Australian Open final preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Federer

They’re not done yet. And neither is the rivalry.

For the first time at the Australian Open since 2009 and for the first time overall since the 2011 French Open, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will be facing each other in a Grand Slam final when they collide on Sunday night at Melbourne Park.

Nadal leads the head-to-head series 23-11 and even owns a somewhat surprising 9-7 edge on hard courts. The Spaniard is 9-2 against Federer in all Grand Slam matches, including 3-0 at the Australian Open. Federer, whose two major wins over Nadal have come at Wimbledon (2006 and 2007), came out on top of their most recent encounter via a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 decision in the 2015 Basel final.

Federer-Nadal XXXV in a major final comes as borderline shock, and not just because both veterans trudged through all of last season without reaching a slam title match. In fact, saying that neither one even made it through all of last season would be more accurate. A wrist injury forced Nadal out of the French Open after two rounds, sidelined him from Wimbledon, and ended his 2016 campaign after two Asian-swing events. A knee issue prevented Federer from playing two of the four slams and he missed the final five months of the year after falling to Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon semifinals.

“That’s where both Rafa and myself said, ‘Okay, enough of this already,’ Federer said of their respective decisions to shut things down early in 2016. “‘Let’s get back to 100 percent, enjoy tennis again, enjoy the practice.’ Not just practice; treatment, practice, treatment, match, treatment. All the time all you’re doing is fighting the fire.”

To say a much-needed offseason has rejuvenated the all-time greats and refueled their fire would be a gross understatement.

Nadal warmed up for 2017 by winning the six-man Abu Dhabi event, taking out Tomas Berdych, Milos Raonic, and David Goffin along the way. The world No. 9 lost to Raonic in Brisbane, but he avenged that setback with a 6-4, 7-6(7), 6-4 victory over the Canadian in the Aussie Open quarterfinals. In addition to that result, Nadal has advanced by beating Florian Mayer, Marcos Baghdatis, Alexander Zverev, Gael Monfils, and Grigor Dimitrov. The 14-time major champion has twice required five sets–first against Zverev and then in an epic 6-3, 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-7(4), 6-4 struggle with Dimitrov that lasted four hours and 56 minutes on Friday.

Federer has an extra day of rest, as he survived a five-setter of his own against Swiss countryman Stan Wawrinka on Thursday. The 35-year-old preceded that victory with defeats of Jurgen Melzer, Noah Rubin, Tomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori, and Mischa Zverev.

“It’s going to be special,” Federer assured. “It’s the epic battle with Rafa…. I just think he’s an incredible tennis player. He’s got shots that no other one has. When you have that, you are unique and special. Plus he’s got the grit. He’s got the mental and physical ability to sustain a super-high level of play for years and for hours and for weeks. He’s proven that time and time again.”

“(It) is special play with Roger again in a final of a Grand Slam,” Nadal added. “I cannot lie. (It) is great; exciting for me and for both of us that we (are) still there and we (are) still fighting for important events.”

Exciting for them and for everyone else in the tennis world.

“Everyone is going to see that final now,” Dimitrov said during his post-match press conference after losing to Nadal. “Including me. I’m going to watch it for sure. It’s super amazing. It’s great for the sport.”

It should be a great match, too. Nadal has been dominant in the head-to-head series, but the playing field could be evened out by Federer’s extra day of rest, Nadal’s grueling semifinal, and because conditions in Melbourne are slightly faster than usual. That being said, Nadal has proven that–when healthy, as he is now–he can bounce back in style from energy-sapping efforts. He will likely do just that again, and therefore be able to execute his unwavering game-plan against Federer: pound away at the one-handed backhand with spin serves out wide to the ad court and with heavy topspin forehands.

Pick: Nadal in 4

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546 Comments on Australian Open final preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Federer

    • The Sneak Attack by Federer (SABF) will be up for the supreme test. With Rafa’s deep returns, Fed will have fewer opportunities to execute SABF; but ultimately, it will depend on the precision, pace and depth of Nadal’s returns and Fed’s first serve percentages.

  1. I just enjoy this beautiful match !
    This is a great page of the history of the tenis !
    Thank you, Roger, thank you, Rafa for these amazing years of tennis ! 🙂

  2. Kind of hard to call. Rafa in 4.

    If Rafa wins this one it will help assuage the pain if you want to call it that of the many slams he lost matches in or could not appear in due to injury, including that terrible back ache in an AO final.

  3. RAFA in 4. Federer has not or will not change his style of game. Nadal knows the weakness to exploit. Nadal will recover and come back strongly and his ghost reflection in 2nd set against Dmitrov where he failed to convert lot of chances ,will not happen against Federer. Nadal likes to meet Federer rather Djokovic.everyone knows.You will see a high brand of tennis from Nadal soon.

    • I don’t disagree with your prediction. However, you’re very wrong to say say that Roger hasn’t changed his game. He is attacking the net a higher rate that he ever has. Overall even more aggressive than he has in past years. The question is whether or not it will matter against a guy who has had his number in slams for so long…

  4. Nadal in 4. Its a bad matchup for Fed and Nadal raises his game and plays with little fear against Fed.

    Nadal should be 1.50 odds not 1.80

  5. Yeah, Rafa is definitely tired and will need miracle recovery once again. Maestro is well rested.

    However, Rafa is adrenaline player! I can’t think of any higher dose of adrenaline than this: winning grueling SFs against an on-fire amazing opponent, reaches the final after being plagued with injuries and lack of confidence for more than two years, to meet once again his greatest rival ever…

    Vamos Rafa!

        • it was long time ago and 3rd was in 2014 when federer was not playing as good as he is today(I think he was fighting back injury) and courts are faster than before. so thought fed will have upper hand.Happy to be wrong here. I am fan of both but want Rafa to win as he will achieve more ( 15th – second best + 2 career) for fed its just No 18

        • He doesn’t necessarily have the upper hand, but he has a decent shot because he is playing much more aggressively and attacking the net more than in past years. He also will be helped if the court continues to play relatively quickly. Does not mean that Roger is the favorite by any means, though!

          • The thing is , his tactics made him went five sets to beat Kei and five sets to beat Stan, what make you think he can beat Rafa presumably in five sets too?

            The only concern for Rafa is his almost five hours match vs Dimitrov and hence the recovery issue. However, knowing Rafa, he will do his very best, tired or not. The last two three games in the fifth set va Dimi, Rafa had once again displayed his guts and thinking tennis brain, able to save three BPs in the eighth game to level at 4-4, then went for his shots to break Dimi in the next game, and finally played steadily to win on his third MP despite Dimi’s fearless fanning off two MPs.

            Rafa may not play at his best in this SF match, but come final day, he will put on a very good show vs Fed.

  6. Do you remember the speech uncle T gave to Rafa before the AO 2009 final, when in the morning of that Sunday Rafa could not really move (when he woke up he said there is no way he can play a slam final today)? He told him that if a person is running from a fire they will run as fast as they can to save their life. And that given this possibility of winning that AO is precious so why not fight as if your life depended on it? It is just some physical pain for a few hours and then it’s over. Paraphrasing from memory.

    I wonder what kinds of pep talks Moya and uncle T will give Rafa.

    • In same 2009 semifinals Federer beaten Murray in straight sets under 1 hour and 45 mins. Now Federer also played little more than 3 hrs against wawrinka. so obviously ,he must be worried too..I hope his medical timeout in last match is not a fake one..

        • Sorry mistyped the name :)..Federer new serve and volley technique used in 30% of his game play in match is going to cause more trouble to himself..Nadal like to attack the serve-volley players eg. Mischa Zverev in a more recent match. I think even Djokovic wants Nadal to beat Federer :))..Federer justifying his 2008 wimbledon loss is due to 2008 French open Nadal crushing is meaningless..he will pay for it..

    • I am sure they will say..this is your last chance to win your double career slam..it had come before in 2014..you were unfortunate to get injured then..this time you have to take it as oppty wont come again..go get it for yourself if you want the double career slam.

      • Conditions were tougher too. It was a night match but both players were using ice bags during changeovers. Rafa’s 30, not 40, and obviously in excellent condition.

  7. Fed has to do exactly what he did against other players Not think too much. Prepared to go the distance. Not rush to the net – but pick his points. Fight for every point as the last point. GOD only can help him win.

    • Dimitrov’s game is similar to Fed’s, and Dimitrov is 10 years younger than Fed. The intensity of the Nadal-Dimitrov match is clearly higher than for Fed-Wawrinka. If Nadal can sustain that intensity in the Final, he is the favourite.

  8. The Verdasco match was lot more physical. Many long rallies. Today, not so much. So hopefully Rafa should recover and be ready.

    • I agree about the match with Nando. That was a brutally physical match. This match was not like that one.

      But it is true that Rafa is 8 years older. We just have to hope that Rafa can recover.

      • Nny!How r u feeling today?AWESOME??INCREDIBLE??WONDERFUL??ON CLOUD NINE??IN 7th HEAVEN??ha ha ha…Whichever it is..i’m pretty pretty sure that you’re the most happiest women alive today!!He he..ME TOO!!

  9. I have been waiting for the law of averages to catch up with this rivalry. Since the 2011 french, I have always thought that Roger will catch a break and win a match against Rafa in a GS.
    Hopefully Rafa can work his magic one more time

  10. It’s a hard one to call, both players coming back after a long time out of sight… Fed has been very impressive but this win will give Nadal a lot of confidence – Dimitrov would have won today against any other player – I think the key will be in Nadal’s ability to recover well. If he does he’ll probably break Fed’s will no matter what he throws at him as we’ve seen so many times before.

  11. Hopefully Federer will win!! He is the best ever and needs this victory more to cement it. Nadal is painful to watch and a crybaby.

  12. Jordan, as soon as you insult a player your comment becomes totally irrelevant and devoid of any consideration. Be constructive, positive and respectful and grow up a little, it will do you good.

  13. Gotta admit,i want Rog to win his 18th..God knows he deserve it..but at the same time i want Rafa win his 15th as well…So,i will let fate and luck make a decision for me..I will be happy for both of them…But that doesn’t mean i can’t predict the match…And Rafa will win in 4 or 5 of coz!!!I know rafa less rest and played an 1hr and 30 min[more or less] than Roger but hey,he’s 5 years younger than Rog and their match ups favoured rafa..and it’s still not going to change this time around..

  14. For real- you people who hate on and disrespect either Rafa or Roger need to get a lost. You just sound jealous. These guys cry because they desperately want to win and care that much. We should be grateful the care so much. Roger cried after 2009 AO because he wanted to win. He’s a sensitive dude- so what? Rafa said he cried in the car after he had to withdraw from Roland Garros last year. He cried because getting back to his winning self means so much to him. Calling them crybabies is laughable when you think about how tough those guys are and how much ass they’ve kicked… Why do people have to feel so threatened when an argument is made for one of them being better than the other? Arguments can be made for both of them being the greatest EVER! Think about that! Why can’t they just both be appreciated as the two greatest players ever? Just recognize the greatest in each of them and enjoy it. I can’t believe I’m actually saying this to a bunch of adults, but if you don’t have anything nice to say, then keep it to yourself because most of us don’t want to hear it…

    By the way, I’ve been following this site for quite a while now, and I can honestly say that the majority of users on this site are NOT disrespectful toward the player who is not their favorite. Thank you for keeping the site enjoyable! You all know who you are!

    • very well put Kevin

      including the fact that being sensitive does not mean being less strong,

      and boy how we need many many many more men on the planet to be more sensitive (and strong)

    • @Kevin,

      Very well said. Rafa and Roger have tremendous respect, admiration and liking for one another. In sport that’s how rivalries should end. More respect for these guys for maintaining it that way throughout their long careers. No one knows and understands you better than your rival. No one does more to determine your reputation. Your reputation is in his reputation. To demean Nadal is to demean Federer and vice versa.

      Federer loves tennis and its players. Nadal loves all sport and sportsmen. Together they work for the improvement of their sport. Their shared goal is to make tennis better. They have done that.

  15. I just really hope we get a good match. A tight match. It really cannot be overstated how incredible and unlikely it is for these two dudes to be in the final… No matter what the outcome of the match is, I think we can conclude two things: 1.) Rafa will have to be considered one of the favorites to win Roland Garros, and 2.) Roger will have to be considered one of the favorites to win Wimbledon, despite being basically 36 years old.

    I hope so damn much that these two guys stay healthy and injury-free through the whole season. I can’t wait to see how things transpire in terms of Djokovic and Murray. Can they get back to their respective heights of last season? If Djokovic happens to start running the table again, how would a very resurgent Nadal stand up against him now? Oh man… The thought of a Rafa-Djokovic Roland Garros final or semifinal where Djokovic is the one defending the title is suddenly very intriguing! And will Dimitrov keep up, or even improve upon the form he has shown thus far this season? Or will he struggle to bounce back from such a tough loss to Rafa? I feel like I haven’t been this psyched for a new season in a while…

  16. One extra day off and 25% less time on court matters… And also consistency… Roger has been in 2 x SF & 2 x F at his last 4 Slams while Rafa hasn’t passed the 4th Round at any since RG 2015. Roger is a smarter player than Grigor. This will be epic but I find all these Nadal in 4 predictions a bit simplistic. This isn’t 2009…

      • and it’s becoming much less all Rafa all the time. The majority are Rafans, but plenty of others now too…. Just look at the results of the Aussie Open final poll!

      • Not counting Rafa out one bit, just not agreeing with the general consensus everywhere I look that Nadal in 4 is the best odd here considering all factors.

        • I have to agree with you, Johnny. Although I don’t think I can actually bring myself to pick Roger to win over Rafa at a slam until he shows he can do it again. However, I am surprised that people seem to be not even mentioning that fact that Federer is playing considerably differently than he has in the past. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but it seems to me that Fed is attacking the at a significantly higher rate than he has, at least since his early days when he serve and vollied a lot. Sure, he’s maybe attacked the net a lot occasionally, but it seems to now be a major part of his game plan. Also just very aggressive playing in general. I’m not saying it will definitely work on Rafa, but if he can do it at a high enough rate and do it successfully, that would be a very different match for Rafa from what he’s used to wth Fed. He will have to have to be spot on with it and win the net points at a really high rate for it to work, but given his level of play thus far in the tournament, and that the supposedly quicker court speed suits his game so well, I am surprised that some people seem like they are 100 percent sure that this will be business as usual… That being said, I just can’t pick Federer to beat Rafa in a slam until I see him do it again. But if Fed pulls it off, I absolutely will not be shocked at all.

          • I take into consideration Fed with his new tactics still needed five sets to dispatch Kei and five to dispatch Stan, so against Rafa, Fed would have a harder time.

            Fed is also much older now, at 35, not 28 as in 2009. At AO2009, Fed had a relatively easy path to the final yet he lost to a Rafa who had a grueling path to the final. Fed’s path to the final now wasn’t a smooth and easy one, so there’s hope for the 30yo Rafa, to beat this 35yo Fed in four or five sets.

  17. Most predictions of this match ignore the fact that most of the Fed-Rafa rivalry occurred before Fed switched to the larger racquet. They have played just two matches since that switch, with Nadal winning the first at the AO 2014, barely a few weeks after Fed had switched. The fact is that Federer’s BH is stronger than ever, and isn’t nearly the weakness it was. He didn’t play that well against Wawrinka, but the BH down the line was brilliant against Berdych and Nishikori. Roger’s main weakness against Nadal (and more recently Novak) has always been mental. If he can play loose tomorrow, hit his 1st serve at 65%, and hit his BH like he has been for the past few years, he will win. Dimitrov played great against Nadal, but he didn’t play the big points (esp. break points) that well. Fed’s best is still better in all facets of the game than Grigor (esp. at the net), and anything near his best tomorrow will win.

    • fair points

      but why would he suddenly start hitting the 1HBH well against Nadal after not doing so against Stan? It’s much tougher for Fed to hit good 1HBH’s against Nadal.

