Rafael Nadal confirms he will play at Queen’s Club in London as part of his preparation for Wimbledon this year – 10 years after winning the event as part of a summer treble.
In 2008, Rafa clinched titles at the French Open, Queen’s and The Championships, Wimbledon.
Rafa:
I am very excited to communicate that I am going to come to Queen’s in 2018. It is going to be the 10th anniversary of my victory in 2008, it’s a great memory, winning there and three weeks later winning Wimbledon. It was an unforgettable year. I am very excited to be coming back and playing Queen’s again.
Queen’s Club tournament director Stephen Farrow said:
We are delighted that Rafa is planning to return to the Queen’s Club. His run 10 years ago will never be forgotten and to see him back at the top of the world rankings a decade later is a testament to his greatness and desire to achieve even more.
Source: The Queen’s Club Championships
Wow, I just came on the site to see how Rafa has been feeling and what he has been up to. I can’t believe how Rafa has to constantly be measured and judged by what Roger is doing.
I follow Rafa because he such a great person and champion who has overcome such adversity and injuries in his career. He is such a great ambassador for the sport. Even the GOAT discussion is just meaningless to me. I happen to prefer Rafa’s style of play and passion and never want him to be like Roger. Honestly I get bored watching Roger.
Personally, I find Roger’s matches unwatchable. I don’t enjoy his smug attitude and the way he struts around the court. I don’t watch him anymore. Who cares when he wins. He never plays as much as the other players because at his age he is conserving his energy. He always receives preferential treatment at the tournaments. All the matches he played at the Austrailian Open were at night so he didn’t have to deal with the Extreme heat and humid conditions. He faced a hobbled Marin Clilic at the Wimby final and when he faced Marin at the AO final, whenever Marin double-faulted the entried crowd cheered. Such disrespectful behavior. Roger is a media star/athlete. It seems that he is who the Tournament directors seem to pander to. I read Grigor was injured when he played Roger yesterday. I felt badly for Grigor. who has finally gotten his at together and is playing terrific tennis.
I know fans would like Rafa to perhaps follow the same abbreviated schedule as Roger to optimize his chances to win more Grand Slams but remember 2017, stellar year for Rafa.
I love watching Rafa compete. Let him be healthy and happy. Roger who? Rafa is my #1!
I have always had the feeling that Rafa gives Federer and Djokovic too much credit and thinks they’re better etc.
Not the right attitude.
Also absolutely agree that he could cut down on tournaments even clay court ones and concentrate on the slams. No. 1 is not top priority. If he wins important matches regardless of the surface he’ll automatically has a good chance to be no. 1.
Moyà also seems not to be firm enough for Rafa.
Wish Rafa all the best. Make the right choices.
Vamos!!!!!!
The easy victory of federer against dimitrov proves that the so called next generation is with the exception of krygios nothing more then totally crap.
Correct. We saw the best of Dimitrov last year at Aussie Open. This was Dimitrov at his peak and even that was not enough to beat Rafa who was not even close to his best.
DTMNA
From all what i am seeing right i do question the desire from rafa to really want to surpass federer. I feel like that is not important for him. There are a lot of examples. For example his unwilligness to cut his schedule in order to focuss primarly on the big tournaments. His refusal to play less clay court tournaments and try to improve on other surfaces.
His admiration for federer makes me too believe that he thinks that federer is better then him which is very sad to see
Rafa wants it, but is afraid of it. That’s the whole problem. Since Rafa started to fear things, which happened right after the last time that he beat Roger (Aussie Open 2014), things are different. I like to remind you that in 8 years ago today (Feb 2010) Roger had won 16 majors and Rafa was at 6. He made a giant leap that ended with the score being 17-14 in 2014 and then after a three year status quo it becamse 19-16 and now it stands at 20-16. If only he could bring back that fighting spirit of June 2010- August 2013 (in which he won 7 majors, while Djokovic peaked and Rafa even was injured, missing 2 majors!)… things would look different by now. It’s very much mental this catch up game.
federer will lose the nr 1 position to rafa again because the swiss has 2000 points to defend from iw and miami if rafa wins mexico and reach far at iw he will overtake the nr 1 again unless federer decides to play dubai.
But I think that most important thing for the spaniard is being fit again 100 percent and in my view i couldnt care less about nr 1 the most important thing is winning grandslams. I rather see rafa winning miami and beating federer then being nr 1 again.
