The Madrid title comes down to Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori on Sunday. Nadal is going for a three-peat at the event, while Murray is aiming for winner’s trophies in consecutive weeks.
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will be facing each other for the 21st time in their careers when they battle for the Mutua Madrid Open title on Sunday.
Nadal is dominating the head-to-head series 15-5, including 6-0 on clay. They have not squared off since last year’s clay-court swing, during which the Spaniard prevailed 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in Rome and 6-3, 6-2, 6-1 at the French Open. Nadal is 14-2 lifetime in total sets at Murray’s expense on the slow stuff. Murray has not won a match against Nadal since the 2011 Tokyo final, although they have met only twice since that encounter.
Nadal was hoping to emerge from a season-long slump in either Monte-Carlo or Barcelona, but that did not happen. The world No. 4 lost 6-3, 6-3 to Novak Djokovic at the former and got upset by Fabio Fognini at the latter. Things may be turning around in Madrid, where Nadal is the two-time defending champion. He did not drop set en route to the title match while taking out Steve Johnson, Simone Bolelli, Grigor Dimitrov, and Tomas Berdych.
“For the past couple of days I have been playing better and better every day,” Nadal assessed. “That’s always very good news. I am in the final. I am happy for that. I am enjoying a lot the fact that I am playing in front of an unbelievable crowd. For me, that’s the best crowd in the world without any doubt. So that gives me a lot of really positive energy.”
Murray also has plenty of momentum, having already secured one title this week (at the rain-delayed Munich tournament). The third-ranked Scot booked his spot in the Madrid final thanks to victories over Philipp Kohlschreiber, Marcel Granollers, Milos Raonic, and Kei Nishikori. He has surrendered just one set, to Kohlschreiber. Murray is 29-5 on the season with runner-up showings at both the Australian Open and the Miami Masters.
“Against Rafa it is going to be extremely difficult, especially playing here in Spain,” the second seed assured. “I think he’s played very well this week, too. Hopefully I can put in a good performance and make it tough for him.”
It almost certainly won’t be easy for Nadal, who still may not been in dominant form even though he has clearly heated up since the most glaring struggles in Miami and Barcelona. But there is no reason to think his unblemished record against Murray on this surface will end–especially not at home in Spain.
Pick: Nadal in 2
[polldaddy poll=8856101]
Good luck Rafa get your teeth on the trophy. It will be a big win after RG 2014.
Please don’t get nervous .
I’m picking Rafa in 3.
Nadal in 2 sets 6-3 6-4
“The Madrid title comes down to Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori on Sunday.” Did you copy and paste from your previews from last year 🙂
^^ Well spotted 🙂
Ricky can be forgiven – he was probably was writing this piece late at night
Rafa in two is my pick…it will happen only if Rafa is able to replicate his performance of yesterday…I believe the true Rafa, our Rafa, is back!
Vamos DR Nadal! We love you as much as the crowd in Madrid! 🙂
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEoAh7mWEAAVx_S.png
To date this has been Andy’s longest winning streak on clay ever: and Rafa’s last few matches have been exemplary. This encounter promises to be a far more competitive than usual. I’m leaning towards Rafa in 3
heart 2 head 3
Murray is playing so well. He’ll step up with his backhand and test rafa sternly. Murray moves so well on clay so rafa will have to be really consistent with his strokes because andy’s gona chase and retrieve a lot more balls than did berdych.
Their last year’s encounter in rome was perhaps the most important clay court match for rafa heading into RG. Rafa was not playing jis best tennis at that time and andy was really bossing him from the baseline. Rafa recovered from a tough positiom and raised his level so much. He took so much confidence from that win.
If rafa comes out nervous and hesitates, andy will make him pay. However, I think rafa looks ready. He is poised to win his first masters 1000 in a full year. If his forehand is on like it was against berdy, murray will be in massive trouble. Murray loves to attack rafa’s backhand by hitting high, short angled forehands to rafa’s backhand so rafa will have to ensure his backhand drives have enough depth.
This could go to three but my pick is rafa in 2 sets.
vamosrafa,
I like your analysis. Murray certainly has the weapons to give Rafa a battle. I was struck by Murray’s movement against Nishi. He was running down everything and in the end, Nishi had no answers.
I do think that Murray is playing better now than he was when they met in Rome last year. That’s why I think this will be a tough one.
As you said, Rafa cannot afford to have the jitters or a slow start. Andy was extremely aggressive against Nishi. He’s going to come out and do the same with Rafa. I don’t want to see Rafa staying too far behind the baseline. Rafa will also need to continue serving as well as he did against Berdy. He will also need to be hitting those DTL backhands. That shot has to be there for Rafa.
I would love to see Rafa win in two sets, but my head says that this will go three sets. I have to go with the real Rafa!
Sorri folks – This one is Murray’s in 3 tight sets.
This is a final Rafa HAS to win. Losing will mean a drop to #7 in the rankings, not where he wants to be heading into RG. Rafa knows this and he will fight. Muzza, on the other hand will be thinking of the one that got away last year in Rome. He will be fired up!
Rafa for the win.
Not one comment supporting Murray to win this! Rafa is clearly the favourite but I can’t see him doing it in 2 set…..
The last time they played on clay was at RG last year where Rafa won 3,2 &1.
nobody says it will be easy…a lot of pressure on Rafa….for Andy this match is just another one on the list, not much to lose though… for Rafa it’s the complete opposite…he has so much to lose…I hope Rafa stays focused and plays the way he played yesterday…I hope Rafa’s high level performance in the last few days brought enough confidence so that he can avoid being nervous and having mental lapses…please Rafa…you have so much to show…
let us hope for the nice win in two sets for our Rafa….I would take three sets as well if Rafa is to end up wining it even though it would definitely bring further damage to my already tight (thanks to my guy!) nerves…
Vamos Dr. Nadal!
Rafa has beaten djokovic twice in his career to secure his no.2 ranking 🙂 He knows how to handle such pressures. confidence was an issue but he sounds optimistic now. I am hopeful he will put up a strong show tonight. Murray’s weak second serve will allow rafa go after andy’s return games.
I absolutely think that this is a final Rafa must win. Losing is just not an option. His ranking will drop too low for him to have a shot at winning RG. He also really needs a title. Holding that trophy, no matter how ugly it is, that’s what he needs! Winning titles solves everything.
When Rafa is confident, his game flows so beautifully. He has played consistently here, getting better with each match. But it’s all for nothing if he doesn’t win.
I don’t care what the score was last year at RG. Rafa isn’t at that level yet. Andy is playing much better overall this year. So this is not going to be easy. Rafa just has to will himself to get this done. It would mean so much. Then he can go into Rome with some real momentum. He can build on this result and hopefully get to his best for RG.
I am getting more nervous as it gets closer to match time.
Rafa needs a sports psychologist. Playing like s##t already.
Rafa is broken in his first service game. Andy looks sharp out of the gate. Not the start I was hoping for at all.
damn..slow start by rafa and a sharp one by andy. Now this will be very tough for rafa. He will raise his level. come on rafa
Bad Rafa is back.
OMG…my heart hurts…
This is what I did not want to see. Rafa just doesn’t seem to be there.
I am just shocked to see this kind of start.
he looked almost subdued out there. His game has not been able to create any impact so far. Show some fire rafa..you MUST fight the demons.
This start is similar to their rome encounter last year
I can only hope that the outcome will be similar. Right now it’s just not pretty. I expected Andy to come out of the gate firing and Rafa has just not been sharp. He has to do something on Andy’s service games to try and break back.
Vamos Rafa, find your feel!
Vamos!
The balls seem to be flying on Rafa. I wonder if it’s playing at night with different conditions.
The bottom line is that Rafa has to start pressuring Murray on his serve.
you might be right. He is struggling with control of the ball. He hit some good forehands to get to break point but missed a forehand DTL. Rafa is gradually improving and as I type this he hits two nice volleys.
Rafa is holding serve very comfortably now. THAT was quick! three volley winners behind strong approach shots.
Now try to break here, rafa! you can do it
Vamos Rafa! Fight!!!
Rafa lost the 1st set 61 last year in Rome…………and won the match.
Repeat please, tennis Gods????
I don’t know if I can watch this 🙁
Rafa’s movement, or lack thereof, is hurting him. He is slow getting into position.
should be easy for Nadal Murray’s is no match on clay. Murray’s serve is about as good as Sharapova Nadal will get plenty of chances to break.
Murray holds for 5-2 but even if Murray wins this set he will still lose in 3
Spoken like a true fedfan.
Rafa should not get into a rallying contest with Muzza, he’s losing in that department.
Rafa’s picked up his pace but he is letting Muzza get off lightly with second serves. Why does Rafa not attack 2nd serves????
Rafa hasn’t been aggressive with second serves. Yesterday he finally did with Berdy. He needs to go for it in this match.
When Rafa wants to play like he did just then to hold, it’s not even close.
So frustrating to watch.
5-3
Queen Sofia is a Rafa fangirl, no?
I’ve already lost count of how many times Mr. Know-all has already reminded us that should Rafa lose this match he DROPS to No.7
As if we don’t that already 🙁
Gifted that set.
Murray saves break point and wins the set
1st set Muzza.
Now crank it up Rafa!
How many times does Rafa have a break point and not get it done? So that early break cost him the first set.
Now he’s playing from behind.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEqbXamW8AA6ymu.png
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEqbaSKWIAAgd9E.png
not sure it would be a good thing for Andy if Rafa drops to No7…anything could happen at RG…
Head case. Will turn it off if he gets broken here.
Murray gets an early break in 2nd set. Still not over far from it
Spoken like a true fedfan.
mental…it’s all mental…it hurts…
Buh-bye Rafa.
See you in Rome.
There is no way I can go on watching Rafa unravel like this…………….
What is happening with Rafa’s FH? Without his money shot Rafa’s toast.
forehand has become wild again! he hits a few good ones and then hits a couple of bad ones.
Now rafa trying to do more with his backhand but murray wins even this rally.
wow, rafa is doing more damage with his backhand now! shame shame rafa’s forehand
This is unbelievably bad from Rafa.
How can Rafa’s forehand go from great in one match to awful in the next?
I am on the verge of tears.
this is inexplicable 🙁
and I was so looking forward to this…this is so sad…nothing works for Rafa today…nothing…
Every time we think he’s back, then something like this happens. Just awful.
I never thought it would come to this. Not after the match with Berdy.
