Rafael Nadal will be going up against a second consecutive Spaniard when he faces Fernando Verdasco on Sunday in Miami. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils are also aiming for a place in the fourth round.
(29) Fernando Verdasco vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Nadal and Verdasco will be squaring off for the 15th time in their careers at the ATP level when the two Spaniards clash in round three of the Miami Open on Sunday. The head-to-head series is being dominated 13-1 by Nadal, who has taken all six of their hard-court encounters. They most famously battled each other in the semifinals of the 2009 Australian Open, with Nadal surviving 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(2), 6-7(1), 6-4. A more infamous meeting came two seasons later in Cincinnati, where Nadal scraped out a 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 7-6(9) victory. Verdasco, though, won their most recent tilt 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 on the clay courts of Madrid in 2012.
Nadal’s physical problems are reasons why they have not met in almost three years, but another factor is that Verdasco has not been advancing far enough in draws. The world No. 34 showed signs of being one and one in Miami, but he pulled out a rain-delayed match 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 over James Duckworth on Saturday. Nadal beat the bad weather on Friday, getting in his contest with Nicolas Almagro by cruising 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 29 minutes. The No. 2 seed generally underwhelms in Miami and Verdasco has not been playing poorly this spring, so it should not be entirely one-way traffic–nor will it be a thriller like Down Under in ’09.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing more than 8-10 games
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(17) Gael Monfils vs. (11) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga
Another showdown between compatriots will see Tsonga and Monfils go head-to-head for the sixth time in their careers at the ATP level. Tsonga leads the series 4-1 and all five of their previous collisions have come on hard courts. After losing their first two encounters, Monfils got some revenge in 2010 (Montpellier) only to down twice in a row again in 2012 (Doha) and 2013 (Tokyo).
A highly-anticipated matchup between two of the tour’s most exciting players was almost denied on Saturday. Both Frenchmen required three sets; Tsonga to get past Tim Smyczek and Monfils to outlast Filip Krajinovic (in a third-set tiebreaker). Both entertainers were up and down, although Tsonga was arguably the more impressive given that he was playing for the first time all season due to injury. The will to win should not be underestimated in this one and it is likely Tsonga who holds an edge in that department. Ranked 13th in the world but set to drop precipitously, Tsonga will be desperate for a victory–despite facing his good friend and Miami doubles partner.
Pick: Tsonga in 3
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Does Rafa usually underwhelm in Miami? I mean, he could certainly do with winning it, but the last few years he’s been final, semi final, withdrew in the semi final, final. He obviously doesn’t mind it here!
Stan has been knocked out by Mannarino -76 76.
Another rather annoying match for Rafa…those compatriots seem to live for the victory over Rafa…I know Verdasco will fight like it’s his last so I expect a tough one for our guy…I hope Rafa stays focused and does not let Verda dictate the points…Be aggressive Rafa…be your true self!
Vamos Rafa!
Very windy again today.
I was surprised to hear about Mannarino defeating Stan. Another early exit for him in a Masters. I have been out and couldn’t watch the matches. The tennis channel is showing Monfils and Tsonga.
I do think this is going to be an annoying match for Rafa. Verdasco will come out to prove something against Rafa.
Rafa handled the windy conditions well in his match with Almagro. I hope he can do the same today.
poor from rafa! that was BAD! he now has 15-30 adv so he better break back
Exactly what I feared…Rafa too passive, no aggression, standing way behind the baseline…his game clearly shows lack of confidence…another disappointing appearance…
This is when my nerves start to get frazzled. Rafa double faulted away a break, then gets a break back courtesy of some poor shots from Verdasco and then promptly gets broken again.
The commentators are talking about the windy conditions. But Rafa seems to be playing too defensively so far.
I guess it’s going to have to be three sets.
I cannot believe what I am seeing. Rafa had 0-40 and couldn’t break Verdasco.
I’mnot sure my nerves can take this anymore. Poor Rafa is so lacking in confidence.
Rafa has two breaks. My nerves are calming down.
C’mon Rafa, show him who is boss.
Vamos!
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A great deal better from Rafa. Helped it has to be admitted by a classic Verdi melt down.
So rafa will lose this one as well?
I just have no words for what I am seeing.
This is not good.
I’m in dispair 🙂
This is unreal.
All I can think about is once again, missed break chances earlier.
I cannot believe this. he is playing so badly.
So that’s it.
🙁
i did not know rafa could play this poorly, honestly. Verdasco played a poor match but rafa was beyond terrible. I don’t think he has ever fallen this deep in trouble.
