For just the second time in their careers, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem will be squaring off on a surface other than clay.
Tennis fans can only hope it’s as good as their first hard-court encounter.
In the quarterfinals of the 2018 U.S. Open, Nadal outlasted Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5). Now they will collide in the same stage of the 2020 Australian Open on Wednesday. Although it marks a rare hard-court contest, to say Nadal and Thiem are no strangers would be a gross understatement. This is their 14th meeting overall, with the Spaniard leading the head-to-head series 9-4. Nadal is 5-0 at the Austrian’s expense in Grand Slam situations, including 4-0 at the French Open following a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 triumph in last year’s final.
Like Nadal, Thiem is definitely at his best on clay–but he is showing signs of possibly becoming a future slam champion not only at Roland Garros but also at the others. From a surface standpoint, the Aussie should be the world No. 5’s second-best slam and he is finally putting together an appropriate run Down Under. Thiem is through to the quarterfinals in Melbourne for the first time with victories over Adrian Mannarino, Alex Bolt, Taylor Fritz, and Gael Monfils.
“He’s playing well,” Nadal assured following Thiem’s 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 fourth-round rout of Monfils. “I saw him play against Gael. He was playing a very high level the tennis. We know each other well. He’s a player that I like a lot–the way that he work, the way that he plays, and the way that he tries his best always.”
Nadal does the same, of course, and he had to be at his best in order to advance on Monday. Nick Kyrgios as usual came to play in that particular matchup and tested the world No. 1 throughout a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) nail-biter that lasted three hours and 38 minutes. Nadal preceded that result with much more routine defeats of Hugo Dellien, Federico Delbonis, and Pablo Carreno Busta.
Over the past five years, both Kyrgios and Thiem have learned the hard way that beating Nadal in a best-of-five scenario is a whole different beast than best-of-three. All four of Thiem’s wins have come in the latter form, with only one of the four going the three-set distance. In just about every extended battle, Nadal has enjoyed the upper hand–and it is not hard to figure out why. Although Thiem’s peak is world No. 1 kind of stuff (see the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals against Novak Djokovic as one example), his high-risk, high-reward style does not always withstand the demands of best-of-five tennis. Mentally, physically, and stylistically, Nadal is a five-set force.
The top seed’s greater margin for error on his shots and his superior experience toward the business end of majors should be the difference in what is likely to be an entertaining, high-quality affair.
Pick: Nadal in 5
[crowdsignal poll=10497090]
WWW?
Thiem playing well….but not well enough….rafa in 4.
Too tough to call. I hope rafa wins ..but a 5 setter with thiem can be brutal for rafa
Cheryl..your pick ?
Rafa in tight 4 sets.
Cheryl…your pick please ?
Rafa, u GOT this!!!!
Vamos!!!!!
Insyaallah Rafa in 4!…Vamos Rafa!…Love u!!….Woohoo!!
It seems quite unlikely that Nadal starts playing tomorrow as bad as he started at USO 2018 against Thiem. Quite interestingly, that was their first and only encounter outside clay so perhaps Rafa did not know what to expect back then.
I am not convinced of Thiem’s form, he seemed to struggle in the first week and an emphatic victory against Monfils is hardly a reliable indicator. Rafa should win without being pushed to the limit if he plays at least as good as he did against Kyrgios.
Many people said, and I agree, that not playing on RLA at night so far will prove to be a disadvantage for Dominic. Rafa should capitalize on that and grab the first set. From there on it will probably be an uphill battle for Thiem. It’s also likely that the Austrian will take a set where he finds the lines with every shot.
Rafa’s knee was shot at the USO 2018 to the extent that he retired during the SF against Delpo.
For once I don’t mind Rafa losing this one, as the thought of Rafa having to face Djoko in the final and most likely gets hammered by Djoko there, makes me not wishing for Rafa to get there. Rafa’s draw is beyond horrible – Kyrgios, Thiem, Sasha/Stan and then with one less day of rest than Djoko, and meeting Djoko in the final. Moreover, I expect an easy win by Djoko in the SF over Fed, a beat down likely, so Djoko will be well rested and ready for the final.
I hope Stan beats Sasha in the other quarter and Stan to meet and beat Djoko in the final! It’s only Stan now who has the best chance against Djoko, no one else left in the draw could do it; I give Thiem a slim chance, Sasha maybe. Rafa, because of his brutal draw and his mental demon seeing Djoko across the net, will have little chances of beating Djoko.
C’mon lucky .you want Rafa to drop 840 points by losing this? Why ? It’s ok if he loses to djoko in final but not ok to lose 840 pts to avoid djoko ..he may then drop to 3 n may have hard draws in having to beat both back to back..atleast if he n djoko are 1 n 2..they face only in final
Sanju, dropping 840 points, Rafa still will be in top two. There’s no way Fed or whoever is going to catch Rafa.
Fed has many points to defend from Dubai to Miami and I doubt he can defend all those, so Rafa is safe at no. 2 at least.
Djoko is the hot favorite to win this AO and retains his points, and may gain points at IW and Miami, but come the clay season and Wimbledon, he’ll have many points to defend.
Rafa OTOH, can gain points at the clay events if he does better than his 2019. Rafa will most likely regain the no. 1 ranking during the year.
I doubt anyone else could challenge the top two positions.
Fed has predicted there will be three no 1s this season .who is he tipping to be third
Thiem?
I think Rafa will win one slam this year (FO), Djoko two (AO and Wimbledon). As the big three are involved in Olympics this year, the USO may be won by a non big three and I think Thiem has the best chance of winning it.
If Thiem gathers many points at AO, IW or Miami (slow HCs) and continues to do well on clay plus winning the USO, he may have a chance to become world no. 1 at some point during the year.
Even if Djoko wins, he can’t destroy Fed as many would enjoy.
Fed’s value is simply too high to get hammered by Dj.
Assuming he’s not referring to himself lol. I think Thiem makes the most logical sense although I don’t see it happening.
Unbelievable, Lucky. You’ve been downgraded Rafas chances completely against Djoko that Im starting to believe Rafa will win this whole thing . Its called reverse jinxing , it does work!
What reverse jinxing? I don’t believe in jinxing! This is call being realistic! If it’s at the FO, even with a draw like this, I’ll say Rafa will be the winner, but not here at the AO, Rafa’s worst slam!
Rafa has been feeling nervous even when he’s in a winning position against Kyrgios, hence he messed it up when serving for the match at 5-4 in the fourth set and then has to spend more time and energy to win the match. Just imagine he has to do it against Thiem, then Stan or Sasha and finally against Djoko, how energy draining that will be, physically and mentally! He’ll be even more nervous in each round.
Whilst Djoko looked so calm and relaxed playing each round, and a tired Fed in the SF won’t pose much challenge to Djoko; and, Djoko has two days of rest before the final!
All these work against Rafa should he get to the final, would I be confident that Rafa would win? Nope, from me. I just hope Rafa doesn’t get injured along the way, and gets out of AO in one piece, whether he loses or incredibly wins the title here.
