Ricky Dimon of the Grandstand and Pete Ziebron of Tennis Acumen preview and pick the two men’s singles matches on Tuesday at the Australian Open. Tomas Berdych is looking to upset nemesis Rafael Nadal while Nick Kyrgios hopes to continue his magical run at the expense of Andy Murray.
(7) Tomas Berdych vs. (3) Rafael Nadal
Ricky: How many people are going to fall into the trap and pick this one to be extremely competitive–if not pick Berdych to win altogether? I already know a lot of people are…and I’m expecting more and more to do so before the match starts. The Czech’s style is one that should trouble Nadal and his form at this Australian Open has been scary. But…but…we’ve seen this story before and we know how the story ends. Berdych is 0-17 in his last 17 matches against Nadal and on more than a few occasions he was playing incredible tennis prior to meeting the Spaniard. The best among a plethora of examples is Wimbledon in 2010, when Berdych took Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to the woodshed in consecutive rounds then promptly lost to Nadal in straights in the championship. It doesn’t help the underdog that Nadal has dominated two matches since his second-round scare against Tim Smyczek. Berdych knows he can’t beat Nadal. HOW MANY TIMES must Nadal beat him before everyone else figures out the same thing? Nadal 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Pete: Berdych, my pre-tournament dark horse selection, comes into his quarterfinal match against Nadal having not dropped a set through the first four rounds. Berdych is appearing in his fifth consecutive Australian Open quarterfinal and he hopes to at least equal last year’s semifinal berth with a win. However, the Czech has dropped 17 consecutive matches to Nadal and has only managed to win three of 40 sets played in those contests. Nadal’s five-set, second-round thriller against Smyczek seems like long ago and now the Spaniard will seek to continue the form he showed against Kevin Anderson in the round of 16, when he cruised to a straight-set win. Berdych will manage to stay with Nadal early on and have opportunities to do damage, but it will be business as usual once again for Nadal in this lopsided matchup. Nadal 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3.
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(6) Andy Murray vs. Nick Kyrgios
Ricky: Murray and Kyrgios have no such extensive head-to-head history, of course, since the Aussie is really in just his second season on tour. In their only previous encounter, Kyrgios was still in a twilight zone after Wimbledon and got clobbered by Murray 6-2, 6-2 in Toronto. It won’t be so lopsided this time around with the youngster in outstanding form and enjoying circus-like crowd support. But Kyrgios has been tested physically throughout this tournament and mentally he has had plenty to think about (minor controversy over his on-court antics, for example). His awesome run this fortnight has been predicated on winning free points in the most important moments. He won’t win many of those against the Scot. Murray 7-6(6), 7-5, 6-1.
Pete: At the ripe age of 19, Kyrgios finds himself in his second quarterfinal in the last three majors. The Aussie has been able to meander his way through a tricky draw, finally steadying his game late in his first-round match and then escaping yet again in the round of 16 as he staged a dramatic, five-set victories in both. Murray, a three-time Australian Open finalist, has taken a much more efficient route into this quarterfinal. The Brit had not been threatened in the tournament until the fourth round, when Dimitrov nearly took him to a fifth set. The battle-tested Kyrgios will feed off of the boisterous crowd at Rod Laver Arena, but it will certainly not be nearly enough against the experience and craftiness of Murray, who will relish this particular challenge and gladly play the villain role. Murray 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4.
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Rafa in 4;
Muzza in 3.
I have a feeling the Big Bird will snag the first set in a TB. Rafa will then adjust his game (as is his wont!), frustrate the Big Bird and take the next 3 sets at a canter.
Ricky,
I get what you are saying about Berdy, but I don’t like to take anything for granted at this point. So I guess Berdy’s new coach and his training regimen and great play leading up to this match won’t mean anything. I said in a previous post on another topic thread that the problem with Berdy is that he has lost the match before he even gets on the court. So you see it being more of the same. I hope you are right.
I do think that Berdy will give Rafa a match. I think he may get a set off Rafa, but in the end I am picking Rafa to win.
As for Murray, I think he will get the win against Kyrgios in four sets. Seppi should have beaten Kyrgios, but I think the raucous crowd got to him in the end. This is where his run will end. Murray did say that he likes it when the crowd is against him, so it should be perfect for him.
@NNY
^^ Typical Murray bloody mindedness 🙂
Banking on Murray to get the job done. Like you I can’t stand Kyrgios. Cant wait to see him get his comeuppance.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8QmgeUIYAEWBD4.png
Rafa is not winning this in straights for sure. Berdy has an outside chance. He lost in 2012 when he had chance to go 2 sets to 0 up due to a botched up volley though he had an open court. Rafa will be mindful of that and I am expecting him to be a bit nervous too.
This is my first post in a long long time… nice to see Rafa back in the tick-of-it!
It’s difficult to judge Rafa’s game yet, he’s not yet at 100% and he had to fight very hard the other day, I’m not sure how much petrol he’s got left in the tank.
I think if Berdych is able to get it to tie-breakers he will be the one to win this.
Rafa, in my opinion, has already done more than expected here.
Agree with you, Rafa has already exceeded my expectations too. Having said that, I disagree with regard who would come out the winner ion TB’s. I think TB’s favour Rafa with TB’s against big hitters because Rafa’s return game is better and all Berd has to do is DF once or miss a first serve and it’s curtains……………
Did u not say calendar slam for Rafa this year if I remember correctly? 🙂
How can he then exceed expectations ?
Shireling says:
January 26, 2015 at 10:56 am
—Rafa, in my opinion, has already done more than expected here.—
You have low expectations for Rafa. 🙂
http://static.tumblr.com/2zbgtn7/Yrmmszjag/rafael_nadal_meets_rafa_nadal.gif
thank you for this one, Augusta
Is this Rafa imitating Fed’s mannerism? I am probably wrong as Rafa doesn’t usually do parodies and imitations.
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chloro
January 26, 2015 at 4:39 pm
nadline10 posted this GIF!
It’s Rafa himself
http://www.nadalnews.com/2013/07/09/rafa-meets-josh-berry/
I don’t see what the Smyczek match has to do with Rafa’s form when he was ill during the match. He was dizzy and had cramps from the 2nd set onward and was on the verge of retiring, but thankfully he battled on and got the win. He said he felt like throwing up serving for the 3rd set which he eventually lost in a TB. That match tells us nothing about his form, nothing.
Rafa says their h2h going into the match is irrelevant, let alone one botched up volley played by Berdych 3 years ago. I haven’t seen any of Berdych’s matches here but I was impressed with Rafa’s performance against Anderson who is a poor version of Berdych. Still, that doesn’t mean much, it’s what happens in this match that’s going to count. I just hope Rafa stays fit and healthy throughout the match to be competitive..
Maybe they should start the match with Berdych leading by one set to love and at the point of the volley with Berdych making sure he doesn’t botch it.
Since that ‘botched up volley’, Rafa has beaten Berdych 8 times, 5 of them on hard court.
Lol nadline for devoting so much print to the botched up volley comment
Shirelings message makes me nervous. I think he/she has always come n said it loud when he/ she feels rafa will lose n if I remember Rafa has lost those matches. I know what Rafa does on court will only count but still…..
BTW it is berdych fault that he botched up the volley however fact is the point was on his racquet n he goofed it up n Rafa stole the 2nd set
sanju, that’s got nothing to do with subsequent matches between them.