And the worst thing? Muzza doesn’t look like he’s breaking a sweat!
Rafa is getting bageled. If anyone had told me this would happen, I would not have believed it. Really embarrassing.
I can live with Rafa playing his best and losing. It would hurt, but at least I would know that he gave it his all. But to go down this way, this I can’t handle.
I can’t even cry now. I just never considered the possibility that it would actually come to this for Rafa.
The inconsistency from Rafa………….bewildering. He is hot one match and the next is pants……….
Been like that for a while now.
Rafa is just not ready to beat No3 in the world…
Never thought I would say this but Muzza’s FH looks more potent than Rafa’s right now…….
Rafa is not ready to beat #1 in the world either. He hasn’t played Fed lately so we don’t know about that.
But to play like this after the great win over Berdy, I just can’t deal with it.
The ups and downs are just horrible.
Getting breadsticked? When did Rafa lose to Murray this way? On clay? He’s making all kinds of history, bad history.
I am in shock right now. Just utter and complete shock.
No bakery products at least…………sigh.
Honestly, this is devastating. Losing with this kind of score is just unimaginable. I said before the match that Rafa had to win and I stand by that. Losing was not an option. If he wanted to turn things around, then this was the time to do it.
I’m very sad.
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/sad/disappointed-smiley-emoticon.gif
There is nothing good to say about this loss. Murray’s never beaten him on clay. Another first.
So now the nightmare begins. Rafa is officially #7 in the world. 🙁
for the first time, i am afraid of the upcoming french open!
no matter how i think, i cannot put this loss into perspective. He was so good yesterday but THIS was …. my God. I was waiting for this match the whole day and this happened.
rafa is SO erratic . He was laughing at himself in the end!
HOW can this happen?!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEqmr31VIAA1ty-.png
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEqmufvVEAA5JN7.png
congrats to Andy…played very well…Rafa was not at the level we wanted him to be…but I must admit that Rafa raised my expectations during this tourney…a week ago I was certain Rafa would never make the final…
Vamos Rafa! Just continue to improve…you will get there…
Fitting that Rafa lost the match firing a dodgy FH. Sigh.
Congrats Muzza! Fully deserved, didn’t even have to get out of third gear.
This had nothing to do with the Madrid court, the altitude blah, blah, blah. Rafa’s just playing bad. Full stop. He will be ranked #7 on Monday, he fully deserves that ranking. He could lose early in Rome and actually crash out of the top 10. Imagine that, Rafa out of the top 10 at RG………
Its obvious rafa is injured
it’s obvious you are enjoying this moment…but nothing lasts forever….beware…
so what is next? losing to federer on clay?
this will do more damage to his mental state. and this was his HOME CROWD. he is embarrassed! poor guy. He is putting in so many hours at the court and these things are happening.
*putting in so many hours on practice courts.
Maybe there is a silver lining for Rafa. With this loss, he officially goes from contender to dangerous floater at RG. Maybe with no expectation for him to win, he will relax and play more freely.
I couldn’t bear to watch the trophy ceremony, coward that I am.
^^^ I was even more of a coward than you. I stopped watching after Murray broke Rafa’s serve in the 2nd set. I left the sound on and went into another room. The crowd reaction (mostly stunned silence) was all I needed to know.
At least Muzza won’t go car humping in Madrid in celebration………..
LOL..love your sense of humor… 🙂
BTW Rafa looked adorable…and he was smiling…as long as Rafa is healthy I believe in his success…it may not be RG this year…but sooner or later he will bring us joy…
I wish I had your sunny outlook @nats but right now I am mighty pi%*ed off. What the hell was I watching? Someone’s playing a joke on us, that wasn’t the King of Clay out there. Granted, Muzza is good and his winning should not be a surprise but c’mon!
Agree nats. Probably the latter.
I’m done with this “Rafa is nervous” clap-trap.
If he is getting scared playing he should take a holiday and not come back until he truly wants to play tennis……………
The only way to overcome your fears is to face them. Avoidance only makes it worse.
Okay then Dr. Oz. My fear right now is turning on the tv and seeing Rafa staring across the net like a scared rabbit. Do I want to face that? No.
Rafa said on Saturday:
“For the past couple of days I have been playing better and better every day,” said Nadal. “That’s always very good news. I am in the final. I am happy for that. I am enjoying a lot the fact that I am playing in front of an unbelievable crowd. For me, that’s the best crowd in the world without any doubt. So that gives me a lot of really positive energy.
“Today I played again at a very good level. I did yesterday; today I played at a very, very high level. Let’s see tomorrow if I am able to continue with that positive feeling. This week has been fantastic for me. This is a very important result, and that’s confidence, that’s positive energy. That’s calm, too. Let’s try to continue tomorrow and try to continue with that good feeling next week. I worked a lot to have that feeling, and today I had that feeling that I’ve been trying to find for a while.”
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/05/18/Madrid-Saturday-SF-Nadal-Berdych.aspx%5B/url%5D
I am wondering why he is not “able to continue with that positive feeling.” Why does it disappear?
Feared this exactly and it happened.
I just knew it that Rafa would goof it up badly.
When I saw that Andy in the final , I knew Rafa is losing.
hey people, you are not giving up on Rafa, are you? You must not do that! Rafa made step forward not back…
I think we are all spoiled by the past and the fact that every time Rafa was coming back from an injury he made it a real deal and won…this time around he is not able to do it as fast as before…last week he lost to Fognini for God sake!!! And it happened on his bellowed slow clay in Barcelona…and let us just look back for a moment: last year he played Nishi in the finals…remember that? Remember that he almost LOST…remember that he GOT LUCKY that NIshi got injured…even Uncle T admitted it was not a real victory for Rafa…so what is different this year? Only that Rafa met with vintage Murray instead if injured Nishi…that is all…
Rafa will be strong in Rome…you will see…
I’m not giving up, I want to understand what’s going on with him. 🙂
He is suffering from a bruised ego and a fractured mind. Dont worry even einstein died in an asylum. The tennis genius that was rafa has lost his mind
Oh go away @filter………
Yep. He will be strong in Rome and pants in Paris…..
Help!!
^^^^ ritb
I began having nightmares about RG way back at the beginning of the year when Berdych wiped the floor with Rafa at the AO. What I don’t understand is why he has fallen apart now. He has battled back from injuries and lengthy layoffs throughout his career – never more dramatically than his miraculous 2013 comeback – so why is he having such a problem this time?
@ed251137, I cannot understand it either, this is what is so exasperating. High level sport is a pressure cooker, that I understand. That Rafa should be nervous getting on court I understand but this is the case with ALL of them, no? Watching Rafa yesterday, one could SEE the fear in him, he was incapacitated with fear. He has been a professional for how long now, and he is afraid of losing NOW? He is the one always telling us losing is part of the sport so what is he afraid of?
I would rather he goes away and sorts out his mental state rather than step on court and embarrass himself like he did yesterday.
He is not in contention for RG 2015, not in this form.
See let’s learn a lesson, don’t get expectations high. MC he got it up and it came down crashing in Barcelona. Indian wells to Miami same story. Madrid from 1 match to another same story.
I was kinda feeling odd that there were so many celebrations yesterday . Rafa may have won against Nishikori but when I saw Murray I knew he would falter.
Sanju,
My expectations are always high – no matter what! I have replied the same to you a zillion times.
you are not fair to Rafa…
I celebrated the brilliance in his performance yesterday…and he fully deserved the praise…today the story was different but to be fair fast high bouncing clay is more suitable for Andy atm who just won the clay title, who was relaxed and playing well the whole tourney against quality opponents…Rafa OTOH was coming back from a serious slump and was under tremendous pressure…Murray was advantaged today…I bet Rafa will take revenge in RG…Murray may be sent packing early due to Rafa’s dropping points…just wait and see…
anyone who is into sports knows that breaks and injuries are the worst enemy…I always remember 2011 when Rafa was mentally destroyed by Novak…losing to Novak seemed as an obstacle that Rafa would never overcome and that his confidence was seriously damaged…and yet he was back…I know Rafa is not getting any younger and every time he is forced to take a break it becomes harder to come back…but seeing moments of brilliance in his performance yesterday and today I simply know Rafa is on his way back…we just need to be patient…
Sorry but I cannot go along with the analogy to 2011. At that time Rafa was losing in the finals to Novak. He could beat everyone else. He wasn’t getting knocked out early to nobodies. He was still able to defend his clay season points and go into RG in a strong position with a good ranking.
This is nothing like 2011. Rafa had a long break with the knee injury in 2012. He was off for seven months. So how did he do when he came back? We all know the answer to that.. So I don’t buy the long layoff or injury excuse. This is like nothing we have seen with Rafa. It’s entirely different. I have never seen Rafa go up and down and be all over the place.
Moments of brilliance? Is that what we are supposed to accept? That’s not enough for me. I do not want to see Rafa slipping down in the rankings. It’s been ten years at least since he was this low. Do we really want to sit back and watch this and say it’s okay, he will come back?
Unfortunately Rafa doesn’t have time to get it together. He is in the midst of the clay season with a ton of points at stake.
Rafa out of the top four and possibly dropping even further, that’s not something I want to see at all.
so you ARE giving up on him…it’s your right to do so…I am not…I still believe in Rafa…and even if he goes further down it will make the comeback more precious…Rafa is and will always be a tennis God for me…and as long as he is on tour I will believe in him…
Vamos Rafa!
Sorry but I can’t be optimistic after this loss. I thought the lowest was Rafa losing early to Fognini in Barcelona. Some may choose to think that this is progress because Rafa made it to the final. But with so much on the line, he came out and played like crap. Where was his game today? Did it suddenly all go away overnight?
I have lived and died with Rafa’s ups and downs through the years. It’s never been easy. But this is not about being injured. He’s been all over the place and every time I think he’s gotten it together, then he comes out and plays so awful that I can’t even bear to watch.
It’s not about being spoiled as far as I am concerned. I never took anything for granted. Not with all the injuries and difficult moments. But there comes a time when you just have to say – enough! I don’t want to see this up and down all the time.
I can understand if Rafa gives it his best. That is all anyone can ask. But he didn’t do that in this match and I don’t know the reason why. Losing in such a non-competitive fashion in front of his home crowd and the Queen of Spain with so much on the line, well it’s just horrible.
I don’t even care about Rome. Rafa is looking at a possible third round match with Isner. Otherwise his draw is not that bad. But Madrid was his best chance to get a win without Novak playing. This was the moment where he had to step up to salvage his chances at RG.
