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There's a brand spankin' new interview out with Djokovic, who says he's willing to skip tournaments in order to keep from getting jabbed.  While that's very admirable, I wish he'd stop saying silly things like this:

"I was never against vaccination," he told the BBC, confirming he'd had vaccines as a child, "but I've always supported the freedom to choose what you put in your body."

This implies that people who don't believe in vaccination are inherently anti-choice.    Well, I don't know of anybody who doesn't think adults should have the right to decide what to put in their bodies.  In addition, the fact that he had vaccines as a child says nothing about his current stance.  Like any child has the knowledge or ability to "choose" whether to get vaccinated or not?      The BBC interviewer in the video below is a typical media clown, but Djokovic doesn't really help matters by seemingly trying to talk out of both sides of his mouth either.  

So man up, Djokovic, and stop being so mealy-mouthed.     Please just admit that you're not a fan of vaccines.  Hey, it's okay—there's absolutely nothing uncool about that.     Also, please find the guts to speak out against the deplorable conditions for all the detainees in Australia.

Anyway, I'm glad that, unlike PR bots Federer and Nadal, at least you have the courage to make big sacrifices for your principles.  But you do sound pretty naive and gullible in some ways—implying that the jabs are actually about "helping" rid the world of Covid-19.  Well, if you truly believe that, Novak, then I have Mount Bjelašnica to sell you—at 50% off.     Hopefully you're smarter than that, though, and are just saying this fluff for the cameras.  🧐

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-60354068

First we had Chardy reporting a jab injury—and now it's Monfils.  

Even though Monfils describes his issue publicly as a "small health problem," it's hard not to read between the lines and wonder if the symptoms he's experiencing aren't in fact a lot worse than what he's letting on.  

French No.1 tennis star Gael Monfils will be unable to play at next week’s Davis Cup after suffering health problems caused by the COVID-19 booster shot. Monfils, who is currently ranked as the world’s 25th best men’s player, made the announcement in a brief statement published on social media in which he explained his recent ill-health. . . .

Monfils wrote on Tuesday:

“Hello everyone, I wanted to give you some news following my recent rest in tournaments.

I suffered a small health problem (probably following my third dose of the vaccine).

On the advice of my doctor, I decided to take time to rest.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to play the Davis Cup next week.

I hope to be able to return to the United States.”

Monfils has become the second French tennis player to be forced off the court due to an adverse reaction to the COVID vaccine. In September last year, tennis star Jeremy Chardy suffered a severe adverse reaction to the Pfizer vaccine he had received in August. Chardy has not played a match since the US Open last summer and is now ranked 138th in the world (was 73rd before his vaccine injury).

https://thecovidworld.com/gael-monfils-french-no-1-tennis-star-pulls-out-after-health-problems-caused-by-covid-19-booster-shot/

In more tennis news, Zverev just got ejected from the Mexican Open for behaving like a maniac in a doubles match.    What exactly did he do?

1) He attacked the umpire's chair with his racket several times.
2) He called the umpire a "f***ing idiot."







This German article has a video of the incident (which I can't seem to embed), if you want to watch his violent outburst:

https://www.welt.de/sport/tennis/article237086717/Zverev-rastet-komplett-aus-Entschuldigung-nach-Turnier-Ausschluss.html

It's interesting how so many tennis fans were quick to dismiss all the allegations that he abused his former girlfriend Olya, saying she's nothing but a sl** and a gold digger.  Well, after watching the way he attacked the umpire's chair, do you really believe that he behaved only like a choirboy with Olya?  Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.  🤨

This guy needs to be suspended from the tour—for several months.    But knowing the ATP, they'll probably just make him write "I'll be a good boy on the court from now on!!!" a hundred times on a blackboard.  

Apparently Karolina Pliskova did something similar—but not quite as severe—a few years ago in Rome.  She only got a $2,500 fine, though, which I think is ridiculous.  And back in the '90s, Jim Courier kicked the umpire's chair in a match in Monte Carlo, but got no penalty other than being booted from the tournament.  

Alexander Zverev is thoroughly disappointed in himself after verbally attacking and physically threatening a chair umpire, resulting in his withdrawal from the Acapulco Open.

The world number three boiled over in his doubles match, hurling expletives at the chair umpire and thrashing his racket against the chair after losing the match.

Zverev was ejected from the tournament soon after, since acknowledging fault in his behaviour. . . .

