Nadalites – Rafa Nadal Talk

[MargaretMcAleer]

With Taylor Fritz into the SF in Acapulco it's ' mathematically' confirmed the Rafa Nadal will leave the Top 10 after Indian Wells.
For the first time since 25/4/2005
912 consecutive weeks. Ridiculous.

 

[Moxie]

With Taylor Fritz into the SF in Acapulco it's ' mathematically' confirmed the Rafa Nadal will leave the Top 10 after Indian Wells.
For the first time since 25/4/2005
912 consecutive weeks. Ridiculous.

It's a great record. All things must end. I will spare a moment to feel sad about it when it does, though.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

It's a great record. All things must end. I will spare a moment to feel sad about it when it does, though.

Agree, nothing remains stat in our game, though this injury which was a bad tear, that Rafa sustained at the AO.,has taken a big toll, with recovery slower than expected as Rafa said earlier today.

 

[Kieran]

Rafa Nadal via Twitter, answering question when will he be back

"I had a major rupture in Australia.It's taking time. The evolution is slower than we'd like. I will be back when I am well. The idea is to peak at Roland Garos".

As Basil Fawlty would say, that’s stating the bleeding obvious..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rafa has reacted quickly to the report that he will leave the Top 10 after 18 years, after IW

"It's better to be in the Top 10 then to be outside the Top Ten, but to be honest it's a miracle that I have never left the Top 10 in 18 years with all the injuries I had"

 

[Kieran]

With Taylor Fritz into the SF in Acapulco it's ' mathematically' confirmed the Rafa Nadal will leave the Top 10 after Indian Wells.
For the first time since 25/4/2005
912 consecutive weeks. Ridiculous.

That’s a great record of endurance. Before there was a Big 3, there was a Big 1 who had no rivals at all except a rude hungry kid, who forced us all to accept that the old guard were not up to it, and that there was now a Big 2.

Rafa’s longevity is remarkable, and I know there are fans of other players who like to sneer and mock him for not accumulating his records the way their hero did, but he’s the only great player who ever pulled two shifts against fellow goats. He was Rogers main threat, and he’s still there as Novaks main threat.

In talk about goats, there’s this. It gets overlooked, but it’s in his favour..

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

That’s a great record of endurance. Before there was a Big 3, there was a Big 1 who had no rivals at all except a rude hungry kid, who forced us all to accept that the old guard were not up to it, and that there was now a Big 2.

Rafa’s longevity is remarkable, and I know there are fans of other players who like to sneer and mock him for not accumulating his records the way their hero did, but he’s the only great player who ever pulled two shifts against fellow goats. He was Rogers main threat, and he’s still there as Novaks main threat.

In talk about goats, there’s this. It gets overlooked, but it’s in his favour..

It is a remarkable record full stop, I know records are there to be broken, but I can safely say it will not be broken in my life time

 

[Kieran]

It is a remarkable record full stop, I know records are there to be broken, but I can safely say it will not be broken in my life time

It’s more remarkable given his injuries, which people won’t like being pointed out by him, or his fans. But it’s a sign of how great he was, that prolonged absence didn’t drop him outside the top ten…

 

[El Dude]

It is an amazing feat, but also makes me wonder why - and why, for instance, Roger and Novak have slipped out of the top 10 during their extended prime, especially considering their overall better health and (especially Novak) their generally greater consistency across surfaces. Roger was in the top 10 for 734 weeks from 2002 to late 2016, the third longest streak; Novak's longest was 555, from 2007 to late 2017, which is 6th longest.

Rafa's low point was in 2015, when he slipped to #10 for a bit. Roger slipped as low as #17 in early 2017, before his Indian Summer surge. Novak was out of the top 10 for the better part of a year, falling to #22 in mid 2018.

Here's the difference, I think. In his worst season (2015), Rafa made up quality with quantity - he played in 23 events that year, the most of his career, so was able to stay in the top 10, despite teetering on the edge with the worst match-per-match performance since before he broke out in 2005.

In Roger's worst season (2016), he not only missed two Slams but only played two Masters and 7 tournaments overall. Novak played a bit more in 2017, but still only 10 events. But his main issue was poor performances at Slams - he went out in the AO in the second round and only reached the QF of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, not playing the USO or World Tour Finals - so he couldn't make up the difference with extra tournaments, playing in only 10.

Meaning, Rafa stayed in the top 10 in 2015 by playing a lot of tournaments. When Roger and Novak had their dips, they played a lot less. If I remember correctly, the reason Rafa played so much in 2015 is that he was coming off a long injury in 2014, and played a lot in the effort to find his form. It really took him two years, until 2017, but it was also a generally quite healthy span - playing 39 tournaments in 2015-16.

Another element is that Rafa has never missed a clay season, and as we all know he's been utterly dominant since 2005. He's missed tournaments within clay season, but has always played RG and at least one of the Masters. Consider that to be in the top 10, you need about 3000-3500 ATP points, which is about his usual haul during clay season. And given that he's won it 14 out of the last 17 years, that's more than half of the points needed to stay in the top 10.