It’s the way people lived in hope for a whole year that if only Djokovic hadn’t run into the net at RG 2013 in the 5th set he would have won the match (as if they knew that for a fact) thinking that when they met in 2014 it was a foregone conclusion that Djokovic would win, and he didn’t. In fact it did not even go to 5 sets.
Subsequent matches Rafa was high in confidence and Rafa was anyways going to overpower. 2012 AO was kinda similar to this year where Rafa came after a substandard 2011.
All I am saying is not to take Berdy lightly.
^^^……and Berdych has only won 1 set in those 8 losses against Rafa since 2012.
When Rafa was 5:5, 0:40 down in the 1st set and he held his nerves to win the next 5 points to win the game then immediately broke Anderson to take the set, I knew the rust was going.
I’m going to pick Rafa in 4. I think Berd will win the first set either 7-5 or a TB and then like some of you above said, Rafa will adjust his game and coast. I also pick Murray to win, but my pick is 5 sets — and he will suffer and groan and grimace and clutch body parts through it all.
ESPN experts’ picks:
http://espn.go.com/sports/tennis/picks
Not one picked Rafa.
That was before the tournament started…so no surprise there. How many of us picked Rafa to win it all at the beginning? He’s definitely gotten better and better and is definitely a favorite.
Jeu Nadal,
I agree with you. I have no problem with the ESPN experts not picking Rafa. The simple fact is that no one really knew what he would be like, where his game would be after so much time not playing and so few matches in the last months of 2013. So I think it’s reasonable that they would not pick him. However, we have seen him go through a trial by fire in that second round match with Smycek. He survived and has looked better than expected in his next two matches.
I don’t think Rafa is at his best now. I am not sure if he can get to the level necessary to win this slam. But I do know that he has surpassed expectations and now that he is in the second week, anything is possible.
I do think that Berdy will give him a match. He could take a set off Rafa. But in the end, I think Rafa is going to raise his level and get the win.
Hey guys and gals,
Sanju – January 26, 2015 at 2:34 pm
I’m a ‘he’ and have been following up Rafa’s career since before he became pro, as most of you have too.
Didn’t mean to make you nervous but bear in mind that Rafa has been away for a while and was operated of appendicitis not so long ago. He’s getting battle-hardened but this has to be done gradually and, although I don’t put it past him to actually win this AO, I’d say it’s unlikely.
I just think that if it goes to TBs Berdych will win, that’s all. If Rafa takes even on set without going to TB, Rafa will win.. don’t know in how many set but he’ll clinch it. That’s my gut-feeling anyways 🙂
Shireling,
I think that you are absolutely right about Rafa not being battle-hardened enough coming into this AO and also not having his fitness quite where it should be. I just posted a altogether too-long post on this in the Nadal thread.
And … in my humble opinion you tend to be a little over-pessimistic or perhaps just a little over-worried: for example, where it comes to the Berdych match in particular I don’t see Berdych as much of a thread this week. Unless on that day Rafa’s fitness (and match mentality) turns out to be too big a factor, like last Wednesday. Even then Rafa has a decent chance of winning, this being Berdych.
haha..Ricky’s preview is funny.
I am picking rafa in 3 sets with probably two of them to be very competitive. Rafa may lose a set if he gets nervous or show hesitation at any stage. I think that Berdych has the weapons to put a lot of pressure on rafa and berdych can generate so much pace off his forehand. Rafa would have to ensure he moves berdych as much as possible and I know he will do that.
Had rafa not been changing direction of the ball well, I would not have picked him to win in 3 sets but I think he has been changing the direction really well ! forehand DTL is very much alive and getting better and he is also doing damage with his backhand DTL.
I expect Rafa to come out firing and get the early break! He will keep building momentum then. People here are saying that Anderson is a poor version of Berdych . Yes, he is in some ways but do not forget that Anderson takes more risks and flattens out his shots more on average.
Rafa is also comfortable returning berdych’s 2nd serve and that helps him. I think he will raise his level tomorrow and send out a message that he is truly back. Berdy will go after his serve and we know berdy has a solid ROS. There will be tough moments but rafa’s winning formula will once again be more than enough I think.
And regarding that scenario being discussed that Berdy will simply lose because he has losr 17 in a row. Well, it is extremely difficult to snap this streak unless your opponent is not injured or dead tired. Rafa is playing reasonably well and berdych , given that he is playing so well, can make things tough like he did in 2012. While this streak is very impressive, it can obviously be over any time soon. Soderling finally got a win over federer in his 13th attempt, Seppi got his win in his 11th attempt and roddick. Hewitt snapped federer’s 15 match winnign streak by defeating him on grass in 2010 so it definitely CAN happen. but WILL it happen here at a grand slam keeping in view the current situation, I would confidently say No!
Koenig has picked Berdych for the win!!
comedy
If Berdy has a change of snapping his losing streak against Rafa, it will be on grass. I don’t see it happening here or on a hard court.
will be at WTFs. Nowhere else.
vamosrafa,
It’s interesting that you said Anderson takes more risks and flattens out his shots. So he should have made more a of a match out of it. But don’t you think that he kind of went away mentally after that first set? It’s true that Rafa started firing on all cylinders and really got going, but for me I had the feeling that Anderson just wasn’t really there. His inability to break Rafa in that game seemed to throw him off. So I see mental weakness as his problem in that match. That takes nothing away from Rafa’s brilliant adjustment in moving back so that he could read his serve. Rafa also showed guts in coming back from 0-40 down to save that service game.
I don’t know if Berdy’s new coach will have different tactics or a different mindset, but the key for him is belief. He has to go out there believing that he can beat Rafa. As you said, every winning streak can end at any time. But I think Rafa is sensing that he may have a chance now. This is where he starts raising his level of play and just getting better. Whether it will be enough to actually win this event, I don’t know. But I am betting that he has enough to get the win against Berdy.
Rafa’s return position will be interesting to see. I think he will start off by standing close to the baseline and then adjust if things don’t work out well. In their 2012 qtr final, rafa started by returning from a very deep position and was not able to get back enough meaningful returns and hence berdych punished him big time. He became even more nervous after that and stood even farther back! But he then realized he should move forward and then we saw some mindblowing ROS from rafa in that match, eos in the 4th set.
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Kei in 4. Time to send waaaaaaaaaawrinka packing.
vamosrafa,
Yes, I referenced that match in 2012 in a previous post. Rafa was standing too far back and I think we were all collectively screaming at him on TT to move up to the baseline! That match was very nerve wracking to watch. Berdy was playing extremely well and got that first set and was in a position to win the second set. But Rafa managed to get the second set and from that point on he adjusted his court positioning to receive serve by standing on the baseline. Those cc backhand winners were a thing of beauty!
That’s why Rafa said in his post match interview the other day, that he will have to play more aggressive against Berdy. He didn’t do that with Anderson in the first set. So Berdy is more than capable of taking a set off Rafa. But I don’t see him winning this match.
Koenig really just cracks me up. He lives in hope that Rafa will go down now that Fed is out.
haha, exactly… and i totally agree that berdych was playing extremely well in that 2012 match. I just watched the highlights again and he was KILLING the ball with not only his forehand but also with his backhand. It will be an entertaining contest
January 1980 – Vitas Gerulaitis beat Jimmy Connors in the masters semis, after Connors had beaten him 16 times in a row. At the press conference, a reporter asked Gerulaitis how he had finally managed to beat Connors after losing 16 in a row. Gerulaitis grinned and said, “And let that be a lesson to you all. Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” 🙂
EPIC
haha, epic indeed…I came across this when soderling finally beat federer
is this how Sod came up with the quote?
