Gimelstob clarifies Nadal's injury

[Clarky21]

So... if we agree that tendonosis is the cause of Nadal's injury, can we speculate in a reasonable way about why Nadal was able to withstand the pain throughout the French Open and Wimbledon, but can't play through it now?

My opinion is that he could indeed continue to play through the pain, using anti-inflammatory and pain killing medications, and still be involved in the Olympics, Toronto, Cincinnati, and the US Open if he really was motivated to do so. However, I think he's mentally fatigued from this issue, and doesn't see the benefit of playing verses taking a couple months off to (hopefully) deal with this problem properly. Do you disagree with this?

Slightly,but him taking this time off has more to do with Nadal trying to heal himself properly and avoid surgery moreso than him having mental fatigue. Toni Nadal said that avoiding surgery is the goal here hence his long hiatus from the sport.

 

[BHud]

You can dislike Nadal but you cant deny that he is a fierce, no-fear competitor.

Fierce, yes. The most successful, no.

 

[cknobman]

Im tired of all the hearsay, conjecture, and theories.

I will be so relieved if and when Nadal gives full disclosure to everyone about his knee problems.

Of course its private and he does not owe anyone jack squat but it sure would be nice to finally erase those question marks so many people around the world have about it.

 

[bluetrain4]

The thing about tendinitis is that almost every pro tennis player has it in some form or other due to the nature of the game. Some players are lucky either because they have a less demanding game that allows them to recover between tournaments or because they are naturally resilient.

But unfortunately for players like nadal, he has no time to recover from the tendinitis. And it is something that is cumulative and adds up over the years. The only cure really is rest which as we know pro players do not have.

And when I say rest I am talking at least 6 months continuous rest because bear in mind the amount of accumulated strain over the years.

IMO, Nadal has already missed 2 months plus of tennis and he should just take the opportunity to really go all out and rest those knees and reset the clock. If he were to come back now, then those two months would be a waste from a rehabilitation point of view.

If he doesn't, then the condition will just get worse and worse and overtime he will develop athritic degeneration of the joints.

He is still young but he is now at a cross road. From age 26 onwards the body will slowly become less resilient to injury so he needs to let his body recover while it is still able to.

This ties into all those calls from John Wertheim and other commentators to have a legitimate offseason in tennis. Seriously, the season should be from January to Mid September (8.5 months) (ideally, I'd have it be even a month shorter (around 7 months), so players could have a period of substantive rest.

What sport, other than golf, has such a long season with mandatory events over the course of that whole season? Golf is obviously less physically demanding, and players can cut way back on their schedule if they so choose, so the 11 month season is really no big deal.

Of course, this will probably never happen in tennis. Plus, I realize that players don't have to play every week, but even so, the breaks between tournaments don't really allow for great recovery if its needed. And, finally, I realize that the long season "problem" is sort of an elitist argument. There's plenty of lower-ranked players who are losing early or not even able to play every week who probably want more opportunities to play, not less. Regardless, sports are usually organized to benefit those at the top, those who sell the game.

 

[Jack the Hack]

Slightly,but him taking this time off has more to do with Nadal trying to heal himself properly and avoid surgery moreso than him having mental fatigue. Toni Nadal said that avoiding surgery is the goal here hence his long hiatus from the sport.

Fair enough. We are pretty much on the same page. I also believe Toni when he says that the break is needed to avoid surgery and a longer term issue.

My rhetorical question is "why now?"

Did something click after Wimbledon where the tendonosis suddenly got debilitatingly worse? Perhaps.

However, I think there is a little more to it because if Nadal really wanted to play at the Olympics and the US Open, I think it is physically possible. Furthermore, the pictures that keep showing up of Nadal since Wimbledon don't reflect a guy that is unable to hit a ball. Rather, he's hanging out on boats and playing in the sand, enjoying life. No doubt he's also getting daily ice and ultrasound treatments, and laying off tennis or movement training completely. I just think he came to a point where he accomplished his major goal for the season (the 7th French Open title), and decided now was the time to step away for awhile.

Again, I understand that I'm reading into things, and coloring the situation based on my own background and opinion. It's just speculation, and you can certainly feel free to disagree. I won't be offended. In fact, I can be persuaded to change my thoughts with good logic and points that I may not have considered. Overall, this thread has been a good discussion!

 

[Jack the Hack]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jay and Blue... good posts above!

 

[SQA333]

Lead an active life post retirement? It's hard to sympathize with Nadal, with the bank account he owns.

