Spain is one win away from a return trip to the Davis Cup World Group heading into doubles action on Saturday. Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal roll to singles wins on Friday to put the home team in front.
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Verdasco improved to 3-0 lifetime against Dolgopolov by kicking off the Spain vs. Ukraine Davis Cup playoffs tie with a four-set win on Friday afternoon in Madrid. The Spaniard needed two hours and 33 minutes to complete his comeback from a one-set deficit. It was Dolgopolov who got off to an impressive start, breaking twice in the first set without facing a break point on his own serve. Little separated the two players in the second. Verdasco won two more points than his opponent, but he saved one break point and capitalized on one of his three chances before serving it out at 5-4.
Sets three and four, however, were more straightforward for Verdasco. The world No. 33 generally held in far more routine fashion than Dolgopolov in the third even though it was decided by just one break. Verdasco closed it out at 5-4 then dropped only four points in his last four service games. Dolgopolov committed 14 unforced errors in the fourth to end his hopes of ever getting back on track in the match.
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-0, 6-0, 6-4
Playing just four days after winning his second U.S. Open title, Nadal clearly had no interest in staying on the court any longer than necessary. The world No. 2 lost just four games and needed only one hour and 42 minutes to put Spain ahead of the Ukraine 2-0. Stakhovsky, who famously upset Roger Federer at Wimbledon this summer, did not even win a single game in the first two sets. He won a mere total of nine points in the entire second frame of play–six on serve and three on return.
Stakhovsky finally got on the scoreboard in set three, and he did so on four straight service occasions. The world No. 92 fought off five break points along the way, but Nadal finally converted his sixth chance of the set at 4-4 with a perfect passing shot. Nadal held easily one game later to wrap up the proceedings in style. The 13-time Grand Slam champion will team up with Marc Lopez on Saturday in hopes of clinching the tie and sending Spain to the 2014 World Group.
That was very impressive from Rafa. Only saw the tail end of Nando’s match.
Davis Cup always seems to bring out the best in Nando.
Toni Nadal has confirmed that Rafa will play Beijing and Shanghai after he will rest for couple of days in Manacor (hometown). See text at the picture:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=627108617310291&set=a.149687818385709.26195.148883365132821&type=1&theater
That’s a lovely shot of Rafa and his uncle. It captures the rapport and affection between them to perfection.
It is clear they are intent on ‘making hay while the sun shines’.
Here are the permutations according to Juan Jose:
RT @juanjo_sports: “So…if my calculations are correct (and they might not be), if Djokovic wins both his singles rubbers, he would stay #1 if he makes the — Beijing final (and Nadal doesn’t play that tournament). If Nadal plays the event, making the final clinches #1. I think.”
RT @juanjo_sports: “Of course, Nadal would only have to advance that far if Djokovic makes it to that final. If Nadal wins said final, he’s #1 anyway.”
Chances Novak may have to play 2 rubbers since Tipsy lost, picking up ranking points. I guess Team Nadal have the above permutations in mind as they plot Rafa’s end of season schedule. Ending the year #1 is very important for Rafa.
—he [Djoko] would stay #1 if he makes the — Beijing final (and Nadal doesn’t play that tournament). If Nadal plays the event, making the final clinches #1.—
Correct.
Told you, they will soon be clamouring to cut his veins to check if he bleeds red:
“Spanish captain Alex Corretja about Rafael Nadal: “I think he’s from a different planet. This is almost impossible what he’s done today, coming from a different surface and time schedule. He spends the whole summer in the States and he came here and won nil and nil in the first two sets. I think only very special people can do that and Rafa is one of them.”
“Corretja said: “We spoke a couple of days ago and he [Nadal] felt that if he was feeling good after his singles, he said that he would be able to play and we feel that Marc and Rafa are the best pair we can put out and that’s what we’re going to do. We know it’s a difficult decision because we leave Tommy on the bench and he’s been practising really well and working very hard.”
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/09/13/rafael-nadal-back-to-winning-on-clay-davis-cup/
It must be really hard for Robredo to swallow after his impressive results recently but there’s no room for pride where DC is concerned! AC’s reputation as captain is on the line after the heavy criticism he came in over his choices last year.
^^^^ …….heavy criticism he came in FOR………
StreamHunter is showing Marc/Lobredo in the doubles.
the davis cup website also has marc/robredo. Rafa is not playing so relax guys
Sorry, you mean, Corretja has changed his mind again and is not playing Rafa/ Marc Lopez in dubs?I thought ITF were just being tardy in updating the Davis Cup website. I thought Clayqueen meant Streamhunter is showing the dubs live, not so much that T-Rob is playing.
#Confusing
RT @DavisCup: “Changes in nomination for the doubles in Madrid: Nadal replaces Robredo for Spain and Stakhovsky replaces Manafov for Ukraine”
This tweet just in…..
Deucy: Hope you’re watching Andy strutting his stuff in Croatia 😉
The dreaded Frew and Simon Reed commentating 🙁
Brits up 2:0
ooo so rafa IS playing ! thanks ritb… when exactly does it start?
55 mins from now, whatever your time zone
vamosrafa @September 14, 2013 at 12:57 pm
You’ll find all the schedules (and other data) here:
http://www.daviscup.com/en/home.aspx
I’ve indulged in a subscription for Davis Cup live streaming.
$9:95 for the weekend but good value since you can several matches simultaneously by splitting your screen. Excellent quality too. No buffering and no ads!
NB: There may be a slight time lag between registering and actually receiving the stream. I had to wait about 30 minutes.
ed, Which live stream?
Sorry, I’ve only just spotted your question 🙁
I was referring to the official Davis Cup site. Guess it’s too late now unless you found your own way there!
Five minutes to the off for Rafa and Marc
I was able to subscribe in time for the start. Thanks, ed for the info.
The draw is updated:
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/tie/details.aspx?tieId=100019832
This guy is unbelievable. He is in the fight for no.1, has just won the most gruelling tournaments. Must be draining emotionally if not physically. Despite this he goes on to play singles and doubles for his country. He must really be smarting from the time off last year. Does not want to miss a single opportunity to lift the racquet and hit the tennis ball
^^^^^ ? ? ?
I’m cracking up. Marc is trying to discuss tactics between points meanwhile Rafa is solemnly going through his touch the hair-ear-nose routine. lol.
I’m surprised at the number of empty seats.
Same in Croatia. Although they said there was a 350 strong British contingent there. They managed to make more noise than the locals most of the time.
Oh dear, this is going on longer than it should do.
As others have commented, very impressed by Rafa’s willingness to play for his country, although only days after his OPEN victory. He’s just a class act in every way!
Hardly classic doubles play. Both teams staying between the baseline or behind the service line most of the time. Where is the rat-a-tat-tat net play?
And the winners are: Rafa & Marc!! Well done!!
Spain vs Ukraine 3:0 – and Spain qualified for the World Group (2014)!!!
Vamos the Spanish Tennis Armada!!!
Spain win 3-0! Well done Rafa, now go home and rest, please. This means there’s no play tomorrow, right?
Thank goodness for that. Congratulations to the whole team.
Sad to see Argentinia go down the pan. Without Nalbandian or del Potro they didn’t stand much chance against the Czeks.
Nole is playing Raonic tomorrow……their first meeting ever.
So Rafa has done it again for his team. That wasn’t an easy match from the scoreline. The tennis channel has been televising Davis Cup matches, but if they did show Spain it must have been very early in the morning.
I want Rafa to just go home now and have a bit of a rest!
On vb I just read that for the picture taking after the match, Rafa could not bend his left knee. So he had to sit awkwardly without extending it.
This is why I did not want him doing this. I just hope the knee is okay.
I say it again, Rafa is not a machine.
NNY: I do wish you would give up bringing the Vamos Brigade ‘gloom and doom’ over here 🙁
More than likely he was just resting the knee because it was stiff after playing on clay two days in a row barely 72 hours after the USO.
DC has always been problematic for players who may have to switch in a matter of hours from one surface to another and back again. Not to mention the jet lag incurred if
long distance flights are involved for away matches.
ed,
I don’t consider it bringing over vamos brigade “doom and gloom”. They have been a good source of information many times in the past.
I have made my opinion clear about Rafa playing in Davis Cup. My personal opinion is not doom and gloom, it’s about respecting Rafa’s well being and health.
As I recall, Rafa fans were going crazy about the prospect of him playing at Cincy after Montreal. Some of the same people here who are jumping up and down about him playing Davis Cup. There seems to be a real disconnect. I thought Rafa should play at Cincy. He had been off for a while and was feeling good.
That picture says it all. If you don’t think that is something to be concerned about, then we just agree to disagree. I thought we were all about Rafa taking care of himself.
The doubles match was great stuff. Amazing Canada are 2:1 up against Serbia at this point. Popsi was already my new favourite amongst the younger bunch after Montreal and he has gone up even even further in my estimation. He more than pulled his weight today and was as cool as a cucumber serving for the match.
He was out of his league playing Djokovic yesterday but he could make it interesting against Tipsy. I think the limitations of Raonic’s game will be all too obvious up against Djokovic – not helped by the ankle injury he picked up yesterday.
Now you’re scaring me, NNY. Where did you read that? Link?
JCKNY,
I read it on a Rafa fan site, vamosbrigade. They are very well connected with some members who live in Spain, some even on Mallorca. They are not inclined to post anything that is speculative or not credible.
This is the comment posted by forum member ChrisL.
“During picture taking, team was crouching in front of group of fans gathered behind the net. Rafa couldn’t bend his left knee, tried to crouch on right with left extended, and finally ended up just stooped over. But still smiling. I hope he gets enough rest before he has to play again.”
Said picture is on the DC official site:
http://www.daviscup.com/en/news/latest-news.aspx
Yes, you can see Rafa having to extend his left leg in that picture. Exactly as was described on vb.
Here is the comment I referenced yesterday from Rafa’s doctor. This was posted on vb and the translation is by forum member malimeda.
Nadal has lost some weight after the American leg. Dr Cotorro explained on RNE [national radio] that humidity in NYC was brutal.
“I watched again the final (of the US Open), and on TV you can NOT appreciate the intensity and speed of the ball that we had experienced there; it was a brutal match.” – Dr Cotorro
There are also comments from Rafa talking about how changing surfaces is not ideal preparation for the upcoming hard court events in Shanghai and Beijing. Rafa also spoke about being tired after playing so much tennis since he came back.
If this costs him the chance to play at those tournaments and get the #1 ranking, then that will be very unfortunate. Rafa is human. He has been careful so schedule himself well this year. Playing this tournament right after the USO could turn out to be very costly to him.
Rafa said that he made a commitment and felt that he had to play. But it was clear that Rafa was not feeling all that great.
Now I am worried.
Thanks for the photo, NNY. Now I’m worried too. I hope it’s nothing serious and Rafa can get well with two weeks’ rest at home.
NYC actually wasn’t that humid or hot this summer except the one week heat wave early in the summer. The last few weeks were not that bad, but the humidity was probably a lot higher on court due to the bowl shape of Arthur Ash Stadium.
BTW, who besides me think Rafa has a good shot at being selected as the Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated at year-end? I thought he had a shot in 2010 and didn’t happen. SI seldom selects foreign athletes as the SOTY though. But Rafa’s year is extraordinary and the fact that this year is a comeback year for him makes it even more compelling.
Ricky is the person most likely to know about SOTY – he has direct links with SI and probably knows what the odds are.
Ok, Ricky, now this is a pick you have the inside information on. Don’t mess up. 😀
JCKNY,
I hope that you don’t think I was trying to upset you for no reason. I am just bringing over information. That quote was from Rafa’s doctor. I do read on vb a good deal because some people there are well connected and can provide information from the Spanish web sites. They do a great job of translating.
For what it’s worth, many of them don’t seem to be overly concerned about Rafa playing in DC. Sometimes people there post comments about seeing Rafa limp during matches and it gets very upsetting. I am not one to stir up worry for no reason. I don’t believe in speculation and gratuitous negativity.
I made my feelings quite clear. I don’t like seeing Rafa push himself. The Spanish team is going to have to rely on others in the future. Rafa will not always be around to save them.
I care about Rafa. He has been through so much. I could see him playing one match, but not two.
Now I am being told not to bring over the doom and gloom. So whatever information I get from vb, I will keep to myself. I don’t need people telling me not to bring over reliable information. Don’t shoot the messenger!
Huh? I didn’t tell you not to bring over the doom and gloom. Thanks for the info. We all care about Rafa. No worry. I’ll place my faith in Rafa’s team to take care of him. Hopefully, he’ll be in good shape for Asia.
I was the culprit – I was teasing NNY a little bit because she clucks over Rafa like a mother hen but she misunderstood my comment.
NNY: Apologies if I trod on your corns! That comment was an Ed wind-up not a reprimand. You have to admit though this would not be the first time alarm bells have been rung on vb based on interpretation of what people have seen, rather than specific information, which later proved to be unfounded worries. I went on to suggest there could be a simple explanation for why Rafa was not bending his left knee.
Bear in mind he would have been asked to pose for that shot before he’d had time for any normal post match physiotherapy treatment and more than likely they had all been holding the squatting on their haunches pose for some minutes. If his knee was stiff or aching that position would be very uncomfortable with or without a gammy knee.
We have to believe that both Rafa and the team know what they are doing and are not going to take unnecessary risks with his rehabilitated knee.
#StormInATeacup
JCKNY,
First, I did not mean that remark to be directed at you. Sorry for the confusion.
ed,
What bothered me was that little emoticon you attached at the end. I did not appreciate that. However, what I posted was factual information from Rafa’s doctor. You should also know that there are strict rules on vb regarding any irresponsible and baseless speculation or rumors about Rafa’s health. They take that very seriously.
