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4/12/10 3:43 PM | Cheryl Murray
Rafael Nadal returns to his favored clay in the first spring clay-court event of the season at the Monte Carlo Masters.
Rafael Nadal has never lost a match at the Monte Carlo Country Club. The conditions at the first clay Masters of the year suit the Spaniard completely, as evidenced by his five straight titles there. For the first time ever, however, Nadal comes into the tournament without a title for the year.
Semifinal showings in Indian Wells and Miami are encouraging for the Spaniard, who spent much of the 2009 season laid up with knee problems. Coach Toni Nadal indicated that his charge was suffering a slight knee tweak after his Miami semifinal loss to Andy Roddick, but he appears fit and ready to go for this week.
Nadal’s section of the draw is favorable, though there are a couple of dangers lurking. The Spaniard drew No. 5 seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his quarter, but as Nadal just beat him in easy straight sets on the Frenchman’s preferred hard courts, a challenge on clay is unlikely.
The more pressing threats come in the form of Juan Monaco and Juan Carlos Ferrero, both of whom tore up the South American clay-court swing earlier this season. Still, Monaco has never beaten Nadal on clay and Ferrero has only done so once, the result of a bad foot blister in Rome in 2008.
Nadal should come through his section with relative ease.
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Rafa, please, please do it for your fans!
Vamossssssssss!
nadline , 4/12/10 7:56 PM
Rafa is definitely winning this one! Bring on the vamos!
FEDistheGOAT , 4/12/10 8:14 PM
i see no one who can win this but Rafa.
rfzr , 4/12/10 8:37 PM
fan4tennis,
I am with you in not being all that big on predictions. Sometimes I do get a sense about a few players, but I will only say who will win, no predictions of the exact score.
I am hoping that this is where Rafa ends the title drought! I think his draw looks good, with a few challenges along the way. But this is his to lose!
Vamos, Rafa, for the win!
Nativenewyorker , 4/12/10 10:29 PM
I don't do predictions because I would rather take it as Rafa does.....one match at a time!! Looking forward to watching him play and hopefully lift that 6th trophy in a row!
fan4tennis , 4/12/10 10:37 PM
fan4tennis,
I am with you - one match at a time. But I am concerned after seeing pictures of Rafa practicing with a big bandage on his left knee. Rafa's not talking about it, so I have to assume that it isn't that serious. But then I read someone saying that the bandage is because of a cortisone injection. I had a cortisone injection in my knee and never got any kind of bandage on it. I wish people wouldn't speculate about things that they know nothing about at all.
Do you have any feelings about this supposed left knee problem?
Nativenewyorker , 4/13/10 1:37 AM
NNY - cortisone injections do not require a bandage. I'm not saying that he didn't have one (I don't have confirmation of that), but certainly the bandage is not BECAUSE of a shot.
I'll see if I can find out.
cherylmurray , 4/13/10 3:04 AM
Before I read your column, Cheryl, I was most concerned about Juanquí being in Rafa's quarter.
Now, this cortisone thing. Nativenewyorker, do you mind if I ask where you saw this picture? And how recently?
mara002 , 4/13/10 5:27 AM
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I don't do predictions, but I sincerely hope for Rafa to win this 6 times in a row!
VAMOS RAFA!!!
fan4tennis , 4/12/10 5:35 PM