      • Rite…
        Because Rafa has more top spin with his forehand from AD court to Fed bh… most dificult thing is to control that spin with sngl bh.. so fedr now need to add more topspin to his forehand.. then he can also trouble Rafa in that ground…

      • As I said below, I just think Roger had an off day against Stan. So did Stan, which is lucky for Fed. I don’t agree that it’s easier to his a OHB against Stan than Nadal, at least not when Stan’s on form, because then he simply blasts the BH right by you. He did that a few times, but Roger didn’t let him get into a rhythm. I will say this, however: I’m sure Rafa is much happier to be playing Roger than Stan, since Wawrinka seems to save his very best tennis for GS finals.

    • @Joe Smith…Yeah,i agree with everything u said..BUT like u said Rog only played rafa twice including in Basel in 2015 when rafa lost[rafa had an appendix problem at this time,and not at his best]..and i agree Rog was awesome in almost every department but he didn’t use his magnificent BH on rafa yet..As we all know,his BH is a liability when he faced with rafa..rafa will hit the ball with so much topspin which forces the ball to shoot up high on one handed backhand of roger and making it so difficult for roger to control with that shot and i’m sure rafa will once again using this tactics because it’s so effective..he will go out there and pounding his FH relentlessly into roger’s one handed backhand since it bring him so much success against roger all this time..That’s why their H2H is so onesided…But i believe rog will come out with multiple tactics this time including maybe using SABR or serve and volley more and approached the net more often..But i also believe that rafa will come out with his own tactics as well such as step up more closely to the baseline like he did against milos and Dimi and already proved it success..all in all i can’t wait to see this two greats spar with each other on court and we will see who’s tactics will prove superior than the other..

      • I agree that Rafa’s heavy top to Fed’s BH has been a problem in the past. But again, Fed’s BH is very much better than it was 3-4 years ago. In any case, I think Dimitrov showed that a one-hander can handle Rafa’s topspin: the Nadal FH to the Dimitrov BH was not the shot that won Nadal that match, and it won’t be the shot that wins it for him against Fed IF Roger plays like he is capable of on the BH wing. That’s no guarantee, of course. I think he had an off day against Stan, tbh. Neither played at their best, and the match quality in general was nothing like the Nadal-Dimitrov match. My point is just that I think most people are over-rating the importance of the dynamic due to the improvement that has occurred for Roger since he changed racquets.

    • Right on, he needs to play as well as Dimitrov but with the added tactical/decision that Federer always brings. I think he’s favourite but needs to win quickly, maybe in three.

  18. Frankly speaking Dimitrov played well today.Roger wont play better than that now at this age.if Rafa plays same intensity its tough for roger

    • I agree that Dimitrov played great yesterday. But he missed a number of key chances in every set; in general, he played the biggest points worse than he did the rest of them. As everyone knows, these tight matches come down to a few points. Of course, Roger might not play the big points well either tomorrow. But it’s certainly not true that Roger can’t play better than Grigor did yesterday. He can certainly serve better; and did a few days ago against Berdych, where he hit an insane percentage of first serves. That’s the most important shot in tennis, and (imo) Nadal’s improvement in that area is a big reason he’s doing better than he has in years. But he won’t get as many free points on serve as Fed, if Roger is serving near his best.

      • @Joe Smith…Of course Roger can play better than Grigor!Everyone knows that…It’s a fact..but the things is..Roger has this some kind of mental block when at the other end is RAFA..He can play out of this world tennis with other players but seems out of idea in a key moments when he played rafa..many times in the past he made a mistakes that he shouldn’t have made ,and rafa[bless him] always came up with his own amazing perfomance out of nowhere when he played roger…suddenly he managed to up his game to 20%-30% more than his previous matches…i once read that roger himself admitted this fact..i can’t wait to see whether this fact is still there tomorrow..But like rafa said,the past is irrelevant now..who play better will win..Many said the courts and balls a little bit quicker this year so it will favour roger but we will see the outcome tomorrow..C’mon Rog and Rafa!!!!!

    • It’s got nothing to do with age otherwise you’d have young guys in the final right now. Rafa’s game has been pretty much the same in each game he’s played, and he could easily have gone out twice. Federer hasn’t been in much trouble yet – he alarmingly seemed to switch off for two sets against Wawrinka. Obviously if he does that he’ll lose big style. But these courts suit his game, I think that’s why he’s surprised everyone with the ease at which he’s come through – the only questions are physical/mental toughness in a long match.

  19. Serena made history..beats Steffis record in open era..

    WE need to see tomorrow if history will be made..Rafa first in open era to have double career slam

    Fed winning 18 is not history I think as he is already all time slam title leader and already owns that distinction.

  20. A classic final but a tough one which could go either way but have to give this one to Nadal beating Milos Raonic so easy made him to be favourite. The match will be won through execution of net points and specifically drop points and which Roger has an advantage in executing them…

    • I would say give any other reason than beating Raonic for Nadal winning tomorrow. Raonic is the antithesis of Federer, the only comparison to be made is with Rafa’s game against Dimitrov, who’s a great tennis player. But Federer is a better tactician than Dimitrov, a better strategist, stronger mentally, an all court player. So if he plays well tomorrow he’s going to win.

  21. If you look at Nadal ,he diffused the serve weapon of all top players so far here. Dmitrov serve is more quicker than Federer’s. Dmitrov is young and he ran all the court in the last match non stop. This is where difference comes in place. Serve and volley is dangerous against Nadal, he returns so well. So Federer is left with only choice to fight at the back of the court. Recent inauguration at Nadal’s foundation and Federer’s visit there are all business related outside tennis. They are just rivals using advertisements to improvise their own business. Nadal needs this Grandslam and coming french very badly. We have Djokovic,Zverev and Murray ready to win other grandslams. Federer was lucky not to face Murray here. Nadal will continue his attacking style and will not give free points to Federer like he did to dmitrov.

  22. Sanju-
    I agree that from a historical standpoint, Rafa is going for something that hasn’t been done in so long. It’s always been amazing to me that he hasn’t yet done it due to his virtual invincibility at Roland Garros. Surely Roger and Novak would have at least won a 2nd French Open title had Rafa not been almost impossible to beat there during his prime. I think that aside from getting his career slam in New York in 2010 or finally beating Fed at Wimbledon in 2008, I think that if Rafa wins tomorrow it could be the most significant title for him.

    From a personal standpoint, Rafa winning tomorrow would be such an amazing feat for him. Not only because he had the wrist problem last season, but because he just hadn’t been able to be a real threat at the majors since RG 2014. And that’s what was so difficult for me and other appreciators of his- he was ALWAYS either one of the biggest or THE biggest threat at all the majors! And then he suddenly went through 8 majors without getting to the semis, which was astonishing. If someone had told me in mid-2014 that Rafael Nadal wouldn’t make a slam semifinal for 2 1/2 years, I would have absolutely laughed in their face!

    I know that his resurgence last clay season and subsequent withdrawal from Roland Garros was part of what motivated to get to where he’s at currently, but I honestly think that the big turning point for him came after he lost the five-setter to Pouille in New York. That was a match he should have won, despite his wrist. The situation he was in at the end of that fifth set tie break was the exact situation that he was known for getting through. Forget about the whole match before that moment. Those last couple points, where he dumped the short forehand in the net, that was a moment that Rafa normally seized probably 100% of the time. He’s a warrior. Those moments normally belong to Rafa Nadal. But he didn’t seize the moment that time. And he knew it! And I believe that after that match, he made a pact with himself that he was never going to let that happen again. I think that motivated him more than we can even imagine… And the biggest evidence for this to me is that he did to Zverev and ESPECIALLY Dimitrov what he didn’t do against Pouille. No matter the outcome of this tournament, the moment when he dug in and took that fifth set from Dimitrov was the moment when he became Rafa Nadal again. Especially mentally. That to me couldn’t have been a more obvious “I’m Back!” moment.

    For Roger, although the more he can extend his slam count, the harder it will be for Rafa/Novak to pass him, I think that a win tomorrow would be much more of a personal achievement of his rivalry with Rafa as opposed to a historical achievement. Just some interesting stats for him: If he manages to beat Rafa tomorrow it would level their non-clay overall head to head at 10-10, he would lead Rafa 3-2 in non-clay Slam finals, and he would level their non-clay best-of-five h2h at 4-4. And although that might not mean much to the average tennis fan, it could at least give Fed a sense that in the end he was able to at least hang with Rafa overall when it wasn’t clay. But even more than any of that stuff, I think the biggest thorn in Fed’s side has been his inability to beat Rafa in a non-clay slam for nearly the last DECADE. If he was FINALLY able to beat Rafa at a slam again, I really think it could help change the way he views their rivalry. And although I don’t definitively like one guy more than the other, I certainly have always been disappointed that Fed hasn’t been able to get through this match-up more at slams, especially in Australia. As long as that mental block is present for Fed when he plays Rafa at slams, it’s just never going to happen for him…

    • Kevin, I used to be a regular poster here a few years ago. And while I’m a Nadal fan, I quit posting for two reasons: while it has gotten much better, sometimes this site used to be militantly pro Nadal, and even Nadal fans got accused of not being the right kind of Nadal fans by some posters. That Nadal went AWOL for long stretches of the last two seasons didn’t help my motivation, either of course 😉
      Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I like your posts a lot! And I was shocked, too, about the extent of Rafa’s slump, especially his apparent mental decline. Even if it had a lot to do with his physical woes, it was so unlike everything we have observed during his long career. Therefore I also regard a win tomorrow as more significant for Nadal than for Fed, who has never been absent in the same way as Rafa in the last three years.
      Both will know tomorrow that they won’t have many more shots at a big title. That will add extra spice. While Rafa has been playing well again, I don’t think he would’ve won against Novak just yet;and Roger might not have won against Andy, although his chances would probably have been better than Rafa’s against Novak.
      I haven’t the foggiest idea who will win tomorrow 🙂

      • Littlefoot great post and Kevin too.

        Fast court, crowd support, confidence (yes confidence) and consistency favours Roger.

        Tenacity, h2h, night match, matchup and fighting spirit refusal to die favours Rafa.

        This one is completely unpredictable.

        A Fed win gives him 18 four more than his closest rivals and his first win over Rafa in a slam in 10 years since Rafa just turned 20 after five straight losses.

        A win by Rafa after a 2.5 year struggle for 15 slams to put him within two of Fed combined with his dominance of Fed solidifies Rafa for me.

        The winner determines Monday’s GOAT ? IMO.

        Both amazing champions of the sport.

        • Hi, Hawkeye/stradamus 🙂
          Yes, tomorrow we will have a goat… at least for a while,but maybe forever. Novak could still catch up, although it would be more difficult if Roger increases his slam talley.Rumor has it that Novak fans are therefore mostly pulling for Rafa tomorrow.
          As far as goat status is on the line, Roger has a bit more to lose than Rafa IMO, because Roger winning another slam would only solidify his present goat status quo, while a win by Rafa would definitely challenge it seriously. And his goat status would continue to be under attack by Novak and Rafa.
          As to both players’ astonishing comeback: great stuff! I can’t remember anything quite like it in the history of tennis or other sports.

          • That’s a big part of what makes tennis so great.

            A fedfan asked me who I thought would win and I said I’m not unlike many seimicrazed and superstitious fans and he is the same.

            We both like to insure against possible disappointments by picking against our favourites.

            That said, during the first week I said this is Fed’s AO to win unless Rafa somehow made it to the final at which point I would pick Rafa.

            Right now, I am refusing to make any prediction. I’m freaked out. I haven’t been able to enjoy Rafa’s matches until they are over sometimes even not watching. I think the last few years watching Rafa struggle with his mental strength and focus has given me a form of tennis PTSD. It used to be that I could enjoy Rafa’s matches while being nervrous because he would almost always find solutions but he’d lost that ability in recent years. He is finally starting to to that again.

            Welcome back littlefoot.

            Vamos Rafa!!!!!

          • That’s a big part of what makes tennis so great.

            A fedfan asked me who I thought would win and I said I’m not unlike many seimicrazed and superstitious fans and he is the same.

            We both like to insure against possible disappointments by picking against our favourites.

            That said, during the first week I said this is Fed’s AO to win unless Rafa somehow made it to the final at which point I would pick Rafa.

            Right now, I am refusing to make any prediction. I’m freaked out. I haven’t been able to enjoy Rafa’s matches until they are over sometimes even not watching. I think the last few years watching Rafa struggle with his mental strength and focus has given me a form of tennis PTSD. It used to be that I could enjoy Rafa’s matches while being nervrous because he would almost always find solutions but he’d lost that ability in recent years. He is finally starting to to that again.

            Welcome back littlefoot.

            Vamos Rafa!!!!!

          • Wow, I just spotted this great article and I couldn’t have written it any better…

            Far more on the line than an Aussie Open trophy for Federer, Nadal

            The two tennis legends had just booked their ninth Grand Slam final date, but this one transcends the silverware as both men are playing for their legacies in what’s easily the most important final they’ve ever contested.

            And Andy Roddick, who was named to the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this week, would argue it goes even further than that: He insists this could be the most important Grand Slam final anyone has ever played.

            Fellow Hall of Famer Pam Shriver doesn’t disagree.

            “This could be the match that a lot of people use to decide who really is the greatest of all time,” Shriver said Saturday. “Does Roger win this magical one at 35? Or does Rafa add to his ridiculous head-to-head edge and narrow the gap?”

            Federer, who has won a record 17 Grand Slam titles, currently leads Nadal’s 14, but that’s about the only number on Federer’s side.

            Either man can win. Whoever does can further alter the Best Ever argument.

            Like Roddick and Shriver, Tennis Channel analyst Mary Carillo also believes the Greatest of All-Time debate remains open. And both Carillo and Shriver dismiss the idea that the major total should be the determinative factor if Federer finishes with a couple more than Nadal.

            “I have said and argued with John McEnroe and Ted Robinson during our French Open telecasts for many years that you cannot anoint Roger Federer the greatest of all time if he isn’t the greatest of his own time,” Carillo said in Melbourne on Saturday. “And it’s not just on red clay. Nadal has the edge on hard courts as well. Like in boxing, it’s all about the matchup. When Roger is playing at his luminous best he has no need to worry about the other side of the net.

            “But if he is playing Nadal, even his best is often not enough.”

            That last line is the most damning argument against Federer.

            Nadal has a 23-11 edge in their head-to-head rivalry, including a 6-2 lead in Slam finals. As Shriver says: “Rafa is so far ahead in the head-to-head if he wins tomorrow, to me 17 to 15 [majors] doesn’t mean a whole lot. … Rafa would also now have two career Grand Slams [two wins at every major]. Roger doesn’t. And Rafa has played all of his career — all of it — in an era with Andy Murray, Roger and Novak Djokovic there the whole time. Roger snuck the first six or seven Slams of his career in before all that happened.”

            So why aren’t more people already campaigning for Nadal to be considered best ever?

            “People conflate [Federer’s] beauty with supremacy and blur the line between high art and [Nadal’s] impossible-to-ignore domination,” Carillo says. “I think Roger Federer is the most stylish, elegant and gifted tennis player I’ve ever seen. Roger is all that is right in this tennis world. Rafa Nadal is his perfect rival — powerful, explosive, gritty and gutsy.”

            It looked all but settled once upon a time.

            It isn’t any more.

            http://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/18570743/australian-open-far-more-line-australian-open-trophy-roger-federer-rafael-nadal

          • fair points, but I don’t think a match between 2 guys past their prime should have more importance than a lot of matches played during their primes.

          • that being said, numbers wise it is hard to argue this deciding the GOAT. 18 to 14 is a gap that cannot be argued. But 17 to 15 is basically a tie, and Nadal would also be the only one to win all four TWICE. For me, that’s a better resume.

          • Exactly. Nobody is saying this match is more important than anything. It’s more about what a win would mean to how their cumulative resumes would compare. Four slam difference is huge to overcome with other accomplishments but two more 17 vs 15 not so much.

