Rafael Nadal will look to continue his devastating form in New York when he takes on good friend Diego Schwartzman in the U.S. Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. The winner will face either Gael Monfils or Matteo Berrettini.
This is a more interesting matchup than the 7-0 head-to-head would suggest. Diego Schwartzman, the crafty Argentine, took a couple of sets from Nadal last year in Melbourne and Paris. Schwartzman seems to be able to put up some resistance to the heavy Nadal forehand, but eventually the Spaniard wears him down. Hence the 7-0 record in favor of the world No. 2.
Schwartzman and Nadal had similar paths to the quarterfinals. The Argentine, who is ranked No. 21 in the world, cruised along in straight sets until he ran into Alexander Zverev in the fourth round. The struggling German managed to take a set before going down in four. Similarly, Nadal breezed through his first three matches but dropped a set to 2014 U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic in the round of 16.
Nadal not only has a formidable record over Schwartzman, but the Argentine will also face a Nadal in good form. The world No. 2 was a bit lackluster in the second set against Cilic, but he was inspired in the third and looked downright dangerous in the fourth set. Schwartzman, who played a slumping Zverev who seems to be suffering the service yips, had a more routine win.
The improved Nadal serve and his heavy topspin forehand are likely to continue to give Schwartzman difficulty. The No. 20 seed is 5’7″, which means that Nadal’s forehand jumps up to around shoulder height. It’s a recipe for wearing Schwartzman down that is likely to be effective as long as topspin continues to be a part of Nadal’s game. Schwartzman is a good player and he has proven that he can challenge Nadal, but in the end the Spaniard is likely playing too well to be picked off at this stage of the tournament.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 3
Ricky pick: Nadal in 3
[polldaddy poll=10399724]
WWW?
Danger match for Nadal. Terrible match up for Schwartzman. Can he overcome adversity like Dimitrov? At 27 yrs he should be about ready.
This has Nadal 3-1 written all over it, only problem is Nadal lost a set to Cilic and will extra alert. Nadal will also be relishing the fact there is no Fed.
I still think Schwartzman is playing too well not to be able to win at least a set here.
Nadal 3-1
This will be a draining match for Rafa. He will be forced to run a lot especially if there are no free points with the serve…he should be smart enough to try to shorten points and I hope he runs to the net more often…it will all depend on Rafa’s first serve. But I think Rafa has to be able to beat both Diego and LaMonf handily if all is well in the health department!! Any other outcome would just be a huge surprise and highly unlikely…
Fed losing to Dimitrov could only come for the reason of Fed being injured. I see Medvedev beating Dimitrov in straight sets if he can overcome his physical issues..,
Nadal in four
Vamos Rafa, if you possibly can, Vamos.
Stay focused, remain confident, be strong and fight bravely, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDonXu8WsAEpnd4?format=jpg&name=900×900
I wish Rafa all the best….that’s all i’m saying! Lol!!
I never make precise predictions – but I’m confident that Rafa will make it! Schwartzman has my absolute respect because he makes the very best of his natural gifts. You cannot ask for more from a player. But at the end of the day a healthy and confident Rafa is capable of so much more than Schwartzman that Diego can only prevail if Rafa gets hurt or if he suffers a total mental collapse. The first scenario is more likely than the second.
Nadal’s tough match will be against Schwartzman. Neither Monfils nor Berrettini are dangerous rivals. Medvedev and Dimitrov can be dangerous but I believe they will have a long SF match this friday. If (a big IF) Nadal defeat Schwartzman, then will see a fresh Nadal this sunday.
It’s not IF! It’s WHEN !
I agreed.
Good luck and Vamos Rafa!!!
I always look forward to this matchup because it rarely lacks a quality bunch of rallies. I feel that unless something drastic happens (a la Federer yesterday), then Rafa should come through with the win. I’m afraid I’m not brave enough to make a prediction in what manner I think he will win though!
I’d like to see other people’s thoughts; would Schwartzman be in contention for a Grand Slam once the big three are gone?
No!!!!!
But with that being said, Rafa’s h2h with Diego is 7;0!! Does that strike a bell , anyone? Lol!!!
We need to get this party started already! I thought that woman’s match would never end!
Vamos Rafa! Go out there and do your thing!
😍
Been waiting all day for this. Rafa serving bullets that’s a good start! Vamos!!
Rafa should have had the break already. Has his chances. I really wish he would capitalize on these early break chances. Make Diego play from behind,
Yeah, but give him time to get his grove on! Happy he got the break though. but Diego is a little fire cracker, lol!!
All right! Rafa gets it done! Now he needs to consolidate.
