US Open Preview

Hi everyone, hope you're all having a great week.

Obviously I was reluctant to writing this blog post. Writing a pre tournament preview is always interesting, but with Rafa gone, it suddenly becomes more of a chore. However, I'm still going to give my verdict to all of the non Rafa fans out there (probably not many that follow me!).

The US Open is less than a week to go. I've already spilled out all my thoughts about Rafa's absence (see my previous post) but I'm going to try and enjoy it the best I can. It's still the last grand slam of the year, and a huge tournament.

I should probably add, for a few days I will be in New York. Unfortunately I'm not visiting the open, but I'll not be posting any blog posts for those 5 days. Apologies in advance.

Let's get on with the post! Time to analyse some players…!

Djokovic

Toronto and Cincinnati were incredibly disappointing tournaments for Novak. Out in the 3rd Round in BOTH. That's early exits in hard court masters… not something we see very often from Djokovic. I think the main issue was with his mental state. What he wanted to do with his body, his mind didn't let him. It was a very strange thing to watch. Obviously we're not sure what the issue is, but Novak's confidence will surely have plummeted. Having said that, we're used to top players making comebacks, so who knows what will happen. But Novak is no Rafa, can he snap out of it quick enough? With many rounds to play and 5 set matches, I would be surprised if he had another early exit in this slam. He'll either drop out early or go far.

Federer

Finalist of Toronto and winner of Cincinnati, Fed's having a good hard court season. With no Rafa or Novak to stop him, Rog got lucky. Having said that, he's still playing well. He isn't playing consistently in some matches, such as the Cincy final and that wash over 2nd set, but when he's playing well, he is really good. I'm interested to see how he performs at the US Open. I defiantly think that top contenders would be Novak, Rafa and Roger (before the injury), so with Rafa out and Novak questionable, Roger has a big chance, defiantly.

To be honest with you, I'm pretty confident either one of them will win, but there are still some underdogs.

Tsonga

We can't rule out Jo! He's showed us he has what it takes to succeed on hard courts, after winning Toronto, but can he rise up to the challenge on the big stage? He can succeed and knock out top players at slams. If his body and mind are perfect, I wouldn't put it past him. He could really give the top guys a challenge.

Dimitrov

Grigor has a lot of potential, there's no doubt about that. He's determined to succeed, and that could give him a boost in this slam. Personally, I'm not sure if he will be up there with winning a slam yet, but he's on the right track. With Rafa out, his path does open up. A quick gush of wind can pick Dimi up and whisk him right on track… can he handle it?

Ferrer

I love David, I really do. He was a finalist in Cincinnati and gave Roger a tough time out there. He has incredible mental stability and never gives up, not on the same par as Rafa, but similar. You wouldn't think of David to win a hard court slam, but again with Nadal gone, another opportunity opens. Let's see what happens!


You can see the trend here, right? Our Rafa is injured, so thats a big top guy out. If Rafa wasn't injured, I could see him grabbing the title, defiantly. I'm actually quite intrigued to see what happens. There isn't a standout top guy for me at the moment… I think Roger and Novak are on par. It all depends on whether Novak can sort himself out before next week. We'll see…

Enjoy the tournament, Rafans. (Well try to anyway.) I'm sending out support to you all during this injury break, we've got through it once, we can do it again.

Grace x

Cincinnati Masters Preview

Toronto was an entertaining tournament with an unexpected winner. Tsonga played an incredible tournament, beating Djokovic, Murray, Dimitrov and Federer back to back. I was blown away with how well he was playing, a well deserved win.

Out with the old, In with the new.

I feel almost upset writing this preview. The emptiness I feel is almost unbearable. Rafa is still on injury break, and there's a minimum of 2 weeks to go until we see him on court again. However, the tournaments still go on, now it's time for the Western and Southern Open.

Djokovic had a very poor run this tournament. Out in the 3rd round to Tsonga, and not just beaten, thrashed. He struggled to win his opener against Monfils too. Critics put the flop down to the overwhelming effect of his wedding, but lets be honest, the world number 1 should have still been able to cope. His chances of winning in Cincinnati may be slightly lowered now, but he has the experience to fight back. It'll be interesting to see how he copes.

Federer had a good run in Toronto, reaching the final. He played well all tournament, but not brilliant. The final was messy, and it's not the usual Federer I'm used to seeing. Let's not count him out though, he has the talent and experience to improve just in time. This time though, I'm not picturing a win.

Murray was another victim of Jo's. He played well in my opinion, Jo just played out of this world. With Rafa not involved and Novak's form questioned, he could very much be a contender for the title.

Tsonga! Last week I didn't expect to be featuring him in this preview, but he surprised us. I've always been a fan of Jo, and this win was incredibly well deserved. Who knows what more he can do? Jo is in the running for a follow up title. Maybe this time the others will be a little more cautious though…

Dimitrov had a good run too. He reached the semi finals in Toronto, but was another victim of Tsonga. (By the way, I can't believe what I'm writing!) I thought he played well this tournament, he fought well. His difficult match with Anderson in the QF left him physically and mentally fatigued, so with a few days rest, he could potentially be a title winner. However, he's just missing the touch that sets him apart from the top guys.