I completely agree with Lucky!
Even if Rafa beats whoever to reach the final to meet Djoko, chances are he’ll be physically at a disadvantage and would either:
1) plays defensively from the get go (his default game when he’s tired or feeling less confident) and then loses the first set at least, then fights hard to win the second, and then runs out of steam (as the second set takes a lot out of him) and then loses the third and the fourth set (something similar to USO2011); or
2) he plays aggressively for two sets maximum, then Djoko fights back to push it to five sets and Rafa losing steam to lose in five sets.
Oh that’s my take if Rafa reaches the final vs Djoko.
Yes,but since noone expects him to beat Djoko the pressure will be off. It doesn’t look likely but possible. Of course,they still have to get to the final.
I don’t know why you think Stan would have any chance against Novak. Yeah, he’s done it before. Why not Thiem? He’s done it recently.
Thiem has only done it on clay at the slams.
C’mon Thiem, TIRE those knees properly. 5 sets sounds fun.
Oh for gl’s sake, come on Djoko, hammer Fed in the SF!
And Rafa, win or loss, come out of AO in one piece and no injury please, so as to disappoint gl!
Nadal is vulnerable and Theim has has shown marginal improvement over time on hardcourts with his win at IW last year and now a semi-final of a major. Any gap on hardcourts that existed prior to this match has now greatly diminished. Sometimes circumstance and a draw that builds steady confidence can be all the difference between a forgettable and memorable experience.
Theim in 4 and a chance to win the title.
Id like to see a repeat of the Zverev-Nadal match of 2017. Another five set classic, different winner though. I cant see Stan beating Rafa .
Actually to see Zverev winning his first Slam would be great .
Should he get through Zverev, I would ultimately pick Rafa or Novak to beat him. However, people should certainly not sleep on Stan. I know he’s lost some of his luster the last few years, but this is the PERFECT hard court conditions for Stan, imo. Stan is an amazing slower court guy, and an average quicker court guy. Stan is a guy where if he has that little bit of extra time to really square up and bludgeon his shots, he can be so dangerous. If it turns out that heavy topspin is not as rewarded on this new court, that could certainly help him if facing Rafa. Again, I would still pick Rafa to take that match if they play, but there’s no question that Stan would have waaay more of a chance than he did at RG. And as for a potential Stan-Novak matchup? I think the only real argument for why Novak should be the clear favorite there is because Stan isn’t quite as good as he was a few years ago. Novak’s level is not as relevant to me when it comes to facing Stan, as we saw Stan beat a fully prime Novak more than once at the majors. In 2015, Novak was as unbeatable as he ever has been, yet Stan still beat him soundly. Not to mention we saw Stan beat Novak, at this very tournament, in very similar conditions, when Novak was the 3-time defending champ. Ultimately, I just don’t really believe that Stan is still quite capable enough of being the old world-beater Stan, but it would be absolutely foolish to write him off. Let’s be real- all 3 of the major titles he won, he wasn’t remotely on anyone’s radar. Has he been on anyone’s radar recently? Nope.
I think I know why Stan poses such a problem for Djoko – he’s the only one who can hit with depth and precision both CC and DTL from both wings, and he’s also able to change direction quite easily. Also, he’s fit enough and consistent enough to go toe to toe with Djoko in all directions and even overpowers Djoko! Delpo and Sasha, both have solid FH and BH too but they’re not able to change direction the way Stan could, at least not that easily.
Rafa’s problem is that his FH topspin sometimes can land short, giving Djoko the chance to move forward to take the ball early. His BHDTL isn’t that good hence he’s not able to change direction of his shots the way Stan or Djoko could.
Fed during his heydays I feel could match this Djoko but now that he’s so ‘old’ he tends to be late when running to cover his FH, so he couldn’t match Djoko shot for shot, at least not that consistently or when the point goes longer and longer.
Fed and Stan could handle Stan at the slams because both use their varieties against Stan, and Rafa with his topspin lefty FH, could still trouble Stan’s SHBH; whilst Fed rushes Stan and takes time away from Stan by moving to the net so often.
Correction:’ Fed and Rafa’ could handle Stan….
I would pick Rafa to beat Stan if they meet. He’s got the game to trouble Stan, even when Stan is playing very well. I give Stan a great chance against Novak, better than I give Rafa. I’m less sure about Rafa v Thiem – I think this one’s a toss up, maybe a slight edge to Rafa for his experience and will.
Stan in God-mode demolishes Zverev in the first set, 6-1. If he plays like this, I don’t think anyone can beat him here. Alex is going to have to up his game considerably, or Stan come down (quite likely), otherwise this will be over very quickly.
They showed highlights of Stan’s 2015 RG win against Djoko and he was crushing winners all over the place.Djoko simply had no answer .I honestly believe if he plays like that,noone will handle it.
Unfortunately I have to watch all AO matches on catch-up so avoid all results.Really enjoyed Feds win.
Like everyone else, I think Rafa-Thiem will be close. Every year, I think: this is the year Thiem finally overtakes Nadal at slams. Obviously, that will be easier to do on HC than clay. But I’ve reached the point where I just am not going to believe it until it actually happens. Until then, Nadal in 5.
What a start to the match. Thiem putting a bit of pressure on Rafa’s serve but can’t convert a BP. Rafa yet to win a point on Thiem’s serve.
Ah, as long as Rafa holds his serve its good. Theim will soon come down to earth!!!
Wow. Rafa breaks but Thiem breaks right back with some unbelievable shots. Rafa leads 5-4, on serve. At this rate, the match is going to go over 4 hours.
This guy is tougher than Kyrgios. A more organized and efficient version I would say.
Rafa and his nerves!! Unbelievable!!
As usual, and as expected, Rafa loses his serve while serving for the set. He will have himself to blame for keep making this type of silly mistakes, and then loses the set!
I sensed that this matches could easily go to 3 hrs & half @ 4 hrs….and to think it’s only quarter!….😭
Yes,but since noone expects him to beat Djoko the pressure will be off. It doesn’t look likely but possible. Of course,they still have to get to the final.
So Rafa lost a winnable set and that set itself takes 60+ minutes! Not looking good for Rafa!
Incredible set of tennis from Thiem to take a 1-0 lead. Can he keep it up?
Rafa is playing way below his level. He deserves to lose the first set as Thiem plays gutsy tennis snd is more aggressive. So disappointed at Rafa…well, if he doesn’t raise his level he will lose this match easily…Thiem is playing well, but it’s Rafa who is helping him a lit with his lousy tennis and short balls…Rafa needs to up his level!!!
Vamos Champ!
So what should have been 6-3 under 40 minutes turned into 6-7 minutes over 67 minutes.
What the hell, Rafa?
Me? Ive stopped watching after be got broken serving for it. Im just truly fed up with Rafa when he plays so tentatively, losing set serving for it at this stage!! Unforgivable!!
