Oh, fresh canvas.

Oh Pete, please no more predictions. Perhaps what a lot of commentators are forgetting is this one word: belief. We have seen it so many times during these championships from both players. Even though I would love for Serena to take this and would be quite put out that someone can come out of retirement and in her second tournament hoist a Grand Slam trophy, I think at the end of the day the winner is women's tennis. With the imminent decline of the FeDal era and the rise of players on the men's tour which really do nothing to inspire new fans to the sport, perhaps a championship match between 2 aging players on the WTA Tour will garner more support for women's tennis. I can only hope for a fair, clean and well played match from both ladies.

Day 12 schedule:

Cara Black and Liezel Huber vs Serena Williams and Venus Williams at 11 PM for WTA Doubles title
Pennetta/Melo vs Markarova/Levinsky
Roger Federer vs Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at 3:30 AM Friday morning

Black/Paes vs Raymond/Moodie - Last match on Margaret Court Arena

For those who asked earlier, no ESPN coverage until the second men's SF @ 3:30 AM ET.

If we go by your success rate at this Open Pete, the Justine fans should start celebrating since you pick Serena. Good point about Serena not being able to just throw her body around anymore. But at the same time, she really did not do that much running in the Li Na match. She just started blasting the ball and so I'm not sure how much running she did.

Ah, finally, Pete. Justine's versatile game and competitive spirit have carried her through to the final, even though her physical conditioning is not quite there yet. Not unlike Serena. It's going to be greeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaat on Saturday.

Serena has more than just a serve. If that's all she had, her record would be similar to Dr. Ivo's...the biggest server on any tour (probably ever).

Allez Justine!

OK, it's obvious that Serena's biggest weapon is her serve. But is it really the only one she has? Is it the general consensus that once the ball is in play Justine will probably win 70-80% of the rallies?

P.S. Dr. Ivo's win/loss record is what I meant, not his ace record.

Agree with PeteB that the most important, or unknown, element will be Henin's serve. But I would add that the one checkmark Serena almost always has against other opponents -- 3rd set superiority -- might not be retained against Henin.

Hoping for a doozy. No offense to Serena/Azarenka, but if that's the best women's match of the tournament, the bar's a tad low. Compelling and memorbable to a degree, sure, but also pretty much over a couple of games into the final set.

Tough match to call.

"""
Yet she not only moves extremely well and changes direction deftly, she's at her most dangerous when the attempt to run her ragged, east to west along the baseline, around opens up the court.
"""

Eh? Yesterday, against Li Na, in the first set, Serena missed almost every single shot that required her to move from one end of the baseline to the other. Basically, she played a couple of good points in the TB, and that was the end of it.

If Serena doesn't bring a high first serve %, the final will be over in a hurry. I mean, she's struggling to break Li Na. Despite Justine's serving woes, I'd rate her serve better than Li's. If Serena brings her first serve, it will depend on how well Justine picks side. I'd given Serena the edge in tiebreaks.

I feel compelled to copy/paste Wertheim's response (from his 1/20 Mailbag) for the benefit of those among us (including Pete the other day) who still insist on being shocked and awed by Henin's performance on her return to the Tour and those who go even further by suggesting that her performance (including a possible win on Saturday) would say something significant about the WTA. LJon expresses, more humorously and forcefully than I did, exactly how I feel about this topic:

"I don't want to take away from this whole comeback trope. It's a nifty storyline: players decide to quit, reassess the decision, get back into training and return to their winning ways. I get that. But to hear some of the discussion, you'd think that Henin had been spending the last 30 years playing shuffleboard in Boca ("Allez!"). She suddenly puts down her cane, get an artificial hip, LASIK and botox, starts ordering the cottage cheese and not the Reuben sandwich at the early bird special and works her way back. Let's be realistic: We're talking about an elite athlete (always in peak condition) and peerless competitor who took an 18-month hiatus and now, at age 27, has returned. I would almost go so far as to submit that if Henin weren't in top 20 form, it would be surprising."

Love it!

Pspace,

Has Serena been moving like she did in the QF and SF all tournament? I thought she had been moving quite well before those two matches, but perhaps I'm wrong. Does she ever do that, where she moves well in the first few matches, then looks sluggish and then in the final she starts moving well again? If she's moving well, does she ever win extended rallies with consistency.

