Rafa withdraws from Toronto
Photo by Beth Wilson
Per a post on his Facebook page, Rafa will not play in this year’s Rogers Cup.
Hola a todos, quería decirnos que no jugaré el torneo de Toronto que empieza la semana que viene. Lamento mucho no estar preparado aun y espero volver en 2014 a ese torneo, que siempre me ha tratado muy bien. Sigo con mi recuperación y entrenamientos. Gracias!
Hi all, wanted to let you know that I won’t be playing Toronto this year. I am not ready to play and I hope to be back in 2014 at that great tournament that has always treat me very well. I am continuing with my recup and practice. Thanks!
It’s okay, Rafa. Wait for the knee to tell you it’s ready. (Sorry to the Rafa fans headed to the tournament.)
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Not a surprise and ultimately a wise move, methinks. Be well, Rafa.
man ..its heart breaking to hear all this stuff …why is it happening with you only..take a good care of your knee so that other things fall in place …GET WELL SOON RAFA …your fans are there to support you..get going ..love you loads (from INDIA with LOVE*)
Well with his results from last year in Montreal I don’t think anyone is greatly surprised by this decision. It just gives him more recovery and practice time without losing any more points … which is great.
My work was clearly pushing for me to stay put this year and not go to Toronto … guess I’ll have to wait and see Rafa next year in Montreal.
Vamos Rafa! You are dearly missed … come back to us soon!
Not a surprise,but still sad…feel like I’ve not seen him forever..
Get well soon,Rafa!!
And now Ferrer announces he’s not going, either? (And Verdasco….) SI didn’t give any reason for Ferru’s wd.
(Whoops…rest of post left out) I wonder if Ferru ever practices with Rafa in lead ups to events. Anyone know?
I think the reason is: He’s still in the doubles in London and Toronto starts Monday!
Why did I think David wouldn’t be playing Toronto before next Wednesday? I am getting all turned around. I blame Rafa; when he’s not playing tennis, my Weltanschauung comes unstuck.
I’m gonna re-boot this year, if I can just figure out how.
He probably wouldn’t be…but honestly? Why bother with the quick overseas trip to arrive exhausted and probably lose? Hell, why leave the Olympics right away? Stay awhile after your competition is over and you can enjoy the atmosphere without any pressure. I don’t blame any of the Olympic players for pulling out of Toronto.
I didn’t think I was blaming anyone, sorry if I gave that impression. Retired folk like myself often lose track of time, and I’ve been too deep into Olympic play to follow the calendar. Of course, I hope David&Feli win the gold and party for a month. More Dancing Spaniards would be a relief, frankly.
Nope – sorry, didn’t think you were blaming anyone. Just thinking/typing out loud.
Ha! Me, too. Seriously, though, you’re absolutely right. Let’s win that medal and dance all the way back to Spain. I love seeing Feli and David celebrate! Thanks for keeping me straight, miri!
lol, Melissa! Good one. When you figure it out, please post for all of us so we can follow suit.
Killian, as someone on another site said to me, the re-boot probably involves liberal libations…
Ah, yes, no doubt!! :-D
I think many players going deep into Olympics will pull out. Its just too hectic specially with the geography, time zones etc.
The week after in Cincy and then USO pretty soon. They all need to recharge batteries.
Is there something we don’t know about his knees… I mean is the tendonitis worse than originally thought or has something else happened? Just seems as if he has been out for a really long time.
If you go back and read the original announcements and comments from Toni, et al, I feel it’s pretty clear they never intended to play in Toronto. That was the impression I got.
Its pretty clear, the more he rests the better he hits the reset button. This injury needs time to heal. so maybe he is 80% recovered now and wants to wait it out till he is 95%-100%.
That is what I am guessing and what would make sense.
I wondered if today would be the day that we would get this news, it’s not surprising at all. I’m actually getting very worried about what exactly his injury is, ie tendinitis/tendinopathy or something else that is worse still. The only thing to do is to wish him better. I’m so glad he is listening to his knee and taking the recovery step by step, day by day. It’s for the best, I know, but oh how I long to see him on court again. I really hope it’ll be soon.
I’m glad he is taking a long period of recovery this time. His knee problems seem to keep reoccurring more frequently, is it because he has not taken enough time out in the past due to the pressure of the tennis calendar?
Now he has taken a longer time out hopefully his knees will have a chance to heal and he won’t get any more problems or at least for a while anyway, though I miss seeing him play. The Olympics has not been the same for me without him, no tournament ever is, he is always missed.
I hope he returns healthy and with illusion for the last part of the season.
Take care Rafa – miss you but understand that you need to be fully fit and well before you come back.
God bless.
‘Am glad Rafa is taking time off to recover however way he can. Though i miss him (words can’t describe the depth),apparently, it is for the best. Get well soon, dear Rafa!
Fuuuuck!so sad right now!
and my day just keeps getting worst every minute…NOW I’M REALLY WORRIED for RAFA. This is really getting serious.
Anybody knows? Why Rafa said that he would be back in 2014? NOT 2013?
The ATP and WTA Events alternate between cities each year. Montreal then Tronto etc
Sorry “Toronto”.
I think Toronto and Montreal are going to be the tournaments that suffer the most given they are next week. Still a lot of doubles and mixed doubles going on until Sunday in London. They probably should have pushed Montreal and Cincy back a week this year to accommodate more players. The ATP and WTA kind of goofed up.
