Feel sorry for Rafa? Yeah right!

Rafa has departed and the dust has settled on the Australian Open for another year.
And while Caroline Wozniacki and Roger Federer enjoy their respective wins, Rafael Nadal was a tad upset about scheduling, claiming that poor scheduling will lead to more player injuries.
So, does he have a point?
The top players seem to rate themselves based on how many Grand Slams they have won.
The Slams are the Australian Open, Wimbledon, The French Open and the US Open.
Nadal has won 16 slams and a whopping $94 million in prize money over the last 16 years.
His sponsorships and endorsements are on top of that.
Let’s forget for a moment that Nadal has a history of injuries, dating back to his shoulder in 2006.
There are hundreds of professional tennis players in the world, all vying for a piece of the prize money pie.
Organisers are trying to maximise the profits for sponsors, who have shelled out the big bucks that have allowed Nadal to win $94 million.
The sponsors expect value for their money by maximising their TV exposure.
Marin Cilic pointed out the schedule has been out for a few years and it is up to individual players to manage the tournaments they play in to maximise their limited time on the tour.
rafaHow sorry should we feel for these professional tennis players?
When asked what he would do when he failed to make it into the Australian Open, Bernard Tomic told reporters he would count the millions he he’d made.
Feeling sorry for them yet?
What sort of injuries do tennis players have to put up with?
Well, there’s tennis elbow, wrist, knee and ankle injuries. Mostly muscle and ligament strains. Not many broken bones.
I’ve probably broken more bones playing hockey, cricket and volleyball (7) — than the top 50 tennis players combined.
When you think about the potential injuries that other sports face, such as gridiron, rugby league, rugby union, basketball and ice hockey — it’s hard to feel sorry for Nadal.
Even cricket has had a death on the field in recent times.
Has Nadal ever headed to a tournament wondering whether he might not survive the day?
Professional tennis players should give thanks every day of their careers that tournament organisers are prepared organise any tournaments that allow them to pockets millions of dollars, just because they have the ability to hit a ball across a net with a racquet.
And remember, there’s no such thing as too much sport.

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