CAMELOT FANTASIES

Tomorrow he just needs to go after the ball.

No more pushing shoving off the backhand wing.

Give that backhand a chance to get in the groove.

If he can return well and hit the ball with some depth he has a good chance for a title.

The key is returning well and hitting the ball off both wings.

Leave that chicken **** slice at the door.


Go for the win Rafa. Take the title away. Snatch the title.
The objective is to try to dictate play and not get dictated to.

Tomorrow he just needs to go after the ball.

No more pushing shoving off the backhand wing.

Give that backhand a chance to get in the groove.

If he can return well and hit the ball with some depth he has a good chance for a title.

The key is returning well and hitting the ball off both wings.

Leave that chicken **** slice at the door.


Go for the win Rafa. Take the title away. Snatch the title.
The objective is to try to dictate play and not get dictated to.

Do you really think he has a chance? You think he has upped his level by that much? I think he's doing better, but
Federer not only has the skill set, but he has the experience, the home court advantage and support, and he's also well rested, plus it's on an indoor court. Yikes! That's a lot of variables.

I haven't seen Roger play this week because I wasn't interested in the opponents that he was playing, didn't think they would give him a good match.

I wonder if he'll try to use his attacking style, or will he try it a few times and retreat if it doesn't work?

Let's just hope for the best:

A win and escaping Switzerland with no injury.

he is risking the rest of his career which consists of just one more year by extended activity on hard courts.


so he has just one year and then it is over. he has to try to do some major damage next year assuming he really wants to.


with his current fitness levels and his current game he cant last much longer than another year. next injury takes him out of the sport even sooner.


there is zero need to go to Bercy and play both singles and doubles. he does not need the money.

he certainly does not need to show up as unprepared for the Australian open as he did last year.


if he had skipped the doubles here in Basel and just worked on the serve, the return of serve, and the backhand his matches may not have lasted as long as they did.

playing doubles does not do him any good anyway. he never bothered to learn how to volley. he still guides and pushes the volleys as he always has.


also doubles volley is far different from the singles volley. it is not the same thing. not that Rafa makes any serious effort to volley in doubles anyway. for the most part he is content to play his doubles from the backcourt.


translation: this is all going to end soon unless he changes a few things. he has to go get on clay and find his ground game and he has to get more fit.

and he has to keep his knee healthy and his body healthy by getting on softer surfaces.

there was no need to give up the clay domination. that is who he is. clay is the wellspring from which he flows.

now he has just about 30% of his ground game left. clay defined him. clay allowed him to win on other surfaces.

clay gave him the discipline and the will to keep fighting. clay kept his ground game sharp. that is how he made 5 Wimbledon finals.

he is risking the rest of his career which consists of just one more year by extended activity on hard courts.


so he has just one year and then it is over. he has to try to do some major damage next year assuming he really wants to.


with his current fitness levels and his current game he cant last much longer than another year. next injury takes him out of the sport even sooner.


there is zero need to go to Bercy and play both singles and doubles. he does not need the money.

he certainly does not need to show up as unprepared for the Australian open as he did last year.


if he had skipped the doubles here in Basel and just worked on the serve, the return of serve, and the backhand his matches may not have lasted as long as they did.

playing doubles does not do him any good anyway. he never bothered to learn how to volley. he still guides and pushes the volleys as he always has.


also doubles volley is far different from the singles volley. it is not the same thing. not that Rafa makes any serious effort to volley in doubles anyway. for the most part he is content to play his doubles from the backcourt.


translation: this is all going to end soon unless he changes a few things. he has to go get on clay and find his ground game and he has to get more fit.

and he has to keep his knee healthy and his body healthy by getting on softer surfaces.

there was no need to give up the clay domination. that is who he is. clay is the wellspring from which he flows.

now he has just about 30% of his ground game left. clay defined him. clay allowed him to win on other surfaces.

clay gave him the discipline and the will to keep fighting. clay kept his ground game sharp. that is how he made 5 Wimbledon finals.

Interesting perspectives. We shall soon see.

your chat thread is rocking. even the great baron britbox has been stopping by.


I wish we could get crisstti here.



and there are some awesome Rafa fans at that toxic dump (talk tennis of tennis warehouse) next door.


sure would be nice if they stopped by to see us here once in a while.

A lot of them disappeared. I didn't recognize a lot of names when I went over there. I miss chrissti too. She was so nice and she knew her stuff.

Here's Rafa's interview after his SF win today if you didn't see it.

VIDEO: An Interview With Rafael Nadal – Swiss Indoors Basel SF

Great video

http://rafaelnadalfans.com/2015/10/31/video-an-interview-with-rafael-nadal-swiss-indoors-basel-sf/

The script was written, the stage is set.  It's yet another final between the two greatest in the sport.

But things are a little different this time.

This is the first time the two have played in a ATP 500 event. Almost every one of their contests were at the higher levels.

This is the first time they play against each other in the land of Federer.

This is the first indoor final they have played in normal ATP tour events.  The only other was at the World Tour Finals in 2010, where Federer won in 3 sets.  Federer leads Nadal 4-1 indoors, where the medium low bouncing conditions negate the Nadal topspin.  The only loss Federer has suffered to Nadal indoors was in his ill-fated 2013 season, the worst season he had since 2002, in the semifinal of the World Tour Finals.

Rafa has again come into a match with a question mark, as he seemed to tweak something in the knee against Gasquet.  Is this something to worry about, or part of the psychological warfare?

General Hercules was concerned that Rafa was risking injury by practicing and playing so many hard court matches.  Singles, doubles, exhibitions, practicing on his indoor hard court in Manacor.   And now we see the knee being taped again.  This was predictable even to me.

I really hope it is only psychological warfare. If he is hurting again and plays he risks exacerbating the injury, and who knows how many more he can endure?  One man can only take so much, and he has already taken more than almost any player we know.

Anyway, back to the script being written.    Earlier in the week, the ATP website already named Roger Federer player of the week.  What do they know that we don't?  It would look a little silly for them if Rafa beats Roger today, won't it?



Respectfully,
masterclass

Quote from: Clay Death on October 31, 2015, 09:25:37 pm

he is risking the rest of his career which consists of just one more year by extended activity on hard courts.


so he has just one year and then it is over. he has to try to do some major damage next year assuming he really wants to.


with his current fitness levels and his current game he cant last much longer than another year. next injury takes him out of the sport even sooner.


there is zero need to go to Bercy and play both singles and doubles. he does not need the money.

he certainly does not need to show up as unprepared for the Australian open as he did last year.


if he had skipped the doubles here in Basel and just worked on the serve, the return of serve, and the backhand his matches may not have lasted as long as they did.

playing doubles does not do him any good anyway. he never bothered to learn how to volley. he still guides and pushes the volleys as he always has.


also doubles volley is far different from the singles volley. it is not the same thing. not that Rafa makes any serious effort to volley in doubles anyway. for the most part he is content to play his doubles from the backcourt.


translation: this is all going to end soon unless he changes a few things. he has to go get on clay and find his ground game and he has to get more fit.

and he has to keep his knee healthy and his body healthy by getting on softer surfaces.

there was no need to give up the clay domination. that is who he is. clay is the wellspring from which he flows.

now he has just about 30% of his ground game left. clay defined him. clay allowed him to win on other surfaces.

clay gave him the discipline and the will to keep fighting. clay kept his ground game sharp. that is how he made 5 Wimbledon finals.

Great post General.  I'm going to fire up the Paris-Bercy Masters thread.

Respectfully,
masterclass

sounds good general.



it is your very own Camelot. enjoy.


Bercy should be interesting. only 2 big events left now and 2015 goes into the history books.