Wasn’t there someone before Sod who reused the line? I’m thinking Roddick. Or maybe Youzhny.
Quill,
I remember that so well! It was a great response from Vitas Gerulaitis. Priceless! We should keep that in mind.
I think Kei is going to beat Stan. It could go four or five sets, but he’s healthy and playing great. I would love to see it happen.
Some tasty matches coming in the quarters, bot in the men’s and women’s draws……..
Rafa/Berdy;
Wawa/Kei;
Nole/Raonic;
Muzza/Nick
In the women’s draw;
Sharpie vs her clone;
Pocket rocket vs Serena;
VR, Does Raonic have enough to make his match with Nole tasty? I ask this knowing that sometimes Nole is not all he can be.
No. Check my twitter for Raonic stats against top players.
If we were talking about Fed vs Berdy I would certainly say Berdy could have a chance…OTOH Rafa is a different animal and Berdy’s game does not pose serious threat to our guy… I am not saying it will be all easy for Rafa especially if Berdy serves well…
I will just put it this way: picture the following list of players : Kyrgios-Murray-Nishikori-Raonic AND Berdy…if we had to chose who would you all prefer Rafa to play in quarters? I bet you would all pick Berdy… 🙂
Rafa in three…with one rather competitive set…
Vamos Rafa!
Raonic..Berdy..Kyrgios..I would put all at the same level for Rafa..
Nishikori can trouble him the most as he takes the ball really early and gives Rafa no time.
Murray puts up a dog fight vs Rafa.
Great point. Would be Berdych by a mile.
Can anyone tell me what time the Semi finals will be played: will they both be night time matches? Trying to organise my social life around the tennis schedule!!
Yes
Rod Laver Arena 11:00am Start Time
1. Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS)[10] vs. Simona Halep (ROU)[3]
Not Before: 12:30pm
2. Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)[7] vs. Maria Sharapova (RUS)[2]
3. Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Tomas Berdych (CZE)[7] vs. Rafael Nadal (ESP)[3]
Rod Laver Arena 7:00pm Start Time
Not Before: 7:15pm
1. Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals
Andy Murray (GBR)[6] vs. Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
2. Mixed Doubles – Round 2
Andreja Klepac (SLO) vs. Casey Dellacqua (AUS)
Chris Guccione (AUS) John Peers (AUS)
I think Stan will beat Nishikori. I wasn’t impressed with Nishikori’s performance against Ferrer today. They both played ping pong catch me if you can and most of the games went to several deuces.
This is Robbie Koenig’s offering on what he thinks will happen between Nadal and Berdych. They’ve dug up footage from the 2008 SF where Tsonga beat Nadal as evidence.
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/video/index.html?id=8c8pqz066tztje_gmti7fn4f77y9dhwx
Unbelievable, am watching BBC Sport and who do they have as a pundit to assess the men’s quarters: Tim Smycek! Why? Because he nearly beat Rafa………..
you must be kidding…hilarious…where does this world go?!..
Rafa is the man. Just taking a set off him makes a player for life. This is why players go all out against him something the other top players don’t have to put up with. Anderson has beaten Djokovic and Murray, but no mention of that ever, but they were gunning for it yesterday so Anderson can join the Nadal gravy train. Coric got an award for beating a sick Nadal, because I’m struggling to think what exactly he’s done to get that award.
Djokovic must feel ignored. Even beating Federer doesn’t cut it. Stan beat a fully fit Djoker at the AO last year and all they mention is his win over an injured Rafa.
EPIC
what’s more important? selling airtime and viewed pages or accuracy and attempts at objectivity?
what did Smee say?
He looked bemused, like, “why am I here?”! Yes, they asked him to assess Rafa’s game since he last played him, yes, you heard that right……………………..
He said Rafa has improved, blah, blah, blah. To be honest I was in too much shock at seeing him on my screen than actually listen to what he was saying. He was laughing a lot too…………
Too funny………….
Off to bed, get some shut eye so I can get up early to watch Rafa/Berd……………..
Berdych has won 3 sets in his 17 straight losses while losing 37 sets to Rafa. He hasn’t managed more than a set in a year against Rafa.. 1 in 2011 (Miami), 1 in 2012 (Australia), 1 in 2013 (WTF). 0 from 2007-2010. Australia was the only time he won the opening set.
Berdych is 1-16 in his last 17 sets. 0-17 in his last 17 matches.
Just wondering if there is any reason there are so many rafa fans on here. I am a Murray fan but it just suprises me how many rafa fans there are on here. PS Murray in 3
not sure? I mean, it’s not an anti-Rafa site, so why shouldn’t site!?!? but yes, it’s not a Rafa site either (aside from the majority of posters) so I’m not sure why….
basically there were all parties at Tennistalk, but only the Rafans merged when I moved from TT to Grandstand.
but if you could corral some Murray fans over here that would be outstanding! 😛
Yes, Elliot that would be excellent!
I will do my best to try and get some more Murray fans over here so that there is a slightly more balanced spread of supporters posting on here. Also do you think that Murray will beat Rafa if that is the semi on Thursday
Some of us rafans here are also murray fans, btw, including me.
I’m a Murray fan!! despite my handle. I love his personality too, and especially love Maggie May.
ditto to the dog
Elliott,
By all means get some Murray fans over here! It would make for some great discussion! I like Murray, but don’t love some of his on court behavior. I thought that Lendl’s influence could be seen as Murray was doing less of the screaming and cursing and yelling. But I guess it’s part of who he is and how he rolls.
Murray is playing much better now than he was last year. It’s nice to see him coming back to some good form. I think he will handle Kyrgios in three or four sets. He will be ready for the crowd. It seems that Murray likes to be the villain in the match!
natashao,
Great point as to who would we choose out of those potential quarterfinal opponents! That puts it in perspective. I just tend to get really nervous at this point in slams.
I cannot believe that Koenig is digging up Rafa’s loss to Tsonga at the 2008 AO to make his case as to why Rafa will lose now in 2014 to Berdy! Unbelievable! That’s kind of desperate. Rafa’s game has evolved so much since then and he has handled Tsonga with ease, also the likes of Sod after that one-off loss at the 2009 RG due to Rafa’s knees. Rafa has proven that he has the answers to guys who are supposed to give him trouble. Koenig is making himself look even more ridiculous than usual.
where did Koenig do this?
and BTW no way Murray is losing to Kyrgios…Andy in three fairly easy sets…
Ricky,
Here is the link that nadline posted regarding Koenig using footage of Rafa’s loss to Tsonga at the 2008 AO.
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/video/index.html?id=8c8pqz066tztje_gmti7fn4f77y9dhwx
Reply
The first time I watched the clip there was some footage of Tsonga but it had disappeared the next time I watched it.
Thanks for letting me know because I watched this one and couldn’t find anything about Rafa’s loss to Tsonga. But just listening to Koenig’s reasoning was more than enough! This guy kills me!
it ends at 17…Berdych in 4…and Murray in 3.
I’m mindful that nothing is written in stone; look what happened in the final last year when Rafa seemed to have it on his racquet then his back played up. If Rafa is fit and healthy, then Berdy is going to find it hard going.
RT @Dimonator : “i really like Patrick McEnroe’s pick of Berdych to beat Nadal……..if they were racing Alaskan dog sleds in the Iditarod”
Love Rick’s comment in answer to PMac’s pick of Berdy. They started off the broadcast on ESPN tonight with PMac using Vitas Gerulaitis’ famous quote about nobody beating him seventeen times in a row. Cute! So he is predicting that Rafa will lose to Berdy. It’s not exactly a surprise coming from a guy who is an unabashed Fed fan. He’d love to see Rafa get bounced out.
