Kei Nishikori’s winning streak will be on the line against the toughest of clay-court opponents on Sunday in Madrid. None other than defending champion Rafael Nadal stands in the way of a second straight title for Nishikori.
Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori will be facing each other for the seventh time in their careers and for the second time this season when they battle for the Mutua Madrid Open title on Sunday.
Nadal remained perfect in the head-to-head series and extended his edge to 6-0 with a straight-set but hard-fought 7-6(3), 7-5, 7-6(3) victory at this year’s Australian Open. The world No. 1 is 15-1 lifetime in sets against Nishikori and he has 14 in a row. They have squared off once on clay, with Nadal rolling 6-4, 6-1, 6-3 in the fourth round of the 2013 French Open.
Right now, however, Nishikori is playing the absolute best tennis of his life. He current registers one spot off his career-high ranking at 12th in the world and he has already assured himself of becoming the first Japanese man to crack the Top 10 in the ATP World Tour rankings when they are released on Monday. Nishikori has not lost a match since Indian Wells; a stretch that features a semifinal showing in Miami (withdrew due to injury), a title in Barcelona, and wins this week over Ivan Dodig, Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, Milos Raonic, Feliciano Lopez, and David Ferrer.
Nadal is also showcasing stellar form in Madrid, although for him it has been a much-needed confidence booster. The top-seeded Spaniard fell in the quarterfinals in both Monte-Carlo (Ferrer) and Barcelona (Nicolas Almagro), but he has already made it two steps further in Madrid thanks to scalps of Juan Monaco, Jarkko Nieminen, Tomas Berdych, and Roberto Bautista Augt.
“Psychologically, in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona, whenever I had difficult moments I was not ready and I was a little bit down,” Nadal reflected after beating Bautista Agut during semifinal action on Saturday. “Here, I managed to be ready straightaway…. After a great match yesterday, I have the confirmation today that the improvement is real. It’s very good news for me. I think for moments I played great tennis against an opponent that is playing really well and improving a lot.”
The defending champion will have to do the same in this one, but he could get an assist from his opponent of all people. Nishikori dealt with a lower-back issue against both Lopez and Ferrer and a nearly three-hour showdown versus Ferrer cannot help matters. All things being equal, the underdog would have a chance based on his amazing current form. But on clay, in Spain, and almost certainly jaded either due to injury and/or fatigue, Nishikori cannot like his chances.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
[polldaddy poll=8037378]
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/465362402562019328/photo/1
A combination of Rafa desire to put his recent clay funk behind him, Kei’s sore back and fatigue from yesterday battle-royal tilts this in Rafa’s favour, in my view.
Rafa to:
win his 4th Madrid Masters!
win his 27th Masters Shield!
Lead the Race to London!
Regain confidence for RG!
Vamos!
Rafa has to be ruthless today and get the job done. He can feel compassion for Kei’s physical woes after the match.
Yeah, I like that! After my basket ball team losing last night, i know Rafa will make me smile today with the win, vamos!:-)
Nishikori was awesome against Ferrer yesterday, but have to think he will be hurting this morning. I wonder if he will even be fit enough to play the final. Nadal in straight sets, but stunning effort from Kei this week.
Nishi displayed the bravery of a samurai warrior last night and in all likelihood will do so again this evening with the help of anti-inflammatories. Rafa and his fans just have to ignore the inevitable asterisk some people will try to award a win against a compromised Nishikori.
#All’sFairInLoveAndWar
What with Nadline AWOL, RIRB no doubt prostrate after running her half-marathon, Hawkeye’s anti-jinxing and all the resident pessimists hyper-ventilating, there’s the risk there will be a shortage of positive vibes from this site tonight.
BTW: I’m thinking of asking Ricky to put Sanju under moderation for the duration of the match 😀
ed (at 10:16 am)
During Rafa’s matches, I always focus on sending positive vibes to Rafa. I don’t write them here, I try to radiate. 🙂
^^^^^ ? ?
No worries: Rafa will be alright.
Also on the line is Rafa’s 44th claycourt title, ahead of Muster’s 40 and trailing historically only Vilas’ 46 (who played just over 800 matches on clay to Rafa’s fewer than 330 so far).
KN is playing great this year, but he’s going to be tired and he’s facing a fired up Rafa, in Madrid, so Rafa in straight, losing 5-6 games. Can’t wait for RG!
Ok, I promise no antijinxings or bad vibes from me today.
I can’t promise that willmw won’t show up however! 🙄
We can’t even watch this final live in Canada and the few available interweb streams were unacceptable
Might have to splurge on a TennisTV subscription again.
Not even on Sportnet 501? I think they have it on Rogers digital cable I believe.
get on it, Hawkeye
No Ray, Sportsnet One (Rogers ch. 501) which has been carrying Madrid all week, failed to show the Nadal semi live yesterday and will not show today’s final until 11 PM EDT. Instead, in their wisdom, they are showing the Redsox Rangers game on all of their feeds.
TennisTV is all right but the stream quality is far from HD. If it was, I’d be signed up every year!
hawkeye63@May 11, 2014 at 2:22 pm
—TennisTV is all right but the stream quality is far from HD—
Have you watched TennisTV.com lately? The quality is much better than years ago!
I watched the Federer-Djokovic SF in MC on TennisTV last month.
Yes, definitely improved and looks fine on a computer display, but not on an HDTV.
I have drastically cut down on the cost of satellite TV payments since signing up to TennisTV. Plus, of course, the bliss of being able to catch up on matches you’ve missed. Between the ATP site and the ITF streaming for Slams and Davis Cup (slightly more expensive and no ‘catch up) I now watch wall to wall tennis to my heart’s delight. The only snag is you can’t always access tournaments being played and shown on TV in your own country.
No ESPN3 in your area? It’s free.
any thoughts on rome? the draw is out already
rafaelo,
Visit Rafael Nadal page.
Couldn’t find a stream anywhere for the men’s doubles final.
#Bummer
ed (at 4:07)
It was on TennisTV.com. I didn’t watch.
