Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

[tented]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Again, I think clay court season next year will tell us a lot. Actually, I think January will tell us a lot. But Rafa has until clay season in 2016 to figure things out. If he doesn't by then, I think he'll retire by the end of next year.

I think he'll at least play through the Rio Olympics. He won't want to miss the Games twice in a row, but after that, who knows, especially if his year is as (relatively) poor as this one has been thus far.

 

[Carol]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Again, don't count the chicken before they are hatched
Who can guarantee that Muzz is going to continue playing so well after to see how inconsistent he is or if Novak is going to be able to play his best this year and the next ones? Nadal obviously is going through his worst (for 8 months) but call me optimists, positive, a dreamer, whatever but I'm sure that he is going to react anytime soon for good and his retire will be at least in four more years ahead .
But of course, meanwhile the others players are taking the advantage of that circumstance, one tough opponent less to fight against

 

[nehmeth]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Pete knew what it was like to be a non-contender for almost two years... not winning any tournaments. Then there was the 2002 U.S. Open and he won it all. I think the USO would be problematic for Fed, but nothing is impossible. As for Nadal, while he will never regain the heights, he will have windows where it all comes back to him, and he'll shine.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Again, I think clay court season next year will tell us a lot. Actually, I think January will tell us a lot. But Rafa has until clay season in 2016 to figure things out. If he doesn't by then, I think he'll retire by the end of next year.

I think he'll at least play through the Rio Olympics. He won't want to miss the Games twice in a row, but after that, who knows, especially if his year is as (relatively) poor as this one has been thus far.

Rafa is not a quitter. I don't think he will quit that easily by Rio 2016, even assuming he does not improve by then. He will be willing to work his way up from the trenches.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Again, I think clay court season next year will tell us a lot. Actually, I think January will tell us a lot. But Rafa has until clay season in 2016 to figure things out. If he doesn't by then, I think he'll retire by the end of next year.

I think he'll at least play through the Rio Olympics. He won't want to miss the Games twice in a row, but after that, who knows, especially if his year is as (relatively) poor as this one has been thus far.

Rafa is not a quitter. I don't think he will quit that easily by Rio 2016, even assuming he does not improve by then. He will be willing to work his way up from the trenches.

...and if these results persist? :angel: :dodgy: :ras: :eyepop

 

[GameSetAndMath]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

I think he'll at least play through the Rio Olympics. He won't want to miss the Games twice in a row, but after that, who knows, especially if his year is as (relatively) poor as this one has been thus far.

Rafa is not a quitter. I don't think he will quit that easily by Rio 2016, even assuming he does not improve by then. He will be willing to work his way up from the trenches.

...and if these results persist? :angel: :dodgy: :ras: :eyepop

It is possible that the results may persist. But, what I am claiming is that he would want to see that happen (bad results for at least three years minimum) before quitting, assuming there are no injuries. He is not going to call it a career after just 1.5 years of bad results.

 

[Fiero425]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Rafa is not a quitter. I don't think he will quit that easily by Rio 2016, even assuming he does not improve by then. He will be willing to work his way up from the trenches.

...and if these results persist? :angel: :dodgy: :ras: :eyepop

It is possible that the results may persist. But, what I am claiming is that he would want to see that happen (bad results for at least three years minimum) before quitting, assuming there are no injuries. He is not going to call it a career after just 1.5 years of bad results.

I don't think people realize how long this child has been on the tour! Well over 10+ years of "grinding it out" has to take its toll! I expected it sooner than later! He will be on the "list" for hip replacement surgery; mark my words! So often he runs for shots that are just too far out of reach and it'll cost him like it did Chang and others who play such a debilitating style! :cover :nono :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Carol]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Before he will be in that list probably someone else will be first and not just for a hip replace but because other issues even worse than that
Debilities what? my boots!

 

[Kieran]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Rafa's results have been bad since Oz in 2014, actually. The Back, against Stan, was a turning point. He played dreadful on the US hards, then heading into RG, he was having his worst European clay season since 2004, which was redeemed by victory in Paris. But that was an anomaly, and since he came back in January, he's been so bad, we wish we had 2014 back.

 

[Carol]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Rafa's results have been bad since Oz in 2014, actually. The Back, against Stan, was a turning point. He played dreadful on the US hards, then heading into RG, he was having his worst European clay season since 2004, which was redeemed by victory in Paris. But that was an anomaly, and since he came back in January, he's been so bad, we wish we had 2014 back.

It's true, that loss at the AO final ( he was playing very good the previous matches) was terrible for his mind. He would could have won that tournament and getting the record to be the player with more than one win of every GS but unfortunately his back finished with his dream (and also our dream :cover)
After that he has played like a rollercoaster even on his best surface. Anyway I'm glad he is healthy, he just to do a "tune up" to his head and everything will work better

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

It really seems to be the #1 question in tennis: Can Rafa come back and, if so, to what degree? Roger came back after 2013, but he wasn't as good as he was in 2012 and before. In other words, Roger's 2014-15 has been a "late career plateau" that sees him as still an elite player, but not the player he was in 2010-12, let alone the player he was in 2009 and before.

But here's the question. Roger seems OK with being the #2-4 player in the world, winning a few tournaments here and there and having an outside chance at some of the Slams. But will Rafa be content to be second or third fiddle to Novak and Andy?

Again, I think clay court season next year will tell us a lot. Actually, I think January will tell us a lot. But Rafa has until clay season in 2016 to figure things out. If he doesn't by then, I think he'll retire by the end of next year.