It’s true that sometimes people there will say that they saw Rafa limping during a match or on the court, or they saw him take some pills during a match. That was being said during the USO. But it can’t be baseless imaginary ramblings because the mods will crack down hard on any of that.
As I said, there are some vb members who even attended the DC matches. There were some who expressed the same concern I did about Rafa playing so soon after the USO. But I did not get a doom and gloom sense at all reading the comments.
I am merely expressing my concern for Rafa’s health. If you wish to characterize it as me being a mother hen, so be it. I have no problem with that. It’s how I feel. I know that Rafa has a commitment to the Spanish DC team. But he has his limits. It’s been a long road back, but it doesn’t mean that knee is healed and everything is roses and sunshine. Rafa still has pain, but it doesn’t limit his movement on the court.
I get frustrated defending myself at times. On TT, I was accused of not being a loyal enough Rafa fan merely because I supported Djoker on a specific issue. I don’t like being put in that position. Rafa fans have been extremely concerned with his schedule this year. As I said previously, some did not want him to play Cincy. I did not agree with that.
I am not happy that he had to play not one, but two, matches back-to-back just days after winning the USO. If you read Rafa’s own comments which were posted on vb, then you would realize that he wasn’t thrilled about having to change surfaces and play when he admitted to being tired. But he said that this was something he committed to doing and being the person that he is, he was going to fulfill it. So it’s not unreasonable for me or any other Rafa fan to express some concern.
I know that Rafa’s doctor is there and will do what is best for him. I am sure that he will get some physio and whatever treatment he needs to take care of the knee.
It’s unfortunate when a Rafa fan feels the need to defend their point of view regarding concern for Rafa’s well being. I want him to continue to play and do well in this sport. That’s all.
Nadal will not win SOTY
Care to explain why? 🙂 It’s your gut feeling? Your inside info? Or there are other athletes more deserving?
NNY, I can understand your feelings because that is exactly how I feel. Please don’t stop bringing news from vb or posting your own feelings. Some fans just don’t want anyone to say anything negative even if it is a fact.
We don’t have to be in a fool’s paradise and believe Rafa’s knees are 100%. From his comments, it is clear that his knees weren’t 100% when he came back and they still aren’t. He has also said it seems awkward claiming his knees are not fine when he has had such great results. Reading between the lines, it means his knees still give him trouble. To back up this interpretation, he has also said, some days the pain is bad, some days it is bearable. But he is content as long as his knees allow him to be competitive.
Morons in the media keep declaring that as Rafa has no tape on his knee, it means Rafa is now 100% and he has “healthy knees”. I particularly hate that “healthy knees” as not only does it show blithe ignorance of Rafa’s knee problems but it makes it seem as if they are talking of livestock for sale.
All Rafa asks and by extension, all we ask is that the knees allow him to be competitive.
We also hope that Rafa does not overextend himself as he is known to have played h
“himself into the ground”.
Keep posting NNY, I enjoy your posts. You are an honest poster!
I go by Rafa’s facial expression. Does he look grim? It is bad news. Is he smiling? He isn’t that worried.
As he is smiling in that DC photo, I take it that not being able to bend his left knee on some days is a problem he has got used to and it still allows him to be competitive.
It probably accounts for how he played in the doubles.
holdserve,
Thanks for the kind words. I have known ed for a long time. We go way back. She has never been unkind or unfair to me. It’s also all right if we don’t always agree. That’s what it’s all about.
I am glad that at least you have the same concerns that I do regarding Rafa’s knee. I know what Davis Cup means to him. But I also know that there are limits to what he can do. He has given so much to the Spanish Davis Cup team. Others will have to step up in the future.
It’s not as though he has had a miracle cure and the knee is going to be perfect from now on. That’s not going to happen. In his own words Rafa expressed that switching to another surface is not good preparation for the next few hard court tournaments. He also said that he was tired. His doctor made that statement which was put up on vb.
I just don’t get why some Rafa fans were freaking out about him playing Cincy after coming back from another layoff and having won Montreal. I thought he seemed to be playing well, feeling good and ready to continue. But to have him play on clay just a few days after the USO final, did not seem like a good decision to me. Rafa will always honor his commitments. But I can’t help but feel concerned.
I also agree with you in disliking comments that Rafa’s knees are healthy. That’s just ignorant. It is like talking about a horse or something.
I am surprised to read your supportive comments, but grateful. I am just coming from a place of wanting Rafa to take good care of himself so that he can continue to play this brilliant tennis and accomplish his goals.
Thanks for pointing out that Rafa was smiling in that picture. It’s a good thing! Thanks for just understanding where I was coming from. That makes me feel better.
I don’t know about posting info from vb. It’s not my job. I don’t want to upset anyone.
NNY, I like posts which are intelligent and honest observations about tennis and of course about our Rafa. As ed pointed out, your posts have become really good after you felt yourself freed from troll attacks to which you were subject on tennistalk..
Please continue to make your honest observations and share your concerns here. Do not worry about upsetting anyone. You cannot please everyone so please yourself.
Isn’t losing some weight good for Rafa’s knees. Also it will aid in Rafa’s agility on court.
@abhirf, weight loss if good if it is planned and controlled. Also, it depends where the weight is being lost. If it’s being lost in muscle mass then it is not good because he needs muscle for explosive movement. If it is fat that is being lost then it is good but Rafa does not have fat on him. So if the doctor is concerned then I suspect it is because it is muscle mass that was affected.
Another thing @abhirf, it is Rafa’s left knee that has been the problem, not both knees. To counter this, Rafa has changed his game, including changing his BH completely so that he now transfers his weight from his left to his right knee when hitting it.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1042410/nadal-god-mustve-had-a-plan
Weight loss alone would not have solved his particular problem.
ha ha, fake medico!!!
NNY: We all handle our anxieties differently. My facetious remark about ‘doom and gloom’ was my way of deflecting that worry. Hence the ‘sad face’ emoticon’.
Holdserve touched on the fact that Rafa was less than overwhelming in the doubles – clearly fatigue had caught up with him. During the match I kept thinking to myself, why the hell wasn’t Marc playing with Granollier or Robredo.
With 20/20 hindsight, far from exploiting Rafa by using him in the doubles, it’s now clear it was a calculated risk taken to SPARE him the much more gruelling task of playing the reverse singles rubber. Had they lost the doubles AC still had the option to substitute another player against Starky in the decider rather than demand Rafa ‘died for his country’ by playing again.
holdserve,
It’s nice to know that you also noticed the difference in my posts. It was very difficult on TT when there were all these personal attacks. It just keeps you from feeling free to express your opinion, because no matter what you say it’s going to be subject to more nasty, petty comments.
ed,
Yes, we all handle our anxiety in different ways. I did not get a chance to see any of Rafa’s DC matches. If they were televised by the tennis channel, then they were on too early for me. I know that they have been showing some of the other countries because there are a number of DC matches being played. I don’t even know if they actually showed Spain’s matches. I didn’t record any of it. So I can’t speak to it since I never saw what happened in the two matches.
I am just frustrated that someone else didn’t play in the doubles. I am not surprised that the fatigue caught up with Rafa in the doubles match. Back-to-back matches without a day of rest after just returning from the US, not a good thing.
I wish that some of the others would step up because they seem to rely on Rafa to pull it out for them. He’s not always going to be there.
I understand the sad face emoticon now. Thanks. I just worry about Rafa possibly aggravating the knee. He has come so far and it’s been such a great ride, but I found myself remembering what happened at Wimbledon. That wasn’t very long ago. He couldn’t play well and the knee was not good. I don’t want to see that happen again.
All I hope is that he comes out of his okay and can take it easy.
Dont forget Rafa had all but volunteered to take on the load himself. I dont think he was ever pressurised to play the doubles and another singles. In the event it was never put to the test but as I stated above I have my doubts that AC would have fielded Rafa had it come to a deciding rubber.
I’m sure a little sun, sand and sea air will work their magic before the next tournament.
Its okay guys..relax..let us hear official version in few days from Rafa/Toni/Rafas doc
So folks, what are your thoughts on how Rafa will do rest of season? Will he pick up a title or 2 or go titleless?
How do you folks see Novak n Andy coming back?
And Roger, you think hell finally set things right in indoor season and win a title or 2?
Who do you all think is Fav for WTF title?
Would like to hear your thoughts.
I’m not holding my breath there will be more titles. It is the surface he is the least comfortable on and Rafa has already said ‘it will be hard for him’ and it is clear he has less confidence about this section of the season.
There is nothing to suggest Novak will suddenly come into top form but I have hopes Andy will come into his own after a rather sluggish patch. He enjoys indoor HC.
Never count Roger out. He could well win a title before the year is out.
Andy is my pick for WTF.
In short Sanju. I really dont know!!!
ed, that’s brave picking Andy for the WTF, because he’s not been in great form lately. I guess it’s wishful thinking on your part. His back is supposed to be playing up, isn’t it?
If Rafa is fit, can’t see anyone else in the running.
That’s wishful thinking, ed, picking Andy, considering he has not been in great form lately and his back is playing up.
nativenewyorker7@September 14, 2013 at 8:48 pm
—As I recall, Rafa fans were going crazy about the prospect of him playing at Cincy after Montreal. Some of the same people here who are jumping up and down about him playing Davis Cup.—
It doesn’t matter what Rafa fans wants. Rafa has commitments. The Cincinnati Masters is a mandatory tournament and he has to play at the Davis Cup FOUR times before the 2016 Olympics in order to qualify for the Olympics.
As for me, I am not ‘going crazy or are jumping up and down’ – I accept his choices. And I support him after he has made a choice.
augusta, I completely agree with you. None of us are close enough to judge how fit Rafa is, so whether he plays any tournament or not is for him to decide and I trust his judgement.
A lot of his fans didn’t want him to play Cincy. now they are all happy that he did.
augusta,
There’s no need to take my comment so personally. It wasn’t necessarily directed at you. Respectfully, you have also posted the fact that Rafa has to play Davis Cup FOUR times before the 2016 Olympics to qualify. I am already aware of it. That doesn’t mean that I am not free to express my honest concerns about his well being. That’s my right.
There were Rafa fans who did not want him to play Cincy, both here and on other sites. That is a fact. So I was making a point about the inconsistency of these feelings.
I wanted Rafa to play Cincy. I said it at the time. I didn’t think it would hurt him because he was coming back from another layoff and was fresh and seemed fit and ready to play.
The point is for all of us to be able to express our feelings honestly. We don’t have to agree.
ed..Where and when did Rafa say it will be hard for him to win titles?
God..I just want him to end the year as No 1..so close yet so far will be too hard to digest.The saving grace is Novak is defending 3000 points and Rafa none, so its all about Rafa picking up points and Nole not defending them all.
Sanju@September 15, 2013 at 7:51 am
Not long ago you said you don’t care what Rafa’s doing until WTF.
—Sanju says:
September 10, 2013 at 7:28 am
I really dont care what Rafa does now till WTF, he can lose in 1st round of all tourneys for all I care. If he has a good run at WTF, I will be happy. If he has proven us all wrong this year with his results, it will be like icing on the cake if he wins WTF on indoor too 😉 —
[U.S. Open final expert picks: Djokovic vs. Nadal, September 9, 2013]
Yeah but just asking opinions what do you guys think he will do? I am okay if he does not win a title now but I for sure want him to end year as No 1..no doubt about that. Going titleless is okay, not ending year as No 1 is def not okay.
sanju@10.13am
I honestly cant remember exactly when or where but I think it was in an interview not long after Cincy when he was asked how he saw the rest of the year.
Sanju,
You don’t have to defend yourself. I don’t know why it’s necessary to bring up a person’s previous comments to put them on the defensive.
You know, people can and do change their minds.
I appreciate the question being asked for discussion purposes, so I thank you for that. I don’t really know what to expect from Rafa for the rest of the year. He’s already done so much up to this point. He’s never done very well in the fall hard court season. It would be nice to see him do well at Shanghai or Beijing. I will be happy if he gets the #1 ranking.
He’s never won WTF. I don’t think he’s suddenly going to be amazing on indoor hard courts. But he can play on the surface. With this new aggressive game, he might just surprise us.
A great post from another site. I thought it may make a good read, hence posting
The Great Run:
Djokovic had Nadal’s number in 7 finals during his 2011 run. He had the superior game, and in general, Djoker always had a more complete game compared to Rafa. If you would to program the ideal player in a CGI world, it would probably be him. For he has no obvious weaknesses, and his game is top notch. He is a well rounded player, with remarkable defensive, as well as offensive skills. His BH is as good as his FH, and he serves and returns exceptionally. He is balanced in a way that Rafa never was, hence – his amazing run, and the subsequent superlatives: “God mode”, “Demi God” etc. etc.
Rafa is a pattern and routine type of person. His OCD is well documented. His celebrated strategy has been as well. His problem when he used to face Djokovic, that the patterns weren’t working, and he had no plan B. His game WASN’T complete enough to have a plan B. He had a unique and majestic forehand, combined with his relentless physical style and mental toughness – and that used to suffice, that is, untill Djokovic 2.0
Rafa 3.0:
Djokovic has unwillingly, created this beast we see today that is Rafa 3.0. To challenge the Djoker, Nadal’s game had to go forward: The serve is more accurate and lethal, the sliced BH is used to slow down the pace of the HC, simultaneously, reducing pressure from the left knee, but above all, he abandoned his patterns, and began playing more aggressively. He became more opportunistic. He is going for the kill.
The Analysis:
In 2011, Nole was leaning to his BH side, expecting the CC FH to his DTL BH. And Nadal kept gifting it time after time.
