Nadal News 2.0

octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
Award

Spanish magazine 'Fuera de Serie' (the lifestyle supplement of the Expansión and the El Mundo newspapers) has named the winners of its 2017 awards.
Rafa received the Sports award for his outstanding achievements this year.

http://www.expansion.com/fueradeserie/personajes/2017/11/24/5a14118e268e3e8c058b4618.html

23795046_1538584502873436_6791327436598325507_n.jpg

thumbsup.jpg
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
vernonbc said:
Pretty impressive stat. Rafa had the best second serve in 2017. ;)

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/stats/2nd-serve-points-won/2017/all/all/
2017 2nd Serve Points Won On All Surfaces
1 Rafael Nadal 61%
2 Roger Federer 59%
3 John Isner 56%
4 Milos Raonic 56%
5 Roberto Bautista Agut 55%
6 Nick Kyrgios 55%
7 Horacio Zeballos 55%
8 Kevin Anderson 54%
9 Alexander Zverev 53%
10 Dominic Thiem 53%
Click to expand...
Was expecting to find a heavy clay skew. And while he wins more 2nd serve points on clay, he's 1st on HC as well:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/stats/2nd-serve-points-won/2017/hard/all/
Color me impressed.

That said, he didn't have the best 2nd serve in 2017. He just won more points than anyone else behind his 2nd serve. Which tells at least as much about how much his ground game has improved in 2017 as his serve (compared to the last 2-3 years)

MichaelNadal said:
Xisca never ages.
Click to expand...
Saw her in person for the first time at the WTF, let's just say she didn't disappoint.
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
octobrina10 said:
Rafa Nadal Foundation

Rafa is playing in the 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament, this weekend. Rafa & JM. Olazábal host the fifth edition of their annual charity tournament at Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca.

Ten Golf (excerpts via Google Translate): ¤¤ This Friday and Saturday [Nov.24-25], the Olazábal & Nadal Invitational, a charity golf tournament, will be held at Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca. For the fifth consecutive year, professional golf players will join the world's best tennis player, Rafael Nadal, and the legendary golfer, José María Olazábal, to support socially disadvantaged groups through this sporting event. Michelin-starred chefs will offer the participants the best gastronomy with their culinary skills, making this competition a unique tournament in the world.
Eighteen international golfers [...] will show their best game at the Olazábal & Nadal Invitational by Pula Golf Resort, accompanied by amateurs who have wanted to join the event. The teams will be captained by the world number one tennis player and by the winner of two editions of the Augusta Masters [golf, Olazábal].

The proceeds will be donated to the two charitable organisations: Sport Mundi and the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The latter will allocate the funds to its 'More Than Tennis' project aimed at helping young people with intellectual disabilities, currently providing support to the children at 18 schools throughout Spain. ¤¤
http://ten-golf.com/es/noticias/quinta-edicion-del-olazabalnadal-invitational-by-pula-golf-resort/

Pre-tournament interviews:
23795042_1537439392987947_2840180597641973809_n.jpg

23795416_1537439646321255_5574438604227173286_n.jpg

Via Golfing World
emoji-thumbs-up-150-thumb-48x48-140616.jpg
Click to expand...

November 25, 2017
The 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament
The 2nd/last day of the tournament

The team captained by Rafa won the tournament for the third year in a row:
http://www.mallorcadiario.com/el-equipo-de-rafa-nadal-gana-la-v-edicion-del-torneo-de-golf-solidario

https://www.fundacionrafanadal.org/...dal-&-olazabal-unite-for-a-charity-tournament

23905619_1539691346096085_8588934085359508334_n.jpg

Via mallorcadiario

23843082_1539666836098536_4880315447619574931_n.jpg

Via PulaGolfResort

clapping-happy-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
Last edited:
Z

zep

Hall of Fame
Chanwan said:
Was expecting to find a heavy clay skew. And while he wins more 2nd serve points on clay, he's 1st on HC as well:
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/stats/2nd-serve-points-won/2017/hard/all/
Color me impressed.

