CAMELOT FANTASIES
Camelot Tennis Universe => General Pro Player Discussions => Topic started by: Clay Death on April 20, 2014, 09:26:20 pm
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Glad it's Nishikori who won the title. With Rafa out of the tournament, I wanted a Nishikori win. He surprised me with how well he played in this tournament. If he continues this form, he can have a great season.
Kei is definitely making a statement.
He's playing very well.
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Very interesting take on it Lady TT. Just shows that there are always other perspectives that can help us understand the bigger picture. :)
Respectfully,
masterclass
Yeah, that's the thing. Everyone thinks differently, but sometimes people think everyone thinks like they do.
That always gives me a smile.
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Glad it's Nishikori who won the title. With Rafa out of the tournament, I wanted a Nishikori win. He surprised me with how well he played in this tournament. If he continues this form, he can have a great season.
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Very interesting take on it Lady TT. Just shows that there are always other perspectives that can help us understand the bigger picture. :)
Respectfully,
masterclass
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IMO what worked well for Rafa was that he doubted himself after being away from competitive tennis for 7 long months. He worked hard on his game to be able to compete at the highest level again.
And he went on to have one of his most dominant seasons. I don't think he planned on that. He exceeded his own expectations winning FO and USO + 5 Masters and other titles.
Once he knew he's back on top, he stopped doubting himself. He knew he was the best player in the world. He stopped doing the things that helped him compete so well in 2013. He practiced, but not like before.
I've said this before. I was very disappointed with him in Miami final. Djokovic was playing very well. But Rafa was just awful. He couldn't or didn't retrieve some balls that even I would have gotten to. He made Novak look even more impressive than he already was.
I thought after that Miami final, Rafa needed to come back strong in the clay swing. He needed to play the kind of tennis that elevated him to the top. But sadly, he didn't, and got bounced by Ferrer in Monaco. A few days later he loses to Almagro in Barcelona!
The way I see it, Rafa will have to fight hard and play his best to be the dominant king of clay again. His B game is no longer good enough against quality opponents. He isn't getting any younger or faster. He's gonna have to be near his best to defend his FO title.
Interesting points and good post general Backspin. The real question is, what level is his best now? We know what it was in the past.
I think he has to put in the hard yards - practicing 4-6 hours/day to get close to that, and the question is, does he have the motivation and dedication to do that, especially when he is #1?
He keeps saying things like tennis isn't everything, not important compared to some other things in life. I'm wondering if his passion to excel and do the work it takes to stay at the top is disappearing. He's only human, and I think it's natural to want to do other things. To be at the top consistently in tennis, many have found that you have to give up many other things that are enjoyable. I think Rafa has had a taste of other pleasures, golf, fishing, poker, football, whatever, and may be struggling to dedicate himself completely to tennis. It's not surprising, he has been on the tour for what, 11-12 years? When he is not at the top, he does seem to be more passionate in his competitive drive.
Respectfully,
masterclass
I agree. To get to the top, get acclimated to being on the top and the associated fame, and then maintain that drive is otherworldly. You have to have something inside of you that still wants to do it, be it fame, notoriety, or ego.
But, some people have a different mindset. The way I approach things is probably similar to Rafa. At the onset, I may doubt if I can actually do something, because I know that if I want to quit, I'll quit. I'm not concerned about what others think of my choices.
But, say I really want to do something, then I'll ponder it, make the decision and go all out to achieve my goal. For instance I was always an A, B student, and I did that without really applying myself. I hadn't declared a major and was going to school just to exercise my brain and needed the structure of school, (pressure) to study things I might not select myself.
Then, years later I decided to go back to school with a purpose, but this time I decided I wanted to graduate Summa Cum Laude. So, I delved into my program head first. It charged me to learn all of these new processes.
At first, I would work on my assignments daily. I would write a paper, keeping doing research, and by the time the paper was due I had rewritten it adding more insights.
After I had been in school for a while, the work became second nature where I'd do a prep, but not actually write the paper until the due date. Now, I don't do it until hours before it's due.
