The So Called Golden Age Of Tennis Is Boring Without Rafa

When Rafa withdew from the Olympics there was a flurry of interest. The usual speculation about how running around was bound to shorten his career added to "fears" that Rosol had left him cowering in Majorca. Then the excitement about draws opening up for various players countered with bravado from fans of players describing how Rafa was no threat to their particular favourite player... This was followed by similar speculation when he withdrew from Toronto and Cincinnati and even when he withdrew from the US Open. There was of course talk of the winners of these events and how their wins were or were not affected by not having to play Rafa. And also Rafa's tumble down the rankings as other players climbed. All this provided interest for a time...

But now we have to face cold, hard reality. The US Open is less than a week away and Nadal will not be there. There will be no excitement about the draw as Federer and Djokovic will be separated until the final Sunday (if they make it that far). There will be no potential Federer/Nadal (sigh), Nadal/Djokovic matches or worry about players half killing themselves to get through "stupid" Saturday. There will be no discussion about water bottles, loud buzzers between points, point penalties, jumping up and down to annoy your opponnent before the match starts, attracting the wrong sort of tennis fans (young girls), pant picking, The list could go on.

Instead we are left with Federer being smug with no one to keep him in check, Djokovic with his post 2011 slump, Murray fans and their arguments about what constitutes an all time great and what is left of the motely crew that makes up the present top 10. Berdych who hasn't won a match in ages, Tsonga who drove or walked into a lamp post, Del Potro with his sore wrist and Tipsarevic and Isner (how did they get in the top ten? No don't tell me I'm not really that interested...) I suppose the best hope we have is that Ferrer decides to do something interesting.

So please come back soon Rafa this so called "golden age" is boring without you Zzzz...

This era is boring.

Boring because I forced myself to sift through another boring article from another boring poster. Zzzzzzz

http://rafael.nadal.over-blog.com/


And this is what Rafa is doing for fun Rafa

Do moles find life boring?

Anybody know when the US open draw comes out??

Of course he will be missed at USO as any of the top players would be if they were out with injury - however Wimbledon still managed to have a great story, and the Olympic Games too.

Although the Hoffa's syndrome has frustratingly kept Nadal out of action for these past weeks, it must surely be very good news that his tendons are miraculously so much better, according to both Rafa and Toni, than they were in 2009 and early 2010 because it is the degenerative and chronic condition of the tendinitis that was so worrying for him.

As I understand it, while the Hoffa's may flare up again with physical exertion there is a permanent solution to the problem, which although Team Nadal want to avoid at the moment, would, if needs be, extend his career.

A much better scenario than the tendinitis.

So you're saying this is no Golden Era? Because no era could become boring for the lack of one player if it was "Golden".

This is a golden generation. Ask this lot

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSq8ZBdSxNU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uiwiUkfygw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7R7q1lSZfs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-SJjFcnsGs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7WDhDmhrq0

bogbrush wrote:So you're saying this is no Golden Era? Because no era could become boring for the lack of one player if it was "Golden".

There's no question what the OP is saying. The answer is in the headline - The So Called Golden Age. Difficult to write that and believe that it is a Golden Age only when Rafa is playing.

I think the OP is referring to Nadals golden underpants.

Fear not, you can get them from ebay.

ps After typing ebay and posting it the top advert switched to "ebay". Weird this suggests that the advertiser wiki programme reads our messages, stores them, and them sends us individually tailored adverts.

It Must Be Love & reckoner. Exactly!

Sorry Nore Staat but any talk of "golden underpants" is off topic during the US Open. Sadly I have to inform you that Rafa is not going to be playing. Try thinking of something interesting about David Ferrer to talk about instead...

The 'Golden Era' is not the same because Svetlana Kuznetsova, Kaia Kanepi, Flavia Pennetta, Elena Baltacha, Gael Monfils, Juan Ignacio Chela and Juan Carlos Ferrero have also withdrawn from USO 2012.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-21/former-champion-kuznetsova-among-u-s-open-tennis-withdrawals.html

No! Not Ferrero!!!!

Seriously, king Juan Carlos will be missed.

hawkeye I think gets the tingling when she sees Nadal huffing and puffing around the court, her world is somehow not as bright without her Spanish adonis fist pumping all over the court. Poor Hawk, I feel for Rafa as well. It is only hopefully a shorterm thing so don't get all worked up all of a sudden.

Commiserations to TSJ and SoCal regarding the Ferrero withdrawal.

socal1976 wrote:hawkeye I think gets the tingling when she sees Nadal huffing and puffing around the court, her world is somehow not as bright without her Spanish adonis fist pumping all over the court. Poor Hawk, I feel for Rafa as well. It is only hopefully a shorterm thing so don't get all worked up all of a sudden.

