If you think Rafa is great now...

ivan_the_terrible

ivan_the_terrible

Hall of Fame
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
 
I'm sure if Nadal was able to get in better shape to better his chances of winning, he'd have done it already.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...
Increase his supplements? :confused: I don't think he would be able to train much harder than he already does without sustaining even more injuries. An injury-free Rafa is not really possible anyway because the style he plays and the stress that his body takes on a day-to-day basis. What about the serve on other surfaces?
 
Cup8489 said:
I'm sure if Nadal was able to get in better shape to better his chances of winning, he'd have done it already.
Click to expand...

Are you saying there's no way he could improve physically? Technologically there have been vast improvements in training equipment, physiological techniques & nutrition - witness how all athletes have improved over the years with respect to the previous generations.
 
The OP is upset that Rafa lost a set to Andy Mugray on clay and that he lost two consecutive finals to Djokovic (after winning the first set).
I agree. Rafa should train harder.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
Are you saying there's no way he could improve physically? Technologically there have been vast improvements in training equipment, physiological techniques & nutrition - witness how all athletes have improved over the years with respect to the previous generations.
Click to expand...

Well, wouldn't he, with his massive desire to win at all costs, be aware of these developments, and wouldn't he work as hard as possible on as many factors as he could control in order to be in the best possible position to win? This isn't murray, Nadal's got the will to do whatever it takes... even wearing his own body down to win a match.

He slimmed down his muscle mass in order to put less stress on his legs.. I doubt his forehand could be made better by attempting to improve his physicality.. it's already peaked.

The injuries are a result, IMHO, of overtraining and overplaying.
 
nadal has upside in his game but certainly not physically.

I still think he is somewhat limited in a way that he is standing too far back and playing too many short balls to the middle.

He could be even better if he stood a little closer to the baseline and mix more flatter shots in his game.

he already stands closer to the baseline than a couple years ago, but I still think he stands too far back. he doesn't need to become davydenko II but he should go into the court more often.

also he should rip more flat shots. IMO he hits too many of those reverse finish loops.
long time I doubted that he can hit flat but lately I have seen him ripping some 100+MPH flat winners. but he does that way too rarely.

Generally I think he plays too defensive. that guy has such an awesome net game. he should step inside the baseline on more occasions and then follow to the net. but this of course only works if he is not 7 feet behind the baseline.

Nadal wins so many net points, he should go there more often.
 
I'd like to submit that if Federer worked on balancing his left arm with his right arm, and ran windsprints up mount everest while wearing a suit specifically designed to mimic the climate of the Australian Summer, he would be unbeatable and undoubtedly the GOAT.

Also, if federer switched to the KPS88 and stretched his shoulder a bit, he'd be routinely hitting 1232 mph serves, which literally would blow holes through the strings of opponents.. he would have exactly 4 unreturnable serves per game, and 12 per set (he would always win sets 6-0, as his improved game would prevent opponents from ever winning any points, ever).
 
We are talking about the same Rafa, right? One of the greatest players of all time (arguably)? One of the fittest players of all time? There isn't a single tennis player alive or dead that could say he/she is/was as equally fit as Rafa.

Rafa sustains injuries because of how he plays the game. A brutal, physically-diminishing game that wears himself and his opponent down over time. Unfortunately, this brand of tennis does not translate into longevity. It does produce results, though and to start suggesting these changes to be a "better" player is a tad absurd. These changes would definitely increase his tennis career, but Rafa is an exception to the rule. Having him move up and having him hit flatter would produce more UE's and cut down on his court coverage. Anyone who has watched a Nadal match knows that that is his biggest strength.

Do not forget that Nadal, and only Nadal, was the one who tormented Roger at the height of his reign with the style of game he has. Roger is the GOAT. Why change his supplements, schedule, court position, etc.?
 
clubberlang.jpg
 
Well Rafa's game is physical, hence increasing his strength is his way to improve. In this day and age, one cannot standstill, you end up going backwards.

Saying Rafa has peaked at this stage in his career is saying he cannot improve and will be surpassed. Unless, he's unbeatable now and is so far ahead of the up & comers, that he cannot be overhauled? The losses to Nole are an anomaly in this regard I suppose.

People have been saying "His arms will fall off and his knees are shot" for years now, it's almost as if they're awaiting the Second Coming.

Is it possible that Rafa cannot humanly get stronger?
 
sureshs said:
??????????????????
Click to expand...

Extreme fitness requires supplements to your daily intake of curry and roti, no?

In Rafa's case:
http://www.mensfitness.com/sports/athletes/rafael-nadal

quote:

What's your specialty in the kitchen?
Pasta with shrimp and mushrooms. I'm also good at making cakes.

How strict is your diet? Do you not eat certain foods?
It depends if I am playing the day after or not. I am not that careful in general but those days I am. I try not to eat meat or heavy things. But I do sometimes eat a lot of chocolate and things like that. Clearly I also burn a lot of calories!
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
Well Rafa's game is physical, hence increasing his strength is his way to improve. In this day and age, one cannot standstill, you end up going backwards.

Saying Rafa has peaked at this stage in his career is saying he cannot improve and will be surpassed. Unless, he's unbeatable now and is so far ahead of the up & comers, that he cannot be overhauled? The losses to Nole are an anomaly in this regard I suppose.

People have been saying "His arms will fall off and his knees are shot" for years now, it's almost as if they're awaiting the Second Coming.

Is it possible that Rafa cannot humanly get stronger?
Click to expand...

Brute strength is not necessarily good at all. Nadal relies on his speed for almost everything, and He's plenty strong enough to supplement it with big shots. IMHO, physically he is right where he needs to be.
 