Nice to see him starting off serving well in his first service game. He needs to keep it up.
I want to see how Diego is going to beat Rafa, since he said he knows how to beat him. Talk is cheap.
I think they all know how to beat Rafa, but the trick is in the execution, lol!
But i like what i see from Rafa thus far, hope he keeps it up!
Keep it up Rafa! You show Diego how you are going to beat him!
😉
Rafa needs to send message here!!!
Long time i have not seen this guy, Canas!
I think Rafa is trying to take the match away from Diego. He is pushing it right from the start. He knows this guy can be tough and will fight and grind in matches. Rafa seems to be very sharp.
Rafa up two breaks but 0-30 now. Don’t give one back! Keep up the pressure!
Too late, errors start to creep! He needs to keep steady here. Rafa has to not give Diego any belief! I wish he would break right back!
Not happy to see Rafa give up a break. Why give this guy a lifeline when he’s as good as got the set?
Diego will take whatever he can get. Rafa loves to let players back in a match.
What happen to Rafa now? Has he come off his rails?! Errors galore!!!!!!
He started so well!! Smh!!
Oh for heavens sake! What on earth is Rafa doing? Giving away another break?
No I can’t believe what im seeing here!!! What is Rafa doing? Where did Rafa go to?!!
Rafa has not won a point in about an hour!!!
Im turning off my tv!!! This is really bullshit!!!
Hehehe…Agree Mona!…Really BS from Rafa!…He tend to do this over & over again!…Urgh!…Don’t understand why!If it’s Nole or Roger,i can accept it but….Diego????
I have no doubt he will righted the ship sooner or later…but…urgh!reaallllyyyý annoying!!…Spend unnecessary energy that he cannot afford to waste!
I stopped watching. I can’t deal with this. I am recording it. There is just no explanation for this at all. It gets to be too much at times. I can’t remember seeing such a quick turnaround with Rafa playing lights out and then just falling apart.
The way Rafa is serving, he’s fortunate that both Fed and Djoko lost early here, even if he reaches the final here, he’s not going to beat them serving like this. What kind of crappy serving is this?
It’s ridiculous how he plays, losing two service games in a row, erasing all the advantages! What’s he thinking??
I said it. He just makes it harder for himself and us. This is why I can’t watch his matches anymore. What shud be a clean straightforward win becomes a question if he actually would. It’s plain torture.
Not happy to see the comments here. Will check back in later
dude why is rafa struggling to win a point on his own serve tf
Rafa in brainfreeze mood!
It’s not only his serve, but his FH is leaking so many errors!
He’s just showing too much respect for Schwartzman! He’s wary of Schwartzman! I can’t stand Rafa playing like he’s going to lose!!
Urgh!!…It took him an hour to righted the ship when he supposed to wrap the set in just 30 minutes!…Urgh!!…I gotta kick someones a@# now!
Mira Did he win the set?
Thank God lucky just got ur msg on email. I tried moving on from watching his match to giving 3 hrs to check on scores.
With ur guys support I thought this would be easier. Never easy with Rafa
Mira you should be in NY if not already and kick Nadal’s butt after he wins.
I hope he atleast wins the next two simpler. Getting the first set changes him but one can’t exprct that with this kind of play with a fed or Djok.
Sorry, he didn’t change, still hitting from so far back and letting Schwartzman to dictate play. He’s also mishitting his shots, errors from both wings. He’s in defensive mode, again!
Rafa is certainly not playing at his 2013 level, not even his 2017 level imo, that 2017 Rafa started with doubts in the early rounds but became so much more confident and dealt with Delpo so well in the SF. This current Rafa doesn’t look confident facing Schwartzman (Schwartzman is no Delpo).
I have a feeling that Rafa, after seeing Fed losing in five sets, is a bit worried that he himself may suffer the same fate, so his play fluctuates from being good to being horrible! The guy always behave like this, worries about everything under the sun (and under the stars).
And to think how good he was in Aus, dominant until he met Djokovic. Djok and Fed out this should be a cakewalk. But it never is with him. I have no idea how people say he is aggressive.. staying back to a short someone like Diego is no way aggresive. It’s not like he is a Isner or Karlovic. Smh
I hope come Sunday we can all relax
Sorry for late reply PK!…After the 1st set,i went outside & kick my flowers instead!hehe…
Yeah,as u already know Rafa won 1st set & looks like he listened to our whining & screaming PK…Wow!…Rafa really scared of us!….hehe…but..but…can he finishes 2nd sets now??U better be Rafa!!
