comment deleted - same comment posted on different thread

Attacking, don't start again, please...we all know what you think...it is hard enough without your degrading comments to cope with Rafa's defeats...if Rafa sees it as a mistake, that tells us he is determined to go further and that his confidence is at satisfactory level...yes, let's wait for Miami...if he makes it to the finals and further even win the tourney, will you be kind enough to keep quiet? Take GoMuzza's email address and start communicating directly to him...you guys have so much in common...

even his best is not good enough to beat a 31 year old grandpa.

yes. but neither did anyone else. ljubicic won the whole thing. so by that logic, everyone else who played at indian wells is done coz no one could beat him

Does anyone know when the Miami Draw is happening?

ed - 12 Eastern today

Thanks Ricky

"This (loss) was an accident"...
So Ljubo won accidentally.... hey,hey Rafa ...you can be a little more generous...
With my modest English knowledge this doesn't sound like compliment to Ivan.

zare, your English is better than that of many posters here - keep it up!

It certainly was not a compliment to Iavn Ljubicic. But there has been needle between these two. Back in 2006 Ivan let slip to the media that Rafa was not popular in the locker room. There was a big fuss at the time. The issue was not the truth of the remark - players can think what they like - but the fact that Ivan was on the ATP players' council and should never have allowed himself to be quoted as such. Nobody was asking him to lie, but simply to hold his tongue. [That sounds not unlike 80% of the posts on here recently.]

Locker room talk is for players only - there are enough demands and media pressure as it is - that kind of thing.

Hope he does well in Miami, stays aggresive throughtout the tournament. If he has to go down, atleast go down swinging hard. If he cannot win then Np...Clay season is round the corner. These big servers wont get so many free points on Clay. Rafa will sweep all clay masters and carry that confidence into RG. All Rafa fans stop worrying, we are entering the best time of the season. Vamos!!!

I also think Rafa is well physically and now he has to work on his mental. He has to be confident, just like he was 1 or 2 years ago. If he manages to do that he'll be back to the top. VAMOS!

Rafa did far better this time last year than he ever had, and he was thousands of points ahead of his closest rivals at the same time last year. Normally he doesn't win many tournaments until the clay season starts so this year is not so unusual especially considering what he has had to cope with with injuries and personal problems. I think we Rafans are probably all down in the mouth because he set such high standards last year which is difficult for him to maintain considering the loss in confidence whilst trying to build up his game again after the injury time out, but he has never had so many points to defend at this time of the year.

I really, really hope that things start looking up for him because it's hard as a Rafan to watch his points ebbing away, although come the summer when he won't be defending many points things might pick up for him. I deliberately haven't said I'm SURE it will get better, because I don't know that it will get better, we just have to hope and wish him all the best.

Vamos Rafa, your millions of fans are rooting for you!

carrie, now u know how fedfans feel. Fed has had too many success that a year with 1 Slam and 3 finals is deemed as 'the end'

torres, indeed. Last Sunday Ljubicic was overjoyed to have finally won one masters tournament (at 31 years old).

Hey, Zare, I am sure Rafa did not mean to hurt Ljubo?s feelings or to underestimate his win...Rafa was talking about his rather stupid mistakes at the end of the 2nd set and the first of the third, when he made some unforced forehand errors that came out of nowhere... He indeed made mistakes and he also head break point opportunities that he failed to convert...and he was punished for that! This is what Rafa had to say after the match:

?Anyway, I had lot of chances, break points in the second with one passing shot with backhand on one of the breakpoints with Love 40. But he served well, and he played good forehands. First shot winner, so difficult to do something there.
I played unbelievable terrible game the first of the third set with my serve. I had more mistakes with my forehand in that game than all the week.
Yeah, after that, you know, in the third, I fought it all the time, but I only had the breakpoint in the third. He had amazing serve, so nothing to do there.?

To me it does not look like Rafa was not complementary to Ivan...it is rather than he was so unpleased with his own game...

Sampras definitely would trouble Fed and Nadal even more on HC and grass if he was in their era.

It's hard to play someone who can serve with power and accuracy like Sampras no matter how strong ur return is. I think Rafa would win most of the rallies against Sampras but in the end Sampras would win more points with his serve and net-play.

Maybe Murray will fare better against Ljubicic or Sampras as he is a better returner of serve than both Fed and Rafa? Some how, Murray seems to be blessed with the ability of reading serves very well and makes the moves early to return serves. He is able to take the ball early before they bounce too high up after they hit the court, and so he is able to return serves very well from those tall guys like Karlovic, Isner and Delpo.

