Rafael Nadal Withdraws from French Open with Left Wrist Injury

by Staff | May 27th, 2016, 11:02 am
  • 153 Comments

Nine-time French Open champ Rafael Nadal called a press conference on Friday in Roland Garros to announce he was withdrawing from the tournament due to a wrist injury.
ADHEREL
Nadal, who had dropped a mere nine games in two rounds, said he was attending to the wrist in the weeks leading to the event.

“Yesterday I played with injection on the wrist…I could play, but yesterday night I start to feel more and more pain,” Nadal said. “I did MRI…The results are not positive and the thing is it’s not 100 percent…If I keep playing it’s going to be broken the next couple of days…We took some risks with the injections…It is the tendon, and if I continue to play I would not be able to play the rest of the tournament…I [look] to be back here the next couple of years [to play].”

Marcel Granollers now receives a walkover into the next round as Nadal and his camp determine how long the former No. 1 will be sidelined in 2016.


Nadal had lost just nine games through two rounds and was the heavy favorite to beat Marcel Granollers on Saturday in the third round.

Nadal first hinted of an injury at the start of the clay season.

Nadal turns 30 next Friday. He joins Roger Federer on the sidelines for the finish of the second Grand Slam of the season.


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153 Comments for Rafael Nadal Withdraws from French Open with Left Wrist Injury

George Says:

I regret that we will not see Djokovic-Nadal SF. I am supporting Djokovic and while this seems to increase his chances of winning FO2016, I note that Djokovic did not play well some tournaments when Nadal was absent.


Giles Says:

Rafa’s bad luck with injuries continues. No respite for the poor guy.
Get well soon Rafa, your beloved fans will be waiting.
Vamos Champ!


Danica Says:

No, no, no!!!! Are you kidding?! :(((( This is unfortunate. Speedy recovery Rafa. Quite shocking. :(


BBB Says:

George, in my view, this only jacks up the pressure on Djokovic. I want him to win, but I can see this being a negative as easily as a positive.

And again, I’m sorry for the Rafa fans.


Danica Says:

George, it is open path for Novak now but still :(. I hate to see players get injured. Rafa had a huge share of those for sure.


George Says:

@BBB: Agree. This is unfortunate and I wish Nadal speedy recovery and many more matches in the future.


mat4 Says:

The pressure on Novak was immense already. I don’t see a Rafa retirement hurting him: he has a good draw, with opponents that can help him rise his level for the final: Coric or Batista-Agut, Ferrer or Berdych, Goffin perhaps. So he has time enough to find his range.

But it’s not given, of course. He will have to win that FO, nobody is going to give it to him. In the final, his opponent will probably be very dangerous — Wawrinka, Raonic, Murray, Nishikori, all of them are excellent. Even Verdasco plays well from the baseline.

But he can expect that his path will be easier, and, then, he’s not the no 1 and the title holder of the last three slams for nothing.


Navdeep Says:

I freaking can’t believe this. Finally after a long time he was playing with so much confidence and now this ! I am off . This will need some time to digest


Travis Bickle Says:

Poor Rafa, but even poorer our own Giles!!!
Commiserations Giles, I know you’re crushed by this news. I suggest you support Novak for the rest of tournament.

As for Novak, he would beat Rafa in semis (7 straight matches, 16 straight sets anyone?) but this way the possibility of a gruelling match and exhaustion before final is minimal (although there are still some pushers remaining on his path Ferrer, Thiem, Goffin).

However, possibility that Novak will have an exhausted opponent in final remains very high. Nishikori, Wawrinka, Murray, and even in-form Raonic will likely play tough long matches among themselves…


Michael Says:

That is really a pity and a shattering blow to the tournament when every body are waiting for that marquee semi final bout between Novak and Rafa which would in probability be a pulsating thriller considering the way Rafa being in tip class form and would probably give Novak a run for his money. But that is not to be which is a huge disappointment for Tennis buffs.


Anto Says:

I am heartbroken. I donno what to do now. Even a sf loss to djokovic wouldn’t have hurt me this bad. I just hope he comes back soon.


Daniel Says:

So, anybody that wins RG now will not have go through Nadal. Curious to see if the same who placed asterix in Fed’s 2009 win will say something now;-)


J-Kath Says:

Thiem is the best of the top half – apart from Nole. Let’s see if that semi happens.


Wog Boy Says:

BBB,
Agree, as I said on the other thread, this puts extra pressure on Nole, doesn’t make it any eaisier.

Daniel,

It is far too early to talk about winner, another five rounds to go, but difference between Nole and Roger is that Roger has never beaten Rafa in Paris, but Nole has, I don’t see any asterisk for that matter if it happens that Nole wins it, with or without Rafa.

Time for bed, get well soon Rafa.


Okiegal Says:

Go Andy, go Andy, go Andy!! This the bandwagon for me atm. Go get your future opponents in straights….we need you as fresh as a daisy!!

@Margot, thanks!


chrisford1 Says:

“Daniel – So, anybody that wins RG now will not have go through Nadal. Curious to see if the same who placed asterix in Fed’s 2009 win will say something now;-)”

=====================
Unlikely. Federer never beat Nadal at a Slam after 2007 and never on clay at RG, MC, and Roma. His two wins on clay over Nadal was a Nadal hobbled and exhausted by Novak at Madrid 2009 and an earlier matchup in Hamburg – 2006 – I believe.
Djokovic will never come close to Rafa’s accomplishments on clay, but he is the only player to beat Rafa at each major clay event


Giles Says:

TB. Thanks or your commiserations, kind of you.
It’s against my principles to support joker. What are you thinking man?
πŸ™„πŸ™„πŸ™„πŸ™„


gonzalowski Says:

Buf… very bad luck! I wanted him to stop Nole :(
He says he played Rome with antiinflammatories, and expects to recover for Rio de Janiero, Wimby almost imposible.
Come on Rafa!


