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
Boris Becker claims that Rafa is only behind Roger Federer on gland slam titles for one reason. “The trouble for him is that so much of the way he plays is based around his physicality and that is why he has had so many injuries” . Boris isn’t telling us anything new, but still it remains a fact.
Meanwhile super confident Roger makes no secret of his success and longevity. “I’ve just got to keep a good schedule, stay hungry, then maybe good things can happen. Then I don’t think age is an issue, per se. It’s just a number. But I need to be very careful in my planning, really decide beforehand what are my goals, what are my priorities. I think that’s what’s going to dictate how successful I will be.”
From what he’s saying, it’s clear that Roger has no intentions of hanging up his raquet any time soon. I wish I could hear sensible, strategic talk like this from Rafa. Instead, he’s just saying that he wants to be healthy and happy. From now on I really don’t want to be nervously watching Rafa playing each tournament worrying whether he’s going get injured. At this stage in his career, I wish Rafa would realise that less is more!
Yeah this is a difference in character. Nadal is never going to have an attitude like Fed and it may have cost him a major here and there. Fed, in my opinion, is the typical spoiled tennis kid type of character. Once these kids realize they are better than their peers… ugly things happen to their behaviors. Not nice to look at, but useful in a super individualistic sport like tennis. Rafa is an exception in this regard or, he has managed to hide it well. I don’t know if any of you has been around ‘top level’ youth tennis, but trust me, the parents kid prima donna thing there makes you sometimes want to throw up. Roger, as history well knows, was one of the worst tennis kids.
I’ve never been around the kids on tour but one only has to remember the jealous brat that venomously said Rafa must be doping to be able to come back from injury. Of course, the media picked it up as though it had credence (he was a tennis player after all). The video was on YouTube and you didn’t have to be a body language expert to see that this kid couldn’t work out why he wasn’t famous yet despite of what mummy and daddy had told him (he seems to have faded in obscurity). The kid even admitted at the end that he might be wrong but both the envy and disappointment was plainly evident.
Who I have met is one of Andy’s Murray’s ex coaches who I happened to sit next to in Barcelona. We struck up a conversation and his contempt for Rafa, he made perfectly clear to me. His resentment and jealously was evident. He actually had the nerve to ask ‘how could you like him?’ These are the same egotistical, biased, self-interested kids and ‘tennis professionals’ that are relied on to give neutral votes at the ATP year end awards.
I’m no longer naïve about the so called ‘gentleman’s sport’. There are all sorts of nasty politics, petty and otherwise, going on in the background. Rafa is, I believe, a true gentleman.
I personally think this is a nonsense statement from Boris (if he did indeed mean it this way). From the perspective that Rafa has been playing approximately 5 years less than fed, percentage wise he has gained as much, if not more, in his own career period. How can anyone blame Rafa’s physicality for his losses when, he has gained as much as purportedly the greatest player in tennis history? Unless Boris is saying, Rafa would have had even more titles despite his far shorter career? In which case, he is saying Rafa is the goat. But knowing Boris, he probably just wants to keep his head in the tabloids.
Tiggy, the ATP year-end awards are voted on by fans and players except for the Arthur Ash Humanitarian Award which the ATP selects, and not by biased ex-coaches or others of that ilk as you stated.
Comeback Player…ATP players choose
Fans’ Favorite…self-explanatory
Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award…ATP players choose from nominees [Rafa was a 2017 nominee]
I was hoping for Rafa to win the come back player award. It didn’t happen.
Rafa did win the year end No. 1 award, but at what cost. I too wish he had concentrated on the AO 2018. He may have won it.
RAFA ROCKS
The sportsmanship award is voted for by players and, ex coaches are often members of the ATP, also entitled to votes. Main point being, people that boast, as they often do, that as it is other players vote for Roger, Rafa etc, it is an infallible and undeniable fact that they are the best sportsmen on tour. This is not necessarily the case (the kids, and other players on tour are as human as you and I and just as susceptible to biases etc.). There are many great displays of sportsmanship on tour that never get a look in, Dimitrov, Goffin for example that never get a look in. It wreaks of political voting or manipulation by the ATP. In some cases, they are brats that vote for their faves just as we do.
Tiggy, what Lorna wrote about Becker was accurate. So stop twisting Becker’s words too.