I have to find things in life that motivate me and make me want to do things. I am not interested in extrinsic motivation, everything is intrinsic. I can see Rafa questioning what HE wants to do, and I don't think it has to do with Fed, Joker, or anyone else.
The passion is not there right now and there's no sense in faking it. For all of his on court "troubles" he looks the happiest when he's off the court. He's always smiled a lot, but now it's perpetual smile.
It's all up to Rafa. I believe he is contented, and that's why he's struggling to reach for things he really doesn't care that much about.
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IMO what worked well for Rafa was that he doubted himself after being away from competitive tennis for 7 long months. He worked hard on his game to be able to compete at the highest level again.
And he went on to have one of his most dominant seasons. I don't think he planned on that. He exceeded his own expectations winning FO and USO + 5 Masters and other titles.
Once he knew he's back on top, he stopped doubting himself. He knew he was the best player in the world. He stopped doing the things that helped him compete so well in 2013. He practiced, but not like before.
I've said this before. I was very disappointed with him in Miami final. Djokovic was playing very well. But Rafa was just awful. He couldn't or didn't retrieve some balls that even I would have gotten to. He made Novak look even more impressive than he already was.
I thought after that Miami final, Rafa needed to come back strong in the clay swing. He needed to play the kind of tennis that elevated him to the top. But sadly, he didn't, and got bounced by Ferrer in Monaco. A few days later he loses to Almagro in Barcelona!
The way I see it, Rafa will have to fight hard and play his best to be the dominant king of clay again. His B game is no longer good enough against quality opponents. He isn't getting any younger or faster. He's gonna have to be near his best to defend his FO title.
Great post.
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So Lady TT, are you thinking he needs another longish rest to recharge the batteries?
I would never write off greats like Rafa, until they actually retire.
That 7 month rest seemed to do him good a couple of years ago. He came back very fired up in 2013.
I think he almost needs to press on till after the US Open this year as he defends a lot of points in that space.
Then I think he could afford to not play at all in the fall, and come back very refreshed in 2015, maybe even skipping the AO as he did in 2013, with about a 4-5 month overall break, but practicing very hard on clay in Dec-Jan, and just starting on the South American clay in Feb 2015, same type of pattern as 2013?
Respectfully,
masterclass
No, I don't think he needs a long break. The 15 days would have sufficed. I think that did hurt him. He could've taken a week off and then started practicing on clay.
But he didn't, so every action creates another reaction. We're seeing that now.
But, at the same time, this is the first time Rafa has had a slump without a bad injury, so I think it was kind of overdue.
A decade is a long time to be so excellent and burnout becomes a real possibility.
Players like Rafa and Fed have been doing it so long, I don't think you can except them not to lose motivation at some point.
I try to always remember that they're regular people like us.
And in the end, his career has been so brilliant. There's no reason to worry about a mufti-millionaire. If he quit tomorrow, he's had a fabulous career. What more can he want?
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And there you go. Almagro loses in straight sets to Santiago Giraldo from Columbia, who has been playing well all week, so give him some credit.
Perhaps the win over Nadal was too intense for Almagro to.recover from... who knows?
Respectfully,
masterclass
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congrats to nishikori and his fans. he is a talented athlete.
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Kei Nishikori did take it, general Backspin, and easier than we thought, beating Gulbis 2 & 4. He has a place in the final, and will take on either Almagro or Giraldo. I'd be quite surprised if Almagro lost, but we'll see how the win over Nadal has affected him.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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IMO what worked well for Rafa was that he doubted himself after being away from competitive tennis for 7 long months. He worked hard on his game to be able to compete at the highest level again.
And he went on to have one of his most dominant seasons. I don't think he planned on that. He exceeded his own expectations winning FO and USO + 5 Masters and other titles.
Once he knew he's back on top, he stopped doubting himself. He knew he was the best player in the world. He stopped doing the things that helped him compete so well in 2013. He practiced, but not like before.
