Rumours about Nadal not playing in Madrid.

[cucio]

Link to the article in Spanish:

http://www.elmundo.es/elmundodeporte/2009/04/05/tenis/1238917993.html

This conclusion is loosely based on a comment by Nadal during his PMI after losing to JMDP.


Q. 40 some unforced errors and the whole tournament was kind of iffy. Are you going to take a break?

RAFAEL NADAL: Two days, three days, yeah. I have to adapt to clay another time. I have to be 100% ready mentally, physically.
The most important thing, playing well, so for Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Rome, and Madrid maybe.


Questioned about it, uncle Toni says that Madrid is still in their plans, but competing at an altitude of 650 m one week before RG is not the best preparation.

I personally think Nadal will play. It is Madrid's first year and the organizers can't afford not to have a Spanish, #1 ranked, heavy favourite in the draw, so they will throw anything at him: appearance fees, rigged draw, tailor made schedule, harem of sex slaves...

[miyagi]

I dont think he should play madrid he needs to be 100% for F.O and I think Mardrid will compromise this but I could be wrong and we shall see!

[Blinkism]

The best way to go about this is to skip Barcelona. Then you've got the same amount of Clay tourney's before the FO.

I have a feeling this is just a precaution, just in case Nadal feels he needs more rest before FO.

[gj011]

Isn't Madrid a mandatory tournament? Wouldn't he be penalized if he skips Madrid?

He could come to play in Belgrade a week before then ;).

[koalakoala]

Federer is scheduled to play at Madrid,right?

[TheNatural]

i read this below too.I guess it will depend on how he feels after the preceding tournaments.


Rafael Nadal could skip Madrid to boost French Open defence (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/tennis/article6031864.ece)

From The Times
April 4, 2009

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00478/nadal-385_478967a.jpg

Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent in Key Biscayne, Florida

The words “Madrid maybe” should have resonated through the tennis world last night. They were spoken by Rafael Nadal after his defeat in the quarter-finals of the Sony Ericsson Open on Thursday and gave rise to concerns that the Wimbledon champion has not yet committed to the tournament next month that has changed the sport’s landscape.

There is no doubt that the world No 1 will play in the two Masters 1000 events in Monte Carlo — starting on Monday week — and Rome, in between which he will return to Barcelona, where he is a four-times champion and has lost once in 22 matches. It is the newly repositioned Mutua Madrileña Masters in the Spanish capital, staged for the first time on clay at the Caja Mágica — with three arenas, each of which fold into one — that is holding its breath as to Nadal’s participation.

Though he will not say so publicly, the 22-year-old is worried that a tournament staged at 650 metres above sea level does not offer the most suitable preparation for his fourth defence of the French Open, which begins in Paris six days later.

There will be delicate negotiations in the next few weeks with Nadal’s management, torn between the desire to support an event in his native country, and whether it will impact negatively on their client’s grand-slam prospects.

Each player in the top 30 on the ATP World Tour is mandated to play the four grand-slam tournaments, eight Masters events and four of the 500-point events, one of which has to be among those that fall after the US Open. Should it be decided that Madrid is not right, Nadal will stand to forfeit 50 per cent of the $2 million (about £1.35 million) bonus-pool money he would receive at the end of year if he were still ranked No 1 in the world.

It is a marvel that Nadal still commits to so much clay-court tennis anyway; he wants to play as much as he can, but not if the vibes do not feel right. He called his 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 defeat by Juan Martín Del Potro, of Argentina, here “an amazing disaster” and, in truth, it was one of his poorest performances for many a long day, and still he ought to have won.

“I played badly all the time here, I didn’t adapt well to this tournament this time,” Nadal said. “There is always a reason \ you are not playing at your level but it is personal.”

[GameSampras]

I would skip it if all possible if I was Nadal. Hes gotter bigger fish to fry. Hes in position here to get the calendar slam. Im sure thats becoming a realistic goal for him, since he could very well do it. He needs to be prepared physically and mentally though. He cant be playing too many tournaments this year if he wants to accomplish this feat

[THERAFA]

He only needs rest after Wimbledon, until then he can go with a full-on schedule.