Unless he suffers a career threatening injury, there's literally zero chance of Nadal retiring in 2016. Zero.

 

[Front242]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Not that anyone's opinion matters a damn but seeing as this thread cites what Sampras thinks, Andy Roddick says he doesn't think Nadal will win another slam. I personally wouldn't count him out of winning more but just posting it for more former player's opinions.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/10/tennis/rafael-nadal-tennis-slump-u-s-open/

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Not that anyone's opinion matters a damn but seeing as this thread cites what Sampras thinks, Andy Roddick says he doesn't think Nadal will win another slam. I personally wouldn't count him out of winning more but just posting it for more former player's opinions.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/10/tennis/rafael-nadal-tennis-slump-u-s-open/

Nobody cares what Roddick says or thinks. He is the pure Reciprocal of Rafa. Andy was Federer's top amoung his many pigeons. Rafa has done what Andy couldn't do any part of his career, defeat Federer especially at a slam.Maybe there's a possibility that most likely bias against Rafa.IMO

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Not that anyone's opinion matters a damn but seeing as this thread cites what Sampras thinks, Andy Roddick says he doesn't think Nadal will win another slam. I personally wouldn't count him out of winning more but just posting it for more former player's opinions.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/10/tennis/rafael-nadal-tennis-slump-u-s-open/

Nobody cares what Roddick says or thinks. He is the pure Reciprocal of Rafa. Andy was Federer's top amoung his many pigeons. Rafa has done what Andy couldn't do any part of his career, defeat Federer especially at a slam.Maybe there's a possibility that most likely bias against Rafa.IMO

None of this has to do with anything. Roddick did not compare his accomplishments to Nadal. Nadal has done a lot more than Roddick than just beating Federer (why is that always the measuring stick?), and Andy will be the first to admit his own limitations, so I doubt he cares. If Roddick is going to be biased against top players because they've done more, then he'll be biased towards Federer, Nadal, Novak, Murray and hell, even Wawrinka.

Roddick is quite an honest person and he's really insightful. Unlike Johnny Mac, he hasn't been removed from the game for decades and therefore has more relevant insight as to today's tour. His resume doesn't matter in that regard. You could have won zero titles in your career and still have a lot of interesting things to say about the game, and you could be a multiple time slam winner but say the most idiotic things.

A lot of people care what Roddick has to say.

 

[Front242]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Yeah, I'm seeing people only care about what Sampras has to say as it's more positive. At the end of the day though, all they are offering is opinions and what they think has likely no input into what will actually transpire.

 

[Kieran]

Rafa, by Roddick

Not that anyone's opinion matters a damn but seeing as this thread cites what Sampras thinks, Andy Roddick says he doesn't think Nadal will win another slam. I personally wouldn't count him out of winning more but just posting it for more former player's opinions.

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/10/tennis/rafael-nadal-tennis-slump-u-s-open/

Well, Roddick was excellent in commentary for the BBC during Wimbledon, he's good humoured, modest, frank, insightful, but in the article he didn't say that he thinks Rafa won't won another slam, he says he thinks he "probably" won't win one, which is different, the devil as usual being in the detail. But this is an example of why Roddick is a good commentator and Pete would be lousy, because the hedged bets commentators would say Rafa "probably" will win another slam, because they don't want to be controversial. Using the word "probably" in Roddicks case wasn't him hedging his bets, because he went for the negative, that's him being frank, and it's a valid view. He's not saying anything definite, because nobody can safely write Rafa off, but obviously the dogs on the street could take a casual glance at Rafa now and conclude he's yards off the pace.

Roddick is barely mentioned in the article, mainly it's stefanki, and he leads with the bizarre suggestion of bringing Vegas Dre into Team Mallorca, which is a crude, unthought out idea. Nadal's team is laid out a certain way, and Agassi wouldn't be a fit, at all. It goes to show was flows off the lips of these talking heads. They have a five minute segment to fill and so they just keep yapping... :cover

 

[Carol]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Roddick always has been a big mouth, impulsive and liked too much to complain for everything, smashing the rackets very frequently and many times talking too much ¥#%¥
And I haven't saying this because what he says about the future of Nadal (his future only will depend on himself and not what others say) but because I always have had that impression of Roddick.
But I also would say some people only care what he has to say as it's more negative

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

There is zero wrong with the assessment that Nadal "probably" won't win another slam again. If you watch him playing right now, it's hard to be too confident that he will. Let's not blow this out of proportion with oversensitivity. I wouldn't even call what Roddick said "negative." It's just an informed guess.

 

[Kieran]

RE: Rafa, by Roddick

Exactly. I only call it "negative" in the sense that he's saying "probably no" instead of saying "probably yes", but rather than make a bland and inoffensive pronouncement that "all will be grand - everybody will win more majors", which Pete and others do, Andy has weighed it up and called it as we all can really see it.

If Rafa is winning big matches in six months and challenging for HC MS titles, then obviously Roddick would look at that and say he "probably might win another slam..."

 

[Kirijax]

RE: Nadal playing as if he feels like his career is over says Sampras, but he’ll be fine

Is there a commentator out there right now who actually thinks Nadal is going to get back to his 2008~2013 level? After what we saw in Montreal, most commentators are going to say exactly what Roddick said. If they want to be nice. Some are probably just flat out saying that Nadal is finished. I wouldn't go that far but there is absolutely nothing wrong about what Roddick said.