Moya should put common sence in rafa head and convince him not to respect and adore federer that much on the court. The spaniard is better then federer if he believes in himself and come with a new strategy. The old one is not working anymore
Mjus, I certainly hope you’re right! All along Roger said that he wasn’t bothered about the no.1 spot. Who was he fooling? We all know he entered Rotterdam for that very reason. In his post match interview he said “ ….So this one (no.1) maybe means the most to me throughout my career – getting to no.1 and enjoying right here at almost 37 years old”. So Roger was hungry for it alright! Nearly all sports people play to win and aspire to achieve the highest accolade. If they say any different, it’s BS!
Yes Mijus, you’re absolutely correct.
I care more about Rafa’s fitness and tennis game more than world no.1 spot. I mean there is still a fact that Rafa is the oldest male player to FINISH the year as no.1. Federer might be the oldest to reach top 1 but yeah he won’t be given a world no.1 trophy at ATP Tour Final like what Rafa had last year LMAO.
As for Rafa’s game, i am seriously worried about his knees. Just look back what happen in the very first round of AO you guys could notice that his footwork was really slow and he didn’t chase down to save opponent’s strokes anymore.
I think now Rafa and Moya have to make a big decision here. There are still a lot of “agressive hard court tournament” including 2 slams in a year. If Rafa wants to prolong his career , he has to find a way to bring back the devastating serving motion again. There is a MYTH that his shoulder is injured when overperforming that serve but we never know…
The slam race to Federer might be locked for good but the season is not over yet. There are still goals to achieve including the “Career Super Slam”.
DMTNA
I have to disagree with you. The slam race is not locked for now if rafa wins in paris and pulled out a stunt in london this race could still be open. The only thing is does rafa want to surpass federer or not.
Rafa needs to be smarter with his body. That is why i have critize him and for being in denial about his age. Federer is more clever with managing his career only play tournaments that matter to him. Federer is not planning to play a lot of tournaments because he knows that his body cant take that anymore
I can tell you this if djokovic was in the position that rafa is right now only 4 slams behind he will do what it takes to surpass federer and managing his schedule you wont see him playing little tournaments like barcelona or acapulco
mjus
It’s fine. Everyone can entitle with their own opinion.
But i still think Federer is going to make 21 this year by winning another Wimbledon. That guy is always gonna be the favourite on grass. On the other hand, Rafa’s knees have been severely damaged since 2012. The last time he reached his the final was in 2011. Of course, there are signs that he could compete well on grass again since Moya came. Last year, before the match Rafa accidently knocked his head on the roof by himself before the match against Muller and that may have affected seriously the first 2 sets.
I still think that Rafa needs to improve his game to be more competitive on grass AGAIN as he could not run like he did during Wimbledon 2008. He is 31 not 21. Changing is always difficult but he needs.
“Does he want it or not?” LOL mjus. Why do you say that? What do you mean by that? Sorry but i can’t stop myself from laughing…
RG is not a given anymore these days guys. Please don’t make weird predictions leaning on winning RG and then maybe Wimbledon. Rafa might as well skip Wimbledon. His chances of success there are slimmer than Roger’s at RG. And Roger is smart enough to skip RG!
If Fed thinks he is as good as some say he thinks he is, if Fed is as arrogant as some feel he is, and considering his current oldest world No. 1 status, who is to say he won’t try this year’s FO. It is the only slam he hasn’t won twice.
Jean, I don’t see him doing RG either but I’ve been reading articles suggesting that Fed may wait to see how Rafa is playing. If Rafa is not at his best, Fed may just throw down the gauntlet. Or, he may just rest up during the clay season as he did last year.
Stay healthy Rafa and I hope your new racquet brings you a lot of wins.
RAFA ROCKS
Well, the inevitable has happened. Roger has taken over the no.1 spot and I can’t deny that it’s deserved. I’m hoping and praying that Rafa stays fit and healthy to claim it back!
Geez Lorna, I was avoiding that information. LOL
In any event, Rafa will be back to No. 1 yes, if he takes care of his gr8 body.
RAFA ROCKS DiCaprio in Amsterdam
I’ve been thinking…. 2018 could be the year that fans witness a seesaw effect between the top two players of the world because no other player is close to them in the rankings.
It’s only the beginning of the year. If Rafa slips to No. 2, he can regain No. 1 if he wins the Mexico Open. Depending on who wins what, we could see a battle for the No. 1 spot until November.
