Nadal’s schedule could hurt him
Posted: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 3:45 PM
There’s no doubt that Rafael Nadal plays too much tennis. Rather, the question is about the price he will pay down the line.
Since the ATP Tour moved to European clay a month ago, Nadal has won three more titles (he now has equaled Roger Federer's total of 14 Masters wins), and has a 30-match clay win streak. Neither run looks to be in imminent danger.
But Nadal is about now. He has blown past Federer for the No. 1 ranking in the world, and he should be safe in that spot well into 2010, barring a catastrophe at the French Open (where he has never lost a match).
Question his schedule and his Uncle Toni admits to the strain of it, but is equally candid about the desire for the points that lead to the No. 1 ranking, which means money and fame.
Tennis knows the problem exists, but will change nothing, including the four weeks of Davis Cup play that further suffocate players pressured by national pride to represent their country.
Look at the bands of tape that circle Nadal's legs just above each knee. He wears them for every match, and they serve as a subtle reminder to serious fans of the strain on his knees.
Sadly, they also serve as a reminder that his career is unlikely to be long. Can you really imagine Nadal (soon to be 23) playing at a high level at Federer's age (28 in August?)?
So we should appreciate Nadal at this moment. Never have we seen, not even with Jimmy Connors, a player so intense on every point. Never have we seen effort in every match regardless of condition or fatigue, exemplified by his astonishing five-set wins on the final weekend of the Australian Open. Never have we seen a player so utterly unwillingly to concede anything on a tennis court.
Watch championship point from the Australian Open. Federer played the entire point from the baseline in while Nadal was pinned 10-12 feet behind the baseline. Nadal had a commanding position yet he retrieved every Federer shot until the Swiss committed an error. Nadal was out of winning position yet won the point. There are dozens of similar examples in most Nadal matches. Cherish them for he has changed the sport.
The guess here is that Nadal is strong through the clay, wins a fifth straight French Open, and puts forth maximum effort to defend his title at Wimbledon. If he does win on the clay and on the lawns, with all of his time spent on courts earlier in the year, will he have enough left in the tank to make a serious run at the U.S. Open and a calendar year Grand Slam?
He plays and plays and plays, even in Barcelona every April because to pass on that event would be to insult his homeland. Last year, 48 hours after destroying Federer in the French Open final, he was on the grass of London's Queen's Club.
Nadal pays a price at year's end. One senses he will always be missing out on coming up big in the U.S. Open, and the fall hard court season unless he lightens his schedule from the Australian Open through Wimbledon. But that doesn’t seem to be incentive enough for Nadal to consider change. He is the undisputed No. 1, in no danger of overthrow.
