Confirmed: Rafael Nadal Will Play Beijing And Shanghai

As an Indian Fan of Rafa, its a bummer to me (and many fans). But his health is first priority so I can console myself keeping his health in mind :)

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:44 am

Glad he is healthy again, and probably good for him to rest rather than play exos (though commiserations to his fans). Tempted to predict that he will win one of the first 3 tournaments he plays on his return.

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:59 am

^ agree RZ; he’ll win one of them.

September 22nd, 2014 at 1:00 pm

3 Months without competitive tennis,well i dont think many fans in their right minds believe he will get instantaniuos success straight away,IMO it will be just great to see him back playing,no unrealistic expectations,but plenty of sarcastic comments will come as sure as god made little green apples….

September 22nd, 2014 at 1:18 pm

@Chic 1:18

Right again…….I’m waiting for it to begin. If you’ve noticed, chatter on TX has been pretty quiet since the USO but now that Rafa is going to be back on the scene again soon, things will pick up! He is a star, after all!! I’m ready for me some Rafa tennis, it’s been way too long. I feel the same as you, not going to expect too much starting out, but after he gets some match play……BOOM BABY…..watch out!! I hope his wrist is healed! We will soon see!!

September 22nd, 2014 at 1:42 pm

The rock star returns!!

Tennis is interesting again………..

Vamos!!

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:01 pm

Lets hope he can be helathy in London this year and especially to be 100% in Australia next year.
15 is coming anyway.
Vam9s!

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:16 pm

healthy, I mean.

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:17 pm

LMFAO: he returns after 3 months, at his toughest period of the season, has never won any of the scheduled events in his entire career barring china open many a year ago and some folks are predicting wins for him: comical stuff! Funny thing is some ‘experts’ are not too hesitant to predict firmly wins for Rafa or others no matter how ridiculous or outright stupid it maybe but when it comes to their fav and reason warrants such statements they are all hesitant, hedging their bets, downplaying such talk. Pathetic stuff indeed from a phony bunch!

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:55 pm

Good to hear Rafa’s back. Completing the schedule and getting some good number of matches under his belt = his fans being happy! Really hope Andy nabs a win though- somewhere- he needs it more me reckons!

September 22nd, 2014 at 2:57 pm

Brando i wasnt been phony,as you rightly say he hasnt won any of the tournies left on the calendar before,ATM im just happy he will be back playing,with no unrealistic expectations….

September 22nd, 2014 at 3:07 pm

@alison: surprised you commented. You’re a Yorkshire gal, you couldn’t be phony even if you tried! :-)

September 22nd, 2014 at 4:15 pm

Brando lol,thankyou errr i think?it sounds like theres a compliment hidden in that somewhere :-)….

September 22nd, 2014 at 4:21 pm

Sorry meant in there somewhere duh….

September 22nd, 2014 at 4:22 pm

Great for tennis for him to be back.
Somebody says the winner of USO this year
has an asterisk…due to the absence of
Rafa to defend his title. Well it was
Cilic, the deserving winner himself who said
that it was one of the reasons why he won.

September 22nd, 2014 at 6:30 pm

for me, it’s based on history after comebacks; usually rafa has done well when he returns to the tour after a break/injury, the most recent example being 2013.

but it’s true that he returned then on clay and this time it will be on hard. still, he might be rejuvenated by his hiatus and raring to go.

i do agree with hippy that sometimes being match grooved is a factor, maybe more so for some players (like, i think, rafa) than others, so it’s unrealistic to expect him to win his first event back.

but like rz said, and i concurred, i don’t think it’s entirely unrealistic (“comical”, “stupid” “ridiculous” “phony” etc…) to think he could – or even will – win one of the first 3 tournaments on his return. rafa is not considered one of the biggest threats in tennis for nothing!

it’s true that rafa has sometimes had a tough go of it in the fall – i.e., post us open season – but by many accounts that’s been because he’s tired out by then, having played a full schedule. (and that too is not always the case.
he’s been in a number of finals in the fall – last year he was in the finals of bejing and the world tour finals and that was after winning canada, cincy and the us open) but this time, given that he has not played since wimbledon, and that he has been practicing, by his own account, it seems reasonable that tiredness won’t be a factor.

i think above all, what remains to be seen, and what could be a mitigating factor in my thinking he’ll win one of those first 3 events back, is the nature of his injury. we don’t know how serious it is / was, and how it’s healed. wrists can be tricky, too, so maybe he will play tentatively and then yeah, i could see him not winning. rafa’s at his best (esp on hard) when he steps in and is not tentative.

anyhow it’ll be interesting to see what happens and it’s clearly good for the sport that all the top guys are playing and healthy.

September 22nd, 2014 at 8:26 pm

Rafa Federer in Basel i want to see, 10 years after his last participation there.

September 22nd, 2014 at 9:55 pm

@Jane 8:26

Great post…….

September 22nd, 2014 at 10:26 pm

cheers okiegal.

September 22nd, 2014 at 11:51 pm

@Jane……..back at cha!!!

September 23rd, 2014 at 12:32 am

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/sep/22/gala-leon-garcia-becomes-spain-first-female-davis-cup-captain-tennis

Uncle T’s not a happy bunny!
Au contraire Andy sends congrats. Wub Andy.