This pattern has made Nole’s BH a household shot. This shot had won 7 straight finals for Djokovic. Today, though, Nole has to guess. By keeping him honest, Rafa has, essentially, KILLED Djokovic’s DTL BH. And it’s only logical:
One executes best when correctly anticipates the shot.
Djokovic is unable to predict Nadal’s shots anymore, inevitably, making more unforced errors when executing, and without a tell – seldom takes the DTL BH, as it is riskier than the safe CC.
This is the reason why 2011 will not be revisiting us anytime soon.
Nadal’s game is much better today. Rafa 3.0 would have taken half of the matches against 2011 Djokovic, at least. But that’s life. You have to evolve or to be condemned to irrelevancy. Federer faced the same issue back in the day, he just couldn’t evolve.
The edge:
Nadal’s game has become more diverse, surprising, and aggressive. He doesn’t have any edge over Djokovic, game wise, but for the first time since 2010, neither does Djokovic. Which leaves their matches for their minds and hearts to battle over. In this fight Djokovic is losing. And that might not change. For Rafa may have the biggest heart of all.
And that’s why the CGI world is an imperfect one. It cannot transfer certain qualities that are so clear in life: problem solving, heart, the ability to grow and evolve. Rafa isn’t a perfect CGI tennis model. But in real life, he is as close as it gets.
@NNY
If it’s any consolation Andy fans have been going through similar angst. At the start of the Davis cup tie Andy said his back was “sore.” No doubt due to the change in surface but immediately us fans went into overdrive. “What? What? Why is he playing,at all. we need ranking points this Autumn, not back problems! And WHY is he playing doubles as well?” etc etc
However, it’s clear that, with John Lloyd out of the way, Andy loves playing Davis Cup. Am sure Rafa does too.
Also in Andy’s case, barring this hasn’t made his back worse in the long term, much better for his psyche than being at home brooding over the USOpen.
deucy,
Thanks for just understanding where I was coming from. We all deal with the worries for our favorites in different ways. I know how Rafa feels about playing Davis Cup for his country. He has given so much to the team. However, I feel that there comes a point when Rafa just cannot do it anymore. I do not want him to risk his knee. That’s it, pure and simple.
If it made Rafa happy to participate and get the wins to keep Spain in Davis Cup contention, then I have to respect that. It is his life and his career. But I do worry and feel the need to express it at times to just get it out.
I can see Andy wanting to get back to playing tennis and get the good feelings about the disappointment of the USO.
The bottom line is that we all want what’s best for our favorites. We want them happy, healthy and playing their best.
Thanks so much for your kind words. 🙂
sanju, that ‘article’ is contrary to the evidence. Obviously written by a Nadal detractor. If Djokovic was so much a complete player, how come he is trailing Rafa 22-15 in their h2h, Nadal dominated him until 2011 when the Egg was employed, and even then, the matches were close At Djokovic’s age, Nadal had nearly twice as many slams and many, many times more M1000 titles.
There is just 1 year between them and I’m sure Rafa wouldn’t swap his career for Djokovic’s. Nadal dominates all of the top players, every single one of them, Djokovic doesn’t. Even now, with Federer off key, I wouldn’t bet.against him to beat Djokovic.
Nadline.. I interpreted the article being complimentary to Rafa..as to how he worked on the way Nole was attacking his weaknesses and adjusted and came up trumps by not being predictable and varying his pattern of play..going for DTL FH more, slicing BH to vary pace, hitting BH deep and with spin or flat as required rather than looping it in, staying closer to baseline and varying serve and mixing it.
The article also says Nole really does not have much to improve..Rafa still can and thats why Nole 2011 is the best we saw from Nole..he can only go uptil that level (maybe only serve is something he can better and net play)
Sanju,
I got the meaning of that article. For some Rafa fans, saying anything complimentary about Djoker is akin to a capital offense. I have no problem with the description of Djoker’s game. He always had the natural gifts, the talent. What Djoker lacked from the beginning was the mental strength and toughness. There were all these histrionics on the court, MTO’s, retirements, drama, meltdowns. That is what I disliked about Djoker. I thought at one point that he would never realize his potential because of his temperament and mental weakness.
I am proud of Rafa for recognizing after 2011 that he had to make some changes in patterns of play against Djoker and change the dynamic. He also worked to make his own game better. He worked on his serve so that it would stand up to Djoker’s excellent ROS. He became more aggressive with better court positioning. Rafa understood that the cc forehand to Djoker’s backhand was a losing proposition. Djoker would just hit a dtl backhand for a winner. It’s true that Djoker has not weaknesses. He is strong from both wings. But Rafa’s weaker shot was his backhand. Djoker was able to exploit that shot. Also Rafa needs the dtl forehand to be working when he plays Djoker. That is his money shot. We could see in the first set of the USO final at one point Djoker hit a cc backhand and Rafa blasted a dtl forehand for a winner. The commentators on the tennis channel immediately pointed out how this was the difference from the way it was before when Rafa would hit that cc forehand to Djoker’s backhand.
The difference now is that Rafa is hitting his backhand so much better than he has in a long time. He is playing much more aggressive, standing closer to the baseline or inside the baseline to take the ball earlier. His serve has improved a great deal. His ROS has also gotten so much better. The bottom line is that Rafa evolved and made some adjustments to his game and worked to make what he had even better.
I like a diversity of opinion. I have no problem with that article.
If Djokovic was a Demi-God, how come he’s lost to 6 other people this year apart from Nadal?
@clayqueen, I started reading the article and gave up because of the confusion in grammatical tense: one minute the writer is in the present the nest he is in the past, in one sentence even! So, not easy to gauge whether he is saying Novak is or was a Demi God etc…………………………
and then this, “His BH is as good as his FH, and he serves and returns exceptionally. He is balanced in a way that Rafa never was, hence – his amazing run, and the subsequent superlatives: “God mode”, “Demi God” etc. etc.”
This is obviously a Djoker fan coming to terms with Rafa’s re-ascendency over Djokovic, casting furtive glances at 2011. Novak’s BH is no longer the terror of yore. Yes he has amazing balance but where was that balance in the final? Didn’t stop him leaking all those UEs from both wings, no?.
And of course to make himself feel better he says Rafa does not have an edge over Djokovic, currently………..sigh, a river in Egypt comes to mind: DeNile!
The fact of the matter is that even in the set and a half when he had the upper hand in the match, Novak was never serene. All that chest-pounding and strutting was for show, for the gallery, not from inner confidence. The reason? The man across the net, Rafa, never looked beaten even when he dropped the 2nd set and was trailing in the 3rd. Novak was beaten even when he was winning, How then can anyone say Rafa does not have an edge over Novak?
Some people want to airbrush everything between Rafa and Djoker until 2011 and pretend that Rafa is the one trailing Djoker. The writer was clearly putting Djoker in the driving seat. 22-15, speaks for itself.
It doesn’t ever surprise me when certain people always buy into a Rafa put down. Demi God my……….****. For heanen’s sake, Nole’s domination of Rafa in 2011 was down to Rafa’s mental weakness at the time, not to Nole being a Demi God.
Rafa’s Fall schedule:
China Open — Beijing, China, September 30
Shanghai Masters — Shanghai, China, October 6
Swiss Indoors — Basel, Switzerland, October 21
Paris Masters — Paris, France, October 28
ATP World Tour Finals — London, UK, November 4
ritb, I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw through this writer.
Rafa was watching Marc and Nando today looking very relaxed and happy. I don’t think we should worry unduly about ever discomfort he seems to have. We are all jittery about his knee and fret every time things don’t seem OK.
I hope he manages to finish the year in one piece, injury free.
Here is a photo evidence that Rafa was at the stadium today. Doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro was sitting not far from him.
http://rafaelnadalfans.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/rafael-nadal-davis-cup-2013-spain-3.jpg?w=1000&h=&crop=1
Without offering any interpretation on its meaning, I will let everyone know what I saw. I watched the entire post-match festivities, including the taking of the team photograph, on a Spanish TV stream. When it came time for the team to squat down for the picture, Rafa leaned on Verdasco and tried to lower himself to squat. He extended his left leg, holding on to his knee the entire time. The picture that was taken managed to capture the brief moment that Rafa was able to squat that low. He actually stood up again and tried several times to squat with both legs bent and was unable to do so and only bent about halfway down, again while steadying himself on Fernando. My own reaction was one of concern.
thanks. good stuff.
(well, bad stuff. but good comment.)
Jpacnw,
I appreciate your comments about what you saw with Rafa. I am glad that you were able to speak honestly and forthrightly about it.
I don’t feel so bad about being concerned for him. So for that, I thank you. 🙂
That stadium seat looks really uncomfortable: A cushion at the back and a cushion to sit on against steel? Yew….
For the record, I do believe that Rafa has the edge against Djoker now. He definitely has the mental edge. That was obvious in the final. Whether that article was written by a Djoker fan coming to terms with what has happened in their rivalry or not, it was interesting to get another point of view. I think it helps to have diversity of opinion. That’s what I miss here. It’s why I wish that fans of other players will find their way here. We do have one or two Murray fans and a Fed fan, but we need more. We don’t really have any Djoker fans here at this time.
I don’t care if someone thinks that Djoker was in God or demi-God mode at one time. We are long past 2011 and Djoker is not dominating. He is the one who has some work to do now. I enjoy watching that USO final over and over again. Every time I see it, there is something new that is revealed. Djoker played his best in that third set and Rafa took everything he had and then bested him. That was impressive. So Djoker’s best cannot beat Rafa’s best right now. Rafa’s mental strength now trumps Djoker. I also noticed how off balance Djoker was at times hitting his shots. The tennis channel commentators mentioned it a few times. He is usually so good at keeping his balance and getting that flexibility and extension on hard courts. But he was not doing well in the final.
Djoker’s inability to hit that dtl backhand for winners consistently is another problem. Rafa is now hitting his dtl forehand with authority and getting the better of Djoker.
I don’t think Djoker is going anywhere. It’s up to him to deal with a reinvigorated Rafa playing some of his best tennis. Andy Murray is also not going anywhere. We are going to be treated to some competitive matches going forward.
I’ve watched the rerun several times as well. I enjoy it too much. 😀
Djoker’s overhead and half-court volleys are really below average IMO. He missed several at crucial points just about every match against Rafa. Rafa hardly missed any at the net. Each returned well. Djoker got to several lazer shots to the corner Rafa hit that would be sure winners against everyone else. (And some online comments said Rafa only defended. Really? Didn’t they see those lazer shots?)
I agree Rafa has wrestled the mental edge back from Djoker. He knows how to be patient, wither Djoker’s best shots and beat him.
JCKNY,
I believe that the commentators mentioned that Djoker’s overhead is his weakest shot. He hit a few good volleys at points in the match, but overall I don’t think he is as adept as Rafa at net.
I especially think that your observation about those lazer forehand shots that Rafa pummeled, is spot on. I think some of them happened during that unbelievable 54 shot rally that Djoker ultimately won to finally break Rafa. I don’t know how Djoker returned some of those deep, penetrating forehands,
Of course Rafa was aggressive. Those who say online that he was only defending, simply reveal their ignorance about his game.
Thanks for your comments. Good stuff. 🙂
have people discussed what they THINK Rafa’s remaining schedule should be?
He should def skip Basel & Paris in my opinion. Just China, Shanghai, WTF will do.
Any further news on his knee ? Hope he is fine and Maymo and the doctor nurse him back to sound health. I def dont want him to miss the year end No 1, it is still not sealed in my opinion. If Djoko catches fire and defends all his titles and adds points at Paris, he can still end year at No 1.
I don’t really understand why he wants to play Basel and Paris either, unless he wants to practice to prepare for the WTF. I don’t know why anyone outside of Fed fans would care about the WTF. I don’t.
if he plays anything other than 1000s and the WTF the rest of the season, it’s mind-boggling.
Well according to what ritb posted, Rafa has a lot on his plate. Why would he play the Swiss Indoors and Paris? Why not just pick one?
I can see Shanghai and Beijing if Rafa is okay after the Davis Cup matches. Aren’t they Masters tournaments and mandatory? I am not sure of that.
Folks, I think we should look at his schedule as a plan, like all plans, it may veer off-course. We know players pull out of events (or enter events) at short notice. I like seeing Rafa play, all the time! But his health comes first, and I am confident that is what Rafa and his team think as well. Rafa is under no pressure whatsoever to play at any tourny, even the mandatory ones, he can afford the penalties.
I will trust his judgment.
Regarding his apparent discomfort after the doubles DC match, I would like to think this was due to the intense and compressed schedule Rafa had put himself through, especially with the quick change of surface and 2 best of 5 matches in a row. He needed some recuperative work done on that knee right after the dubs match but couldn’t because of the PR needed. I am heartened by the fact that he appears relaxed. In any event, if there was a serious problem, I doubt Dr, Cotorro would have allowed him to stick around to spectate on the Sunday dead rubbers.
Hopefully, he will now get much-needed recovery and be ready for his next tourny.
Vamos!
There is some discussion on vb about whether Rafa aggravated his knee playing those two matches. But the mods have clamped down on the discussion. They step in before things get out of control. Even Rafa fans disagree!
There were some things I read about what Rafa had to do to prepare for the quick turnaround from the USO and flying to Madrid. I had no idea that he had to go through all that to get ready to play. There was jet lag to take into account and having to try to get some sleep before the first match. There was some physio and massage to help him. It’s good to know that he is being well taken care of by his doctor and team.
I don’t know if Rafa’s doctor will say anything about the knee or if they will just deal with it and some much needed r&r for Rafa. He doesn’t have a lot of time if he is going to play in Beijing. He’s got two weeks before that starts. Then Shanghai comes right after it.
