Rafa explains why he's skipping the USO

[BeatlesFan]

Rafael Nadal explains US Open decision, admitting: ‘Going from hardcourt to clay would be dangerous for me’

Nadal is the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows but has decided against defending that title.

The ongoing challenges and concerns over the coronavirus have naturally been a big part of his thinking, but Nadal has now all but confirmed the root of the decision is prioritising the French Open instead.

“The health situation is the first basic inconvenience when making my decision. The situation seems not in full control, so in this case, after consulting with my team, we decided to skip the US Open. Second, the schedule is challenging after many months without competing. Going from hardcourt to clay, with hardly any time for preparation, is dangerous for my body and my future. Then, it is a matter of a personal spirit. The situation is as it is, and my spirit was not high enough to travel to New York and compete. If I am going to compete, all my senses have to be focused on competition to perform at my best, and it would have been difficult to achieve that.”

The link is blocked, but it's on Tennis head website.

 

[Rago]

It honestly doesn't even matter. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Nadal end up with more USO titles than Federer when he hangs up his racquet.

 

[Lleytonstation]

It honestly doesn't even matter. I still wouldn't be surprised to see Nadal end up with more USO titles than Federer when he hangs up his racquet.

Unlikely now. Rafa winning two more USO at 35+ would be shocking.

 

[Deleted member 748597]

Djokovic Open doesn't deserve him though.

 

[Graf1stClass]

At this point even Steffi could win

 

[clayqueen]

Fingers crossed, he will play RG

 

[UnforcedTerror]

He skipped USO to maximize his chances at RG. We get it.

 

[bjsnider]

No explanation is necessary.

 

[MichaelNadal]

He better slay

 

[The Blond Blur]

Unfortunate that he’s not playing the USO, but at least now he can’t be labeled a hypocrite.

 

[BeatlesFan]

I still wouldn't be surprised to see Nadal end up with more USO titles than Federer when he hangs up his racquet.

Yes, it's highly likely a player 35+ will win 2 more USO's.

 

[Hitman]

Nadal can play RG all he wants to, but everyone else will only be playing the new Djokovic Open.

 

[Rago]

Nadal can play RG all he wants to, but everyone else will only be playing the new Djokovic Open.

I think Nadal knows his chances of beating Djokovic in a hard court match right now are almost non-existent. He hasn't won a single set on HC off Novak in 7 years; might as well skip the USO and regroup for FO.

There's always next year and if someone takes out Novak early in Flushing or Melbourne, Nadal's going to be the man to beat.

 

[Hitman]

I think Nadal knows his chances of beating Djokovic in a hard court match right now are almost non-existent. He hasn't won a single set on HC off Novak in 7 years; might as well skip the USO and regroup for FO.

There's always next year and if someone takes out Novak early in Flushing or Melbourne, Nadal's going to be the man to beat.

True. He's doing what will give him best chance to grab a slam, can't blame him really.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

No explanation is necessary.

exactly... he can skip everything he wants without providing any explanation.

he should, actually

 

[StrongRule]

I think Nadal knows his chances of beating Djokovic in a hard court match right now are almost non-existent. He hasn't won a single set on HC off Novak in 7 years; might as well skip the USO and regroup for FO.

There's always next year and if someone takes out Novak early in Flushing or Melbourne, Nadal's going to be the man to beat.

Djokovic lost before Nadal in AO 2014, 2017, 2018...Didn't help. Nadal just can't win this tournament for some reason, always something has to go wrong.

 

[StrongRule]

Nadal can play RG all he wants to, but everyone else will only be playing the new Djokovic Open.

Exactly, finally someone got it.

By the way, hope you will come to support Selby in the semifinals. Going to be some hell of a challenge.

 

[Hitman]

Exactly, finally someone got it.

By the way, hope you will come to support Selby in the semifinals. Going to be some hell of a challenge.

Selby owns Ronnie? I read he is 2-0 against him there. When is it by the way?

 

[StrongRule]

Selby owns Ronnie? I read he is 2-0 against him there. When is it by the way?

It will start tomorrow and last 3 days.

Owns? Of course not. O'Sullivan leads the overall head to head, but yeah, Selby is usually a tough matchup for him. Thing is, Selby almost never gives up, and he made a few impressive comebacks in their matches. For example in both world championship meetings O'Sullivan was owning him at one point, and most players would already give up. But Selby came back both times and won. Anyway, I see O'Sullivan as the favorite, but if I had to choose a player who has most chances to stop his run, I would pick Selby.

 

[Hitman]

It will start tomorrow and last 3 days.

Owns? Of course not. O'Sullivan leads the overall head to head, but yeah, Selby is usually a tough matchup for him. Thing is, Selby almost never gives up, and he made a few impressive comebacks in their matches. For example in both world championship meetings O'Sullivan was owning him at one point, and most players would already give up. But Selby came back both times and won. Anyway, I see O'Sullivan as the favorite, but if I had to choose a player who has most chances to stop his run, I would pick Selby.

OK. I haven't really seen anything of Selby before.