I'm afraid that even though Rafa vows not to make the same mistakes again, chances are his nerve will act up again in Miami, who knows maybe this time round, he may get to one round better by reaching the final and yet still could not seal the deal. I'm preparing myself for that so that when it really happens, I'm not too alarmed. If he fails to seal the deal, then I really hope that Cilic is the one winning it.

luckystar,

If you noticed, Rafa is now standing just inside the baseline to return serve against the tall guys with those huge serves. His return of service has improved tremendously. He now knows what he has to do against the likes of Karlovic, Isner and Delpo. Also, he is playing much more aggressive tennis, looking to move forward into the court to close out the points more quickly. He is serving and volleying more, too. All this is part of what Rafa has been working toward as he tries to improve his game on hard court.

Rafa was getting to be too easy of a target for the tall guys. They had his number, so he needed to do something. I am pleased with the changes in Rafa's game. He has managed to win against these big, tall guys lately. Rafa has always been willing to change up aspects of his game. Rafa realized that he can't stand way behind the baseline against these tall guys with their booming serves. You can see the difference. Rafa's smart and willing to make the necessary adjustments to do what it takes to win.

@luckystar

heres what i think about the return of serve issue. Murray IS a better returner than nadal or federer, that will never change. As NNY said, he is standing closer than usual, but i still think federer and murrays return game are better. imo, federer and nadal get more balls back than murray, but murray does a lot more damage with the ones he gets than them.

From what ive seen from Rafa at IW, tall/bulky players with hard hitting baseline power games(soderling, delpo, nalbandian) will continue to trouble him on hard court, as they can beat him from the baseline. (They need to mentally tough as well of course.)

NNY is right when he says that rafas changing his game to try and deal with the tall guys, but its not as if Delpo, Cilic etc are not improving their games as well.

on another note, nadals problems just dont seem to stop right now.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gwxkQKbn3VPcMU8wE ap9n_BC-22Q

tj600,

Just to clarify, I am a she, not a he! No worries, there is no way you could have known.

I am not going to get into a debate over who has the best return of serve. I don't think it's necessary to be the best, just to be really good at getting your racket on an many of them as possible. I am not saying that Rafa will never have trouble with the tall big serving players. I am sure that they will always be a challenge for him, but the idea is to have as good a chance as possible to win on some kind of regular basis. That is what Rafa is trying to do. When he was standing way behind the baseline just basically putting the ball in play, hitting shots that fell way short, he was getting blown off the court. So at least this new position inside the baseline gives him more chances see the ball and get his racket on it. You can't win if you don't even get your racket on the ball. I thought Rafa was particularly effective in his fourth round match against Karlovic at this year's AO. He initially was standing behind the baseline, but he made the adjustment and got a good result. That was the reason why he was able to get a break, hold his serve and win the set without having to face Karlovic in a tiebreak.

I don't care that these big guys will be a problem for Rafa, as long as he is competitive and has a solid shot at a win. I also realize that the tall guys are making their own adjustments. Rafa has not control over that. He can only control his own game. And it's not just him standing in closer inside the baseline. It's not like he is relying only on that. He is also hitting his groundstrokes with great depth and power, pushing his opponent further back. Rafa is now moving forward into the court more often, looking to close out the points with a solid forehand, backhand or a volley at net. He has made a few changes in his game which should pay off for him as the tennis year progresses. I like his game right now. My main concerns are his mental toughness and that he stays healthy. I read about the wisdom tooth. Unbelievable! Just what he needs right now.

sorry about the gender thing nny. yes, i agree with what u r saying.

Native, it's pointless trying to argue against the doomsayers of Rafa's prospects. Even when he does better in a tournament than other top players, people always use one defeat to define his game, the fact that he has beaten Karlovic, Isner, Querry etc. means nothing because he played some silly points to lose against Ljubicic whom he was beating comfortably up till then, someone he had beaten 5 times on the trot.

Some people just want to see Rafa fail, period. Look who tj600 is calling tall and bulky - Nalbandian who is only 5'11", they just want to see Rafa as far away from their idol as possible.

totally agree with you (not quite sure which name to call you by:) hence why the haters would call him a choker (with similar attacks on murray) but that never applies to their favourite. it says more about them.

Some how I find it strange that Rafa can deal with Karlovic's and Isner's serve but couldn't deal with Ljubicic's. Is it because of complacency on his part? In that semifinal match, Rafa had reverted back to standing further away from the baseline, unlike the way he handled Isner's serves. Was it too demanding on his mental strength and concentration when he had to deal with more than one hugh serve player during a tournament? He seems to have mental lapses more frequently nowadays.

I think Rafa's hard court game is good enough to deal with any top players. The thing is he must always bring his A game in order to beat the likes of Nole, Fed, Murray, Delpo, Davy, Soderling, Cilic, Nalby.... , any slip up will mean a defeat for him. His one big weakness is his positioning at the baseline, he tends to stand/cover more to his backhand side and many times, left his forehand side vulnerable for attack. I wonder how then can he overcome this weakness.

nadline/carrie-u just dont get it. You misread my post. I said tall/bulky. NOT TALL AND BULKY!! Therers a difference. next time, care to read someone elses post more carefully. Nalbandian doesnt have the height of a delpo or a cilic, but he more than compensates for it with bulk. This, combined with his brilliant two-handed backhand, is the reason he has troubled nadal in the past.

