Rafael Nadal’s Early 2014 Schedule Includes Miami

Miami is one of only 3 Masters 1000 tournies left that Rafa hasnt won ,that Shanghai,Paris,and the WTFs,i hope he can win at least one of them next year,to get closer to completing his resume,after all he had never won Cincy before this year so you never know,and he has been in 3 finals so he still stands a chance of cracking the case,just do your best,and please stay fit and please dont over play,thats all i really want in 2014.

December 1st, 2013 at 4:09 pm

@Chic

A BIG FAT DITTO!!!!!

December 1st, 2013 at 6:38 pm

Hope Rafa maximizes his appearance fees!!!

Vamos!

December 1st, 2013 at 8:15 pm

FINAAALLLLYYYY….!! Ohhh wat a relief. Some fresh air news abt the upcoming season and wat rafa gonna do till AO….Good JOB TX people.

But still, i’ll be glad if u cud post the 2014 schedule for RAFA & ROG if it has emerged yet….i doubt if nole & andy do that. But nevertheless, I m glad u posted some new blogs….thanx ;)

December 1st, 2013 at 10:37 pm

It is always better to concentrate on a tournament that he has never won in his career. It is surprising that he is yet to win Miami where the playing conditions are more suitable for his style of play. Having already won Indian Wells many times before, it would be wise for Rafa and his Team to skip that tourney and concentrate on Miami. As Alison rightly pointed out, when Rafa can win Cincinnati, a court somewhat not suitable for his style of play, why can’t be do it in Miami ?

December 2nd, 2013 at 12:52 am

nadal has made finals of all his missed masters so has a good chance of completing his masters sweep eventually. he faced very tough match ups in all his missed finals in miami,shanghai, paris, wtf. davydenko twice, novak twice, nalbandian and federer.

December 2nd, 2013 at 1:04 am

Hope , Rafa will complete his master titles before he retires from tennis.

December 2nd, 2013 at 2:56 am

Metan,

Like Novak, he has indeed a very good chance to complete the coveted Masters sweep. I think he has to add three more in his kitty namely Miami, Paris Masters and Shanghai. That is very much possible since he is only 28.

December 2nd, 2013 at 5:41 am

Marca has been wrong before, so I’m still not certain.

December 2nd, 2013 at 8:26 am

No, Miami is faster conditions with lower bounce than IW so it doesn’t take Rafa’s spin as effectively.

Vamos!

December 2nd, 2013 at 9:07 am

Novak is closer to completing the master sweep than Nadal or Federer. He only has to win Cincy (which is bizarre he hasn’t won it so far). He has made 4 finals there.
Nadal had never being to a Cincy final before and close the deal facing Isner who sould the match tough for him due to it being the fatstes ciourt on tour and home crowd advantage, had that match being any where else Nadal wouldn’t have won it easier. He was playing extremely tough in tiebreaks 2013 and he was a bit (as Sean said) lucky in not having one of his main adversary in the final.
Miami he made several finals but as roy pointed out he faced stiffer HC competition. But he has still some 2-3 years where he can win one of this tourneys once. WTF he lost finals to Fed and Djoko who are beeter indoor players than him, if he gets lucky he can beat almost everybody else, but also is a corut where a hot player can have an extra advantage.
Djokovic who seems to have a more adaptable game to all courts I think will eventually have the master sweap, still thing he will win RG some day and possible Rio Olympics in 2 and half years.

December 2nd, 2013 at 1:21 pm

Daniel,

I tend to agree with you. Novak might even clinch that next year if all things goes according to plan.

December 2nd, 2013 at 11:43 pm

Yeah Novak will complete his resume before Rafa does,especially given how hes such an adaptable player,and given how Rafa is not as adaptable as Novak and so one dimensional,i must have missed something like the multiple GS that Rafa now has on all surfaces,something Novak hasnt got as yet,still according to both Michael and Daniel Rafa has so many shortcomings as a player i sometimes wonder why hes even bothering to play what a failure.

