Topic: Clay Monster's Limitations

[swish]

Everyone loses sooner or later, he lost last year and still dominated.  The real question will be, can someone knock him out at the FO!

Agreed.

 I don't see how this lost will improve or boost Nadal's game on other surfaces

BTW, how long have Nadal had that foot injury? 

I believe he had problems since Sunday.

[swish]

It is unfortunate that Nadal had a very bad foot blister problem. I give Nadal lot of credit that he did not use this as an excuse and withdrew earlier rather then playing with the problem. Others would have withdrawn in such situations. He always gives 100%.
Nadal is almost unbeatable on clay and that is why when he loses one match on clay everyone goes in shock. Every champion on a given  could lose sometimes.

But this time it is not the loss that is a matter of concerns, it is his fitness that is questionable going into FO.

I wish he gets well going into FO.

If his foot heals properly I'm not worried, he has a great margin of error on clay, as he reaches the later rounds he can gain some fitness back. There are other things he can do to maintain fitness at a decent level without further damage to the foot also. I'm not at all surprised he lost due to his foot, it has little to do with his skills and was a problem only that he couldn't push off the foot.

[Clay Death]

hercs, it's not over yet by any means.we ven't seen the best of rafa yet.......come on man, u lose faith in ur hero that early? just one damn loss due to a damn injury coz of the damn ATP schedule about which rafa too damned out his heart on the schedule recently..........

its not really the loss i am worried about. as i have said for months now, i am more worried about the drop in fitness and the lack of improvement in his game.

i also have a problem with his scheduling. he should have gone to South America. i did say that a loss was coming on clay somewhere. i just wish it had not been in Rome. loss in Barcelona or Hamburg would have been easier for me to take.

Why not give a little bit of credit to Ferrero here? I agree Nadal had an unusually high number of UEs, but Ferrero was agressive and definitely flustered Nadal quite a bit.  Also, how many tournaments do you expect him to play?  Going to South America isn't going to help him since he would be playing hard court tournaments right after the clay tournaments in South America.  He is already the best on clay, isn't the point to get better on other surfaces hence his efforts to play in Rotterdam.  Herc, you bring up the notion that Nadal has "all his eggs in one basket", wouldn't continuing to focus on clay tournaments put even more "eggs in his one basket?"  It is a good plan to play on other surfaces and improve there.  Playing in South America would have done nothing to improve his results in Rome since there is a huge gap between the tournaments.  His Monte Carlo win showed his dominance on this surface.  It is just that he has played alot and his opponent was too good on this day.

I think you said it well (and I'm not even a Nadal fan!).. But his opponent was too good today.  Nadal will be back. Heck, this is only one loss.  Us Federer fans have had to live through hail all year and we've survived!   He will get rest and I know he'll come back strong.  Look at Ferrer...he lost today too.  Sometimes you try to play a lot of tournaments back-to-back but your body will tell you differently.  Like tain said though... give a little credit to Ferrero because he took it to Nadal.

Hold your head up Nadal fans... you know your boy will be back.

dallas i suggested  to you just yesterday that his form and his fitness are way off from last year at this time. well today you have your proof. i dont give a damn about Ferru. its not about Ferru. Ferru is no Nadal. the problem is that Nadal  is no Nadal right now and you keep making him out to be some superman on clay. he is more vulnerable than you think.

as i have said many times, if he fails to take his fitness higher, he will start to experience these type of humiliating defeats more frequently. indeed he has already seen some these terribly lopsided losses: he got butchered by Nalby in Madrid as well as at Paris masters. he had absolutley nothing left in the tank for those 2 matches. Fed clobbered him in Shanghai and made him look like a novice. the year previous, Nadal had made that very match quite competitive. Tsonga demolished him at the Australian Open. Nadal was spent after just one set and it was not even that hot this year there.

 he got killed by Youzhny in Chennai. Youzhny said that Rafa was dead in that match. he got demolished by Djokovic in Indian Wells. Nadal said after that match that he was too tired from his matches against Blake and Tsonga. and i can go on and on with the examples. he tells you himself that he is worn out.

now you are trying to give me this bs about how he will be back or that he is human. of course he will be back. he has no choice but he is spending more time on the court than ever before and they have started to push him even on clay.