Anon, I only watched her QF and SF, so I don't know about the rest of the tournament. In general, she's not a bad mover at all....compared to say the Sharapovas of the world. Seems to be a bit of an injury issue. So, yeah, I agree with you.

And yet you pick against her yet again?

Its definitely a pick 'em match. A few things worth noting:
- Serena vs. Henin's first delivery: In the SFs, Serena's and Henin's average first serve speeds were virtually identical. Henin's average first serve speed was a good 9 mph faster than Li's, 12 mph faster than Azarenka's, and about the same speed as Stosur's. Serena had a hard time with Stosur's serve (breaking her only once per set, losing some games at love), will Henin's first delivery hurt her as well? (I think the answer is yes)
- Henin vs. Serena's first delivery: It is worth nothing that Henin has already played two matches against players with Serena-speed serves: Kleybanova and Petrova. Neither of those players can place the ball as well as Serena (which is her truly unique asset), so the jury is out as to whether will have prepped the little Belgian for the American's bombs. (I think it will help out Henin, who will be able to get more of Serena's serves into play than any of her past opponents)

GO Justin GO.Welcome back Justin Henin , your new 2010 AO CHAMP,she will beat sh.t out of huge dude alike who got no business to play here in first place ,(sis should be suspended after US Open semis for 1 year at least).Justin in 2 sets.

Anon-

I didn't catch any of Serena's 1R-3R matches, but her movement was pretty poor in the 4R Stosur match, IMO. It's been pretty steady throughout the tournament, I think.

Pete It didnt really surprise me with the impact that Justine has had onher return.

Being a naturally gifted athlete those gifts dont ever leave you.Her "tough" mental attitude hasnt left either.Of course when her decision to return she would no doubt have practised to get the timing back on her shots.Pound for pound she can hold her own with the bigger woman on the tour.The only reservation I have at the moment is her serve.She needs to improve that.With time and more more matches under her belt,we may see this unfold.

She is a pleasure to watch.

Good evening,

Jon Wertheim is a little late to come up with those thoughts I wrote about Justine some weeks ago. Justine may be a lot of things but she isn't stupid. She wouldn't come back if she wasn't ready to win.

I was In Brussels today and frankly nobody I met gives a hoot about Justine at the moment but they'll be happy for her if she wins. That's when the real publicity and awareness will start in Belgium. I read in a newspaper that she is ready for the challenge ("Je veux aller au bout du défi"). Justine thinks that playing the final is a dream that comes true. Good luck!.

Not,

Her name is Justine, not Justin.

WTA singles final prediction tomorrow but here is the doubles preview

Cara Black/Liezel Huber vs Serena Williams/Venus Williams

Cara and Liezel are the number one team in the world and they have started off with a 13 match winning streak capturing titles at Auckland and Sydney. During the fortnight, they have lost only one set(Maria Kirilenko and Agnieszka Radwanska in the SF)against some pretty good teams. However, they have won a total of 7 games against their opponents at Wimbledon and United States Open last year.

Serena and Venus are going for their 11th Slam title which means they would have successfully defended their AO title from last year where they defeated Daniela Hantuchova and Ai Sugiyama in the final. They have been tested more than expected especially in their last 2 matches(Bethanie Mattek-Sands/Zi Yan and Lisa Raymond/Rennae Stubbs).

Prediction : Serena Williams and Venus Williams will successfully defend their title but it will be tougher than expected. Do not be shocked if Cara Black and Liezel Huber either force a tiebreak and/or win a set.

To add to what Ruth (and L. Jon) said, I'm starting to think this mid-career hiatus could be a really good thing for certain top players. Most of these folk have played highly competitive tennis since the time they could do basic math. It's essentially the only life they've ever known. For both Kim and Justine, they've accomplished goals that are truly astounding. Kim may have "only" won one slam before her hiatus, but let's face it, that puts her in extremely rarefied company. Both had reached #1 in the world. Life had pretty much been one long slog to the top and when they got there the pressure was only greater (it's like the old joke about making partner at a law firm: it's a pie-eating contest for which the winner gets...more pie). Yes, in many ways it's a charmed life, but it's also a VERY regimented and pressure-filled one. One can imagine that the desire to be free from all of that could get pretty strong.

