Rafael Nadal is officially on the player entry list for the Rogers Cup, which will be held from August 7 to August 15 in Toronto.
“I’m very happy to return to Canada to play in Toronto,” said reigning champion Rafa “Toronto is a fantastic tournament and I have had some really great matches there. As a matter of fact, I won there the last time we played and I would love to defend my title this August and be again with my fans in Canada and around the world.”
With a 38-8 record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in finals, across 13 appearances — eight visits to Montreal and five visits in Toronto — Rafa is clearly at home on Canadian soil.
You can view the full thread of all the players on the entry list for Toronto HERE!
Source: Rogers Cup
Does Nadal really need to reflect and try to improve his physical conditions based on his performances so far in 2021? His stamina is now obviously a problem and his physical fatigue shown during long matches (2021 AO and 2021 FO) have caused him to lose focus and lose the biggest points of the match (i.e. the missing volley here and missing overhead vs Tsitsipas in AO). Maybe Nadal should control/lose some of his body weight and have REAL strict control on his body fat and diet (No Nutella pls!), like C.Ronaldo and N.Djokovic. Of course, technically, his serve and backhand are not stable this year, which are something he needs to keep improving. Good serve will help give lots of free or easy points, which in a way saves his energy/stamina for big points of match.
Coco Gauff is out of the Olympics after a positive Covid test. Wishing her well and the same to the athletes who will be entering that uncertain environment in Tokyo.
Spaniard Pablo Carreño Busta just won his first 500 title, his sixth singles title overall. PCB vs Krajinović 6-2, 6-4 at the Hamburg Open.
Yes, congratulations to Pablo, he played really well today. He’ll now be seeded 6th at the Olympics, after Matteo Berrettini withdrew today due to a thigh injury.
I was fine jas_uk until I read your comment about Matteo. I looked him up and it has been reported that he said he was injured at Wimbledon. I hope he heals and comes back to take care of arch enemy number one. What is a Rafa fan to do🤔
Congerats to PCB. Well deserved!!
Congrats…
not only is goran ivanisevic real peace of shit his other coach turned out be just like him.
Vajda is a loyal servant of Djokovic Marijnt; so we must expect him to support him wholeheartedly. I am, however, disappointed with the extent of his apparent bias. There is no way that Uncle Toni or Carlos Moya would ever describe Rafa’s utter dominance on clay throughout his career, (which exceeds all those around him as well as those who precede him in the Open Era) with words like – “His domination [on clay] is so big that many people are jealous when seeing such perfection.” Rafa is and has always been extremely popular amongst fellow players. So, with the odd exception, no-one is jealous of his achievements. They admire his dedication, his fighting spirit, his humility and the respect he shows to all.
The problem that Djokovic has is not so much with his play, which is excellent, (though I personally don’t like his style of play) but rather his ego. He simply does not understand why Rafa and Roger have always been and remain more popular than him. (No matter how many titles he wins, he will never overtake their popularity and that bugs him big time.) The fact is that when things don’t go his way during a match he behaves like a prima donna and wails at his team and sometimes gives the officials a hard time too. Fellow players and spectators notice these things. Roger and Rafa don’t do this. They take full responsibility for their actions on and off the court, which is what grown-ups do. Djokovic, on the other hand, behaves like a spoiled child at times and it would seem that his coach lacks the courage to ‘call him out’ on it. (He would probably be sacked if he did!) Djokovic needs his ego to be stroked all the time and it looks like Vajda does that for him. Sad!
Vajda reflects on Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic’s long-time coach Marian Vajda recently spoke at length about the Serb’s relationship with the media and his dominance of the men’s tour. “The media write what they want, perhaps to push an agenda or they want to influence something,” Vajda said in a conversation with Sasa Ozmo of Tennis Majors.
“Sometimes, they are one-sided and do not see the complexity of Novak’s personality. He is fantastic, a very nice and a positive person, which brings a lot of good energy to spectators. Sometimes, people are in favor of the underdog, because Novak is so dominant and nobody wants to see him winning,” he added.
“His domination is so big that many people are jealous when seeing such perfection, so they ask: “How is this possible? How can he win so much?” They do not believe it.” Against that background, Vajda admitted it would be important for the Serb to maintain his composure while dealing with the media.
“He needs to avoid the media, because the media creates the pressure,” added Djokovic’s coach. “Not to “avoid,” but to deal with it in the right way, and Novak knows how to do that. He won’t take some negative questions personally, for example. He has come a long way in handling that relationship.”
Marijnt….
Awww … poor Novak…. He’s not feeling the love from the media….
Hey Marian…. coming up with words like jealousy and envy from the media doesn’t cut it….
There’s no question… he’s a talented player …one of the best ever…that’s a given….
But I DON’T like him! I don’t like a player who is supposed to be the #1 in the world and can’t keep his composure on court… He still breaks racquets…..bangs them on the court….screams like crazy.. last year he hurt a line judge…was tossed from the US OPEN. AND argued vehemently with the umpire when he just should have just accepted his fate with some class . Medical timeouts to change the mojo of a game is a tactic he uses .. First he’s hurt….then 15 min later he comes on court and plays like animal again…. His planning of the Adria tournament (however noble he thought it was) was bad timing considering what was going in the world. He tested positive for Covid in Croatia…. and instead of quarantining there…immediately fled the next morning by private jet back to Serbia…He’s so special… . .
I used to watch him and respect his game with his nerves of steel…. You can’t take that away from him…. But there is nothing he can do now that would make me like him 1 oz more… He can win 30 GS, I will feel the same… I don’t like who he is….
So Marian’s statement is just another excuse for Novak wondering why Rafa and Roger are the darlings of the media…. and Novak feels like he doesn’t get any respect.. Can’t take the negative questions Novak? Hey …it’s part of life… the media is here to stay….Deal with it!
