Nadal pulls out of Paris

http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/7184664/rafael-nadal-pulls-paris-focus-atp-finals

I seems like Nadal acknowledges that he can only lose in Paris.

Bizarre isn't it?

Djoko, Federer (at 30) and Murray can line up tournaments but Nadal can't.

well then again Federer and Djokovic are both back after decent breaks so are hardly "lining up" tournaments, and Murray's just pulled out of this week's tournie too. Actually the top 4 as usual have played roughly the same number of tournaments this year, but again they choose to play at different times: Rafa goes flat out through the clay and plays less at the end of the year, Fed paces himself throughout, Murray had a poor early spring, so has more freshess for Asia, and Nole's long break post US shows he may be feeling the strain of his fantastic year.

As for Rafa pulling out of Paris, he's never done well there, the surface doesn't suit him much, and I think he's also admitting that he hasn't had a great year, and isn't in the right frame of mind right now. Not sure how much I expect from him at the WTFs either...

Mad for Chelsea wrote:.. and I think he's also admitting that he hasn't had a great year, and isn't in the right frame of mind right now. Not sure how much I expect from him at the WTFs either...

I don't think he had a bad year. I've never seen him better physically..At the slams that is

never said "bad year", I said "[not] great", and I never meant to imply he had a bad year. however, I do think mentally he's struggled with being dominated by Djokovic, as this is the first time he's ever been dominated to such an extent by one player in his career.

It's a shame that Nadal has pulled out. Here's hoping that he is fresh and in great spirits for WTF. 16 days to go

are you going to the WTF carrie? if so you're a lucky so-and-so

Sadly not , I will be glued to my tv screen when not stuck at work though. I am trying to console myself by saying that the view will be better but it is not working very well.

Nadal should also pull out of the WTF.

He will never win the WTF(only 1 title won indoors and it was 6 years ago...), like Borg never won the USO, Sampras never won RG and Federer will never win the Davis Cup.

Some tournaments are just not meant to be.

gallery play wrote:

Mad for Chelsea wrote:.. and I think he's also admitting that he hasn't had a great year, and isn't in the right frame of mind right now. Not sure how much I expect from him at the WTFs either...

I don't think he had a bad year. I've never seen him better physically..At the slams that is

2011 was Nadal's worst year since he became a top player in 2005.. Just 3 titles all on clay. This will be the first year he does not win a title outside of clay since 2004.


Since Nadal became a top player in 2005, 2011 is the year with the least titles and all on clay


2005: 11 titles(3 off clay)
2006: 5 titles(1 off clay)
2007: 6 titles(1 off clay)
2008: 8 titles(4 off clay)
2009: 5 titles(2 off clay)
2010: 7 titles(3 off clay)
2011: 3 titles(0 off clay)

2011 least winningest year for Nadal.

eraldeen wrote:Nadal should also pull out of the WTF.

He will never win the WTF(only 1 title won indoors and it was 6 years ago...), like Borg never won the USO, Sampras never won RG and Federer will never win the Davis Cup.

Some tournaments are just not meant to be.

If there is one thing I have learned from watching Nadal over the years it is NEVER count him out. Telling him he can't win something seems to be a sure fire way of ensuring that he does win it.

carrieg4 wrote:

eraldeen wrote:Nadal should also pull out of the WTF.

He will never win the WTF(only 1 title won indoors and it was 6 years ago...), like Borg never won the USO, Sampras never won RG and Federer will never win the Davis Cup.

Some tournaments are just not meant to be.

If there is one thing I have learned from watching Nadal over the years it is NEVER count him out. Telling him he can't win something seems to be a sure fire way of ensuring that he does win it.

When playing indoors , it is better to count him out. His only indoors title came 6 years ago when he was a teenager and his rival in the final was Ljubo and still Nadal had to come and win from 2 sets down . Indoors is not his surface at all. Like Sampras on clay.

eraldeen wrote:

carrieg4 wrote:

eraldeen wrote:Nadal should also pull out of the WTF.

He will never win the WTF(only 1 title won indoors and it was 6 years ago...), like Borg never won the USO, Sampras never won RG and Federer will never win the Davis Cup.

Some tournaments are just not meant to be.

If there is one thing I have learned from watching Nadal over the years it is NEVER count him out. Telling him he can't win something seems to be a sure fire way of ensuring that he does win it.

