaud him and not make excuses for Novak. As they say getting to the #1 spot is difficult, staying there is more difficult, as all the top fellas can attest to. Rafa will face the same pressure next year. for playing great tennis, he will be penalised if he doesn’t repeat, but that is the same for all of them. No sour grapes from this camp, just a wish for fair commentating. Silly, huh?

October 20th, 2013 at 6:10 pm

‘No sour grapes from this camp,’:

LMFAO: Talk rubbish much?

Your very first line on a thread that relate’s to Rafa’s pulling out from Basel citing exhaustion, sees his fans for obvious reasons feeling glad he’s prioritizing his health over the YE#1, and then we have you swanning in here with:

‘I hear the excuses already staring.’

There are no excuses here- just one defensive fan throwing a tantrum, namely: you.

IF you took a second to analyse the situation regarding Rafa rather than getting lost in writing up a nonsensical post befitting of blind, defensive follower of a said player you’ll actually realize that:

Yeah, I get it. I can see why Rafa fans are glad that he’s pulled out of Basel. Heck: even some Nole fans are calling it a smart move.

So a free tip:

Don’t claim to not being sour when of all the posts on this particular thread your initial one reeks sourness in excess: especially when virtually everyone else including those who claim to be Novak fans are calling it a smart move for Rafa to pull out of Basel.

October 20th, 2013 at 6:28 pm

Brando,I care not a whit whether he plays or pulls out. That is his decision and whatever he decides is A okay with me. My point is that some of you Rafa fans are not consistent. When Rafa was not #1, then ranking was no big deal until he reached the #1 spot. Then it was a big deal.My post has nothing to do with Rafa’s decision being wise or otherwise. I emphasize only that some of his fans are disigenuous, sometimes, in their responses. As I said before, read it and weep, Rafa will most likely stay at #1 and I will acknowledge him as a worthy champion. You wil not and can never say that I have posted deprecating remarks about him or any other player. My question is can you say the same? By the way, your pretty good at tantrums yourself!

October 20th, 2013 at 9:22 pm

@Suzette,
Preach it , and so true!
After all, it was a free tip in response, no?
Hehe…

October 20th, 2013 at 10:23 pm

Suzette i was been fair,thats all i ever try to be,i never have been a biased Rafa fan,but i believe the sour graping is true about all of the fan groups at one time or another,we all lose our cool sometimes,hell nobodys perfect.

October 21st, 2013 at 1:45 am

@suzette. I don’t think you have any right whatsoever to criticise Rafa’s schedule. He and no doubt his team planned his schedule and I’m sure they know best.

October 21st, 2013 at 7:51 am

@Suzette:

-‘My point is that some of you Rafa fans are not consistent.’:

Consistent? Hold on there love: you’ll find that issue being true for some Nole fans, Fed fans and heck: even Muzza fans.

You don’t hear the rest moping about it. You don’t hear them complaining about it on this thread do you?

The ONLY inconsistent thing on this thread is your harping on about excuses and precious Nole. Get a grip and be consistent with the rest.

-‘My post has nothing to do with Rafa’s decision being wise or otherwise. ‘:

How idiotic it is for you to not realize that it has EVERYTHING to do with Rafa’s decision.

Let me break it down to you:

At this present point in time Rafa fans are glad he’s skipping Basel since it shows a prioritizing of his health as opposed to the YE#1 ranking.

A move even Nole fans who have a semblance of intelligence recognizing as a smart move.

Why?

Since it does not take an Einstein to recognize his obvious exhaustion in the Asia swing.

Is that too hard for you to comprehend? Am I asking to much of you?

If so i’ll dumb it down a little for you on request. Ask nicely though.

-‘read it and weep, Rafa will most likely stay at #1 and I will acknowledge him as a worthy champion.’:

Hey: I couldn’t care less about your take on that. The ONLY weeping referring to you I MAY do is tears, that of joy when TX enjoys the absence of one less poster who just cannot comprehend the obvious and is prone to throwing hissy fits at ANY potential slighting she randomly believes is occurring of her love, her fav.