I hope that Rafa makes him eat those words!
Rumble in the jungle…….
Bull on court.
Gosh, how I missed these moments: sweaty palms, racing heartbeat……….all because Rafa is on court, about to play a match!!
Vamos Champion!!!!
I know. I try to stay calm but always nervous before Rafa starts a match.
points so far. Berd 5, Rafa 0.
Mo in charge……..
40-0
Berdych holds to love
Some commie says that Valverdu would have passed on some gem to Berdych from his time with Llendl on Murray’s team. You couldn’t make it up. Incidentally, Murray and Rafa never played when Lendl was in charge.
Koenig coaching Berdy………….
on what channel is he commentating?
PMac is driving me crazy with his commentary. I wish they kept him with the women’s matches. His bias gets in the way. He’s talking up Berdy like he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Rafa’s FH not clicking yet……….
one-way traffic so far
some god awful returning, even by Nadal’s standards
Rafa’s got #9 stitched on his shoes, why? Not a reference to FO trophies, is it?
Champion AO 2009.
^^Thanks.
I’m not hearing the ball on Rafa’s racquet which means his intensity is not there.
Looks like my prediction will come to pass: Berdy will win the 1st set and then Rafa will make adjustments…………..
Rafa is not feeling the ball yet.
Vamos Rafa
Loose set from Rafa, needs to settle down, looks too anxious out there…..
I am not loving Rafa’s FH today, not one bit so far………….
I don’t know what is going on with Rafa. He’s not in this match at all. A break to win the set 6-2? It’s not even competitive right now.
Well deserved set, Berdy. Now, will the real Rafael Nadal Parera please stand up??
http://www.tenisweb.com/images/keep-calm-vamos-rafa.gif
RT @scATX : “I think Nadal is confused by that hideous outfit Berdych is wearing, like he can’t look away.”
Seriously, Rafa looks strangely subdued………….
Rafa is not hitting the ball with confidence.
looks like this going 5
Not so sure about that!
No, he is not. Being out-muscled by Berdy……..
^^Comment was for @nadline.
If Rafa continues looking this subdued, I don’t see it going to 5.
Berdy is taking care of business on his side, Rafa is not. It’s that simple really. Making way too many errors, FH’s tentative. It’s like he’s scared out there.
F for performance from Nadal! He has come out flat and nothing is working for him right now! He is too far form the baseline and keep dumping the ball in the net!!! Not looking good for Rafa! I was expecting him to come out guns blazing!!
Looks like Berdych is in the zone and Rafa is far from it 🙁
Where are my comments?…….they have not been showing for a few days……or sometimes it shows up as anonymous!
not sure
Oh, there they are!!….lol!!!
What do you know! Tsongaesque 2008 indeed
Just tuned in. What the **** is going on?
Unbelievable. Where is Rafa???
Not competitive at all…………..unbelievable.
This is the Berd who crushed Federer at the Athens Olympics 🙁
If this is Rafa’s level, I think it’s best that he lost here and go and start practicing on clay. I would be interested to know what’s up with him.
Don’t like making excuses, but Rafa’s shots are way too soft, must be a reason………..
Berdych isnt even playing well
Exactly, Ricky!! That’s exactly what Im thinking….this should be easy picking for Rafa! Enough of this drama already!!!
Someone wake me up and tell me I’m dreaming.
Berdy serves Rafa a bagel.
I wish Rafa hadn’t shown up for the match, really do……………
Bagel
Bageled with frightening ease. Big Berd can’t believe his luck.
Think I’ll go back to bed………………..
C’mon Rafa, make Berdy earn his victory at least…………
Hahahahaha
Rafa is simply not competitive.
HAHA, author of these picks is clearly an idiot.
whom did you pick? LOL!
Guys, I have stopped watching…….Rafa got bagelled?!!! Seriously?! This is a joke!!!
If he’s injured he should walk across, shake hands and get out of there………..this does not look good at all. He is not running, he is doing nothing………..
I sensed this yesterday hence my comments
What injury? He was fine till day before
Rafa would never retire, he would play to the end regardless! But this performance is worrying! This Major is really a bad omen for Rafa!
Rafa is even playing two handed forehands.
Yeah, I noticed that!
I thought Rafa would play like the way Sharapova played……..she was super aggressive and never looked back………Rafa looks like he has had enough of the AO! If I did not know better I would think that Rafa is selling the match!!!
Berdych seems to have decided to exchange all the humiliation he endured in those 17 matches in this one match
Berdy is not humiliating Rafa, Rafa is humiliating himself.
and then Berdy will lose in straights in the next round………
this
Rafa is not injured, he’s got no rhythm at all, not feeling the ball. Berdych doesn’t have to do much because Rafa is not doing anything.
Rafa is human.
Vamos
Hope you are right, @nadline10. Hope it’s just a bad day at the office. Couldn’t stomach another injury right now.
Rafa is having an off day and unlike his wont, he is unable to turn it around today and its owing to Berdych’s game too. Bit like the Tsonga and Del Potro beatdowns
Yes vmk1, it feels like that.
Rafa needs to take a toilet break and consult himself.
I just don’t know what to expect from Rafa these days. One day he on fire and the next day it’s a damp squib.
Maybe he’s getting old… 🙁
Damn!! bloody office, cannot even watch. berdych unplayable mode or rafa too bad? a combination?
Rafa terrible. Berd decent.
What happened? Did Rafa have an MTO?
They are saying on vb that Rafa is clutching his hamstring, that there may be an injury problem. I can’t bear to watch this anymore.
I just don’t know what to think right now. Just when we think things are going well for Rafa, something goes wrong.
groin/thigh
Can you imagine the kind of mental beatdown Berdych would take if he lost this from here. He probably wont bother showing up against Rafa 😀 😀
Rafa holds, the mother of all comebacks is on, folks!!!!!
with some luck, may be , may be rafa can turn this around?
They said on vb that Rafa took a pill. So something is bothering him, but he seems to want to try and stay in it.
this is so tragic :/
nah, only a loss at the French Open would be a sign of the end. this doesn’t mean much.
not at al rickyl! I never said this would mean an end.
Honestly, would Rafa have anything left if he managed to win this in five sets?
30-30 ! push rafa!
I really think Berdych has broken Rafa mentally. I have never seen Rafa so flat. He looks so helpless out there.
No way I can get back to sleep again but watching through my fingers.
I’ve just noticed Berdych is not wearing his cap. Maybe that explains this bizarre match.
I’ve got passed the nervous stage I’m already in Brazil.
Rafa is playing badly but Berdych is playing well. I take nothing away from him.
I don’t know how much more Rafa can take with injuries. It’s got to be difficult for him. I guess it was just too soon for this. I hope Rafa can get himself stronger and play the clay season to get into some decent form.
I just wish that Rafa could compete. It’s the inability to play his best and have a chance that is so upsetting.
Match over now. Rafa to serve to stay in the match.
Vamos Rafa
For a second there was a glimmer of hope. Quickly snuffed out.
seemingly rafa playing a tad better? come on rafa!
Rafa playing incredible now. But Berdych has all the answers.
Berdych is usually error prone, but not today.
Yeah and its a monumental achievement considering how much baggage Berdych carries against Rafa.
Stan breaking the losing streak to Rafa and now probably BErdych. What next? Federer winning against Rafa 🙁
VAMOS!!! match pnts saved!!
its over. no lapse from berdych!
from 5-1 to 5-4!!!