I am going for a healthy Rafa to win the Slams and Masters.
RAFA ROCKS
Yes, exactly my thoughts too. I think there’ll be a lot of twists and turns in the battle between Rafa and Roger from now until the end of the year. However, it’s going to be harder for Rafa in this fight for supremacy.
For those who are interested, there are YouTube videos of Rafa’s physical transformation through the years; 1 to 31, 5 to 31. Just sweet.
RAFA ROCKS
I’ll have a look. I just love seeing old videos of Rafa. He used to be nicknamed Mowgli (the boy in The Jungle Book) when he was a teenager on the tour and I can understand why – so sweet!
On another note, I notice that Sky keep replaying the 2005 Miami final between Rafa and Roger where Rafa lost in five sets after winning the first two sets. Why don’t they do replays of any epic finals between the two where Rafa comes out the victor? I’m sure there are many. Bias or what?
Lorna, the videos are pictures of him but the 1 to 31-years-old has more of him as a child. Just adorable.
Re Sky, they are not the only creeps. Agree about showing Rafa in a winner.
Recently, I forgot which website it was, either the ATP, the AO, or some other site, instead of a pic of Rafa as the world No. 1, I couldn’t believe they had Fed’s mug showing. I remember this because within the context of what I was reading it should have been a pic of Rafa. I don’t anger easily but I was fuming at the time. Don’t worry, when Rafa says adiós, they’ll be crying about lowered profits.
RAFA ROCKS
This Sunday, Rafa and Carlos are headed for Cozumel to train for the Mexico Open. The following weekend they are scheduled to arrive in Acapulco.
His new racquet, being now referred to as the Pure Aero Décima in a different article, sports the Spanish flag colors, and orange for the Parisian clay courts.
I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a busy Rafa during a recuperation period: in Alicante talking local politics and announcing he will play the Mexico Open, to playing a golf tournament, and yesterday in Amsterdam at the Goed Geld Gala with Mary by his side.
[Sources: Twitter, MARCA, Punto de Break, as]
Totally excited and wishing him the best.
RAFA ROCKS
Rafa will debut his new racquet at the Mexico Open. The Babolat Pure Drive Décima racquet has a design commemorating his ten Roland-Garros titles. [Punto de Break, Feb. 14, 2018]
I have read how much tennis players become attached to their racquets. I hope his brings him great results.
RAFA ROCKS
To the moderator. Please delete the last comment as you have posted my full name. I DO NOT WANT THIS!
Maybe because we already have a Lorna?
Lorna,
Whatever the case may be, in a sensitive situation as this, I would use the RNF contact page for privacy. Just google RafaelNafalFans contact and a contact link should come up. Then you can send a private email.
RAFA ROCKS
Oh dear! Can be confusing? Good suggestion to Lorna W, Margo.
Yes, am trying to figure out how that happened. I know lately I’ve been having various problems with the RNF program, ads appearing willy-nilly, too many missing links to respond to a comment….
I hope she gets it resolved. Last time I looked RNF had not removed her comment. They are slow to react to important matters such as this, or when the “F” bomb was dropped here recently. I think if fans wanted that sort of thing they would be on a different site.
This is a far better site than the rest and I hope they keep it like that.
RAFA ROCKS
Lorna,
You can also email RNF using:
contact@rafaelnadalfans.com
from your own email program.
RAFA ROCKS
I used to post comments on the ATP website but I stopped doing so because there were a lot of stupid clowns who didn’t know much about tennis, posting silly personal comments, many of which were personal and had nothing to do with tennis. As a Rafan, I use this website because it allows interesting, healthy debate about Rafa and tennis. To be critical of Rafa doesn’t necessarily mean that his professionalism is being questioned. More often than not it means that we care about his long term health and success. If everyone had the same opinions it would be boring. C’mon guys……!
Yes, VERY boring.
RAFA ROCKS
OLA OLA OLA OLA OLA & VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) Very nice to watch your adorable video and we look forward to watching you play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) 🙂 : ) : ) VAMOS SWEETHEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) Enjoy everything & have a beautiful weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) 😉 😉 : ) 😉 Lots of love & happiness & VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) VAMOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Toni said, “If Dr. Cotorro does not object, Rafa will be going to Acapulco.” [Jésus Minguez, as.com, Feb. 3, 2017]
Hopefully, this is a sign that Rafa is all healed and ready for a battle to win.
