The Emirates ATP rankings have been updated.
Despite his early Wimbledon loss, Rafael Nadal keeps 10th place although he now has very few points (only 190) to defend for the rest of the year so could easily be back in the top eight in time for the US Open.
ATP top 10 as of July 13:
| Rank, Name & Nationality | Points | Week Change | Tourn Played |
| 1 Djokovic, Novak (SRB) | 13.845 | 0 | 18 |
| 2 Federer, Roger (SUI) | 9.665 | 0 | 19 |
| 3 Murray, Andy (GBR) | 7.810 | 0 | 22 |
| 4 Wawrinka, Stan (SUI) | 5.790 | 0 | 22 |
| 5 Nishikori, Kei (JPN) | 5.525 | 0 | 22 |
| 6 Berdych, Tomas (CZE) | 5.140 | 0 | 23 |
| 7 Ferrer, David (ESP) | 4.445 | 0 | 24 |
| 8 Raonic, Milos (CAN) | 3.810 | 0 | 23 |
| 9 Cilic, Marin (CRO) | 3.540 | 0 | 22 |
| 10 Nadal, Rafael (ESP) | 3.000 | 0 | 21 |
In the ATP Race to London List, Rafa is still 8th with 2,855 points.
VAMOS RAFA!
VAMOS DEAR RAFA!!!! : ) God bless you sweetheart & enjoy everything you have achieved thus far moving forward!!!! : ) I just glanced at your 2015 schedule and saw the results from tournaments you participated thus far………impressive!!! I am so impressed w your competitive passion & constant tenacity to improve, move forward, try new approaches & develop your creative game. It is nobody’s business how you go about doing it, and best wishes for the rest of the season!!!! : ) : ) VAMOS Rafa & enjoy lots of good time ahead of you!!!! : )
I think it’s time for a poll.
Within the next two weeks Nadal will announce:
A) a new coach
B) an injury that will force him to skip “Cincy”
C) an injury that right away will force him to skip the entire US Open swing
D) nothing and he will just continu in loser mode the coming 4 months
E) None of the above.
E.
Rafa will announce B, C, or D. He won’t announce A because Toni says “it’s too expensive to hire a new coach.” No joke. Those are his exact words. Rafa earns 30-50 million dollars per year, has a net worth of 125 million dollars, but can’t afford a new coach, according to his brilliant uncle, who apparently never passed first grade arithmetic.
Rafa is noticeably slower now, hence he’s not running after some shots when he knows he couldnt even reach them.
I think he missing out a training block end of last year, and he trying to trust his body again after his stem cell treatment etc, has caused a mental strain on him. He may be over thinking when he’s serving or hitting his shots, worrying too much during matches, feeling rushed by the time violation issues, feeling pressured with so many points to defend during the clay season, erc and etc.
Even if he gets in a new coach, it takes time for it to work. It wont be a quick fix; he still needs to work on his strokes and his footwork, the basics of his game. I do believe during 2010, they got some outside help for Rafa to improve his serve in time for winning the USO that year. I dont think they’re so stubborn that they are resistant to outside help, just that they prefer to be low keyed about it.
Rafa seems to be enjoying his time off and then starts practicing now on clay. He doesnt look too worrying to me, lets just see how he does in his matches, now that theres no points to defend, no high expectations on him to win anything.
Who would stop Novak? Didnt Stan stop Novak twice at the slams? Or Murray for that matter? Or Kei? Its not like Novak was sweeping up all the slams the way Fed was doing during his heydays. Novak lost 11 out of 19 slams played, losing to Rafa, Fed, Murray, Stan and Kei. Like I said, if hes so formidable, he wouldve more multi slam years than he’s having now.
Novak is also not getting any younger, he has played >700 matches by now, the mileage will catch up with him. His main rival, if its not Rafa, would be Murray going forward. Murray almost had him at the AO, likewise at the FO. Stan is another one. Both Stan and Murray have fewer mileage on their legs, theyre playing motivated tennis now and are physically fit. Unless he can hold on to his AO and Wimbledon titles every year (which I doubt he can) he may not win two slams a year. He didnt have much success at the USO either, wining only one title despite making five finals.
