ARTICLES:
- Moya on Nadal: “The best thing is to stop, come back at full strength” | tennismajors.com
n a recent interview with Spanish Radio and Television Corporation (RTVE), Carlos Moya — Nadal’s coach — offered an additional explanation for the decision.
“The clay-court swing was very tough, with a lot of physical and mental pressure,” Moya reflected. “Rafa finished exhausted. He is going to take a well-deserved rest. This is a marathon, a long-distance race, in which hard decisions have to be made and he has considered that the best thing is to stop [so that he can] come back at full strength. Rafa two years ago reached a point of great mental fatigue that was very difficult to get out of, and now he was close to that again. He cannot afford (to play) a Grand Slam if he is not at 100 percent.”
“[On Nadal deciding to skip Wimbledon] It did surprise me. It is true that he had a few small problems, but obviously he thought he would play,” the Spaniard said in an interview with Marca.
“A loss at Roland Garros is always painful, especially if you have won 13 times. But it is not Rafael’s first defeat. He has lost more difficult games in finals.
“It is normal that he is a little affected. The only thing missing is that you lose a match like the one in the Paris semi-finals and you are happy.”
- Nadal had a foot injury in Roland-Garros semi-final against Djokovic, reveals Forget | tennismajors.com
Tournament director Guy Forget revealed some surprising news about Rafael Nadal at the end of the French Open on Sunday — telling the press that he had a foot injury during his semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic.
It was a passing comment in the end-of-tournament press conference, with Forget mentioning that the 13-time Paris champion — who took a medical timeout in the fourth set — had struggled with a sore foot.
“He was a little bit physically affected at the end,” he said. “It was more a little pain in the foot. He had, again, the class not to talk about it at all.”
VIDEO:
[…] Rafael Nadal stunned the tennis world after clinching his 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne on Sunday, moving ahead of both Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam race. Interestingly, around five months ago, the Spaniard was not even able to walk properly because of a foot injury. […]
Rafa reminds me of the Phoenix. He will rise from the ashes of his defeat and will be reborn.
The Phoenix is symbolic of rebirth, hope, renewal, and progress. Rafa had me thinking of the expression “The Phoenix will rise.”
👍
All the best to our Champ!❤️
Come on…. Rafa makes no excuses and doesn’t want anyone else to on his behalf…His foot was wrapped too tight… must have stopped the circulation or something…It hurt but it wasn’t an injury… He’s fine…
See him on the boat? He looks great…. Just what he needs – some chill time…
So here’s my prediction…. We will see him back on the hard court practicing in about 10 days…..
Just a light practice before he starts digging in and going full force….
Rogers Cup…. a favorite of Rafa’s starts August 6th…. so he will have a solid 3-4 weeks to tune up till that tournament…
Cincinnati – starts on August 15th…. Rafa doesn’t love it here…. 2016 – he lost, 2017 he lost, 2018, 2019 he withdrew…. 2020… He wasn’t in the states in 2020….
But.. he might need more competition before the Open so he might opt to play Cincinnati…. Time will tell…
I think his passing on Wimbledon will be bittersweet for him this year but he knows he made the right decision. He needs to look forward, get stronger, get focused ..so he can play the game he loves and WIN!!
Counting the days till I see you again…..
VAMOS RAFA
Carlos Moyá spoke to Rafael Plaza/ATP Tour Noticias before Rafa’s match vs Popyrin
Title: El entrenador mallorquín analiza cómo llega Nadal a Roland Garros Date: May 31, 2021
In his comments I get the feeling that Rafa’s troubles started before Monte-Carlo.
Carlos said he does not talk to Rafa about winning or losing but of feeling comfortable or dominating.
It’s in Spanish and I find it difficult to translate this conversation, it’s convoluted and nuanced.
Take rest and come back stronger. Vamos Rafa❤️
Hopefully it’s nothing too bad. I’m not sure that it’s helpful for Uncle Toni to keep discussing Rafa with the media.
I think that if Rafa sustained a signifiacant foot injury, we’d have heard about it by now.
As Rafa’s coach and good friend, Carlos Moya is very diplomatic in what he says to the media.
I agree with Margo, in that Toni Nadal should take a step back (i e. butt out) and let Carlos deal with tennis matters concerning his nephew, but he just can’t help himself.