As for the teeth problem, i hope he finds time to remove his wisdom teeth-wish him the best of recovery.

PS:Anyone on this forum ever had their wisdom teeth removed before? What happens after the procedure? Is bed rest required afterwards etc

tj, it simply depends from case to case. Bed rest is unusual, for sure. I hope he doesn't suffer a reaction and that his schedule is not affected.

I had all 4 of mine removed at once under local anesthisia when I was 17. I was lifting some heavy boxes the next day and almost fainted. It shouldn't require bed rest but you should not do any physical activity for 24 hours. I learned that the hard way.:)

Honestly, I am very pissed off at Rafa's team and the people who take care of his health! These things are not supposed to happen! You have to have your teeth checked regularly; it is equally important as any other part of human body. Inflammation of a tooth can lead to consecutive inflammations on other organs like kidneys, lungs or bones...I find it hard to believe that he would go on a tournament in the USA without thorough check-up of his body! It is irresponsible to have a rotten tooth and to leave it for later or for such time when it starts being painful...I am very much disappointed how they all, including Rafa himself, handle his health...it's just wrong and it may cost him much more than he may think...for the beginning, he was unable to train! What is next? He loses to Nalby due to the painful tooth or due to dizziness caused by overdose of pain killers...

People often have their wisdom teeth removed, even when they aren't rotten natashao. They can be painful at times without being rotten. Sometimes people's mouths aren't full enough for the wisdom teeth to come in correctly, hence the pain. Mine took several years to come in (and each time they tried it was painful) but when they came in at age 25 I had them removed due to the fact my mouth was too small ( I know some of you are rolling your eyes at that statement--lol). Wisdom teeth are a part of life and you can't prevent them, so no need to think Rafa's health is at stake over it.

Rafa'll be fine, it's not serious, I was back in normal life day after. And you can't take them out until they reach a certain stage, I believe, so no-one has been negligent.

fan4tennis, I know what you are saying! But Rafa clearly explained he has inflammation, which means there is a process either on his tooth or on the gums (gingivitis) Trust me, I know about it...anyway, it does not even matter what it is, it is just very uncommon for such things to happen if you keep a close look at your teeth health...again, it may be me exaggerating since I happen to be so upset that he now has to face more health issues (and of this type?!)..lol...

Actually, natashao I must disagree with you. I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted. I had terrible gum swelling from the teeth trying to come in but there not being enough room in my mouth. Because of crowding, the teeth were trying to force their way through a part of my gums that were not meant to present new teeth.

i sympathise with rafa. i had terrible toothache last week (turned out to be referred pain from my ear infection) and just felt awful. i couldn't eat anything so had no energy. and it only hurt for about 2 days. hope he can manage the pain to try and get a good run at miami, then get it sorted and hopefully be injury-free over the summer

I have a pathological fear of dentists and am well acquainted with toothaches... I completely sympathize with rafa here.. as a poet said,

Some pains are physical,
some pains are mental
But one that is both is dental :)

But, having said that, I dont think it should affect his game much, if he is having the pain now for the first time, it is surely only the beginning stages and pain will mostly be in the gums, the real pain of toothache starts only when you ignore it long enough for the nerve to be exposed.. believe me, I know, one of my wisdom teeth has little left than that lone nerve now, since the tooth is just one big lunar cavity. It hurts like hell once in a month but there are some very good painkillers that completely takes the pain out and the only precaution you have to take is to make sure your stomach is not empty. It doesn't even affect your appetite. So rafa should be fine! vamos rafa, do get to the final.

I know that Rafa fans are nervous about his health right now, but there is no reason to get hysterical over wisdom teeth. This is something that can flare up without warning. I read that Rafa has seen a dentist and was told that they need to come out, but it doesn't have to be done now. I don't know what Rafa can take for the pain, because most painkillers are not allowed during competition, but I am confident that this won't be a big deal. However, I hope that once Miami is over he gets it taken care of before MC. The one thing Rafa doesn't need is to have the wisdom teeth flare up during RG. He has a busy schedule ahead of him, so the timing is bad. But this is not serious and won't keep him out of competition.

Wisdom teeth aren't fun. I only had two come in on the bottom, none on the top. But there was no room for them and they started pushing my bottom teeth out of alignment, so it was a problem. One became abscessed and that's when things can get ugly. They put me under anesthesia and took it out, had to put stitches in there and put me on antibiotics. But I never had any swelling and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Then they decided to take out the other one. That time I was wide awake and, let me tell you, I won't do that again! Just hearing the sound was bad enough. But it was a relief to get them out. I am sure Rafa will be fine.

@FEDistheGOAt LOL @ the poet's quotes :D :D nice