Rafa was always playing from way behind the baseline, thats nothing new. His main problem is his FH. He has lost some power and precision on the FH, so he hitting from way behind the baseline now has resulted in short ball after short ball. Once he couldnt trust his FH, his serve would be affected too, because he needed his FH as a back up shot after he served. Without a good serve to begin with, its hard for him to move to the net; his opponents like Novak or Stan for examples, would be hitting hard to push him back and not allowing him to move forward.
Rafa needs to get back his power and precision of his FH, and I suspect his half a step slow footwork may be one of the causes for his FH under performing. He may be mistiming his FH when hes now half a step slow.
Novak reached the finals in 15 of the last 20 slams played. He was the champion in 8 of those. If not for the old Rafa beating him, he would’ve been the champion in 5 more. The new Rafa can’t even beat Dustin Brown. Unless Rafa hires a new coach, it’s clear sailing for Novak from here on out. He’ll win 2-3 slams per year for the next 5 years, as long as he remains healthy, like he has for his entire career thus far. Rafa is still my favorite player, but Novak is dominating the tour right now, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. It is what it is. VAMOS!!!
I can also say that if not for Stan, Novak wouldve completed his career slam this year! Or if not for Novak, Rafa would have a few more slams!
Things are what they are, if Rafa is not there, maybe Murray would beat Novak at USO2011, or Fed would beat Novak at AO2012, or Ferrer would beat Novak at FO in either 2012 or 2013. If its not meant for Novak to win, then someone would stand in his way, just like what Stan did at FO this year.
If Rafa is not going to get back to where he is, then somebody will take his place in the top four. Its Rafa’s career so he’s the one who should worry about it, its no point for us here to tell him what to do.
Also, if we’re talking about tactics and techniques, didnt Toni and Rafa worked together to solve the Novak problem time and again? Didnt they get some help to improve Rafa’s serve to win his first USO? Didnt they come out with an aggressive game plan to help Rafa won his Canada/Cincy/USO? Didnt they come out with a good game plan to help Rafa won his FO2014? If its something mental then perhaps they could draw on their past experience, that of 2011 where he kept losing to Novak, when he was talking as if he was playing for 100 years and was suffering a burnt out, but he managed to come back and turned things around.
Gwtting in a new coach now may not solve the issue immediately, as they need time to bond. I do believe the Nadal team is doing something to solve the problem, just like they have been doing all along throughout Rafa’s career.
Yes I never thought about Andre as coach but wow he could be a great asset to team Rafa! We are all singing from the same hymn sheet here, we want Rafa back on top. Uncle Toni suggested changing rackets but surely Rafa needs more than merely a new racket? I keep hoping in the press each day that I am going to read that Rafa has added a new coach to his team. I am hopeful that he will do the right thing! Vamos Rafa!
As Karthik suggested earlier, Andre Agassi would be an EXCELLENT coach for Rafa – if he has the time and desire to do it. I know for a fact that he is a big fan of Rafa, and might relish the opportunity to help him.
In his mid-to-late twenties, Andre had some problems with his professionalism – albeit quite different than Rafa’s – but overcame them by committing himself 100% to tennis. He turned his career around, just like Rafa needs to do now.
I think the language barrier might be a slight problem, but Rafa speaks enough English for the relationship to work, IMHO. Andre does not speak Spanish, as far as I know.
Most importantly, Rafa would actually LISTEN to Andre. He doesn’t listen to Uncle Toni anymore. He even admitted it during a match last year when the chair umpire penalized him for a coaching violation. He told the umpire: “Nobody listens to Toni. Why are you penalizing me?” – as reported by the court-side television announcer.
That says it all right there. Bring on Andre. Or any other REAL coach who has actually played on the ATP Tour, and played there with great success.
VAMOS!!!
Maybe some are fanatics and some are just glory seekers.
Rafa is human, his level can dip, just like Fed’s does. Rafa is not getting any younger, so he may need more time to get back to his normal but may not be great level. His problem now is getting his timing of his FH right, as he seems a bit slow on his footwork. I feel it’s only when he has confidence in his FH, trust in it, that he would not get nervous at crucial moment. He needs training and more training to make him get back the feel for his FH! It’s not about tactics, it’s about trusting his own game ( and FH). I do feel he’ll get back on track soon, he’s too good not to.