Dave Says:

I might as well make a prediction now. Djokovic will have one of his 5 set marathon matches before getting to the final. Examples: Simon 4th round at Australia. Anderson 4th round at Wimbledon. It wouldn’t surprise me if he gets caught in one up and down duel. I sure hope not, but smooth sailing isn’t how Novak seems to do things.


Okiegal Says:

Novak may be #1…..but he would still have a little bit of fear facing the 9 time owner of the Frenchie…..Novak and who?????


skeezer Says:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/28/sports/tennis/rafael-nadal-out-of-french-open-with-wrist-injury.html?_r=0

Should have never tried that tweener, he was never good at it.
___

Commies to Rafans.
The road is clear for Nole to get his first FO. Shoo in maximus monumetalus.


Daniel Says:

RG is RG the other tourneys are other tournyes.

Last year Djoko beat Nadal bu didn’t won the title. 2009 Soda veat Nadal, didn’t won the tiltle.

This year again somebody will win the title without beating Nadal as Fed and Wawa did before. So this again will show that tennis is not a HxH sport it’s winning the title that counts. If Wawa doesn’t win, somebody new will win his first RG and that without beating the greates clay court player of all time. Do tou think that player who ever he is will care? No!

What matters is getting the job done and winning 7 matches, only 1 out of 128 will be able to do so, regardless of who ever you face along the way.


Giles Says:

Oh look the cat lover is back. How’s your fave’s body parts? Still injured?
BTW the road was clear last year but somehow fate intervened. Maybe we will have a repeat of 2015?


skeezer Says:

Fedal NOT in FO. You kidding me? Nole is πŸ˜€
No more pressure, same as when all was saying Fed has no pressure when Sod took out Rafa. There was, but Fed still did it. Nole shoo in maximus monumetalus.


Daniel Says:

Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if Djoko takes this tourney without losing a set. as much as it adda pressure for him as undisputed favorite now, he also doesn’t have that potential match in the back of his mind. He can play freely until finals, that would be another pressure moment but until than I think he will cruise through the field now.


anki Says:

Feel sorry for Rafa, he looked back to his best in the last two matches and now this. Hope his injury will heal in time for Wimbledon. As for Novak, on paper he has a cake walk draw until the finals. But he is not looking in great form as of now, so who knows he can even be knocked out before reaching the finals.


Dave Says:

Daniel,

To me it looks like Stan is back. Stan always seems to play his best against Nole in 5 set matches. If that were to be the final, I don’t think it would be so straight forward. It would be great if he won all of his matches in straight sets.


RZ Says:

I hope that Rafa is better in time for the Olympics (if not Wimbledon). It would totally suck if he couldn’t carry the flag for Spain due to injury withdrawal for the second straight Olympics.


Daniel Says:

Stan winning in three as ot seems.

He and Murray clash or he and Kei can be great. Conditions are perfect for his game as well, no sun to bother toss and serve and cool.

Tomorrow we’ll know a bit better if Djoko will swing more freely


jalep Says:

Oh gosh. Simon all tapped out from that monster marathon with Guido Pella, I guess.

Rafa – sorry to the usual and unusual Rafa fans. He’s got nine of these, though! But he must be in pain to leave. Wishing him well. It did look like a very good chance that he’d win RG again.

Andy and Stan looking terrific. Kei needed five sets!


Dave Says:

is Troicki playing well? He is beating Simon so easily. Him and Stan next, if he holds on for the win.


jalep Says:

I don’t want to take anything away from Victor’s win. He’s been playing very well, Dave.

Gilles Simon admitted he was “dead” after coming back from 2 sets down to win in a match lasting over 4 hours and 32 minutes. I almost cried for Pella!
http://tenngrand.com/2016/05/25/french-flair-bourge-pushes-murray-five-simon-survives-thriller-pella/


mat4 Says:

@Dave:

How can you imagine Troicki playing well? He just knows how to serve and return. I admit that it is sometimes enough.

;-)


jalep Says:

lol, mat. Troicki’s not that terrible! Mentally, yeah. Physically, he’s a specimen!


Humble Rafa Says:

Sad day for the Humble family. Clearly, I was peaking at the right time but things happen. Don’t take it too hard folks. I will survive and fight for next year’s FO.

I have a gut feeling that the Egg Lover will choke this one. My underling, and one of the many goats I own, almost choked it. Winning the FO is hard. I should know, right.


Dave Says:

I am not to familiar with Victor’s game. He seemed to choke some 2 set leads at majors, I noticed. So I get that he might not be mentally that strong. But I think he has a fairly good 2 handed backhand from what I have seen. Not great, but not a liability either. His serve motion is similar to Kyrgios with a low ball toss, which helps to get on a roll with your serve.


Humble Rafa Says:

He’s got nine of these, though!

Just like you think every good looking girl is a virgin, everytime I come to the FO, I feel like I need it for the first time.


jalep Says:

what? 😲😱 I do no such thing HR, you unusual Rafa fan, you.