No problem Mira. I still dont have the guts to watch his endless rallies although I would love to see his amazing shots and fist pumps. I am hoping you guys update soon when he wins so I get to see his smiles and his post match interview. Hows the second set looking so far ?
Finally, the first set done!
What a torture! And that’s why we the Rafa fans are not that confident about him winning this or that esp on non clay surfaces; he more often than not will make a mess of everything esp against familiar foes!
By now the non Rafa fans should understand why we will never take anything for granted when it comes to Rafa!
Rafa’s erratic play is becoming more and more frequent these days, very hard for his fans to watch his matches without undergoing torture!
In the women’s, Serena plays Svitolina next and then hopefully Andreescu. It will be a very big effort to beat those 2 in a row. They will leave nothing out there.
She should not complain, just for that she wins over 3 million!
Guys I’m back! I really thought Rafa had lost that first set!! Rafa just give me serious headaches!!
Roger and Rafa are visibly getting older, Rafa more so mentally!!
And Rafa is still standing too far behind the baseline, sigh!
What a freaking wild set. Can’t deal with this madness. It’s past 11pm in NYC and wanted to go to sleep. That’s impossible now.
I saw that somehow Rafa won the first set. Then I watched my recording to see what happened.
Lucky is right, it is torture. I am getting too old for this. Way too hard on the nerves. But it is true that this is why I take nothing for granted. I say it over and over abd this shows why. To see it turn around and have Rafa give back two breaks of serve, is just mind boggling, I cannot begin to know what is going on in Rafa’s head. This is not Novak or Fed. It’s Schwartzman!
Come on Rafa!
There’s a very fine line between challenging Rafa and losing 3-0. Schwartzman looked like he might be a serious threat in the first set but is now staring down a 3-0 result. You just have to play at too high a level consistently for the whole match to beat Nadal.
Schwartzman’s been wiping the floor with everyone, if he loses this 3-0 I’ll be in shock.
You are right, you can challenge Rafa in spades but for a whole match esp in 5 sets is a lofty order!! That’s y he’s a nightmare to play but also a nightmare to watch sometimes, lol!!
Thats because he has the first set in the bag. We wont be comfortable enough to say that if it was otherwise. I have watched enough matches he played with Djok where I just kept hoping he atleast wins the first ( even on clay I think 2011) and he never did it. One of the prime reasons he gave away a big lead on the H2H.
Rafa’s serve is bailing him out. He is Like A servebot now.
Rafa making it hard for himself. He is losing concentration at times and Diego is making him pay.
Nah, I cant see Rafa beating Medvedev, sorry!! Just way too much brain cramps!! He is not crisp AT ALL!!!
Rafa will be lucky to pull this off in 3! This is really crazy!
And then while serving for the second set, he loses his serve! What serve bot? He’s giving Schwartzman hope again, unnecessarily!
He’s often very nervous serving for set or match!
Madness. Complete madness. More than nervous, I just feel he lost concentration.
Yeah, serving like this, even if he makes the final, he’s not going to beat Medvedev serving like this; even Dimi may give him headaches!
I can’t believe it!!….Brainfreeze once again?????Urgh!!!…
There is absolutely NO way Rafa is winning his USO!!! No way!!!
If he gets by Diego, he wont get past Berrtini nor Medvedev!!!
He is nervous. Needs to win this set. OMG. This is gonna be a long night.
Rafa is asking for trouble, serve for the set twice, fails twice! Such is his standard today! 5-1 becomes 5-4 now! His shots landing inside Schwartzman’s service box so often! Playing like this, it’ll be a long night for all of us!
My God!…i can’t stand to c Rafa play like this!…Plain stupid!
I’m afraid this may turn out to be like USO2015/2016!
Schwartzman should’ve won this match. If he loses it will be a missed opportunity.
Or like last year Lucky….Tough match against Khachanov & Thiem & pay the price with his knees afterwards…
Hope it will not go to that thus time…but he play like $!#/ still…
Two hours of play, had Rafa won the first set holding his serve till the end after breaking serve twice, and won the second set 6-1, he would be on his way to a straight sets win by now!
Now, we are still in the second set and this may go to TB! What’s Rafa thinking? Even if he’s suffering from the humidity out there, all the more he should end this match quickly instead of letting it drag on by serving so poorly!
Come on people! Don’t say Rafa won’t beat Berrettini or Medvedev! I know this is bad. I am not going to sugarcoat it. Seeing Rafa up 5-1 and then lose the next tour games is unbelievable. I don’t know what is wrong, but I am not about to write off his chances.
Someone said on VB that maybe it’s Novak and Fed being out and he is the last of the big three left and is expected to win. I don’t know. It’s not something we see from Rafa in the latter stages of a slam.
