I'd like Rafa to take end of Oct/November and December off.....

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
He normally follows up a great year with a relatively poor year...

Breaks really seem to suit him....

I know he won't do this but what do others think??

Why bother playing the likes of Basle, Paris, London...Probably won't win and he can just get ready for Australia where again he will have a good chance.

I know world number 1 is on the line but feel MY schedule would be better for 2018 success :)
 

Jon Snow

Semi-Pro
Go hard in one of thouse tournaments to secure the #1.

It's all about the slams for Rafa now. Idc if he doesn't win a single master title as long as he puts in a good performance at the slams, which he's been doing this American HC season. I'll take that any day of the week.
 

mistik

Hall of Fame
He cant take the year off because no 1 ranking isnt all that safe. Fed can still finish the year No 1.
 

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
He cant take the year off because no 1 ranking isnt all that safe. Fed can still finish the year No 1.

I know that but I am not too bothered about finishing up as world number 1...It would be nice but I feel 2.5 months at home in Majorca would set him up a lot better to finally try crack Australia for a second time.....

Just looking for peoples opinions really...
 

vanioMan

Legend
He normally follows up a great year with a relatively poor year...

Breaks really seem to suit him....

I know he won't do this but what do others think??

Why bother playing the likes of Basle, Paris, London...Probably won't win and he can just get ready for Australia where again he will have a good chance.

I know world number 1 is on the line but feel MY schedule would be better for 2018 success :)

I get what you're saying, but he really needs that Year End #1 and the weeks as well. If he can pass JMac and possibly get close to 200 weeks, this will no longer be considered a relative "weakness" in his resumes.
 

ibbi

G.O.A.T.
Personally I wouldn't disagree with you, but as it's never going to happen there's no need to worry about it :p I think the important thing is that he has clearly had way more success than ever before in spending less time on court. That was never more apparent than at Roland Garros where even if he hands out a triple bagel he can take two and a half hours to do it, but this year he was winning such matches in the kinds of times that you would normally except based on the scoreline. That will only help him physically going forward.
 

mistik

Hall of Fame
I know that but I am not too bothered about finishing up as world number 1...It would be nice but I feel 2.5 months at home in Majorca would set him up a lot better to finally try crack Australia for a second time.....

Just looking for peoples opinions really...
For me to finish the year No 1 is important. I am sure it is important for Rafa as well. There will be a big chance on WTF as well. No Djokovic no Murray.
 

Rafa24

Hall of Fame
If fed isn't healthy and and doesn't do well in the fall I'd play one asian tourney and try and win it for another 1000 and play the WTF exho. I agree. He needs rest!
 

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
For me to finish the year No 1 is important. I am sure it is important for Rafa as well. There will be a big chance on WTF as well. No Djokovic no Murray.

I hear you - personally couldn't give a hoot about the WTF.

Number 1 is important to be fair.....

I am thinking long term a good rest would help him - less likely to get injured also .....

Anyway I am sure he will play all the tournaments but no harm in discussing :)
 

Rafa the King

Hall of Fame
I'd rather he play a schedule like: Beijing-Shanghai-WTF or Shanghai-Paris-WTF or even Shanghai/Paris-WTF. Can't understand 4 tourneys let alone 5
 

VolleyHelena

Semi-Pro
This is his best chance at having his best indoor season since 2005.With most guys out,he won't miss such a huge opportunity.
 

guitarra

Professional
I think both Nadal and Federer will tire themselves out playing it all out for the YE No1 and as a result they will struggle in 2018 winning max 1 slams each or even staying slamless.
 

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
If he does go onto play 5 more tournaments is that the most ever in a year? Or at least the most in 6/7 years? Thinking about it that way then maybe someone in the camp might say 'you need a bit of rest'.....It would seem a bit crazy to have your busiest year in 6/7 years at the age of 31......I know he went out early in some recent tournaments but you are still still travelling/still getting yourself up for matches....
 

Antonio Puente

Hall of Fame
He'll play it out.