According to other reports Rafa started practicing this past Monday.
I am wondering if Rafa has a contract or some sort of agreement to play Alcapulco, or because he wants some competitive practice, or because he just wants to play. Good matches to you Rafa, whatever the reason.
RAFA ROCKS
Margo, that’s a message from 2017.
Jean,
Thanks for catching the typographical error. It should read “2018.”
2017 went by so fast I’m still writing 17 instead of 18.
RAFA ROCKS
Is this really a Rafa fan site? I can’t believe what I am reading. His entire professionalism called into question:( Rafa has made some mistakes but he is a consummate professional and always has been in every aspect of his career. How depressing that people have chosen this narrative for him. He was never guaranteed the AO with or without injury. One loss doesn’t make his entire career a disaster.
Yes Winston, this is certainly a Rafan site. I can’t speak for others but for me the takeaway is that Rafa be healthy in order to win. To not play when he is injured. To stop playing as soon as he suffers an injury and not continue playing. Moyá has said the same regarding injury.
Rafa cannot stay fit if he decides to play every tournament. Fans are only giving their opinion about what to play and not to play. I want him to be the best he can be and that is all.
I don’t see where any fan has thrown his career out the window because he lost the AO. I wish he had skipped it, better to be prepared for his following tournaments. There are recent articles quoting him as saying he will return to be the best on “tierra.” What does that signify? For me, he is already the best on clay.
And for a fan to call another fan a troll, or not a Rafan because of a difference of perspective is just nonsense. To completely make up things is even worse.
Some seem to forget that this is a discussion group and there will always be conflicting opinions, ideas, suggestions, or whatever. But discussion should be done respectfully without name calling. My opinion.
And yes, 2017 was GLORIOUS.
RAFA IS THE ROCKIN’ CHAMPION
Margo, You could do with taking your own advice. Taking the moral high ground after trolling people accusing them of sentiments they didn’t know they held until you told them. Listen and try to understand an opinion before assuming one and forcing your own. It is nasty and upsetting. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Rafan or not, you troll!
LOL
Margo is about as level-headed as they come on this site.
If Tiggy thinks you’re doing something wrong, that’s a pretty good sign you’re doing something right.
Thank you for the show of support.
I like to see both sides of a story, if there is one to be found.
RAFA ROCKS
Yes Winston it certainly is. A lot of people here try to place themselves in the shoes of Rafa, who is their favourite tennis player of all time, hands down and they believe that Rafa can go down in history as the GOAT. And many of them have been pleasantly surprised by Nadal’s 2017 comeback, hence the mantra “Never count out Rafael Nadal” that is repeated here often. However we have now arrived in the fifth year since Nadal started to slip (Aussie Open 2014) and despite his amazing return to the top last year, many of us here agree that all in all Rafa has not made the most of his possibilities and definitely has shown few signs of learning from big mistakes.
Examples: 2014 marked the year of the mental breakdown. Aussie Open final loss was a combination of a back injury that probably was caused by mental stress. The harder Wawrinka started to hit, the more fearful Rafa started to look and there it was, an injured back (sorry to say that a similar thing happened this year against Cilic – the body following the mind in its breakdown). Stress that we saw during the remainder of the 2014 season as the biggest road block, despite this his RG victory in 2014 was remarkable and in a way rather ‘lucky’ as Djokovic fell ill in the final. Rafa subsequently refused to do anything about his problems and was amateuristic in telling the whole world about his nerves. Like a boxer telling the press he fears his opponent (never let your guard down). Fans here saw very clearly that Rafa needed a new coach. This was the biggest outcry here since 2013. A former top player preferably. But no. Rafa threw away two complete years (2015 and 2016) before he decided to hire Moya. And man, these years were poor! He did not improve at all in these years, but became a worse player. That player managed to find the mental strength to reach the Aussie Open final of 2017, where his lack of technical, tactical and mental improvements in the end costs him the victory. Rafa played a very mediocre final, but went up a break in the fifth and still lost it. With Moya on board since a few months, we saw a fresher version of Nadal win the French Open. With Djokovic and Murray injured and Federer not playing, Rafa did what he had to do in sublime fashion. If only he’d hired Moya earlier. Most players would make this decision after half a bad season. Rafa needed three years. At 2017 Wimbledon ‘the nerves’ returned, not that it really mattered, because Federer would have bageled Rafa on the grass most likely. At the US Open Rafa had a cakewalk draw and he made the most of it. It was again a remarkable result, given the fact that he played so so in the build up tournaments. Apart from the clay, Rafa’s level was not that high in 2017, except that he won much more big points than in the dark years 2015 and 2016. Rafa’s unbelievable dumb planning after the US Open saw him throw away his chances of a solid Aussie Open. Half injured he kept going in China and Europe and he tried to play as much as possible in the fall. Apparently forgetting that January is quite close to November, he even played injured in London, not even quitting while he was hurting. This may have lead to some compliments in the press on a ‘heroic’ performance, but Federer cs were laughing behind his back. Beginner mistakes by a 16 time slam winner who outmanoevred himself, subsequently more or less stating that the Aussie Open was part of the preparation for a big season to come (yes, that’s how you indeed win a slam ‘only’ once). And more and more people here agree. We saw it coming from miles away. And then we did not even touch upon Roger who now so clearly has Rafa’s number. This should have and could have been avoided!