LOL...if he trains harder...he would be out of the top 100 because of burnout, injuries and fatigue. Nadal has been in the top 5 for such a long time....he knows his fitness regime. I guy who conquere the most physical grand slam at the French open mulitple times on top of that conqure the other clay tourneys is defiintly as his fittest.

The only way Rafa can be greater is by winning more titles, making minor adjustments technically, and learning new strategies.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...

Lol, you want the guy to be even more hard-working than he already is?! JESUS!

Funny, I was wondering - what if other guys, like let's say Safin or Nalbandian were as industrious as Nadal is....
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...

uh, kid can you put down the blunt?
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
Extreme fitness requires supplements to your daily intake of curry and roti, no?

In Rafa's case:
http://www.mensfitness.com/sports/athletes/rafael-nadal

quote:

What's your specialty in the kitchen?
Pasta with shrimp and mushrooms. I'm also good at making cakes.

How strict is your diet? Do you not eat certain foods?
It depends if I am playing the day after or not. I am not that careful in general but those days I am. I try not to eat meat or heavy things. But I do sometimes eat a lot of chocolate and things like that. Clearly I also burn a lot of calories!
Click to expand...

OK, I thought you meant, err, more controversial supplements.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...



You made a typo, you mean Federer. He needs to put in some real work for once! Outside the court!
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...

Imagine if Richard Gasquet wasn't a nut job and laid off the coke. Imagine if Marat Safin went to anger management and laid off the Russian homemade. Imagine if Roddick learned how to hit a ball after his serve. Imagine if Michael Chang would have used a Chinese stretching machine and was taller.
 
Pozarevacka said:
Imagine if Richard Gasquet wasn't a nut job and laid off the coke. Imagine if Marat Safin went to anger management and laid off the Russian homemade. Imagine if Roddick learned how to hit a ball after his serve. Imagine if Michael Chang would have used a Chinese stretching machine and was taller.
Click to expand...

Coke can have a positive effect on athletes, don't be so quick to brush it off.

Imagine if Rafa went over the dark side...
 
FedererBestTennis said:
Increase his supplements? :confused: I don't think he would be able to train much harder than he already does without sustaining even more injuries. An injury-free Rafa is not really possible anyway because the style he plays and the stress that his body takes on a day-to-day basis. What about the serve on other surfaces?
Click to expand...



LOL. Increase his supplements huh? Is that what some people are calling it? Okey doke! :twisted:

I agree with your post above. His style of tennis is brutal on the body and hence more injury prone. The longer he plays, the more injury prone he will be probably. Also, he is at his peak now physically and I don't think he can get any better physically than he is now. I think he can stay the same though as long as he is not injured.
 
Well that's interesting!

Apparently the consensus is that there is nothing else Rafa can do to become fitter, he has exhausted all possibilities.

Very interesting indeed.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
then you will be amazed at what he can accomplish if he upped his regimen. Suppose he trains harder, increases his supplements, manages his schedule, avoids injuries, there is no one out there who can touch him.

Can you imagine a fitter, stronger, injury-free Rafa on the tour? Those top-spin forehands would be untouchable. The serve on HC? Un-returnable. No player would be able to out-rally him from the baseline, even the new Nole.

Scary for the rest of the players, it would be awesome to witness him in God-mode every time he plays.
Click to expand...

God-mode? Tennis isn't a video game. It would be interesting to see what Nadal could do with bionic limbs but that won't happen either. Now here's a reality check: Nadal has success because his physical style of play is pushing the limits of what a human body can do on a tennis court. That leads to injuries, being tired, complaining that the season is too long, etc...
A fitter, stronger injury free Nadal is an oxymoron. Can't possibly happen in the real world.
 
Nadal had his physical peak at the 2009 ao...if you look closer now you see he doesn't run after all dropshots, also opponents hit a bit more winners against him...thats why he switched to more aggressive play, his body couldn't take all that crazy defense.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
Well Rafa's game is physical, hence increasing his strength is his way to improve. In this day and age, one cannot standstill, you end up going backwards.

Saying Rafa has peaked at this stage in his career is saying he cannot improve and will be surpassed. Unless, he's unbeatable now and is so far ahead of the up & comers, that he cannot be overhauled? The losses to Nole are an anomaly in this regard I suppose.

People have been saying "His arms will fall off and his knees are shot" for years now, it's almost as if they're awaiting the Second Coming.

Is it possible that Rafa cannot humanly get stronger?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry to be rude, but you clearly understand absolutely nothing about fitness and training.
 
JustBob said:
God-mode? Tennis isn't a video game. It would be interesting to see what Nadal could do with bionic limbs but that won't happen either. Now here's a reality check: Nadal has success because his physical style of play is pushing the limits of what a human body can do on a tennis court. That leads to injuries, being tired, complaining that the season is too long, etc...
A fitter, stronger injury free Nadal is an oxymoron. Can't possibly happen in the real world.
Click to expand...

I agree. There is nobody in the sport of tennis as far as I can see that is more fit than Nadal is. Not quite sure how he can get any more fit unless, as you suggest, he grows bionic limbs.

The other thing with Nadal is even though he is only 24, he has been playing the game so vigorously and making his mark since he was a young teenager so that he will most likely reach his physical peak at an earlier age than say another top player who may have had a shorter life span playing at the elite level.
 
ivan_the_terrible said:
In Rafa's case:
http://www.mensfitness.com/sports/athletes/rafael-nadal

quote:

What's your specialty in the kitchen?
Pasta with shrimp and mushrooms. I'm also good at making cakes.

How strict is your diet? Do you not eat certain foods?
It depends if I am playing the day after or not. I am not that careful in general but those days I am. I try not to eat meat or heavy things. But I do sometimes eat a lot of chocolate and things like that. Clearly I also burn a lot of calories!
Click to expand...

Swiss cheese should be on his menu.
 
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