Nadal News 2.0
- Thread starter LazyNinja19
- Start date
Nappa
New User
On olympics you cant really be certain of what will happen. Its a different competition that takes place only once in four years … with such a different energy. Only thing we know for sure is that fraudovic will most likely end up in tears
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octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Madrid Masters 1000
April 29, 2024Scheduled
Rafa’s R3 match will start on Monday not before 4 PM:
Vamos Rafa!!!
...
One of the things about Rafa imo is that he is like the person who promises little and delivers huge. Wonder if that's Toni's influence. Also 1.5 years of minuscule playing, the Brisbane set back and age might be weighing on him. In any case I think the person to pay most attention to right now in terms of Rafa's RG playing status is Moya. Rafa's draw looks very reasonable now to get more match fit.
Rattie
Legend
Rafael Nadal says that, even though it’s a great win, he still has plenty of things to improve in his game (also says that has no limitations on the serve anymore, and is slowly building it back up):
“You get excited, but the reality is that it's one match, in two days we'll start again and the ‘glass’ of energy and confidence is filling up, but today I'm far from being able to aspire to amazing things. I think it's an important step forward, that with small steps you build big things, but unfortunately the reality is often different. That doesn't mean that I don't get excited and that I have no hope for the future.
If I didn't have hope, I wouldn't be here. If I'm here, it's because I hope that things will get better and because it keeps getting excited and motivated by playing tennis."
messiahrobins
Hall of Fame
Today was supremely positive, and some of us saw positive signs in barcelona.
This was 60% Rafa, and he dismantled a top 10 player! Enjoy the ride, Rafa is going to do something special one more time
ElChivoEspañol
Hall of Fame
What a mind!
Rafa displayed a tactical masterpiece with the way he figured De Minaur out. High top spin balls deprived the Australian of pace and made him assume all the risk in attacking, meanwhile Nadal attacked anything the Aussie dropped short.
Positives is obviously the serve, the forehand is looking good, not great, but we know how Rafa improves as the tournament progresses, the backhand was shacky, but he found a way to make it shine at the most important times with the most incredible shots.
All in all this is a very important win for Rafa, now he gets more rhythm and confidence improves after enduring a close to 2 hr match?
Vamos!
Rafa displayed a tactical masterpiece with the way he figured De Minaur out. High top spin balls deprived the Australian of pace and made him assume all the risk in attacking, meanwhile Nadal attacked anything the Aussie dropped short.
Positives is obviously the serve, the forehand is looking good, not great, but we know how Rafa improves as the tournament progresses, the backhand was shacky, but he found a way to make it shine at the most important times with the most incredible shots.
All in all this is a very important win for Rafa, now he gets more rhythm and confidence improves after enduring a close to 2 hr match?
Vamos!
Cupcake
Hall of Fame
The French Open begins on May 26 - about a full month from now. Assuming there are no set-backs, that gives him about 4 more weeks to improve, including more match play in Rome. Hopefully if he does play RG (!), he gets an easy match or two there in the beginning. That's even more time to build on his endurance. I hope that's enough time for him to peak.
You can't be a Rafa fan without hope.
You can't be a Rafa fan without hope.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Subway Tennis
Legend
@octobrina10 - Did you get a chance to sit back and watch the Nadal vs ADM match in full with no distractions?
That was a pretty special moment between Rafa and that Madrid crowd.
That was a pretty special moment between Rafa and that Madrid crowd.
Subway Tennis
Legend
Joao Fonseca on Nadal:
“It’s Crazy”…“First day here I was talking to my coach, and [Nadal] appeared in the gym. Then you can see that everybody looks at him like, ‘Oh man, this guy is like a god’, something like that.” “You can see in the face of everybody that they respect Nadal,” he said. “He’s just an idol for everyone and it’s super special to be in the same environment as him.”
Serbian player Hamad Medjedovic on Nadal:
“Two days ago, when the schedule came out for today, I saw him in the same schedule as me and I was pretty shocked,” “It’s Rafa, he’s a legend of our sport, one of the greatest players that ever held a racquet. Seeing him walking past me in the locker room, it’s a pretty special feeling.”