I've said this before. I was very disappointed with him in Miami final. Djokovic was playing very well. But Rafa was just awful. He couldn't or didn't retrieve some balls that even I would have gotten to. He made Novak look even more impressive than he already was.
I thought after that Miami final, Rafa needed to come back strong in the clay swing. He needed to play the kind of tennis that elevated him to the top. But sadly, he didn't, and got bounced by Ferrer in Monaco. A few days later he loses to Almagro in Barcelona!
The way I see it, Rafa will have to fight hard and play his best to be the dominant king of clay again. His B game is no longer good enough against quality opponents. He isn't getting any younger or faster. He's gonna have to be near his best to defend his FO title.
Interesting points and good post general Backspin. The real question is, what level is his best now? We know what it was in the past.
I think he has to put in the hard yards - practicing 4-6 hours/day to get close to that, and the question is, does he have the motivation and dedication to do that, especially when he is #1?
He keeps saying things like tennis isn't everything, not important compared to some other things in life. I'm wondering if his passion to excel and do the work it takes to stay at the top is disappearing. He's only human, and I think it's natural to want to do other things. To be at the top consistently in tennis, many have found that you have to give up many other things that are enjoyable. I think Rafa has had a taste of other pleasures, golf, fishing, poker, football, whatever, and may be struggling to dedicate himself completely to tennis. It's not surprising, he has been on the tour for what, 11-12 years? When he is not at the top, he does seem to be more passionate in his competitive drive.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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As for the Semi finals today, I think Nishikori-Gulbis is going to be a good match. I see Kei taking this in 3. Kei's movement is unbelievable. I wish Nadal had Nishi's speed. He once did....
In the other semi final, I can't see Giraldo beating Nicolas. Almagro in 2.
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IMO what worked well for Rafa was that he doubted himself after being away from competitive tennis for 7 long months. He worked hard on his game to be able to compete at the highest level again.
And he went on to have one of his most dominant seasons. I don't think he planned on that. He exceeded his own expectations winning FO and USO + 5 Masters and other titles.
Once he knew he's back on top, he stopped doubting himself. He knew he was the best player in the world. He stopped doing the things that helped him compete so well in 2013. He practiced, but not like before.
I've said this before. I was very disappointed with him in Miami final. Djokovic was playing very well. But Rafa was just awful. He couldn't or didn't retrieve some balls that even I would have gotten to. He made Novak look even more impressive than he already was.
I thought after that Miami final, Rafa needed to come back strong in the clay swing. He needed to play the kind of tennis that elevated him to the top. But sadly, he didn't, and got bounced by Ferrer in Monaco. A few days later he loses to Almagro in Barcelona!
The way I see it, Rafa will have to fight hard and play his best to be the dominant king of clay again. His B game is no longer good enough against quality opponents. He isn't getting any younger or faster. He's gonna have to be near his best to defend his FO title.
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So Lady TT, are you thinking he needs another longish rest to recharge the batteries?
I would never write off greats like Rafa, until they actually retire.
That 7 month rest seemed to do him good a couple of years ago. He came back very fired up in 2013.
I think he almost needs to press on till after the US Open this year as he defends a lot of points in that space.
Then I think he could afford to not play at all in the fall, and come back very refreshed in 2015, maybe even skipping the AO as he did in 2013, with about a 4-5 month overall break, but practicing very hard on clay in Dec-Jan, and just starting on the South American clay in Feb 2015, same type of pattern as 2013?
Respectfully,
masterclass
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Really sad for the Nadal camp. It's not that he's just losing; Rafa is losing to his pigeons and turkeys.
And Almagro, though he played well at times, gave Nadal every chance to win. First in the second set, at 3-3, Nadal had at least 3 chances to break and Almagro somehow survived 4 deuces, and then wins the tiebreaker. Then Nadal up a break at 3-1 in the final set, collapses on his serve and doesn't win another game on serve. It seems he has a difficult time consolidating his breaks lately.
So passive on his serve, and he just looked a beaten man, instead of his usual fighter self.
