Rafa’s Rough Season – Nathan’s Blog

Written by: Staff on 19th October 2011

Rafa’s Rough Season - Nathan's Blog

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns the ball to Mardy Fish of the USA during the semi-finals of the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, Japan, on 08 October 2011. Top seed Rafael Nadal defeated number four Mardy Fish 7-5, 6-1 to reach the final of the Tokyo Open. EPA/EVERETT KENNEDY BROWN |

By: Nathan M. Cuny

In 2009 Rafael Nadal won three ATP Masters 1000 Titles: Rome, Monte Carlo, and Indian Wells. In 2010 Nadal fought and kept his Rome and Monte Carlo titles, while replacing the Indian Wells title with his win in Madrid, completing the 2010 season with three Master’s titles. The 2011 season has been a different story for Nadal.

With the closing of the 2011 season looming near, you can bet both Nadal and his fans are hoping for a comeback. Nadal has three more shots to add to the three titles he has won this year, holding only one ATP Masters 1000 Title this season where he remains the defending Champion in Monte Carlo. The Final ATP Masters event held in Paris on November 7^th and the Barclays World Tour Finals in London on the 20^th give Nadal two more chances to redeem himself and win two more ATP titles this season. If he can make a comeback, Nadal will keep up with his average of three ATP titles a season over the last six years.

Yet, even with so few titles won this season, he still retains the number two spot, and has kept the spot over the last three months. Nadal’s year to date scores do have two more wins than the world’s No. 1 Novak Djokovic, however with a proportion of 66/13 Nadal, and 64/3 Djokovic, win/loss, one can tell that Nadal has been struggling. On that note, Nadal’s tough season would still be a glorious season for many other players.

During the second to last ATP Master’s event this season, in Shanghai, Nadal lost to No. 20 Florian Mayer during the third round. According to an ATP interview, Nadal was asked to compare his loss during the third round this year to his loss during the 2010 season at the same stage of the tournament, to which he replied, “No comparation. Last year I was too tired, I came here with a lot less motivation. I came with positive feelings

this time.” Whether Nadal’s Shanghai performance was due to fatigue, which he denied, lack of motivation, which he denied, or just bad luck, we’ll be unable to tell until the next tournament.

Considering how the season for professional men’s tennis lasts for eleven months and how Nadal has been performing at a high capacity for the last six going-on seven years, it’s understandable that maybe Rafa needs a break. All he’ll get is one month of rest before the next season to which he already has goals set, as he stated in his Shanghai ATP interview, “I have to keep working with the same line for the next season, and hopefully I can start the next season with more power, with a few things better.”

Having only three titles to his name this season, and loosing the No. 1 spot to Djokovic, Nadal knows that it’s been tough. He knows if he’s gonna be ready for Paris and London, he’s gotta rest, stay positive, and keep practicing.

Topics: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal

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