Nadal pulls out of French Open due to injury...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/36401280

Silent ban anyone?

You think its funny???

What is funny?

It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway ....) that this is undoubtedly a big blow for the event, and of course for Rafa himself ; not least because wrist injuries can be so very troublesome in terms of recovery time. Here's hoping it's not the most serious kind.

I guess the consolation for Rafa (though I'm sure he won't be thinking about this right now) is the knowledge that his RG legacy is well & truly secure - having already accomplished things here that might never be surpassed or equalled. How much worse it is for players like Del Potro, whose whole career can be cruelly blighted in its early stages, just when beginning to show evidence of impressive potential.

Injuries can strike at any time of course but there is no doubt that with the passing years, and heavy mileage on the clock, they can become both more likely and more difficult to manage. Age does come into the whole equation. When all said & done, I don't think it's too much of a surprise that over the last twenty years and eighty Slams, only five have been won by players aged over 30.

Very unfortunate - somehow it always seems worse when a player has to pull out mid-tournament, rather than before.

Wonder if that's something that happened during a match/training i.e. something suddenly went in his wrist, or whether it's more chronic.

Very sad news as I think everyone was hoping for a Djoko-Rafa semi. Just seen a very disappointed Rafa giving his press conference. I guess his Wimbledon participation (where he's hardly got any points to defend) could be in doubt, too.
Doubt he would have pulled out of the French if it had not been serious.

You cannot say what you think because you might get sued.

He was running around the court like he was 21 again and now (1 day later) he has to pull out?

Hmmmm.

Yes you would have thought he would go all out for the French and skip Wimbledon, if that was an option. Sounds like it wasn't.

Even if he never gets back to the top level again, his records and standing in the game are assured.

Would have been nice to have seen that semi-final though...

L'Equipe reported that according to Nadal's doctors he could have broken his wrist had he continued playing, though "broken" here is a translation of "casse", itself presumably a translation of something, so not sure how reliable that is. Clearly though he was likely to do some serious damage had he carried on, so the only sensible decision he could make.

Really sad for the tournament, and worrying for Nadal, as pointed out, wrist injuries can be very long to heal properly...

Hasn't anyone ever told you that your wrist doesn't stop you running.

Josiah Maiestas wrote:You cannot say what you think because you might get sued.

He was running around the court like he was 21 again and now (1 day later) he has to pull out?

Hmmmm.

Feel free to set up your own web-site JM, or post your views on Facebook or Twitter etc.

Ever see Becker pull out of Wimbledon that one time - hit one forehand, wrist tendon went, couldn't carry on.

It is a blow because he was showing real signs of being in there until the end. I feel for him .. lady luck is not with him of late.

But like Fed who also was not prepared to take risks .. he has listened to medical advice.

He's been suffering with it for weeks.

Gutted. He had a good chance.

If this is really serious and drags on beyond Wimb then he may call it quits.

You don't run with your wrist jm...

Running around uses the legs, not the wrist!

He was already having problem with his wrist with bandages on earlier on during the year. Its not a sudden issue. Reporters were asking him about his wrist during his press conferences at tournaments and that's why his fans were so worried about it.

I wonder if he has systemic arthritis starting to kick in which makes him more susceptible to these injuries.

He had zero chance to beat Djokovic unless he has a time machine in his baggage. Would have been straight setted again.

Lets hope we have not got another Delpo situation.. a snapped tendon is worse than a break to heal. Oh dear Rafa

Does anyone have a link to a video of the press conference?

Josiah Maiestas wrote:He had zero chance to beat Djokovic unless he has a time machine in his baggage. Would have been straight setted again.

Stop wumming JM you are doing yourself no favours... making yourself sound more ridiculous than ever with your anti Nadal comments as always.

This just in...apparently Federer now wants to play after all and is going to take Rafa's spot in the draw.

I thought Guest82 comment was funny only because of the context and because of the close scrutiny Nadal and Tennis is under following Sharapova and following his decision to sue.  There is not a chance he would be taking anything illegal at the present time - and there is no evidence he has taken enhancements in the past.

Nadal is well known for pushing his body to the limit.  He has already admitted he was drugged up with painkillers for his second round match and it seems he has caused himself more damage.  Often there is a reason for pain and taking painkillers to play the second round doesn't stop one from making the underlying condition worse.  Obviously when the painkillers wore off plus the natural painkilling endorphins wore off from exercising the pain returned but to an altogether higher level and then his wrist froze up (according to Nadal).  He says he will be back - but he is not getting any younger.  