It’s true that Rafa isn’t locked into anything. He can pick and choose. If he decides to take the penalties, that’s his decision. He has the luxury of not having to defend anything right now. I assume his participation in these upcoming tournaments will depend on how he is feeling.
I agree with Ricky’s comment. I can see him playing the 1000’s and WTF. That should be it.
Yes, Rafa, you are allowed to lean on T-Rob after your exertions!
http://postimg.org/image/452jy25u5/
We fret about him so, but he looks so happy at DC tournaments! It really has to be something drastic to prevent Rafa from playing DC, but I really hope he adopts Roger’s selfish approach now, to prolong his career.
wc0206@September 16, 2013 at 3:26 am
Rafa is a 2013 ATP commitment player. The commitment for the commitment player includes eight Masters 1000 and four ATP-500 tournaments, one of which must be held following the US Open.
As for the Masters, Rafa is allowed to skip two tournaments this year. Last year, many players “escaped” from Paris to London early. Maybe Rafa won’t make a “trip” to Paris. Arguably, the court surface in Basel is similar to that in London.
—2013 ATP Rulebook.
Reduction of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Commitment
A player’s number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments shall be reduced by one tournament for reaching each of the following milestones:
1) 600 matches;
2) 12 years of service;
3) 31 years of age (as of 1 January of the commitment year).
If all three conditions are met then the player has a complete exemption from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 player commitment.—
I’m sorry, I made a mistake – Rafa doesn’t have ’12 years of service’. His first year of service is 2003 (though he turned pro in 2001)!
—2013 ATP Rulebook.
The first Year of Service shall be the first calendar year in which a player has competed in at least twelve tournaments offering ATP ranking points.—
My 2nd correction.
The first year of Rafa’s ’12 year of service’ should be 2002. He played Challengers & Futures and the following rule applies:
—2013 ATP Rulebook.
Challenger and Futures matches played prior to 2010 will remain on the player’s record as relates to this commitment reduction rule.—
But, anyway he doesn’t have ’12 years of service’.
wc…..”if he plays anything other than 1000s and the WTF the rest of the season, it’s mind-boggling.”
It’s mandatory to play a 500/250 after the USO, that’s why he is playing Beijing and that’s why his Vina deL Mar points are non-countable because he’s only got the one slot left for a minor event.
The points from Vina del Mar are non-countable because the slots in Rafa’s ranking table are taken by ‘0-point’ penalties (for not playing Beijing &Valencia in 2012) :
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Top-Players/Rafael-Nadal.aspx?t=rb
It’s not mandatory to play ATP-250 tournaments, but the points from them may be counted.
—2013 ATP Rulebook
Commitment Players. The year-end Emirates ATP Rankings is based on calculating, for each player, his total points from the four (4) Grand Slams, the eight (8) mandatory ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals of the ranking period, and his best SIX (6) results from all ATP World Tour 500, ATP World Tour 250, ATP Challenger Tour and Futures tournaments.
…2013 Davis Cup points may be counted as one of the best of SIX (6) results.—
Why would a player be penalised when he is off injured?
****The ATP World Tour 500 series (previously known as the Grand Prix Super Series,[1] ATP International Series Gold and the Championship Series)[2] is the third highest tier of men’s tennis tournament after the four Grand Slam tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000.
The series includes 11 tournaments, with a number of 500 rankings points to win for the events’ singles champions – which accounts for the name of the series. Tournaments have various draws of 32, 48 and 56 for singles and 16 and 24 for doubles. It is mandatory for leading players to enter at least four 500 events, including at least one after the US Open; if they play fewer than four, or fail to play in one after the US Open they get a “zero” score towards their world ranking for each one short. Rafael Nadal holds the record for most titles won from this series.****
it’s mandatory if you don’t want to be penalized.
but in many case it’s far better to be penalized than to play.
Rafa has arrived home:
http://tinyurl.com/ns9tpv7
^^Maybe it’s the over-size shirt……he looks thin.
^^^^and older, by quite a bit.
Looks tired, not older (according to me).
If Rafa plays China Open. Shanghai, Basel, Paris Bercy and WTF, I will be very happy not just because I can see more of him but because it will prove he is confident about his knees being good for the grind.
I am waiting to see whether he will play China Open.
I was worried when he first returned and did not want him to play at IW. But after his 1st round loss at Wimbly, I came to the conclusion that Rafa knows his priorities for this season and clearly hard court triumphs were part of his plan,for 2013, not Wimbly.
Unlike 2010 when Rafa said he would try for WTF, he hasn’t said so this time and in fact has said it is unfair that the surface is not rotated.
Nole has increased his lead over Rafa by playing Davis Cup. He has gained 310 points. For Rafa, playing Davis Cup was just for love. Right now the points are non-countable and even if they are counted, they are just 5 points.
Hope Rafa gets at least another 1000 points by year end, preferably another 2000.
Ed, stop sticking the knife in. We all get older, even Andy.
^^^ ?
Why does Novak get points for his DC appearance and not Rafa?
Like Claykind, I’ve always puzzled why players are penalised when they are sidelined due to injury/illness. Presumably because it”s open to abuse – too easy to obtain a ‘sick’ note from a doctor.
Naddy, I do wish you hadn’t had to change your nickname. I keep getting it wrong.
#CRAFTMomentsonTheIncrease
ed251137@September 16, 2013 at 4:20 pm
—Why does Novak get points for his DC appearance and not Rafa?—
Points a player gets from the Davis Cup, per victory:
¤ playoff round – 5
¤ first round – 40
¤ quarter-final – 65
¤ semi-final – 70
¤ final – 75
Spain played in the playoff round and Serbia – in the semifinal.
Rafa’s points are non-countable due to ‘0-points ranking penalties’ he has (see my comment of September 16, 2013 at 8:17 am).
@ritb,
September 15, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I too have a torn ACL of my left knee. I know the pain that it causes, and how much of an effect losing some weight can have even if it’s one knee and how that affects your movement.
And I dont think that Rafa would have lost muscle mass after all the rigorous physical work he has put on court this fall. Moreover, his knees will be affected only if he loses some mass of his quadriceps which is highly improbable given the no. of hours on court! But, yeah, definitely he would have lost some fat even if he had very less of it.
It’s probably a scenario of people making a mountain out of a molehill!
@holdserve, September 15, 2013 at 6:47 am
Ha, ha delusional fellow!! :p
My short-term memory may be declining but the mid-term memory is still intact 🙂
I recall the incident referenced above and wading in to defend you. Holdserve held that against me for ages 🙁
Nole and Andy probably will never have a legacy like Fed or Rafa. The former 2 just doesnt show the hunger that the latter 2 have shown in their careers.
Must admit I found this shocking. Poor Rafa 🙁
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rafaelnadal/8707878/Rafael-Nadal-Uncle-Toni-terrified-me-but-without-him-Id-be-nothing.html
^^This article was published by the DT in 2011 at the same time Rafa’s autobiography was published. Why is the DT re-releasing the article? I have seen several references to it recently on Twitter and I am wondering: am I missing a point?
What’s up with Andy, last year he criticized the DC, this year he says it should be mandatory.
Murray is not up for the Cup: British No 1 pulls out of tie against Belgium
By Mike Dickson
PUBLISHED: 10:46, 27 March 2012 | UPDATED: 19:50, 27 March 2012
Andy Murray confirmed on Tuesday that he would be declining national service once again and leaving next month’s Davis Cup duties to his lesser compatriots in this crowded Olympic year.
It was a badly-kept secret that the British No 1, who faces Frenchman Gilles Simon in a bid to reach the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open tonight, will not be there when a decent Belgium team visit Glasgow over the Easter weekend.
Going well: Andy Murray says his progress in Miami means he won’t play in the Davis Cup.
While it is understandable enough that he feels he cannot spare the time, it is still a massive blow to a Great Britain team who are only two victories away from what would be a return to the elite 16-team World Group next year.
Jamie has not been selected and Andy, who hates abruptly changing surfaces, has decided he does not want to switch indoors the week after the American hard court swing finishes and the week before he begins practicing for the Monte Carlo Open, which heralds the start of Europe’s clay-court season.
At the forefront of his thinking is that this summer is uniquely jam-packed, with five Masters-level events, three Grand Slams and an Olympics in less than six months.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2120994/Andy-Murray-wont-play-Great-Britains-Davis-Cup-tie-Belgium.html#ixzz2f4gTCHNL
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
F.Fwd to 2013
Murray: Davis Cup should be mandatory
Friday, September 13, 2013 /by Matt Cronin
Andy Murray says that the only way to get top players to commit to Davis Cup is if the competition is made mandatory. The ITF runs the Davis Cup, while the ATP runs the rest of the men’s calendar aside from the Grand Slams—which are the only non-ATP sanctioned events which are made mandatory.
Murray has played Davis Cup sporadically since 2008, but is playing Britain’s World Group Playoff tie against Croatia this weekend. Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic are also representing their counties this weekend, but Roger Federer, who has rarely played Davis Cup over the past eight years, is not playing for Switzerland against Ecuador.
“We’re told which events to play throughout the whole year. They should make Davis Cup a mandatory event so it isn’t up for discussion,” Murray told the BBC. “It isn’t about prioritizing Davis Cup. We, as tennis players, are told which tournaments to play. We don’t have much flexibility in our schedule at all, and that’s why I don’t understand why they don’t make Davis Cup a mandatory event. We are meant to play 18 mandatory events during the year, which is about 27, 28 weeks’ worth of tournaments, and we don’t get to decide which ones we do and don’t play.”
While top players are obligated to play the Grand Slams, Masters tournaments, and the ATP World Tour Finals if they qualify, they can pick and choose which ATP 500- and ATP 250-level tournaments that they play, as opposed to Murray’s remarks.
Murray added that Davis Cup ties can be tough on the body.
“The hard part about it is the surface changes,” he said. “Davis Cup finishes on a Sunday and there are tournaments that start on the ATP tour on Tuesday. That’s unhealthy—it’s not good for the body to travel from Croatia on a Sunday night, hit once on a hard court, and then play a match on it going flat out.”
However, Murray does see the positives in the competition.
Cilic suspended for 9 months, back-dated to May 1 – https://tenngrand.com/2013/09/16/cilic-banned-until-january-31/
There’s a lot about this Clic case that does not pass the smell test for me:
1) Did he in fact lie when he pulled out injured at Wimby? Did he become injured when his B sample came back positive?
2) His team say he inadvertently took the prohibited substance after ingesting OTC glucose tablets bought in Monte Carlo. They say he has always taken this particular brand of glucose tablets and he ran out at MC and sent his mother to buy him some at a chemist in MC. Apparently the French tablets are different from the Croatian ones. Why do men invariably hide behind their mothers when they get into trouble?
3) If Cilic’s story is true, why did he not produce the Croatian glucose tablets he normally takes, let the ATP test them and compare to the French ones to verify that indeed the same brand has a prohibited substance in the French ones? Surely this would be clear it was not Marin’s fault and he would be treated more leniently?
I am just catching up on the discussion today. So Djoker gained some points from playing Davis Cup. More work to do if Rafa wants to get the #1 ranking back. It’s true that he has not stated WTF as a goal this year. I read his comments about playing it on indoor hard court all the time as unfair. I can understand his feelings, given that this is his weakest surface. It used to be played on other surfaces, but I am sure Fed’s happy that it’s been on indoor hard court.
I guess we will see what Rafa does with his schedule. I just hope he takes care of himself. That’s the most important thing.
How long have u been following tennis?
I think that I am confused about which tournaments are 1000 and which are less. I thought that Beijing was a 1000 Masters. Now it appears that it’s a 500 tournament. I find the penalty thing really confusing.
Is the Swiss indoors a 500 tournament? Paris Bercy is a Masters, I believe..
I honestly don’t know what Rafa should do at this point. It’s up to him. I thought he looked pretty good in that picture.
nativenewyorker7@September 16, 2013 at 5:29 pm
You’ll find all the ATP tournaments here:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tournaments/Tournament-Landing.aspx
Click on a tournament name to get more information.
augusta,
Thanks. It’s much appreciated. I don’t know why I didn’t think to go to the ATP site.
So Beijing is a 500 tournament. Shanghai is a Masters 1000. That clears things up.
Then Ricky is saying that Rafa should skip Beijing and play Shanghai.
Then there is the issue of a penalty if Rafa does not play Beijing.
Well we will see what happens.
i would be fine with him just playing the WTFs and nothing else, to be honest.
wc0206, that would be perfectly fine with me, too, but I really think, he wants that year end No 1 spot. And he might never be again in such a perfect position to clinch it. Competition ist stiff in this aera. If he only plays the WTF, Novak might still finish in front of him, since it’s not a given at all, that Rafa picks up many points in London.
I agree. I do think Rafa wants to secure the #1 ranking for year end. The other issue is that Rafa does well when he plays a lot. If he takes off for too long, then he might not be in such great form.
I don’t see Rafa just coming back cold to play the WTF. He would want some kind of match play. j
I definitely agree that he might not have this kind of opportunity again. With no points to defend, it’s a good place to be. Getting the #1 ranking back at this point in his career, would cap off what has been an incredible year.
Rafa will have a lot of points to defend next year but he also has opportunities to pick up a lot of points. Australian Open, Miami and Wimby come to mind. To me, he has a very good chance, health permitting, of ending 2014 as #1 as well.
All Rafa has to do is pick up 2000 in the remainder of 2013 and he is guaranteed YE#1.
He will do it.
I’d like to see him skip Paris. I’d rather he did well at the WTF even if it is at the expense of regaining World No.1.
Year end number one would be very nice. But close to that is reaching number one even if a few weeks into 2014.
