Australian Open expert picks conclude with the one of the best rivalries in tennis history: Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal. Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray are joined by Tennis Acumen‘s Pete Ziebron and Mert Ertunga of Mertov’s Tennis Desk.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Ricky: I see this ending in one of two ways: either Rafa wins in a rout, or Djokovic pulls out another epic thriller. The former once looked like a possibility because of the Spaniard’s ridiculous current level, but not after Djokovic humiliated Lucas Pouille 6-0, 6-2, 6-2 on Friday and conserved energy by dropping a grand total of six games in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches. This is going to be another absolute battle between the two all-time greats. In a close one, Djokovic has the edge–at least mentally. The Serb is 8-2 in their last 10 matchups following last summer’s memorable triumph in the Wimbledon semis and he has not lost to Nadal on a hard court since the 2013 U.S. Open final. On this surface and especially on this specific court (Djokovic is already a six-time AO champion), you can’t pick against the world No. 1. Djokovic in 5: 3-6, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5.
Pete: With a win, Djokovic would hold each of the last three major trophies and secure his seventh Australian Open title. With a win, Nadal would win in Melbourne for the second time and first time in 10 years AND be just two majors behind Roger Federer heading into Roland Garros. Plenty at stake for both great champions! Nadal has been extremely efficient in his march to the final and has not dropped a set. Djokovic had not yet flipped the switch on the best tennis he could produce until his thrashing of Pouille in the semifinals. As a result, the battle between the top two players in the world should produce a high-level match. Djokovic is just a bit more comfortable on hard courts and in Melbourne. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(4).
Cheryl: The most prolific rivalry in the open era is about to add a 53rd chapter. Not only are Djokovic and Nadal the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world, they have also rather emphatically outperformed the rest of the field over the fortnight. That Nadal has been more impressive overall is less significant than it would be under any other circumstances…and that’s because his opponent is Djokovic. Somehow Rafa manages to find ways to lose to Novak even when he was the better player (see exhibit A: Wimbledon 2018). And yet, I can’t help but notice that Nadal is unusually confident this time around; he’s hitting a ton off both wings AND serving well for a change. Djokovic, for his part, hasn’t been quite as dominant, but as is his custom he has played better with each round–culminating in the torching he just gave Pouille in the semis. Nadal in 4: 6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 7-6.
Mert: This is a tough pick because neither player was substantially challenged on the way to the final (except maybe Novak at one point in the third set against Medvedev), thus making it hard to predict how they would handle an opponent that comes up with answers to the best that they have to offer. I am assuming there will be at least two, if not three, momentum swings in the match in which one does problem-solving and gets the upper hand only to see the other do the same to him later. I believe Novak’s ability to absorb Rafa’s power and send those shots back with interest will ultimately make the difference. Rafa’s serve may be better, but he will also be serving against the best returner in the game. Djokovic in 4: 7-5, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
[polldaddy poll=10222092]
WWW?
Ricky, what does WWW stand for?
Who will win? Ricky shorthand. 🙂
“Y”
its not a yes or no question….
same thing it means in all of the polls
WHO WILL WIN
RWW!
Vamos Champ!
I am an island. A lone, Nadal-picking island.
Kudos to you for having the courage of your convictions Cheryl! Last 2 slam finals they played Rafa won! Just sayin…
Great post, amy!
Natashao☺☺!!
go Rafa go!!
18 is the best number!
Not alone! Rafa in 4 or 5. Djokovic’s AO record is very impressive but he faced Rafa in only one of those 7 finals, and that one was very close. Rafa is on a mission and he’s been scary good for the whole tournament.
If Nadal has to win it, he has to do it in 3 or 4 sets.
agreed
Its not outside the realm of possibility that Nadal comes out firing and wins in 3 or 4.
How will Nole return Nadal’s new serve could decide the match.
Where do people get the idea from that Rafa can’t beat Djokovic on hardcourt? Rafa is 2::1 against Novak at the USO both times in beating him in 4 sets. In 2010, the score was 64 57 64 62 and in 2013 it was 62 36 64 61. The only time they’ve played in Australia it took 7 minutes short of 6 hours for Djokovic to win in 5 sets.
Oh God, I am very 50/50 on this. This is the best I have seen Rafa play on hard courts in a long long time and he REALLY wants it. But Novak is unstoppable in Australian Open finals. My head says Djokovic wins, but only slightly, yet I wouldn’t be surprised if Rafa takes it.
If its about Nadal playing aggressive and dominating from the off, then he wins in four at the most. But if it gets into a long battle, Djokovic usually has the mental edge.
Feels like the lead up to Wimbledon 2008 final. Both guys playing great. Maybe got as much historical significance as 2008 but not that far off in importance. Nadal is GOAT if he wins this. 18 slams with French open next.
To me this match is a toss-up. On form, I put Nadal as the slight favourite, but I think Novak has the mental edge, especially on this court. In rallies, I expect him to pull Nadal out to the FH side a lot, and generally make him less comfortable than he likes to be. I expect Nadal to have the edge in cross-court rallies to his BH.
The biggest factor in this match, imo, will be Novak’s ROS. Nadal’s serve is improved but I wouldn’t say great; and he needs to hit a higher 1st serve percentage than he has been. If he has to serve a lot of 2nd serves, Djokovic will have the advantage.
My heart says Rafa, but my brain says Novak. Rafa played great so far, but he is nevertheless still on the comeback trail after his lengthy lay off. We don’t know how his body will react if he gets really challenged, which hasn’t happened so far. It would border on a miracle if Rafa is able to win a slam final against the current no.1 player at his very first tournament since last year’s USO. This maybe too much to ask for. He has already acquitted himself brilliantly.
The Djoker hasn’t been really challenged either on his way into the final, but something tells me that he will be fine and rise to the occasion if it happens. He will have to because he has one strike against him: besides an in-form Rafa Novak will have to fight the powerful and well-documented Tignor-curse☺ Yes, that’s right – Steve Tignor has picked Novak. Tignor may get it right when it’s easy -like picking Rafa for the win at the FO – but from all the tennis experts he has the very worst track record as far as close calls are concerned.
Back to the facts: some have mentioned that Rafa won the last two slam finals against Novak: the USO’13 and the FO’14. But that’s almost five years ago. A lot has happened since then. But Novak won their most recent encounter at last year’s Wimby semis. To me that seems to be more relevant than what happened five years ago. A lot will depend on how well Rafa has put this very hurtful loss of a winnable match behind him and if he himself believes deep down that he can win tomorrow’s match.
The way Rafa is playing, don’t think he want to lose a match narrowly to Djoko again.
I feel Rafa knew why he lost that Wimbledon match, more to do with the circumstances and his own undoing (his Long match vs Delpo; he couldn’t take his chances in the third set in the SF etc). Against a tough opponent like Djoko, that would put him at a disadvantage. I’m sure he won’t want a repeat of all that again.
I think his team knows just like us, that it’s essential for him to win his matches ASAP to conserve energy and also to prevent getting injured. As Long as he’s physically fit, he won’t need to worry so much about injury and so could concentrate on going all out to win his important match(es).
I’m glad Moya and his team managed to talk and convince Rafa to play this way, when Rafa, since 2005, prefers and enjoys running after every ball and grinding both his opponent and himself to get a win.
Novak’s slam final wins over Rafa were really very close affairs that could have gone either way.
Wim 2018 – 10/8 in the fifth set
AO 2012 – 75 in the 5th set
Novak won the USO 2011 in 4 sets but Rafa also won in 2010 and 2013 in 4 sets. I will leave the FO out of this because it’s a no contest.
People talk as if there is a gulf between them in favour of Novak.
