all of Rafa's problems are a result of inactivity.
lost focus and lost drive. and then all those injuries.
he just has to find his relentless will to win again.
he does not have the fitness to beat novak but it can be done if he manages to do it in straights. we will need some help from novak. he has to have an off day.
right now he has won 23 matches in a row. he is on one hell of a roll. also he has spent nearly 2 years working very hard on his fitness.
now he can run like a mad man out there for 5 hours or more.
he wont stop practicing and training. that is making a huge difference for him.
and now with becker in his corner his serve and his return are bigger than ever. you just cant break novak on any surface.
there are endless factors and variables: rafa became too big. rafa won too much starting from an early age.
he made over $41 million last year and may make over $50 million this year.
he cant give up his outside activities. poker, golf, his foundation, his endless awards ceremonies, and now his tennis academy. and the world's endless demand for his time and his attention.
some of this could have waited just 2 years.
nobody drops from the top like that unless you lose some focus and drive. rafa is the strongest superhuman to ever play this sport. he could have easily overcome those injuries and emerged stronger than ever.
he just did not feel like putting in the work.
lets see how it goes. he has to come back extremely/significantly stronger fitness and physicality wise next year if he wants to win the big titles.
there is no other way. not for him. his game is built on fitness and physicality. the world trembled when he showed up on the court.
he has to get that back.