In again, out again, on again, off again…that has been the story with Rafael Nadal and the Western & Southern Open so far this summer.
The Spanish news outlet Marta reported earlier this month that the world No. 4 would skip Cincinnati, which is by his worst Masters event. Nadal owns a mere 13-8 lifetime record, which includes three opening-match losses, just two trips past the quarterfinals, and no appearances in the final.
Nadal has not fared well in Cincinnati since 2009. He lost to Marcos Baghdatis in a 2010 quarterfinal and in 2011 he played an infamous three-set match against Fernando Verdasco before getting crushed by Mardy Fish in the quarterfinals. He obviously skipped the 2012 installment during his seven-month layoff from tennis.
Knee troubles perhaps contributed to Nadal’s first-round Wimbledon upset loss to Steve Darcis and Marca speculated that the former world No. 1 would bypass one of his worst events in order to rest for next month’s U.S. Open. On Monday, however, Nadal told reporters at an Inter Manacor football match that he would indeed be participating in both Canada and Cincinnati.
[polldaddy poll=7258297]
right now I’m saying semis of Toronto, still think he will skip Cincinnati when it’s all said and done, and then either quarters or semis of the US Open depending on where Federer and Del Potro land in the draw
Frankly, Rafa has never been in, out, in, out. Speculation by a newspaper doesn’t count for a row of beans. Nadal never said he was undecided about playing either Montreal or Cincy.
It’s Montreal, not Toronto.
Marta couldn’t even specify a source so just pure speculation is about right.
Rafa would trounce Fed at the USO, BTW.
#VamosRafa
#Humb1e
So Ricky, how far do you think Federer will go in Montreal and Cincy?
too early to tell. depends on what racket he plays with.
Novak is going to win one of the two.
ricky thinks fed wud beat rafa at the open…no way !thats happening..delpo is very dangerous for rafa though
no I didn’t say that. I said Federer has a better chance of winning the whole tournament.
……and I have a better chance of growing antlers……..on me bum! Fed winning a Slam, now? Puleeze………………..
btw who thinks rafa is going to win all three? LOL
Roger Federer
Rafa will win Montreal and USOpen, take that to the bank……
hahahahahahaha GOOD ONE ..lol
and come on Ricky ! .. federer has a better chance to win the whole thing? I know fed’s record is MUCH superior at USO etc but heading into USO, i dont know how do u see fed having a better chance of winning the whole thing than rafa.. IMO fed cant even play back to back 5 sets against muzz/nole/rafa …
anyway, you have your own opinion on this…lets wait and see 😉
—In again, out again, on again, off again…that has been the story with Rafael Nadal and the Western & Southern Open so far this summer.—
Ricky! “Rafa out” has been your prediction, not Rafa’s announcement!
—SI.com
Roundtable: ATP Tour hot topics
July 11, 2013
Nguyen: How many tournaments do you think Nadal will play the rest of the season?
Dimon: Five — Montreal, U.S. Open, the two fall Masters events (Shanghai and Paris) and the World Tour Finals. Nadal will lose in the Montreal semifinals and withdraw from Cincinnati. Take it to the nearest bank.—
http://tennis.si.com/2013/07/11/atp-roundtable-roger-federer-andy-murray-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal/
got me!
and I’m sticking to it
Really glad to see Rafa at Cinncy. It’s such a great tourney even if Rafa has not done well there in the past…and don’t count out FED!!!!
Ricky, I tested the system and was able to vote on the poll twice!!!!!!!!!
I agree with Ricky’s prediction. If Rafa goes deep at Montreal he will most likely skip Cincy. But generally speaking in recent years form at both these warm up tournaments has not necessarily been a precursor of form at the USO.
Ricky: The time of posting for my comments is showing up as two hours in arrears of time in Europe. Why is this?
Delpotro v Kei.
Heart Kei
Head JMDP
Wonder if this’ll work?
Rafa is on his way to Montreal.
Frankly I don’t care how deep Rafa goes in Montreal or Cincy. I want him to bring his best to USO and if he does, I am confident we will see him biting the trophy at the end! Vamos Rafa!
Tsonga withdrawals from Rogers Cup
July 31, 2013
Montreal, July 31, 2013 – Rogers Cup presented by National Bank Tournament Director Eugène Lapierre announced Wednesday the withdrawal of world no. 8 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France.