-‘You wil not and can never say that I have posted deprecating remarks about him or any other player.’:

I cannot say anything about that.

It seems that you swan in on here at very, very irregular moments in time.

Sue me for not paying attention to nonsense.

-‘By the way, your pretty good at tantrums yourself!’:

Nah love, we call that a shellacking and right now you are receiving it.

Final point:

-‘I hear the excuses already staring.’:

ONLY YOU see it as such. Other Nole fans do not seem to mind.

– ‘IF Novak wins it’s a hollow victory, # 1 isn’t important to Rafa,his health is more important than his ranking. ‘:

Again: ONLY YOU see it as such. Other Nole fans do not seem to see it likewise.

Put simply:

Quit being an annoying apologist for Novak and harping on about how Rafa’s fans are ‘seemingly’ demeaning the #1 ranking by being pleased he’s prioritizing his health over the pursuit of it.

It’s child like, annoying, unnecessary and quite frankly: pathetic.

October 21st, 2013 at 8:32 am

To all the Rafa fans who think my intial post was a complaint about Rafa or his schedule(re. Giles), read what I actually said , not what you want to interpret. I think I know what I am thinking and the gist of my comment was that, some of you sanction everything concerning one player and pick apart other players for the very same same thing. I was commenting about fairness and consistency, which when I think about it is naive, where zealous fans are concerned. Example: I have read posts where Novak or Federer, when taking a pass of tourneys ,due to tiredness or injury are accused of just being afraid to face Rafa, or last year in Novak’s case of being dumb for having such a full schedule . Federer has been praised for being smart in his scheduling. As I said fairness and consistency, but those qualities are often as hard to find as a honest politician, I guess.

October 21st, 2013 at 8:35 am

Easy, Rafans :) it’s ok to criticize Rafa’s schedule if someone has a problem with it, even if it’s a fan of another player.

Djokovic isn’t going to win both Paris and WTF. I wouldn’t even be that surprised if Rafa has a better result in both these events than Novak. Novak perhaps is the favorite though.

October 21st, 2013 at 9:26 am

Brando, “Shellacking”? In your minds eye! By the way if you could somprehend what you read, I think I never mentioned anything about how important the ranking was to Rafa, merely that his fans made a big deal of the #1 ranking unless it’s not him holding the position, then it is not a big deal.

I guess on this forum, You feel entitled to criticize whomever you choose too, but any comments that offend your delicate sensibilities, are taboo. Well big man, I guess you can dish it out but you can’t take it. Perhaps the reason there is little comment from other fans is because this atmosphere chased most of them away. I see that there is no room for discourse here if one does not hold a membership in the” Rafa only “fan club. This is not a knock on the player, more a commentary on some of his supporters lack of fairness, and yes, Brando, you can’t make a comment on my unfair posts about Rafa or any other player, because they don’t exist. Now get out the balloons and party hats because I will refrain from polluting your forum any longer. I will enjoy the game , cheer on my own favorites and continue to acknowledge all the players when they do well and leave the partizan back biting to people who enjoy that kind of thing. To keep hitting my head against a brick wall would be silly.

October 21st, 2013 at 10:28 am

Suzette that would be a shame,you have every right to be here as much as the next person,i have a feeling i started something with my initial post when i said the words hollow victory,and i put two and two together thinking you were aiming your post at me, which was never my intention,the only thing i believe i was doing was trying to be objective,i never have been Rafa biased,and i always admire and respect the achievements of other players,granted i dont always agree with what your saying,but i only ever try to be respectful of other peoples opinions.

October 21st, 2013 at 10:46 am

^^^ What’s the point? If a poster wants to discontinue posting that is their prerogative. There are several posters here whose comments I enjoy so one less ……makes no difference to me.