Zverev’s outburst came as a result of a tight call deep into a match tiebreak when the German was adamant that a return from his opponents had sailed wide, but it was called in.

https://tennishead.net/im-only-disappointed-in-myself-alexander-zverev-will-reflect-following-ejection/

Some interesting developments over the past week:

1) Djokovic and his long-time coach Vajda have split.  Actually, they said that they'd split a couple of months ago, but are only just announcing it now.  

2) Serena Williams has commented on Bratrev's outrageous behavior in Acapulco.  Serena said that if he [sic] had done the same thing as Bratrev, he'd have been jailed.  

Riiiiiiiight.  This thug threatened bodily harm to an umpire back in 2009, and got away with nothing but a fine.  

3) It appears that Djokovic will be able to enter France this spring to play tournaments, including the French Open.  Of course, things could always change, but right now France has relaxed its draconian Covid restrictions.  And when Nadal heard the news, apparently this was his reaction:








Poor guy—must be those pesky "injuries" acting up again!  

Looks like we have some brand-new lunacy going on in the tennis world.  According to the British Sports Minister, apparently Russian players may actually have to renounce Vladimir Putin in order to compete at Wimbledon!   

So . . . it's not enough to try to make people get jabbed.  Now they're going to tell them how to think!  🤪

Of course, I'm no fan of Putin.  But there are plenty of other evil rulers in the world as well, such as Xi Jinping of China.  And I really don't think Trudeau of Canada or Commander-in-Thief Biden is much better.  So, to tell Russian players like Medvedev that they must renounce their president or else be barred from Wimbledon is just nuts.  All players are entitled to their political views, regardless of what others may think.






If I were a pro tennis player and a certain country told me to renounce Biden or else I couldn't play in their tournament, I would tell them to go take a flying leap.  Why?  Because my political beliefs are none of their business.  Now, I do not support Biden, a puppet who came into "power" through a fraudulent election and who should be tried for treason, but that doesn't mean that I would be willing to renounce him in order to participate in a tournament—any more than I would be willing to drink half a gallon of apple juice if that was a requirement for entering a tournament.  Sorry, but tournaments can't just make arbitrary requirements and expect all players to comply—that's called tyranny.  

And what about non-Russian players who support Putin?  Those players may actually exist.  How exactly does Britain plan to "eliminate" those?  

What with totalitarian Australia being allowed to host a Grand Slam and now Britain trying to tell the players how to think, how can anyone really stay a fan of pro tennis?  

Honestly, pro tennis deserves to die a painful death.  🤨

Daniil Medvedev may have lost his world No. 1 tennis ranking on Monday when he was defeated at the Indian Wells Open, but a Tuesday announcement could weigh much heavier on the Russian champion.

British Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston announced Tuesday that Russian athletes may be required to denounce Russian President Vladimir Putin if they wish to compete at Wimbledon, according to comments made at a select committee in Parliament.

"Absolutely, nobody flying the flag for Russia should be allowed or enabled [to compete]," he said, according to a report.

"But I think it needs to go beyond that. I think we need to have some assurance that they are not supporters of Vladimir Putin, and we are considering what requirements we may need to get assurances along those lines." . . .

The exact proceedings of Wimbledon are yet to be finalized, Huddleston said.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/medvedev-could-be-forced-to-denounce-putin-if-he-hopes-to-play-at-wimbledon

On another forum recently, someone asked whether the younger tennis players are likely doping too—or just the Big Three.  Someone responded with this, which sounds pretty accurate:   

It’s expensive to dope and requires real care not to get caught. PEDs are less likely in young players without the funds, team, or know-how to dope.. Also, they are less likely to need it. Not saying some don’t, but I think it’s less common among the young. Read about Lance Armstrong’s doping program.

Also, it is unprecedented in sports generally to seeing athletes defeat time and actually improve in their mid-thirties. Just now, Monfils, 35, just ran Medvedev off the court at Indian Wells.

Apparently Nadal is out for several weeks now with a "stress fracture" of his rib.   

Let's analyze this logically.  If he really had such a serious injury, why would he broadcast it to the public?    He'd have much to lose—other players could easily exploit his weakness—and little to gain.  He's been pulling this "injury" stuff for years, just like he did last fall when he decided to go golfing rather than risk facing Djokovic on the tennis court.  

I call "fake news."  

This message comes from someone named Law Girl on the wretched Twitter:

Interesting convo with mate at Border Force. Apparently, Nadal was not vaxxed when he played Oz Open. Had same medical exemption as Novak but different visa not requiring Vic Gov sponsorship (refused for Novak etc.) May explain Cth pivot to use discretionary power. Huge if true.

