He survived, while the other big boys, Djokovic, Roddick and soon to be Murray if he doesnt come out swinging ended up in the scarp heap.

So in my opinion Rafa did well to win in what were horrid conditions.

Its all about perspective.

And please can the Federer fans please refrain from comparing anyone at this Championship with what Federer and co are doing in the other.
Different tournament. Different conditions.

Though Rafa is winning, I still think his decision to play queens is wrong. He's coming from two tough weeks at the FO and then changes the surface to play here, I think it's tough for his body. Wish him the best.

bolbol...I have to disagree about Rafa having a tough 2 weeks at RG...he didnt drop a set! Ive seen him work harder in a Masters Tournament.
As for it being hard on his body, he himself has said that grass and clay are the best for him and for everybody elses bodies. His knees and all else is the best its been for years.

They all need to play on the green stuff to prepare for Wimbledon.
You don't go into Wimbledon, without having played a match on grass, in two years as the last time Rafa played on grass was in 2008.

My opinion is that he will go all out at Wimbledon and skip some hardcourt tournaments so that he can give the US Open a good go too.

I am in agreement with isabeau. Rafa had a fairly easy time at RG. All straight set matches, no marathons, no extra pressure on the knees. He came out of that tournament in as good shape as we could possibly expect. Also, he is now mentally much tougher, having won back his crown from the very man who took it away.

Rafa needs some match play on grass to prepare for Wimbledon. Clay and grass are different and his body needs to get used to the new surface. He hasn't played on grass in two years, so it makes perfect sense to be at Queens. I wish he would pull out of doubles, especially after that little medical timeout today, and also having to play both doubles and singles tomorrow.

I also agree about the idea of going all out to win Wimbledon and then taking some time off and cutting back on the hard court tournaments leading up to the US Open. For once, I want him to be fresh both physically and mentally when he gets to the Open.

he needs a grass tournament BEFORE Wimbledon, so this makes sense

all he needs to do now is withdraw from Toronto or Cincinnati. If he does that, his 2010 schedule will be perfect.

Toroto and Cincinatti are both masters event. So an injury or fatigue as a reason needs to be given by Rafa in order to skip them.

Yes queens makes sense, he needs to some preparation before wimbledon. BUT if he is injured, even the slightest injury, then I think he sud withraw immediately and take rest.

However, I dont think the injury is not too serious to jeoperdise his wimbledon plans.

RickyDimon-
I hope he does pull out of Toronto and Cincinnati, I really do!
I just want him to be able to give the US Open a good go, for once.

Nativenewyorker-
They were massaging his backside, so my thoughts on his injury time out were that he was feeling pain at the back of his legs because his hamstrings were getting tight. The cold, the wet and the new surface doesnt help the body.

As Rafa said, "I called the trainer because I felt something behind my leg and wanted to make sure it was nothing bad. I'm feeling good now."

So all if good...:)

Ricky,
I do not see any need for him to pull out of toronto or cincinnati..
Wimbledon will end in july 1st week...
while toronto is in august 2nd week..
So, nadal has a rest of 5 weeks after wimbledon..
that should be enough for him, even if he is carying any niggles.. (i.e., unless it is not any major injury)
about toronto and cincinnati, yes, those are 2 events that are very close by without a gap, but after a 5 week rest, rafa can play 2 weeks, even on hards..
then there will be a week's rest and then USO ..
so all he needs to do IMO is skip the davis cup in 2nd week of july, which spain can win even without rafa!!
and miss the doubles, which he won't need after he hones his skills at queens..

"...all he needs to do now is withdraw from Toronto or Cincinnati. If he does that, his 2010 schedule will be perfect." - RickyDimon , 6/11/10 4:24 AM

I hope Rafa read this and heed your advice Ricky. That call for the trainer in yesterdays match gave me convulsions with memories of last year's injuries rushing back in.

Phoenix- I too nearly hyperventilated when I saw Rafa on his stomach on the grass, then I stopped and remember my experiences as a tennis and soccer player and remembered feeling the same pain at the back of my legs too when my hamstrings were tight and one way to loosen them is to massage the buttocks...hehehehe
The very cold whether made a lot of things cease up.

Rafa is fine...:)

some of my female frnds would have loved to message rafa there....rofl!!!

on a serious note....i agree with ricky,it would benefit him to withdraw from one of cincy or montreal......he should get as much rest as possible b4 uso.....

isabeau,

Thanks so much for the injury update! I didn't see the match, but heard about the medical timeout on a Rafa forum. I initially panicked, but then started to calm down when I realized that Rafa finished the match and appeared to be okay. I don't think Rafa is about to take any chances of reinjury with Wimbledon around the corner. After last year, he wants to be there!

clayking,

I must respectfully disagree with you and agree with Ricky. It's not just Toronto, Cincy and the US Open. That's not the end of the hardcourt season by a long shot. We all know how playing on hard court takes a toll on Rafa. Uncle Toni said that they were going to try to scale back on Rafa's matches during the hard court season. They have to do it out of necessity for the sake of his knees. Maybe they will try the one week on, one week off type of approach that they used in the tournaments leading up to RG.

It's not like the hard court season ends after the US Open. It extends all through the final months of the year, then there's the AO and a few more months of hard court play. Rafa must cut back, simple as that.

RickyDimon, 6/11/10 4:24 AM: Touché.

The draw & results have still not been updated since Monday.

Thanks a lot, Isa. Coming from you, it sure is reassuring. Love the hehehe after buttocks, btw. :-)

Phoenix- Yes what I would do to get a chance to massage any part of Rafa...:-O

Oh please you people, Rafa is not a child. I'm sure that if he has injured himself during the match, he would have stopped playing and retired. The fact that he could carry on and won in the end meant that he was fine. He needs the practice on grass to give himself the confidence and assurance that he needs when heading to Wimbledon. I'm sure he knows when to push himself and not to.

Regarding Toronto n Cincy, he needs the practice n confidence to prepare for
USO, more so than Wimbledon. So, he should be playing both after a four to five weeks rest. There is no excuse for fatigue after a four/five weeks rest! Just leave it to him and his team to decide, again they are in a better position than us here to gauge his condition.

I think Rafa is also eager to win the USO, so he'll do whatever he can to allow himself to have a very good shot at getting it, we shouldn't be worried too much, just trust him!

NNY,
after USO, the next event atp 500 in tokyo/beijing is after 3 weeks!!
in case of a problem after USO, he can take a rest of 4 weeks by skipping tokyo and going to shanghai..
after shanghai, he can take another 2 week rest and then play valencia 500(i think he will play valencia, after all his friends are its owners!!)..
of course he can skip valencia too, if his knees are not fine..
then comes paris masters, a week's rest, followed by WTF..
so, NNY, i do not see any need to skip the 2 masters before USO.
and of course after london, he will have 5 weeks off!!
so, my point is, rafa will be fine, without having to lose any point..
and he needs to play only one of the 2 500 events mentioned above..

This match is going to be a real cat and mouse affair. They have each broken in the first two games!

Rather more cat than mouse, and Lopez was the cat today.