Pedro Felner’s blog
Photo via Rafa's Facebook page
Pedro Felner, the coach of the fellow (Frederico F. Silva) who’s been hitting with Rafa the past few weeks has a blog and has written about the practices. From the mangle it sounds like Rafa’s foot isn’t exactly feeling great. It also sounds like Felner and Silva had a great experience training with Rafa and are thankful for all he shared with them. (Thanks for tweeting, diannada and abbey_tennis.)
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Thanks so much Miri for finding this priceless blog. I was simply amazed by the intensity of Rafa’s regime and life style. Incredible, the man just does not stop.
I was especially impressed with the story that Toni told, that when Rafa was 13-14 and was competing at an event, his racket broke and he was losing points. Toni was far and couldn’t see that the racket was broken, but some one else informed him and he told Rafa to change the racket. He went on to win. When Toni asked Rafa later why he hadn’t changed the racket when it broke, he said he hadn’t realised his racket was broken beacause he thought it was his fault that he was losing as always. That’s how much Toni had instilled into Rafa that he was to blame for everthing that went wrong on court! There’s some serious tough love there.
This blog is indeed great, and the mangle seems better than normal. I admire, how Pedro describes the atmosphere without fawning and being indiscret.Makes it even harder to believe, that the Rafa camp would shaft a coach like Borras.
What made me a Rafa fan in the first place, was, that I always sensed a fierce intelligence and thoughtful mind behind the cute English and the youthful warrior exterior, which set him apart from other players.
I’ll try not to get too frazzled about the foot issue as I don’t think it’s a new pain. His foot problem is chronic and Rafa has said it’s very painful and he’s had to play with the pain most of his career. He also seems to be training very hard at the moment so that could be a factor as well, and as he said in his book it’s about managing the injury. I just hope it doesn’t become worse and show up at an inopportune time because it doesn’t seem like he’ll have time to really rest the foot in the coming months.
Reading the blog what I found so interesting and admirable was how Rafa and his team invited Pedro and Fred into their inner circle. They seemed were very trusting and open about everything and it was nice to see that Pedro repaid that openness by not revealing the specifics of what was said. Oh how I would have loved to be a fly on the wall, who understood Catalan, during that intense conversation between Rafa and Toni about Rafa’s future:)
It’s nice of you to say not to get frazzled. I was just starting.:) But maybe this solves the riddle of the sudden Paris withdrawal, which has been critized by some; there have to be priorities… Oh, well…
Actually I knew about the foot problem as early as 2008. I remember reading an article, which even showed x-rays of Rafa’s foot, and predicted, that his career might not be a long one.They must have gotten the x-ray illegally, since Rafa’s camp denied the whole story furiously, much like Pete Sampras denied his thalassaemia for long stretches of his career. Makes one appreciate even more, what Rafa has achieved so far, and even, if I don’t want to frazzle, I can’t get the word “career threatening” out of my head.
Although the foot issue may have been a factor, I don’t think it was the main reason he withdrew from Paris. With the intensity with which he seems to be training, doing both tennis and fitness work, it’s more what he would do in the off season and had he gone to Paris, he wouldn’t have been able to put those sort of hours of work in during the tourney or even the week before. To me it just seems his main focus right now is the start of the next season, getting ready for Australia. Looking at the end of year, with preparation for Davis Cup the week after WTF that only leaves him with about 2 1/2 – 3 weeks before Abu Dhabi and Doha, so he really doesn’t have much of an off-season and he did say after Shanghai that the rest of the season would be prep for 2012.
I think, there’s more than one reason behind the Paris pullout, and the foot might be one of them.
When I read the blog, I was thinking the same as you: We have a completely wrong conception, what “rest” means to Rafa. We tend to think, that he gets rest, when he is not playing a tourny. Considering the intensity of his every day training,this might not be true at all.
It’s really sad that such an athlete has this kind of problem. I find it almost unfair! It makes me appreciate even more Rafa’s almost philosophical approach about his victories and tennis in general. I remember I was also shocked at the “career threatening” nature of the foot issue when I first read about it but thought it was just the journalists exaggerating as always. I hope Rafa has still many healthy years ahead of him. Please tennis gods!