Although it hasn't been confirmed, if this story is true, then wow.  Just wow.   

Speaking of doping, right out of the blue, Ash Barty retires from the game while seeming to be happy and playing excellent tennis?

So . . . she just doesn't want to play anymore at age 25, even though she's at the top of the game?  Is anybody else really buying that??  

Well, it seems that something good has finally come out of all the sorry drama involving Djokovic in totalitarian Australia back in January.  

Djokovic had been detained at the Park Hotel for a bit, and now everyone else who was there too has finally been released!  
   Although he doesn't deserve any credit for this development, because he didn't really do anything to help anybody but himself, apparently all the light that got shined on the situation did the trick.  


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-07/final-eight-asylum-seekers-released-park-hotel-melbourne/100973950

The eight remaining asylum seekers at the Park Hotel in Melbourne have now been released from detention, refugee advocacy groups say.

Twelve others were also released on Thursday — three from the Melbourne Immigration Transit Accommodation, six from the Brisbane Immigration Transit Accommodation and three from centres in Perth and Adelaide. . . .

Human rights activist and former Socceroo Craig Foster declared Thursday a symbolic day following the release of detainees.

"To see that Park Hotel close today and the last refugee walk free is a very, very important moment," Mr Foster told RN Drive. . . .

He criticised the delay in releasing the asylum seekers and claimed the government had used those detained as "political capital."

Foster pointed towards Novak Djokovic's detention as a key contributor in triggering a "very significant change in the national psyche" towards asylum seeker and refugee detention in recent months.

"Silence and invisibility is a very important part of this entire infrastructure of harm," he said.

Here's some nice, non-controversial tennis news for once.      Apparently Denmark's #2 player, Mikael Torpegaard, has teamed up with Tennys Sandgren to record a country album.  









https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/album/dystopian-melancholy-another-round/ldk5br1ow7vuc

Along with Tennys Sandgren — the tennis player from Tennessee — Torpegaard is part of a two-man band called ‘Another Round’. It was during the first Covid-induced lockdown that Torpegaard headed to Nashville, the home of country music, to practise tennis with Sandgren.  Off the court, he jammed, sang and recorded song covers with the American, an expert drummer with strong country music sensibilities. The duo got to writing and in late January, they put out a six-song original EP called ‘Dystopian Melancholy’.

We’ve been working on this for almost 2 years.  Just torp and I putting our hearts into these 6 songs. We are calling it doom acoustic. Listen, enjoy and let us know what you think. . . .

— Tennys Sandgren

https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/tennis/meet-mikael-torpegaard-denmarks-davis-cup-spearhead-with-a-heavy-metal-band-7799894/

This is interesting—after staying silent for a week and a half, Nadal finally has "condemned" the banning of Russian and Belarusian players by Wimbledon.  

https://www.rt.com/sport/554813-nadal-french-open-tennis/

Let's see—what's in it for him?  If Wimbledon is penalized and awards zero ranking points, who does that benefit the most??  Exactly.    If the French Open had decided to ban the Russians, I bet we'd never have heard a peep from Uncle Toni's nephew.     I mean, could he be any more transparent?  






I'm glad that Djokovic spoke out against the ban quickly—it was the right thing to do.  Even though he showed zero support for his fellow players by refusing to boycott the oppressive Asterisk Open back in January, at least he's showing some integrity now.  Of course, while I seriously doubt he'd go so far as to actually boycott Wimbledon over this issue, it's good to see him speaking up. Not that the Russians showed any support for Djokovic, though, when he was being banned from Australia.

Incidentally, later this week, I guess we'll see how well Nadal's "injury" is healing.  

Well, it looks like Djokovic is finally back.     Apparently all the trauma from Australia did in fact take a serious toll on his mental health, as this article points out:

https://www.tennis-prose.com/bios/djokovic-admits-ao-trauma-lingered-for-months/

“What happened there I did feel for months to come, the emotional and mental traces of what happened there were still with me,” Djokovic told Amritraj during a live studio set interview.

“In the last few weeks I got out of that and transformed that as fuel for positive energy.”

In his very tight match against Alcaraz today, it seems that the young Spaniard was the better player overall, so it's fair for him to have squeaked out a win.  And Djokovic didn't need to actually win today—he just needed to show clear improvement, which he obviously did.  In fact, it's probably better for him that he didn't win, since he wants to wait to peak in a few weeks instead.  His main focus now needs to be on his conditioning, and there should still be enough time to work on that. 