That said, he didn't have the best 2nd serve in 2017. He just won more points than anyone else behind his 2nd serve. Which tells at least as much about how much his ground game has improved in 2017 as his serve (compared to the last 2-3 years)


Saw her in person for the first time at the WTF, let's just say she didn't disappoint.
Click to expand...

You might be surprised to know that Nadal is the best ever when it comes to winning points behind second serve. He has won 57.17% of his second serve points in his career and Federer 56.67% (he is second), although for some weird reason the ATP site ranks Federer above Nadal. I guess their computer just rounded both of them off to 57% and ranked Federer above Nadal due to more number of points(or matches?) played.

Also Nadal is #1 on clay (56%), #3 on grass (58%) and #1 on hard (again the ATP site ranks Federer above here, but Nadal has won 57.47%, Federer 56.74%, I guess same problem as above).

So in short, 2017 is not at all surprising, I think except 2015 and 2016 (he was still in the top 10) Nadal has always been excellent on second serves.
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
octobrina10 said:
Rafa Nadal Foundation

Rafa is playing in the 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament, this weekend. Rafa & JM. Olazábal host the fifth edition of their annual charity tournament at Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca.

Ten Golf (excerpts via Google Translate): ¤¤ This Friday and Saturday [Nov.24-25], the Olazábal & Nadal Invitational, a charity golf tournament, will be held at Pula Golf Resort in Mallorca. For the fifth consecutive year, professional golf players will join the world's best tennis player, Rafael Nadal, and the legendary golfer, José María Olazábal, to support socially disadvantaged groups through this sporting event. Michelin-starred chefs will offer the participants the best gastronomy with their culinary skills, making this competition a unique tournament in the world.
Eighteen international golfers [...] will show their best game at the Olazábal & Nadal Invitational by Pula Golf Resort, accompanied by amateurs who have wanted to join the event. The teams will be captained by the world number one tennis player and by the winner of two editions of the Augusta Masters [golf, Olazábal].

The proceeds will be donated to the two charitable organisations: Sport Mundi and the Rafa Nadal Foundation. The latter will allocate the funds to its 'More Than Tennis' project aimed at helping young people with intellectual disabilities, currently providing support to the children at 18 schools throughout Spain. ¤¤
http://ten-golf.com/es/noticias/quinta-edicion-del-olazabalnadal-invitational-by-pula-golf-resort/

Pre-tournament interviews:
23795042_1537439392987947_2840180597641973809_n.jpg

23795416_1537439646321255_5574438604227173286_n.jpg

Via Golfing World
emoji-thumbs-up-150-thumb-48x48-140616.jpg
Click to expand...

November 25, 2017
The 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament
Trophy ceremony

Team captain Rafa bites the winners trophy for the third year in a row:
23905544_1539603052771581_7884351606401411452_n.jpg

Via golfdirecto

59957.gif
 
Last edited:
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
zep said:
You might be surprised to know that Nadal is the best ever when it comes to winning points behind second serve. He has won 57.17% of his second serve points in his career and Federer 56.67% (he is second), although for some weird reason the ATP site ranks Federer above Nadal. I guess their computer just rounded both of them off to 57% and ranked Federer above Nadal due to more number of points(or matches?) played.

Also Nadal is #1 on clay (56%), #3 on grass (58%) and #1 on hard (again the ATP site ranks Federer above here, but Nadal has won 57.47%, Federer 56.74%, I guess same problem as above).

So in short, 2017 is not at all surprising, I think except 2015 and 2016 (he was still in the top 10) Nadal has always been excellent on second serves.
Click to expand...
that's the thing though, I don't think he's been excellent at 2nd serves. Nor do I think he has a great RoS. But once the rally is anything close to neutral, Nadal has always had the advantage against pretty much anyone. Which shows how great he's from the baseline
 
Z

zep

Hall of Fame
Chanwan said:
that's the thing though, I don't think he's been excellent at 2nd serves. Nor do I think he has a great RoS. But once the rally is anything close to neutral, Nadal has always had the advantage against pretty much anyone. Which shows how great he's from the baseline
Click to expand...