As for those who predict that Novak would surpass Rafa by 2018, ahem, by then Novak will be 31, the likes of Kygrios will be 23, reaching his prime and peak. I’m not sure Novak would still enjoy dominance over the field the way he does now when there are younger guys in their peak. As great as Fed is, he couldn’t dominate when he reached 31, I’m not sure Novak is as great as Fed! Novak managed to win only one slam a year for the past three years despite dominating the field, this year is only his second time winning more than one slam in a year. Compare that with Rafa, who had since the start of 2008 had three multi-slam years within a six year time frame, winning 2,1,3,1,1,2 slams, despite not playing in 3 slams during that period. Novak has a bit of catch up to do.
It’s surprising that for a guy who dominates the way Novak does, esp at the Masters, he couldn’t do the same at the slams, and how many times he needs to go five sets at all the slams! In fact in these five years (2011-2015) when Novak is at his peak and dominating, he’s the one among the big four who plays the most five setters!
Novak is in his heydays now, can’t compare Rafa or Fed to him now when clearly they’ve past theirs. The future is unknown so no point predicting what will happen in three years time or beyond.
Novak has won 8 of the last 20 slams played. He was runner-up in 7 of those 20. 5 of his 12 losses in those slams were to Rafa, who currently can’t even beat Dustin Brown, much less beat the Serbian superstar.
So please tell me Lucky Star, who exactly is going to stop Novak from winning nearly 2 slams per year – his current rate as outlined above – for the next 5 years, at which point he’ll be 33 years old, still in his prime or close to it.
Keep in mind that I said “barring any major injuries or setbacks” in my original comment. And also keep in mind that Novak has not missed a single slam during his entire career due to injury or any other reason.
Obviously, nobody can predict the future. But if I were a betting man, I’d put a lot of money on Novak winning at least 18 slams by the end of his career.
Rafa is still my favorite player – BY FAR – but I also have a lot of admiration and respect for Novak. Sorry if that offends Lucky Star or any other commenters here.
VAMOS!!!
In regards to your other point Lucky Star – about Rafa’s lack of confidence being his main problem – you’re simply wrong about that.
His main problem is that his tactics & technique have badly deteriorated over the last 21 months. His court positioning is too far back during rallies, he’s hitting off his heels, and he’s not following through properly with his swing, especially his forehand – not on every shot, but on far too many shots. And on big points, or when has a lead, these bad tendencies become even more frequent. Worst of all, he doesn’t seem to be aware of any of these problems, judging by his post-match comments and continued poor form.
Rafa can have all the confidence in the world – but – if his tactics and technique are off, he’s going to lose to players he should NEVER lose to, like he has been for the last 21 months.
VAMOS!!!
Regarding Novak surpassing Fed.. at this rate it may happen.. but then before Rafa lost to Stan on that ill fated night in Melbourne, after he blew away fed in 3 awesome sets in the SF, everyone was unanimous that Rafa will beat feds 17 in 2 years time. We now know how that turned out :(. So much for predictions :)..
However, with regards to Rafa hitting on his heals, I cannot agree more. I was talking about this just the other day with my hitting partner after that loss to The Dog in queens.. To all the folks here who say Rafa has only lost confidence in his FH, I urge you guys to watch his play in 2012 and even 2013 AO in youtube. You will NOT see him ball watching after his fav inside out FH, craning his neck hoping it falls in. He will be moving in after the shot. His momentum will be taking him forward (did not say moving into the court… Rafa hardly ever does that). Watch what he does more often than not now. He is on his heals stationary after the shot if not falling back entirely. This not only leads to less explosiveness but also less accuracy and dip. This has nothing to do with confidence. Of course when he misses it causes his confidence to dip. These small things i am sure pros catch. Also his court positioning to cover his backhand exposes more of the FH wing. As it is Novak has shown all that instead of the normal convention of taking aim at Rafa BH first and then go to his FH, Novak started going for Rafas FH first and then opening up Rafas BH. Beat Rafa with this in 3 finals in 2011. Now Rafa is showing more open space in the FH side and players are hitting there with power. That is how even verdasco who is only a good doubles player these days won against Rafa in Miami. All small things that Pros can really capitalize on. It is amazing that either his team is not helping with all this, or he is just not listening to them. I dont want to believe Rafa is trying but cant fix this 🙁
This leads me to my pet peeve.. to those who say he does not need a new coach after watching his loss to Dustin Brown. DBrown was not new. Rafa lost to his b4. Although that was not a shock as it came 2 days after the RG victory in 2014. But my point is Rafa and his team knew what they were up against. DB does not even have a proper coach. Yet not one lob when DB drop shot Rafa like a puppy on a string. Also no change in position when receiving serves. DB was not even placing most of his serves. He was just hitting it right at Rafa with pace most of the time. If you say Rafa was coached to play like he did.. then he needs a new coach. If you say he did not play like he was coached, I would say he needs a new voice still. I dont want to buy that Rafa could not implement a plan that was in place. I still love and believe in Rafa to buy that he is just not good enough anymore to implement any plan that was in place. Same with the Dog. 2 consecutive losses. Same with Stan, however loosing to Stan now is I guess OK.
