Nadal’s No Politician by Kristen Tracy

Written by: Staff on 9th October 2013

Nadal's No Politician by Kristen Tracy

epa03614283 Rafael Nadal of Spain answers questions from the media during press conference at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament in Indian Wells, California, USA, 07 March 2013. EPA/PAUL BUCK |

The world’s new number one player has always been an advocate for his fellow players and the sometimes less than stellar playing conditions they are occassionally forced to endure. He was part of a trio that marched into the tournament director’s office at the 2011 U.S. Open when players were being forced to play on courts that had not been properly dried following a rain delay and that in one case was actually leaking water up from a crack in the court. There’s no doubt that Rafael Nadal wants what’s best for the entire ATP tour, which for years has always included his adamant insistence that too many tournaments are played on hard courts – an issue that can drastically shorten the career of a player.

But despite his incredible success on hard courts this year (he’s lost only one match in all the tournaments he’s played), Nadal still isnt happy about the prominence of the surface on the tour. He said today in Shanghai though, that despite his unchanged feelings, he’s given up trying to change the system; that he’s out of the politics involved with the pro game.

“I am really out of politics, and I don’t want to be involved in politics of the tennis anymore. I know even if you have strong ideas and even if you believe the changes are possible, I know there is always a wall there that is impossible to go over,” he said.

Nadal’s statement brings up a good point. Is the tennis season too long? Should there be less hard courts? If you ask me, the answer to both those questions should be yes. Look at other sports. Their seasons are about 5 months long, 6 maybe, if you’ve got a spot in playoffs. Sure, they’re all played on the same surface but the intense travel isn’t a component. Travelling coast to coast a couple times a week is much easier on the body than going from London to Ohio to Canada then to New York all in about 3 weeks. The travel alone is reason enough to shorten the season, not to mention the amount of time it takes a tennis player’s body to recover from the constant playing.

Now to the issue of surfaces. Don’t get me wrong, I love watching hard court tennis. But I also enjoy clay court and grass court tennis as well. Every player has a particular style for every surface. It’s what makes the game so interesting. When you stick to mostly one surface the matches become more predictable with a lesser chance of excitement. Currently, the clay court season is only about 5-6 weeks long. The grass court season? Only 4. There’s a week or two of indoor play, but approximately 8-9 months of the ATP tour is played on hard courts. I understand completely Nadal’s frustration. His game is mostly that of a clay court player and the sliding around he most likely grew up with does serious damage to his body when tried to be done on a hard court – as was evidenced by his long absence from the tour last year after suffering a serious knee injury.

So where do you side in the debate of how long the tennis season should be? And do you think there needs to be a greater distribution of the three surfaces amongst the tournaments? Sound off in the comments below and let us know what you think!

Topics: 10sballs, Atp, Rafael Nadal, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News, US Open