December 3rd, 2013 at 5:05 am

If there is a masters tourney which i doubted rafa will ever lay his hands on….it was cincy. Aftr he won that, I got sure he wud complete his resume sooner or later….jus a matter of time.

Only thing is he need to stay fit and raring to go….plus if he somehow doesn’t face nole at all, that doubles his chances there. Tho i feel he may face some serious challenge from the reformed andy (and its due to see them both on HCs post andy revival).

In a nutshell, rafa gonna do it at some point of time b4 he retires….but i agree that nole will be the one to do it first (esp with just cincy left to go into his closet) and in all probability, it seems evident to happen nex year.

December 3rd, 2013 at 5:45 am

It p*sses me off somewhat when people think that Rafa only stands a chance of winning this,that or the other tourney by avoiding Novak,or that his wins are only legit if he beats Novak,and less legit because he beat Isner instead,less legit as Novak was not at his best,newsflash the tour does not revolve around Novak or any particular player for that matter,newsflash 2 Novak is a fantastic player but HCs or otherwise is also beatable like any other player is beatable.

December 3rd, 2013 at 6:30 am

I always have faith that Rafa can beat whomever is stood in front of him,sometimes he does sometimes he doesnt,im not frightened when he faces Novak,im nervous but no more than when he faces any other player,he still has to beat whomever is stood across the net at the time.

December 3rd, 2013 at 6:38 am

TXHC….If your post was directed at me, then let me tell u that i never said or meant that rafa stands a chance only by avoiding novak..NO! I jus said that his chances & odds hugely increase by avoiding nole and i can also say the same for nole too (as rafa being his fiercest competitor). I have no probs in saying that the only thing between nole & his career slam is rafa and if he somehow avoid rafa in RG, his chances to fulfill that also hugely increases.

Nole beat rafa in monte carlo (which was shocking) and then rafa beat nole in USO (when odds are in favour of nole)….so point is anybody can beat anyone on his day. Further TBH, i am a person who always believes on the end results and credits the winner….”injuries, lucky, weak era….” just doesn’t suit my belief.

December 3rd, 2013 at 7:05 am

Perfect Fan no not at all,it was a generalisation as to whats been said over the past week,and i paticulaly agree with the last paragraph of your post,injuries,lucky,weak,not at their best,can only beat whomever when so and so is not at their best etc,just doesnt suit my belief either,anything can happen in sport,very well said Perfect Fan:))..

December 3rd, 2013 at 7:38 am

Well I can empathize with u txhc….as I can understand last few days mus hav been tougher for u and all rafa fans abt all dat been said abt rafa’s season and wat he cud do n wat not….esp the lucky remark by sean did came as a shocker to me. But eventually I made out that it was definitely a strategy to stir up the stagnant water than anything else.

Rafa had one hell of a season in 2013. Period.

December 3rd, 2013 at 8:17 am

Thankyou Perfect Fan well said :))..

December 3rd, 2013 at 8:20 am

Comments that Rafa is ‘limited’ with his accomplishments doesn’t p*ss me off.

It only comes from one tea party faction of one particular camp and is a rationalization to help them cope.

It’s quite hilarious TBH and makes Rafa’s wins like Cincy even more satisfying.

Vamos!

December 3rd, 2013 at 9:32 am

“one tea party faction of one particular camp”. Love it! :)

December 3rd, 2013 at 12:45 pm

^^^ You’re welcome My fan. Humb1e.

December 3rd, 2013 at 2:20 pm

Alison @ 6.30 am,

It is to Rafa’s credit that he struggles against only the very best. He has it easy against all other players. Even against Novak, it is Rafa who still leads the H2H by virtue of his dominance on Clay. Ofcourse, it is a naive argument to put across that Rafa’s win in tournaments will gain legitimacy only if it is against Novak. Afterall, Tennis is not a heavy weight boxing encounter. You play the circuit and not against a particular player. That being said, Rafa did beat Novak regularly last year and the best of it came at the US Open finals where he beat him in four and even at Novak’s most favourite Montreal. All this goes to prove that Rafa is no push over against Novak even on hard courts and it is a 60:40 toss up whenever they play on that surface. However, on Clay, there is no dispute as to who is the leader. But, Novak is slowly and steadily challenging the dominance of Rafa on Clay too. All in all, two Great Champions we can marvel at. It is a privilege watching them play and if it is a Novak vs Rafa final, it evokes the same kind of feverish anticipation and excitment it aroused in a Roger Vs Rafa match up earlier.