he cant make it happen by failing on both fronts. he has failed to improve fitness and he has failed to improve his overall game. i would just concentrate on taking the fitness to the next level now or he is not even going to be able to stay long in tournaments, let alone win a title or 2. he knows they are all improving and he has said so. he has said a few times now that the field is catching up. he also knows that all his eggs are in one basket year after year and that he has to win a lot of matches in a very short period of time to keep his #2 rank.

bottom line is that he just not doing enough with his training and his fitness and it has been costing him. you can put any kind of spin on all this if you want but that is the bottom line. he will just have to come back stronger next year or he just wont be smoking too many victory cigars. given his style of play, the fitness is not where it has to be. he is constantly left worn out and prone to injuries.

at best, he will win 2 more titles this year. he will likely take Roland Garros and  Stuttgart. i am not sure if i like his chances of another deep run at Wimby this year so he could lose quite a few points there. i saw the presser where he said that he is going to Hamburg. he has no choice but to go and try to defend those points. the surface is slower and it cold and damp as hell there around this time of the year so i am not too confident about his chances there. he will need 2-3 days of complete rest before he can start practicing again. i dont know where and how he can find form and fitness in 4-5 days.

[tennisfan78]

Herc, do you think that Rafa might have taken a bad decision to play Barcelona?  Had he taken off last week, and concentrate more this week at Rome,would it have been more beneficial for him?


       

[dmastous]

bottom line is that he just not doing enough with his training and his fitness and it has been costing him. you can put any kind of spin on all this if you want but that is the bottom line. he will just have to come back stronger next year or he just wont be smoking too many victory cigars. given his style of play, the fitness is not where it has to be. he is constantly left worn out and prone to injuries.

You think he got those blisters on his feet from walking on the beach? My guess is they came from the amount of work put in on the practice courts combined with both the singles and doubles in Monte Carlo. That what caused the blisters, and the blisters are what brought him down in Rome. that's my take on it.

[tennisfan78]

bottom line is that he just not doing enough with his training and his fitness and it has been costing him. you can put any kind of spin on all this if you want but that is the bottom line. he will just have to come back stronger next year or he just wont be smoking too many victory cigars. given his style of play, the fitness is not where it has to be. he is constantly left worn out and prone to injuries.

You think he got those blisters on his feet from walking on the beach? My guess is they came from the amount of work put in on the practice courts combined with both the singles and doubles in Monte Carlo. That what caused the blisters, and the blisters are what brought him down in Rome. that's my take on it.

With so much tennis on clay in such a short period of time, why does he even choose to play in doubles?? I dont understand.

[dmastous]

bottom line is that he just not doing enough with his training and his fitness and it has been costing him. you can put any kind of spin on all this if you want but that is the bottom line. he will just have to come back stronger next year or he just wont be smoking too many victory cigars. given his style of play, the fitness is not where it has to be. he is constantly left worn out and prone to injuries.

You think he got those blisters on his feet from walking on the beach? My guess is they came from the amount of work put in on the practice courts combined with both the singles and doubles in Monte Carlo. That what caused the blisters, and the blisters are what brought him down in Rome. that's my take on it.

With so much tennis on clay in such a short period of time, why does he even choose to play in doubles?? I dont understand.

Wasn't Monte Carlo his first clay event this year? At least red clay. I'm not sure, but I think it was, and he usually will enter singles and doubles to get acclimated to a surface more quickly.

[swish]

With so much tennis on clay in such a short period of time, why does he even choose to play in doubles?? I dont understand.

I thought the same thing, on the other hand playing both should add to his fitness but then he's worn out?? It seems  like he can't be anymore fit without being worn out. So is he at his limit as far as fitness is concerned?

[Clay Death]

Herc, do you think that Rafa might have taken a bad decision to play Barcelona?  Had he taken off last week, and concentrate more this week at Rome,would it have been more beneficial for him?