That was not the point, the point was that his 2017 stats are neither surprising nor an outlier. His second serve is good enough. It's obviously not the best second serve ever just as a shot but it gets the job done just fine, very few players serve unreturnable second serves anyway. Just to put things into perspective, Andy Murray who has had a weaker second serve throughout his career but a really good ground game doesn't rank very high on the list, he's ranked 38 overall career-wise. Also Nadal's stats are not clay dominant as you'd expect.
 
vernonbc

vernonbc

Legend
Chanwan said:
that's the thing though, I don't think he's been excellent at 2nd serves. Nor do I think he has a great RoS. But once the rally is anything close to neutral, Nadal has always had the advantage against pretty much anyone. Which shows how great he's from the baseline
Click to expand...
Maybe, just maybe, his shots are pretty damned good. I mean he manages to accomplish an awful lot with them, doesn't he? Rafa's second serves are very deceiving, especially on tv which doesn't show the amount of spin he puts on the ball. I've heard any number of other players say Rafa's second serve is really tough to return because it's so heavy and is spinning every which way even though it may look to the untrained eye that he's just hit another one down the middle. Rafa has never gotten credit for his amazing shots and the junk he puts on the ball. He does far more than just run around like a bunny rabbit on the baseline.
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Goosehead said:
rafa is playing barcelona500 next year ?..he should be giving that a miss at his age, with all the clay stuff he plays.

suppose he's playing all three clay masters (even monte carlo which counts as atp500 points wise) + barca500 + french open.

ho hum. his choice. carry on and vamos.
Click to expand...
And what should Federer give up at his age? Oh wait! He's already given up clay.
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
zep said:
You might be surprised to know that Nadal is the best ever when it comes to winning points behind second serve. He has won 57.17% of his second serve points in his career and Federer 56.67% (he is second), although for some weird reason the ATP site ranks Federer above Nadal. I guess their computer just rounded both of them off to 57% and ranked Federer above Nadal due to more number of points(or matches?) played.

Also Nadal is #1 on clay (56%), #3 on grass (58%) and #1 on hard (again the ATP site ranks Federer above here, but Nadal has won 57.47%, Federer 56.74%, I guess same problem as above).

So in short, 2017 is not at all surprising, I think except 2015 and 2016 (he was still in the top 10) Nadal has always been excellent on second serves.
Click to expand...
Nadal is the greatest, in a nutshell.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
vernonbc said:
Maybe, just maybe, his shots are pretty damned good. I mean he manages to accomplish an awful lot with them, doesn't he? Rafa's second serves are very deceiving, especially on tv which doesn't show the amount of spin he puts on the ball. I've heard any number of other players say Rafa's second serve is really tough to return because it's so heavy and is spinning every which way even though it may look to the untrained eye that he's just hit another one down the middle. Rafa has never gotten credit for his amazing shots and the junk he puts on the ball. He does far more than just run around like a bunny rabbit on the baseline.
Click to expand...
Maybe, if you weren't looking for criticism of Rafa, where there isn't any, you would realize that my comment had a lot of praise in it.
I'm not saying he's got a bad 2nd serve. Murray's bad, Rafa's pretty good with lots of spin and the lefty factor.
But is it a top-5 2nd serve in the game? No. Top-10? I'd lean towards a no on that one too.