Ha ha! Sorry that is off topic too. Sadly Rafa is not playing the the US Open. So any teasing of fellow posters about possible reasons they have for watching particular players has to be confined to players that are in the draw. So you will have to find someone that likes watching Isner or maybe Murray and tell them it's because of their cute legs... See it's not as much fun is it?

Yes I know it's only a short term thing but still a shame to have a slam without a top player present.

There's a positively funereal tone over on "that" blog.

To overcome Nadal Withdrawal Syndrome, I would suggest playing some FO 2012 matches during the USO on specific posters' DVRs via remote control to prevent suicidal urges. Perhaps a supply of anti-depressants should also be planned for.

bogbrush wrote:There's a positively funereal tone over on "that" blog.

Oh bogbrush, never ever change... sniiiiiif

reckoner wrote:

bogbrush wrote:There's a positively funereal tone over on "that" blog.

Oh bogbrush, never ever change... sniiiiiif

I just popped in to give you all your daily dose.

Hawk: if you feel sad, please take a daily dose, you'll feel better.

A RAFAEL NADAL FAN BLOG to provide snippets, news and gossip on the world's most enigmatic and exciting tennis player.

laverfan wrote:A RAFAEL NADAL AMUSEMENT BLOG to provide snippets, news and gossip on the world's most injured and charitable tennis player.

Fixed.

slashermcguirk wrote:Anybody know when the US open draw comes out??

Slasher... I did not see this till now. The 2012 US Open men's singles draw will be revealed on Thursday, August 23. It should be live on ESPN in the US and perhaps SKY and Eurosport and Beeb would carry it live too.

TV Broadcast schedule - http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/tv_us.html?promo=subnav

laverfan wrote:

slashermcguirk wrote:Anybody know when the US open draw comes out??

Slasher... I did not see this till now. The 2012 US Open men's singles draw will be revealed on Thursday, August 23. It should be live on ESPN in the US and perhaps SKY and Eurosport and Beeb would carry it live too.

TV Broadcast schedule - http://www.usopen.org/en_US/about/tv_us.html?promo=subnav

Here is what they say on this page Federer Named 2012 US Open's Top Seed

The singles draws for the 2012 US Open will be revealed live during an official draw ceremony on Thursday, August 23, at 12 p.m. ET at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The draw will be streamed live on USOpen.org.

Worth watching to see how they ensure that Djoko has Murray in his half and Del Potro in his quarter...

barrystar wrote:Worth watching to see how they ensure that Djoko has Murray in his half and Del Potro in his quarter...

You are fanning the fires of a draw fixing conspiracy with that, Barry.

laverfan wrote:

barrystar wrote:Worth watching to see how they ensure that Djoko has Murray in his half and Del Potro in his quarter...

You are fanning the fires of a draw fixing conspiracy with that, Barry.

Precisely - I am still interested by the use of the word "revealed" in the extract - will they "conduct" the draw live, or merely "reveal" the cupcake that they prepared earlier in the best traditions of a 1970's TV chef?

Lol...please, not the cupcakes again...anything but the cupcakes!

barrystar wrote:

laverfan wrote:

barrystar wrote:Worth watching to see how they ensure that Djoko has Murray in his half and Del Potro in his quarter...

You are fanning the fires of a draw fixing conspiracy with that, Barry.

Precisely - I am still interested by the use of the word "revealed" in the extract - will they "conduct" the draw live, or merely "reveal" the cupcake that they prepared earlier in the best traditions of a 1970's TV chef?

Whoever chose the words did not realise that the semantic representation could create such a conundrum. In the US there is a senator (Akin) who used the word 'legitimate' and r@p3 in consecutive positions in a sentence. It seems to have been a career-limiting utterance. What a faux pas!

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/us/politics/todd-akin-provokes-ire-with-legitimate-r***-comment.html

barrystar wrote:

Worth watching to see how they ensure that Djoko has Murray in his half and Del Potro in his quarter...

I don't think you quite understand the draw conspiracy theories. The whole reasoning behind them is that both Federer and Djokovic (and Nadal when he is around) WANT Murray in their half! Without Rafa there will be no draw conspiricy.... Just think of the fun we would be having now on the eve of the draw speculating who would draw 3rd seed (cough) Rafa... Sigh... The so called golden age of tennis is so boring without Rafa


Also I hate to add more disappointment but Del Potro has a wrist injury.