      • Thanks Littlefoot, I appreciate it! Probably about a year and a half ago, when Rafa was in the middle of his slump, that was when I started reading this site more regularly. I was definitely amazed at how dramatic and seemingly anti-tennis it got on the Rafa-related posts. Sometimes it would devolve into posters just making personal attacks at each other, completely unrelated to tennis. Then would sort of divide into factions. Someone would defend someone, and people would attack that person for defending someone. On one hand, it seemed so childish that adults were fighting over who is or is not the bigger Rafa fan. But on the other hand, I realized that they were probably in-fighting because they care about Rafa so much and were desperate to figure out why their guy, who was so reliably great for so long, was suddenly struggling so much by his standard. I hesitated for so long to join in because I felt so alienated. I felt like if I said anything about anyone besides Rafa, or said anything that wasn’t 100% pro-Rafa, that I would be ostracized or considered invalid in some way.

        I am glad to say, however, that the intense in-fighting and anti-Anybody-not-named-Rafa seems to have largely gone away. I’m really happy that lots of other new posters like myself have joined in as well. I’m especially happy because where so live, I never have A SINGLE person to discuss professional tennis with because nobody cares about it at all. So I couldn’t be happier to be able to share my love of tennis with others who love it, too!

      • littlefoot,

        It’s great to see you here posting again! I hope you will stay. I read both your comment and Kevin’s with interest.

        In watching the replay of Rafa’s match with Dimi yesterday, there was one moment in the fifth set that caught my attention. It was when Rafa had a tough service game early in the fifth set. That made it 2-2. But it was Rafa’s reaction after he held that got me. Even the espn commies noticed it. Rafa was pumped and he started shaking his head back and forth and screaming at himself with such raw intensity. They even played it in slow motion and that made it more remarkable to watch. I have seen Rafa do this in tough matches in the past. The 2013 RG semifinal with Novak comes to mind. Also the 2013 USO final again with Novak.

        Rafa did the same thing in that fifth set of the 2013 RG semifinal. He was given a break early on and at one point before he served, he started shaking his head vigorously and pumping his fist and stomping with his feet. Then he unleashed some of the best pure tennis I have ever seen him play to win that match. He did it at the USO final to steal the second set. The same thing with nodding his head and pumping his fist.

        That is the real Rafa. When I saw him do it again in the fifth set this time, I realized that this was what has been missing with Rafa for most of the last two years. It’s like he is just refusing to lose. He shakes his head as if to say – no matter what, I am not losing this match! No way!

        That is the greatness of Rafa. The DTL forehand, the movement, the cc backhand and the net game are all part of it, but it is that singular moment when he just digs in and will not allow himself to lose. That Rafa is back this week and that is why he is in the final.

    • Great points Kevin.

      Yes the double career slam means a lot to Rafa, he has been unlucky few times in past..hope he gets it this time

  23. Its not really relevant at the moment, but possibly, the likes of Rafa, Roger and others will probably take heart from Istomin beating Novak now going forward, as i dont buy that Rafa never will beat Novak again, if one thing this GS has proved is that anything can happen in the world of sport ….

  24. AndyMira Roger has a good chance of getting number 18, but the chances of Rafa getting another AO will only get harder if he doesnt do it this year, he has to wait another 12 months to try again, Roger has another plenty more chances to get number 18 though, another AO for Rafa will mean a second career GS, where as another FO, W or USO would be awesome dont get me wrong, but another AO would be more significant, due to the history it would make ….

  25. Hey Alison…Yeah..agree with all u said…Rafa has been through so many dark moments at AO in the past…he’s already stated that the loss to wawa in 2014 is the most hardest in his career…so i think,personally he wants to do his best this time since he’s been given a 2nd chance to make it right..and knowing rafa..i think he will give his all this afternoon Alison…You’re already read what i wrote on TX yes?That’s what make me so eager to watch this match…what Rog would do to overcome his biggest nemesis?What would Rafa do to prevent an attack from Rog?,and Rog sure will use all his weapon to sneak attack rafa…but i still believe that rafa will prevail in the end..insyaallah!..The longer match goes on,the high chance rafa will get…

  26. Silence before the storm…one moment I feel confident, encouraged and convinced Rafa would win tomorrow to make history…next thing I start remembering disappointing losses Rafa had, his inconsistency in the last few years, his mental lapses and I am all doubtful about tomorrow…do not want to make predictions…can’t comment here because every word I write would feel like personal betrayal or jinx…

    I just want so bad for Rafa to win tomorrow: for his sake as he deserves it after everything he’s been through, for RG sake as Rafa winning AO would mean our Rafa was back and would make a serious contender for the 10th in Paris, and for tennis sake as he would prove that one can overcome all the injuries and all the falls to rise to the top again..,

    Fed is great champion, he is Maestro of tennis and I admire his achievements…even if he lost tomorrow he would remain to be GOAT material…I do not think tomorrow’s match determines who the goat is.,.no way!

    I believe this title would mean more to Rafa than to Fed..,it would make wonders to Rafa’s confidence and his 2017 season, and therefore to his overall career…

    Vamos Rafa!

  27. NNY
    Thanks for the welcome back. Was having horrendous computer problems and then Christmas and New Year intervened. Am now spending three months with my sister in Spain (she has made a miraculous recovery from the major stroke she had two years ago) and we are glued to the drama unfolding in Melbourne!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Hope you are planning to stay up all night to watch it live………………..

    • ed,

      I am glad that you are okay! I was getting worried! I am sorry to hear about your sister, but hope she is recovering well. I am glad that you are with her.

      Just glad to know you are healthy and well! Computer problems seem to plague all of us at one time or another.

      It’s been so emotional watching Rafa this week! There is no way I am missing this final! I will try to get a few hours sleep before the match so I can stay awake!

      Looking forward to getting through it with you and others here!
      ?

  28. Hello guys. I’ve been thinking…Just want to know your opinion on this. How do we, as human beings decide which player we like most and we root for? I think it’s an emotional matter. I think we somehow associate ourselves with that specific player’s personality and his/her human traits. I assume maybe 1 out of 10 of tennis fans chooses his favorite player judging on technique, strictly tennis skills basically…
    I admire and respect both players, but I am a Roger fan. I noticed that Rafa’s fans are more active in commenting and posting. On the other side, Fed fans seem to be more introvert and more passive. He gets more votes in the polls, but less active users passionately writing about him. This is interesting.
    That being said, I like Fed’s beauty and style, but I think he could have done more, not necessary in terms of career titles, but dealing with both Rafa and Nole on a mental level. I remember 2014 Wimbledon against Nole and then US Open same year. It was too painful. He deserved to get one of them.
    I think Federer will be ready mentally this time. The only concern is his physicality and stamina. On the other side I feel like there is a lot of pressure on Rafa this time. Let’s enjoy this together, no matter whose side we are. Greetings to Nadal fans. Hopefully the best will win. Really want the one who will play better to win. Later then, is easier to accept it. It’s not as frustrating. You know what I mean 🙂

    • I definitely agree personal association is a factor. Playing style. On-court attitude. If they are good person both on and off the court. And of course results. Winning.

    • Hey Eugene…A very balanced and fair post!Loved it!!..I will be happy for Rog if he win today..but i will fly to the moon and back again if rafa win..Yeah..LET’S THE BEST WIN!!!!BRING IT ON GUYS!!

    • USO 2014 Fed didn’t manage to reach the final, lost to Cilic in the SF; its USO2015 that you’re referring to I supposed.

      I do think at both FO and USO2015, Djoko clearly had the upper hand, so there’s nothing Fed should regret about for not winning. Djoko was just that good in 2015, reaching 15 finals in 16 events played.

      The one that Fed came close to winning was Wimbledon 2015, the match that went five sets; still, I did not have the feeling watching the match then, that Fed would win in the end. If I’m not wrong, Fed was the one doing catch ups the whole match, leveled the match at two sets apiece and so the match went the distance.

      To me, if your opponent played better than you to win the match, your opponent deserved the win, so I’m not one to say that Fed deserved winning one after reaching all those finals. If anything, Murray was the one deserving at least one AO, after reaching the final five times but ended up having nothing to show for it!

      I’m a Rafa fan, and I find his tennis beautiful to watch but one has to have a strong heart watching his matches. Many times, he snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His tennis is not about beautiful strokes, rather, it’s about smartness of his tennis brain. His strokes are unique, Fed spoke about the uniqueness too, so no one could replicate the way Rafa plays.

      His is not about all out attack, but rather it’s about neutralizing opponents’ attacks and finding loopholes in their games and then exploiting them.

      While Fed’s game is about suffocating opponents with his first strike tennis, Rafa’s is about strategies to suffocate opponents with his counterattacks before making his own attacks.

      • Natashao…That’s a GREAT GREAT sign i tell u!…I already knew he will be able to bounced back magnificently from Dimi’s game..And to think that he wants to prolong the match against Roger!!Urgh!!..And we fans thinking that he’s already screwed because of fatigue!!We should NEVER EVER DOUBTED RAFA!!..VAMOS RAFA!!

          • On game, set & mats they just said Rafa skipped his practice session today and canceled his press conference…they find it strange they say..,and I am worried now… ☹️

          • I was worried, too, when I heard this. But unless Team Rafa started to use the tactics of spreading completely fake news (not impossible of course), it’s apparently not quite true. Marca also said that Rafa was fine in the morning and just cut his practice session short a bit. Which would be perfectly normal.

          • natashao…Hey no need to worry..I think it’s really good rafa did that..he just want to focus to his preparation for the final and get as much rest as possible and free his mind from unnecessary task[and we know,all that nonsense about interview and appearance is NOT NECESSARY at this crucial time]..The players just want to focus to the big game ahead and not to the trivial thing like that..No worries okay?Rafa’s got the biggest and the best team that would take care of him magnificently..Trust him natashao…

          • Rafa hasn’t cancelled pressers. He cancelled interviews, which is very different. Apparently he simply wanted to sleep some more, lol!

          • I think it’s just mind game from the Rafa camp, telling everyone that Rafa is fit physically and rearing to go.

            Anyway, Fed won’t be dragging the match but he will serve quickly and at least finishes his own service games quickly to save energy.

  29. thanks everybody for their warm welcome back.
    Hawkstradamus, I can sympathize with your Rafa induced ptss, lol! Ho would’ve thought that his apparent greatest strength would so spectacularly collapse?? There was always more going on in his head psychology wise than we have been aware of. Otherwise this can’t be adequately explained. And now his mental strength seems to come back? Fascinating stuff. But I still don’t trust this newest development completely.
    I want him to win tomorrow badly. But if he can’t do it, so be it. You can hardly argue with Fed’s enduring success. A loss today won’t diminish Rafa’s current status, but a win would increase it greatly.

    • Littlefoot definitely. Even Rafa spoke to his demons very candidly. He has worked very hard and seems to be getting them under control but he is trusting himself both on terms off physical and mental strength again

      He’s had a few lapses and hopefully won’t have too many tomorrow.

  30. In regard to this “GOAT” stuff, I’ve always felt like arguments can be made for both Federer or Nadal being the “greatest player of all-time”… That phrase good have so many different meanings on so many different levels. Does it mean who had the most successful career? Does it mean who would win if said players played each other at their absolute top-dollar peak? On which surface? Is it just strictly slam results? Or does it include wire-to-wire tour results across all surfaces? Some people might say that Nadal has to be the GOAT strictly because he has beaten Federer many more times than Federer has beaten him. Someone might counter that Rafa was unquestionably by far the most unbeatable player ever on any single surface, proven by the fact that he only lost FOUR times on clay between Monte Carlo 2005 and Madrid 2011, that 10-9 on all non-clay surfaces actually paints a different view of their rivalry, that Federer led their non-clay h2h until 2013. Someone could argue for Federer’s success across all surfaces, pointing to his 6 title haul on indoor hard courts at the Tour Finals where it’s only top 8 players. Someone could counter that they believe indoor hard courts aren’t as important as the other surfaces, since there is no all-indoor slam. Someone could say that Rafa’s ninja-warrior, pounding the pavement, absolutely beating the shit out his opponent style has to be the greatest ever. Someone could counter than Federer’s glide around the court, “making hard things look easy” is more impressive. Then, four years from now, someone else could say, “Novak has won 20 slams, with at least 4 at each slam!” (Maybe unlikely, but you get the point)

    These arguments can go on and on and on. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that’s what I like about it! Personally, no one can ever convince me that one is DEFINITIVELY the sole Goat, unless one of them ends up with twenty-something slams, at least 3 at each slam. 🙂 It’s similar to classical Ethics arguments- there are so many ways to look at a certain dilemma…

    As lame as it sounds, I like the idea of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer- arguably the two greatest players of the modern game!

    • Agreed Kevin. Completely subjective. Very little beteeen them.

      I also agree that we align ourselves with the personalities and traits of the players we most respect and identify with.

      • I have always believed that there can’t be one GOAT. However, I understand others wanting to discuss it. I think Rod Laver was right when he says that a player can only be the greatest in his era. I think it is very subjective and can be emotional. We have had great champions throughout the decades in this sport. Each great champion has made unique contributions to the sport. Trying to anoint one player as the best of all time, really doesn’t give respect to the great champions over the years.

        I think Rafa and Fed are both the greatest of their era. It does not have to be one or the other. They both have records that will never be equaled.

        • I couldn’t agree with you more, NNY. I do believe, to the point FG just made, that when all is said and done with this era, Novak will be considered on the same level with Fed and Rafa. Honestly, I think the argument could be made that he already is on that level. For me personally, once a player from this era’s slam count reaches the teens, they have to be considered an all-time great. I love the idea of Sampras, Rafa, Novak, Roger, and Laver all being held in the highest regard. 🙂 But I also love the players who tend to be, for any number of reasons (mostly slam count if we’re honest), considered all-time greats, but not quite on that five-man “Mt. Rushmore” of sorts. Guys like Borg, Agassi (my personal favorite player), Connors, Lendl, McEnroe, Edberg, Wilander, Becker, etc. And that’s just Open-era!

          I gotta give a special shout out to my man Jim Courier, who in my opinion doesn’t get enough credit for how much ass he kicked in the early-nineties… That guy wasn’t really born with the natural talent that a lot of the other great champions had, but he came seemingly out of nowhere and just bulldozed his way to 4 major titles in less than three years. I always thought his two Aussie titles were awesome, where he beat Edberg in back-to-back finals. In ’92, Edberg was world #1 and has just beat Courier in the US Open finals a few months earlier. But Courier didn’t back down and beat Edberg in the Aussie final, effectively taking the number one ranking from him. And then he did it again the next year!

          Wow, I got way too off topic there haha, but I can’t help it! I just love this sport and its history so damn much. I could ramble for hours!

    • We cannot count Novak out. 12 slams with 4 different GS trophies at his home is no small feat which both Fedal could not achieve.

      He rules h2h towards all other members in big 4 plus Wawrinka. His domination is unparalleled in 2015 to mid 2016.

      30 masters and counting. I have strong belief Novak could reach 15 or even more slams, 40+ masters judging from history. He would be back if we look at just few weeks back when he played Andy at Doha.

      One loss to Istomin does not really count. Comparatively, Rafa was not performing well for 2 years in GS, and he is back now. Novak would at least get one slam this 2017.

  31. I wish to see a more balanced h2h between the big 3, that would make tennis competition more exciting. Rafa-Fed is too predictable 65-35, that has always been the trend, though on clay and indoor hard court the trend is different.

    Rafa-Nole though overall is about 50-50, but on different season it could be 85-15 in either favour.

    Fed-Nole overall is also about 50-50, but there is a line separating the favor between the two from and before 2011.

    If Rafa wins, the trend continues. I wish Roger would win. That will make 2017 really exciting and bring even more interest to the sport. RG for Rafa-Nole-Wawa to fight for. In Wimbledon all big four have decent chances. In USO, the big 5 fight for it. How exciting this could be for everyone…..