Yeah, it hurts to see him losing sets from the wining position…his nerves are his worst enemy…but it has to do with Dominik being aggressive when matters and Rafa turns into a defensive clay court mode…his serve then immediately lets him down as his major weakness in crucial moments…he isn’t beating an in form young talent with attitude like that.., hope Rafa improves from here and starts playing his best tennis..
Vamos Champ!
I agree. Nadal isn’t playing badly so much as Thiem is playing great and forcing Rafa into shots he isn’t comfortable playing. Thiem now in the driver’s seat with a 2-0 lead.
Nah, Rafa is playing badly by his standard and Thiem is playing well throughout. Rafa was even serving for the first set but as usual turned tentative and started missing his first serves and then got broken. This was not an isolated case, Rafa these days used to lose serves while serving for sets or matches.
Thiem of course is playing well, runs for all the shots putting pressure on Rafa; Thiem plays like a Djoko, getting every shot back with interest!
Rafa’s head was shot when he played that dumb drop shot in the second set TB at 4-5 and so lost the point and then the set! Rafa will most probably loses in straight sets now, as he runs out of ideas on how to play against this Thiem.
If Rafa wasn’t playing well, he wouldn’t have forced an extremely good Thiem to two tie-breaks. Nadal is playing fine; Thiem is just a little bit better so far. It’s not over yet.
Rafa can only hit CC BH so everyone playing against him is expecting the ball to come CC right back from him. It’s getting very predictable, no wonder Djoko could beat him all the time on the HCs since USO2013.
Emmhh….just go home & fishing Rafa!….let Thiem deal with Novak!
Yep, this is not Rafa we wanted to see…He is overplayed in every department including his mental state…
^^meant to say outplayed…Rafa making too many UEs as well..,
Suck shit Nadal
Indeed!! It should have at least been 1 set all!!!
This match had upset written all over it
If Nada has to lose, best to just lose to Thiem now. He was not winning AO anyways coz Djoker was lurking.
Exactly! Better let Thiem or Sasha deal with Djoko in the final. I believe they have better chances than Rafa, against Djoko.
Rafa should take a break and works on his BH DTL, his serves and his ROS. He’s playing like crap in all these areas, hitting so many BH into the net!
Honestly, being up a break in both sets and losing it is quite pathetic…Rafa must be angry at himself! I don’t see him wining any set today with this kind of performance but I also don’t see this Thiem beating Novak playing like this: Novak will not squander two breaks, he will easily serve the sets out…
To me Sasha is playing better than Thiem here, so maybe Sasha has better chances vs Djoko.
I did not see Sasha playing here. Maybe he does, because Novak will eat this Thiem for dinner! Novak’s serve is huge to bail him out of trouble and his ROS will definitely put a pressure on Thiem who will not be able to stand so close to the baseline and dictate points like Rafa allowed him to do…also, Rafa never seem to capitalize on opponent’s second serve and we all know what Novak does with those always grateful for those opportunities…
Nadal in 5
You know, sometimes i forget y I fell in love with Rafa……..his fighting spirit!! Never lets off!! As much as he is so damn irritating at times its just remarkable that the higher the odds are against him the MORE he fights!!! But my heart just cyah take it!!!!
cyah = colloquial for ‘can’t’ in St.Lucia, lol!
Exactly, Rafa is sometimes very irritating! This is a winnable match, when he was already serving for the first set, then lost it. He’s up a break in the second set then he had to lose it! If he’s just a bit more steady, he would have already won n straight sets, yet we are seeing that he’s about to lose the match!
Oh, and that’s why I hate to see Rafa playing against Djoko in the final here, and in most HC finals.
A 24 yr old rafa mightnt have lost that, but give a bit of credit to Thiem for winning that tiebreak.Rafa fans are disappointed , understandably , but so am I at some of the comments.
If he WAS a bit more steady . Likewise your command of English grammar…
Sasha is a mental midget. First GS final, he could fold easily.
I am afraid you are totally right…
As feared, the saga of a final followed by qf exit continues
Been saying from the beginning that this match will be very tough for Rafa. He has missed too many chances to win and finds himself 1 game away from losing now.
Not too sure I want to see him play 5 hours + here and get injured but I know he’ll give anything to get back into this match here.
Thiem may get tight in the final game and Rafa WILL be aggressive. I give Rafa a 50-50 chance of breaking serve. Different story if Thiem can hit huge first serves..
C’mon Rafa, break, you can do it. Done it 1000 times in your career
there you go! 15-40…. argh ace! 3-40
It ain’t over yet
ok, now it’s over.
Well played both and congrats to Thiem. Hope he wins this
It’s over! Rafa lost three TBs in one match!
Rafa playing like this don’t deserve to win! Congrats to Thiem, he deserves to win this match! Well done!
Rafa has himself to blame, for losing a winnable match like this. I don’t know how much Thiem has left for the SF against Sasha.
He is fit and young. He’ll be ready
wasnt even close to one of Thiem’s most physical matches
he will be fine for the semis and final
In the end, Rafa lost this match by his own mistake…Thiem gave him plenty of chances but Rafa failed to capitalize..,some very lucky points for Dominik, the net has helped a lot, obviously it was meant to be for him…
That’s it!…Rafa deserved the loss with his crappy play in the 1st 2 sets…and Thiem with his amazing perfomance & stay strong mentally deserves the win…Congrats Thiem & fans!
Hey guys, give Rafa a break. You can’t win’em all.
Happy for Thiem 🙂
The ao curse, the qf curse after preceding years final, the pink curse all came into play ..
Now only solace will be if thiem wins it all
The Australian open is djokovic’s to lose. Nobody remaining stands a chance of beating him in a best of 5sets. Federer won’t win a set except by a miracle and thiem and zverev can’t beat him in this court, this is not clay where thiem stands a good chance. Only medvedev and stan, especially stan can beat him in this court and they are gone. Considering the way djoko is playing, it seems inevitable. It seems rafa cant play a high level of tennis from one slam to another. He plays well in one and plays badly in the other. This was a terrible performance but he atleast he tried. Needs to go and improve tremendously in every department.
Better that he lost to thiem than be humiliated by djokovic again in the final. Congrats thiem.
I have no hope for tomorrows match cxoncerning fed, he’ll lose easily. If only miracles can happen and fed turns Godmode and plays his best tennis against djokovic. But that’s a pipe dream. Barring unforseen circumstances, djokovic will win the semifinal and final probably in straight sets.
I didn’t see the match. Just skimread the thread here and it seems like Rafa lost the match mentally. That is so bizarre given he had just beaten NK and should have been full.of confidence.
This problem with serving for the set and getting broken has been going on for ages. It’s a big problem! Think how many times he has squandered sets because of it, or nearly lost them!
I had a bad feeling about this match for some reason. I think Zverev will beat Dom now that he has suddenly found form in a slam.
I don’t like that Rafa lost to Dom here. Makes me more nervous if they play at RG! Ie nervous that Rafa will be nervous!