Lol, NNY, Rafa is just being plain ridiculous!! What is the issue here, really?! Is he just trying to give me a stroke?! its really not funny anymore!! I mean what do you think the guys in the locker room are thinking? Rafa looks so vulnerable out there!!!
Its a wonder that Diego has not yet won a set!
Mona,
Really? How many slams has Medvedev won? How many has Berrettini won? Give me a break! You don’t throw that away! The guys in the locker room can think whatever they want! I don’t care! But if they take Rafa for granted, that is their mistake.
Now I am out of here. I have had enough. I wish that Rafa was playing better and winning easily, but he is up two sets.
NNY, if Rafa plays like this in his next matches he’ll lose!! Simple as that!! Losing double break leads? He won’t be allowed to get away with it!! He admitted it himself in the on court interview.
What a battle this is! Whilst it would be nice for Rafa to have won the two sets with relative ease, it says something about how good he is also at winning ugly. That’s impressive in itself, if not his actual performance.
I thought of that too, but my heart cyah take it, sorry!! Lol!!
Forehandcrosscourt,
Thank you! My thoughts exactly! It is winning ugly. He is still up two sets even after all all this. You summed it up for me.
Assuming Rafa can gr5 this done, I expect him to play better in the semis.
It’s fine! I know the feeling. I had the sweaty palms and then disappointment last night, albeit in admiration of the winner of said other match!
Rafa playing like this he’ll be lucky to reach the final, don’t talk about winning it! He’s not only serving relatively poorly but also making so many errors esp with his FH.
Thank God he won the second. I was hoping atleast a win on the TB. This is plain ridiculous. My heart would explode if I was watching the match. what should have been a 6-1 6-1 is what it is right now. But I am thinking he wont be this bad in the next match. Lets see how the third set goes.
All the time he spends on the court doesnt help for longer matches coming up.
Ah, Lucky, if that was directed to me, I apologise, I meant the two sets he had won tonight, not winning the tournament! My bad!
No, not directed at you. Just my comment in general.
Is Rafa’s hand cramping ?
I think so, maybe because of the humidity. If he can’t deal with the humidity then it’s rather worrying, as it’s going to be humid all the way. His team better think of something to help him.
At least he’s up a break now in set three, hope he holds serve till the finish line, no more complications.
I am worried. Very.
Hope he can wrap the match in 3 sets,if not…bummer!
4-2. For heavens sake just hold and finish it off Rafa.
5-2 now!
Thanks Lucky. Please let me know when it finishes 🙂
Rafa, please don’t get a double break. That’s when all the troubles start.
Hopefully he can wrap this up on this next game. Looks horribly humid there!
Yess!!…Alhamdulillah!…Win in 3 finally!!…
Finally, he wins in three sets! What a relief for all of us (including he and his team).
Phew. Was getting so stressed through that match I think my hairline will soon be matching Nadal’s.
Congrats Rafa and on to the next one!
Seriously though, once the big 3 are gone, maybe Schwartzman could lift a slam?
But Hang on Rafa fans , he got the job done in 2 hours 45 minutes. I know its little on the higher side, but it took him 2 hours as well against Chung as well. Still its in 3 sets. He should be able to recover. What do you think ? Next match should not be that physical.
It is not as bad as it looked like watching. And Diego was in form and he was very fresh. I think if someone had given me this scoreline, I would have taken it. Probably he could have got this done half an hour earlier. He won because he was always ahead. He is a supreme front runner.
Heh. I woke up shortly after the match ended and checked the score. Yes, looked great!!! Then I read the details. Surprised you Rafans who watched are still alive! At least I HOPE you all lived. Not sure I would have! Talk about problems closing sets! I hope Rafa wasn’t double faulting the way poor Gael did?
The good news is that Rafa looked very happy and pumped at the end.
See, it’s the humidity that’s the problem. The team has to prepare him for nights like this. He said he took some salt, I hope he takes enough of that in his next match(es) to prevent cramping and to prevent such erratic play!
A sigh of relief really, after all the drama. No more of such erratic plays I hope in the following match(es).
Its no wonder why Rafa is going bald!!!!!
Rafa needs to step it up going forward, and he knows this!!
It looked so humid out there even I almost started cramping!! Rafa should be fine physically!
Yes, short third set helped him. No matter how tight a three setter is, it is recoverable. And Rafa had a small break as player. His opponent in SF also played a long match in humidity. So he wont be very fresh and his BH is not that strong. I believe he is the same guy Fed played in Wibmy 4th round probably. He was on roll in the grass court season.