    • At Wimbledon, Rafa won’t have a chance, so it will be good for Rafa to win here. He will have a good chance of winning FO too. Wimbledon may be fought among guys like Fed, Murray, Djoko, Raonic and Dimi. Many players are good at the USO, not only the big four. I say Delpo too if he’s fit and healthy again.

  32. I think Rafa will be tired but the adrenalin rush will be massive. Rafa will physically hold up fine and he won’t mind engaging in long rallies. Actually, that would be the plan for team Nadal! Conditions are quick and Roger would like to keep the points short.

    In 2009 Rafa was younger but in the 5th set it looked like he could still play a couple more sets. That’s how much energy he had because of the occassion.

    • Rafa being tired has never been a problem for him, no matter who he plays, and it shouldn’t matter tomorrow. Rafa should win tomorrow, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Fed won. That’s a strange notion, but then again this has been a relatively strange tournament…

  33. No one can say with certainty which player is going to win between Nadal and Roger but both players know what kind of play they need to use to clinch it, as for Nadal he needs to play long and aggresive, also he must make sure that Roger old legs are worked out. As for Roger drop shots, volley’s neutralizing servers are his advantage and he must not be tempted to use his forehand even though he has one of the best forehand in the game because that will allow Nadal Long play to be advantageous if he connects with those forehand so both must bring their “A” game tomorrow to clinch it… The mental strength of both players I think it should not be questioned because looking at their both post match interviews they looked like they were jst playing the AO for fun and the is this one time Roger (after he beat Zverev the older brother of Alex) joked and said “one of her daughter that morning said they dont mind going back to Switzerland now and before the tournament began they complained that they didn’t want to leave early so he must win”. One thing I’m certain of its gonna be a glorious sunday… Nice read at Kevin and littlefoot as for ed2411.. May u sister recover very soon

  34. Moya said Rafa practised okay yest..but natashao said he cut short his practice today..Is everthing okay? This is my biggest fear..

    Remember before match against Stan..he had to cut short and we knew later why (:-

  35. A lot of people are talking about how Rafa had trouble against Grigor so he would be in more trouble against Fed. Don’t forget that:

    -Grigor hits a flatter backhand than Fed. The swiss has the better backhand but drive but dimitrov hits it flatter or at least he did it against Rafa.

    -Grigor uses the backhand slice MORE smartlt than Fed does.

    -Grigor is quicker than fed and made rafa hit the extra shot many times. Fed has great defense but he won’t be able to make Rafa hit that many shots.

    -Fed’s forehand is another league. He is going to destroy any short balls and rush the net.

    Overall, fed must serve well, hit lots of backhands DTL and CRUSH his inside-out forehand. Notice how Grigor had success with that shot. Historically, that shot has troubled Rafa and at 30 he is a bit slower now to cover tht forehand side.

    Look for fed to try to rush Rafa on that forehand side.

    Rafa will be okay and I think he will find a way.

    Rafa in 4 or 5 sets

  36. I hope Rafa somehow wins this on strength of adrenaline rush irrespective of all the issues . He knows this means a lot – double career slam..he has lost an earlier oppty.. Go for it Rafa…Do your best and leave it all on court.

  37. Here’s the answer you’ve all been waiting for.

    If Fed was 30, then yes, fitness might be a factor in this match but because Nadal is 5 years his junior it wont be enough to make up for all the other advantages Nadal has over him. Fed had two 5-setters en route to the final as well so might be feeling a bit stiff after 2 days rest. Nadal is physically stronger and carries weight more naturally than Fed so carb-loading is not as important as it is for Fed.

    The result: Nadal in 4.

    You can all enjoy the result that’s forthcoming now.

  38. Furthermore, Nadal digs in and will make Fed play too many extra balls under pressure. Fed is already susceptible to cracking against players he doesnt have a mental edge against but this will be further exacerbated by Nadal’s constant retrieving and pressure applied to Fed’s backhand.

    IMO, Fed didnt play well enough in his semi to give him a chance in this match whereas Dimitrov most likely played Nadal into absolute peak form.

    There will be a lot of big, sharp money on Nadal.

    • Sanju, don’t fall for that. I read on another astrologer’s site that the stars have truly aligned in Andy’s favor, lol! Of course that prediction was made before Andy crashed!
      The chance that the above astrologer is right is 50:50 after all 🙂

      • Other quacks have made bio-rythm curves for the players. Rafa’s alleged bio-rythm for today is most peculiar. His physical prowess hit rock-bottom 2 days ago – just when he was fighting Grigor – but is slightly on the up-swing now. But his intellectual potential is peaking. Sounds good to me. The Fed can’t outfox him, lol! But then again, he rarely could.
        I trust the betting crowd’s predictions mostly. They are impartial because they want to earn money after all. Although, whoever predicted today’s final earned alot of money for sure.
        🙂 🙂 🙂

  39. I won’t be commenting live – not my style,lol! I don’ have the stomach for it. But I will be catching up later.
    Have fun, everybody – wherever you are in the world!
    And compliment to Ricky. This site has truly developed into a place for all fans. I’m glad that I peeked again.

  40. It was only a matter of time before Fed raced to the lead. Rafa is playing too passively and Fed, who is feeling the ball well, is really getting in the zone due to Rafa’s passive play.

    Haven’t see one big forehand DTL yet. Fed is spreading the court with his backhand as well.

    • Yeah VR…I’m so frustrated sometimes..rafa seems not eager to find a winner..only wants to rallying all the time and hope for his opponents error..

  41. Well, he does that more often against Federer.

    But this is not a clay court and this is not an easy Federer. Got to use more weapons.

    Forehands DTL and inside-out needed big time. Rafa’s patterns very predictable right now. Fed doing a great job pouncing on short balls but he can do that all night long.

  42. Cant believe how much trouble Rafa gets into in his service games even against a returner like Fed.Djok will bagel him in such cases

    • This is not looking good for Rafa. Fed saved those break points and that seemed to give him momentum.

      I don’t want Rafa to lose this third set.

  43. Really disappointed with Nadal’s forehand so far. Tooo much cross court! Over-serving to the backhand as well.

    Fed’s serving has been HUGE this set.

  44. Bad from Rafa…Fed more aggressive and serving well..,Fed better player out there.,,If Rafa only awaits Fed to make UEs it will do him no good…he must hit winners..,

  45. Rafa seems slow out there, not quick enough…Fed is moving better and looks fresher than Rafa…I feared Rafa would be tired…he needs all the energy and sharpness against this Fed…

  46. Fed at his very best…Fed playing superb tennis…Rafa totally outplayed out there…Rafa doesn’t seem to have anything left to fight back…

  47. If they played their semis on the same day, I might applaud Federer but now, no way. Shame on ausopen doing everything to give Federer advantage over his opponent.

  48. I think rog’s tactics who used the quick court and ball’s advantage to the fullest that makes rafa can’t catch up with him now..

  49. That’s alright Nny..if u wanna go to sleep than go..it’s not guarantee that rafa will win if rog play tennis like this,,and rafa is too passive IMO..

    • MA,

      I am not feeling that well. It’s not helping that Rafa is struggling in this match. I think he had to be feeling the effects of that semifinal and only one day’s rest.

      It sounds like you don’t think Rafa will win this. At least he is still in there fighting.

  50. VAMOS!! MUCH BETTER set from Rafa. He had better length on his forehand , hit a lot more inside-out forehands and served very smartly. He is using lots of body serves now and they worked.

    Rafa, just use the inside-out and DTL forehands more and kepe varying your serve. Don’t let Fed get into any sort of rhythm.

    Wow what a final, 5th set!

    Fed is back! off we go here.

  51. Rafa has won 57% second serve points in teh match whereas Fed has won only 46%. Rafa has the advantage here if Fed’s first serve % stays low

  52. come onnnnnnnnnn! What a backhand that was! And body serves killing Fed.

    I CANNOT RELAX! This is too tense. Can only relax if there is a double break

  53. Will this be the first time Rafa wins a slam scoring three 5-set wins ?

    Just a thought. Need to focus on the present game as this is FAR from over. Fed is striking his backhand pretty well now.

  54. It is impossible for Roger to come back. Deep in his heart he does not believe he can make it. That’s why many shots missed when he has a chance to kill.

    It is all mental.

    • Rafa is a lot more grateful than his fans, it’s time they showed some humility. What we witnessed today was the greatest player with a backhand better than ever, playing possibly the best tennis someone can play in a 5th set if a final. Just appreciate it.

    • What a performance from both players. I couldn’t imagine it was possible for Federer to play like that in the 5th set, that was sublime and Rafa’s will was not enough. But he’s such a great guy, i hope he wins the French and stays fit.

      No matter who you support it is unbelievable that Federer has a backhand now as good as Wawrinka or Dimitrov, it won him the match no question.

    • You sound like such a sore loser, Liz. This is the way the Australian Open has run their tournament for a very long time, and no player has ever claimed that it was a reason for their loss. Rafa was never ever affected by being too tired to play. It went five sets, they both came back from injury, it was very close, please give both players the respect they deserve…

  55. Congrats Roger…well deserved..you deserved this.

    Federer proved everyone wrong..winning 3 5 sets in the tourney..beating his greatest nemesis to win his 18th and coming from a break down..was stupendous.

    I was telling from the begining..I smelt Federer will win this…No 17 seed history repeating…

    Rafa: Dont want to say anything..Tough luck. Double career slam jinx continues

  56. Roger was the better player. He not played well but also showed the mental resilience to come back from a break down. Definitely he deserves it

  57. Congrats to Fed! I think it’s fated that he wins no.18 here.

    I’m really disappointed with the way Rafa played, esp the fifth set. To me he literally threw away the trophy. So the stupid gameplan of grinding didn’t work.

    Fed was almost on one leg, and Rafa let the lead slipped away! Come on, why kept hitting to Fed’s BH when Fed was hitting so many winners from that wing??

    So Fed moves ahead to 18 whilst Rafa stays put at 14. Commies to Team Rafa.

    • Rafa came with no tactic..strategy..same old FH to BH..had he not seen Roger was hitting his BH very well..

      Roger was crushing winners off that wing.

      Roger was not on 1 leg..he was moving very well..

    • Agree with u luckystar…rafa is not aggresive enough today..He can’t win if he’s only wants to rally and not try looking for winner..he’s got hours to solve rog’s question but not really came up with an aggressive plan..I’m with u…very disappointed by the way he lose..If he played like he’s against Milos..i think he will win today..

    • To be fair Nadal played the way he has all tournament, it was Federer who has thought out new ideas. Coming into the game Federer had many more winners in the tournament. Rafa has been playing a very defensive game all Open – critically it is Fed mindset and his improved BH that got him through, he created 11 break points in the final set.

      Well played to both of them, good luck to Rafa in the French, but today fed played a god-like fifth set.

  58. i couldn’t watch the match. mira andi have a massive hug from me. i am so so sorry. dont’ know what happened? xxxxxxxxx
    congrats to fed and his fans.

          • love you to mira, am sorry i couldn’t watch with you. i was awake all night because of a party next door!! so i slept in.
            feelign a bit cross with rafa for letting this one go tbh….
            another hug and kiss for you darling…xxx

          • Yeah amy..I mean he’s got a break early in 5th sets but…like he did so many times nowadays letting get away from him just like that..But..despite that…I’m really glad,because of rafa,i found u and Nny!!WOOOOHOOOO!!!..Hugs and kisses from me as well amy…YOU’RE AWESOME!!!!

          • you are awesome too mira. such a good heart and i hope you don’t feel too bad. xxx so rafa gave up a break in the fifth? don’t know what to think really….
            hawks did say before the tourney fed was going to win….

          • I had a very strong feeling given recent struggles by Rafa and Nole, Murray response as No 1 and Feds traditional hold over him plus the conditions playing so fast.

            Would have loved to be proven wrong.

          • He he..thanks amy..although i don’t know which part of me that u find awesome,..and i feel bad atm amy…when rafa won the other day..i was cried and when he lose today,i’m also jibbering and slobbering..oh well…Rog really played tennis out of this world today amy…and he deserved to win..

          • thanks darling, that’s very sweet of you. am glad you are feeling a bit better. let’s focus on roland garros now hey and look to the future? no point thinking of what might have been.
            am very glad i met you here as wellxxxxx

          • yeah amy..hey did u watch the whole match?i’ve never seen such a display from Rog before..he’s awesome..rafa seems no idea how to cope with his gameplan..but then i already knew,that he’s going to blasted rafa with all gun blazing.i’m just surprised that rafa seems awe struck by his tactics..

          • i’m really really sorry you feel so bad mira. remember that getting to the final here will really help rafa at roland garros. that’s the goal now.
            you have a good heart and are sweet and kind and generous. that’s pretty awesome as far as i am concerned. hugsxxxx

  59. well,it was not meant to be..he’s got his chance and couldn’t convert..It’s a pleasure to chat with u Nny,natashao,VR,amy,ramara,vmk1,atul,sanju..and others..Now,i will go pour my heartache by kicking and slamming anything that is in front of me!!Uhuk!uhuk!uhuk!

  60. Atleast now we will never hear..seen this before..Rafa will crush Roger etc…

    And Rafa will also never take Roger lightly again..he will adapt

    • Since when Rafa takes Fed lightly? It’s more Rafa’s fans taking Fed lightly.

      The way Rafa plays, I doubt he can adapt anymore. He certainly was not adapting during the match, kept doing the same thing even when it failed. If he’s chasing from behind in the fifth and lost I understand, but he was leading 4-3 and yet let it slipped away. He’s no longer the champion he once was, I mean Fed had an MTO, wasn’t playing well and only his serve was helping him and yet Rafa let it slipped away. It’s no wonder Rafa looking very unhappy during the ceremony.

      • Yeah, Once again Rafa lost the match he should have won… I knew it was not over when Rafa was up a break in the fifth…Rafa should be disappointed and sad, but he was proud and stood with dignity at the ceremony.,

        The court was too fast for Rafa, he had one day less to rest, his draw was tougher…it all aligned for Fed…but Fed played great tennis after all and deserved to win…

        • Fed was great no doubt, but even then Rafa broke him to lead in the fifth. In the past Rafa won’t let this lead slipped away; I mean this Fed was no Djoko, and Fed had an MTO.

          Rafa had himself to blame, in the third set when Fed’s was serving first and he was immediately under pressure facing BP, What did Rafa do? He insisted on standing so far back at the ad court to return serve, and Fed served an ace out wide, to save not one but three BPs the same way! Rafa didn’t even bother to change his court position during all those serves, it’s like he was challenging Fed to serve that way again and again and true enough, Fed won all three of his serves that way! If Rafa changed up, he might have a chance to break serve and then he would be ahead.

          We saw in the fourth set that when Rafa was ahead, Fed would commit so many UEs because when Rafa was ahead, he would cast doubts in Fed’s head and messed with it. Rafa just didn’t know how to take his chances when they were presented to him.

          • But Fed actively won those points, they are forced errors.

            Look at the stats, forced errors were equal. Federer made more unforced errors but he made many more winners.

            Rafa was not attacking enough at the right moments, he ha sbeen over reliant on minimising his own unforced errors – that was clear in previous games against Zverev, Monfils and Dimitrov.

          • He had a double fault and missed with his FHDTL, the latter technically being forced but shots he makes routinely when 100%.

            He’s come a long way from where he was but other than Wimbledon where his best still took him five close sets, this was the fastest court they met in a slam and Rafa has to be perfect to beat him there.

            Full credit to fed. He played lights out when it mattered than Rafa in this one and at almost 36 that’s incredible against a determined Rafa.

          • Rafa is playing a more defensive game than ever, and he did that throughout the tournament. It’s very much a one off now when he pulls out a winning forehand. What kept him in the tournament was a superb first serve at crucial moments but you only need one moment for it not to bail you out. Could have happened 3-4 15-40 against Dimitrov, and did happen 3-4 today. In contrast Federer is hitting twice as many winners and his backhand is a force in its own right now. It was Fed’s unforced errors that kept Rafa in it, but to everyone’s surprise he made very few in the final set.

