Should We Believe Uncle Toni

This is the latest news coming from the Spanish Media but Im not too sure whether we can believe it.
I have a rather jaundiced view of what Uncle T has to say (if he indeed said it) Pictures on Rafa´s Blog still shows him working out in the Gym..and he has not yet picked up a racquet. Ill leave you to judge for yourself.


http://www.tennis.com/news/2012/11/toni-nadal-rafa-return-late-december/40022/

Didnt this news item from Toni hit the wires a couple of weeks back - not sure why tennis.com is reporting it now...maybe because Rafa's pulled out of DC?

I tend to agree...I think Toni's modus operandi is to create a blizzard of misinformation around his nephew in a bid to protect him, particularly whilst Rafa is away from the tour. I'm not sure Rafa always likes it though...be interesting to see their relationship once he comes back given they've probably not been doing much together for 6 months.

It concerns me somewhat Lydian because the noises that Rafa has been making do not coincide with what is supposedly being said by Uncle T.
Rafa has insisted that he will be back when HE IS READY.. and that implies to me that he will not be told when he will return. The fact that he has not yet taken to the practice courts again is cause for concern.. if he had been in anyway match fit Im sure he would have opted to play DC.. I still have my own thoughts on this and he may well show up for Abu Dhabi but as far as anything else is concerned I am not holding my breath. I fear that his recouperation has not gone as well as he would have wished... However time will tell

Well until he shows up on an actual court I dont particularly trust anything coming out of "Team Nadal". Still wouldnt surprise me if he missed AO and went straight onto the South American clay circuit (he's already signed for Acapulco 500) to get his timing and match fitness back. Might be the only chance for someone to actually beat him on clay!

You are of the same mind as me Lydian.. I think it would be positively suicide for him to play the AO .. if he has not yet had a racquet in his hand for 6mths how the devil will he play a GS on hc in that heat. I am with you definitely the clay circuit.. and the FO is his goal in my honest opinion.

Bet Nadal is training with a picture of Rosol on his gym wall.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:Bet Nadal is training with a picture of Rosol on his gym wall.

Why would he bring a dartboard into his gym??

I personally don't think it's that unlikely that he'll play in Australia.

For all we know he could be close to ready to practice now, but figured that he would only do that when his usual training block starts in December like all players do. I mean, would there be any point in starting his practice now - regardless of whether he plans to play in Melbourne?

Might as well just have the extra month to rest his knees and then pick it up. I'm one of the few who will not be at all surprised to see him in Australia.

Of course your guess is as good as anyone else´s but for my part I wouldn´t put money on it.. he has said so many times that he has to be 100% sure before he takes to the court.
6mths without so much as hitting a ball .... !!!!??

We'll see haddie. I just don't think it's that improbable.

Maybe it's just because I want to see him back. A slam always has more of an A-list feel when Rafa's on the cast.

Danny

Danny believe me nobody wants to see Rafa back more than me... I could never have believed I could miss anyone so much that I didn´t know. There is a huge hole in the tour that only Rafa can fill and I would love to see him play asap.
BUT I think that given the seriousness of the injury he has had (and this is a new injury not a reoccurence of the old ones .. its a different tendon and it was touch and go as to whether he would have to have surgery) that is what is taking the time.. on top of this he had four wisdom teeth removed and had an infection.. the medication halted the recovery of his knees. The doctor has only just given him the clearance to start light practice... It would be suicidal in my view for him to play a GS on hard court. It is a huge risk both physically and mentally...I would much prefer to see him play the South American clay courts and then the clay court season and FO: it would be a much safer way for him to get back to full competitive match play. My view and maybe not one that you will necessarily agree with. I fear for Rafa that if his knee let him down because he tried too much too soon it would retire him completely. If he does opt to play the AO Ill blame Toni.

They are lobbing titbits about to give the likes of Wooffie something to talk about whilst their man is not creating headlines on the court. It's fair enough I suppose unless you are unwisely expecting more from them.