Becker said that Rafa’s injuries were due to the physicality of his game. As Lona said, we know this.
Becker further went on to say, “The only reason Rafa is behind Fed is because of his injuries…When he is out injured his style and personality are truly missed.”
All Rafa fans know that Fed has been playing years longer than Fed. No need for Boris to remind anyone. We all know that Rafa more than likely would have left his nemesis in the wind had he not suffered so many injuries.
Becker was actually praising Rafa for his great record DESPITE the number of injuries he has suffered. Instead, you want to make it into something nefarious.
I as a Rafan long ago realized what Rafa could have accomplished in addition to and on top of his stellar career, had injuries left him alone. That’s why RAFA ROCKS, because he has beaten all odds. He is a true CHAMPION.
RAFA ROCKS
Correction in 4th paragraph: All Rafa fans know that Fed had been playing years longer than “Rafa.”
RAFA ROCKS
Can’t wait. – Good luck Rafa ❤️🍀🤗
VAMOS CHAMP! 🎾💪🏼😘
Also I still dont see the forehand down the line that rafa used to hit. Its like he has skipped it out of his game. That forehand down the line used to be very effective against federer and djokovic. I hope that Moya will bring back the forehand down the line and also focuss on improving his courtposition and returns.
Should mixed up his returns against federer. Too many times when he is playing federer he stands 30 meters behind the baseline and keeps returning cross court easy for federer to win the point.
The difference between nadal and federer or djokovic is that last two are putting their own careers first. Federer realizes he is getting older and older and only picks the tournaments that matter to him. The other one djokovic was for three years ago unbeatable but lost the motivation after completing his grandslam had he kept his focuss i think he could have equal federer. Also Djokovic and Federer both improved their game.
Nadal on the other hand is a pleaser he wants to satsify anybody at the expense of his own career. He cant say no to organizers because he doesnt want to dissapoint them or cant say no to his fans sometimes.
Furthermore he is still practicing 5 hours a day on a tennis court at the age of 31 also still wants to play little tournaments that have no value for rafa. Also still wants to play 5 clay tournaments and wants to play davis cup. Rafa is in denial about his age. He one time admitted that he wished to be 19 again for me a sign that he has problems accepting the fact that he hes getting older.
For me as a rafa supporter its dissapointing that he doesnt have the discipline like djokovic or federer to manage his own career. If he had done that who knows how many titles he would have won.
Anyway after writing this Rafa still rocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think Rafa could play a few clay court tournaments in order to be ready and for RG. I too somehow feel he’s overdoing it. Don’t know if he’ll play Queen’s at all. He should be in top condition for the grand slams and not have to retire in between with an injury.
Vamos
Rafa fan 1, I think Lorna stated it beautifully and succinctly, “short-term gain is no use if it leads to long-term damage.” Try telling that to Rafa.
RAFA ROCKS
Margo, it’s good to see that you made a 180 degree turn in your opinions on Rafa. I guess your eyes have been opened after the oh so disappointing events down under, courtesy of Rafas stubborn fall scheduling.
As I stated in an earlier post [1-2 months ago], Rafa marches to the beat of how own drum.
RAFA ROCKS
Respect. Respect is called for.Each and every person is entitled to no less than this. Vamos Rafa
Maybe Alcapulco means more than numbers to Rafa.Rafa is Rafa.Go figure.Vamos Rafa
Roger is outsmarting Rafa for the no. 1 ranking. He is playing Rotterdam next week and needs two wins to take the top spot.
It’s inevitable that Roger will take the no.1 spot soon and Rafa needs to accept it and look at the longer term. There’s no point in Rafa killing himself to hold on to the top spot when there are bigger prizes to play for. Since Roger missed the whole of the clay season last year, he has nothing to lose and everything to gain on this surface. My guess is that he’ll play a warm up tournament ( maybe Madrid) and then try to get a good run at the French Open. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Carlos Moyà will make Rafa see sense about his schedule.
I just heard that federer accepted a wildcard for Rotterdam so roger wants to become the nr 1 in the world. From what i am reading right now confirms my fear about rafa. Rafa is absolute legend. But because of his unwilligness to accept the fact that he is getting older and his lack of professionalism he has squash so many opportunities to surpass roger. What you also can conclude is that weakness of Moya not wanting to tell nadal the truth. It is absoluty insane at the age of 31 to play 3 tournaments in februari and march then 5 tournaments in april and may and then wanting to play davis cup and queens and wimbeldon. No wonder the second part of the season turned out always to be his worst.