If he remains largely injury free at least the latter should happen given that he has no points to defend until after the AO. I suppose that he is planning to play some of the tournaments before the WTF for both reasons: year and number one and to keep playing some (well-chosen) tournaments while his level of play is so high and the knee is mostly OK. He has always been loathe to not play when he was more or less healthy.
Let us see where they are now
Rafa: 11015
Nole: 8110
Assuming worst case scenario:
Nole wins all the tournaments in the remaining part of the year:, Rafa gets 0 points
China Open: 500
Shanghai:1000
Paris: 1000
WTF: 1500
Davis cup: 225 (Serbia wins final with Nole playing two singles)
Add 4225 to Nole’s total which isn’t beyond Nole as last year he won 3010 points in this stretch.
Rafa: 11015
Nole: 12325
Rafa therefore cannot afford to relax if he wants to be no. 1. He must get more than 1310 points, to ensure No. 1 ranking is in the bag.
In Jan , Nole has to defend only AO. So if he wins it and Rafa makes semis,
Rafa: 11735
Nole : 12325
If Muzza plays well and is in Djokovic’s half in at least some of the tournaments. Rafa’s chances of becoming no. 1 improve even if he is not in stellar form.
I am anxiously waiting for China Open to see which Rafa turns up.
The 150 points from Chile add to his total right in October, I thought I read that on this site sumwhere?
I think as a fan I wold want the year end No 1 at all costs. It is an important statistic..ending 3 years as No 1 is far stronger in resume than twice 🙂
I also know Nole will fight tooth and nail to retain it, so Rafa has his task cut out. I think if Rafa somehow picks up 1000 points, hes locked for year end No 1. Nole can only gain points in Paris
I don’t see the old US Open post on the first page anymore so I’m going to post it here. This is the full CBS’s HD version of the US Open Men’s Final with J. McEnroe commentary:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEbXJB7XgQc
I don’t know how long this will be up so watch it fast. McEnroe was far higher on Novak all the way till the 4th set. Then he started praising Rafa when it’s clear that Rafa would win. Mary was clearly more a Rafa fan. I find McEnroe a bit too acid in his comments. Tennis channel’s Jim G. couldn’t tell Rafa’s using sliders to change the pace. I don’t find either one that satisfying.
—I don’t see the old US Open post on the first page anymore—
The owner of the blog is interested in Facebook chat about the U.S. Open DRAW. It’s still on the front page.
Thank you for the link. I prefer the American commies to the British ones.
i agree the British Eurosport commies are insufferable which is why I opted for the French channel on the night – it’s easier to ignore what they are gabbling on about!
Watching the above (thanks JCKNY for putting it up) I’m glad I wasn’t watching the US coverage. Normally I enjoy Johnny but he was so blatantly pulling for Djokovic I would’ve been tearing my hair out. Funny how he suddenly switched horses when Rafa pulled away in the 4th.
From those who know improvement when they see it:
Carlos Moya about Rafa Nadal: “He understands better the tennis. Because he doesn’t have the explosiveness from his 20ths, he learnt to read better the game & he is more aggressive. He didn’t had other choice & he had to evolve & understood that.”
Marc Lopez about Rafa Nadal: “He’s better. He is more aggressive. He was mistakenly using too much his forehand vs the backhand of his rival & now he varies more the directions. I never saw him play that well in the hard court season in the USA. I knew he will come back stronger and fighting like there is no tomorrow on court. His life is the tennis.”
Manolo Santana about Rafa Nadal: “It’s a totally different Nadal, an aggressive one. You can say that he found the balance. And he is serving better.”
Albert Costa about Rafa Nadal: “He has managed to get to a superior level. He has more power, he is faster & he is playing more inside the baseline which means that he has more aggressiveness on the court.”
Well put by all above.
There are those who went on and on about how Rafa was now slower, how he has deteriorated, how he was faster in 2008 blah, blah, blah. They totally underestimated Rafa’s intelligence, buying into the “Rafa the savant” Bodo meme. Now I hope they realise THEY are the slow ones………
I find the rankings points so confusing at times. So Djoker has to defend his points and can only gain in Paris. So if Rafa plays Beijing and Shanghai as scheduled, he can only gain points.
This has never been Rafa’s best time of the tennis year, but given the way he has been playing I think he can get some good results.
Regarding Rafa’s evolving game, it’s true that he is not as fast as he was when he was younger. But he has compensated for that with this aggressive game, more power on his shots and his brilliant tennis mind. There is not a better tactician in the game. Rafa’s game has more variety than in 2008. His serve is so much better, he is so much more comfortable volleying at net, his ROS has improved greatly and he is hitting his backhand better than he has in a long time.
Luckystar and I used to have these great discussions comparing the 2008 or 2010 Rafa to the 2011 or 2012 Rafa. It’s also fun to compare those years with the Rafa of 2013,
I think Rafa’s willingness to adapt and keep tweaking his game and working on certain aspects, is the secret to his resurgence. I admire him enormously for being willing to keep making whatever adjustments are necessary to keep him competitive in this strong field of men’s tennis players.
Just so long as Rafa finds the right balance and does’t play himself into the ground. I’m trusting in him not to make that mistake in an effort to regain the No.1 spot.
As it is he has a tough 2014 ahead with all those titles to defend.
Actually, ed, if you think about it, Rafa didn’t play AO’13 or Miami; he lost in the 1st Rnd at Wimbledon and he has been defending his clay titles for yonks. So he has got wriggle room. Even if he doesn’t win all the h/c titles he’s won this year, he’ll go deep so wouldn’t lose too many points.
I said the same in an earlier post, @clayqueen. Next year, he can compensate at Oz2014, Miami, Wimby for any dropped points in all the tournaments he won this year. I see him ending 2014 as #1, health permitting.
That’s my girl. Always looking on the bright side.
Really do wish @Twingey was here………….so I can say, “told you Rafa would be back!”
None of the folks back on TT who used to derive pleasure in denigrating Rafa will have the guts to come back here and face us :-). I bet though most of them are def reading our comments and burning within 🙂
Which is a pity, I actually enjoyed some of the back and forth we had with some of the guys, the good humour parts, not the nastiness. The really “bad” ones like the ones with the Fed-Nole name amalgams will definitely not show their faces because their “tool”, Novak, is not doing what he was supposed to do: stop Rafa accumulating slams!
But like life, tennis is a game of ups and downs, who knows what will happen tomorrow. We certainly went through many painful downs, Rafa’s beatdowns by Nole in 2011 and his injury absence in 2012. We deserve some happiness, and I for one am making the most of it!
Sanju,
Well said! I know that the troll Fedkovic23 aka JamesDjokovicFan aka novakisthebest aka Danny Morris, just disappeared after trashing talking Andy’s chances in the final at Wimbledon.
That’s what chr18 used to do. When Rafa started winning, then he would just completely disappear for months on end.
They are freaking out because Djoker was supposed to stop Rafa from equaling Fed’s slam total.
I agree that we deserve some happiness and respite from the hatefest! That’s why I can come here and say what I think now without fear of some disgusting cheap shot or nasty personal attack.
i ‘miss’ Twinge as well. We had many arguments about whether Rafa was a spent force behind Djoker and Muzz and I even suggested that there should be an asterisk against their achievements in Rafa’s absence. I also ‘miss’ chr18, rbennett and many others whose names escape me right now.
All those who kept saying Nolandy had raised tennis to a higher level in Rafa’s absence now have to eat their words.
I actually believe Novak believed the propaganda that Rafa was done, and this was heightened by his victory at MC. My sense is Muzza and Fed did not.
This accounts for that far, far away look Novak had just before the trophy ceremony at USOpen 2013.
From The Bleacher Report:
When Will Rafael Nadal’s Reign at No. 1 Start and How Long Will It Last?
By
Jeremy Eckstein
(Featured Columnist) on September 15, 2013
Rafael Nadal is ready to take the ATP World No. 1 ranking at the China Open in Beijing on October 7. Currently, Nadal (10,860) trails Novak Djokovic (11,120) by 260 points.
With both players slated to play Beijing, Djokovic can only defend his 500 points by winning the tournament. He can still hold the No. 1 ranking if he drops 200 points as a finalist and Nadal is quickly eliminated. If he does not make the final, he will fall behind Nadal
Nadal can clinch the No. 1 ranking by making it to at least the finals regardless of Djokovic. He would add 300 for this achievement because he did not play in Beijing last year and has no points to defend. If he wins the tournament, he will gain the full 500 points. Barring a major upset, Nadal will be No. 1.
Djokovic’s reign as the No. 1 player will have lasted 101 weeks, including all but 17 weeks since assuming the top position on July 4, 2011, with his Wimbledon title.
Nadal, who currently has 102 career weeks as No. 1, looks to reign at the top for a long time, perhaps a very long time.
Post from another site:
Rafa has 150 points in his Non-Countable category from Vina del Mar that he will be able to count as soon as his zero point penalty in the 500 category expires on October 7. He is not as far behind Djokovic as you claim so that changes the scenario of who has to win/final/get to semis etc.
In fact, Rafa should have been officially #1 after his USO title if it wasn’t for those stupid zero point penalties imposed on him when he was INJURED.
Sanju@September 17, 2013 at 10:23 am
The 150 points from Vina del Mar will replace ‘0-points’ from Beijing 2012 in case Rafa won’t play in Beijing or he’ll earn less than 150 points there (but then the points from Beijing will be not counted).
The same story with Basel.
In case Rafa will earn over 150 points in both Beijing and Basel, the points from Vina del Mar will be out of his ‘SIX best results’ and will be not counted.
ritb, I think you are right. Both Fed and Muzz actually said in so many words that Rafa would come back strong. I remember Fed saying, to a question about how well Rafa had done since his come back, ‘he is Rafael Nadal’.
Djoker also believed that he had no weaknesses in his game so has done nothing in the past 2 years to improve. Lately, he is trying to play an all court game rather than just hit winners from the back of the court. One of his main assets in 2011 was his accuracy. He made very few errors then which gave him even more confidence and demoralized his opponents, now he is making a lot of UEs.
Have you guys seen this?
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/09/37/Nadal-SportsCenter-Ad.aspx
A lot of confusion is caused by posters who seem to think defending points is relevant for year end ranking. It is NOT.
Defending points is relevant only for the 52 weeks rolling ranking points. The year end ranking depends only on points won THIS year and confers no advantage on anybody who did not play last year.
However for rolling ranking, somebody who did not play the previous year, cannot lose points as the year progresses but if he doesn’t win points this year, he cannot hope to be no. 1 merely because he cannot lose points.
Chile points are not currently countable for the rolling rank but they are already counted in the race points. .Also while Rafa is trailing in the rolling ranking points, he is having a big lead in the race points.
The trouble is we are now entering Nole season when Nole can easily win 3000 or more points and surpass Rafa’s current 11015 points.
So Rafa has to try to reach beyond 12325 to ensure it is impossible for Nole to surpass him even if Nole gets the maximum points in all the remaining tournament of the year.including the Davis Cup bonus for the player of the winning team who has played 7 singles rubbers.
If Nole gets less than 2905 points in the remaining part of the season, Rafa will end the year at no. 1 even if he does not win any more points.
option 1
Nole 1310 points, (Rafa is no. 1 irrespective of Nole’s performance in this part of the year i.e even if Nole maxes all the tournaments)
I prefer option 2.
Once again I repeat: Defending points will not affect year end ranking. Only winning points will.
Rafa will get the rolling ranking no. 1 if he reaches the Beijing finals but it will not ensure his year end no. 1.
I absolutely agree, holdserve,
Year end No 1 ranking has nothing to do with defending points. Rafa leads the race with 3000 points. If the Djoker wins everything from now on and Rafa wins nothing, Novak will be year end NO 1. If Rafa manages to collect between 1000 and 1400 points from his remaining tourneys, he will be year end NO 1, even if Novak wins everything. It’s doable, but it won’t be a cake walk.
How soon Rafa gets to No 1, is largely irrelevant. Rafa himself has said many times, that he only cares about the race, and that his actual ATP ranking is only important for seeding purposes.
The above post has got mysteriously missing parts.
So here they are:
option1
Nole 1310 points (Rafa is no. 1 irrespective of Nole’s performance i.e. even if Nole maxes all the remaining tournaments).
I prefer option 2 which depends on Rafa rather than option 1 which depends on Nole performing below par.
once again portions of my post are getting removed. Must be some dumb bot in action.
I give up!.
Ernests Gulbis strikes again! Is this guy for real, can he EVER keep his mouth shut?
http://www.onthegotennis.com/home/ernests-gulbis-doesnt-like-novak-anymore.html
“I don’t like Djokovic that much. We know each other since I’m 12. He was a normal guy then, but since his first big success he changed, his eyes changed. We never fought, but I felt he changed because of success. And I don’t like people like that. I like strong characters that don’t change because of success or money. That’s why I be careful not to change myself”.
Well, he became successful, Ernie, you…………………well, stayed rich.
RT @linzsports: “Well, Ernie. I’m certainly not worried about success changing you.”
Zing………….
Toucheé
Ernie is not the only one to say this about Nole, so there must be something in it. Jerzy said something similar. Does anyone remember the skit Tipsa did about Novak in his jacket and sunglasses?
Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlfBv4nRY6g
First time I’m seeing this……….oh my……
Priceless!
Hilarious!
In the link posted above by JCKNY of the match, it appears that Novak swore at Rafa for breaking him back to 3-4 back on serve in the 2nd set. About 1hr 20 mins in.
Wow! This new Rafa ain’t playing, Brazil 2014 will be a HC, right? This shows Rafa is determined to defend his points next year.