Jakob Mensik:
“Rafa is one of the biggest icons in tennis and in sport in general,”
www.nextgenatpfinals.com
“It’s Crazy”…“First day here I was talking to my coach, and [Nadal] appeared in the gym. Then you can see that everybody looks at him like, ‘Oh man, this guy is like a god’, something like that.” “You can see in the face of everybody that they respect Nadal,” he said. “He’s just an idol for everyone and it’s super special to be in the same environment as him.”
Serbian player Hamad Medjedovic on Nadal:
“Two days ago, when the schedule came out for today, I saw him in the same schedule as me and I was pretty shocked,” “It’s Rafa, he’s a legend of our sport, one of the greatest players that ever held a racquet. Seeing him walking past me in the locker room, it’s a pretty special feeling.”
Jakob Mensik:
“Rafa is one of the biggest icons in tennis and in sport in general,”
Fonseca Medjedovic Mensik Madrid 2024 NextGen On Nadal | Next Gen ATP Finals | Tennis
Fonseca, Mensik talk sharing locker room with Spanish great
www.nextgenatpfinals.com
irishnadalfan1983
Hall of Fame
Btw Rafa’s avg 1st serve speed at the AO22 was 116mph. In Barcelona it was 102mph. Today it was 112mph.
Thank you
I had posted about that in another thread. So kind of back to normal so?!
irishnadalfan1983
Hall of Fame
The French Open begins on May 26 - about a full month from now. Assuming there are no set-backs, that gives him about 4 more weeks to improve, including more match play in Rome. Hopefully if he does play RG (!), he gets an easy match or two there in the beginning. That's even more time to build on his endurance. I hope that's enough time for him to peak.
You can't be a Rafa fan without hope.
It‘s so hard not to get overly excited
Agreed - just needs matches and be able practice/play without limitations for next 4 weeks!
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
I watched the live stream of the match on Tennis TV. I was nervous watching the match, but enjoyed the atmosphere at the match.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Was the most fun I've had watching a match since the Wimbledon final
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Tribute to Rafa from Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler, ESPN's commentator, talks about Rafa on his Instagram video; he says that Rafa is the athlete he admires the most:
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octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
I'm glad his answer was "No" to this question:
Vamos Rafa!
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Nadal15thslam
Hall of Fame
Is it true that Rafa needs a wildcard for playing Roland Garros and they will not give it to him? There are some weird things Mauresmo said about this.
Edit: nevermind, he can play because of his protected ranking but he will not get special seeding and can play any good opponent from the 1st round.
Edit: nevermind, he can play because of his protected ranking but he will not get special seeding and can play any good opponent from the 1st round.
Rattie
Legend
This seems to explain it well and actually uses Rafa as an example
“Protected/Special rankings
You may have noticed from the previous point around Final Qualification places that a serial-winning Grand Slam champion could miss out on qualification if, say, their ranking on 10 June was lower than four other players from the same nation who all qualified by direct acceptance.In this example, and we'll use Rafael Nadal here as it may indeed apply to him, the door is not closed to qualification. If Nadal were not among the top 4 Spaniards come 10 June, he could use his protected ranking to ensure he does feature among those four. He would, however, also need to apply for an exemption to the ITF Olympic Committee (given he has not played Davis Cup since 2019), but would be hopeful with his lengthy time out through injury and an enviable Olympic and Davis Cup record to point to.”
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
No, Rafa doesn't need a wildcard for playing in the Franch Open. His protected ranking of #9 means that he'll be automatically accepted in the main draw of the Master 1000s, GS tournaments and Olympic Games (if he meets additional qualifying requirements of OGs), but he won't be seeded in any tournaments I mentioned. Mauresmo talked about seeding.
Rafa's protected ranking will be in effect for his first 9 tournaments or for the period up to 9 months beginning with the first tennis event that he competes in, whichever occurs first.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Madrid Masters 1000
April 27, 2024R2
Rafa thanks Spain’s King and the audience for support during his R2 match. His Instagram post reads:
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your presence and support.