       

well he needs these matches to recapture his confidence and his momentum on clay. so the answer is no tennisfan.

historically, the French Open champ comes in with at least 20 match wins on clay. for Nadal that number is needs to be higher since it takes him longer to get going and to find his range and his rhythm.

i said just last week that Nadal`s form was way off in Monte Carlo. Nadal himself said that he was at a better "level" last year at this time.

what worries me the most is the drasctically reduced fitness. he doesnt run anymore and has said that he gets some of his fitness from his matches.  and as i said, he also needs these match wins to gain his confidence and momentum. its just not happening right now.

as unfortunate as the "all eggs in one basket" formula is, it is the only formula that has worked for him for the last 3 years running. now that formula is altered. we will see how he responds to this in hamburg. he really needed to win at Rome. this is why this very formula needed to be protected at all costs.

 he really needed to spend more time on clay and get his ground game going. instead he screwed around on hard courts and achieved nothing. he went to Rotterdam and won just one match. again not enough matches to really help him. he goes to Dubai and wins just 2 matches. both of those events needed to be skipped and he should have gone to South America instead. he needs sustained matches and practice on clay in order to win anywhere. this is why he he has been able to do well at Wimby. all those match wins on clay allow his ground game to get fully tuned up and he takes all that momentum and confidence straight into Wimby.

that was what the Monte Carlo and Barcelona events were all about. i thought that even with poor form, at least those 2 titles had opened the gates for a title in Rome and pretty much help him complete his preparation for Roland Garros. it would also send out just the right message. now the equation is changed somewhat.

he needs to give all he has got and take the Roland Garros title and take it from there. i was afraid of this. i knew that for the sake of trying to get a few points on hard courts, he would end up sacrificing what he had going on clay.

[Dallas]

Actually Herc, I think one of the problem with Nadal is that he practices TOO much.  Or rather, he's so intense.  I've heard that even during practice sessions he goes 110% all out.  When he gets on court he goes 110% all out.  That along can tire you out.  Roger puts the majority of his work in during the off season in Dubai, then when the regular season is here, heck - have you seen some of his practice sessions?  Looks like he's asleep out there.    Nadal is just the opposite...and sometimes he gets burned out.

Now about this loss - sure, you have your opinions.  I think 2 things happened (1) Ferrero played really well and deserved the victory; and (2) - did you see Nadal's feet????  Like dmast said, he didn't get those blisters lying on the beach.  He has been training to get in better shape.  It amazes me that announcers always say Nadal is the fittest player out there on court - yet he tends to burn out a lot due, I think - to his intense style that he plays.

[Clay Death]

Actually Herc, I think one of the problem with Nadal is that he practices TOO much.  Or rather, he's so intense.  I've heard that even during practice sessions he goes 110% all out.  When he gets on court he goes 110% all out.  That along can tire you out.  Roger puts the majority of his work in during the off season in Dubai, then when the regular season is here, heck - have you seen some of his practice sessions?  Looks like he's asleep out there.    Nadal is just the opposite...and sometimes he gets burned out.

Now about this loss - sure, you have your opinions.  I think 2 things happened (1) Ferrero played really well and deserved the victory; and (2) - did you see Nadal's feet????  Like dmast said, he didn't get those blisters lying on the beach.  He has been training to get in better shape.  It amazes me that announcers always say Nadal is the fittest player out there on court - yet he tends to burn out a lot due, I think - to his intense style that he plays.

well its is pretty damn simple then. if you continue to burn out and left totally spent and then prone to all kinds of nagging injuries and ailments, then you get more fit. you simply do something about it or you will continue to get humiliated by players you have no business losing to in the first place. he had destroyed Ferrero no less than 6 times on clay and had never lost to him on this surface.

some people just buy what those announcers have to say. those clowns get paid to dramatize the deal.

[tennisfan78]

The big goal for Rafa is the French Open. I am sure he will be fine by that time.

[tennisfan78]

Actually Herc, I think one of the problem with Nadal is that he practices TOO much.  Or rather, he's so intense.  I've heard that even during practice sessions he goes 110% all out.  When he gets on court he goes 110% all out.  That along can tire you out.  Roger puts the majority of his work in during the off season in Dubai, then when the regular season is here, heck - have you seen some of his practice sessions?  Looks like he's asleep out there.    Nadal is just the opposite...and sometimes he gets burned out.

Now about this loss - sure, you have your opinions.  I think 2 things happened (1) Ferrero played really well and deserved the victory; and (2) - did you see Nadal's feet????  Like dmast said, he didn't get those blisters lying on the beach.  He has been training to get in better shape.  It amazes me that announcers always say Nadal is the fittest player out there on court - yet he tends to burn out a lot due, I think - to his intense style that he plays.

well its is pretty damn simple then. if you continue to burn out and left totally spent and then prone to all kinds of nagging injuries and ailments, then you get more fit. you simply do something about it or you will continue to get humiliated by players you have no business losing to in the first place. he had destroyed Ferrero no less than 6 times on clay and had never lost to him on this surface.

some people just buy what those announcers have to say. those clowns get paid to dramatize the deal.