September 23rd, 2014 at 2:00 am

Great News!.. Hope he is 100% healthy. Vamos Rafa!

September 23rd, 2014 at 7:28 am

Sivaji thats nice,it sounds like your a fan of both Rafa and Roger,either that or your one of those fans of tennis as a whole that doesnt share the annymosity of one or the other like most others do,very rare on this forum these days?

September 23rd, 2014 at 7:38 am

Jane i like your summary,as it will be one of the tournies hes never won before,would love a WTF at some point….

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:30 am

BTW I think Hippy Chic should have a K on the end?

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:31 am

I just think that Rafa wouldn’t return unless he was fully fit and healthy to play, and a fully fit and healthy Rafa is always a threat to win on any surface (see last year’s hard court results). He has faded during the indoor season in the past, but that is probably more due to the long season he had played up to that point. Coming in rested, he’s a threat to win the tournaments he enters.

September 23rd, 2014 at 11:07 am

Hippy, I always wondered why you spelled it without a k (chic being an adjective, not a noun),but your writing is so eccentric I never bothered to ask! As far as I remember, the hippies were not noted for being chic – which you are, I’m sure.

September 23rd, 2014 at 11:35 am

Hippy Chic Says:

those fans of tennis as a whole that doesnt share the annymosity of one or the other like most others do,very rare on this forum these days?

——-

I wasn’t a Roger fan initially but I’m more apt to root for him these days as I like how he’s adapted his game.

I am a Rafa fan because he brings an attitude to the tennis court that I think each and everyone of us wish we could.

There’s a lot to admire in the tennis of both of these players.

September 23rd, 2014 at 12:33 pm

@SG1

You are so right…..there is so much to admire about both of them…..dread the day they hang it up….it will be a sad day for tennis, imo…..I’m a selfish sort! I love to see those Fedal finals and you can throw Novak in there too. Andy has also given us some great finals with the other three……looking for him to get it back together too! Hail to the big 4…..I love my tennis!! Looking forward to the first slam of the season…..here’s hoping the BIG FOUR are in tact!!

September 23rd, 2014 at 1:39 pm

Interesting that he dropped out of than Indian exo league for health reasons, but is playing three 1000 tournaments. Everyone can read between the lines and figure out he just doesn’t want to play during that time in India.

September 23rd, 2014 at 4:54 pm

Colin ill take that as a compliment on the eccentric bit,as i am quite eccentric in the real world lol….

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:31 pm

SG1/Okiegal agree with you both,no need to belittle one in favour of the other,both are really amazing,i would as you rightly say Okiegal also put Nole and Andy in there too….

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:35 pm

Maybe he thinks the 1000 tournaments are more important that the Bollywood Bowl…..he has been off with a wrist issue…..how about cutting him a little slack, for once…..

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:54 pm

^^^^Should say……than the Bollywood Bowl….

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:59 pm

Okiegal exactly,even Skeezer agreed with us on that one,on the other thread….

September 23rd, 2014 at 6:04 pm

@Chick

About your moniker being changed…..
Chic means a very in style person…..very hip!! I feel sure you are both……so Chic works…..and so does Chick…..hmmmm….like “hot” Chick….I’ll bet hubby likes that one best!! LOL. I will honor the one you prefer, Chick!

I am gonna check out what Skeezer had to say too.

September 23rd, 2014 at 8:38 pm

The double career grand slam is the ONLY that MATTERS.
Bollywood or whatever that means is insignicant after all. With all my respect for his Indians fans, a major is MUCH, MUCH more Important than this.
Rafa and his uncle knows that and even a big paycheck is not the same like be one of the best tennis of all time and win AO again is the top priority now.
Btw, who is this woman Gala? Why not Arantxa or Conchita Martínez who had much better careers and trajectory than this woman?
Escañuela is getting mad after that disaster against Brazil.
Bad, bad choice. Shame!

September 24th, 2014 at 12:36 am

Okiegal thanks hubby doesnt really pay any attention to what i write here so it doesnt really matter,but i got our Colins seal of approval so im quite happy yay,i am indeed more chick than chic though TBH lol….

September 24th, 2014 at 5:26 am

@Steve 27
But does “having a better career” necessarily translate into being a better coach? Uncle T and Nole’s coach being prime examples of it not mattering.

September 24th, 2014 at 7:30 am

Regardless of whether it was a good choice, it was a stupid and mean spirited comment to make. I had always thought TOny had more class than to say something like that. Wonder if he was angling for the job?

September 24th, 2014 at 7:45 am

Nadal wants the double slam….he knows that 2015 Aussie Open could be his last chance…and besides the ussual suspects (Federer, Murray, Djokovic) now there are more names in the mix that can do some damage..(Cilic, Dimitrov, Nishikori, Kyrgios, Wawrinka, Gulbis). Maybe Delpo will be back as well. He already trew the towell regarding the year end number 1, so he wil try to be 100% for january, and also he will be fresher when the WTF arrives. This could be his last chance also.

September 24th, 2014 at 9:08 am

Agree with Tennis Vagabond rather sexist to say the very least….

September 24th, 2014 at 3:16 pm

Felipe, he has 2 more chances I think in Australia and in London.

September 24th, 2014 at 4:25 pm