“I am sorry that I won’t be able to play in Montreal, a tournament and a city with friendly fans that I really appreciate,” said Tsonga. “I need to continue to rehab my knee that I injured at Wimbledon. I hope to be ready for the U.S. Open at the end of August. I wish everyone a great Rogers Cup and Canada, I will see you soon.”
is that a real headline?!?!?!?!
I’m afraid so. lol Check it out.
http://tennisconnected.com/home/2013/07/31/tsonga-withdrawals-from-rogers-cup/
This story has been on the internet/blogs for a while now, just wanted to hear tenngrand posters’ views on the matter:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/10213175/Roger-Federer-and-Rafael-Nadal-are-jealous-of-Novak-Djokovics-success-claims-Serbians-father.html
Personally, I find it stunning beyond words. Why would Fed and Rafa be jealous of Novak? Individually they are more successful than he is. They are more popular than he is (twitter, facebook etc), they have broader fan bases than he has. It just does not add up. Then there is the quote that Novak and Murray cannot be best friends (and this is okay) because they are fighting for the most important titles and lots of money. Like, Rafa and Fed are not? And when were Novak and Rafa ever friends? I have never seen a picture out there where Rafa and Novak went fishing together, played playstation together, went on vacation together, before or after 2011, so how does Rafa stop being besties with Novak when they never were besties in the first place? And how should Rafa have reacted to Novak’s crude behaviour each time he (Novak) beat Rafa in 2011? Shirt-ripping, car humping, gun-totting with Tipsy. Rafa should have just smiled and thanked Novak for mocking him?
It seems to me there is just too much drama with the Djokovic clan, just too much, Why can’t they keep in their own lane? They just cannot enjoy Novak’s success without dragging Rafa into their orbit. I sense a serious inferiority complex issue going on there………………….
Sad.
I think Nole’s dad wants Fedal to look up to him.
Novak’s father probably doesn’t know what his son has said. Novak has said he can’t be best friends with his rivals – ‘with a guy who you know you are going to be doing battle with’.
—Djokovic says he can’t be friends with, Murray, Nadal or Federer
September 08, 2012
World number two tennis player Novak Djokovic has said his professional rivals Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal cannot be his friends till the time they are competing against each other, but added that after retirement all four could become great pals.
“I can’t be friends with Andy, though. I really like the guy — but how can you go and be best friends with a guy who you know you are going to be doing battle with? It is true for myself, Roger, Rafa and now Andy. We like each other and there is mutual respect but common sense tells you we can’t be best friends and hang out,” he said.—
http://zeenews.india.com/sports/tennis/us-open-2012/djokovic-says-he-cant-be-friends-with-murray-nadal-or-federer_748572.html
judging by the date of this article he already felt the 7 icy handshakes from Rafa and let Rafa off the hook.
I can’t wait for the Djoker to come back down to earth. I agree that it’s a case of an inferiority complex. When asked about it, Rafa says he should speak with his son about their relationship because there is no problem between them. He says they happily call each other up to discuss any issues.
Rafa is playing doubles in Montreal.
with who
His partner is not yet known. Perhaps I should re-phrase that and say Rafa may play doubles in Montreal according to some tweets.
Conspirator, will you go watch Rafa play?
i will
Rafa arrived in Montreal.
http://tinyurl.com/nqb8v32
http://tinyurl.com/ob8bz5r
Rafa is scheduled to practice with Richard Gasquet on Friday and with Andy Murray on Saturday.
The official draw for the Montreal Masters will take place on Friday, August 2 at 4 p.m. (local time). [Source: tournament website]
Rafa arrived in Montreal.
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/08/01/rafael-nadal-arrives-in-montreal/
Rafa is scheduled to practice with Richard Gasquet on Friday and with Andy Murray on Saturday.
The official draw for the Montreal Masters will take place on Friday, August 2 at 4 p.m. (local time). [Source: tournament website]
He looks super healthy and relaxed 🙂
Yes, thanks for the link! Rafa looks absolutely great!
I can’t wait to see him out on the court again!
Oh and I won’t have to go through the torture of staying up late now that we are in North America!
Life really is a series of hills and troughs, no? It’s not so long ago that we in the European time zone were happily watching the major tennis tournaments live during the day as the Tour wound it’s way through Europe. Even if the European summer was blighted by rain, it was nice to not have to wake up at 02h00 in the middle of the night to catch a match live on telly! Now the shoe is on the other foot and you North Americans get to enjoy day-time live tennis………I envy you.