πŸ˜‚ speak for yourself about virgin girls! TMI.


jalep Says:

Victor had never won a set v Gilles. Well done. 4th round vs Stan!


sisay Says:

i was wondering how come sean is not writing this major loss to the rg tournament…much bigger than noles loss to jary bassely…


Pauly Says:

Sad shocking unbelievable cannot believe it
Had no idea he had wrist problem
Djokovic will be happy
The way Nadal was playing I think he would’ve won his 10th French open 😒😒😒 very sad not to see him holding the cup
He is the most injury prone player I’ve seen
Bitterly disappointing for the fans


Baa Says:

novak had many awful physical breakdowns in the june-august times.
nadal practically had walkovers in 2008-10 and 2013-14 french opens. i doubt that novak feels sorry for him.
As a matter of fact, fed cheerled for novak to go away in 2009. fed obviously got into long lucky matches vs. washed up Haas, Benneteau + ball basher Del Potro. the media praised fed for his “class” but they put an asterisk on novak’s slams.


Pauly Says:

Djokovic will be thrilled Nadal is injured
I doubt he would’ve beaten Nadal this year
Paris is his favourite surface
No one knew his wrist was that bad


Pauly Says:

I was hoping for Wawrinka vs Nadal final
πŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘ŽπŸ‘Ž


Pauly Says:

If Djokovic can’t win it this year he will be the laughing stock of tennis !
He has no one to beat until the final where Murray or Wawrinka await so no more excuses get it done & move on
I’m hoping Wawrinka can play his best again


skeezer Says:

Ben, SG1, MMT …This is a worthy discussion;

http://espn.go.com/tennis/french16/story/_/id/12187672/french-open-rafael-nadal-victim-own-mental-physical-strengths

I know you guys are technical so that is why I called you guys out. There was many a discussion years ago that Rafa’s technique would reak havoc eventually on his body….. And looking back from here that is exactly what seems to be happening.


chrisford1 Says:

“If Djokovic can’t win it this year he will be the laughing stock of tennis !”

Yeah, sure Pauly…..
Because like you we all know there is no one in the ATP besides Rafa and Novak capable of playing really well on clay.


Baa Says:

Laughingstocks are the gloryhunters plus sub 5 ex-players who ridiculed novak but act like nadal is invincible and always unlucky.
Nadal stomped on fed and his fake rivalries, so he shouldn’t feel that disheartened.


mat4 Says:

“Djokovic will be thrilled Nadal is injured
I doubt he would’ve beaten Nadal this year”

You’re right: you doubt.


George Says:

@Pauly: Why Nadal didn’t chose to play with the right hand next few rounds and than SF with the left hand is beyond me.


J-Kath Says:

Nole may be a tad relieved, but really doubt he wants Rafa to suffer an injury to enable him to win.


Pauly Says:

Djokovic surely must win now
They laughed at him last year when Wawrinka beat him
Surely he can’t lose now
He’s had the weakest draw on his side
Only Nadal was his road block to the final
He’s gone now & might not be back for awhile
Tendon injury is very bad ask del potro his wrists have damaged his career
Surely Murray or Wawrinka can’t beat Djokovic this year ?
My feeling was Nadal would’ve beaten Djokovic in the semi final which would’ve been the best match of the tournament sadly it won’t happen


Pauly Says:

Djokovic doesn’t want Nadal to be injured
The point is he won’t have to face him
Imagine going 5 sets with Nadal
Maybe Djokovic would’ve won but how much left would he have in the tank for the final ???
That’s where Djokovic will benefit
I doubt anyone will push him until the final
Djokovic vs Murray or repeat vs Wawrinka
Wawrinka the only one so far to have sympathy for Nadal
Most of the players knew Nadal was going to be hard to beat this year
Spare a thought for poor GILES how must he feel ?


Pauly Says:

George

Nadal is right handed but you recall 2014 where he hurt his right wrist
Ruined his chances at the US OPEN
Plus ruined 2015 season
Poor Rafa one of the greatest players ever but most injury prone
He’s a legend always will be in the hearts & minds of his fans
Hope to see him in RIO


Humble Rafa Says:

Dear man or woman named Pauly,

You may think what you write is poetry with each sentence deserving its own line but it is not. So please write more than one sentence in an internet line.


Pauly Says:

With my favourite injured again
Who I want to win ?
Murray is due for another slam
Plus hope Wawrinka can defend his title
But in my opinion
Nishikori is the one who should win


Pauly Says:

Humble Rafa

Why didn’t you tell anyone you had wrist problem ?
You’re so humble VAMOS


Baa Says:

Novak would’ve crushed Nadal’s ego at the sf but nadal can excuse his impending doom with old age and “broken wrist tendon” excuses.
The fedal fans have used the old age and “huge mileage” excuses for 3 years already.
They forgot that novak took fedal to the woodshed with physically-draining, chest-game revenge wins.
Fed clearly didn’t hurt nadal’s fitness because nadal outsmarted fed even when nadal was injured.
Novak just came back and improved his game.
These are real men’s matches. Not servebot clowning from 2002-2009.


Humble Rafa Says:

Why didn’t you tell anyone you had wrist problem ?

It’s complicated Mrs or Mr Pauly. At any given time, I cannot predict which one of my 153 injuries will escalate and become a problem. The problem is so big that even a genius like Uncle Toni can’t predict these things.