🙁
Done and dusted. Thank you Tomas, now just do your duty and get to the final.
Our boy fought well at the end. No injury hopefully. Just a horrendous day at the office
Rafa just didn’t show up for the first 2 sets but Berdych was up for it and played well. If Rafa is not at the top of his game I don’t want him playing the likes of Krygios at this point. Rafa tried to get something going but his game simply wasn’t there today.
Never ever say someone will lose the match before stepping on court
Beedych wanted this and got this
I see berdych going to final and losing to Novak
And please no injury he just got creamed
I hope this year turns out like 2010 bad ao qtr final loss n then Monte Carlo onwards ripped the field
Sanju,
I was the one who said that and I stand by it. That’s been the problem for Berdy in all those seventeen straight losses. He didn’t believe that he could win.
So please don’t use this as a reason not to say it. This time Berdy had a new coach, new tactics, a lot of preparation, but he also had a Rafa who was just not able to play well at all. This was too much for him coming back after such a long layoff. That’s not an excuse and it takes nothing away from Berdy.
This time Berdy did find the belief with some help from his new coach. But Rafa helped him more than anything and you know it. That was not the real Rafa out there, the Rafa who has played him and beaten him all those times.
Oh and I was the one who took nothing for granted. I thought it would be a tough match this time. But if Rafa was okay and match ready, he would still have prevailed.
You make statements at times like they are absolute facts and that is not the case. We are giving opinions here.
Berdych wants a slam, he deserves one much more than Cilic and Stan and I hope he does it here.
no he doesn’t. if he deserved one more than them, he wouldn’t have lost to Stan in last year’s final and he wouldn’t have gotten blown out by Cilic every time they played each other.
Ricky,
Well said! It’s not about who deserves anything. It’s about going out there and playing well enough to get it done.
he showed some fight in the end ! saved match pnts and almost pulled off a comeback in the TB. Rafa will be back to his best. He needs a potion . The name of the potion is red clay. He will restore his confidence there!
just did not expect rafa to show up like this today. Perhaps its too much to ask to play at a high level throughout a grand slam when you have hardly played matches in the last 7 months
start was a disaster. he handed Berdych belief on a silver platter.
I don’t think there was any injury….
he took one of the magic pills and it was gone
Heartbreaking to see Nadal struggling like that 🙁
The only consolation – I’d rather see him lose to Berdy than be annihilated by the wretched Curious.
I still believe it was more than a bad day at the office: that was not a fully fit Rafa out there today.
was in the 3rd set
It was too late by then. Down two sets, Rafa wasn’t going to be able to win three sets in a row.
Berdych was on his game, its the start of the year, he has a new coach, and plenty of reasons therefore to believe. Nadal’s game plays into the tall big flat hitters when they are on song; which is not often considering that such games are also prone to being erratic. Nadal was below par, but Berdych playing below the level he did today wouldn’t have put him away.
right. matchup wise it SHOULD be a good one for Berdych. Just never has been because of the mental block.
ed,
I agree with you. It does hurt my heart to see Rafa struggling like that. It’s just so hard to watch. I told myself that it was better to lose now to Berdy than to lose in the semis to Kyrgios (God forbid!) or Murray or Novak. He’s just not ready now.
I also think you are spot on in saying that this was not a fully fit Rafa out there. Again, that takes nothing away from Berdy’s effort, but he’s played well against Rafa in the past and didn’t get the win. Rafa was not himself and something was wrong.
I woke up late and Rafa was already two sets down…I so much underestimated Berdych…from what I have seen from the fifth Berdych was on fire and Rafa was hitting short and made it easy for Berdych…27 points won more than Rafa…Rafa was clearly outplayed today…
I was fooled by Rafa’s performance against Anderson…I should have known better…was Rafa injured? if he took a pill he probably was…but we should take nothing form Berdych…he deserved the win..
This never happened to me to fail to wake up on time to watch Rafa….but it spared me from suffering even more…right now I don’t know what to expect from Rafa…I hope it’s his fitness level and lack of match play and not another injury…how much more can we take…
Did Rafa take a pill? Nothing has been mentioned about injury on British Eurosport. Even if he wasn’t feeling well, I think he should keep it to himself this time otherwise he’ll look like a sore loser.
I’d love to hear Rafa’s explanation. I think he’s just not at the top of his game yet. His rhythm seems to come and go and the more he loses the more belief everyone has against him. I don’t believe he’s injured, I sincerely hope he is not, I can’t last another injury. He didn’t seem to have a lot of vroom right from the start and no feel for the ball.
Vamos Rafa!
This has happened to Rafa before, folks:
RT @ESPNStatsInfo : “Rafael Nadal won 8 games vs Tomas Berdych, his worst showing since 2009 U.S. Open (lost 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 to Juan Martin Del Potro in semis).”
His loss to Delpo that year came after a long injury lay-off. I am hoping it’s the same pattern here.
I admit I did not see much of Berdych at this AO and I may as well be wrong but I think Berdych stands no chance against Murray…this Rafa would have been blown of the court by anyone from the top 10…I would sure like Berdych to reach the finals and win the whole thing considering his confidence level at this point and the fact that he is well rested given that Rafa did not even make him break a sweat…but it is so unlikely…
^^
+1 @nats!
I have a feeling Berdy’s adrenaline was sky high for this match and he may suffer a let-down against Muzza. In fact I am convinced he will have an adrenaline crash.
I do like Berdy and also believe he deserves a Slam more than Wawa and Cilic. Unfortunately for him, I do not see him beating Rafa, Muzza and Djokovic to win it.
Commies Rafans, our boy is still on the road to recovery fitness wise. I am crossing my fingers like mad that he has no injury worries, that he was just outplayed.
Oh, well, there goes my calendar slam prediction! He is now going to sweep all from the French then, 🙂
Seriously though, considering this was his first competitive tournament (Doha doesn’t even count………………), getting into the quarters was a good showing. Rafa needs matches, preferably on clay. He will be fine. Vamos!
Kudos to Berdy for taking his chances. No question, this was it: if he could not get past a Rafa with little match play he would have been shattered and gone into a tailspin. Berdy is good for the game, we need him around.
Muzza-time!!!
Berdy has always been a tough matchup for Murray, so it’s not a given that he can’t beat him. I have seen some of Berdy’s matches and realized that he was playing great tennis. But he’s played great against Rafa and still lost in the past. He couldn’t close it out. He had Rafa on the ropes in the 2012 AO quarterfinals. That time Rafa was match ready and fit enough to fight back and manage to win the second set. He won the match in four sets. But it was a tough battle.
I give Berdy credit for getting a new coach and for working hard to get fitter and even better. It paid off for him, but that was not the real Rafa out there. If it’s an injury, then I hope it’s not something serious. But it was always going to be tough trying to play a slam after being off for so long. Things can go wrong as we saw in his second round match where he was very sick. Rafa did well to make it to the quarterfinals. He’s just not ready to go deeper in a slam now. He needs to get stronger and play more matches. It takes time when he’s been off for so long. He’s also getting older and that makes it even harder.
Berd will lose to Murray. He’d have a chance vs. Nick.
Murray vs. Berdych H2H is 4-6. Berdych is playing very well. Besides, Murray seems to struggle against Berdych more often than not. Murray is still not where he needs to be to beat Berdych in this form. So, I would say Berdych has a better chance of reaching the final.
Regarding Rafa’s lopsided loss to Delpo in the 2009 USO, he suffered a stomach tear and could barely serve in that match. So there was an obvious reason for that loss. It’s worth noting that when he met Delpo after that, he was able to get the better of him.