I 2nd that Ch F.! I am worried too, I knew he had a foot problem years back but it wasn’t until this year that it seems to have flared up again… I wonder how serious it is? it does explain alot of things.. hope he is gonna be okay and has many years of tennis ahead of him, please tennis gods indeed!!!
It wasn’t until this year he’s talked about it again – due to the book and the Wimbledon match against Del Po. The problem is always there. He played the 2008 Wimbledon final with the exact same kind of treatment he had to have this year at Wimbledon…it’s just that we didn’t know about it.
The foot problem will never go away. Ever. Best they can do is try to keep the pain manageable.
The pull out at Paris Bercy, I just knew there was more than “meets the eye” and had to be something else than practising for the end of season and 2012. It just didn’t add up – pulling out at the last minute (4 days before the tourney), not using Paris as a warm up when the courts have been slowed down to match the WTF courts, and where he could gain valuable points (he has nothing to defend) and now it has been revealed the foot problem! The foot has never been right since the 4th round at Wimby against Del Portro. It’s not clear if it is a new injury or the same old which was threatening his career in 2005. I am now completely frazzled – this is worse than I expected. If anyone has read Rafa’s book he has constantly mentioned the foot injury – diagnosed as a defective tarsal scaphoid, a rare disease of the foot which has to be managed. There is no cure. (All is explained on page 146-160 of Rafa’s book, it is very heart wrentching). If we were all worried about his knees etc, this foot problem is mcuh more serious. I cannot bare to think it would cut his career short but it could be a reality. I hope we can get some re-assurance about the foot. Am surprised it has been mentioned though.
Well the knee problem of Rafa is likely to be a secondary problem from the foot, the feet play a huge part in our overal balance and posture, poor boy has had and will have alot to contend with, I guess that is why I admire him so much.
I think the return to sleeveless is an Excellent sign, and I am remaining frazzle-free. El toro is returning!!
Part of me wants to freak out about his foot because it’s obvious he hasn’t been able to move as well this season as he has in previous seasons. However I don’t think he’d be able to train as long or as intensely as has been doing (sounds like he never stops!) if his foot was any more of a problem than it usually is.
I’m with Killian and will try and remain freak-out free and hope it heralds the return of the warrior! VAMOS!!!!!
Sometimes I can’t believe how incredible Rafa’s career has been despite the foot issue. I’m of course worried that the fact that he can’t trust his body entirely affects his mental strength; it’s difficult to focus with a chronic problem bothering you but hopefully having trained well and intensively will help instill the much needed confidence.
I absolutely agree. If you take everything into consideration, it’s incredible, what kind of career he had so far. That’s why I think, it’s wrong to say, he has to win Paris, WTF at least once, has to defend a non-claycourt title, has to surpass Federer or whatever expectations fans and journos like to pile up on him. If there’s more to come, wonderful! But Rafa has already proven, that he belongs to the all time greats, and everything else is just topping.
By the way, I guess, it’s helpful in a way, that the foot issue is not hushed up anymore. I still remember vividly the accusations of hypochondria and even of faking or dramatizing injuries after the Delpo match at Wimby. I guess, at least from competent journos we won’t hear that kind of bullsh.. any more.
Rafa’s foot isn’t great because he has a chronic congenital bone problem. He feels pain every time he plays and has done so for years. In spite of this, he’s become a champion, not least because of his amazing mental strength and competitive drive. I think Pedro Felner is just in awe of Rafa’s ability to overcome such a huge challenge and do what he does every day.
His foot issue can’t be healed, only managed, and for years, he’s been pushing himself to endure the pain and give his all. Of course, it takes it’s toll, but he knows what it is and is familiar with it.
His rise to the top is a true testament to his unbelievable mentality, and knowing how much pain he swallows, it absolutely galls me whenever he’s accused of taking tactical MTOs. His pain is all too real!
Like minds, lol!
I don’t mind if these accusations of him dramatizing little niggles come from non-fans; it can be safely ignored, but I remember, that after the Delpo match the old hands at cnnsi like Wertheim and Jenkins were all over him and ridiculed the whole thing. As you say, that galls me, too!