What's next? Madrid is no haven for Nadal. But a good performance is needed somewhere. Rome is absolutely vital now for a turnaround.
But I'm starting to lean toward him not getting it done at Roland Garros if he plays anything like this. He wouldn't deserve it.
It's as bad a collapse on his play on clay as I've seen from Nadal. This is not Djokovic, or Federer, or even Wawrinka, this is Almagro, who had won a total of 2 sets and 0 matches in 10 tries before today.
It's starting to remind me of Federer's 2013 year.
Respectfully,
masterclass
It reminds me of the same thing. But even when Federer was going to his slump, I never thought he was finished. I think we forget what kind of pressure they're under to be expected to win all the time.
They need a break. They're only human, they can't live, eat, and breathe tennis 24-7.
Personally, this kind of stuff doesn't get me down. When Rafa is looking like he doesn't want to fight, or flubbing balls that he could've blown over the net, that tells me that he's tired.
He needs to take care of himself first and foremost. That's all I want for him.
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all those near endless promotional activities can wait until the off season.
you see no other too player so obsessed with all the extracurricular activities.
also the 90 minutes-2 hour lazy practice sessions are not cutting the mustard.
topspin players need to practice more than the others.
He struggled for nearly 3 hours against almagro who he had never lost to before today.
he must hit the practice courts at least twice a day for a total 4-5 hours.
that is the only way out.
he does not trust his ground game and plays from his forehand corner as much as possible.
that is just giving them too much real estate to work with.
there is near 100 percent predictability when you play that way.
they know exactly where he is going to hit the ball.
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I guess it is what it is general. As Lady TT said, he is a man not a machine.
But we can't write him off. He's always been able to rise again after his problems.
It's just a question of time for him to sort it all out.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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he was at the top of the world in 2013.
he got one hell of a return on hard courts.
he should have cashed in his chips and jumped on clay ASAP after Indian wells.
he did this to himself. that is what hurts the most.
they are not beating him. he is the one who is beating himself.
it did not have to be this way. he is still in his prime.
that is why I am so disappointed general masterclass.
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nadal is out. could not even get past the quarters.
pathetic. that is after leading 3-1 in the decider.
somebody bring him to hard courts ASAP so he can get even worse on the red clay.
this just ruined my day.
General, we always said he should have never put in that indoor hard court in Manacor.
I think he's been so fixated on improving his hard court game he has almost forgotten that clay is the wellspring from which he flows. If losing to Almagro doesn't make him get out there on the clay courts and put in the hours, nothing will.
But at this stage in his career, with all he has accomplished, does he care enough to put in the hard yards? He's got 100's of millions in the bank, he's won more Roland Garros championships than anyone in history. He doesn't have anything to prove. He could walk away from the game today as one of the greatest players in history.
Oh well, he's almost always been a player that has 1 good or great year followed by not as good, and seems to like the challenge better from the #2 spot, and being the hunter, than holding the #1 spot and being the hunted.
I just don't know how much he has left in him? His style of play is so hard on the body and mind.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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he alone is responsible for what is happening.
he neglected clay for the sake of greed.
there was a large appearance fee waiting for him in Miami.
there was money involved to go to Oregon after he lost early in Indian wells.
and then there was golf and poker and endless other promotional activities.
he knowingly dropped his game and his fitness.
it is no wonder that even his own uncle is saying that Rafa is just making excuses.
nadal neglected clay and he is paying for it.
he had absolutely no business wasting 16 good days after losing early in Indian wells.
he should have left for home the same day and jumped on clay.
now he is short on practice and match play on clay.
how does any top player lose to almagro after leading 3-1 in the decider.
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Really sad for the Nadal camp. It's not that he's just losing; Rafa is losing to his pigeons and turkeys.
And Almagro, though he played well at times, gave Nadal every chance to win. First in the second set, at 3-3, Nadal had at least 3 chances to break and Almagro somehow survived 4 deuces, and then wins the tiebreaker. Then Nadal up a break at 3-1 in the final set, collapses on his serve and doesn't win another game on serve. It seems he has a difficult time consolidating his breaks lately.