It’s a pity Rafa had to start his comeback trail on hard courts. Can’t fault him for that though, can’t see how he could have avoided playing Oz if he was well.
Let’s just hope and pray for our boy to be healthy, his game will come.
Vamos!!
On VB forum member toffee posted this from Rafa on twitter.
From AO twitter
“I’m feeling ok. Just was not my day. It was a day that my opponent played better than me.”
“Before the third set, I didn’t play with the right confidence, the right intensity, losing court, playing very short.”
“This is just the beginning of the season. I need to be ready to accept all the possible situations.”
^^
Thanks @nny. Good to hear this!
Vamos!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8Vj_WyCMAEjv0j.png
RT @BackSwings: “I must say I didn’t expect Rafa to get that deep into the tournament – not a bad showing for him, considering. But MAN good job, Berdych.”
+1
If not playing with confidence means you lose then why not just go for it and see what happens. I’m glad that he is not injured. Soon he will be on his beloved clay and all will be well………I hope.
His next tournament on clay – the Rio Open (in Rio de Janeiro) – will start on February 16.
New coach? Wasn’t his new coach dany with Murray all these years n Murray is 15-5 against Rafa
I think its not so much the new coach its more the belief and the desire n will to do it n a subpar rafa
Rafa is fine, taking the loss in his stride………..
RT @FortyDeuceTwits: “.@nickmccarvel tries to be nice, says Rafa played a “so-so match.” Rafa: “No, so-so match. Bad match. You can say it.” Laughter.”
Well played, Rafa. (the repartee with the journos, not the match, lol)
Cheer up Rafans, Rafa will be showing us his abs and fishing skills soon………Oh no it’s winter. Maybe he’ll play some poker for our enjoyment.
NNY my message was not directed to you, in general the mood on forum was Rafa will win as berdy will choke and not believe.
I somehow felt today won’t be good and in a way its good the winning streak is off n its reset
@Sanju, I believed Rafa will win and Berdy will choke, as usual. I believed this before the match and even after Berdy won the 1st set. I was wrong, on all accounts. And I am sure this not the last time I will be wrong, hehehe!
As Rafa says, just accept. We move on………..
@Sanju,
Thanks for the clarification. I also had my concerns about this match, but I preferred to keep them private. I don’t always say everything that I think. I was nervous about this match and wondered if Rafa was going to be up to it. This was always going to be a difficult thing, coming back after so much time off with little preparation to play a slam.
I couldn’t pick against Rafa. But as the match got closer, I started having a bad feeling. I tried to ignore it, thinking it was just nerves. It’s not like I am clairvoyant or anything. But I have had these kinds of sensations in the past. When Rafa was broken early in the match, I knew something was wrong.
So I actually had similar feelings to you. It is what it is and Rafa seems to be dealing with it quite well. There is a lot more tennis to be played. He has to think of the big picture. I just want to see him getting fitter and and finding that great form again. Playing on clay can only help him, as it did in 2013.
Which Brazil tournament is Rafa playing, the 250 or the 500?
He is playing Rio (500), followed by B. Aries (250).
Thanks, makes sense.
Rafa will play in Buenos Aires, the 250 event on clay. It will start on February 23.
When Rafa is playing well you can hear the sound of the ball on his racquet. There was none of that today even though I kept turning the volume up on the tv. He will go home, have some down time and fly off to Brazil to start practicing on his beloved clay.
I have to admit, I had started believing in him biting the AO trophy on Sunday. I didn’t say it because I didn’t want to jinx him…………..this jinx thing is nonsense as RITB always said. Now I’ll just say what I think, because what I say or think is unlikely to affect anything as there are millions of other people thinking and saying things too and we can’t all affect the outcome.
Just read an interesting comment from another forum. A poster said Rafa didn’t break a sweat in the first 2 sets, which is odd for normal Rafa. Usually Rafa would be drenched in sweat after a few games, especially Down Under.
Funny how we worry when he sweats a lot and worry when he doesn’t!
rafaisthebest says:
January 27, 2015 at 7:04 am
—Just read an interesting comment from another forum. A poster said Rafa didn’t break a sweat in the first 2 sets,—
It seemed me too that he didn’t sweat. I thought I was wrong.
Has anyone noticed that sanju only turns like a bad coin when Rafa is on a low ebb, just like a bad coin and seemingly enjoying every minute of the loss.
@nadline, don’t worry about @Sanju’s Rafa-pessimism, he does have a reason be self-congratulatory, no?. He was pessimistic about Rafa’s chances pre-match, his pessimism has been well rewarded.
Haha
Go on you are surely frustrated today and you can vent it out
The difference is I am not blinded in my adulation for Rafa and am realistic in my assessment . I sensed Berdych cannot be taken lightly n knew he would cause the upset. That’s why I wanted Tonic to win in 4th round . You all were worrying about Kyrgios , I knew Rafa can handle kyrgios but will lose to both Murray n nerdy
But it would make a change if you didn’t only show up when Rafa is not doing well. It’s been your pattern since the Tennistalk days. Of course some of us are more optimistic than others but as a ‘Rafa fan’ you don’t often seem to have high opinions of him as a player which I find odd. You say you want him to win and then always say you don’t expect him to.
How much has Rafa played in the last 6 months that I need to show up?
And one is disappointed when he looses , so one comes to vent out here
And on expecting him to win, let me say I am prepared for him to lose anytime and this is simply because he has given me multiple reasons to believe that in the last 4 years
@Sanju, please do not say things like, “I am not blinded in my adulation for Rafa and am realistic in my assessment .” It is woefully condescending and sanctimonious. Ricky predicted a straight sets win for Rafa, are you saying he is blinded by an adulation for Rafa and is unrealistic in his assessment? Because nearly everyone agreed with Ricky.
This is why some people get annoyed with you. It’s like you are putting them down.
Offended by me? Oh really
Please read who made a personal attack on me first calling me a bad coin. My name was called out .
I still reverted back saying I am not blinded without naming anyone.
I ddon’t make personal attacks on people I talk about Rafa n only Rafa n praise him n criticize him too as I feel based on how he paus
@Sanju, I am not referring to the conversation you had with @nadline. I am referring specifically to your use of the phrase, “I am not blinded in my adulation for Rafa………”, which you have used quite often in the past. The implication is that everyone else, except you, suffers from this affliction you call blind adulation. It’s not a nice term, is it?
Why can’t you just say your instincts were right and everyone else’s wrong, evidently? People wish the best for Rafa and express themselves in a prediction and they are blind? C’mon…………………..
I repeat, I am not referring to your conversation with @nadline10 on this thread, but am talking about a specific phrase which you use sometimes, which comes across as condescending.
This not an attack. Thanks.
Rafa’s post-match press conference (transcript):
Rafael Nadal 27-01-15
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/interviews/2015-01-27/201501271422342227906.html
Thanks Gussie.
Q. Were you feeling at all unwell or unfit today?
RAFAEL NADAL: No. I am feeling okay. Just was not my day. I didn’t play with the right intensity, with the right rhythm, and the opponent played better than me. In sport, when you are going to play against an opponent, was a day that the opponent played better than
Q. Do you think it’s also the fact that you haven’t played such a player for a while, the whole process of coming back?
………… it’s obvious that before I didn’t play with the right confidence, with the right intensity, losing court, playing very short. I make him play very easy.
…………………………………………………………………………………………….