I really enjoyed reading the blog! It was the perfect balance between telling us how the training sessions went and with little bits of rafa insights and their observations. Rafa seems so welcoming into his “world” and love the fact that he invited them out in Manacor! Couldnt get over the astin martin, can you imagine turning up in that?? I suppose thats what a super rich tennis player can do! Its awesome he let him have a ride in it so they could have quality “man” time :-). Also loved Rafa giving them the key to the gym at his home too. I bet for Fred this will be 2 weeks he’ll never, ever forget!!
Where was all the stuff about the Aston Martin? I didn’t see that?
I’m an idiot! I’ve just found it! *rolls eyes at self*!
Come the f$ck down. Honestly, he’s had this foot problem for years, he just has to manage it the right way and There will be times where he can not run around for every ball as if it was his last. Well that’s what Carlos Costa told me a couple months back.
I am a little confused: why did Toni Nadal’s recent statement say that Rafa has no physical problems?
Perhaps since the foot is a constant problem, he wasn’t considering it.
That would be OK if Rafa’s performance is not hampered by the foot. Otherwise, it seems to be misleading.
I agree that Toni doesn’t consider the foot to be an “injury” and maybe neither does Rafa. I do hate that he has to be in pain so much. I admire all he’s done and all he does every single day.
Well it isn’t an injury. As said before it is a defective tarsal scaphoid, a rare disease of the foot which has to be managed – something that he gained from early childhood (practising too much and the bones hadn’t joined together – something like that). So technically speaking it is not an injury and Toni is right to say. The only problem is whether they can manage it – some days they can, some they can’t I guess and perhaps the view was it was too risky on the indoor courts to play – who knows. But i suspect something was up and the way they said the foot not good and then pulling out so late had something to do with it -precautionary, and thought practicising was the best compromise given Rafa’s aim this year to win the WTF. I have softened and changed my mind and think given these circumstances this was the best decision to make. PS: does anyone know whether Djok is playing because of the shoulder injury in Paris or indeed WTF?
I’m not sure where you get the idea that he pulled out “so late” – he pulled out before the draw and 4 days before the main draw starts play. The timing was probably absolutely perfect for the tournament: keep ticket sales up leading into the event but then before they had to shuffle the draw around. Even if he knew he wasn’t going to play for quite awhile, I could see a tournament saying, “could you hold off on announcing that, please?”
Sorry Miri, I don’t agree with you on this one and I don’t think its fair to the public with their hard earned cash that they depart with. He made the announcement on the Thur morning and the draw was Fri eve – 1 day before they had to make the draw. 4 days before the event to withdraw citing reasons that he prefers to practice and there was no injury I think is a bit “underhand and deceiving to the public” to leave the decision so late to help the tournament by “could you hold off on announcing that, please?”” Wouldn’t you feel a bit peeved if you had made arrangements, hotel, flight etc. just to see your favourtie player only to pull out 4 days before and knowing he wasn’t playing in any tournaments prior to that in case of injury? Would the public who were meant to be going get a refund as a result?
Players have to juggle many things when making their schedule and/or deciding to pull out of a tournament. You cannot please everyone.
And yes, as a fan, I would be upset. But that’s the risk a fan takes every single time they buy a ticket. The tournament will still happen – if people bought tickets soley to see Rafa and not to watch top athletes compete in a great sport in an important tournament, that’s their problem – not the tournament’s nor, to be fair, Rafa’s.
OK Miri but I cannot believe in a million years this was Rafa’s choice. He has never ever pulled out of a tournmanet so close to it unless he was injured (which he is not) and the reason I say this is that he is very loyal to his fans, he knows how important they are to him and would have made the decision a long time ago (when he knew at least about the 600+ matches so he didn’t get penalised). I actually think there was a big disagreement and the foot thing was the nail in the coffin! All specualation of course but this wouldn’t be Rafa’s style, and as I said before Rafa is a slow starter and after nearly 6 weeks off he will struggle (he was lucky to beat Roddick, Berdyc (dispute over point) and Noel (contact lenses problem) to get through the WTF stages. He was sure rusty in all of those and that was with missing Paris. But heah he might surprise us who knows but I have never heard of anyone pull out because they …. simply want to practice
Others players always give medical excuses to pull out, it’s easy to get a medical paper. Rafa is just honest. I prefer him to be honest than to withdraw using the excuse of his foot. It would have been worst for me. I prefer to know that he pulls out to train. All year long we wanted him to train in order to find his game and now we aren’t happy because he pull out to do so. I think it’s not fair. He isn’t a machine. Maybe he won’t be competitive in London because of the lack of competition but if it’s necessary for 2012 I’m ok with that.