October 21st, 2013 at 10:54 am

@Suzette:

LMFAO: talk about guffawing continuously.

Look here Missy:

– ‘ read what I actually said , not what you want to interpret’:

Do you ever apply the advice you give to other on your own self?

Since IF you do, then you would have realized that:

NO ONE here was rendering the #1 ranking meaningless or Novak’s gaining it a hollow achievement BUT YOUR INTERPRETATION of Rafa fans being glad he’s prioritizing his health over pursuing the YE #1 deemed it as such.

This entire back and forth is due to YOUR complete misinterpretation of what others have been saying about Rafa on a thread regarding his withdrawal from Basel.

In short: YOU and your complete misinterpretation of posts on this thread has led to this back and forth.

Best apply such advice on the ‘interpretations’ of post in the future when you have a good handle on being able to do so yourself first I suggest sweetheart.

-‘ I have read posts where Novak or Federer, when taking a pass of tourneys ,due to tiredness or injury are accused of just being afraid to face Rafa’:

Cite me ONE MERE POST where someone accuses Novak of such post 2011.

I thank you in advance for venturing on a completely fruitless search as it will be for you in backing up such a false and ridiculous accusation.

-‘ By the way if you could somprehend what you read’:

Actually the real question here is:

Can you do so? On any level?

Since due to your completely obvious inability to do so we have this back and forth exchange here.

Had you been able to do so then you would have not posted your initial nonsense where:

You misinterpreted the valid gladness of Rafa fans enjoying the fact that Rafa has withdrawn from Basel, in effect prioritizing his health over the YE #1 ranking pursuit as:

‘I hear the excuses already staring. IF Novak wins it’s a hollow victory’.

This entire charade is due to YOUR inability to practice what you preach Missy.

– ‘merely that his fans made a big deal of the #1 ranking unless it’s not him holding the position, then it is not a big deal.’:

Another laughable, gross, false truth you possess due to your complete inability to interpret what posters on here are stating, referring to in regards to Rafa and his present scenario regarding to schedule/ health/ YE ranking.

-‘but you can’t take it’:

LMFAO: take a good look at your posts, how you started this back and forth, and realize why YOU are now running away from here because you feel perfectly fine to throw a invalid tantrum against a certain section of posters yet when you get exposed for the completely false basis on which you did so all you can do is run away from here.

It’s beyond laughable.

-‘I see that there is no room for discourse here if one does not hold a membership in the” Rafa only “fan club’:

A ridiculous exaggeration in a long line of many that you seem to be making that are completely false and baseless.

Well done for that.

-‘Now get out the balloons and party hats because I will refrain from polluting your forum any longer. I will enjoy the game , cheer on my own favorites and continue to acknowledge all the players when they do well and leave the partizan back biting to people who enjoy that kind of thing.’:

How wonderful of you.

What do you want me to do- applaud you for taking such a high, mighty stance on things?

Why you would have to cue up for that Missy: the line for posters who claim to such virtues is long, full of many, and ultimately phony individuals.

But I do have news for you as I end this exchange with you dearest:

I could not give a monkeys as to whether you choose to post here or not.

Much like a host of others- I just could not care any less.

Let’s be clear on this:

1. EVERYONE comes here on their own accord.

2. Posts on their OWN accord.

3. Leaves on their OWN accord.

So what you do regarding posting here is not something of interest, care for me whatsoever.

It’s your life: do whatever the hell you want to with it.

PS:

I make a bet here right now that you- like others- shall return as soon as the results of your favorite take a upward turn in the big scheme of things.

So much for the high and mighty then eh?

Laughable, just absolutely laughable are their pretensions and proclamations.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:28 am

I just think its sad when people feel that way,ive made my point so ill say no more about it.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:31 am

@Giles:

‘ If a poster wants to discontinue posting that is their prerogative.’:

SPOT ON!