I am willing to give it my all, but Rafa has to do the same. There is no reason for him to come out on the court and play like that. No excuses. It’s not like Murray played lights out or anything. Rafa had his chances in the first set but couldn’t break back. Then the second set was over as soon as it began.
When Rafa is on, you don’t see him getting broken in the beginning of sets like that. Now he is in the worst position possible. If he doesn’t defend his 600 final points in Rome, then he could go down in the rankings even more. Does anyone here really want to see that?
I have been sad, but now I am starting to get frustrated and angry. Rafa has always, always been able to defend most of his clay season points. But that’s not going to happen this year.
Now we can look forward to Rafa entering RG ranked 7th or lower. Still like his chances?
Still not saying he won’t be back. He can be, just don’t expect it. He may when we least expect it.
Atleast he beat Grigor and Berdych and played decently except the final.
He’s down to no 7 n may go out of 10 but only way from there is up.
thank you! that is the right way to go…
sanju,
So when do you think he will go up again? When do you think these ups and downs will not happen anymore?
Are you looking forward to him being ranked so low and having to face the top players in the quarterfinals or earlier? Do you think that will help his confidence? Will that make it easier for him to come back?
He played decently until it mattered the most. He could have salvaged it with a victory. He could have turned it all around. But Rafa beat himself yet again.
Are you okay watching this trainwreck?
I am not okay at all. He is not having what u call sustained confidence. He is fearing to lose than playing to win.
But it can just be that playing in front of his home crowd n to win when he is suffering lack of confidence just overwhelmed him n he could not perform. For that very reason he may do better in Rome as no expectations .
And whether he is 5 or 8 it means the same for a draw.
Exactly, and he has been ranked #5 recently enough, so being #7 is of itself no biggie.
And we need only look to today’s victor himself to see the terrible inconsistency of firm that follows back surgery. Murray had his op in September 2013 and dropped out of the world’s top 8 after Wimbledon 2014 but the seasoned pros all reckoned he’d be back. Nadal’s going through similar woes at the moment and even he remains safely inside the top 8. The only niggling doubts centre on the fact that he is older, and perhaps a bit less hungry.
And it is enervating to chalk up a seventh clay loss inside two seasons (his fourth in five events this year) while seeing all of his chief rivals lift clay titles in Novak’s absence these past few weeks. Roll on Rome, where a second consecutive friendly draw should see Nadal at least get close to defending his 600 points from 2014. And he remains my pick for this year’s French Open – provided he does not have to meet Novak.
If Rafa isn’t able to defend his 600 points in Rome, he could drop lower.
Murray did drop down to #9 or 10 last season. Fed never dropped lower than #8 I believe. But neither of them dropped out of the top ten. That is significant because Rafa is defending 2600 points at Rome and RG.
Rafa’s draw at Rome is good with the exception of facing Isner in the third round. With his ranking, this is the best draw he’s going to see for a while.
I am not celebrating at the prospect of Rafa having to face the other top three in the quarterfinals. His path to a win is going to be a lot harder than it has been. If he’s still struggling with his confidence, how is that going to help?
I have tried to stay optimistic, but this loss did it for me. I just can’t stand it anymore. This is not what I want for Rafa. I certainly hope that he won’t retire on a low note. Go out on a high. If he can find one these days.
Something just snapped in me with this loss and the way it happened. I don’t take anything for granted with Rafa and never will. I have rearranged my life and my sleep schedule happily in the past. It was worth it to me. But I don’t know how much more of this I am able to take.
This is the first time that I have felt really angry. This is the place where I need to come to vent. It’s a way of coping with my feelings. We all do it in our own way.
^^Sanju
I recall, many years ago a quote by Rafa when he said what really drove him on during matches was not the winning but the fear of losing.
Over and over we saw his steely determination not to lose allowing him to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
Alas that fear of losing is now paralysing him has now turned into the albatross around his neck.
I agreed with Hawkeye yesterday when he said Rafa should take a sabbatical. It worked for Agassi when he hit rock bottom.
^^Is that what @hawkeye63 said @ed251137, that Rafa should take a sabbatical?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
hawkeye63 says:
May 10, 2015 at 7:48 pm
The only way to overcome your fears is to face them. Avoidance only makes it worse.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Quote above sounds to me like @hawkeye63 is advocating the opposite. The quote from @hawkeye63 was in response to my post below:
“rafaisthebest says:
May 10, 2015 at 7:43 pm
I’m done with this “Rafa is nervous” clap-trap.
If he is getting scared playing he should take a holiday and not come back until he truly wants to play tennis……………”
Nowadays each time Rafa steps up for a second serve, I mentally give the point to his opponent BEFORE Rafa tosses the ball. I KNOW Rafa will lose the point. Each time Rafa faces a 2nd serve, I expect him to squander the opportunity, and half the time he does not disappoint. This is nonsense.
it only means he is not ready yet…but he will be…one day…better sooner than later…
RT @linzsports: ” Andy is good but not redlining. Rafa is absolutely terrible.”
RT @NYPost_DeMarzo : “@linzsports On a scale of 1 to 10 Rafa’s current level is minus-5.”
I’ve been a huge Rafa fan for ages but after the horrors of last year after this year’s AO I made a decision not to follow tennis (for me Rafa is tennis) until he got his game going again as I just couldn’t face more of the same. I make sure I don’t see anything about tennis even…but by chance I saw the news of his defeat to Murray (I am British unfortunately) so came on here to find out what had happened and learnt of the string of problems.
Part of my problem is that I am actually pretty furious with Rafa for not taking more control of these situations. yes I know that he has been incredibly unlucky with injuries but he’s made some bad decisions…playing with appendicitis last year….refusing to see sports’ psychologists who loads of top sportsmen and women see and who really do help. All this talk about practice and more practice is hardly the point if he’s paralysed with nerves and it’s counterproductive if it puts too much strain on the body.
Also he can’t afford to keep falling in the rankings….
I still love Rafa and think he is a great player but I’m not convinced he’s thinking straight or making the right choices – hell if things go on like this not only should he be thinking about seeing a psychologist he should think about bringing in someone with a different mindset into his coaching set-up (there are times when Uncle Toni is not helpful to Rafa with all his talk of humility and so on…he needs someone with a kickass aggressive attitude who reminds him that he’s a great player)
^^@ amy
It’s tough being a Rafan……………….but you are in good company here.
You have expressed what many of us are thinking and going through.
and one thing I am certain about Rafa…if his ranking drops so low and he starts losing to top players in a way that it becomes a pattern he will simply retire…he will not be on tour if he realizes that he has nothing more to give…but I really think Rafa is not done yet…it may be that I am overly optimistic, unrealistic and rather blind…but I chose to think that way…if I am proven wrong it will hurt me more than you guys who were to see things in a more realistic way…but for now I will cheer for Rafa in hope that the King of Clay will be back…
No he cannot do that and I doubt he will.
No champion will go out moving away from the tour. Look at Steffi . She had disastrous 1997 n 1998 after a stellar career till 96 but she fought back n won RG n reached final of Wimby in 1999 n then quit.
Look at Roger he had disastrous 2013 losing to anybody n everybody but he fought back after that n won 8 titles total from 2014 till now though not a slam.
exactly…that is what I am saying…Rafa will never surrender that easily…he will fight back…
I might also point out that we are almost at the midpoint of this year. In a few weeks it will be June. So when does this nightmare end? When will Rafa get it together? He has stayed at the top in large part due to playing consistently well. Now that’s not happening.
The problem is that Rafa’s not fighting back. The way he lost this match was not fighting. That was like giving up.
NNY: You and I often shared our fears during the dark days of 2012. What is so alarming this time around is his attitude at times is verging on defeatism. I have to go to England tomorrow to deal with urgent family affairs so will not be able to follow Rome even if I wanted to. And I’m certainly not going to watch RG unless someone knocks Novak off his perch!!!!!!!!!
ed,
Yes, you and I have had these discussions. I am grateful that you are here posting again. I have drawn comfort from your words in the past.
I agree with you about Rafa’s attitude. I remember that he hated to lose. Of course he would take it with dignity and accept it as part of the sport. But he didn’t like it. I did not watch the awards ceremony but read that he seemed to be okay, smiling and all. Since when? Now I don’t expect him to cry like Fed did at the awards ceremony for the 2009 AO. Rafa would never do that. But it does seem like defeatism these days.
You and I spoke after 2011 about how we both feared that Rafa was going the way of Borg. But this is something that we just have not seen with Rafa. It’s so unlike him that it’s positively bizarre. I feel like I am having a bad dream and will wake up and it will all be over.
Rafa had his chances to keep his ranking. But he’s thrown away opportunity after opportunity. I wish that I could remember when Rafa gave an interview some months ago in which he said that he realized that his ranking was going to drop. I wanted to copy and paste it here, but I just cannot remember where I read it. I know that it was back during the South American clay swing. I think about it because it’s like he’s making it come true.
I don’t get it. I just do not get it at all.
Rafa has been working hard he says and we know that means he has…. to pratice before tournaments and equally to find his feelings, motivations etc. That’s all he can do. This is why it actually does not surprise me that he is taking bad days like yesterday the way he does.
There is the hypothetical question that will remain hypothetical. Had rafa enlisted a sports psychologist or somebody equivalent that actually could make a difference on the psychological side… would it make a deep difference? a) he won’t hire someone, so hypothetical. b) it might make a real difference… or not. If the burn-out or whatever is the right description is a natural and deep response of his mind (+ body)… perhaps there is nothing much that can or should be done. He will continue to fight this, with pain and acceptance, both.
The irony of it all is that Rafa is physically healthy. That’s what I found myself thinking today. We always worry about Rafa’s health. Who ever thought it would be something like this?
I haven’t gotten really angry and disgusted until this loss. I guess that I have my limits. I have tried to hang in there and have hope, but after this I just don’t know to think.
I have been watching tennis for over 30 years and I have never seen anything like this. Rafa is the best I have ever seen on clay. He won the French last year for 9 of 10. He is physically fine. Yet he got destroyed by somebody who isn’t that good on clay. It’s not just the unforced errors it’s that he bounced the ball before reaching the net on break point. He mishit some second serve returns damn near into the crowd. Everybody says he has the yips. I don’t get it. I’m not a betting man but it’s tempting to go for the odds to win in Paris because it just seems like he can’t do this for 3 whole sets. He has fallen off a cliff so to speak. Unbelievable.
there’s nothing tempting about picking Nadal to win win Paris
I understand . Solution is since it is not in your hands n u cannot do anything , please do not expect much from him to avoid disappointment.
