CAMELOT FANTASIES

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.