Why is Nadal playing so much doubles if he is tired?

illkhiboy

illkhiboy

Hall of Fame
Ok, let me preface this post by saying I 'm a fan of Nadal. I 've been a fan of his playing style and his incredible fight ever since I first saw him play against Hewitt at the 2005 Australian. Just a few months later he jumped 40 or so ranking spots and went up to number two. However, I always felt like he did a mediocre if not poor job managing his schedule.

This year of course has been brutal for him because he's been winning so much at a time when the calendar is jam-packed. And while he has a right to speak about the ATP's fault in scheduling tournaments, he himself hasn't been the smartest decision maker. He has played 16 doubles matches this year. I have no idea why he would do that. And it's not that he just played doubles when he switched surfaces to get extra practice; he also played right at the end of the year, in Paris and Madrid!

Is it just me or is this asinine decision making on his (and his team)'s part?

http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/playe...=Doubles&selTournament=0&player=N409&x=7&y=11
 
Dreamer

Dreamer

Professional
As for doubles, it could be the same as replacing what you would have as practice time with match play. Top seeds get byes in beginning rounds and he may not want to start his first match in the tournament without match play.

I think because he's in such good physical shape and so confident that he believed he could play so much. He's a competitor in the end of the day, that's why he wanted all the clay titles, Beijing and Madrid. Beijing and Madrid, arguably things he could have avoided, but two tournaments that were very important to him. As for Paris I think he just thought he was physically fine.

He'll play less next year, I believe.
 
C

caulcano

Hall of Fame
Nadal & co probably thought he's young & will recover faster. Maybe this worked a few years ago but eventually it will catch up.

However, I think Nadal & co will have to seriuosly think about managing Nadal's schedule a bit better in the future so he is given the best opportunities at majors (the most important things).
 
illkhiboy

illkhiboy

Hall of Fame
Dreamer said:
As for doubles, it could be the same as replacing what you would have as practice time with match play. Top seeds get byes in beginning rounds and he may not want to start his first match in the tournament without match play.

I think because he's in such good physical shape and so confident that he believed he could play so much. He's a competitor in the end of the day, that's why he wanted all the clay titles, Beijing and Madrid. Beijing and Madrid, arguably things he could have avoided, but two tournaments that were very important to him. As for Paris I think he just thought he was physically fine.

He'll play less next year, I believe.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but this is the fourth consecutive year he's been tired at the end of the year. So one would think he would manage his schedule a bit better.

I see what you're saying about replacing practice with doubles, but doubles matches are normally played after the singles matches, so one would still schedule a practice session before the singles match.
I also don't think Nadal really needs to get a feel for the condtions by playing doubles before the singles event starts - he only plays occasionally anyway. He would be fine without it - like most singles players are. Besides when he keeps complaining about being tired, it seems even more ridiculous.
 
illkhiboy

illkhiboy

Hall of Fame
jmverdugo said:
Uncle Toni just say on an interview that they are seriuosly thinking about skipping Shangai.
Click to expand...

Now how ridiculous is showing up for all Masters events just to skip Shanghai?

If I were him, I 'd have pulled out of Barcelona/Rome/Hamburg to give myself a break during the clay season - especially since I 'd already have spent extra court time winning doubles in Monte Carlo.

Next I 'd have skipped Cincinnatti to recover for the Olympics. And then skipped Paris to get ready for Shanghai. The Masters are important as he claims, but isn't staying staying injury-free more important?
 
Nadal_Freak

Nadal_Freak

Banned
I think Nadal likes playing doubles more than singles because it is more of a team environment. Something that he misses because of quitting soccer.
 
S H O W S T O P P E R !

S H O W S T O P P E R !

Hall of Fame
My question is why is Nadal playing doubles at all? He's a baseline basher! I haven't really seen him volley at all, so if he covers short, does he run back to cover deep while his teammate who served runs to cover short?
 
D

Deleted member 25923

Guest
Also, why is Nadal playing tournaments like Barcelona, especially during clay season, one that is constantly jam packed? Is playing in Madrid not good enough? He can skip Rome too.

If I were him i'd skip Dubai, Barcelona, Rome, and Paris. It's not like Shanghai is on carpet anyways!
 