Yep. Oddly, I am now able to watch Rafa’s matches with little stress, I think it’s because I do not expect much from him anymore. RG is all I care about and sadly, he is not going to defend that, not in this form.
@ritb, “I am now able to watch Rafa’s matches with little stress, I think it’s because I do not expect much from him anymore.”
Welcome to Fedfans world!
Hahaha! Have to laugh at Rafa’s Spanglish:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2015/05/18/Madrid-Sunday-Final-Nadal-Reaction.aspx
“I cannot leave Madrid not happy. I have to leave happy and just delete what happened today.”
Yep, just hit the “delete” button. Where is that button? Need to delete the memory of yesterday’s match…………….
I wish that I could delete the memory of that match!
For a change Ricky you got a lot of predictions wrong this week.
Forget about Rafa regaining his confidence, he needs to regain his game first. To claim that he is playing better and better is delusional. He is pants at the moment.
This year for Rafa is eerily similar to Fed’s 2013 – the difference being fed’s problem was physical and Rafa’s is completely mental. Both suffered a huge drop in confidence (as did Murray long after his relatively minor back surgery).
Rafa will be back and he talks the talk as did Federer when he had slipped as low as No. 8 in the rankings. He said he will be back sooner or later.
For me, it’s looking like later. The larger court and best of five format will certainly help in Paris but his problems lie completely between the ears.
I agree completely with chevelle@yahoo.com above. Sports psychology is extremely common in professional sports and especially in individual sports where you have no team-mates to cover for you when you are not at your best. To me, it is sheer stupidity for Team Nadal to dismiss it outright. Perhaps it is part of the Spanish machismo that it is so readily dismissed. Related to that, it is time for Rafa to shake things up with his team. Perhaps adding a coach to help him with his mental demons.
Other than Rome and Paris last year, Rafa has had no significant success (for him) since the 2013 USO, a full 20 months ago. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It is time for a change.
hawkeye,
I agree with your thoughts. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this is all mental. A player simply cannot play great one day and then come out and forget how to play in the next match. It doesn’t go away overnight.
I agree that it’s going to be later. As I said in a previous post yesterday, we are already almost at the midpoint of the year. It’s been almost six months of this. If we are to think that getting to a final and then losing in an incomprehensible way is progress, well that’s not encouraging. Rafa is hemorrhaging points.
I also agree with you about getting a sports psychologist. That’s why these people exist. There are times when a player simply cannot solve the problem on his own. I agree that this is foolish for Team Nadal to continue to dismiss it. Rafa saying that those people are for life, that this is only a game, really rings hollow to me. This is his avocation, his career. It is a big deal. You only have so many years in this sport. They are precious and Rafa has lost so much time to injuries.
Sometimes it’s good to make a change. Other players have done it. This is something that Rafa has not gone through. This is not like any of his other struggles. I don’t know if it’s burnout, part of the inevitable process of getting older and declining, or what.
I will also say that Fed’s troubles came when he was 31, not 28. He was a few years older than Rafa and it wasn’t all that surprising to see him struggle and have a terrible year. As you said, Fed’s was mostly physical. But I will reiterate that neither Fed or Murray dropped out of the top ten.
That could be a reality if Rafa continues this way. He’s got a lot to defend in the next two tournaments..
Actually, Federer had his “God, It’s KILLING Me” meltdown moment when he was 28 after only managing one slam in his last five tries before turning things around again.
Geez, you Rafa fans are a tough crowd. It’s barely a year after your guy wins his 9th RG title and barely the 5th month following appendix surgery and you guys are “angry” “disgusted” or ready to abandon him? Also, your guy has only lost clay finals to Federer, Djokovic, Murray and (okay) Zeballos. Not just a tough crowd but unforgiving. Even as a Muzz fan I have belief in your guy.
Overall, Rafa played in Madrid better than our own Ricky expected – he didn’t expect Rafa to reach the quarterfinals!
So true…good observation!
But the point is not about beating ricky’s or anyone’s predictions… the point is the now long term pattern of rafa’s mental congruence breaking down repeatedly such that he plays with 10% of the confidence he used to have.
In any given match he might play better. In others he won’t. So our predictions right now are closer to throwing darts.
Rafa exceeded the expectations of the specialist (Mr. Dimon).
Dear Augusta,
You really need to learn to _listen_ I mean read with an open mind what others are trying to say or write to you.
Instead of keeping your mind closed and repeating yourself.
Dear chloro,
You really need to learn to be not soooo serious and not to attack for nothing! 🙂
Yeah… um…. good luck with that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8CibAuvZM4
nice try, aug, but as usual your responses to anything we write to you are weak like tea diluted 50 times. No cigar. try again :-).
Besides I was not attacking you. Just suggesting you read a post you are answering and actually answering it rather than continuing with the usual denial of reality :-). Trying to be helpful, you know 🙂 ?
In case it wasn’t obviously clear, my post was directed to my partner in crime. You know who you are.
chloro, :
May 11, 2015 at 3:41 pm
My opinion I expressed (on May 11, 2015) at 12:06 pm has absolutely nothing to do with YOU! I referred to Ricky’s expectation. Period!
chloro,
Thanks for your good common sense and keeping it real. It’s not about beating Ricky’s or anyone else’s predictions. Rafa got to the final with a lot on the line. That’s when he usually steps up to the challenge. But he didn’t go out there and fight. He played like someone who had zero confidence.
Again, it’s the way he is losing these matches. He was not competitive.
Also, I would not get drawn into a back and forth with the usual suspect here. It’s a waste of time. Anyone who thinks everything is roses and all will be well, is simply in denial.
Yeah but your opinion regurgitated (on May 11, 2015) at 3:07 pm in reply to chloro’s post (on May 11, 2015) at 3:41 pm had absolutely everything to do with CHLORO! You referred to chloro’s post. Period!
Hilarious!!!
Rafa’s post-match press conference (transcript):
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=108950
chevelle,
I think it’s completely understandable why rafa 2015 is the way he is.
First realise that the expectations for rafa to perform close to how he has performed before are enormous.
First consider from the outside: sponsors paying millions of euros / dollars a year. Millions of fans. Sports journalists. List goes on.
Then consider from the inside. He is / has been a sports player among those that are the most completely ambitious: in terms of mental desire and effort, physical effort, giving it all in practice and in matches to get as close as possible to your absolute best. Since a very early age, even before going pro and on the ATP at tender precocious ages.
His uncle helped him to develop this drive… but he and others point out that it was already there in rafa to begin with… he is an exception among sports people and cetainly among more laid-back Mallorcans.
We have here a very extreme case of someone who’s been pushing himself extremely hard. I don’t have to elaborate. (The cold shower prior to a match, the warm-up, the bouncing up and down in the hallway waiting to go on court and everything else he does to rev himself up into that other way of being that is rafa in competition mode is one type of insight into the mental extreme world that is Rafa’s approach to winning at tennis.)
THE MAIN THING
The hardest thing to add to this to understand rafa 2015 is the stuff you may or may not be thinking about often. Sorry to repeat myself but in my view nothing makes sense if you don’t add this part. Just having suffered that insane bad luck at AO 2014 and some other injuries does not explain sufficiently what’s been happening the last few months. The missing part imho is that after so many years of pushing himself there is a part of rafa that just doesn’t want to be pushed so much anymore. Very understandably. We don’t talk, at least not very clearly, about what the magnitude and impact of people’s unconscious is in anything we do or go through… we pay lip service to it but I think we tend to skim over this topic and belittle it. Put yourself in rafa’s shoes from a young age and imagine pushing yourself this much with hardly a break (safe for the 2012 injury time-out). Yes, you are pushing yourself at something you are passionate about, two things actually: tennis the awesome game and WINNING. Now imagine going through all the ups and downs, the injuries, some potentially career threatening, the slow climb in ability in all areas where your abilities are relatively weak compared to the top players (serve, hardcourt, etc.). All the ups and downs, the hard defeats, you name it. Then go through the hardships of 2013. Is it not understandable that some part of your mind, possibly a very important part of it just says, “that’s enough with pushing me”.
I am not suggesting that rafa is retiring soon. Only that there are two main tendencies in his mind… one that we have been familiar with forever, and the other part I am describing (speculating, I know, hawkeye) above. It just may be that there will be a prolonged back and forth between these two …. sometimes with strong results in tournaments and sometimes with enough lack of internal congruence towards playing your best with confidence that you get matches such as last week’s against the Fog and yesterday’s final.
^^^ @ chloro
Your posts are always eloquent. I share many of your thoughts. I was asking myself As far back as 2012 how many times this extraordinary young man could find the will and drive to battle back from injuries. I. too, believe the run of health problem last year broke his spirit. These were not old problems with which he and his team are familiar. This was a series of new injuries, plus the appendicitis on top of the back and wrist. He has endured so much for so long I think it is only his deep sense of responsibility to the world of tennis, his sponsors and his legion of fans which is keeping him from giving up.
thank you, ed
how’s your sister doing?
chloro, so well stated. You reminded me of 2014 AO final problem with the back and the crowd being so hard on him.
In hindsight, I think part of Rafa’s unwavering spirit broke that day and has never been quite the same since. The multiple health issues since then haven’t helped.
It’s time for a change.
ed and hawkeye,
you both talk about the 2014 injuries breaking his spirit, esp the first one at AO 2014. No doubt they were a major blow… but the pushing himself part has been an ever-present factor. Even without major injuries this factor would sooner or later get to him.
To repeat what I wrote weeks ago. This view comes also from conversations with my wife who occasionally watches Rafa matches with me. She has a background in psychology and has been saying for a while that the mental intensity with which he approaches every match, every game in the match is just extreme and would eventually get to him.
Neither of us judge him for it. As a way to reach your potential and inspire others to deal with the challenges in their life he is a beautiful emblematic example, a symbol, a real-life hero.
“Even without major injuries this factor would sooner or later get to him.”
I tend to agree however the constant barriers thrown at him (particularly that AO loss) IMO has made it sooner rather than later.
(my better half is also a background in psych. which certainly keeps her busy married to me!!! 🙂 )
Why limit it to Rafa?