Along with the YE#1, Masters #31 and a WTF are possible. If you are going to manage the schedule, skip a 500.

As for Fed, his back is screwed up. Who knows how much he'll even play.
 

jimjam

Professional
He should probably at least play WTF to prove to himself that he can win that tournament. It's kinda damaging to his legacy that he always does badly in a tournament where there are no weak players. This year will be his best chance.
 

Bukmeikara

Legend
Why are people thinking that they know better than proffesional athletes? I mean, every single day - "Nadal shouldnt play that much", "Federer played too much" ..." he lost because of Canada". They are tennis players, they are expected to play tennis!!!! 31 or even 35 is not that old in terms of physicality - they can still walk, run and jump .... you are threating them as seniors!!! They did this their entire life, they have the best possible teams in the world to help them recover and every single time "Ooooo no, Federer played 4sets, he would die the next day" , "Ooooo no, Nadal is playing Barcelona. He is beating everyone 6-1 6-0 but still why is he playing".

And for the record Nadal had good indoor seasons in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He didnt win many titles but with Federer/Djokovic around there is no shame not to. The same thing happens on clay but with the other side of the coin.
And right now Nadal is playing great, has confidence, a lot of players are absent and YOU want your favorite player just to give up the year and not play!?! I am sorry but this is utterly ridiculous. Maybe you should learn something from the mentality of your idol, not just "take" the success when he is winning - because if he was thinking like most of you, he wouldnt be here
 

ScentOfDefeat

G.O.A.T.
He should probably at least play WTF to prove to himself that he can win that tournament. It's kinda damaging to his legacy that he always does badly in a tournament where there are no weak players. This year will be his best chance.

He will always lose to Federer there.
It's basically a tournament made for Federer to win.
And Nadal is lucky enough that the indoor/carpet season has almost disappeared, or it would've been much more damaging to his legacy.
 

KingKyrgios

Professional
It's not all on his raquet that's the issue.
Even if he wins everything (a tall task in itself),he has to rely on Nadal performing poorly
Historically speaking,Bull almost always performs poorly this part of the season .
His USO win is more due to favourable circumstances(slow court speed,cakewalk draw) than anything else IMO.
1860 point lead doesnt look insurmountable tbh.
Fed is likely to win Shanghai or Paris Basel and WTF.
Thats 3000 points right there.
 

Bukmeikara

Legend
He will always lose to Federer there.
It's basically a tournament made for Federer to win.
And Nadal is lucky enough that the indoor/carpet season has almost disappeared, or it would've been much more damaging to his legacy.

If they play now, Nadal would win. He won in 2013 and Fed was in good shape after Us Open.
 

Bukmeikara

Legend
Historically speaking,Bull almost always performs poorly this part of the season .
His USO win is more due to favourable circumstances(slow court speed,cakewalk draw) than anything else IMO.
1860 point lead doesnt look insourmountable tbh
Fed is likely to win Shanghai or Paris ,Basel and WTF.
Thats 3000 points right there.

Federer is more likely not win a title than win 3/4 .. in his current shape. Historically Nadal has made 2/6 SF in Shanghai(in 2014 he played just for the paycheck, the most obvious tanking ever), in Paris 3/5 SF and the WTF has reached the SF in 5/7 cases. How is that poorly overall?
 

TennisATP

Professional
This is actually a good opportunity to perhaps win a couple of indoor titles with Djoko, Murray and many top players out... can you imagine if for example Rafa wins the WTF? That would be epic. Same if he wins one of the Masters 1000 that have eluded him. And let's not forget finishing the year at number one for a fourth time.
 

KingKyrgios

Professional
Federer is more likely not win a title than win 3/4 .. in his current shape. Historically Nadal has made 2/6 SF in Shanghai(in 2014 he played just for the paycheck, the most obvious tanking ever), in Paris 3/5 SF and the WTF has reached the SF in 5/7 cases. How is that poorly overall?
Nah ,fed dominates the indoor season and with no Nole who can stop him??