#humbleproblems


Pauly Says:

Baa

Crushed ?
Wawrinka crushed Djokovic last year
Nadal was losing to everyone in 2015
Nadal would’ve played better this year & most likely won the semi final
But we will never know Coz the match will never happen
Your idol has ZERO French opens
Nadal has 9 πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚


Pauly Says:

Humble Rafa

It’s MR
153 injuries ?
Amazing


Wog Boy Says:

“No more pressure, same as when all was saying Fed has no pressure when Sod took out Rafa. There was, but Fed still did it.”

Is this coming from knowledgeable poster who plays tennis, laughable really. Nole still has to go through another five matches playing probably Coric, Berdych (Cuevas), Thiem (Zverev) and then one of three other best clay court players atm (Andy, Stan, Kamikaze).
Roger had to play Sodering who wasn’t even top 20 at the time and Roger’s pigeon (has never beaten him until that point 16:1 h2h) who was idolizing Roger so much that he was more happy than Roger himself for Roger winning his first and only FO.


Wog Boy Says:

^^ sure Roger was under the same pressure as Nole now..;)


skeezer Says:

“is this coming from knowledgeable poster who plays tennis, laughable really.”
Yes, it is.
____

“..Roger had to play Sodering who wasn’t even top 20..”
Novak had to play Kohls(ranked 29 at the time)at the same FO and…. lost. Oooopsey.
Novak as never lost to him since. Double oopses.

If you’re saying that Nole should be worried that the lower class players that are left ( until the final ) then I would have loved to see the insecurities on this site with Rafa and Fed in their prime, still in.
Nole is so smiling right now its down right silly. It’s all good :)
Nole shoo in maximus monumetalus.


skeezer Says:

@HR re:153 injuries
Does that include the mental one?


Wog Boy Says:

Firstly, why anybody has to bring Roger in this discussion (and it wasn’t me), remember he has a bad back and is recuperating atm somwhere in the Swiss Alps.

Secondly, it is just not comparable, and it is laughable to compare playing against #23 (your pigeon who is idolizing you) in the final or one of top 5 inform players in the final, and then to conclude pressure is the same.
It is the same pressure like Nole having to play Troicki in the final:)


Wog Boy Says:

^^^ not “top 5” but “top 6”


skeezer Says:

:”Firstly, why anybody has to bring Roger in this discussion”
Excuse me, you mean you constantly don’t? You’re obsessed..Lol…:)
—–
“it is the same pressure like Nole having to play Troicki in the final:)”

You mean like possibly a A. RAMOS-VINOLAS? :)
Naw, don’t think so. :)


Wog Boy Says:

No, not on this thread.
I am obsessed with goats, that’s true, I love them on the spit with rosemary, served with baked potato and Greek salad followed by the botle of nice, chilled chardonnay and goat cheese and crackers.


mat4 Says:

skeezer, WB:

Do you really have to fight all the time? You are both nice guys, defending your favs, could you bury the war axe for my sake?

The situation was different, back then. Rafa was the uber favourite, and when he lost, many players felt that they have a chance. So Fed was under pressure — he was before Rafa’s loss, and he remained after the QF, since he suddenly had a great chance to win.

But he had a tough fourth round against Haas, then a very difficult semi against DelPo (I believe that the semi was a game changer in DelPo’s career), both matches in five sets. But the final was an easy one, since Sod simply melted, although he played great in the previous rounds.

I guess that the pressure is the same for Novak, now, and his situation is the same as last year: he can expect a very tough semi and final, although he has a better draw. The possibility to make the GS adds to the tension, but he still is the man to beat on clay.

Stan played an excellent match, today, although Chardy tactically did everything he could to help him. Murray and Nishi seem to be under pressure, on the other side. We will see tomorrow how Rafa’s exit impacted his quarter.

Anyway, without Rafa it’s always easier. Great champions become what they are fighting daily against adversity. Novak has no excuse if he doesn’t play his best.


mat4 Says:

Daniel and CF1 brought Fed in this discussion.


Kimberly Says:

It is disappointing not just because Rafa my favorite player but he was a legitimate contender, he was playing very very well and despite what many say Djokovic’s largest threat to the title. I don’t think the match would have been like last year quarterfinal. I had been looking forward to next Friday with the expectation of a match like 2013. And know we will never know. We cannot say Nole would have won in 3, Rafa would have won in 5, because it will not happen. And I am so so so disappointed.

I don’t have a guess to what the result would have been. Just that if Rafa played his best he could win. And that was what I was trying to will the universe to deliver!


Kimberly Says:

@skeezer—my husband and I back in business, we won our 9.5 mixed match last night 6-2 6-4. Remember he had the racing heart issue like Mardy Fish so he has not really competed in years but I talked him into a mixed tournament! He said he had a good time even though he hates mixed doubles.


Wog Boy Says:

Sorry mat4, I tried once for your sake and it didn’t work, not anymore. I don’t take any shit from anybody for anybody’s sake. You should know that, and you are free to take sides, fine to me, actually makes it eaisier for me. All good.


Tennis Vagabond Says:

This is crushing news. First Del Potro drops out- ok, I didn’t expect much of him, but still, it was exciting to have him back at a Slam. Then Fed. Now Rafa.

All the last year I said, Rafa could come back, but I didn’t see him beating Novak again. After months of seeing his improvement, I believed he could really put up a fight for this title. Now, gone.

If this injury is not too serious, we will see him competing in the top three again. And for Slams.