Apparently it’s turned into rocket science for some when it comes to understanding this simplest of positions regarding blogging on here or not.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:34 am

Everything that Nadal does is pretty magical.

One month his knees are perfectly fine, he’s running around like a rabbit, wins a slam. The next month, he loses early, and BTW, limps pretty well to convince everyone that he has a knee injury. Then he stays MIA for 6+ months, which is the right amount of time to get “things” out of your blood. Then he comes back and wins almost everything thing in sight. I guess the meds wear off, and now he is tired again, come indoor season. Seems like he will be magically fit again.

Magical player, I must say.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:44 am

Brando i used the words hollow victory for Novak in my post to Sirius at 1.43am October 20th,so just to say Suzette didnt get that one wrong.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:45 am

What a load of bull from the Nadal camp. Exhaustion obviously has nothing to do with withdrawing from Basel. But anyone can see that playing 3 tourneys in a row is not smart if you want to have a real go at winning the last and most important one, and your style of play is such, that all matches will be very hard work. Blame the original lousy scheduling for withdrawing, the rest is just an excuse.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:49 am

@Rumble:

I concur.

He’s quite magical. In fact I have a proposition to make:

How about we campaign to get Tennis’s reigning Wizard of Oz to play his next match v Roger Federer with one hand tied behind his back!

Why not eh?

He beats him such regular ease, boringly predictable is the manner in which his beat down’s get handed to RF that I would like to see if Rafa can pull off this Houdini act against such a easy opponent for him.

No need to say it: I already assume your agreement to such a proposal.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:52 am

Here we go:

A bunch of random, new moniker taking posters having shots at Rafa for doing the obvious, correct thing.

Normality resume’s in Tennis blogging.

Pretty pathetic stuff as usual of course.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:54 am

I wonder why joker didn’t take a WC in Basel or Valencia? Could it perhaps be the same reason Rafa withdrew from Basel, namely fatigue??

October 21st, 2013 at 11:55 am

@Alison:

I don’t care for it.

What had to be said, has been.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:55 am

Fed fans speaking of “magic” because the Fed’s magic is gone but don’t fret, indoor season and “magic” home draws are back.

Yes a style of play that has you winning so many matches and tournaments can be tiring indeed. Nole was tired in 2011 and Rafa is tired this year LMAO.

October 21st, 2013 at 12:00 pm

I see Brando is having fits and chasing away posters that don’t agree with him as usual.

Whats worse is that he insults them too. Really pathetic. Acting like a rude Wombat.

PMS lol, consistent PMS behavior from this Brando guy.

I think he officially joined the scroll club.

PERIOD.

October 21st, 2013 at 12:04 pm

Surely just another post from John trolling the Rafans.

Hilarious!

*scroll*

October 21st, 2013 at 12:08 pm

@John:

Great post John.

Someone hand this toddler a Cookie for such a insightful post.

October 21st, 2013 at 12:11 pm

@Hawkeye:

‘don’t fret, indoor season and “magic” home draws are back.’:

I LOL’d!

October 21st, 2013 at 12:13 pm

Rafa is indeed magical. Not long ago he was referred to as “The Bull” and now he is referred to as “The Goat”!!
Great transformation Rafa. Only you can do these magical things!
Vamos Champ!!

October 21st, 2013 at 12:34 pm

Careful Giles, expressing an opinion of Rafa as GOAT can magically conjure the federazzi and get you moderated.

I speak from experience, no?

October 21st, 2013 at 12:39 pm

^He’s right Giles.

Calling Rafa the GOAT is the biggest possible transgression around here.

Your best advised not to commit such a crime.

October 21st, 2013 at 1:55 pm

Guess I’ll have to mind my Ps and Qs in future. Ahh, the power of the federazzi!!
#RafaGoat

October 21st, 2013 at 2:01 pm

Roger Federer wins his opener over Mannarino 4 & 2. Plays winner of Zeballos/Istomin next.