Honestly, the ATP scheduling is pretty bad too and should be blamed. No matter how fit a player is, its simply not easy to play at such a high level and intensity every single day.

[Clay Death]

Actually Herc, I think one of the problem with Nadal is that he practices TOO much.  Or rather, he's so intense.  I've heard that even during practice sessions he goes 110% all out.  When he gets on court he goes 110% all out.  That along can tire you out.  Roger puts the majority of his work in during the off season in Dubai, then when the regular season is here, heck - have you seen some of his practice sessions?  Looks like he's asleep out there.    Nadal is just the opposite...and sometimes he gets burned out.

Now about this loss - sure, you have your opinions.  I think 2 things happened (1) Ferrero played really well and deserved the victory; and (2) - did you see Nadal's feet????  Like dmast said, he didn't get those blisters lying on the beach.  He has been training to get in better shape.  It amazes me that announcers always say Nadal is the fittest player out there on court - yet he tends to burn out a lot due, I think - to his intense style that he plays.

well its is pretty damn simple then. if you continue to burn out and left totally spent and then prone to all kinds of nagging injuries and ailments, then you get more fit. you simply do something about it or you will continue to get humiliated by players you have no business losing to in the first place. he had destroyed Ferrero no less than 6 times on clay and had never lost to him on this surface.

some people just buy what those announcers have to say. those clowns get paid to dramatize the deal.

Honestly, the ATP scheduling is pretty bad too and should be blamed. No matter how fit a player is, its simply not easy to play at such a high level and intensity every single day.

agreed. but why does Fed never have any injuries of any kind? also how come he never complains about the schedule?

he just goes about his business of constantly developing his fitness and forever trying to improve his game. even at his level--which is the highest of all levels--he has found a way to improve his serve and his backhand. and at nearly 27, he is the fittest in the game and he could just get by on efficiency alone if he had to.

Nadal just has to do something about his fitness or he is dropping like a rock in rankings within a year. its obvious he is not ahead of the pack in terms of actual ,concrete improvements in his game. i have seen no improvement in his game over the course of last 12-15 months or so.

these blisters and knee bandages and the like are all manifestations of declined fitness and lack of improvement in his game. he is spending more time than ever before to win his matches. 

he spent extra time on the court against Ferru in Barcelona. that cost him in Rome. he also needed to skip doubles in Monte Carlo. he did say he was tired in Monte Carlo after some of those matches. that is 5 extra matches that he didnt need. that cost him on Rome. it all just adds up.

he complains about the heavy schedule and then proceeds to play 10 matches in 6 days in Monte Carlo. those blisters and that fatigue didnt happen over night. he even had 2 days off before starting back up in Rome. we have to keep in mind that he is just 21. he should not be having the kind of physical problems he has been having for the last 2 years. at some point it has to catch up with you.

you dont see Fed wasting his time with doubles. you didnt see Lendl and Borg wasting their times with doubles. Nadal knows he has a heavy schedule with not just the clay circuit but also the olympics and davis cup this year and still he played doubles in Monte Carlo. hell at this rate, the damn arm will fall off.

he and his camp have got to start rethinking some things or he will be lot lower than just #3 which happens soon. he has to pace himself and pace those clay tournaments. South America is critical to his success. it allows him to gain some confidence and get his ground game in gear. it also allows him to pace himself on the clay circuit to some extent. of course significantly improved fitness removes most of his problems as he would be able to sustain match play and practice.

so now while the other players are paracticing heavy and playing matches, he has to go home and rest for a few days which he doesnt have with Hamburg and French Open right around the corner. he practiced for 20 minutes day before yesterday and about an hour yesterday. that is just not sufficient.

[dmastous]

agreed. but why does Fed never have any injuries of any kind? also how come he never complains about the schedule?

he just goes about his business of constantly developing his fitness and forever trying to improve his game. even at his level--which is the highest of all levels--he has found a way to improve his serve and his backhand. and at nearly 27, he is the fittest in the game and he could just get by on efficiency alone if he had to.

Nadal just has to do something about his fitness or he is dropping like a rock in rankings within a year. its obvious he is not ahead of the pack in terms of actual ,concrete improvements in his game. i have seen no improvement in his game over the course of last 12-15 months or so.

these blisters and knee bandages and the like are all manifestations of declined fitness and lack of improvement in his game. he is spending more time than ever before to win his matches.