Lack of professionalism? Are you talking about Rafa??
mjus, I have to disagree with you on “What you also can conclude is that weakness of Moyá not wanting to tell Nadal the truth.”
In numerous interviews, Carlos has been steadfast about Rafa needing to stay healthy and to better manage his schedule in order for him to stay on top. He obviously is having difficulty in convincing Rafa to listen to him, to follow his advice and slow down.
The only time Rafa slows down is when he can no longer play with an injury. And even then, he rushes back to the court. I get it, it’s Rafa’s way or no way. As I see it, the one at fault is not Carlos.
Rafa has been coddled all his life and to expect him to change now is folly. Rafa is how own worst enemy. Neither Toni nor Carlos can knock some sense into him. And lots of us were blaming Toni, me included.
I will just enjoy him for as long as he chooses to keep playing. Until his body tells him “no mas.”
RAFA ROCKS
It will be great to see you playing, just try to be free of injury and stay strong
for 2018. Wish you more 🏆 and good health.❤️💪🍀🎾
l will be in mallorca for the month in june,but will watch you vamos rafa,we are going to your accadamy the food is lovely,maybe meet tony,hope so,this is the third time we have been love it vamos rafa.
Rafa seems to be determined to fend off Roger from taking the no.1 spot and that’s why he said he’ll be playing in Acapulco. It makes no sense to me. He’s already gifted Roger points through injury. If he is serious about prolonging his career and reaching Roger’s slam total, he’ll have to skip some of these smaller tournaments. Short term gain is no use if it leads to long term damage. I’d love to see Rafa at Queen’s, a decade after his momentous victory there but, like you mjus, I question whether he will have the physical stamina to do so. C’mon Rafa! Plan smart, play smart!
I can see no point in his playing at Apapulco to keep Federer from becoming number 1 when Fed. will probably beat him in Indian Wells or Miami and become number 1 anyway.
He’s also talking about playing Davis Cup in April just before the start of the clay season when he is at his busiest. So he adds Davis Cup to increase the load !!
I adore Rafa. I think he is just gorgeous. But he is hopeless at managing his schedule. That’s why Fed beats him. Fed never arrives at a tournament suffering “burnout” Rafa will be at burnout stage by the end of the clay season I fear.
Hope I am wrong about this.
no you are not wrong beverly. I just heard that federer accepted a wildcard for Rotterdam so roger wants to become the nr 1 in the world. From what i am reading right now confirms my fear about rafa. Rafa is absolute legend. But because of his unwilligness to accept the fact that he is getting older and his lack of professionalism he has squash so many opportunities to surpass roger. What you also can conclude is that weakness of Moya not wanting to tell nadal the truth. It is absoluty insane at the age of 31 to play 3 tournaments in februari and march then 5 tournaments in april and may and then wanting to play davis cup and queens and wimbeldon. No wonder the second part of the season turned out always to be his worst.
In order to do well at queens and wimbeldon nadal needs to skip some clay tournaments because clay court season is exhausting. Nadal refuse to see it that way he wants to play everything. That is why i predict he will ultimately not playing queens because once the clay season is finished nadal is just too exhausted to preform well. Too bad he doesnt see it that way and still thinks he is 25 years old.
Beautiful!! But there were a lot of lonely bull caps and t-shirts wandering around last year – I know because I was one of them. Stay strong Rafa – hope to see you x
Rafa you are the most positive and professional athlete going,
and I pray all the best for Acapulco for you.
Love and prayers,
AlaineXXSydneyXXAustraliaXX
Vamos Rafa <3
M alegro Rafa…pero cuidate k t querremos siempre juegues o no…lleguaste a nuestros corazones…
Three cheers for you Rafa my boy – you always come back smiling n ready for a smashing tournament. God bless you. Vamos Rafa. Your Aussie Abuela Nan Shirley. 🐂🏆👑⛴🎉🎉🎉
A week or so ago when I hoped that Rafa was resting he announced during an event arranged by Banco Sabadell in Alicante that he would play Alcapulco, Indian Wells and Miami. Rafa never rests.
RAFA ROCKS ALICANTE
Is this Rafa’s apartment? xo