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Tennis - General Discussion

H

Hootie

Member
MIMIC said:
Just heard the news.

Seems like Nadal will just play on clay from now on and will be skipping the HC tournaments.
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Damn that sucks. I wanted to see one more Fed/Nadal Wimbledon final. Though with Djoko around the chances of that would be very low anyways.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
Does anyone buy into this "silent ban" theory that has been floated around? I mean, I don't believe it but the longer Nadal is out, the more fuel the theory is gonna get.

I'd only start considering it if he started skipping his usual clay tournaments....like Barcelona, Monte Carlo, RG, etc.
 
R

Rafa=FedKilla

Banned
MIMIC said:
Does anyone buy into this "silent ban" theory that has been floated around? I mean, I don't believe it but the longer Nadal is out, the more fuel the theory is gonna get.

I'd only start considering it if he started skipping his usual clay tournaments....like Barcelona, Monte Carlo, RG, etc.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure if I buy it completely. But I do believe that there is a lot of fishiness surrounding his injury. Like the three different injuries that were reported by Mowgilis doctor, Uncle Toni and that other brah.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
I never believed he was injured. Well, injured enough to skip the Olympics and the U.S. Open, at least. I just thought it was the mental scarring caused by Rosol. BUT, Nadal has always had knee trouble and his game IS pretty physical so...maybe this was inevitable. But after that loss, I just felt that blaming it on the knee was a little too convenient.

But it's probably an equal combination of both a physical AND mental injury. The loss probably just hastened his new approach.
 
A

AceOcelot

Member
MIMIC said:
I never believed he was injured. Well, injured enough to skip the Olympics and the U.S. Open, at least. I just thought it was the mental scarring caused by Rosol. BUT, Nadal has always had knee trouble and his game IS pretty physical so...maybe this was inevitable. But after that loss, I just felt that blaming it on the knee was a little too convenient.

But it's probably an equal combination of both a physical AND mental injury. The loss probably just hastened his new approach.
Click to expand...

Damn, you really think Rosol scarred him THAT much? It wasn't like he got shut out. Idk, maybe it did. But I've always always associated Nadal's playing style as being too harsh on his body. It's kind of crazy
 
R

Rafa=FedKilla

Banned
AceOcelot said:
Damn, you really think Rosol scarred him THAT much? It wasn't like he got shut out. Idk, maybe it did. But I've always always associated Nadal's playing style as being too harsh on his body. It's kind of crazy
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The Soderling loss, coupled with his parents divorce surely did. I believe Mowgli bought into the hype and thought he was unbeatable at RG.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
AceOcelot said:
Damn, you really think Rosol scarred him THAT much? It wasn't like he got shut out. Idk, maybe it did. But I've always always associated Nadal's playing style as being too harsh on his body. It's kind of crazy
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Well I think it was a couple of things. He was just coming off of an embarrassing losing streak against Djokovic, and now has to deal with another embarrassing headline after being beaten by Rosol. It was basically one of the biggest upsets in history.

It was probably too much for Nadal and we all know how of a hypochondriac, and all-around pessimistic person, Nadal is. My theory is that Nadal just needed a break from tennis and used his knee as a reason (valid or not) to step away for a bit.

But NOW??? It's time to come back. Or, like I said, he's using this as a reason to just stick to clay (given his knee issues and how comfortable he is on the surface).
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
MIMIC said:
I never believed he was injured. Well, injured enough to skip the Olympics and the U.S. Open, at least. I just thought it was the mental scarring caused by Rosol. BUT, Nadal has always had knee trouble and his game IS pretty physical so...maybe this was inevitable. But after that loss, I just felt that blaming it on the knee was a little too convenient.

But it's probably an equal combination of both a physical AND mental injury. The loss probably just hastened his new approach.
Click to expand...

if he starts skipping clay tournaments, I will believe this. It will be too obvious not to believe. It's fishy at least how all of a sudden has stomach problem and cancels Doha and AO.
I hope that never becomes the truth or it would destroy tennis, but you never know...look at Armstrong...
 
C

clemenx

Banned
MIMIC said:
Does anyone buy into this "silent ban" theory that has been floated around? I mean, I don't believe it but the longer Nadal is out, the more fuel the theory is gonna get.

I'd only start considering it if he started skipping his usual clay tournaments....like Barcelona, Monte Carlo, RG, etc.
Click to expand...

Wait, there are people seriously suggesting that?
 
P

PS3GamerKyle

Member
Shame about Nadal. I never liked him, but he was a master at clay, and I actually like him more than Murray. Here's hoping he can come back strong sometime next year and finish his career with some pop, and not just a wimper.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
clemenx said:
Wait, there are people seriously suggesting that?
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The rumors started right after he withdrew from the Olympics. But technically, they started after he withdrew from Wimbledon back in '09.

Most of them compare it to Agassi and how the ATP covered up his drug usage (and how knee issues are a common problem with PED abusers). I mean, it's something to think about but it's completely unsubstantiated.