Enjoy….sigh.
Rafa must win USO. It would be a nice bonus if he could win Montreal too. Also that will probably mean he won’t go to Cincy. I don’t want him to go to Cincy.
he must win the USO or what?
Is it true Novak will surpass Rafa for weeks at number one?
I think he will, yes. Never been bothered by weeks at #1 stat myself, it’s Slam count that matters for me. I mean, Wozniacki was how many weeks at #1? Bet Serena, Victoria, Sharpie don’t care..
ritb,
Yes, I feel the same way. It’s all about the slams as far as I am concerned. That is what ensures a player’s place in history.
whom do you think will win more majors?
Cilic test positive for banned substances:
http://bleacherreport.com/tb/daWrD?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=tennis
Ricky, from my vantage point, it’s looking increasingly likely that Fed will end up with the most slams. However, should Rafa win either the upcoming USOpen or Oz Open, then Rafa will have a sniffing chance of catching him.
Nadline, that Cilic story is weird, really weird. What I don’t like about it is the appearance that there was a “silent” ban going on. Rafa had to suffer such accusations being thrown at him during his injury lay-off and I just feel the Cilic case could have been handled better by the ITF/ATP to avoid the appearance of there being a cover-up.
i meant between Nadal and Djokovic. Federer will obviously end up with the most.
hello to all of you again 😀
Ricky!!! federer????!!!! seriously?????!!!!!
with room to spare!
I would say Rafa, but it’s a very difficult one to call, because although Rafa owns clay I think Nole has the edge on hard. However, now at last Andy is in the mix, making hard even more difficult to win. Of them all, I think USOpen is the most difficult to predict too.
For Nole to top Rafa I think he would need to reproduce 2011 and that would be well nigh impossible, I’d say. Though never say never.
And of course Rafa’s health is also in the equation, as is Andy’s new found mental strength.
Time is running out for Rafa. He is 27 now. I doubt that he can win multiple slams in a year or be number 1 after he is 29. He needs to win USO this year to establish his goat credentials. And end the year at no. 1.
I think the confusion about silent ban is not created by ITF but by Cilic. ITF is following its policy of not publicizing the positive results till the tribunal takes its decision. Same thing happened in the Agassi case. There was no cover up.The tribunal accepted his explanation for crystal menth so he was deemed innocent and his positive test was not made public.
In the case of Cilic, it is clear that the tribunal was yet to take a decision before Cilic went to town. Why he did so is a mystery. He probably realized that he would be deemed guilty so he wanted to be first in with his version before ITF made his positive result public.
As for those who constantly point fingers at Rafa, what is new? Any doping case, whether in tennis or in cycling is taken as proof that Rafa is doping! Although Rafa was in his teens when Dr Fuentes was arrested, and there is absolutely no evidence that Rafa was his client, yet merely because Dr Fuentes is Spanish, Rafa is deemed guilty!
There is a recent article by Greg Garber ( http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/notebook/_/page/secondservings08012013/tennis-recent-drug-news-viktor-troicki-marin-cilic-depressing) in which he writes “Rafael Nadal, for example, has never failed a drug test, but there have been repeated, random whispers that his 12 major titles were built on a foundation of better chemistry”.
The media is largely responsible for spreading the canard that Rafa is doping.
I agree time is running out for Rafa, and as deucy points out, with Muzza now a bona fide Slam contender, it just makes the business of winning Slams even more difficult. And I sense the “second” tier (Delpo, Berdy, Jerzy) is now sharpening its knives to be not just spoilers but real contenders. But you know what, I like, because it makes any Slams won in this golden era even more valuable imo.
Unlike others, I am not convinced that Rafa is ready to cede RG domination to Djokovic just yet, so I expect at least a couple more RGs from him. And I feel Rafa has a better chance of snagging an HC Slam right now than Djokovic has of snagging an RG crown. Just me saying, never mind my rose tinted glasses…………
Will Djokovic repeat 2011? I don’t see it, but he will continue at a high level for at least another 3 years and him being apparently impervious to injuries only helps his cause.
I just hope you aren’t comparing Berdych and Delpo with Janowicz. DO YOU?
Apparently, what they did regarding Cilic is the normal procedure. There was no silent ban, they have to confirm the first positive test by another positive test.