RT @christophclarey: “Looks like Rafael #Nadal and South America is becoming a thing. Brazil Open announces he’ll play the 500 event in February #tennis”
what in the actual Hell?
More on the Rafa-Brazil story. Rio will be clay, new on the Tour and a 500 event. Last year Rafa played Sao Paolo which was a 250 event.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2013/09/38/Nadal-To-Play-Rio-Open.aspx
This is great, so he gets to play 1 for the price of 2 (Vina del Mar and Sao Paolo) in terms of points…….and it’s clay, confidence building going into the North American HC Masters swing.
Rafa is preparing for the Rio 2016 Olympics! 🙂
I was wondering whether he would play SA next year. I’m glad that he will. The 7 months out made him realize that he should make the most of it whilst he can as it’s a very short career.
Will there be a stampede of Roger, Murray and Nole to SA?
Sorry, this is off topic but nowhere else to post it:
Poor Djokovic. He still has no. 1 ranking but he still hasn’t recovered the magic from his 2011 campaign and came up short in his two biggest battles against Nadal this year. He came into this Open on a wave of nice publicity from a big New Yorker profile and the release of a new memoir-cum-diet book, Serve To Win. (That book, like Djokovic’s performance in the fourth set, turned out to be really flat. Three weeks after its release, it’s sold just 1,500 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan. A bomb.)
http://deadspin.com/heres-what-led-rafa … 1281001710
1,500 copies…………doesn’t even cover his neighbourhood in Belgrade, no?
The gluten diet certainly seemed to help his breathing problems but I simply cant swallow that it explains the huge leap forward in his performance. The main catalyst was the surge of confidence from the Serbian DC win and his role in that. If they go on to win the Cup this year then we may well see his his results improve once again.
Geez, people need to stop frazzling about Rafa’s schedule:
RT @TennisReporters: “Tweeps clearly Nadal has pullout options but he’s good at fulfilling commitments so I suspect he’ll play at least 4 out of 5 this fall”
In other news, Charly Moya is about to be announced as replacement for Corretja as Spanish DC Captain.
Oh dear – another unconscious pun on my part 🙁
I don’t know that I buy the idea that all Djoker has to do is win Davis Cup and he will be back on track. It happened a few years ago but this is a different point in his career. I think his problems have been building up over a period of time. It didn’t just happen overnight and like we saw with Rafa, it won’t be fixed overnight.
For one thing, Djoker hasn’t won much this year. What did he win, three titles including this year’s AO? I believe the last title he won was when he beat Rafa in the final at MC. So he is in a bit of a title drought. Winning breeds confidence. It doesn’t just apply to Rafa. When you are winning, then you have the mental toughness and belief and your game is clicking and everything is working.
That is not the case with Djoker. He is losing matches in ways that he was not in 2011 and 2012. He is losing when he is up a break, when he has the lead. He has double faulted away breaks of serve to even lose sets. He isn’t getting set properly to his his shots, That dtl backhand is not working, He is making a high number of UE’s.
I am not saying that Djoker is going anywhere. I think he can regroup and get it together. But I think it would make sense for him to stop talking about what history he can make. I think that puts additional pressure on him and then if he doesn’t achieve said goals, it’s a letdown. If you work on your game and play good tennis, then the history follows.
Oh and I must say that I am shocked, shocked to realize that Djoker cursed at Rafa when he broke back in the final! 🙂
This is what Fibak thinks about Rafa:
“During the match, the thought that kept coming to my mind was that I was watching a genius,” said Wojtek Fibak, the former Polish player hired by Djokovic as a coaching consultant. “It’s like Chopin who was born to compose music. Nadal was born to win tennis matches.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/sp…_20130910&_r=0
Come to think of it. Its 2011 in reverse. Rafa had three titles in 2011 and a truckload of finals.Same with Djo this year till now 🙂
I don’t think it’s quite the same in reverse. In 2011 Djoker won three slam finals – AO, Wimbledon and USO. Rafa has won two slams this year.
Well then we will count the year till we reach AO 2014 then 😀
Ricky when do you intend to do the facebook chat about Rafa winning the USO? I love these chats 🙂
tomorrow
@NNY.
Dont forget, Djokovic was pretty much under the radar for most of 2010 and had made it to only one Final (USO) of the majors and masters that year. That is what made the contrast with his 2011 winning streak, which came out of the blue, so impressive.
Assuming Serbia win the Davis Cup again, the hypothesis is:
A gluten-free diet + donkey’s milk cheese PLUS winning DC = a rejuvenated Noel.
@vmk
Rafa’s 2011 was marginally better than Djokovic’s 2013
Rafa: Jan-Sept 2011
Slams: 3 finals (1 win, 2 losses)
Masters: 5 finals (1 win, 4 losses)
Djokovic: Jan-Sept 2013
Slams: 3 finals (1 win, 2 losses)
Masters: 1 final (Win)
ed,
Well said! You make some excellent points. I agree that there was no indication from the 2010 Djoker that he would come out like the Bionic Man in 2011. If anything, I think Rafa beating him in the 2010 USO final reinforced that his best was just not good enough to beat Rafa at that time.
I love your formula for a rejuvenated Djoker! Brilliant!
I think there is something different about what Djoker is going through right now. For one thing, he has been at the top of the sport for most of the last two years. So he has had the kind of success that he did not have prior to 2011. At that time he was just so much unrealized potential. Now he has six slams and the #1 ranking for 2011 and 2012.
I think the mental fragility is the thing that is most concerning. That can affect the technical aspects of a player’s game. The way Djoker went walkabout in that third set in the quarterfinals against Youzhny at the USO, was a perfect example of what has been happening to him all year. The way that he lost the Wimbledon final. Murray was the mentally stronger player throughout that match.
I think Andy is going to come back strong and ready to get down to business in the fall hard court season. He will have had some time to recover from the stress and pressure to win Wimbledon. I wonder if we will get to see Rafa and Andy play before the tennis year is over.
I think success has gone to Djoker’s head. He got complacent and probably too many other commitments/distractions. So many errors usually mean he didn’t practice that hard. He probably thought he had nothing to improve upon so practices were unnecessary.
I hope he still thinks that way because I want Rafa take the AO 2014.
Oh dear, just the kind of article Djoker does NOT need to boost those flagging diet book sales:
http://www.deathandtaxesmag.com/205897/now-that-rafael-nadal-has-won-the-us-open-can-we-please-stop-talking-about-gluten/
“Last week, Rafael Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in 4 sets to win his second U.S. Open title. It was his second grand slam title of the year and Nadal is now poised to finally reclaim the number one ranking from Djokovic. Most importantly though, this win may finally get everyone to stop talking about Djokovic’s gluten-free diet, or at the very least, stop trying to tell the rest of us that we should stop eating gluten too.
Djokovic himself says that the dietary change is what allowed him to reach his potential. Fine. The part that everyone always seems to gloss over though is that – and the importance of the rest of this sentence simply cannot be overstated – Novak Djokovic is allergic to gluten. Legitimately allergic. Confirmed by doctors and everything. But this simple fact doesn’t seem to deter proponents of the gluten-free diet from hoisting Djokovic up as a shining example of how horrible gluten is and why everyone everywhere ever should just totally stop eating it altogether.
This is dumb.
Rafael Nadal holds 13 grand slam titles, including 8 from the French Open, an Olympic gold medal and the number one ranking for 102 weeks in his career, so far. All of this, despite constant nagging knee injuries and unabashed gluten consumption.
If that’s not enough to convince you, let’s switch to another sport really quickly. Michael Phelps, a swimmer you may or may not be familiar with, has the most gold medals of any Olympic athlete ever with 18. What does Phelps eat? Well, apparently lots of Subway now, but while he was training, his breakfast alone consisted of three fried egg sandwiches, an omelette, grits, pancakes and french toast. Somehow, despite eating all of that gluten he managed to be the greatest swimmer anyone has ever seen.
So let’s all just take a step back and realize that this whole crazy gluten-free thing has gotten completely out of hand.”
Thank you! Now I can have my breakfast egg roll guilt-free………………
How can anyone seriously launch a gluten free diet book in NY, McDonald Land and the epitome of excessive food consumption? I once ordered some chicken wings as a 1st course in NY and it was piled so high on my plate that I thought they’d brought me the entire stock of chicken wings for the restaurant by mistake. My daughters’ onion rings looked like the onion rings had been woven into a large basket.
The “big plate” disease is spreading around the world unfortunately @clayqueen. When I am served over-sized portions I now politely send them back and ask them to try again, this time with a decent helping. Don’t mind the ensuing commotion, better than the feeling of utter helplessness and disgust I feel looking at an over-size plate.
He has a true gluten allergy for goodness’ sake, and he cynically tried to capitalize on that by palaying a gluten free diet book based on his malady. What a tosser!
This is an excellent write-up of the entire US Open:
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sbnation/SBNation_20130917_Call_it_a_comeback__One_year_ago__it_was_uncertain_if_Rafael_Nadal_would_ever_be_back_among_tennis__elite__Now_he_s_the_best_player_in_the_world__again_.html
The writer seems to know each player very very well. She gives a lot of in-sights of each player. Her portrait of Djoker is very unflattering. I didn’t know some of the incidents she wrote about. No wonder Rafa isn’t close to him.
Thank you @JCKNY. The following paragraph articulates well what makes Djokovic un-appealing to most Rafans:
“But that genuine warmth did not factor into his relationship with Djokovic, who had always seemed to resent and envy Nadal’s success, his charisma, his popularity. As for Nadal, as much as he had detested getting beaten seven times running, what he may have liked even less was Djokovic’s behavior in victory: the celebratory chest beating, banshee screams and strutting shirtless around the court while Nadal sat nearby slumped and disconsolate.”
Nole’s reaction when Rafa accidentally hit him with the ball in Montreal demonstrated his resentment of Rafa. His envy of Rafa’s achievements was also in evidence when he posted REC8RD on his Facebook for having won 8 out of the 9 M1000s when Rafa won his 8th RG title.
JCKNY: Congratulations on this. One of the best pieces of beautifully honed tennis writing I’ve read in a long time. Acutely perceptive and alternately acerbic and humorous. Boy, does she know her tennis! I’ve bookmarked it to enjoy again and again.
Thanks but I didn’t do anything. 😀
The writing was so good that I kept reading it in a theatre last night. I couldn’t finish it until I got home after the show. It’s not often to read a sports-related article that is so well-written.
JCKNY,
I finally took the time to read this piece. I think it’s an excellent read. I think she may have hit on what is at the core with Rafa and Djoker.
I thought the analysis of what Rafa did in that match was simply brilliant. Beautifully written.
The writer clearly likes Rafa a lot more than Djoker. SI posts the link to this article in its daily summary of tennis-related articles. The SI reporter praised Elizabeth Kay’s beautiful writing but she says Kay is a bit too harsh on Novak.
Yes, I can see why Rafa and Djoker are not close. Out of the Big 4, I get the feelings that Rafa respects Roger but Rafa seems to be good friend with Andy.
Here is an interview Rafa did with Elle magazine before the US Open.
http://www.elle.com/news/culture/rafael-nadal-interview?src=sem&mag=elm&dom=out
And this is the Chinese restaurant in Midtown Rafa dined in every night when he’s not playing during the US Open:
http://taorestaurant.com/
According to Page Six, he ordered Chilean Sea Bass every time along with fried rice and noodles. He brought 20 people back to here after the Final to celebrate. The owner kept the kitchen open till 12:30 for him. Darn, This is really close to me. If I had known, I might have gone to stalk him. 😀
vmk1 has not posted for a few days. Hope she didn’t expire from the excitement of being at the final.
There is also another Rafan who used to post on TT, @natashao. I hope she finds her way to Tenngrand soon……….
Sir, I am very much here and have been posting!! The excitement of being at the final is something that is going to stay for a long long time. Its a dream come true. Being at a Rafa Djoko final with the right result at the end 😀
My bad – I see I’d even replied to you yesterday!! Another CRAFT moment :-(.
The reason I thought you’d gone of the air was I’d been waiting for your Birdseye report on what it was like to actually be there. Did I miss it?
The way Elizabeth Kaye writes reminded me very much of Cheryl’s blogs and of how much I miss her take on all things tennis.
#NoDisrespectToRicky
Oh, I had not noticed the author of that beautiful article is Elizabeth Kaye! I posted an article of hers on Rafa one time on TT which was roundly criticised as a Rafanatic piece, she was also dismissed as a blind Rafanatic……..
I don’t care, she writes well…………
I thought the name was familiar but couldn’t place from where. Now I remember the furore you caused when you posted a piece by her on TT. So much gnashing of teeth!
The Davis Cup draw for 2014 was held today. Spain is seeded third in the World Group, after Davis Cup 2013 finalists Czech Republic and Serbia.
The first round:
Canada vs Japan
Spain vs Germany
France vs Australia
Great Britain vs USA
Italy vs Argentina
Belgium vs Kazakhstan
Serbia vs Switzerland
Fed and Djoko could meet in the first round!
http://www.daviscup.com/en/draws-results/world-group.aspx
Ooer, tricky for us Brits 🙁 The Bryans are a lock and, although Andy can beat Isner and Querry/Harrison, not sure Dan can?
Maybe not Isner but wouldn’t put it past him to win over either Querry or Harrison.
Wonder if he-who-shall-not-be-named will turn up to face Novak? Novak will be there for sure, schedule and health permitting!
France vs Australia in France will be spicy, wonder if Bernie Tomic will turn up. Are Spain on the road or at home?
Germany (c) means that Germany will choose the ground.
(See Key in the right bottom corner of the Draw).
