Rafael Nadal’s 2016 Season Is Over Due To His Left Wrist

Glad he is shutting down for the season. Smart move.

October 20th, 2016 at 4:56 pm

If there is a time to stop playing, for Nadal the 3 indoors tournaments sceduled (Basel, Paris, YEC) are always his worst results.
For all the talk on Nadal on clay, his trophy record indoors is equally remarkable and unlike clay, absolutely abysmal. 67 career outdoors titles and just 2 for indoors events. (ATP 250 events no other top ranked player showed up for. Vienna at the start of his career, Rio a few years back).
I don’t think it is a trivial matter. Rafa’s career takes a ding on this. Part of the praises of Federer, Djokovic, now Andy who has finally figured out clay – is they are all-court players. All surfaces indoors and outdoors. Not so Rafa. He never figured out how to win indoors. All surfaces, yes, but not the nuances of tailoring his outdoor game for indoor play.

October 20th, 2016 at 5:45 pm

Qualifying for the WTFs seems more like a chore than a pleasure, the world number 1 will no doubt be the favorite, and most likely lift the trophy, the rest will be killing themselves to get there only to be making up the numbers ….

October 20th, 2016 at 6:19 pm

Woops wrong thread, anyway as dissapointing as it will be not seeing Nadal play again this year, i think its a smart move given the wrist is not right to call time on the season, but thats nothing to do with this not been his best part of the year, or crap indoors etc, but merely due to the wrist issue, im sure if he were feeling fit enough he would still be playing anyway *ROLLS EYES, SHAKES HEAD * ….

October 20th, 2016 at 6:25 pm

End of Fedal era for good, neither of them last 3 tourneys of the season, think it’s a first.

They are in their twilight.

October 20th, 2016 at 7:36 pm

It maybe twilight of the Fedal era, but definitely not the end of the Fedal bromance!
https://rafaelnadalfans.com/2016/10/19/heres-why-rafael-nadal-and-roger-federer-have-the-best-bromance-in-sports/

October 20th, 2016 at 7:39 pm

Enquiring minds have asked me if it is just the left wrist or there is more. If there is more, I will tell you in due course. As you know, I am not shy about discussing these things in detail.

Strange that Humble and the Arrogant One are gone for the year. I guess the Tennis God had his fill for the year of both.

October 20th, 2016 at 10:17 pm

RZ – I am not sure of the great bromance that Nike and IMG getting set to promote Fedal in the mid 2000’s will last as an affair of mutual respect, affections, and interests in doing things together off court. On conclusion of their active pro days – the Fedal product promotion will fade.
Fed will always have Chaudinelli as a pal, business partners . While Rafa has his circle of non-tennis boating pals and Spanish pron pals, his good Argentine mate, whipping Djokovic as usual on golf and fishing outings, and common folk in Majorca who he grew up with, who have nothing to do with glam sports superstar lifestyles.

October 20th, 2016 at 11:32 pm

RZ I Dont usually care for bromances in tennis, especially the ones between Andy and Novak, or Rafa and Novak, given as they have met such alot on court recently, as the rivalries seem lospsided and foregone conclusions, and the Fedal rivalry is no different either, having said that Fedal are in ther twilight years of their careers, so its lovely to see two all time greats giving something back to the sport and the kids of tomorrow that will be playing in the future ;-)) ….

October 21st, 2016 at 4:52 am

Both look happy, well turned out, very handsome, who was it that said Rafa didnt suit a suit, seems to look mighty fine from where im standing ? ….

October 21st, 2016 at 5:10 am

nadal has made plenty of indoor semis/finals, losing often to the very best indoor players. people fail to consider how many of these tournaments he has actually missed over the years due to injury.
in his decade+ career as a top player he’s played only:

basel twice since 2004 (one final)
madrid indoor four times since 2004 (one win)
paris five times (one final)
wtf seven times (two finals, multiple semis)

he might not be the best indoor player, but considering how little he’s played, it’s a decent record, making the finals of all these tournaments at least.

October 21st, 2016 at 7:52 am

By the same token, i love Murray but if people want to cherry pick things to suit their favorites, one could also say he only ever won 1 CC title, sorry Margot and J-Kath ….

October 21st, 2016 at 8:20 am

@Chrisford1 and Willow – I think the two guys have a lot of respect for each other and for what the other has accomplished in tennis. It isn’t a true bromance in that the guys don’t and probably won’t hang out all the time, but they do seem to have a lot of fun. My favorite video of the two of them is when they couldn’t stop laughing while filming an ad several years ago.

October 21st, 2016 at 10:37 am

@Willow – Andy is up to 3 CC titles now (but your overall point remains)

October 21st, 2016 at 10:39 am

@RZ 10:37 am…Spot on!Easy said..those two got a chemistry..