So take a long break! Then you get to see if life away from that pressure and regimentation is as great is you thought it would be. Maybe it's not. Maybe you now gain a deeper kind of understanding of why you made all the sacrifices you made. Maybe you understand that you are, deep down, a highly competitive and driven person who actually thrives in that atmosphere and feels at home there. If you then go back to playing, a lot of the doubts you had about what you were doing with your life have been at least partially resolved. You understand the pressure in a different way and, for a time at least, lowered expectations mean you have less of it.

This plan doesn't work for everyone, obvious. The men's game has fewer examples of people who have taken time off and really come back strong. It also wouldn't work for players like Federer, who doesn't really seem to be bothered by the lifestyle, or Nadal and Serena who seem to have always understood that they are deeply competitive. Heck, Nadal was going on last week about a Playstation game he won! Think he wants a break from competitive pressure? I don't think so. But in some cases I can see it making a lot of sense.

Serena can get away with "playing herself into the match" against weaker players / weaker players getting nervous, but that won't be an option against Justine. Based on the form both players displayed in the semis, it seems obvious that Serena is the one who will really have to pick up the level of her game.

Justine's first serve is erratic, but stronger than Li's, so I don't think it will be a problem unless she double faults at the wrong time. In fact, more than anything else, I was surprised at how ineffective Serena's return of serve has been - she's not really punishing weak second serves on a regular basis. It's almost as if she's seeing the ball later than usual.

Anybody else think that Nadal should follow the Belgian's lead and take a good 6-8 months away from the game? I know that he never would (unless absolutely forced to), but I know from personal experience that a good long break from strenuous activity can do wonders for knee problems. And he's young enough that he'd have many prime playing years ahead of him on his return.

Excited.

Finally!

I'm going to decline to pick a winner, too close for comfort.

I have a question, Justine is french or belgian?

Good observation Christopher. The semi-retirement thing seems to work well for especially female players. And I highly doubt Kim and Justine just started training when they announced a return. They've been training for a while. Justine was essentially away from the game for like 20 months. That's the same as a player who has a tough year and isn't winning that much. It's much better than being injured because you recouperate. It also has the wonderful benefit of perspective...you get to watch the rest of the women and really notice what they do and so learn how to beat them. Sharapova in particular needs to think about taking a break. It may do wonders for her. (Ivanovic should just reitre permanently IMO. What kind of player needs their coach to hide the fact that they've reached #1 in the world, for the fear that she may mentally collapse in her final???)

I've been trying to post a brief comment in response to zengii's @3:45. Believe me, it has no improper language or baiting, but I keep getting "We cannot accept this data." I'll try again after this.

zengii: Wertheim was responding to a specific question from one of his readers who wondered about Henin's win over Dementieva.

I'm sure that he felt that way weeks ago just as you apparently did and just as I did as I did months ago when I compared the Clijsters return and subsequent good performances to the excellent, even improved performance, that a university might expect upon the return of one of its top professors after allowing said professor to take a sabbatical resting, studying, and improving his/her teaching skills.

Excellent post, Christopher. 100% in agreement. And I agree it seems to work better for the women -- now there's a dream question for a psychologist -- could write a whole PhD thesis probably.

Christopher, got your message on yesterday's thread. I thought it was MJF who made the "culture" comment, not Carillo. Anyway point taken.

Hi All,

I was checking the service and return stats from the AO website and I agree with rvabbott25 about ReRe's poor return stats especially on second serves. Justine on the other hand has been eating up puff second serves coming down her way so I think the return will determine a lot in this match as will the serve. Yes ReRe has been winning most points when she gets her first serve in but her first serve percentage has been all over the place between 40 and 64. So if she can't get the first serve in that effectively neutralizes her ability to win more points on her serve than Justine. Justine's issue with her serve is the DFs. If she can cut down on the DFs and also not throw one in at a critical time, I think she will be ok on serve. As for movement, I think Justine has the better footwork and probably moves better than ReRe so that is definitely advantage Justine. I do think it is a difficult match to call but just looking at everything for Justine to have come this far her winning this tournament almost looks inevitable as the comeback has been the main storyline of the tournament. As a ReRe fan, I want her to win #12 and I hope we get a good match.