Thanks @augusta08. This is a difficult tie for Spain. Like Spain, Germany has depth with Khols, Mayer and Brands and Tommy Haas even! Sure they will lay on a super fast court and seek to blast the Armada off the court. I hope all the big boys play DC next year, should be fun.
tough matchup
That’s great news! They might even play in Halle (if the premises are heatable), which is not too far from where I live! I will have an eye on ticket sales. On an indoor hard court the German squad might even have a decent chance against Spain, even with Rafa, who hopefully might go deep in Australia and could be a little tired. If Rafa plays, I might even root against him the first time in my life,lol!
I doubt he will relish facing Djokovic on his home turf 3 days after the Australian Open.
OTH It would be a serious dereliction of duty not show up.
A tricky conundrum if ever there was one!
^^^^^your predictions welcomed 😉
Rafa is not playing Acapulco 2014. Good, the security situation over there is not good and it will be HC next year anyway. His results this year have proved he does not need to play a HC lead up event before IW.
only hard court he should play before IW is the AO. And that includes exhos.
Why is Acapulco on a HARD court in 2014?
^^Makes sense, no, Ricky? They probably figured it made more sense for it to be a HC since it leads up to IW & Miami.
Having said that, I hope Miami converts to clay. Would make for good prep for the European clay season and would provide balance in the HC:Clay Masters ratio. And the US NEEDS clay courts if it is to challenge the current European hegemony.
oh god no
rafaisthebest@September 18, 2013 at 3:32 pm
There is a chaos in Acapulco due to the flooding,
Chaos as floods submerge Mexico’s Acapulco, death toll rises
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/us-storm-ingrid-idUSBRE98D0AH20130917
Flooding has caused damage also to the Acapulco tournament venue.
—The organizers of the ATP 500 that is played in the state of Guerrero hope now assessing the damage caused by floods in the Fairmont Acapulco Princess, tournament venue, to define when construction will begin with the 6 new fast courts that will be used during the contest. The work will require 6 to 8 weeks.—
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/blogs/index?entryID=1904542&name=juan_ignacio_ceballos&cc=7586
Rafa has tweeted his support to Acapulco:
https://twitter.com/RafaelNadal
Thanks @augusta08, I saw Rafa’s tweet.
rafaisthebest@September 18, 2013 at 3:58 pm
—They probably figured it made more sense for it to be a HC since it leads up to IW & Miami—
Correct!
Wikipedia:
— Starting in 2014, the Mexican Open’s surface will change from clay to hard courts, serving as a lead-up to the first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event of the season in Indian Wells, United States.—
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_Open_(tennis)
Ricky,
Are you saying that Rafa should not play at Doha and Abu Dhabi? No warmup tournament before the 2014 AO?
correct
the Rio tournament is what Memphis used to be, right? but it is clay? and Acapulco is moving to hard, basically to replace that?
and Memphis is now what San Jose used to be…a 250 hard…..
The Memphis ATP-500 on hard court should be still alive.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Tournaments/Memphis.aspx
ATP calendar 2013:
San Jose – ATP-250, IH (Indoor Hard)
Memphis – ATP-500, IH
Rio – no
Acapulco – ATP-500, Clay
ATP calendar 2014 (preliminary):
San Jose – no
Memphis – ATP-500, IH
Rio – ATP-500, Clay
Acapulco – ATP-500, Hard
pretty sure Memphis is 250 in 2014
wc0206@September 18, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Wikipedia says the same thing:
“…the event was renamed Memphis International. … The ATP and WTA event will move to Rio in 2014, and Memphis will continue as an ATP 250 event in the 2014 season.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._National_Indoor_Tennis_Championships
well that’s wrong also. it won’t CONTINUE as a 250 event. it will BECOME a 250 event INSTEAD of 500.
sorry to digress but I’ve read that article from E. Kaye, thx JCKNY, and I can’t believe what they say about Novak using this pressure chamber thingie and those pimple whatever they are… I mean if they weren’t approved why do they let him use them?
I don’t understand…
Shirling: If you are interested in the Pod Saga, here is the original story from the WSJ which blue the whistle on Djokovic’s new secret weapon:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/3d6ayu4
It was my understanding that they made Djoker change his shoes at Wimbledon. I remember the tv commentators discussing the fact that he was wearing special shoes.
As far as the pod thing, it was not considered to be illegal and was not banned. The statement from the governing body is that it was not in the spirit of the sport. There was a lot of discussion about it on various tennis sites, including TT. I thought that Djoker’s comment was to the effect that he had only used it once or twice. I don’t know if he has used this pod device since then or recently.
Regarding the little nubbie thingies on Novak’s shoes, in the American broadcast of Wimbledon, the commentators said that while Novak did not have to change his shoes, he did have to file off the nubs. Apparently, the Wimbledon regulations state that the nubs can only come up so far on the side of the shoe. They showed quite a few close-ups of Novak’s feet where you could see that the nubs had been filed down.
As for the CVAC pod, I posted this in another forum during Montreal:
The World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA], which just happens to be headquartered in Montreal, has taken the position that use of the CVAC pods “violates the spirit of sport.” However, they have yet to ban it because there is no reliable way to test for its use. For example, one can achieve similar results by training at high altitudes. This has been their position since 2006 and they’ve periodically issued statements that reiterate said position as well as the continued lack of any reliable usage tests. Until there is some way to test for usage, I just don’t see the ITF/ATP banning them. As far as I know, no large professional organization bans them, even those that have stringent anti-doping rules. Hyperbaric chambers, which are similar to the CVAC pods, have also been deemed to “violate the spirit of sport” by WADA, yet Michael Phelps used them in 2012 and some NFL players use them to speed up recovery from injury. Again, it just doesn’t look like a ban is anywhere close on the horizon.
As far as I know, Novak is the only high profile tennis player who has admitted to using one and I may be wrong, but I don’t think he’s publicly admitted to it since 2011, the year of his ascendancy to #1.
Clearly, Novak’s problems this year go beyond shoe nubs and probable discontinued use of the CVAC pods. Of course, his biggest problem, even more than himself, will be the one and only Rafa Nadal. I’m an old gal, but Rafa just brings out the fan girl in me.
@ NNYI dont believe he can still be using it. If he is then it’s not working for him any longer.
I wish that the real Djoker fans like zare and danica were posting here. I would be interested in their thoughts given what has happened.
Before TT closed down Danica told us she would be reading but not taking part in discussions because it had become too time consuming. She has young children.
Djoker fans will probably become active if and when Djoker starts winning.
^^^It’s the true, no? That is the sense I get with Novak fans unfortunately. There are one or two on other forums who post regardless of his results but the rest seem to only interested when he is winning. For a lot of Novak fans, the pleasure was not just in him winning and becoming #1, it was besting Rafa. And a lot of them had bought into the “love” bestowed on Novak by Fedfans, together with the notion that he was Fed’s true heir, he was the most complete player, he was the most talented, blah, blah, blah.
I will never forget their collective orgasmic joy after Novak beat Rafa at MC. Imagine the emotional letdowns now that Rafa is returning the favour, and it is clear Novak is not the only one with a complete game, and it is Rafa who is being talked about as the one most likely to equal or even surpass Fed’s Slam haul. It must sting like hell.
As for dear Danica being too busy to post, really, that is an old and incredible chestnut, sorry. Okay, even if one buys that excuse for her, what about the rest, have they all suddenly become busy too? She (and the rest) may have lost interest (most likely because Rafa is thrashing Novak and Novak appears to have lost his superman aura), that I can buy, but too busy? No. How long does it take to post: Adje Nole! Please……
Well we Rafa fans didn’t stop posting when he wasn’t winning and was on an injury layoff. We kept the faith. That’s the time to show that you are a real fan. When your guy isn’t winning and is having some problems. That’s what a real fan is all about. That’s why trolls and fakes like Fedkovic23 aka JamesDjokovicFan et al, are nowhere to be found.
ed,
I didn’t mean to say that I think Djoker is still using the pod. I don’t think he is using it now. As you said, if he is then it certainly is not working!
Jpacnw,
Thanks for posting the facts regarding using that pod device. I know that they did say it was not in the spirit of the sport, but it’s true that there is no way to test it to determine if it can give a player an unfair advantage. As for the shoes Djoker was wearing at Wimbledon, I thought that they made him change them, but according to your info they just made him file them down. I just admit that when it was revealed that he was wearing those specially modified shoes, it bothered me.
It’s in the nature of the man he wants to be at the cutting edge of any technology that could give him an edge over his rivals. As long as it is legal, why not.
ed251137, in a rare un-guarded moment during 2011, Novak did say he would do anything to win, as long as it was legal. This was when he was responding to questions about his diet.
Even further back (possibly 2007) he openly admitted to taking MTOs purely to gain an advantage during matches. We all know this happens from time to time but Djokovic actually spelt it out as being a legitimate tactic since it was within the rules.
SI writer responds to Pat Cash’s assertion that today’s tennis players are boring. She provides several links of amazing shots:
http://tennis.si.com/2013/09/18/pat-cash-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-boring/
Let’s be honest, who would remember Pat Cash today if it wasn’t for that cheesy CNN programme he fronts, Inside Tennis, or whatever? Some people cannot accept anonymity well…………
It is telling that he singles out Novak and Rafa as boring baseliners but not Fed. Like all Fedbots, he is so entranced by Fed’s ballet dancing, he forgets he does said dancing on or behind the baseline!
Next!
Well, glad I’m not the only one who thinks Cash is just another CNN hack:
RT @juanjo_sports: “Apparently, Pat Cash makes statements while on bath salts. Carry on.”
RT @juanjo_sports: “Just to be clear – Pat Cash has all the right in the world to find Djokovic and Nadal’s tennis boring. Nothing is objectively entertaining.”
RT @juanjo_sports: “But to say that Nadal and Djokovic aren’t as athletic as past generations? That’s just a very silly, and inacurate thing to say.”
RT @juanjo_sports: “A good time to remember that Pat Cash gets paid to emit opinions about tennis! Happy thought!”
RT @juanjo_sports: “CNN surely paid Pat Cash to write the quotes highlighted here: http://tennis.si.com/2013/09/18/pat-cash-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-boring/ … Think about that for a sec. He was compensated for it.”
Here is a YouTube clip of Elizabeth Kaye discussing her passion for Rafa with Andrew Burton of TennisWorld. Amongst other things she nails what she sees as the essential difference between fans of Rafa and fans of Roger. And also admits to her animosity towards Nole.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/l6x8vpt
Hehehe, so those who trashed me when I posted her article on TT were right: she is a Rafa fangirl just like me!
I thought this clip was quite interesting. I liked when Elizabeth Kaye said that Rafa would appeal to both Fitzgerald and Hemingway. F. Scott Fitzgerald is my all time favorite author. I loved hearing her mention these two great writers and how Rafa could appeal to both of them because of his different qualities. She also spoke so movingly about the contrast between the on court Rafa and the off court Rafa.
It’s obvious that she is a Rafa fan girl, big time! I also liked that she said you cannot be a fan of both Fed and Rafa and gave her reason why. I completely agree with her. It’s very personal, this business of having a special favorite player with whom you can connect. It’s intensely personal. I don’t think you can like both because they are so very different in their style of play and also in their personalities.
She also did reveal her bias against Djoker in saying that she liked to see him lose. Not a Djoker fan for sure!
I enjoyed listening to her interview. Good stuff!
Hurray for Elizabeth Kay! A journo who does not apologise for being a Rafa fan girl. I am so tired of Rafans being made to feel bad about being a Rafan. Nonsense like Rafans are people who just follow Rafa and not tennis. You had journos like Bodo and Neil Harman who are unabashed Fed and Muzza fans respectively and no one bats an eye lid. Tiggy is an obvious Rafa fanboy but one gets the sense he is afraid to “come out”. Bah humbug!
Hopefully, Rafa’s success continues and instills confidence in all Rafans for them to shout out his greatness without fear!
rafaisthebest@September 19, 2013 at 8:22 am
—Tiggy is an obvious Rafa fanboy but one gets the sense he is afraid to “come out”.—
He who pays the piper calls the tune! Journos have to keep the sponsors (of the websites and … so on) happy.
Carlos Moya has been confirmed as the new Spanish Davis Cup captain.
Kind of off topic, but many of the Internet postings of Rafa’s Charlie Rose interview left out about a minute or so of footage. This link has the entire interview. The part that was left out on most postings starts at about 12:41 or so. It’s significant too, because Charlie reveals himself as a Rafa admirer with this description…He says “You have a remarkable eloquence, too, the way you handle the post-game…” and he goes on. Rafa’s response is typical of his usual charming, humble self. So here it is for those who only saw the edited version.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x14l3y0_charlie-rose-rafael-nadal_news
Where the heck is @willmw? I really miss him. He was such a useful punch bag during Rafa’s live matches! Come back @wills! Your antijinx-o-meter is sorely missed………..
This is more a confession than a comment, but anyway… I’m kinda new here and in tennis world in general…I’m following tennis since the 2011 US open final to be more specific, the first time that I saw Rafa playing and, even though he was losing, I remember that I was completely amused by all the package: the passion, the fighting, the tennis itself and, of course, the man who was carring all that. And today, well, I’m pretty much obsessed about anything tennis and anything Rafa related 🙂
I found this site some time ago because of the famous facebook chats and I just realized that there was a lot of Rafans discussion going on here… so it turned into a must read site to me…and also, I really like Ricky’s texts.
I’m not used to comment here, but I just love to read all the comments.
Greetings from another Rafan 😉
CapouPascap,
It’s great to have you here. We are all refugees from Tennis Talk. Ricky was a blogger on that site along with Cheryl Murray. It was a really great site with some wonderful people. Rafa fans were in the majority on that site, but we did get a nice cross section of fans of other players. Some Murray fans, a few Djoker fans and Fed fans who would come on there to get into a war of words with Rafa fans.