What?????????????
I looked this morning and it wasn’t listed. Didn’t check again. Damn.
Well at least i used the time profitably catching up with the gardening which I have been shirking in favour of tennis.
Will be tennised out after Rafa’s match but will probably watch it at some point on catch up.
That was a good match between Sharapova and Halep wasn’t it.
GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
this loss will do more damage than AO final!!!!!!!!! just what is he doing?!
no body is here! 😐
rafa is being slayed out there and no one is here! what a shame!
Just got back home. I’m in shock. Someone tell me it’s not true.
it’s true! and first set and every thing that rafa had is gone!
Sharapova lost the opening set 1:6 and still lifted the trophy.
#ClutchingAtStraws
this is the worst I have seen Rafa play EVER…I am speechless…
I cant watch this.
love 40! first game it’s over
something very wrong with him
it is his mindset! I think he has a serious problem! his career is in danger
Rafa forehand DTL is non existent…what the hell is going on?
Shites. That’s it.
Finally 2 good points in a row…comeon
Terrible….
bps …
rafa playing badly. Nishikori playing too well. Too much tension for rafa..
Yes, It seems that Rafa’s confidence issues are still there. It also appears that Nishi’s win against Ferrer helped him a lot. He isn’t tired. He’s playing great.
I really am at a loss for words.
Missed the first set. Has Nishi had the trainer on yet? if not, why not 🙁
Come on…break now. VAMOS
I agree that Rafa has become a mental midget…he needs some serious treatment…this is painful to watch…his defensive play is killing me…since when did Rafa become such a coward…
I mean it’s unbelievable, I just can’t watch Rafa anymore, he does not bring me joy no more………….sheesh!!!
The bad thing is for the first time in Rafa’s career I don’t believe he will win RG!! But I will always support him!
However, I’m happy he won!
I’m afraid I will be have to say that rafa is over! after his AO loss he is over!
Nishikori’s back has flared up
injuries will be the downfall of this guy
Gamesmanship ?
Rafa breaks back! Come on!
Gamesmanship can backfire.
he broke! but I still insist on my say! beside the outcome of this match
Oh yes…break and great service game to consolidate.
Rafa’s DTL forehand still non existent though.
Sign of low confidence.
It’s not over yet. At least Rafa is fighting now, showing some life. Come on Rafa. You can do this!
vamos ! how was the resistance on the break point? NEVER gave up. Rafa fought really well …a good positive last game ! nishikori is trouble now…physically too
it’s over
HOPING rafa will open up now.. Great fight against the onslaught of Kei
Find solutions Rafa!
Vamos Rafa!
Nishikori looks physically finished. Might be a bagel here.
Rafa did well to hang in there in the 2nd set. You would not expect anything less, would you?
He might retire it seems…feel sad for him
Rafa fights and wins the second set! Now take it to Nishi and get that win!
There is some talk online about the MTO Nishi took after Rafa got the break. I thought the rules say that you can’t get a MTO for a pre-existing injury. Then Nishi took a bathroom break at the end of the second set.
Maybe finally NIshi is done. This is Rafa time!
Would have been better for Rafa’s confidence if he won against a fit Nishikori
please retire
A win is a win!
Vamos Rafa!
if i were rafa I would not accept this trophy at the ceremony!
rafaelo@May 11, 2014 at 7:18 pm
Be thankful that Rafa didn’t yell (like Wawrinka did!!!) when Nishikori took a MTO!
I don’t care what the others did! I have my own hero and I expect manner from him
Rafa showed GOOD manners: he didn’t yell !!! Be happy!!!!
Thank god Rafa had broken back and taken the 2nd set. He can hold his head up.
I think it’s going to be great for Rafa’s confidence. Up until the third set Nishi was playing great. Let’s not forget that. Rafa got the break and won the second set. So he evened up the match. Let’s give Rafa credit for hanging in there.
Finally it appears that the injury may have caught up with NIshi. But this is a title match, so Nishi may not want to retire. Rafa didn’t do it at the AO.
Sometimes Tennis Gods help Rafa also.
True. But so often they test him hard.
not happy!
this win will be huge for Rafa’s confidence and then I hope Rafa to play better, to stop fearing his opponents and avoid making those incomprehensible UEs…
I feel exhausted now…and I feel so sorry for Nishi being injured…I was hoping that Rafa would beat him fair and square after winning the second set…
great tennis from Nishi, though…I wish him all the best for the rest of the season…
Rafa please believe in yourself and stop having doubts!
Vamos Rafa!
I don’t know how do you guys believe that this is good win for rafa! IT IS NOT! YOU WILL SEE
It was lovely the crowd gave Nishi an ovation when he received his trophy.
Nishi received a plate.
Sooner or later Rafa will sort out his issues. I hope they are just those he has been talking about: confidence and fight. Hopefully there is not something in his life unrelated to tennis that is bothering him. Either way, he will sort himself out in time, judging by what we’ve seen him work out in the past a number of times. Hard to know if it will be more or less sorted in the next few tournaments or will take longer. Some of you wrote that it sometimes just needs a few good wins against very strong opponents, e.g. Novak. I just hope that he lifts the RG trophy fours weeks from now.
I’m wondering if it is something to do with his gf. I don’t think she was in Madrid at all this week.
In Spain, she doesn’t sit in player’s box. She watched Rafa in Barcelona, but wasn’t in his box.
The break point played by rafa at 3-4 was very defining of his character. He is not going anywhere. I cannot be very confident that we will see vintage Rafa in Rome but I am HOPEFUL of a better showing. Rafa handled adversity much better here… that was missing in MC and Barcelona… so we have many positives to take !
THe backhand needs A LOT of improvement… forehand DTL was not really on today but it was really good in the previous matches..
keep improving ,rafa..
vamosrafa,
I totally agree with your thoughts. Rafa did not give up and kept fighting. That is the one thing that I take away from this match. But we shouldn’t fool ourselves into thinking that Rafa’s troubles are all sorted out. I agree about not being confident that we are going to see vintage Rafa in Rome. There are a lot of positives to take out of this tournament. However, the way that Rafa played the first set is cause for concern. He’s not there yet.
