Talk About Tennis 2.0

Grass is not an outdated surface.
Rather than jump to the easy conclusion of conveniently eliminating all things that are difficult, we should embrace them. It's called a challenge - and the challenge is for players to adapt their game to grass so that their play is efficient, and where there is no more risk of injury than on other surfaces.
This is the stuff that makes real champions - the ability to adapt to difficult situations and circumstances.

The four Slams each offer a different challenge to players, even the two hard court Slams. Of the three surfaces involved I have to say I enjoy grass the least but I've learned to appreciate what it requires especially after the European Spring hard court season.

I have always wondered why a shoe hasn't been developed that is somewhere between cleats and those little nubs tennis shoes have for the grass season.

JazzNU wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:11 pm ... Sloane is a near miss I remember last year that looked awful but lucky wasn't serious, and though he's already back from it, Matteo injured himself at Wimbledon as well and it led to him missing the Olympics. There were several others like both of them.

I had forgotten about those two.
The only thing that I would add to what you are saying is that in soccer, it really makes very little difference if the grass is all ruptured since the ball is so big, and in the NFL, the ball is never supposed to touch it, so you don't have to account for bounces.
For sure Wimby is never going to change that surface, as it is what makes it special, but I say that as long as you play long points on grass, this "silly" slips will continue to happen with the proportional amount of injuries.
I gather it would take a reasonable number of players to speak out, or some serious and convincing data.

Or Maxime Cressy to win it.
Then others might see that serve & volley ain't so bad, after all...

Remember when players would roll their ankles on Rebound Ace because it was rubber and got sticky in the Melbourne heat? They eventually changed it to a cooler surface.

I don't think Wimbledon will ever change or that any player will ever speak out against the grass... at least not for a couple generations.

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:34 am

Dang. I'm not surprised, but still, it's very sad news. I hope his post-tennis life is pain free.

Kevin

In 2009, who would have thought Delpo would retire before Roger?

dmforever wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 3:05 am

ti-amie wrote: ↑Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:34 am

Dang. I'm not surprised, but still, it's very sad news. I hope his post-tennis life is pain free.

Kevin

So true Megan. I feel so sad though. I know it's the right decision for him. Delpo has gone through so much with injuries and surgeries. One of the nicest, kindest guys out there!! One of my favorite players, ever!!

He is rightfully beloved in Argentina, but after that news about him being in financial difficulties due to his father's mismanagement, I wonder what options he has now. He does not have a voice for TV commentator (he is very subdued) and I don't know if he can go for coaching. He certainly can teach anybody how to serve, but that forehand was very unique and worked because of his long arms. Still, he has a pretty good reputation back home.
I wish him the best. A truly nice gentleman of the sport.

I think he'll be fine. He's not starting from zero unless I missed something. He's appeared to have a very nice house, car, etc. I think he's still got those things and hard to imagine he doesn't own those outright. And his reach is such that he's kept his sponsorship this entire time, no matter the injury or length of time away, so I would guess he continues to keep them for a bit at least. Several others have been in this position and I'd say his brand recognition is stronger in many ways. He's not just beloved in Argentina, he's seriously famous, he moves the needle there in ways the brands value. After all this time and all these injuries and despite how well Diego has done over the years (and how adorable he is), he's nowhere near as famous as Delpo. It's likely he'll have to figure something out, where he never had to work a day again before if he didn't want to, but I think he'll be okay.

I have no idea how good of friends he is with Roger or Rafa, but a limited exhibition tour in a few cities with one or both would probably be plenty to really give him some breathing room financially for several years. Roger did an exhibition tour in Latin America a couple of years ago and Delpo was scheduled to be his opponent in those matches, so I think their relationship is good enough to plan that again if both are physically capable. I think Roger makes at least a couple million per match when he does those.

Don't know about Roger but, while at the last USO, he was in the booth with the ESPN team and did mention that he kept in touch with Rafa, who was very supportive. He has spoken in the past about how both of them have stayed in touch when one or the other had an injury. So they are, at a minimum, "professionally" close.
A stint here and there at the academy is not out of the question.

Rafa out for 4-6 weeks with a cracked rib. Monte Carlo, Barcelona and possibly Madrid out of the calendar. RG now looks open for somebody else.
How on earth did he crack a rib? He is not playing American football, he is not in a rodeo. And cracked ribs simply don't heal like other bones; there is no bandaging or immobilization possible. I once had one and you basically have to stand still all day. Any movement can crack it open again.

ponchi101 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 22, 2022 3:02 pm Rafa out for 4-6 weeks with a cracked rib. Monte Carlo, Barcelona and possibly Madrid out of the calendar. RG now looks open for somebody else.
How on earth did he crack a rib? He is not playing American football, he is not in a rodeo. And cracked ribs simply don't heal like other bones; there is no bandaging or immobilization possible. I once had one and you basically have to stand still all day. Any movement can crack it open again.

That proves it - he has been laughing violently about the Novaxx situation since January. Finally hurt himself.

Rafa Nadal
@RafaelNadal
Hola todos, quería anunciaros que he vuelto a España y fui enseguida a visitar a mi equipo médico para hacerme las pruebas tras la final de Indian Wells que jugué con molestias.
Translated from Spanish by Google
Hello everyone, I wanted to announce that I have returned to Spain and I immediately went to visit my medical team to do the tests after the Indian Wells final that I played with discomfort.

Al final resulta que tengo una fisura por estrés en una de las costillas y estaré entre 4 y 6 semanas de baja. No son buenas noticias y no me esperaba esto. Estoy hundido y triste porque tras el inicio de temporada que he tenido tan buena.
Translated from Spanish by Google
As it turns out, I have a stress crack in one of my ribs and will be out for 4-6 weeks. This is not good news and I did not expect this. I am sunk and sad because after the start of the season I have had such a good time.

Llegaba a una parte muy importante del año con muy buenas sensaciones y buenos resultados. Pero bueno, siempre he tenido ese espíritu de lucha y superación y lo que sí haré es tener paciencia y trabajar duro tras mi recuperación. Una vez más agradecer a todos el apoyo.
Translated from Spanish by Google
I reached a very important part of the year with very good feelings and good results. But hey, I've always had that fighting and overcoming spirit and what I will do is be patient and work hard after my recovery. Once again thank everyone for the support.