R

Raiha

Rookie
I know the players have been complaining about the schedule being too busy after wimby and rg ended up being only a few weeks apart. but are they looking for a longer off season or just fewer "obligatory" events?
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
There is no good reason. He is a hypocrite for complaining about having to play too much tennis and then playing doubles. Pathetic behavior from Nadal and his camp this week.
 
veroniquem

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
S H O W S T O P P E R ! said:
My question is why is Nadal playing doubles at all? He's a baseline basher! I haven't really seen him volley at all, so if he covers short, does he run back to cover deep while his teammate who served runs to cover short?
Click to expand...
He does volley, in 2007 he went to net more often than Federer at W and with a great success rate. I don't remember the 2008 statistics but he has pretty good hands at the net actually. If you're so blind that you can't see that, then it's your problem, not his. One thing though is that if he's tired or not feeling well, he will come to net much less, that's true especially on hard. The doubles can only improve his volleying skills anyway so it can't hurt his game to play them.
 
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aaron 3000

aaron 3000

Rookie
illkhiboy said:
Ok, let me preface this post by saying I 'm a fan of Nadal. I 've been a fan of his playing style and his incredible fight ever since I first saw him play against Hewitt at the 2005 Australian. Just a few months later he jumped 40 or so ranking spots and went up to number two. However, I always felt like he did a mediocre if not poor job managing his schedule.



http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/playe...=Doubles&selTournament=0&player=N409&x=7&y=11
Click to expand...

thats funny because thats the exact moment i became a fan as well. i remember watching it on ESPN2.

but on topic, he plays doubles to improve his volleying, so that he can be more aggressive on hard courts.
 
Cup8489

Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
veroniquem said:
He does volley, in 2007 he went to net more often than Federer at W and with a great success rate. I don't remember the 2008 statistics but he has pretty good hands at the net actually. If you're so blind that you can't see that, then it's your problem, not his. One thing though is that if he's tired or not feeling well, he will come to net much less, that's true especially on hard. The doubles can only improve his volleying skills anyway so it can't hurt his game to play them.
Click to expand...

jeez, lay off a bit. he said he'd never seen him volley, and it still rings true that nadal prefers to stay back if he can. i can think of only a few points in a match of him volleying.

calm down, every time someone says something about nadal you dont like, you freak.

i also think nadal has been playing doubles to help him with his transistion game. in the past, he'd only come in when he was sure he'd win the point at the net, but now he's taking more risks, and reaping the benefits of doubles play by being more aggressive in coming in.
 
illkhiboy

illkhiboy

Hall of Fame
aaron 3000 said:
thats funny because thats the exact moment i became a fan as well. i remember watching it on ESPN2.

but on topic, he plays doubles to improve his volleying, so that he can be more aggressive on hard courts.
Click to expand...

Yeah it was a great match wasn't it? Too bad Nadal ran out of steam in the fifth. And then he had a similar match against Federer in Miami. I think that was the last time he lost a match because of his stamina. Of course there was the Youzhny match earlier this year but that was an understandable aberration.

Nadal_Freak said:
I think Nadal likes playing doubles more than singles because it is more of a team environment. Something that he misses because of quitting soccer.
Click to expand...

I understand his desire to compete as part of a team, but if he can't conquer it then what kind of discipline is that? And then to turn around and blame the ATP is lame.
 
P

pound cat

G.O.A.T.
jmverdugo said:
Uncle Toni just say on an interview that they are seriuosly thinking about skipping Shangai.
Click to expand...


Link?

I know Uncle toni gave an interview a few days ago and he said "We are in big trouble, rafa is exhausted" but he didn't say anyhting about Shanghai.

That Rafa retired in Paris didn't surprise me, having read this,
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
illkhiboy said:
I understand his desire to compete as part of a team, but if he can't conquer it then what kind of discipline is that? And then to turn around and blame the ATP is lame.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Nadal fans on this board have been trying to defend his actions this week, but they are frankly indefensible. Whining about having to play too much tennis, and then playing the doubles for some odd reason. Saying that he only played Paris becuase it is "obligatory" when he knows full well that skipping it would have been a none issue. I guess Mr. Classy-Golden-Boy acts like an idiot too now and then. LOL at Nadal_Freaks explanation that he likes playing on a team, talk about grasping for anything.
 
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S H O W S T O P P E R !

S H O W S T O P P E R !

Hall of Fame
veroniquem said:
He does volley, in 2007 he went to net more often than Federer at W and with a great success rate. I don't remember the 2008 statistics but he has pretty good hands at the net actually. If you're so blind that you can't see that, then it's your problem, not his. One thing though is that if he's tired or not feeling well, he will come to net much less, that's true especially on hard. The doubles can only improve his volleying skills anyway so it can't hurt his game to play them.
Click to expand...