Why was he nervy playing Dom for heavens sake! He seems to obsess about past situations even when he won ie at the USO!
Always giving his opponents too much respect..😠
I woke up a few times to see the score. Once Rafa was down two sets I knew it was over. I did see him win the third set, but did not want him to risk injury by going five sets. I read the comments here and it was disheartening to realize that Rafa was serving for the first set then he was broken. Unlike with Kyrgios, this time it cost him. Then I saw him get broken when up a break in the second set. So I knew he was in trouble. I finally stayed up for the fourth set. But to see Rafa lose three tiebreaks in a match is very disappointing. It’s like he beat himself. As good as Thiem is, Rafa just let get away from him. With one day of rest and this hideous draw, it was always going to be an uphill battle. Novak avoided the players who could trouble him. Rafa staggering into the final on fumes is not something I wanted to see. This slam is really cursed for Rafa.
Hi nny! I didn’t see the match. Very frustrating to see him beat himself. If the other player is on fire that is different.
amy,
I agree with you! I also had a bad feeling about this match. Just one of those gut feelings. This business of getting broken while serving for the set, is very concerning. At the least it lengthens the match and involved more time and effort. Rafa has to work harder.
I think playing Kyrgios in the fourth round takes it out of Rafa. That is the toughest opponent he could have at that stage of the tournament. But it is tough to see that Rafa had his chances and could have won this match. When I heard that he was up a break in both sets one and two only to be broken back, is extremely frustrating. I did not want to see Rafa stagger into the final only to be blown away again. So maybe it’s for the best.
Yes nny! I think rafa, and us, were very focused on the NK threat and there was a bit of a slackening off afterwards. I did kind of have a bad feeling. Also, Rafa will.be 34 soon! Players do.have far more of these ups and downs and lapses in concentration as they get older. We saw that with Fed looking great one match and then making inexplicable errors the next and losing focus. ( not talking about Fed now but the gradual decline starting years before) And Rafa is more vulnerable.than Fed because he doesn’t have a great serve. I think we just have to accept that these losses are going to.happen as he gets older.
Having said that, something really needs to be done about his getting nervous and losing serve while serving for the set! If he didn’t keep doing that things would be so much easier. That is mental.
Nny..i saw that you wrote that Rafa will make it to face thiem but stopped at that..i also had this gut that qf exit will happen..are you thinking Rafa will get 20 or 21 ?
Sanju,
I absolutely think that Rafa will get to 20 or 21! This was always going to be tough. I do think that Rafa overplayed with DC. I think he only had two weeks off. Then that ATP tournament. Too much. He dud not look sharp right from the beginning, but seemed to get going against PCB. Then he played very well to beat Kyrgios. I was concerned about Thiem. I saw two of his matches and he was looking good. Rafa had a tough road here.
We have RG to look forward to. I feel confident that Rafa will get there! 😀
Thanks nny. Hope he gets to 21 sooner than later so that we are spared the ordeal of waiting
At least I’m spared the nightmare of Rafa getting hammered by Djoko in a slam final.
Rafa just has to forget about winning the AO, just concentrates on winning the FO, and if possible one more Wimbledon and maybe some more USO? AO is not meant for Rafa to win, because at the start of the season, everyone is fresh and so the best HC players are physically and mentally dialed in so it’s very difficult to win the AO.
It’s only the best HC players, who play the HC game well will win the AO often. Rafa winning it in 2009 playing a clay court game was because he’s young and physically very fit and quick. Now that Rafa is much older, depending so much on his legs to run from so far behind the baseline won’t work for him, as he’s really at the mercy of the big hitting, big serving, or the aggressive all court players.
It’s sad that Rafa simply reverted back to playing clay court style defensive tennis on the HCs, when he was playing a HC game so well at the DC last year; and it’s only when he’s about to lose in straight sets that he’s a bit more willing to move forward to play a little bit more offensive tennis but that’s not enough.
Thiem and Stan at least plays with raw power and attacking mindset on the HCs, despite clay court being their fave surface. Rafa will always be a counterpuncher no matter what, so will have a problem against hard hitting players who can play well on the HCs.
lucky,
I agree about Rafa not being meant to win another AO. As much as I want the double career slam for him, it does not seem destined to happen. If it isn’t injuries, it’s a lousy draw. No way did I want to see Novak steamroll Rafa in another final!
Rafa had a terrible draw with only a day of rest before the final. It was just not going to happen. He has to move forward and focus on RG. I would love to see him win another Wimbledon.
I also think it’s probably better he doesn’t play Nole. He would have been playing on fumes and also being on court for hours on end might have triggered the knee problems. We know what happened in 09 and 12.
Let him regroup now for Rg.
Rafa had his chances in two of the four finals which he lost – in 2012 and 2017 finals when he’s a break up in the fifth set, but at such crucial moments his opponents took their chances to turn the table against him. Rafa as he gets older, tends to play too conservatively when he’s ahead, as if for fear of losing the advantage. It’s when Rafa has his back against the wall, that he would be more aggressive to fight back.
I for one don’t like that mentality, I mean why must you be too worried when you are leading? It’s evident when he was serving for sets, he tensed up as if so worried that he would lose the advantage and sure enough, he then lost the advantage.
Rafa may be the warrior with the fighting spirit that we so admired, but these are tennis matches, not real battles in the battle field, why must he take it as if he always has to fight hard in order to win? Just relax and plays his game and trust that his game is good enough to beat almost anyone! When he’s leading all the more he should be feeling confident that he’s going to win, why tense up and then loses a winnable set or even a winnable match?? This is a bad habit that he has developed lately, and Moya couldn’t talk or psych him out of that mindset.
Rafa has all the talent in the world yet he’s trying to cover that up and wants everyone to remember him as a warrior, a hardworking one, so much so that some people are misled to think that his hardworking > his talent.
Rafa has to learn to be comfortable when he’s ahead, and trust that he has the ability to maintain the lead to win the match and stop worrying about anything or everything!
Tennis is saved by Thiem! What a great day when an engineered clay courter gets sent packing home. What a beautiful day! Bye bye Nadull.
grasshater,
What a sad soul you are to come here any time Rafa loses. You seem so consumed by hatred for someone you don’t know, who could care less about a moron like you.
If this is all you can do with your life, then I truly pity you. Because it is a waste of life.
Just ignore him nny! He’s not worth the time spent on writing the post!
I don’t read anything he and a certain other poster write. Life is too short!😀
amy,
Yes more than ever – life is too short and can be gone in an instant. I can put this loss in perspective because nobody died.
I do try to ignore this troll but it is disgusting to see the same garbage any time Rafa loses. I just cannot fathom such an utter waste of life.
Yes darling but it’s a waste of time engaging with him. Trolls crave attention so much the best thing is not to give it to them..!
Yeah I also pity this grass hater guy, must be living a sad life, fill with hatred.