I'll believe his return when I see the guy step onto the Court. Whilst I can think of dozens of reasons for him not doing so until the South American Clay swing, if he doesn't turn up for the AO that will be the first really solid suggestion to me that this is very serious indeed.

And I haven't missed him a bit yet, but the clay season will feel a bit lightweight if he's not up to speed them.

barrystar wrote:They are lobbing titbits about to give the likes of Wooffie something to talk about whilst their man is not creating headlines on the court. It's fair enough I suppose unless you are unwisely expecting more from them.

I'll believe his return when I see the guy step onto the Court. Whilst I can think of dozens of reasons for him not doing so until the South American Clay swing, if he doesn't turn up for the AO that will be the first really solid suggestion to me that this is very serious indeed.

And I haven't missed him a bit yet, but the clay season will feel a bit lightweight if he's not up to speed them.

Barry the Spanish media will tell you what they think you want to hear.. they are not getting their information from Rafa or indeed his camp.. and what they don´t know they make up. However you can take it as fact that Rafa´s injury was indeed more serious than his camp first let on.. trying to protect him maybe I dont know but it has lead to a lot of conjecture and misunderstanding. I cannot see the sense of him playing his first full competive tournament at the AO .. his least favourite surface and the harshness of it on the knees.MY amateur opinion I know but all the time Rafa says nothing to the contrary I wont believe until I see it.

Haddie-nuff wrote:

barrystar wrote:They are lobbing titbits about to give the likes of Wooffie something to talk about whilst their man is not creating headlines on the court. It's fair enough I suppose unless you are unwisely expecting more from them.

I'll believe his return when I see the guy step onto the Court. Whilst I can think of dozens of reasons for him not doing so until the South American Clay swing, if he doesn't turn up for the AO that will be the first really solid suggestion to me that this is very serious indeed.

And I haven't missed him a bit yet, but the clay season will feel a bit lightweight if he's not up to speed them.

Barry the Spanish media will tell you what they think you want to hear.. they are not getting their information from Rafa or indeed his camp.. and what they don´t know they make up. However you can take it as fact that Rafa´s injury was indeed more serious than his camp first let on.. trying to protect him maybe I dont know but it has lead to a lot of conjecture and misunderstanding. I cannot see the sense of him playing his first full competive tournament at the AO .. his least favourite surface and the harshness of it on the knees.MY amateur opinion I know but all the time Rafa says nothing to the contrary I wont believe until I see it.

Of course, it's unfair to imagine that every bit of nonsense you hear in the media emanates from the alleged source unless it's a report of a press conference.

I suspect that one of the reasons for conjecture and misunderstanding is that it isn't particularly easy to predict how his knees will react to full-time playing again because a lot of it is down to his mind. I'm no medic, but on what I know I also agree with you that playing at the AO after such a long break would be odd given that it's not exactly a gentle workout and this break is about the long-term, not about rushing back just because the AO is a big tournament.

Your final sentence - a triple negative - respect!

I understand your concern haddie, and if it really is something which puts his career in question then it's a sensible approach that you favour.

However, we don't know how serious it is as - quite rightly - the Nadal camp have kept most of the details quiet. We only know that Rafa says he never doubted he'll be back... But of course that is what he would say isn't it.

For all we know, he could have been told '6 months of rest now and you'll be able to go at your usual intensity for another 4 years' in which case playing in Melbourne would be possible.

I agree with Barry that missing Australia would be the first real sign that his career could be in trouble. Whatever happens though, I just hope we see him back to his best on a tennis court, whenever that may be.

Which proves just how negative Im feeling

I do so hope I am wrong .... I search the Spanish media for any snippets of news from HIM but I think he will announce his decisions on Facebook and his Spanish blog.. All I see are pictures of him, swimming, working out with a medicine ball in the gym..he looks like he has lost a lot of muscle bulk but then that would be natural I suppose. He looks relaxed and well rested and has had Monaco staying with him for some time over the summer. But basically thats the sum total of "news"

I feel bad for initially doubting that Nadal had a significant injury after, yet another, tremendous clay season. I think the way the PR operates around Nadal has always been very strange and positively encourages some of the cynicism that some of us have greeted Toni's pronouncements in the past.