Small break in the second round. So, he should not be very tired. Its like he played 9 hours of tennis, which is not a lot. He can avoid going for so much of broke in SF as Diego is a master retriever and he also goes on offensive very quickly and his overall game matches with Rafa well.
Very well, he really took it to RAfa but in the end Rafa was like a brick wall, despite his many hiccups!!!
I like Diego, wish him well in his career! He won a fan in me tonite
I watched the post match Highlights and from what I saw Diego was hitting big and for a short guy I think his serves were well on the spots too. and Rafa was hitting big too. but I think Rafas serve is so inconsistent just because of confidence issues. I wonder if Berretini hits faster than Diego. I saw he hits big but Diego was hitting as big as well. I hope Nadal knows he has to take a lead to be comfortable and hope he will.
WOW. Nadal is just a horror matchup for Schwartzman.
Jim. Just a curiosity question. Based on your comments you clearly arent a Nadal fan. Whos your fav ? Fed ? Djokovic ?
I think its quite funny with us Rafa fans out here. The first time I heard, Lucky was saying I was complaining too much about Rafa. and look at us now. He wins the first set, we arent confident. He wins the second and we still are “worried”.
Its quite funny and almost pathetic ( no offense and me included) we cant just believe he will go through. I just hope to see him win his 19th and I will move on once he retires. I dont see I will find any other player that is so humble and so good a player that I will have heart attacks just hoping he would win.
Yep. What you said. Being a Rafan is hell and heaven. It makes you crazy. It’s better if you can attend his matches in person. If I could I’d follow him around and scream and yell and cheer and it’s better with lots of other people near you. But watching alone in your home…that’s hard. I’d think I was insane but…Rafa’s just as bad as a fan! I’ve seen clips of him, watching a Real Madrid Eurocup match on tv, and crouching behind the sofa with stress!
PK, maybe we Rafafans have developed a bit of Rafa’s own mentality. His uncle has taught him never to take anything for granted and respect every opponent, no matter how lowly ranked he may be. And we often complain that Rafa could have a little more selfconfidence – just like Fed and Novak and their respective fans, who always assume that their favorite player will win – considering his Big Three status and his stellar resummee. But here we are, worrying and frazzling over Diego Schwartzman! And admittedly Diego put up a mighty fight! Congrats to both players!
But I’m totally sure that now we will start to frazzle about Matteo Berettini😉. As soon as I saw that Monfils was out, I started to worry, lol! Monfils is a known entity after all, and Berettini is young and powerful. And Rafa often has a few difficulties to put away opponents he hasn’t faced, yet. The truth is of course that most experts will tell us that the door into the final is wide open now for Rafa. This USO seems to be a little bit like the 2017 USO, where Rafa’s path to the title didn’t include any top ten opponents. The same could still happen this year if Rafa puts away Berettini and if Dimitrov wins against Medvedev today – although I think it’s more likely that Medvedev will win. But who knows? He may have some physical problems?
OK, cheers to frazzling!
Hi LittleFoot. Respect is one thing. But you cant possibly be weak enough to lose a double break lead in two sets. 5-1 and you are nervous ? thats just not right. But yea Diego did play and fight. No disrespect. but Rafa should have certainly had this easier. He gets cramps third set and wins 6-2. Its like he needs adversity to fight and win. Medvedev is too strapped up and I dont think will stand a chance against Rafa. Dimi will put up a fight unless Rafa is on song. and in tennis yes nothing is guaranteed. As to Berretini I saw a bit and he was hitting big but I see Monfils played too defensive to the centre court. Rafa is getting lucky he gets a chance at another slam without having to face his nemesis(s). He better get the job done.
PK, since I’m in Europe I didn’t follow the match live. I only woke up and was pleased to see that Rafa won in three. Throwing away a comfortable lead twice is indeed a bit worrying. Hopefully Rafa can do better in his next matches. Is it possible that he started to become a bit nervous because the door to a 19th slam is so wide open now?? If nothing terrible happens, he really should win the title! But I will only believe it, when he holds the trophy 😉
PK, you see, after Rafa’s (and our) bad experiences at USO2015/2016, when he lost in five sets (to Pouille and Foggy), after being two sets to one up, we are all too nervous seeing Rafa playing in such an erratic manner.
Had he won the first two sets without complications being two breaks up in both sets, we won’t be here worrying and getting anxious. Even though Rafa lost a set to Cilic in the previous round, I’d never doubted that he would win in the end, because Rafa was playing consistently well throughout. Even though he was having problem with his first serve %, he was winning a high % of them when he got them in, and his second serve was ok too. At least he didn’t throw away leads unlike this match, and was not making many UEs.
