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Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

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Will Rafa win all 4 slams in '09?

Poll ended at May Fri 22, 2009 11:47 pm

No - 1 of 4
2
17%
No - 2 of 4
6
50%
No - 3 of 4
4
33%
Yes - all 4!
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 12

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Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

Post by Footsoldier » Mar Sun 08, 2009 11:47 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#You read the question! ;) #ed_op#IMG src="http://www.tennisgamers.com/board/riche ... IV#ed_cl#A similar thread is made for Serena.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#So there's no "cheating", I'll leave the poll opened for 75 days.. that's right before RG starts.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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Post by Footsoldier » Mar Sun 08, 2009 11:52 pm

I'm voting 3/4 for him too, like I did w/ Serena.#ed_op#BR#ed_cl##ed_op#BR#ed_cl#He has 99% chance to win RG.. pretty self-explanatory!#ed_op#BR#ed_cl#Probably a 49% chance at Wimbledon (49% Roger, 2% to the rest of the field)#ed_op#BR#ed_cl#But probably a 20% chance at the USO since he never seems to perform well there. 20% might even be a bit too generous. #ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Last edited by Footsoldier on Mar Sun 08, 2009 11:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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Re:Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

Post by missinandre » Mar Mon 09, 2009 12:03 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Rafa is always dead by the US Open.  He is so worn out, it just isn't funny.  The only way for him to win the US Open is to take it easy before hand, but he never does.  This alone will prevent him from winning all 4.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#As for the grass......sure he won it last year....but the grass isn't clay and so expect him to encounter some resistence in the form of the other top tenners who will desperately want to stop Rafa from getting all 4 slams.  And no matter what....Federer will be fighting.....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Re:Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

Post by Footsoldier » Mar Mon 09, 2009 2:29 am

missinandre wrote:#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Rafa is always dead by the US Open.  He is so worn out, it just isn't funny.  The only way for him to win the US Open is to take it easy before hand, but he never does.  This alone will prevent him from winning all 4.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#As for the grass......sure he won it last year....but the grass isn't clay and so expect him to encounter some resistence in the form of the other top tenners who will desperately want to stop Rafa from getting all 4 slams.  And no matter what....Federer will be fighting.....#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#We'll have to see how he schedules this summer. Last summer everything was screwed up because of the Olympics, so it's only expected that he got worn out. The ATP puts alot of pressure on the top guys to play all of the Masters events, so he probably felt obligated to play them. I don't think he'll be as exhausted by the USO this year, cause there's no Olympics. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#And if you ask me.... I say he should cut back on his clay schedule too. I know he likes to play all of those tiny Spanish events right before RG... but all that it does is exhaust him too. It doesn't exhaust him right away... but long-term, it has its effects. Because he's playing IW, Miami, 4 clay warmups, RG, then he NEEDS to play a grass warmup for practice, then Wimbledon, then it's right onto the US hardcourt swing. That's just too much. The less he plays, the better off he'll be IMO. Stick to the Masters events + 1 grass warmup, and he should be fine. But with playing Barcelona: NO.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Hopefully he'll schedule better this year... cause it'll be nice for once if he'll actually be able to play the USO without being completely worn out.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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Re:Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

Post by missinandre » Mar Mon 09, 2009 5:47 am

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#He's already had two incidents this year with his knees that have prevented him from playing (or caused him to choose not to ).  So it is not only the exhaustion....it's the wear on his knees.  I know Rafa is superhuman....but it always freaking happens.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#And......You tell me.....when was the last time a number1 player didn't show up for the TMC?  :(   Rafa has shown in the past that....his priorities are different from the typical player.  He sets a goal and focuses on that goal....and right now...his goal is to totally strip Federer of that possible-GOAT status and take it for himself.......and damned if he isn't do just that!  Roger paced himself.  Rafa isn't doing that.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Last edited by missinandre on Mar Mon 09, 2009 5:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re:Rafa's Chances at the '09 Slam?

