Nadalites – Rafa Nadal Talk

Nadalfan2013

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Despite having to pull out so many times from this tournament, he still made 2 finals losing to indoor favorites Djokovic and Federer. Not bad to reach 2 finals by playing this tournament only half of the time. :bye:
 
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Moxie

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On the whole subject of Marriage from Nadal:

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tenni...e/news-story/9b966e2ae3ba653defa5ade3537dc4ca

Famously private when it comes to his relationship, the 33-year-old married longtime partner Mery Perello last month in a glamorous ceremony on the Spanish island of Mallorca, becoming husband and wife after nearly 15 years together.

But when a journalist asked whether Nadal’s on-court woes may have something to do with a change in his off-court situation, the 19-time major winner lost it.

Reporter: “Tonight you were playing very short many times. I don’t know why, because you’re not used to that. I’d like to know, for many people to get married is a very important, distracting thing before the marriage, during the marriage, after the marriage. I’d like to know if somehow your concentration on tennis life has been a bit different even if you were going out with the same girl for many, many years?”

Nadal: “Honestly, are you asking me this? Is a serious question or is a joke? Is it serious?”

Reporter: “It’s serious. Is not something that …”

Nadal: “OK. I am surprised. Is a big surprise for me you ask me this after I have been with the same girl for 15 years and having a very stable and normal life. Doesn’t matter if you put a ring on your finger or not. In my personal way, I am a very normal guy. Maybe for you was … how many years have you been with your …”

Reporter: “Wife, 30 years this year.”

Nadal: “And before? Ah, maybe before you were not so sure. That’s why. OK. We move to Spanish, because that’s bulls***. Thank you very much.”
It was Ubaldo Scagnagatta who asked the question, a veteran tennis reporter who Rafa has always seemed to get along with. Scagnagatta published this piece today (in Italian) on Ubi Tennis, his website. In it, he says he did nothing more than ask an innocent question, that Rafa was rude and silly, and that he, Scagnagatta, is waiting for an apology from Nadal.

I would say that it was a pretty gratuitous question, though, and he must know that Rafa keeps his private life to himself, as much as possible. It's not like it was his first match post-wedding. Since it went viral, I guess Ubaldo felt like he had to write it from his side, and he did a lot of painting himself as the wronged party. (He took offense that Rafa said "This is bullshit.")
 
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El Dude

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Mad props to Rafa on that response. Love it. To quote baseball's Bryce Harper, it was a clown question, bro.
 
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calitennis127

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^ Once again, folks, let's hear it for Cali the Mindreader.

You don't need to be a brilliant mind reader to figure out this one Muh-muh-Moxie.....we never hear a peep about injuries at Roland Garros but then suddenly every fall his knees become brittle and he is suffering from octogenarian-style arthritis. It's amazing how Nadal vacillates between supreme fitness on clay in the spring and mid-60s-style arthritis in the fall. No one has ever bounced around with their fitness like that before.
 

tented

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Can anyone remember another time Rafa came back from such a desperate place in a deciding set? He’s saved MPs before, of course, and he came back from the precipice in the first set of the MC match against Roger in 2008, and saved multiple MPs against Nalbandian in IW, but I can’t think of a time when he was 0-4 or 1-5 down in the decider, and pulled out the win.
 

Moxie

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You don't need to be a brilliant mind reader to figure out this one Muh-muh-Moxie.....we never hear a peep about injuries at Roland Garros but then suddenly every fall his knees become brittle and he is suffering from octogenarian-style arthritis. It's amazing how Nadal vacillates between supreme fitness on clay in the spring and mid-60s-style arthritis in the fall. No one has ever bounced around with their fitness like that before.
I've reminded you before that Nadal pulled out of RG 2016 with injury, but I know you never let the facts get in the way of your theories. Anyway, my point is not that Rafa hasn't been injured a fair amount at the end of the season, but your confidence that you know what is in his head, or behind his motivations, beyond what he actually says. That's BS and you know it.
 
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calitennis127

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I've reminded you before that Nadal pulled out of RG 2016 with injury, but I know you never let the facts get in the way of your theories. Anyway, my point is not that Rafa hasn't been injured a fair amount at the end of the season, but your confidence that you know what is in his head, or behind his motivations, beyond what he actually says. That's BS and you know it.


Oh please.....pulling out of Roland Garros once or twice doesn't even compare to what he has done at the end of the season, constantly withdrawing from Paris and World Tour Finals (almost 50% of the time). Do you actually think he just randomly gets hurt that much at the end of the year while randomly being that healthy during the spring?
 

imjimmy

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It was Ubaldo Scagnagatta who asked the question, a veteran tennis reporter who Rafa has always seemed to get along with. Scagnagatta published this piece today (in Italian) on Ubi Tennis, his website. In it, he says he did nothing more than ask an innocent question, that Rafa was rude and silly, and that he, Scagnagatta, is waiting for an apology from Nadal.

I would say that it was a pretty gratuitous question, though, and he must know that Rafa keeps his private life to himself, as much as possible. It's not like it was his first match post-wedding. Since it went viral, I guess Ubaldo felt like he had to write it from his side, and he did a lot of painting himself as the wronged party. (He took offense that Rafa said "This is bullshit.")

