Has Rafa Become a One Dimensional Tennis Pro?

[3fees]

Heres an interview from Poker stars on poker and tennis- 6 Dec 2012.

It appears he's all clay court now.

Is it true that you and your team are considering playing more matches on clay in 2013 and, if so, why?

[RN] We’ll see how it all unfolds. At the end of the day, the season you have will determine the results. But yes, we have to try prioritise playing a bit more on clay, insofar as we can within our schedule, which provides little room for manoeuvre. Firstly, it is a less aggressive surface for my body, and secondly because it is a surface in which I have always felt comfortable, as well as getting great results. I love playing on clay.

http://www.nadalnews.com/2012/12/06/...er-and-tennis/

[Alchemy-Z]

He has 11 Slams...Several records...gold medal..career slam and was the greatest rival to the man (most) consider the greatest player of all time.

If he can dial it back to the surface he loves and stay on tour longer and add more to the trophy cabinet and not the hospital bill.

Why not?

I think his time off he realized there is a lot more in life than tennis but he still loves it and I expect to see a Rafa come back as a man who loves the sport.

besides this will be great for all those clay tournaments to have the "Clay King" participating and give some rafa fans a chance to see him where they never would have before.

[Goosehead]

good old fun clay..how much more clay can rafa/wafa fit it ?

acapulco atp500 in feb and i suppose a 250 event before that..theres the post wimbledon clay event in germany..ex masters in hambourg atp500, he could play there but im not sure how long after wimby it is..and drop one of the 2 pre u.s open masters series hc..

if serena williams can play where she wants so can rafa.

so rafa can say bugger those hc masters and only play 2 or 3 of them, have some breaks and also more clay..i dunno

[zagor]

Nothing wrong with sticking to his guns, clay is his best surface so obviously he'll try to peak for that part of the year.

However, say what you will about him but Nadal has more than proven his mettle off clay- 2 Wimbledon titles and 5 finals, 2 HC slam titles and 4 finals, SOG, 5 HC masters etc.

This year he reached AO final and came withing a hair of winning it, last year he reached his 2nd USO final in a row so no he hasn't become a one dimensional tennis pro.

[Phoenix1983]

I think at the very least Nadal will want to win Wimbledon again. I can't imagine he will only be satisfied winning clay tournaments from now on...

[kragster]

Originally Posted by zagor

Nothing wrong with sticking to his guns, clay is his best surface so obviously he'll try to peak for that part of the year.

However, say what you will about him but Nadal has more than proven his mettle off clay- 2 Wimbledon titles and 5 finals, 2 HC slam titles and 4 finals, SOG, 5 HC masters etc.

This year he reached AO final and came withing a hair of winning it, last year he reached his 2nd USO final in a row so no he hasn't become a one dimensional tennis pro.

Nadal has proven beyond a doubt his abilities outside clay when you compare it vs the vast majority of the field but when you start comparing the greatest of the greats, I think Nadal could definitely bolster his resume off clay. I would rather he have a shortened career but focus 1 yr heavily outside clay than play clay season for 3 years winning his 11 billionth MC. Total slam count matters but personally for me,

1 more RG + 1 Wimby/USO/AO > 3 RG

Certainly I see no reason why he should not focus on grass at least, it is much easier on his joints than HC and despite the Rosol loss I would say he is still the 2nd best player on grass behind Fed.

[Phoenix1983]

^ I agree, winning a 3rd and 4th Wimbledon will cement his legacy more than an 8th and 9th FO.

[zam88]

If i were Rafa my tennis season would consist of these tournaments:

Warm up for AO
AO

nothing until Clay Season
Enter EVERY clay tournament i can

Wimbledon

1 hard court warmup
USO

end season.

about 10 tournaments.

That would allow him to play the longest and achieve the most in the sport.

He can be in the top 5 just off his clay results and could pick up a slam off clay if the cards fall right.

[Magnetite]

I think it's smart.

[Clarky21]

Nadal has always been one dimensional, but Cvac is just as one dimensional as Nadal is except for his one dimension dominates the tour making it easier for him to win titles.

[paulorenzo]

to say nadal is one dimensional seems a little absurd. right off the top of my head i can think of at least two dimensions to Nadal's game. injured and not-injured

[McEnroeisanartist]

I wouldn't call the owner of a career grand slam "one dimensional." A bit absurd. After Federer, Laver, Agassi, Borg, and Lendl, probably the most dimension tennis player in the open era.

[DropShotArtist]

Nadal is a very good tennis player, better than Sampras. But like Sampras, he has no real personality.

[kragster]

Originally Posted by zam88

If i were Rafa my tennis season would consist of these tournaments:

Warm up for AO
AO

nothing until Clay Season
Enter EVERY clay tournament i can

Wimbledon

1 hard court warmup
USO

end season.

about 10 tournaments.

That would allow him to play the longest and achieve the most in the sport.

He can be in the top 5 just off his clay results and could pick up a slam off clay if the cards fall right.

Good list, I agree. He should skip pretty much all the Masters 1000 on hc except 1 as a warmup for USO. I would add WTF to that list. 11 tournaments.

[Boricua]

I agree also with playing more on clay and limiting hard courts tournaments.

[cknobman]

Nadal is not one dimensional.

Nadal is a clay court player who did everything in his capability to be successful on other surfaces, and he was, but it cost him his health.

[Crisstti]

Rafa will focus on Wimbledon as well, I'm sure. He probably thinks/feels he needs to have done well on clay to have a good chance there.

What would the penalties be if Nadal would skip most hc masters (though i doubt it's what he intends to do)?. Would it be just fines?.

Originally Posted by zagor

Nothing wrong with sticking to his guns, clay is his best surface so obviously he'll try to peak for that part of the year.

However, say what you will about him but Nadal has more than proven his mettle off clay- 2 Wimbledon titles and 5 finals, 2 HC slam titles and 4 finals, SOG, 5 HC masters etc.

This year he reached AO final and came within a hair of winning it, last year he reached his 2nd USO final in a row so no he hasn't become a one dimensional tennis pro.

Not much else to add to that.

[tennis_pro]

What do you mean by "become"? Has he ever been any different?

[Sabratha]

Nadal is just looking out for his knees, he doesn't care about rankings.

[Crisstti]

Originally Posted by tennis_pro

What do you mean by "become"? Has he ever been any different?

Lol, you wish.