I must admit I have wondered if Nadal hasn't signalled that he has had enough and that there is a stringing along to get the most from lucrative sponsorship deals - It's pretty clear that Toni does not think it time to hang up the racquet, but less clear whether Nadal thinks the same - hope very much this is wide of the mark, and while I don't totally believe it, as the months go on, I do begin to think it might be a possibility.

Agree that a return for the clay has to be the best platform for him to launch his 2013 attack.

I agree with you tp. That is why I urge all to listen to Nadal and not Toni.. he says on his blog I am working hard in the gym so I can come back to court
100 per cent.. and I think we have to believe that I personallly dont think he has had enough of tennis but he has had enough of the knee problems. and the talking about his knee problems. He wants the focus to be on his tennis not his knees- Too much too soon will be his downfall I think

In fairness I have no idea why Toni keeps talking to the press while Rafa is out.

Why not just take a vow of silence and allow Rafa to recover with out the pressure of silly dates of a return to the courts. I think if anything it is unfair on Rafa for Toni to keep setting return dates in knowledge that he is unlikely to return.

LK Absolutely my point entirely,. I feel he is putting pressure on Rafa.. Rafa knows his own body and will know when its the right time. Toni forgets that Rafa is a big boy now and capable of making his own decisions.. Im getting really irritated by him I have to say

Tennis without Nadal is a bit like Golf without Woods. Brilliant

Couldn´t agree more. Something is missing isn´t it. ?
Nadal ??? love him or hate him... but you cant ignore him

I wouldn't worry about poor wee Nadal being put under pressure by Toni.

He's probably feeling pressure due to his own desire to compete if possible, his desire not to experience pain or long-term harm, and a degree of uncertainty as to how the knee is doing and how it will react to being put under the harmful stress of play again. He's probably absolutely fed up with the combination of all the uncertainty and so many people wanting (or even feeling entitled to) answers.

My experience of injuries is that by far the most difficult thing is to learn to trust and use the 'repaired' part. In Nadal's case it is rendered more complicated by the fact that it is not a simple problem which can be repaired after which the limb can be used as normal again; it is a situation of long-term management of a chronic problem when he knows for certain that his knee is harmed by tennis and he can't find a way to play tennis which won't continue to harm it once his period of recuperation is over. When you go to a good physio he/she shows you ways to change your posture and what you do to stop the harm that you cause yourself - that option is not really open to Nadal, he has to cause himself harm if he's going to play to any standard. All he can do is to devise a schedule which will reduce the harm and try and fit in treatment which will likewise reduce it.

I would think that adjusting mentally to such a situation so that you can go out and compete with the best in the world is a hugely difficult process and not one which it is easy (or wise) to describe to the outside world. The biggest difficulty may be that in such a situation there probably doesn't come a point when a Doctor says - "whatever you feel about it, whatever doubts you have, you're good to go so ignore your doubts", because however sound the knee may look after recuperation, by playing he is going to go out and deliberately harn it all over again and the probability is that nobody knows how much stress he can put it under before it starts causing him discomfort again. I suspect that nobody knows whether he can run a sort of schedule giving him regular play, or whether he needs to reduce his schedule to an extent that a realistic career is not really in prospect.

If there's a way I don't doubt Nadal's abilty or desire to find it sooner rather than later. If my musing above are right, what Toni says is going to be pretty low down the pecking list in a cocktail of worries like that.

