Nadal pulls out of Roland Garros with wrist injury

[Carol]

Since when the wrist is not part of the body?

Yeah, the wrist is part of the body but what I've tried to say it was that his body is ok, also his knee, he felt stronger mentally but unfortunately when he was playing much better he got that tendon sheath inflammation but not because his body had asking him to stop before

 

[Billie]

Yeah, the wrist is part of the body but what I've tried to say it was that his body is ok, also his knee, he felt stronger mentally but unfortunately when he was playing much better he got that tendon sheath inflammation but not because his body had asking him to stop before

But part of his body - his left wrist - is not OK. His wrist has been hurting for weeks and giving his brain all the signals needed to process the fact. But they injected him with pain medication so he wouldn't feel the pain and keep on training and playing. It wasn't a freak accident you know. I have always wondered how people can sneer at ailments that players display during matches or training and dismiss them easily. Like wrist hurting is nothing. Well maybe not for ordinary people, even though I had mine hurt and it wasn't pleasant, but for tennis players it is even worse.

It's not just players, people in general, they ignore the signs their bodies are giving them until it is sometimes too late. Hopefully in Rafa's case he acted wisely just in time.

 

[Moxie]

Why did he play MC and Barcelona with a wrist problem ? I can't get ,it maybe should he have another schedule on clay, less tourneys more rest ??? he's 30 he must admit he has less possiblities than before and take care of his health, which he's never done before
Toni suggested many times to play less but he refused, now his body says STOP

No, it started in Madrid, apparently, and he was cleared to play Rome. There's really no reason to go off on a rant about what Rafa should do. You're not his doctor, or his coach, and you're not privy to the conversations. It's his career and his body. He gets a lot of "blaming" by people for his injuries, where other oft-injured players get more of a pass. Gael Monfils comes to mind.

 

[Billie]

Yeah, a lot of players can be a bit reckless when it comes to their bodies. By his own admission, Janko ignored pain in his foot for months and kept on playing until he had to stop and undergo surgery after surgery. This is the first time in 18 months that he wasn't feeling pain. And who knows how many other players went through the same experience. On one hand they want to be competitive and fight as much as they can, but then there is the thin and tricky line between enduring a little bit of pain and easing off and pushing over the limit. It's not an easy thing, to balance all of it.

 

[Moxie]

Yeah, a lot of players can be a bit reckless when it comes to their bodies. By his own admission, Janko ignored pain in his foot for months and kept on playing until he had to stop and undergo surgery after surgery. This is the first time in 18 months that he wasn't feeling pain. And who knows how many other players went through the same experience. On one hand they want to be competitive and fight as much as they can, but then there is the thin and tricky line between enduring a little bit of pain and easing off and pushing over the limit. It's not an easy thing, to balance all of it.

I don't think they're really "reckless". (OK, Monfils can leap around wildly.) They're young, and they're great athletes, and they trust their bodies. Maybe a little too much. They don't listen quite enough to signals. Rafa, by his own admission, and Gasquet said it yesterday, has a high tolerance for pain. He expects to work hard, and suffer somewhat. Perhaps on occasion to his own detriment. Here is where I do blame him: In 2008 he skipped the DC finals citing knee. In 2009, at the AO, he played a brutal SF v. Verdasco, and then another 5-setter to beat Federer. Then, instead of skipping Rotterdam, he went. There was no reason for that, and he could have bowed out easily. He made the final (v. Murray,) and by the 3rd set, he could barely walk, and he lost it at love. From there, it was a slow disintegration of his knees, not helped by that SF in Madrid v. Novak, and culminating in the loss to Soderling at RG. Soderling played a great match, and I don't want to get into that again, but, in that period of time, I think Nadal made poor choices, specifically Rotterdam, that led to the tendinitis that he still suffers with.

Other than that, (meaning the knees), I think it's been bad luck. You can't determine the body you're given. Look at Del Potro.

 

[Carol]

Unfortunately injuries is part of the sport. Most of the athletes are suffering discomfort here and ther during their careers, sometimes just temporary, sometimes they get worse and wrist, knee and elbow discomfort is very common and not necessarily they need stop to play. Like I said before we can count only with the fingers of one hand who never has got it an injury which surprise me a lot because the continue and big effort than all of them are doing day by day, practicing and playing the tournaments and we can see that every time
Delpo, Raonic, Monfils, Tsonga, Simon, Rafa, Almagro, Murray etc etc etc but the difference is it seems that everybody is putting more attention on Rafa than on anyone else
Lucky has to do a lot with it, I see players falling very badly, twisting the ankle, ranning like crazy with every point, trying to hit the ball as hard as they can and they 'survive' until now, you never know later. I remember Monfils years ego when everybody called him 'the rubber man' incredible the jumps, running, stretching and everything he did at that time until he started to get injury by injury

 

[Moxie]

Unfortunately injuries is part of the sport. Most of the athletes are suffering discomfort here and ther during their careers, sometimes just temporary, sometimes they get worse and wrist, knee and elbow discomfort is very common and not necessarily they need stop to play. Like I said before we can count only with the fingers of one hand who never has got it an injury which surprise me a lot because the continue and big effort than all of them are doing day by day, practicing and playing the tournaments and we can see that every time
Delpo, Raonic, Monfils, Tsonga, Simon, Rafa, Almagro, etc etc etc but the difference is it seems that everybody is putting more attention on Rafa than on anyone else

The reason is that Rafa is the Big Fish. Other tennis players get an injury and go away for a few weeks or months, and no one really notices. If Rafa (or Roger or Novak or Murray) sneezes, the tennis world gets a cold. And Nadal does the most sneezing. It has long been a trope that Nadal's style of play would shorten his career. Surely he's had his injury issues, but he has been on the tour for 15 years, now. Not exactly a "shortened" career, though he has missed opportunities due to injury.

@Carol: This is a feature piece you might like about Rafa, if you've never seen it, a propos of the topic:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/magazine/21nadal-t.html?_r=0

 

[Carol]

The reason is that Rafa is the Big Fish. Other tennis players get an injury and go away for a few weeks or months, and no one really notices. If Rafa (or Roger or Novak or Murray) sneezes, the tennis world gets a cold. And Nadal does the most sneezing. It has long been a trope that Nadal's style of play would shorten his career. Surely he's had his injury issues, but he has been on the tour for 15 years, now. Not exactly a "shortened" career, though he has missed opportunities due to injury.

@Carol: This is a feature piece you might like about Rafa, if you've never seen it, a propos of the topic:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/magazine/21nadal-t.html?_r=0

Thanks Moxie, great article, I think I read it before but now reading again I see how right that article is piece by piece, how the writer described about his personality, his mentally and physically strength, his education , his respect to his opponents, his humility, what Uncle Toni has taught him (the rackets are very expensive lol) the love of many tennis followers have to him, etc etc, everything is right and fact!