CAMELOT FANTASIES

Rafa can win big titles again but he is going to have to dedicate his life totally to the sport for 2-3 years.


bottom line: he has to devote 7-8 hours a day to fitness and practice.


the problem is insufficient work ethic. he has lost his fire in the belly.



I am not happy with Rafa but it is his life and it is his career.


he will always be my player along with vilas and muster but rafa has to work if he wants to win.



his once supreme fitness and endurance has taken quite a hit. and also he has lost significant amount lean muscle tissue.


once he can fix that he will be good to go. it will also minimize the injuries.

Here's a thought. Could Rafa's issues be a conflict of interest? Could the real problem be that he's struggling with keeping Uncle Toni? He's been with him forever and I can imagine that hiring new people would feel like a betrayal of the highest order. Not only that, but it would also affect the family dynamics.

I don't think Rafa's issues have that much to do with the other issues; fitness, mental and all of that as it does with the emotional letting go of Uncle Toni.

I've watched Rafa for years, but I particularly pay attention to his face and body language. When he came back in 2013, he was hungry and devoted, but 2014 and 2015 he has not had that same look in hardly any of his matches. I think his issues are not physical as much as they are emotional. He gets very defensive when asked about releasing Toni. I can imagine that I would feel the same way. That's not an easy thing to do, at all.

Just another theory.