Ok, he does volley sometimes (I didn't watch a lot of tennis the last couple of years because I was bored of Federer winning all the time.) Playing doubles may help his volleys, but it will destroy his body. If he leaves singles play because of injury, then he needs to just sit down and rest himself for Shanghai.
 
TheTruth

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
I would think doubles would help with your volleying and transition game so they would be an asset. Johnny Mac used doubles as practice sessions too and won a ton of doubles, so I doubt that's a real problem.

The schedule was unusually stacked this year because of the Olympics, he's not the only one who complained. In the end, I guess he's going to do what he deems best. But 13 mandatory tournaments, your home tournament, a special tournament where you've had good luck, and voila! there you have it.
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
TheTruth said:
I would think doubles would help with your volleying and transition game so they would be an asset. Johnny Mac used doubles as practice sessions too and won a ton of doubles, so I doubt that's a real problem.
Click to expand...

ehh? Helping your volleying at the expense of your legs, doesn't seem smart, especially in today's baseline tennis.
 
L

LurkingGod

Rookie
pound cat said:
Link?

I know Uncle toni gave an interview a few days ago and he said "We are in big trouble, rafa is exhausted" but he didn't say anyhting about Shanghai.

That Rafa retired in Paris didn't surprise me, having read this,
Click to expand...

Well, he should've skipped Paris all together and given himself a few weeks off to recover from whatever he suffered from Madrid. Nadal and his team once again made the decision that didn't make sense and did him more harm than good and now it seems they might have to sacrifice TMC for it. No offense to Uncle Toni but if everyone could see the flaws in Nadal's schedule why couldn't he?
 
edberg505

edberg505

Legend
It helps with his volleying? I'm going to assume that not too many people here have seen him play doubles. I've seem him play a few times and he just sits at the baseline esp. on the return of serve.
 
TheTruth

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
edberg505 said:
It helps with his volleying? I'm going to assume that not too many people here have seen him play doubles. I've seem him play a few times and he just sits at the baseline esp. on the return of serve.
Click to expand...

Really? I don't watch doubles unless it's a very dry spell in tennis, but his volleys look good to me, so I assumed he got it from playing doubles. Maybe not!
 
edberg505

edberg505

Legend
TheTruth said:
Really? I don't watch doubles unless it's a very dry spell in tennis, but his volleys look good to me, so I assumed he got it from playing doubles. Maybe not!
Click to expand...

Oh don't get me wrong, he does volley. And if his partner has a pretty good serve he's good at net. But when returning pretty much both of the guys hang out at the baseline.
 
TheTruth

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
edberg505 said:
Oh don't get me wrong, he does volley. And if his partner has a pretty good serve he's good at net. But when returning pretty much both of the guys hang out at the baseline.
Click to expand...

That's most of the tour today though, isn't it? A few years ago he didn't volley much at all. Now with him playing doubles he seems to volley more and he also finds ways to come to net. As a fan I can see the difference and improvement. It also seems to depend on who he plays. Like there are times he stays back a lot, and other times he uses it as a sneak attack. I think it's smart tennis!
 
P

prosealster

Professional
playing doubles is a lot less taxing on the body compared to singles play, esp for someone like nadal...and it helps him to improve his volley, transition game, return of serve...which r all relative weakness in his game...ultimately makes him a more complete player
 
TheTruth

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
prosealster said:
playing doubles is a lot less taxing on the body compared to singles play, esp for someone like nadal...and it helps him to improve his volley, transition game, return of serve...which r all relative weakness in his game...ultimately makes him a more complete player
Click to expand...

That's what I thought!
 
Safinator_1

Safinator_1

Professional
Why did Nadal enter doubles it was uneccessary although sure it meant he would have no practice but against a low ranked player like Serra in the 2nd round surely he could afford to skip some matches(doubles) for better conditioning for later rounds
 
N

nn

Hall of Fame
yeah no business playing doubles even for fun..

they can always practice which is enough after paying 10 months of tennis
 
veritech

veritech

Hall of Fame
i don't know why he is playing so much doubles...

if he claims he's too tired to play, why play doubles?
 
Andres

Andres

G.O.A.T.
Maybe he's pulishing his doubles skills, in case he is asked to play doubles against Argentina on Davis Cup.
 
Safinator_1

Safinator_1

Professional
edmondsm said:
Exactly. Nadal fans on this board have been trying to defend his actions this week, but they are frankly indefensible. Whining about having to play too much tennis, and then playing the doubles for some odd reason. Saying that he only played Paris becuase it is "obligatory" when he knows full well that skipping it would have been a none issue. I guess Mr. Classy-Golden-Boy acts like an idiot too now and then. LOL at Nadal_Freaks explanation that he likes playing on a team, talk about grasping for anything.
Click to expand...