THANK GOD no more hard courts! The way rafa is playing, he can be in danger on clay too! His confidence is extremely low.
This is only one cure: red clay.
Its not about hard courts to be honest. He is so doubtful that unless he gets his confidence back, it will be same story on clay.
People will be gunning for him more on clay
Have not had a happy moment regarding rafa since last year’s french open victory 🙁 it has been too long now
It’s time to retire.
please do, filter
https://twitter.com/BreakPointBR/status/582335367858298881/photo/1
R3 Press Conference Transcript
http://www.rafaholics.com/2015/03/miami-r3-press-conference-transcript.html
So philosophical .
When will u start playing like yourself Rafa? Are you going to give us happy days ever again?
I thought IW was step up and was hopeful here, Rafa has gone several notches down in Miami from IW
Not sure what to expect in clay season.
Thoughts?
Berdych , Fabio, raonic, verdasco – u owned them all Rafa. If you have doubts against them, how will you counter your principal rivals n others in top 5
Rafa I feel is in worse situation than Fed was in 2013. At least fed did not lose to people he owned and limited losses to top 10 except sergie and robredo.
The bit of the presser that sums it up:
Q. As this is a problem in your head, if you like, have you thought about consulting a sports psychologist? Many top golfers say the sports psychologists were very, very important in recapturing their game and getting over these problems. Are you thinking about doing that?
RAFAEL NADAL: Seriously, I said a lot of times in my career that tennis is not a big deal in life. (Smiling.) You know, medical treatment you need when you have problems. Outside of the tennis world when you have some problems in your life, is a good help that you visit a professional that can help you to improve your quality of life. Is sport, is game. That’s not that much important. But I don’t know. I didn’t think about. Is something that I need to fix for myself and with my team. I need the help of my team, too. But especially I need the help of myself. That’s what I am trying to do. Nobody gonna change the situation for you. You have to know that you have a problem and you have to know that you have to improve that. You have to change that. I gonna keep working on it. Hopefully the clay helps. Is obvious that if I am able to win my matches on clay, to feel my game confident there, then the doubts are less.
Q. With the clay season coming up now, are you looking forward to that as an opportunity for you turning your season around, hopefully getting some confidence going into the last stretch of the season?
RAFAEL NADAL: (Shaking head.) I am not American. I cannot understand you if you speak that fast. (Laughter).
It is sad to see Rafa in this state, very sad. I hope he fixes it soon because it’s no fun to watch. If he loses because he is nervous, then why not just relax because being nervous doesn’t help in any way, shape or form.
Didn’t expect this at all, even Verdasco, who’s always been a mental dwarf, has had the upper hand on him.
I’m not worried though, as Rafa has given us so much happiness over the years. If he does make a come back (and why wouldn’t he?) it’s going to be all the more satisfying for us all 🙂
Vamos Rafa!!!
I have the feeling that Rafa is afraid of getting injured again – that’s why he is so nervous. His last injury happened not a long time ago. Last Monday, he injured his ankle during his practice. He fell and was lying on court for about 10 minutes, thinking that the tournament was over (according to his own words).
Maybe he even thought that he would be out of the Tour for a long time, again.
was there any indication of him suffering from his ankle? (real suffering I mean, not like you know who….)
Rafa said after his R2 match that his ankle injury didn’t limit his movement.
(And I haven’t noticed him physically suffering from that).
There was nothing wrong with Rafa’s ankle. His movement was fine. That’s not the issue. He spoke about the problem in his press conference. It’s in his head. He’s not confident and relaxed in matches. He doesn’t have the belief. As he said, he is the only way who can work it out.
It’s so difficult to watch him play now. Verdasco should never have beaten him. Ricky mentioned in his match preview that the last time Verdasco beat Rafa was at Madrid in 2012. That was when the surface was a blue ice skating rink. There was a reason Rafa lost. Players complained vigorously about it and they changed it. So that loss was like a one-off. Verdasco hasn’t been able to beat Rafa recently. So for me, this is a new low. I am sorry to say it.
Of course a comeback is possible. But I think the press person who asked Rafa about a sports psychologist, had a point. It’s not just for problems in real life. Players get into situations where they can’t get out of their own way. That’s when they need the help of a professional so that they can find their way back.
I found myself thinking, why is Rafa so nervous? Fear of losing? Then it can become like the self-fulfilling prophecy. You fear losing and then you lose. Why not just go for your shots and if you lose, then so be it?
Again I say, it’s the way Rafa is losing that is so troubling.
My little theory (again) is that the between the ears is not just from coming from a long time off playing tournaments regularly.