Magic!

October 21st, 2013 at 2:24 pm

Magic is in the air! Lol

October 21st, 2013 at 2:47 pm

Federer reflects on mistakes of playing injured…

http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/10/federer-reflects-mistakes-playing-injured/49518/#.UmV7N_lg-NM

Maybe one of our local posters can change his name to Bad Back Rules “LMAO”.

October 21st, 2013 at 3:09 pm

@hawkeye. BTW Rafa will receive his 150 pts from VdM on Monday when his zero pointer from Valencia 2012 drops off, if that makes any sense. That’s great news.

October 21st, 2013 at 4:30 pm

Giles are you sure because I would think that zero pointer will only be replaced by a zero pointer for withdrawing from Basel as the same thing happened this year i.e., Rafa pulled out of Valencia last year.

October 21st, 2013 at 4:38 pm

Why all the rubbish posters write the same again and again. Try to add something new because is worth it.
Vamos!

October 21st, 2013 at 8:14 pm

It’s not worth it!

October 21st, 2013 at 8:23 pm

@ Giles and Brando:

In here, I couldn’t find a single attack on rafa by any fed fan….but all of a sudden, u nice people started hammering fed. Why?

Isn’t ur guy playing great….isn’t he the no. 1 player and the best player now…. isn’t that great enough news for u?

Further, if u ppl hate fed so much….dnt u guys content with the fact that fed is having his worst season in a decade….is battling with confidence issues….is battling for titles….losing early….huh! do u want more?

Comm’n tell me if fed has been hitting with ur sis’ or gf….for which u r hell bent upon posting negative and sarcastic remarks for him and u guys r not waiting for any instigation anymore….wats the matter guys….what has fed done so wrong that u guys r completely pissed off on him.

He is struggling already….we fans r jus happy with the fact that he still loves tennis and wants to play on for lil long….here thr is no goat debate going on….give it a break.

Rafa is playing awesome these days and probably will best fed in many records….enjoy ur favs accomplishments….but respect others too….they also deserve some claps.

PEACE!!

October 21st, 2013 at 10:52 pm

Sorry perfectfan. See Rumble comment above for your answer.

Peace back.

October 21st, 2013 at 11:11 pm

“Exhausted Rafael Nadal Withdraws From Basel”

Wise decision O Rafa most high.

Don’t want to take a chance on losing… *again*…. to the greatest of all time., especially on courts where its so fast at times you actually look like you’re going to whiff at the ball when you swing. Very good move imho that you *withdrew*.

After all, you’re a chaser, not a Leader.
Rest up and enjoy your *points*. Clay season is just around the corner for the annual specialized pile up points. Hang in there, you can do it.

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:56 am

@perfect fan
Fed bashin does not go without defense.
Sayin…..
Just see hawknose and breakserve (aka one) for the answers…too numerous posts to justify….

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:59 am

I dont know whats going on with this forum anymore,posters attacking each other personally,i just wonder what happened to the days when people used to come here to talk tennis,and respectected each others opinions without abusing each other?sad really :((..

October 22nd, 2013 at 5:38 am

Should,ve added way too many sarcastic remarks too about the players,just to say Roger,Rafa,Novak,Andy,Delpo are all amazing players whomever your favorite happens to be,we are indeed lucky to have all of them.

October 22nd, 2013 at 5:45 am

@ TXHC:

“what happened to the days when people used to come here to talk tennis,and respectected each others opinions without abusing each other”

That’s quite an ideal situation altogether, which may not be possible these days with so many new players emerging with lotsa talent with an army of fans along with….

But I’ve always believed that there’s no fun in a tennis forum without some debate on “who’s player is better stuff”….but there’s a limit too.