I feel every player on the tour needs to be looked at with the same perspective. They all had to go through almost the same routine of rigour day in and day out. It’s pretty easy to feel burnt out after that.
After all, they all are humans and not some machines!
abhirf,
You are right about the others….
and then there is this additional factor with rafa simply in how much he pushes himself, has been for almost his entire life. No doubt many of the others push themselves a whole lot or they would simply not make it into the atp no matter what. But with rafa the level of pushing is exceptional.
And this goes way beyond the physical exertions on court starting at age 15 / 17 when he made it to the top ranks while much younger and so got into running so much after balls, something he wouldn’t be doing were he their age and his body developed already like theirs. I mean pushing mentally far more than I mean pushing physically.
I think Sampras and Borg both burned out in similar ways. The difference for me is that Rafa still seems very highly motivated to come back and I believe that he will if he is willing to make some changes.
Rafa looks to be in a good mood:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEt3mDuUsAAOS6S.jpg
Of course. He has always said that there is more to life than tennis.
That’s not a dig or about quitting.
It is about how he was raised and he is right.
Even in defeat he is able to remain happy as a human being.
He has more to be happy about than the vast majority.
Many fans and players lose this perspective but he does not.
This is what makes him, IMO, the most successful player of all time.
Vamos Rafa.
No matter what.
^^ Well said.
He is a role model of the true kind.
No doubt he has inspired countless young people not only to pursue tennis (not a bad thing, if you have a bit of money to cover the costs), to aspire to be the top of their field (this one is debatable, imho, as we are insane about such things in our modern cultures,…
but above all … to be simultaneously courageous, dedicated, relentless about pursuing what matters, always polite to and respectful of others, humble in the best sense of the word, keeping things in perspective, not egotistical or narcissistic, concerned about family friends and everyone else and more. A true human being, in the better sense of the word.
It is the latter list that matters. More than the role model such as it is offered by other more typical sports heroes.
Rafa IS happy…he reached the final and played extraordinary match in the semis…
I just have one question for all of you here with heavy criticism for Rafa: How many of you predicted or expected Rafa to win Madrid title? Who are we to say anything about this young man who fought so hard to reach the finals and lost maybe due to mental exhaustion or due to lack of confidence or just due to the fact that he needs more time to reach his best..
Ricky wrote him off and was sincere about it…did you all critics expect Rafa to win the title….I certainly do not think so…
Speaking for myself, natashao, I am not criticizing rafa in the least. Never have, never will have a reason to I think. I can’t begin to comprehend he has been able to achieve so much in the last 5 – 7 tough years while he surprised me and exceeded my expectations each year. I am simply writing about how I try to understand the root reason for the difficulties he’s having.
And I happen to agree with your wife…it’s exhausting just to watch with how much mental intensity Rafa approaches every single match let alone live it as Rafa does…
chloro,
I think that you hit on something with that devastating loss in the 2014 AO final. I always worried about any long term effects from it. To come into the match and be thisclose to getting the double career slam and then have this freak injury come out of nowhere, well that had to leave some mental and emotional scars.
On top of that, the behavior of the crowd egged on by Stan, had to inflict even more hurt. It was dreadful. I wondered if there would be lasting trauma from that event. It’s entirely possible that this along with the unexpected wrist injury and then the appendicitis, was just too much. I have been saying that a player can only take so much. This might have been just a bit too much for Rafa.
@nats, I neither predicted nor expected Rafa to win, I WANTED him to win, for the sake of the rankings and what this portends for RG seedings.
Nearly 24 hours later, I have accepted Rafa’s defeat and what it portends for RG. Whether Rafa is #3 or #10 he simply has to beat whoever is across him. Reading the transcript of his post match interview, Rafa seems to think dropping out of the top 8 would be more dire for him than where he is now. So, if he is relaxed, I will relax also. Like in Madrid, he has a decent draw in Rome and should make the final unless he turns in a performance like he did in the Madrid final. A Rome finalist position should guarantee him top 8 position in the rankings.
Watching Rafa play over the years I have always expected him to throw in one bad match in a tournament but still win, playing ugly. This time I am not very confident he would ride through bad days at the office. This is what gives me pause.
I don’t care about Rome. My mind is already in Paris.
I know dear…I do not blame you and I know where it’s coming from…it hurts seeing him lose the way he did… it’s not right to desert him either…I was on the edge of tears when Rafa was broken for the second time yesterday…I knew it was over…but then I saw him smiling, that humble honest smile said it all…Rafa is extraordinary young man and having gone through all the injuries and comebacks I think at least he deserves us his fans to back him up…even if he never finds his form again he deserves to be loved and supported for what he is…and he is a tennis God!
Vamos Rafa no matter what!
Don’t worry @nats, I am never deserting Rafa. I love Rafa for more than just his tennis game. If I was the kind of fan who just wants wins for their favourite, I would be a Djokovic fan. Gosh, even saying that gives me the creeps………….
Rafan forever………..
natashao,
I have to say that we should all respect the feelings of everyone here. No one needs to be lectured or scolded as though we are children. This is a place to vent, discuss and try to come to terms with what is happening with Rafa.
As for me, I said right before Madrid started that I didn’t have expectations. I would take it one match at a time. However, once Rafa got to the final should I then have expected him to lose because I didn’t foresee him being there? That does not make any sense to me. With Rafa playing so well against Berdy and progressing with each match, should I have just expected defeat? Should I have said – okay, that’s good enough. So go out and lose in non competitive fashion, Rafa?
No, I wanted Rafa to win. Once he got there then I believed he could do it. So please don’t criticize some of the fans here for being disappointed in the way it played out. We are human, too.
I did not criticize…I am not in a position to do any such thing…I simply asked a question…and you answered…that’s all…I also get frustrated about Rafa’s losses…and this time I choose to take positives out of it…and you have different opinion which I fully respect…no need to go on about it…the last thing I want to do is argue with an other rafan…that is feature of weakness and we shall not be weak…not at these times…
Rafa said it all yesterday after the match:
“Other players when they leave with injuries or problems, I don’t see even single player goes out there fighting for everything. Murray had a very regular year last year and this year he’s playing great. He left with an injury, and then took him a year to be back on the same track and feel what he’s feeling today. Things are not that simple, and for me, they have never been.
But that doesn’t take my joy or my attitude. The feelings that I have this week have been great. The attitude has been very good. That’s what I think about. My game has been also very good over a lot of days, except for today, which was not my day.”
and…
“I have the joy to do that. If it’s not that way, I will face it. I will face that this year I wasn’t so good. Nothing happens. The world will continue. I will continue.
Here it finishes. This is sport. Sometimes things work out better and others they don’t, and it doesn’t matter. That’s all. That’s all the story. This is just a game. Let’s see what happens in the future. I will fight for better results.”
Good to read the above. It wasn’t that Rafa lost to Murray: it was the manner of losing that left so many of us bewildered.
Chloro: In answer to your question, my sister is progressing well although she still has a way to go. She had a severe bleed on the brain and until that has dispersed we will not know if there will be any lasting effects but so far the signs are good. I am now off to England for two weeks to spend time with our 97 year old mother and deal with her affairs.
^^
3 cheers for your Mum @ed251137. Only 3 more years to be a Centurion!
Ed, best wishes for your mom and your sister. Glad to read that there are good chances your sister might recover fully.
ed,
I didn’t realize that you are dealing with family health issues. I know what it’s like. Last year I lost my mother on July 1st at the age of 92. It’s was very difficult. Even though our parents get older, that doesn’t make it any easier to see them go. I haven’t spoken about it here. Too painful and private. But in light of what you have revealed, I just want to say that I am praying for your sister and hope that all will be well.
I wish you strength during this time.
I managed to not cry yesterday when Rafa lost and decided to see only positives…and now Rafa’s words brought the tears in my eyes…he is such a great human being…and I am so proud to be his fan…
natashao,
I did not mean to be harsh to you in my previous reply. This is a very difficult time for all of us as Rafa’s fans. I am grateful that we have all been able to have our say here. It helps to talk it out. I read what others say and sometimes that also helps me to cope.
I appreciate your point of view. I wish that I was more optimistic, but for now I will just accept what has happened and look ahead to Rome. It was interesting to read Rafa’s post-match comments. He can’t afford to be negative. I always have said that players must think differently than their fans. He has to take the positives out of Madrid because he will have to play in Rome this week. He can’t fall apart. I can sit here and feel sad and angry and just plain bad, but Rafa does not have the time for that.
I understand what Rafa is saying. He has to put this defeat out of his mind in order to look ahead and focus on Rome. I do get that. It’s interesting to read that he expected his ranking to fall. I guess he tried to prepare himself for it and take some of the pressure off himself.
I respect your thoughts and feelings and hope that I did not make it seem otherwise. 🙂
While I am not confident Rafa will do as well as he has done previously at RG, I have a sneaky feeling he will surprise us all……..
Wouldn’t it be funny if Muzza goes on to win RG 2015 instead of Djokovic……..
Hahaha…not gonna happen…trust me…
No.
It won’t.
The thought occurred to me yesterday about Andy. It seems to me that RG this year is more open than other years. Rafa _may_ surprise us and win it but I’ve stopped counting on that.
Thus Djoker is the obvious pick and favorite. But Djoker is not infallible, no matter how consistent (and a little lucky) he has been for a stretch now. He does have his vulnerabilities at times even in his best years. Surely he wants badly to win his first RG esp in a tournament that Rafa is competing in rather at some time after Rafa retires or happens not to be at RG due to other reasons. But Djoker’s downfall sometimes is his hubris. If not Rafa he just _might_ not win it either. And that would be a bit of a blow to the ego.
Have been thinking today that this year – and part of last – have been like Fed’s 2013 when he was badly affected by nerves and came back strong the next year. So Rafa isn’t done for by any means….but would Fed have rebounded without taking Edberg on board and changing his game?? if he’d carried on with Annacone then I don’t think that the uplift in his game and attitude would have happened. So there are a lot of question marks for me about the Uncle Toni set up if he can’t pull himself out of this pretty fast. ( We all know that Uncle T. may have instilled mental strength but on the other side he’s also bound up with Rafa’s nerves and problems). Also I really wish Rafa woudn’t be so stubborn over the whole sports psychologists thing …..when you look at the results that they achieve with vastly inferior athletes to Rafa then it makes you (me anyway!) want to throw up your hands in frustration.
I take my hat off to you guys who sit through all this….I haven’t been able to watch this year as I find it just too painful…have sleepless nights afterwards.