          • That’s my point. He’s getting there especially with his belief and confidence still needs to improve to allow him to play more aggressively as he did from 2008-2013.

            But he’s already further along than I’d expected. With recent form leading up to AO and having to face Zverev, Monfils and Raonic (and potentially Nole) I didn’t expect to see him in the finals so soon.

            I’m proud of him for that.

          • Yes there are times in the past when Rafa played better than this tournament, but today he played exactly the way he has done throughout the two weeks and it wasn’t enough. But he’s a cert for the French playing with such a low unforced error count.

      • No Rafa was adapting but he didn’t adapt enough. He changed his serving patterns and started going for more DTL and IO forehands but should have done that a bit more. Short CC forehands got him killed though.

        I am happy with rafa’s backhand though!

        • Yes BH was solid..but CC FH killed him..Rafa kept crushing winners from that BH

          I think the 5 hour semi finally had an effect..He was not very quick and many shots were short..Also he was again standing far behind baseline..even on second serves

          What difference you saw in Rafas strategy VR? I thought nothing

          Also what different strategy did Roger adopt?

          What lesson will Rafa take out of this?

        • Nah, he didn’t adapt but insisted on hitting to Fed’s BH when clearly Fed was hitting so many winners from that wing. I mean, it’s as if the Rafa team had only one game plan for Rafa – hit to Fed’s BH no matter what. The plan of dragging the match to go the distance also failed, because it’s Rafa who’s getting tired too, not just Fed.

          Rafa’s serve is his major weakness, followed by his mindset. It’s strange that when his back was against the wall, he would hit some incredible serves. So, why in the first place he doesn’t serve that way more often and makes life easier for himself? Why insist on playing counter punching on this quicker surface and allowed Fed all the time and court space to work with?

          If Rafa wanted to run along the baseline, then fine, why not ran along closer to the baseline and not that far away? He was reacting to Fed’s game and not thinking of imposing his own game on Fed. On this quicker court, its doomed to fail.

    • I didn’t even feel confident that Rafa would win when he’s got one less day to rest after a gruelling 5 set match, why would Rafa be sure he would win? Just enjoy your Fed’s win.

  61. Rafa only fought..but he never adjusted to what Roger was throwing at him…That was shocking..he adapts but never did..imagine hitting to Rogers BH all the time when he was executing that wing very well.

    And 3 1 up and losing 5 games in a row in 5th..same script like 2012 final..up a break and misses an easy shot and its over from there.

    • Exactly! We saw that Fed was having so many winners from the BH, why Rafa still insisted on going there? He wasn’t adapting! It’s like other than going to the BH, he really didn’t know what to do!

  62. Rafa will stop at one at the AO. I think Dimitrov will be a force to be reckoned with at the AO from next year on.

    I think this AO will be Fed’s last slam win. I just hope Rafa can win the FO this year and moves ahead to 15 slams, ahead of Sampras.

    • What every tennis fan wants to see is a Federer v Dimitrov final before Rog retires. Maybe this year at Wimbledon if Dimy gets a nice draw – that would be amazing.

      But in terms of Fed it’s absurd to say this is his last win, really come on. He’s probably being installed as favourite for Wimbledon as we speak, and why wouldn’t he believe it. He has quite clearly been the best player at this tournament whether you watched it or just read the stats.

      It’s incredible for tennis that these two are back.

  63. Rafa coming into the tournament without playing for half a year and makes the final and loses in a 5 setter against a red hot federer. How is that disappointing.

    Just hope Rafa stays injury free and continues his progress. Good things lie ahead

  64. The better player on the day wins.
    Fed threw whatever he had into the match knowing this might be his last opportunity. He might retire soon.

    Commiserations to Rafans. Congratulations to Fed.

    Looking forward to RG2017.

    • Yes the better player on the day, and the best player throughout the tournament. At 0-2 in the fifth set was the first time Fed was in real danger of losing the whole tournament and he answered it quite sensationally.

  65. Massive congrats to Fed and his fans! extremely well played.

    I am proud of Rafa. He played well and he showed he is still very fit. That double fault at 3-4 0-30 is my only regret.

    Rafa was actually not ready for Fed’s improved backhand. I kept saying Rafa needs better length on CC forehand or he will get punished. Fed’s larger racket allowed him to punish shorter forehands.

    But, the rally Fed won at 4-3 deuce, was MAJESTIC.

    There is a lot to say regarding what Rafa SHOULD have done but this is federer’s day.

    The best slam win of his career and one of the best slam wins ever!

    Good luck for RG, Rafa 🙂

  66. Is the GOAT debate over now? 🙂

    Doesn’t matter who’s the GOAT and who is not, it was simply an amazing match, of course as a Federer fan I was extremely nervous and excited, I screamed after those CC backhands in the fifth, my reaction after the 26 shot rally finished with forehand DTL by Roger was like jumping all over the place.

    However, I just have to say, that I really do respect Rafa’s will to fight, his heart, the way he saved some of those breakpoints in the fifth it was as clutch as anyone could be right there.

    Who needs Djokovic, when we have those two? These are the real, true GOATs, and I think we should feel happy, even flattered that we were able to watch this match which was maybe the most important match in tennis history.

  67. Congrats to Fed and his 18th.

    Conditions suited him but credit for playing so well throughout to take full advantage.

    Rafa’s 90% not good enough under such fast conditions.

    The BHs IMO were the right choice but they lacked depth allowing Fed to hit them as winners.

    I’m ok with Feds massive win. He’s obviously worked very hard.

    Still a very tough loss for Rafa and his many fans.

    But he must take satisfaction about regaining his form to get him back to slam finals again.

    If he plays like this, he has a great chance for la decima.

    Vamos Rafa no matter what!!!!

    • Hawkstradamus, you did your name proud – unfortunately 🙁
      Right now I can’t say if Rafa will take more positives than negatives from this outcome. His mindset proved to be a liability again. I hope this doesn’t haunt him for the rest of the season. Novak isn’t going away and neither is Andy.
      For Roger everything alligned during this tournament. And the faster conditions as well as the peculiar scheduling certainly helped him. I also agree with you that the stricter enforcement of the time rule neatly coincides with Rafa’s mental struggles 🙁 But that is not meant as an excuse. The rule is what it is, Rafa needs to adapt.

      • The time violation is a complete side issue that he has never been able to resolve. It’s there for a reason, no need for excuses.

        • Ben, I didn’t mean it as an excuse. It is what it is and Rafa has to adapt. But that doesn’t change facts. The stricter enforcement has definitely contributed to Rafa’s struggles.

  68. Vanni Gibertini ‏@vgibertini 11m11 minutes ago
    More
    Federer”The MTO did help me like vs Stan, I did feel a bit better, but got down in the score, maybe he deserved the win but snuck it away”

    Roger”This means a lot to me cos he caused me the most problems through the years, and doing it in a 5th set is special” #AusOpen

    #AusOpen ‏@AustralianOpen 12m12 minutes ago
    More
    “I really got lucky tonight.”

    Rogers quotes after the match..

    lucky? I thought you won it fair and square.

  69. Rafa”Didn’t play bad, my legs were a bit tired, but it was difficult to play my game because of how aggressive he was” #AusOpen

    Rafa”Fighted to have the trophy with me, had chances in 5th with break up. He played super agressive all match, made it difficult for me”

    Rafa”In 5th even with break up I was suffering a lot on serve, no free points. Played great on BP, but every game was tough”#ausopen

    Rafa”I was missing a bit of strength in my sholulder to try to hit it long enough so that he could not attack” #AusOpen

    Rafa”Before the tourno I felt I was practicing well, I had to do it in matches. I cant say Im sad, I wanted to win, but Im not sad” #AusOpen

    Rafa”In these matches I have won a lot of times with him, today he beat me. Important title for him, important two weeks for me” #AusOpen

      • But hawkstradamus..I dont think he played well..I think he was not full strength after the semi..he is very unlucky at AO..this is 3rd time..twice has lost being break up in 5th..

        • Rafa has rarely played well against Roger on a fast court like that. I think he played as good as he did in earlier rounds as I said 90% IMO but Roger played too aggressive and he needed his very highest level.

        • The stats say he played the same way he has all tournament, he played at his best today. He only just made it through some very tough matches playing well, but he is not hitting enough winners each match, is over relying on opponent unforced errors and is unable to outrally opponents from the back of the court – that is why many people thought Fed had a good chance.

          If Rafa plays like this at the French he’ll win it, and if Fed plays like this at Wimbledon he’ll win it. They may not be as amazing as they were but still good enough to be at the top.

  70. What difference you saw in Rafas strategy VR? I thought nothing

    Also what different strategy did Roger adopt?

    What lesson will Rafa take out of this?

      • Nah, he had his chances but threw them away! He said Fed was very aggressive during those few games, my question is – why didnt he serve like the way when he saved BPs when Fed was aggressive? Why went into rallies with him instead of hitting a few good serves to hold? Why must it be back against the wall then he served well, but when he was leading, he served so poorly?

          • Yeah, and that’s the problem! Why have such mindset? It’s rather passive, no wonder hes doing so much harm to his body, by making it work so hard to try to win.

          • Well maybe he can get it back. He used to play great with a lead.

            Tough to win seven straight matches without the consistent killer instinct.

            Hoping clay makes the difference.

    • Exactly, nothing special. Fed came prepared, he’s hitting his BH with more power, earlier and it didn’t break down that easily.

      Perhaps Rafa was unlucky at the AO, but he had himself to blame, for allowing his matches to drag on. Also, he’s taking too long to serve and the TV warnings had clearly disrupted his momentum, in both the Raonic and Dimi matches. I noticed after the TVs both times, Rafa went on to lose his serve and then the set. He was taking average 27 Sec between points, Dimi 24 and Raonic 23. His team should work on getting him to serve under 25 secs. Note that both Dimi and Raonic didn’t get a single warning despite going over 20 seconds. If he wasn’t getting TV warnings, perhaps he could hold on to his serve and maybe the set too, that way he may not need to drag his matches and so at least stays fresher for the later rounds.

        • Yeah, but he’s not doing anything to solve this issue, but letting it affect him every now and then, and in important matches!

      • No, he was lucky in the tournament up until the point he got broken at 3-4 in the fifth. It’s not unlucky that he could easily have lost to Dimitrov in a gruelling match, I think Dimitrov was unlucky not to win that. He’s always had warnings for taking too long between points, nothing to do with luck.

        What Fed did in the fifth set today was truly exceptional, even for him.

          • Well I think Rog had about 2 or 3 break points on every service game of Nadal in the last set. As I said in the semis eventually the break points tell so it was the whole of the last set Fed dominated apart from the opening game.

  71. wanted to say big congrats to benny and abhirf. both great fed fans and always sporting when rafa wins. any other fed fans i have forgotten then congrats to you as well.

  72. Congrats to Roger and his fans! Condolences to Rafa and his fans… Two things: Roger has to be considered among the favorites for Wimbledon now. And Rafa must be considered among the favorites at Roland Garros. I can see both those guys being serious contenders on their respective best surfaces this season…

  73. Christopher Clarey ‏@christophclarey 17m17 minutes ago
    More
    No public retirement plans but Federer on ESPN on the “if not” line to Aussie crowd: “Because you never know. I’m not getting any younger”

  74. Hi everybody,
    Congrats to Roger and his fans. He’s amazing at 35! So is Rafa! And,yes, we have to admit: the GOAT discussion is probably over. I can’t see anyone passing 18.
    And of course I’m totally gutted. It would be wrong not to admit it
    🙁

        • Yeah, it’s definitely over…I had my hopes for Rafa to win it as he would then remain in the equation…Fed even if he had lost today would have remained the main GOAT material…this way it is all over for Rafa…

          I think he will never get another chance at the AO…this outcome and the way he let it slip away will most likely jeopardize the rest of Rafa’s career…this is why I feel so depressed over this heartbreaking loss…

          • Exactly Natashao. I’m upset because Rafa let it slipped away. Imagine the whole top ten can’t even beat a 35 yo Fed who’s just back from a long break. It speaks volume as to how dreadful the top ten are these days! They are all younger than the 35 yo, yet they all lost to him or couldn’t outlast him.

            No doubt Fed was brilliant and aggressive, but he’s not unbeatable, but the younger challengers all failed to take their chances.

            Yeah, I doubt Rafa could win the AO ever again, so I hope we no longer talk so much about any double career slams; Djoko is more likely to get it at the FO. We just have to hope he still can win on clay and reaches 15 slams at the FO this year, unless Rafa himself is not thinking of winning any and is just happy playing tennis.

          • luckystar ( AT 2:35 PM),

            I hope, Rafa fans will talk about his double career slam until he retires.
            Rafa has no plans to retire.

          • Yes, I dropped the Double Slam from my mind. It had been a long shot at best before the tourney anyway.
            But while difficult, No 15 is certainly not out of the question. Maybe even during this season, if Rafa manages to see the whole AO experience as very positive.

          • If Rafa stays healthy he will have another chance in Australia. He was the youngest of the four finalists don’t forget.

          • The more we talked about his double career slams, the more we get disappointed, better not talk about it. Imo, Rafa has no more chances at the AO when he will be 31 next year. Guys like Dimi and Zverev will get even better next year. Rafa is not Fed, he has already lost the ability to play offensive tennis, at least not for a whole match. He won’t have a better chance than this year, when both Djoko and Murray got knocked out early, when he still could outlast Dimi and Zverev, when Stan got knocked out by Fed, and when Fed is 35, came back from long break, got some injury and neeed MTO.

            All these mentioned factors may never happen against the AO.

          • luckystar (AT 2:57 PM),

            While reading comments from posters who call themselves a Rafa fan, I have a feeling that it’s better not to read them, because I get frustrated. 😆

          • We have to face reality, no point having false hope and get frustrated. We can criticize any player about their tennis, Rafa is no exception. When he plays well I commended him, not well I criticized his play. We can be fans without being fanatics.

            I may sound negative but I (and we) can’t help feeling frustrated when Rafa let this good chance slipped away. I honestly feel that Zverev and Dimitrov will be forces to be reckoned with at the AO next year.

          • Natashao…Hey that’s okay..we don’t know what’s the future will bring to rafa…like we didn’t expect that he can reach the final at AO after just coming back from a long lay off..he will rise once again natashao…Today,roger was just too good for him…honestly,i’ve never seen roger this determined…who knows maybe rafa will get his 10th at FO???It’s not over yet okay?

      • Yes, it will rage on. But at least for now it’s over for me. Roger has much more speaking for him than just the slam count.
        I’m gutted, though, because I really hoped that Rafa can surpass Sampras. It was not to be today. And it’s also highly unlikely that he will get to at least two slams each.
        As to Roger: I don’t even exclude that he will win more slams. US Open and Wimby are not impossible.Depends largely on Novak and Andy.
        As to Rafa: I do hope he takes it mostly positive. His run was astonishing. But Novak will come back eventually and breathe down his neck. The clay season will hopefully be interesting and competitive

        • Novak will challenge Rafa for RG title…he is not going away…young guns will be around as well…this was Rafa’s huge chance to get his invisibility mojo back and his mental edge…but, it was not meant to be…so sad for Rafa…

          • I think Djoko will most likely surpass Rafa at the slams and makes it to no. 2 behind Fed. Djoko can win anywhere even though the USO seems his worse slam. Rafa’s only chance will be at the FO. The way he’s playing on the HCs, the aggressive young guns will out run him and beat him, with their big serves and big forehands.