But the rest of his game is pretty damn excellent, which imo is why he
a) is the best player behind his 2nd serve (safe of Novak 2011+ and Fed in his best years)
b) wins so much on return despite not doing as much with his RoS as say Novak, Murray, Ferrer, Goffin, Nishikori type of returners.
zep said:
That was not the point, the point was that his 2017 stats are neither surprising nor an outlier. His second serve is good enough. It's obviously not the best second serve ever just as a shot but it gets the job done just fine, very few players serve unreturnable second serves anyway. Just to put things into perspective, Andy Murray who has had a weaker second serve throughout his career but a really good ground game doesn't rank very high on the list, he's ranked 38 overall career-wise. Also Nadal's stats are not clay dominant as you'd expect.
Click to expand...
I get your point. And it is surprising to me that he's best overall on HC too for his career. The 2nd serve results (and results in general for that matter) for 2017 are still a bit surprising to me in as much as both his serve and his ground game were in ruins for a couple of years. I would have expected Fed to be above him this year on 2nd serve points on HC and Rafa in the top-3/top-5. Anyhow - again, it shows he's gotten confident behind his serve again and is creating "pain" with his forehand (and backhand) yet again.
Also, see my reply to vernon above.
 
Last edited:
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Chanwan said:
Maybe, if you weren't looking for criticism of Rafa, where there isn't any, you would realize that my comment had a lot of praise in it.
I'm not saying he's got a bad 2nd serve. Murray's bad, Rafa's pretty good with lots of spin and the lefty factor.
But is it a top-5 2nd serve in the game? No. Top-10? I'd lean towards a no on that one too.

But the rest of his game is pretty damn excellent, which imo is why he
a) is the best player behind his 2nd serve (safe of Novak 2011+ and Fed in his best years)
b) wins so much on return despite not doing as much with his RoS as say Novak, Murray, Ferrer, Goffin, Nishikori type of returners.

I get your point. And it is surprising to me that he's best overall on HC too for his career. The results are still a bit surprising to me in as much as both his serve and his ground game were in ruins for a couple of years. I would have expected Fed to be above him this year on 2nd serve points on HC and Rafa in the top-3/top-5. Anyhow - again, it shows he's gotten confident behind his serve again and is creating "pain" with his forehand (and backhand) yet again.
Also, see my reply to vernon above.
Click to expand...
Just imagine if Rafa hadn't had so many injury time outs, no one would come close to his achievements.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
clayqueen said:
Just imagine if Rafa hadn't had so many injury time outs, no one would come close to his achievements.
Click to expand...
well, I wouldn't quite go there. Perhaps his injuries have helped him in terms of motivation and keeping his hunger for the game. And helped him to reach exceptionally high peaks, he might or might not have been capable of without the breaks. Look at what happened to Novak after winning everything for an extended period of time. Just no way to know what would have happened if not for the injuries.
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Chanwan said:
well, I wouldn't quite go there. Perhaps his injuries have helped him in terms of motivation and keeping his hunger for the game. And helped him to reach exceptionally high peaks, he might or might not have been capable of without the breaks. Look at what happened to Novak after winning everything for an extended period of time. Just no way to know what would have happened if not for the injuries.
Click to expand...
If not for Rafa's injuries since 2012 I doubt Novak would have had such a long winning streak.
 
Nostradamus

Nostradamus

Bionic Poster
octobrina10 said:
November 25, 2017
The 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament
The 2nd/last day of the tournament

The team captained by Rafa won the tournament for the third year in a row:
http://www.mallorcadiario.com/el-equipo-de-rafa-nadal-gana-la-v-edicion-del-torneo-de-golf-solidario

23905619_1539691346096085_8588934085359508334_n.jpg

Via mallorcadiario

23843082_1539666836098536_4880315447619574931_n.jpg

Via PulaGolfResort

clapping-happy-smiley-emoticon.gif
Click to expand...
Had NO idea he played golf. What is his handcap ? I thought he was going to become professional fisherman when he retires ??
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Chanwan said:
probably true to some extent. Still, there were no injuries to speak of in 2015 and early 2016 and Novak was still winning every set.
Click to expand...
Rafa had issues in 2015 with confidence and he was injured in 2016. Rafa retired after the 2nd at RG in 2016 with wrist injury.
 