To me this goes back to the musculature. Federer is lean. He has a solid core, and lean wiry strong muscles. Nadal on the other hand is very muscular. Federer's strokes are fairly easy on the body while Nadal's are not. Add to that Nadal's muscles are a detriment. Wasted weight, and an undue strain on ligaments.
Tennis players should be lean, not muscular. That's been my feeling all along.

[Clay Death]

agreed. but why does Fed never have any injuries of any kind? also how come he never complains about the schedule?

he just goes about his business of constantly developing his fitness and forever trying to improve his game. even at his level--which is the highest of all levels--he has found a way to improve his serve and his backhand. and at nearly 27, he is the fittest in the game and he could just get by on efficiency alone if he had to.

Nadal just has to do something about his fitness or he is dropping like a rock in rankings within a year. its obvious he is not ahead of the pack in terms of actual ,concrete improvements in his game. i have seen no improvement in his game over the course of last 12-15 months or so.

these blisters and knee bandages and the like are all manifestations of declined fitness and lack of improvement in his game. he is spending more time than ever before to win his matches.

To me this goes back to the musculature. Federer is lean. He has a solid core, and lean wiry strong muscles. Nadal on the other hand is very muscular. Federer's strokes are fairly easy on the body while Nadal's are not. Add to that Nadal's muscles are a detriment. Wasted weight, and an undue strain on ligaments.
Tennis players should be lean, not muscular. That's been my feeling all along.

well his very heavy topspin strokes demand and require a very strong upper body but his game demands better fitness. additionally its always his legs, knees, and feet that he has problems with. being spent just puts more pressure on him.

Fed is probably the best mind in tennis. he said specifically that Nadal has to grind out his matches. that is a fact and always have been a fact. Lendl recognized that he too had to grind away so he made himself the fittest teniss player on the planet. Nadal could drop about 8 pounds without compromising his lean muscle tissue and his upper body strength. it will make him more efficient movement wise and save energy.

you will recall Vilas too was very muscular. his heavy topspin game demanded massive upper body strength.

[dmastous]

agreed. but why does Fed never have any injuries of any kind? also how come he never complains about the schedule?

he just goes about his business of constantly developing his fitness and forever trying to improve his game. even at his level--which is the highest of all levels--he has found a way to improve his serve and his backhand. and at nearly 27, he is the fittest in the game and he could just get by on efficiency alone if he had to.

Nadal just has to do something about his fitness or he is dropping like a rock in rankings within a year. its obvious he is not ahead of the pack in terms of actual ,concrete improvements in his game. i have seen no improvement in his game over the course of last 12-15 months or so.

these blisters and knee bandages and the like are all manifestations of declined fitness and lack of improvement in his game. he is spending more time than ever before to win his matches.

To me this goes back to the musculature. Federer is lean. He has a solid core, and lean wiry strong muscles. Nadal on the other hand is very muscular. Federer's strokes are fairly easy on the body while Nadal's are not. Add to that Nadal's muscles are a detriment. Wasted weight, and an undue strain on ligaments.
Tennis players should be lean, not muscular. That's been my feeling all along.

well his very heavy topspin strokes demand and require a very strong upper body but his game demands better fitness. additionally its always his legs, knees, and feet that he has problems with. being spent just puts more pressure on him.

Fed is probably the best mind in tennis. he said specifically that Nadal has to grind out his matches. that is a fact and always have been a fact. Lendl recognized that he too had to grind away so he made himself the fittest teniss player on the planet. Nadal could drop about 8 pounds without compromising his lean muscle tissue and his upper body strength. it will make him more efficient movement wise and save energy.

you will recall Vilas too was very muscular. his heavy topspin game demanded massive upper body strength.

Vilas was muscular, but not as ripped, and the game didn't demand from the body what today's game demands. Nadal's swing, and even Federer's and every other player playing today takes a much bigger rip at the ball than Vilas ever did. In addition the amount of effort used to hit the ball with added spin and pace is a less friendly movement to the body as the flatter, through the ball strokes used then. So it's less friendly to the body and more physical. Add that to the speed at which the game is played to day, running down shot after shot, and it's just not the same game, and no comparison.

[tain316]

Look at the picture near the top: if he can play normally on that foot, he would be superman.

Actually superman wouldnt have trouble with that foot... he can fly. I know him so I can tell.