I suspect that he has been trying to play as he has played two years ago and his body can't take it.  Also the damp conditions probably meant the balls were quite damp and heavy and that would have made things worse for the wrist as he did his special wristy flicks to top spin the ball.

I must say I am disappointed given that at the moment men's tennis seems to be a bit messy and not particularly competitive.

Though he played a good match yesterday he did not find the length of shot that he has done in his recent previous matches.. this may well account for that.. Im sure Delpo would give him some good advice

temporary21 wrote:You don't run with your wrist jm...

Have you actually tried running with a painful wrist? It's Frak.ng painful

Granollers gets the walkover - double blow for lydian.

Shocked by this news. Rafa will be distraught as he had impressed so far at RG this year. Hopefully, the decision he has made has come in the nick of time and with rest the injury will heal quickly. Commiserations to him.

Seriously. We're going into doping accusations after an Mri and doctor told him to stop playing
Utterly insane... A bad wrist on painkillers and injections won't stop you running

Completely mental

Henman Bill wrote:This just in...apparently Federer now wants to play after all and is going to take Rafa's spot in the draw.

Ha ha ....nice quip HB

But hiding from a challenge is one charge that will never stack up against the Fed.

65 Slams in a row says it all !

JuliusHMarx wrote:Granollers gets the walkover - double blow for lydian.

This day could only be made worse if Murray reveals he isnt in fact a tank

That's absolutely rotten luck for Nadal.

He'll be 30 pushing 31 next year, after this extinguishing of the hope raised by his relative renaissance in form earlier in the year, it feels more than ever as though he'll finish his career on an extremely impressive slam tally of 14.

Too bad for Nadal. It looks to me that the Federer era and Nadal clay era are rapidly approaching the end.

I don't think Djokovic would have lost to Nadal and prob had full confidence he would beat him, but this must still be a big weight off his shoulders. Draw opens up and this will be the ultimate chance for him to win it.

TRuffin wrote:Too bad for Nadal.  It looks to me that the Federer era and Nadal clay era are rapidly approaching the end.

I don't think Djokovic would have lost to Nadal and prob had full confidence he would beat him, but this must still be a big weight off his shoulders.   ....................................

I'm sure you're right.

But it does make the tourney less interesting with both Fed (who, let's not forget, made two Slam Finals out of the last three) and Rafa (looking like he was back in form) both gone.

JuliusHMarx wrote:Granollers gets the walkover - double blow for lydian.

Oh Lordy, not the Seed Plough?
The only way this gets worse is then if he plays Ferrer...Seed Plough vs Caxton Press.
One for the purists.

barrystar wrote:That's absolutely rotten luck for Nadal.  

He'll be 30 pushing 31 next year, after this extinguishing of the hope raised by his relative renaissance in form earlier in the year, it feels more than ever as though he'll finish his career on an extremely impressive slam tally of 14.

Perhaps, we'll see.

I do think though today was perhaps the day that the Federer vs Nadal slam chase was pretty much settled. Federer on 17 (with the chance that he might yet sneak another) looks far away at this point. There was a time, perhaps at the end of 2010 and perhaps again at the end of 2013, when you might have given Nadal 50/50 odds to equal or beat Federer's slam count. What odds would he get now? Probably 5% or 10%.

Henman Bill wrote:

barrystar wrote:That's absolutely rotten luck for Nadal.  

He'll be 30 pushing 31 next year, after this extinguishing of the hope raised by his relative renaissance in form earlier in the year, it feels more than ever as though he'll finish his career on an extremely impressive slam tally of 14.

Perhaps, we'll see.

I do think though today was perhaps the day that the Federer vs Nadal slam chase was pretty much settled. Federer on 17 (with the chance that he might yet sneak another) looks far away at this point. There was a time, perhaps at the end of 2010 and perhaps again at the end of 2013, when you might have given Nadal 50/50 odds to equal or beat Federer's slam count. What odds would he get now? Probably 5% or 10%.

Now it switches to Djokovik. Will he get 17 slams? I think he has left it too late, age wise. In his favour he is currently peerless - just check his points ranking. There is no 3+1, there is just 1 + 2 (Murray, Federer) + 1 (Wawrinka). Not in his favour is his age but we might have a long wait for the next generation to make an appearance.

Normally Djokovic wouldn't get the 17 but with a paucity of comparative talent coming through he has pretty free reign to chase all records down.

