Delray Beach open - 250

[Luxilon Borg]

Poor Rusty. Anyone know why he retired? Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

Shoulder. It is serious...

That's bad to hear.

It is getting close to the time....

 

[Moxie]

Poor Rusty. Anyone know why he retired? Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

Shoulder. It is serious...

That's bad to hear.

It is getting close to the time....

I've thought so for a couple of years, so it won't completely surprise me if he gets back up again. Though I suspect you're right.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

Poor Rusty. Anyone know why he retired? Hopefully it's nothing too serious.

Shoulder. It is serious...

That's bad to hear.

It is getting close to the time....

I've thought so for a couple of years, so it won't completely surprise me if he gets back up again. Though I suspect you're right.

I have the highest respect for his game and accomplishments, but there is a bit of deluded thinking in his part. He says he he is "happy" with his year...he wins Brisbane, then loses in the First round of AO, then to Russel in Memphis. Meanwhile, the guy he beat at Brisbane got to the semis, and won two Davis Cup matches. That plus a host of first rd losses at slams in the past 2 years. The Us Open was obviously a nice effort.

 

[TsarMatt]

Ah, damn. Poor Rusty. He was doing so well with the injuries throughout all of last year... Oh well, at least he still managed to win an ATP tour title at this stage of his career. His win against Federer at Brisbane was orgasmic!

 

[isabelle]

Another injury for the old lion, sad for him. Wish him a fast recovery

 

[herios]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

 

[TsarMatt]

Damn, poor Kei. He was on such a good run, too.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I think you guys missed kskate's point. She was surprised to see Cilic playing 3 weeks in a row, not that he has been playing on HC.

I think more concerning is to see Haas playing 3 weeks inn a row at his age, he risks to get injured and lets be honest, he does not need the dough either.

Appearance $$$$$$

Is either one really worth that much $$?

That is a lot of dollar sign in LB's post.

However, I do want to mention that these smaller tournaments go after
players of smaller stature with offers of trinkets. For examples, San Jose tournament
offered an appearance fee of $3000 to Andy Murray (we are talking 2006 AM)
and brought him. He promptly took it, came to San Jose and won the tournament.
This would especially be the case when there are three tourneys in the same
week (like in all of february).

 

[Luxilon Borg]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

 

[Front242]

Hewitt, Haas, Nishikori, Del Potro. Sorry but they're all complete morons who over play. Recently Hewitt's been lucky up to now that he hadn't injured himself but here he is again with another setback. Hopefully not long before he's ok again.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

Hewitt, Haas, Nishikori, Del Potro. Sorry but they're all complete morons who over play. Recently Hewitt's been lucky up to now that he hadn't injured himself but here he is again with another setback. Hopefully not long before he's ok again.

Um, way too simplistic.

Haas missed 4 years of his career to to injuries that had nothing to do with over playing.
They were chronic.

Hewitt had barely played for two years with a toe issue. They are both playing catch up for lost time.

Del Po's issue is due to his mechanics..it puts enormous stress on his wrist. Both Connors and Agassi had almost the same issue, and guess what they had similar forehands.

Del Po also went on an unexpected tear in 2009 winning TONS of matches. When you win, you play more.

Nishikori was fragile from day 1. He is a small man trying to play big man tennis. He cannot sustain it physically.

 

[Front242]

I'm talking now though, not the past. I realize Haas and Hewitt were very unfortunate in the past, but that surely should mean they have the sense now to know that they've missed a lot of time over the years and need to use their heads A LOT more to make sure no recurring injuries appear. Playing 3-4+ weeks in a row at their age is dense.

I know Tommy set a goal to qualify for the WTF this year and that's great and I hope he does, but to do so he should not be playing this week and instead saving himself for the higher points events. Playing almost every tournament is not the way to do it. Even if that got him there and it likely would, he'd be a zombie in London anyway. Hope you're listening too Mr. Ferrer. He overplayed a ton too and was shattered in the WTF last year. He went all out to defend his Paris title and had nothing left in the tank in London, which was the far more prestigious title/event.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

I'm talking now though, not the past. I realize Haas and Hewitt were very unfortunate in the past, but that surely should mean they have the sense now to know that they've missed a lot of time over the years and need to use their heads A LOT more to make sure no recurring injuries appear. Playing 3-4+ weeks in a row at their age is dense.