The site is now defunct and Ricky told us about his site here. Many of the regulars have now migrated over to this site where we could resume our tennis discussions.
I hope you feel comfortable enough to join in the conversation. 🙂
Thanks NNY (is that how they call you here, right?)
I appreciate the welcome 🙂
I’m not a native speaker…I’m still learning English, so I’ll try my best to keep the conversation here 😉
Anyway, thanks again and I really enjoy your comments…there are very insightful!
they are very insightful! 😉
By the way CapouPascap, don’t worry about how you write in English. There are many people who are not native English speakers and you won’t be criticised for making mistakes.
However, it’s good practise in learning to communicate in another language.
Welcome @CP! You are in good company here, feel free to gush about Rafa any way you want I.e. just be your honest to goodness self!
Thanks rafaisthebest 🙂
I’m sure I’m in very good company here!!!
Well, thx to all who commented further about Novak’s edgy strategies. As long as he doesn’t do anything illegal there’s no probem from my side. This phrase : ‘against the interest of the sport’ doesn’t really mean anything. So it’s racket-bashing and fake MTOs and players do it all the time.
Either you clearly say what’s allowed and what’s not or you just dont’ whine.
BTW, this chamber artifact Novak supposedly used back in 2011 reminds me of those Dragon Ball episodes when Goku trains at high pressure to easily trash the space warriors later.. has anybody seen those? 🙂
Shireling@September 19, 2013 at 9:02 am
— reminds me of those Dragon Ball episodes when Goku trains at high pressure to easily trash the space warriors later.. has anybody seen those?—
I only know that ‘Dragon Ball’ was Rafa’s favorite childhood cartoon, I haven’t seen it. Maybe – after reading CNN’s article explaining how Goku was Rafa’s childhood inspiration – Djoko got inspired too and wanted to become like Goku? 🙂
Excerpts from an article.
—Rafael Nadal: The ‘Dragon Ball’ of tennis.
When Rafael Nadal was a young boy on the Spanish island of Majorca, he used to run home from school to watch his favorite Japanese anime — “Dragon Ball”
The Toei Animation cartoon, adapted from a 1980s manga by Akira Toriyama, must have made an indelible impression on the young Nadal.
Like Dragon Ball’s hero Goku, a martial arts student who came from an extraterrestrial race called Saiyans, Nadal has also come to conquer the world, or at least the tennis world, with an unorthodox style that he seemed to learn on another planet. /…/
Rocketing across the court, twisting to hit winners from impossible angles, Nadal sometimes even looks like Goku, with his mouth open in a grunt that is both ugly and sexy for millions of his worldwide fans.
“It’s my favorite cartoon,” Nadal tells journalists in Japan who ask him about “Dragon Ball” after his opening round victory at his first ever Japan Open. “I have all the DVDs, from the first one to the last one.”
/…/ But off the court, Rafa has a simple islander charm /…/ Coming into the Ariake tennis center press room after his first round victory, the 24-year old Nadal, who has won more than $30 million on tour, apologizes like a schoolboy. “Sorry, I was a little bit late.” —
[CNN, 8 October, 2010]
http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/play/rafael-nadal-dragon-ball-tennis-216638
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goku
(My comment that contained 2 links didn’t go throuh. I repeat the comment, splitting it into two parts – one link per comment)
Shireling@:September 19, 2013 at 9:02 am
— reminds me of those Dragon Ball episodes when Goku trains at high pressure to easily trash the space warriors later.. has anybody seen those?—
I only know that ‘Dragon Ball’ was Rafa’s favorite childhood cartoon, I haven’t seen the cartoon. Maybe – after reading CNN’s article explaining how Goku was Rafa’s childhood inspiration – Djoko got inspired too and wanted to become like Goku? 🙂
Excerpts from an article.
—Rafael Nadal: The ‘Dragon Ball’ of tennis.
When Rafael Nadal was a young boy on the Spanish island of Majorca, he used to run home from school to watch his favorite Japanese anime — “Dragon Ball”
The Toei Animation cartoon, adapted from a 1980s manga by Akira Toriyama, must have made an indelible impression on the young Nadal.
Like Dragon Ball’s hero Goku, a martial arts student who came from an extraterrestrial race called Saiyans, Nadal has also come to conquer the world, or at least the tennis world, with an unorthodox style that he seemed to learn on another planet. /…/
Rocketing across the court, twisting to hit winners from impossible angles, Nadal sometimes even looks like Goku, with his mouth open in a grunt that is both ugly and sexy for millions of his worldwide fans.
“It’s my favorite cartoon,” Nadal tells journalists in Japan who ask him about “Dragon Ball” after his opening round victory at his first ever Japan Open. “I have all the DVDs, from the first one to the last one.”
/…/ But off the court, Rafa has a simple islander charm /…/ Coming into the Ariake tennis center press room after his first round victory, the 24-year old Nadal, who has won more than $30 million on tour, apologizes like a schoolboy. “Sorry, I was a little bit late.” —
[CNN, 8 October, 2010]
http://www.cnngo.com/tokyo/play/rafael-nadal-dragon-ball-tennis-216638
And here is Goku (original):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goku
Hehe, wonderful stuff Augusta!
I have to say that I’m a bit long in the tooth to be talking about Dragon Ball but, what can I say? I’m one of those middle-aged men who never fully left their childhood in some ways, especially when it comes to cartoons. For a time I studied cartoon animation too and I like the good stuff. I consider Drangon Ball to be very nice – true, it is childish and a bit wacky in a macho Janpanese kind of way but they way Goku (and other characters) develop is very good as far as animé goes.
You know, I never thought about it but Nadal does fit the shoe of the ‘Gokuesque’ character, which is that of a pure and humble kid (ok, Goku is an alien but he doensn’t even know it at first) with amazing physical strength who gets swept into martial arts and just exceeds all expectations, his included.
(Also, Goku eats like a maniac, often flabbergasting everyone who’s around.. a imagine Nadal must also be a threat if you want to invite him for lunch after a match, lol)
Then, when the martial arts theme es exhausted, the script-writers keep coming up with meaner and harder oponents which are always more powerful than Goku and he needs to trains incredibly hard and re-invent himself all the time to beat the opposition.
Sounds familiar?
Yes, this sounds familiar. 🙂 Thanks for your lovely description!
Facebook chat: The tennis world reacts to Nadal winning the U.S. Open – https://tenngrand.com/2013/09/19/facebook-chat-the-tennis-world-reacts-to-nadal-winning-the-u-s-open/
RT @SteveTignor: “RT @simonrbriggs Andy Murray forced to address long-standing back trouble: operation next week, aims to be ready for start of 2014”
Get well soon Muzza!
RT @Metro_Sport: “BREAKING: Andy Murray to have back surgery next week, could be out for the rest of the season”
Oh NOOOOOOoooooo
dear. That sounds pretty serious. I hope that it is not a major surgery and that his recovery goes very well.
Even if he is fit enough in time for the AO it casts doubt on whether he would be wise to take on the added ‘burden’ of DC a few days later. Such bad luck just when GB have managed to fight their way back into the World Group 🙁
I just got here to read the news. I was hearing some rumblings about Andy’s back acting up again online, but this is such shocking news.
Maybe the back was the problem at the USO and it wasn’t just a post Wimbledon malaise. Is there any info about the nature of his back problem? I assume that this decision was made because there must have been some unresolved issues.
I offer my commiserations to Andy’s lovely fans. However, it seems that they want to do this surgery in order to give Andy his best chance to continue to compete well. It obviously wasn’t getting better and it seems that surgery was the best option.
All I can do is wish Andy a speedy recovery and a return to full health. Rafa fans have gone through this too many times. I like to try to look at this in a positive light and think that finally the surgery will correct the problem.
RT @andy_murray: “Thanks so much for all the nice messages today… Having operation on monday.. Will let everyone know how it goes.. Ill be “back” stronger”
http://the-slice.com/2013/09/rafa-covers-vanity-fair-5th-anniversary-issue/
Rafa the model. He wears a suit so well……………..
Everything he does, he does well – including being an art director’s dream on a fashion shoot.
Wow! Rafa looks fab in a tux! Our boy has grown up. 😀
One more photo for Vanity Fair. Rafa looks great in a tux and without it too! 🙂
https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/541810_706981222649860_708707732_n.jpg
Rafa is going to travel to China through South Korea, where Kia Motors are organizing “Kids Day” on September 27. Right after that he’ll fly to Beijing.
And he is practicing already!
It’s good to hear that Rafa is practicing again.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/qgmu9qn
I imagine most people have watched this 2008 Rafa Story dozens of times but it bears watching again in the light of all that has passed since it was made. Interestingly even then the phrase Greatest Player On The Planet was already in circulation. It has resurfaced again and been used repeatedly over the past 10 days!
I’ve seen this clip a number of times but hadn’t watched it in awhile. Watching it again, I was reminded of one of the things I didn’t like about it. Roger delivered yet another back-handed compliment to Rafa when he talks about how he hoped that when someone took the #1 spot from him that he hoped it would be “not by me being injured or losing” and then says that’s what Rafa managed to do, then qualifies it by saying that maybe he (Roger) couldn’t put up his best fight because of his earlier illness (mono). Throughout his career, Rafa has treated Roger with complete respect and absolute deference in matters related to playing one another. When Rafa defeated Roger at IW this year, you could see at the net that the first thing Rafa did was ask Roger if he was okay. Then Rafa stated in interviews that Roger was probably injured and offered that as a reason for his win. I know that there is mutual respect and admiration between them and perhaps even affection, and with the passing of another 5 years Roger has been more accepting of Rafa’s domination, but to this day there still seems to always be an underlying current of slight resentment on Roger’s part and Rafa just continues to be magnanimous and kind.
@Jpacnw, it’s true, all you say. But you know what, I am so over Roger and his fan’s bad behaviour. There is truth into the saying: you are the company you keep. Fed’s fans are so like him, nasty, jealous, petty, un-gracious. There are true and pleasant Fedfans, unfortunately they are in the minority. The same is true of Djokovic. What is strange is both Roger’s parents, who appear to be the epitome of grace, raised this character.
Karma truly is a bi@ch. Rafa is now enjoying probably the best years of his career. Touch wood he manages his physical ailments so he realises his full potential.
The best part? Rafa is providing exactly the best retort to his detractors, winning on court, with grace. Roger and Novak are being exposed for what they really are: entitled, boastful and curmudgeonly. I don’t have to defend Rafa, he is doing that so eloquently on his own.
Icing on the cake? With each win by Rafa, the haters spiral further and further into their self-made concoction of hate, resentment and jealousy. There is a God.
Only Muzza, of the Big 3, is a true friend to Rafa.
@rafaisthebest: To me, with Roger and Rafa, it’s like Roger is the older brother who doesn’t want to admit that the younger brother has surpassed him and Rafa is the younger one who continues to idolize him despite the resentment of the elder. I don’t think there’s any doubt that they clearly have professional respect for one another and that Roger may even have affection for Rafa, but I think that’s due more to the effort on Rafa’s part. Witness Rafa’s recent interview with Charlie Rose where he sweetly brings up his rivalry with Roger even though Charlie somewhat dismisses it and Rafa also completely downplays his winning record against Roger. It’s classic Rafa…..no ego, respect for his peers, no qualifying statements. In another forum, one person who apparently wasn’t very familiar with Rafa’s personality, commented on the Rose interview by writing, “Is this guy for real? He’s so humble and gracious it’s unbelievable.” Yes, he is that humble and gracious. For all of us who’ve followed Rafa, and I have from the very beginning, we know that’s exactly who he is.
As for Andy, yes.. I think he and Rafa are truly friends. They are both “guys” who like guy things and share common interests in doing guy stuff. Andy also does not suffer from ego problems and is more than willing to share any spotlight with Rafa.
Rafa was the most rooted player on social media during the US Open.
—Throughout the 2013 U.S. Open, global social media monitoring leader Synthesio wastracking the social media buzz of all the players with a U.S. Open real-time online leaderboard.
Now the recap results are in, revealing which tennis stars’ digital popularity corresponded to their success on the court. Guess who was the most rooted for player on social media? —
http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2013/09/20/and-the-most-popular-player-during-us-open-is-rafael-nadal/
Rafa has been the most popular tennis player on Twitter for a long time. In the beginning of September, the official Twitter account of Rafa surpassed five million followers. (He created his first tweet on August 3, 2011).
On Facebook, he has 11,997,910 supporters (“likes”). Soon 12 millions!
RITB and JP
You have both articulated what I wanted to say but I chose to be discreet and let the clip say it for me 😉
The first time I watched the film I was eating breakfast and nearly choked on my croissant!
Until that moment I’d always been fairly neutral about Federer – admiring his tennis but never warming to the man. From then on I began to see him in a different light and finally understood why many Rafans were antagonistic towards him and a certain sector of his fan base.
Furthermore his dismissive remarks and the unpleasant mind games he played with Andy added further fuel to the fire as far as I was concerned. There was a certain poetic justice that it should be Andy who dashed his dream of a Golden Slam.
ed,
went through the same thing
became a rafan in a few minutes when discovering him during the RG05 semi and like fed
then one day the penny dropped re fed’s character and have not been able to dislodge that from my mind while still admiring everything else about him (minus his not understanding / wanting to keep adjusting/improving continuously and thus selling himself somewhat short)
Rafa reached 12 million fans on Facebook today, just a few minutes ago!!! (I am proud to be on of them.) He got over 160,000 new fans in the last 5 weeks!!!
Vamos tennis virtuoso Rafa!!!
Correction: I am proud to be ONE of them.