Barry you are so spot on I think as much as the knee being back to full working order he has now to work on the mental aspect of his recovery.
We know this is important to all players its a huge part of their game but probably even more so with Nadal whose mental strength has been the backbone to his success. He has to be sure there are no niggling doubts lurking at the back of his mind when he eventually goes on court and this is what I believe he means when he says he will be back when he feels he is 100 %
I know he has said also that if people expect him to change his game because of the repeated injuries he has sustained by playing the way he does .. "guys you can forget it ..its the only way I know how to play"

Like some, I can't believe how much I've missed Nadal - and I don't even like his play very much. He is such a "different" player, such an animal on court, such a fight-for-every-point player that not having him pitting his strength against the others in the big four is like Hamlet without the Prince or the Seven Dwarves without Snow White.
What other comparisons can be made? Barnum without Bailey, Cher without Sonny, Wise without Morecambe, Roll without Rock, Bromley-by-Bow (shorely shome mishtake).

Laurel without Hardy... but more to the point a racquet without a ball

Haddie-nuff wrote:Couldn´t agree more. Something is missing isn´t it. ?
Nadal ??? love him or hate him... but you cant ignore him

No I mean it's better without him. I don't like either of them.

super_realist wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:Couldn´t agree more. Something is missing isn´t it. ?
Nadal ??? love him or hate him... but you cant ignore him

No I mean it's better without him. I don't like either of them.

Tennis hasn't been better. Infact the tennis has been drab. You have Federer, Djokovic and Murray dead on their feet and the rest of the field haven't caught up. No-one has looked like even breaking through the glass ceiling.

Let's actually have perspective. Has tennis been better in terms of quality and a sport? No. Is it better because you don't have to watch him? Well yes.

All we have had to be excited about is Murray's maiden Slam and a polish qualifier showing potential.

Well its just as well we dont all like the same things... drab ??? they dont get much worse than RF in my book ... but each to his own

I'm very much of the view that the prolonged absence of an elite player - in whatever sport - can leave the sport itself poorer ; although the actual degree to which the spectator experience may or may not be weakened is of course a highly subjective matter.

Things would be similar IMHO in a team scenario : if say Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U were to suddenly disappear from the Premiership for six months then they would be 'missed' (most of all by their committed fans, obviously) but football itself would carry on quite happily, and I doubt there would be any shortage of talking points or major drop in attendance/viewing figures overall.

There have of course been countless past cases of top tennis pros being out with injury for lengthy spells. But I can't readily think of another example similar to Rafa's situation : ie such a well-established member of the top 5 (beginning way back in 2005), a multi-Slam winner, and still with maybe three prime playing years ahead, being absent for close to six months and counting.

Any player with that sort of ranking history and track record would be missed from the tour, although just how much we might have actually seen of Rafa at the business end of tournaments during this period of the year is very much open to question. Since turning pro, Rafa has appeared in a total of only nine Finals in the post-Wimbledon part of the season, winning four of them. That's just four titles out of a total 50 titles won over the course of his career ; or an 8% success rate to put it another way.

I've posted before that as a tennis fan I hope Rafa gets back to full fitness asap, and I'm prepared to stick my neck out in saying that when he does come back I believe he will be a major force - and a threat to all other players - almost immediately. I personally don't go with the theory that he will need a long time to 'play himself back in'

We live in interesting times .......

Very different circumstances but there is a case when the dominant number one suddenly was forced to miss longer than 6 months. In this case her absence was due to a crazy fan of the number two player at the time. The crazy fan got his way. Tennis continued and the number two player was soon being heralded as the number one...

Sorry I know that was a change of subject but one of the saddest things about the Monica Seles incident was how the whole thing was sort of swept under the carpet so that tennis could continue. Graff even won the Hamburg tournament after Seles was stabbed.

It certainly boosted Graf's career given Seles was never the same afterwards, and at the time was on quite some run of slams, etc.

Should we believe Uncle Toni? Reading any news online or in hardcopy we are all subject to the Murray Gell Mann amnesia effect. He said that if he saw an article where he knew details of the background he would immediately dismantle it and ignore it because it was so full of errors. Turning the page his eye would alight on another topic and immediately wonder if the journalist might be telling the truth.