When playing indoors, it is better to count him out. His only indoors title came 6 years ago when he was a teenager and his rival in the final was Ljubo and still Nadal had to come and win from 2 sets down. Indoors is not his surface at all. Like Sampras on clay.

Like I say, he may or may not win it there are no absolutes. At one time lots of people were saying he wouldn't win anything other than on clay and look what happened. Anyway I will certainly enjoy watching him play.

Nadals record at the WTF when he has played has been good

2010 Lost to Federer in Final
2009 Shouldn't have played
2008 Didn't play
2007 Lost to Federer in Semi
2006 Lost to Federer in Semi

If it wasn't for that tricky Federer (who is quite good on hardcourts!) Nadal might have a few shiny WTF trophies and everyone would have to accept he's pretty good on indoor hardcourts. His problem is staying fit at this time of year.

As for Paris I'm not surprised. He sort of let it slip in Shanghai that he wouldn't be playing.

Good research hawkeye, knew he had done well previously but didn't have the energy to look it up to confirm.

hawkeye wrote:Nadals record at the WTF when he has played has been good

2010 Lost to Federer in Final
2009 Shouldn't have played
2008 Didn't play
2007 Lost to Federer in Semi
2006 Lost to Federer in Semi

If it wasn't for that tricky Federer (who is quite good on hardcourts!) Nadal might have a few shiny WTF trophies and everyone would have to accept he's pretty good on indoor hardcourts. His problem is staying fit at this time of year.

As for Paris I'm not surprised. He sort of let it slip in Shanghai that he wouldn't be playing.

I expect 2011 to be like 2009. He will lose all 3 RR matches. Nadal will not win a set(like in 2009). Not make the SF. Mark my words.

ereldeen

That may very well be possable... but it still wouldn't hinder his chances of a calender slam in 2012.

Then again he could also win WTF.

I find it really bizarre that a player can pull out so easily with no need to come up with an excuse but just say that he ne needs to get better prepared for WTF and 2012!!!! According to its interview. How pulling out of Paris will prepare him better for 2012? What about playing tennis against the top players? Isn;t that a good way to get better? Or is it once again about getting fitter at all costs?

Also Why can't he try and play and lose early? Is his image so important? Can't he be seen losing? I remeber when Federer lost 2 years ago to Beneteau in that first round cause he clearly did not fancy going all the way...or maybe simply was tired but played. This is a new trend with top players that I find irritating. It's all about the image of d not wanting to be seen losing to inferior players.

The upsets are so rare in tennis nowadays...it;s getting boring. There are even rarer than F1 overtakings!

Wasnt Nadal complaining about the tax laws in UK? Seems like he's suddenly changed his tune, or something..

That as well JM.

But frankly....he has played 7 matches in the last 9 weeks..and only best of 3s??? and he is tired? Before that he played 10 matches in 11 weeks! and he wants a lighter schedule?

I agree with Tenez on this one, I don't agree with players pulling out of tournaments like this for no particular reason, and it's not just Nadal. We've seen it quite often from Federer (Halle and Shaghai this year for instance), Djokovic (Monte Carlo) and Murray too (Dubai). It seems to be a growing trend, as I don't remember this so much from previous years.

I think part of it is as you underline, Tenez. They've worked hard to develop a sort of "aura" about them, and possibly feel losing matches to lesser players would result in that aura weakening. But I'm also going to defend these guys. They're professional athletes, and clearly feel when something isn't right, and rather than making it worse they prefer to not take the risk. That's fair enough IMO, your first priority should be to your own body.

Ultimately I'm going to come down on the player's side here. If you're not feeling right, for whatever reason, there's little point in turning up just to lose. Look after yourself first.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:I agree with Tenez on this one, I don't agree with players pulling out of tournaments like this for no particular reason, and it's not just Nadal. We've seen it quite often from Federer (Halle and Shaghai this year for instance), Djokovic (Monte Carlo) and Murray too (Dubai). It seems to be a growing trend, as I don't remember this so much from previous years.
.