Thanks for the infomation.To me, Rafa was pretty gentle on the response. If you see the video, Nadal actually said "Bullshit" lowering his voice and smiled both before AND after it. So it wasn't offensive. Possible the gentlest bullshit I've ever seen.
Honestly, Rafa could have given the interviewer way more flak than he did. It was an inappropriate question to ask a top player after they had a crushing defeat, and to meander in their personal lives.

The reporter should get a fine or something. For him to portray himself as the wronged party is seriously "bullshit". If anything, Nadal should be the one saying that reporter was a jerk.

Also, Moxie, on a different note: Are you a writer or an English major or something similar? You don't need to answer the question if you don't want to. Thanks.
 

Nadalfan2013

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Oh please.....pulling out of Roland Garros once or twice doesn't even compare to what he has done at the end of the season, constantly withdrawing from Paris and World Tour Finals (almost 50% of the time). Do you actually think he just randomly gets hurt that much at the end of the year while randomly being that healthy during the spring?

You obviously have never played tennis because if you did you’d know that Clay is much easier on the body then Hardcourt. Hardcourt exists just because it costs less to maintain then Clay and grass, but it’s brutal for players and that’s why everybody gets injured. Nadal also gets often injured at the U.S. Open yet he has 4 titles there so when he withdraws it has nothing to do with whether he likes a tournament or not.
 

Moxie

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Thanks for the infomation.To me, Rafa was pretty gentle on the response. If you see the video, Nadal actually said "Bullshit" lowering his voice and smiled both before AND after it. So it wasn't offensive. Possible the gentlest bullshit I've ever seen.
Honestly, Rafa could have given the interviewer way more flak than he did. It was an inappropriate question to ask a top player after they had a crushing defeat, and to meander in their personal lives.

The reporter should get a fine or something. For him to portray himself as the wronged party is seriously "bullshit". If anything, Nadal should be the one saying that reporter was a jerk.

I don't think anyone one needs to fine the guy. And it behooves Rafa to keep a good relationship with the press. He let Ubaldo know that he wasn't happy with the question, and now both should just move on. Here is a video that you all may have seen from the last AO, showing that they have a generally genial (and probably long) relationship.

 
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brokenshoelace

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Yes, he pulled out of the tournament frequently because he knew he had little to no chance of winning and wanted to save his body up for the Australian Open and the clay season. Only you would be gullible enough to think that he just randomly got hurt 50% of the time before the year-end championships but only missed Roland Garros one time in 15 years.

Yes, he was saving himself for the clay season which starts in April, by skipping a week of tennis in November.
 
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Moxie

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This is a compilation of comments on Rafa's comeback win over Medvedev yesterday. Some nice little videos, and here are a couple of highlights:

(You really gotta love that Connors quote)

Screen Shot 2019-11-14 at 6.58.30 PM.png
Screen Shot 2019-11-14 at 6.58.02 PM.png
 

Moxie

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Here is the press conference from Nadal after the Medvedev match. There is a lot in it, esp. talking about Medvedev, and why he is tough, and how he can make adjustments, (specifically he addresses v. Djokovic in Cincy, and v. himself in USO.) Obviously, he addresses how the comeback worked and what he was thinking, but specifically he addresses a question as to whether this is something that young players should watch to encourage them not to give up. He says no, and I think his answer is very subtle and complex. I put the transcript in a tweet below, and it's at minute 7:45 in the video, though I recommend all of it.

Screen Shot 2019-11-14 at 7.15.25 PM.png


 
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Moxie

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I heard from @Kieran that Rafa will be the first person to have been No. 1 in three different decades: 00s, 10s, 20s.
Excellent stat. The thing that no one has been expecting from Rafa is getting any longevity numbers. He was the oldest YE#1 in 2017, and now is again. He's YE#1 across 3 decades, now. Also the last man standing amongst current players that hasn't fallen out of the top 10. He has some weeks on that one before he passes Connors, though.
 

tented

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Excellent stat. The thing that no one has been expecting from Rafa is getting any longevity numbers. He was the oldest YE#1 in 2017, and now is again. He's YE#1 across 3 decades, now. Also the last man standing amongst current players that hasn't fallen out of the top 10. He has some weeks on that one before he passes Connors, though.

I didn’t know that one: 760 weeks (Connors=788). It’s remarkable considering the number of injuries and months off.
 

Moxie

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I didn’t know that one: 760 weeks (Connors=788). It’s remarkable considering the number of injuries and months off.
That one is courtesy of @rafanoy1992 who has been keeping track and told me. And yes all the more remarkable because the reasons that Roger, Novak and Murray fell out of the top 10 was due to injury lay-off, I think. (Maybe the mental walkabout in terms of Novak.)

If the difference is down to 28 weeks, I think Rafa will pass Connors.
 
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GameSetAndMath

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He's YE#1 across 3 decades, now.

……….No he is not. He is only YE #1 in two decades 00's and 10's.

To be YE #1 in 20's, he should get to YE #1 by the end of next year or some other time in the future.

But for sure, he will be #1 ranked at some point in three different decades.
 

Moxie

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……….No he is not. He is only YE #1 in two decades 00's and 10's.

To be YE #1 in 20's, he should get to YE #1 by the end of next year or some other time in the future.

But for sure, he will be #1 ranked at some point in three different decades.
I said it wrong. The point is that he will be the first man to be #1 across 3 decades, as of now. Read tented's post.
 

Andy22

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as much I like davis cup think it should stay in tennis nadal will better off if he just skips it no need to put your body though any extra stuff but in saying that davis cup always bring the best out of nadal.