When fans buy tickets for a tournament they buy them at least one week ago so pulling out one week or 2 weeks before doesn’t change anything. Rafa isn’t a singer, he is an athlete. He gives us a lot and he doesn’t owe us nothing. Normally when someone is a fan of Rafa it means he is a tennis fan in general. I’m really sad I won’t see him but I know I will see good tennis. I don’t have to be upset against him. I prefer him to do what he needs to do to feel well for next year.
After 8 years of intensive career, after more than 600 professional matchesI think it’s good that he learns to manage his calendar differently.
Hear, Hear!
I’m totally with miri and Emmanuelle on this. In a presser this spring, Albert Costa was basically saying he didn’t expect Rafa to play Davis Cup in Austin in July. Rafa interrupted him and said he intended to play, clearly realizing that Albert was hurting ticket sales. Of course Rafa didn’t play. As someone who flew to Austin to see the tie, and who only saw Rafa once in 2008 and will probably never see him again, I was truly not surprised and fully believe that he never planned to be in Texas right after Wimbledon, foot or no foot. July is his beach time.
Rafa finally can and should skip events that on balance are unhelpful to his career. His first priority is himself.
I’m with you, that it was probably a good decision not to play, and nobody should be cross about that. Even, if I was a ticket holder, I would understand, like Emanuelle.
But I have some difficulty to believe, that Rafa would actively pretend to prepare for a tourny, he never intended to play in the first place. The Davis Cup comparison does not work here in my opinion, because Rafa might have played there, if he had gone early at Wimby. In spring he could’t know, how far he’d go in London.
I always assumed, he would avoid Paris because of the superfast surface, but since I know, that they slowed down the court considerably, I changed my mind. If completely healthy, it would have made alot of sense for Rafa to play there. Look at today’s results: Verdasco beat Cilic! So it definitely can’t be the lightning fast surface they had last year.
True that, it is a chronic condition. I just meant that Toni and Rafa don’t ever really mention it, and I find that to be quite admirable because of the chronic pain.
Emmanualle. I agree with you most of what is said and have said before he doesn’t owe us anything. But all I am saying I don’t think it was his decision: given all he says about needing matches to get his rythmn etc.not letting fans down and knowing that the Paris fastest courts in the world have now become slower and the same at WTF (this is fact and is already mentioned on the TV while they are playing today) this would have been a great opporunity for Rafa for the warm up event, be match tight having gone out early in Shanghai which gave him more “rest” practice time anyway and all those points he could lap up to get closer to Djok having lost the opportunity in Shanghai. End of 2011 carries into 2012 with points etc. so there is no difference in terms of getting practice for 2012.
I think maybe the real problem is the foot (probem from 2005) and didn’t want to scaremonger all the fans and media, given how much the deformed bone has been publised in the book as “career threatening” I dont see any other explanation to this strange decision given he had every incentive to go for it. But if he comes through the WTF which is the one he wanted to win this year, I will “eat my hat!” I think I have now exhausted my comments on the matter. Thanks all for listening anyway even if you don’t agree.
rafafan,
Most of the time I have a more optimistic view than you, but here you have a point. It doesn’t make sense to assume, that Rafa planned all along not to play Paris, especially, when the surface was slowed down. On this very website is a video of him labelled “Practice for Paris”. I can’t believe, that Rafa’s camp pulled the wool over everybody’s eyes for so long, just for helping the tournament to sell more tickets.Also the phrasing of his withdrawal announcement (at least the English version) on facebook indicates reluctance and,maybe, some coaxing. So, I think, the foot ultimately was responsible for the withdrawal, but since Rafa is to allowed to skip the tourny without being penalized, they might have decided not to mention the foot.
We will know more about it, when we see how it goes for Rafa in London. Let’s try to see the positive side: If Rafa was reluctant to withdraw, the foot can’t be in an absolutely terrible shape, but he had to understand, that not playing was the better option.