Post by Footsoldier » Mar Mon 09, 2009 2:34 pm

missinandre wrote:#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#He's already had two incidents this year with his knees that have prevented him from playing (or caused him to choose not to ).  So it is not only the exhaustion....it's the wear on his knees.  I know Rafa is superhuman....but it always freaking happens.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#And......You tell me.....when was the last time a number1 player didn't show up for the TMC?  :(   Rafa has shown in the past that....his priorities are different from the typical player.  He sets a goal and focuses on that goal....and right now...his goal is to totally strip Federer of that possible-GOAT status and take it for himself.......and damned if he isn't do just that!  Roger paced himself.  Rafa isn't doing that.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#It's just hard for anyone to pace themselves these days on the ATP though. There's what... 14 MANDATORY events or something like that (including the slams) per year? That's insane.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Rafa doesn't actually play that many tournaments though compared to most of the other guys. It's just that he makes it deep into EVERY single event. And he gives 2000000% every time he steps onto the court and plays such a physically demanding style of tennis, so it just makes it even harder for him. Roger usually plays just as many tournaments as him, but he's able to conserve energy because his game is less physically-demanding. Plus, Roger over the last 2ish years has (sadly) been prone to being upset early in some of the Masters events, so that's another reason why he's able to be so fresh by the time a slam rolls around. He's sort of turned into Serena now... whenever he's in a nonslam event, he just seems to have that "whatver... I'll try. Hopefully I win, but if I lose... no big deal"-attitude. Whereas Rafa puts his full effort into every event he plays. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I think Rafa does well considering the ridiculous ATP scheduling. The only way for him to guarantee that he'll be fresh would be to withdraw from some of the USO warmups. But on the other hand... he needs the matchplay so he's not rusty. So he's basically screwed either way. :(#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#ATP needs to reorganize their schedule though. So many of the Masters events are all clumped together within the span of a few weeks. There should be no back-to-back Masters events. Well... IW and Miami is okay, since they're over the course of 2 weeks each... and they'll have an off-day  every-other day. And there shouldn't be any Masters events either in the 2 weeks prior to a slam/YEC. That's the only way for them to try to make sure that all of their stars are all healthy and prepared. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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Post by Kylealex919 » Mar Mon 09, 2009 7:41 pm

He's obviously got the French...i mean with Fed in a little bit of a slump and the rest of the field only playing subpar against him at the moment, Rafa should have number (o man is it six now??? i'll look that up).

Wimbledon is going to be interesting...if Murray is playing at his best he can easily take out Nadal like he's been doing lately. I'll give it to Nadal but i'm not too seriously thrilled to do so.

And I agree about Nadal being too worn out by the USO. He's worked too hard during the beginning of the season, and he's just plain dead by this time of year...and the hard courts seem to be a hit or miss for him depending on the tourny.

I will however make a prediction and say that he'll end up with the YEChampionship this year...i have a feeling that this might be his latest goal.
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Post by Footsoldier » Jun Tue 02, 2009 9:23 pm

Time to bump this thread I think! :) (yet :( at the same time)

I hope he grabs the USO this year atleast. I think he still has a good shot at Wimbledon though... so if he were to win one of the two, that would be the more realistic bet probably.
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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Post by missinandre » Jun Tue 02, 2009 10:16 pm

Footsoldier wrote:Time to bump this thread I think! :) (yet :( at the same time)#ed_op#BR#ed_cl##ed_op#BR#ed_cl#I hope he grabs the USO this year atleast. I think he still has a good shot at Wimbledon though... so if he were to win one of the two, that would be the more realistic bet probably.
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#NOT Wimbledon....NOT US Open.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What happens to his ranking if he...bows out of both early but Fed wins the French and Wimbledon?  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#:)  I'm reaching I know...but I always tell my kids to reach for the stars! :)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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Post by Footsoldier » Jun Tue 02, 2009 10:35 pm

missinandre wrote:
Footsoldier wrote:Time to bump this thread I think! :) (yet :( at the same time)#ed_op#BR#ed_cl##ed_op#BR#ed_cl#I hope he grabs the USO this year atleast. I think he still has a good shot at Wimbledon though... so if he were to win one of the two, that would be the more realistic bet probably.
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#NOT Wimbledon....NOT US Open.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#What happens to his ranking if he...bows out of both early but Fed wins the French and Wimbledon?  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#:)  I'm reaching I know...but I always tell my kids to reach for the stars! :)#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#It depends how early he goes out at Wimbledon. Even if Roger wins both, I think he'd need Nadal to have a 1R exit at Wimbledon if he wants to get back to #1. And I wouldn't count on that, given his perfect record in slam 1Rs. Out of all active players, he's the only male who has played at all 4 slams and has never lost in the first round. The only two on the womens side who can say the same are Serena and Ana.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Q. How would you feel if you would have gone out and lost to a woman who was playing on one leg?

SERENA WILLIAMS: If she was Serena Williams, I wouldn't feel that bad (smiling).

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