So happy that Rafa leaves the AO not injured, and doesn’t need to face Djoko too. Thanks to Thiem for saving Rafa from further grinding and from any injury, and yes what a relief for many of us his fans, that Rafa can now go resting and relaxing for a bit and go fishing!
I can now watch the rest of the AO feeling calm and relax!
Solace will be if thiem or zverev takes out djoko in final in stunning upset 🙂
Go next gen…
I think Zverev will win the whole thing…Nole will be nervous playing someone younger…
Amy..you know i dont care whether rafa loses here or there..all i want is rafa to reach 21 somehow ..that’s it..he has to somehow reach 21
Today was thiems day..the netchord was his biggest friend .i think minimum 7 to 8 times ball passed the net over to the other side .
Do you know rafa won 5 more points in match..i was just disappointed seeing rafa not playing well with calm in crunch moments..he had no business losing that fourth set..where is that steely rafa..
I didn’t know sanju! I don’t know why he was so on edge especially from good positions ie up a break. It’s very hard to comment on a match I haven’t seen… Maybe he was nervous going in because he lost to Goffin recently? He has to do something about the problem he has serving for the set. If he had taken the first set he would almost certainly have won..
No, I think it’s Thiem who won five more points, not Rafa.
Rafa had no business losing the first set when he’s serving for it, and no business in losing all three TBs, that’s how poor he was in the match.
He’s just rather shaky throughout the match, it’s like he had no belief that he’s going to win the match! It’s just crazy that he’s playing and returning from so far behind the baseline, esp when he’s returning from the deuce court, leaving the whole court wide open for his opponent to hit to and he had to run like crazy to cover the court, that’s how disappointing the way he played.
It’s just strange that against Kyrgios he’s so determined to win but against Thiem, he seemed to lack the belief that he could win. There’s one thing that I really don’t like about Rafa, and that is, he has the tendency to ‘fear’ someone once he either has a bad loss against that someone, or has to grind so hard to win that he became so tense up once he sees that player across the net.
I think he’s a worrier – worry about his opponent, worry about the shot clock, worry about the ball, the humidity, the court surface and it’s bounce, his water bottles etc and etc. No wonder he looks so tense so often, esp when he starts the match serving first and usually struggles to hold serve, and then while serving for the set, he tense up and loses his serve! How often we see that happening these days! He’s no longer the clutch player he used to be when he was younger.
Agreed Rafa messed up when he was up a break but you could see how Rafa was not able to get the needed penetration on his groundstrokes due to the balls. With new balls, Rafa was able to take command but with old balls he was not able to get past Thiem’s quick movement. Federer has been having the issue this fortnight.
Thiem played great and he has so many qualities. His work ethic is similar to Rafa’s and you can see the respect that he has.
I would still have Rafa as the favourite (as long as he is playing well) in their next match in a slam (regardless of the surface) but I expect it to be very close. Rafa ain’t gona lose so many chances again and get beaten in 3 tie breaks in a match.
Part of me did NOT want Rafa to win set 4 because the match was already 4 hrs long. PLaying such a punishing match at qtr finals stage not great for his body.
Rafa has not had any time to recuperate properly and work on specific things in this game given how crazily short the off season was for him. He was back on the court literally after 2 weeks of Davis cup?
He now has some time to rest, work on specific things in his game and come back stronger. I am definitely seeing more willingness to attack the net and I am sure now that he has the time, he’ll incorporate that properly in his game.
He plans on playing Acapulco but I hope he only does that if he feels fully rested. Otherwise, Indian wells it is!
I am still hopeful Rafa will have a strong season with 1-2 slams. He is still playing great and I hope he can fend off Thiem and Novak at RG.
The problem with Rafa is that he has reverted back to playing clay court tennis on HC! I was hopeful that after how he played at the DC, he would adopt that kind of play going forward playing on the HCs, but no, from Abu Dhabi exho onwards, he reverted back to playing from way behind the baseline.
What I can’t stand is the way he returned serves, I mean he’s standing so far back and way out wide when returning from the deuce court leaving his side of the court wide open; it’s no wonder Djoko and Thiem were attacking his FH so often, and Rafa was slow at running to cover his FH corner.
To me his ROS ability has regressed, he relying on his footwork to get to the serve is no longer viable when he’s getting older and older. It’s no wonder he has such poor BP conversion, when he’s returning from so far back giving his opponent so much time and space to intercept his returns.
I don’t know what his team could do for him now, when he’s playing so defensively, so nervously, and losing a winnable match at a slam like this. He didn’t play like a no.1 player in this match, Thiem looked more like the no.1 player, dictating play throughout.
I have to say now that I was not happy that Rafa played DC. I wanted him to have some down time so he could be ready for the AO. I was very frustrated, but kept my thoughts to myself. I think at this point in his career Rafa needs to focus on the slams. He’s done enough DC. He had to carry the load because the Spanish team is older now and not what they were in the past. I thought he risked overdoing it and not having enough time to recuperate in the off season. Then they had this stupid ATP tournament where Rafa played a lot and then lost in the final to Novak. I just wish he would ficus on what is really important now. Everything needs to come together perfectly for him st the AO and that has just not happened.
Nny…i completely agree with u!…heh heh…i thought i am the only who detested Rafa playing DC & esp more so with stupid ATP Cup!…why in God’s name he wants to join along after a huge success in DC!…Where his common sense??I mean ATP Cup was very demanding even tho it was bo3 when u have to face a very high quality player in every round…and that pressure to win for country!..urgh!!
I mean it’s ok to join if he just come back from injury lay off or long resting or didn’t play DC…but he’s already involved in DC just 2 weeks b4!…all he have to do is playing a relax & less pressure tournament like Doha where Stan is the only highest seeded playing there..u know what i mean Nny?Rafa can’t afford to overplayed on hc b4 AO…he’s not that young anymore…
Last year he didn’t involved in many tourneys b4 AO bcoz of his injury but still able to reach final playing a very aggressive tennis in all his 6 matches b4 final…so…i think poor decision or bad judgement from Rafa this year..and he paid for it with huge price!(possibly lost his no 1?)..that’s what i think…i actually didn’t expect him to lose to Thiem at all…i expect him be able to go straight to the final…but yeah…like u guys..i don’t want him to be thrash & got humiliated from Novak again like last year…coz the more loss to novak the more damage he will be,that’s for sure..
Hi Mira, I’m not sure about Kyrgios and the draw. I just blame it on luck of the draw.
I would think if Djoko is given Rafa’s draw, he too would have problem first with Kyrgios and then Thiem. It’s just the luck of the draw, and I was hoping before the AO that Rafa would draw Berrettini in his quarter but it’s Fed who has that luck!
It’s not meant to be for Rafa at the AO, so I think we should stop dreaming of a second career slam for Rafa. I do think having to play the DC and ATP Cup so soon after is not a good idea. Djoko lost early at DC last year and I guess winning the ATP Cup thereafter didnt have too much impact on Djoko compared to Rafa, who’s so involved in the DC in both singles and doubles. However, knowing Rafa, he will continue to play in DC and ATP Cup going forward, so all the more we have to come to term with the fact that he’s not going to do well at the AO.