Skeeze, that whole “Rafa’s game has destroyed his body” theory is about 8 years old. Rafa is already performing better for a 30 year old than almost any tennis great in history. I would say that Rafa has proven us wrong. Rafa could be 90, and if he pulled out, some people would say, “See? I told you his game would bring his body down!”


mat4 Says:

@WB:

I won’t take side. You are both free to have your opinion. I just hope you could disagree in a nicer way. I respect you both and I know that your opinions are more balanced than it seems.


skeezer Says:

@K,
Awesome!πŸ‘
Super glad he is back competing. Who held who up?😬
Sorry for you that Rafa is out, his mojo was back….

Mat4,
There is a big difference from the way you discuss tennis fairly and ….. Nuff said.
You know I have always supported Nole but some novatical fans pee on Fed out of jealousy. Too bad cause Nole or his fanaticals don’t need to do that, he is making his own mark on the Game, big time.


mat4 Says:

BTW, my previous post is unreadable. I wanted to say that there is always pressure on the favourite, but both in 2009 and now, there were legitimate contenders, and pressure is on them too.


Kimberly Says:

@skeezer—well I played solid with a strong serve and decent return of serve and consistent from the baseline. Solid by me.

And well, my partner hit about 100 winners from everywhere on the court.


chrisford1 Says:

The 50th duel between Novak and Rafa will have to wait another time, unfortunately. It’s 26-23, too close to call for one guy or the other as “winning the rivalry”.
Novak has been in ascendancy recently, but as he noted at Doha, every year for his whole career except this year, Rafa had a positive H2H over him.
It’s a strong indicator of how dominant Rafa has been all his career that his only real challenger in the ATP has been Novak. And an indicator of the amazing growth of Djokovic as a player that he has caught up to Fed and Rafa


Dave Says:

The only way that the 2009 final could be comparable to the opponent that Federer had would be if Raonic made the final playing in his first grand slam final and being nervous much like Soderling was. Soderling was a better player than Raonic, but didn’t play any better in the final. Wawrinka will be tough to beat this year. He looks like he is back to last years form or close to it. The backhand looks amazing again.


mat4 Says:

@Dave:

Stan looked really good, but Chardy is a player who suits him quite well.


mat4 Says:

Chardy played so many times inside the court and couldn’t win points, afraid to step forward, afraid to hit harder, and his backhand, against Stan, is clearly a liability. You had the impression that he didn’t know what to do.


skeezer Says:

K,
You can miss alot of things in doubs, but returning and serving well are a must. Well done K!


Dave Says:

Mat4,

You are right. I thought Chardy would have played Stan tougher. I was disappointed in his performance. Especially after he broke Stan’s serve when he was serving for the match. I thought for sure we were going to a 4th set with the French crowd clearly behind Chardy. Raonic had to take a medical timeout for his hip. So the injury issues continue. So really I just don’t see Stan having any challenges until the Semi-finals. I actually think that Nishikori has a better chance of beating Stan than Murray. Gasquet will lose to Nishikori for the 3rd time this clay court season. The other 2 matches weren’t even that close. It didn’t seem like Gasquet could ever hurt Nishikori in any way. Isner is going down to Murray. No doubt about it.


Baa Says:

Fed loons had no problem with Fed’s scoffing, deluded,
spoiled brat, envious, condescending laughable behavior toward Novak.
Who the hell feels jealous of a bitter, smug, calculating Fed?
He’s very courteous to his ‘described’ one-dimensional clay master Rafa
and his lap dogs.
When he gets humilitated, he wants the adversary (Novak) to disappear.
If novak had played Fed in the year end champ sf, fed
wouldn’t have faked his injury after Mirka yelled her insults from the stands.

Fed believed his press conferences weren’t exposed to
millions of tennis fans.
He said he worried about being attacked by reporters for
misspeaking about Stan & novak. Lmao
we’re including the 2016 interview answers,
not just heat of the battle post Slam words.
Fed is old, but definitely not wise.


skeezer Says:

Baa,
Let me introduce you to wog boy.
Wog boy, meet Baa.


lakie Says:

The poster Baa should be renamed poster C ( Moody’s ratings:
Baa: medium grade
C – lowest rating, bonds typically in default, little prospect
for recovery of principal or interest)—i.e. no credibility


Matt Says:

It’s bad news. That’s it.

Leave it to T-X to make such a huge dinosaur like shit of this news.

If you’re a tennis fan, this is terrible news.

Enjoy your tennis.

F an A.


Pauly Says:

Tennis in Paris is not the same without the King


Wog Boy Says:

skeezer,

Fake Nole fan, who was the first one to gloat over Nole loss to Vesely,

Let me introduce you to Giles,
Giles, meet sleazy skeezer.


Pauly Says:

If Nadal lost in the semi final to Djokovic
I’d say too good joker πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘
But bowing out with another cruel injury is heartbreaking for his fans
Terrible situation 😒


skeezer Says:

TV,
Not a theory, just reflecting back is all. You were there back in that discussion, remember all the defense that we all were just haters, remember? Silly talk. Just sayin…now, time has told…it was true.
History has proven you need a lean tennis body type, not a large muscle build, to endure in this game., along with proper mechanics.