Thank you to the audience in Madrid, I felt a lot of love.
Vamos!" (Translated from Spanish via Google.)
In the first IG picture: Rafa talks to Spain’s King Felipe VI; his wife, son and mother in-law can be seen in the background; Rafa’s mother is behind Rafa (Click the forward icon on the side to see all pictures.):
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Apun94
Hall of Fame
kya boloon?
Bolo
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
irishnadalfan1983
Hall of Fame
Do we know if Rafa was able to practice today? Would give us a good indication on how the body feels after 2 hours ydy I think…
Yes I was there meant to practice at 12.30 but arrived at 1.30, practiced for about an hour on groundstrokes then a the end only hit 2 serves and finished the practice, looked like he was worried and seemed to be pointing at the right foot but hopefully nothing serious. The fact he only did 2 serves and stopped worries me
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
Federer guest instructing at the Nadal academy in Hong Kong
irishnadalfan1983
Hall of Fame
A
ALCARAZWON
Guest
Let's hope Nadal gets to play a top 4 player in the 1st Round of RG, so he'll get the draw of top 4 player after that.
Cupcake
Hall of Fame
Thanks for the report, I think. His match yesterday was 2+ hours. Maybe he was just going light this morning. He's recently been practicing twice/day, maybe there will be more later.
A
ALCARAZWON
Guest
Good idea not to practice much after playing Demon, the most physically demanding player in the world.
And given how new Nadal is to serving so much, probably should just save his serve for the matches.
And given how new Nadal is to serving so much, probably should just save his serve for the matches.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Madrid Masters 1000
April 27, 2024R2
Rafa introduced his son to Spain’s King Felipe VI (the tall bearded man in the video):
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octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Madrid Masters 1000
April 28, 2024Pre-R3 practice session
Rafa posted a clip from today’s practice session and added the emoji
I
..,,,
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa - a Businessman
Rafa posted a picture of himself drinking during his practice session on Saturday (see below) on his FB.
The bottle he drinks from is an item from the NDL Pro-Health product line of the joint venture Cantabria Lab and Rafa formed last year to produce the NDL products. The product line launch ceremony took place in Madrid in October. Cantabria Labs is his sponsor, but at the same time, he is an investor in the joint venture.
...
SonicNirvana
Hall of Fame
Vamos
A
ALCARAZWON
Guest
Pedro Cachin was ranked 48 in August 2023, so he is a legit-
JustMy2Cents
Hall of Fame
29 April 2002: A 15 year old Rafael Nadal wins his 1st ATP match, at the Mallorca Open, in Spain.
29 April 2024: A 37 year old Rafael Nadal wins his 1074th ATP match, at the Madrid Masters, in Spain.
His 17th Madrid QF!
Rafa is the idol for yet another pro, Pedro Cachin... gets a shirt from Rafa
Jr comes in for the finish and gets a cuddle
29 April 2024: A 37 year old Rafael Nadal wins his 1074th ATP match, at the Madrid Masters, in Spain.
His 17th Madrid QF!
Rafa is the idol for yet another pro, Pedro Cachin
... gets a shirt from RafaJr
comes in for the finish and gets a cuddle
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Rattie
Legend
Maybe but that really isn’t what matters at this point. He’s playing himself into being competitive and staying injury free. There was a hell of lot to celebrate in this match and that’s what I’m doing. Being rusty is to be expected as it would be for any player in his position. Rome wasn’t built in a day as they say.
lol excuse the pun
Rattie
Legend
I love that he’s so interested
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Madrid Masters 1000
April 29, 2024R3, Rafa vs P.Cachin
Through to R4!
Match point:
Screenshot via Del
In action:
Spectators:
Rafa with Infanta Elena, the eldest sister of Spain’s King Felipe VI:
Screenshot via Del
Family:
Screenshots via Del
Vamos Rafa!!!
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SpinWizard
Rookie
1st set he looked really good, but then very erratic.
But win is a win. That's the most important thing. In addition he was able to build up some stamina. Physically he looked okay.
But win is a win. That's the most important thing. In addition he was able to build up some stamina. Physically he looked okay.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
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