I believe the debate shall be on performances, achievements….i think there’s no probs in debating on who’s guy is better considering records & success% and so on….

but the moment the discussion comes to sarcasm, baseless comments like “weak era” or “Doping” plus no-logic comments like “rafa is good for nothing outta clay”….”roger is good only on faster indoor surfaces”….”nole is built for hard-courts”….”andy is a cry-baby who fakes injuries” and so on….uhhh!

It really hurts to hear all these abt these great players who day in day out slog it out to be the best….i get emotional when i read abt fed that he is still hungry to compete, still believes that he cud win the big ones(no matter wat his current state of play is in)….i dnt know how many wud believe on this that I cheered for nadal everytime he played this season against any player(other than fed)….my eyes welled up on his SF win over Nole in RG (seeing his sheer determination and fighting spirit after a long break)….i actually had tears in my eyes listening to andy’s speech after his wimby final match….Nole is still playing solid….so all these top guys are doing so much to keep us interested and post good things.

But its really painful to say the least when i read something really awful written for great players like these. but i understand that its absolutely not in my control.

Honestly, i feel so excited when i read some posts based on true and logical facts abt any player or match or anything abt tennis without any sarcasm or insult to anyone….pure TENNIS talk. But these days, whatever the topic maybe (perhaps a WTA related)….ultimately it will die a “who is the GOAT” debate with some real sleazy & sh!tty stuff towards the end that u’ll repent visiting that forum ever.

October 22nd, 2013 at 6:57 am

Be more than happy to drop the GOAT rhetoric but it’s a two way street.

October 22nd, 2013 at 7:16 am

Perfect Fan yeah totally agree on all counts,not much else to say really,other than you live upto your monikor,in fact your remind me alot of Michael,Tennis Vagabond and Grendel,if you hadnt told us all who you were a fan off nobody would be able to tell,as theres never any insults towards players or fellow posters,no emotional bias,you have your favorites but give credit to their rivals without annymosity,just a genuine love of the game of tennis as a whole,a very rare thing these days on this forum.

October 22nd, 2013 at 7:44 am

^To add a poster about a year ago called Rafa a hopeless cripple in a wheelchair which brought me to tears,and told me i would have to get used to comments like that the more he lost,and there would be no point in Rafa fans posting on this forum anymore,which was one of the sickest things i have ever heard,presumably he wanted me gone when i called him out for it^.

October 22nd, 2013 at 7:49 am

Hippy chic thanx for ur kind words :)

And i m really shocked to hear that comment abt rafa frm dat freakish fan….rather i wnt call him a fan….perhaps a crazy over-obsessed fan of some player who needs some help, i guess.

Well TBH….we feel bad whn our fav loses to some opponent & sometimes out of sheer despair we curse them too….but at the end of day, we do realize the effort that player put-in in that match to deserve winning it, right….thats wat players too feel for each other….competitiveness, selfishness but at the end…. RESPECT !!

October 22nd, 2013 at 8:09 am

I will offer @skeezer, @rumble and @Ben Pronin et. al. a truce and will put it into play immediately regardless.

I’ll not post another GOAT post, Weak Era post, or any post that minimizes Fed’s achievements if there are no posts about Rafa’s integrity (e.g., doping, reasons for not playing, etc.) or negative insulting innuendo regarding his health.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we will have much of a reprieve but we will see, no?

Starting…………….. NOW!!!

October 22nd, 2013 at 9:20 am

“but it’s a two way street.”
LMAO.

October 22nd, 2013 at 10:33 am

Being Faceless and nameless (anonymity) if you will, lends itself to people talking in ways they never otherwise would. I think most of the folks in the Tennis X chat room are civil and very knowledgeable about tennis. I wouldn’t be surprised if there have been a couple of people chatting that have played some pro tennis.

Post your stuff and ignore the folks that try to ruin your enjoyment. Remember, this is a open web site. You can’t have some good without a little bad.

