Rafael Nadal has been named the 2017 ITF Men’s World Champion!
Rafa, who claimed the honour for the third time, made a sensational comeback from an injury-plagued 2016, winning a 10th French Open title and the US Open to take his grand slam haul to 16.
Rafa said:
I am very happy to receive this award from the ITF and be the 2017 ITF World Champion. It is four years since I last finished No. 1 on the ATP rankings and this has a special feeling. Congrats also to Garbine on her achievement which is great for our country. Many thanks to my team and my fans, and a special thank you to my uncle Toni for all these years.
Our champ claimed six titles in 2017 and sealed the year-end No. 1 ranking at the Paris Masters, becoming the oldest player to do so since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973.
Garbine Muguruza took the women’s prize. This is the first time since Americans Pete Sampras and Lindsay Davenport in 1998 that the men’s and women’s ITF world champions are from the same country.
Congrats, Rafa!
Sources: Reuters, ITF
Hi everyone! It’s been quite a while. Just a quick drop-in to say Happy new year to everyone before I’m off to the golden slumbers’ realm :).
I rewatched a random assortment of all things Rafa during the off-season and some AO Rafa today (or yesterday :p). It helped a lot, especially in putting things into perspective and reminding me such a great and historic season, no matter what, Rafa had last year.
Hopefully there will be a happy new year thread very soon here so I can thank Rafa + his team, RNF and many fans here “properly” and of course share with you many many thoughts about new season’s Rafa and the tour.
Happy new year and goodnight everyone. 🍾🥂🌛✨
Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year 🎆🎉
And Rafa more success in 2018
Thank you, Maria. Big hi and 😊 to you and 😘 to the gang. Happy new year to you and your family. 🕊🐶🐱
Happy New year to you and your family Rainer , looking forward to reading your positive posts again this year. 😘From Holly🐕and Golam😸
Hi Maria. So sorry for replying you this late. Many thanks for your wish and kind words :). 😘😘 @Holly & Golam 🐕😸. Been writing my “summary” of 2017 Rafa but got to busy so it’s still left unfinished. Such a shame as Rafa will kick off his season tomorrow…
Anyway, hope you had a very lovely holiday. Now we’re going to the battle with Rafa once again. It’s great to see you and Susie and other fans often here. 🙂
Oh, and thanks so much for all the updates and comments during the offseason to keep the site “warmer”, Maria. 🙂
A healthy Rafa is a dangerous Rafa. I will make a toast to Rafa tonight that his star continues to shine.
RAFA ROCKS
Margo, to answer your question below, the original Moya interview was in Spanish and appears on the Spanish version of the ATP site. The sentence in Spanish is “Es difícil decirlo, son muchos años, casi cinco más”.
Rafa gave an encouraging answer to a similar question a few weeks back. I can’t find the source now, but he said something like, “I don’t imagine myself playing at 37, but when I was 26 I didn’t see myself playing at 31 and I am still here, so let’s see what happens”. 🙂
Hi Jas, Margo, the English version seems to have a slight misinterpretation. Moyà seemed to be saying it will be difficult for Rafa to play as long as Roger as it’s 5 years or more (not that Rafa will play for 5 more years).
Happy New Year to you both and all fans that post on here🍾🤩
jas_uk and Tiggy thanks so much for the Spanish version. The English one is way off. I would think the ATP could afford a good translator. Whatever time Rafa has left on the circuit I hope he uses it wisely.
RAFA ROCKS
Great read on the ATP World Tour Site on Carlos Moya’s thoughts on Rafa here a snippet :
Carlos Moya: It’s important to be fresh and rested if he’s going to start the season off on the right foot. Rafa wants to be an even better version of himself this year.
Nothing too serious in terms of injuries occurred last year but at the same time, nothing good comes from rushing things. That’s why we want him to take his time returning to the court. There’s no need to hurry matters. We know Rafa; he doesn’t slow down often, whether in training or during a match. Nadal isn’t the type of competitor to hit the brakes. For the team, then, the goal has been to convince Nadal that rushing a return to competitive play could lead to more discomfort and injuries — both of which could derail our plans for a big year. He isn’t a 20-year-old now; we have to take things step by step and be smart about his health and recuperation.