I guess, the info about the sore foot was not meant to surface; but Pedro assumed, that he was not telling a secret, since Rafa had officionally withdrawn from Paris, when he mentioned it.
i purchased my tickets for both semi finals for this years WTF immediately after it finished last year. I buy both sessions as i know (and hope) that if Rafa gets thro i will get to see him. i dont know at that time what sort of season Rafa will have or whether he will qualify or get thro to semi’s or pull out but its the chance you take. I saw Rafa for the 1st time last year against Murray. It is a fantastic day out, i get to see the top guys, singles and doubles, play great tennis tho I admit Rafa is who i wanna see the most.
I dont get all the controvousy about when and why Rafa pulled out of Paris. I wasn’t expecting to see him there ,had a gut feeling he would’nt play and was waiting for the announcement. It’s not a big deal, the tournament will go on, be a success without Rafa.
Sharon, I have no problem with his withdrawal; everything which gives his battered body some recovery time might be good, but I stopped believing that he never intended to play Paris in the first place and just wants to practice a little more.
The tourny will be fine, you are right; and we will probably not find out just yet, how fit Rafa is. We will see in London; and I will press my thumps for you, as we say in Germany, that Rafa makes the semies, and that you will have a wonderful day at the tourny.When the championship was still in Hannover, I went more than once. It was great, no matter who was playing.
Sharon, I was at both semis and the finals at the WTF’s last year too. It was SO much fun. My sister wanted to do it again this year but we’ve decided to go to IW instead (We’re from New York). Wouldn’t it be fantastic if he won the WTFs?
Yes Sharon, I have also got both semi final tickets for WTF, taking my 14 year old son. It would be great to see Rafa in one of them (Fingers Crossed), I can’t complain too much if I don’t though as I went last year and just happened to pick the match he played against Berdych, not bad for my first tennis match. We had a great time there, went down early and got to see him practising too, also saw Pat Cash and later on Andy Murray. Agree totally with you, it is a great day out and we will get to see the top players regardless. There are lots of things put on for the public to make it a fun day, can’t wait.
ive been every year to the WTF semi finals in London so far and been seated in level 4, land of the gods so this year i got tickets for level one 3rd row and evening 10th row so anyone who has been knows its close to the court. Should Rafa get through hopefully i will get some good photo’s to share with you all.
Yes, we are in level 4, we are a bit lower this time so hopefully it will be a little better view. It would make my day to see Rafa again, but whoever we see it will be good, so I won’t be too sad if he doesn’t make the semi’s, as I know it isn’t his best surface, but he obviously has been preparing for it, so you never know. Getting down early Sat morning and stopping over with my son, so can’t wait, it is a top day out. Hope you enjoy it too.
Really happy to find this website where Rafa fans can discuss the latest news and things of interest.
Wow. Sleepless AND shortie shorts. Is he teasing us?
Hi all
Rafa has never won Paris and this would have been the best opportunity this year. Rafa has had plenty of rest and the courts are super super slow. I have been watching the tennis today and the commies are complaining how slow it is – more for the grinding out points type of guy. With Djok probably going to be out and Delport out and no Sod and Federer coming back after a long layoff a bit rusty (you can’t really count his win against a very low ranked player in Basel),this was an absolutely amazing opportunity that Rafa surely couldn’t refuse and think of the number of points he would have gained!! Its not so much the pulling out but why the pulling out which in my mind they are not really telling the whole story. I think the revealing of the foot problem was the problem and I am convinced that Toni took a stand and said “listen to me or I am off!”Yes the tourney will be a success (although the commies have said with the slowness of the court is not good for tennis!), we shall see. Be funny and ironic if Verdasco won it!
Isn’t that what everyone said about Shanghai as well? Best chance ever. Well, we saw how that went.
Toni’s told Rafa not to play things in the past and Rafa’s played them. As far as we know (per his statements), the final decision is his. You can make up stories in your head about how things transpired, but it’s really not fair at all to pass judgement on someone based on your version of reality.