So passive on his serve, and he just looked a beaten man, instead of his usual fighter self.
What's next? Madrid is no haven for Nadal. But a good performance is needed somewhere. Rome is absolutely vital now for a turnaround.
But I'm starting to lean toward him not getting it done at Roland Garros if he plays anything like this. He wouldn't deserve it.
It's as bad a collapse on his play on clay as I've seen from Nadal. This is not Djokovic, or Federer, or even Wawrinka, this is Almagro, who had won a total of 2 sets and 0 matches in 10 tries before today.
It's starting to remind me of Federer's 2013 year.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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Nadal was 3-1 in the 3rd set.
he lost 3 games in a row to give almagro the advantage.
this is not going to be easy now. he has to fight.
It's OK. Rafa is a man, not a machine. And like you and Masterclass said, he didn't work on what he needed to work on and it cost him.
So, he has to get himself up, dust himself off, and recapture his game. If you think about it, this is the first year since he's been on the tour that he's had such a downward spiral, and it happens to them all.
I'm not disappointed, because Rafa isn't playing well enough to be winning. And if anything should kick him into gear, this is it.
Plus, it gives him more time to work on his game.
Congratulations to Nico. His first win ever over Nadal.
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nadal is out. could not even get past the quarters.
pathetic. that is after leading 3-1 in the decider.
somebody bring him to hard courts ASAP so he can get even worse on the red clay.
this just ruined my day.
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Nadal was 3-1 in the 3rd set.
he lost 3 games in a row to give almagro the advantage.
this is not going to be easy now. he has to fight.
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nishikori and gulbis shaking and baking in Barcelona.
here are all the scores:
http://www.tennisexplorer.com/live/#inscore_ifheight_xdc_3691
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here is the order of play for tomorrow:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/Schedule.aspx?EventId=425
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good win for Rafa.
he was more aggressive today.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/04/17/Barcelona-Thursday-Nadal-Dodig.aspx
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I'm not following Barcelona this time. Did anyone watch the Nadal-Dodig match? How was Rafa playing?
It seems Kei Nishikori is playing well. He's like 4-2 against Marin Cilic. Has a good chance to make the final in Barcelona.
He played better than he did yesterday, but the real Rafa hasn't showed up yet. Maybe with stiffer competition he'll raise his game. This is Spain's hometown tournament so all the Spaniards want to win it.
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I'm not following Barcelona this time. Did anyone watch the Nadal-Dodig match? How was Rafa playing?
It seems Kei Nishikori is playing well. He's like 4-2 against Marin Cilic. Has a good chance to make the final in Barcelona.
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Rafael Nadal Talks About Opening Barcelona Win
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMj11XQs_zw#t=22
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here is the order of play for tomorrow:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/Schedule.aspx?EventId=425
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rafa is not playing well enough general masterclass so they are all dangerous for him right now.
he has no choice but to put in the hard yards as you and i have suggested. he has absolutely zero business struggling against the players he has owned for 10 years.
he did it to himself. now he has to find a way out.
and the only way out is practicing more and practicing harder even in between matches.
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General Hercules is spot on, Lady TT. Rafa can still right the ship, but he's running out of time.
He scraped by today against Ramos of all people. 7-6(2), 6-4, the same player whom he demolished 6-3, 6-0, last year, in the very same tournament. This shows how far he is from his game right now. Nadal broken twice on his serve in the first set, including serving for the set, and hitting balls very short. I hate to say it about a guy who usually fights so hard, but at times he looked almost scared out there. He has a lot to work on.
But he's not the only one, and he survived. Look at the top seeds who were eliminated today.
[2] Ferrer was slapped off the court today. Gabashvili def. Ferrer 6-4 6-2.
[3] Fab Fog was blown off the court by Giraldo, 6-0, 4-0 ret. Not sure what the injury was that stopped him from roaring back into the match.