Worth a look.
Thanks Maria. This is music to my ears and is the consensus of a lot of fans. Can’t help seeing the funny side of having to persuade Rafa not to train and play so much as a major goal🤣
You’re welcome Tiggy, I’m keeping my fingers crossed all will be well in the Rafa camp come the AO . I’m hoping all the top players will be back fighting fit in 2018 at some point , its just not the same without them , and dare I say I have even missed Novak ( hope I don’t live to regret that)
Here’s how it’s looking in the run up to the AO:
Rafael Nadal (knee), Andy Murray (hip), Novak Djokovic (elbow), Milos Raonic (wrist), Kei Nishikori (wrist), and Stan Wawrinka (knee) are all under injury clouds approaching the first major of the year.
Let’s hope these injuries are short lived or 2018 could be dominated by Roger Feder unless the young guns start to step up to the plate.
Tiggy – yes, ever since that time Moya said the hardest thing about working with Rafa is keeping him off the court, I imagine funny ways in which the team would try and do it. I wrote a short story about it, kind of a fanfic thing. I wish I could post it here, but it’s too long and I doubt RNF would appreciate their site being used for that! 🙂
This ain’t music to a real fan’s ears. Because a real fan, like every real tennis fan, understands that the preparation of the season does not start in January. The bloody Aussie Open is in January so you have to make sure to be fully fit and in training well before January. Approaching the new season the way described here, is ignoring the Aussie Open while it should be approached with the same proper care as RG and US Open (Wimbledon unfortunately is a different beast, especially for Nadal who has to give all in the 4 months prior). Federer plans things so much smarter. He is at the different end of the spectrum. Rafa is the worst of all in this regard. What a joke. Throwing away the Aussie Open like this.
Long interview but well worth reading. It cleared up some questions that I had.
Carlos did say they will land in Melbourne on January 4. I think Carlos wants us to understand that Rafa needs more time to be ready for 2018 and that Rafa may not be ready for the AO. We just have to be patient.
Rafa had a great 2017. Carlos feels Rafa has five more competitive years in him if he is careful with scheduling and avoiding injury. That is what Carlos is working on.
RAFA ROCKS
From the Moyá/ATP article of December 31, 2017:
ATPWorldTour.com:
Can Nadal compete and endure as long as Federer?
Moya:
That’s hard to say but Rafa still has some years left, at least five. What Federer has achieved so far is something totally extraordinary. Nadal is going to follow Roger’s lead, on and off the court. We’ll see how far this adventure takes us.
I hope Carlos is right about five more years.
RAFA ROCKS
Bang on . Rafa has achieved spectacular success . No let’s wish him the very very best .
Cheerios
Srini
Success indeed, that’s what it is about. Now tell me. US open 17 win followed by a long break to achieve SUCCESS at the Aussie 18, or: US Open 17 win followed by Beijing win followed by many other tournaments but no win and many injury worries and NO improved strategy to beat no. 1 competitor and ending the season injured, ruining chances for Aussie Open 18 (=no success)….which one do we choose. Is it that difficult. Dislike it what you want policor crowd. You may think you are so great, honest, supportive etc but you ain’t. You were wrong and still are wrong. Again.
Jean Sober,First of all may I wish you and yours a Very Happy New Year 2018.Second,Rafa is his own person,to make his his own decisions,come what may.They may be right or they may be wrong.But we his fans,are with him,through good times and bad.Maybe he doesn’t need us at all.It is very easy to be a fan when everything is going your way.But when times get tough that’s when our favorite sportsmen and women need us to cheer them on.On the Eve of 2018 I would love for all this negativity to do in any shape or form with Rafa to stop.We love ❤️ our sportsmen and women.They make our world a better place to live in.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Am tired of mean spirited comments be they against our World #1 Rafa, his competitors, or we fans. The anger is just so palpable.
The best to RNF and Rafa’s fans.
RAFA ROCKS
Dear friend,
What are you talking about? Rafa was nursing a knee injury, so, he needed rest and recovery time before getting back on court for his practices and training. Taking that into consideration, giving Rafa up to eight weeks (starting from the next day after he lost at WTF up to 31 Dec, that’s already seven weeks) up till 7th Jan 2018, Rafa will then start with his tie break ten exho on 11 Jan. If that’s not enough, who knows he may play at Kooyong exho too.