The AO has slowed the surface and used heavier ball which do not favor both Fed and Rafa; it seems to me it favours big hitters like Thiem and Sasha. I don’t know about Djoko as he’s not really being tested here – Schwartzman not able to pose a challenge while Raonic is too one dimensional with only a big serve to get him out of troubles so often.
I expect Djoko to reach the final here and we have to see how the big hitter (Thiem or Sasha) fares against Djoko.
To me it’s the ATP Cup that’s too much. Fed is wise not to be involved and at least Fed is physically fresh enough to go the distance in his matches and still could win them.
Rafa had to play six singles and one or two doubles plus all the travelling during the ATP Cup, it’s not a good preparation for the AO.
Djoko at least has an easier draw here when the TOP ten players in his quarter fell by the way side (Tsitsipas and Agut) and Schwartzman the highest ranked player left was not competitive enough to trouble Djoko ( and Schwartzman himself was also playing at the ATP Cup).
I do notice that those who played at the ATP Cup had fallen off early in the draw – Tsitsipas, Agut, Shapo, FAA, Lajovic, Goffin, even Medvedev. Sasha was spared when he lost all three singles matches at the ATP Cup.
Djoko is the fittest of them all and he’s still surviving; if he wins this AO, it’ll further prove that he’s the best HC player in this era, ATP Cup or not, it doesn’t matter.
Yeah Lucky!…i noticed too about players who involved in ATP Cup didn’t deliver at AO…including our Rafa!…
I hope he will shun ATP Cup next year…hopefully with good draw he will reach final again…
Ohh btw Lucky….u don’t feel odd that Rafa always draw Nicky at slams?Last year Wimby & now AO?Is it coincidence that Novak & Fed has a good luck by not playing him like…ever!…I wanna see how the draw will unfold at Wimby,USO(i bet Nicky will not play FO again this year!)…if he were in Rafa’s quarter again,then it’s clear someone at the top echelon wanna protect Fed’s 20!…ohohoho!!
No Sanju, it’s Thiem with five more points – 148 vs 143.
More an ant fan than a fan pretty pathetic, congrats Thiem, now win the title ….
Well done, Dominic Thiem! A great win over a great opponent! We’ll now have had a young’un in three of the last four slam finals. Definitely a changing of the guard! Maybe this is the tournament that one of them finally holds the trophy at the end.
Be nice if just for once you showed some respect to Rafa and his fans here Joe!
I said a lot of nice things about Fed when he lost at Rg and wimby and when he beat Rafa in the sf. I also commiserated with, and congratulated his fans here as appropriate including when he beat Rafa at wimby.
It really would be nice if you gave us the same basic courtesy.Instead you always inflate the performance of his opponent and denigrate rafa’s own abilities either explicitly or implicitly.
What are you talking about, Amy? I said it was a win over a great opponent, which I truly believe! I also picked Rafa to win this match and the other day I called him the greatest competitor tennis has seen! What do you want me to say? I was cheering for Thiem to win; the guy deserves a slam win over Rafa after so many losses, and he’s earned it!
I’m not a Rafa fan, but I’m with Eugene: it seems like an awful lot of Rafa fans here are fair-weather, and quick to blame him when he loses. I’d add that they have showed some disrespect to Thiem by implying that he won only because Nadal wasn’t at this best.
I understand that Nadal fans are disappointed. I’m not like grassgoat, who wants to rub their noses in his losses. But I just don’t have the relationship to sports stars (or movie or rock stars, or celebrities) that many people seem to. I don’t understand the emotional reaction people have to Kobe Bryant’s death, though of course I think it is tragic, especially his 13 year old daughter’s death. Similarly, I didn’t relate in the way many did to the deaths of Princess Diana, or Prince, or John Lennon, even though I’m big fans of the latter two’s music. I don’t have any gods or idols, and I don’t believe there are any. We’re all just people, and one of the biggest problems we have is that we elevate some way out of proportion, while we don’t seem to care at all about others, who are much more numerous.
I do appreciate that you were respectful after Fed’s wimby loss last year and commisserated with his fans. Some, such as Benny, really seemed to be suffering. But I’m not one of them. Federer is my favorite tennis player because of the way he plays tennis. But I honestly felt as bad for Tennys Sandgren the other day as I did for Fed after his heart-breaking loss to Djokovic. Federer has won so much, titles, money, fame, that I can’t feel that bad for him after a loss. And I guess I feel the same about Nadal.
amy,
I happen to agree with you! In fact, you said everything that I was feeling. Oh and you damn well better believe that I am heartbroken over the untimely death of a truly great basketball player who has left us too soon. It was not his time to go and for myself, I wanted to see his second act. They joy one gets from seeing an athlete at his very best is something quite special. That does not mean one needs to idolize them, Kobe was not perfect, nor was he a God. But he played basketball superbly, with dedication, conviction and passion. I loved him for it and I am not about to let anyone make me feel less than for my feelings!
I love Rafa and feel truly blessed to have watched him all these years. People should be able to celebrate their favorite athletes, love them as much as they want and derive pleasure and happiness from watching them do what they do best!
I had to get that off my chest because I was so offended by being lectured about not making athletes into Gods! Please give me a break!
He is very fond of these patriarchal speeches nny! I tune out once he starts. I must say it is a cheek of him to accuse us of making someone into a god when he makes himself into one.
Adoration of the other is surely better than adoration of the self!😉
“Adoration of the other is surely better than adoration of the self!”
Good one. But please tell me: what, exactly, did you find so offensive in my original post? (not my speech)
Sorry Amy, you’re wrong. That’s exactly what Rafa fans have done repeatedly and noticeably on this thread.
Putting into perspective ..i thought after his low 15 n 16,rafa is done..he won 5 slams more n resurrected himself n finished no 1 twice . So maybe a final lap n hurrah is pending
You also have to factor in the effects of age sanj u! Players do suffer inexplicable defeats as they get older..that happened with Fed as well from years back…
oh trust me when I say this, Rafa is far more done! He is still exploring more areas of his game. He is a strong contender to win each of the next 3 slams!
Yes of course vr! But surely it is true that,in the same way Fed started to lose matches he should have won, Rafa will as well simply because he is older! Mac has commented on how you have lapse s in concentration as you get older and recovery time simply isn’t the same..I think one has to factor this in..
To me, it is a positive outcome. Rafa was playing good tennis, he beat Kyrgios and has exited the event without getting injured or destroying his body.
He had a tough draw and he’ll move on.
Rafa had a tough draw. Lets be fair guys, big 3 have got old and they need the luck of the draw. Fed had that in AO 2018, Rafa in USO 2017. Rafa in 2019 USO was lucky as well. This AO Rafa had a brutal draw and he was never going to win this.