AO 17 fed was in Rafa’s position…losing record…bad h2h…never beaten rafa in a slam for 10 years ..most peoples head said rafa but fed believed n won with a more aggressive strategy ..he banished his demons..if fed could believe and do it…no reason why rafa cannot…he will come to play…Novak is the favorite yes given the history at this slam but favorites always don’t win matches…
Interesting comparison, Sanju, but I don’t think Rafa’s history with Novak is nearly as bad as Fed’s was with Rafa. Mentally, Djokovic has the edge, but he’s never faced Nadal in this form, imo, not even USO 2010 or 13.
My gut tell me Nadal is going to win this, even if Novak is slightly favoured on paper. Even though I’m not a fan, I love the aggressive tennis Rafa is playing right now.
The difference is that Roger played against Rafa who himself was on a comeback trail and hard courts are not his preferred surface and Rafa played a marathon match against Dimitrov on Friday. Rafa had gone through tough matches himself earlier against the likes of Zverev so he was not playing lights out either.
IN contrast, Rafa is returning from a layoff against a player who has won the last two slams and is spanking opponents and is the no.1 player in the world in his own den. I think Rafa can win it but he would need a truckload of help from Novak in terms of his level.
sanju, Djoker’s history at this slam as far as Rafa is concerned is 0:1 to Novak in a 6 hours 5 setter. With Djokovic’s other AO titles, he didn’t play Rafa and Rafa has pulled out of the AO with injury more times than I’ve had hot dinners, so Rafa was out of the equation for 5 of his titles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-DXMP93dD0
Rafa is playing differently now; more aggressively.
Interesting when Tsitsi said that Rafa makes you play worse, I thought that it may be the case against everyone else but one player who almost always raises his game is Novak.
Novak raises his game in finals, not only when playing against Rafa. Remember in 2016 AO when Djoko made 100 UEs when playing against Simon, but then come the SF and F, he ‘killed’ Fed and Murray playing lights out tennis.
Rafa and Djoko have played 52 times, surely Djoko knows what to expect from Rafa, unlike Tsitsipas (or Pouille who met Djoko for the first time and he was lost out there facing Djoko). Both youngsters were overwhelmed by their respective top two players.
Rafa vs Djoko, it’s almost always the more aggressive of the two would win so I hope this time Rafa is the aggressor and wins the title here.
Djokovic in 4 or 5. Put ur life on it. Eat a big one nadal
You serious? Put his life on it?? Life is too precious for a tennis match!
great write ups by all 4 experts…..but my gut says Rafa in 3.
Why do I get the feeling that it will be Rafa in 3 or 4? Just something inside tells me an anti-climax is coming.
After reading competent posts above, there is no doubt in my mind: Rafa in 2, or 1
!!?? Rafa in 2 or 1!! Do you think Nole will retire?
haha.
Just had 3 posts disappear! They’re not going into spam again are they Ricky?
I’m usually pessimistic about Rafa’s chances against Djoko but, somehow not for this one. Rafa in three
Testing!
Have lost 6 or 7 posts😢
Finally!!
Laver has picked rafa to win!!☺☺
Vamos Rafa and Rod!!
#goats 🐏🐏 (meant to be goat emoji but really a ram )
All the critics and commentators are picking rafa ( apart from Cheryl) but a fair amount of ex players ie Laver are picking rafa or saying it’s too close to call ie Lendl.
Vamos ex players!🎾🎾
I am starting to her nervous already. It’s nice to know that my idol Rod Laver has picked Rafa. But the only thing that matters is what happens on the court. Rafa is going to have to go out there and do it.
I have to believe that this time Rafa will get that double career slam. I have wanted this for Rafa for so long. I was almost afraid to hope anymore. But Rafa has been playing so well and is healthy and has not been worn out by any tough matches. I am sure he wants this and that fierce will is what I hope gets him the victory.
If he wins this, then I can die happy! Not that I am planning on it! But this is the one I want for him.
Go make history Rafa! The last man to do it will be watching!
I am incredibly nervous nny!
Sending positive thoughts and love and luck to our darling Rafa!
Love him win or lose!!
amy,
I am getting knots on my stomach with each passing hour. It will start at 3:30 am my time I set it to record, but usually wake up a few times. If I turn it on, I may not be able to go back to sleep!
I am sending love and prayers and all guys thoughts to our Rafa! He deserves this! I may have a breakdown before it’s over!
I will need all the support I can get from you and other Rafa fans here! Holding hands symbolically!
😍🤝
Group hugs to Nny & amy!!….
Nny!….Not sure whether u already read this or not….but i think to know what your idol Moya says about Rafa & his chances at AO will make u feel happy & colm…i know i feel happy & colm too!!hehehe…
https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/26/how-novak-djokovic-forced-rafael-nadal-to-change-his-game-8393987/
Mira,
Thanks for the link. I liked what Moya said. He really is the one who wanted Rafa to be more aggressive. It was the best decision to have him as Rafa’s new coach.
I felt good until I read Novak’s comments. Gexgohbds as arrogant as ever. This is going to be a battle.
I am trying to be calm for the sake of my health. I can’t get too stressed out.
Please God let Rafa win this one.
What on earth is autocorrect doing?
I meant to say that Novak sounds as arrogant as ever. *
I am starting to GET nervous already! *
2/3 of my heart says Rafa; 1/3 says Nole.
2/3 of my head says Nole; 1/3 says Rafa.
Nole in 4 sets (but maybe 5)
6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6.
Sending all GOOD thoughts to Rafa! *
Hope this post doesn’t disappear like the last 🙂
2/3 of my heart says Rafa; 1/3 says Nole.
2/3 of my head says Nole; 1/3 says Rafa.
Nole in 4 (maybe 5):
6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6.
Hoping this post doesn’t disappear like the last two 🙂
2/3 of my heart says Rafa; 1/3 says Nole.
2/3 of my head says Nole; 1/3 says Rafa.
Nole in 4 (maybe 5):
6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6.
not disappearing, just going into moderation
Am I barred from this site or ree my last three failed attempts down to some kind of glitch?
2/3 of my heart says Rafa; 1/3 says Nole.
2/3 of my head says Nole; 1/3 says Rafa.
Nole in 4 (maybe 5):
6-4, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6.
A matchup being talked about and could be one for the ages. Difficult to predict who will win, a couple of points will decide the outcome in 5 sets. Both are at their peak, would like RAFA to win just because at 17GSs – He is so close to the GOAT(FEDEX) at 20 ! IDEALLY, if all 3 retired with 20, WE WILL HAVE 3 GOATS !
As a HUGE Rafan, I would actually like that because I think 3 GOATS is exactly what we’ve had over that past years. I truly believe that the 3 of them think so too.
Quite a few people seem to think Rafa could win this in a rout, which seems to me to be extremely unlikely. Best case for him would be Nadal in 4, but I think this is going to 5 sets. Rafa is playing incredible tennis, but Djokovic was also awesome in the SF and he tends to save his best for last at slams. He may lose, but I can’t see him losing in straight sets.
No, it doesn’t look likely, but not unusual when one player is in such form.
OTOH, applies to both players. In other words, we’ll have to wait and see .
Rafa serve more penetrative (not necessarily faster on the speed clock). Will be a war but I fancy Rafa in 4 due to his improvements.
Keep calm, stay focused, remain confident, be strong and show your fighting spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Dx2-0TKXQAE14J-.jpg
My thoughts, exactly! I would just add one more, I am praying his health holds up, that tape on his abdomen looked suspicious. I am also wishing and hoping it will not go to 5 tight sets, as Rafa has a bad record of getting injured after too many of such long matches. I am looking not just at this match but ahead into the future.
That said, I am very excited at what Carlos Moya and Francisco Roig are doing with Rafa, and provided he stays healthy, I am very confident Rafa will become even better than he has ever been.