According to an article
New racket, bigger business for Nadal
January 30 2013 at 01:12pm
By Sebastian Fest
“As soon as Nadal confirmed his return to the tour after a long injury break, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) proceeded to test him for doping four times in two weeks, according to sources close to the player. Overall, Nadal was tested “six or seven” times ahead of his return, ITF president Francesco Ricci Bitti told dpa.”
That’s hardly the senario of someone returning from a silent ban.
More correctly then, it’s the way Cilic handled the whole matter which provided fodder for the conspiracy theorists. My concern was, the conspiracy theorists had already had a field day smearing Rafa, and now with the way the Cilic case panned out, it just gave them ammunition to say, you see, silent bans do exist! I think Tignor lays it all out here:
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2013/07/silence-isnt-golden/48573/#.UfuVdW1RCDc
Why won’t they take up Rafa’s suggestion to publish all testing data?
Ricky, I am not comparing Jerzy to Delpo and Berdy but his results todate, ranking and Race to London standing put him in the conversation much more than anyone else imo. He has gone deeper than Berdy in a couple of Slams already and considering his inexperience, that’s nothing to sniff at. I expect him to be a top tenner soon.
I was just joking (although he really isn’t the same group). Just making a pun on Berdych’s infamous quote about Rosol.
Re Rafa vs Novak career slam total… it might end up being close in the end.
Like you said Novak will likely remain mostly injury free and play below novak 2.0 level most times but high enough to win a slam (or two) every year for another three or four.
Rafa still has some slams in him and how many will depend largely on whether he will be injured much or not.
No matter which way their relative count turns out when the healthy lady sings… what Rafa has done already with his career is astounding and will be remembered for as long as most of the other legends. And it is even with _not_ taking into considerations his many times off for serious injury…. which will be forgotten.
Nole still has a way to go to reach a level where he will unquestionably be remembered as a legend one generation from now. But he likely will reach it.
As for Rafa / Roger’s slam count: hard to imagine Rafa going to 17 or surpassing it. But depending on injuries he might get very close, so expect a lot more hatred insults and distortions of facts from those whose cognitive dissonance cannot abide by the facts of the stats. But does it _really_ matter who of the two of them will end up with more slams, and by how many? In all honestly, imho, it matters not at all. It matters about as much as what I had for breakfast today. What does matter is that they have both done incredible things, are absolutely legends already, have raised the game for all, have inspired many millions for ten years now, that Rafa’s level helped push Roger and vice-versa and his challenge to Roger and his passion back almost ten years ago lifted tennis out of the boring era, and that they have both behaved like princes all along (minus Roger’s many ungracious verbal statements, but he clearly couldn’t help those).
—hard to imagine Rafa going to 17 or surpassing it. —
Why not! At the age of 27 they both had 12 GS titles. Fed won his 13th title at the age of 27 years & 1 months and his next – at the age of 27y 9 m.
Fed was able to win his 17 titles, being chronically sick during all his career (his back problem). I think, Rafa is able too.
chloro,
Great to see you posting here. I think the biggest issue for Rafa is the knee. That is the key for him. Because if he can stay healthy, then he can get close to Fed. He’s still going to have his chances at RG. It would be nice for him to get another hard court slam or two. Injury is his greatest foe. Depending on what Rafa does, that will determine in my mind whether Nole catches him. He’s not going anywhere, that’s for sure. He still has some more good years in him. He hasn’t had Rafa’s injury woes.
But the truth is that Rafa has established himself and his greatness. Whatever he does from here on out, is simply icing on the cake.
Apparently Cilic’s “knee injury”(which was the official reason for him withdrawng from the 2nd round of Wimbledon) was nothing more than a ruse to hide his positive test. There are rumours on the web that he was given a 3 month silent ban.(although I am not sure if this is true.) Btw, luckystar must be disappointed!
On Fed’s FB:
“:I am disappointed not to be playing in Montreal next week. It is a great tournament with amazing fans. I look forward to competing there in the future.”
Maybe it should be called a silent ban?
Oh no, “silent bans” never apply to Fed, lol…………
Fed’s slump this year may also be due to the silent ban. He is not allowed to win any titles but as his sponsors want him to there, he is allowed to be present in the early rounds with strict instructions to lose after a couple of rounds, the number of rounds depending on the sponsors’ bargaining ability!
