Nadalites – Rafa Nadal Talk

[DarthFed]

I watched the documentary yesterday…I know it’s probably hard for some of you to believe that I have to admit I thought it was excellent. These sport documentaries starting with the Last Dance do a great job bouncing between the past and present. As a non-fan I was surprised when Rafa brought in Moya but this gave a lot more insight into why that was necessary and how things were complicated with Toni.

And seeing Rafa get frustrated by his limitations in practice sessions near the end and being so harsh on himself was a shock but also brought a human element to him as he rarely had that negative energy while playing.

And lastly, in watching it you get a sense that what drove Rafa to retire was simply not being able to compete as hard as he used to. The realization that he can’t run down every ball or even try to. This is different from most great athletes, Roger included, that retire because they are no longer able to play at a high level. For Rafa it was that he no longer could compete as fiercely as he once had.

 

[the AntiPusher]

He got older and more burdened by injuries.

But when you say, “Nadal's numbers look a lot better due to his dominance of one surface/slam,” well you could almost be referring to Novak! Remember, he won 14 of his GS titles on hards - and nobody could dispute that the GS and MS surfaces favoured both Roger and Novak - but only the same number of USO titles, though Rafa played there far fewer times. Bear in mind that Rafa and Roger brawled together without Novak for more than half a decade - and Rafa actually beat Roger on hards as a 17 year old in 2004 - so when Novak finally grew a pair and quit quitting when matches got too tough for him, he faced a Roger who was certainly into the long endgame of his career, and Rafa who was skipping large chunks of his season through injuries.

That’s called, “opportunity”.

Here's the deal. Rafa is the Kobe Bryant or Lebron James of tennis somewhat.. Jordan fans always alarmed that someone else could be mentioned in the breathe. We witnessed Uncle Toni and team Nadal architect the game to counter Roger's greatest.. When Rafa chased down and took over control of their H2H, Novak came after Rafa the same way but it was years afterward because Roger treated Novak as the bald headed stepchild before he began to leave his prime. No way Prime Roger looses those matches especially at SW19 to Novak when he was in his 30s. Rafa dealt with both of them while battling injuries that he NEVER wanted to be his excuse. Yes Novak has the all time GS titles and an numerous other stats. Rafa overcame more while winning 75 percent of his 19 RG appearances. this Debate will NEVER end although the truth is apparent.

 

[the AntiPusher]

I watched the documentary yesterday…I know it’s probably hard for some of you to believe that I have to admit I thought it was excellent. These sport documentaries starting with the Last Dance do a great job bouncing between the past and present. As a non-fan I was surprised when Rafa brought in Moya but this gave a lot more insight into why that was necessary and how things were complicated with Toni.

And seeing Rafa get frustrated by his limitations in practice sessions near the end and being so harsh on himself was a shock but also brought a human element to him as he rarely had that negative energy while playing.

And lastly, in watching it you get a sense that what drove Rafa to retire was simply not being able to compete as hard as he used to. The realization that he can’t run down every ball or even try to. This is different from most great athletes, Roger included, that retire because they are no longer able to play at a high level. For Rafa it was that he no longer could compete as fiercely as he once had.

Too bad the last year he filmed it was his final chase of RG..It felt like he was going to his own funeral if that makes sense.

 

[Kieran]

Too bad the last year he filmed it was his final chase of RG..It felt like he was going to his own funeral if that makes sense.

I’ve seen videos of Rafa now, and he looks fifty. His body is more ravaged by wear and tear and injury than anyone’s. He’s put himself through the most extreme punishment in order to compete. I heard a quote from the documentary where he says something like, “I’m not a winner, I’m a competitor”, and it’s a perfect mantra for any youngster to live by.

But I think when he was in his late twenties, his body-age was 10 years older…

 

[the AntiPusher]

I’ve seen videos of Rafa now, and he looks fifty. His body is more ravaged by wear and tear and injury than anyone’s. He’s put himself through the most extreme punishment in order to compete. I heard a quote from the documentary where he says something like, “I’m not a winner, I’m a competitor”, and it’s a perfect mantra for any youngster to live by.

But I think when he was in his late twenties, his body-age was 10 years older…

So true.. that's the sacrifice to be the greatest RG champion EVER. He was a warrior.. the 2022 championship at RG was probably his toughest struggle. I wont ruin it for those who havent seen the DocuSeries.

 

[Kieran]

So true.. that's the sacrifice to be the greatest RG champion EVER. He was a warrior.. the 2022 championship at RG was probably his toughest struggle. I wont ruin it for those who havent seen the DocuSeries.

He was looking good for Wimbledon too, until he got [spoiler alert] injured. Was never fit again…

 

[PhiEaglesfan712]

He was looking good for Wimbledon too, until he got [spoiler alert] injured. Was never fit again…

The beginning of the end was the injury at Indian Wells. People forget that Rafa had a poor clay season leading up to the French Open win.

Rafa was never going to win that Wimbledon. He was not going to beat Djokovic in a final. If this was 2010 or 2011, I'd give him a chance, but not in 2022.

In hindsight, Rafa should have probably skipped Wimbledon and gave a run at the US Open, knowing that Djokovic was not allowed to be there.