Darn, that is coming up soon. This year is flying by. I still haven't done my taxes. I guess that has to moved up to the top of my to-do list.
time flies, leaving behind only its shadow.
General Hercules, Lady TT, I bumped the
Rafael Nadal: Clay Warrior's Hunt for 50 Clay Titles and 16 majors thread at MTF.
He's got 43 clay titles now, just 3 short of Vilas' record. I might have to bump that 50 title target to 60 if he keeps winning at this rate.
But I think I'll wait till he hits 50.
Respectfully,
masterclass
thanks god for clay. the ultimate battlefield of the gods.
now the real battles begin. just 13 days to go now.
I am counting the days, hours, and the minutes.
Roll on the clay.
Improvement is needed though against Novak. He is a really bad matchup for Nadal in almost the same vein as Nadal is to Federer.
well nadal can beat him Hoshi but it is fairly clear to me that a number of things have affected his game:
his back issues have kept him from training as hard as he needs to so that is one of them.
2nd one is lack of some focus but that is probably of all the back issues.
he is out doing too many things. he took a trip to Oregon after Indian Wells. he was in a Poker tournament in Miami. and then there is golf and all those press interviews.
he just has too much going on but not enough tennis practice. his game is visibly suffering.
I am worried about his fitness. those who were at this match yesterday said he looked slow and somewhat worn out. I am not sure about all that but it is easy to see that his fitness has taken a hit.
Rafa mentioned in his presser that he will travel to Mallorca on Thursday. So, he will have a couple of days to relax with his family (he mentioned his little cousins) and then start preparing for the clay court season. That gives him about a week of practice.
I think he will have enough time to play himself into form. Monte Carlo is crucial for his confidence, though. Last year he lost the Final to Nole and that did not seem to affect the rest of his clay season. But the circumstances were different then. He had just won Indian Wells and had about a month long break to recuperate, rest, and prepare for the clay.
This year he only has a week. The loss to Nole in Miami is probably still on his mind. Also, he might be still a little cautious about his back problems and not go out and serve/play at 100%.
I have seen Rafa battle through much tougher times so I am confident he will bounce back again. Can't wait for Monte Carlo
General Hercules, Lady TT, I bumped the Rafael Nadal: Clay Warrior's Hunt for 50 Clay Titles and 16 majors thread at MTF.
He's got 43 clay titles now, just 3 short of Vilas' record. I might have to bump that 50 title target to 60 if he keeps winning at this rate.
But I think I'll wait till he hits 50.
Respectfully,
masterclass
I've never been to MTF. Heard a lot of bad things about it, so never joined. Saw a few posts and was like, no way. As bad as TW, that cesspool.
take a look at this article sports fans. this is what I was talking about then I said that his fitness has taken a hit. it has and he admits it also.
only we at Camelot know this even before nadal admits or says it, let alone the experts in the field. this is why Camelot is required reading.
this is not exactly rocket science anyway. it is pretty damn clear to me anyway that the man is short on practice and a little short on fitness.
and we all understand that a large part of that has to do with the back issues. he really had no choice but to pull back a little in order to let the back heal, recover, and get stronger.
anyway take a look at this article:
http://www.sport24.co.za/Tennis/ATPTour/Nadal-hopes-to-fine-tune-form-20140401"It is great that I am in the top of the race arriving to the claycourt season," Nadal said. "But now we start on clay and I need to be 100 percent.
"I need to work hard and try to be in better shape for clay."
VAMOS! I think we will see a different Rafa come clay
Time to start the quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Monte Carlo, no?
VAMOS! I think we will see a different Rafa come clay
Time to start the quest to reclaim the lost kingdom of Monte Carlo, no?
Not at the expense of the French. I always take losses in stride, because there's always a bigger triumph around the corner.
If I had to choose, I'd rather he lost the Monte Carlo, than lose at the French.
take a look at this article sports fans. this is what I was talking about then I said that his fitness has taken a hit. it has and he admits it also.
only we at Camelot know this even before nadal admits or says it, let alone the experts in the field. this is why Camelot is required reading.
this is not exactly rocket science anyway. it is pretty damn clear to me anyway that the man is short on practice and a little short on fitness.
and we all understand that a large part of that has to do with the back issues. he really had no choice but to pull back a little in order to let the back heal, recover, and get stronger.
anyway take a look at this article:
http://www.sport24.co.za/Tennis/ATPTour/Nadal-hopes-to-fine-tune-form-20140401
"It is great that I am in the top of the race arriving to the claycourt season," Nadal said. "But now we start on clay and I need to be 100 percent.
"I need to work hard and try to be in better shape for clay."
You definitely called it!