I honestly used to think people were kidding, but when I started reading the theories (and the reasoning people used), I saw that they were quite serious.
 
D

Deadman

Member
Hmm i dont really believe the shadow ban theory. It would be terrible for the sport if it came out Nadal was a drugs cheat, but imagine how much worse it would be if it came out he was a drugs cheat and the atp covered it all up. Its too risky. Of course the agassi situation doesnt help my case.


I think its more likely that the knee injury was real and the stomach illness is exaggerated because his level of play is poor right now. He basically didnt play any tennis for 5 months, so he is probably taking the extra 2 months to come back at a higher level so he doesnt get blown away by an average player at the AO and have to deal with everyone saying his career is over.
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
MIMIC said:
The rumors started right after he withdrew from the Olympics. But technically, they started after he withdrew from Wimbledon back in '09.

Most of them compare it to Agassi and how the ATP covered up his drug usage (and how knee issues are a common problem with PED abusers). I mean, it's something to think about but it's completely unsubstantiated.

I honestly used to think people were kidding, but when I started reading the theories (and the reasoning people used), I saw that they were quite serious.
Click to expand...

Interesting comment from that forum

The most suspicious part of Nadal's time off is that he had just been tested when he was defeated by Lukas Rosol, a match he thought he would win and if Nadal had won he, would not have been tested after.

Also, Nadal now claims that he was getting injections in his knee before the match. I presume cortisone (a steriod), which would explain a positive test for steroid use. If he was on a silent ban I think it absurd that his cover story for why he couldn't play is the same cover story for a false positive test.

Lets not also forget Nadal's connection to the infamous doping doctor who supplied many Spanish cyclists. I certainly think there is good reason to suspect Nadal was on a silent ban, but we may never know (or maybe in a decade he'll write a memoir about it.).
Click to expand...

It is a bit silly how it played out. He looked fine against rosol, he just got outplayed. he played his best RG IMO losing one set and dominating MC, ROME as well. Then all of a sudden my knees are so bad I am not going to play for 9 months?
 
C

clemenx

Banned
I don't really see it as all of the sudden. Ever since Nadal stayed at the top everyone has been saying that he will eventually suffer due to his playstyle. And everyone knows the knee issues are chronic.

It's more likely that he's indeed destroying himself in the clay season but he has to play and win all that anyway. There's no way he'll skip any of that as long as he can walk.
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
clemenx said:
I don't really see it as all of the sudden. Ever since Nadal stayed at the top everyone has been saying that he will eventually suffer due to his playstyle. And everyone knows the knee issues are chronic.

It's more likely that he's indeed destroying himself in the clay season but he has to play and win all that anyway. There's no way he'll skip any of that as long as he can walk.
Click to expand...

well clay is good on the knees - body so...
 
N

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
There's no doubt in my mind he's involved somehow with enhancement drugs (as are probably a lot of top players), but the whole silent ban thing I still have trouble with because indeed if something like that came to light it would ruin the whole sport in one go
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
Nemo said:
There's no doubt in my mind he's involved somehow with enhancement drugs (as are probably a lot of top players), but the whole silent ban thing I still have trouble with because indeed if something like that came to light it would ruin the whole sport in one go
Click to expand...

I really hope it isn't true either way. He is a huge star and nice guy.
I am Novak fan, but it would be horrible if any out of top 4 was found to be using PEDs.
PED don't give you skills, so I want to believe that it is bogus
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
709707057.gif
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
Djokovic surprised by Nadal's Australian Open withdrawal


World No1 Novak Djokovic has expressed his surprise at Rafael Nadal's withdrawal from the Australian Open, especially as the Spaniard had contacted him a week ago to arrange practice sessions with him in Abu Dhabi.

Nadal confirmed on Friday that he will be sitting out the Qatar Open in Doha as well as the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne due to the stomach virus that also ruled him out his this week's Mubadala World Tennis Championship in Abu Dhabi.

“I got in touch with him like a week ago and he was saying he was coming here, and that we’re going to practice and see each other and he said he was feeling better," revealed Djokovic. "He was coming here and then suddenly, I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to him since."

Nadal had originally planned to end his six-month knee injury lay-off in Abu Dhabi this weekend but withdrew on Christmas Day - just two days before the start of the event - citing a stomach illness.

A return was expected in Doha next week, a fact that was confirmed on Thursday by his friend and countryman David Ferrer, but a statement from Nadal’s camp dashed those hopes and his Australian Open dreams.

“My knee is much better and the rehabilitation process has gone well as predicted by the doctors, but this virus didn’t allow me to practice this past week and therefore I am sorry to announce that I will not play in Doha and the Australian Open, as we had initially scheduled,” said Nadal.

“As my team and doctors say, the safest thing to do is to do things well and this virus has delayed my plans of playing these weeks. I will have to wait until the Acapulco tournament to compete again although I could consider to play before at any other ATP event.