[iriraz]

Nadal could probably play all those clay events like in the past and be able to get his results at the French and at Wimbledon but like previous seasons he will be tired coming into the Us Open series and indoor season.

[THERAFA]

He should only play 2 hardcourt events before the US Open. Take a long break after Wimbledon.

[iriraz]

Nadal should play a Federer like schedule with only mandatory events.With that schedule he should have enough energy to finish the season on a higher note then previous years

[THERAFA]

Plus he has no Olympics this year, and remember at the Olympics last year he played his best tennis of the year and beat Djokovic in the semi on a hardcourt some (including me having witnessed) say was faster than the US Open. I remember the Rafa said he was inspired by the Olympic village and he said it gave him extra energy.

Playing for the Calendar Year Grand Slam will be the inspiration this year. The guy everyone thought was just another dominant claycourter, doing what the supposed GOAT could never do. That should be motivation enough for him.

[GameSampras]

Well I dont see why Nadal needs to add more tourneys and practice during the clay season. Like he needs the practice on that surface.:shock:

He is light years ahead of anyone on clay at this point and there is no one that is going to catch up with him soon. He could use a little more work on grass at this point even though he did win wimbeldon, and definitely on some faster hard courts to get ready for the USO.

Bottom line.. Just focus on the calendar slam.. Who cares about anything else this year. Hes going for the ultimate prize. Not smaller crap tourneys that really dont mean much anyways. Its all about the slams

[The Don]

yea i agree nadal should focus on the main slams. especially the French Open. im pretty he would want to win that. If i were nadal i would skip a tourny that would be the least important

[baseliner]

He could always pull an Agassi. Play a match or two in Madrid and then either tank a match or pull out. AA used to do that often. Play enough to feel he was ready for the Grand Slam tourney coming up then lose to some nobody in straight sets.

[GameSampras]

He could always pull an Agassi. Play a match or two in Madrid and then either tank a match or pull out. AA used to do that often. Play enough to feel he was ready for the Grand Slam tourney coming up then lose to some nobody in straight sets.

Not a bad deal. Except Nadal doesnt know how to go half paced. He will soon learn though as he gets older and cant do the things he does now in a few years. If I were him, I would really be keeping a close eye on my schedule and how much tennis play, if he wants any bit of longevity in his career. The way he plays I doubt he will ever come close to the longevity of Andre, 20 some years but he wont need to if he can rack up the slams now.

I dont see Nadal playing lights out tennis by his mid to late 20s though. Just dont see it. Which is why he should only worry about the slams at this point. IMO

[The Don]

Not a bad deal. Except Nadal doesnt know how to go half paced. He will soon learn though as he gets older and cant do the things he does now in a few years. If I were him, I would really be keeping a close eye on my schedule and how much tennis play, if he wants any bit of longevity in his career. The way he plays I doubt he will ever come close to the longevity of Andre, 20 some years but he wont need to if he can rack up the slams now.

I dont see Nadal playing lights out tennis by his mid to late 20s though. Just dont see it. Which is why he should only worry about the slams at this point. IMO


you do have a point there I agree with you... Nadal does use alot of energy and alot of strain on his knees. Im sad to say this but most likely nadal will probably be like federer now. Good back in his young days but when he gets a little older he wont be as good. I hope im wrong about that tho. Nadal please prove me wrong

[Josherer]

If he needs a rest he should have one.

After all I can't think of another player that needs one as much as Nadal.

[GameSampras]

you do have a point there I agree with you... Nadal does use alot of energy and alot of strain on his knees. Im sad to say this but most likely nadal will probably be like federer now. Good back in his young days but when he gets a little older he wont be as good. I hope im wrong about that tho. Nadal please prove me wrong

Yea I agree.. I mean if has to go the borg route (Which he very well could) so be it. He still had a quite a few years of great tennis under his belt much like Borg from 17 or 18 on. Borg managed 11 and retired by 26 and he is still considered one of the all time greats. The game today is much more taxing on the body than it was back in Laver's day. Just to manage playing winning tennis around 30 or into your 30s where you are winning slams in unreal and not many players in history could manage this. I dont think Nadal is the exception considering how he plays. He may not have the longevity of playing into older age as others did, but at the end of the day he could have the slam count or even record going in favor for him.