Good comments Jean. I just wish Rafa had taken more time to recuperate after his 2014 season in which he suffered a back injury, a wrist injury, and appendicitis. It was no surprise to me that 2015 was not a good season for him. The wear and tear of the 2014 season had to have wreaked havoc on his body.
I admit that I was surprised about Toni and Rafa admitting he had a “mental injury.” His opponents were probably salivating with relief [and glee].
2017 was truly a happy time for him, until….
The injury that he now is recuperating from by all accounts is minor. But to heal he was supposed to rest. It has been ingrained in him that hard work and practice will produce great results. I think in Rafa’s case more rest will result in better performance.
Hoping for him to realize that being healthy will give him more confidence.
YES, RAFA ROCKS
Agreed.
I was the one who said before that Rafa had a HUGE chance to surpass Federer’s slam record at 2014-2015 but all those trolls like the one-that we all know who often disguises by “RAFA ROCKS” said that he was fine. At that moment when it’s 14-17 and Federer was in a slump. Rafa clearly could have the chance to compete for Wimbledon, US Open and even the cursed slam if he added the man like Moya to his camp. No disrespect to Toni but he doesn’t contribute much to Rafa’s game plan anymore and his toughness doesn’t resolve “self doubt”. I was always thinking that Rafa could have added at least 3 slams (2 FO and 1 none clay slam) at that period.
Now again, last year the story was still the same. The gap was 3 but it was 16-19. Rafa and his medical team made the wrong decision just like what happened after Madrid Open 2016.
I think now we should not think about Federer’s slam record. Let’s just enjoy his tennis!
I know Rafa is upset right now but i hope that he can overcome this. The goal this year is to protect the clay crowd in France and complete the “Career Super Slam”. That’s all i hope.
Vamos!
Why no comments about the real reason Fed entered Rotterdam as a wildcard? And it’s not about Rafa.
According to Aargauer Zeitung, “Fed’s drive to play Rotterdam is to beat Andre Agassi’s record as the oldest world No. 1 in the history of the men’s game.” ‘He wants to secure another bit of tennis history.’
“I’m here with all my heart and will do anything for it. That’s why I’m here.”
[by Joe Short, Feb. 12, 2018]
RAFA ROCKS
You believe this? He would do anything to replace Agassi as the oldest number 1 but has no interest in taking the No.1 from his biggest ever rival – the man that has single-handedly called into contention his goat status? Rafa became the oldest year end No. 1 last year – I suppose he’s not interested in taking that either?
This is classic compelling narcissism – invite sympathy (in this case his age, ‘I’m doing this against all odds’). Let people know that it’s his heart, his passion behind it – it’s nothing to do with beating anyone (‘how nice I am, I’m doing this for greater reasons other than my ego’). Completely lie about the real purpose which is to invite people to witness and glorify in his ‘greatness’.
I’d respect him a lot more if he would just say, ‘hey it’s a competition. I want to beat Rafa in the race to No. 1. That’s what we’re here to do’.
C’mon Tiggy, I’m not a mind reader. Fed’s reasoning has a lot of punch to it re “being the oldest world No. 1.”
I am not talking about year-end No. 1. Agassi is the oldest player to be named world No. 1 at age 33 and Fed is looking to break that record. It just makes sense as far as I am concerned.
I think you’ve gone a little overboard about what is in Fed’s mind. Sympathy never entered my mind, and of course he obviously has the passion otherwise he would have retired already.