“I always said that my return to competition will be when I am in the right conditions to play and after all this time away from the courts I rather not accelerate the comeback and prefer to do things well.”

Despite his surprise, Djokovic, who was unaware of the latest developments, understands that Nadal does not want to rush his rehabilitation having been away from the court for so long.

“I won the Australian Open last year and I had only played this tournament here in Abu Dhabi, a couple of matches,” said Djokovic. “Obviously for his (Nadal’s) situation right now that is quite specific, you can’t compare it to any other player because he’s been off the tour for six months so I’m sure he lacks matches and confidence and sharpness.

“I really don’t know what’s happening because no one has seen him six months. I really wish him a fast recovery because he is someone that brings a lot to tennis with his success, his athleticism, his competitiveness and also he’s a recognised athlete worldwide. It’s not good news definitely.”

Nicolas Almagro, who was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for Nadal in Abu Dhabi, was also surprised of his friend’s withdrawal from the Australian Open.

“Of course it’s surprising. We were talking with him and I talked in the players’ lounge with David (Ferrer) and he told me that Rafa isn’t 100 per cent right now," he said.

"He wants to wait a little bit and he doesn’t want to start in Melbourne because it’s five sets and his knees are not ready for that. We are waiting for him and we need to wait until South America. It’s one month and maybe he will be ready.”

Nadal’s coach and uncle, Toni Nadal, explained that the reason for withdrawing from the Australian Open was because the team felt the 11-time Grand Slam winner was not yet ready for the rigours of a five-set match.

“We consider not appropriate to play the Australian Open since we will not have enough preparation for a greater competition which is a Grand Slam tournament,” said Toni.

“It is simply not conceivable that his first event is a best of five sets event, he wouldn’t be ready for that. It is true we have been quite unlucky with this but there is nothing we can do.

"After all this time it is better to do things well and the most professional thing to do is to start when we are ready.”
Click to expand...
http://www.sport360.com/article/djokovic-surprised-nadals-australian-open-withdrawal
 
S

szaromir

Banned
The Last Wizard said:
Man when is nadal coming back:( it's not the same without him.
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I don't like him but that's definitely true. The draws are unbalanced without him, and his losses are some of the most memorable matches of a given year. I think I will always remember how Tsonga demolished him in AO 08 SF, same with del Potro at USO 09 exactly because it's such a rare occurence.
 
M

MIMIC

Banned
Nadal is seen here on clay. These pictures are said to have been taken today.

L7x6d.jpg


urd62.jpg


grVee.jpg


LRRau.jpg


So much for Nadal's "stomach virus", which he said prevented him from adequately preparing for the Australian Open. Looks like the suspicions were correct and that he is just concentrating on clay. It's good for his knees, but he could have been more forthcoming.
 
P

PS3GamerKyle

Member
I think because of the injury plus a little confidence lull, he's going to concentrate on clay the beginning of this year. That's why Nadal was "sick" for the AO, provided that those pictures were taken today. That would contradict his claim of having a stomach virus.

Makes sense. As much as I loathe Nadal, watching him on clay is magical. I hope he's good for another year or two.
 
Laughing Banana

Laughing Banana

Weeping Pickle
Looking at it, it is very impressive that Fed is still around hanging at the topmost level while the rest of his same-era peers such as Roddick and the rest already burnt out and even arguably his strongest competitor start to wither away, it would seem.
 
N

Nemo

Will Eat Your Children
modulaire said:
Eugenie "Genie" Bouchard...

http://i.minus.com/iRk7NTy3Jl6Ae.gif[IMG]

[IMG]http://i.minus.com/ibvGG9Sk7LfxFt.gif[IMG][/QUOTE]I remember this exact thing happening to me not too long ago when I was still very much stoned and decided to play a set with someone. One of the most interesting matches I ever did
Click to expand...
 
G

Globox_82

Banned
Rafa=FedKilla said:
How you gonna compare eras brahs? Impossible to do. Though you can discount guys like Laver and 70s and 80s women pretty easily since tennis wasn't a sport back then.
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well it is easy to compare Feds generation with current one. Fed generation was not the greatest. The only one that had enormous talent(other then Fed) was Safin, but he was more injured then he was playing. Sadly. Roddick is good player, but not a world class talent. But I would not compare Sampras era with Rogers or current because sport changed a lot with slowing of the courts and new racket tech.
 
R

Rafa=FedKilla

Banned
Globox_82 said:
well it is easy to compare Feds generation with current one. Fed generation was not the greatest. The only one that had enormous talent(other then Fed) was Safin, but he was more injured then he was playing. Sadly. Roddick is good player, but not a world class talent. But I would not compare Sampras era with Rogers or current because sport changed a lot with slowing of the courts and new racket tech.
Click to expand...
Alright, I feel you. The thing I give Roger a lot of credit for is the evolution and transition of his game.
 
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