The Rankings Thread (ATP)

[Kieran]

I think Novak will finish #1, and deservedly so, and if Rafa comes back, I'll be happy for him to finish the season healthy, and ready to start next season fresh. No South American tours, please! :nono

 

[NADAL2005RG]

^ Yeah this would be a complete bonus #1 if Nadal steals it.
It'd be his 4th, and that would mean he's only one behind Federer (5) and 2 behind Sampras (6).
I'm cool either way, as long as 2015 is a smashing success :grin:

 

[herios]

This weeks career high:

51. Nick Kyrgios 19y
61. Jan-Lennard Struff 24y

 

[Federberg]

This is the first time Nadal has missed the US Open and returned in the Asian Swing.
And Nadal traditionally returns with gusto.
So this could be his year to win Asia, Paris and London :celeb:
LOL imagine how Djokovic would feel if Nadal again finishes #1! (pipped him at the post last year too)
Although, Djokovic has bigger fish to fry perhaps (family) and won't be that disappointed.

Really? I was always under the impression Rafa needed a few tournaments to get up to speed?

 

[NADAL2005RG]

This is the first time Nadal has missed the US Open and returned in the Asian Swing.
And Nadal traditionally returns with gusto.
So this could be his year to win Asia, Paris and London :celeb:
LOL imagine how Djokovic would feel if Nadal again finishes #1! (pipped him at the post last year too)
Although, Djokovic has bigger fish to fry perhaps (family) and won't be that disappointed.

Really? I was always under the impression Rafa needed a few tournaments to get up to speed?

Nadal retired from the 2008 Paris QF vs. Davydenko, then skipped the World Tour Finals, played 6 sets at Doha and won the Australian Open (despite not recovering from the 2008 knee issues).

Got off to a slow start in 2013 after skipping 7 months, but that's a much more severe case, and was knee related :velo:

Whereas Nadal's knees this year have been better than they've been for a long time according to his own words.
So here in 2014, Nadal has been training hard since Wimbledon, just not using the right wrist.

This gap is actually more comparable to 2011 when he tore his hamstring at the AO quarter-final, and came back very strong to reach the final of Indian Wells and Miami (and lost that Miami final in a 3rd set tie-breaker).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I think Novak will finish #1, and deservedly so, and if Rafa comes back, I'll be happy for him to finish the season healthy, and ready to start next season fresh. No South American tours, please! :nono

Forget next year. After the season is over, Rafa is playing in India, Singapore, UAE,
Philipines etc in International Premier Tennis League floated by Mahesh Bhupathi. He will
be out there from Nov. 28th to Dec. 13th or a significant portion of it.

Rafa plays for Indian Aces, Novak for "UAE Falcons", Murray for "Manila Mavericks"
and Berdych for "Singapore Lions". Pete Sampras is in the same team as Rafa.

See here
for further details.

Nice way to prepare for Australian Open after a right wrist injury, no.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

I think Novak will finish #1, and deservedly so, and if Rafa comes back, I'll be happy for him to finish the season healthy, and ready to start next season fresh. No South American tours, please! :nono

Forget next year. After the season is over, Rafa is playing in India, Singapore, UAE,
Philipines etc in International Premier Tennis League floated by Mahesh Bhupathi. He will
be out there from Nov. 28th to Dec. 13th or a significant portion of it.

Rafa plays for Indian Aces, Novak for "UAE Falcons", Murray for "Manila Mavericks"
and Berdych for "Singapore Lions". Pete Sampras is in the same team as Rafa.

See here
for further details.

Nice way to prepare for Australian Open after a right wrist injury, no.

What difference does it make? Nadal doesn't even need to play a 2-handed backhand :laydownlaughing

His right wrist can be rested whenever he wants, regardless of what he plays (and that IPTL is only ONE set per match anyway).

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Tenniswise, IPTL will not be tiresome. IPTL is just aa joke and a dignified exo, that's all.
But, travelling to many different countries and spending three weeks of vacation doing stupid promos and interviews will take a toll about of genuine rest and recreation.

 

[Kieran]

I think Novak will finish #1, and deservedly so, and if Rafa comes back, I'll be happy for him to finish the season healthy, and ready to start next season fresh. No South American tours, please! :nono

Forget next year. After the season is over, Rafa is playing in India, Singapore, UAE,
Philipines etc in International Premier Tennis League floated by Mahesh Bhupathi. He will
be out there from Nov. 28th to Dec. 13th or a significant portion of it.

Rafa plays for Indian Aces, Novak for "UAE Falcons", Murray for "Manila Mavericks"
and Berdych for "Singapore Lions". Pete Sampras is in the same team as Rafa.

See here
for further details.