Have a good one all.

Serena,I said that if won your match against Na Li,I'd never yell at you again and you did.*Sigh*So i will stick with my promise,and stay calm for the whole final.Give it your best,don't be nervous,this is what you were born to do,hit the serve and go for your shots.Stay focused,you cant afford to have any walkabouts and remember you're the 11 time GS Champion,go out on a stretcher if you have to,the only thing i ask is that youre holding the trophy and Kangaroo stuffed animal in your arms as they wheel you out.*giggles*Win or lose,I'll be here cheering for you!Go Serena and Kudos to Henin for making it to the final,i respect her game and I'm happy to see her back hitting those wicked shots that make you say DAYUM!!!hehe....To Not,Haters like you only make her stronger=P Pffft

Christopher: Nail on the head, again. And I think the hiatus idea might work well for the men, too. We haven't seen a male player at the top of his game voluntarily take a short break from the Tour. I'd love to see someone do that. Maybe, the closest we've come among the men was Borg who took a long, not very "healthy" break, and came back trying to play with a wood racket. No surprise about his results. :)

"Sherlock, you still have a team. Don't be greedy."

LOL, Jenni! Good point. I should keep that in mind. :)

Ruth, Agassi took a break for a while....about a year IIRC of rest and rehab. Came back a much better player.

JMac took breaks from the game (few months at a time). And, though Papa Mac said that he worked very hard during these breaks...his results were much worse.

Becker did a little in and out if I recall.

Ruth-- In some way Andre comes the closest to following this plan successfully for the men. It wasn't an "I'm retiring" type of break, but it was definitely a hiatus that gave him a chance to think about what was important to him and what tennis meant to him. He was clearly a different player when he returned.

I really wish Borg had done things differently. I was a huge fan and I think he could have had 5 more years of slam-winning tennis if he (and the ATP or whatever it was at the time) dealt with that point in his career better.

You're right, Christopher and Pspace. We didn't have the dramatcic one-year-in-advance or out-of-the-blue retirement announcements of Kim and Justine respectively, but there definitely was a drawing back or pulling away with Agassi, folloed by his time on the Challenger circuit.

BTW Just think...if Andre had chosen to "retire" officially when he was havings his "troubles" and, therefore, had been exempt from the mandatory drug testing, we might have had, in Open,his confession only to drug use but not to his lying to the ATP about it, something that Navratilova and others have reportedly found more offensive than the actually drug use.

Pancho Gonzalez took periodic breaks from tennis (I think he played with hot rod cars for a year or so during one of his breaks) and returned in about the same form, once he got himself back in shape.

Jack Kramer and a few other top players of his era lost some years due to WWII and played some very good tennis in the late 1940s, early 1950s.

Agree with everyone talking about Serenas ROS and movement throughout the tourney being poor but all i keep thinking is that this is a GS final. There is a reason she has only lost 3 (2 to her sister) and thats because whatever has happened throughout the fortnight gets thrown out of the window. In 07 she was downright shambolic in a lot of matches and crushed Maria in the final, in 09 wimby she played a long match with Demmy/ doubles the next day and then comprehensively beat one of the best grass court players ever. Justine will play exactly how shes played in all her matches, very well. I would be surprised if Serena played how shes played against any of her opponents. But no matter the result im thrilled Serenas made another final and hope the match is high quality.

BTW, when I say Justine's game is only 80-85 percent of what it was, that's not to say she won't get all the way back. A lot of that is timing issues -- such as her serve -- and the more she plays, the less problem that will be.

It would be dreadful to see Serena lose to the two returnees. She lost in USO and I would hate to see her lose to another returnee. It would not be right somehow.

Of course, it there were another footfault fight or other disaster it would be priceless.

Christopher:

I think you have a very valid argument here. Yes, the idea of taking a hiatus from the game, and coming back stronger and refreshed holds appeal. However, one of the reasons it has worked the way it has, on the women's side, is due to the lack of depth in the women's game.