October 21st, 2016 at 10:49 am

You guys, Nadal isn’t an all court player?

With that brilliant selective logic, nor is Roger given his relative lack of clay titles.

But that is thinly veiled false logic by design to suit a pre-existing misinformed opinion. Federer is an excellent clay player only beaten by the very best (2013 excepted when he had back problems).

Same can be said for Rafa. In his two best years, Rafa made WTF finals losing to Federer in 2010 final and Djokovic in 2013 final, probably the two best indoor players of all time. No shame in that.

Nor is there shame in Fed losing endless clay matchups to Rafa.

Besides, Rafa’s right. Indoor tennis is like indoor football. Silly season indeed:

“I never like it a lot, playing in indoor, but that doesn’t mean that I cannot play well.”

“If I am able to find the right feelings, seriously, I am not scared about playing indoors. It is a surface that I can play well. But it’s true that probably arrive to this positive feelings is a bit more difficult than in other circumstances. That’s the only thing,” he added.

As Rafa implies, it’s all relative dude.

Pretty sure my two fave’s LaMonf and Gulbis would be quite happy with Rafa’s indoor skills.

October 21st, 2016 at 11:36 am

RZ Yeah sorry Andy has 3 CC titles, but thanks for seeing my point, as i dont like double standards ….

Also i love that video your talking about, the bit where Roger says so Rafa !, and creases up laughing, makes me crease up laughing everytime ….

October 21st, 2016 at 5:20 pm

Roy, you made some good points, but the evidence points to an overall conclusion that Rafa has had horrible results for a player of his talent in indoors events. Expectation levels differ as a function of overall success….Nadal’s career is a killer on any surface, especially clay. As long as it’s outdoors. Put a roof over him and his win rate falls almost off a cliff. Its similar to “he sucks on clay” Sampras, though Sampras was good enough to get a few titles on it and usually go deep in clay events.

Murray 41 titles, 11 indoors, 27% of his titles indoors.
Federer 88 titles, 21 indoors, 24% of all his titles indoors.
Djokovic 66 titles, 12 indoors, 19% of all his titles indoors.
Nadal 69 titles, 2 indoors, 3% of all his titles indoors.

And yes, Rafa, and I am not slighting him, had most of his “away with injury” absences that correlated with hardcourt, especially indoors hardcourt. It stands to reason though, that his planning is centered round being healthy for the clay season 1st and foremost – where most of his Masters and Slams happened.
And if Nadal and Uncle Toni plan his schedule as usual, if there is a choice of committing to going to one event over the other, Rafa will always shoot for clay over hardcourt and playing the event that is outdoors over the choice of selecting an indoors event. And be fittest when Euroclay starts.

October 21st, 2016 at 8:44 pm

@Elina

Monfils has twice as many indoor titles as Rafa and Gulbis has the same amount. They are probably fine with keeping their indoor skills.

October 22nd, 2016 at 1:15 am

@elina

Also,

“With that brilliant selective logic, nor is Roger given his relative lack of clay titles”.

Federer’s would still be a Hall of Famer if they only took consideration of his clay court record. 26 finals, 11 titles, 5 Roland Garros finals. Monfils has twice as many indoor titles. Brilliant selective logic.

October 22nd, 2016 at 1:36 am

That was my point kjb

Small indoor titles no doubt. How many indoor wins do they have against top eight players at the wtf?

As I said brilliant selective logic.

October 22nd, 2016 at 8:01 am

Dont always agree with Roy, but i think the point was that we seem to use double standards with certain players, especially ones that are our favorites, RZ was the only one that seemed to get it we can cherry pick, this, that or the other to suit or favorites, and its always been the same, and you here comments like hes a great player but, hes a great champion but, words that come to mind PATRONISING ….

October 22nd, 2016 at 9:17 am

@kjb
You forgot to add that the poster also had a;
“thinly veiled false logic by design to suit a pre-existing misinformed opinion. “

October 22nd, 2016 at 10:30 am

And pieman takes the 2nd. My goodness tho., absolutely shocking line calls mostly against young gazelle. They really need hawkeye here and umps mike has broken too. Blooming techno disaster there.
Think gazelle is the best mover of the 6’6ers. Probably being so slight helps but he’s really speedy.

October 22nd, 2016 at 11:29 am

Okay, I’ll go back to moody gazelle and jolly pieman. Really did expect pieman to be going to pieces physically by now but he’s working it! Gazelle gets my vote for best mover of 6’6ers.

Goffin is giving the first set away as he serves. There are so many other things I should be doing right now, lol…. I can see Diego winning this match.

October 22nd, 2016 at 11:40 am

Said that about gazelle on other thread. He is a bit of a diva, but hugely talented.
Great minds :)

October 22nd, 2016 at 11:42 am

Lol or on this thread even….duh!

October 22nd, 2016 at 11:43 am