Fantastic points, amy
To seriously consider changing coaches as an experiment at least, and to seriously consider a sports psychologist….
would require a level of egolessness and brave vulnerability (and un-machoism) on behalf of uncle T that is very unlikely…
and would require a level of changing one’s mind and even deeper than usual brave vulnerability on behalf of Rafa that also is very unlikely.
What do I mean by brave vulnerability? As Brene Brown says so clearly after six years of studying the topic: the true measure of bravery is vulnerability. (One prime example of vulnerability is Rafa showing up match after match in this unpredictable state while expectations on him are so high from millions of people.) If this topic interests you at all I implore you to watch both of Brene’s TED talks.
Yep. I noticed and said same above…
https://tenngrand.com/2015/05/10/madrid-final-preview-and-pick-murray-vs-nadal/comment-page-2/#comment-192726
tell me about it…you know that feeling when you are finally able to fall asleep and then you wake up with the pain in the stomach…and after waking up and before I come to think about what’s wrong with me I experience this sensation of having failed in something very badly…I live through Rafa’s failures and they become my own… 🙁
amy,
I totally understand. I feel the toll it takes on my own health. I can’t sleep after Rafa loses and sometimes even before the matches! I was very nervous for this one. So I tossed and turned until I could fall asleep. Then my worst fears were realized when I saw Rafa get broken in his first service game. That’s when you know it’s going to a tough one.
I get why you can’t watch. I really do. Sometimes I have to stop watching these matches when Rafa is getting blown out. I couldn’t watch the second set yesterday. I didn’t watch the award ceremony. I get said, but this time I got angry. That should not be interpreted by anyone here as deserting Rafa or not being supportive.
We all react in our own way. As fans we put in a lot of time and effort to stand by our guy. So we are entitled to our feelings. It helps me to come here and let it all out.
Sorry, I meant to say that I get SAD!
nativenewyorker,
just wanted to say many thanks for your post and I really get where you are coming from.
There is a kind of build up of sadness which leads to anger isn’t there? otherwise the sadness is overwhelming.
Rafa’s humility is loveable up to a certain point and then it becomes a bit crazy – I do wish there was a strong figure, ex great who was close to him in some capacity who would be there to counteract it as I don’t really see this coming from Uncle T.
As a fan, the anger for me is short lived. When Rafa was broken in the second set, I turned it off.
I simply don’t enjoy tennis no matter who is playing when it is played poorly (ok especially when it is Rafa). As Rafa said himself, it was not his day and he wasn’t able to push Andy to his limit.
this year is the best chance for Novak…he is playing well, and I agree, he is also very lucky with the draws and wining even when not playing well…this year Rafa is missing the lucky part on top of his poor form…
I don’t see Murray wining it though…I do not want to think about Rafa’s prospects…it’s really “ungrateful duty” to predict anything about Rafa this year or to expect something…But nobody will take away hopes…I will have hopes for my guy…
Djoker can be credited for his own abilities and efforts for much of his success.
But he is also lucky that in the last few years there were and are years where Rafa has either not been competing for a stretch or not able to be at his best form often. The same luck, with this, as has helped Roger win a number of trophies many of which he might not have were Rafa properly in the way.
I too have hopes for Rafa and I always deep down believe that he will pull something out of the bag. But it feels that there is a kind of stalemate going on which he needs to act on. Everything seems to point back to the dreadful experience of not only being injured during the AO 2014 final but being booed. It was that experience – the hostility of the crowd while in pain which seems to have damaged him somehow. He finally got himself together winning RG and then got injured again and seems to have gone full circle back to the same state.
Stan the CryBaby instigated the crowd.
#MirkasRight
yep…he lost me there… I will never ever support Wawa in any of his matches…
The timing of the injury was ridiculous bad luck. Being a new injury was very worrisome.
I disagree about the long term impact of being booed at that AO final. It was bad behaviour, disrespectful and possibly painful to Rafa in the moment. I have a hard time believing that in itself would have much other effect, let alone help to break his spirit. (Were he constantly booed and disrespected at various tournaments in different countries that would be different. As it is, about the only place he has been disrespected more than once, while competing in over 200 ATP tournaments, is in the hallowed city of the Beautiful Children of God (they know who they are).
I think the booing was only one contributory component of the AO 14 event. There was much on the line for him (2nd career slam, tying Pete’s 14, overcoming past hardships in Australia, overcoming the hand blister throughout that event).
But I do think in hindsight that AO 14 was a turning point for him after so much success the year before. He really struggled on clay but still managed to win Rome and RG without his best. The struggles physical and mental followed.
chloro, nativenewyorker, natashao, ed, hawkeye,
thanks for all your input. I don’t really know how to use the website to reply as am not used to it!! can you let me know….
I may be wrong of course about AO 2014 ie its psychological affects chloro..but Rafa himself after denying that it had affected him then said months later that ‘there had been something wrong in his game and heart ‘ (I paraphrase from memory) since then so it’s hard to argue that it didn’t have a big impact. (I too hate Stan for it and had a premonition the night before that he was going to use the crowd!)
I am with NNY in many ways in my response to this one – I am kind of mad at Rafa for squandering a huge huge talent – because I do feel that in his stubborness and loyalty to family &tc that is what he is doing. And for me it is just too painful to watch…can’t work the next day and so on… and it makes me mad to see a great champion standing in his own way at times. Sorry, that’s what it feels like….because I absolutely believe that Rafa can win more slams.
Still wonder about the Fed/Edberg changes and whether this is true for Rafa now.
Just click on the blue “Reply” text at the end of someone’s post to reply.
Don’t be too hard on Rafa and his team. This approach has made him the most successful tennis player in history IMHO.
However, After such a long time struggling since AO 14, I would hope that they might consider some much needed change.
I don’t think Team Rafa is averse to changes. They did get a serving coach on board which a lot of people credit with helping him win his first USOpen although that partnership ended on a sour note by all accounts.
Rafa recently changed his racquet, although that too appears to have been ditched, for the moment. May be tinkering at the edges but……….
The core team however, remains the same. I think this has a lot to do with Rafa’s personality. He may be a cold-blooded killer on court (yes, miew!) but off court he appears to be a pussy-cat, mush-mellow soft. He appears to be a very loyal type of employer and would not make cold, hire and fire decisions.
As for the sports psychologist angle, I do not see that happening as long as Toni is coach. Toni is an atheist who does not see sports psychology as a science but rather, views it as superstition.
I do agree with @amy on the “great talent being squandered” bit. I certainly feel that way too. Frustrating.
thanks for that Hawkeye!
yes maybe I am being too hard….comes from getting so upset I think.
I don’t find Toni’s hardline attitudes and machismo very helpful. I still believe that this is the other side of Rafa’s mental strength which Rafa himself wrote about as Toni’s toughness to him as a child being a large part of his nerves early in tournaments – it doesn’t take a genius to wonder if the spread of this nervous complex is not originating at least in part from the same source.
I would love to see Rafa working with an ex great who would tell it like it is…ie you are one of the greatest of all time and you need to rationalise some of this selfdoubt accordingly. Some of Toni’s comments when Rafa was struggling last year made me pretty furious.
^^^
amy, I agree with you on this. I suspect the same. I wonder if Guga is available. That guy could make anyone relax.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikjmz_SlGhg
#BeColmAndPlayTennis
amy,
re uncle T:
mixed feelings about him
I too strongly disagree with him comments about rafa at this stage in his career
things like ‘rafa is not special, he worked hard and it payed off’ (paraphrasing). even if it is true much of rafa came from hard work… he IS one of the five best players of all time if not one of the three. The actual number does not matter. It is absolutely true that a different coach would be putting other things into his ear and heart.
At the same time… what if —- in his *heart of hearts* — rafa really has had enough? That’s a hard question perhaps to answer with his current entourage. A different coach maybe could help sort out that question. And if the answer is no, he really wants more just needs less sabotaging doubts etc. then keep on going rafa!
I don’t think the booing from the crowd had a lasting impact. I think it was having an entirely new injury coming out of nowhere in this match. It had to be unbelievably difficult for Rafa. He didn’t see it coming. We all knew that he was going to beat Stan. It might have been a tougher match because Stan was playing very well at that time, but in the end nothing was going to stop Rafa from that career double slam. It was beyond heartbreaking.
I remember Rafa saying something about that loss after he won RG later that year. He said that maybe this was his day after losing out on that chance. That told me that it was still in his mind. So it did hurt a lot.
He also lost out on the Rafa slam. That was in 2011. Also due to a hamstring injury that was most likely a result of not being physically recovered from that terrible virus. I have said before that maybe it’s all just too much. All Rafa wanted was the chance to go out on the court and compete at his best. He wasn’t able to do that in the 2014 AO final and also in the 2011 AO quarterfinals.
I wanted Rafa to win Madrid once he got to the final. I also wanted Rafa to beat Raonic in IW and meet Fed in the semis. I wasn’t the one who came on here and said that Rafa losing would make Fed fans happy! I always want Rafa to win, no matter who awaits him in the next round. I wanted Rafa to not drop in the rankings before RG. So that was my disappointment and part of my anger.
I also think that fans can react with frustration and anger because we feel helpless. What can we do? We can’t fix it. We are powerless. That’s part of it. All we can do is watch and cheer for Rafa. We can give him support. But it’s just not a good feeling to watch from the sidelines and not be able to help him.
May 11, 2015 at 5:26 pm
—I wasn’t the one who came on here and said that Rafa losing would make Fed fans happy!—
============================================
So, you don’t belive that it would make them happy?! You are entitled to not belive.
I was “the one who came on here and said” this after Rafa lost to Raonic.
I always (!) expect Rafa to win, but after (!) his loss I have to cope with it, move on and expect him to win his next match in his next tournament.
There was someone who came on here and created a scandal out of this.
Your schtick is getting tired.
Why don’t you use your database skills and find what YOU posted just after Rafa lost to Raonic. You know the post I mean and what YOU (as opposed toa nyone else said about fedfans not being happy or is your database forgetful).
augusta08 says:
March 21, 2015 at 12:13 am
I think, it was better to lose today than make Fedfans happy tomorrow!
#YoureWelcome
#SpeaksForItself
May 11, 2015 at 7:15 pm,
May 11, 2015 at 7:15 pm,
…
=====================================
And someone created a scandal out of this!