What was even more worrysome was why did Rafa not try anything different the whole game against DB… plan or no plan.. 4 sets is a lot of time. Not one shot at Db when Db was ON THE NET and so many drop shots that Rafa got to.. only to try touch pass DB.. with DB guessing right and putting away the volley. Dont tell me Rafa plays clean bla bla. Hitting an opponent at the net is not dirty. Rafa has hit even Novak at the masters in Canada in 2013 (its on youtube if u want to check it out). He hit novak on the face. Novak totaly lost it after that and ended loosing in 3 sets after winning the first set. I dont remember a single lob even if that was not in the plan. The whole game was like watching 5 points in a loop. This is really worrysome as Rafa to me has probably been the one guy who i thought was a better problem solver than Agassi on the court. Maybe that has to do with confidence.
I only hope that this was just the ill effects of his health issues from last year and that come the North American hard court season we will see our beloved bull tear through the field like he did in 2013.
Weird website. Does no one have to, or choose toput their name to their comments.? another thing, have any of these would be advisers to Rafa Nadal ever actually played tennis? Jean Palmer. Winnipeg MB Canada. Born and raised in SW London. Ie Wimbledon. Yes and actually played at the County Level
Yeah I am J Beer from Mallorca.
Weird ^comment^ by Jean Palmer. But I’ll respond anyways.
YES – I’ve played tennis my entire life – competing successfully at the intercollegiate and county level in the United States. I was also a club pro for several years before changing careers. My NTRP level is 5.5 – based on USTA inter-club play.
And BTW, who cares what your real name is? I certainly don’t.
VAMOS!!!
Jean, I dont think anyone is advising Rafa how to play. Atleast I know I am not. I know my place :). Also it would be rather foolish to think anyone close to Rafa is reading all this “advise”. Just venting out my frustration and hoping that our Beloved Rafa gets back where he belongs.. at the top of the ATP.. that’s all. Sorry if it came across as rude criticism or Advise on how to play as u call it. It certainly was not meant to be.
Also, i did not think you need be a champion to comment on here :). I am no county player. I can hold my own against 4.5 USTA.
VAMOS DEAR RAFA & congratulations on your extended KIA representation!!!! : ) Great promotional video…. they are fortunate to have you associated w them!!! Their cute lime green KIA Sudan is pretty popular & it seems like KIA is taking off pretty well here in USA….
Best wishes dear Rafa & have lots and lots of fun on your approaching Hard Court season!!!! : ) : ) We are all looking forward to seeing you play & God bless you as you move forward w your beautiful, dedicated team!!!!!!! : )
I just came across a GREAT article about Rafa in the July 4th edition of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper by 1977 Australian Open finalist and current tennis announcer/analyst John Lloyd. Here’s are some excerpts:
“Rafa will never get rid of Uncle Toni as his coach, but it is time for him to add someone to his team who has been in these positions as a player. He needs help from someone who has won Grand Slams, one of the ‘super coaches’–someone like Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander or Jimmy Connors. The aura Rafa once had seems to have gone, and a coach who has been there and done it might give him more confidence, get his mind back on track and get that belief back.”
“Toni has done an unbelievable job, but it is time for a reboot. Rafa’s level has dropped and the other players have moved on. I think he can get it back, but he is going to have to reinvent himself. His problem is a combination of a lack of confidence and technical issues.”