        • I haven’t checked: did Roger drop hints at his retirement? It sure would be the perfect moment. GOAT status in the bag, having vanquished his strongest and classiest foe, two sets of twins at home…
          Sampras did it after he bagged No 14…didn’t count on Roger’s development, lol!
          Rafa should continue. And he will – strong hopefully. But again, the GOAT debate is over for Rafa. A few consolations: Rafa’s name will be attached to the GOAT’s as no other player’s name. The head-to-head is still heavily in his favor. This one match doesn’t change it. And he still won the Greatest Match Of All Time 🙂
          That’s about all the consolation I have to offer.
          Novak’s further development will be interesting. I still think that he will catch up with or surpass Rafa’s slam count. That’s another reason why I’m so disappointed today…

          • The match was very significant if not just for the differential in slams won IMO.

            Sampras admitted to losing joy for the game and the commitment required. Fed still loves everything about it. He said just a few weeks ago that he wants to play for another few years and anything he might have said today I’m sure is only about his future health.

          • Yes significant..Now Rafa knows he has to go back to drawing board for his game plan vs Roger..the same rinse and repeat wont work…

          • I disagree sanju. He is very close and was a break up in the 5th.

            He is still not back to the form he is capable of at 30. He is getting close.

          • Nothing is over..Yes Rafa may not get to 18 at this age…but it is not necessary that Rafa will not win more slams…

            The RG is wide open..

            Dont count Rafa out at USO too…

            Novak we all thought was unstoppable after RG last year..but everything changed..

            Things can change very fast…

            There is no guarantee that Fed will play this well from now till Wimby as now its slow surfaces except Dubai in Feb..

          • Roger said try to see next year but if not this has been a remarkable year. His exact words

            When asked later about the use of ‘If not’..he said I am not getting younger..

          • USO? Not when he’s playing counter punching tennis and playing catch up tennis all the time. He’s not going to last seven matches playing five setters mostly. Wimbledon is out of the question. It’s at the FO that he can have all the time in the world to play his counterpunching tennis.

            I think Rafa may win no.15 and retires with 15. Djoko maybe 16?

          • But who is to say he wont learn from this loss..he can right? He may not necessarily play counter punching..he won USO in 10,13 being very aggressive..

          • Sanju, Rafa’s career is hardly over. But the GOAT debate is over for him IMO. He would need to win at least two more slams for even being in the discussion again. And I cannot imagine that Novak will win 6 or 7 more slams. But he might well get the career double slam. Hopefully Rafa will stop him, though 😉

          • While medium fast, USO is slower than this AO I think Rafa would have won on Ashe conditions today.

            AO also used a faster ball for Roger this year, lighter and with tighter felt so rafa’s spin wasn’t as effective to Feds BH but traditional depth was lacking on that shot which is needed to keep him pinned in the corner instead of letting him step in on short BH to hit them repeatedly for clean winners.

            That was the difference.

            His strategy is still good but the execution was lacking a bit too often.

          • Roger can stay the GOAT…There is never a clear GOAT

            All we need to bother about is how many slams will Rafa end up with? Stays at 14 or goes further

          • When he won USO2010 and 2013, his serve did help him a lot.

            He’s at a disadvantage now at the USO because since having a roof, the AA Arena is playing quicker with lesser wind; they have a roof now and it will become an indoor court should it rain. Who knows, they may also speed up the court, having seen so many upsets and excitement at this AO.

  75. I am so happy to see Roger win #18. I became a huge tennis fan in 2012 and I had never seen him win a Major live until now, I missed wimby 2012 :(. Hopefully this will put an end to the arrogant Nadal fans who keep on predicting 3 easy sets against Federer. The keys to the match were Federer’s aggressive backhands whilst limiting his backhand slices. Nadal after going two sets to one down played liked the champion he is, and almost won this one. All those breakpoints saved early in the 5th set. What a warrior! I thought he had it, but Federer himself is also a great champion and showed his mettle to break Nadal twice and win his 18th. Congrats Federer!!
    Signed,
    A Tennis Fan

    • Agree..Fed showed what he never showed against Rafa and Rafa showed what he did not against Fed..both surprised..

      I still cant believe as well as Fed played, Rafa let a break slip in 5th.

  76. I am so happy to see Roger win #18. I became a huge tennis fan in 2012 and I had never seen him win a Major live until now, I missed wimby 2012 :(. Hopefully this will put an end to the arrogant Nadal fans who keep on predicting 3 easy sets against Federer. The keys to the match were Federer’s aggressive backhands whilst limiting his backhand slices. Nadal after going two sets to one down played liked the champion he is, and almost won this one. All those breakpoints saved early in the 5th set. What a warrior! I thought he had it, but Federer himself is also a great champion and showed his mettle to break Nadal twice and win his 18th. Congrats Federer!!
    Signed,
    A Tennis Fan!!

  77. Another interesting aspect I noticed was that all these different tennis sites had predicted Nadal winning in 4 to 5 set. What I enjoyed reading was the analysis and predictions made by tennis greats who had it 50/50 either way and it was correct because this match could have gone either way!. Wish they do this for every slam final 🙂

    http://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/tennis/what-aussie-tennis-legends-are-expecting-in-the-2017-australian-open-final/news-story/276c2a638a8535c7117310e688670e85

  78. We’re going to be partying like rock stars tonight, I can tell you that” – Federer

    The rules are there, so you can use them. But I don’t believe we should abuse the system”, Federer on the MTO he took.

    Boris Becker ‏@TheBorisBecker 7m7 minutes ago
    More
    2 #goats …@rogerfederer @RafaelNadal …we salute you…#Melbourne

  79. I think Roger will play this season and then retire…why would he bother? He may even win Wimby this year and if not he will not be sad about it…his legacy is safe…

    I am not saying Rafa’s career is over and I definitely expect him to win more slams…it just would have been so easier if Rafa was able to win this one…he would have been the favorite to win RG because his belief and his mental strength would have been back…but nothing comes easy for Rafa…he will have to fight for it again and again…he will have to fight not only his opponents, but the tourneys who do all they can to speed up the courts, the time rule and the rigged draws and most importantly the injuries if he would continue playing grueling matches…it takes a lot of effort for Rafa to win GS…

    • I agree that everything would’ve been so much easier for Rafa if he had won this. The circumstances aren’t favoring him.
      I hope No 10 is a heavy priority for Team Rafa now. Hope that he stays healthy.
      I also think that Roger will continue in order to finish the season. He can be totally relaxed now. But I doubt that he will continue for another season.Why should he?

    • I can’t agree more with this part “he will have to fight not only his opponents, but the tourneys who do all they can to speed up the courts, the time rule and the rigged draws” and the scheduling to favour certain player.

      • I agree with Liz.

        Even some of the players in the draw complained about favouritism shown to Fed this year.

        But it is really nothing new. After fed complained about time between serves the rule was changed and enforced.

        Preferred scheduling, courts etc nothing new.

        That is why I picked him two weeks ago.

        • This tournament opened my eyes the extent the tournament would go to give Fed advantage over his opponent especially Nadal. Tf they had scheduled the women’s semis on different days, at least the favourtisim would have been less obvious.

      • That’s what I fear, too. I wish he wouldn’t have been up a break in the 5th. That makes accepting the loss so much harder…We will see how this plays out psychologically for him.

      • natashao2013 (AT 3:00 PM),

        No, natashao, Rafa doesn’t have heath issues currently!

        I have written here multiple times that Rafa and U.Toni have explained several times that Rafa lost confidence in 2015 because of his HEALTH issues in 2014. An excerpt from U.Toni’s recent interview with COP, a radio network in Spain [translated by Genny]:
        “Getting injured in the AO 2014 final was a big blow. When he recovered, the wrist issue happened [July 2014] and then appendicitis [October 2014] when he was trying to come back. All this caused him a huge stress and lack of confidence in his body. He was going on court [in 2015] without knowing/trusting what his body would do.”
        http://www.cope.es/player/Toni-Nada…ser-el-de-antes&id=2015122301340002&activo=10

        • @ augusta 3:18 PM,

          I said Rafa would most likely have to fight injuries IF he continued playing grueling tennis which I believe he will because it is too late to significantly change his style of play at the age of 30…and once injuries are there Rafa’s own demons will surface…

    • Fed’s body is also breaking down. His knee issue I think is not going away that easily. He’s very careful with the way he moves and would stop moving once he feels something wrong with his knee. I think he won’t win Wimbledon and this slam may be his swan song (I mean for winning a slam). I think he won’t win another slam any more and may retire soon.

      He’s remarkable, for winning 5AO, 5 USO, 7 Wimbledon with a FO. Winning this AO, he has 10 HC slams in total and pulls away from Djoko even further when Djoko has 8 now. Sampras manages 2 AOs and no FO. Djoko may still has a chance to match Fed at the HC slams but I doubt he can get five Wimbledon or five FOs, so Fed’s records at each slam, save for the FO, are truly remarkable.

  80. Can’t really express my happiness at this moment!
    Roger conquering his mental demons.. His most pleasing grand slam win probably as far as I’m concerned.
    Hop on Roger! #8 & #19 awaits you this July!

    Commiserations to Rafa! He clearly was disappointed losing this one. Looked quite glum during trophy ceremony.

    • @ abhirf88 3:19 PM,

      I think you should be happy and should enjoy the greatness of your man! Fed really is Maestro of tennis and his persistence and belief in this match made difference! Congrats once again to you and other Fed fans on this site…My family member is Fed fan and she is over the moon right now…can’t argue with that! You guys deserve it!

  81. The few positives

    Rafa reached a final..that no one thought he would

    He won 2 5 setters that he had been losing..

    He seems healthy…

    He knows now that he has to change his tactic against Roger next time..THe same rinse and repeat wont work..Rafa may realize that the tiredness possibly did him in at the end..

    It is not that just coz Roger won this..he will wipe the floor with Rafa next time they meet..He barely scrapped through this…

    Last time Rafa lost AO in 2012 and 2014..he won the RG..yes he was younger then..but dont count him out

    He is No 6 in rankings now and has a chance to get upto No 4 by RG if he plays decent from now on…

    BIGGEST of all..no more will he be favorite against Roger..whether by media or his own fans..this was a good lesson to his over confident fans who thought result was inevitable..The pressure will be equally on Roger too infact at every non clay event (maybe more)

    • Sanju (3:36 PM) says: “Rafa reached a final..that no one thought he would.”
      .
      Yep, sanju, Rafans wrote on the Grandstand before the final that Rafa has exceeded their expectations…

  82. Congrats to Federer Fans, amazing 18th title for the man!

    To Rafa fans I say, don’t be sad cause reaching the final is just the start of a wonderful season for Rafa.
    Vamos Rafa!

  83. And folks..Almighty is there..he knows what is the best..He had this one for Roger..He knows what is best for Rafa….If he feels Rafa has it in him to win more..Rafa will..hardwork and perseverance finally pays..look at Roger..from 4.5 years he is at it..lost 3 finals at Wimby & USO..his perseverance and patience paid off finally..hope is not lost for Rafa…

  84. That they sped up the AO so much was a surprise indeed. I think it played a great role in Fed’s success. Many fans will applaud, fans of players like Rafa, Novak and Andy not so much. But we should try to see the glass as half full. Rafa managed to survive until the final and he conquered 3 players in a row who thrive on a fast court, while Andy and Novak got knocked out early.
    I just hope they leave the US Open as it is.

    • Rafa came very close on a court changed to minimize anyone’s chances against one player.

      That’s what popularity buys. It’s a business first and a sport second.

  85. rafa has hardly played fed since fed changed rackets has he? the control on the new racket makes it much easier for him to protect his backhand. also that is feedback to fed making him more self-confident and able to go for his shots.

    • it’s not easy to play big matches when you are so short of match play. ok that applies to fed as well but his default mode/autopilot obviously suits the faster court and when you are short of match play that is what you tend to slip into. also fed has played a lot more big matches in the last 2 years. he’s been in slam finals and so on. that makes a big difference. nearly 3 years for rafa.

    • Amy, I also thought that Roger’s raquet change paid off hugely. Kudos to him for making the transition. Sampras still kicks himself because he didn’t have the guts to go through with it before he went to the seniors tour.
      What’s encouraging: Rafa served so much better during AO. It didn’t pay off in the final, but it probably brought him to the final in the first place.

      • ok thanks for the feedback littlefoot. nice also to meet you for the first time. i couldn’t see the final unfortunately. i do think that carlos will help rafa freshen up his game in hte coming months. rafa has got so stuck in his own default mode and i hope that carlos will be able to coax him out little by little. very glad to hear he is serving better. if he can build on that alone then he is really in business.
        btw, i read what you said about nole below. i am a fan of nole’s as well as rafa! i think nole has a lot of problems and may well struggle for a while. so from rafa’s perspective that is all to the good. getting to the final here will really help him at rg. if he’d gone out early again i dont see how he could win it otherwise.

        • littlefoot..Roger changed his racquet 2 years back..not now..just that Rafa has not played him much with new racquet…AO 2014 they played..but that was too early after Roger made the change..next was Basel 2015 but that was fast indoor court..

          • Sanju AO 2014 court was slower and today’s Rafa would have beaten fed with those conditions including the ball that was used then.

            Not taking anything away from fed. Rafa only beat him twice in those conditions. Cincy and WTF once each.

  86. While the GOAT debate might be over for a lot of tennis fans, the ongoing season will be most interesting. So many questions: will Fed continue full speed or will he rest on his well earned laurels? Can Rafa continue his promissing resurgence? And how will Novak and Andy react?
    I fully expect Novak to come out of his mini slump. Unfortunately this won’t make Rafa’s life any easier. Especially since Rafa’s records will probably be Novak’s main target now, since that is a realistic goal. Like it or not, Roger removed himself into another dimension today IMO.I hope I’m wrong, but I can’t imagine that Rafa or Novak have a realistic chance to chase his records. If Rafa wins two more slams he might bring himself into the conversation again. But I think RG is his best chance. And unfortunately it takes place only once a year 😉 And Novak will be a heavy rival for that title.

    • Rafa is never the Goat in the first place, dont understand this Goat talk about Rafa in the first place.

      I feel if Djoko can win a few more slams, then he can challenge Fed for Goat. If Djoko wins one more FO, one more AO, 2 more Wimbledon and one more USO, he can be Goat. He will then have 2 career slams, won 4 slams in a row, 17 slams. If he returns to no.1 and stays there for one to two years, he can even challenge Fed’s 302 weeks as no.1.

      I hope Djoko comes back to his winning ways. We need someone from his gen to challenge Fed the Goat. Fed can only be clay Goat, so I hope Djoko can do the job and better.

        • Lucky Star, Rafa has been the clay goat for a long time now. But if he had won today a good case could’ve been made that he is or will become the Co-GOAT. A win today would’ve made a big difference.
          We will always have our personal goats. And Rafa has achieved so much more than most experts ever predicted. He has won over lots of hearts during his AO campaign. And he’s hopefully not done, yet. But for the pundits the GOAT debate will be settled for now. Rafa hasn’t lost the GOAT status today since he never was the GOAT in the first place. But IMO he has lost the chance to ever become the GOAT when all is said and done.

      • That’s why I cheer djoko to win slams when Rafa can’t. I thought you said you’d rather fed beat Nole in slam finals. I know most if not all but me here do.

        • Hawkstradamus, I also cheer for Nole when he plays Fed for many reasons. Although that will probably mean he will catch Rafa eventually.

          • I’d prefer Rafa to catch him but if not then Nole.

            Those two have been shown less favouritism and never had a period with virtually no competition like Roger from 2003-07 aside from Rafa on clay.

          • Rafa had much harder competition because he is the middle child so to speak. He has been sandwiched between Roger in front of him and Novak breathing down his neck from behind.
            I have no idea right now how Novak’s future will unfold. After his RG win we all thought that he would continue to collect slams without too much competition. That has’t quite worked out as expected…

        • I don’t cheer for Djoko just to spite Fed or his fans. What I want to see is Rafa’s gen can have someone as good as Fed at least; Rafa’s gen is > Fed’s gen, producing two ATG and two other multi slam winners. So to me, having a Goat contender from Rafa’s gen will be something fitting.