I believe during the eight weeks that Rafa was recovering, he would be doing some kind of light training with progressively increased intensity as his recovery progressed.
You can’t compare that to Fed, who wasn’t injured and could start his 2018 preparation almost immediately after his loss at the WTF, though I doubt he would immediately.
Those years when Rafa wasn’t injured at year end, he reached the AO final (2012/2014) but was unfortunate both times (ran into a wall in the form of Djoko; was injured while playing Stan in 2014 final).
Fed with all his ‘smart’ preparation, reached only the SFs from 2011-2014 and 2016, lost in R3 in 2015. Fed needed a six months break to get to AO final again in 2017!
You’re telling Rafa to stop playing after winning the USO, and then starts preparing for the AO?? Come on, the tour doesn’t consist of slams only!
Rafa has his other ambitions, like finishing the season as YE no.1; if anything, Rafa is more ambitious than what you or we may think; he wants the no.1 ranking, YE no.1, weeks as no.1, slams, Masters, Olympics gold medals and lastly the WTF title! (My guess but I feel I’m not wrong).
He had his plans, but playing the Laver Cup might have ruined his initial plan/schedule. When he planned his 2017 schedule, he couldn’t foresee how successful his 2017 would become, he practically went deep in all the important events except a few (IW, Canada, Cincy, Wimbledon). Perhaps he needed to skip the Asian swing, (like what Moya said, build in some longer breaks between events) after playing the Laver Cup, rested for three four weeks and then played Basel and/or Paris (depending on his physical conditions) and then WTF. Perhaps he might avoid the knee injury that way ( again my guess).
It’s a very good interview.
Margo, sorry there isn’t a reply button on your posts, but it’s been mentioned elsewhere that the five years quote is a mistranslation, and should be something like “that’s a difficult question, as that would be at least five years”. Which is not to say that Rafa won’t be play for that long 🙂
Hi jas_uk… I saw the article only in the ATP Tour’s English language version. In which language was it done originally and the publication/outlet? Thanks
Last year Moyà said 2-3 more years so I was buoyed by the 5-year expectation that he now has.
RAFA ROCKS
Thanks for the translation, Maria.
You’re welcome Lorna , good old Google translate
For anyone interested in reading or translating Spanish, a Spanish friend suggested an article on the Spanish sports journal Marca. Type Tenis-Marca Nadal and you will find a great article on Nadal king of finals. Enjoy.
Thanks Puma, will take a look . Also anyone interested in purchasing a Rafa Nadal calendar can now get it on Amazon, £20.
Many of the top players appear to be an army of walking wounded. With withdrawals from Abu Dhabi and Brisbane by Rafa, Novak, Stan, Kei and Andy’s hip still a problem, Roger must be rubbing his hands with glee. If Rafa’s knee is sufficiently rested in time for the AO, i’m still hopeful that he has a successful campaign. Fingers crossed for a favourable draw.
The following is from marca.com, 12/29/17:
“Nadal ha reconocido que no está “preparado” para jugar en Brisbane, que da comienzo el 31 de diciembre, aunque su intención era estar presente. Y que la razón es haber empezado tarde la pretemporada por el gran esfuerzo realizado en 2017. Lo exitoso de la temporada le exigió también mucho físicamente, aconsejó prolongar el periodo de recuperación. Ha pasado también una revisión del estado de sus rodillas con el doctor Ángel Ruiz Cotorro antes de tomar las decisiones de no jugar ni en el Golfo Pérsico ni en Brisbane.”
RAFA ROCKS
Translation?