Like Cilic, Fed may also be pretending that he has a fitness issue to account for his sudden drop in form after the extraordinary streak last year
Rafa’s short interview in Montreal 01/08/2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYN1co5J4xw&feature=youtu.be
Rafa about his knee: the knee is here. 🙂
classic
Rafa kills me with his comments! The knee is here! Too funny! He obviously doesn’t want to talk about it. I wonder why he didn’t try to play a clay court tournament just to get into decent form. This is going to be hard and he knows it.
Potential 1/2 Finals : https://twitter.com/CoupeRogers/stat…94249032601600
Djokovic vs Nadal
Murray vs Ferrer
Potential 1/4 Finals : https://twitter.com/CoupeRogers/stat…94797207175168
Djokovic vs Gasquet,
Nadal vs Wawrinka,
Ferrer vs Berdych,
Murray vs Del Potro
damn nole has the easiest draw…rafa to face janowicz in rnd 3..
rafa to fall in the semis to nole…muzz has delpo in qtr..BAD LUCK MUZZ
horrid draw for Muzz
Yeah wc agree, it’s horrid.
If Gulbis comes out to play he’s very dangerous, Delpotro is shaping up nicely and if Andy gets that far either Berdych who always gives him the heebies, or Ferrer who knackers him…
Oh gr8 🙁
Rafa has a possible meeting with JJ in the third round. With only one match under his belt? I am not looking forward to that. Then he could get Wawa, who can be tough. Of course the semis would be Djoker and then finals would be Murray.
It does seem as though Murray has the toughest draw. Gulbis and Delpo and then Berdy. Unless one or two of them don’t make it through. You never know.
vamosrafa,
So are you saying that Rafa will only get to the semis and then lose to Djoker? He still picks up points and match play. Djoker has the easiest draw for sure.
Rafa-Jerzy could be massive
Ricky,
Rafa/Jerzy will give me a heart attack! With Rafa having played one match? What a nightmare!
NNY, I do not want this jerzy-rafa happening ! jerzy is too big a threat to rafa because rafa would not have played enough tennis to get really sharp…similar to the situation in indian wells where rafa’s 2nd match was gulbis and rafa lacked match play..rafa managed to play a grt match and win it but that was indian wells and this is montreal !
I would still give rafa the edge but yes I expect rafa to fall to novak in the semi..IF rafa is able to topple novak, that would be HUGE ..not totally counting rafa out of course but djo has to be favored here…I would not be surprised if muzz falls to delpo..delpo is looking great and he can beat anyone on these courts if he is having his day…
Gasquet is a very easy quarter final…tsonga’s and fed’s absence has disturbed the balance.. novak shud cruise to the semis BUT you never know 🙂
how fast is the Montreal court?
I am really excited to see what form Rafa displays! I don’t mind if he loses to Nole in the semis. Rafa’s aim should be to be in great form going into USO.
If he plays like he did before Wimbly, he is definitely my fave for USO though I realize of course that both Nole and Muzza will fight till the last breath.
If Rafa is seeded 3 or 4 at USO, I would prefer him to be on Nole’s side even though Muzz is a better match up than Nole. This is so that I maximize my chances of one of Rafa or Muzz winning the USO! Vamos Rafa! Vamos Muzza!
vamosrafa,
I agree with you about Jerzy. Normally I would think Rafa could handle him, but not after just coming back from being out for a while. He’s not match ready. Jerzy has the game to give Rafa trouble. I actually think that your prediction of Rafa going out to Djoker in the semis is a good one. Honestly, that would be a great result for him. He would gain a nice chunk of points, too. What Rafa really wants here is match play. He has to get the rhythm and timing on his groundstrokes.
I just happened to see Delpo/Anderson. Delpo is really looking good right now. He could shake things up in this North American hard court season. I checked out Djoker’s draw and I don’t see any real threats so he should get through to the semis.
Ricky,
You are asking us how fast the Montreal hard court is? Don’t you know? I know that Rafa has seemed to fare better at Toronto/Montreal than Cincy, so I assume the courts are not as fast.
If it happens, this would be the first time Rafa is playing Jerzy, correct? Well, Rafa was bound to play him at some point, rather he does here than at Flushing Meadows, the first time I mean.
ritb,
I agree with you. If he has to meet JJ, then let it be now. I was thinking back to I/W, when Rafa had to face Gulbis and lost the first set, but then came storming back. We all know how that tournament turned out! Then he met Gulbis at Madrid or Rome and it was another nail biter. But Rafa prevailed. I think Rafa’s smarts are his big advantage over JJ.
