CLAY SEASON - General Discussion

[El Dude]

My Rafa upset tournaments: Madrid and....Roland Garros.

 

[herios]

What is RCB up to these days (not to be confused with PCB)

Not much. Lost in R16 in Marakech and in the qualifications at MC to Ivashka

 

[Moxie]

PCB, btw, has recovered from injured finger.

 

[Moxie]

My Rafa upset tournaments: Madrid and....Roland Garros.

Who do you like for the RG upset?

 

[the AntiPusher]

My Rafa upset tournaments: Madrid and....Roland Garros.

Dude..you should just admit it..you are not a fan of the dirt devil

 

[Carol]

My Rafa upset tournaments: Madrid and....Roland Garros.

Hater!

 

[Moxie]

Dude..you should just admit it..you are not a fan of the dirt devil

I think he rather admits it. Come on, A-P, you know that every clay season since at least 2007 has been about gaming how much Rafa is going to win, and who might upset him. And basically the only people that want him to win RG again are Rafa fans. It is what it is. My question is who could really take him out at RG, particularly. (If he loses here or there before, that is mostly fine.) Djokovic? Probably not ready. Wawrinka? Scheduled to play Madrid and Rome, but he didn't fare too well v. Rafa last year. Thiem? Schwartzman? Sasha Zverev? Carreño Busta? I'd guess "surprise player to be named later," or "Rafa's body." This year's field looks better for Nadal than last year's. If Rafa stays healthy and keeps his eyes on the big prize, I don't think there's anything to say someone might take him down at RG beyond wishful thinking. But they're allowed their dreams.

 

[El Dude]

I don’t hate Rafa like some of my fellow Fedfans, but unless Roger is involved I almost always want the underdog to win and the favorite to lose and we all know where Rafa slots on clay as far as that is concerned.

Moxie, I think Rafa’s biggest enemy on clay is himself: his almost 32 year old body. He’s got to play about 20 matches before Roland Garros starts, so a lot can happen.

If he’s healthy then there isn’t anyone who can beat him at RG. But if he’s a bit gimpy, which is quite possible by then, then some hot and hungry young player could upset him.

 

[Moxie]

I don’t hate Rafa like some of my fellow Fedfans, but unless Roger is involved I almost always want the underdog to win and the favorite to lose and we all know where Rafa slots on clay as far as that is concerned.

Moxie, I think Rafa’s biggest enemy on clay is himself: his almost 32 year old body. He’s got to play about 20 matches before Roland Garros starts, so a lot can happen.

If he’s healthy then there isn’t anyone who can beat him at RG. But if he’s a bit gimpy, which is quite possible by then, then some hot and hungry young player could upset him.

We know you're not a "hater." (Carol was kidding, as she gave it the smilie.) I know you like to see new winners, or, as you say, when Roger's not in the mix. I know that the least popular player during this season, except amongst his fans, is Rafael Nadal. He's been hogging up the season for most of the last 12 years. Look, I started out not liking Roger because he won too much. So we're even on them.

Anyway, I agree that Rafa's biggest challenge to winning is staying fit. That's why I've argued that he shouldn't play everything, no matter what happens to his #1 ranking. I think he should skip Barcelona, and if he's not feeling it, Madrid. Drop to #2...who cares? But protect RG. Roger has done a good job of protecting his Wimbledon for the past 2 years. I hope Rafa takes a page from his playbook.

 

[Carol]

Nadal has done more than enough on clay, he doesn't need to show anything else but to win his 11 RG would be superb and extraordinary and I hope he keeps all his strengh to do it . My wish is that he would skip Roma or Madrid and then he would be more fresh playing on grass getting much better results than the previous years but I doubt he will if he plays every tournament on clayl :scratch:

 

[Moxie]

Nadal has done more than enough on clay, he doesn't need to show anything else but to win his 11 RG would be superb and extraordinary and I hope he keeps all his strengh to do it . My wish is that he would skip Roma or Madrid and then he would be more fresh playing on grass getting much better results than the previous years but I doubt he will if he plays every tournament on clayl :scratch:

Yes, perhaps if he doesn't overplay in the clay season, he could have a better finish on grass. Good point.

 

[Carol]

Kokkinakis has not last too long....

 

[Moxie]

Kokkinakis has not last too long....

He played Khachenov...that one could have gone either way, imo.

 

[Carol]

He played Khachenov...that one could have gone either way, imo.

I haven’t seen the match but I’ve seen the result

 

[Moxie]

I haven’t seen the match but I’ve seen the result

They're both young, considered to have potential, and have similar up-sides. Kokkinakis has the benefit of just being fresh in his comeback. I'm giving him a little space before thinking he's not going to live up to hype.

 

[El Dude]

@Moxie, it is interesting that many Rafa fans hope he skips at least one tournament. I get it, although it is hard to imagine he'll do it. Barcelona is his "hometown" tournament, so if he skips it will probably Madrid or Rome. My guess is that he re-evaluates after Barcelona, see how he feels. He won't want to jeopardize RG. On the other hand, we all know Rafa likes to push it. And I'm sure he realizes that he doesn't have many years left so will want to win all that he can while he can.

 

[Moxie]

@Moxie, it is interesting that many Rafa fans hope he skips at least one tournament. I get it, although it is hard to imagine he'll do it. Barcelona is his "hometown" tournament, so if he skips it will probably Madrid or Rome. My guess is that he re-evaluates after Barcelona, see how he feels. He won't want to jeopardize RG. On the other hand, we all know Rafa likes to push it. And I'm sure he realizes that he doesn't have many years left so will want to win all that he can while he can.

It's not just "interesting," it's sensible. I hope Rafa realizes this. I think he should skip tournaments like Barcelona, because he can still win them down the road, even when he's fading. What he needs to add to his totals is Majors, so RG is critical. And keep himself in the hunt for non-clay Majors and other titles. If he tries for every title this clay season then he's not just greedy, but short-sighted.

 

[Carol]

Moya says about Nadal: "he is the kind of player who thinks has to play many matches to do something great but I think that a player of his quality doesn't depend of that but more about to be healthy".
In one word I think it's more in Nadal's head than the reality and I hope Moya can change his mind showing him that he can play very well without to play so much and then to extend his career

 

[the AntiPusher]

Moya says about Nadal: "he is the kind of player who thinks has to play many matches to do something great but I think that a player of his quality doesn't depend of that but more about to be healthy".
In one word I think it's more in Nadal's head than the reality and I hope Moya can change his mind showing him that he can play very well without to play so much and then to extend his career

I have a feeling Rafa has turned the corner with his stubbornness,,The injuries at AO really level him..I wouldn’t be surprised if he says he is just tried after MC n Barcelona.

 

[Andy22]

rafael nadal not me, just said that roger federer skipping the clay court season again is a bit weird, this is that he said/ federer said he love to play me in best of five sets on clay, then two days later hes says hes skipping the clay court season says Nadal.