ARTICLES:
- Australian Open chief still confident Nadal will be back in Melbourne | Reuters
“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day, because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday.
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”
- Rafael Nadal’s 2024 comeback will lead to more people re-engaging with tennis on a level they couldn’t this year, says tennis analyst | sportskeeda.com
In response, the American claimed that men’s tennis sorely missed the Spaniard being amongst the top players in the world. He also spared a word for Nadal’s most ardent fans, insisting they may have not tuned into much of this year’s matches given the 37-year-old’s absence. Gill Gross said on his podcast:
“Let’s see what happens! It’s such a massive positive when he’s in the mix. There are so many people who are going to re-engage on a level they couldn’t this year. There’s also gonna be an increased appreciation for whatever he does, whether he’s winning or losing, it’s very clear there’s not long to appreciate Nadal’s tennis.”
- ‘Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer always accepted defeat better than Novak Djokovic’, claims former star | tennis365.com
“For me it’s not all about tennis and numbers, you also have to look at what the person is like or how they handle defeats. In that sense, Rafa is number one, we never saw him do anything strange on the track, and I’m not saying this because [I am] in Spain.
“He never broke a racket, nor did we see him complain about anything or throw a match, he has always shown a good attitude, he is an example for everyone who plays tennis.
“Fortunately we were able to enjoy the era of these three players, Djokovic is still playing and expanding his legend, we will see next year how far the new generation goes.
“Like Roger and Rafa – we will probably never see players again. There is something more behind the numbers, that is seen in the difficult moments of life, in how one behaves. When you win it is very easy, everyone is with you, but the true champion is seen in defeat.
“Rafa and Roger have always accepted defeat better than Novak, perhaps that is why he has won more than them. But not everything is about the record, above all is the person.”
Social media related to Rafa:
Just in case you missed to vote for Rafa!
As true fans know, Rafa is more than just grand slam numbers. Like Roger, Rafa will go down in history not a great sportsperson, but a humble, disciplined and genuine humanitarian, loved by so many. Waiting for his return with eager anticipation.
❤️
Tiley will say anything to promote ticket sales. That is part of his job, so we cannot look to him for accurate updates. I miss Rafa on court so much, but just hope that he can retire as he wishes. He has provided his fans with so many hours of pleasure. Novak is no doubt a great player, but I do not enjoy his actions on court or his smug demeanor. He has to be one of the most disliked top player ever. My friends who were Roger fans will not watch his matches.
In the guy’s defence, he did say let’s see what updates there are in a week or two, paraphrasing.
Plus, yeah, that is his job to sell the sport, as it were and he admitted that Rafa is a big draw.
The most anticipated comeback in Tennis history. I said that. He should have too though.
Kind words, indeed.
In truth the people in Oz love Rafa , but Craig Tiley is spoofing again. His absolute goal was to make sure Djokovic played there in 2023, and as he has a connection to the P.M the ban of 3 yrs was overturned. If ppl can’t see that Tiley & Djokovic are entwined, well I give up. He no more wants Rafa there than I want to fly to the moon. I as a Rafan know thats’ complete game play …Rafa I want you as do all your other millions of fans back playing,we miss you so much, if you not ready 4r Oz and only you will know that, leave it aside. Not been a happy place for you. Personally I would love you to don RG courts for the Gs itself and then be there for Olympics. Vamos and keep on healing my Champion .