I know Tommy set a goal to qualify for the WTF this year and that's great and I hope he does, but to do so he should not be playing this week and instead saving himself for the higher points events. Playing almost every tournament is not the way to do it. Even if that got him there and it likely would, he'd be a zombie in London anyway. Hope you're listening too Mr. Ferrer. He overplayed a ton too and was shattered in the WTF last year. He went all out to defend his Paris title and had nothing left in the tank in London, which was the far more prestigious title/event.

Hey I hear ya. It is one of the most difficult choices they make...keep the momentum going, collect the checks, hopefully gain ranking points, or rest for a week.

But even without over playing, this group we are discussing are wounded and fragile by nature.

 

[TsarMatt]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

 

[Front242]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Hewitt's an Aussie and used to the heat in Australia in summer and the heat was the main issue there. Hewitt handled it better. Nishikori lives in Florida but even their humidity and heat is rarely 45C (113F) and seems Kei just couldn't take the heat, literally.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Yeh, a touch embarrassing indeed.

I have seen this many times over...guys with elite tennis skills but physically they are not elite...

Mardy Fish, Brian Baker, j.Johansson, Todd Martin, etc.

 

[TsarMatt]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Hewitt's an Aussie and used to the heat in Australia in summer and the heat was the main issue there. Hewitt handled it better. Nishikori lives in Florida but even their humidity and heat is rarely 45C (113F) and seems Kei just couldn't take the heat, literally.

It was 40c that day, off memory. Nonetheless, it was only a best of three set match.

 

[Moxie]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Hewitt's an Aussie and used to the heat in Australia in summer and the heat was the main issue there. Hewitt handled it better. Nishikori lives in Florida but even their humidity and heat is rarely 45C (113F) and seems Kei just couldn't take the heat, literally.

It was 40c that day, off memory. Nonetheless, it was only a best of three set match.

I saw that match, and was pretty stunned at how Nishikori wilted. Not impressive from a 24-year-old v. a 31-year-old with multiple surgeries behind him. Tennis players work in an endless summer, and I don't think a man that young should consider heat as an excuse in a best of 3 match. (Plus, if anyone thinks Australia has it over on south Florida for heat and humidity, they have never been there in the summer.) Granted, Rusty is as tough as they come, mentally, with a will to win, but just even that should give Kei something to think about, if he really has ambitions to the top tier. Like that US gymnast, I was #notimpressed.

 

[TsarMatt]

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Hewitt's an Aussie and used to the heat in Australia in summer and the heat was the main issue there. Hewitt handled it better. Nishikori lives in Florida but even their humidity and heat is rarely 45C (113F) and seems Kei just couldn't take the heat, literally.

It was 40c that day, off memory. Nonetheless, it was only a best of three set match.

I saw that match, and was pretty stunned at how Nishikori wilted. Not impressive from a 24-year-old v. a 31-year-old with multiple surgeries behind him. Tennis players work in an endless summer, and I don't think a man that young should consider heat as an excuse in a best of 3 match. (Plus, if anyone thinks Australia has it over on south Florida for heat and humidity, they have never been there in the summer.) Granted, Rusty is as tough as they come, mentally, with a will to win, but just even that should give Kei something to think about, if he really has ambitions to the top tier. Like that US gymnast, I was #notimpressed.

Yeah, exactly. Kei sort of redeemed himself by playing three sets of high level tennis against Nadal on a 35c today (could have been 37-38 on court level) at the AO, so there's always that.

 

[Front242]

injury bug spreading, Kei retires in the match against Gabashvili with a hip injury

Nishikori needs to reevaluate his schedule and training. His body is just not built for sustained top tier tennis. This now a running theme..the injuries. He is clearly a middleweight trying to compete with heavy weights.

True. He was completely drained out in his match against Hewitt at Brisbane, which is a part embarrassing considering Hewitt is 5+ years older and has every excuse in the book to fold.

Hewitt's an Aussie and used to the heat in Australia in summer and the heat was the main issue there. Hewitt handled it better. Nishikori lives in Florida but even their humidity and heat is rarely 45C (113F) and seems Kei just couldn't take the heat, literally.

It was 40c that day, off memory. Nonetheless, it was only a best of three set match.

Nope. Courtside they said it was 44.5C, which I rounded up. That's brutal heat to be playing tennis in.