I’m so nervous. Hope Rafa is relaxed and does what he has to do.
Vamos Rafa!
vamos rafa!!!
Sky just showed an interview with Rafa, he looks relaxed and happy.
Hey Nny!…R u watching now?Or zzzzzz?Hhehehhe….that’s alright!….we can chat more when u woke up k?Hopefully with a happy news waiting 4 u…
About Novak….that’s alright….like Lucky said..i also think it’s a mind games from Novak…but,let-s take a positive side from it…
I’m pretty sure Rafa read what Novak said & see the pic..and i think it will only make him so pumped up to do better than the last…i think what Novak did & said only will help Rafa more…but,let’s see whether my theory is going to be right or wro g…hahaha
Djoko won the toss and elected to serve.
C’mon Rafa!!…U CAN DO IT!!…C’mon!!
Rafa is so nervous.
It’s Djoko who comes out all guns blazing!
Rafa played a poor game. He looks blank. Need to get into the match fast.
Djokovic coming out gangbusters. Nadal looks very nervous.
Damn it. He has barely won a point. Memories of the 2016 sf against the fed rearing
Why Rafa must keep looking at the shot clock? Why can’t he train to be quicker?
Why is Rafa playing like this?
Vamos Rafa!
Wow! Djokovic serving great. Of course, Nadal is donating quite a few unforced errors to his cause.
I don’t understand what on earth is happening with Rafa. He looks like he can’t move.
Rafa is not imposing his game Novak, he is playing Djoker’s game.
looks not good from Rafa………
Djoker just looks unbeatable on court. He has inflicted so much mental damage already. Rafa cant win a point from back of court.
Why is Rafa hitting to Djoko’s BH all the time? Djoko forcing errors out of Rafa’s racket! He’s out serving and outhitting Rafa the whole set!
Rafa needs to calm down and changes the pattern of play if not it’s game over!
I think he’s nervous….bsides maybe rested 2 days make him a little bit ‘cold’ after his SF?..But,he ‘ll come around insyaallah!…
Rafa does not seem his usual feisty self either. As if resigned to fate…
Rafa must get his first serve in, if not his second serve will be under heavy Attack!
Yess Rafa!…Play like that!!
Well, that was certainly better from Nadal. Now we’ll see if he can do something on Djokovic’s serve.
So long without competing and that’s why Rafa gets nervous facing the no.1 player. Djoko OTOH has won so much hence he’s full of confidence and comes out all guns blazing.
Rafa is playing at 20% of his capacity.
think that has something do with the guy across the net
Vamos Rafa!
This is totally not the Rafa that we saw for the past 2 weeks right?
He better find that Rafa!….or i’ll..i’ll…urgh!..never mind!
Disappointing first set from Rafa, drawn into baseline war with Djoko, doomed to fail. He better change up in set two. Credit to Djoko, who ups his level, esp his serving.
Rafa must get his first serve in then he can have the chance to move inside the court, his second serve has gone backwards and is so attackable these days. He has to hit more DTL shots, Djoko’s CCBH is on fire here.
That was much better from Nadal.
See, a one two punch on second serve! He mustn’t hit CC right back to Djoko’s BH!!!
I don’t understand why Rafa playing like his old self….where’s his new super aggressive games Lucky??What is wrong today?
I think Djoker’s guru has cast a spell on Rafa.
Vamos Rafa!
looks like Djoker will win this in straights sets, amazing.
This is a nightmare for Rafa and his fans.
Vamos Rafa!
I read that Rafa was practicing on an indoor court whilst Djoko practiced at RLA. I guess Djoko has familiarise himself with the court conditions today (the wind direction etc). He’s so full of confidence today.
Rafa OTOH seems lost out there. Now he loses his serve in set two! Oh dear, so it’s Djoko winning it in straight sets I’m afraid!
Very disappointing from Rafa. He’s playing worse than he’s played when injured. He still has Djokovic in his head.
perhaps Rafa has some sort of injury? surely he’s better than this.
That was a positively dreadful game from Nadal. That wasn’t even Djokovic playing great.
What a waste of sleep. Error fest from Nadal? WTH
OMG! Embarassing Rafa even with Djoko on the other side. He played better against Wawrinka with a bum back in 2014
Can we declared a straight sets lost now??
This is too easy for Djokovic.
Rafa has done so many things wrong today! His serve ironically is his main issue. The dumb pattern of hitting to Djoko’s BH is another. Playing from so far back is yet another!
Rafa has been on the back foot from the first ball.
It’s like Rafa has forgotten everything Moya has been working on lately.
He also standing sooòo far back behind the baseline….exactly like his vintage self…i can’t believe what i saw right now….how he’s going to win playing like this,I have no idea….
I thought this between the ears thingy is something of the past??clearly it’s not…urgh!…very frustrating…
Sad for Rafa fans if this doesn’t improve but also for the neutrals who wanted a competitive final.
Rafa making UEs, not hitting hard enough, his balls land short… and the worst he is feeding Novak’s confidence with the game like this so Novak goes for his shots freely!
Rafa can be so much better than this! I wish he would believe in himself more…
Oh dear, Rafa is going to get killed in straight sets by Djoko, judging from the way they play now.
THis rout will have implications on the clay season too if they are to square off as they surely will
I hate it when Djoko has been coasting for 6 rounds whilst Rafa has been playing lights out tennis then come the final between them and Rafa is a shadow of himself.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa is now playing for damage limitation. He’s not going to win this match.
Dissapointing really expected more from Rafa, Rafa is making Novak look so good, because he is playing so crap, agree everything Moya taught Rafa, and what hes done all fortnight gone out of the window, no heart no fight too passive pftt ….
I’m sure Rafa will just explain this by saying he played badly.
No, he’ll say that Djoko is too good, and that he has tried everything he can! That’s typical Rafa’s answer.
In fact Djoko is too good, but Rafa is playing like crap! I wonder if it’s Tsitsipas in the final, Tsitsipas may fare better than this Rafa.
That’s just it!…..Give the trophy to novak now….God!….very disappointing really!…
I think there is a reason that Djoker is a better hard court player than Rafa and we are seeing that. Rafa is not playing good, but even if he ups a notch or two I think Djoker can gear up easily.
Yeap, Djoko is the best HC player, as he hits flat shots, good at both serve and returns, very balanced from both wings and hits with depth and precision. I think he’s even better than Fed on the HCs.
What a meek surrender
Never seen Rafa rattled by nerves this much for entire 2 sets. Djoko was so solid and now brilliant the last two games.
terrible grand slam final
Rafa is reverting to passive play, chasing after balls. He puts up his best show against Tsitsipas and now it’s all downhill for him. I’m so sad that Rafa plays this way once it’s Djoko on the other side of the net.
Djoko just serves better than normal, keeps the ball in play, moving Rafa around and he wins the point. No wonder Pouille says Djoko is the best player in the world, I think it’s because he fears no one and has full confidence in his own game.
A very disappointing final so far, no competition!
Please dont get bagelled in the third set Rafa
Rafa only has himself to blame because he hasn’t brought his ‘A’ game.
Vamos Rafa!
if this is the best tennis can offer, what’s the point watching?
Looks like Novak will pass Roger easily. Only hope for Rafa is to pick up the GS(even the French) that Novak slips on
Dreadful final , we have seen so many epic battles between these two, this definitely the most dissaponting, just give Novak the trophy ….
Total points won in set 2: 30 to 15 in Novak’s favor! Clearly outplayed by Novak, Rafa simply does not show in this match. It’s due to his mental blockade on one hand and Novak’s high confidence on another.
Yup. This is just not even interesting.
What’s happened to Rafa following his new improved serve with a winner?
Djoker is moving better, he’s serving better, he’s hitting better. Rafa is just meh.