I think he is odds against to get 17 but if he wins the FO this year you could probably argue it's getting close to 50/50. Let's see if he wins this or not first.

Huge blow for the tournament - a real shame as it had been shaping up quite nicely with all those 5 set matches, and we'll miss the Nadal v Djokovic semi-final showdown. Shame for Nadal - he was looking in good form in the first couple of rounds, and like others on here, I am speculating how long he'll go on playing for - the longer his absence the more likely he is to call it a day.

I'll be delighted for Djokovic if he does go on and win it this year, but I feel the whole thing may be something of a damp squib, unless Wawrinka makes it to final and plays like he did last year.

@HB - yes, Federer's 17 is almost certainly safe from Nadal, and I think it will be too much for Djoko; 6 more slams for a 29-yr-old is a huge ask however dominant he is now, or has been for the last 12 months.

lydian wrote:I wonder if he has systemic arthritis starting to kick in which makes him more susceptible to these injuries.

LOL systemic arthritis

err no

This is officially the weakest slam draw ever.

Screech basically has NO competition. Murray has already played himself into the ground.

There is no one in the draw that looks to be a threat on current form.

It's official - THE WEAKEST ERA. Let the entire western media now call it so.



emancipator

emancipator wrote:This is officially the weakest slam draw ever.

Screech basically has NO competition. Murray has already played himself into the ground.

There is no one in the draw that looks to be a threat on current form.

It's official - THE WEAKEST ERA. Let the entire western media now call it so.



emancipator

Agassi's late career AO's were easier

TRuffin wrote:

emancipator wrote:This is officially the weakest slam draw ever.

Screech basically has NO competition. Murray has already played himself into the ground.

There is no one in the draw that looks to be a threat on current form.

It's official - THE WEAKEST ERA. Let the entire western media now call it so.



emancipator

Agassi's late career AO's were easier

Yes possibly true.

But Screech has now had a full 2 year stretch of zero competition.

emancipator wrote:This is officially the weakest slam draw ever.

Screech basically has NO competition. Murray has already played himself into the ground.

There is no one in the draw that looks to be a threat on current form.

It's official - THE WEAKEST ERA. Let the entire western media now call it so.



emancipator

I love it fed fan went from fed's competition is as strong as any, to there is no such thing as weak eras, to now that djokovic is winning to this is the weakest era ever. Yeah because Murray and Stan are so much weaker than 
Dave "I get the last piece or (6) of the pizza" Nalbandian and a one hipped Aussie with no weapons.


What was Julius saying about me being proven right about weak eras, you know when the most vocal deniers of my logic are now using my own arguments to call weak era it's probably not a good sign for the weak era deniers. I mean if hypocrisy was an Olympic sport emanci just won the gold. yeah who can top baggy in the final in terms of competition?

I can hear Socal laughing his socks off from here.
Lord knows what the reaction would have been had it been Fed or Nadal

Well frankly I don't want to see Screech eating his cup cakes
Or seeing 606 taken over by his gloating fan boy.... I'm off      

I don't think this is a weak era. I just think Djoko is way better than everyone else.
But a Rafa-Djoko semi-final would have been very interesting. It's a shame Rafa had to withdraw.

Haddie-nuff wrote:I can hear Socal laughing his socks off from here.
Lord knows what the reaction would have been had it been Fed or Nadal

Well frankly I don't want to see Screech eating his cup cakes
Or seeing 606 taken over by his gloating fan boy.... I'm off      

its hard not to gloat when you were characterized as borderline mentally ill for calling Fed's fast court opposition a weak era to hear many of the biggest critics now claim that Djokovic is dominating a weak era. I thought weak eras didn't exist. Oh wait they do now when someone not named fed starts dominating.

JuliusHMarx wrote:I don't think this is a weak era. I just think Djoko is way better than everyone else.
But a Rafa-Djoko semi-final would have been very interesting. It's a shame Rafa had to withdraw.

Of course you don't how could it be a weak era after all weak eras are like fire breathing Dragons and Unicorns.

I'm afraid the nuances of the argument pass you by.

JuliusHMarx wrote:I'm afraid the nuances of the argument pass you by.

Yeah because that is what I am known for failing to understand nuanced arguments, except no one who has ever known me has accused me of that. Please Julius enlighten me on the nuances I am missing when emanci who ridiculed me as crazy for even believing in weak eras is now borderline plagiarizing me, he will have to get in line after basically almost all the paid Tennis journalist in the western world.