He is possibly the biggest drama queen in all of professional racquet sports.

 

[SLD76]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/308012/nadal-should-be-fit-for-davis-cup-semi-final-coach

nadal will apparently play Davis Cup in Sept.

 

[Clarky21]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/308012/nadal-should-be-fit-for-davis-cup-semi-final-coach

nadal will apparently play Davis Cup in Sept.

It is NOT confirmed that he will play DC.

 

[aprilfool]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/308012/nadal-should-be-fit-for-davis-cup-semi-final-coach

nadal will apparently play Davis Cup in Sept.

Very interesting.....

 

[SLD76]

It is NOT confirmed that he will play DC.

the article apparently quotes toni

take it up with toni.

 

[Deleted member 307496]

the article apparently quotes toni

take it up with toni.

Toni says a lot of things, almost in jest it seems.

 

[SLD76]

Toni says a lot of things, almost in jest it seems.

this is true, but given the circumstances, and the omerta of the nadal camp during the summer, I doubt he would say something like this is rafa was doubtful to play.

Notice the last line, apparently Rafa is training normally

 

[TMF]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/308012/nadal-should-be-fit-for-davis-cup-semi-final-coach

nadal will apparently play Davis Cup in Sept.

It's on red clay, the surface he can't resist from skipping it.

 

[PrinceMoron]

A coach told me today that the vic braden camp had been assessing Nadal, using pressure plates to measure the force that is exerted back down through the legs. The prognosis was for a leg and not knee injury to be the career finisher. Well, interesting though not sure about the accuracy of it all.

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Essentially yeah. Take Andreev + super movement = Nadal.

Honestly, the difference between the top and the also-rans isn't as much super movement as it is decision making at the critical points.

 

[tennis_pro]

Well if GIMELSTOB says so...

I'm out.

 

[pds999]

I'm not sure why I am posting this here instead of in any of the other Nadal threads, but here is my opinion:

I think Nadal's knees are hurt. I think they've been hurting for a long time, but he puts up with it and plays through the pain with shear will power.

The previous diagnosis we've heard for him is tendonitis. I've had that before in my Achilles, bicep, knee, and elbow at different times, and it sucks... and I didn't have to make a living playing tennis.

Because tendonitis involves microscopic tears in the tendon, it's a nagging pain that never seems to heal (unless you stop everything, like Nadal seems to be doing), and can really be bad at random times. However, you can certainly play through this type of injury and pain if you are motivated. Despite this type of injury, it's realistic that Nadal could continue to play at a top level, like he did at the French, especially with the aid of pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications.

I believe Nadal was highly motivated to win the French Open this year, and did whatever it took to attain that title. He was very emotional after that match, moreso than usual, in my opinion. Once that was accomplished, I'm guessing he had a mental letdown. Losing at Wimbledon early just compounded that. I think he's burned out mentally with tennis, and is not willing to play through the pain in his knees.

Rather than keep training, I think he's thrown in the towel, and is resting up for a couple months in hope that the tendonitis will heal fully, and his mind will be refreshed. I've seen this kind of thing happen before with Mats Wilander. He reached the top of the rankings, had some minor injuries, and just lost motivation to keep fighting. Wilander's injuries were not as severe or chronic as Nadal's, but I think the mental aspects that he experienced are the same as Nadal because they both play a grinding style of tennis.

The real test will be in a couple months, after Nadal has taken his break. Will he be as motivated as before, or will he realize that life on the beach is more fun than battling for titles on gimpy knees against opponents that want to stomp on his throat (since Federer, Djokovic, and Murray all have losing records against him, and have scores to settle)?

Of course, as Dennis Miller used to say... that's just my opinion... I could be wrong!

What a great post.

 

[ivan_the_terrible]

It is NOT confirmed that he will play DC.

Uncle Toni speculates that he will be back for DC, are you a better source than that?

 

[dudeski]

You are speculating that the current injury that is keeping Nadal off the tour is the tendonosis. That's the same thing I said. However, some posters have argued that Nadal didn't seem injured when winning the French or in his match with Rosol. However, a tennis player is still capable of playing at top performance with tendonosis, but they have to have the will power to endure the pain. Anti-inflammatory meds and pain killers help, but they can cause additional issues with long term use. So, in addition to the tendonosis, that's why I feel that Nadal has just had enough mentally and is burned out from dealing with this issue. The best way to fix tendonosis is to completely stop doing the repetitive action that is causing the problem. All of the ATP players play with a certain degree of pain from various minor injuries. Nadal's motivation to keep playing through the pain seems to be lower than his desire to heal fully at this time. But of course, that's just my opinion (or speculation)... I could be wrong.