It also comes from a part of him no longer wanting to push himself / be pushed by himself. The man has been pushing himself at almost every match and practice session with an intensity many of us rarely experience. If there is no such part in him that has more or less had enough of this pushing I’d be a little surprised.
I don’t see Rafa (and his team) being open to talk to a (good) sports psychologist, much as that might realistically help. If that psychologist were me (and I am not of that profession at all) the conversation might also go towards what part of him perhaps has had enough…. and I don’t think there is anything wrong with having such a ‘part’.
As it is I think we will probably see another 2 or 3 years of this pushing and whlie not always being able to be confident. I hope for Rafa and all his fans that I am wrong. Those are the choices he makes. And of course there will be tournaments that will go well.
Chloro,
It’s so good to read your thoughts. I think you may have hit on something. But that something sounds like a kind of burnout. It makes me think of Borg. I will never forget watching him in that 1981 USO final with McEnroe. Borg just was not competing. It’s like he was gone. The will to win was no longer there.
Now I am not saying that this is necessarily the same thing that is happening to Rafa. I can’t know that for sure. But I am wondering if it is a kind of burnout and your thoughts about a part of Rafa no longer wanting to push himself, describe that well. I also agree that Rafa and his team would not be open to talking to a sports psychologist. It’s not something that can be forced on a player. It’s up to him. But I do think it could be of some help.
A close friend with a background in psychology told me several times that the intensity with which Rafa plays every ball is just too much.
This friend is fan though much milder a fan than me and is just making a simple observation and does not have the same infatuation that we have that comes in part from an admiration for that that same passion and intensity. And I think this comment needs a smiiley to soften the pain, so here it is: :-).
It’s funny I had not once thought of the word ‘burnout’ in all these months where I occasionally think these thoughts about Rafa. But it’s a good word, a burnout accreting slowly over the years with one of the main flare-ups around RG 2011. I could be wrong about that ‘part’ of Rafa but it’s the one thing that makes sense to me about what he’s going through beyond the more obvious challenges.
RAFAEL NADAL: Seriously, I said a lot of times in my career that tennis is not a big deal in life…
it is exactly the opposite that commentators and spectators say about Rafa…Rafa is one of the players who lives for tennis…he does not have his own family yet and is not even considering the option…he is more about tennis than any other player…and I think this loss as much as any other loss does affect him…he is just pretending to be cool…
yes, it is painful to see him in this state…I feel sorry for Rafa but I also feel sorry for us his fans…there must be the sun at the end of this tunnel…
Yep, he doesn’t have is own family, but his girlfriend has been with him for more than 9 years.
Maria Francisca watched Rafa’s match on Sunday:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBTqMTiUQAAN76U.jpg
natashao,
You brought up that comment from Rafa and I was hesitant as to whether to bring it up on my own. I thought coming from Rafa, that it was quite odd and surprising. The way Rafa plays the sport of tennis, is as though his life depends on it. He relishes the competition, the battle, the challenge. He has endured so many injuries and treatments just to continue playing. So where did that come from? It was strange. Maybe you are right in saying that the loss hurts more than Rafa would care to admit.
It hurts my heart to see Rafa like this.
I’m more inclined to agree with chloro. The long break has affected his dedication to push himself day in day out. Maybe he’s had enough of the tour but doesn’t even know it yet. It would be a sad day for me when Rafa hangs up his racquet but I fear it’s not that far away. I’m not even watching much of Miami anymore because he is not there, but I think he might have had enough of the injuries and comebacks.
yes, it will be very sad indeed…one of my friends said to me the other day: have you ever seen any sportsman to have so many successful comebacks like Rafa?…any…and it has to end at some point…I chose to be living in denial and think that Rafa will come back once again…however my own expectations change… January 31st, I was almost certain it would happen…March 31, I am doubtful but hoping…April 30, I believe we will have all the answers…by that time we will know for sure…
Vamos Rafa no matter what!
If Rafa has had enough of the Tour, he would be lethargic, not nervous.
He looked lethargic, for example, in 2011.
Once thing is looming painfully clear, more than likely he is not retaining his FO crown this year. Let’s see how he feels after that. For sure, he doesn’t need to prove anything else.
This is the first year I am less convinced that somehow he will still lift another RG crown, something that for the other top 10 male players in the world is completely impossible to do even once. I still think he will, somehow, as his skills are there, but it’s closer to 50-50 than it’s been. You are probably more realistic, Shireling :-).
Whatever he needed to prove happened when he beat Roger on hardcourt the first time they met, when he won RG on his first try, when he nearly won Wimbledon and then won it the next year, when he won a hardcourt slam while exhausted prior to the final, etc., etc,
The last Q&A are missing from the Transcript I posted at 3:44 pm.