Vamos!
only explanation is it’s Pouille disguised as Rafa.
Ha ha, but at least this disguised Rafa wins more game.
This is the worst final I have ever seen Rafa play, ever. He played better against Stan in 2014 when he was injured.
Yeah, but Stan was first timer, this Djoko is seasoned slam winner.
Rafa looked resigned out there, just like when he was handed a shellacking by Tsonga at AO2008! Rafa couldn’t even produce his good serve in this tournament once he sees Djoko across the net.
Has a GS final ever been won without facing a breakpoint?
This is so stupid from Rafa….
What the hell is this??
Rafa winning a rally is a high point for him. Please!
I take it back, from all the people who picked Djokovic to win.
Take that for playing stupid!…
Just go home Rafa…waste my time to watch…
Rafa is overhitting all over the place! Djoko makes Rafa go for too much!
Come on Rafa, at least wins a set to salvage some pride! Tsitsipas will be cursing and swearing now seeing this Rafa, he might feel that he could do better than Rafa out there!
Seriously, it’s quite embarrassing for Rafa to perform like this, even though Djoko is in fact playing great.
Agree with Guest ….
Only consolation is this performance is not against Federer
Luckystar, I don’t think Rafa would beat anyone in the top 20 playing like this.
Exactly, Cheryl. As I’d said, it’s quite embarrassing that in a slam final, Rafa is playing like this!
Novak – could you please df four times to give Rafa a break
I Dont mind him losing, but losing playing like this is just horrible ….
This is an absolute hammering. I think what Tsisipas said about Nadal is truer still of Novak: he just makes you play bad. That’s what he’s done so far to Rafa. Even Fed managed to pull a set against Djokovic in the 2016 SF here. I never would have thought that Nadal would get beat this badly given his form coming into this final.
Dear me, Medvedev performed better than this Rafa! Why is Rafa so afraid to step inside the court? He’s so afraid seeing this Djoko that he loses all his fight.
He’s now playing to finish this match, not even fighting to win a set!
This reminds me of 2015 WTF SF between these two. First time I saw that Rafa just could not guess Djoker’s shot direction and his serve. I sense that as well. Djoker has so much variety, he is a terrible matchup for Rafa.
Not forgetting that Doha final in 2016 where Rafa only won three or four games!
Even old Fed could do better than this imo.
Yes, I remember that and like here, Rafa played well leading up to the final.
Even Tignor could not mar the greatness of the Djok
Still waiting for the forehand DTL to return home. Thought it had gone to the corner shop for a while but it hasn’t returned since…
Djoko playing like this is close to his 2015/2016 level. It’s just that he reserves this for the finals.
As we write, Rafa squandered a BP by hitting into the net, so dumb!
No one, not even me, can begrudge Djoko this dominance in Australia.
An absolute hammering. What Tsisipas said about Nadal is truer of Novak: he just makes you play bad. That’s what he’s done to Rafa today. Very surprised that Nadal isn’t putting a bit more fight in. Even Fed managed to pull a set in the 2016 SF here against Djokovic. Never would have predicted this based on Rafa’s form coming in. Just goes to show how tough a matchup Novak is for him on HC.
Such a poor play from Rafa…Novak doesn’t have to do much to beat this Rafa…Novak is mentally and game wise do superior to this Rafa… sad to watch…
Djoker has won 89% of second serve points. I think Rafa needed first set today, Fed won 2017 finals because he was always ahead. So, if someone owns you, you need to win the first set against him, its as simple as that.
Watching Djoko playing like this, it’s not difficult to feel that Djoko is going to catch up with Fed in the slam counts.
I feel sorry for Rafa, that he’s being overshadowed by Djoko, when Rafa imo can be better than this had he gotten in Moya as his coach much eariler in his career.
This decade belongs to Djoko, no doubt about it now, just like the previous one belonged to Fed.
BPs squandered says it all ….
All my posts are disappearing…well, this Rafa can only beat himself and he does it handily…
Rafa is playing like he was in 2015.
So is Djokovic
Talking about catching Federers GS is totally irrelevant, whos to say Federer or Nadal wont win more GS yet ?
Seems unlikely with the Djoko renaissance. No coincidence that the Fedal slam victories coincided with the Djok absence
Djoko playing like this, he can. Rafa can just concentrate on winning the FO and he’ll also catch up with Fed.
Someone said earlier that it’ll be great to see the three ATGs all holding 20 slams each, maybe that may come true.
Sorry that post is from me.
Now Novak to put a cherry on the cake by breaking Rafa. Damn this was brutal
Beastmode Nadal did not turn up today.
because beast mode Nole did
Please don’t take your shirt, Djoker!
Rafa wins 8 games in total, can’t believe it.
Congrats to Nole.
Moya looks perplexed.
I was hoping for a fed 2017 AO moment. It turned out to be a fed French open 2008 moment 🙁
Rafa was nowhere near his best.
because Novak was
what would score have been if he was?
The same could be argued that Novak has returned to winning form because Fedal have regressed slightly, Roger due to age, Rafa due to injuries ? ….
Nope – because Rafa has been stopped by Nole in 2 of the last three by Novak and likely also in the USO final if he was not injured in the semi.
I tend to agree with Alison here; Rafa imo has past his best on grass and may never recover that kind of form of 2008, whilst Djoko is playing very well on grass since 2011. So we missed peak Rafa vs peak Djoko on grass.
On HCs, Djoko always has Rafa’s numbers ever since he beat Rafa at Miami QF in 2007. It’s only at the slams that Rafa has his chances. Djoko is always a better HC player than Rafa. Rafa has past his physical peak and even though his tennis is better now than before, it’s very difficult for him to beat Djoko on the HCs.
To me, Rafa has missed the train so often due to injuries esp during his peak from 2008 to 2014. Djoko like Fed, seldom gets injured.
All three do benefit from the other one or two’s absence from time to time, but you have to be good enough in order to take advantage of that.
2011 was definitely peak Rafa vs Peak djoko on grass with Rafa having reached the last 4 finals. Last year wimbledon was not peak Rafa but was not peak Djoko either. R
Rafa is only a favorite against Djoko on clay now and that too after this rout may not be the case
Nah, 2011 Rafa wasn’t at his peak on grass; he had his foot problem when playing against Delpo in the QF; to me, Rafa peaked on grass in 2008, that’s the best version of him on grass. I think for Djoko, his peak on grass was in 2011; for his other wins in 2014/2015 and 2018, he did struggle in the early rounds.
Rafa’s peak on the HCs imo was at USO2010, he was unbelievable from start to finish during that tournament. He only lost a set in the final and certainly wasn’t playing attritional tennis to win the title. The serve is so important when playing on the HCs. His USO2013 was also great (together with his Montreal/Cincy wins), and he was being aggressive then but had to be drawn into an attritional war with Djoko in that final.
2011 definitely wasn’t peak Rafa vs peak Nole on grass! I remember that match well and Rafa made a lot of very nervy errors he would normally never make. He gifted his serve in the first set. All the British commentators remarked on how unlike himself he was and even said after the match that that clearly wasn’t the real Rafa out there.
For a rafa fan you really sound heavily biased against him vmk.
Rafa hasn’t played since the USO and he has had multiple injuries including surgery and even his off season was curtailed.
In fact I find Rafa’s performances at the USO, when he won the title, more impressive than when Djoko won his USO titles, despite Djoko reaching the USO finals a whopping eight times (more than Fed’s seven)! Djoko seemed to struggle in the early rounds more often before reaching the finals there.
Rafa won 3 out of 4 finals there (win rate 75%); Djoko won 3 out of 8 finals (win rate 37.5%, exactly half of Rafa’s).
Exactly.
Anyway Vamos Nole! IF not Rafa, Nole it is
Tsitsipas beat Djoker and Rafa blew Tsitsi off the court. What’s going on?
