CAMELOT FANTASIES

Yep. Another super post general.  I guess I forgot bike training might put too much stress on the knees for him. Swimming is probably the way to go.

Here is something I just saw on ESPN general that is making me wonder...

    ESPN Staff
 
Rafael Nadal says he is not focused on winning grand slams this year and has set his sights on qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals at the end of the season.

Nadal suffered just his second ever defeat at the French Open last month when Novak Djokovic knocked him out in the quarter-finals, but he has made a blistering start to the grass court season by winning his first title on the surface since 2010 at the Mercedes Cup.

After falling to No.10 in the rankings, his next target is a place back in the top eight and at the O2 Arena in November. "That's my main goal," the 29-year-old said. "Winning grand slams or not, I have won enough in my career. Fourteen is enough.

"Right now, I am the No.10 in the world and I only played six months, with half of them being very bad. But I am sure that I'm going to keep trying.

"I have the motivation and I feel my mentality and my body are ready for it. Then, if I'm able to play the full season, I hope to finish in a good position on the rankings and then have the chance to start 2016 stronger."
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What do you make of this general?  That stunned me when he said, 14 slams is enough.  Hard to believe that he would have that perspective. Do you think he is just taking pressure off himself?

Respectfully,
masterclass

I bet Federer fans are happy that he did not say that 11 slams is more than enough.


he had Sampras in his sights. he was not going to stop or slow down. he is 34 and still after more slams. he said he went to RG to try to win it.



rafa had Federer and history in sight. and it was right there.



bottom line: rafa has given up trying to stand up to the top guns because of lost focus. he just does not want to work hard enough to keep up with them anymore.


he just does not hunger endlessly to win anymore. otherwise he would do something about it.

I know what he and his team have to say for public consumption.

but what I have been seeing on the court is quite the opposite. he usually checks out at some point. he is also huffing and puffing in these short matches. he gets tired. he was flat and spent against andy murray in Madrid. he just could not muster up the energy to stand up to Andy.


he never even bothered to show up--in a way--against djokovic at RG.


he said ahead of time that it was no shame to lose to djokovic. that is just a horrible state of mind.


and now he says that he expected to lose to djokovic at RG. that is even more ridiculous. he also said ahead--ahead of the French open--that if he loses it is no big deal. and that he had won it enough times already.


he said it was not the end of the world but his world is tennis. and it is damn near the end.



trying to qualify for WTF is a very bad idea. that means he will be chasing points on the hard courts after the u.s. open while winning exactly zero events.

hard courts now also could lead to injury which ends the career instantly.


when has he ever been a factor on the indoor hard courts. and what will he do when he gets to WTF?

he cant even get lucky anymore. luck always sides with those who are more prepared in this sport.

tony had hoped for luck at RG this year.



rafa needs to embark on a simple journey if he wants to win and dominate the top players again:

he needs to go put in the long yards on the practice courts and on the fitness front.

and he has to be single minded in his focus.