“When you look back at 2008 and 2010 when Rafa won Wimbledon, there was more verve about him and more explosion in his shots. Now his shots don’t go through the air as fast. His shots don’t do any damage because they don’t get his opponents off the court.”
“The most striking thing is how honest he is about how badly he has been playing and how nervous he is. Top players never say that. It is refreshingly honest, but I do not think he should be saying such things, and that is where someone else could help get him back mentally.”
“Toni has not been in this position as a player and it is time for Rafa to think about using someone else to give him a nudge in the right places, to tell him what needs to be done.”
Absolutely great stuff from former top-20 player John Lloyd, much of which I’ve been saying for quite a long time, as have a few other commenters on this website.
VAMOS!!!
Wait for some of the fans here to attack you .. especially a lover boy/gal with his/her insane drivel about Rafa, his work ethic and his adorable family etc. When I mentioned in my only other post here, when he last to the dog, that talking about feelings and how nervous he got at crucial points should stop, many here thought i was parroting Johny Mac. Anyone who has played any one on one sport at any level, not just tennis will know and appreciate how useful/important any insight into the way the opponent thinks or more importantly feels at crucial moments. Rafa was revealing his to the world. You dont have to be a genius at tennis to realize the pure stupidity of this. Hopefully he stops this and gets some help while still having uncle Toni but I am afraid l tennis has moved on to more power play/risk taking. Though I have seen Rafa hitting the crap out of the ball, flat with lesser spin, low over the net in his practice sessions, I dont think that is the way he thinks he needs to go in matches to fix his slide. Case in point is his trial of the new racket with a less dense string pattern to the APD he uses now to try and get more spin. In the trial he not just lost precision, he lost spin coz he lost confidence, swung less freely.. visious cycle.. and even lost to of all ppl Verdasco in Miami :(. Obviously none of us know the solution, but doing the same things that have clearly stopped working does not seem v clever. It sucks when you think he can be the GOAT, watch novak win another Wimbledon with v little resistance from Roger and then come here to see Rafa vacationing with his friends. I am not grudging his vacation. He probably needs it to get his mind away for a while. Just hoping Uncle Toni and his team is not vacationing also and that they are plotting his revival here in the US hard courts. How I wish they would rope in Agassi atleast for the North American leg of the tour as a consultant :). I know, will never happen.. but no harm dreaming is there 🙂
Excellent analysis Karthik. Great stuff. You should comment more often. I’ll have more to say about it shortly – up ^top^. VAMOS!!!
This is indeed exactly what Nadal needs. As for his 5th holiday of the season, I rest my case.
Move In Rafa Or Move On… I understand you… you seem to enjoy sucess of Djokovic and i dont think there’s anythining wrong with that whatsoever. You just have to accept that you’re not a real rafa fan because for the real fan it would feel wrong to be »so happy« for his greatest competitor to win all these titles you mentioned above. What for you might be a distant and fading memory, I should point out that for a true Rafa fan that simply does not add up. If anything, it just shows how poorly you got to know Rafa. Really, have you any idea what the guy has achieved in this sport? Trust me you are in no position to judge where anybodies’ career is going. For you to predict Nole will accumulate all these slams at such a rate after the age of 28 is in my view rather extraordinary. And I know you are not the only one :). Should that happen it will certainly be something that noone has even come close in the whole history of this sport. History teaches us to not so blatantly simplify such great achievements. Things often change quickly and in an unexpected fashion. So such unpresedented success cannot be taken for granted. Im not saying it is impossible it is just highly unlikely. Personally I would not put my money on it. Look what they were saying about rafa after 2010. He was unbeatable warrior and he was only getting better and better. Sheer exagerations. Nobody can remain at the top just like that. Its kind of inhumane. Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, they all will get beaten in such competitive environmemnt at the end of the day. But like you wisely advised Kate there is a big wide world out there so I’d suggest you avoid slagging off Nadal, saying »he’s too busy amusing himself with golf, poker, water sports, and who knows what other distractions to have any time left over for that…«. You see, to me this shows he got the balance of that big world out there quite right while you just seem to be contradicting yourself. Anyway, contrary to your apparent beliefs I feel Rafa has another ace up his sleeve and will be in the near future putting some icing on his already delicious career’s cake.
