Wimbly: Times Blog and Q&A #8
Photo by Clive Brunskill/ Getty Images
New entries up on The Times. First, the blog:
Hello everyone and please find here a few words before the answers. Those of you who have seen the match, I am sure you have enjoyed it. It was a great level of match and to be honest I wasn’t sure I could finish it.
At some point I felt a lot of pain, like if something had broken… I almost cried of pain and of thinking I could have really gotten injured. I went after the match to get an MRI of my ankle/foot. Will give the results to the press in the morning.
Tomorrow Rory McIlroy is coming to Wimbledon and I am really looking forward to meeting him again!. Had the chance to meet him in NY last year and now I will see him again after he’s won a major! I am normally hitting in the afternoon, at around 4 but will come to the tournament site just to see him.
One of the commentors here summed up my feeling on Rafa and pain: he probably plays in so much pain every day that he’s used to, new ones freak him out. It’s like he gets used to a certain level, decides he can live with it and move forward….but one more niggle and…!!! And no, I’m not doubting he was in pain, but I think pain means more to him and he reacts more to it (especially new pain) than he did in the past. I also think that’s all part of growing up.
Now the Q&A:
Since you are such a good mover on the court, are you also a good dancer? Loreta
No, not at all! I am a bad dancer!
Yes, we’ve seen your salsa.
During the 2008 Olympics, I had an opportunity to see the Spanish national basketball team play and was impressed with Ricky Rubio. Now I see he is going to play in the NBA. Do you have any thoughts? Do you follow basketball? Jane
I think he is a great player and will do very well, really looking forward to playing against the best. He is really, really good!
Really?
Have you ever watched Bollywood movies? Kaushik
Not for the moment.
He likes musicals (at least in the theater) and he seems to be a bit of a sentimental guy, I think he might like Bollywood movies.
Are there some places in the world (besides Manacor) where you can still walk around without attracting too much attention? Cynthia Tanner
Not that I am aware of but it is nice to see people like you.
Heh. In such a diplomatic mood.
Is it true, that the taller the player, the bigger and better his serve is? Tathagata
That is normally the case.
Normally.
Was it too much to play in the Davis Cup on hard court just one week after Wimbledon? Goran
I have said it loud and clear to the media on Sunday and again today. Things must change in the Davis Cup. I love to play for my country and the way it is scheduled is simply impossible.
Yes. You spoke strongly on the subject and your frustration came through loud and clear. I do hope they can sort something out.
I love the traditions at Wimbledon but the one where both players walk off the court together seems to have been overlooked this year. What do you think? Natalie W
I haven’t realized that since I always walked on court and out with my rival.
You walk out with your rival? As in leave the court with them? Since when? You are usually far behind! (Unless you lost – like most players.) I think in the past the tradition at Wimbly was because players were to pause on the way out and, in unison, bow to the royal box. They removed the bowing clause a few years ago, I think.
Or “out” as in walking out into the court. Because that’s another thing and usually dictated by an official at the edge of the court.
What did you think of Andy Murray’s performance today. Are you worried about possibly meeting him in the semi-final? Julian
Andy is a great player and I have always said it. Right now my main concern is Mardy Fish, my next rival. Have to be frank with you.
Who’s Frank? (*ba-dump bump* Try the veal, I’ll be here all week.)
You’ve said before that you like Wimbledon as a place but have you had an opportunity to visit anywhere else in the UK? If so where? Kirstie
Not much, apart from London I have not had the chance. One day I suppose. Benito, my PR guy, tells me there are many beautiful places down south too.
London’s already pretty far south. Not on the coast, though. I think our boy needs a coast.
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You are hilarious!!!!!
Thanks, Miri. I think England is one of the most beautiful countries in the world and there would be many places Rafa would really love. The Cotswolds maybe? yeah, like he’s got the time..
He does like to keep his fans on pins and needles, doesn’t he? He had the test last night but waited until today to let us know he was okay :)
It’s not that far from the coast – 45 mins to Brighton! Personally I’m all for uploading a link to his FB wall extolling the virtues of the north of England, he should see the Lake District! Not that I’m biased… :-)
The Lakes would be my pick too :)
Rafa answered my question today: “…Not that I am aware of but it is nice to see people like you.”
Bless him for being so warm-hearted and generous with his fans, even at the end of a difficult day!
Oh God the salsa? Not the salsa pleaase. Lol
Bless his heart for doing the blog and Q&A because I know he would’ve been busy & had a lot on his mind.