Basically only injuries. If he is healthy he will definitely outperform bull by 2000 points.
 

Bukmeikara

Legend
Nah ,fed dominates the indoor season and with no Nole who can stop him??

Basically only injuries. If he is healthy he will definitely outperform bull by 2000 points.

Just loking at the averages, Nadal would win 1000-1500 points by just showing up, not to mention that in his current shape he can win any tournament. The only way for Federer to outperform him by 2000 points is to win each event that he enters. Federer has won combined Shanghai as a Master and Paris .. 2 times
 

VolleyHelena

Semi-Pro
Historically speaking,Bull almost always performs poorly this part of the season .
His USO win is more due to favourable circumstances(slow court speed,cakewalk draw) than anything else IMO.
1860 point lead doesnt look insurmountable tbh.
Fed is likely to win Shanghai or Paris Basel and WTF.
Thats 3000 points right there.

True it's not impossible but a little unlikely.
And that's 4000 points for winning those 4 tournaments
 

VolleyHelena

Semi-Pro
Just loking at the averages, Nadal would win 1000-1500 points by just showing up, not to mention that in his current shape he can win any tournament. The only way for Federer to outperform him by 2000 points is to win each event that he enters. Federer has won combined Shanghai as a Master and Paris .. 2 times

Those are Noles pet tournaments iirc.
 

VolleyHelena

Semi-Pro
This is actually a good opportunity to perhaps win a couple of indoor titles with Djoko, Murray and many top players out... can you imagine if for example Rafa wins the WTF? That would be epic. Same if he wins one of the Masters 1000 that have eluded him. And let's not forget finishing the year at number one for a fourth time.

so it's not an exo anymore lol
 

VolleyHelena

Semi-Pro
He beat Fed the last time they played at the WTF.

Watching Fed at the USO, I saw nothing to make me think he is going to dominate the rest of the season. Listening to his interviews, I'm not sure how much he'll even play.

In his post match interview Federer said he's looking to play a full season
 

KingKyrgios

Professional
Just loking at the averages, Nadal would win 1000-1500 points by just showing up, not to mention that in his current shape he can win any tournament. The only way for Federer to outperform him by 2000 points is to win each event that he enters. Federer has won combined Shanghai as a Master and Paris .. 2 times
Yeah you have a point.
It won't be easy but i believe Fed will do it .
So ,W's at Shangai/Basel/WTF and a semi in Paris =3360 points
7505+3360=10865

Bull : 9365+ 1500 + 10865
Lets say 2 semis at masters
SF exit in WTF after 2 wins in the group and a Basel final combining for :
320+320+400+300= 1340

This is as high as he can go IMO and i expect it to be more around 1000 points overall.
 

KingKyrgios

Professional
He beat Fed the last time they played at the WTF.

Watching Fed at the USO, I saw nothing to make me think he is going to dominate the rest of the season. Listening to his interviews, I'm not sure how much he'll even play.
Thats cause his back bothered him and USO was slow.
Indoors is a whole different story
 
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ppmishra

Rookie
Go hard in one of thouse tournaments to secure the #1.

It's all about the slams for Rafa now. Idc if he doesn't win a single master title as long as he puts in a good performance at the slams, which he's been doing this American HC season. I'll take that any day of the week.
Exactly, would you rather be remembered as a US open champion or a masters 1000 winner? i agree 100%
 

ppmishra

Rookie
He normally follows up a great year with a relatively poor year...

Breaks really seem to suit him....

I know he won't do this but what do others think??

Why bother playing the likes of Basle, Paris, London...Probably won't win and he can just get ready for Australia where again he will have a good chance.