May 11, 2015 at 7:15 pm,
May 11, 2015 at 7:19 pm,
…
=====================================
And someone created a scandal out of this!
Someone who said what you did obviously doesn’t “always expect Rafa to win”.
Not a scandal as you’ve put it just par for the course.
Nothing new.
Hehehe! The Paris draw will be worthy of a CNN Breaking News slot with Rafa;s ranking now:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/may/11/andy-murray-rafael-nadal-madrid-roland-garros-french-open
“Make no mistake, Nadal is in trouble. If he does not win in Rome this week, or is again shovelled out early, he could drift as low as No9 in the ATP world rankings heading for Roland Garros.
That is good and bad news for his rivals. He will be wounded, of course, and might not recover.
He will also be a timebomb in the draw, and nobody from the top to the bottom of the game would want to face Nadal in such a situation. Cornered, he could find enough of his immense fighting spirit to drag himself back into contention.”
^^^ritb
I like your train of thought. Beware the wounded animal. He’s likely to turn round and bite.
“He will also be a timebomb in the draw, and nobody from the top to the bottom of the game would want to face Nadal in such a situation. Cornered, he could find enough of his immense fighting spirit to drag himself back into contention.”
exactly what I was saying the other day…something tells me Murray will be one of the victims…
mmm…kind of wondering when the release of pressure will kick in which happens when everyone writes you off. Has to happen at some point and when it does Rafa will be back with a vengeance.
hawkeye,
haha!! thanks for that. yes,let’s ring Guga and bring him on side. Imagine the fight there would be if Rafa did open up his coaching team. He can still keep Toni afterall, just bring in someone to give him a fresh look and a kickass perspective!!
PS there was no blue reply link on your post..am I being dim comme toujours!
in that case click the closest blue reply above the post you want to comment on
you are not being dim, honestly, just getting used to the patterns in wordpress (this blog)
thanks Chloro!!!
didn’t both Borg and J-Mac take breaks because they had aspirations to be rock stars!
might this not be a dangerous idea to put in Rafa’s mind ! (the rock star bit I mean..)
no risk there. Rafa has the charisma in spades but not the inclination. And perhaps no musical chops either. Nor the kind of ego it usually takes. 🙂
Yes, the first two “levels” on a post thread have a “reply” option.
However I replied to a reply (3rd level post) for which there is no reply option in which case just trace up to the last reply and select that one and your post would then show up after mine (if that makes any sense).
For experienced guys like Rafa, Nole, Fed and Murray, a tactician isn’t necessarily needed but guys like Edberg, Becker (who I and many others questioned), Mauresmo and Bjorkman can work wonders. I think Guga would be great to help him relax but Guga is probably too busy relaxing himself.
I just googled guga (that’s just fun to say), he is of course smiling in almost every picture. Guy’s going to live a long life.
#Gugla
haha hawkeye!
yes googling Guga could be part of an elocutionist’s repertoire, no?
maybe Guga is too relaxed and he and Rafa would just spend all their time fishing and on the beach…?
yes I wasn’t thinking about a tactician, an ex great who can instill confidence and freshen things up would be just the ticket….who would fit the bill apart from Guga?
That’s the problem.
Even though he suffered his own type of burn-out, maybe Borg?
Not sure Borg is the best person to inspire confidence given he left the game so young.
He was mentally very strong when he did play though….
Needs to be someone who is a fan of Rafa’s game and can communicate that…of the ex greats that would be who? Agassi has said he’s greater than Fed; J-Mac is a fan also but he spends all his time commentating…
# haven’t got a clue
agassi is one weird cat I mean in his mind
J-Mac could perhaps give up spewing words at the world whilst coaching one of the greatest ever… and he possessed one of the most natural talents for the game, he calls it as he sees it, and he has enormous respect for rafa’s abilities and achievements.
perhaps this is completely off but what about Lendl? when it comes to Ivan I am not looking for someone teaching you how to relax more, of course 🙂
chloro,
I find it a bit difficult to see Rafa and Lendl together – partly because I really don’t like Ivan
I have to say that I have thought several times that J-Mac’s love of Rafa’s game aligned to his own exceptional talents could work. What would work wonders is the fact that we know that J-Mac would give it to Rafa straight about his being one of the greatest ever and to stop the self-doubts. There are times when Toni’s comments to do with Rafa when Rafa himself is down make me absolutely furious!!
Oh and if nothing else because they(ie the comments) are rubbish and really underestimate just what a great player Rafa is….
Bringing J-Mac would certainly help improve one thing: Rafa’s English… 🙂
he’d finally learn to swear properly in english 🙂
I think Mac would be a good candidate (should the job opportunity ever arise). I doubt he would want to commit full time because of all his other interests and he is also very much a family man. Even a few weeks a year during the training blocks could benefit Rafa.
amy,
I really like your idea of Rafa working with an ex-great. That’s why I thought that Lendl being Murray’s coach was such a brilliant move. He was someone who could really understand what Murray was going through being unable to win his first slam. Lendl went through the same thing himself. He struggled mightily with greats like Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe and Borg as his rivals. He had to beat both Connors and McEnroe to win his first slam at the US Open. So he would know how Murray felt. Lendl was an ex-champion who found a way to win. I thought it was genius and it worked well enough to get Andy his two slams. He broke England’s title drought at Wimbledon.
Guga seems to be always smiling. He just has this aura about him. You can’t help but like him. I am trying to remember how he was when he played. Fans still adore him and one can see why.
I wish Rafa could find someone like that. I think it would really help. He’s in a position that very few players, former and current, can understand. The pressure of being at the top of the game for a decade is immense. He’s managed to deal with it quite well. But now he seems to be struggling.
At least we can brainstorm here and that makes me feel less helpless.
I do hope that you continue to post. I have enjoyed reading your thoughts.
Don’t worry, if you can’t watch Rafa’s matches we will all be able to keep you up to speed! I don’t know if I will always be able to watch, but there are people here who will provide commentary and analysis. 🙂
nativenewyorker,
just got on here today! thanks so much for that and it really does help to share the Rafa pain!! I will have to go offline once Rafa starts playing in Rome as I won’t be able to cope with my nerves – I have a lot of work to do this week so I will probably have to disappear for a while and then come back after Rome finishes. Otherwise I won’t sleep..
Yes I so wish that Rafa would see that a change is needed and I have felt for a while that Mac would be a great choice and that his admiration for Rafa, knowing how it feels to be under such incredible pressure, plus Rafa’s liking and respect for him would be a great combination. Rafa would have to listen to him when he gave it to him straight about his being a great great player and this would be such a well needed antidote to Toni’s tiresome prattling on about the talent of other players….this is ok maybe when Rafa is at his peak but it’s so not needed most of the time. Rafa needs to be reminded of who and what he is and being able to talk about the pressure and nerves and let things out to someone who has been there (unlike Toni) would help a lot in my view.
hawkeye,
I appreciate you posting the actual comment. It’s important to hold someone to what they say. Unfortunately, there is no wriggling out of it.
In one of your earlier posts you mentioned Fed in 2009. But when I made my comment about Fed having his troubles, I was referring to 2013. At that time Fed would have been 31. In 2009 he would have been 27. I just was saying that it seems to be happening to Rafa at a younger age than Fed. Also, as has been said Fed’s problems in 2013 were also due to a lingering back problem. But I think it’s also age. When you get into your 30’s in this game nowadays there are some skills that degrade with age. Fed isn’t able to play at a high level consistently enough to win the way he did in the past.
I do believe that Rafa is unable to play at a high level consistently enough to win and keep his ranking. We saw what he did in the second half of the second set with Berdy. That was the kind of tennis we have not seen from him. However, he was unable to produce that quality of tennis in his match with Murray. He also made reference in his post-match presser to his backhand not working in the final. But his DTL and CC backhands were firing in the semifinal. So once again, he can’t rely on these shots to be there consistently.
I am realizing that, as you said already, it’s going to be later rather than sooner. My hope was that Rafa could get it together by the time RG rolled around. That is not going to happen. Also, as far as this idea that other players will tremble with fear at the prospect of meeting Rafa in the early rounds, well all I can say is that if he plays the way he did against Murray then there will be no reason for fear. This is not the Rafa who won 9 RG’s. This is a different Rafa. So the idea that somehow he might have the advantage being ranked lower doesn’t cut it with me.
I am just keeping it real. Now that I have had a day or two, I have come to terms with it and can accept the reality. It is what it is. I can’t change it or fix it. Unfortunately.
nativenewyorker7 says:
May 12, 2015 at 3:02 am
—-hawkeye,
I appreciate you posting the actual comment. It’s important to hold someone to what they say. Unfortunately, there is no wriggling out of it.—
==========================================================
Yes, it is important to hold someone to what they say. Read more – I wasn’t the one who came on here and said that “this time Fed would have had a good shot at the win against Rafa:”
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CEyNl0hUEAEn6XE.png
You know what you said. Take care of your own house first before casting aspersions on others.
I reposted it just for you.
Poor Djokovic, guy can’t catch a break. He is the out and out favourite for RG 2015, the owner of Chatrier is on a walk-about game-wise and mentally and still all everyone on the net is talking about is the AWOL owner of Chatrier!
And you know this will continue right up to the match and the point which knocks Rafa out of RG 2015, IF that happens.
IAAR. (It’s All About Rafa).
#Charisma
Me? I’m happy to let everybody frazzle about Rafa, I’m done in that department. I’m just gonna sit back and watch what’s on offer, angst free!
Vamos Rafa!
Hey @abhirf, how about you and I share a sangria and Lindt chocolate watching our guys go about their business in Rome? Am assuming they know what their business is, hehehe! :/
Phew………
^^^^RITB
I’ve talked about this in the past – I have a hunch Djokovic and Federer both have the same Achilles heel. I.E. the more important the match the more likely they are to come up short when it matters most. There is nothing like another history-making record to see this syndrome at work. Why else did Djokovic fail in 2011 when he was on the rampage and had delivered killer blows to Rafa’s confidence in the run up to RG? Again in 2012, although Rafa’s knees were shot to pieces, he still got the better of him. In 2013 when ND had stolen Rafa’s crown in Monte Carlo he still couldn’t get the job done. Ditto 2014.
Here’s hoping the trend continues and all the pundits salivating over the demise of Rafa get egg on their faces.
I loved your beady analyses re. Maurismo below
@ed251137, I think I will organize a mini cocktail party for the RG 2015 draw alone! It will all be about who draws the short straw: Rafa!