By the way, what's wrong with speculation on this discussion forum? As long as the speculation is well reasoned, it should be valid for conversation, right? My opinion is at least based on some "facts" that we know about Nadal (the tendonosis) as compared to the folks that are trumpeting some sort of international drug conspiracy with a silent ban for Nadal. Those ideas are pretty hilarious!

Your original post was great. Don't worry about Clarky21. She just likes to get attention by discrediting everyone. She is one of the most unpleasant posters I have ever seen.

 

[ivan_the_terrible]

I can't help bt laugh at the massive confusion over this issue. Pretty much the same thing that happened on '09 & AO '10. No one knew what the injury was, which leg or knee or left or right brain.

I do believe Uncle Toni is using deliberate misinformation tactics to muddle the situation.

You know it's pretty bad when even some Nadal fans feel Uncle Toni is a phony.

 

[SQA333]

It's obvious Nadal isn't as injured as he's made out to be. Toni is just trying to cover up for an embarrassing loss, as he did after RG '09, and AO '10.

 

[CMM]

Toni said Rafa will play DC only if he will be ready.

Monfils took a wild card for Winston Salem but today announced he can't play and also pulled out from the US Open, so things don't always work out as planned.

 

[SLD76]

Toni said Rafa will play DC only if he will be ready.

Monfils took a wild card for Winston Salem but today announced he can't play and also pulled out from the US Open, so things don't always work out as planned.

Toni said in the article that they have a month to prepare and they are hopeful he will be ready.

More importantly, he said rafa is doing his normal training regimen.

 

[CCNM]

Really hope he comes back. He may not be as dominant as he was, but it would still be nice to see Rafa play again.

 

[Clarky21]

Toni said in the article that they have a month to prepare and they are hopeful he will be ready.

More importantly, he said rafa is doing his normal training regimen.

No he's not. Nadal won't be training again until next Tuesday,and will not be practicing again for 10-15 more days. He also has only practiced about 6 days total since he lost at Wimby,and those were just recently.


http://yfrog.com/user/tomeuterrasa/profile

 

[Clarky21]

Really hope he comes back. He may not be as dominant as he was, but it would still be nice to see Rafa play again.

Nice little dig there(should be expected around here),and silly anyway considering Nadal has never been dominant in the first place.

 

[SLD76]

No he's not. Nadal won't be training again until next Tuesday,and will not be practicing again for 10-15 more days. He also has only practiced about 6 days total since he lost at Wimby,and those were just recently.


http://yfrog.com/user/tomeuterrasa/profile

As I said, take it up with Toni, Im reading the article where he was quoted as saying he has been doing his normal training regimen for the past few days.

Toni also said that after a few days rest after wimbledon, they started a strengthening regimen for his quads, but that rafa was still struggling with pain after practice.

"After Wimbledon we decided to rest a few days and then work on strengthening his quadriceps but it was difficult.

"We eventually managed to boost a bit of his strength but at the end of the training sessions he continued to feel discomfort and his recovery was not enough to face such a hard competition as the US Open.

"Now we are training normally, but it is not the same as competing four hours a day during a tournament," the coach added.

maybe toni was misquoted? but thats what the articles Im reading are saying he said. take it up with toni.

 

[Born to play]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/sports/308012/nadal-should-be-fit-for-davis-cup-semi-final-coach

nadal will apparently play Davis Cup in Sept.

He said that it could be his last knee injury, its the wright thing to let recover to 100%, something they didn't do before but are finally doing now. So I'm hopefull that Rafa will have a great 2013 and be at 100% for the slams 2013 and hopefully have his best season to date, i hope he can, but that's only my opinion and I believe in it.

 

[PeteD]

Rafa has an amazingly strong body and he will have the best advice and doctors. Expect him to be back. Del Potro was out for one entire year and now he's back and who wants to play him? Many, or even most, players have gotten racked up and they figure out ways to come back even if the injury doesn't heal 100%. Roger seems messed up, not moving anywhere near like he used to. Andy Murray has injured about every bone in his body. Novak has back problems, as would be expected from way he twists himself like a pretzel. So with Rafa, it's a little premature to talk about him in the past tense. This part of the season is not Rafa's strong suit anyway -- he has won only one USO and, if the knee problems continue beyond that, he has never been a big power at the Master's Cup. Why should he risk getting hurt worse by pushing it now? Let's see how his recovery goes, and even if his knees don't come back 100%, expect him to find ways to win anyway.