Here they are:
Question. ” With the clay court, the clay season, Barcelona, Madrid, French Open, clay court season coming up, do you feel it’s a chance for you to get your confidence back and play better and hopefully turn around your season?”
RAFAEL NADAL: “Every tournament is a chance for me. I don’t have nothing to lose. At this point of my career I won enough things to say I don’t need to win more, but I want to do it. I want to keep competing well. I want to keep having the feeling that I can be competing for every tournament I gonna play, and I have the motivation to do it.
Obviously clay is surface that I had some success, and I hope to be ready for it again.”
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=108015
Rafa wants to keep competing well! 🙂
I am wondering if this is one comeback too much. It’s not easy to keep doing this and it’s been more often in the last few years. Having to take time off and not be able to play and then go through the process of getting into really good form, getting the rhythm and timing back, the physical fitness and mental strength.
I always though that it was easy for Borg. But when I watched that documentary, “McEnroe/Borg: Fire and Ice”, I realized just how hard it was for him to do what he did on the court. It took a tremendous toll. Borg said that he wanted his life back. He practiced like a demon to be physically invincible and his mental toughness was legendary. But there came a point where it was gone and that was it. Now I wonder about the toll that these injuries have taken on Rafa. What about losing his chance for the Rafa slam in 2011? That was because of a terrible virus that caused Rafa not to be ready and then he hurt his hamstring in the quarterfinals against Ferrer. What about losing his chance for the career double slam because of an acute back injury flaring up in the final? He’s had so many disappointments and difficulties. He’s done well to come back so many times. Does he have one more in him?
I think that natashao is right in saying that we will have our answers by April 30. That’s why I am trying not to think about RG just yet.
If the level of motivation he needed year round was of a more everyday kind, like the usual challenges we face, then Rafa would be fine as his highest level of motivation is that much higher than that.
But of course we are talking about the need for something close to his highest level of motivation. Borg hit his limit, or so it seems, at 26. So it seems because he quit on the wake of one particularly painful defeat. You must have been thinking about that when you bring up two among Rafa’s biggest disappointments. How many, indeed, can he take in the third phase of his career (after the rise and peak phases)?
Tennis is just a sport sounds like words from Uncle Toni who occasionally says in interviews that it’s just two people getting a ball to the other side of a net. It certainly does not describe the dedication and intensity Rafa has been pouring into it since he was very young.
chloro says:
March 31, 2015 at 1:09 pm,
—Tennis is just a sport sounds like words from Uncle Toni who occasionally says…—
He has said more than that.
Interview with Toni Nadal, Tennis Magazine (Fr), n°413, Octobre 2010:
¤¤ Question: How do you explain that you Nadals have such strong minds?
Toni Nadal: I think that a lot has to do with upbringing. One of the key elements that’s instilled on us is that in life, you have to face difficulties head-on. You can’t think like a child that everything is beautiful. There will always be problems and you need to take them on. In tennis, like in life, you have to accept your mistakes, realize that you have to learn a lot in order to do less and you have to put in the necessary work to get there. This is what we’ve always done with Rafa. From when he was little, I made it so that things didn’t always go smoothly. So, unlike other kids today, he has learned that things don’t always happen the easy way, not right away. We had to deal with a lot of problems together like his serve which was really not good at the start. That’s a key ingredient in sports, no? TENNIS MEANS HITTING THE BALL back and forth over the net, there is no other signification. However, tennis BECOMES a PASSION when you measure the mental effort it requires, when you sum up all the difficulties you’ve encountered and when you gradually, step by step, start to rise above these obstacles. This is a good summary of Rafa’s career. Whatever happens in the future, I can assure you that he’ll leave a happy and satisfied man with all that he has accomplished. ¤¤
augusta,
Yes, the other part of Uncle Toni’s comment about helping to build Rafa’s character for his career and for the rest of his life is important.
Having said that, Rafa’s comment this week about tennis being just a sport was about as pronounced a rationalization as any he’s ever made, not to the level of shocking but extreme enough.
We’ll see how he fares in the clay season. Why Rafa should get nervous against players he has beaten umpteen times is hard to fathom.
Vamos Rafa!
chloro,
I really do enjoy the discussion with you. I was also struck by Rafa’s comment. That can’t be the way he really feels, so that loss and what is happening to him now must cut awfully deep.
You hit it right when you said “rationalization”. That’s really what it is. I have to believe that deep down it hurts very much.
I also find myself wondering so often why on earth Rafa gets nervous against guys he’s beaten over and over again? It’s a strange thing.
The other thing is, Rafa keeps saying “I want to play” which suggests that he is trying to will himself to want to play. He said in his book that it’s always with a heavy heart that he gets on the plane in January to start the tour.
Your comment about the long break making the comeback even harder at this stage of his long career makes lots of sense. And I had forgotten from the book about the ‘heavy heart’.
Well… I can’t imagine anyone having more devoted fans than you guys. If Rafa has ever read anything here (or on the deceased TT) he can count himself a lucky man. Rafa has always been a role-model in and outside the court and this classiness is parallel to his ever-faithful fans, I’d say.
In Monte Carlo – in 10 days:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBbhiAhVAAAWeyT.png
Quiet a sad back and forth exchange of messages. Even the hardcore die hard fans are not confident now? Well then all we can say is our expectations are very low and maybe we can only be happy? If Rafa fares badly in clay season and does not retain FO crown, I would say we would all have 0 expectations out of him and from there on, he can only surpass expectations.
I am waiting for La Decima RG.. whether this year or next year does not matter but hopefully this year.
sanju,
As for me, I have replied you a zillion times that I always expect Rafa to win.
I think that this time we are being quite realistic. Not saying he won’t win RG but the likelihood is not what it used to be. Alas.
Roger has had an amazing resurgence following some weaker years. Knowing what we know of Rafa, and not just his injuries, I don’t think it’s realistic at all to expect the same. Alas.
However have to admit that 17 is really something too far now or almost out of reach ..He cant win 3 more RG..and he is looking very unlikely to capture a slam elsewhere now.
Indeed. And that’s quite alright, isn’t it?
He can win 3 more RGs without much trouble
Seriously?
The exact opposite to everything he said.
Rafa’s Academy opens next year and I think his heart is there now. I write with great sadness that we may be nearing the tail end of his time on tour. I may be wrong, but all of the losses he’s had in the past few months, granted some of them were whilst injured or ill, are hard to explain.
Nah he’ll be back eventually as he said whether it be next month or next year. Rafa relishes the underdog role and periodically has to reset which for new helps to explain his cyclical success.
I don’t think we will know where he is until the French Open or perhaps even Wimbledon as he had a relatively poor lead up to the French last year before winning it and even if he loses there I wouldn’t be shocked if it gave him the necessary rest and motivation to win his third Wimbledon.
At the moment however, I think that Nole is the favorite to win his first French until Rafa shows signs that he’s turned his game around and even Federer is third favorite in my opinion.
I have high expectations for Rafa as long as he does as he has himself said this week. It is just a matter of time.
The opposite of all of this is true
No not really opposite at all.
Rafa has won 10 of his 14 slams when he was not number one. Underdog.
Rafa’s multi slam years were 2008, 2010 and 2013. Cyclical.
But don’t let a few actual facts get in the way of your poorly supported counter.
What do you think, hawkeye, about the idea that it seems to get harder these years for Rafa to get as highly motivated, that part of him seems to be tired of pushing himself so much?
I mean his entire preparation off tournaments and on tournaments is pretty intense – we regular fans know so many details of this. He relishes winning and compete intensely whenever he plays tennis or anything else. He has those two modes of being – sweet and very social, warm etc outside of tennis, and that competition mode he has to work himself into with the pre-match preparations.
What I mean is that to accomplish what he has so far he has been pushing the envelope of what he can possibly do year in year out since teenage years. Pushing against his limits with almost every means possible, more than most top sports people. Without this, for example, no spectacular comeback in 2013.
In this he is an outlier, a statistical exception. How much longer can he keep himself worked up to close enough to his best _mental_ level?
If you are right he can do this cyclically for a few more years. I think it is getting harder, as if part of him is not quite up to it anymore.
What do you think?
I think it is a plausible theory but just a theory nonetheless.
However I believe that Rafa is the most honest and straight forward athlete I’ve seen. He doesn’t mince words nor play games. He usually backs up what he says which means more to me than a plausible albeit speculative theory.
I will repeat. We are too quick to write off great athletes whether it be Sampras, Rafa, Federer or Murray. It is hilarious to see the short sightedness of impatient and anxious fans. Deja vu all over again. 17 is still doable but three more RGs not being much trouble is both delusional and a joke.
You are of course right about rafa being very honest etc. And I’m not saying he’s retiring this year, I don’t think he is. I just have that speculative theory for a while in my mind :-). We’ll see. Perhaps he’ll pick himself up really well a few more times for a few more years.