Well said Marileena. (I posted my comment before I read yours but I can see that we are in total agreement here.
CONGRATULATIONS to Gael Monfils and Elina Svitolina who were married today. Wishing them all the best.
Wishing them both a very happy married life.
Aww so happy for them…the cutest couple ever! It’s a marriage made in tennis heaven! Have always enjoyed watching Gael play…He is full of fun & he is a great athlete as well!
Good luck and Vamos Rafa❤️
I hope he will have a summer run like 2013 that will be sweet revenge
New York Daily News
@NYDailyNews
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada could start allowing fully vaccinated Americans into Canada as of mid-August for nonessential travel and should be in a position to welcome fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by early September.
No surprises here….. Rafa loves this tournament and we all have known that he will ultimately opt to play Toronto and now he’s made it official.
I think Rafa choosing to start his competitive practice in DC was a very smart move… It is there that he will be able to competitively tune up his game in the areas he wants to improve. Along with that, another fact will definitely affect him positively… Upon the announcement that Rafa was playing DC, tickets sold out within hours. The fans in Washington DC cannot wait for Rafa’s arrival and when he steps out on to the court he will here a thunderous ovation and support from this crowd which in turn will mentally give him the edge and support he needs right now…Rafa responds to crowd support… This tournament starts on July 31st for qualifying and Aug 2 is the main draw…. Aug 3 will start play and Rafa should get a bye and once he begins I am hoping he builds the momentum and makes it to the finals and wins it!!
Then its off to Toronto with just a 2 day break for a bye there as Rogers Cup starts on 8/6 for qualifyers and first round on 8/8 which he should have a bye…. Here we are looking at Rafa, Roger, Novak , Daniil Medvedev. And Thiem…. of which, there a chance Roger and Dominic might drop out due to their individual injuries they are rehabbing at the moment. There are other top players that will be attending as well and Rafa defending his title will be the focal point in Toronto… I can only hope that Rafa builds momentum with each match in Toronto and doesn’t let anything get into his head (namely ND)… He is Rafael Nadal and needs to remember that… IF Rafa makes it to the finals and can nail it shut he will have played approx 11-12 days straight with a day or two day break in between.
It is at that point that I think Rafa and the team will access as to whether he wants to continue to play in Cincy. I agree with you all, it will depend on how he does in DC and Toronto as Cincy has not been a favorite tournament for Rafa….His choices would be to go on to Cincy or head down perhaps to the Bahamas for 3-4 day break and then to New York for some Nike work, Taste of tennis appearance or other sponsored events while traveling into Queens daily for practice for the Open.
Thanks Margo for the news about Rafa playing golf this weekend… We can always count on you for the latest scoops like this one… I happen to think his intertwining his practice on the tennis court with his love on a weekend for Golf is great idea for him both mentally and physically….
Btw…NY is revving up for the OPEN… Ticket sales are blowing up and prices are ridiculous but selling…
New York was doing fantastically well as far as vaccinations and very low Covid rates. Now, The Delta variant is starting to infiltrate every where in the states and NY is showing a slight increase in Covid cases… This will be interesting as the next 6 weeks pass and the numbers come out weekly and we will see how this affects the Open if at all….
I really don’t care who wins at the Olympics as long as it’s not Djokovic!!
As for Rafa, i think two hardcourt tournaments before the US Open will be enough for him and he will hedge his bets by entering Cincy if things don’t go as well as he wanted at Citi and Toronto.
Good luck to Tsitsipas and Swiatek at the Olympics.
djokovic will participate in olympics he announced it today
Of course. I knew Djokovick wouldn’t miss up on the opportunity, especially with a depleted field. Go get him Tsitsipas!
Lorna, I am so happy he was one of the “depleted.” 😂🤣😂🤣
If he can play four clay tournaments before the french open why can he not play 3 three hardcourt tournaments before the us open. I dont understand this.
He is well rested after the french open
I can understand your prospective from a purely outsiders point of view…. But you are not Rafa…You do not know how the affect of DC and Toronto will take on him physically and mentally… He does not need to make a decision now on playing Cincinnati … I think that door is wide open for him if he should decide to attend and that decision will come later..
One step at a time here,,,,
My statement above is a reply to marijnt 8:52 am
Coach Hatchet is at it again!
Because hard court is the worst possible surface for Rafa’s bad left foot and his knees. He’s pulled out of Cincy for the past few years after doing well in Canada. Also imo Rafa really should not be playing four clay tournaments, three of them Masters, before any more. It’s always been a tough schedule for him and he’s not getting any younger. He really ought to skip Madrid which is the one where he does the worst and the one that’s the worst prep for RG. But it’s also the one he loves the best. He came into RG very tired this year.
Ramara… You make a good point… hard court has always had some effects on Rafa’s body and that’s why the wait and see attitude is the best road to take… and I happen to agree with you about the 4 clay court tournaments… this is where he and his team need to alter his schedule in the future to fit his body, which includes not only strains and pulls but the fatigue factor must weigh in now…. Tweaking his schedule to fit the Rafa of today will lengthen his career….
Alex DeMinaur of Australia will not participate in the Olympics because he has tested positive for COVID.
Rafa will play in Washington and in Canada I think, and skips Cincy, unless he does poorly at Canada. I hope for successes for Rafa at both places and of course at New York for the USO! Vamos Rafa!
Good luck Rafa is good to see you play vamosssssss champ 👍💪❤️👍💪🇺🇸🎾💪🎾💪
Yeah, because Rafa is in perfect health and playing 3 hard court tournaments right before the USO won’t bother him at all. Hahahahaha! I wish!
you should also play cincinnati rafa the more tournaments you playing on hardcourt the better prepard you are fore the us open and djokovic
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