Hi Lorna, translation for the above post:
Nadal has acknowledged that he is not “ready” to play in Brisbane, which starts on December 31, although his intention was to be present. And that the reason is to have started the preseason late because of the great effort made in 2017. The success of the season also demanded a lot physically, he advised to prolong the recovery period. He has also passed a review of the state of his knees with Dr. Angel Ruiz Cotorro before making decisions not to play in the Persian Gulf or Brisbane. “
Sorry to bring all of you this news but the chances of Rafa winning AO are close to zero. Never did he return to a major without match practice and then end up winning the tournament. I think there is a very, very high chance that he pulls out of Aussie Open (he still is injured, so why would he be match fit in the next two weeks?!! – in all his injury stretches so far, he kept his fans waiting till the last moment before bringing the bad news) but if he plays, he won’t do much. A rusty Nadal, historically, is a losing Nadal.
More than one way to look at this. A rested Nadal can be a very dangerous Nadal. All he needs is a couple of early wins to get into the swing of things. Rafa got off to a shaky start at the US but once he started ‘feeling the ball’ – the rest is history. The flip side is, as you say, if he is indeed still injured there’s no reason to believe he can be fit for the AO. But if he has wisely chosen to take more recovery time then I wouldn’t rule him out.
This never ever happened in Nadal’s career. The best Aussie Open to expect is one similar to 2015.
VAMOS DEAR RAFA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) You will play great & go far!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!: ) : ): ) : ) : ) VAMOS SWEETHEART & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : )_ : ) XOXOXO
A shot clock will be used for the first round of the AO. It will be used to help enforce the 25-second rule but will not override the umpire’s call, from what I have read.
RAFA ROCKS
Rafa tweeted that he is happy to be on the cover of the new AO video game.
He also tweeted that he is to land in Melbourne on January 4, to start his preparation for the AO.
RAFA ROCKS
……updates about…..
Why hasn’t RNF website given us any updates abot Rafa since 8th December?
Perhaps RNF is waiting for Rafa’s 2018 schedule and after confirming what’s going on with Rafa. They’ve been posting on Twitter, and FB, though. I found that peculiar.
RAFA ROCKS
I just received a tweet that Nole has pulled out of Mubadala citing an elbow issue. WOW!
Andy may still be having hip problems. No details were given except that he was not able to start practice when he wanted.
What the heck is going on🤔
RAFA ROCKS
I hope Rafa is fine. No Beisbane. I wonder about AO. He said he needs to work on his scheduling. I hope RNF starts posting here in addition to FB and Twitter.
RAFA ROCKS
margo,
this should be the schedule tell me what you think
– australian open
– acapulco
– indian wells
– miami
– madrid
– rome
– roland garros
– queens
– wimbeldon
– montreal
– cincinnati
– us open
– sjanghai
– paris
– atp finals
no demonstration or invitation matches, no laver cup, no davis cup
what do you think
Hi mjus…you may regret asking me 🤗 but your question is appreciated. I am leagues away from being as knowledgeable about tennis as you, Rainier, and our other Rafans here.
When I first saw your proposed schedule, I felt Rafa should skip the entire grass season, again depending on his fitness. So many players, Rafa included, have stressed the difficulties encountered when transitioning from one surface to another. And Rafa has major knee issues.
I made a comment on an earlier post about Rafa banging his knee with his racquet. Imagine the force. Can you? Rafa is the epitome of “strength.”
According to Rafa’s Doctor in 2005, Rafa would probably experience musculoskeletal problems in the future if he used the orthotic insert to relieve the pain caused by his foot problem. Rafa and team decided to “deal with that problem when it arose,” [Rafa bio]. I keep my hope alive that he will rest until his knee coöperates.
I would love for him to play the AO if his body is ready. Carlos is quoted as saying that he would coach Rafa as long as Rafa agreed to his three stipulations. I could be wrong, but I think Rafa has reverted to marching to his own drum. He may no longer be listening to Carlos. Rafa is prone to do what Rafa wants regardless of the consequences. I can’t forget Rome 2017.
I certainly agree with you regarding him dropping invitations and the cups.
RAFA ROCKS
Rafa Roundup: all admins of rafaelnadalfans.com on strike, ignoring injury news.
Rafa has pulled out from Brisbane due to injury and lacking of time for preperation.
So my thought was right. He simply doesn’t have enough time to practice.
I wonder if his medical team regret for letting him play Paris Master and one match with no sense in London. Now Rafa has to pay for a grandslam. Furthermore, AO is the key to catch Federer’s slam record.