T

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
clayqueen said:
Just imagine if Rafa hadn't had so many injury time outs, no one would come close to his achievements.
Click to expand...
There's a give-and-take. If Nadal doesn't have so many MTO, he wouldn't have won 16 slams. Nadal's physical style of play is the reason his body is breaking down. The wear and tear rewarded him with 16 slams. If he want to stay healthy and don't sacrifice his body, then he would have achieved much less.
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
TMF said:
There's a give-and-take. If Nadal doesn't have so many MTO, he wouldn't have won 16 slams. Nadal's physical style of play is the reason his body is breaking down. The wear and tear rewarded him with 16 slams. If he want to stay healthy and don't sacrifice his body, then he would have achieved much less.
Click to expand...
According to you.
 
T

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
clayqueen said:
According to you.
Click to expand...
You can't have it both way. Either Nadal has 16 slams along with a bad knee and a worn out body, or he achieved MUCH less with a healthy body.

Frankly, I think Nadal is very fortunately to win 16 slams with the physical/taxing style of play for many years. It's almost a miracle that he still can play full time today. He's overachieved, you can't ask for more.
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
TMF said:
You can't have it both way. Either Nadal has 16 slams along with a bad knee and a worn out body, or he achieved MUCH less with a healthy body.

Frankly, I think Nadal is very fortunately to win 16 slams with the physical/taxing style of play for many years. It's almost a miracle that he still can play full time today. He's overachieved, you can't ask for more.
Click to expand...

Rafa is happy that prophets of doom and gloom have been wrong.
Rafa was interviewed by Le Monde, a French daily afternoon newspaper, during the Paris Masters. He says in his interview: "When I was 18, many people were predicting that my career wouldn't be long, because of my style of play. After sixteen years on the circuit, I'm still there and very competitive. This is the thing that matters to me the most, beyond all the titles I could win." (Via Google Translate)
https://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/index.php?threads/nadal-news-2-0.496732/page-322#post-11785143
 
The_Order

The_Order

G.O.A.T.
TMF said:
You can't have it both way. Either Nadal has 16 slams along with a bad knee and a worn out body, or he achieved MUCH less with a healthy body.

Frankly, I think Nadal is very fortunately to win 16 slams with the physical/taxing style of play for many years. It's almost a miracle that he still can play full time today. He's overachieved, you can't ask for more.
Click to expand...

I love when you troll the nadal news thread.
 
Jon Snow

Jon Snow

Semi-Pro
TMF said:
You can't have it both way. Either Nadal has 16 slams along with a bad knee and a worn out body, or he achieved MUCH less with a healthy body.

Frankly, I think Nadal is very fortunately to win 16 slams with the physical/taxing style of play for many years. It's almost a miracle that he still can play full time today. He's overachieved, you can't ask for more.
Click to expand...

Nadal overachieved? More like underachieved.

You have to be an idiot for thinking Nadal would have less slams with a healthier body...what kind of dumb logic is that? Seriously? I showed your post to my little cousin who's 11 years old and she laughed her ass off at your logic - and she said how on earth do you have 23k posts?
 
Bartelby

Bartelby

Bionic Poster
Did it ever cross your mind that this is exactly what Nadal fans do across the board?

If you promise never to leave this thread, I promise never to enter it.

Jon Snow said:
It is a news thread and yes it is a fanclub for Nadal fans.

But Federer fans stink up this thread. Everytime I come here there's a Federer fan moaning and whining about Nadal.
Click to expand...
 
Backspin1183

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
Bartelby said:
Did it ever cross your mind that this is exactly what Nadal fans do across the board?

If you promise never to leave this thread, I promise never to enter it.
Click to expand...

Don't let their opinions bother you, Bartelby. This is no private property. You are very much welcome to contribute to the thread with your whine and salt.
 
every7

every7

Hall of Fame
octobrina10 said:
Award

Spanish magazine 'Fuera de Serie' (the lifestyle supplement of the Expansión and the El Mundo newspapers) has named the winners of its 2017 awards.
Rafa received the Sports award for his outstanding achievements this year.

http://www.expansion.com/fueradeserie/personajes/2017/11/24/5a14118e268e3e8c058b4618.html

23795046_1538584502873436_6791327436598325507_n.jpg

thumbsup.jpg
Click to expand...