Nice way to prepare for Australian Open after a right wrist injury, no.

I was kinda hoping he hadn't actually signed the dotted line on this one. :nono I hope he uses the wrist as an excuse to get out of it. He played in South America with Novak at the end of last year and we all saw how much good that did either of 'em...

 

[NADAL2005RG]

Making absurd money usually takes a toll of some kind (a rather minimal toll in this case).

It would be EXTREMELY hard for any of you to prove that traveling to the IPTL will cost Nadal the AO title :laydownlaughing :snigger:laydownlaughing

 

[Kieran]

Making absurd money usually takes a toll of some kind (a rather minimal toll in this case).

It would be EXTREMELY hard for any of you to prove that traveling to the IPTL will cost Nadal the AO title :laydownlaughing :snigger:laydownlaughing

Trust me, he's better off on the beach with Xisca than doing this crap. I think Rafa is fidgety, he has difficulty staying still for prolonged periods. He should be tied to the chair for the month, and it's better than this baloney...

 

[NADAL2005RG]

Trust me, he's better off on the beach with Xisca than doing this crap. I think Rafa is fidgety, he has difficulty staying still for prolonged periods. He should be tied to the chair for the month, and it's better than this baloney...

But if it doesn't cost him the AO title then it would be foolish to miss out on such astronomical money uzzled

 

[Kieran]

Trust me, he's better off on the beach with Xisca than doing this crap. I think Rafa is fidgety, he has difficulty staying still for prolonged periods. He should be tied to the chair for the month, and it's better than this baloney...

But if it doesn't cost him the AO title then it would be foolish to miss out on such astronomical money uzzled

He turned up in Oz this year out of shape and his back went. Nole was dumped out early. Maybe none of these things are connected, but the previous year Federer played the exos in South America and he said they affected him in Oz. So he skipped them last year. Nuff said.

Rafa doesn't need the money, and this kind of trashy entertainment is beneath him at this stage of his career. It's meaningless. It's foolhardy. He should be careful with his scheduling, not adding in long haul flights to the (tennis) wildernesses and backwaters, when there's absolutely nothing to gain by doing so...

 

[DarthFed]

This is the first time Nadal has missed the US Open and returned in the Asian Swing.
And Nadal traditionally returns with gusto.
So this could be his year to win Asia, Paris and London :celeb:
LOL imagine how Djokovic would feel if Nadal again finishes #1! (pipped him at the post last year too)
Although, Djokovic has bigger fish to fry perhaps (family) and won't be that disappointed.

Or Nadal might do what he does every year in the Fall...nothing

 

[El Dude]

How much money does one need? If I was Rafa I'd be focused on the ATP tour. I'd also go easy about coming back this year too quickly - being the year-end #1 is less important than being healthy for next year. I think he needs to set himself the goal of winning two Slams next year and doing whatever it takes to best situate himself for that. It starts with being healthy.

Furthermore, of all the Slams I'm guessing he wants another AO most. It would give him something Roger doesn't have, two of each, and silence (or at least quiet) doubters about his lopsided Slam count.

 

[TennisFanatic7]

Just read through the last couple of pages here, thanks GSM, I hadn't seen that Andy has taken a wildcard to Shenzhen as well - where did you pick up on that? I hope he can win at least one of those two tournaments before Shanghai, but don't want to see him burn himself out by playing 8-9 matches in the fortnight before a Masters 1000.

As an aside, can anyone help me with how the Davis Cup points work?

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

new career high.

299. Christian garin 18yr 4m.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Just read through the last couple of pages here, thanks GSM, I hadn't seen that Andy has taken a wildcard to Shenzhen as well - where did you pick up on that? I hope he can win at least one of those two tournaments before Shanghai, but don't want to see him burn himself out by playing 8-9 matches in the fortnight before a Masters 1000.

As an aside, can anyone help me with how the Davis Cup points work?

Here you go. Davis Cup Points Primer . If you want more explanation, I will have to charge tution fee.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

How much money does one need? If I was Rafa I'd be focused on the ATP tour. I'd also go easy about coming back this year too quickly - being the year-end #1 is less important than being healthy for next year. I think he needs to set himself the goal of winning two Slams next year and doing whatever it takes to best situate himself for that. It starts with being healthy.

Furthermore, of all the Slams I'm guessing he wants another AO most. It would give him something Roger doesn't have, two of each, and silence (or at least quiet) doubters about his lopsided Slam count.

A million more than what one currently has.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

I think Nadal gets a million for each match (set) he plays in IPTL.
Every dollar counts, let alone every million dollars, because the Nadal family has that school in India :clap
Same reason why Agassi played until he couldn't walk so good.
Heroes :clap