Puncture marks are visible on both Rafa's knees

[terribleIVAN]

"i can only thank life tor being able to continue to devote myself to what I love most. I went through difficult times in this edition because my body does not respond well to the cold. I have joint problems and my body
has been really bad for months. I went weeks without being able to train for more than an hour a day and the cold hurts a lot. It was the most difficult conditions for me "said the man with 20 Grand Slam titles.

As i wrote in another thread, past 35 it becomes a race against osteo arthritis for every champion.

Murray and Fed are out for any intent and purposes.

Nadal to join them soon ?

 

[Deleted member 748597]

 

[James P]

something something something is undefeated

 

[Nadal_King]

His body doesn't respond well to cold a reason he doesn't do well in fall season as it's cold in Europe although it's indoors but still cold weather has an impact

 

[Antonio Puente]

Being inactive for 6 months probably made it worse, honestly. You need to keep moving.

Thankfully there won't be any more 10 degree slams.

 

[BeatlesFan]

As i wrote lied in another thread, past 35 it becomes a race against osteo arthritis for every champion.

Fixed it for you.

 

[SinneGOAT]

Maybe we can get those wraps around the knees like the good ole days...

 

[Born_to_slice]

Injection marks?

 

[SinneGOAT]

Injection marks?

Possibly to make sure his knees don’t fall apart during the match.

 

[QuadCam]

Injection marks?

That'd be one huge needle! Look at the size of those marks.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

Being inactive for 6 months probably made it worse, honestly. You need to keep moving.

Thankfully there won't be any more 10 degree slams.

I very much doubt he was inactive.

 

[Born_to_slice]

That'd be one huge needle! Look at the size of those marks.

Marks are quite symmetrical so surely not naturally occurring. Cortisone shots can cause steroid flares of the joints but I'm not sure can it manifest as red dots.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

I doubt even one Rafa hater has even the remotest clue what suffering, mental and physical, he'd had to endure and overcome over the last 15 years with his knees.

Not a clue.

These haters don't respect themselves (which is understandable though) so how can they possibly respect these monumental achievements?

Give these crybabies 10% of Rafa's knee problems and they'd be screaming for a wheelchair...

 

[Fabresque]

"i can only thank life tor being able to continue to devote myself to what I love most. I went through difficult times in this edition because my body does not respond well to the cold. I have joint problems and my body
has been really bad for months. I went weeks without being able to train for more than an hour a day and the cold hurts a lot. It was the most difficult conditions for me "said the man with 20 Grand Slam titles.

As i wrote in another thread, past 35 it becomes a race against osteo arthritis for every champion.

Murray and Fed are out for any intent and purposes.

Nadal to join them soon ?

What a clever excuse, if he loses RG he easily can blame it on the cold and everybody will buy it. If he wins it, though, then nobody cares anyways. PR Director Toni wins again.

Spoiler

Aging sucks, though. It makes Rafa’s 20th slam in cold conditions stand out even more, the best athlete this sport has seen.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

What a clever excuse, if he loses RG he easily can blame it on the cold and everybody will buy it. If he wins it, though, then nobody cares anyways. PR Director Toni wins again.

Spoiler

Aging sucks, though. It makes Rafa’s 20th slam in cold conditions stand out even more, the best athlete this sport has seen.

Toni is as sly as a fox.

He still claims Fed is GOAT because he doesn't want Rafa to let up even a bit. He wants Rafa to have a carrot in FRONT of him, not behind him.

 

[terribleIVAN]

Fixed it for you.

??

Murray has a replaced hip because osteo arthritis.

Fed had his meniscus twice operated this year: meniscus is fibro cartilage. If torn fibro cartilage isn't osteo arthritis, what do you call it ?

 

[King No1e]

Toni is as sly as a fox.

He still claims Fed is GOAT because he doesn't want Rafa to let up even a bit. He wants Rafa to have a carrot in FRONT of him, not behind him.

That's quintessential Toni.
Pulls Nadal out from celebrating with his family, and hands him a printout with a list of names.
Toni: "Rafael, here's a list of all the multi-RG champs since 2001. How many of them do you recognize?"
Rafa: "Only 1."
Toni: "Exactly. Let's get back to practice, no?"