Have you ever met fellow Nadal fan @Mustard here before? He's the one who gave me the lowdown on the history of the game, he knows his stuff.

 

[StrongRule]

OK. I haven't really seen anything of Selby before.

Have you ever met fellow Nadal fan @Mustard here before? He's the one who gave me the lowdown on the history of the game, he knows his stuff.

No, I don't remember such a user.

 

[Hitman]

No, I don't remember such a user.

Probably before your time. Told me about Hendry and O'Sullivan after I spoke to him about Ronnie's fastest 147, I think at the time Hendry was the GOAT. I guess Ronnie's got more majors now. But yeah, the guy had some great insight.

 

[StrongRule]

Probably before your time. Told me about Hendry and O'Sullivan after I spoke to him about Ronnie's fastest 147, I think at the time Hendry was the GOAT. I guess Ronnie's got more majors now. But yeah, the guy had some great insight.

In what year was that?

 

[Stannis Baratheon]

Yes, it's highly likely a player 35+ will win 2 more USO's.

I am not sure how likely it is but a player of a similar calibre won 2 AOs after 35+. It wasn't long ago.

 

[mike841]

No need for any explanation.

The only players who would want to willingly travel to the USO in the middle of a global pandemic are (a) Americans (b) players who would never otherwise have a chance of winning the USO (c) low ranked players who need the income and/or (d) idiots.

 

[Yugram]

Exactly, finally someone got it.

By the way, hope you will come to support Selby in the semifinals. Going to be some hell of a challenge.

Epic last frame with Williams today. Never seen a frame ending with additional black actually, lol.

 

[Hitman]

In what year was that?

This was around 2011 2012 time.

 

[StrongRule]

Epic last frame with Williams today. Never seen a frame ending with additional black actually, lol.

Unfortunately, Williams is O'Sullivan's pigeon. Just 1 win since 2002 is a real joke. Even when he was 7-2 up I knew he was going to lose. Just in that last frame he missed like 5 good chances.

There was also a re-spotted black between Selby and Robertson yesterday. Not too common, but it happens.

 

[Crazy Finn]

I have no idea what is being discussed in some of these posts. lol

 

[StrongRule]

This was around 2011 2012 time.

No surprise you didn't hear about Selby back then. He is a top player since his surprise run to world championship final in 2007, but before 2014 he couldn't bring his best to the world championships. Many haters were laughing at him not being able to win the biggest title and not able to make a 147. Actually, I remember a video (it is still on youtube) of a Selby-O'Sullivan match in Welsh Open 2012 semifinal which had a description "great match from the so called number 1 who never won a world championship title and never made a 147 in a professional event", something like this.

Then suddenly Selby won 3 world championship titles in just 4 years. Big blow to the haters. He also has a few maximum breaks.

 

[Born_to_slice]

At this point even Steffi could win

Yeah, just let Parche go nuts.

 

[Hitman]

No surprise you didn't hear about Selby back then. He is a top player since his surprise run to world championship final in 2007, but before 2014 he couldn't bring his best to the world championships. Many haters were laughing at him not being able to win the biggest title and not able to make a 147. Actually, I remember a video (it is still on youtube) of a Selby-O'Sullivan match in Welsh Open 2012 semifinal which had a description "great match from the so called number 1 who never won a world championship title and never made a 147 in a professional event", something like this.

Then suddenly Selby won 3 world championship titles in just 4 years. Big blow to the haters. He also has a few maximum breaks.

How many majors overall in the season? I know they play AO in Melbourne just like the tennis season, is that one of the majors?

 

[Raul_SJ]

I think Nadal knows his chances of beating Djokovic in a hard court match right now are almost non-existent. He hasn't won a single set on HC off Novak in 7 years; might as well skip the USO and regroup for FO.

And why is there no injury risk to The Djoker from switching from hard court to clay?
Hasn't Rafa had his own Academy to practice on clay for several months?!


No. These excuses do not hold.

This is almost as bad as Fed skipping Roland Garros for years due to the continuous Rafa beatdowns.

The Djoker has never ducked anyone and is now on a mission to win BOTH the USO and RG.

 

[Hitman]

And why is there no injury risk to The Djoker from switching to hard court to clay??


No. These excuses do not hold.

This is almost as bad as Fed skipping Roland Garros for years due to the continuous Rafa beatdowns.

The Djoker has never ducked anyone and is now on a mission to win BOTH the USO and RG.

Will be the best result for the slam race for this year, with it all to play for next year.

 

[StrongRule]

How many majors overall in the season? I know they play AO in Melbourne just like the tennis season, is that one of the majors?

There is a Triple Crown in snooker. The world championships is the biggest tournament. The two others are the UK championship (though this one was a MUCH better tournament before Barry Hearn came to snooker) and the so called Masters tournament. The Masters is a tournament played in January, specifically for the top 16 players. It gives no ranking points (because this would be unfair to the lower ranked players) but the prize money is really good.

 

[Hitman]

There is a Triple Crown in snooker. The world championships is the biggest tournament. The two others are the UK championship (though this one was a MUCH better tournament before Barry Hearn came to snooker) and the so called Masters tournament. The Masters is a tournament played in January, specifically for the top 16 players. It gives no ranking points (because this would be unfair to the lower ranked players) but the prize money is really good.