Btw, where is that girl Margo? LOL
Hey, he won Beijing and played the final in Shanghai, so what nonsense that we complained back then, and now, about his Aussie Open being destroyed!
if he indeed withdrew from brisbane then forget about winning the australian open he will play melbourne without match practice. There goes his last chance to win the australian open unbelievable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Check out Rafa’s Twitter for latest news. I’m glad he and his team have come to a decision well before the tournament, still going to be nail-biting leading up to AO though. Stay strong Rafa and keep going. Vamos!
I hope you are going to get happy new year
Withdrawing from Abu Dhabi was a wise move on Rafa’s part. He said “I need to take my calendar in a different way in order to be ready (for 2018)”. Finally he’s realising that a crowded calendar would hinder his grand slam chances. I, like many of his fans, didn’t see the point of him playing an exhibition tournament so soon after ending 2017 injured. I wish Rafa and his family a great Christmas and, fingers crossed, he’ll come back fit and healthy in the New Year.
yes lornal he needs to change his schedule for 2018. My predictions for 2018
Nadal lose his nr 1 ranking. I expect a energize djokovic for 2018. Furthermore I believe Moya should have a major influence in the schedule. If nadal refuse then moya should quit. Third this should be his shedulde next year
Brisbane
Australian open
Acapulco
Indian Wells
Miami
Madrid
Rome
Roland Garros
Queens
Wimbeldon
Montreal
Cincinnati
Us open
Sjanghai
Paris
atp finals
No demonstration or invitation matches also no davis cup. Nadal should skip Barcelona and Monte carlo He won those tournaments 10 times nothing to prove
Looks like a sensible and realistic schedule, mjus. I would even say that he doesn’t need to play Acapulco.
Yes let’s dislike this post, policor brigade. What goes on in your minds is beyond me. What the h#ck is there to dislike??
Haha Jean, let’s just ignore them. I highly doubt they will never show up when a real “anti” attacks Rafa on any website. There are many Fed fans call Rafa “cheater”, “luckier” on youtube , facebook, etc but they never fight for his idol but dislike any “negative posts” on this site. Lmao. I simply use this site to express my feeling to my most favourite player. Never care much about them.
In other news, Rafa is back on training with Moya. I think he will play Brisbane and AO. But the question is whether they have enough time to practice any plan to attack Federer’s backhand. Or simply just to recover Rafa’s feeling, gaining momentum steadily from a long time out.
The race is still there if Rafa could get this AO. But if he lets Federer reaches the number 20 then it’s over.
Furthermore i have a feeling that a fully fit Djoker is coming back.
Roger Federer fans are the real lyers. We all watched how RF cheated with his medical time out when he was being beaten by Rafa with one break for Rafa at the fifth set of Australian Open final 2017. RF calling for medical time-out at this point broke the rhythm of the match and took RF to victory.
In the history of tennis competition no other player has resorted to such a dirty trick to win a grand slam.
After RF victory at the AO 2017 against Rafa even the Federer worshipper Pat Cash had declared that RF had cheated to win the AO 2017. To which RF had even responded trying to justify that time-out.
Also remember how RF had thanked his “rock” i.e. his wife Mirka for his victory at that grand slam and celebrated hysterically with her that victory they had both won.
So RF fans are as big liers as RF and team.
By the way whether RF gets GS NO.20 or not is not the issue for Rafa, Rafa being 5 years younger he could certainly close the gap with RF.
However, from 2018 onwards both RF and Rafa will have to compete against the “risen from the ashes Djok…” In addition Rafa will have to recover full health and the will to win for us his fans to witness his continued success in 2018.
Wamos Rafa.
Wish you Rafa, and your lovely family a very Merry Christmas. 🎄🎄🎇🎇🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🔕📯🎼🎈🎉🎊🎁🎄🎄🎄🎄
Love you Rafa always. ❣💟💞💞💝💚💙💗💖💕💓💘
Merry Christmas to you Rafa, your family and friends and have a great 2018.
Merry Christmas to all Rafa Fans ,and RNF thank you for your another great year of updates and info on Rafa. Can’t wait to see what 2018 has in store .🎄
Can’t wait too, Maria. Can’t wait.