Yes, it would be interesting to see how things work if a top male player took time off and came back after a year to two years hiatus. However, I feel the men's game has too much depth to enable a top male player to come back and dominate like his old self. Nadal did take time off from the circuit, but it was only 3-4 months and I am sure he was practicing during that time as well. However, I don't think a player who has taken time off in years would come back as strongly - on the men's side.

Historically, Agassi's also interesting in that he might be the only all-timer who was a better player late in career than in his early and middle years. Connors, Lendl and Sampras also played well late into their careers, but I don't think one could argue they were at their best. (Btw, I'm talking post-Laver era dudes.)

Borg's retirement, I suppose, will always remains a mystery. Had he kept playing (and had the players taken the AO more serious in his era) Fed might still be chasing the all-time Slams record. Then again, record books in sports are filled with such "What if?" games.

I think we are going to see a very different Serena Williams in the final. Yes, she has to play the doubles final, which I think will be great practice for her. She still has until that night to recover.

In my opinion, Serena is going to be focused like never before. I don't believe for one minute she has forgotten about the losses to Justine in 2007 in the quarters of a couple or few slams. I forget how many. There is no way Serena, being the #1 player right now, is going to lose to Justine in this final. I think her heart and mental toughness will take her to victory.

Justine, on the other hand, while I congratulate her for getting to the final, I think she has been away from grand slam play just enough, that the pressure and moment will get to her, and she will wilt.

Mcakron:

Agassi is/was an interesting phenomenon in the world of tennis. His career could definitely be divided into two parts. The first un-successful half, and the second sucessful part of his career. I feel he was more of a rebel against the system in the first half of his career. From his long hair, to the flashy clothes, to skipping Wimbledon because he did not want to conform to its traditions.

However, at some point in time, something happened between the two halfs of his career. That something, not sure what, helped him mature and become more mellow, probably not the best word to use here. Anyhow, this maturity helped him channel his energy much more efficiently than he used to - and this helped him focus much more clearly on his game. Hence the improved results we saw in the second half of his career.

Btw...I am a new poster here and hopefully I will be participating in the discussions abit more regularly.

Mcakron:

Agassi is/was an interesting phenomenon in the world of tennis. His career could definitely be divided into two parts. The first un-successful half, and the second sucessful part of his career. I feel he was more of a rebel against the system in the first half of his career. From his long hair, to the flashy clothes, to skipping Wimbledon because he did not want to conform to its traditions.

However, at some point in time, something happened between the two halfs of his career. That something, not sure what, helped him mature and become more mellow, probably not the best word to use here. Anyhow, this maturity helped him channel his energy much more efficiently than he used to - and this helped him focus much more clearly on his game. Hence the improved results we saw in the second half of his career.

Btw...I am a new poster here and hopefully I will be participating in the discussions abit more regularly.

i hope serena doesn't lose to the second recently
unretired player. it will kill her.

I think if Justine wins it would be sad for women's tennis. That someone could come out of retirement and win a grand slam does not look good for the sport.

Welcome to TW, TennFan

Indeed, welcome TennFan.

Thanks for the welcome Master Ace :)

helen, that means that this women era is not the best. How can be possilble that Serena still can win most of the GS at her age, com'on!!!!!. Hope some young players will play much better than they are playing now

Thanks for the welcome Mcakron :)

"even improved performance, that a university might expect upon the return of one of its top professors after allowing said professor to take a sabbatical resting'. huh Can we compare this with professional tennis players. Isn't hitting under grand slam pressure to be considered. It seems to me that every single former pro tennis player has been shocked with the level that Justine has been able to reach in only her second tournament. MOST people are except Wertheim and some here.

"How can be possilble that Serena still can win most of the GS at her age, com'on!!!!!."

Maybe she's really good.

I don't think anyone would accuse me of being a rabid fan of the present WTA, but for all those who say that Kim and Justine coming back to such quick success means the women's tour is especially weak, do you think the WTA was also extremely weak in 1995-96? After all Seles came back from almost two years off following a traumatic stabbing. She won her first tournament back (0 and 1 in the final), got to the final of the USO, and then won the Australian.

Some stats:

From '99-'09, Fed has not missed a slam (2 quallie losses included) of 44

From '04-'09, Rafa has missed 4 of 24

From '89-'02, Sampras missed 5 slams of 56.