I appreciate your effort to appear fair and not singling out one player but clearly, Djoko and Federer's cases are very different and excusable. Djoko was exhausted before MC for good reasons as he had played a very tough schedule winning all tournaments he entered. Federer is 30 and has a family and travelling back and force to Shanghai just after his long trip to Australia for the DC wasn't too appealing, plus he wants to play Basel, Paris and WTF, so clearly needs resting as this could be 15 matches in 4 weeks.

Nadal is in Europe and as mentioned hasn't played much in the last 9 weeks. How turning up and play 2 or 3 matches going to affect his preparation?...shoudl he want to rest for WTF?

Nadal is covered by the following ATP exemption...

From the ATP Rule book (Page 13).

1.08 Reduction of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 Commitment

A. A player’s number of ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments shall be reduced by
one (1) tournament for reaching each of the following milestones:
1) 600 matches* (as of 1 January of the commitment year)
2) 12 years of service
3) 31 years of age (as of 1 January of the commitment year)

If all three (3) conditions are met then the player has a complete exemption from the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 player commitment.

The first Year of Service shall be the first calendar year in which a player has competed in at least twelve (12) tournaments offering ranking points.

* From 2010 only main draw singles matches played in the following events will be used in the player’s match count for purposes of this rule.

ATP World Tour
Barclays ATP World Tour Final
Grand Slams
Davis Cup
Olympics
Challenger and Futures matches played prior to 2010 will remain on the player’s record as relates to this commitment reduction rule.


B. A player who is eligible for a reduction of his ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments must be in good standing with the ATP in order to receive a reduction of required ATP World Tour Masters 1000 commitment tournaments.


Warning - Clicking on this link will download the ATP Rule Book on your computer.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/~/media/2F1A2D2FDD954D1BBC96BDEDFBF40D53.ashx

Roddick, for example, used the specific exemption.

Although this tournament is mandatory for top-ranked players, Roddick will not be fined because he is allowed one free exemption per year as a veteran with more than 600 matches played on tour.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/tennis/news/story?id=5128625

The other conclusion, from this rule, is that Federer can skip all Masters after 1 January 2013 (Date of Birth 8 August 1981). Perhaps he can try for a CYGS then.

The worst case in sports of "fear of losing" is Bobby Fischer. After he captured the world title (Chess) in 1972, he never played an official match again. He just couldn't bare the thought of losing. To me many retirements of Djoko and Nadal point in the same direction.

gallery play wrote:The worst case in sports of "fear of losing" is Bobby Fischer. After he captured the world title (Chess) in 1972, he never played an official match again. He just couldn't bare the thought of losing. To me many retirements of Djoko and Nadal point in the same direction.

unbelievable....

I certainly see that in Nadal. Though in my view Nadal doesn;t seem to be seen losing versus lower ranked players which we know he is vulnerable to outside of slams. That in my view is more his problem than losing versus the other top 4 players.

Examples about Djoko doing the same?

I can understand Rafa Nadal pulling out of the Paris Masters. Firstly, he has no points to defend so ranking points pressure don't exist and secondly the court really doesn't suit his game so why even bother? Especially, if you consider there may be parts of his game he is really keen to work on in training for the WTF and for next year that will make him more competitive against Novak Djokovic. The only thing I would say is that he runs the risk of going into the WTF with a little match rustiness.

Tenez wrote:I find it really bizarre that a player can pull out so easily with no need to come up with an excuse but just say that he ne needs to get better prepared for WTF and 2012!!!! According to its interview. How pulling out of Paris will prepare him better for 2012? What about playing tennis against the top players? Isn;t that a good way to get better? Or is it once again about getting fitter at all costs?

Also Why can't he try and play and lose early? Is his image so important? Can't he be seen losing? I remeber when Federer lost 2 years ago to Beneteau in that first round cause he clearly did not fancy going all the way...or maybe simply was tired but played. This is a new trend with top players that I find irritating. It's all about the image of d not wanting to be seen losing to inferior players.

The upsets are so rare in tennis nowadays...it;s getting boring. There are even rarer than F1 overtakings!

Disagree with this point Tenez. You seem to be saying that you think it's better for a top player to turn up for a tournament without much intention of geting past the first round than to say up front I'm not really mentally up for this event so I'm withdrawing beforehand. By doing that it allow another player the chance to play get some ranking points and cash. Nadal could easily have claimed an injury but doesn't appear to have done so. I see it as similar to Federer who didn't go to Shanghai. He didn't claim injury, he was up front and basically said that he needed some rest before the three tournaments he is going to play now.