As for Nadal, I still don't think he's been injured, but this week he was definitely rusty.    Of course, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot where Roland Garros is concerned.  As we all know, the conditions in Paris will likely be very different, in terms of weather, courts, balls, and—of course—the best-of-five format.  

At this point, the top three for the French appear to be (in no particular order):  Alcaraz, Djokovic, and Nadal.  Part of me really doesn't think Nadal is going to win the title this year either.  As for Alcaraz, playing best-of-five will make things a lot more difficult for him, but he's a good bet to make the semis at least.  Finally, Djokovic has got to be very hungry after the crazy injustice in Australia, so he'll likely be very focused.    As always, the draw will no doubt play a big part in determining the winner.  

Wouldn't it be interesting if Nadal, Djokovic, and Alcaraz all ended up in the same half?     Seriously doubt the organizers would let that happen, though.  Anyway, it's good to see things becoming a lot more interesting on the men's tour lately.

Seems that I'm not the only one skeptical of Nadal's injury claims.    Concerning his loss yesterday to Shapovalov in Rome, here's what someone wrote on another board:

I think he faked it yesterday, he was fine until he started losing. If he was really injured he would have retired and rehabbed till French Open. If he was really injured with a chronic foot problem he would not do those standing high jumps on concrete before every match. I think Rafa’s tennis ego is so huge and sensitive that he must fabricate injuries to protect that ego and his image and aura. Media protects this Rafa illusion, whereas they crucify Djokovic whenever they think he fakes any injury. Blatant hypocrisy. Headline: Shapovalov defeats ailing Nadal in Rome… Alcaraz defeats world no. 1 Djokovic in Madrid.

It's very interesting, though, how most people—or should I say sheeple?—never seem to question statements about injury.     Baaaa, baaaaaaaa!!!  

Read some speculation today that Djokovic will get shafted with a brutal draw in Paris.     I think it's possible, but we'll have to wait and see what happens.

While I don't believe that all draws are rigged, I certainly think some are.  Next Thursday, if Djokovic's draw turns out to be somewhat difficult, then that may not indicate anything.  But if it's an absolute beast , then I'd definitely suspect some skulduggery.  

We have a riveting topic today:  Is there a conspiracy in general against Djokovic by certain factions in the ATP and the media?  

A tennis journalist posed the following question to a former ATP board member.  From another site:

Journalist:  "It’s obvious by now there is a conspiracy by hidden forces to assassinate Djokovic’s character and destroy his quest for most Grand Slams.  The big question is, Who is orchestrating it – Federer, his agent Godsick, Nadal, ATP?"

Former ATP board member: “At this point they all benefit from it.”

This is scary stuff, folks!  

Some more speculation from the same site:

have you noticed how certain players seemed to play the best tennis of their career against Djokovic in slams – Stan, Zverev, Busta, Agut, etc. Have to wonder if certain players or whatever, are offering bonuses to players if they can beat Djokovic. Anything is possible. Heard about bounties in football and hockey to get certain key players out of the big game by cheap shot.

Ever wondered how Stanimal seems to appear out of nowhere??      Besides offering bounties, certain people could also be supplying him (and other players) with performance-enhancing drugs when they play Djokovic.    That may sound a bit far-fetched to some, but is it really?  It's also odd how Medvedev blew Djokovic away last year in New York, but has seemingly been a shell of himself ever since.  

Another thing to think about:  If bounties are being offered to take out Djokovic, then it stands to reason that bounties might be offered to lose to Nadal and Federer too.  

And get a load of this:

Wins against the top 10 players en route to 1000 wins: DJOKOVIC 231 FEDERER 182 NADAL 172 LENDL 160 CONNORS 139 These stats would suggest Djokovic may have been given intentionally tougher draws. Or it’s just a coincidence he had to play 5o more top ten players than Fed and 60 more than Rafa. Hmmm,

Assuming these stats are accurate (someone posted them on "social media"), they're very interesting indeed.    Someone responded to these puzzling numbers with this comment:

I suspect the reason Djokovic has more top 10 wins en route to winning masters 1000s is because a hugely disproportionate number of Nadal’s Masters 1000 wins are in Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome. I think, historically, more of the top clay court competitors have spent time outside the top 10 than the top hard court players, simply because there are a lot more ranking points for hard court tournaments.

It seems that he's confusing Masters 1000 wins with the players' first 1,000 wins, though.     And this assertion was rebutted with:  

how do you explain 50 more top ten wins than Federer?