Pauly Says:

Dave

How are you ?
Bad news we tennis lovers won’t see the 50th meeting of our favourite players
Can’t speculate on the outcome Coz it won’t happen now but it would’ve been a war if they played
5 setter for sure
Roland Garros was the only place I’d be slightly confident of Nadal beating Djokovic
It’s weird the injury occurred at Madrid
So why did Nadal not exit Rome ?
Too many questions not enough answers
Spare a thought for poor GILES
He must be so upset as am I πŸ˜”
Whoever wins now will earn it
Hopefully Nishikori can step up make semi final


skeezer Says:

WB,
I only do that stuff in retort of your constant Fed hating jealous posts. Try harder. My pro historical Nole posts speak for themselves going waaaay back.
And now you think Giles and I are BFF? Lol….Whatever makes you sleep at night… ;)
Move on, cheer Nole to win FO, he is on his way….


Wog Boy Says:

skeezer (fake Nole fan),

I only do this to retort of you calling my name when I am not even posting or talking to you, try harder, your post after Nole’s loss speak for itself about yourself, you even beat your BFF Giles on that one, do you honestly believe somebody will by your BS explanation?
mat4 may be naive to belive that die hard Roger fanatic can be Nole fan, but not me, most of you, Roger fans, switche to Nole side in 2011, how conviniently:), just prior 2011 you were rubishing Nole on this very site, I was here, you can’t BS me, the moment Nole gets close to Roger records (if he does) you will be looking for somebody to stop him, same as you (Roger fanatics) picked him since he was the only one able to srop Rafa, it is not rocket science to work tha one out.


Wog Boy Says:

^^^ “you” has been used as plural


Pauly Says:

Cheer on Nishikori to win his first slam


Pauly Says:

To all those blind unbelievable imbeciles out there predicting 3 sets win to Djokovic
WTF ???
Madness … Crazy haters who don’t know shit about tennis
No one beats Nadal in top form in Paris easy
Yeah 2015 Nadal was losing to everyone even fognini the crazy Italian
This is 2016 after two solid wins if not for the wrist Nadal would’ve came close to perfect 10 … Only injury beat him


skeezer Says:

Now you accuse me of being a fake nole fan? Lol…whatever makes you feel good. And you need to have mat4 approval? Lol….Have another drink my friend, and do a spell check, sleep tight nighty night.
Nole shoo in maximus monumetalus.


AndyMira Says:

@Pauly..that’s alright..hopefully he’ll come back next year and have a chance to grab FO once more..after the gruelling 2015,who would have thought that he once again almost come to his best in Paris..after all he’s the most brave fighter we’ve ever seen right?


Wog Boy Says:

I don’t need anybody’s approval, you were the one sucking up to mat4, not me, as for spell check..speaks for itself about yourself, English is not my first language.


Margot Says:

Pauly @1.03
Eh? Two ticks ago you were saying Kei was s***e.
“The North remembers.”


Daniel Says:

As I was the ine bringing the “asterix” of not plating Nadal in Garros I will bring one more. Pretty soon somebody will mention silent ban and doping again.

Fed was batling and it was brought to the diacussion by a few posters. Just hope the same “benefit of the doubt” is used here. Lately seems there is an agenda against Roger, so hope it applies to everybody the same.

We still don’t know if Djoko is reaching final and who he will play there. But the oportunity just got better. 2 of the playees that beating him on RG clay since his 2011 breakthrough are nor playing. Only one left is Wawa. If he loses before finals than is Djoko’s chance. Murray or Kei won’t be favorite agaisnt him. They will have their chances but not favorites.


Wog Boy Says:

Daniel…do a spell check… and yes, both Roger and Rafa a serving silent ban..


Michael Says:

Had his career not bogged down by injuries that confront him every now and then, Rafa would have amassed atleast 11 French open titles by now. That is the kind of strangehold he had over Rolland Garros as well as Montecarlo and other Clay court titles. Simply phenomenal and breath taking to say the least and for atleast three centuries no other player is ever going to manage to achieve the same kind of domination Rafa has over the years on the Red surface.

In 2016, if there is any one player to stop Rafa on his tracks, it has to be the one and only irrepressible Novak considering the way Rafa has started this tournament with a bang playing some sublime and breathtaking Tennis he is always capable of producing and it is a known factor that he always reserves his best for RG. So, when we were all waiting for bated breath to watch this humdinger of a contest between Novak and Rafa, news of his withdrawal comes as a bolt from the blue and has shaken the Tennis fans.

I think that Rafa has over exerted himself by playing more clay court tournaments and thus risked injury to his body. He is not getting younger anymore and should have done a better scheduling to preserve his best for such majors, but that is not to be and history has repeated itself.


J-Kath Says:

Pauly

Nishikori is in the bottom half of the draw. He won’t meet Nole
in semi-finals.


George Says:

@Michael: Nadal applies technique of a table tennis player where wrist is the main point of action. He is not prone to injury et all as probably 99% of players playing like that would retire by 25. It is not a question why he is injured, but how he lasted so long.


Jac Says:

There is one more advantage for top semifinal now – it will be played first, which considering French Open infrastructure may be crucial


mat4 Says:

We have so many poets recently…


Pauly Says:

Andy Mira

Who knows what will happen by 2017
We may never see Nadal & Federer again
This year I think he made some big mistakes
If he was in pain in Madrid
Why did he play in Rome ?
In hindsight he should’ve skipped Rome
I believe his injury worsened in Rome
Too late now but decisions we make impact on our lives
Poor decision to play Rome it seems
Too late now sadly
I think Nadal could’ve won number 10 this year he was building his form to top level
Injury beat him again
He will skip the grass of he’s smart & go to RIO
Hopefully he can play his best US OPEN
Bitterly disappointing … Nice words from Gasquet & Wawrinka


James Says:

Nadal is now done. 14 is the final number. Just like 17 is the final number for Fed – he aint winning Wimbledon, accept it.