Yes in Shangahi he blew the opportunity, said so himself in that aweful depressing press conference and hence another opportunity comes which are few and far between comes his way at the French masters on a very slow court to possibly pick up 1000 points or any points! I am only reading between the lines and from the evidence of Rafa’s book recently and what Rafa has said about him making decisions (or not – he is very dithery, admitting it himself) I have a feeling that Rafa did not make this one: it was sort of forced upon him and probably only accepted because of the foot issue. Rafa is stubborn and I couldn’t see him suddenly leading us all to think he was coming to practice and then changing his mind can you?
BTW – This was taken from Felner’s blog
“Toni’s messages to Rafa were understandable. It doesn’t look good for me to tell you the content of the talk, but I should tell I was impressed. At first with Nadal’s coolness, maturity and ability of argumentation. At only 25 years old, he is an athlete who is completely mature and conscious of what he’s done, what he is doing and what he will achieve in the future. On the other hand, his uncle, Toni, is somebody with a very clear perception of tennis and of sport in general, with a really great ability to motivate and direct the focus to what is important: goals, work, motivation, effort. (…)”
Quite an interesting insight.
Can’t wait to see him in 2 weeks and see how he plays.
Did he lead us to believe anything or were we all assuming? We saw video of him practicing and thought, “Paris prep”. The journalists mentioned Paris…did Rafa?
Exactly. Interesting insight – from what Felner related, Rafa was discussing clearly and decisively his feelings about where his career has been and where he wants it to go. Doesn’t sound like someone who allows decisions like what tournaments to attend to be overruled. He’s clearly decided that winning the Paris tournament isn’t his top priority right now and has acted accordingly.
Hi Miri. Yes at the Shanghai interview he SAID Paris (in the end of the interview)so naturally with his name down in the tournament schedule why should we doubt anything different as he wasn’t injured – it was in black and white and you yourself in your website “getting ready for Paris”.
I got the opposite impression from the blog (and from all what he said in his book he makes me think even more) – have you read it by the way? I don’t like to see his fans be made a fool of. There have been a few cover ups over the years: Rafa has no girlfriend but he really does; the career threatening injury that they strenuously denied (now logged in the Rafa book), injuries he won’t talk about until afterwards, I can name others but I won’t go there. That’s all I am saying. The PR has a few cracks in it lately and of course Rafa and Toni (as family) need to be protected I guess from media, fans etc. etc.
So sad I can’t watch Rafa this week as I am at home but heah get to see Fognini (look alike Rafa) at least tomorrow
Yes. He said that in Shanghai…what, almost a month ago? He’s not allowed to change his mind since then? Perhaps he was hoping to play Paris and then, after considering his options and the personal/professional value of the tournaments that remain on the schedule this year, he decided it wasn’t best for him. Instead he decided to make this his “off season” and work on his training to be in good shape for the rest of the year and the start of the next. Let’s be honest – neither of know and we are both making shit up. I just prefer to do it without frazzling non-stop and without passing negative judgement on others for my made up version of the truth.
The title on that post WAS MINE. Not his. WTF would a title I give a post have ANYTHING to do with Rafa’s unspoken intentions? Do I know them? No. Would I have any way of knowing if he’d changed his mind since Shanghai? No. He hadn’t told anyone yet. If you listen to the video, journalist mentions Paris, but Rafa does not. Where is this grand deception you are going on about?
And yes, I’ve read his book – I was beginning to you think you hadn’t. Then again, I read the lines on the pages, maybe you concentrated on the stuff in between the lines. Every public figure who isn’t a fame whore and likes to over-share covers some stuff up. It’s how they get what little bit of privacy they can. Do I understand why they didn’t reveal the foot thing before? No. But I also can’t begin to fathom an elite athlete’s world and the kind of decisions they must make about what to reveal about their physical condition and what they can’t.
Yes. I’m pissy and I’m done. We are very far off the topic of Felner’s blog here. I let things go on for awhile because I’ve been busy and we are in a down time, but stop now.
The girlfriend was covered up???? All I ever heard was people insinuating, that she was used as a cover….And there must have been a terrible breech of security, since a 19 year old Rafa told a German sports journo from a tennis magazine everything about his new girlfriend and how glad he was, that she would have him, and that he was proud to announce, that he was now a record breaking 5 month together with her. Oh well, nobody reads German tennis magazines anyway. :)))
Hi a tennis fan – they admitted it was a cover up!! And pretended Rafa didn’t have a girlfriend until Toni admitted it 3 year later. Enough said!