Congrats Novak! Well deserved win! He played great match! Rafa was not at the expected level. He didn’t show up in this final. Sad for Rafa but he didn’t have a chance in this match…
Congrats to Novak and his fans! What a performance; I’d say just about at his very best. Condolences to most (Rafa) fans here. He obviously didn’t play near the level of his previous rounds, but most of that was due to Djokovic.
Congrats to Djoko, slam no.15!
He plays great and makes Rafa plays like crap! Quite a disappointing final, like the Wimbledon and USO 2018 finals, all involving Djoko. He’s annihilating all his opponents in the finals, including the no.2 player in the world. What a player!
To me he’s better than Fed, he makes his opponents play like crap!
As for Rafa, well, go back and practice some more. Djoko has caused so much damage in Rafa’s head, imo all because Rafa isn’t a confident guy to start with. Djoko is born to dominate on the HCs; Rafa can only dominate on clay. I just hope Rafa can win his FO again, if not Djoko may have a clean sweep this year, before the next gen guys start winning at the slams.
But Luckystar, Djoker loses a lot to the NextGen.
Yeah, but the next gen are not ready to challenge at the slams yet imo.
We may be too harsh on Rafa, he’s just back from injury and hasn’t played any tournament before this AO. A player of Djoko’s caliber, who’s determined to play his best tennis in the final, will put lots of doubts in Rafa’s head and makes him nervous.
Rafa just reverted back to defensive play, and his serve, he couldn’t get his first serve right many times, and so Djoko could just attack that at will. Rafa couldnt even guess where Djoko was hitting to!
Rafa hitting CC to Djoko’s BH almost always is also a losing strategy; Djoko’s DHBH is not like Tsitsipas SHBH. Rafa played with the wrong strategy right from the beginning. I would say, had Rafa served better, he could move forward into the court and so cut down on the baseline rallies. He might able to hit some one two punches too.
Djoko has the ability to draw all his opponents into baseline wars with him, even Fed couldn’t escape that at Cincy. I feel it’s because of his great ROS, so his opponents’ serves are always under pressure, so much so that they couldn’t follow in to the net after they have served. Djoko’s ROS ability is such a great asset to him.
This match will put a lot of doubts in Rafa’s head unfortunately, even on clay.
Rafa just played rubbish tennis today.
and was made to.
@atul1985,
No it wont! If healthy, Rafa will have a shot at FO and will go on fighting. He just came back from the injury and reached the final, playing the best player in the world at his favorite tournament, so he shouldn’t be too disappointed…Rafa is persistent and much stronger than you may think!
Vamos Champ! It’s not over!
Yeah, but clay is clay. On clay Djoko’s flat shots wouldn’t work so well. The ball travels slower after bouncing on the clay surface so Rafa has all the time in the world to get to the ball and hits it wherever he wants.
There’s reason why Rafa wins so much and dominates on clay, whilst Djoko can dominate on HCs.
Did the match last less than the womens final?
Great speech, Rafa.
Vamos!
Vmk 1 we will see ….
Anyway congrats Novak and fans on GS number 15 especially RC 😉
Well that was a rout, so much for optimism….
And I was hoping that Rafa will beat him in 3 or 4 sets. How delusional hard core fans can be?
Hahahaha….Yeah Atul!…i’m one of those delusional hardcore fans….and i feel so stupid & dumb atm….I think my cow is much more smart than me right now…hahaha..Oh God!..
Me too Mira; I thought Rafa had turned a corner and became a more aggressive player, but truth is once he saw Djoko across the net, he couldn’t get his serve going.
Rafa’s loopy FH won’t cut it on the HC against Djoko’s flat shots. Djoko’s flat shots travel quicker with pace and depth. Rafa has to flatten his shots on the HCs, esp his FH. His BH is already a flat shot so Rafa, if he wants to beat Rafa on the HCs, has to learn to hit his FH flat with pace and depth too.
I still think the serve is the key for beating Djoko on HCs; if serve > Djoko’s ROS, at least the server could then move forward into the court and so cut down on the baseline rallies.
*sorry, I mean Rafa, if he wants to beat Djoko on the HCs…
This is what I meant before the match. Will his nerves be up to the level. He had the game,the improved serve, playing extraordinarily at AO. But the mental side always dictates your body. That is the centre. And it failed today. It’s an interior battle more than everything else.
Normally, he could play at least as good as Novak if he had a didferent player on the opposite side, but playing as good as Djoko.
This was painful for a neutral fan as well.
Nadal will find himself and beat Novak at RG.
Much much congrats to Novak & fans esp.RC for his stunning perfomance…
He really deserved the win….and Rafa clearly deserved the lost with the way he was playing….
To win a slam everything has to come together. Novak had it easy with Nishi retirement and facing Poulle, the perfect source of confidence building. So he came into finals feeling strong and powerful. Rafa however needed less confident Novak on the other side with his doubts and mental blockade when facing Novak. Rafa started poorly, nervously and without energy, enough for to strive and produce his best tennis.
It’s fair to congratulate Novak’s fans. He plays like a robot. He has more success against Fedal than against the new generation guys. Now we have 15,17,20 slams.
Painful indeed! Had Rafa served better, perhaps he could get into the match and maybe made it a match.
Rafa seemed too nervous to start with, and he’s playing with the wrong strategy – he not hitting his FHDTL, a sign that he’s not confident at all. The most disappointing thing about this match is that Rafa was reverting back to his old defensive way of playing, so much for all the Moya’s talk about an aggressive Rafa!
I even feel that if it’s Tsitsipas playing in the final, he’ll fare better than Rafa against Djoko, because Tsitsipas doesn’t have any mental burden against Djoko. His serve is a lot more reliable than Rafa’s; his FH is a killer shot that can counter Djoko’s, and his BH is not bad either. It’s all about match ups imo.
Congrats to the king of Australian Open and the best hard court player ever.
My honest take:
– Rafa was a pack of nerves and Djoko’s brilliance sank him so deep early on that he was never able to get to the surface.
I am not a blind fan and I can clearly distinguish when someone’s level of play makes Rafa play bad and when Rafa is actually playing crap himself.
The lopsided nature of this match was a result of the latter happening more often. So many times Rafa had neutral balls to hit forehands DTL but he just didn’t have it in him tonight to do that. His forehand DTL is the BIGGEST shot in their matchup and Novak is always very wary of that shot.
-Rafa’s first serve was actually improved! Problem was, his baseline game was MIA. He couldn’t put balls away with his forehand
-Even if Rafa had everything going his way, I am not sure if he’d still had won given his opponent’s level. However, it’d been a heck of a match.
-This will leave scars and might impact RG’s outcome. Rafa needs to vanquish his demons in a best of 3 sets and at least play a tight contest against Novak.
Lastly, I have never seen Rafa underperforming from the baseline like this in a slam final. I 0% agree that it was novak’s groundstrokes that made him play this bad because I saw enough neutral balls that were left wanting to be attacked by Rafa but he couldn’t tonight.
I am gutted but don’t care too much about Novak closing the gap. All three of them are GOATs and while Rafa is the one I love and admire most, I also admire and respect the other two!
Question just curious, and i dont usually invest too much in this topic, but how can RF be the GOAT, when Novak has better numbers at the AO, and Rafa has better numbers at the FO, and also both have more Masters 1000 titles, the only thing he has is more GS, thats why i dont believe in GOAT too many variables, also Novak is the HC GOAT, and Rafa the CC GOAT , discuss lol ????
Roger is the GrassCourt GOAT. I thought it was trivial for you to talk about Wimby if not biased.
If this performance really does affect Rafa for the rest of the season, does that mean Thiem has a good chance of winning Roland Garros?