Nadal can manage 2 more years of great tennis, 3 at the very most I think. I think from there on its up in the air. By that time he would have had alot of wear and tear on his body.

I mean Borg is in the GOAT discussion. I see no reason why Nadal cant be considering what he has done and what he is doing. He already has 6 slams. Another 5 or 6 should be manageable.

Fed is falling off physically already and he only began his rise at 22. Nadal's been around for 4-5 years already playing big tennis and is only 22

[bolo]

not what I would have guessed that he would pick, although we don't know what all his obligations/constaints are.

Assuming he skips madrid and he wins all the time he would be going almost 3 weeks of straight playing then stopping cold for 3 weeks before RG.

[GameSampras]

Between Nadal getting somewhat close to the slam record with Fed and Pete and his dominance over Fed during his career, you would have to be crazy to leave Nadal off the GOAT candidacy, even if he is 2-3 slams shy of breaking Pete or Fed. In fact I think he would have a better claim than Borg definitely and maybe even Laver if he can somehow win the calendar this year.

Since Laver never had to win slams on HC's and never to deal with a Roger Federer much less dominate him in the h2h

[Cesc Fabregas]

Skipping Rome would be smarter no points to defend there and he gets a rest before Madrid then he can play there so he can get some games before the French.

[Safinator_1]

Leave the GOAT stuff when hes won the Calendar GS. I will even join you in your argument against others :D

[THERAFA]

you do have a point there I agree with you... Nadal does use alot of energy and alot of strain on his knees. Im sad to say this but most likely nadal will probably be like federer now. Good back in his young days but when he gets a little older he wont be as good. I hope im wrong about that tho. Nadal please prove me wrong

Who hasn't the Rafa proved wrong? You won't be excluded :)

[veroniquem]

The "maybe" did NOT apply to Madrid in particular, it applied to the whole sentence as in "this may be my clay schedule". It's a complete misinterpretation by the journalist. Nadal will play every clay tournament he can (depending on his general shape and health)

[welcome2petrkordaland]

The "maybe" did NOT apply to Madrid in particular, it applied to the whole sentence as in "this may be my clay schedule". It's a complete misinterpretation by the journalist. Nadal will play every clay tournament he can (depending on his general shape and health)

yeah. i considered this interpretation as well, although uncle toni and company seem to be apprehensive about this elevation issue with Madrid.

skipping rome seems logical b/c: 1. mc, barca, rome are back to back,
2. it's a quicker clay court,
3. he has almost nothing to defend anyway

(while playing mc, barca, and madrid)

otoh, i personally think he should skip the 500 in barcelona and play the 3 masters series.

1. they're worth more points: 1,000
2. they're not back to back; there's rest in betw.
3. despite the elevation in Madrid, it's still clay. it's not like rafa's goin' to england and playin' a grass tournament before the french.

i'll even go on to say that if Rafa wants to last to his late 20s as a top level player, he's gonna have to play to his strengths schedule-wise. to me, i'd like to see him only play hard court or indoor only if it is a Masters or Slam or his one pre-Aussie open tournament. That's right. Apart from an Aussie tune-up, Aussie Open, Masters Series IW, MIAMI, Canada, US OPEN, play only clay (or grass if more tournaments become available). maybe even skip cincinatti, since it's so fast, hot, and at a time when he needs to rest and recover. if that means playing acapulco, brazilian open, or stuttgart, so be it.

so 4 slams, 8 Masters series (not Cincy), queens club, Aussie prep, TMC, and if anything else, clay clay clay.

[myservenow]

To make it fair to all other competitors, I think it should be mandatory that Nadal play two tournaments per week leading up to the French Open. Furthermore, one of those two weekly tournaments should be played on hard courts in the scorching sun. Nadal should also be forced to wear Court Balistics during these matches. Nadal should also be required to have 5 pounds of loose change in his front shorts pockets during all matches for the rest of the year.