December 4th, 2013 at 12:51 am

@michael
“It is to Rafa’s credit that he struggles against only the very best. ”
Ok. How many guys did Fed struggle with when he was 27?Not many, not hardly any bit maybe a Rafa, no?
So who knows who Rafa will struggle against @32, no? We can assume.
I mean , he’s already proved he can struggle at 26/27 ……7 consecutive times in finals against ONE man. Every athlete can have a dark HOLE, no?
It’s the collective titles against the field of players in your time that matters, not conjectured “ifs”.

December 4th, 2013 at 1:15 am

Michael it was more to do with what Daniel said which you agreed with,so i think you missed the point,granted Novak and Roger are better indoor HC players than Rafa,and granted Novak might complete his resume before Rafa does,however i digress the thing that gets irritating is when people say that winning against Isner makes his wins less legit than against Novak,or Rafa only wins against Novak because Novak was not at his best,or he was lucky against a player,and Novak such an adaptable player who can adapt better than Rafa who is just plain lucky,especially as the last time a checked Rafa had adapted from clay to grass by winning wimbledon twice,grass to HCs by winning the USO twice as well as winning the AO,but maybe im wrong and hes just so lucky.

December 4th, 2013 at 4:10 am

Long may Mr. Lucky reign.
Vamos Rafa!

December 4th, 2013 at 6:28 am

fedfan has always struggled (even at his peak) against Nadal, Murray and Nalbandian two of which have winning records.

Michael, you could argue that the Nole Rafa h2h is as close as it is because of hard court just as much as saying Rafa leads due to clay, no?

Vamos!

December 4th, 2013 at 7:05 am

And Buenos Aires too.
Bs As and Rio are two of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Vamos!

December 4th, 2013 at 7:24 pm

Personally i have never used the whole H2H as any basis for an argument,however i have often wondered why though people bring up the whole Rafas wins are mostly due to clay,i was just wondering since when has the ATP been in the buisness of disregarding one surface in favour of another,we dont disregard HCs in favour of clay,so why is it done the other way around?

December 5th, 2013 at 6:38 am

@alison. Let me venture a guess. Because fed has more HC titles than Clay?

December 5th, 2013 at 7:57 am

Giles well ive never said that clay is less/more important than HCs,or vice versa,as i dont see it as been a fair argument either way.

December 5th, 2013 at 8:04 am

For me thats the whole point Rafa has more clay tourney wins and likewise Roger on HCs,which is the sole reason why the H2H is a fruitless argument as some players are better in different areas.

December 5th, 2013 at 8:11 am

I think we have two posters by the name of Anna,ones a Rafa fan,and ones a Roger fan,it gets conusing sometimes.

December 5th, 2013 at 9:19 am

Since I noticed everybody is getting into the World Tour finals debate, I will chime with a post I posted on bleacher report:

Actually the World Tour Finals is almost as prestigious as slams IMO. The only tournament in the whole ATP that you have to earn the right to play as only the top eight players are only eligible. This means a players whole year of hard work is awarded and put to fruition. No easy draws for top players, unlike the slams where often the first three rounds are usually just target practice for the top players. In a slam, Djokovic would not likely have to face someone like a Federer till at least the quarters, if not the semis or finals. Guess what, Djokovic got Federer for his very first match of the WTF and vice versa. Furthermore, to win the tournament, you usually have to beat at least four top 8 players. How many top 10 players does a champion have to beat to win a slam? Now I’m not saying the WTF is more prestigious than a slam by any means considering that slams require a player to win three sets each match rather than two, but that the World Tour Finals comes in at a very close 2nd to the slams and should not be disregarded just because everybody’s favorite clay warrior has never won it. And by the way, Federer didn’t win it five times, but rather six. He beat Nadal and Tsonga in the finals to win the 2010 and 2011 championships respectively. Djokovic has now won this event three times. Pete Sampras won the Year End championships five times and Nadal 0. Not to take anything away from Nadal though, he has had an excellent season and deserves to be number one. Cheers!