I also think Rafa overplayed prior to coming to AO. Given a choice, I will much rather have Rafa work his form into the tournament instead of overplaying before.
fedexal,
I see it pretty much the way you do. I gave my feelings about Rafa playing DC. Not a good thing. Then barely two weeks off? Then the ATP tournament? Rafa did overplay prior to the AO. Then he got stuck with a really lousy draw. I felt that it was just a bridge too far.
I think some of Rafans here are disrespectful towards him. Why blaming him for losing? It happens. It’s not always because he’s not good enough. He can play well and still lose if the opponent has has at least the same level. Thiem was slightly better today. You don’t have always To find a reason why someone loses. Sometimes the margins in tennis are very small. Fed could have easily won Wimby 2020 and lose from Milman, instead of winning 6 points in a row without mistake, in a match full of mistakes from him.
I wished Djoko had Thiem in the QF anyway, but that doesn’t matter.He can have Fed in the final.
Today’s thiem Rafa match reminded me of fed tsitsi last year at ao ..high quality..close but small margins and the younger guy went for his shots a bit more
@Eugene,
It’s an emotional reaction. It’s really hard to watch a player you love lose a match you think he should have won. The ups and downs during a match are far worse when you’re watching on tv than when you’re at the match. You have no outlet for the rage or, for that matter, the exhilaration. So you come here and vent. They’ll get over it. (I don’t do this because I rarely watch Rafa play live–the DC final was the last time I did–and after a loss I just want to crawl into a hole and sulk for awhile.) I didn’t watch Rafa’s USO final this year either but I looked at the line score occasionally and when I saw he was at 5-2 and serving for the 5th set – I thought it was all over but the shouting – and turned the tv on. BIG mistake and my screaming started and didn’t really stop for the next half hour. I was traumatized for days, lol. But my respect for those fans who DO watch live increased a lot! Don’t think I could have lived through that match watching live!
Ramara…Very agree with u!…it’s just an emotional reaction!…we love Rafa therefore we want the best for him…that doesn’t mean we don’t respect him or not ‘Rafa enough’ for venting our frustration on him or critisized him everytime he lost…
I think it’s very important to let out our frustrations when rafa losses….if not,i maybe dead a thousand times over bcoz of my high bp!…and it’s all bcoz of innocent Rafa!…urgh!!…Life is sooo cruel!..hehe
Exactly. We criticise Rafa because we think he’s human, not a god; he makes mistakes that we think he should not and hope he improves next time.
It’s not like we only love him because he wins, it’s because we always wish the best for him and find that opportunities are getting lesser and lesser as he ages that’s why we feel disappointed that he doesn’t make full use of them!
Yeah!…very true Lucky!
My commiserations to all Rafa fans. Rafa fought as hard as he could, and came so close to pushing it to a 5th, but Thiem was just too good today. I am so impressed with Thiem, particuarly with how hard he has clearly worked to improve on hard court. He has just become an extremely good tennis player, who is capable on going toe-to-toe with the best players in the world. It felt in this match like he wasn’t just trying to blast low-margin winners all night like he previously had against Rafa. He tried to be a little more steady, and was content to grind with Rafa. I’m not sure why I didn’t completely notice this before, but Thiem is SO fast! He’s able to get into position so quickly, and he is able to generate so much power, even in positions where you’d think he shouldn’t be able to. The guy is just awesome.
Finally getting past Rafa at a major was a tremendous hurdle for Thiem. I was highly impressed by how he was able to keep his composure after having choked serving for the match. Thiem was just the better player today, and he made Rafa incredibly uncomfortable. You could see how understandably frustrated Rafa was getting with how he consistently wasn’t able to match Thiem today.
Also, when it comes to likeability, I honestly think that Thiem might be one of the most likeabke top players ever. I would love nothing more than to see him win his maiden major title this weekend. But he still has more MASSIVE hurdles to face. I really hope that he doesn’t have a let down in the SF after probably the most emotional win of his career thus far. No offense to Zverev, but Thiem is just a better player and tougher competitor than him. After such a big win against Rafa, it would just be sad if he lost meekly to Zverev. If Zverev won in a really tight, epic match, then that would be understandable. But I just pray that he doesn’t have a major letdown and lose meekly. We shall see!
I think he may well.lose to Zverev. He is better against the top 3 in many ways…against players younger than him he really puts himself under pressure and makes a lot of errors. Against Tsitsi in the wtf he was literally shouting at himself right from the offset every time he made a mistake and he never really played as he can. I fear it will be the same against Zverev where he will have everything to lose and Zverev will be able to relax.
Thiem may still have outside chance against Djokovic .zverev won’t
Zverev beat Nole in the wtf! It’s possible he can do it again..
Here’s my concern with Zverev, Amy- before his win over Stan yesterday, had Zverev ever beaten a single player at a major who is even as good as him, let alone better than him? I honestly can’t think of a time when Zverev has ever beaten anyone who was on his level or better. The win over Stan was impressive, but we have just seen so little evidence that he can beat a fellow top player in a big best-of-5 match. If you’re argument for picking Zverev is that Thiem could have a letdown, but I don’t know where you get the idea that Zverev has been better against top-5 players. Sure, he’s scored some great wins in best-of-3. But Thiem has now beaten both of the two best players in the world at majors before. Not only has Zverev not done that, but has he ever beaten a top-5 player at a major? Or even Top-7? Maybe he had and I’m just forgetting it? Winning big matches at the majors is an entirely different thing to doing it at Masters tournaments. Thiem has now made numerous slam SF, and twice made a the final. Before yesterday, had Zverev even made it to the QF of a major more than once? But here’s the thing- we all know that Zverev has the game to win majors! This is what has been so frustrating about him. But he just hasn’t been able to play his best when it’s really mattered. But that doesn’t mean that he’s not going to eventually rise to the occasion and do it. Of course he can beat Thiem. I just don’t understand what evidence there is to think he should be favored over Thiem in this match. And he certainly shouldn’t be more favored than Thiem to best Djokovic at a major when Thiem has at least done it before, while Zverev has never come close.
Sorry Kevin I think you misunderstood me. I meant that Thiem is better against the top 3! He really brings it against them but sometimes loses it against weaker opponents where he puts himself under a lot of pressure. If he does that against Zverev he may well lose. Not because Zverev is a better player but because Dom starts shouting at himself and getting anxious and uptight as he did against Tsitsi in the wtf.
The thing about Sasha not making past the QF of a slam – that’s because he consumed too much energy during the early rounds, needing five sets so often to beat the early round opponents, so when he’s at R4 or QF, he tend to run out of energy.
Notice that in this AO, he beat all his opponents in straight sets, and it’s until meeting Stan in the QF that he lost his first set in the tournament. He looks physically fresh, and I feel perhaps the courts here – a bit slow – plus the heavy balls favor his style of play. He’s a hard hitter kind of player, not unlike Delpo.