If it were Tom, Dick or Harry, instead of Rafa, I feel Fed would still want to break Agassi’s record. Of course it’s his ego, he is looking to make history no matter against whom.
Remember, he took a wild card for Rotterdam. He and wife may have been discussing what record could he next break. Voilà, the oldest world No. 1 came to mind. It could have happened like that.
I just hope Rafa plays a lot smarter this year in order to avert injury. At first Rafa said at the Alicante event that he “would play” Alcapulco; then he said he “may play” Acapulco; now he is saying he won’t play unless he is 100%. So now there is a chance he will skip Acapulco. Let’s see what he decides. I want him fit and eager to win some slams.
THE RAFA SLAM IS COMING
It makes far more sense to me that Roger will want to take the No. 1 by overtaking Rafa in the here and now, as an active player and not for some, 3 year age difference, barely important record of an inactive player. Roger’s still got ‘it’. He’s not worried about Agassi – Rafa is bigger fish to him. Don’t forget, Rafa came under huge criticism last year for denying Roger the No.1 spot’ allegedly only playing to meet this end. I doubt veeeeery much that Roger has forgotten this. It’s a nice thought that him and his wife have a little cosy, tete-a-tete about what record he might break; completely nonchalant to the current situation – can’t see it myself – LOL.
As for Acapulco – I’d be seriously worried if Rafa was not fit to play as the latest injury was supposed to be minor. If the knees are not fully healed then it’s basically been months which is a very bad sign. We can only hope for the best!
Onwards and upwards – Vamos Rafa!
Re “inactive player,” tell that to Serena because she wants to break Margaret Court’s record. She played her last singles tournament in 1975.
What I do know is that if Fed makes it to world No. 1 at three years older than Agassi was when he was crowned as the oldest player to reach world No. 1, Fed will have made history, with or without Rafa in the equation.
Rafa, get your game face on.
RAFA ROCKS
Ridiculous, Tiggy.
If Federer said to become #1 “to take it away from Nadal” then that would have sent you completely off your rocker, wouldn’t it? It’s blatantly obvious that you’re just looking for any angle from which to criticize, and you will take whatever you are given. The opportunity fell on Federer’s doorstep (a poor metaphor, given that he had to fight for it the entire last year). He’d be foolish not to take it now, as would any player in his shoes. Apparently, honesty is now classified as narcissism. A+ to you for your incredible psychological assessment.
It’s not all bad RHlink.
Yesterday when I was told that there are other eligible voters who, in addition to current players, may vote for the year-end ATP awards, I sent an email to the ATP asking for clarification on the subject. I hope they respond.
According to the ATP site, it is the players who vote and that is how I understood it, not ex-coaches or just anyone who is an ATP member. If they respond, I will post their reply here so that other members can be informed.
No matter who is eligible to vote, I do find it curious that Fed has received the Sportsmanship award for ? consecutive years [I forgot the number of times]; not a complaint by any means, just an observation.
I have tried to find an explanation for him being elected so many times for this category but only came up with his “locker room” presence and that he is well liked by his fellow players. He purportedly offers advice, he mingles with them, and shows a genuine interest in them.
I also keep in mind that I don’t personally know any of these players.
RAFA ROCKS
I agree with you Margo, Roger is an exemplary human being and Rafa had no right or reason for his criticism of him in 2012. His support of fairer distribution of pay is unfounded because Roger’s take on pay and the calendar is obviously of more worth than Rafa’s and any other player that dared criticise him. Obviously Rafa was mistaken on this matter as you’ve represented Roger’s defence so well. His altruistic stance clearly superior to Rafa’s. He, of course, has no interest whatsoever of surpassing Rafa as No. 1; his goal exclude his current rivalry with Rafa which is unimportant compared to Roger’s potential record and place in history. Your defence of his character is also very touching; exulting his virtues while simultaneously criticising Rafa’s lack of smart play and blaming him for his own injuries – what a silly boy he is and how generous of you to ‘continue supporting him’ despite of this.
The ‘criticise Rafa and extol the virtues of Roger’ attitude seems to be popular on here. Even a direct quote, or indeed anything that is pro-Rafa on here, is followed with dislikes. Odd that? Perhaps you are appealing to a different set of fans?