I think that would be great for men’s tennis, get a new name on one of those major trophies.
GOAT debate is interesting. If Rafa cannot catch Fed that mans someone is stopping him and that has to be Djoker only. So, if Rafa fails to catch Fed, Djoker would.
Fedexal it is just a bit of fun hun, dont take everything so seriously, just throwing in a variable ….
Djoker on the verge of his second NCGS.
Cue the media crickets.
Congrats DjokerNole and NoleFam.
If it can’t be Rafa, I’m happy it’s Nole.
Djoker on the verge of his second NCGS.
Cue the media crickets.
Congrats DjokerNole and NoleFam.
If it can’t be Rafa, I’m happy it’s Nole.
NNY must be feeling very disappointed now about Rada’s Loss, after getting so nervous before the match.
I think in future, I won’t get nervous when Rafa is to meet Djoko on the HCs, because I have to expect a loss until Rafa proves me wrong; that way, with no expectations, I will feel better before the match.
Yeah nny I hope you are ok. Sorry silly question i know you will be really gutted like me. We just have to believe that rafa will regroup and be able to put things together for RG.
Really sorry hon. Love, xxx
Just came here. So it was a horrible anticlimax. I read vr’s post carefully and he said that Rafa was a bag of nerves and he had never seen his baseline game disappear like this in a slam final. That is very worrying…vr also said however well Nole played Rafa was just playing crap, mishitting neutral balls and not going for the fhdtl, which is the shot he has to play against Nole and the one he has been hitting brilliantly all tourney. So that is really worrying. Rafa said he never expected to get to a slam final after months out so maybe deep down he didn’t believe he was ready. I always feared that the wimby match would scar rafa which is partly why I was so upset at the time.
Feeling gutted for him.
Love Rafa come what may!!💖💖💖
Rafa says he needs more matches under his belt…it’s too soon from injury n he is n was not ready for djoko yet n he needs to keep improving…
Mira are you ok darling?
Hugs!!!xxx
Oh God amy!….i feel like a herd of elephant just stomped me!!…Urgh!!….so painful!!….My kids reaction of Rafa’s loss…”looks like we have to eat instant noodles 2nite sis!…damn Rafa for losing!”….hahahaha….
Rafa wreak havocs for everyone amy!…even to my innocent kids!..hehehe…
How about u amy??Okay?…Btw….group hugs!!
Well I didn’t watch mira! At one level that is a merciful relief but it also means I have to comment second hand. I think from reading the thread rafa was paralysed by nerves however well Nole played. So I am actually very very worried because rafa is never like this in a slam final! Never! This has to be very scarring for him.😢😢
Big hug and kisses darling!!
Hey amy!…God!…i feel like a herd of elephant wearing heels just stomping me!…right on inappropriate places Urgh!!…
Rafa wreaked havoc to everyone including my innocent kids amy!…After Rafa lost,my son said “d@$& Rafa!…he lost & we all have to eat instant noodles 2nite”!…hehehe…
Ohh…how r u doin’ amy?…heartbroken or heartache?…Urgh!..both r terrible!..that’s 4 sure!
Congrats to rc!!!☺
OK I have now read all the comments. Cheryl said at one point that rafa wouldn’t beat anyone in the top 20 playing like he did today. Others saying similar so this was clearly about nerves. However well Nole played it’s obvious that rafa didn’t turn up. He seems to have got stage fright and just not believed he could win. When does rafa ever concede lamely and not fight in a slam final though?!😢😢
Exactly. Inconceivable that Rafa would do this in a slam FINAL
Yes exactly vr!!! It is so peculiar and just completely and utterly out of character. Rafa is known as the biggest fighter in tennis! I am gobsmacked and very worried.
Djoko played brilliantly no doubt about that regardless of how Rafa played. Djoko’s serve was quite unbelievable, hardly missed. How I wish Rafa could serve like that always. The serve is Rafa’s greatest weakness imo.
I’m sad for Rafa, because he’s more than capable of having a great serve, had he trained from young to get one. He may have a good serve now but once he has his doubts or lacks confidence, he still misfire his serve; IOWs, he couldn’t rely on it once he lacks confidence or under pressure, unlike players who possess great serves all through their careers. The serve is such a major weapon esp on quicker courts.
Rafa hits a flatter FH during practice and I don’t understand why during matches, he continues to hit loopy FHs even on the HCs. He’s in such a mess today, ran out of ideas out there when everything didn’t work for him, even over hitting or mishitting easy shots. He said something like he wasn’t ‘suffering’ in his earlier rounds, so perhaps that affected him once he met Djoko in the final.
The problem with Rafa is that he has to suffer (tested) to gain confidence, so we here are worrying about his draw, when it’s not a tough one, he won’t get tested; but when it’s a tough draw, we worry that he gets eliminated!
Totally agree re Djoko’s serve. It was such a fine display of serving from him! Had his serve not beeb that good, he might have lost his serve once or twice. Really commendable given he had to tweak his service motion after his elbow issues. How 12 months have turned the tables!
Also, Rafa really needs to step outside his comfortzone to beat Novak. The Serb on the other hand is so much more at ease as it is pretty close to his natural style when playing Rafa. Bigger burden on Rafa’s head and today he just crumbled. NEVER has he ever underperformed like this in a slam final.
Djoko is just so comfortable playing on the HCs. To me, it’s when Fed was at his best that he could make Djoko stepped out of his comfort zone. Fed could rush the net and so took time away from Djoko because Fed has/had his great serve. Fed at his best could also use his varieties to bring Djoko to the net, out of his comfort zone.
Stan at his best too, could outhit Djoko even from the baseline. Rafa and Murray, OTOH, had to fight tooth and nail with Djoko and played a physical battle in order to beat him. If Rafa was 22 again, perhaps he could out run or out hit this Djoko from the baseline, now that he’s 32 and after numerous injuries, he can no longer stay with Djoko from the baseline.
What Rafa should do now, if he wishes to beat Djoko on non clay surfaces, is to continue to work on both his first and second serve. I noticed now that his first serve is good, his second serve has deteriorated; Rafa just can’t have all his weapons working well at the same time!
He has to flatten his FH when playing on non clay surfaces, beef up his BH DTL, so that he doesn’t have to hit his FHCC to Djoko’s strength, ie Djoko’s DHBH, all the time. A flatter FH will give Djoko lesser time to react, a loopy FH is slower through the air and so Djoko has more time getting ready to react.
Imagine Rafa hitting his FHDTL for a change, even if Djoko could get there to hit a CC FH to Rafa’s BH. Rafa could then hit a BHDTL and make Djoko run for it. At least, playing with more options would make Djoko guess where Rafa will be hitting his next shot; right now, Djoko just knows exactly where Rafa will be hitting and so he’s there waiting and worse still, Djoko could change direction at will.
Djoko has the complete set of tools to win on the HCs, in fact on any surface. Rafa OTOH is lacking something in his game to be a complete package to win on non clay surfaces imo.
You know I thought about this nuance as well. Sometimes it’s necessary to have a bit of competition in the earlier rounds, otherwise the shock in the quick level jump can be very uncomfortable.
Djoko seems a player who benefits from this most. He could play all the tourney against Lopez, Fucsovics and Fognini and then rise his level suddenly.
Among all Djoko’s opponents here, it’s the two youngest players who had done the best, Shapo and Medvedev, each getting a set. They both came with good and big serves, and Shapo had his chances to venture to the net. Medvedev wasn’t a net rushing kind of player, too bad for him, as imo he’s the most likely candidate to beat Djoko in the early rounds, if he’s not drawn into a baseline war with Djoko.
Had Rafa served better, he could’ve move to the net too but too bad, he just couldn’t get his serve right.
I’m disappointed not just because Rafa lost the final, but more upsetting is that he reverted back to his more defensive play, running behind the baseline all match.