The problem is two folds.

1- I can't see what's the problem with a player who only played 7 matches in the last 9 weeks! I don;t buy this tiredness, mentally not up for it or getting prepared for WTF. Like I did not buy last year his shoulder injury giving him another excuse cause then he did not have the rule in his favour to pull out.

You cannot compare this with a 30yo father of 2 who gave so much to tennis, especially there in Asia, and who happened to have just returned from Australia after an exhausting summer season.

2 - Nadal is only 25, at the peak of his form and after a 3 weeks (if not 4) rest should really be fit enough mentally and physically to play Paris. I remember, Federer travelling all teh way to Shanghai with an ankle injury when he was the same age....and managed to reach teh final there. Nadal coudl also play out of respect for the TD, fans and sport in general. Yet, in my view, the reason is that he is simply not as fit as in slams and doesn't want to be exposed by a Dodig or a Mayer again.

The trend is a 7 year old one...we know the routine by now.

Tenez wrote:I certainly see that in Nadal. Though in my view Nadal doesn;t seem to be seen losing versus lower ranked players which we know he is vulnerable to outside of slams. That in my view is more his problem than losing versus the other top 4 players.

Examples about Djoko doing the same?

MC semi 2008 against Fed. If that wasn't a case of "i'll quit before he beats me" than i don't know what is. Especially since it was the first meeting after the "king is dead" incident. Retirements like these are to me worse than withdrawals.

What's his retirement record again?

Tenez, this year both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal I do believe have played in the same amount of tournaments so I wouldn't say either were neglecting their duties in any way. If Rafa doesn't feel this tournament isn't right for him then fair enough I mean are you saying he should turn up in not the right frame of mind on a surface that lends nothing to his game when he has no points to defend? All that would being is an early exit and a blow to his confidence going into the last big tournament of the season. Where is the sense in that?

Ok - THat one was a bad one. My understanding is that he had a tachycardia which can be scary if you are playing at a high level.

He certainly had/has a "great" retirement record as I just remembered that he also pulled out of Cincy this year..with a possible 3 games to go, yet went on to win the USO.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Tenez, this year both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal I do believe have played in the same amount of tournaments so I wouldn't say either were neglecting their duties in any way. If Rafa doesn't feel this tournament isn't right for him then fair enough I mean are you saying he should turn up in not the right frame of mind on a surface that lends nothing to his game when he has no points to defend? All that would being is an early exit and a blow to his confidence going into the last big tournament of the season. Where is the sense in that?

I am not saying he should be hanged high with a short rope, just that I don;t buy his excuses and he can't be compared to Federer in that respect.

gallery play wrote:

Tenez wrote:I certainly see that in Nadal. Though in my view Nadal doesn;t seem to be seen losing versus lower ranked players which we know he is vulnerable to outside of slams. That in my view is more his problem than losing versus the other top 4 players.

Examples about Djoko doing the same?

MC semi 2008 against Fed. If that wasn't a case of "i'll quit before he beats me" than i don't know what is. Especially since it was the first meeting after the "king is dead" incident. Retirements like these are to me worse than withdrawals.

What's his retirement record again?

Nole retired in that match because of what Federer said to Novak's parents.

Tenez wrote:The problem is two folds.

1- I can't see what's the problem with a player who only played 7 matches in the last 9 weeks! I don;t buy this tiredness, mentally not up for it or getting prepared for WTF. Like I did not buy last year his shoulder injury giving him another excuse cause then he did not have the rule in his favour to pull out.

You cannot compare this with a 30yo father of 2 who gave so much to tennis, especially there in Asia, and who happened to have just returned from Australia after an exhausting summer season.

2 - Nadal is only 25, at the peak of his form and after a 3 weeks (if not 4) rest should really be fit enough mentally and physically to play Paris. I remember, Federer travelling all teh way to Shanghai with an ankle injury when he was the same age....and managed to reach teh final there. Nadal coudl also play out of respect for the TD, fans and sport in general. Yet, in my view, the reason is that he is simply not as fit as in slams and doesn't want to be exposed by a Dodig or a Mayer again.

The trend is a 7 year old one...we know the routine by now.