Fognini was being two sets to love up. That sucked big time. I was travelling and yes had big time nerves knowing he didnt finish the job. My biggest problem is Nadal has everything in him to be the best but he makes things way too complicated. Yes I expected and was fairly confident he would take out Cilic. but it still sucks to know he cant serve it out with lesser opponents. Hows he going to do that with a Fed or Djok if that happened. To me he deserves atleast one more Aus Open. I just hope he brings it the next two matches and doesnt lose out on what I think is actually a lucky chance at his 19th
So, will Fognini give Berettini some advice of how to play Rafa, lol? Well, Berettini is a totally different player than Fognini. But Italy has now two very good players. It will be interesting to see how Berettini will develop. He had some very good results lately on hardcourt. I would’ve liked Monfils better as Rafa’s next opponent. He’s a known entity, and Rafa has a very good head-to-head against him.
I have never watched Berettini. Does he have weapons which can cause trouble for Rafa?
Imo, Schwartzman > Berrettini. Schwartzman knows Rafa’s game so well, being practising with Rafa often.
I know Rafa will take time to figure out first time opponent and so he’ll start slow again, vs Berrittini as with any other first time opponent whom he faces. But, whoever faces Rafa for the first time will also be ‘overwhelmed’ by the way Rafa plays, his topspin FH and lefty serve, his intensity and his speed around the court, his defensive skills etc.
I think if Rafa comes well prepared ( not only against his opponent but also for the humid conditions), he should be able to beat Berrettini. The scoreline may be tight but I don’t think it’s as tough as facing Schwartzman. I feel Schwartzman moves better than Berrettini and is a more experienced player.
Lucky, thanks for the info. I know, I will be frazzling. But objectively Rafa should be able to put Berettini away.
I agree with you that Berettini will probably be a bit overwhelmed by the occasion. That should equalize Rafa’s first-time difficulties.
Berretini is 6 5 and serves big occasionally. So lets be prepared to see Rafa on the fence. Rafa has enough firepower and topspin on both wings enough to get an early comfortable lead like he did today. For some reason he is nervous serving out sets and matches. I used to see him fail once but close out on the second chance. Losing two breaks is from bad to worse.
but that said, Rafa should have a more than 90% chance to take out Berretini comfortably in straights. Whether he squanders leads or makes it a fight, we have no idea. Also its not like he is playing a top 10 or 5 in the semis and that Berretini went to five the prev match. By all things considered normal, Rafa should have an easy enough win
Maybe Rafa was emotionally invested in playing Diego bcos they are good friends and they practice together! Bcos I can’t understand y else he would be so shaky in his service games. lol!
I am on my way back after watching live. It does not get easier to watch even without the commentators. It was nerve wracking. Hoping for a stress free semi though. Most definitely Rafa will have the second semi
vmk1, I envy you for being able to watch live! Many years ago I lived in NY, and we went to the early rounds of the USO where we das many alltim-greats, and we always went to Madison Square Garden, where at the time the year-end championship was played out. Later the year-end championship moved to my current home town Hannover for three years, and I was able to get tickets. My most cherished memory is a thrilling match between Sampras and Becker. Becker won in two tight sets which were decided by tie breaks. The spectators almost brought down the roof! One can make endless jokes about Becker’s private life. But he was a fierce and charismatic competitor, who should’ve won more slams than he actually did. Because of his private escapades he didn’t always perform as well as he was capable of. Later in his career he managed to raise his level, and was able to goe toe to toe with Sampras and Agassi, who were considerably younger than him.
Anyway, I thought that watching tennis live is a totally unique experience, and one appreciates more the power and the artistry of the players.
Folks I was on a flight just landed. Good to know Rafa won but medical attention on both hands..what was that about. Anything to worry ? Just cramps due to humidity or anything else ? N cramps in hands ?
Read this guys .we are saying his serve is wobbly but his opponent has a different take
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/1174188/Rafael-Nadal-improved-serving-Diego-Schwartzman-US-Open-news/amp
We are saying Rafa serve is wobbly but his opponent has a different take.
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/1174188/Rafael-Nadal-improved-serving-Diego-Schwartzman-US-Open-news/amp
Now thats even worse. For a guy that was uncomfortable with returns, he broke four times. You can look at it two ways.
Yes he has more pace on his serves and yes he is better..Infact he should be even more comfortable holding serves. His first serve percentages hasnt been great but his win percentages on the same are pretty good.
But why would he squander games in a big lead trying to serve out. Bad choices ? Confidence ?.