          Too bad Rafa falls by the wayside somehow and not in contention anymore imo. It’s since 2009 that with injuries and dumb scheduling of his that caused him his Goat status; not to forget his AO2011 when he’s going for four in a row.

          Imo, Djoko still has the chance, being an all rounder himself. He can win on any surfaces, doesn’t need to work so hard to win unlike Rafa. He has a great serve and great ROS, all he needs is the desire and mindset to start winning again.

  87. I can’t be too sad. When i think of my low expectations going into this tournament….and Rafa playing a good final and looking healthy and happy afterwards? Yes, I’d have signed for that!
    for him, it’s all about being able to compete with the best. After that he can win or he can lose. Today he lost…tomorrow? Who knows. That’s tennis.

    Congrats to Roger and his fans. He played a great tournament. He’s been very patient over the past few years, and worked hard. He deserved this one, as Rafa said, “a little bit more than me.”

    • Dory (AT 4:48 PM),

      If Rafa had lost in the SF, Rafa haters all over the world would have yelled happily: “Rafa is finished!”

    • Finally I am able to articulate my thoughts on Rafa’s loss. I was up right to the end and it was hard to see Rafa lose the fifth set when he was up a break. So many times that has been the case. He was fighting in every service game. That mentally wears a player down. I think that I could accept it better if Rafa wasn’t so close.

      This was the slam that I wanted for Rafa. The double career slam. He had another chance and that is something you don’t get very often. Nothing will make this okay for me. It is true that Rafa exceeded my expectations, but once he got there I wanted him to win. He’s had it so tough the last few years. This round have been his crowning achievement.

      Novak and Murray are not going anywhere and as long as Rafa is outside the top four he is going to have tough draws. If he can get into the top four before RG then that will be a big help.

      I am not okay with Fed’s MTO’s. if it was Rafa who did that and win, what would Fed fans have been saying? Rafa was gracious in his interview as always, I think that Moya was a great help and will continue to be good for Rafa.

      There are a lot of positives to take out of this tournament. Rafa played some brilliant tennis and had great victories which will give him confidence and belief moving forward.

      I am very you’d of Rafa and incredibly proud to be his fan.

      • Hi NNY,
        I can relate to most of your thoughts. I really wanted Rafa to win this. It would’ve made such a big difference. Seeing that he was so close makes it even harder to accept.
        Re: Roger’s MTOs, I see it a bit differently. I’m not very upset that Roger took them. What upsets me a bit is the general double standard. If Rafa or Novak and Andy had done it there would’ve been a great hue’n cry. That plays into the themes Hawkstradamus was talking about. I also find it interesting that all the former influential Australian champions like Rod Laver or Roy Emerson are massive Fed fans. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the AO courts played so much faster this year. There has actually been a lot of locker room talk about favoritism in connection with Roger. If this really played a role I don’t even think this was a move specifically against Rafa. Nobody expected him to be in this year’s equation, lol! But the Australians might’ve had enough of serial Novak wins.
        All this might sound like sour grapes. Roger had to earn this win this for sure and grab the opportunity. Nobody helped him oncourt. He did great, no doubt about it. But other players have to struggle more than Fed ever had to do.

        • littlefoot,

          I know that I already welcomed you back, but I have to say that it is really a pleasure to chat with you here again!

          I am looking to come to terms with this loss and also to take the good things out of this tournament. There are a lot of positives for Rafa to take away. I do not want that to get lost. I think you make a good point that cubit was anyone but Fed, then there would be a hue and cry. That is the double standard that I dislike. I am just acknowledging some of the innate bias and unfairness in this sport.

          I am not big on conspiracy theories, but I do not think it was coincidence that the surface was made quicker. As you said, that could have been to stop Novak more than Rafa. Nobody could have foreseen Rafa getting to the final.

          Rafa has had a much tougher time if it than Fed. That is why I wanted this win for him, I don’t care one bit about the GOAT debate. I wanted Rafa to go something that had not been done with the career slam.

          Rafa has been thwarted in the past due to injuries. I wanted this for him, I know there is more tennis to be played and Rafa will have more chances to add to his legacy. I don’t know that he will have another shot at the AO.

          Thanks for your words of wisdom as I try to deal with this loss.
          ☹️

        • Court maybe faster and it surely helped Federer. But Rafa was up 3 1 in 5th. Fed literally turned it upside down after that as he played very aggressive and went for winners. He overcame doubts in his mind and went for it.

          So despite the fast court Rafa had it in his hands and lost it.

      • Exactly, it’s hard to watch when Rafa let the match slipped from his grasp. I just hope Rafa can realize that staying so far behind the baseline and counter punching would not land him the major trophies, perhaps only the FO.

        If he really desires one more AO, then he has to do something about it. In the past, Rafa played the least five setters among the big four, these past two years, he had played at least seven of them, winning three losing four, not a good stats.

        If he has to play grueling five setters all the time, chances are he’s not going to win the trophy in the end. He has to beef up his serves, his ROS and looks to move inside the court as much as possible.

        His ROS position is so bad today, hardly threatening Fed’s serves. His serve, when he needed to hold serve while leading, it failed him.

        Perhaps it’s his first slam final after so long, so he’s too cautious and played more passively. I hope he can build on this, even though he lost this, he lost to the great RF, nothing to be ashamed of, just a bit of regret. Maybe, his next slam final, he will make sure he won’t commit the same mistakes again.

        I do hope he improves on grass too, a better serve, more net approaches and shorter points may help him on grass. I really want to see Rafa making all four finals just like Fed and Djoko do/did and winning some. He may not have that many chances anymore going forward.

        • Rafa will never change his style of play…he will never feel comfortable rushing at the net…he approaches the net only if he has to or feels absolutely confident to do so…too bad, I always said he is better at the net than both Novak and Andy…

          • Moya is making him change it and get more aggressive. It will not happen so soon in first grand slam. Results will come.

          • E.g. he did stand close to baseline and played Raonic didn’t he ?

            He has played Dimi before and the earlier Dimi used to stabd 5ft behind baseline. This is a new Dimi. Rafa will be careful now on.

            It’s good he faced this Fed. He will be careful now on when playing him.

          • Yeah, Rafa during his younger days in 2004, wasn’t afraid to come to the net as often as possible. Since his successes on clay, he started staying back and rarely moved forward.

            With surfaces tending to get quicker again these days, perhaps Moya could help him to rediscover the desire to move forward. Fed sets an example here of how approaching the net as often as possible helped him clinch his 5th AO.

  88. Rafa is still technically not even the age that Roger was when he won his second to last major. He still an excellent shot at winning the Aussie again. Also, as I said yesterday, choosing who you think deserves to be called the greatest player of all time is completely subjective. I believe you can make arguments for Fed, Rafa, Novak, Laver, or Sampras for being the greatest of all time. But it my opinion, it is so pointless to question who the single greatest is. If arguments can be made for all those guys, why can’t we just think of it as a five-man “Mount Rushmore” of sorts? Laver, The Godfather old-school two-time Grand Slam guy. Novak, the rubber-body athletic genius. Rafa, the greatest fighter and clay court master. Pistol Pete, the great fast court player and serving master. Federer, the balletic “make hard things look easy” guy who was achieved all-surface greatness. Each one of these guys, for so many different reasons, could be argued as somehow better than all the others. But why complicate things with all that when we can just marvel at each one’s respective greatness, achievements, and unmatched hard work? I love them all! I just wish my man Agassi could be discussed among those guys… 🙂

    • I have never bought into the GOAT argument. I agree that we should celebrate the greatest champions of all time in equal measure. I think the whole GOAT argument is self-indulgent and artificial.

      Rod Laver has always said that there cannot be a GOAT, that a player can only be the greatest of his era. One cannot ignore what Laver contributed to this sport. People say that he only had to play on grass and clay and indoor wood courts. But he won the. Calendar slam twice. Nine of his peers, also great players in their own right, were able to do that. Roy Emerson had the record hit most slams at 12, which lasted for decades.

      Sampras then broke the record and also won 7 Wimbledon titles and was number one for the most weeks until Fed came along. The only thing mussing for him was the Career slam, because he never won RG.

      Rafa had his own achievements and records. Nine titles at RG, Career slam, his unmatched record overall in clay. Fed has the most slams and I don’t think anyone will equal it.

      It is a shame to anoint one player as the greatest of all time. We should acknowledge all of the greatest to ever play this game.

      • Actually, Laver said just last May:

        “I don’t think you put one of those two above the other when you look at their performances. You know what Roger’s record is. But the way that Djokovic has been playing over the last year or so, I would say that Djokovic and Federer are equals.

        “When you look at Djokovic’s performances and his results, you just have to say, ‘Hey, this guy’s unbelievable, and how can you look past him when discussing who is the best ever?'”

        • I know what Laver said recently about Novak and Fed, but in the past he has always said that a player can only be the greatest in his own era.

          Maybe he has since changed his mind, but I don’t see how Novak bumps Rafa.

          • You’re right, Laver never liked Rafa especially. I remember, when Rafa had the chance for the Rafaslam at the AO 2011, he campaigned that only the calendar slam really counts. It’s nice to hear that he spoke so nicely about Novak and his RG win. Novak deserved that.
            As I said already, I do suspect that there was some favoritism in connection with Roger and the Autralian Open officials. All the influential Australian former champions admire Roger. But again: Roger had to go out there and win it against tough competition. Nobody gifted him the trophy. He may have been lucky that Andy went out prematurely. But Rafa was lucky, too, that he didn’t have to face Novak.
            That the two semifinals aren’t scheduled for the same day, is ridiculously unfair. But that isn’t favoritism. It has been like this for quite a while.

          • Good thing about Roger winning this is: he might finally retire. Am already “fed up” with him and all this pathetic circus.

        • My point is that many including Laver like to have an opinion about GOAT. Same for any sport, individual or team.

          Of course it’s personal and subjective.

          Some don’t and some do.

    • I agree and I don’t agree. Yes, we should celebrate them all, and we will. If anything, Rafa’s achievements will be worth even more because he has amassed them during Fed’s and Novak’s eras. I also agree that it is problematic to anoint an intergenerational GOAT because it is almost impossible to compare the respective conditions of different eras. But Rafa definitely had a fighting chance to go down as the best of his generation. That isn’t possible anymore IMO. And while we might celebrate them all, sports doesn’t work that way. Sports is about competition and rankings. That we love and cherish them all, doesn’t change the mechanisms of sports. Otherwise we might as well have given out two trophies today 🙂

      • Rafa can’t have his own era, poor soul. The eras belonged to Fed and followed by Djoko.

        I really think Djoko is the only one who still has a chance to match up to Fed’s greatness, in the numbers at least if not in popularity.

        • Luckystar, I agree. That’s why today’s loss is so hard. Rafa had the chance to make it truly the Fedal era, and he would’ve achieved the Double Career Slam, something Fed will never have.
          Novak’s job got a bit harder today. But he has a remote chance to come at least close to Fed’s slam count. And he certainly has a better chance to achieve the Double Career Slam than Rafa 🙁

  89. It is a really bad trend Rafa is developing at the australian open. He was up a break in 2012 final, against verdasco and today and ending up losing the 5th set 🙁

    I hope rafa plays well enough to win the french from here.

  90. All you people saying that if Rafa can’t win slams, you cheer for Djok, says one thing about you. Whether you like it or not, you watch the sport out of hate for Federer, in the hope that someone surpasses his slam count, and not out of love for your favorite player. Think about that. Your hatred for Federer far exceeds your love for Rafa/Nole. It’s quite sad. Jumping ship is very easy. Akin to soccer fans who are Chelsea fans one day and Man City fans the next. You are not fans, you are glory hunters.

    • Fedfan,

      Talk about being a sore winner! What on earth are you going on about? I have read a very respectful discussion about the match. I don’t see all these people supposedly wanting Novak to win now and somehow sully or threaten Fed’s legacy! I am really surprised at the tone of your post.

      Why don’t you take a chill pill and just enjoy Fed’s victory and stop trying to find a reason to fight with people here!

    • Ah. Thanks for clearing that up fedfan.

      Hope you are enjoying Feds great victory today.

      You are such a true happy fan who would never have a bad word for Rafa!

      Congratulations!

  91. Yeah, Rafa can say that his opponent is/was simply too good. However, why then each time he’s good enough to reach the final, his opponent simply played too good for him to win? Why always the second best? He has to do something, improves something, if not he will keep losing matches like this.

    • I would love to hear from rc. However, I appreciate the civility of the discussion and different points of view expressed here, it’s been a good discussion.

      I wanted to participate because it helps me to handle it when Rafa loses. I have to be grateful that he did go well, but when your guy gets that close it hurts.

  92. I cannot believe old Fed took this. His MTOs his complaining about rafa taking too long. Damn Fed employee dimitrov.I hope Novak gets motivated again …

    • The statistics don’t support that view, Kevin. Apparently it’s 60:40 in favor of those who had one more day’s rest. Mats Wilander has never been a very reliable source, lol!

      • Of course, in many instances it doesn’t matter. If the semis haven’t been that gruelling, then the extra day isn’t an advantage. But still, the AO should eliminate this potential source of disadvantage.

  93. Yeah, I honestly didn’t hear what the context was in terms of was he referring to just the Australian Open, or all slams, or a certain period of time, or what. They also mentioned it on “The Tennis Podcast”, so who knows what the hell they were referring to…

    • I was only referring to the statistics of the AO. As I said, in many years it might not make a big difference. We don’t know if it contributed heavily to Rafa’s loss. And if Fed had played his semis against Wawa also on Friday, then Rafa would still have been more tired today than Fed because he was on court much longer. But it’s such an unnecessary discussion and could easily be avoided. None of the other slams does it. They should just do away with it. But they probably won’t.

  94. I do think it’s funny that it was never much of an issue to anybody before this final, but once it involves Fedal, it’s suddenly a big deal… Just shows even more just how passionate people are about these two guys. Of course if it was reversed and Rafa had the extra day and then won the final, it would suddenly be a big deal to the Pro-Fed people and the the Pro-Nadal people would say it was not an issue. 🙂 These guys are “bigger than Jesus” as John Lennon would say.

    • Kevin, it has always been a bone of contention, not just this year. It always became an issue when the semis were long. I think that Andy has been on the receiving end, too.

      • And I would also criticize it, if Fed had been the victim of this scheduling. I have actually criticized it before. It is just stupid and unfair, no matter who plays in the final.

        • My bad- I should have said that SOME people who are pro-one or the other would have a different reaction depending on the circumstances. There are clearly plenty of people who disagree with it no matter what. I didn’t mean to offend anyone who favors one over the other.

          • You certainly didn’t offend me, Kevin 😉
            I just wanted to clarify that this has been a bone of contention for a long time. It just does’t get discussed every year, because depending on the length of the semis it isn’t always relevant.

  95. I agree that they should make it so that both finalists have the same amount of time. I’d be interested to here the AO’s reasoning for it, just for the sake of argument. At some point in any slam tournament, they have to give one side of the draw less time than the other one in order to have both draw halves play on the same day. I really don’t know what the rational is behind doing it with the final round, though. Do the other 3 do it with the semifinals?

  96. Nny…hey r u alright?Don’t be so sad okay?It was not meant to be..No matter how hard we’re find a reason..we can’t find it…We just can hope that rafa maybe will have another chance in the future…okay?

    • Mira Andi,

      I am glad that you are here! I am struggling to deal with this. It’s hard to see Rafa come so close and then let it get away from him. I have my ups and downs today.

      But you are my sunshine! You always see the bright side of things! You make it easier to bear. I hope that good things are in store for Rafa this year! The

      Thanks for being there!
      ???

      • Yeah I am too. Being a fan can be such a roller coaster of a ride.The emotional investment in Rafa is so much. His victories and triumphs feel like our own triumphs. His defeats gnaw like our own defeats.
        Again sport shows that nothing is impossible. If Roger can comeback the way he did,I am hoping that Rafa can right the ship and have success, even at Wimbledon. As Roger showed,one small change in the right direction could do wonders to your confidence and change the dynamic of the game. He came back to do something which he had never done, beat Rafa in non grass grand slam.Why cant Rafa make the finals of wimbledon once again, something which he has done as recently as 2011! It may seem far-fetched at the moment, but you never know-one small tweak here and there and he could be a completely different player.

        • I certainly hope so. I hope Rafa learns from this loss, I do feel it’s his serve that let him down during pressurized moments. Also, he wasn’t doing much to adapt to Fed’s serve by varying his ROS positions. He mentioned that his shoulder wasn’t feeling right hence couldn’t get the depth of his FH the way he would want but if that’s the case, why still play from so far behind the baseline? His legs were tired no doubt but why not move closer to the baseline and cut off some angles against Fed, rather then continuing to run along the baseline but from further behind it?

          I think all these can be rectified going forward, provided he makes a conscious effort to do so. If he’s not going to win the AO again then so be it; just concentrate on winning those that he may have a better chance of winning – FO and perhaps the USO?

          His is still a glorious career, double career slam or not, I feel he should be able to win some more slam(s) and be remembered as an ATG and the clay ‘Goat’.

  97. I know it’s hard to see rafa let things get away just like that..we can feel that everything was in his hands but maybe maybe he’s awestruck by roger’s gameplan who attacked him relentlessly..not back down one bit!!No!..He kept pressing rafa every single minute the entire match!!I can’t believe it Nny!!…That is not Roger that we used to see when faced against rafa…And rafa as we all know,still not free from his demon..it’s still there somewhere…so,i think combined with faster court and quick ball,made rafa doubt himself..and we can see from every pore of his body that he’s got no idea what to do with this new Roger…I know,he and his team already discussed all the possibilities and rog gameplan but like i said this is the first rafa has to deal with this ‘new Roger and his determination to get an 18th’…a roger that suddenly played out of this world tennis….I think we can’t blame rafa too much..he is a human being after all Nny…But i believe and deep down you’re also believe that our RAFA is back Nny!!!he’s already shown to us what he can do in Milos match…and that rafa will emerge again Nny…That’s i’m sure…So,don’t be too sad okay?

    • Mira Andi,

      You are right. That’s why I come here. Yo get support and words of wisdom from people like you. I think you are right about how it all went down. Rafa did fight and push it to a fifth set. He gave it his all. He will get even better.

  98. Nny…besides before the tournament rafa already warned us that we can’t judge him based on his result thi slast couple of months..he asked us to give a verdict at least after Miami…and who knows with Carlos by his side,things will get better and better…it’s already showed a very very positive result this last month,right?It’s not easy to change what you have in your blood Nny..and rafa and his style of play already with him for what?12,13 years..and it will takes time…so,we have to be patient with him okay?Support him while we could..if we have to cry..then cried away..that’s okay..This is life…we,like rafa have to adapt to his situation..that’s our job as a fan..okay Nny?..LOVE U…Don’t be sad okay?

    • Mira Andi,

      I have been sad today. But you have a way with words that makes me see things in a better light. It is true that I never expected Rafa to get to the final. He just didn’t have enough to get over the finish line. This time! But he had a great run and it will help him going forward. He showed that he’s still got it. I enjoyed watching him play so well and like his old self. But there is more work to be done and Moya will help Rafa get there.

      I forgot about Rafa asking not to be judged until after Miami. That’s only fair. He needs more time.

      You give me faith and hope and I am so grateful that you are here.

      I am smiling now!
      ?

      • Nny!!!That’s my girl!!I love u mucho for that..That’s the spirit!..It’s not the end of the world..there’s so much for rafa to play still Nny…add masters to equal or pass Novak’s or 10th FO or another USO[remember,if rafa is healthy..this also a very much possibilty okay?]…So,let’s forget about this loss and bear in our mind that we’re going to see rafa play again in a couple of weeks,month and guess what??…CLAY!!!!…We just have to pray that he’s going to be haelthy and can give his all for Roland Garros..okay Nny??..I don’t want u to be sad and unhappy..i love u too much and it will saddened me if u’re still can’t get out of this loss…hey..smile wider!…YES!That’s it!!

        • Nny…I am so sorry i can’t be here with u sooner..i guess our time difference is terrible..before i went to sleep last nite..i peeked multiple times here,just in case you’re here and i want to be by your side but i guess you’re asleep since u have to stay awake most of the nite…But,that’s okay..i’m here now..and if u want to talk to me…just summon me okay and i will fly to your side in a second!!he he..

          • Mira Andi,

            You are going to make me cry! You are just so sweet! I go take Rafa’s losses hard. I want the best for him. He has struggled so much with injuries and confidence and doubts. But I have to be grateful that we still get to see him play. I posted about how great it was to see him with that will to win and that fighting spirit. He has the desire and the passion, now I hope it will turn into titles.

            The young guys are making themselves heard and competition is getting tougher. It won’t be easy and opportunities don’t come along as much. But as long as Rafa wants to play, then I will be here supporting him all the way!

            You are very special! Thanks for caring and helping to cheer me up!

            ???

          • Nny!!I told u that i love u and will do anything in my power to make u happy…It was nothing,really…to me,to see u happy and in high spirit again is worth it more than a thousand diamonds…That’s what friends r for right?…Btw,for now don’t worry about a thing okay?rafa is in right path..he just have to play more and get in the groove and stay healthy…we know that rafa is the kind of player that needs a match under his belt more before he can settled down…and from what we have seen,he is injury free atm..not playing with pain[a little maybe,but that’s it]..and that’s a good news..i believe if nothing happen to him for 5,6 months…everything will come naturally for him…be patient okay?And hope for the best for him..that’s all we can do…Love u..

  99. This was maybe Roger’s greatest win. Being able to come down from a break in the 5th against his nemesis shows, just maybe, that he has conquered the mental issues that have always been his main obstacle. Think about what this means, at 35. I said two days ago that everyone was over-rating the Nadal FH to Fed BH, and that indeed turned out to be the case. The real question for me is: how many slams would Fed have won had he switched racquets in 2009 instead of 2014? Even with Novak playing out of this world tennis for much of the last two years, Fed has been able to beat him consistently everywhere but the slams, and even there it has been mostly mental on Fed’s part. And Nole is 6 years younger, a very large gap in men’s tennis. I don’t know how much longer Fed can continue to play like this, but the match is clearly on his racquet regardless of who he plays. Great match on both players’ parts, and congrats to Rafa for coming back to this level; I never expected it.

    • Nah with few exceptions Fed has always handled Rafa on a fast hard court because rafa’s spin does not get so high on Feds BH.

      Fed played fantastic on his favourite surface when playing against Rafa but nothing new.

      • @Hawk: First, Fed has never come from behind like that against Rafa in a GS. That’s a mental block (in the past) and a break-through (yesterday). Second, the court was fast but not that fast; nothing like indoors like WTF where Rafa has never managed to win. I don’t think Rafa could have gotten this far in the AO at this stage in his career if the court had been super fast. And yes, this was the first time that Roger fully committed to an all out attack against Rafa in a big match and didn’t lose his nerve even when he was down. In the 2011 RG final, he stormed out to a 3-0 lead, playing (and, of course, executing) first strike tennis even on Nadal’s favourite (and the slowest) surface. However, he played a dumb drop-shot that failed, lost his nerve, and Rafa ran over him. However, this type of tennis can work even on clay. Take the ball early enough and heavy top spin is neutralized; you just have to have genius timing and instinct. It will be interesting to see how Roger does in the upcoming clay court season.

        • Nah, on clay he couldnt do that, slow surfaces dont reward net rushing, if not clay court tennis wont be won by mostly baseliners.

        • Well joe I disagree. Rafa is actually an excellent player on fast court especially in best of five. That’s why he has the advantage over Nole on a historically faster USO hard court whereas Nole excels comparably in Australia’s slower conditions.

          This AO was faster than either of those and rafa’s best weapon against fed is diminished.

          Couple that with the observation that rafa’s FH to Feds BH lacked its traditional depth, this was not a big upset or surprise.

          Rafa let it go in the end having a poor service game that led to losing the last five games surrendering the title to Fed.

          Again fed played at an incredible level right up there with some of the best tennis I’ve ever seen him play especially considering his opponent.

          Yes he had some factors in his favour but credit to him for getting it done at 35.

          Huge props.

          • Rafa may have been a great player on fast courts in 2010-13, but not for many years now, which is why he has bombed out early in many slams and hasn’t beaten Nole for a long time. Personally, I think Nadal, though much improved from a year ago, is still well below his prime. His forehand is not the weapon it was (too many unforced errors the other day), and he has (understandably) lost at least half a step. I think his best chance going forward is to keep playing closer to the baseline, and look for opportunities to come into net. His volleying is so good I’ve always been surprised that he doesn’t do it more. And, with an improved serve (maybe the best it’s ever been; he his an amazing pct. of first serves the other day and really stymied Fed with the body serve for much of the 4th and 5th sets), I think he has a real chance to win RG. All assuming he stays healthy, of course.

          • Rafa has come a long way since anxiety and injury affected his forehand along with the rest of his game bottoming out mid 2014 onwards.

            So it wasn’t just Nole but he was losing to just about anyone on any given day. But he is coming back.

            He does better against Nole (as does Fed and Murray) on faster courts.

            Rafa made the final and was up a break in the decider on a pretty fast hard court against the best fast court player of all time so he’s come a long way since last two years and will get better barring further injuries.

        • It’s no coincidence that Fed committed to an all out attack given the court speed and ligh ball but not so different than how he plays him in fast indoor conditions.

          Given the closeness of this match, had it been its traditional speed, where Rafa was 3-0, I think he would have stayed undefeated vs Fed but it’s a moot point.

          That isn’t going to work on clay unless it’s blue clay in high altitude with a light ball lol but I digress.

          • Maybe that is true based on their history, but I don’t think the match stats support it. It’s pretty clear that when Fed was playing near his best, Rafa had no answer. When Fed’s level dropped, it was close. My reading of those times is that’s it’s largely mental on Roger’s part. Nadal is just mentally stronger (probably the strongest player in the game, along with Novak), but traditionally he has had a special advantage in that regard over Fed. I think that’s what Roger was talking about when he said maybe some of those early clay beatings affected his style on other surfaces. Anyway, it will be very interesting to see their next match (I hope it comes soon!) to see if that dynamic has changed at all.

          • Well I think the relative confidence and respective effectiveness of how their games match up have mostly to do with the speed of the court and balls

            If Rafa was mentally strong as he used to be, many of those CCFH to Feds BH wouldn’t have been hit so short and for me that was the key difference not shown in any match stat along with the lower bounce on a faster than normal court.

            Federer was sublime when it counted yesterday. Rafa was in moments but wasn’t in the end.

            A player of rafa’s calibre has to own part of the blame for losing the last five games of the match surrendering his serve twice in a row in the process. He opened the door slightly and federer with surgeon like precision, exploded through it for the win.

            Tough for me to watch Rafa lose it but I enjoyed Federer’s genuine happiness.

  100. This final probably is last or second last finals. His speed speaks it all. He is ageing and everyone does. The young ones will win this year or next year onward.

  101. Dear All,

    I know this loss hurts especially as double career slam was on the line and this is 3rd AO that Rafa has lost.

    However let us not give up hope. Rafa lost a similar close match against Novak in 2012 final and we thought he would be crushed losing 3 finals in a row to Novak and 7 straight times but he overturned it and beat him in RG and 6 of next 7 times.

    If it was just Toni in his team I would not have had much hope but I believe Carlos Moya will make a difference . He will make Rafa play more aggressive. Rafa has played a different Novak under Becker and now is prepared for a different Roger. He was also in a GS final after 2.5 years so there is a lot of getting used to that is required. Please don’t underestimate the effect of the gruelling semi on this match , Rafa was bound to be tired and not be full strength.

    Rafa will be back in top 4 very soon and hopefully win a slam or two more too. I am not counting him out of any slam .

    • YES!!!That’s the right attitude sanju!…There’s more other than double career slam for rafa and for us…i believe if he win even a masters in the coming months,we fans will be very happy about that and will forget about this heartbreaking loss…So,KEEP CALM AND LOVE RAFA FOREVER!!C’MON!!

        • He he..yeah sanju..definitely but for starters a masters and ATP 500 1 or 2 will do rafa’s confidence and self belief really good heading to RG..me thinks..I can’t wait to see what’s more rafa will give us in the next 4,5 months…VAMOS RAFA!!

    • Sanju (AT 3:26 AM),

      U.Toni hopes too, otherwise he wouldn’t have asked C.Moya to join the Rafa team. 🙂
      According to C.Moya’s contract, he’ll travel with Rafa 12 -15 weeks per year and practice with Rafa always when the latter is in Mallorca.

    • I’m not sure about this Rafa’s crazy site Joe Smith..but Rafa fans,Fedfans,Andy fans and Novak fans are everywhere…Wherever we go..they’re all very passionate…It just happens that Rafa fans are outnumbered any other fan bases here but one thing i do know is that…ALL rafa fans here are AWESOME!They’re argued,traded comments back and forth but in friendly ways..They’re not vicious and hostile and insulted other players or fans and they’re respect other posters very much and i’m very lucky to be one of them even for just a short of time…So,THANK U SO MUCH GUYS!!

    • Joe yes too much so. Makes the discussion less interesting. It’s the biggest knock on this site.

      Please stick around. This site needs more posters like yourself.

  102. Joe does make a valid observation, and so does Liz, i suppose it depends on the success of a player, just lately another site i wont mention was saturated by bullying Novak fans, now they have all but vanished, im a Rafa fan and there is alot here no doubt, but i think in general this is a site where posters are very welcoming to fans of all players, ive had my status as a Nadal fan questioned when i have defended other players, and been called a hater when i have called other players out on things, when ive felt its justified, so i guess you wont win either way ….

    • Alison Hodge (AT 1:00 PM),
      On this site, the Rafa page was saturated with bullying posts from a Djokofan & Fedlover for a long time.

  103. I’ve been over at Bleacher Report for the last few years, which has changed (for the worse) and won’t allow comments for the next month or so. I agree that the fans here are very respectful, esp. compared to that site, where a lot of posters trade personal insults. Also, the level of tennis analysis seems high here. But it does seem like a lot of people are personally invested to a high degree. I’m a tennis player and passionate fan of the game, with a decided preference for Fed because of his playing style. But I like all of the top players, even if I rarely find myself rooting for Rafa or Novak. My main criticism of Nadal, even though he is my favourite player as a person (I think he is genuinely humble and understands that at the end of the day, tennis is just a game that he is very privileged to play for a lot of money) is that on the court I think he abuses the time rules to suit him and his playing style. I think this is part of his fierce competitiveness that unfortunately goes over the line. On another site, a poster showed the time between points on Nadal’s serve for the AO final (he timed them). Incredibly, they went as high as 50 something seconds between points (the rule for GS is 20 sec; should be 25s like other events). However, the most damning stat was that Rafa actually speeds up -a lot- when he is ahead in the score (30-0, 40-0) and slows down when he is behind. Whether or not it is deliberate, he is effectively dictating the pace of play, which is a decided advantage and definitely against the rules. For all that, I think he is obviously an amazing competitor and champion. Tennis is definitely better with him at or near his best.

    • I think he’s more anxious when the score is close and it takes him more time to find calm.

      I don’t think it’s either intentional or gamesmanship.

      Yes he exceeds the allotted time more than most but many others including Djokovic and Murray also routinely exceed it.

      I think professional tennis is an entertainment business first and I think Rafa in the game warts and all at or near his best brings much more to the game than being picky on the time violations.

      Similarly, I think some favouritism is shown to Federer with respect to draws, scheduling and court speeds, etc. to maximize his results.

      Nothing wrong with either.

      So yeah I agree tennis is much better with Rafa in the game, a Rafa not hampered by anxiety so for the entertainment value of seeing him at his best or near best allow him those few extra seconds. They are not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things.

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