Where’s the best seafood & seas in the UK? and point him there. The b&b.s are wonderful so maybe one of you guys might want to offer a bed for Rafa?
I’m sure Rafa has been asked at least twice before about the dancing and I’m also sure he said last time that he was a good latin dancer. Liar, liar…take your pants off, Rafa!
On the coast? Best seafood in the UK? Offer Rafa a bed? Well, that’s were I’d come in SO. BLOOMIN’. HANDY! Rafa, jus’ get that Benito guy to give me a ring. I’ll show you a bit of coast.
Can I come, CC? :D I’ve never been to the England’s coast either… :P I’d like to share the trip with you and Rafa!
Rafa might be a terrible dancer but no way does that one salsa in front of thousands/millions of people prove it to me!
Rafa is used to being on the world stage doing what he knows he does well, ie playing tennis and taking his shirt off!
That salsa performance was sure not under the perfect circumstance to relax and get into the music. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has felt like my legs were made of wood when on the dance floor and moved around like an machine when not in a comfortable moment but in a different mood and moment dance up a storm! Maybe a few responsible drinks at a local dance club and Rafa’s latin blood would kick in and surprise us all!
I think, Rafa would do well, to aknowledge, that new kinds of pain freak him out and that he might overreact sometimes, since he has had such a long list of injuries and ailments during his career. In a way he does just that by admitting, that he almost cried, when he thought, it might be neccessary to retire. Even Pete Bodo, who normally can’t be accused of treating Rafa with kid gloves makes a remark about Rafa’s unusually despondent look at some points of the match. But even if Rafa has become a bit of a hypochondriac, there’s no reason to call him a cheater. As I said in the rafalint thread, there are harmless scenarios, which nevertheless explain the kind of pain he experienced, and everybody, who calls himself a tennisfan, should be glad, that the defending champ is probably fit enough to continue.
To atennisfan: Great way to sum it up. “But even if Rafa has become a bit of a hypochondriac, there’s no reason to call him a cheater.” The commentators have not been separating those two things which have very different implications. Doesn’t surprise me that the women (Mary Jo, Chrissie and Pam) have been more nuanced about their comments about the injury thing than the men. The men (except maybe for Cahill whom I adore), see it as their job to stir up controversy. JMac is the one who recently said there isn’t enough conflict among the stars in tennis. Or maybe, since he’s been so adoring of Rafa in the past, he thinks he has to show more balance or something.
On the leaving the court tradition, after all that drama, Del Potro still waited for Rafa to leave the court. And waited a long time too – he started to smile about it. After that, I forgave him for the temper tantrum.
Thanks, Susanna,
I have 2 sons, who can be very “hypochondriatic” at times. And I sure can distinguish between them being very concerned about their health or just not wanting to go to school (i.e. cheating),lol!
Interesting, that the female commies were more nuanced. Makes perfect sense, doesn’t it?
For the record, I think, Delpo is a nice young man with his own share of really bad injuries. Everybody forgets, that they are dealing with still very young men. You can’t expect them to be as insightful as Yoda!
I ordinarily adore Cahill too, and he is usually balanced and likes to talk tennis instead of drama. But he was pretty critical of the MTO yesterday. I don’t really get it. Would it have been okay to ask for an MTO at 5 all? Then why not 6 all?
He was more critical of the fact the rules allowed it, not that Rafa took one. (And at first he thought it was a blister or something. He softened up a lot once it looked like it was a more severe issue than that.) And I’m guessing that’s because of the tiebreak.
Agreed. But I thought his initial reaction was somewhat uncharacteristic of him.
Down south??! Down south??! I will curb my sense of snorting outrage as I wasn’t too clued up on Spanish geography till I started following Rafa, but really….. Anyway, if he would like the opportunity for a tour of the North of England I would be more than happy to be a guide. South indeed.
Sorry my snorting got in the way of my saying there isn’t much further directly south than London unless you count Kent which is very nice I suppose. And Brighton. Anyway. London is south so there. I will shurrup now.
Calling someone a hypochrondriac is pretty excessive and not flattering at all. I think its quite reasonable for anyone who is not a medical professional to feel concern when they feel sudden and severe pain in their foot to naturally think of something broken. The concern must be so heightened when one depends on swift movement to perform in their career.
I’m so happy that the injury doesn’t appear to be anything debilitating but I sure understand Rafa’s concern about it all.