Hey man if Nadal_Freak and his fans wanna act like that so be it i dunno why it bothers you so much just let them think whatever they want, clearly its impossible to try to persuade Nadal_Freak otherwise you would only be adding fuel to the fire not that there is already enough :p
 
Nadal_Freak

Nadal_Freak

Banned
Why does Nadal even practice if he is tired? Obviously, some of you haven't played doubles. It is not taxing at all. Similar to practice.
 
N

NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
Nadal_Freak said:
Why does Nadal even practice if he is tired? Obviously, some of you haven't played doubles. It is not taxing at all. Similar to practice.
Click to expand...


That is not the point. Even if it is not taxing as singles, it is still taxing nonetheless. It's a freaking professional level sport. Playing singles AND doubles will do you no good in terms of your health, it will only deteriorate it faster.
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
TheTruth said:
I guess Rafa has his own goals and his own ideas about how to achieve them.
Click to expand...

That's well and good. Whatever those goals and ideas are, you have to admit they are hard to decifer. The decisions and comments he made this week were perplexing.
 
C

Cloudy

Semi-Pro
S H O W S T O P P E R ! said:
My question is why is Nadal playing doubles at all? He's a baseline basher! I haven't really seen him volley at all, so if he covers short, does he run back to cover deep while his teammate who served runs to cover short?
Click to expand...


I watched him play two doubs matches this week and it astounded me because he was really bloody good at the net. Why doesn't he play like that in singles :confused:

I think it might be doubs practice for DC i think he might have to play singles and doubs or Spain are screwed against Argentina with Ferrer being way off form.
 
Andres

Andres

G.O.A.T.
Cloudy said:
I think it might be doubs practice for DC i think he might have to play singles and doubs or Spain are screwed against Argentina with Ferrer being way off form.
Click to expand...
Why? Ferrer wasn't part of the doubles team. Lopez/Verdasco are virtually a lock for the doubles. What has Ferrer to do with anything? If anything, they're screwed because Lopez might have to play doubles and singles.
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
Andres Guazzelli said:
Why? Ferrer wasn't part of the doubles team. Lopez/Verdasco are virtually a lock for the doubles. What has Ferrer to do with anything? If anything, they're screwed because Lopez might have to play doubles and singles.
Click to expand...

If I was Spain there is no way I would put Ferrer out there in singles. Lopez in singles is the only shot they've got.
 
Cup8489

Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
Andres Guazzelli said:
Why? Ferrer wasn't part of the doubles team. Lopez/Verdasco are virtually a lock for the doubles. What has Ferrer to do with anything? If anything, they're screwed because Lopez might have to play doubles and singles.
Click to expand...

i think ferrer, even in his current form, would still wipe the ground with lopez. he's a terrible singles player.
 
Fedace

Fedace

Banned
illkhiboy said:
Ok, let me preface this post by saying I 'm a fan of Nadal. I 've been a fan of his playing style and his incredible fight ever since I first saw him play against Hewitt at the 2005 Australian. Just a few months later he jumped 40 or so ranking spots and went up to number two. However, I always felt like he did a mediocre if not poor job managing his schedule.

This year of course has been brutal for him because he's been winning so much at a time when the calendar is jam-packed. And while he has a right to speak about the ATP's fault in scheduling tournaments, he himself hasn't been the smartest decision maker. He has played 16 doubles matches this year. I have no idea why he would do that. And it's not that he just played doubles when he switched surfaces to get extra practice; he also played right at the end of the year, in Paris and Madrid!

Is it just me or is this asinine decision making on his (and his team)'s part?

http://www.atptennis.com/3/en/playe...=Doubles&selTournament=0&player=N409&x=7&y=11
Click to expand...

Hey maybe he is like me. and he is thinking about giving up the singles due to his knee injury and just playing doubles only.:confused:
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
Cup8489 said:
i think ferrer, even in his current form, would still wipe the ground with lopez. he's a terrible singles player.
Click to expand...

So I'm guessing you haven't been watching tennis all year. Wipe the ground with Lopez huh? Why didn't he wipe the ground with him in Madrid, when Lopez beat him in straights. Lopez is a fine singles player, been playing really well lately. He had a rough summer but his last 3 tourneys he has made the quarters or better. Ferrer, eee not so much.
 
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