He’s not out yet so we can still enjoy some matches, even if he loses, we need to get used to the idea that he’s not going to win’em all like in the good (for us Rafans) old days. It’s not such a tragedy to lose to Verdasco, that mythical match in the AO could have gone either way only too but that time Rafa survived.
I for one don’t know about his personal life, and don’t really care much to tell you the truth but, if indeed his thoughts are more in his academy and he’s saying that it’s hard to start the tour… then these are bad signs for us fans. It might be that his fighting spirit has appeased and without it Rafa isn’t the same.
But then I don’t know why he’s saying that he still wants to compete….
That’s the clue, that he has to say he still wants to compete. You wouldn’t hear Djoker or Murray having to say that. I may be wrong, but it sounds like he is competing because of his obligations to his sponsors so he can’t just walk away.
He must find the stop and go pretty hard going.
Shireling1 says:
March 31, 2015 at 3:38 pm,
…if indeed his thoughts are more in his academy….
=================================================================
I don’t think that Rafa’s thoughts will be more in his academy. Rafa’s father, who is a businessman, has taken (and probably will take) care of this project.
At the foundation stone laying ceremony in November, Rafa said that the project was made possible thanks to his father (and also to Uncle Toni):
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=148883365132821&story_fbid=855175634503587
Shireling1 says:
March 31, 2015 at 3:38 pm
…and he’s saying that it’s hard to start the tour…
======================================================
He said this a long-long time ago.
Yes Verdasco always had the potential to play, occasionally, at the level that the top guys often play – many of the other players do. That AO semi-final was Verdasco’s peak. Has he ever had another few weeks like that?
chloro,
Verdasco has never been able to play like that again.
I thought so. I couldn’t remember him ever playing like that again.
Toni Nadal: “Rafa will comeback at his level, I’m sure”
“He is training well, but on the court, he hasn’t the strength of mind that he had before, but I hope it comes back” Toni said
That his success over his career has been cyclical is not true. Sure Dimon. Whatevs.
We will see.
The problem for me is that Rafa’s ranking will drop after Miami. He’s been down to #5 briefly when he came back in 2013, but then went back up from there. I don’t want to think of the draw if he is #5 or 6. That’s going to be quite difficult, even for Rafa.
Tennis doesn’t stand still while Rafa is going through this difficult time. There are other players who have worked hard and are ready to step up.
However, I do agree with hawkeye’s comment that we are too quick to write off the top players. I think about how many said that Murray would never win another slam, was not going to be in the top four, etc, as his ranking went down last year. Yet look at him now. He will be #3 after Miami. The same goes for Fed. Who would have thought he would get back to #2 and be playing this well?
So we write off Rafa at our own peril. I know that Rafa won’t quit. He’s still here. He hasn’t walked away like Borg.
I hope I’m wrong in thinking that he is winding down because I want to live in a world where Rafa keeps playing.
Vamos Rafa!
In summary, I expect rafa will continue to be injury prone. Many top tennis players get them and he certainly does. There has not been a good year injury-wise for a long time for him. Perhaps with the exception of Feb 2013 until that tragic back problem at AO 2014.
And I expect that rafa will continue to struggle with mental motivation, I mean having it as insanely high as he used to.
The injuries used to be his number one ‘opponent’, with Novak an equal or worse opponent some of the time in the last 4 years.
The mental motivation struggle has been creeping up in importance over the years.
The way the board is set I see two things that could trigger his retirement, serious injury and doing very badly at RG.
By the way, is anyone watching Novak and Dolgo? This is the one I wanted to watch. Dolgo is on fire and won the first set in a tb, and is up 3-0 in the second set!
WOW!
Even picking himself up for one more multi slam season could be all he needs.
Besides Rafa has always said that tennis is just a game and not the most important thing.
Nothing new. 🙂
I noticed the score posted on the tennis channel today for the Monaco/ Verdasco match.
Monaco won 6-3, 6-3. That makes it even more frustrating.
NID
doesn’t mean anything, except that Pico would have been a tough test for Rafa
So you are saying that Monaco could have beaten Rafa?
[polldaddy poll=8772215]
Rafa always needs challenges to find new solutions, no?
http://youtu.be/S6P7-Qnt_3E
Never surrender.
As Arnold would say, he’ll be back.
#AlwaysInDoubt
Rafa’s struggles are definitely worrisome. He is literally surrendering out there and I have never seen him do that. His game can suffer but THIS is unprecedented given how consistently it is happening. he is extremely low on confidence and is not putting up the fights we are accustomed to seeing.
On the other hand, his rivals are doing better and better. Federer is playing great tennis and has improved his aggressive tennis. Djokovic is the world’s best and looking too strong.