[8]Dolgopolov faded away after a tight first set and tiebreaker to Montanes, who won, 7-6(5), 6-3.
Melzer defeated [7]Janowicz, 6-4, 7-6(1)
Dodig defeated [13] Feli Lopez 6-1, 6-4
So Rafa doesn't have to worry about 4 of the top 8 seeds, including the 2 and 3.
If Rafa can get by Dodig, then he'll face either Verdasco or Almagro.
Golubev vs Nishikori should be interesting.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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I listen to you and Masterclass. Your analyses make sense. I have nothing to add. It is all up to Rafa. He is guilty of everything you guys have said.
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order of play is here sports fans.
Rafa returns to action tomorrow:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Scores/Schedule.aspx?EventId=425
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Barcelona is a VIT for Rafa - Very Important Tournament. He must make the final at least or he is in danger of not being ready for Roland Garros.
He put so much time on the hard courts, and almost no time preparing on the clay, he somehow forgot how to play the right way on clay at Monte Carlo, even though he is one of, if not the greatest clay court players in history? No. He knows how to play on clay, he just hasn't practiced enough on clay for himself to get the right rhythm and feeling on it.
Maybe it was due to his back, as some say. But why the back? In my opinion it started at the end of last year. He went on the exhibition tour, made a lot of money, but didn't prepare enough for the new year. It has cost him fitness and training he needed, and he went into the AO without it, and we know the rest. He has given himself almost no time to prepare properly for the clay season and it shows.
He only played 3 matches on the clay at Monte Carlo. That's further reduced his preparation for RG. There is a vicious cycle that can occur if you don't get enough preparation. You lose early in tournaments and don't get enough matches. You have little time to prepare between tournaments, so you must depend on the matches in each tournament to prepare you. But if you go out early, you don't get them.
There are 5 possible matches each at Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome if he makes the final in each of them.
General Hercules will tell you the significance of # of clay court matches for Rafa prior to RG.
He needs to stop that vicious cycle in its tracks right here in Barcelona. He said a few days ago that he now feels great physically. Let's see if he can do it.
History awaits him at Roland Garros, but it won't wait forever.
Respectfully,
masterclass
that is a fantastic post.
folks general masterclass and I have talking about this for years but nobody ever listens to us.
he is not in a bloody slump. he neglected clay so the clay is neglecting him back.
rafa knew this: he knew that this was the single most important clay season of his career.
he totally ignored it and wasted 15 good days after losing early in indian wells.
why? for money and for a few cheap points in Miami. he knew he would get some weak players early on in that event.
so he got his money in Oregon and in Miami.
and now it may cost him the slam that he owns. he pretty much has to win Barcelona, and rome. that will get his momentum and his confidence going in the right direction. Madrid is not too terribly important at the moment but that title would help as well as long as he doesn't spend too much physical and metal capital in getting it.
NIKE sent him a jet and a ton of money to come to Oregon. and all the while serious players like nole were already training very hard in Miami.
rafa also took in a poker tournament while in indian wells. he did the same damn thing in monte carlo. and then there were endless promotional activities and golf.
somebody tell this fool that soon he will have 65 long years on his hands to jack off with poker, fishing, sailing, golf, football, and sight seeing, and all those exos he plays.
2 years is all he has left and he has chosen to drop the focus and the intensity.
he is not in any kind of slump. he just does not feel like putting in endless hours of training on the red clay.
clay is the wellspring from which he flows.
if he starts losing on clay, he will start to lose everywhere else also. keep in mind that last year he made the final at monte carlo.
he won Barcelona, Madrid, and rome. that is where his rhythm, his ground game, and his confidence comes from.
I bet many don't know that nole practices year around on clay. that is why his ground game is so damn sharp all the time and that is why he is pretty much injury free all these years.
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Barcelona is a VIT for Rafa - Very Important Tournament. He must make the final at least or he is in danger of not being ready for Roland Garros.