To further elaborate:

Regarding the WTF, I think it is bluntly disregarded by some people for whatever reason. I see it as a mini-slam as it is less prestigious than slams, but more more prestigious than master 1,000s. Slams 2,000 points, WTF 1,500 points, and Master 1000s naturally 1,000s points. What I don’t understand is why some people overate the Olympics and underrate the WTF to the point of even putting it behind master 1,000s and call it “a glorified exhibition”! Last time I checked, exhibitions don’t reward you 1,500 points for winning, require only the top 8 players to qualify through a year’s hard work, and require a player to beat the best of the best. Any thoughts?

December 5th, 2013 at 1:23 pm

How many grand slam can Nadal win:
http://www.tennisfrontier.com/blogs/el-dude/rafa-the-great-part-1-nadals-window-of-opportunity/

December 9th, 2013 at 9:29 pm

@TennisGuru
Outstanding post and thanks for telling it like it is with WTF. No worries here, its just the unknowledgable jealous ites here spewing the usual childish school yard poop who have no tennis knowledge other than google here, google there.
Again, thanks for taking the time to post here.

December 9th, 2013 at 11:01 pm

Steve 27 thanks for that article,i dont know how many slams Rafa will win before his career is done,but i sure as hell would love to see him play for many more years win or lose,im already delighted with what hes achieved anyway,im not a greedy person,i dont see him surpassing Roger another 5 seems a tall order,however i think theres a good chance he could equal or even surpass Pete,i think he will finish between the two,just my take.

December 10th, 2013 at 5:41 am

As ive said before i would love to see Rafa win the WTF at some point before he retires,and as Okiegal once said why not make it best of 5 sets as it seems as important as winning a GS,also IMO the top 20 players and a straight knock out competition,sorry sorry sorry i just hate the stupid bloody format losing a match yet still getting to the final is something i dont think is fair,and nothing to do with the fact that our favorite spanish armado as not won it,but he has won 13 GS so not the complete failure that people make him out to be.

December 10th, 2013 at 6:09 am

Both Novak and Pete also have holes in their resumes,niether have won the FO,Pete never did but Novak still has time,i just wonder why thats never an issue for those players,yet Rafa having not won the WTF is seen as such a big deal?niether have completed the career GS like Rafa has,niether have won multiple GS on all surfaces like Rafa has,niether won 3 GS in one year on 3 different surfaces,i find it unfair sometimes as many like to give Rafa a hard time for what he hasnt done,rather than giving him credit for what he has done?but hell maybe im wrong and that the FO isnt regarded as been as important as the WTF?(SIGH)..

December 10th, 2013 at 6:51 am

@Chic……Everything Rafa does or doesn’t do is a big deal, so it seems. The people who can’t stand Rafa are the ones who want to talk about him constantly. I don’t get it……well, yes I do…….Rafa, good subject matter, me thinks!!

I still stand by a five setter for the the year end finals! Treat it like a slam!!

Agree with everything you said on all your comments….spot on!!

December 10th, 2013 at 10:54 am

^Meant to add Novak has time to win the FO,just like Rafa has time to win the WTF,but Pete cannot win the FO unless he comes out of retirement^.

December 10th, 2013 at 2:45 pm

Okiegal thanks i have always found it strange really,some posters trying to twist facts to suit their own personal bias for/against players,trying to discredit Rafas year this year was a prime example,its as though people seek some comfort and it suits them to believe what they want to believe,all the fan groups do though from time to time,so not singling any out in particular.

December 11th, 2013 at 2:14 am