 

[UnderratedSlam]

That's quintessential Toni.
Pulls Nadal out from celebrating with his family, and hands him a printout with a list of names.
Toni: "Rafael, here's a list of all the multi-RG champs since 2001. How many of them do you recognize?"
Rafa: "Only 1."
Toni: "Exactly. Let's get back to practice, no?"

Is this a joke or did this conversation actually occur?

(Probably a joke...)

 

[HBK4life]

It is October... puncture marks...hmmmmm

 

[King No1e]

Is this a joke or did this conversation actually occur?

(Probably a joke...)

It's a joke but Toni did say that to Rafa after he won an under-14 championship in Spain.
Toni pulled Rafa out while they were celebrating together, and showed him a printout of all the previous champs from this under-14 competition. "How many names do you recognize?"
Nadal credited that moment as helping shape his perspective on life and on his own achievements.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

It's a joke but Toni did say that to Rafa after he won an under-14 championship in Spain.
Toni pulled Rafa out while they were celebrating together, and showed him a printout of all the previous champs from this under-14 competition. "How many names do you recognize?"
Nadal credited that moment as helping shape his perspective on life and on his own achievements.

Ah yes, I read this, in his biography I believe.

I mean... bel21ve.

 

[King No1e]

Ah yes, I read this, in his biography I believe.

I mean... bel21ve.

Bel21ve doesn't work. It only works for 13 and 18, which is what Fedovic fans had to spam for years on end.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

Bel21ve doesn't work. It only works for 13 and 18, which is what Fedovic fans had to spam for years on end.

No, it does work because it reminds the Fedfans of their mislead optimism.

I mean, RF achieved those goals but the race is lost...

 

[DSH]

He must rest for the remainder of the season and prepare for the assault to win the Aussie Slam next year!

 

[Antonio Puente]

I very much doubt he was inactive.

Relatively speaking.

There's a psychological effect as well. If you're achieving something, winning tournaments, you can ignore the pain a little better. If you're going out to train and hit every day with no tournament in sight for the next four months, the pain is constantly on your mind.

 

[UnderratedSlam]

Relatively speaking.

There's a psychological effect as well. If you're achieving something, winning tournaments, you can ignore the pain a little better. If you're going out to train and hit every day with no tournament in sight for the next four months, the pain is constantly on your mind.

Fair point, but I believe that overall the break benefited most of the guys in their 30s. They will be going into new events fresh, mentally and physically.

 

[Rosstour]

From PRP? Or something else?

 

[MichaelNadal]

Joint issues here too, believe me, it's NOT fun. The last thing I can do on a day when im stiff is go out and murder Djokovic. What a warrior.

 

[Mainad]

That'd be one huge needle! Look at the size of those marks.

Evidently he likes to be penetrated with something big.

 

[The_Order]

Joint issues here too, believe me, it's NOT fun. The last thing I can do on a day when im stiff is go out and murder Djokovic. What a warrior.

lol...

You'd give him a run for his money if not for that

 

[MichaelNadal]

lol...

You'd give him a run for his money if not for that

Oh, the old me would SLAY for sure lol

 

[Bartelby]

Dracula lunged ... but missed Nadal's neck.

 

[duaneeo]

"...I went through difficult times in this edition because my body does not respond well to the cold. I have joint problems and my body
has been really bad for months. I went weeks without being able to train for more than an hour a day and the cold hurts a lot. It was the most difficult conditions for me "

He's simply just too good. Players of any generation would still be losing to him at Roland Garros. We can't be critical of this era.

 

[Federev]

THANKS, CLOSED ROOF! YOU’RE THE BEST!

 

[MichaelNadal]

THANKS CLOSED ROOF! YOU’RE THE BEST!

Lol when coverage started and they said the roof was closed I was like here we go

 

[Demented]

Science has come a long way in the last decade. I will say that clay is easier on the cartilage but harder on the quad tendons. The cartilage is what wears out... so maybe his dedication to clay is paying off over the long haul.

 

[terribleIVAN]

Science has come a long way in the last decade. I will say that clay is easier on the cartilage but harder on the quad tendons. The cartilage is what wears out... so maybe his dedication to clay is paying off over the long haul.