Anyone on here criticising Rafa after the season he gave his fans last year is out of order. Coming back from the most horrific set of injuries and mental issues to award his fans with two slams and one of the most dominant displays of his career. ‘Short-sighted, smart play, scheduling, skipping tournaments, his own worst enemy’? So he got a little carried away because he was on a roll and he felt good. This is Rafa we’re talking about, a man that lives to compete, not Roger.
You clearly need help, Tiggy.
The difference between djokovic and nadal is djokovic hates federer not in a personal matter but in a competitive manner. I really enjoyed the brutal beating federer got in 2014 and 2015 and 2016 from djokovic. The sweetest victory for djokovic was the wimbeldon and us open final 2015 where djokovic had to battle not only federer but also the disprespectful audience.
I have become to admire djokovic more for his competitive and mental state of mind. Djokovic wanted to be better then federer and had he not losed his focuss after winning paris 2016 he would have surpass or equal federer.
And here you have nadal who like i said is in denial about his age and brutalized his body in order to satisfy tournament organizers and his sponsors. He is not in charge of his career and allowed federer to be emboldend and cocky Sad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I really don’t understand how anyone can not agree with Mjus’ post. There is no argument against anything he states here.
thanks for the support jean sober really appreciate it. Everything i said is constructive critism never personal. And what i said is the truth. Difference between djokovic and nadal is that djokovic believes he is better then federer. Off couse he will never say it in public because he knows that the tennis media, pundits and tournament organizers are pro federer and he will get critized.
When djokovic had that amazing year 2015 and one part of 2016 where he beat everyone including federer he never got the credits he deserved from the pundits. They were so biased that they called it bad for the atp tennis that djokovic was beating everyone.
Djokovic handed federer some very painful losses in that period. He didnt allow federer to build confidence or emboldend him and as a result of that the people were feeling sorry for federer
Since Federer rised up last year and beat nadal several times and since Nadal didnt learn nothing from these losses the consequence of that is that in the absence of djokovic federer feels emboldend and has build up immense selfconfidence and is acting in a cocky arrogant manner.
The media is glorifying federer to a ridicilous manner and i hope for the sake of the atp djokovic will turn back to his best to put federer back to earth
Jean, don’t forget that many here are Djokovic haters so complimenting Nole for anything is probably a no-no.
Now Roger has replaced Nole, taking heat for playing smartly and selectively, e.g., not playing the 2017 clay season.
Nadal fans may not remember that Roger’s 2016 AO win had to have boosted his confidence immensely. Roger has since stated many times that he did not expect to win. Now he is saying he wants to see how far he can go. No one can fault him for that. He wins on his own and not for being popular. His fans love him, tournament directors adore him, and tennis pundits extole him. Not his fault.
Rafa refuses to play smartly. He has been dogged by injury since he was 18. I will never forgive him for his 2016 FO retirement. Not because he had to retire, not because he was injured, but because of the lengths he went to to play the FO with a terrible injury. He knew he was injured way before the FO. And even in 2017, he continued to play with an injury that occurred in China.
As Lorna said, “short-term gain is no use if it leads to long-term damage.” Rafa doesn’t get it. I refuse to “blame” others players for Rafa’s short-sighted behavior. He will always have my support and I will continue to be a fan without reservation but I will always worry about him being healthy.
RAFA ROCKS
Anyone who thinks tournaments do not want a particular outcome should look no further than the Rome 2015 final between Fed an Djokovic. What took place on that podium opened my eyes. Bias in the tennis world is real and not a figment of fans’ vivid imaginations. The tournament director, who didn’t hide his contempt, made the point that Fed brought the fans in. Fed made the same point in his runners up speech. The TD (Pietrangeli) was also caught on camera visibly annoyed just before the match ended. I am not a Djok fan, I am not a Fed fan but I have optimum respect for Djokovic for upsetting the status quo and stating he thinks Rafa is the greatest and also how he has stood up to the disparaging press lately in a very diplomatic and eloquent way. He too is a victim of ‘you were not supposed to win’ mentality and degradation of his character. I won’t post youtube videos because they will go into quarantine on this site (rightly so) but are easily searchable.
As far as Rafa is concerned, Mjus is right, he is an innocent, he doesn’t appear to see bad in people. He tries to satisfy everyone and if he so much as utters a protest about the amount of hard court tournaments, is immediately nullified by the media, Mr Federer himself and the tennis authorities. Djokovic and Rafa have stood up together before, against blue clay, they are standing up together again regarding fairer distribution of prize money and other matters, for which, Djokovic has been labelled as greedy by the media. The tennis world can be quite an ugly one. How Rafa has continued to support all the correct values within it, when it itself doesn’t always do so, is incredible.