But im happy you’re happy for Djokovic and his game. Im sure he deserves everything he gets. In the past, present and the future. Just dont full yourself you’re a real Rafa fan. And seriously, absolutely nothing wrong with that. Hope Nole brings you lots of cheerful moments from here on. You’re right, he’s a safer bet to raise your spirits at the moment and if Rafa comes up again you can always come back ;). Thats quite common with fans like you.
Le classement n’est pas important , on verra la saison prochaine combien tu serras au classement atp , bonne vacance et profite tu as rien à prouver , bonne vacance champion !!!
Big congratulations to Novak for winning his 3rd Wimbledon and 9th slam. Especially for his amazing comeback against Anderson in the quarterfinals after losing the first 2 sets, and against Federer in the final after blowing the 2nd set. He showed tremendous guts and determination in both matches. It reminded me of the old Rafa – circa 2008-2010-2013 – which unfortunately at this point in time is a distant and fading memory.
The way their respective careers are going, Novak should catch and pass Rafa’s 14 slams by mid-2018, with many more great years still in front of him. By the end of 2019, barring any major injuries or setbacks, he should overtake Federer’s 17 slams and firmly establish himself as the GOAT(greatest player of all time). I wish it were Rafa, but it’s not. Big congratulations again to Novak. He deserves it. VAMOS!!!
:O
I may be rude but this Rafa’s fans site And if you want to praise this ‘cocky clown ‘go to his site and do it there,please…
I hate to break the news to you Kate, but a lot of Rafa fans admire and respect Novak for what he’s accomplished and enjoy watching him play. If you don’t like reading my comments, don’t read them. Nobody’s forcing you to. I’m sure you’d be much happier worshiping at the foot of the Rafa shrine in your living room than reading anything that dares to criticize him or compliment his opponents.
Rafa could learn so much simply by watching how Novak plays and prepares to play. But he’s too busy amusing himself with golf, poker, water sports, and who knows what other distractions to have any time left over for that.
It’s a big world out there Kate. If you ever decide to take your eyes off Rafa and look around, you could learn a lot from watching Novak too – not to mention all the other great players past and present.
VAMOS!!!
Hi dear Kate!
Are you a FAN or a FANATIC?
Forgive me, but honestly, I think you belong to the latter category.
Because it is only FANATICS that see no wrong in anything their hero does; whereas a true FAN will seek to advice by means of CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM like the comments from ”Move in Rafa or Move on”
You see, the world is dynamic and nothing stays the same for a long time anymore.
The truth is: Rafa’s management of CHANGE has been very poor and so, his major rivals have all left him behind (he’s now No 10 in the world and likely to still go down the more). He reminds me of Emperor Nero who fluted and sand away while Rome was burning.
His career is almost in tatters and he’s vacationing away. You can go on vacation if you lose to any of Djokovic, Roger Federer or Andy or even Berdych. But to even contemplate and actually proceed on vacation after losing to a Dustin Brown (who played without a Coach) is simply UNBELIEVABLE!!!
I’m not sure Nadal can even beat his eternal, whipping boy Richard Gasquet anymore! My God, look at the unbelievable game Richard played at Wimbledon. And it’s not only the Dog, Stan Wawrinka, Fernando Verdasco who can beat Nadal 2 times in a row, as I am 100% certain that even Nick Kyrgios would beat Nadal on any surface again!! Instead of declaring an emergency and returning to the drawing board with a new Coach, Rafa is busy out there vacationing!!! Gosh, I can’t believe this! Obviously, he has not seen any cause for alarm. Sad.
Rafa took the tour for granted, and now, the tour is taking him for granted.Like I’ve said severally, as things are, the way UP for Nadal (and his static, antediluvian team) may be DOWN.
For how long can the blind continue to the lead the blind?……..Your answer is as good as mind.
Spot on, Man. Sot on.
Fully agree with you 100%!!
He’ll be back, & soon, Vamos Rafa ,,,
Always behind Rafa! Vamos! <3 <3 <3
I don’t care what the ‘rankings’ are; Nadal IS the #1 player. Period!
Vamos Rafa la posicion en el ranking no refleja lo que tu eres, eres un verdadero champios, 14 grand slams. Vamos a ganar el U.S.O