For me, Rafa’s decision to sit it out for a couple of months is the wisest one. I’m hoping that as well as resting, Rafa with work with his team to strengthen his serve and his backhand under pressure, and the latter is certainly what Novak will continue to target.
It’s a relief to know, the 2 wins Novak had on Roland-Garros over, Rafael, it had been when Rafael haven’t been in his best, which happened in 2015/2021, Novak know it !!! That it’s the reason why he doesn’t Brag about it…. he knows a Fresh Rafael Nadal it’s unbeatable…. so Rafa it’s coming back next year to take back his crown!!! I’m hoping also that Rafa can be able to take off the crown of Novak in the AO …. Rafael it’s going to be Bouncing back , from this loss in Paris , his kingdom!!! Rest well Rafael, there it’s more victories to come!!!
Tatamalo…. Rafa has 13 crowns at Roland Garros…. Let’s remember that….
There’s only one King and you know who it is…It’s the guy who has a 9 foot statue standing at the front entrance.of Roland Garros… And you’re right…. Rafa will have more victories to come….
Novak won the GS… That’s it… Next…..
Tennis is a game of wins and losses – Rafa lost another tough match at RG for whatever reasons unfortunately, but so proud of all the achievements he has accomplished even with all the injuries he has had in his career!👍👏🎾 He is 35 years old and still going strong.🙏😊 I will miss watching you play, but there’s a lot more in life away from tennis…rest well and enjoy yourself Rafa, your fans will always be cheering for you when it’s the right time you are back in action.🥰
Mimi, we sure will be ready to cheer him when he returns. I hope he takes his time coming back and enjoys his time off. Hoping he can get vaccinated which may help alleviate some of his worries. NYC has fully opened so there won’t be any restrictions as of yesterday.
Margo, I agree, and it’s a good time if he can get it done during this break, the sooner the better I think.🤞
Hopefully we can get back to some kind of normalcy slowly…I am in California, and I have gone out to lunch and dinner for the first time in over a year.😊
Ahh…good for you.
If Rafa plays Indian Wells will you go to see him? Supposedly it’s being held in October.
Hi Margo, maybe…I was considering going one time, but I checked, the airport is kind of far to the resorts.
Good luck to you, Rafael Nadal. Hope your recovery includes cruise time on your beautiful yacht. We
appreciate your participation during this brutal time in our lives. Your attitude and amazing effort
provided us with a sense of normalcy during the most abnormal of times. It has been a challenge to
soldier through the craziness of the last 18 months without the added layer of training, travelling, and
competing. So, many thanks for your fight and warrior mentality👺💪🙏👏look forward to seeing
you back on court🎾🍀❤️
Rafa said to the Spanish press that his foot pain was caused by the wrapping being too tight and that it didn’t affect his tennis.
Sad news about our champ – class indeed in not using excuses – a good rest and he will be back and rearing to go and win once more!!! You can do it champ!!
What both Toni and Carlos seem to be saying is that Rafa’s foot pain was not the reason he lost. Carlos cites his poor playing. I guess I should feel relieved that he’s not injured, if that’s the case.
Toni is no longer Rafa’s coach so I wish he would leave the talking to Carlos because it doesn’t seem as if Toni knows everything that is going on and it only undermines Carlos’s role as coach. Toni should just “recuse” himself and defer to Carlos when asked about Rafa.
Agree, Margo.
Historically, Rafa doesn’t blame his losses on injury. If anything, he conceals his injuries from public knowledge. Pretty smart thinking as the opposition can capitalize on injuries, particularly during the course of a match.
Rafa you have to take your injuries I hope the best and rest we are going to miss you in the tennis tournament vamosssssss champ 💪💪💪❤️🎾🇺🇸
Carlos Moyá spoke to Rafael Plaza/ATP Tour Noticias before Rafa’s match vs Popyrin
Title: El entrenador mallorquín analiza cómo llega Nadal a Roland Garros Date: May 31, 2021
In his comments I get the feeling that Rafa’s troubles started before Monte-Carlo.
Carlos said he does not talk to Rafa about winning or losing but of feeling comfortable or dominating.
It’s in Spanish and I find it difficult to translate this conversation, it’s convoluted and nuances.
Oops.. nuanced NOT nuances