I understand all of of this Tenez but they are playing on the same tour with the same rules. From the rules that I have posted above I don't see any special exemptions at present for Federer because of age, because he has children, or because there was a lot of travelling involved. I actually have sympathy with him on this but can also see why Nadal has pulled out of Paris.

Federer has opted out of tournaments before for understandable reasons and this is just the same in my opinion. No big deal if he feels not right for the tournament for various reasons.

retirements of current top 5:
Djoko: 12
Nadal: 8
Murray: 5
Federer: 0
Ferrer: 6

And he's the youngest of all..
Sure, he's retiring for a reason. But they all have more or less reasons to quit sometimes, yet most of them carry on. Which is why Djoko is "on topic" here

noleisthebest wrote:

gallery play wrote:

Tenez wrote:I certainly see that in Nadal. Though in my view Nadal doesn;t seem to be seen losing versus lower ranked players which we know he is vulnerable to outside of slams. That in my view is more his problem than losing versus the other top 4 players.

Examples about Djoko doing the same?

MC semi 2008 against Fed. If that wasn't a case of "i'll quit before he beats me" than i don't know what is. Especially since it was the first meeting after the "king is dead" incident. Retirements like these are to me worse than withdrawals.

What's his retirement record again?

Nole retired in that match because of what Federer said to Novak's parents.

You mean the gesture to make them clear they're no linesmen?

Calder106 wrote:I understand all of of this Tenez but they are playing on the same tour with the same rules. From the rules that I have posted above I don't see any special exemptions at present for Federer because of age, because he has children, or because there was a lot of travelling involved. I actually have sympathy with him on this but can also see why Nadal has pulled out of Paris.

I don;t look at rules. I don;t argue that Nadal is entitled to withdraw.

I argue about the dubious circumstances. I am surprised you compare his with Federer's.

What is dubious about his circumstances though? Evidently, he does not feel mentally right for the tournament so is opting out. Not a big surprise either considering the setbacks he has had this year against chiefly Djokovic. Is it right that he should be shoe-horned into entering a competition when he is not 100% about his game right now?

Calder106 wrote:

Tenez wrote:I find it really bizarre that a player can pull out so easily with no need to come up with an excuse but just say that he ne needs to get better prepared for WTF and 2012!!!! According to its interview. How pulling out of Paris will prepare him better for 2012? What about playing tennis against the top players? Isn;t that a good way to get better? Or is it once again about getting fitter at all costs?

Also Why can't he try and play and lose early? Is his image so important? Can't he be seen losing? I remeber when Federer lost 2 years ago to Beneteau in that first round cause he clearly did not fancy going all the way...or maybe simply was tired but played. This is a new trend with top players that I find irritating. It's all about the image of d not wanting to be seen losing to inferior players.

The upsets are so rare in tennis nowadays...it;s getting boring. There are even rarer than F1 overtakings!

Disagree with this point Tenez. You seem to be saying that you think it's better for a top player to turn up for a tournament without much intention of geting past the first round than to say up front I'm not really mentally up for this event so I'm withdrawing beforehand. By doing that it allow another player the chance to play get some ranking points and cash. Nadal could easily have claimed an injury but doesn't appear to have done so. I see it as similar to Federer who didn't go to Shanghai. He didn't claim injury, he was up front and basically said that he needed some rest before the three tournaments he is going to play now.

Agree completely with that Calder. Turning up and tanking is certainly not better than pulling out beforehand, and in my view it is worse. At least giving due notice lets someone else play who does want to give 100% and is hungry for ranking points and cash.

Also, Nadal has racked up a lot of matches in his career so it is more apposite to compare with Federer when he was 27/28 when I think he was starting to be a bit more selective with his schedule. I think Nadal is prioritising the Davis Cup, certainly over Paris, and playing 2 tournaments on quick surfaces won't do him any favours. Furthermore Nadal has played 79 matches already this year, more than anyone else and is the only one of the top 4 to have the Davis Cup final after the WTF. Don't really see this as a big issue.

Why isn't he 100% after 4 weeks rest? Is he traumatised by the losses v Djoko as you suggests? that woudl be laughable. It will only be worse in London, won't he? Or is he betting on Djoko, Federer and Murray to arrive nackered in London?

He is a professional tennis player! Being tired after a 4 weeks rest doesn't make sense to me. I am surprised it makes sense to anybody.