Stem cells for cartilage wear are now available, which they didn't have 20 years ago.

But it's still not restoring the original strong cartilage, otherwise Murray would never have needed a metal hip.

We need an open disclosure policy where players are forthcoming with their joints treatments, in the interest of fairness and records transparency.

If Agassi or Connors had access to these same procedures, the records books would have been very different than from now.

We could then similarly propose these procedures to the common of mortals, unless it could be used to extend lifespan and improve health, and we really don't want any of that, do we ?

 

[MichaelNadal]

He likes to be penetrated with something big.

Those were the days im reborn though lol

 

[Start da Game]

pete was a clever dude, retired effectively at 29 basically to avoid serious injuries.........he already had a permanent case of thalessimia minor, an inherited disease which caused exhaustion when he prolonged his matches to more than 3 hours........

 

[DSH]

pete was a clever dude, retired effectively at 29 basically to avoid serious injuries.........he already had a permanent case of thalessimia minor, an inherited disease which caused exhaustion when he prolonged his matches to more than 3 hours........

Sampras was no longer the same after the 1999 season!

 

[clayqueen]

If Rafa was 100% fit I doubt Djokovic would have won a single game. The result could easily have been 60 60 60. Maybe Rafa would have thrown him a game like he did to Basilashvilli at RG 2017.

 

[clayqueen]

For the world #1 to be bagled in the final of a tournament that he was the overwhelming favourite for and his coach deriding his opponent as having no chance to win is just mind blowing!

 

[Bartelby]

It's what happens when you don't focus on your job, but freelance at solving the problems of the world and of tennis as a political institution.

For the world #1 to be bagled in the final of a tournament that he was the overwhelming favourite for and his coach deriding his opponent as having no chance to win is just mind blowing!

 

[Bartelby]

This constant refrain that Rafa is never quite fit is beyond a joke.

If Rafa was 100% fit I doubt Djokovic would have won a single game. The result could easily have been 60 60 60. Maybe Rafa would have thrown him a game like he did to Basilashvilli at RG 2017.

 

[weakera]

Nadal has missed 8 slams due to injury since FO 2004. Add in 4 retirements due to injury and withdrawal (might be more I'm forgetting), if Nadal had played and won at his usual rate (20/60 = 33%) he would be sitting at 24 slams and that's not factoring in slams he lost at due to injury (but didn't withdraw or retire).

 

[MichaelNadal]

If Rafa was 100% fit I doubt Djokovic would have won a single game. The result could easily have been 60 60 60. Maybe Rafa would have thrown him a game like he did to Basilashvilli at RG 2017.

Get em Chyna

 

[clayqueen]

If Rafa had lost the RG final then admitted afterwards that he had knee problems during the tournament, he would have been accused of just making excuses.

 

[socallefty]

Big needles are used to drain fluid from knees - that’s probably what happened as the knees of athletes get inflamed faster from arthritis, cartilage damage etc. He might be getting his knees drained periodically and also getting either corticosteroid or hyaluronic acid (similar to synovial fluid that naturally lubricates joints) injections at the same time.

 

[Beckerserve]

To assist those who do not play sports at a reasonable level those puncture wounds were from the same type of needle used for epidurals in the back. He had injections to numb the joint which was why he moved like he did 12 years ago. He would have felt fantastic. Problem is when they wear off he will be in a lot of pain and the more you have of them the less long they last. Ive no idea how many he has had in the past. If the first time he will get the benefit for 18 months. If he has had many in the past the benefit will be a few weeks.
The concern for Rafa is when he is 45 he is going to be in pain every day often excruciating especially in the mornings. This the price great sportspeople pay. Federer will have back issues no doubt where he is immobile for a few days at times and Djokovic looks like he has developed problems in the neck and elbow. Murray we know about.
It is worth the sacrifice.

 

[Demented]

If his knees required draining at this event(based on lack of recent playing) and the softness of the clay then this might be the last rodeo. There's no way his knees should be that bad off with just 2 tournaments on the books in 8 months. His total court movement was less than Thiem's one match against Schwartzman. He might have gone all in on #20.