First half of Andre's career '87-'96, he missed 12 slams of 40

Second half from '98-'05, he missed 3 of 32. And he played 2 in '06.

From '84-'97, Becker missed 11 of 55 (Oz was not held in '86)

From '83-'96 Edberg missed 1 slam out of 55

From '77-'92 JMac missed 17 of 63

From '72-'89 Connors missed 23 of 71

From '73-'81 Borg missed 9 of 40

JMac, Borg and Connors skipped most Oz opens.

Most interesting question to me is what should Rafa do? If I were him, I'd tank one slam every year, including the lead in. Just show up and take a first round loss from Oz-Miami. But, that prolly goes against his mindset.

Daryl: I agree. Once I saw Henin push Clijsters to three sets in her first tournament back on the tour, I knew she was in pretty good shape. IMO, her lack of match practice was the only reason she lost the match, otherwise I feel she should have won it.

Tomorrow's final should be an interesting cracker of a match.

Umm, "top university professors" don't spend their sabbaticals resting.

Why would it be sad if Justine wins? You sound like she's never been #1 before,and for longer periods than Serena btw. It would only be a great accomplishment by a truly all-time great.Never mind the "retirement" or the so-called lack of depth in the WTA.

Serena is a formidable player,but even she is not perfect tennis-wise,as her match with Na Li has shown.If there is one player capable of finding Serena's Achilles' heel,it's Justine. I really think it's a 50/50 odds match and all I hope for is that both players bring their best skills on the court to offer us a true Classic final,we're long overdue.

According to earyl news..Nadal has a torn quadriceps tendon in his right leg and will be out for at least a month:
http://www.nadalnews.com/2010/01/28/out-a-month/comment-page-1/#comment-24122

Welcome to TW Tennis Fan

Hi everyone.
About the WTA final, i honestly dont care who wins. No horse in this race. And i cant get myself to do a prediction. They both have the mentality of champions, so it wont be easy to put them down, as they have shown in their way to the final. If Justine plays the way she did against Petrova, she'll lose. If Serena plays the way she did against Li, she'll lose. If they both play well (or bad), who knows?

Those are interesting numbers about Rafa, Pspace. I also think he should just show up in some tournaments, blast away at the ball, and not run. Lose in whatever round that takes you to. And i also agree he will never do it. However, i would think a very appropiate time of the season to do that, apart from the pointless IW/Miami double, would be everything that happens after the USO. We are not taking into account here that after returning in the summer last year, Nadal did spend 4 months playing on HCs, and he just must limit that, no matter what. What i'd say is: play without running everything on HCs that's not Doha, AO, Montreal, Cincy and USO. Maybe that way he could actually have a career for a longer time.

About Nadal's most recent injury, his camp hasnt confirmed anything, but Spanish sports newpaper MARCA reports that the test he took in Australia revealed a tear in the tendon above the riight knee, with the time out of the tour depending on the specific chracteristics of the tear, but no less than a month, which would turn the "pre-season" he and his team expected to have before IW (some days ago, an article was posted here about that) into more rehab time.

AM: Thanks for the welcome !

Pspace Yeah like I can see Rafa doing that

Mirko Thanks,that news has been posted.Though I have got mail they are still awaiting furhter news in Mallorca.Conflicting reports at the moment.

Mr X With the news of a "tear" in the tendon,I would like to know how bad it is quite frankly.

Justine may be on a career comeback, but Miss Lady Serena is queen of the match comebacks. Down 0-4? No worries. I never underestimate her, even when the scoreline looks dire.

Sorry, forgot to add the link (in Spanish):
http://www.marca.com/2010/01/28/tenis/1264681216.html

Oh, and congratulions to all the followers of the vampire, specially the recently-named Vladnap (who's probably preparing some haggis for Sunday), and Pspace, Lestat's main disciple. I didnt watch the match (hey, i'm very short in sleep these days, had a free day, and slept in, big-time), but apparently the vampire just got better as the darkness fell more intensely on the court, and that darkness also fell over poor Marin Cilic as the match adavanced:)

Welcome to TW, TennFan. Cupcake?:)

daryl: We can compare tennis with almost any profession/career/job that requires hard work and dedication for success. Unfortunately, not all workers have the privilege of being able to take those breaks from work from which they all know hey would benefit. So, they do the best they can with their two-week or four-week annual vacations (more in Europe, I hear).

