Thoughts about the rest of the year (post Wimbledon)

[TsarMatt]

I remember riding Nadal off around this time last year. I specifically recall saying to myself - "Nadal is only going to win on clay from now on". The prospects of him winning the USO, as well as Cincinnati and Toronto seemed very foreign. After all, his experience on the hardcourts weren't exactly at a high during 2013 and the second half of 2012. He played IW but then skipped Miami.

It turns out he epically trolled me, so I'm not going to say anything this time.

I think Nadal is going to be the man to beat from here on out. I expect Djokovic's confidence to skyrocket, too, and Wawrinka should have a promising rest of the year.

All that success, but at what cost? Whenever Nadal has had amazing string of wins out of the ordinary, he usually can not replay his act, only being able to defend clay titles! He did well to win last summer, but look what it's done to him for the last several months; going down in flames at his favorite events in the spring on clay! It was made even worse by losing to his normal pigeons which are his team mates! All those problems culminating in him going out to a wildcard at Wimbledon! He has too many points to defend and there's no reason to believe he can do it; never done it before! Why now when he's a year older and breaking down? :nono uzzled :angel: If you won't write his epitaph for this year, I certainly will; it's his own history I'm going by!

I thought the same thing last year. Look, you could very well be right, but the point of my post is - don't ride him off. You clearly can if you like, but I won't. Remember the first tournament he came back from last year? He lost a clay 250 (or was it 500) event against a relatively unknown player. That looked indicative of some worrying times right there. But to his credit, he fought back and did things I never thought he had in him.

 

[Riotbeard]

^ Well, what cost, actually? Bad back at the AO, final, yes. Didn't defend everything on clay, but still won the French Open. Did better at Wimbledon than the last two years. (OK, still not such a great success. :blush: ) He's holding 2 of the 4 Slam titles, though. We are going into to his least historically successful time of the year, outside of the US Open, but are you really prepared to completely write him off for the year? With 4 months left?

Who are you trying to fool Mox? Everybody knows rafa has just gotten lucky at 14 slams, now he is finally being exposed as a nobody :laydownlaughing

 

[Kieran]

You write Nadal off at your peril. He took seven months off with an injury and was back on top of the tour within months. As long as his name is in the draw, be afraid. Be very afraid!