It really is a very troublesome situation for Rafa. However, I am still convinced he will be back. Many here are saying they doubt whether even clay would do rafa any benefits. Well, it is a fact that the problem is in his head and it is not really about the court surface. But what really is the problem and what is probably the root cause?
Problem is most probably that doubts >> certainties/confidence. Why? Well, we don’t really know what exactly is causing this but rafa is very honest so we can trust his assessment. He has lost the winning edge! he has just not won any important matches , any tough matches that give him the confidence he needs to reach the summit! The loss to Fognini was inexplicable in terms of losing the mental battle.
I think rafa is physically fit and that is good. He is getting match tougher gradually so he can put in all his energy into improving. I think, the fact that he is so damn good on clay , will help him get more wins on clay. His opponents fear him a lot more, his game is less vulnerable on clay courts and the ‘feelings’ he will have on the courts he has conquered for ages will be quite different! he just needs some good quality wins , preferably where he does well under pressure.
I am certainly not going to write him off. Losing match points against Raonic pushed him to an ebb but at least he has getting his game back.Clay will just give him just that extra time on his shots for him to get his ‘calm’ back slowly.
He has enough time to build his game on clay but the real work will be done in competition. Rafa WILL BE BACK. Clay has been the magic potion for a decade . I know the situation is never-like-before but I am confident he will fix things up!
vamosrafa,
I feel you! I appreciate your honesty and concern for Rafa’s predicament. The first step is to face and acknowledge what is happening, which is what Rafa did in his post-match press conference after the loss to Verdasco. As his fans, we also need to face it and acknowledge it and not stick our heads in the sand and pretend that it’s not happening.
I absolutely agree that Rafa’s troubles are cause for concern. When he loses that edge, that certain something that made him a brick wall in the toughest moments of matches, that’s something to worry about. That’s part of his greatness.
You did express your confidence that he will be back. I applaud your honesty and overall simple common human decency in all your comments.
You are just expressing yourself and giving your thoughts about Rafa right now. It’s been just so agonizing to watch him like this, but I believe that he will get it all sorted out.
Great champions find a way back and should never be written off!
Just imagine, close your eyes and dream, that Rafa defends his RG title in an fairly easy matter, meaning: beating his opponent in the finals in straights without even facing a break point…given that Rafa will drop to the fifth place and it is unlikely for him to reach even No 3 by the time RG starts Rafa may as well run into Novak at much earlier stage and beat him…Again, imagine Rafa gets his confidence back along with his best game…imagine Rafa peaks by the time RG comes and deals in his own specific way with every opponent on tour…and they all again fear from him…
so, having said this, imagine strong and confident Rafa doing great at Wimby reaching semis or finals…and then goes ahead and wins USO again…Rafa has no points to defend…Rafa may aim to reach his peak in May and then play his best tennis till the end of the year…just Imagine…Rafa will then easily be back to No1…
so let us think positive…let us think that Rafa did not want to push hard in the first quarter of the season just to be able to give his best starting with clay season…and then to be rested and strong for the rest of the season…why not? This is still possible…
I choose to cheer for my Rafa until the end…I chose to trust Uncle T saying that Rafa will be back…I chose to believe that we will all soon witness some of the best Rafa’s tennis…
Vamos Rafa! I hope he knows how much his fans love him! 😛
Thank you, nats.
http://www.clipartbest.com/cliparts/xig/KrA/xigKrAa4T.gif
This is what I’ve been saying. Hilarious that so many particularly many of his own fans are so quick to write him off. If he says he wants to play and will fix it, he will.
April 3, 2015 at 7:20 pm
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I haven’t seen any real Rafans writing Rafa off.
Vamos @nats! The ATP season starts next week………….at Monte Carlo, hehehe!
Who cares about hors-d’oeuvres? Main courses are served on red clay!
Bravo Natashao
I truly believe we will see the warrior player working his magic again.
Right now I am only able to watch the occasional matches on ‘catch up’ and keep an eye on this site – tennis is on the back burner because my sister is in hospital following a stroke.
Hi @ed251137! Best wishes to your sister…………
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b211/NycAnarchy/Animations/get-well-soon.gif
To Ed’s sister
Here we go again!
augusta
April 3, 2015 at 8:04 pm
Right, so-called “real” Rafans don’t write off Rafa! Why would anyone make a statement like this? Because this statement implies that there are “not real” Rafans!
Why this divide and conquer sentiment has to creep into this site over and over again, I have no idea.
Let people express their doubts, fears and worries about Rafa! For heaven’s sake! It does not mean that they are writing him off.