It is true that JJ has to get there first. We will see. I am not going to get nervous until it happens.
ritb, it’s not certain that they will meet, they both have to make it to the 3rd round. I think Jano is a better player than Raonic who was bagled by Nadal in Barcelona, but Jano tends to overdo his serve, sometimes hitting the baseline and his game goes to pot if his serve doesn’t work for him like against Murray at Wimbledon.
nny and nadline, I was thinking more from the point that Rafa always has trouble with first meeting opponents. He needs those first time meetings to figure out the opponent’s game. Should they meet in Montreal, I expect the first set to be a nail biter, for Rafa to drop it even, and then take it in the second or third. I don’t think Rafa will give Jerzy any quarter because he knows he is a dangerous player and the last thing he wants is for Jerzy going away brimming with confidence thinking he has Rafa figured out.
His serve didn’t work because of Andy’s ROS, IMHO. Time and again you see a) these huge servers not being able to keep their serving up, especially in best of 5, best of 3 is easier for them and b) these huge servers getting nervous and making errors if their serves start getting returned.
Agree with nadline, think JJ is better than Raonic who, now he’s sacked his coach, seems to be playing worse.
A lot more to JJ’s game. Don’t like his on court behaviour though. He was so in Andy’s face at Wimbledon.
Like you deucy, don’t like Jerzy’s attitude to fellow players on court and the crowd sometimes. He really needs guidance in that respect because, of all the up and coming youngsters, he has the game package to be a real contender. I find myself looking forward to him play and then hating the welling resentment inside of me when he starts being a prat.
ritb,
I agree with you and deucy about JJ”s attitude. I really despise that kind of arrogance and bad temperament, especially when you haven’t done anything yet in this sport. I think it could derail him if the doesn’t get it under control. It happened to Marat Safin, who was one of the most naturely gifted players ever to come along.
I did not like what JJ did to Murray at Wimbledon. But ultimately it backfired on him. I hope that JJ gets it all together because he has emerged now as the one young player who could really make it big time in this sport. I think Raonic has taken some big steps backward. He seems to have lost his way a bit.
If Rafa has to win slams he has to be prepared to meet anyone in any round. Rafa has accepted this. I think we his fans should quit worrying about his opponents. In fact I wouldn’t mind Rafa meeting anyone and even losing as long as I am sure the draw is fair. As Roger is not in the draw, chances are, this is a fair draw. It is unlikely the organizers would have fixed the draw in favor of Nole or against Muzza.
Ricky, why aren’t all the comments visible?
holdserve19, have you tried clicking ‘Older Comments’ under the last post?
what comments aren’t visible?
Yes, Andy’s ROS was too good for JJ, so the rest of JJ’s game collapsed when he got desperate. Rafa is no slouch at returning either. It’s true that Rafa often has problems with first time opponents, but whilst he’s never played JJ, he’s now seen enough of him to have a game plan. Brands, was a total surprise,
I’d much rather see Djoko and Rafa on course to meet than Rafa having to play someone like Gulbis. Though Gulbis is inconsistent and sometimes plays far too aggressive, he’s got a great serve and can go toe to toe with anyone when his head is in the right place. Rafa has beaten Nole 20 times, 4 out of the last 5, so I’m not worried about him. I don’t care which surface it’s on; it’s not as if Nole blows Rafa off the court; their matches are always close.
Hello nadlineh, any relation to our nadline?
yes NNY, semis would be a good result..actually, I am waiting to see HOW rafa plays..if he goes out playing defensive tentative tennis in 3rd rnd/qtr/semi, i will be disappointed to be honest but if he goes out playing aggressive tennis at any stage, I will be satisfied..I know its asking tough questions from rafa to play aggressive tennis aon these quicker hard courts but he is surely capable of doing so.. I just hope the backhand is as lethal as it was during IW and the entire clay season …it peaked in the rome final and RG semi
vamosrafa,
Yes, I will be looking at Rafa to see HOW he plays, as you said. That is so important. Will he play defensively because he is not in good form having been out for a while? Will he have any trouble adjusting to hard courts now? He did so well at I/W after playing some clay court tournaments to get into form and get his confidence back.