I mean, there were times that he could’ve moved forward, stepped inside the court, but he chose to stay back and guessed where Djoko was hitting. He’s not willing to take risk when obviously what he was doing out there wasn’t working. It’s like he suddenly couldn’t think out there; very much like how Tsitsipas felt when facing Rafa!
Even Rafa’s defensive mode against Djoko is better than this. There must be a reason for this performance. He may have an injury but doesn’t want to say so. It’s like when he lost to Berdych in Australia out of nowhere in 2015, granted, that was his worst year on tour.
After winning Wimbledon, the US Open and the #AusOpen back to back, Novak Djokovic can become the 2nd man in history to twice hold all 4 Grand Slam titles at the same time (after Rod Laver)
No thanks! we want him to win RG now do we!!??
And why are we celebrating him winning wimby when if they hadn’t closed the roof rafa would very likely have won! I always felt that loss would damage Rafa.
Australian Open 2019: Rafael Nadal still looking on the bright side after straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic
AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Sarah Olle
January 27, 2019 12:29pm
SARAH OLLE@sarahjolle
Source: FOX SPORTS
Rafael Nadal remained upbeat despite his first straight sets slam final loss. (Photo by PAUL CROCK / AFP)
Rafael Nadal remained upbeat despite his first straight sets slam final loss. (Photo by PAUL CROCK / AFP)
Source: AFP
Rafael Nadal was remaining upbeat after his disappointing straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Australian Open, saying he was just beaten by a “better” player.
Despite this, Nadal also conceded a limited preparation had left him exposed against the Serbian, who won a record seventh title at Melbourne Park.
“(It was) unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that,” Nadal said.
“But at the same time it is true that probably physically I was not able (to play my best).
“I played fantastic tennis during both weeks. But probably play that well, I did not suffer during the both weeks.”
Nadal hadn’t dropped a set at this year’s Open until Sunday night when he failed to take a set for the first time in his career at a Grand Slam final.
But the Spaniard was steadfast in his belief the loss to Djokovic was still a step forward, given he hadn’t played a competitive match since the US Open.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/tennis/australian-open/australian-open-2019-rafael-nadal-still-looking-on-the-bright-side-after-straight-sets-loss-to-novak-djokovic/news-story/48ca573c87e5a9485ab01de9769cc364
Rafa:
“(It was) unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that,” Nadal said.
“But at the same time it is true that probably physically I was not able (to play my best).
Rafa’s record against top 5 players on HC is in -ve its like 25-40. Djoker is sort of 66-39. So, clearly Rafa has a problem here. He was not ready, even if he had been, he would have lost .
I dont think Rafa served badly today, in fact had he served like old times he would have received a bagel/breadstick.
Off late I have seen that Rafa is becoming a worse returner. He has not broken Fed in last 3-4 matches, today also he was guessing Djoker’s serve direction. He has to work on his return game a lot.
I believe he plays Acapoulco next and then Indian Wells, we might see change in schedule after that and he might skip Miami.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s4-VO1Xq7g
Well I am very reassured after listening to this. Rafa was very pragmatic and upbeat saying he was prouder of the last 2 weeks than wimby because of the greater degree of difficulty. He explained how incredibly tough the injuries had been and how he had had a limited off season because he was impeded and only practised offense not defence. He said he couldn’t defend as he needed to and couldn’t run 100%. He said the wimby loss hurt more because he was on a run of matches and form while he played AO in a vacuum.
He was utterly pragmatic saying he needed a. More matches b. Time to really practice without being impeded.
Also said he hadn’t had to suffer earlier in tourney but main emphasis was on lack of match practice before and not being able to practice as he needed to in the off season.
Hey nny, alison, mira can I reference my post above which paraphrase s rafa’s press conference! We need to put things in realistic context!
Cheryl, was the roof closed or opened, didn’t watch the match? haha. i am telling you, djokovic fu**ing owns the butt picker.
The problem with Rafa’s return – I understand that he’s comfortable returning from so far back, but, once he hits the return, he should move forward quickly and either stays close to the baseline or steps inside the court so that he could take time away from the server’s next shot. He’s staying so far back thus giving his opponent time to hit the next shot and worse still, his opponent may just come forward to the net to take control of the point.
I really don’t like how he returned the serve out wide to his BH on the deuce court. He tends to move so far out to his right trying to return CC at an acute angle but by doing that he leaves his FH corner wide open and has a hard time running back to cover that corner once his opponent successfully come forward to the net to intercept his return. I mean, since he’s out there, why not for a change hit a BH DTL return around the net post instead? I hope he practices that return for a change.
I would also like to see him learn how to block back the returns, not always hitting hard to return serves.
Congrats to Novak Djokovic, well done!!!
Rafa played well in this tournament so to all the rafans here don’t feel too sad ok.
Novak played better and deserves to win.
Rc please don’t feel you have to go into hiding because Nole won in such a beatdown! No-one is cross with him for being so good!
Missing you RC, love and hugs 🙁
Missing you RC hugs 🙁
Nny darling I am worried about you! I hope you aren’t too upset. Love xxxx
lol rafatards having a nervous breakdown, this is too good. she is on some heavy stuff as we speak. lol. i am sure she is gonna come out with a poker face once the benzodiazepines have worn off.
It is too bad that this piece of human trash has to come out whenever Rafa loses. Talk s about being on meds! What could make anyone so utterly miserable that they come on a forum just to lie and spread hate? It is so so sad when you have no life. Hate is s toxic poison that corrodes one’s soul. I don’t think there is any medicine or help for a loser who crawls out of his hole to throw around trash talk. The ultimate cowardice, hiding behind an anonymous screen name!
amy,
I will be fine. Unlike the hater here, I have everything in perspective. I will go about my life as always. The same cannot he said for this piece of human garbage. So sad that this person has an empty life with nothing to fill it.
Nny good to see you here! Of course I know you will be fine. I just ignore rubbishgoat who is too pathetic a troll to bother with.
amy,
You know what is important. It was a tennis match and nobody died. It is not life and death. Of course I wanted Rafa to win, but it just did not happen. As it settles in, I think that maybe it was unrealistic to think Rafa could be ready for Novak after being off for so long and the injuries and the ankle surgery.
You know what it means to lose someone you care about. I have had some serious health problems in the last two years. Those are things that are of real importance. Perspective is very important.
Great to see the gang here! You, Alison, rc, Mira. I am with rc in being involved in the political crisis we have here in the states. This is a very difficult time and seeing federal workers going through so much suffering because of the monster Orange Menace, has been hard to watch.
I will discuss that on the non-tennis forum. But o think we are heading for a political crisis in this country, based on the Orange Menace’s latest threats. Something is going to have to be done now about him. I do not think it can wait.
Rafa will live to fight another day! As long as he is healthy, that is what is important. If he can just keep playing and get more matches under his belt, that should set him up for the rest of the year.
NNY and Amy so sad that some posters only turn up to have a good gloat at Rafas expense otherwise pff gone, not true tennis fans best ignored, on to clay hope our guy shines there, question why do posts keep on dissapearing , congratulated RC twice and posts have gone hmm ….
Good to see you Alison! Posts routinely disappear here.
Yeah rubbishgoat only ever turns up when rafa loses so is no tennis fan.
Getting a bit tired of even some rafa fans running him down. The guy hasn’t played since USO with surgery and injury so was a huge achievement to get to the final. But he wasn’t remotely ready to play Nole there.
Rafa was absolutely brilliant in his semi , and spent a lot less time on court to reach a Slam final , I don’t know how you can say he wasn’t remotely ready.
Thanks, alison, amy, and Nny and Mira Andy and anyone who thought of me. I’m not in hiding – you are all on my mind. And I think there is a bracket to do — or maybe it’s already too late.