And what vehicle is Serena, Pete? A Cadillac Escalade?

Mr. X, that really sucks about the tear in the tendon. Prolly worse than tendonitis (paging Dr. Hart). If it's only a month long rehab, then he can prolly skip IW and Miami, and just show up for clay. Hmmm...Rafa outside the top 5....the streak ends at 23 ;-).

Mr.X, if you read AS news they say something different than Marca, it's not the first time. I think AS is closer to the reality and you can see what Rafa says in the vid

"congratulions"? I still have a lot of sleep time to recover. Since there are not matches going on tonight, i think i'm leaving pretty soon.

For what the article says, farther tests that he took today in Barcelona will reveal that, AM. Of course, it seems that the guy will never learn. Watch him going out of taking those tests (video in the right top corner):
http://www.marca.com/2010/01/28/tenis/1264704719.html

What he says:
"We'll know more in a few days. no, i'm not worried, i have this small pain, and in some weeks, or less, i'll be recovered"
He will never learn.

By the way, i feel like i was doing this reporting on Nadal's knee injury thing just a few months ago, and let me tell you, it sucks to be doing it again.

First half of Andre's career '87-'96, he missed 12 slams of 40
-----------

Pspace: the funny thing is, though, he skipped Wimbledon for many of those years up to 1992 - and then he won it. I think he played it in 87, skipped 4 years of grass, then conquered it.

A quad tear for Rafa would make sense as it appeared the trainer was working above the his knee during the sf medical timeout. His body just doesn't want to cooperate with his drive and talent.

I am giving the edge to Serena in the final but have to say this one makes me a bit nervous (especially with Serena's schedule this week).

Welcome TennFan! Cheers.

Mr X As far as I am concerned those bloody knees werent right in the first place upon his return.

He had Christmas day off and practiced like a Chook With Its Head Cut Off.

When I see those straps off his knees I always get worried,like clay season 09.

Pspace,
The article also says that it wouldnt be surprising to see him fall to 5 or 6 before RG, considering all the points he has to defend. Quite frankly, i think in the last months, that is more or less the ranking that makes sense.

Carol,
First, let me say that i admire your relentless optimism, even if the facts keep giving less and less reason for it. That being said, AS doesnt say anything different than MARCA, they just say nothing apart from quoting Rafa's words, which i linked a video to previously.

Corrie I will give you my other e mail address,when I am down in Melbourne

margaretmcaleer@iprimus.com. I am taking my lap top computer with me.

tina, yeah, Andre was a bit crazy during those years. I think he had a problem with wearing white or something like that, which led to him skipping Wimbledon.

That '92 final was prolly one of the more memorable wins for me as a fan :-). The returning display he put on for those two weeks was just incredible. Thankfully, Goran got his Wimby later on.

A tear, well, shit.

It's good it isn't the old problems, and it isn't related, either, right?

Still, what a pity. + I heard a month off. No DC for him. (Time to reconsider that desicion, Roger.)

(paging Dr. Hart)

....hello???

:) Dunno how accurate those reports are but IF (i repeat, IF) it is a quad tear...I'm actually happier with that than tendonitis. (call me crazy). Tendonitis is just so darn recurring. If Nadal had got tendonitis in the knee again, just 3 weeks into the season...I'd start to have some doubts about his long-term ability to consistently play on tour. But an acute injury like a tear? So long as you take the time and work to heal correctly, a minor tear should have no lasting/recurring effect.

From the descriptions in the match (I can't remember where I read it, but didn't Rafa say he felt fine until the end of the 2nd, then felt a 'crunch'?) I always thought it was a new acute injury rather than a recurrence of tendonitis.

If I were him, (and this is the injury), I'd throw the towel in hard court season and just come back for clay. (Dr Hart's personal note: NOOOO!!! I have IW tickets!!!! BOO!).

Gotta run guys. Will be on later around Fed-Tsonga time.

Hart, hehe, that was quick ;-).