They're my picks! Novak, Roger, Andy, Jo and Dimitrov are my selection for potential Cincinnati winners.



Stay strong Rafans, remember the big decision whether he will play US Open or not will be made on Tuesday. I will be glued to my twitter, so if you want to hear the news first, follow me @rafanadaladdict. Blog posts will be updated as soon as the news is out.

The Decision! Rafael Nadal Wrist Injury Update- 8th August

Hope you all are having a lovely day, we have news!

Rafa has been practicing this week with his splint on, and has been practicing an increasing number of serves and one handed backhands- good news.

After his practice with Dusan Lajovic in Manacor today, he did a quick interview for IB3. He said that he has another medical test in Barcelona with Dr Cotorro next week, said to be on Tuesday. They will then make the decision whether to play at the US Open. If Dr Cotorro is satisfied with the progress of the wrist's recovery, he will be playing at the last grand slam of the year at the end of the month!

Exciting news, fingers crossed until Tuesday! Any other important updates will be displayed here on my blog, and on my twitter @rafanadaladdict.

Rafael Nadal Wrist Injury- Updates 31st July- 4th August

31st July- Rafa was doing a light practice this morning in Manacor. He only practiced forehands slowly, hitting with Toni. Although this shows he cannot yet play, it tells us that he is working hard to be ready as soon as possible. He is now wearing a black splint over his right wrist. His fingers are still able to move around. Rafa posted on his Facebook today telling fans about his splint. He said 'For two weeks I'm changing my watch for this splint.'

3rd August- Toni announced, 'I am optimistic and I believe Rafa will be able to play the US Open.' This is good news, it gives us a little more hope. He also said that they will make the decision whether to play the US Open or not in 10 days time. That's the Wednesday of Cincinnati, 5 days before the US Open. It's going to be a long 10 days, but we will have to wait until then. Rafa is practicing now and then, although not all the time. I am confident he is getting the recovery he needs.

4th August- Today Rafa practiced again. It was mostly footwork and forehands, but he did practice some very slow serves. Big thank you to @bluemathilde for attending the practices and letting us know what's going on! 

Rafa posted on Facebook: 'Taking advantage of these days to continue training, always with enthusiasm and optimism.' 

Rafael Nadal Wrist Injury

Today, Rafa and his team announced that they would be withdrawing from the masters tournaments ahead of the US Open. Last year Rafa won the Rogers Cup and Western and Southern Open, but this year he will not be able to defend those points. The news is both shocking and intensely disappointing for Rafa and his fans.

Rafa hurt his right wrist while practicing in Manacor, apparently on Tuesday. However, fans watching Rafa's practice sessions observe that he has only been practicing forehands this week, indicating the issue may have been caused a few days before. His right wrist is used for his two handed backhand and his ball toss, even though he plays left handed. 

Rafa's team issued a statement today.

"Unfortunately I injured my right wrist yesterday during practice and after the tests I have undergone today in Spain, including an MRI, and checking with my doctors, I will have to stay out of competition for at least 2-3 weeks. I am sorry and wish the best to the tournament and thank all of the fans for their support," said Nadal. "I'm extremely disappointed that I am unable to defend my titles and compete in Toronto and Cincinnati this year. I was looking forward to coming and playing again after my great results last year." 

Rafa travelled to Barcelona today to see his doctor, to take some scans and find out exactly what was wrong. He will wear a cast for 2-3 weeks.

He issued this statement regarding what was wrong with his right wrist: “a small disinsertion of the posterior ulnar pod” I'm no doctor, so I'm not sure what that means, but It's not good. 

However, 2-3 weeks sounds positive. Rafa told his fans on Facebook later today that he expects to compete at the US Open, so whatever the issue is, it doesn't sound serious. However, we have to stay wary as issues can develop over time, sometimes in a negative way. 

Rafa's team issued this prognosis:  “Depending on the evolution of the injury that will be carefully followed by the doctors, including M.R.I. tests, it will be decided then the return to competition, initially scheduled for the U.S. Open.”

So it seems that the team is expecting a relatively quick recovery, but are of course being cautious. You only have to look back at the knee injury, where the first cure was thought to be a few weeks of rest… that turned into 7 months. 

This injury does not bode well for the US Open. With 3 and a half weeks to go, can Rafa play without pain and to the standard he needs for a title defence? What he can do never fails to amaze me, so it's not completely out of the question just yet. Look at 2013, setbacks make him stronger, and I have no doubt that this will be the same. It's just a question of how long the recovery process will take.

Rafa fans need to stay positive about the injury, Rafa and his team will only return to tournaments once he is ready. I trust them to make the correct decision. 

When more information is released on how the injury has developed, a further decision regarding the US Open will most likely be made.


For instant updates, follow me on twitter: @rafanadaladdict