It’s only natural that Rafa reacts the way he does when faced with pain/possible injury that might jeopardise something that he has worked so hard for, particularly when in the past he has spent long periods of time away from the tour with some pretty nasty injuries. We don’t actually know whether Rafa will be fully fit until we see him play on Wednesday. As Toni was reported to say when asked about Rafa’s fitness:
“100 percent. What do you want me to say? If he was at 50 percent I’d still say he was at 100,” he told reporters with a smile.
“Yesterday he had a problem. Things don’t disappear magically but tomorrow he’ll be in a condition to play.”
A hypochondriac is someone who believes they are sick despite medical evidence to the contrary. Rafa appears to have accepted the results of the MRI at face value. There is a fine line between being prudent and overreacting. It’s a tough call for a professional athlete, when playing injured can have ramifications far beyond the instant match. I’m not second guessing someone who lost half a season and was unable to defend his Wimbledon title due to injury. If he wants to be cautious, fine by me. I felt a little silly going to the emergency room a few weeks ago with a sharp pain in my abdomen. But, it was something new and different for me, and I was in a lot of pain. I would have felt even sillier if my appendix had burst.
I think that the extent of injuries that players carry throughout the season is vastly underrated and understated – for rafa and for anyone in the top end of the ATP or WTA. Only the immediate team members for a player will know in any detail what ailments, what treatments, etc etc…becasue any wider extent of that knowledge will surely be exploited on the court. So what we fans hear and see is just the tip of a latent injury iceberg i think. We hear of the del portos and nalbandians and hewitts (and in 2009 rafa) who have to take extended periods of time off to recover from incapacitating injuires – but how many players play on , torunament after torunament with serious, painful…but not yet debilitating injuries? Given the athleticism and training required to keep i the top echelon of pro tennis in combination with a truly gruelling schedule of tournaments throughout the whole year (unlike any other professional sport there is no “tennis season”…and associated off season). I am suprised there aren’t more injuires/withdrawls for “health ” reasons?
Does anyone know what the rules are in terms of minimum tournaments played and withdrawls for “health” reasons? We’ve seen fed and djoko step back from pre scheduled tournaments recently. Is it something like “you must play in X master 1000 torunaments but for (stated) ill- health reasons you can reuce that to Y”, w/o losing rating points or being fined or??
My guess is that for every match in every torunament someone battlescarred like rafa with 10 years on the pro tour will have a whole portfolio of injury management professionals and meds to “manage” ongoing stresses and strains. I get worried about the cumulative effects of such “management” strategies and playing through the pain barrier…… I really hope after wimby rafa simply kicks back for a couple of weeks (wish he could make it a couple of months??) and just rest, play, relax, socialize, take some stress of his body and mind…..Not just a weekend here or there, but a deep and long R&R rest . Ok someone like him will probably not blob out like the rest of us might….but hey fitness running on the beaches or in parks and mountains with relaxed stretching and massage…as a substitute for gruelling match play and intensive training…or a day of fishing or golf instead of …or laughter and fun with friends…..gotta be healing. And those opportunities for resting and recuperating and healing should be built into the whole pro schedule, atp and davis cup. My guess is that scheduling issue – and the health toll it takes – is a key frustration for many of the top players, not just rafa.
I agree they need more rest time but money making seems to rule sport like everything else. Fewer tournaments mean some ones making less money. Selling less stuff etc. The lower ranked players must be more affected by that too. So if you want less match time and more rest time the lesser ranked players will need compensation. Lots of political and financial complications to negotiate to get agreement.
The solution is not fewer tournaments, it’s fewer mandated tournaments for the Top 30. The tour can still have all the tournaments they want so that the lower ranked players can play as often as they wish but they have to reduce the number of required tournaments. It’s all fine and good to tell Rafa and others to schedule their time better but it’s hard to when they’re penalized if they don’t play all the tournaments they’re required to.
Yep like in the good ole tennis days of Bjorg and Mcenroe when players were not forced to play every tourney or the earlier rounds if they were in the top 3-5! its all a bit too much…
Unfortunately Federer is hardly ever injured but I admitt he does schedule himself better alloweing himself time to heal and recoup as well as train!
Sorry I shouldn’t have written that like that, unfortunately is the wrong word here, Since Federer is hardly ever injured! is better.. apologies!
Fae, good luck today on finally getting to go to Wimbly. Which court will you be at?