Our good old Aunt Maria and Felix the cat felicitate with the amazing Rafa Nadal family as she looks forward to wonderful predictions for Rafa Nadal in 2018.
On behalf of the the many Rafa fans here, I cajoled her to give us a snippet of what 2018 has in store for Rafa. She was seated like a queen on ”Rock n Roll granny chair” Felix lazying away on her laps as she looked up eyes closed into the sky:
”My, it’s a good one for Rafa. Injury will affect his program and will miss out on many tournaments. But he should be able to win 2 grand slams, French and Wimby….”
I almost suffered a heart attack: ”Wimby, good old Aunt, are you sure, Rafa, Wimby I be damned if that happens?”
The ageless woman opened her misty eyes, looked at me, smiled like Mona Lisa and said quietly: ”But as always, we’d see……hmmn”
OLA OLA OLA & VAMOS VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) 🙂 : ) : ) 🙂 : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) HAPPY HOLIDAYS & A BEAUTIFUL NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ): ) 🙂 VAMOS & ENJOY EVERYTHING DER RAFA !!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) WE TRUST IN YOUR DECISIONS & KNOW YOU KNOW BEST WHAT IS THE RIGHT TIMING FOR EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) TAKE GOOD CARE & KEEP ENJOYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) WE LOVE YOU SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) LOTS OF LOVE & HAPPINESS & KEEP SMILING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) XOXOXOXOXOXO
So many dislikes I got, for predicting (concluding!) in October that the Asian Swing and beyond mad schedule would harm Rafa’s chances for the Aussie Open. The Aussie Open, which should have been the sole focus after the US Open. But the policor crowd here would not have it. Of course! I got hate, lots of hate, because I was so poor ridiculous in my line of thought. And there we have it folks. Rafa pulled out of Abu Dabi. Aussie Open in serious danger. I know a bit about Nadal and his tennis. Sad to see that so many here cannot rise above the level of teenage Take That fans from the early 90s. Hope Nadal will be able to compete for a second Aussie Open crown in 2019….
Yes. It’s riddiculus to see many dislikes in any so called “negative comment” about Rafa. Do they even know how a real “anti fan” like? Have they ever visited at least tennis warehouse or troll tennis? LOL.
We are Rafans and we support Rafa but we have to face the truth even when it hurts. Don’t try to be like fan boys like most of Federer’s fans.
About Rafa i think he will play AO but definately not be in a high level. I was expecting a intense off season with Moya and Roig to cover his weaknesses, finding his 2010 serve back to shorten the point and may be hitting the ball flatter for securing his knees. I know Moya was planning all that stuff as Rafa had the signs since US Open. But now he has to pay for his impatience. He clearly has no time left to train before AO 2018.
Vamos Rafa. So happy for you. Merry Christmas to all of you.
It is for sure not a merry Christmas for Rafa. His knee is in a bad state, we could again be looking at 6 months away. We are two months under way and he has cancelled his training camp with Sousa and pulled out of Abu Dhabi. Hey, but he won Beijing and this ITF award. So who cares about missing the Aussie Open, right guys?
Oh Jean. You know Rafa has no off button. Whether it’s fighting on court or playing to the point of risking his health – he won’t stop. As fans his fighting spirit is one of the reasons we love him but we have to accept it comes at a price.
I care!
After a week or more of trying to make sense of confusing and conflicting ‘information’ regarding Rafa’s fitness, at least with the announcement yesterday there is some accurate news. Jean and DMTNA, I think many people are unwilling to post things that are just rumour and speculation.
Rafa’s statement on the Mubadala event website doesn’t mention injury but refers to his schedule, “it was a tough 2017 and I need to take my calendar in a different way in order to be ready”.
So I’m going to take the positive side and suggest that the above means the period of rest that Rafa took after the WTF has interfered with his off-season training and his time would be better spent continuing to practise. It might also indicate that Rafa will be more ‘sensible’ with his schedule next year, which is, I think, something many fans would welcome.
Earlier this week Rafa was announced as a participant in the Fast4 event in Sydney, which takes place on 9th January (after Brisbane). Let’s see what happens.
Felices Fiestas everyone! 🙂