Rafa has a good draw in Rome and a chance to capitalize on his good showing in Madrid. I remember saying after the RBA match, that there would be ups and downs with Rafa as he works to get back to his best. We saw in this first set today that there are still downs. But Rafa has made great strides.
Just got back in time to watch 1 1/2 sets. Didn’t see Rafa’s bad patch at the beginning of the match. I couldbe something to do with the gf as ed suggests, because she always goes to Madrid.
rafaelo, do you think San should have accepted the AO trophy?
If it really is the gf, that would easily explain so much – on top of coming back from the AO / back injury blow. They have been together for ever as we all know.
Rafa to a cameraman: “Take a drink!”
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/465578423638032384/photo/1
Cheers, Rafa! >-I
Another picture
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/465615879615815680/photo/1
Video. Rafa Nadal sprays the champagne then hands the bottle to a cameraman.
http://clips.tennistv.com/g/v/luSdBntL3cI
ANY win is a confidence boost…Rafa hasn’t been lucky and got injured in the AO final…that unfortunate event made a huge impact on Rafa’s mental strength and for the champion like he is who’s been fighting injuries all his life this new one posed a real threat…Rafa is still out of sorts mainly because he does not believe in his own game, he is hesitant in his shots and defensive…however, he won the second set and made his own way to the third…that’s huge for his mental strength…so, Rafa shall be happy…he deserved it at the end…
Rafa is still platying way bellow his usual level and he and his team should be aware of it…but getting a win is something that will motivate Rafa and make him work harder…just imagine what would have happened if Rafa did not win today…he would have thought that the destiny has turned against him and it would have been harder to come back…
I have been following Rafa all the way…believe me, THIS WIN WILL DO HIM GOOD!
Vamos Rafa!
On the other hand, Rafa has played well this week so it’s probably a throw back to the problems Nishikori gave him in Australia that did for his confidence against him. Rafa was the same after Nalbandian beat him the first 2 times they played until Rafa dropped his guard at IW and beat him comprehensively after being a set and 2-5 down, taking the 3rd set 6-0.
As if I needed another reason to adore Rafa. I’m glad Darren Cahill tweeted this.
https://twitter.com/darren_cahill/status/465566997976481792
Toni needs to shut his big mouth :-).I mean what an idiot is he
Tony to the Spanish TV: Kei deserved the victory as he had been the better player for most of the match. We’ve been lucky…what happened to Rafa in this match, Toni says it’0s been strange because Rafa had been playing really well w/ Tomas & Roberto… he thinks
I absolutely think that Rafa should have accepted that trophy. This is the way of sport. Rafa has been on the receiving end of losses due to injury. He knows what it feels like to lose because he can’t play his best. So this time it happened to Rafa’s opponent. But if you can’t play because of an injury and must retire, then the trophy goes to the one who is still standing. This time it was Rafa.
It’s true that any win is good for Rafa. He needed this. I am sure that he knows there is more work to be done. He hasn’t gotten his confidence back all the way yet.
As for how Rafa tried to silence the crowd when they whistled while Nishi had the trainer, well that is what I would expect of him. He would never do what Stan did at the AO final. That’s why we love Rafa.
Not so easy. Nishikori is tasting Djokovic, Federer and Del Potro absence’s wine. Once they return to courts, this fellow will have to come back to his reality.
Well, it’s good to be realistic and not bury your head in the sand. Rafa will know that he could have lost the match but as he always reminds us, that’s the sport, no? He’s been on the wrong end on injury before where his opponent won because he was (Rafa) was injured. I’m glad that he defended all his Madrid points.
Rafa has lost due to injuries like burnt fingers, wobbly knees, stomach tear, flu, back, foot, thigh etc. He deserves a bit of luck.
The improvement Kei has made to his game is amazing, Now he has more weapons and plays most of the shots with great conviction and authority.
I would definitely rate him in the Top 4 with the current form.
Congrats RAFA for the 27th
Yes, congratulations with the 27th ATP 1000, and achievement on par with winning many slams.
And with his 44th trophy on claycourts. 2 away from Vilas’ historic record.
At least Rafa will feel a little bit better after missing out on his 14th GS title in Australia because of injury.
Race to London tomorrow (on Monday):
1. Rafa – 3865 points
2. Wawrinka – 3545
3. Djoko – 3050
4. Fed – 2920
5. Berdy – 2465
Woohoo!
Gussie – right now it is hard enough dealing with the nightmare switchback of each tournament: I couldn’t care a fig about the RTL rankings. I will just be happy if Rafa gets to London fit in mind and body.
ed (at 4:27 am)
Tennis pundits care about the Race very much. They like to call the leader of the Race the best/hottest player of the Year to Date. They like to do this especially when Rafa is No.1 in the ATP rolling rankings.
I badly want that tally to read ‘ 1. Rafa- 4865 points’ after Rome.
Well done Rafa! Congratulations Rafans!
Vamos!
From the ATP site
‘The four-time champion in Madrid, Nadal was competing in his 90th final, won a 27th crown at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. The Spaniard moved into solo sixth place on the all-time tour-level titles list with 63, pulling to within one of Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras.’
To state the obvious but happy fact: with his next two titles (at 65) he will be ahead of Bjorn Borg and Pete Sampras and be in fourth place on the all-time tour-level titles list. Not bad.
Who are the three who have more than 64 / 65 titles? Federer must be one of them.
chloro (at 5:57 pm)
https://twitter.com/augustazeight/status/465915370449428480/photo/1
Do you think rafa can still catch up with Roger (another 15 or so titles) in titles? In finals, surely he will catch up with at least Vilas (another 12 finals) if he plays more or less healthy another two or more years.
Is the pope Catholic?
Are the federazzi obsessed with Rafa?
#NID
did anyone watch Rosol-Fog?
chloro@May 12, 2014 at 6:31 pm
—Do you think rafa can still catch up with Roger (another 15 or so titles)—
Why not! Federer won his 63rd title at the age of 29 years, 15days.
Why not indeed? My hope is that Rafa compete for another three years mostly injury free. Don’t know if he really can much longer than that. And 5 titles a year on average should then be achievable. (And how about a minimum average of 1,5 or so slams a year :-).
Congrats Rafa!!! A win is a win. Rafa, while far from consistent, uped his game forcing Nishi to go for more which led to reinjury.
Rafa lost AO the same way sadly.
Fed won this way for years during the weak era when the whole bloody tour was virtually injured.
Continual improvement week to week. Better to peak at the French Open than too early!
Vamos Rafa no matter what!!!
“Rafa on Rafa: “I’m pretty happy with my attitude. Within the negativeness that was going on, I still had the energy to keep on trying.””
VERY positive stuff..
^^^^^Good point. The 1st set was a shocker, but not enough credit has been given to the way Rafa upped his game. e.g. his 1st serve rose from 67% winning 56% points to 78% and winning 72%. He also lowered the UE count – two thirds of the total tally (18)(18)were committed in the first set
I can’t remember the last time I was so angry at Rafa playing defensive tennis like I felt today…I was yelling and screaming at TV not believing my eyes…but I did so because deep inside I still believed he could emerge with the win…there were times when I would just sit quietly with no expression on my face simply knowing Rafa would lose…but today I waited for Rafa to wake up, to show his fighting spirit and refusing to surrender…I just wanted Rafa to BELIVE…so I hope from now on Rafa will trust himself…that’s all he needs to do and the rest will come…
Vamos Rafa!
Nice to hear I wasn’t the only one nats! 🙂
I tell you, I was so upset I switched the channel, I said to myself that Rafza was ding this on purpose!! I am not sure of Rafa’s chances in the other tourneys, it seems too many people now have got his number, and to make it worse, he is playing shit!
No one has Rafa’s number.
#BetweenTheEars
The Madrid Masters homepage: ¤¤ The newly crowned champion expresses his joy.
Rafael Nadal, the four-time champion of the Mutua Madrid Open, spoke in the Caja Mágica’s press room about his feelings after winning the Madrid Masters 1000 title.¤¤
http://www.madrid-open.com/en/noticias-tenis-masculino/el-flamante-campeon-expresa-su-felicidad/
Realistic. Honest. Eloquent. Rafa is a class act when he is being interviewed.
Thanks @augusta08, good to hear from Rafa. He sounded happy, very important.
RT @RafaelNadal: “We don’t always win the way we’d like. Happy for the award & grateful for the support! Playing in Madrid is a very special experience for me”
Amazing grace…………….
I finally watched the part of the match that I didn’t see. I stopped watching in the first set because I was so upset with how it was going. I didn’t want to scream at Rafa. It’s not good for my blood pressure! 🙂
They showed a close up of Rafa in that first set and he just wasn’t there. It’s all mental. When he double faulted to give Nishi a break point at 3-1, that’s all mental. It’s like he was sleepwalking or something. I forced myself to watch the entire first set. Not a pretty sight! But Rafa did seem to come alive in the second. More animated and better body language. I couldn’t believe it when he had Nishi down 0-40 early in the second set and didn’t get the break. Two second serves from Nishi and Rafa dumped two forehands in the net. It was frustrating to watch. But I could see competing and trying. So that’s a good thing. He woke up and started playing.
I would like to think that playing Rafa forced Nishi to push himself and that’s why finally his back just gave out. Maybe it was the combination of playing Ferrer in that marathon and then facing Rafa. But all I could think was how many times we Rafa fans have had to watch Rafa retire and sit on the sidelines or have a new injury in a match. I was thinking back to the AO final. We have seen our share of sadness with Rafa’s injuries. This time it was Nishi. It’s the way of sport. So Rafa got the win, probably not the way he wanted to but he has the title. But I am proud of Rafa for raising his level of play in that second set. That’s a good sign!
It’s great to see that Rafa leads the race now! Nice to know that Rafa has added to his considerable achievements on clay.
All you can ask of your player is that he keeps on fighting and trying. That’s what Rafa did today. Now it’s on to Rome.
well said ! I agree that it is all mental. Rafa’s confidence is still very shaky and he is doubting himself out there. But as he says, these type of tough wins when you are not playing well help you the most in the long term.
One of the questions in his presser exactly reflects that:
Q.On the first day of the tournament you said you were not fully confident. How do you feel now ahead of playing in Rome and the French Open?
Ans. A lot better. In sport, winning is important. Winning is the cornerstone of sport. When you are winning things become a lot easier, you have the peace of mind to hit the ball as you need to and, despite the fact that I had a poor first set, I played a good tournament. I have won a tournament that means a lot to me.
I remember how poorly rafa played against Fognini at the french open last year. I was so frustrated ! The fog’s double handed backhand was causing trouble to rafa in the same way Kei was doing last night. That was of course Fognini and this was the new version of Nishikori ! Rafa struggled almost as much in that match against Fog. He was passive for mast part, esp with his backhand. BUT, he completely turned things around in his next match ! it was against Nishikori..then against wawrinka he got better and then played his best in the semis…
Rafa can step up the aggression any time if he starts having a good feeling on court. I am confident he will find that sensation very soon… hopefully this week
Although it has come at a great cost, a positive here is how fresh rafa is heading into Rome. He has not expended that much energy in the clay court season this year so his body will be ready. He needs to be in the best possible mental state though..that’s equally important..
On averaeg, the net clearance on rafa’s backhand was too much throughout the weak, esp against Nishikori. He needs to be more confident with that shot and start mixing up the trajectory. We know his backhand is at its devastating best when he is ripping flat CC backhands along with deep top-spun drives in both corners of the court….Flattening out backhand DTL takes a lot of confidence for him… Slices can work well for him as they set up forehands for him but he has to be careful and not hit too many tentative ,short slices.. Rafa’s slices have a tendency to float and because he hits them with a more open racket face, his slices don’t skid that well….players who can generate good pace of their own punish those slices as they ‘sit up’ more … Rafa playing at his best , though, hits deeper, more penetrating slices that are tougher to attack.
Will be keeping a close eye on his backhand… THAT’s the shot djokovic often exploits (although it was a diff story in miami).
vamosrafa,
Thanks for the great analysis! You really have a grasp on the finer points of the technical aspects of Rafa’s game. I wanted to ask you about the net clearance with Rafa’s backhand. Could you speak a bit more about that? Was there too much clearance over the net? What kind of trajectory does he need? You have been focused on the backhand and with good reason. That is Rafa’s confidence shot. When he is on his game, he is hitting it with authority. I see him using the backhand slice quite a bit now. But it’s not always effective. They have been sitting up short and that doesn’t work well for him against certain players.
I really like analyzing where Rafa’s game is at now. There were so many good thoughts in your comments. Things to think about.
We tend to forget that Rafa did struggle last year at RG in the early rounds. I really enjoyed reading what Rafa had to say about his feelings now. I think he is going to take a lot of positives out of Madrid. The way it ended may have been unfortunate, but overall I thought this is the best he’s looked so far on clay. There’s more work to be done, that’s for sure. But he is getting there.
Thanks for all your posts! Great stuff! 🙂
NNY, thank you for the kind words and your valued inputs. Regarding rafa’s backhand I will try to give some detail from what I know/understand.
Net clearance is obviously the height over the net that rafa’s ground strokes achieve. When he is playing tentatively and passively, his backhands clear the net with plenty of height. While this provides more safety on your shot , it put you on the back foot against aggressive baseliners. When rafa rips those short angled CC backhands, the net clearance is much lower due to the flat trajectory. Rafa at his best in an artist on clay; he hits one shot deep in the backhand corner of righty’s backhands and the next shot he often hits is a very flat one CC… A hesitant rafa often hits floating backhands with a high net clearance in the middle of the court ,only to be punished by attacking players…
Rafa’s open stance backhand is also destructive only when he is hitting them with good penetration…
About his backhand DTL, he usually aims for depth by hitting high backhands..works fine as long as they are landing deep but trouble other wise…he usually flattens out his backhand DTL only when he has opened up the court …
AO 2009 is the prime example of rafa mixing up his backhand trajectory to perfection.. It was also very effective in montreal last year …
I would also like to talk about rafa’s forehand. Tv channels often show the avg.net clearance of his forehand and it is usually in the 90-95 cm ….its a bit higher on clay which is understandable… but when rafa is really feeling the ball well and flattening out his forehand DTL and inside-out forehand, his avg. net clearance is 85-90 cm ( a very dangerous range for his opponents). I wish they show the avg net clearance in every match because I believe its a good barometer of rafa’s confidence…. Against nishikori , there was a period in the match when he was giving his forehands ‘too much air’ and nishi was pouncing on those shots…
There have always been comparisons of rafa’s forehand and federer’s forehand and votes are almost equally split …. I think it depends on the surface…One superior aspect about fed’s forehand is that it is a more aggressive shot. By that, I mean two things: first is that fed can step inside the court more comfortably. Second, the net clearance of his forehand is lower which makes his shots more aggressive , esp on faster surfaces… Both men hit with tremendous spin (though rafa’s topspin is a level above)… because rafa hits with much more spin ( 3200 RPM on average vs fed’s 2700 RPM), he is bound to get more net clearance. he has , however, over the years learned to strike a better balance, esp on non-clay surfaces. He flattens out his forehand more now and I would love to see more incorporation of that, esp with his inside in forehand…
Rafa’s forehand has improved TREMENDOUSLY over the years. His backhand peaked in Aus 2009 but his forehand in 2013 was a lot more potent than it was in Aus 09…
The guy just keeps improving…love that about him !
^^^^^Thanks for the above analyses Vamos.
Something I only spotted when replaying the match was that not only did he raise his level significantly his serve was dramatically better.
76% points won from 97% first serve. What a contrast to the first set.
good point…the serve did improve considerably in all regards…. Rafa has to get his ‘calm’ back…. when he lacks ‘calm’ EVERY single aspect of his game gets affected..
vamosrafa,
Thanks for the more detailed explanation of the net clearance with Rafa’s backhand. Now I understand. I well remember the 2009 AO and the damage Rafa did to Fed with that cc backhand. He used it to devastating effect throughout the match. When I watched him play in Montreal, I thought at the time that this was the best he was hitting his backhand since 2009, maybe the 2010 USO. It’s amazing what that shot does for Rafa when it’s working right. I am talking about both the cc and dtl backhands.
Thanks for the additional clarification. I am pleased to be having a real discussion about the various aspects of Rafa’s game. But I think you feel as I do, that the backhand is so crucial to him and is an indicator of his confidence level.
vamosrafa,
Regarding your post @ 8:24 am, it’s great to also discuss Rafa’s forehand. It’s hard for me to get the cm because we have inches and feet in the states. But I know that during matches, many times they show the net clearance for Rafa’s forehand. I can see now why Rafa runs into trouble when he gives the forehand too much air, as you said. So it’s not just about hitting short, it’s about net clearance. If there is too much air then the opponent can jump all over it, which is what Nishi was doing in that first set.
I totally agree that Rafa has improved his forehand. We saw that in 2013. That dtl forehand did a lot of damage in his matches with Novak.
NNY, exactly !! Depth is very important but aggressive players who stand on the baseline will pounce even on the shots that are NOT short…Djokovic, Nishikori, Davydenko in the past, Murray,Del Potro…These guys are good examples…
The worst scenario is when he is giving too much air to his shots and they are landing short as well. Recipe for disaster ! depth saves him but to a degree…net clearance, esp on the backhand side is crucial because the spin on the backhand is not vicious enough to make attacking difficult for opponents…
Yes! This is what I have been trying to say here and elsewhere. Playing with calm is everything. Then the game just flows and the groundstrokes are deep and penetrating and accurate, the serve is good, the ROS is accurate. It all comes together.
They did flash the serving stats for Rafa on the tennis channel during the match. He did improve his serve dramatically in the match. That’s such a good sign, because it indicates an awareness on Rafa’s part, an ability to adjust and raise his level of play. This is what he wasn’t doing in his previous losses.
I have read online that some keep saying Nishi was only two games from winning. My answer to that is – Rafa was only two games from winning the 2012 AO! Take that! You never know what can happen in a match. It’s not over until it’s over. Even Tignor seemed to bemoan Nishi getting injured and not being able to play. Tell us Rafa fans all about it! We know too well! But people don’t seem to realize that some of it was due to Rafa playing so much better and really going after his shots and making Nishi run all over the place.
nativenewyorker7 (at 7:08 am)
—I have read online that some keep saying Nishi was only two games from winning—
It’s our own dear Ricky! See his article “Nadal goes back to back in Madrid…”
Uh oh!
I did not watch the match, I was too nervous and thank God I did not :-). I would have freaked out 🙂
Few things though to put in perspective.
How many of us expected Rafa to win in Madrid firstly? Atleast before Djoko pulled out? I think none of us. I think given how he played in MC, Barcelona- Madrid was a write off esp as conditions are not right for him here with the altitude. Today he stands the winner, has captured his 27th Masters, earned 1000 points- so its all a bonus.
Is Rafa the first person to benefit from an injured opponent? Did Fed not benefit from Djokos in MC? Did his fans complain? Did Stan not benefit from Rafas that too in a GS final? Did Fed not benefit from Rafas in WTF 2010 when Rafa could barely move in the final set after the 3 hour marathon with Murray the day before?
Secondly what was the score when Nishi retired? Rafa had won the 2nd and was up 3 0 in 3rd. Its not as if Nishi was leading and had to quit. Did Rafa not fight back from 4 2 to 4 all, so he was on level terms. Is there a guarantee that had Nishi been okay he would have closed it and won? Esp when the guy at the other end was Rafa. Why speculate?
Finally who will remember few years down the line how Rafa won his 27th Masters. All that will matter is how many Masters he has, not how he beat the opponent? And atleast now hes standing tall and far head over Fed (21) and Djoko (18).
Yes Rome is the key as its a full field. His performance here matters the most.
Sanju@May 12, 2014 at 8:16 am
—How many of us expected Rafa to win in Madrid firstly?—
You have asked this question about (almost?) all the tournaments.
My answer is (& will be) the same: I always hope Rafa to win and always support him, no matter what.
i think sanju is talking about ‘expectations’. The expectations were , as a matter of fact, quite low after rafa lost in Barcelona. All rafa fans here HOPE rafa wins and majority of them always SUPPORT him.. but expectations vary depending on what has been happening. This clay season has been an exception…in the past, we expected rafa to win every single match in clay..
vamosrafa@May 12, 2014 at 10:00 am
Read my comment: ‘hope’ = ‘expect’.
in the context I am using the two words, they have different meanings
I was spared the angst of the 1st set because I got home half way through the 2nd set at 2-3 to Nishikori. I was shocked to say the least, but thankfully things turned round soon enough so I didn’t suffer too much.
It’s hard for Rafa because he is a target for everyone. They all come on with a game plan and he has to deal with whatever strategy they bring along. With the other top players, it’s a case players thinking that they may have a chance if they play well, but they don’t have a strategy as such.
I think it i because Rafa plays differently (left handed, lot of tp spin) compared to anyone on the tour, people come with a proper strategy to play him. I am not sure if that much planning goes behind any other player.
Did Fed, Murray etc not say Rafa is the toughest player to play? Not sure if Djoko said that too.
Also, no other player dominates any surface like Rafa has dominated clay. It used to be the same with Federer at Wimbledon although in his case players had no ambitions to beat him because bought into the GOAT title, apart from Rafa.
Novak said during the ceremony of USO 2010 final ‘ rafa, you are the best ever’.
But on other occasions , he refers to rafa as’ one of the best players ever’…
on another note, novak said after hamburg 2008 that rafa has the best defensive skills in the history of tennis. Last year, he said rafa’s forehand is the toughest shot in tennis to deal with
nadline28@May 12, 2014 at 8:42 am
—It’s hard for Rafa because he is a target for everyone—
The legion of the Federazzi desperately want Rafa to be beaten by somebody. Everybody who beats Rafa becomes a hero in their eyes (and in the mouth of pro-Fed TV commentators). That’s why every player wants to beat Rafa.
I agree with this! Well said! 🙂
Also home tourney though advantageous puts an alltogether different pressure on you. You have to live upto the expectations of everyone in the crowd who want you to win badly.
Did Fed not lose Basel for 2 years in a row to Delpotro? I m sure in the tighter crunch moments, it adds to the pressre.
yup…home tourney can surely put more pressure on a player..
^^^^^An interesting point Sanju. Normally playing in front of the home crowd is perceived as an advantage but as you say the fear of failing in front of them can also be inhibiting for high profile players. Never seen Ferru so devastated as when he lost his SF. One also sees this happening a lot in Davis Cup. Some rise to the occasions and play at a level way above their norm: others fall apart and under perform.
You should listen to what Rafa says.
Video. Madrid 2014 Friday Interview Nadal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_UdWilvuTY
The presser on Sunday.
¤¤ QUESTION. The crowd were right behind you, did they help you through the difficult patch you mentioned. Does the crowd help you or add pressure?
RAFA. Throughout my life I have had the feeling that the crowd adds more pressure than support. It’s true that today, while I was struggling on the court, playing at home causes more difficulty because you want to do well and not let your people down. But it is true that thanks to their support I began to compete. If you gave me the choice I’d always choose to have the crowd behind me.¤¤
Having now watched the replay of the final yesterday, I feel more at ease that Kei wasn’t so much outplaying Rafa as Rafa was playing really badly. He seemed to get himself into a panic after he was broken the first time and Nishikori obviously got a lot of courage from that. I would not be at all worried when they meet again. Rafa got himself into defensive mode, for reasons best known to himself.
Rafa should realise that everyone is afraid of him not the other way round.
^^Actually, I thought Rafa came out feeling sorry for Kei….I mean, he had an injury, no? Then when Rafa saw Kei skipping around like a rabbit in heat, slapping FHs and BHs with willful abandon he figured, hang on, what’s going on here? The rest is history……….
uncle toni said it all! I don’t understand you guys!
This is what Uncle Toni said, “Toni Nadal says: “We don’t deserve the victory, (Nishikori) deserves it, he played better than us the whole time.”
@rafaelo, here is my take on this comment, please feel free to disagree:
At face value I would say Uncle Toni is telling it like it is, being honest. However, I see more to this statement than the face value. That statement was more about preparing Rafa for a future meeting with Kei than an opinion on the just ended final itself. In keeping with his coaching style, he is withholding his approval to keep Rafa on edge, so that the next time Rafa plays Kei, Rafa has to earn Uncle Toni’s approval.
Also, this is a message to Kei and his team. Let’s see what they make of it. If they take it at face value, they will become complacent, reveling in the “near” victory that never was. If they are smart, they will see it as it is: your boy brought his absolute best…………but still lost to a Rafa playing his D-game.
A lot of people do not approve of Uncle Toni’s coaching style but it has worked………….so far.
Uncle Toni’s job is not only to help Rafa with the technical side of the game, he also has to prepare Rafa MENTALLY for his up-coming matches. Of all people out there, Uncle Toni is the one who knows what sets Rafa off and what does not, what gets Rafa motivated and what does not. Have you ever noticed how focused and dialed in Rafa gets when he is mad on court e.g. after a time violation warning for example? I have noticed, on more than one occasion, after a time violation warning Rafa serves an ace or plays the point and wins it.
This was the first time Rafa played Kei 2.0. Uncle Toni is no mug, he saw that this Kei is the real deal and Rafa has to be wary of him in future. If Uncle Toni showers Rafa with praise, Rafa will become complacent.
The only person who “deserves” a victory is the victor. Uncle Toni knows this, just won’t say it publicly.
#ToughLove
^^^^ Agree 100%. I won’t have a word said against U.T. He’s been coaching Rafa since he was a toddler so, yes, he understands how to guide him through the good times and the bad. He is truly Rafa’s secret weapon.
UT is so epic
Hahaha! Even Nick Bollettieri “gets” Uncle T:
RT @NickBollettieri: “Very impressed with Toni Nadal’s comments yesterday. World needs more of that”
Vamos Uncle T!
I have to agree with rafaelo here: There are positive things go take away from this final – a title is a title, and leading the race to London isn’t too shabby either – but as far as Rafa’s game is concerned, I’m worried. Granted, Rafa didn’t give up, but IMO Rafa only turned it around, when Kei was already hampered. So, lots of luck there. And that’s maybe another positive thing: Often enough Rafa’s body betrayed him at crucial matches. This time it worked in his favour. Hopefully this fitle will take some of the pressure away.
It has been a strange season so far, and it feels strange, that Rafa is leading the race to London (and that normally matters more to him than the No 1 ranking), despite all his recent troubles. But there has been no truly dominant player this year so far. Everything seems possible, and the stranglehold of the big four onto the important tourneys might finally slip. Rome will be very interesting. I think, Rafa might even have a better chance at the FO than in Rome. Novak is definitely on the other site of the draw this year, and to beat Rafa on clay in a best of 5 setting, is still a monumental task, if he is more or less healthy.
Rafa played even worse against Gulbis last year in Rome, Gulbis even bagelled him in the first set, but Rafa found a solution and beat him and went on to win Rome and RG. Don’t worry about Rafa, he’s building up nicely and will peak at RG.
The old Rafa is back. How many times have we said Rafa is the guy who wins more matches playing ugly than most? Yesterday, Rafa won ugly, business as usual. Rafa showed tremendous testicular (am I allowed to say that? If not, I apologise) fortitude to withstand an onslaught from an inspired opponent with nothing to lose and everything to gain. This is what was lacking in MC and Barcelona.
Against any other player Kei would have won yesterday. Rafa is not any other player.
if Wilander can cast aspersions on the size of Roger’s nuts I’m sure you can admire Rafa’s 😀
Gulbis didn’t bagel Rafa
Gulbis did not bagle Rafa.
Gulbis didn’t beguile Rafa.
Alright, alright! I got my bakery products mixed up mmmmm’kay??
Gulbis bread-sticked Rafa, it’s the true, no?
littlefoot,
Respectfully, I disagree with rafaelo. He has an absolute right to have his opinion. But I think at times people don’t realize what it takes for a great champion to do what he does. Borg was my first tennis love and he made it look easy. I thought it was so simple for him to do what he did, It wasn’t until I watched the great documentary, McEnroe/Borg: Fire and Ice, that I realized just how tough it was for him. He had all these little rituals, like sleeping naked in bed at the same temperature for the same amount of time every night, taking the same route to the tournament, using the same towel and the same chair. He trained like a beast to be so physically strong. But he broke down and lost the will to win.
Rafa is having a bit of a loss of confidence and maybe mental strength right now. It is going to be a process as he works to get it back. Winning is so important, but the problem is that you need confidence to win and you need to win to be confident. It can be a vicious cycle. Rafa has made strides in the right direction. The pressure on him during clay season is enormous. I don’t know how he has managed to handle it thus far. Sometimes a player shows that he is mortal. This is what happened to Rafa this year on clay. I am just grateful that he hasn’t walked away like Borg did. He still wants to compete. But it’s little steps, one at a time to get himself back to his best. Winning ugly, or not playing his best and still winning, is something he has done many times in the past. This win may not have happened the way we would have liked, but it is what it is. Rafa will take positives out of this win and his good performance in Madrid. Maybe he will still have his ups and downs in matches, but he’s going in the right direction.
^^^^I know what U.Toni said. What are YOU saying?
Rafa set a new record by being the first player ever, to defend the Madrid title.
Well said ritb and nadline. (except the part about the old Rafa being back already). He is slowly moving in the right direction.
#YouAreNotaJediYet
RT @PatrickMcEnroe: “And by the way, RAFA is back. Not quite sure where he went however”
This, coming from a Fedfan…..believe.
IMO Rafa is not back yet but he is on his way back… 🙂 there are still specific ‘trajectories’ to cross though…Firstly, I am afraid Rafa’s game have become way predictable and easy for the players to explore…I would love to see some more tactics to Rafa’s game…he should mix more his wealthy arsenal of shots…I tend to believe Rafa and Uncle T. work out the tactics for every opponent he faces but it requires a confident, mentally strong Rafa to implement it…so, there is room for improvement in this regard…
Secondly, Rafa’s shots are not as strong and fast as they used to be…in the past, even if they landed short they would have been difficult for Rafa’s opponents to return as Rafa was hitting hard top spin shots…these days they lack the intensity, the speed…in the second set with Nishi Rafa changed the court positioning, increased the speed and hit harder, and the results were immediately visible…so, go for it Rafa…hit it HARD!
Serbian commentators repeat the same sentence as parrots every single match Rafa plays no matter who the opponent which says:”Rafa is easy to beat. You just need to play faster than him”…it becomes an anthem of the Serbs…
Rafa should employ fast, hard hitting mixture of shots which push his opponents further behind the baseline simultaneously making it easier for Rafa to dictate…I hope to see more of this aggressive Rafa who believes in his own success.
I will never criticize Uncle T. I love his style and I think it is the right way to deal with our Rafa…I think Rafa was somewhat puzzled with Nishi being injured & tired to begin with so maybe he underestimated the Japanese a bit.. 😉
Vamos Rafa!
natashao,
The reason that Rafa’s shots were landing short and not having the intensity and the speed, is mental. If the mind isn’t working, then the game can fall apart. The mind is so much a part of this sport. That’s why Rafa was able to turn it around in the second set. He realized that things weren’t working, his mind clicked and then he knew what he had to do. That’s a good sign. He wasn’t doing that in his previous losses in MC and Barcelona. That’s why his shots were much more effective in the second set. He was more present in the match, focused and concentrating.
I don’t think Rafa needs to reinvent the wheel. It’s not complicated. Winning will help get him back to his best. Now he has a win under his belt. That makes all the difference in the world. We saw what Rafa did against Berdy. He was able to produce a very high quality of tennis in that match. That’s because he feels confident against Berdy. He knows how to beat him. So the core game is still there. That was important for Rafa to know. But he can’t do it all the time right now. He took a step backward in the final, probably due to the pressure of being there and also with Nishi playing very aggressive and confident. But he regrouped in the second set. He turned it around. That’s the key for him.
I have no problem with Uncle Toni. He and Rafa have been together so long and trust each other. Rafa can take what his uncle dishes out. He knows where it’s coming from. I like the fact that Rafa has stayed with his team since the very beginning. No adding more people to try and compensate for not playing well, no looking for the quick fix. He has his people and doesn’t need to make any changes. He has this stability and continuity of an inner circle that gives him the support and advice and guidance that he needs.
BTW, Gulbis has never bageled Rafa! 🙂
^^et tu, @nats?? A bakery product is a bakery product, no? It’s all carbs, no :/
true indeed…sorry, I did not know about your nutritional skills… 🙂
You mean, in addition to my tennis prediction skills? I did pick Rafa to win all 4 Slams in 2014. To say I am way off the mark so far is an understatement. But this much I know: Gulbis fed Rafa a bakery product at Rome 2013!
^^^^^ Perhaps he should brush up on the history of the Samurai Warriors to understand what shapes the Japanese psyche. Nishi’s body gave up not his spirit. Retirement was a better option than to disgrace himself by playing badly. Interestingly one of the commies said his camp were signalling to him not to retire.
^^Interesting point @ed251137 about the Samurai warrior spirit, I think this has merit. I am of the opinion, though, that his spirit gave up after he couldn’t put Rafa away in 2. His body had no business being in that match anyway, he was hurting from the get-go. It was his spirit that saw him through that blinding 1st set and a half. But when Rafa refused to buckle, his spirits sagged and with that gone, he had nothing but his aching back………….
I’ve watched the match a few times and it seems like Kei hurt his left leg when Rafa wrong-footed him and that was his problem. He kept shaking he leg and it seems as if he couldn’t put pressure on it to serve. I feel the back massage was just a red herring.
Since I have suffered from serious back problems all my life, this is something that I have experienced all too often. I also watched the match more than once, but paid particular attention to that long rally where Rafa was bullying the ball and running Nishi back and forth. That was when Nishi was up 4-3. At the end Nishi came up kind of gimpy. But if one is wrong footed or trips or stumbles, that will affect the back. It’s also common for someone with a back injury to limp or walk gingerly or tentatively. That was what was happening with Nishi.
I don’t think for one minute that the massage was anything other than treatment for a back injury. Nishi was getting these treatments in his match with Lopez and again with Ferrer. Now one might argue whether this was a violation of the rules about not allowing MTO’s for a pre-existing injury. But the massage on the lower back which was meant to loosen up the area and maybe alleviate some muscle spasm and tightness, along with the stretches that the trainer was doing on Nishi, are entirely consistent with a lower back problem. I recognized those stretches immediately. I have been doing those and others morning and night for decades.
I might also point out that sometimes there can be actual leg pain with a back injury. If one has sciatica, then the pain can radiate down the leg. It’s not uncommon for pain to extend to other areas, including the leg.
I don’t know why we can’t just accept something at face value. The constant refrain that it’s not done for Rafa, again is not excuse for doing it to other players. It is what it appears to be, nothing else.
I agree with Nadline, the first massage treatment was superfluous. I think it was Koenig who was joking Nishi had developed it as a ‘lucky’ routine since it had worked twice before. However IMO the umpire was right in allowing the later MTO for a injury which was patently not evident at the outset of the match.
NNY is correct in saying the leg injury could well be connected to the back problem. Many injuries can give rise to secondary problems which frequently cause more trouble than the initial injury.