You mustn't know him very well, because you should know that Superman heals immediately. Unless there is kryptonite around him...

Well in the first place he wouldnt be hurt unless he was cut with sharp kryptonite. So we can assume some chips would still be under his skin. But given the small quantity of it he would be able to fly, play against Ferrero and even win the match in 2 sets. The only real difference would be Superman would never pick his arse as he wears his underwear over his pants.

Actually, Superman can be hurt/cut without the use of kryptonite.  It just takes a huge amount of force to do so.  Also, he doesn't heal immediately....it takes a little bit of time for him to heal which is a lot faster than humans like batman!  Also, in extreme cases where he gets beaten real bad (see Superman vs. Doomsday), it can take a very long time to heal.  I am a huge fan of Superman, so that is why I know this.

[Start da Game]

agreed. but why does Fed never have any injuries of any kind? also how come he never complains about the schedule?

he just goes about his business of constantly developing his fitness and forever trying to improve his game. even at his level--which is the highest of all levels--he has found a way to improve his serve and his backhand. and at nearly 27, he is the fittest in the game and he could just get by on efficiency alone if he had to.

Nadal just has to do something about his fitness or he is dropping like a rock in rankings within a year. its obvious he is not ahead of the pack in terms of actual ,concrete improvements in his game. i have seen no improvement in his game over the course of last 12-15 months or so.

these blisters and knee bandages and the like are all manifestations of declined fitness and lack of improvement in his game. he is spending more time than ever before to win his matches.

To me this goes back to the musculature. Federer is lean. He has a solid core, and lean wiry strong muscles. Nadal on the other hand is very muscular. Federer's strokes are fairly easy on the body while Nadal's are not. Add to that Nadal's muscles are a detriment. Wasted weight, and an undue strain on ligaments.
Tennis players should be lean, not muscular. That's been my feeling all along.

the only thing that comes to my mind when i hear or see rafa getting injured is the amount of hardcourt tennis that he plays.to me these injuries of his r all due to his heavy participation on those no cushion,stressful hardcourts.......well, it might look funny but what i feel is,all the reasons y rafa gets injured so frequently boil down to one serious thing n that's the flat forehand that he's reluctant to use on hards.......one flat forehand of his ll prevent him from running for 3 to 4 extra shots every point which helps his body enormously over a length of time.......added to his voes, he is playing doubles in every HC tourney which can be reasoned as his dedication towards olympic medal for his country.now that hell of a lot tennis.....i m sure he won't play doubles again after olympics.

as far as HC tennis is concerned,i ve always felt that rafa shud only take part in all the masters events n GS with the exemption of chennai open coz he needs a warm up before a GS like oz open, not that coz i m an indian .......that ll keep him fresh n ll make him raring to go.......too much of anything is good for nothing.maybe he wudn't ve cared much about his HC defeats but definitely this defeat of his ll remind him the  gruelling amount of tennis that he's playing........

[dmastous]

the only thing that comes to my mind when i hear or see rafa getting injured is the amount of hardcourt tennis that he plays.to me these injuries of his r all due to his heavy participation on those no cushion,stressful hardcourts.......well, it might look funny but what i feel is,all the reasons y rafa gets injured so frequently boil down to one serious thing n that's the flat forehand that he's reluctant to use on hards.......one flat forehand of his ll prevent him from running for 3 to 4 extra shots every point which helps his body enormously over a length of time.......added to his voes, he is playing doubles in every HC tourney which can be reasoned as his dedication towards olympic medal for his country.now that hell of a lot tennis.....i m sure he won't play doubles again after olympics.

as far as HC tennis is concerned,i ve always felt that rafa shud only take part in all the masters events n GS with the exemption of chennai open coz he needs a warm up before a GS like oz open, not that coz i m an indian .......that ll keep him fresh n ll make him raring to go.......too much of anything is good for nothing.maybe he wudn't ve cared much about his HC defeats but definitely this defeat of his ll remind him the  gruelling amount of tennis that he's playing........

Lots of players play on hard courts and don't have the same issues. Yes his effort level is a step above most, but is it that much more that he can't stay healthy where others can?
He has to play on hards because that's almost half the rankings points. In addition 4 of the MS and one GS are on hards. He has to show up for the MS tourneys as they are mandatory, and he has to do well in them to maintain his ranking. Not playing on hard courts is not an option.