^ Classic
^I don’t get it.
The same was said about Sweet Pete just a decade ago.
Nice win for Wawrinka, I hope he can maintain the momentum.
By ‘retire’ you mean attain a hacksaw and assume the position, right?
I have seen Nadal play over a hundred matches and while injuries have been a concern throughout his career, I have never actually suspected him of faking injuries on the court to try to “buy time” or be a distraction for his opponent. Anyone that’s actually played a tough tennis match will realize that time-outs often ARE a distraction for the opponent, and stall tactics would certainly be frowned upon, but I’ve never felt Nadal to be this kind of player.
He had beaten Wawrinka so many times in the past and was the hands-down favorite to win, that why would he need to fake an injury being down by a set? Doesn’t make sense. I saw him on the court after his injury and he just never looked like the same player afterward. That he managed to win the third set is pretty impressive, and adrenaline can make anyone accomplish unusual things, but even then he was clearly injured and was nowhere near 100%.
And it was true at the time. Federer is currently the greatest ever and will remain so until someone matches his GS win total.
It’s totally possible to strain your back in any temperature, though I’ll agree with you that it’s easier to do it once it’s cold. The list of injuries you mentioned is interesting, though one could also understand how any of those injuries would be a real hindrance to one’s tennis game. Being down a set and a break isn’t something that Nadal couldn’t bounce back from – he’s done that dozens of times in his career – and his conditioning throughout the rest of the tournament looked really good, so I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that he really was injured. It was pretty painful to watch, actually.
+1000 Nadal is a cheat. Steroids catching up to him
I think he lost fair and square. If you think about it, injury IS PART of a strategy. The fact that Nadal (Or Rose, or any other very aggressive player) play with so much intensity is how they get the edge. It is their choice, but so is acceptance that they will be injured. That is why i think the fact that Federer was almost never injured is part of why he won so much. Nadal is a great player too but making arguments that ‘If Nadal was not injured he would’ are pointless.
^ Agree. I didn’t see Nadal didn’t make excuses and it looks like he was as gracious as anyone to congratulate Stan, who won fair and square. I think the people that were making the “what if” arguments aren’t Rafael Nadal.
It’s never a “perfect day” – athletes sometimes play better than average and other times worse, but it all comes down to how consistently you can perform in tough situations.
Nadal was clearly injured. He is not that type of player to “fake” an injury. I mean give the guy some respect for goodness sake. He is one of the greatest fighters the sport has ever seen and yet people still want to say he is a cheat etc…just blows my mind. Aussies are a disgrace for booing him.
Where is the Nadal and steroid shit coming from?
Have there been rumors or are you just speculating?
He’s a a beast and he might/ most prob will overtake Federer’s record but i’d rather watch Roger any day of the week and i think when they right the books, people will still say Roger was the better player.
Nadal was rumored to be implicated in Operation Puerto, but the Spanish courts sealed all the documents and only cyclists were officially implicated. The doctor at the heart of the scandal, Eufemiano Fuentes, made it quite clear that there were also professional football and tennis players involved.
Or maybe he is actually feeling pain in certain matches, resulting in him being beaten by worse opponents? It’s hard to determine if the injury breaks are actually necessary, given that pain is a subjective measure. It’s quite clear that Nadal plays through a lot of pain. Maybe his ability to cope psychologically with the pain decreases when he is in a losing match.
I think this would characterize most people in most aspects of life, whether it is sports, investing, relationships, etc. People tend to feel more pain and lose their ability to keep it together when put under stress.
That was a great Wimbledon final. Some great grass court tennis. I want Federer to win one more…he was close yesterday.
I thought he had it coming back from 5-2 and breaking that championship point. He was pretty flat in the 5th set though, just ran out of ideas/energy. I had a good chuckle when he said in the post-match “I’m just happy I made it to the fifth.” Quite honestly he’s still a great player and there are only two other people who can best him by out-lasting him and imitating a brick wall.
Most pro athletes could really learn a thing or two from him about being a champion and keeping it classy.