October 22nd, 2013 at 12:30 pm

@ SG1: Very true. I can put it simply also: If somebody is rude in real life- face to face, he can get a slap. So people choose words more wisely…On the net, there is no consequences. So sometimes nasty feelings crawl out, the ones that are usually supressed with the fear of the good old fashion slap….
Go back to tennis.Whats your feel about Paris?Who’s gonna win it?I have a hunch that somebody else then Rafa and Novak is winning that one…

October 22nd, 2013 at 1:54 pm

Top 4 have only won two of the last eight Paris Masters.

October 22nd, 2013 at 2:03 pm

http://itf.uberflip.com/i/193236/0
Rafa on the cover of first electronic version of ITF World Magazine.
Vamos Champ!

October 22nd, 2013 at 3:53 pm

@ Hawkeye: That’s right.So probably somebody else winning this time also.

October 22nd, 2013 at 4:03 pm

How about this?

I’ll not post another GOAT post, Weak Era post, or any post that minimizes Fed’s achievements if there are no posts about Rafa’s integrity (e.g., doping, reasons for not playing, etc.) or negative insulting innuendo regarding his health.

Unfortunately, I don’t think we will have much of a reprieve but we will see, no?

2nd time lucky?

October 22nd, 2013 at 5:02 pm

^that’ll be the day. From you its better to bet that turtles will fly and have wings.

October 22nd, 2013 at 11:48 pm

Rafa’s intregrity in regards to excuses, injuries, on and off court gamesmenship and selfishness towards the rules of Tennis is well documented by the man and his camp. No Tennis fan that posts needs to defend it or attack it, the facts are there.
Otherwise, Rafa’s achievements speak for themselves. As well as all the other players, so focus on that. In the end that will be all that matters.
17.

October 23rd, 2013 at 12:54 am

Perfect Fan @8.09am October 22nd thanks for that reply,your actually the 1st none Rafa fan,that has actually defended him about that fans post,i actually believe although hes not perfect,he certainly doesnt deserve things like that been said about him.

October 23rd, 2013 at 7:25 am

skeezer Says:

^that’ll be the day. From you its better to bet that turtles will fly and have wings.

Thought you didn’t read My posts? (rhetorical)

skeezer Says:

Rafa’s intregrity in regards to excuses, injuries, on and off court gamesmenship and selfishness towards the rules of..blah blah blah

Anyhow, willing to even let that gamesmanship/excuses comment slide (1st one is free) as I’m sure there will be many more.

Just want everyone to see the catalyst of the nasty banter. Others really seem to get off on it. I’d rather stick to tennis if others will. Too bad really.

Again, I’m not starting this nasty BS.

I don’t personally attack other posters here nor do I criticize Fed himself.

PEACE.

October 23rd, 2013 at 8:21 am

@ TXHC:

Ur welcome….but a small correction. Pls don’t call me a non-rafa fan….i infact like and admire rafa immensely. I’ll be hurt, if u say that.

But yeah….i simply love roger and he is my obvious fav for life.

Wud also like to say this….i love delpo after fed and i’ll be rooting for him post fed retirement….coz I feel he has quite a few shades of fed.

October 23rd, 2013 at 10:34 am

Perfect Fan sorry,and your welcome :))..

October 23rd, 2013 at 12:33 pm

You da man, PerfectFan!!!

October 23rd, 2013 at 12:50 pm

Federer into the QF!!!!!!

Excited.

October 23rd, 2013 at 8:15 pm

Plays Vashy next. Should be a good one.

October 24th, 2013 at 9:22 am

No one but Me has posted on here since 6 AM this morning. Explains why my hours old comments are still being “moderated”.

You really don’t want them showing up under Recent Comments, do you. (Rhetorical)

So quiet on here. All alone. Seems Tennis-X should be called Fedal-X, no? Just a joke.

Guessing this post won’t see the light of day either. (Big Brother)

Anyhoo, Fed gets Dolgo or Dimi, not Vashy. My mistake.

October 24th, 2013 at 10:05 am