Tenez wrote:Why isn't he 100% after 4 weeks rest? Is he traumatised by the losses v Djoko as you suggests? that woudl be laughable. It will only be worse in London, won't he? Or is he betting on Djoko, Federer and Murray to arrive nackered in London?

He is a professional tennis player! Being tired after a 4 weeks rest doesn't make sense to me. I am surprised it makes sense to anybody.

Being 100% doesn't just mean physically fit as I am sure he is but the mental aspect of his game also has to be 100% and I'd say it isn't at the moment. Therefore does anybody see the point of him turning up to play Paris when he is not 100% especially on a surface that doesn't compliment his game and all the tournament would offer him is disappointment and a blow to confidence. Surely, if he wants to run the risk of going into up coming tournaments a tad rusty in terms of match fitness that is his decision which he has made and should be accepted.

I can't see any reason why he wouldn't be prepared mentally and physically for Paris, if he wanted to be.
It does rather look like he knows he won't do very well and so figures it's not worth showing up. OK, he's allowed to make that decision but it's not exactly being up for the challenge is it? More a recognition of his own limitations and slightly defeatist.
I don't see how losing on surface he knows he's not that good on would dent his confidence. Surely not playing shows a lack of confidence already?

Not counting Basel...

Djokovic - 67, Nadal - 79, Murray - 65, Federer - 61 matches in 2011.

But, having said that, Federer played 92-5 in 2006 @25 yo.

Assuming Djoko finishes Basel on 70, that would make less than one match per month more for Rafa so far this year - an extra 2 hours on court per month.

LF - looking at Federer and Nadal's matches total from the respectives start of their time on the ATP Tour over their first 9 seasons shows the following match numbers:

FEDERER: 2–3, 13–17, 36–30, 49–21, 58–22, 78–17, 74–06, 81–04, 92–05
TOTAL: 536 (from 98-06)

R.NADAL: 1–1, 14–11, 30–17, 79–10, 59–12, 70–15, 82–11, 66–14, 71–10
TOTAL: 573 (from 02-10)

So when we can see their matches total is comparative over the same period of time...so given that after the above period Federer played strong seasons through 07/08/09/10 (and won another 7 slams!) that followed there is no reason why Nadal still cant play alot of matches too (and so 7 more slams from him too? Think not!)...except of course we know his style of play is more demanding.

lydian wrote:LF - looking at Federer and Nadal's matches total from the respectives start of their time on the ATP Tour over their first 9 seasons shows the following match numbers:

FEDERER: 2–3, 13–17, 36–30, 49–21, 58–22, 78–17, 74–06, 81–04, 92–05
TOTAL: 536 (from 98-06)

R.NADAL: 1–1, 14–11, 30–17, 79–10, 59–12, 70–15, 82–11, 66–14, 71–10
TOTAL: 573 (from 02-10)

So when we can see their matches total is comparative over the same period of time...so given that after the above period Federer played strong seasons through 07/08/09/10 (and won another 7 slams!) that followed there is no reason why Nadal still cant play alot of matches too (and so 7 more slams from him too? Think not!)...except of course we know his style of play is more demanding.

This also the reason why I quoted the 600-matches rule. Nadal had shoulder issues after USO 2010, which is better this year. I had much rather see a rested/healthy Nadal at WTF then a tired one at both Paris and WTF. He has earned it based on the rules.

Thanks for the statistics.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Being 100% doesn't just mean physically fit as I am sure he is but the mental aspect of his game also has to be 100% and I'd say it isn't at the moment.

Sure. I just wonder why he is 100% every year for the clay season and why he is not every year at that time? No other player is as cyclical.

Tenez wrote:

Calder106 wrote:I understand all of of this Tenez but they are playing on the same tour with the same rules. From the rules that I have posted above I don't see any special exemptions at present for Federer because of age, because he has children, or because there was a lot of travelling involved. I actually have sympathy with him on this but can also see why Nadal has pulled out of Paris.

I don;t look at rules. I don;t argue that Nadal is entitled to withdraw.

I argue about the dubious circumstances. I am surprised you compare his with Federer's.

Think we will have to agree to disagree on this one Tenez.

Federer has pulled out of quite a few events late in his time (e.g. Halle 2011 anyone?)...they all do it from time to time.