Djokovic Murray final looms unless someone can stop them.

Generating all that spin from his wrist has gotto take a toll. And now he’s 30. Time for him to join Fed in the seniors tour.


Pauly Says:

Michael

If Nadal wasn’t always injured
20 slams by now no problem
He missed so mung slams through injury
2015 was his worst year ever in his career
This year was much better but once again injury defeated him
Robbing us tennis lovers of seeing him finally take down Djokovic
I think he was close to winning this year had injury not beaten him
Watching his 2 easy wins made me feel confident by semi final time
He’d be ready for Djokovic
It’s ruined the French open no Nadal


Pauly Says:

James

Your idol Djokovic is trying to win his first French open in 12 tries
Murray Wawrinka only obstacles now to him winning first
The tennis world was robbed of match of tournament


James Says:

Djokovic? Nah, not my idol. He is benefitting from a complete lack of young top players who have the mental capacity to win slams.

And this whole issue of IF this IF that – that’s pointless. Remaining fit is part of being a sportsman. If your body OR your style of play causes injuries, you are not really THAT great.

This is Djokovic’s best and “last good” chance to win the French. Soft draw, Nadal out – what else does he want? Next year he will be 30, and SOME younger player (I hope) would have stepped up.


AndyMira Says:

@Pauly 5:38am..i agree with all you said..it seems rafa made a lot of bad mistakes in his professional life,a little bit unwise in scheduling all his schedule but one of the mistake that i regret most is that uncle Toni and Rafa should have change his game a little bit if not all after he suffered a series of serious injury from 2006 and 2008,his body is a little bit fragile compared to other players but still they didn’t change his very heavy grinding style type of games..if they decide to change then,maybe rafa won’t suffered as much right now..


calmdownplease Says:

‘Your idol Djokovic is trying to win his first French open in 12 tries
Murray Wawrinka only obstacles now to him winning first
The tennis world was robbed of match of tournament’

“Only”?
Really, my trite little Nadalister?
I don’t but it.
In fact, the way I see it, Novak would have benefited from Nadal being in the semi as he would have beaten him again, probably in less than 5.
And make it well the 8 time in a row with a big boost of confidence thank you very much (which wouldn’t have been too good for Rafa either come to think of it)!
Both Muzz and Wawrinka have a better shot against Novak than Nadal now has, without question!
I was looking forward to this match however, but Novak should get to the final and will be largely untested.
Whoever comes out of Muzz’s half will not be (untested that is).
As long as it isn’t a 5hr match they should be sharp and ready and thinking they’ve got a real chance to steal it away from him as the pressure on Novak will be gargantuan.
I’m not saying they WILL pull it off but it will not be an easy task at all.


Wog Boy Says:

” He is benefitting from a complete lack of young top players who have the mental capacity to win slams.”

Are you talking about 2003-2007 period by any chance?


calmdownplease Says:

‘buy it’
lol


Wog Boy Says:

CDP,

Agree.
“Only”…#2 and #4 players in the world… had to laugh on that one.:)


calmdownplease Says:

Good Gawd, I do despise a lot of Fedal’s fanbase WB!


Margot Says:

Kath: have a great time with your sis. x


mat4 Says:

OK, I won’t be PC this time. Those things have been debated for years and older posters now avoid them, but for the sake of putting an end to it.

1) Luck is a part of the sport. Fed started in an era of changes, and he adapted faster and better. He was lucky Safin was an injury prone head-case, we were unfortunate that a rivalry didn’t flourish there. Was it a weak era? Check the ratings on Jeff Sackmann’s site: the weak era was the second part of the nineties, when Sampras ruled. At least, rating is objective, and while it isn’t too precise on a case to case basis, it gives a good survey of different epochs.

2) Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Murray, are physical and mental freaks. They were all top ten players before their 20th anniversary. While previous generations benefited from technological evolution, they all became what they are in a time of continuity, facing more experienced players, without using better racquets, better strings, nor turbo-shoes. They dominated ten years ago the way they do even now. The new guys are excellent players, but the “alignment of planets” is wrong — they have four shiny stars still playing.

3) Rafa, like Achilles, made his choices. Had you watch him in 2003, he had a conventional forehand, a good serve, and while I thought that his peculiar technique was Toni’s deed, it wasn’t. Rafa changed his motions by himself.

Where I believe his team made an error was to allow him to be too bulky. After that, injuries were to expect. But results too. Murray did the same choice, and he had a surgery three years ago. So, once again, Rafa made his choices.

4) Yes, Djokovic is lucky NOW. But anybody that believes that facing 128 times Federer, Nadal and Murray is luck has no brain. Ditto for Fed, Rafa and Andy. Everybody of them would have been a archi-dominant champion without the others.

5) While tennis is a fair and cruel game, the tennis organisations are what they are — and it has nothing to do with fairness, with the spirit of the sport, etc. Players are professionals, there’s a lot of money involved (Paris and the FO will earn probably more than 400M $), and it’s too much to let things go their way.

So, just look at some draws, some stats, some schedules and orders of play. But, it works at times for some, and at other times for others. Last two FO draws are a clear illustration of that (Forget replaced Ysern, btw).


James Says:

Wog Boy, Nadal was a slam winner in 2005, and young. Just refreshing your memory, since you mention 2003-2007. Perhaps upto 2004 that would be true. And the person winning slams at that time was 23/24 years old, not a 28/29 year old who needs the benefit of lack of young players.

