I hear the big NO. Yeah, but that's what nearly everybody said about prospects of Nadal even posting respectable numbers after returning on clay, forget about on a hard court Masters 1000 tournament infested with the meanest sharks. So not only was the surface bad, the competition sent the degree of difficulty through the roof. And what happened? He won all of them - well, that final loss to Zebra doesn't count. Just make it a win.
If that isn't enough on it's own, Nadal's past record everytime he has returned from the injury break squeezes out the remaining shred of doubt - to a degree where at least Nadal winning the remaining three Slams will not raise as many eyebrows as it would have without the above two factors.
Additionally, landscape may have regressed from when he left the scene. Federer is nearing 32 and it may finally be starting to show. Djokovic is on a far watered down version of his self from the rampage of 2011. Murray has failed to consolidate his late run from last season by losing tamely to both Djokovic and Del Potro. Buying a hotel may have pushed the ball even further as far as level of focus and commitment now needed with Nadal's inclusion.
Not enough? Nadal is BY FAR the ONLY one with the MOST pain - the ultimate motivating factor for ANYTHING. None of the other three can match that state of urgency given the smaller time line Nadal has been left to compact what he wants to really achieve. Heck, if all of the above three factors synchronize perfectly, the injury and the severity of it may eventually turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
You think this startlingly quick return to form has been bolstered and triggered by ANY thing other than the 'window' factor and the pain it entails? Not a freaking chance. Add his track record of needing tons of matches to reclaim top form and set it next to the 'window' deal and you will have the real reason for the MOST unexpected not just the turnaround but the time line it's loaded with.
ONLY impediment now? Injury relapse. In his quest to slip in before the garage door closes, Nadal may be prone to pushing it beyond what the doctors order and that draws a fine line over which Nadal has to dance on to squeeze the most out of the adversity before he can go no more. Careful spacing and TOTAL focus on Slams ONLY may be in order.
Just hypothetically, IF Nadal does win three Slams this season, he will be @ 14 - just two shy of Federer's 17 - OK, three. Geeeeeeezzzzz!!!!! Why can't you freaks just believe what I say - blindly? That could prove to be a far more manageable task than what it seems today. With Federer's chances of adding another Slam slipping by the minute, the moving target may finally rest allowing Nadal a more likely shot at hitting it - without that demoralizing prospect of addition. It makes a BIG difference.
The key will be winning Roland Garros - the FINAL destination to whatever Nadal is currently involved with. If that happens, watch out.
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