Vamosrafa comes on here and tries to be realistic and honest. He’s not writing Rafa off. But it’s hard to watch him like this and anyone who says different is just kidding themselves!
If people didn’t care about Rafa, then they would not care! It’s when you care that you bother to write and maybe go on a bit and analyze the problems and that’s a way for some to deal with it.
We are all individuals and will process Rafa’s difficulties in our own unique way. That should be respected.
nativenewyorker7 says:
April 4, 2015 at 12:51 am,
Please STOP attacking ME (!!!) and deliver your attacks to the right address:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBtpBj0UkAAQeqG.png
I have no idea why you permanently attack other posters for nothing – over and over again! STOP! STOP! STOP!
When you assume Rafa will make Federer fans happy, you’ve essentially written him off and by @augustan08’s own words, are not his real fan!
Apparently fans aren’t everywhere after all.
Too funny! 🙂
April 3, 2015 at 7:20 pm
I haven’t seen any real Rafans writing Rafa off.
augusta,
This was posted by you! You said it! So don’t drag other people into it. Own what you say!
Do NOT tell me what I can or cannot do on this site! Stop lying about me attacking you and get rid of your victim complex once and for all!
Right back at you! STOP, STOP, STOP!
nativenewyorker7 says:
April 4, 2015 at 3:35 am,
THIS wasn’t posted by ME:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBu9ELWWIAAxtv8.png
Yes, hawkeye did say that! But he did NOT say what you said. You keep trying to wiggle out of what you are doing. I am not going to let you get away with it.
At least hawkeye acknowledged that the ones who are quick to write him off, are his fans. He is not the one who is saying that “real Rafans”, whoever you might assume they are, will not write off Rafa.
You are the one who is dividing Rafa fans into two camps. Those who are “real” according to your definition and maybe one or two other self-appointed “real” Rafa fans, and those who by your arbitrary definition are NOT so-called “real” Rafa fans, You don’t get to make that decision.
So what hawkeye said was an observation while not deriding or insulting or attacking those Rafa fans as not being “real”.
As I said, own what you say on here. You are not going to wiggle out of it. You wrote it.
nativenewyorker7 says:
April 4, 2015 at 4:29 pm
….
============================================
Throw you bombs to the right place:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBw3OtUW0AEz6ie.png
Correction to 5:12 pm:
you ➡ your
Well said nny. According to the alleged perfect fan here, these real fans wouldn’t write him off by being relieved that Rafa would have made Federer fans happy if he didn’t lose to verdasco.:)
I do not think that Rafa will go out without fighting. I am sure he does not want to leave the game as a loser and not what we know him to be. I think 2 big wins against top 5 players are all that Rafa needs and it will all come back then – the mental edge and the trust in himself.
Maybe Fed will come to the rescue..Maybe Rafa will beat Fed once again in a tight match and it will get his confidence back 🙂
natashao – Is that you giving all those images to your subconscious mind so that it goes to the universe and gets it for you..If yes, just 1 change, winning Wimby will be better than USO right 🙂
By the way the way Novak is playing right now and winning is scary..If he wins Mimai which 95% he will, it will be scary to think he wom 1 slam and 2 Masters already in 3 months (:-..setting himself up for some real damage for the year.
^^It could also be that he peaked too soon and could be setting himself up for a let-down as the year unfolds.
Just saying…………..
Rafa doesn’t need to win every tournament he enters any more. All he needs to do is add to his Slam count.
It’s about the big jug for Rafa now, not the dinner plate. The important thing is he uses the smaller tournaments to fine-tune his game for the Slams. Australia 2015 was too soon after his come-back from injury to do any real damage.
Vamos!
Novak has improved his serve quite a bit. He is blasting aces all over the place. He’s cut way down on those DF’s that were so troublesome to him, especially in 2013. It’s clear that he is playing well and gunning for RG. So what else is new?
I don’t think he’s in unbeatable form, though. He has his ups and downs. What I will say is that he is able to raise his level of play and also keep it together while facing an opponent who is playing lights out, as was the case with Dolgo. He’s got the confidence and belief.
However, Rafa is still the master of clay. We know that he is working and practicing to get himself back to his very best. I absolutely believe it will happen. He’s not going anywhere. We all know what RG means to him. So he will fight with everything he’s got to get his 10th title.
I think Rafa fans should do whatever works for them. If someone chooses to visualize great victories, then that’s great. We are all individuals and handle it in our own way.
For myself, I just want to see the Rafa who is at his best in the toughest, tightest moments of a match. Because if we see that Rafa, then we know that good things will follow! 🙂