Anyway, yeah I didn’t watch either match yet. The WTA one hurts because Petra lost. And I’m sure most here are disappointed and surprised at the Rafole. I was surprised. Rafa looked too strong all tournament to lose in straight sets, sheesh. I’m curious to watch both matches now – want to see how Petra lost – I just was happy to see they went the distance. But the scoreline for the Rafole, wow. Nole must have been holding something back or Rafa was just unable to play as well vs Nole as he did the others. Love you all.
I’m still all caught up in the daily Orange Shitler drama -and what the talking heads on Sunday morning political shows are saying.
Hope to see some of you in the brackets.
Very proud of Nole making 7 AO’s and 15 GS. And I expect Rafa to win FO for the umpteenth time! Both could pass Federer at this rate. Commies to the Fed fans here. And hoping Andy Murray tries the surgery and comes back. Hip surgery worked for Bob Brian – says he’s happy he did it.
Thanks for the Murray and Djokovic comments RC , hope Murray comes back, he’s still too young !
I haven’t seen either final but am about to watch the mens, but knowing the result kinda spoils it !
And yes , Ive just done the two WTA brackets this week, had Petra winning in St Petersburg but theres always the chance she’ll pull out .
And thanks for your very sane and welcome relpy, Big Al! Oh dear, I hope I didn’t miss the deadline for St. Petersburg. Yeah, I probably won’t pick Petra to win there. She’s probably due for a little rest.
NNY, good to hear that you’re fine. You’re so nervous before the match, hope you’re not too disappointed after the loss.
I think we have to accept that Djoko is a better player than Rafa on the HCs. Rafa’s game is made for clay – his topspin forehand, his court position behind the baseline, and his not so great serve.
We maybe expecting too much too soon from Rafa (well Rafa gave us false hope by doing so well before the final). I seriously thought that if Rafa could serve well and then move forward into the court, he would be able to win the point by pushing Djoko back while coming forward to win the point. It turned out not to be the case, as Rafa didn’t get that many first serve right, and Djoko was able to return many of them with interest. I feel Rafa needs more serve down the T, he’s serving out wide too often it’s predictable.
I think Rafa will make use of Feb to fine tune his game, I really hope that he can try to be quicker between points, I see he’s always looking at the shot clock, as if he’s always worried to go over the time limit. It did put pressure on his first serve. To me if his second serve is up to the mark (like in 2017) he would probably be less pressurized when hitting his first serve. His second serve needs more work imo.
There are many things Rafa could improve on besides his serve – his ROS, his BHDTL, his court position etc – hopefully he can address all those during Feb and plays better starting at Acapulco.
Thanks Amy well said great post XX
Xxx Alison!
NNY great post from you too XX
grassgoat always speaks truth! he ain’t no troll haha. and please keep this foul imperialistic warmongering deep-state liberal politics out of the tennis forum.
rubbishgoat,
Go crawl back in your hole! Your politics solid as stupid and ignorant as your tennis trash talk! Did the men in the white coats let you out of your cage? LOL!
Your politics SOUND as stupid and ignorant as your garbage talk about tennis!
Get a life! Find something worthwhile to do with your pathetic life! Stop hiding behind an anonymous screen name! Coward!
Yep. Nailed it. Nny.
Grassgoat you are funny 🤣🤣🤣
Grassgoat just take it a little easy with the gals they are not feeling too good their player lost so try to understand.
i like when they are hysterical and unhinged 😉
You use offensive language though
And, he is a troll. Imperialistic liberal? who is that? Warmongering deep state. Ouch get your tin foil hat on before your brains explode, Trumpy troll. Your information and propaganda is way out of date.
rc,
Yes we have another Trump troll here. I thought his phraseology was hilarious! You know that someone has been parroting the Trump propaganda on FOX! That is because he cannot think for himself! They tell them what to think and then they blabber on spouting this gibberish. Never mind, he has no idea what he is talking about! Isn’t it sad when someone has to be told what to say or think because they have no brains?
This jerk comes out when Rafa loses, trying to stir up some trouble. In his case, I don’t think meds will work! Too late!
lol, Nny.
Pretty sure gg is someone I used to read somewhere, here or tennis-x. Putiny/Trumpy troll. Nothing against the common Russian – I figure they are similar to myself. I just don’t like Putin or any Monarchs that kill, poison, or dismember their critics, journalists, and opponents. Also irritates me that Oligarchs have so much Kompromat on US Senators and other slimy politicians in powerful places (see Lindsey Graham, McConnell, Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, Paul Rand) yeah, and the useful idiot in the white house and his cabinet of fools. Look up John Bolton if you like warmongering.
you are a mess.
this is how your democracy works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQouKi7xDpM Kevin Shipp, CIA Officer Exposes the Shadow Government
Trump is your own product, i am not american and i am very proud on that fact. your military complex killed millions of people after the WW2 till today. please stfu.
No it’s not and I don’t have to stfu, you mf tin foil maga hat. Nor would I waste my time on your conspiracy theories. Nobody has that shit straight. Mr. Genius.
And. More corruption is not what I’m fighting for. Transparency, a potus that can show me their taxes and not get away with sexual assault and other crimes/ does not collude with powers that want to destroy break apart democracy. Democracy is never a done deal. We have really gone away from the plan – a fair, just, well-balanced plan – both parties are at blame. Mostly Repubs lately….since lets say maybe Teddy Roosevelt or Abe Lincoln. Can’t name an honest in the last 60 years.
We are far off the mark. But I’d rather fail and try again than accept being subservient to a slimy criminal con man like the Orange mobster family.
Lol…such a trumpy/putiny Breitbart, Ann Coulter, Shawn Hannity loving troll.
Yep, you are a hater, all right. Not even American, hey? well troll. You are not going to get your wish as soon as you think – as regards the breaking to pieces the the good in America. There are more of us fighting for it than are wanting to undermine it and see it fail to suit your doomsday for America dream.
Not so fast. We will keep trying. Sorry about that, there is too much to love about freedom.
my assessment is pretty accurate though.
No. You drank the kool-aid long long ago. Probably a criminal yourself at some point to be so paranoid.
rc,
I don’t believe this idiot is not American! You cannot believe a word this lunatic says. He is desperately looking for attention and will say anything that gets it.
This is a know-nothing ignoramus. Even he does not believe what he is saying. Trump has pretty much been exposed for the criminal and traitor that he truly is. He will get what is coming to him. Look at all the indictments and convictions and arrests. It’s getting closer and closer to him and even he knows it.
We all saw it for ourselves in Helsinki when he completely caved to Putin on a national Sl stage. He is bought and paid for, fold out his country and now is spouting the Russian party line. We don’t know yet just how much damage he has done. How many secrets, how much intelligence he has given away. But he will be taken down.
Those of us who love our country and treasure it’s Constitution and freedoms will keep on standing up and fighting. We will not be silent, our voices were heard in November and now the Democrats are going to take it to Trump. His days are numbered.
He SOLD out his country!
rc,
I am going to the non-tennis forum to discuss this. I don’t want to talk about it here where we are supposed to talk about tennis.
I always enjoy talking to you about what is happening in our country.
I will try my best to ignore this wretched moron and his hate speech.
Native,
You have really changed, I am not a frequent visitor of the site unlike before but you have become less lady like, you are now more aggressive and more vulgar.
What happened? I know we disagree on some important things but please don’t let foolish/corrupt women and men poison you with bad characters.
Hmm…
Maybe someone hacked into NNY account?
Those kind of stunts are really popular these days…
Grassgoat don’t mind them ok, some of them are angry because Rafa lost so they are frustrated and are directing their anger towards you so try to understand them.
They are also wrong and a little deceived when it comes to morality and real life issues.