CAMELOT FANTASIES

No tennis player in the top 50 wants to miss any matches and Rafa is no different. However, when he came back after the Australian Open so quickly I said to some friends, "what's he doing? Last year he rested and made sure he came back 10000% -- I cannot see how he has recuperated so quickly this time."

Of course, it's easy to say that after the fact.

I'm not a doctor, but I know backs are tricky. You can play for two hours not feeling anything, and  then suddenly "BANG" - pain - and you can't do what you did a minute ago.

But then you have it in your head, no matter how healthy your DRs say you are, that sometime in the match you may get hit with "BANG". And it affects your game. And your head. And that is Rafa's problem.

Rafa IS defending 1000 points, but since Djoko is out.... #3 is far, far away from him. Still, you want to do your best, and RG is looming out there....

And Wawrinka could face him in the QFs....

That's very true. The doctors can see that everything is fine on an X-ray, but that doesn't take into account niggling pains, stamina, or rest and recuperation.

I hope Rafa has fully recovered, though.