Ronnie's got the most of these, yes?

 

[StrongRule]

Ronnie's got the most of these, yes?

Probably. He has 5 world championships titles, don't remember how many of the other two events. I believe combined it is a record.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Will be the best result for the slam race for this year, with it all to play for next year.

Will be incredibly difficult to pull off.

Winning two slams in the same month would be the greatest achievement in the history of mens Open tennis.
Arguably equivalent to Lavers 1969 CYGS.
Rafa's skipping strategy does make sense if only concerned with the Slam race.
Maintaining a two or three Slam lead heading into 2021 almost keeps it out of reach for Djoker who will turn 34 in 2021
Can count on one hand the number of men to win a Slam after age 34. Nothing is guaranteed at that age.

 

[Hitman]

Will be incredibly difficult to pull off.

Winning two slams in the same month would be the greatest achievement in the history
of mens tennis.

Rafa's skipping strategy does make sense if only concerned with the Slam race.
Maintaining a two or three Slam lead heading into 2021 almost keeps it out of reach for Djoker who will turn 34 in 2021
Can count on one hand the number of players to win a Slam after age 34.

Well, he's the only one now who has the possibility to pull it off, since Rafa has bowed out of USO.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Then, it is a matter of a personal spirit. The situation is as it is, and my spirit was not high enough to travel to New York and compete. If I am going to compete, all my senses have to be focused on competition to perform at my best, and it would have been difficult to achieve that.”

What a load of malarkey!
You have access to a private plane. The Tournament will hold a place for you.
Come to your senses and get your ass to NYC ASAP.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1293243962858364929

 

[sredna42]

Rafael Nadal explains US Open decision, admitting: ‘Going from hardcourt to clay would be dangerous for me’

Nadal is the reigning champion at Flushing Meadows but has decided against defending that title.

The ongoing challenges and concerns over the coronavirus have naturally been a big part of his thinking, but Nadal has now all but confirmed the root of the decision is prioritising the French Open instead.

“The health situation is the first basic inconvenience when making my decision. The situation seems not in full control, so in this case, after consulting with my team, we decided to skip the US Open. Second, the schedule is challenging after many months without competing. Going from hardcourt to clay, with hardly any time for preparation, is dangerous for my body and my future. Then, it is a matter of a personal spirit. The situation is as it is, and my spirit was not high enough to travel to New York and compete. If I am going to compete, all my senses have to be focused on competition to perform at my best, and it would have been difficult to achieve that.”

The link is blocked, but it's on Tennis head website.

Looking forward to seeing the draw that RG are cook up for him, it's gonna be pretty lulzy

 

[Clay lover]

It will start tomorrow and last 3 days.

Owns? Of course not. O'Sullivan leads the overall head to head, but yeah, Selby is usually a tough matchup for him. Thing is, Selby almost never gives up, and he made a few impressive comebacks in their matches. For example in both world championship meetings O'Sullivan was owning him at one point, and most players would already give up. But Selby came back both times and won. Anyway, I see O'Sullivan as the favorite, but if I had to choose a player who has most chances to stop his run, I would pick Selby.

Selby is a giant bore and I hope he loses. 100% personal.

 

[Deleted member 770948]

Unlikely now. Rafa winning two more USO at 35+ would be shocking.

Nothing is shocking when it comes to Nadal.
Why? Because there has never been a Rafael Nadal before him.
So its normal for his achievements to be unprecedented.
Nobody can confidently put a limit on him....

 

[Pheasant]

Bummer. This will be the first USO without Federer or Nadal since 1999(excluding Qualifiers).

 

[Bartelby]

Nadal has expensive lawyers and advisors. They would advise him not to sign the waiver. He also has the intelligence to realise the gravity of the situation. And he doesn't need the money.

And, of course, the USO now interferes with FO preparation because of the shift, and the French is the key goal of every Nadal's playing season ... so that lifts spirits like nothing else.

 

[Raul_SJ]

Will be the best result for the slam race for this year, with it all to play for next year.

We do not see how Rafa is prone to injury by playing a hard court followed by clay.
That is the main reason he cites for skipping the USO but the excuse simply does not hold.
We certainly do not see Djoker whining about this hard court to clay transition.

 

[Deleted member 770948]

We do not see how Rafa is prone to injury by playing a hard court followed by clay.
That is the main reason he cites for skipping the USO but the excuse simply does not hold.
We certainly do not see Djoker whining about this hard court to clay transition.

But Nadal leads the tour in injuries since 2003, whereas Djokovic is rarely injured.
Djokovic isn't supposed to whine or worry, because he's had it easy physically....

 

[BeatlesFan]

At this point even Steffi could win

Female GOAT!

 

[Bartelby]

You can see better at Chick-Fil-A. And she needed her slice for her nose!

Female GOAT!

 

[Raul_SJ]

Medvedev will avoid the dangerous air travel and will be driving the 2000 miles from Moscow to Paris.