Great cover shot. I actually really like the design of this magazine as well, with the cascading masthead and also the way the cover story titling is done. Beautiful typesetting.

vernonbc said:
Rafa and Maria having cocktails at the golf tournament.

DPZJLaYW4AAW2WX.jpg


DPZJMJCW4AAUzzt.jpg
Click to expand...

Is it just me, or does Xisca seem like the type of fascinating dinner / cocktail party guest? Very intelligent person and whenever I have seen her interviewed she says some really wonderful stuff.

MichaelNadal said:
Xisca never ages.
Click to expand...

She is insanely beautiful, agree. She always has such a sanguine expression and in interview she is extremely engaging. Talks with great honesty about Nadal's tennis but is just as engaging discussing her own career and insights outside tennis.

octobrina10 said:
November 25, 2017
The 2017 Olazábal & Nadal‎ Invitational, a charity golf tournament
Trophy ceremony

Team captain Rafa bites the winners trophy for the third year in a row:
23905544_1539603052771581_7884351606401411452_n.jpg

Via golfdirecto

59957.gif
Click to expand...

Nadal manages to make even golf seem tasteful. He seems to avoid this stupid outfits that professional golfers wear.

Nostradamus said:
WOW,,,,,WOW,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, holy cow. that is not that far away from PGA level......... he should try the PGA when he retires, no need to worry about his knees there. Can Rafa beat Lendl in golf ?
Click to expand...

He is a golfer of some renown. The prevailing opinion seems to be that if not for tennis, he would have played golf professionally.
 
T

TMF

Talk Tennis Guru
Jon Snow said:
Nadal overachieved? More like underachieved.

You have to be an idiot for thinking Nadal would have less slams with a healthier body...what kind of dumb logic is that? Seriously? I showed your post to my little cousin who's 11 years old and she laughed her ass off at your logic - and she said how on earth do you have 23k posts?
Click to expand...

Yes Nadal overachieved. His body breaks down is due to his overwhelmingly physical style of play, and is responsible for so much of his success. Nadal is blessed to be physically gifted, because any player who play exactly like him would end up retire a long time ago. If Nadal wants to stay more healthy, he wouldn't kill himself by running down every ball and grind endlessly 15 feet behind the baseline. Of course, not sacrificing his body means he would have achieved MUCH less. Expressing your anger/bitterness and childish remark by you doesn't change this fact.
 
N

nikdom

Guest
What if Nadal has a golf career ahead of him? Imagine retiring from one sport as an ATG then becoming a pro at another.

I don’t think there are very many examples are there? I can think of Hershel Walker right this minute.
 
vernonbc

vernonbc

Legend
Awwww. :)


Genny SS Retweeted
carolina cerezuela‏ @Carolcerezuela 9h9 hours ago
Cuando hace diez años me decían que dibujara un sueño era exactamente esto... @Charlymoya , nuestro equipo. Domingos de familia, amor, peli y sofá y además hoy a casa, ha llegado la Navidad ...

Translated from Spanish by Bing
When ten years ago they told me that it drew a dream it was exactly this... @Charlymoya, our team. Family, love, movie and sofa and today also a Sunday House, Christmas has come...

DPlIfb_W0AAxYgF.jpg
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
TMF said:
You can't have it both way. Either Nadal has 16 slams along with a bad knee and a worn out body, or he achieved MUCH less with a healthy body.

Frankly, I think Nadal is very fortunately to win 16 slams with the physical/taxing style of play for many years. It's almost a miracle that he still can play full time today. He's overachieved, you can't ask for more.
Click to expand...
Read my lips. This is according to your opinion which, basically, is your view formed about Rafa's career achievements, not necessarily based on fact or knowledge.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top