He put so much time on the hard courts, and almost no time preparing on the clay, he somehow forgot how to play the right way on clay at Monte Carlo, even though he is one of, if not the greatest clay court players in history? No. He knows how to play on clay, he just hasn't practiced enough on clay for himself to get the right rhythm and feeling on it.
Maybe it was due to his back, as some say. But why the back? In my opinion it started at the end of last year. He went on the exhibition tour, made a lot of money, but didn't prepare enough for the new year. It has cost him fitness and training he needed, and he went into the AO without it, and we know the rest. He has given himself almost no time to prepare properly for the clay season and it shows.
He only played 3 matches on the clay at Monte Carlo. That's further reduced his preparation for RG. There is a vicious cycle that can occur if you don't get enough preparation. You lose early in tournaments and don't get enough matches. You have little time to prepare between tournaments, so you must depend on the matches in each tournament to prepare you. But if you go out early, you don't get them.
There are 5 possible matches each at Barcelona, Madrid, and Rome if he makes the final in each of them.
General Hercules will tell you the significance of # of clay court matches for Rafa prior to RG.
He needs to stop that vicious cycle in its tracks right here in Barcelona. He said a few days ago that he now feels great physically. Let's see if he can do it.
History awaits him at Roland Garros, but it won't wait forever.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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so it will be ramos who will be facing rafa tomorrow.
here are all the scores:
http://www.tennisexplorer.com/live/#inscore_ifheight_xdc_7079
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There is also another tournament at the same time. It's expected the fields will be somewhat diluted.
There are also two tournaments next week that some are scheduled to play.
Still Barcelona has two top 10 players, and a few in the top 20, so not too bad considering.
And then there are the injuries, not that some of those would normally play Barcelona anyway.
So basically I'm wondering, just who of those mentioned are the "some that should have been here"?
Respectfully,
masterclass
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I am all aware of everyone's injury. That wasn't the point. The point is, too many players are missing and that leaves the field pretty weak. I wish some of them were there though I am very convinced some of them are deliberately avoiding this event.
And Andy didn't skip MC because of a few niggles. He's in search of a new coach that he hopes to find before RG and he was also busy supporting Kim who had just finished running a marathon. And there are a couple of other matters. Nothing to do with injuries.
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Let's see, Del Potro had wrist surgery and might return by the end of the year.
Nole had wrist strain in Monte Carlo and is on full rest orders for at least 10 days.
Wawrinka just won the Monte Carlo Masters. He is entered to defend his title next week in Portugal, but it is not certain he will play there, or wait until Madrid to play next.
Berdych is healing a strain, I believe, or is just resting, and is scheduled to return in Madrid.
Gasquet hurt his back, and withdrew from Monte Carlo. I heard he might ask for a wild card in Portugal next week if his back improves.
Isner is resting his shoulder I believe, though I can't confirm that, and he is scheduled to return in Madrid.
Raonic is scheduled to play next week in Portugal.
Dimitrov is playing in Bucharest as top seed this week along with Youzhny, Monfils, Seppi, Pospisil, Simon, and others, so that splits the player field between there and Barcelona this week.
That leaves Andrew Murray, OBE. I have no knowledge of Mr. Murray's whereabouts, but I think he skipped Monte Carlo to heal a few niggles, and get in more practice, and continue his search for a coach, and is not scheduled to return to the tour until Madrid, though I also heard a rumor that he might take a wild card in Portugal.
Respectfully,
masterclass
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While I am happy to see both Gulbis and Nishi back in action this week, this is still a weak field given that Del Potro, Isner, Murray, Wawrinka, Nole, Dimitrov, Berdych etc. are all missing. At least some of them should have been here.
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Thanks for the draw. Can't wait to see how Rafa's form is. It's a quick turnaround, but you never know. I just hope he's fitter than he's been lately.
Tennis is missing a bit with two of its big stars, Andy and Rafa, and possibly Joker not at their best.
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here is the draw :
http://www.atpworldtour.com/Share/Event-Draws.aspx?Year=2014&EventId=425&Draw=ms
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21.04.2014
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