I know world number 1 is on the line but feel MY schedule would be better for 2018 success :)
Indeed, i feel Andy destroyed himself fit as he was in his post US open run, and while earning the top ranking was commendable and an opportunity to achieve it once it came at too steep a cost for him imo. That being said, at this stage of the big 4's careers, staying healthy and winning slams matter more than chasing the top spot since they have all done it, once or multiple times.
Case in point frankly who will remember whether wozniacki was no 1 ten years down the road? I hope she can win a slam before she calls it a day and that would mean a lot more i daresay.
 

ppmishra

Rookie
Why are people thinking that they know better than proffesional athletes? I mean, every single day - "Nadal shouldnt play that much", "Federer played too much" ..." he lost because of Canada". They are tennis players, they are expected to play tennis!!!! 31 or even 35 is not that old in terms of physicality - they can still walk, run and jump .... you are threating them as seniors!!! They did this their entire life, they have the best possible teams in the world to help them recover and every single time "Ooooo no, Federer played 4sets, he would die the next day" , "Ooooo no, Nadal is playing Barcelona. He is beating everyone 6-1 6-0 but still why is he playing".

And for the record Nadal had good indoor seasons in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He didnt win many titles but with Federer/Djokovic around there is no shame not to. The same thing happens on clay but with the other side of the coin.
And right now Nadal is playing great, has confidence, a lot of players are absent and YOU want your favorite player just to give up the year and not play!?! I am sorry but this is utterly ridiculous. Maybe you should learn something from the mentality of your idol, not just "take" the success when he is winning - because if he was thinking like most of you, he wouldnt be here
True, but they are not getting any younger, so while i agree that this is an opportunity for both it's a question of risk vs reward and their long term goals in mind. I dont think there is any harm in skipping a ATP 500 tournament like beijing or basel. however, speaking for rafa the style of play is more important (quick strike tennis, shortening points when he can) will only benefit him in the slams next year regardless of the YE ranking.
 

irishnadalfan1983

Hall of Fame
Why are people thinking that they know better than proffesional athletes? I mean, every single day - "Nadal shouldnt play that much", "Federer played too much" ..." he lost because of Canada". They are tennis players, they are expected to play tennis!!!! 31 or even 35 is not that old in terms of physicality - they can still walk, run and jump .... you are threating them as seniors!!! They did this their entire life, they have the best possible teams in the world to help them recover and every single time "Ooooo no, Federer played 4sets, he would die the next day" , "Ooooo no, Nadal is playing Barcelona. He is beating everyone 6-1 6-0 but still why is he playing".

And for the record Nadal had good indoor seasons in 2010, 2013 and 2015. He didnt win many titles but with Federer/Djokovic around there is no shame not to. The same thing happens on clay but with the other side of the coin.
And right now Nadal is playing great, has confidence, a lot of players are absent and YOU want your favorite player just to give up the year and not play!?! I am sorry but this is utterly ridiculous. Maybe you should learn something from the mentality of your idol, not just "take" the success when he is winning - because if he was thinking like most of you, he wouldnt be here

Nobody is saying that.....However these top athletes do get it wrong sometimes....Also we are just discussing it....

Yes if it were up to me I'd make Shanghai the last tournament of the year - he does seem to enjoy the Asia swing....However it ain't up to me!
 

ppmishra

Rookie
Thats cause his back bothered him and USO was slow.
Indoors is a whole different story
Since he has won the french open in 2009 (and reached 4 finals there) not to mention he won miami this year on purple clay i think he is quite capable of winning on slow hard courts, ultimately as he said he was not good enough to win the tournament. that's it.
 

ForumMember

Hall of Fame
Can play Shanghai.. and see where difference lies between him and Federer. He can drop out form Paris and Basel. If Federer comes back in the running for YE #1, he can play London. We need to realize if there was any iota of truth in the suggestions of bad back for Fed, he would not be playing a lot in this post US season.

I want him to finish year as YE# 1 definitely. WTF is useless tournament anyways so don''t care.
 

MasturB

Legend
Yep and Rafa deserves the #1 after all this. I couldn't believe when the ITF named Djokovic the #1 player in 2013 when Nadal had him beat in everything.

Nole did make final in 3 slams that year plus win WTF (beat Rafa)

But I do agree Rafa should have gotten that.
 
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