The ATP’s schedule is always goofed up. There are still singles players in London too. The ATP think they have robots playing these tournaments, not human beings who need proper rest in between them, let alone all the travelling time too. Thank God Rafa is being sensible over his recovery and not rushing back to the tour.
YES…there is a time for everything and he needs to gain some much deserved rest time.
We understand Rafa. You just take care and take all the rest you need. Be healthy again. Meanwhile, its great to see your smiles in the other posts and vids. Miss you load though. :(
My concern is that even with taking February off to reduce wear and tear on the knees in lead up to the Olympcis, they’re still worn and torn. (“tendonitis” = swollen tendons, “tendonopothy” = tears in the tendons)
Even with going out early at Wimbledon and skipping Olympics he’s not *ready*. What’s it going to take for him to be ready?? And if he doesn’t get decent match-play in the lead up to USO i can’t really see him doing well there either. :(
Obviously, if the knees are not ready he can’t play so it’s not really something he has a choice about. It’s just a little depressing under the circumstances.
**goes looking for chocolate to help cheer self up**
Tendinopathy doesn’t mean a tear; its the name given to the condition brought about by repeated stretch and strain that leads to scarring, stiffening and shortening of the tendon. This in turn causes pain and sometimes, loss of function.
Rafa will be ready to play when his knees let him play his game. And if that means he doesn’t get match play and doesn’t do well at the US Open, then so be it. His medical team know what they’re doing and Rafa knows his knee. I think patience and chocolate are the only way to go…
Ok, thanks Heath!
I guess stretched, scarred and shortened tendons are much better that torn ones. ;P
Patience hey? Chocolate coated patience!
I’m sure there’s some around…
Thank you for clarifying that. Rafa is an athlete who also works very hard and must allow himself some much deserved downtime. When he feels ready and the time for him to walk onto the court again he will be welcomed back with much celebration and open arms because he’s special.
2014?? Seriously. We were planing to go to French 2013!! If Rafa hurt we will postpone. Best to Rafa !,, he is so missed
I think you can plan on going to the French in 2013; Rafa just said that he wouldn’t be in Toronto again till 2014 because, as I understand it, the Rogers Cup alternates between Toronto and Montreal.
Such a sad photo of Rafa on his Facebook page :( It appears Federer also pulled out of Toronto. I wouldn’t be surprised if others did the same.
So sad for Rafa and he looks so sad in that picture of him sitting on a bench looking forlorn. I never thought he would play Toronto. I was planning on going to Cincy and the day i was going to buy my airline/tournament tickets, he pulled out of the Olympics. I knew it had to be very serious when he did that…just not well enough yet to play. Then they said another 15 days before he could even pick up a racket. I had a bad feeling about it and cancelled my hotel reservations in Cincy and did not buy tickets. I hope for all the Rafa fans that are going to be there that he does go. I was so hoping to meet some of them in person that I have been tweeting with these last few months. Somehow I didn’t feel good enough about it to go :-(
I am very sad about it all and mostly feel so bad for Rafa.
So Vamos Baby boy and heal those knees because we are all rooting for you and praying for you!
All this worries me especially since I am on holiday and I haven’t been following the developments very closely, but I still think it is a wise decision.
Take your time, Rafael. Hope, will be 100 per cent fit before US open. Best wishe from one of the greatest fans!!! We, Indians love you.
Your statement is awesome…!
Thanks, Diane. Am delighted!!!
Does anyone know if Rafa’s knee injury this time is serious? I don’t know if he’s taking time off to heal and that he’ll be back fine or is there more to it such that this injury will affect his career permanently? Thanks.
Rafa has a condition called tendinopathy, brought about by repeated stretch and strain through Rafa’s style of play and leading to scarring, stiffening and shortening of the tendon. This in turn causes pain and sometimes some loss of function. He has already had one of the newer treatment options (twice, I think) which optimise the tendon’s own capacity to heal and now he’s in a period of rest and physio but with no tennis. I think he’s taking his time in the hope that he can continue playing for more years but probably not the same number of tournaments.
Rafa will be ready to play when his knees let him play his game. His medical team know what they’re doing and Rafa knows his knee.
I had a fractured bone in my right foot almost 4 (quatro) because I accidentally dropped something heavy on my foot. I was walking around on it for days without realizing I had fractured it. So I finally went to the doctor who made X-rays of it and showed me exactly where it was fractured. It took almost 3 (tres) years to hea but because I listened to the podiatrist I do NOT have arthritis from it…the doctor told me to “Stay Off Your Foot As Much As Possible Or It Won’t Heal Properly” He also told me what shoe I shouldn’t wear and it was very very difficult to do. I asked God to help me heal because He cares about us the most and I’m praying for you Rafa.
Maria Sharapova had an injury severe enough that it took her quite awhile to heal from but healed from it she did and she’s the most talented female tennis champion who most likely listened to her doctor and we were praying for her recovery. That’s being a true champion…
Sir/Madam,
Yesterday i had posted comments on the issue. Can i know the reasons for not including thase on the site?
Regards.
Thanks for restoring the comments. Am obliged!
First time comments are always held in moderation so I can try and figure out of it’s spam. I just hadn’t had time to check the moderation queue.
Thanks, my dear. Don’t know whether to address you as sir or m’am. Anyway ever-thankful.