Its true Rafa should actually be unbeatable not vulnerable. He has everything in his game. Thats the point and why its frustrating to see him make it a big deal.
PK, Rafa was cramping. He said he suffered from dehydration, first his hand was cramping, then his forearm and then it went up to his elbow, his legs too, the humidity was very bad out there. I read that he also had some stomach issue before the match, wonder how true was that.
He took some salt tablets and was feeling better during the third set, that’s why I said I hope his team prepare him well for the humidity for his next match, which I think is also at night, 7pm time slot most likely.
The final is in the afternoon if I’m not wrong so if he gets there, should be a bit better, if the sun is out to dry up some of the moisture.
Lucky, I agree. But imagine how his chances could have been affected had it gone to five. I think the dehydration and cramps started probably late in the second or early third ?. Hopefully he will know thats a risk and plays even solid with Berretini. We all know he could. and yes final is in the evening and he doesnt have the same problems.
How do you prep someone for humidity ? Load up with a Gatorade/Powerade ?
PK, I don’t know. Perhaps take more salt tablets? He said he felt the cramping at end of second set and at beginning first few games of third set, took salt tablet and the effect kicked in and he felt better after that. I noticed too that he played better the last few games of set three.
Ok, well that explains it! Rafa, all is forgiven, lol! Its really not easy playing out there in these conditions! Rafa is one of the fittest on tour! I see how Monfils was struggling but he gave it his all! I think if was not for his conditioning Monfils could have won that match
Lucky any idea on what stomach bug is all about
I dont know, I just read from Foxsports news. Rafa said he had stomach issue before the match and suffered from dehydration.
I’ve no idea what stomach issue he was suffering from, he did not elaborate. But, he said he was physically fine so I suppose it’s nothing major.
As I expected, the match was indeed draining for Rafa. I am sorry he did not approach the net more often as he is so good at the net, but we all know Rafa does it only when he is high on confidence. Squandering two breaks in each set has to do with: Rafa being under pressure for his questionable first serve %; Diego playing some amazing tennis and of course humidity! However, when put against the wall Rafa was still able to produce his best tennis! Diego reminds me of Davidenko who was such a bad matchup for Rafa.
I just hope Rafa did not catch some injury in this match and that all his pain and discomfort which led to more UEs came from cramping and dehydration.
I saw live two recent US Opens and since I come from Europe I thought the humidity in NY was simply unbearable and made me feel weak and tired especially at evenings…I can just imagine how difficult it is for players to keep their intensity and focus under such conditions…
Hope Rafa is fine physically to continue his quest for the trophy! Rafa is now beaten some quality opponents and he is ready for the final rounds!
Vamos Champ!
No injury pls.no no no…if it’s just a stomach upset it can be resolved with medication n fluids. The cramping part is ok n can be addressed…the stomach part worries me
Sanju, don’t worry without having good reasons to do so😊 Cramping and an upset stomach doesn’t necessarily derail Rafa’s campaign for another USO trophy. These ailments can be resolved.
If you haven’t already seen it, you should definitely watch the end of the fifth set of the USO 1996 quarterfinal between Sampras and Alex Corretja! There are several youtube clips available since it’s a famous match. The conditions were brutal, and Sampras was sluggish throughout the match. Normally he would’ve dominated Corretja on hardcourt. At the end of the fifth set Sampras was cramping and staggering – and then he threw up oncourt during the final tie break! The very insensitive umpire gave him a court violation in top of the embarrassment. Sampras could hardly walk and only his amazing serve bailed him out. Corretja eventually had a match point on Sampras’s serve, who didn’t get the first serve in and saved the match point with a very risky second serve ace! Although Sampras could hardly walk or lift his arm anymore, he somehow got in two more aces and had a match point on Corretja’s serve – and Corretja produced a double fault. Therefore Sampras won the match without having to move one more step, which at that point he pretty much couldn’t do anyway. Corretja was totally devastated for a long time. Everybody thought that Sampras wouldn’t be able to play at his usual level in the semis. But he recovered completely and proceded to win the title☺
Rafa is one of the fiercest fighters of the current generation. Diego Schwartzman acknowledged this after the match. Pistol Pete Sampras became one of the fiercest fighters in his generation. Most people think of a lethal serve and an elegant serve-and-volley game and a somewhat boring personality, when they remember Sampras. But Pistol Pete also evolved into an indomitable fighter with an incredible will power. He could truly put mind over matter and he was willing to suffer for the win. He produced some of the most thrilling matches ever – some of them on clay, although that was his weakest surface. But contrary to common perception he definitely could play on clay. At the 1996 FO he had a terrible draw and had to defeat several former FO champions – like Jim Courier – in order to reach the semis. After three consecutive five setters he finally ran out of steam. I didn’t like Sampras all that much at first, but I developed an immense respect for him.