 

[decades]

the clay grind must have done him in, he said in march his knees were better than ever and he played with minimal discomfort in 2010 and 2011.

clay is the easiest surface for his knees. he lives to play on clay. he powered through the french open losing one set. he loses at wimby and hasn't played since. where did he get injured?

 

[decades]

Uncle Toni speculates that he will be back for DC, are you a better source than that?

what a great way to get his confidence back!! play on your favorite surface against an outgunned American team that is awful on red clay.

 

[sureshs]

clay is the easiest surface for his knees. he lives to play on clay. he powered through the french open losing one set. he loses at wimby and hasn't played since. where did he get injured?

It has been said over and over again that he did not "get" injured. He has always had a knee problem.

 

[Sentinel]

He said that it could be his last knee injury, its the wright thing to let recover to 100%, something they didn't do before but are finally doing now. So I'm hopefull that Rafa will have a great 2013 and be at 100% for the slams 2013 and hopefully have his best season to date, i hope he can, but that's only my opinion and I believe in it.

Hey Essy, how are you doing, pal ? Don't worry, Rafa will be back at 100% in 2013.

tc, senti.

 

[LeeD]

You never want to tip off your opponents that you are really injured and playing at only 90%, because the lions go on the hunt when you declare your injury.

 

[winstonplum]

I'm not sure why I am posting this here instead of in any of the other Nadal threads, but here is my opinion:

I think Nadal's knees are hurt. I think they've been hurting for a long time, but he puts up with it and plays through the pain with shear will power.

The previous diagnosis we've heard for him is tendonitis. I've had that before in my Achilles, bicep, knee, and elbow at different times, and it sucks... and I didn't have to make a living playing tennis.

Because tendonitis involves microscopic tears in the tendon, it's a nagging pain that never seems to heal (unless you stop everything, like Nadal seems to be doing), and can really be bad at random times. However, you can certainly play through this type of injury and pain if you are motivated. Despite this type of injury, it's realistic that Nadal could continue to play at a top level, like he did at the French, especially with the aid of pain killers and anti-inflammatory medications.

I believe Nadal was highly motivated to win the French Open this year, and did whatever it took to attain that title. He was very emotional after that match, moreso than usual, in my opinion. Once that was accomplished, I'm guessing he had a mental letdown. Losing at Wimbledon early just compounded that. I think he's burned out mentally with tennis, and is not willing to play through the pain in his knees.

Rather than keep training, I think he's thrown in the towel, and is resting up for a couple months in hope that the tendonitis will heal fully, and his mind will be refreshed. I've seen this kind of thing happen before with Mats Wilander. He reached the top of the rankings, had some minor injuries, and just lost motivation to keep fighting. Wilander's injuries were not as severe or chronic as Nadal's, but I think the mental aspects that he experienced are the same as Nadal because they both play a grinding style of tennis.

The real test will be in a couple months, after Nadal has taken his break. Will he be as motivated as before, or will he realize that life on the beach is more fun than battling for titles on gimpy knees against opponents that want to stomp on his throat (since Federer, Djokovic, and Murray all have losing records against him, and have scores to settle)?

Of course, as Dennis Miller used to say... that's just my opinion... I could be wrong!

Great post. I couldn't agree with you more. Perhaps you missed the sticky at the top of TT that states that even-tempered and well-thought-out posts are not tolerated around here, hence you've confused some people. To wit, Clarky's a confusing poster--Nadal is ostensibly her favorite player, she obviously knows the minute details of his training schedule, yet she thinks he's a horrible player and has been playing terrible tennis for several years and logically should lose to just about everyone he plays. Yes, strange, I know.

Anyway, like I said, I think you're one-hundred percent right. I've never seen Nadal react like he did when he won the FO. It meant the world to him to win that; I think more so to avoid losing four straight slams to Nole than tying Borg. As I've written before, I don't think he so much as won that match as survived it. Winning on a DF was symbolic of the whole match.

I think even Clarky agrees with you that he's burned out with tennis.

 

[syke]

Clarky needs to loosen up and stop being such a Jenny ***.

 

[Sentinel]

^ i thought it was tendinosis and not tendinitis (acco to another thread).

 

[Smasher08]

LOL, So when did he get injured. Before the Rosol match, but after winning FO decisively without dropping a set. :rollseyes:

I have it on good authority that he injured his knees at precisely this moment: