Rafael Nadal made a mockery of the Abierto Mexicano Telcel draw’s bottom half, but his final opponent from the other side of the bracket is nothing short of a shock.
No matter than Querrey famously took down Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last summer. Acapulco’s top half not only included Djokovic, but was also home to Dominic Thiem, David Goffin, Nick Kyrgios, and Juan Martin Del Potro. But it is Querrey who emerged thanks to victories over Kyle Edmund, Goffin, Thiem, and Kyrgios. The 40th-ranked American ousted Kyrgios 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 in the semifinals, one day after Kyrgios upset Djokovic 7-6(9), 7-5.
“Sam is playing great,” Nadal assured. “He’ll be coming into the match with a lot of confidence.”
Querrey can be confident in his current form, but not much about his past history against Nadal is encouraging. Although Nadal has defeated Sunday’s opponent only once in straight sets, he is sweeping the head-to-head series 4-0 overall. Their most recent meeting was the most lopsided of the four, with Nadal cruising 6-4, 6-2 last spring on the clay courts of Madrid.
The world No. 6 has made similarly light work of all challengers this week. He punched his ticket to the title match by beating Mischa Zverev, Paolo Lorenzi, Yoshihito Nishioka, and Marin Cilic. Nishioka managed to force one tiebreaker, but Lorenzi and Cilic combined for a futile five games in four sets against Nadal. The Spaniard is now 12-2 this season, including a runner-up performance at the Australian Open, and 14-0 lifetime in Acapulco (4-0 on hard courts).
“It just gets tougher from here because Rafa has been playing great all year,” Querrey admitted. “So I’m going to talk with my coach and leave it all out on the court.”
There are no secrets about what Querrey must do from a tactical standpoint: serve huge and at a high percentage, dictate rallies with his forehand, and keep points short. But executing that plan against Nadal is easier said than done; just ask Cilic, whose style is similar to–and often better than–that of Querrey.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing more than 8 games
[polldaddy poll=9680622]
who ya got?
Nadal in 2. 6-2, 6-4
probably a good pick
Nadal in three. Querrey is balling and Nadal will have pressure to win his first hard court title since Doha 2014. Plus Querrey has taken sets off of Rafa in three of their four meetings. I still gotta go with the determined Spaniard but I don’t think this will be an easy one for him especially with Querrey’s serve and confidence at the moment.
Sam said “the ball bounces right into my strike zone on these courts,so i am very comfortable playing here,it’s just get tougher from here because rafa playing great all year,so i’m going to talk to my coach and leave it all out on court”….
IMO,here it is a very big possibility of another ‘Fognini,Verdasco,Pouille,Dustin Brown,Nick,Darcis,Rosol’…they’re all an underdog who’s going out there with a mindset ‘hey,i’ve nothing to lose..no pressure on me whatsoever,let’s party rafa!”…and that mindset usually will be accompanied by a very aggressive tennis that the only target is to make a winner all over the court..very very dangerous..and sam with his big serve and big groundstrokes admittedly do have a big advantage and rafa’s style of play didn’t help either…if he nervous,then he will start throwing a short ball the entire match,make it easier for sam to execute his gameplan…
BUT,Fognini,Verdasco,etc etc happened when rafa at his lowest but NOW rafa is much more stronger mentally and physically….so,even if he’s struggle to sort sam out at first,i believe he WILL in the end….So..rafa in 2 or 3 depends how quickly he can manage his nervousness and get his confidence back….VAMOS RAFA!!WOOOOHOOOO!!!
Think it was Tracy Austin or Lindsey Davenport commenting about Querrey on TC a few weeks ago saying he can easily hang out around top 20-40 but if he gets his confidence and motivation going he can get inside top 20.
Verdasco could be top 10 if he had the consistency and confidence. Querrey and Verdasco are both inside the top 30, 29 and 28, respectively right now. Both are looking good.
But Verdasco just lost rather tamely 63, 62 to Andy Murray to win his first Dubai title. Querrey might do a little better v Rafa but not much.
Rafa in 2 losing 8 games or fewer.
As far as style goes, I put Querrey in the same bracket as Cilic, Berdych & Del Potro with Del Potro being the best of them all.
Querrey is playing very well right now. He has the big serve, first strike tennis. He can go out there with no pressure. Rafa knows exactly what he has to do – serve well and not give up a break because that could mean the set. I hope he will hit his DTL and cc backhands the way he did against Cilic. Rafa will want to get into baseline rallies and try to wear Querrey down.
Big servers can be challenging, but rafahas shown that he is capable of handling them. This is a confident Rafa who will go into this final. His mental strength should serve him well.
I am thinking it will be 2 sets with Rafa losing more than 8 games. If Rafa’s serving is off or if he’s not sharp than Querrey might push it to 3 sets.
If i pick the under 9.5 in the first set between S. Querry and R. Nadal at 2.02 odd would that be a wise pick or should i pick nadal in 2 at 1.55.
Honestly i don’t want to pick nadal, i would rather avoid this match.
What’s your pick?
Sam might be worth a punt at 5.00.
Nadal in 2 at 1.55. I would take over 9.5.
Keep your mind focused, remain confident, be strong and fight bravely, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C6GOZbHXMAEaoSY.jpg
Rafa in two
2 Or 3 dont care, as long as Rafa wins ….
I have already placed my bets b4 I read your comments.
I play different slips with different picks to increase my chances of winning.
In the first slip I picked Rafael nadal to win 1 set & match at 1.40 odd, I don’t trust him in straight sets.
In the second slip I went with the under 9.5 in the first set at 2.10, I know Sam querrey is serving well and it could go over, but the over has disappointed me in this tournament.
I normally take the over when you have 2 players that can hold serve but this time I want to play the opposite of what I would play, I know that sounds a little bit crazy.
In the other slips I avoided this match and went with WTA doubles in Mexico A. Rodionova & D. Jurak have won so that’s good am waiting for my baby kiki(Kristina mladenovic) and my NBA picks.
I want ask a question why is there no advantage in doubles when they are at 40:40(deuce) who ever wins the next point wins.
There is ‘Advantage’ in doubles just as there is in singles. The rules are the same.
ATP tour doubles was shortened some years ago in an attempt to attract more singles players and more fans. There’s a “deciding” point at 40 all, winner takes the game. If each team wins a set the match is decided by a 10 point tiebreak instead of a third set.
ITF doubles (Slams and Davis Cup) are still played by the old rules, although I believe only Wimbledon and DC play 5 set doubles matches.
nadal in 2 with one really close.
I also burn my slips sometimes and this is what I mean by burning my slips for example let’s say you want to play 4 slips and you have 400 bucks so 100 bucks each, you have to make sure the potential winning in each slip is more than 400 bucks so that when you win you know you have recovered your money and also made some profit.
Some people aim for 10 odds in total, other’s target more than 10. If you win 100 × 10= 1000 + bonuses depending on the site you use, you have made more than 600 in profit.
Please believe me it is easier said than done, if you don’t bet plzzzzz don’t just enjoy the game.
Yesterday I picked kiki(Kristina mladenovic) to defeat Christina mchale in the first slip with other games as well, she won.
In the second slip I went with the over 9.5 in the 1 set it came through.
In the third slip I picked kiki to win 1 set & match she won.
In the fourth slip I picked Christina McHale to win just in case kiki doesn’t win.
This is what burning a slip means you go with your favorite picks in 2 or more slips in the last slip you pick the opposite of the match you don’t trust just in case it doesn’t come through.
Sometimes it backfires you might be confident that R. Federer would defeat Evgeny donskoy so you pick him in all your slips when he loses you lose all your slips if you don’t change some options like taking the over/the under or picking different options just to be safe.
You just have to be careful!
You are welcome,
Stanley.
Luke,
Examine the doubles in ATP- Brazil (Sao Paulo) and Mexico (Acapulco).
Also check the WTA doubles in Mexico (Acapulco) you would notice that there is no advantage when the deuce 40:40.
You would also notice that simple stanley supports fascism.
Sam Querrey was such a dark horse his name wasn’t even in the “WWW Acapulco” poll.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa needs to hold his nerves in the 2nd sets and be more aggressive…C’mon rafa!!
Rafa start to change his position to receive sam’s serves…moving much closer to the baseline in order to be aggressive,contrary to the 1st set..he applied this tactics against Raonic at AO…hope it will work too this time..
I said that if Rafa lost his serve it would mean losing the set. Rafa was struggling with his ROS in the first set.
Querrey came out playing well and serving well. He seemed to be ready and relaxed, since he wasn’t expected to be there.
This is nerve wracking.
Yeah Nny…that’s the advantage of being an underdog…and his serve!My God!save him so many times in crucial moment…but rafa also got 5 BP at 4 3 in 2nd sets but didn’t take that golden chance…u can’t afford to waste that much chance against a big server…it may cost u a match…
Tennis is such a joke sometimes.
Back to MMA for me.
Rafa lost another final
I knew Querrey could really test Rafa but he won?! Holy crap Querrey was a beast this week.
Uhuk!uhuk!uhuk!…Waa!!!..Credit to sam tho,still stay strong more than rafa…Well,it was not meant to be!…IW,here we comes!!!
Where’s amy?Hey amy…i need your virtual hug atm…U too Nny…
MA,
I am not happy right now. I don’t know that I should say what I am thinking. Sam played really well, but Rafa has been able to beat him in the past.
Rafa has an easy draw, maybe too easy. I don’t know what to expect at IW. Rafa needs to win titles.
Here is a big cyber hug to you!
There’s really nothing more to say.
☹️
Nny!!Oh,that’s alright My angel…don’t be too sad okay?it was not meant to be…yeah,of course we’re disappointed but remember,there’s plenty of tourney left for us to hope!And remember as well that this is the 4th tournament rafa’s entered Nny…won an exho in Dubai,reach semi in Brisbane,reach final in Melbourne and reach final in Acapulco in his 1st comeback to the tour after more than a month without playing tennis!!Isn’t AWESOME Nny???It is!!!
So,lift your chin up..smile a little..and take a look around us..Roger lost to a nobody in 2nd,3rd round?And Novak..also lost early right and Andy got tested by Phillip in Dubai…so,our rafa’s achievement is not that bad Nny..there’s plenty for us to cheer still!!We hope,he can give another strong perfomance next week..and if not,let’s hope for Miami or MC or Barcelona and so on and on..okay Nny?Love u!!!
MA,
You needed a hug and yet here you are trying to cheer me up! I understand about putting it in perspective. Rafa his gotten better results so far this year.
The difference when it comes to Fed losing early to Donskoy kind of pales in comparison to winning his 18th slam at the AO. As for Novak, he is in the midst of a struggle to get his mojo back. But last year he won RG and the career slam and four slams in a row. He’s had a great deal of success in the last few years. It doesn’t go on forever.
Rafa’s last few years have been difficult. It would be nice to see him winning titles again. I know that there is a lot more tennis to be played. I will hope for better things, but I really hate to see him lose a great opportunity to get a title.
The competition will only be tougher moving forward. This loss won’t stay with me. The loss at the AO has stayed with me. That one really hurt.
Thanks for helping me to feel better.
?❤️
Nny…You’re very much welcome…but i hate to see u in this mood…trust me,rafa will win in the future…this is just his 4th tourney..so,he still adjusting…so much still needs to do…his position atm just like an injured patient who’s trying to learn how to walk or speak or use their body to perfection again..of course it will takes time…one more thing,our rafa already past his prime,the success not come so easily anymore but to see him trying and trying without tired of it,that’s something that we can learn a great deal from him…
I read an article a couple of months ago about how Muguruza said,she so tired and frustrated because she has to deal with injury time and time again…and Muguruza is a new player,her time on tour not as long as rafa and her injury also not as bad as rafa but My God Nny!rafa suffered an injury from his early career till now and yet he’s still have a passion to play and to win…so,that’s something Nny…we stand together with him okay?There’s so much still he can give us…just be patience okay…i’m here for u Nny!!Always…
MA,
You really are my angel! You don’t attack me when I am disappointed after Rafa loses. I thank you for not judging me and just letting me vent a little.
You are able to see the big picture with Rafa. It is true that he has suffered so much from injuries, yet his passion for the game is still there. I read your words and feel so much better. I will always support Rafa as long as he is playing.
I guess it’s like baby steps, little by little. Now I think that I will be able to sleep!
You are the best!
If you chat with Margot, tell her congratulations on Andy winning Dubai!
I am blowing you a great big kiss and lots. If love as I sign off for the night!
??❤️
Yay!!Nny!!!I’m very glad you’re happy at last!!Sleep and dream well okay??Warm hugs and a lots of kisses from acrossthe pond Nny!!!Love u!!!
hey there mira andi darling…have a big virtual hug from me. i just popped in momentarily to see comments after seeing rafa lost to querry of all people!! aaarrrggghhhh!!! don’t know what to say. have not been watching tennis at all recently as totally distracted by politics among other things. (am part of the stop trump organisatoin in britain….we have managed to make them push back the date of the visit as they are so afraid of the huge protests!!)
miss you mira darling and send you a big hug and kissxxxxx
hope you see this…!!
Fight the good fight Amy!!!
Agent Orange is a Russian spy.
hey hawks!! yeah he is vile and treasonous….my work allows me to try and fight him directly so for obvious reasons i put my energies there and odn’t have anythign over for tennis.
will be back for rg and wimby…
see you hawks!
at least people in britan are waking up to the dangers now and if he comes here there will be massive protests. britain is a pretty horrible place post-brexit..but at least some of us are fighting back…
Good on you Amy. You are making a real difference.
amy!!!Oh my God!!!MISS U SO so so so so so sooooo MUCH AMY!!Where r u all this time??Oh God!i can’t believe you’re here!!hehehe…hey,btw how r u amy?Okay?About rafa..yeah,same as u!aaarrrrggghhh!!STRESS!!hehe…
So,amy…i think i hate Trump too..know why?Because he take a lot of your time,crept into your mind and your attention..you’re supposed to be here chatting with me about rafa…but that’s okay,i think everytime i miss u,i just take a shell and whisper your name and voila!you’re here!!Hohoho!U know amy,earlier today,i just mention your name on this thread up there and now you’re here!Thank u thank u thank u amy for coming here…really really miss u!
hey mira darling. i hung around just to see if you would reply..! i am ok mira but am tired from being upset by politics and i dont have energy for tennis right now. i loathe trump and loathe what is happening in this country…
but i think of you often and will be back at some point ie roland garros and wimby for sure. and then we can talk until the cows come home! hope you aren’t attacking any poor defenceless cows again after rafa’s loss mira my love!!
will be back at some point honey…hugs and kisses in the meantime…xxx
Oh amy!wanna go already?I think i’m going to cry!I know i’m being stupid but can’t help it!I miss u so much this past month..i know we’re not close but don’t know amy…i’m thinking a lot about u since you’re gone..i think we can be good friends and changing ideas about rafa with each other but..yeah..
Btw..amy..if u go for any politic gathering,please be careful okay?Things could be brutal and violence if police get involve..okay?Oh btw…speaking about cows..no no no..no attacking poor defenseless cows today…instead we’re make a peace with each other..here’s for u amy!i’m the one who sits beside the chicken..we’re already celebrate in the mud earlier because i thought rafa was going to win…
http://www.10coloring.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Cow-Chicken-jumping-into-a-pool-of-mud-coloring-pages.gif
And this too amy….https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2059692018/Imissyou_quotes.jpg
sweet and funny as always mira!! it’s not about want it’s about not having any time now. when i say i will be back for rg and wimby i may well be back before but i will be very busy in the next few weeks.
and yes i am careful as i don’t like the police…
you take care of yourself now mira darling. when i come back i want to see you as well as possible!!! will be thinking of you often. big hug and kissxxx
I will be thinking of u too amy!That’s for sure!Will pray for your safety,health and happiness amy…BIG BIG HUG AND KISSES FROM A FAR AWAY LAND AMY!!!LOVE U!!
Rafa was again tentative on break points, did not take his chances on Sam’s second serve and made some unnecessary UEs. Sam played very well in the crucial moments, served well, all in all he deserved this win!
This was another lost opportunity, but good to see Rafa playing well at times…hope he stays injury free and comes up strong for IW…
I think he will again fail to win at IW and Miami, given the strong field in both. I just hope that he won’t have to run into a revived Djoko there.
I do think this era now belongs to the big hitters cum big servers. Players are bigger, taller and stronger and need not have the quick surfaces of the 1990s to serve bombs. Players like Rafa, Djoko and Murray will suffer once they get older and slower and having to face these type of players.
I hope Rafa can still win on clay despite having to fight with Djoko, Stan and Murray.
Why is Rafa always going CC at both wings even when his opponent is already waiting for him there? He has to come to terms with one thing – he can no longer overpower his opponent the way he did in his younger days, so it’s best to hit to places where his opponent needs to do some running to retrieve instead of thinking of overpowering his opponent with his shots. IOWs, outwit or outsmart them, not overpower them! He’s not making good use of his own tennis brain and court craft.
MA,
The want to thank you for helping me last night. I was able to have a great night’s sleep!
It’s not your job to do that! But I thank you again for being so caring!
??
Nny!!Morning to u!!!Wait wait!…this is for u..
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K2IzuYah1tI/WIQaRcp7oSI/AAAAAAAANnU/1j2WueZRS6EXtua-V9VDLqSaJYy3MvcTACLcB/s1600/happy%2Bsunday%2Bmessages%2Bin%2Benglish-jnanakadali.jpg
Btw..Nny..It’s a pleasure on my side to be able to help u in anyway i can Nny…You’re a very special person to me and i always be here for u Nny..If u want to talk to me,just ask okay?I’m available 24/7 for u..remember that okay Nny?And of coz it’s my job,we’re friends Nny…i’ll do anything for u…oh,also CARING is my twin..’she’ stick with me forever!!hehehe…Love u Nny!!!Wooohoooo!!!
Ooppss!Forgot to ask…how r u feeling today Nny?better?Or still bothered by rafa’s loss?
MA,
I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I am just grateful! You always make me feel better! You help me to see things in a different way. You love Rafa very much and understand what he has been through. It takes a special person to keep going against such adversity. Rafa could have quit and walked away after so many injuries, but he didn’t. I respect him for that.
I just wanted a title for him. But it will happen. I want good things for him.
It was one break of serve in that match. In the second set Rafa did play better. He was tentative when he had break points and then lost the TB. Matches can turn on a few points, even though I give Querrey credit for playing really well.
So now I look forward to IW. I have to make sure to get my picks in this time!
Nny!!…I’m also asking the same thing..”what i did to deserve such a nice,kind,friendly and loving person to be my friend…but like u,i’m really really feel blessed and honoured to have u and rc and amy as my precious friends..hopefully forever Nny…hey,Nny..if u want to reach me on personal level,u know if u feel u want to talk to someone about something,no matter what or time..u can reach me on FB[if u have an ac]..my account also named MIRA ANDI with rafa’s pic on my profile,okay?Or..if u want to connect by email..u can ask Ricky for it,…Ricky,please give Nny my email if she ask okay?But,if u feel comfortable just to chat here rather than personal..it’s okay for me as well Nny…whichever suits u okay?
Btw..about rafa…i understand what u feel Nny..i feel the same thing as u…to be honest,after he suffered his left wrist injury last year,i was so afraid that he will come out one day and say he’s sick and tired to deal with injuries anymore[and he has aright to feel like that Nny] and going to hang his racquet from now on…seriously,injuries can do that to any athlete…but then he announced that he wants to go to Rio and compete at Olympics and what’s more got an amazing results there!!Oh my God Nny!From that moment,i knew that rafa will still linger on tour..playing and winning a multiples titles more…and he’s already make a magic Nny…if u see around u,how many athlete will keep coming back from such a terrifying and very tiring injuries[not to mention painful] like our rafa?Not many isn’t it?The latest,a few days ago was Shahar Peer…but our rafa keep coming back..it’s not easy to do that,let alone to win again especially for the big titles…
I once read an article,3 or 4 weeks ago..i think it’s Alex Corretja who said that he feels very sad when he read about tennis pundits and rafa fans themselves who discredit rafa’s ability to get back to the mens top level when he suffered a slump in 2015…i’m not kidding Nny…on TX that year,there’s an article with the title…’R.I.P Rafael Nadal Parerra’…i was so hurt when that article appeared!How come they can be so disrespectful towards one of the G.O.A.T candidate[at that time]…but after got so many condemnation,the title got altered by the editor after that..but the point remained…they didn’t believe in rafa…and look where is rafa now Nny….and here it is an article about whether rafa can win a title or not…rafa will answer u Nny…and we have to believe him or at least we’re hoping…
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/41288/rafael-nadal-titles-will-come-i-am-getting-closer-to-my-best-level-/
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/41269/carlos-moya-rafael-nadal-has-from-3-to-5-years-left-on-the-atp-tour-/
Didn’t watch, do Rafa lost? Too bad, lost in another final! What happened?
Querrey came out playing really well and serving big. He got the one break off Rafa that he needed to win the first set when Rafa double faulted and then missed a wide open forehand and couldn’t get first serves in.
Then in the second set it went to a TB, but not before Rafa had about five BP chances and couldn’t convert. He lost the TB 6-3.
So Rafa was still not calm during crucial moments? If so then I’m really disappointed!
I was hoping he could win a HC title without facing Djoko but it seems he’s just not good enough these days to win a title on the HCs anymore. I think he can only win on clay these days, not looking good for his rankings.
Seriously I’m disappointed that having come so far, he still fail in the end. Sam may be playing very well but the Rafa of the past can just move him around, hit some paint the line shots to outplay him. These days, Rafa is not very ‘daring’ and is hitting safe shots that land inside the court and become easy to return.
It seems that both Djoko and Rafa have lost the ability to be clutch at crucial moments; only Murray the no.1 player is so outright confident that he can still win in the end when in a losing position.
I admit to being frustrated because Rafa has never lost to Querrey. I noticed that Rafa seemed frustrated when returning Qerrrey’d serves. He was changing his position to try and find something that would work. Then he just played a bad service game and was broken with the score 4-3. The break made it 5-3 and Querrey was able to serve out the first set easily.
In the second set Rafa did better. But when he had all those BP chances and couldn’t convert and it went to a TB, I did not have a good feeling.
There is no question that Querrey played well, but Rafa has had the answers in the past.
I am trying not to think too far ahead or to decide that he won’t win a title in hard courts again. I am trying to stay positive, but Rafa’s performance was just not good enough.
I’m watching the recorded match now and in the midst of the second set. In the first set, Sam won 27 points vs Rafa’s 16! Sam had 7 aces in the first set, that meant even without the aces, Sam was still playing better than Rafa to win more points.
Rafa was playing a one dimensional game; he practically went CC all the time, staying behind the baseline all the time and trying to outhit Sam all the time! Almost nothing else! A lousy performance for a final while Sam was playing very solidly.
Rafa played much better than 2014-15 but his 2013 level would have been more agressive and less error prone on critical moments particularly on break points. He also would have done a better job protecting his serve in the first set.
Also he would have gotten more free points on. His first serve instead of dumping so many of them into the net.
So yeah as a result, his three year hard court title drought continues despite making two finals. I think he will end that streak this year because he’s at least putting himself into position but his real shot will be on clay and Roland Garros which will be his focus.
Vamos Rafa.
I agree that Rafa was not aggressive in this match. I thought Rafa was off from the beginning, while Querrey came out serving well and being very aggressive with his groundstrokes. Rafa reverted to a more defensive game. He played one poor game to get broken in the first set and that was all Querrey needed.
I am not sure why Rafa wasn’t able to use the right tactics. I am still hoping that Rafa can end the title drought on hard courts this year.
I found myself thinking back to 2013 Rafa. I remember how we weren’t sure what to expect after the long layoff for the knee injury. But Rafa started winning and he started getting momentum. What was so gratifying about his great run in 2013, was his success on hard courts. He would fight to hold his serve, played aggressive tennis and his overall game came together. What was so enjoyable about it was that it was unexpected. His win at the USO over Novak when he just took the match away from him, was brilliant.
I don’t know if it’s realistic to expect that from Rafa, but at this year’s AO we certainly saw some of that.
I am still hoping that with more time, Rafa will get going. He started out so well at the AO and that was a pleasant surprise.
hawkeye is spot on. Rafa’s level of play is a lot better overall. He is just a tad hesitant on big points. Like I mentioned in the beginning of the tournament, rafa’s serve is a question mark. His serve needs to be more consistent.
Sam was REALLY in the zone. I agree with Luckystart about Rafa going CC too much in this match.Actually he was changing directions well this week. He was really poor at it in the first set but in set 2 he was doing a much better job and no wonder it was a really close set.
Natashao is also right about Rafa being hesitant on break points.
All in all, I am sad he couldn’t win a hard court title. It really looked like he could. But, overall his play has improved and he is surely in the right direction.
Perhaps not winning a title on the HC for a long long time now has led to a Rafa who played too cautiously in a HC final. We saw how brilliant he returned Raonic’s serve at the AO by varying his return positions but come the AO final, he hardly made any adjustments while returning Fed’s serves. Fed served 20+ aces and he won the match beating Rafa with a margin of 11 or 12 points, so it’s Fed’s serves that made the difference.
Rafa was brilliant returning Isner’s, Raonic’s and Karlovic’s serves but those times weren’t at a HC final. I doubt Querrey’s were much better than the other three. Querrey did hit hard and changed directions by hitting some very good DTL shots whilst Rafa just kept going CC all the time.
It was in the middle of the second set that Rafa finally decided to move forward instead of camping behind the baseline all match, knowing that if he’s not changing anything he’s going to lose the match but by then I feel it’s just too late. Querrey wasn’t relenting and he played an almost perfect match to beat Rafa.
Going forward, Rafa really has to come out all guns blazing, like the way he did vs Cilic, when playing a big server/hard hitter. He has to impose his more aggressive game on them and not let them dictate play, if not, he will have a hard time countering or containing them.
Rafa disappoints again so many times.
Ramara,
You are right about the doubles thingy, I noticed it last year & this year also.
Luke said “sam querrey might be worth a punt at 5.00”
What a smart & bold guy!
I usually burn my slips but I didn’t do it with S. Querrey, I picked under 9.5 in the first set & nadal to win 1 set & match.
I burnt my slip with my baby kiki (K. Mladenovic) I picked lesia tsurenko in my last slip.
If you don’t know what burning a slip means I explained it in my previous comments.
The best time to win bigly in a tennis tournament is at it’s infancy when there are a lot matches to pick from.
When does the next tournament start?
More to the point, do you believe in evolution simple stanley?
Are you afraid to answer my question simple stanley in which case I know the answer and do you support Orange’s Muslim Ban attempts.
Did you know that Mohammed Ali Jr was held in customs for 10 hours solely because of his first name despite being an American citizen his whole life?
Late to the party, but certainly would have put all the chips on Rafa, and in straight sets….but I would have lost all my money!!…amazing tourney for Sam.
Shit, I was really counting on Rafa at least winning in Acapulco,if he can’t beat Querry in a final, who can he beat then?
Not holding my breath for a tile on clay either….
Rafa wasn’t on his game. Kyrgios came closer.
Only in form players that would have beaten him are Fed and Murray.
Querrey played at a Top 4 level despite his ranking.
I doubt Fed could beat this Sam,given that he couldn’t even beat Donskoy. I think the only one who may beat this Querrey is Murray. Even then, it won’t be easy for Murray too.
Apples and oranges.
Fed struggled against Donskoy largely because he wasn’t familiar with his game kind of like Rafa struggled with Nishoika – ironically it was you that made me realize this.
He’s played Sam many times and deals better with hard servers on hard/grass courts than Rafa generally speaking.
Just my opinion on a hypothetical.
Nah, this Sam was hitting without missing; Fed won’t be able to deal with him. Rafa was also familiar with Querrey’s game but see what happened??
Nah, this Sam gave Rafa break points in both sets.
Rafa lost because he got tight at key points and wasn’t agressive enough. You said so.
Fed does better sticking to the baseline.
And does better against big hitters on hard/clay in general.
2013 Rafa would have capitalized an so would 2017 Fed and Murray IMO.
Rafa’s getting close and I haven’t written him off on hard court given he’s put himself into two straight finals.
Actually, I was wrong about Fed better than Rafa vs big servers on grass/hard). Fed has only a slight advantage. I looked at h2h vs Querrey, Isner, Raonic, Dustin Brown and Kevin Anderson.
Fed is 28-5 (84.8%) and Rafa is 19-5 (79.2%) – not a significant difference – and to be fair, Brown shouldn’t really be included because Fed’s never played him so that would bring Rafa to 19-3 (82.6%).
Maybe it’s just been since 2012 (or not at all). I’ll check.
Yup, that’s what it is.
Before 2012, Rafa was undefeated vs hard servers at 10-0!!! All five of his losses have been in the last five years (coincidentally since he started struggling at Wimbledon). He’s just 9-5 over that period or 64.3%
Federer is 19-3 over the last five years for 86.4%.
So yeah, I stand by my original statement.
Hawkeye, Fed was rusty and if he were to face this Querrey, he would also lose. I doubt Donskoy was serving or hitting any better than Querrey.
Also I would expect a ‘normal’ Fed to figure out Donskoy in three sets but Fed was subpar, hence he lost from a winning position. He lost not solely because it’s the first time he played Donskoy, he lost because of his own rusty play too and a rusty Fed won’t beat this Querrey.
Hawkeye, Nadal had never lost to Isner and Anderson and he only lost to Querrey now. He lost twice to Raonic and that was last year and this year at Brisbane. Fed lost twice to Isner and twice or thrice to Raonic. Nadal isn’t any worse off than Fed when dealing with big hitters.
Nah, you missed the point.
Nadal loses more to big hitters since 2012. he was markedly better than Fed against big hitters before 2012. Fed has been consistent before and after at around 85%.
Fed would have beaten Querrey. Kyrgios was very close 7-5 in the decider. That’s because Kyrgios stays on the line, is aggressive and doesn’t get nervous. Kyrgios’ biggest problem is that he gets bored (like Monfils).
Again, a 2013 Rafa would have converted on his chances, where this Rafa, while playing many classic highlight reel stuff, became tight and passive. Also waaaaaay too many first serves dumped into the net.
2017 Fed and 2017 Murray would definitely have won. Rafa’s not that far away.
“He’s only lost to Querrey now.”
Well if by “now” you mean this year LOL.
Rafa has lost to Querrey (1), Raonic (X2) and Brown (X2) all since 2014.
Since 2014, Rafa is just 8-5 vs these guys (61.5%). He is 71.4% vs everyone else on grass/hard since 2014. So he has a 14% more chance of losing to these guys.
So this has been an issue only since his problems with anxiety and more frequent injuries (which are partly related).
Before 2014 Rafa was undefeated against these big servers.
Fed has been consistently good at handling these guys throughout his career. He’s 87.3% combined on grass/hard since 2014 vs 86.4% vs these guys. So just a 1% drop vs 14% drop by Rafa.
Call stands. Rafa was better than fed handling big servers before 2012 but fed has the same success vs hard servers compared to everyone at any period in time. Whereas Rafa does significantly poorer against them than everyone else since 2012.
This Fed would have beaten this Querrey and so would this Murray. Also, Acapulco plays slower than Dubai which would help Fed defend against the serve.
AT 4:18 PM,
Fed couldn’t get past the No. 116-ranked player last week…
😆
What are you talking about? We are not talking about the Fed of AO2017 but the Fed at Dubai! The Rafa at AO would have beaten this Querrey too imo!
Fed was better on quicker HCs at Dubai yet what happened? So you expect him to do better at the slower court at Acapulco? And what is this Fed is better than Rafa in handling big servers since 2012 thing going on? Fed still lost to Raonic, Alex Zverev, Kygrios, Cilic, whoever!
Nah, Querrey wasn’t playing on faster courts of Dubai.
Yes, slower court helps nullify hard serve advantages.
I’ve already given the numbers. I’ve included Raonic. kyrgios won on clay where serve is less an issue. Fed is 2-1 vs Cilic on hard/grass and 0-1 vs Zverev (hardly a servebot) but whatever. Even when we include these matches on hard/grass, that only drops Fed to 81.1% for a 7% drop – half of the 14% drop seen by Rafa.
Listen lucky, nothing new here that everyone gets nervous and has said as much about Rafa playing servebots in recent years – and you implied it as much here saying that Rafa needed to stick to the base line (which is what Fed does so well BTW)!
Call stands. This Fed would have beaten this Querrey in Acapulco.
Nope. This Fed would have lost to Querrey much like he lost to Donskoy, simple as that. Fed was rusty that’s the main issue! Donskoy wasn’t any better than Querrey, that’s my take and whatever you said won’t change that so save your breath.
*no need to talk so much about Fed’s H2H vs so and so big server; he still lost matches to them and that’s what that matters.
AT 4:30 PM,
Haha yes you are right!
However Fed is a career 89.8% vs players outside Top 100 compared to 87.2% for Rafa.
Since 2012, Fed is 95.5% against players outside Top 100 with his lone loss against Donskoy.
Since 2012, Rafa is just 19-5, or 79.2% against these guys.
I add to my post AT 4:56 PM.
Since 2012, Fed is 21-1. He had a 20 match win streak against these guys.
Correction: 21 match win streak.
And just so we’re clear, I wouldn’t put Cilic or Zverev’s serve in the same category as any of the other players mentioned.
You’re fishing a bit on that one.
Hey, not bad, I’d just picked that group off the top of my head. Here is the career serve stats leader board on hard court. Federer is fourth on the serve rating index (because the rest of his game improves his service game performance). Too bad service winners – or even service points less than four rallies weren’t available. But if we look at career average aces per match the list is:
Karlovic
Isner
Kyrgios
Federer (wow – his serve is so underrated)
Anderson
Raonic
Muller (forgot him)
Querrey
Cilic is way down at 12th and Zverev just 21st.
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/stats/leaderboard?page=serve
As thought Cilic only comes close to Anderson on that list but then again Anderson hasn’t beaten Fed or Rafa either.
And this really is incredible if we look at just the last 52 weeks on hard court where a 35 year old Fed is 4th on the Ace list!!!
Karlovic
Isner
Kyrgios
Federer!!!
Anderson
Raonic
Muller
Querrey
Cilic is 12 and Zverev is 21.
That dumb page only works for last 52 weeks LOL.
AT 4:56 PM,
Fed career stats didn’t help him beat the No. 116-ranked player last week.
😆
Fed was looking thick around the middle – not in his AO shape.
Some players remain the same – you’d never see Simon or Goffin turn up to a tournament chubby. But there’s a list of players I suspect slip off the diet portion of their training regimen, given a month off.
On weight watch list now:
Delbonis looked beefy
Federer
Stan
Lucas Pouille (he trimmed it down fast though)
Delpo (I keep an eye on Delpo. He turned up okay. But I imagine Delpo and Delbo fell way off their routines after winning Davis Cup)
Gilles Muller
Fabio Fognini
Marcos Baghdatis
Jack Sock
(Nalbandian was always on weight watch in his day 🙂
AT 5:56 PM, and for what it’s worth, I enjoyed every minute of it – particularly from Fed’s match points onward!
Very happy for Donskoy!
“Marcos Baghdatis”
Hahahahahahahahahaha
#DontHoldYourBreath
AT 8:44 PM,
I have no idea what’s the connection between feeling very happy for Donskoy who defeated Fed in Dubai and the imagination that Fed would have won the Acapulco final.
AT 11:44 PM,
Firstly, you are assuming Fed would even MAKE the final. Rafa would have beaten Fed had they met BEFORE the final.
However, Fed would have beaten Sam in the first round for that matter depending on the draw.
As far as relevance, is that a requirement? You mentioned Fed losing to Donskoy and I said I was happy about it. So at most maybe a small amount of relevance i.e., “for what it’s worth”.
I hope this is ok.
You see augusta? We agree! 🙂
Luckystar AT 4:55 PM,
Nope. This Querrey would have lost to Fed in straight sets much like he lost to Federer in straight sets the three other times they met, simple as that. Rafa was tight on critical moments and served poorly, that’s the main issue! Donskoy wasn’t any better than Querrey, but Fed handles hard servers (especially on slower hard courts compared to Dubai) and players he’s seen before ,that’s my take and whatever you said won’t change that so save your breath.
*no need to talk so much about Fed was rusty because he won Australia with six month’s of so-called rust, that’s the main issue! Donskoy in Dubai has little to do with Querrey in Acapulco.,
#ApplesAndOranges
#NothingNew
no need to talk so much about Fed’s H2H vs so and so big server; he still lost matches to them and that’s what that matters.
Fed and rust are oxymorons.
They don’t belong in the same sentence.
I just listened to Fed’s interview after the loss and sounds like he didn’t prepare the way he wanted because of his injury from Australia in addition to not knowing Donskoy.
Usually he is very prepared regardless of how long he’s been off but he said he wasn’t able to be as much as he might have hoped.
In that light, it is less likely that he would have won.
So I retract my certainty that fed would have beaten this Querrey.
He was unprepared.
However, this Murray would have beaten him (as would 2017 AO Fed and 2013 Rafa).
AT 12:02 AM
I did NOT assume anything. I mentioned someone’s imagination that Fed would have beaten Rafa’s opponent in the final.
AT 12:43 AM,
Yes you DID assume something contrary to your imagination that tou did NOT assume anything.
You assumed that someone had “the imagination that Fed would have won the Acapulco final.”
https://tenngrand.com/2017/03/04/acapulco-final-preview-prediction-nadal-vs-querrey/comment-page-2/#comment-252901
Nowhere did anyone say that!
But maybe you can show me someone’s quote to the contrary.
AT 12:57 AM,
I commented on the TOPIC which started on MARCH 5, 2017 AT 7:45 PM.
AT 1:31 AM, you assumed that someone had “the imagination that Fed would have won the Acapulco final despite your claim that you “did NOT assume anything” in the post where you referenced my post that you assumed something, not the TOPIC referenced AT 1:31 AM.
AT 1:47 AM,
I have lauhged at the last paragraph of the comment posted on MARCH 6, 2017 AT 4:18 PM.
AT 2:56 AM,
I am happy to make you laugh augusta!
There should be more laughing in this world.
No, Rafa will win multiple titles on clay this year. I am very confident about that!
Yeah I hope so VR. This losing in a final pattern is downright sickening! It’s like Djoko pre Becker time, when he kept losing in the Fs of slams to Murray, Rafa.
It’s a vicious cycle for Rafa, if he can’t win in a final he gets more nervous the next time and because he’s more nervous, he can’t win!
[polldaddy poll=9681716]
Ricky, do you ever check to see if these links work?
The last 100 have failed miserably.
Aside: You should start a poll to see if stanley should be placed into moderation, you know, like you used to do, remember?
I can’t pull up those poll daddy links at all.
they all work
They don’t work on my phone or laptop, Ricky. Not sure why.
I follow your twitter, Of course, and can’t vote there either; because I don’t want to get a twitter account.
they don’t work on mine either.
polls on articles or in comments?
comment sections only
Well I just hope that you don’t compare “all work” with “all broke”.
Don’t you?
Or do you.
This is how it appears.
[polldaddy poll=9681716]
It’s not even a link!!! LOL
So, no, they most certainly DON’t “all work”.
They’re all broke.
Like I said.
Ok. Good.
You’re welcome.
hahahaha
^^ was laughing at Hawkie’s post above. The aside part.
It’s only the pill daddy one I can’t pull up. I can vote in the polls that are included with match previews.
rc,
Is the draw out for IW yet? I want to get my picks in for the bracket challenge this time.
Hey rc..how r u?Err..there’s a new member in our group Amit,and he just joined us..and he ask me to post a link..i think you’re as the ‘Boss’ should do the honour by post him a link and explain what he should do..okay Boss?Somehow,i suddenly didn’t know how to post a link!Hmmm…weird!!!
Hello Nny,
🙂 No. No main draws are out yet. Not even the ATP singles qualifying..
The draw will take place tomorrow. So the bracket will be open tomorrow but the time is UTC time posted on the Bracket Challenge …. -5 hours to you, (EST) and -7 hours for me.
I’ll post the link as soon as the draw opens on the WTA page. Yay!
Dearest Mira Andi
Me a boss? LOL…you are the boss 😀
You wan’t me to post a link on Tennis-x? I can never find anything or anyone on that blog. It’s a mess. But I’ll go check… for you because I Love You.
rc!!!hehehe..LOVE U MORE!!…and just post the link for Amit rc and no one else..everyone seems not interested!..but that’s okay rc,our group are getting bigger and bigger..who would have thought that from 6 members now it’s expand to 800 members!Incredible!!hehehe…
I do believe that the Rafa at this year’s AO would have beaten Querrey. However, I also think it’s tougher to beat Rafa in a best of five set match. There is more time to make adjustments.
I would be interested to know the stats for Rafa versus big servers on both best of three set and best of five set matches.
The stats show that there is an obvious decline in Rafa’s winning percentage in the last few years when he has struggled with injuries and mental strength and confidence.
Yeah, that was my point really.
If you’re a Rafan, you get more nervous about a big hitter – more so than fans of other players IMO. He’s just less consistent at taking advantage of the fewer opportunities they give you. That, and he doesn’t protect his serve as well as he did prior to 2014.
Yes, I think you basically summed it up in your last two sentences. I remember when Rafa won Cincy for the first time in 2013, beating Isner in two TB’s I believe. I do remember that he did not break Isner’s serve in that match. But Isner was not able to break Rafa’s serve either.
That was when Rafa did take advantage of his opportunities in hard courts, winning Montreal, Cincy and the USO, the North American Summer Slam. I think it had been 10 years since someone last won all three. I know that Andy Roddick won it.
That final with Isner was nail biting stuff. But Rafa was able to win both TB’s. it was a great example of how he could triumph over a big server by holding his own serve and taking his opportunities in those TB’s.
Good times!
Nny…how do u feel today?I hope it’s much better than yesterday…anyway Nny,i gave u a very good article for u to read on Murray,Querry cap off…….thread.
It was good times. But only after he won. I was very nervrous.
Yes! I won’t pretend that I wasn’t a nervous wreck until the last point was over!
Thank you Querrey!!!!
I am 9k richer =))))))))
10.50 for Querrey 2-0
Tsurenko W
UFC Woodley, Overeem
Sugita 2-1
Murray 2-0
Wooohoooooo one for the books
I dont know who said it here but they said Querrey is a good bet for 5$ but i stepped it up to set bettings yewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAWKEYE RAFA WAS ON HIS GAME BUT JUST COULDNT HANDLE THE THUNDEROUSSERVES OF THE ALMIGHTY QUERREY BOOOO YAHHHHHHHHHHHH
Sorry. POLL daddy!
Congrats pieman, I like your name.
There is a saying: Evil communications corrupts good manners and i refuse to communicate with an EVIL DEMONIC IMBECILE that supports the murdering of innocent, defenceless children.
What a FOOL! There was a time i had hope that you would change your evil ways but now i have lost that hope, GOD hasn’t but i have.
SHAME ON YOU! And shame on me for trying to convince a demented reprobate to see the light.
As snow in summer and rain in harvest,
So honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
So a curse without cause shall not alight.
A whip for the horse,
A bridle for the donkey,
And a rod for the fool’s back.
Do not answer a fool according to his folly,
Lest you also be like him.
You have stopped using that beautiful name of yours Hawkstradamus/HAWKSTRAMORON.
I hope is not becos of me.
Who is more foolish.. The fool or the one who follows the fool?
Watevs Im ballin right now lol
Too many ppl just disregarded Querrey, too much faith in Nadal. Like i could see like warning signs going off when sam thrashed goffin and goffin played mad in his forst game checkin the stats on matchstats. Then he demolishes thiem in 2 sets then cracks Nicks head in and on top of that sams going on about how the ball hits his strike zone or wateva. Man when a playr like sam whose known for a boomin serve and hits the ball hard, close to no one can touch that, u have to lose serve to lose a game esp. on the hard courts. That how fed beat nadal this year, the serve. Anyways im farken over the moon 😉
Fed almost always beats Rafa on a fast hard court. There’s nothing new there.
The only thing new was that it was the fastest hard court slam in history.
Stupid pieman lol.
Every dog has its day.
[comment deleted]
Stupid pieman.
First time I’ve seen you brag about a supposed win compared to the many times I’ve seen you hate on a player no doubt because you lost money (no doubt collectively much more than you lost.
And a homophobe to boot. Just cements your stupidity LOL.
wrong forum folks. Deleting all of this unless it’s moved to non tennis forum.
The Supreme Court disagrees with you, Stanley… Anyway, isn’t the “Non-Tennis Forum” where this stuff is supposed to be discussed?
yes
This is the second time my comments have been deleted the next time this happens am OUT.
…of the closet.
if you don’t start posting on the correct thread, you won’t even a choice to stay or go!
banned for 2 months if you post anything even remotely like that again
Ricky, I don’t envy your job sometimes man, when you need to babysit the threads….
Bye pieman.
?