Very good description of that match, littlefoot. I had put it out of my mind but it was just as you say. I remember leaving the TV room when Sampras was vomiting. Amazing of Sampras to get through that and win. I wasn’t a big Sampras fan but certainly didn’t like watching him suffer. I was surprised he made it and won!
He is fine. He was very happy in the presser. Almost felt to me that he thought deep down that Diego was the biggest challenge left in the draw.
All players (ex Rafa) are in unknown territory now. But, the pressure is solely on Rafa as he is the favorite.
Mona, All is not forgiven unless he holds the trophy on Sunday and finishes good enough to be Year end #1.. 😁
USO Trophy, certainly, but I don’t want to hear about YE#1 A heavy or even “normal” fall schedule is just NOT good for Rafa’s health. Let Djokovic wear his shoulder out trying to make up points to make a run for it if he wants to.
Rafa’s got plenty of stuff on his plate already. Laver Cup, wedding, hopefully a honeymoon that does not involve tennis, an exho with Djoker (God knows why & I hope Nole pulls out of that), Davis Cup, YEC.
Rafa also had cramping in his forearms. Also he doesn’t fare well in humid conditions.
Luckily, he has all day today to recover.
I’ve had problems posting comments here. They just disappear into thin air but I solved it by switching my router on and off.
Nadline, last night I was about to file a missing person’s report for you, lol!!. I was like where is Nadline?!! Glad to see you’re back!
I kept trying to comment but my posts disappeared into thin air so I called my helpline yesterday and they asked me to switch my router off then switch it back on again and like magic it worked.
I did take a break from commenting on all forums after Rafa lost to Fed at Wimbledon because I was gutted ;). I still haven’t got over it. 😉
How is the weather Friday night n Sunday noon 430 pm for final regarding humidity .vmk1 and Atul since you both stay there .the weather sites somehow give different versions
Today is all rain. Roof’s gonna be closed. Sunday is expected to be great. The worst weather was during the QF match. I was coming back home from work and it was so muggy. Glad that’s behind us
Rain is better than humid conditions.
Yes, that was truly an amazing match. But Sampras was involved in a few more thrillers. I remember that he almost single handedly won the Davis Cup for the US against an extremely strong Russian team in Moscow. The Russians had chosen an indoor clay court in order to neutralize Sampras, and they even drenched the clay surface with water before the matches in order to slow down the conditions even more. Agassi was hurt and couldn’t play. Therefore Sampras decided to play singles and doubles. Sampras won the first match against Kafelnikov, who was a top five player and an excellent clay court player. He also was a future FO champion. But Sampras managed to beat him in front of a hostile crowd in a thrilling five setter and had to be carried with cramps from the court after the match. But the very next day he played the doubles with Todd Martin and they managed to beat the very good Russian team. Since the other American players had lost their singles, Sampras needed to win the deciding fifth match on Sunday, and he did! I was very glad that the Americans won because the Russians had been totally unfair. But it was Sampras alone who rose to the occasion.
So, the guy could definitely play on clay, although the FO eluded him forever. Later in his career he seemed to have lost faith in himself whenever he stepped onto a clay court.
While we are waiting for the semis, I like to remember a few old matches. There has been good tennis before the Big Three and there will still be tennis after the Big Three😊
Yes, that was truly an amazing match. But Sampras was involved in a few more thrillers. I remember that he almost single handedly won the Davis Cup for the US against an extremely strong Russian team in Moscow. The Russians had chosen an indoor clay court in order to neutralize Sampras, and they even drenched the clay surface with water before the matches in order to slow down the conditions even more. Agassi was hurt and couldn’t play. Therefore Sampras decided to play singles and doubles. Sampras won the first match against Kafelnikov, who was a top five player and an excellent clay court player. He also was a future FO champion. But Sampras managed to beat him in front of a hostile crowd in a thrilling five setter and had to be carried with cramps from the court after the match. But the very next day he played the doubles with Todd Martin and they managed to beat the very good Russian team. Since the other American players had lost their singles, Sampras needed to win the deciding fifth match on Sunday, and he did! I was very glad that the Americans won because the Russians had been totally unfair. But it was Sampras alone who rose to the occasion.
So, the guy could definitely play on clay, although the FO eluded him forever. Later in his career he seemed to have lost faith in himself whenever he stepped onto a clay court.
While we are waiting for the semis, I like to remember a few old matches. There has been good tennis before the Big Three and there will still be tennis after the Big Three😊