Then the other guy responded with this plausible explanation:

Federer has been in 31 ATP 500 finals and 34 ATP 250 finals in his career. Djokovic has been in 17 and 15, respectively. They have been in the same number of GS finals and Djokovic has been in more Masters 1000 finals. You are going to face more top 10 players en route to Masters 1000 finals than an ATP 250 or 500 final (and actually, usually more than en route to GS finals too, because of the byes). That’s just a fact. Federer played way more of these lesser tournaments en route to 1,000 wins than Djokovic for a variety of reasons:

1. Federer’s lucrative Halle appearance fee contract (opposite Queen’s Club, which historically attracted the better players); 2. There have been a lot more tournaments in Basel/Swiss Indoors than Belgrade; 3. Federer matured just a little later in age than Djokovic, so had more early years winning events like Sydney, Milan, Stockholm, Vienna, Rotterdam. 4. A lot of years, Fed played not just Halle but also Stuttgart to get two grass warm-ups prior to Wimbledon. 5. Federer played a larger portion of his career at a time when the top players weren’t automatically locking up the semis of every major tournament. . . .

To get closer to the truth, it seems we need more data, such as:

1) A yearly breakdown of all the wins against top-ten players.

2) The number of wins against top-ten players at Grand Slams only.

3) The number of wins against top-ten players at Masters 1000s only.

So . . . the jury is still out.  Still, it's hard not to feel that something might really be rotten in Denmark.     🧐

Here's a picture of Alcaraz in late 2020:






Now here's a pic of him not quite six months later:






Tell me—do changes in muscle mass really happen that quickly???      This isn't "proof," of course, but it definitely looks suspicious.  


https://tennishasadopingproblemblog.wordpress.com/2022/05/16/itf-tadp-q4-21-quarterly-report-2021-per-player-statistics-and-itia-taking-over-responsibility-for-tadp

Okay, so Djokovic and Nadal both got a really hard draw.     I saw a video of the ceremony, and they put chips in a cup and drew them out manually for all the seeded players.  It would be pretty hard to rig such a draw, so thankfully, I don't believe it was rigged.    

The bookies have the top three contenders in this order (which I think is correct):  Djokovic, Alcaraz, Nadal.  Except for his serving, Djokovic was apparently pretty impressive in the first round against Nishioka.  I heard that Nadal was decent against Thompson, but nothing spectacular.  And no, I don't believe that he's injured.  

As for Wimbledon, we all know that the ATP has decided to strip it of ranking points, without freezing those from last year.    What's particularly disturbing is that both Federer and Nadal seem to have played a part in the decision.  

From an online article:

Nadal resisted pressure to “come clean” about what part he and Roger Federer played in the ATP Player Council reaching a position on the Wimbledon ban, one which the All England Club views as a clear attempt to penalise it for its stance.

As usual, Nadal is playing his little mind games and trying to appear innocent and virtuous when in reality his dirty hands seem to be all over the decision.  

Apparently John McEnroe is now calling for the players to actually boycott Wimbledon.  Yes, that would be the right thing to do, but of course, we all know that pro tennis players care only about themselves.     I mean, Djokovic should've boycotted the Asterisk Open back in January to protest their crazy policy, but he did not.  And since none of the Russians or Belarusians stood up for him once he got booted from Australia, obviously he's not going to take a stand for them either.  

Wimbledon is definitely a big mess.  🤪   I hope there's enough outrage from the players and fans that Wimbledon backs down from its insanity.  If it doesn't, then I think it's best to boycott the tournament.  In other words, if you're a fan, just don't follow it.  

Just recently, Nadal's Uncle Toni apparently said that he told Felix Auger-Aliassime, who he coaches, that he will not give him any tips on how to beat Nadal.    If that's the case, why on earth would Felix settle for such an unprofessional "coach"?

And tonight, instead of getting plenty of rest before his big match against Felix tomorrow, it seems that Nadal is attending a soccer match tonight in Paris, which ends no earlier than midnight.  

So . . . did Toni and Felix cut a deal??  

Really sad—and ironic—how a hard-hitting Zverev had to withdraw from his semifinal with a real injury, not one of those fantasy injuries Nadal is always peddling.  

Okay, let's get real here.  It doesn't matter what the "official" tally says—the Asterisk Open doesn't count as a Slam.  Basically, Nadal won the first runner-up trophy at that "event."  Does anyone really think he would've beaten Djokovic there?    The French Open does count, but it's only #21.  And if Djokovic had competed back in January, more than likely he would've snagged #21 too.  With such momentum and a lot of matches under his belt, maybe he would've won #22 in Paris as well.  Who knows?