Tiggy,
Nice piece i just finished it reading. One other thing that came up to my mind was years ago when federer and nadal were members of the players council I remember nadal for the first and perhapes only time critize federer about something i think it was the calender. Nadal opinion was that federer was too silent with speaking out about the calender. After a match he was grilled about it by federer allies in the media and all of a suddend nadal took his critism back.
Djokovic has it in him to play for another five years. I will tell you this if nadal doesnt a grandslam anymore i sure hope that djokovic will
It was back in 2012. Ironically, it was about exactly the same issues there are now: scheduling and prize money. Davydenko infamously criticised Fed:
“I don’t know why Roger is not supporting the players,” “Because he don’t want … any problems. He’s nice guy. He’s winning Grand Slams. He’s from Switzerland. He’s perfect. “He don’t want to do anything, he just try to be an outsider from this one.” “I don’t know what was happening,” “You need to ask why (of) Federer. I’ll also be interesting what Federer says. If you guys ask Federer why he don’t want to do, why he don’t want to support players, I will be interested in the answer.”
Rafa was the one who, of course, came under the most scrutiny so he curtailed his remarks. But his quotes from an article at the time give an insight to what he believed was Roger’s character:
Nadal reacted strongly on Sunday when it was suggested that Federer disliked it when players complained openly about problems on the tour because it tarnished the image of tennis.
“No, I totally disagree,” “for him it’s good to say nothing. Everything positive. ‘It’s all well and good for me, I look like a gentleman, and the rest can burn themselves’. “Everyone is entitled to have their own opinions.”
Tiggy and mjus, you didn’t include Fed’s take on the subject of a shorter calendar.
According to Fed, the top-tier players are well compensated for playing; they are invited to play exhibition matches, they have multiple sponsors, and they can pick and choose when to play.
Lower-ranked juniors and journeymen try to make ends meet due to the unequal amounts of prize money distributed in early stages of tournaments.
Rafa, Nole, and Fed are in agreement about getting more money for the lower-tier players. Where these diverge is on the “calendar” question.
A shorter calendar would deprive lower ranked players from earning more money and as head of the ATP player council in 2012, Roger felt their needs were not being addressed. He also stated that there is a process for players to present their grievances before the ATP, and not the media.
No, no, no, Margo, you clearly don’t get it. Federer can’t merely be someone over whom we favor Rafa. He has to be evil, immoral, etc. That’s how it works with some of Rafa’s most embarrassing fans, anyway.
The way to bait trolls is to add an anti-Fed sentiments and it worked a treat. Answered by pre-prepared ‘cut and paste’ jobs that I’ve seen echoed multiple times now – just like the line… ‘It’s not his fault he is loved by fans, pundits etc…… ‘. When 8 out of 10 of someone’s comments are negative about Rafa and entirely pro-Roger (2 factual) this makes no sense to me.
Unfortunately, the Murray coach scenario is true (as is the brat on YouTube saying Rafa was doping). The coach’s anti-Rafa stance is well known to prominent Rafans that run his fan bases (when I first brought this to light, last year, I was contacted by them – it was no surprise). Saying other players on tour deserve a look-in when it comes to voting, other than Roger and Rafa, is not hateful nor should it be perceived as questioning Roger but the tour generally (as I said). Using Rafa’s direct quotes should never be perceived as malicious towards Roger but something that is open to question as he was clearly upset. It’s about reading peoples words and answers carefully and not reacting to the constantly contentious Margo.
Do I really need help for questioning why Rafans are criticising Rafa after the brilliant season he had? Unless you, yourself, are a troll of course.
But.. RAFA ROCKS right.
Hi JXR, I agree with you about “needing help.” That was my first thought after reading that hogwash.
I had never been a fan of anyone until I first laid eyes on Rafa over a decade ago. But being a Rafan doesn’t mean I have to post inaccurate comments about other players either. You can clearly see my words were artfully taken out of context. It is also possible that what I wrote was not understood. In that case, anyone can just ask me a question instead of changing what I wrote.
Oh, I’ve always liked DelPo but don’t follow him. Andy’s ok and so is Wawrinka.
RAFA ROCKS FOR ME