By following the schedule design above, someone MIGHT win a set off of Nadal in Roland Garros this year (although highly doubtful).

No matter how many tourneys he plays leading up to the FO, I predict another dominating performance in Paris. He is just that good on that surface.

[Nadal_Freak]

I don't get why Nadal won't skip Barcelona. He just refuses to skip that tournament no matter how much more difficult it makes his schedule. He should think about the rest of the year so he isn't fatigued at the US Open again.

[gj011]

I still don't get what why are you people talking about Nadal skipping Rome or Madrid. They are both mandatory tournaments and Nadal would be penalized if he skips one of them.

[veroniquem]

yeah. i considered this interpretation as well, although uncle toni and company seem to be apprehensive about this elevation issue with Madrid.

skipping rome seems logical b/c: 1. mc, barca, rome are back to back,
2. it's a quicker clay court,
3. he has almost nothing to defend anyway

(while playing mc, barca, and madrid)

otoh, i personally think he should skip the 500 in barcelona and play the 3 masters series.

1. they're worth more points: 1,000
2. they're not back to back; there's rest in betw.
3. despite the elevation in Madrid, it's still clay. it's not like rafa's goin' to england and playin' a grass tournament before the french.

i'll even go on to say that if Rafa wants to last to his late 20s as a top level player, he's gonna have to play to his strengths schedule-wise. to me, i'd like to see him only play hard court or indoor only if it is a Masters or Slam or his one pre-Aussie open tournament. That's right. Apart from an Aussie tune-up, Aussie Open, Masters Series IW, MIAMI, Canada, US OPEN, play only clay (or grass if more tournaments become available). maybe even skip cincinatti, since it's so fast, hot, and at a time when he needs to rest and recover. if that means playing acapulco, brazilian open, or stuttgart, so be it.

so 4 slams, 8 Masters series (not Cincy), queens club, Aussie prep, TMC, and if anything else, clay clay clay.
I agree with you that skipping Barcelona would make sense but he regards Barcelona as his home tournament so to speak, so it's very unlikely he won't play it if he is 100% but that would definitely be a smart thing to do.
OTOH the more clay the better because that's the surface where he wins the most easily. I don't think he can skip Cincy, it's a master and he has to attend + 2 tournaments is a minimum to prepare for USO.

[deltox]

I agree with you that skipping Barcelona would make sense but he regards Barcelona as his home tournament so to speak,

I thought he considered madrid as his home tourney. At least thats the tone i got from the TV personalities talking bout it.

[veroniquem]

I thought he considered madrid as his home tourney. At least thats the tone i got from the TV personalities talking bout it.
Madrid has never been played before this year (on clay). Barcelona is his favorite tournament.

[deltox]

Madrid has never been played before this year (on clay). Barcelona is his favorite tournament.

guess i just misunderstood the announcers

[vtmike]

Between Nadal getting somewhat close to the slam record with Fed and Pete and his dominance over Fed during his career, you would have to be crazy to leave Nadal off the GOAT candidacy, even if he is 2-3 slams shy of breaking Pete or Fed. In fact I think he would have a better claim than Borg definitely and maybe even Laver if he can somehow win the calendar this year.

Since Laver never had to win slams on HC's and never to deal with a Roger Federer much less dominate him in the h2h

But how can Nadal be considered as a GOAT candidate when he has clearly won all his slams in a weak playing field! I mean almost all of his slams were won against Federer who won all of his slams in a weak field according to you which means he is a crappy player who just got lucky...Thus all the slams Nadal has won against Fed are lucky slams against a weaker opponent & should be disqualified for GOAT consideration...So that leaves him with only one slam and which obviously not good enough to be considered GOAT...

[deltox]

I still don't get what why are you people talking about Nadal skipping Rome or Madrid. They are both mandatory tournaments and Nadal would be penalized if he skips one of them.

some reporter mentioned it in a news column. its on the gossip mill now, but nadal has yet to deny the claim either.

contraversy is always news