While I've never been a big fan of the Grand Slam "count," since January it's officially damaged—and is now just one big joke.  

Anyway, here's an interesting article from a few years ago about doping in tennis.  An excerpt:

"I made a statement a couple years ago that I thought tennis was not doing enough -- and tennis jumped all over me," said Dr. Donald Catlin, an anti-doping pioneer who founded the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory. "But I am also quite sure that their testing is minimal, and I wouldn't trust them."

According to a confidential survey by ESPN this year of 31 professional tennis players, 65 percent who answered claim the sport doesn't drug test enough and say they personally know a player who has used PEDs. Yet 71 percent also estimated that less than 10 percent of players have benefited from PEDs, a widely held estimate throughout sports, according to anti-doping experts.

A confirmed supplier of performance-enhancing substances told Outside the Lines about providing PEDs to 12-15 current and former pro male tennis players. The supplier said the tennis anti-doping program has been "Mickey Mouse" and "antiquated" for years, adding: "Their testing was lackadaisical ... doing something [only] to appease." Because of that, the supplier said, none of those clients have ever been caught by tennis' anti-doping efforts.

https://www.espn.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/17693288/tennis-pristine-image-performance-enhancing-drugs-which-no-accident

It seems that Nadal got some serious injections to his foot in Paris.  Or at least that's the story.  It's certainly possible that he's faking the foot injury in order to engage in some "legal" doping.  

Anyway, even if the injury is real, according to some French cyclists, those injections don’t just numb the pain—they can also enhance performance.  

"Medication - and especially injections - don’t just have a healing effect; they can certainly have effects on performance or be twisted to improve performance, so it seems to me to be very much on the limit.” . . .

“If a cyclist does the same thing, it’s already banned, but even if that wasn’t the case, everyone would pile on, branding them as doped because there’s such a cultural background, such clichés attached to cycling,” he said.

“Meanwhile people laud Nadal for being capable of going deep into pain. I believe [footballer] Zlatan Ibrahimovic also spoke about injections in his knee. They pass as heroes because they go deep into pain, but in fact, they avail of substances in order to go deep into pain and, once again, it’s very much on the limit.”

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pinot-and-martin-speak-out-against-nadals-injections/

Last but not least, it seems that Nadal is now the frontrunner for Hypocrite of the Year.     Get a load of what he said last year about Djokovic:   

Rafael Nadal has declared it would be “impossible” for Novak Djokovic to win the Australian Open if he “really, really” has an injury.

Seriously, how on earth can anybody like this guy?  

https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/australian-open/nadals-call-bulls-on-djokovic-rafa-uncle-toni-weigh-in-on-injury-farce/news-story/00e18d77a37ccb3442e353c0fc2fbbcb

A perceptive comment from another board:

Novak and other players definitely used pain killers on occasion. No one denies it.  That's why pain killer regulations are for, and that's how pain killers are meant to be used.

Rafa, on the other hand, injects himself with pain killers before every match, and it was, as we are learning now, going on for a decade.  That's abuse of the regulations, that's abuse of our trust.  By injecting himself with pain killers before every match, Rafa was gaining an unfair long-term advantage over his opponents.

A couple of insightful quotes from "social media."  The double standard from the press concerning Nadal's "victory" in Paris is so thick that you could cut it with a knife.  

If you substituted Novak's name for Nadal and ran the story about injections been given etc the media would be hysterical calling him cheating and doping and demanding to know exactly what's in them and to look at x-rays of his foot,, But because its Rafa there is nothing asked.

--------

It's shocking Nadal was allowed to use injections each day at the French Open—this is considered doping in cycling &other sports. There should be a limit on the use of injections when a tournament is ongoing

Tennis authorities have bent the rules to enable Rafa cheat w/o penalty

--------

AO: investigate Novaks health records, QR codes for Covid tests, social engagements, travel times and entry policies for Spain, his political beliefs. Deported and banned from Aus

RG: Nadal uses injections For enhancement, performs beyond expected… NOTHING INVESTIGATED‍�

https://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/news-if-substituted-djokovic-s-name-nadal-ran-story-media-hysterical-calling-cheating-doping-tennis-fans-react-spaniard-playing-anesthetized-foot-french-open

Saw this funny comment on another board:  

In 10 years time, Uncle Testosteroni will be telling us that Nadal was temporarily blind in one eye during his 2009 Australian Open win, and 3 of his fingers were broken when he won the USO in 2013.