This was exactly my take during the match:
nadline10 says:
January 27, 2015 at 4:41 am
Rafa is not injured, he’s got no rhythm at all, not feeling the ball. Berdych doesn’t have to do much because Rafa is not doing anything.
That’s what I thought during the match and I’m still thinking:
RAFAEL NADAL: “…I make him [Berdych] play very easy. So you cannot expect to win matches in quarterfinals of Grand Slam helping the opponent to play well. That’s what I did.”
I always feel better when I read what Rafa has to say after a loss. He has such clarity and keeps it simple. He realizes that this is a process that is going to take some time. He’s not there yet. But he will get there. For sure.
It helps to come here and read everyone’s thoughts. Then I can put it all in perspective.
Krygios stands no chance against Murray from what I saw of Krygios against Seppi the other day.
Could be that Rafa wasn’t fired up because of the likelihood of playing Krygios when he is still not at the top of his game. Whilst I don’t think he lost on purpose I think it didn’t help his mental mindset and rhythm against Berdych.
Personally, I don’t think Rafa needs worry about Krygios. It was a one off at Wimbledon.
https://twitter.com/
At the presser
a bad day to all Rafans but Rafa WILL come back, as he always does. And we know it 🙂
Congrats to Berdych, a well deserved victory that must taste very well after all those defeats.
Shireling,
It was a gift from Rafa.
Shireling, every time I see you here I will know it’s bad news for Rafa as sanju says you are always right about that.
Video of QF presser from Nadalnews.com
http://www.nadalnews.com/2015/01/27/ao-quarterfinal-presser-transcript-3/
The fact of the matter is today’s result was the correct result, Rafa is not yet back to his best so it should not surprise us that he lost to a Top 10 player. It shows that Rafa’s level after such a long hiatus, is not yet at Top 10 level. Will his level remain there? No. One only has to look at his 3rd set performance to see that he is coming. He lost in Doha in what, the 1st round? Here he lost in the quarters, of a Slam. So, if we are going to be honest we should really say: continue with the progress, Rafa!
Brazil and Argentina will provide more opportunities for progress.
On Berdy, I so hope he is thinking and dreaming big, and will not just be content with a win against Rafa. He beat Djokovic in Rome when Djokovic was the favourite. Here Rafa was not even the favourite. So yeah, Berdy has the game. I sure hope he now uses it to win the big trophies.
rafaisthebest says:
January 27, 2015 at 9:41 am
—So, if we are going to be honest we should really say: continue with the progress, Rafa!—
I have always said/expected and I’ll always do. Because I’m a Rafa fan!
Who are “we”?
Ehmm, “we” is Rafans Gussie. I would have thought that was obvious enough. Where are you going with this?
Yes, we just have to accept that Rome was not built in a day. Rafa, like everyone else coming back from injury needs time. I hope it’s not too long though.
@RITB,
Regarding your post @ 9:41 am – well said! I agree with you completely!
Muzza 2 sets up. Making a meal of it but I’ll take it……………
yeah…I am still digesting this loss and thinking about strange behavior of Rafa on court today…I managed to see only the third set but I carefully observed Rafa’s body language and did not see any panic or despair…I think Rafa simply did not expect much from himself in this match and it sure did not surprise him…
I am still worried that there might have been something that bothered him in this match which he refuses to talk about …he was hardly sweating, he was way too slow and not moving properly, even not going for the shots…he had tape on his hands and that may explain his disastrous serving…And he did take a pill for something!
Congrats to Berdych for his outstanding performance and his will to finally beat Rafa…I am just worried that Rafa might still have back issues…I am so discouraged with all these injuries crippling Rafa throughout his career…and they do not seem to go away, they only get worse…
natashao2013 says:
January 27, 2015 at 10:38 am
—he had tape on his hands and that may explain his disastrous—
WHAT tape? I didn’t see anything different between his usual taping and taping today
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8WjAO4IQAIAPtC.png
http://www.ausopen.com/en_AU/news/articles/2015-01-27/rafa_comeback.html
“There was speculation that a lingering injury might have explained Nadal’s lacklustre movement in the first two sets, his attitude and body language as flat as those American footballs everyone’s bothering about. He had tape on his hands for the first time all tournament. He was hardly sweating at his usual level. Come the third, after popping a pill, he improved. But, as is his way, when asked, he refused to give it any detail”
I did not see it…I only read about it…
natashao2013 says:
January 27, 2015 at 11:30 am
—He had tape on his hands for the first time all tournament—
???
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8Wpn84IAAEDKI6.png
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8WsJcwIAAA_xbk.png
@nats,
Yes, he did take a pill but when he was asked about it in his post match press conference, he didn’t want to talk about it. He indicated that it was not a big deal. So I don’t know if he did have some injury and just did not want to bring it up after this loss or if he was just feeling the strain of playing these matches after such a long time off.
I sure don’t want him to have to deal with any more injuries!
exactly! I only wish Rafa to be injury free for a year or two…is that too much to ask… 🙁
Well done Muzza! Onwards and upwards!!
Funny how most pundits were expecting Rafa to win easily against Berdy and Muzza to struggle against Kirios. Opposite has happened.
A.Murray’s QF opponent:
since the middle of last year
http://thumbs.gograph.com/gg64313249.jpg
Thank goodness for Murray. He played a clever canny match that was fun to watch. Made up a bit for the heartache of seeing Rafa go out.
I knew Murray would destroy Kyrgios…this young fellow is not amongst my favorite people…he has bad on-court manners and he seems rather arrogant for his age…good for him to be back on the ground…he was flying too high…this is what injured and non-fit Rafa does to his opponents…they all begin thinking how extraordinary they are..and it hits them right back into their face…
I never doubted Andy’s victory today…and he will beat Berdy as well…I am afraid Berdy won’t manage to take a set from Andy…
The fact is that Seppi should have beaten Kyrgios in the fourth round and then we would have been spared having to see him hang around this long. I do not like this kid at all. Not one bit! Way too big for his britches, considering that he has yet to do anything in this sport.
I didn’t see the match but hope to see a replay today. I am happy that Murray dispatched him with ease! Now Kyrgious can retreat back into obscurity. Is he going to actually play some tournaments on a regular basis or just wait for the next slam?
I thought Murray would dispatch him much quicker, anyway I’m glad he’s gone because his brand of tennis doesn’t appeal to me. Not too sure about Murray being the favourite against Berdych though because Berdy leads their h2h.
I hope you are right…I would really like to see Berdych wining as he sure deserves it…he did not lose a single set this whole tourney…
augusta, you should talk to the author of the article, not me…maybe they meant tapes on his wrist not fingers…I have no idea…but it caused worries to learn that Rafa played double handed forehand in this match…that was not without reason…
No tape on Rafa’s wrist
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8WtTphCIAEZ33S.png
no tape AFTER the match…and this is his right hand…he plays forehand with his left hand as far as I know…
natashao2013 says:
January 27, 2015 at 12:02 pm,
I already posted a picture of his LEFT hand (above).
natashao2013 says:
January 27, 2015 at 12:02 pm
Where are tapes supposed to be on his wrist(s)?
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8WyhAxCEAEhBcj.png
augusta, you are not proving anything with these photos except that it clearly shows that Rafa was in some kind of pain…I am not saying I know anything about any injury…I only FEAR that was the case and I might as well be wrong, that is, I certainly HOPE I am wrong…
natashao2013 says:
January 27, 2015 at 12:18 pm
—augusta, you are not proving anything with these photos—
I want to KNOW WHAT tapes the author of the article (you posted) is talking about!
this article is on the front page of the AO web site…you could post your question there and I believe they would answer…please let us know if you do get some info…
Honestly, haters will hate. I have just seen a comment from an obvious Fedfan that since FO2014 Rafa hasn’t made a semi final nor has he beaten a Top 10 player.
Yes, that would be the same Nadal who basically went on sick leave for the better part of 2014.
Sigh………….
well, every day we learn how to live with humiliation of Rafa and with certain type of torture of his fans…it’s amazing how all fans unite against Rafans…Nole’s, Fed’s , Murray’s…they are all happy when Rafa loses…I hope there will be a day to shut them all up, a day when Rafa surpasses Fed’s slam record…
Vamos Rafa no matter what!
This is why I am in awe of the general Rafan family, @nats. What they have to put up with every time Rafa loses……..
natashao, I have stopped reading websites where people comment on tennis long ago, works for me.Of course not all Fed fans and Nole fans are haters, far from it. Probably the hating kind post more often. Personally I don’t recall any Murray fans being this way. As for Rafa’s accomplishments, we’ll have to see whether his body can really hold out long stretches year after year to make it 18 slam or more… that’s a very big ask. Nothing will shut up hating people in any case.
@chloro, true indeed…I myself will start to lower the expectations regarding Rafa’s accomplishments…but the hope remains…even if he does not make it I will still consider him the greatest of all time…he was only 19 when he won his first FO…but his body is obviously letting him down…it’s unfortunate for such a great talent, such a hard working person and such a warrior…he deserves better…
Murray in 3 losing exactly 12 games, with 1 tiebreaker. Congratulations to me.
nadline10 – January 27, 2015 at 8:42 am
You make it sound as if I’m the bearer of ill omens.
It’s not my intention and, in fact, I wasn’t right at all in my prediction since I thought Berdych would only win if he stretched it to TBs, which he didn’t even have to.
You know I come here very seldom and even less last year since Rafa was MIA but I never intend to make people nervous by spreading pessimism.
I actually also thought that Rafa would win against the Bird and just commented on his lack of competition.
No worries though, he’s done very well reaching QFs and he’s only going to get better throughout the season. Vamos Rafa!
🙂
Ricky, Berdych didn’t prove anything!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8XKbuRCcAEI0FT.png
well I got the score right, just in reverse order and for the wrong player!! lol. Well done to TomBer. Is this finally his year? I would be ok with him winning or any other player who has never won AO before. Not you Nole, or you Standard.
I think Nole can already take a photo with AO trophy…who is going to stop him? Stan “did nothing after beating an injured Rafa” Wawrinka? Raonic is certainly out of question as he had trouble beating Feli the other day and he does not have the game to trouble Nole anyway…and Andy just needs to play his best tennis to beat Nole at the AO but he certainly is not there yet…IMO only Kei can make Nole work hard provided he can beat Wawa…yet Kei does not have the wining mentality and he will most likely choke and lose again…
@natashao – you are probably correct; however, we all thought that (at least I did) Nole was unstoppable at the USO14 and look what happened? Kei beat Nole. If Berdych can end his 17-match losing streak, I can only hope that either Milos, Andy, Kei or Tomas win this whole thing.
[Excerpts]
SPORT360.com, January 27, 2015 ¤¤ Rafael Nadal’s Australian Open drubbing no disaster, admits uncle Toni.
Toni Nadal insists Rafael Nadal’s straight sets defeat to Tomas Berdych is no tragedy and that the Spaniard will respond to it the only way he knows how – by working hard.
Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni, admits the world No3 started the tournament lacking confidence but that grew as he advanced through the rounds and by the time he played Berdych, Nadal was in “perfect form”.
But Toni has no real explanation for Nadal’s poor level against Berdych in the opening two sets.
“Before the match I thought we were in perfect form because in the last match Rafa played very well against Kevin Anderson,” said Toni. “I thought he could perform well against Berdych. At the beginning he didn’t play well enough, he had problems with his backhand… it was a bad match.
“He played bad and when he reacted, it was too late.”
Nadal hasn’t lost to Berdych in his last 17 meetings with the Czech but Toni doesn’t think the No7 seed has done anything differently to end that dismal streak.
“I don’t think that Berdych changed anything in his approach, I think he played his game and faced a Rafa who played bad in the first two sets. And when Rafa reacted the way we had hoped he would react, it became a tough match for both, the same as in previous years,” he explained.
“Being down two sets was too much of a gap. We lost the match in the first two sets.
“The truth is that Rafael served badly, he felt a bit nervous and had some double faults. Berdych came out with the idea not to rally much and to attack more.”
Nadal is expected TO START TRAINING AGAIN next Monday in preparation for the clay tournaments in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires (starting February 16 and 23).
While this was one of the heaviest defeats Nadal has suffered in his grand slam career, Toni is not worried about how his nephew will rebound from this.
“The same way we always react to a loss. By working hard. It’s not a big problem,” said Toni. ¤¤
http://sport360.com/article/international/32010/rafael-nadals-australian-open-drubbing-no-disaster-admits-uncle-toni
Vamos Uncle Toni!!
It’s good to hear from Uncle Toni. I love how he puts it all in perspective. He didn’t mention anything about an injury either. I loved his analysis of the match. Rafa lost it in the first two sets and when he woke up and started playing the way he normally would have, it was simply too late.
To hear PMac going on and on, one would think that Berdy had reinvented the sport of tennis! He really is insufferable. Boorish to an extreme. I don’t think Berdy did anything really different at all. Rafa handed it to him in the first two sets. Anyone who thinks that Rafa was going to lose those first two sets in lopsided fashion playing the way he normally does, is kidding themselves. That was not our Rafa. At least that was acknowledged by PMac and the other ESPN commentators. If Rafa came out playing his game, then the match would have been more tightly contested. He still could have lost, but the score would not look like it did.
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2015/01/berdych-praises-new-coach-dani-vallverdu-after-win-over-nadal/53836/#.VMe8H039nIU
Isn’t it funny how players praise a coach when they win, especially if it’s a new coach, and dump him when they start losing??
not really. Its entirely expected.
Expected for everyone except Rafa……….
There is some discussion on VB about Rafa grabbing his hamstring and back at one point. They also said that he was kneading his thigh on the changeover after the first set. So that’s probably why he took the pill. Rafa wouldn’t want to talk about any physical problem because of how he has been accused of making excuses. He wanted to give Berdy credit for playing better.
It could just be one of those things that happen when a player hasn’t been active for a while and then is competing in best three out of five set matches. I think Rafa went as far as he could. I admire him for fighting through illness to win that second round match. He could have easily lost it or retired. He did a great job to get to the quarterfinals in his first slam since he came back. He showed so much heart and there were moments when we saw flashes of vintage Rafa. I think he will take good things out of this result.
I thought before the match that if ever there was a time for Berdy to get a win, this was it. I didn’t think Rafa’s backhand was firing the way it should. I was concerned that he simply wouldn’t be able to get to a high enough level to win here. If he made it through the quarterfinals, I believe he would have lost in the semis. I did not think he could win this tournament. But I wanted to enjoy every minute that I could see Rafa on the court.
I think it’s harder as a player gets older. Rafa had a great comeback in 2013 after being out for seven months. But he took it slow, starting in the South American clay season. Now he’s two years older and it doesn’t get any easier. It will just take time.
I don’t know what to expect of Rafa’s body. We will just have to watch him and see what happens. One thing I know for sure – Rafa will give it his all. I would never bet against him.
beautiful post…thank you for the info…