Knowing those dastardly Frenchies, they will line it up so Rafa plays Muzza, Fed and Djokovic in succession……………..
^^^That goes without saying 🙁
when even ed, our honorary French resident, says so you know it’s true, alas 🙁
Being ranked lower at RG is a huge disadvantage. Other players even Novak have frequently gone out in early rounds if they meet Rafa in earlier rounds and they lose it can be dismissed more as bad luck with the draw. Anything less than a final win for Rafa will be considered a disaster and he and everyone else will have to listen to announcements that “the king is dead”. Rafa could be forced to beat all his biggest rivals in a succession of quality matches that in different circumstances would and should be finals. On the other side of the draw there could be some very lucky players. I feel very disappointed that RG have shown so little respect for their nine time champion that they refuse to use their powers to rank him more appropriately.
depends on the draw
No. They should not change his ranking especially given recent form on clay. Other than WImbledon where it is common practise, seedings were only changed once in the open era at the USO over 20 years ago.
No, he may or may not win this year, but as much as his detractors federazzi et al wish, the King GOAT ain’t dead – not by a long shot.
Finally figured out why Muzza’s weak asset, his 2nd serve, was so potent against Rafa: Muzza consistently aimed his 2nd serves to Rafa’s FH, denying Rafa’s FH pace so Rafa’s return would be weak, dumping the ball into the net or shanking as Rafa tried to generate his own pace, over-cooking it or short on the other side setting up nicely for Muzza to take control of the rally. We all know how Rafa likes to use that FH serve return to puch his opponent out of position, elicit a weak return and deliver the knock-out blow.
Excellent tactics employed by Muzza, well done Amelie! Amelie: 1; Uncle Toni: 0. Best resposte by Amelie to Uncle Toni’s snide criticism of her appointment as Muzza’s coach.
But I wonder, did Muzza reveal too much too soon? Before Madrid 2015, Rafa had last played Muzza at RG 2014 semis where Rafa duffed Muzza 3,2,1, and this was before Amelie got on board Team Muzza. So, Madrid 2015 were new tactics for Rafa faced. Team Rafa will pore over this in preparation for any future meetings, which may be at RG 2015.
Rafa will be ready.
rafaisthebest says:
May 12, 2015 at 7:42 am,
—Best resposte by Amelie to Uncle Toni’s snide criticism of her appointment as Muzza’s coach—
===================================
That’s what Toni said:
Ubitennis.com, June 25, 2014: Toni Nadal: ¤¤ “Murray with Mauresmo? He’s rich, he can afford her. Nadal is less rich so he choose me.”
At the Lavazza’s stand in Wimbledon Ubaldo Scanagatta interviewed Toni Nadal, asking him for a comment about Murray choosing Amélie Mauresmo as his new coach.
“Murray choosing Mauresmo is a beautiful decision because she’s beautiful. Nadal choosing me is also a beautiful decision, because i’m beautiful too”. Words of Toni Nadal, funny as usual when it comes out of the player’s box, interviewed at the Lavazza’s stand in Wimbledon.
Toni also said to Ubaldo Scanagatta that “Murray is rich so he can afford Mauresmo. Nadal is less rich so he choose me. I’m the cheapest coach of the tour“. ¤¤
http://www.ubitennis.com/english/2014/06/25/toni-nadal-murray-mauresmo-hes-rich-can-afford-nadal-less-rich-choose/
He said more than that Gussie, he said more than that. There’s more, can’t be bothered to google search.
robo cherry-picking GOAT.
It’s an automatic Reply at 3:10 pm.
Teeheehee!
RT @AmyFetherolf : “Okay I’ll admit I’ve been paying no attention to tennis, but how the f@%@ is the Sleeve ranked No. 4?”
RT @AmyFetherolf : “All the better reason to go back into tennis hibernation.”
RT @AmyFetherolf : “I missed the even more disturbing aspect of this: Raonic is now ranked ahead of Rafa. That’s a truly depressing state of affairs.”
#WeakEra
There are quite a few ‘stars of the future’ who have been promoted above their station in life…………
Raonic maybe No.4 for the moment but no way does he qualify to be known as one of the The Big Four. Incidentally Motormouth Koenig recently opined that Murray should no longer be counted as one of them. Dan
auto correct changed Dah to Dan above
By what logic does Koenig say Muzza should not be counted as one of the Big 4? Just checked the rankings and Muzza is #3, duh.
Please Muzza, carry your momentum and beat the pundits’ blue-eyed boy, Djokovic as well.
Koenig is an idiot.
Why aren’t people blathering on about Cilic’s loss of form like they are about Rafa’s? He recently won a Slam and has not been out on a long injury sabbatical last time I checked. He has hardly won anything since that USOpen win, has been beaten by a string of nobody’s and is on his way to being creamed by GGL in the Rome 1st round.
^^^ritb
Par for the course my dear, par for the course
Neither of the rookie slammers have exactly covered themselves in glory since their 15 minutes of fame,,,,,
Crybaby is becoming more and more sullen by the moment. Did you see the fuss he made about the advertising panels last week, As for Cilic enough said. I can’t believe the whole suspension saga was white-washed as though it had never happened.
#WeakEra
Cilic out.
briefly hot, then back to cold, or cold-ic, chill-ic if you prefer
The new RG 2015 contender, Kyrgios, (well, since he beat Rafa and Fed……….according to the pundits) is out.
Someone should start a blog where they keep track of the accuracy of the pundits’ predictions. They could also have people bet on which pundits would win the prediction race.
There’d be lots of eggs on lots of faces.
#HumblePie
I don’t think it’s a good thing that Rafa’s ranking has gone down prior to RG. Not at all. But the real issue is how he’s playing. I am trying to be realistic at this point.
Yes, it’s absurd to have Raonic ranked #4, but who made it happen? Rafa has been saying for a while that he expected his ranking to drop. He talked about it in his post-match presser. But it didn’t have to happen. It happened because he got knocked out early in Miami, then knocked out early in Barcelona and then not winning in the final at Madrid. So it was possible to stay at #4.
We can’t complain about who is now ranked where they are. Rafa has been losing points on a regular basis. I also don’t understand why anyone would care what pundits say. So if Koenig says Murray doesn’t belong in the top four that means something? I am sure that Murray won’t be bothered. He’s just going to continue playing well.
By the way, according to Rafa the problem in his match with Murray was his backhand. I am going to listen to Rafa’s analysis of what went wrong in that match. He knows best.
I am not going to make myself sick over what’s happened to Rafa. As I said already, it’s out of my control. But I am also not going to pretend that it’s not a big deal. It’s hard to see his ranking drop.
You never know for sure in this sport. Amazing things can happen. So we will have to wait and see.
so Andy is thinking to quit this tourney…too tired after fighting with Rafa…it’s weird how people exhaust themselves when facing Rafa…even if it looked easy to us Murray certainly does not think that way…
has he decided yet?
and it has nothing to do with the fact that he played against Rafa
I knew you would say this…I expected people to reflect on how Andy played too much, how it took a toll on his body and soul and bla bla…no, he is just mentally drained from playing Rafa…not that he had any demanding physical match, for that part I agree, but having Rafa on the other side of the net just drains people’s minds…. 🙂
and to answer your question…no, he has not confirmed yet…but I take he will either do it or lose his next match…
That’s correct. Andy has played two tournaments back to back. He might want to take a break the way Novak did to be as ready as possible for RG.
is Rafa playing so much worse now than he did last year? because he was pretty dreadful then yet managed to turn things around at RG. From what people are saying it sound like he is..which means that he must be playing abominably. Because it makes me too miserable to watch I have no idea of what’s going on.
Also, I suppose one obvious difference is that last year it wasn’t that long since he had been playing at a high level….
also having a lower ranking is obviously dangerous for him given that of all the top players he struggles most in the early rounds making him vulnerable to be picked off then anyway. he’s going to need a huge amount of luck with the draw…
amy, look at the bright side of it…if he goes out early he will be fresh for Wimby… 🙂
just kidding of course…
haha natashao… it does stretch credulity a bit to think that if he goes out early at RG he could win Wimby…
if he does go out early then let’s hope that Djokovic, Fed and Murray all have to play endless five setters at RG going on until 20-22 in the fifth and are so exhausted that they all lose in the Wimby first round!
# Schadenfreude
amy,
It’s not that Rafa is playing so badly, it’s that he can’t play consistently at a high level. He certainly played outstanding tennis against Berdy. But Rafa wasn’t able to bring it in the final. That’s what the struggle is all about.
You would have been pleased if you watched Rafa in his matches at Madrid. It was a good feeling to see him playing so much better with each match. I hope that he can try to just move on from the final and get it going in Rome.
On the tennis channel, Paul Annacone was asked what he thought Rafa needed to do to be ready for RG. He said that Rafa needed to win either Madrid or Rome. He said if he did that, then he should be okay. I thought his best shot was Madrid. But now all Rafa can do is look ahead and focus on Rome.
I do intend to watch his matches. I also enjoy watching the other players. I enjoy this sport. I have watched tennis all my life.
nativenewyorker,
thanks for that. (I answered your comment from 11.20 yesterday above by the way).
I wonder then if Rafa winning is not impossible then….in 2011 Murray got a phenomenally easy ride to the semis, the only seed he faced was Troicki, then he went out to Rafa. If Rafa was incredibly lucky with the draw he could get through maybe to then and if he only had to play 2 matches against tough opponents maybe he could manage it. Djokovic will be under a lot of pressure to win and he could choke – especially on a very hot day.
I wish I detach myself enough to watch but I just can’t. I will get too worked up and won’t get anything done and I just can’t afford that this week. I do like other players apart from Rafa – after Rafa my favourites are Djoker and Fed (also Delpo) so I am in a minority on this blog! If Rafa has to lose to anyone then in my view it should be Nole – he does deserve the career slam and although I will be absolutely gutted if Rafa loses I will be pleased for Novak (I think he’s a great player – not as great as Rafa and Fed but in the same ballpark).
amy,
I appreciate the fact that you have other favorites. You really don’t have to explain why you can’t watch. We all handle it in our own way. There is no wrong or right way.
You are in the minority for sure! For me it’s just Rafa. But I can enjoy watching the other players. I just love tennis.
Ricky said it depends on the draw. For now I am sure that Rafa is just concentrating on Rome. I have learned to never say never in this sport. That’s why I won’t say anything more until we get to RG and the draw is out.