Yup, facts are tough.


Wog Boy Says:

James,

My memory is pretty good, knock on wood, I know very well who against that 23/24 years old won his first ten slams and who against Nole won his first ten slams , just to refresh your memory, facts. It is Nole’s turn now for his next ten slams..;)
BTW, you mentioned Nadal who basically owned Roger since his first win against him (clay or outdoor HC) and who else?


Giles Says:

Mimicking Wawa’s accent – I will be rilly rilly appy if joker loses. He doesn’t deserve to win the FO.
#Barbarian


BBB Says:

I know Rafa was playing much, much better, but I don’t think it’s correct to assume he could have sustained it for five sets. That, to me, was a big open question.


J-Kath Says:

Hey Margot. Thank you. Your good wishes much appreciated.
Hopefully help to move me forward.


Dave Says:

Not one of Djokovic’s slams that he has won has he gotten to play someone as easy as gonzalez or bagdatis. I can be objective about this but a lot of people are biased about Federer. It’s very obvious. If this era was so weak, why can’t bagdatis even be close to the top 10 or 20 for that matter? Because this era isn’t so weak.


Dave Says:

Pauly,

I thought the same thing as you. Why would Nadal play in Rome? That just doesn’t make any sense to me. The only thing I can think of is that maybe Nadal didn’t think his wrist was going to be an issue and that it would be okay even though there was some pain in it. As far as the Novak vs Nadal match would have went, there is no way Djokovic was going to win in straight sets. I can say that much. The only reason why I would have gave Nole the slight advantage was because the weather was not going to be warm at all, which Rafa needs for his game to take off that much more. The other factor is that Nole always seems to play better against Rafa when it matters lately, especially the big points. So I would say it would have been either 4 really tight sets. Or Nole in 5 sets and like Nadal said after the 4th Set of their match in 2014 final, he had no energy left to play a 5th set. Nole would have worn him down and beaten him in the 5th set this year if it happened to go 5. I just didn’t see Nadal beating Nole in 3 or even 4 sets this year. That’s my honest opinion.


Daniel Says:

CDP @6:15 agree.

Also hope the semis are balanced in time and duration. Either both are long or both short. Don’t like when a player enter finals with advantage (although we can say players create theirlong if they are unable to finish the other quickly), but for the sake of the best final, both in similar conditions.

Rain suspending play today. Thiem already in R16 and he will play Granollers. Virtually in hi firat Grand Slam Quarters and there he will have a real shot to play Novak semis.


jalep Says:

Looking at the draw:
What would be hilarious is if Gulbis somehow beats Tsonga and makes the QF. Shoot. Maybe even make the SF? 😁 Those 720 SF ranking points would look good on him and he’d be seeded for Wimbledon in the mid 20’s. Ernests Gulbis reborn.


Dave Says:

Daniel,

No more matches today?


Wog Boy Says:

Dave,

I am about to finally get hold of the book, meanwhile I was recomended by a friend book about self-improvement based on optimistic autosuggestion by Γ‰mile CouΓ©, have a look and tell me what do you think about him, his mantra was “”Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better”..and that is Nole’s mantra too, I am serious.
Can’t wait anymore for the matches to start, off to bed.


FedExpress Says:

ivanovic should retire. useless. just useless.


Daniel Says:

Dave,

Matches resumed. Tsonga already a break up on Gulbis.

Still expected some period of rain for next few days


Daniel Says:

Gulbis’ returns are on fire today.


Daniel Says:

Damm, Tsonga retired due to injury, Tsonga was leading 5-2. Gulbis on to fourth round

Witch is loose in this section of the draw


FedExpress Says:

Gulbis through

Tsonga retired after leading 5-2 in the first set


Daniel Says:

Tsonga will be out of top 10 with this result also, he defendes semis (720 pts) from last year.


Daniel Says:

Djoko’s match back to Chatrier in 10-15 min.


jalep Says:

Gulbis gets just inside the top 40 with his 360 QF points. Lucky like lucky loser, Lucas Pouille in Rome.


Tennisfansince1976 Says:

Ahhh some tennis at last. The downside of gainful employment is less time to watch tennis. Also coverage has mostly been on tennis channel which I don’t have.


Tennisfansince1976 Says:

Playboy Ernie thru to the 4th round.


jalep Says:

In case anyone is looking for it, Novak’s match is being broadcast on regular NBC, not tennis channel.

TFS1976, thanks for reorienting me to reality. Gulbis made the 4th round, not QF.


Okiegal Says:

Thanks jalep! I questioned showing an old match on the Andy thread……You come to the rescue again!!


Okiegal Says:

Showing the Keys match….


jalep Says:

hahaha I can’t rescue myself this morning. Burnt popcorn.


Margot Says:

Gulbis = the luckiest cookie in the jar


jane Says:

this is a tough blow for rafa; by all accounts he was playing really well.
this week i’ll finally be able to catch some of the french open, at least i hope.


Pauly Says:

Nadal’s withdrawal ruined the French open for me
Plus Tsonga too unbelievable
Djokovic has a clear path now until the final vs Murray or Wawrinka
Finally luck is on his side after 12 attempts this might be the year
I still think Nadal had his best Chance this year to Win 10
He was playing his best tennis at the right time
No one will ever know how it would’ve unfolded had Nadal not hurt his wrist ?
I think Roland Garros was his best chance to take down Djokovic
He must be gutted

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