None of this is to take away from Rafa's feat, which is quite impressive. I was just curious as to what lay beneath the surface.

 

[the AntiPusher]

It is an amazing feat, but also makes me wonder why - and why, for instance, Roger and Novak have slipped out of the top 10 during their extended prime, especially considering their overall better health and (especially Novak) their generally greater consistency across surfaces. Roger was in the top 10 for 734 weeks from 2002 to late 2016, the third longest streak; Novak's longest was 555, from 2007 to late 2017, which is 6th longest.

Rafa's low point was in 2015, when he slipped to #10 for a bit. Roger slipped as low as #17 in early 2017, before his Indian Summer surge. Novak was out of the top 10 for the better part of a year, falling to #22 in mid 2018.

Here's the difference, I think. In his worst season (2015), Rafa made up quality with quantity - he played in 23 events that year, the most of his career, so was able to stay in the top 10, despite teetering on the edge with the worst match-per-match performance since before he broke out in 2005.

In Roger's worst season (2016), he not only missed two Slams but only played two Masters and 7 tournaments overall. Novak played a bit more in 2017, but still only 10 events. But his main issue was poor performances at Slams - he went out in the AO in the second round and only reached the QF of Roland Garros and Wimbledon, not playing the USO or World Tour Finals - so he couldn't make up the difference with extra tournaments, playing in only 10.

Meaning, Rafa stayed in the top 10 in 2015 by playing a lot of tournaments. When Roger and Novak had their dips, they played a lot less. If I remember correctly, the reason Rafa played so much in 2015 is that he was coming off a long injury in 2014, and played a lot in the effort to find his form. It really took him two years, until 2017, but it was also a generally quite healthy span - playing 39 tournaments in 2015-16.

Another element is that Rafa has never missed a clay season, and as we all know he's been utterly dominant since 2005. He's missed tournaments within clay season, but has always played RG and at least one of the Masters. Consider that to be in the top 10, you need about 3000-3500 ATP points, which is about his usual haul during clay season. And given that he's won it 14 out of the last 17 years, that's more than half of the points needed to stay in the top 10.

None of this is to take away from Rafa's feat, which is quite impressive. I was just curious as to what lay beneath the surface.

Good Post El Dude.. Btw who was the Rafa fan that invited you to our Private Post... jajaja just kidding keep posting dude

 

[Jelenafan]

In the Himalayas of open tennis longevity….with 912 consecutive weeks ranked top 10

There is only one Rafa “Everest” Nadal

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

AP,
If you are around this news, will interest you the most, seeing you are thinking of going to MC this year to watch Rafa,

Rafa was answering more questions the other day, what tournament he intends to play first on his comeback,
Rafa said at this point in time, he dosent know if it will be MC, Madrid or Rome, it all depends on his recovery, he still gets checks by his doctor each week. So I would not book tickets just yet for MC, if I hear of any more updated news I will let you know.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rafael Nadal has given his approval for the Manacor city council to erect a statue in his honor.
The statue will feature a young Nadal with an older one. It will also feature two water bottles placed at his feet exactly how he likes them.
At least they're doing him justice.

 

[Jelenafan]

Well it looks as if Monte Carlo is next:

Monte Carlo boss: Rafael Nadal is giving himself every chance to play at tournament

Nadal is hoping to return to action in Monte Carlo

www.tennisworldusa.org

Excerpt:

Monte Carlo boss Massey confirmed Nadal is indeed targeting to return to action in Monte Carlo but noted that there are no guarantees that the Spaniard will be able to start the clay season in time. "Rafa was the first [player] to be registered.

He really wants to play at the Monte Carlo Masters and is giving himself every chance to take part in the tournament he's so fond of,"

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Well it looks as if Monte Carlo is next:

Monte Carlo boss: Rafael Nadal is giving himself every chance to play at tournament

Nadal is hoping to return to action in Monte Carlo

www.tennisworldusa.org

Excerpt:

There is still no confirmation from the Nadal camp, just because he is first to register at MC means nothing?
He is still practicing, though at present I have not seen him practice his serve
He said they other day, he still does not know what tournament he will come back to, when he feels comfortable and ready he will return

 

[tented]

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Sad day for Rafa fans, still a wonderful stat for Rafa, and a great stat to be proud of regardless that he has dropped out of the Top 10, today he has officially dropped out of the ATP Top 10 for the first time since April 2005! 912 consecutive weeks! ( as of Monday 20th March, 2023 he will be ranked No 13)

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Rafa Nadal via twitter congratulates Carlos Alcaraz winning Indian Wells and No 1 player,

"Enhorabuena@carlitosalcarazz por voler al #1 y por el titulo en Indian Wells".

 

[the AntiPusher]

Interesting

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I have some encouraging news Rafa has been practicing 5 days a week, just watched a short video of him today via twitter in practice, really strong legs, doing a lot of foot drills, according to David Ferrer, his good friend getting ready for MC, so far there has not been confirmation from the Nadal camp even though he is on the entry list.