CAMELOT FANTASIES

I know his back was ailing him in indian wells. you could see that he was not really doing much with his serve.

so if he really is a little spent mentally then why the hell did he not leave for home instantly after his early loss in indian wells. it would have been better for the back as well to go home, rest a couple of days, and then start preparing the single most important clay season of his career.


I could hardly bear to watch him play the way he was playing in indian wells. I watched with almost one eye closed.




he is just short on practice and a little short on fitness. short on practice on clay, that is.

he does not really have to win Madrid but 5 matches there would help his cause.

I think he has to win rome. lets see how it all plays out.

rafa does not really like the Madrid event all that much. but he is in a bind now. he has 1000 points to defend there.

The way the ATP is structured is tricky. You can't just skip tournaments without jeopardizing your points. So, even if you don't want to, sometimes you have to play when you don't want to.

Mentally, I don't think he feels like competing at the highest level right now. He's lacking the necessary motivation. In past years he saw himself as an underdog and went about his business. But now, his popularity is skyrocketing, the negative press has trickled down to nonexistent.

I'm sure these things motivated him in the past. They were always saying he was only a clay-courter and would never win on grass (check), he'd never win on a hard court (check), he'd burn out by 25 (check), he'd never hit double digits (check), they said all manner of things, and in each instance he proved them wrong.

Now, many are giving him a chance to catch the record, speculating if he'll break the record, and all of that stuff. That would irritate me, because I do what I do because of me, not because of others.

At this point he's exceeded his own goals. How do you stay motivated after that?