We do have to expect that there will be some rust with his game. We also know that sometimes it’s the backhand and ROS that are the last parts of his game to come back. We all know that Rafa need match play. That’s why I hope he can go deep to get matches under his belt in preparation for the USO.
I hope rafa gets to play doubles with pablo andujar ..it would to nice to get some practise before his singles…rafa has also arrived earlier to the tournament site this year to get more practise… keep it up rafa
Rafa & Pablo Andujar are in the doubles draw. Their first opponents are David Ferrer & Feliciano Lopez.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/posting/2013/421/mdd.pdf
Holdserve: I can’t believe you are now openly declaring your dual fandom after all the maulings you gave me for having Andy as my second favourite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In holdserve’s defence, she was a Nalray fan from the off. She didn’t change on the way to Damascus.
Ha Ha
Like Deucey and RITB, I have been disappointed by Jerzy’s on court demeanour this year. He seemed so humble during his fairy tale run to the final in Paris but the sudden fame has clearly gone to his head. He is clearly a volatile character but unless he learns to control his emotions on court it will be his undoing and he will never realise his full potential which would be a pity because of all the up and coming players I reckon he has the best chance of becoming a major force.
Rafa is nominated for Glamour Magazine’s “2013′s Sexiest Man Alive”
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/08/03/think-rafael-nadal-is-the-sexiest-man-of-2013-vote-now/
Rafa is in picture 93/100.
Dear Rafa’s fans! Think Rafa is the Sexiest Man of 2013? Vote!
http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/celebrity-galleries/2013/07/sexiest-hottest-men-of-2013#!image-number=93
For fans of Andy Murray: he is in picture 87/100.
Rafa is nominated for Glamour Magazine’s “2013′s Sexiest Man Alive.”
Dear Rafa’s fans! Think Rafa is the Sexiest Man of 2013? Vote!
Rafa is in picture 93/100.
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/08/03/think-rafael-nadal-is-the-sexiest-man-of-2013-vote-now/
For fans of Andy Murray: he is in picture 87/100.
I’m sorry for the double post. I thought it didn’t go through because of link(s).
I voted for Rafa!
Rafa is in the doubles draw partnered by Andujar. Their first match will be against Ferru and Feli.
http://www.yt.g00p.com/watch?v=z8yQpB9R5_M
Some nice hitting by rafa againt ferru 🙂
sorry, use this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8yQpB9R5_M
vamosrafa,
Thanks for the link! It’s so good to see Rafa hitting the ball again. He looks pretty good, but of course we have to see him in action.
Can’t wait!
Thanks augusta08!
I am really excited. I just want to gauge his form and fitness. I don’t care if he loses in any round. But like vamosrafa said if he goes out but goes out playing aggressively, I would not be unhappy.
Ed, your post is full of misinformation. I never attacked you for favoring Murray. I love Twinge and Alex (especially Twinge) even though they are Muzza fans.
I was upset with you because you attacked Rafa repeatedly while pretending to be a Rafa fan. Also you mauled me for defending Rafa’s great 2008 against the mono myth.
I have always been a dual fan and I don’t mind anyone being anyone’s fan. I don’t hold it against other fans for attacking Rafa as long as they do not pretend to be Rafa fans.
Anyway, now that TT itself is gone let us bury the hatchet and let’s hope we can interact without acrimony. After all you have excellent knowledge of tennis and you are a witty poster. So if you don’t attack Rafa, we can have tennis related discussions with some wit and humor for entertainment.
Somebody please send out a search party for Twingey…………the nice Twinge, not the hard-ar*$
And also for Luckystar. She was not present during the final days of TT so may not have seen the alternative homes that were being discussed. Does anybody know if she posted on any sites other than TT and if so under what name?
ed251137 (August 4, 2013 at 8:04 am),
I remember luckystar responding to chlorostoma, who asked her to join ‘The grandstand’ (at the TT farewell article).
nice post holdserve 🙂 hope u and ed get along well now
Holdserve: I thought we’d already agreed to bury the hatchet, no ?
It came as a complete surprise to me when you originally revealed you were a fan of Andy’s just before TT closed down so I was amused by your comment earlier yesterday about having a second string to your bow and was pulling your leg about your duality.
It clearly back-fired on me and opened an old wound :-((
For the life of me I will never understand how, why or when you decided I was ‘pretending to be a Rafan’ but it’s all water under the bridge now.
Peace my friend.