Btw, do you think the tear could be a compensatory injury? IIRC, he was trying to strengthen his quads to take stress off the knees...

Isn't there a south American clay-court season going on at the same time as the HC season. If Rafa needs to preserve those knees and salvage ranking (he's going to drop to like 5 or something with a month off, can you imagine him and Roger at the Q of the french?!!) - this might be the way to go.

Kim and Justine both took a retirement pause.

Kim married and had the cutest baby girl.
Justine was divorced and still has not found a partner.

Seems to me that Kim got more out of retirement than Justine in the personal life category; how the tennis success for each lady will play out is interesting.

"No DC for him. (Time to reconsider that desicion, Roger.)"
Hey, wait a minute! It doesnt work that way. He said he wasnt coming, now he cant take it back. BLOCK THE BORDERS!!!!:)

Pspace, i do remember Agassi acting funny when first showing his white shorts in Wimbledon. By the way, i imagine you'll be cheering like Crazy for Jo tonight (or tomorrow morning, or whenever).

Thanks, Dr. Hart. That's good news (kinda). Reports suggest that IW is questionable at this point. I also think he should skip it altogether. What's the point in going there and losing to say, Nole, in the quarters? But if he's healthy by then, i dount he will skip anything.

Mr.X: thanks for the reports on rafa (oy, again). didn't catch what you wanted us to see on the vid, though. was he jumping over luggage or something?

All i know, if he can't play IW, I will be a very depressed lady.

Welcome to TW, TennFan, were you a lurker or just a driveby? and who are your favs?

Kombo: no more CC's so no wonder you've been lost. glad you found us.

>>Hart, hehe, that was quick ;-)

Seriously, during slow work days like today, I lurk horribly. I'm around but too lazy to type. :)

>>do you think the tear could be a compensatory injury
Possibly. Can never rule that out, especially with the limited info I have. Like, was that area painful before the match, how do those knees really feel, etc... Going on what Rafa has said (the knees feel fine, now, no?), I'd venture a guess that its not a comp injury tho. Often/usually, those will have a bit of build-up soreness before, not just a sudden tear, and if his knees have felt fine since Dec/Jan, then it would be an odd time to show up with no prior warning...

(*presser-based diagnosis alert* Surgeon General warns again taking any of this information as true or accurate. Consume at your own (mental health) risk)

At the present time with a "tear" still dont know how bad it is,which is most important

I wouldnt risk too much time on the clay either.A player on clay spends more time with longer rallies etc,ok the dirt under foot might be kinder.Though with Rafa and his knee problems this could esclate further.

I ahve always said he needed to drop a tournament in the clay season he is not a machine on the clay either.Though that being said a bit too late now.

If he thinks by making up for lost points and playing every clay tournaments he is Nuts.

"can you imagine him and Roger at the Q of the french?!!"

Please let this happen, tennis gods. :)

Mr. X, yep. Allez Tsonga! I'd like to see him do well. OTOH Muzz will prolly get more street cred if he beats Fed in the final.

I'm not too concerned either way. It will basically boil down to day form, and Muzz has to produce.

dr.Hart: If he doesn't make IW, then I'll be coming out primarily to hang with TWibers and soak up California sunshine for a few days. Awful when you only really give a damn about one player, no?

Calling Dr Hart

Hart If a tear is bad then you can have surgery right? though usually small tears heal themselves.

>>can you imagine him and Roger at the Q of the french?!!)

Ooof, can you imagine if Roger's semifinal streak ends up on the line for a QF meeting between Rafa and Rog at the French?

Mr.X, I rather to be optimistic than negative person, in that way I believe than I can bring better things.

http://www.as.com/tenis/articulo/nadal-pasa-pruebas-clinica-cima/dasten/20100128dasdasten_5/Tes

Annie,
No, the (video in the right top corner) was just an innecessary indication of where the video was in the page. There's nothing there, apart from his words:)

I'm leaving to have the first full night of sleep in 2 weeks. Yoohoo!:)
I would say "Allez Jo!", but it would be pointless for 2 reasons: 1- I seem to jinx everybody i cheer for in this tournament (see Zheng, Jie), and 2- It's not like he has much of a chance anyway.

See you tomorrow, everyone.

Hart, that's what i was thinking.