Precisely! I was about to ask whether the “Paris preparation” video was an assumption or whether there was indeed footage of Rafa saying he was looking forward to Paris etc (I admit I didn’t watch it). But your post here miri answers my question. How do we know he was preparing for Paris and not just… preparing? If we don’t, then it doesn’t necessarily have to be the foot issue and even if it is, it doesn’t necessarily mean the condition is worse than usual. There are so many things we don’t know that it that I personally cannot even begin to assume why he didn’t play Paris. I only hope it’s for the best and that Rafa plays London as healthy as he can be.
maybe the video of Rafa preparing and practising was just that,and cos Paris was the next tourny some people assumed this was why. Im sure i read Uncle Toni say in an interview Rafa’s main focus and motivation was to do well at WTF.
Rafa is not gonna say in his presser in Shanghia that he is not gonna play Paris which was several weeks away is he?
Did Federer or Djokovic say at the USO they were gonna pull out of the Asian swing? No,even tho they probably knew at that time after playing davis cup they were gonna take a break (Djok had an injury). It would be unprofessional to do such a thing plus affect the ticket sales of the upcoming tournements.
SOrry, my last post ended up nowhere near the one I was intending to reply to….
rafafan, I totally understand how upset you are that Rafa isn’t playing Paris but I think you’re being a little hard on him. I’m going to IW again in March but for the first time I’m going in the second week. We never know for certain if he’ll be there. He could lose early or be injured or sick but it’s the chance we take. Fortunately I am a huge tennis fan and love many players so I know I’ll have a great time regardless. I hope you get to see some great matches!
Two years ago I worked at the US Open and was assigned the player/VIP entrance right by the practice courts. I was really looking forward to seeing Rafa up close and seeing him practice. Every single day I showed up to work and said “has Rafa practiced yet?” and every single day my co-workers said “Yup. You missed him.” It got to be comical!
I am only upset because he wasn’t honest (or Toni wasn’t with us!)
sorry, Miri, somehow I didn’t see your last post.
Regarding Felner’s blog, I could only see a couple of days of entries on this link, but I just read another translation on another site and there was one line that popped out at me: from day 5 he says “Rafa, too much worn from a season that is already too long for him, was no longer fresh… ” (he goes on to say that Rafa still practiced with incredible intensity)
I, for one, am very glad he’s taking this time off.
There are links in the sidebar of his blog to archives of the different months. Click on the October archive.
At the end of the day, Miri we will not frazzle although you have to agree surely that its all been a bit iffy on his PR info. We all want Rafa to do well at the WTF (What tTe Fuck!|) finals don’t we so whatever we agree or disagree with what Rafa and his PR are saying lets hope our boy can win this WTF tournament!
Sorry I meant WTF (What The Fuck) oops World Tour Finals! whatever that is in London near me
No, sorry. I don’t have to agree that it’s been iffy on his PR info about Paris.
Lordy, what a ruckus. I really enjoyed the blog; it was personal, engaging, and very positive about Rafa as a player and a person.
It does not distress me that he or his team don’t reveal everything about his physical condition — too much information is a boon to opponents.
Most comments after the Shanghai loss were hoping that Rafa would skip Paris, so those people should be happy.
I wish I could see him this week, but….that’s the way it is, and its OK whatever happens at WTF. Be strong, accept the things you cannot change.
Well said.
Several days ago, miri kindly posted links to the excellent, revealing blog from the coach of Rafa’s young sparring partner.
Thanks to four minutes of cutting and pasting into Word and running a word count, I can tell you that since miri favored us with this wonderful account of Rafa’s training and kindness toward his protege, rafafan has posted 1,791 words bitching about Rafa’s dropping out of Paris.
WTF indeed!
The mangle was truly coherent … nice since this was a nice insight to Rafa’s training regime. What a wonderful experience for the young Frederico.
I love how this week he is training with Gabashvilli … and how he refers to him as ” the great Teimuraz Gabashvilli!! ” . Oh how I wish he had recorded his voice for that one.