CAMELOT FANTASIES

affirmative.



I expect him to come out firing and not let himself be dictated.


 

So did I. So when he came out playing tentatively I thought something was up from the get-go.

Rafael Nadal already 2014 Sportsman Of The Year
http://www.examiner.com/article/rafael-nadal
January 27, 2014

If you ever wanted to see a sportsman, you saw one on Sunday as Rafael Nadal gave a master class at the 2014 Australian Open men's final.
A back injury that kept Nadal from playing all out from early in the second set onward was not going to keep him from doing what he had to.
Nadal lost the final match to Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3. Wawrinka was already bullying the great Rafa before his back went out and spoiled the big media and fan story of Nadal taking his 14th Grand Slam tourney, tying Pete Sampras on the list.
There was majesty in the air, Sampras in the stands ready to hand the trophy to Nadal, but something happened on the way to that result.
Two things occurred in quick succession. Nadal went to the training room and came back, unable to chase down balls hit to the corner, losing more than 30% of his serve velocity. Then Wawrinka couldn't do anything to capitalize on it.
Rafa lost the second set as an observer, watching balls pass him. The crowd that booed him when he came back from the training room realized he was truly injured. No one in their right mind would go down two sets as a stalling tactic.
Wawrinka was stunned after he stirred the waters for the crowd when Rafa left the court. Stan went from pissed he wasn't told why his opponent was taking a break, to a player who couldn't or wouldn't take advantage of the injury.
ESPN commentary went from clueless to guessing games. Each game that Nadal lost in the second set, the guys on the microphone kept thinking would be his last. That was not going to happen.
The pain killers took time to kick in and while Nadal took the third set, he was at 3/4 speed and Wawrinka was still in his confused mental state about what the heck to do.
Nadal stayed on the court when he could have given up and given Wawrinka his first Grand Slam. He didn't. There was his pride, his respect for the game, the great tournament in Melbourne, the paying customers and the millions of fans around the world.
He stuck it out and put up as much of a fight as he could. He wiped away a tear or two after it was over, but gave the speech everyone expected. This was not about him, it was about Stan Wawrinka, who has come from the scrap heap of a few years ago to #3 in the world, out of the shadow of the great Federer.
The guy has always been a class act and proved it once again to those who doubted. Sure he's got his "quirks" as the media delicately calls his OCD-like behavior. And yes, he takes too much time between points, leaves opponents standing their with their rackets and no opponent across the net. But the guy should be the ultimate role model for anyone playing sports.
Gracious in both triumph and defeat, no enemies on the tour and a resume that could end up being the best of all time. He may have lost the match, but he won everything else there was on Sunday in Melbourne.

Rafa, Rafa, Rafa.

He shouldn't be saying anything until he actually sees the doctor.

Roddick weighs in on AO 2014

Andy Roddick: ´Wawrinka deserved to win, but without injury Nadal would have made it´

The American Star reviews the men´s tournament
American Tennis 29 Jan 2014 - 12:40 / by Ivan Pasquariello

Former World No.1 and winner of the 2003 US Open, Andy Roddick - who know works as a commentator for Fox Sports - expressed his thoughts about the 2014 Australian Open Men's tournament. First on the list, Stanislas Wawrinka's victory: "I don't thin anyone expected him to win., but he deserved it. He beat Djokovic in the quarters, who was almost unbeatable in Melbourne since 2008, then Berdych who is a great player. In the final I personally think that without the back injury Nadal would have won, but Wawrinka did what he had to do and played great. Before the match I predicted Nadal to be the winner, if they'd asked me the same question today, I'd answer it the same way".

About Rafael Nadal's injury: "I don't think it is anything serious. He decided to finish the match, which was a nice sign of respect for Wawrinka, who could enjoy the actual moment of the victory. Despite that I think Nadal is going to be 100% ready for the French Open. If Rafa can reach 17 Grand Slam titles? I think it'll all depend on his physical condition. To win in Melbourne would have made it easier to achieve, but I think he can win the next two Roland Garros. If he doesn't have injuries over the next two years, he can manage to break the record".

basically Rafa has 3-4  years to capture 4-5 slams.


I think he is going to do it.


this loss was tough for him but his resolve has most likely gone up a few hundred percent.

he will remember how it all went down and it is going to fuel his fire.

For sure, Nadal is defined more by his comebacks, than by his setbacks.

Did you see this from Steve Flink? It was funny on TW we were debating this and naturally there were these trolls coming in with the usual accusations. They were running rampant and accusing us of living in a parallel universe. Today, Flink wrote this and guess what? Not one of them were there.

Mouths wide shut, LOL!

Steve Flink:

http://www.tennischannel.com/news/Ne...x?newsid=13500

The injury/medical timeout lasted about seven minutes. While he was gone, Wawrinka vented on Ramos, wanting to know why Nadal had left the court and for what reason. He later explained he wanted to know the nature of the injury. Ramos stood his ground. He is a very experienced umpire who was explicitly following the rules. He was not obligated to answer Wawrinka, who was uncharacteristically out of control. When Nadal returned to the court, he was booed by a good many fans.

That was a terrible injustice. Did the crowd react that way because they sensed Wawrinka was questioning Nadal’s motives for leaving the court? I doubt it. The television audience could hear what Wawrinka was saying to Ramos but the audience was largely in the dark. Inexplicably, the fans did doubt the legitimacy of Nadal’s injury. Some fans on this site have suggested that Nadal fakes a lot of injuries, but I fundamentally disagree. That is ludicrous. He is a great sportsman, a man of integrity. The crowd was simply allowing their worst instincts to prevail. By the time the match was over, they knew full well that Nadal was genuinely hurt, and they applauded the Spaniard effusively during the presentation ceremony.

I missed it. I don't know what steve flink said.



I know what my eyes said.

my eyes said that the man was injured and pretty much in tears.


can you post the article by steve flink here. we will check it out tomorrow.


I have to grab some sleep. I will have more time tomorrow.


we will try to build rafa's center a little bit tomorrow.


I know rafa's game better than anybody on the planet. I knew something was wrong even before he stepped out on the court.


sure stan played great in the first set but I also saw rafa not moving like he was moving against Federer who really takes the ball early.

so either rafa was worn out or he had a slight back issue which just got worse over time in that match. perhaps he stretched too far for some shot.

it can happen to anybody. it happened to me too.


I had to stop playing instantly. I could not stand up straight.

Sorry about that. I was having computer problems and it wouldn't let me post both at the same time. I attached the article in my previous post and bolded the excerpt.

But like you, I knew something was wrong immediately. I saw it early in the first set as well. When you watch a player's matches for over a decade you begin to notice the nuances. It was very early in the first set when I realized it, at 1-all or 1-2. You could see it all over his face. There was too much history at stake for him to fake an injury and the notion that he would is beyond ludicrous.

The day that Rafael Nadal comes on a court and does not compete full on hasn't happened yet. It's sad that people can even think this way when he has never exhibited such a quality.

great read lady TT.


we must think alike. I was going to post it here too.


I was reading this same article just now as well. I saw it at our news tickers at the top of the main page at Camelot.


http://www.tennisnow.com/News/Nadal-Says-Australian-Open-Loss-Is-Still-Haunting.aspx