I think the court this year favours the hard hitters and so both Thiem and Sasha are able to beat their older more established opponents to reach the SF.
If Sasha plays well, we may have a repeat of the result of Madrid 2018. Sasha when playing well is also a formidable player, he’s able to beat Djoko and Fed in a Masters final and pushed Rafa to the limit at Rome 2018 final.
Congrats to Them for a job well done. Rafa, it was not your day today!! But you have nothing else to prove.
I wish Theim good luck for the rest of the tourney. Rafa i know u will be back strong……take care and looking forward to seeing you at the French!! Vamos!!!
Well said Monalisa 👍.
My condolences to rafans 😉🙃 don’t worry Rafa will be back stronger and better 🙄🤗😋
@Grasslover you are very funny.
I agree with what others have said regarding Rafa playing DC and the stupid ATP cup. I have been very nervous about his playing so much and worried it would trigger the knee problems.
Unfortunately Rafa is very patriotic so he will undoubtedly carry on playing these matches if he is able to. At close to 34 he needs to cut down his schedule and I thought it a very bad omen that he was so tired at the Atp cup that they decided not to play him for doubles. That was only a week before the AO!
Rafa plays with more intensity and emotion than any other player and I don’t think he can afford to expend so much energy.The drift into passivity on court seems sometimes part of a sudden inability on his part to play with the intensity he needs. It’s not just the physical stuff which is more of a challenge as you get older but also the mental ie lapses in concentration and so on.
amy,
I think you just said it perfectly! Brilliant analysis! I forgot how Rafa was so tired that he couldn’t play doubles at the ATP tournament. The decision to play DC bothered me a lot. At this point in his career being ready for the 2020 AO to win his 20th slam and get the double career slam, was infinitely more important.
I also think that you made a great point about the tendency toward passivity coming from a lack of intensity because of overplaying. Rafa is intense in his matches and that is one of his great intangible qualities. If he does not have it, then he loses his aggressive play and the big advantage he has.
Well said!
😍👏
Thanks nny!
I was actually partly remembering what my beloved chloro wrote in 2015: that Rafa relied a great deal on playing with maximum intensity and that part of his problem then was maybe that he simply couldn’t keep sustaining that emotional input.
I wish chloro was still here with us…
amy,
I was thinking about chloro. He really was very perceptive. I wish he was here, too. 😔
Yes. Massive loss. So perceptive and so generous. I miss him terribly..😢
what happened to chloro
Chloro died very suddenly in 2018 Ricky. I did come here to tell people but you must have missed the posts.
We were very good friends.
I guess the mental and physical fatigue are related. Rafa seemed to make some wrong shot selections during the match as if running out of ideas. We rarely see him behaving like that – agitated, angry with himself, missing shots or hitting into the net so often etc and etc.
It’s only when he played against Djoko that I got to see him behaving like that at times (when he’s clearly outplayed and running out of ideas). I guess he knew he was being outplayed and couldn’t think his way out, it’s just that he fought hard and not giving up that kept him in the match for so long.
Thiem clearly played as well as he could whilst Rafa wasn’t playing badly but obviously he didn’t hit his best level during the match. To me, it’s more to do with Rafa himself – physically obviously as he has been playing too much tennis without proper off season. He couldn’t bring his DC level to ATP Cup and to the AO, and imo, his DC level of tennis > his 2020 tennis so far.
It may be a blessing in disguise with him losing in the QF; at least he isn’t injured and can have some rest till late February (exhos during Feb and March aren’t that exhausting). For him, the important period within the season is the clay season, he has to be in tip top condition so that he could play his best tennis on clay and wins at the FO, esp with Thiem getting better and better on clay now.
Well I keep saying that Rafa is getting older and that this has to be factored into any analysis we make. I remember when Fed started to lose matches from winning positions, that commentators who were ex players said that concentration became more difficult as you got older. And we have seen with Fed over a long time his inexplicably playing bad having been great the match before. Fed often gets nervous playing younger players; youth is the predator and the hunted big 3 are going to find it more difficult because of age with the young hunters. It’s just a fact of evolution.
Moya needs to work with Rafa getting back to what he wants Rafa to do ie increasingly play first strike tennis.
One reason I said I thought Zverev might beat Dom is because of the hunter/ hunted paradigm. Dom is much more susceptible imo when he is the supposed fave against the hungry young player. We saw that at the wtf against Tsitsi when he kept shouting at himself.
Maybe it’s “unfortunate” that Rafa is a patriot and a born team player who will always put others ahead of himself, but that’s one of the things I like best about him. When one of the media asked Rafa if he’d trade one of his 12 RG trophies for one of the other slams, he said no. Why? Because, he said, his record of 12 Roland Garros championships would not be broken in his lifetime.
GOAThood is a temporary thing as is a record of 20 slams, viewed as untouchable a few years back. Now there’s every likelihood that both Rafa and Novak will reach that. But Rafa’s clay records ARE untouchable – add to that his many hard court achievements, not to mention all his Davis Cups and Olympic medals – and he is, of course, one of the great legends of sport, now and forever.
Sorry but I do not agree. Nobody is criticizing Rafa for being a patriot and loving hus country, I love my country and that is why it is so upsetting to see a criminal monster like Trump destroying it. Please do not imply that either I or anyone else here disrespects Rafa’s love for his country.
The simple reality is that Rafa cannot do it all at this point in his career. He has given so much of himself to DC. There comes a time when he can’t do it all. Or do we want to see him inured again due to overplaying.
I think winning slams is the most important thing now for Rafa. He has a finite amount of time to play. It won’t go on forever. For myself I would have preferred that he take time off after the WTF. I wanted to see fresh and ready to try and win the AO.
GOATHood is not temporary! Just look at Rod Laver! He has records that still stand. Greatness in a sport lasts forever. There may be other greats who come along, but that cannot take away the greatness that came before.
Rafa has his place in the history of this sport. But I want to see him achieve as much as he can before he decides to hang up his racket.
Rafa needs to carefully pick the tournaments he wants to play and not try to play all tournaments as he gets older he needs some break between tournaments.
On a different topic It’s disgusting humans like you and the Demonrat party that is destroying America, brainless retard.
Just ignore him nny.I always do. He is not worth a millisecond of your time or attention.
Quote of the day “I always do” 😂😂😂 Liar liar pants on fire 🔥🔥🔥.
Mrs Pinocchio I wish you ignored me but sadly you can’t, the Truth hurts but there is nothing i can do about it, the Truth also delivers and sets Fools free from deception I sincerely hope you see it.
amy,
Thanks, I got this. He said some truly horrible things to me not too long ago and I ignored it.
Anyone who could support the Orange Menace, is not someone I would want to have anything to do with at all.
I just hope we can survive until this pseudo-fascist creep is sent packing. Once Trump loses, then they can go after him and maybe finally put him in jail where he belongs with the rest of his buddies.
I will reserve any more discussion of this in the non-tennis thread.
You give me strength and renew my faith in humanity!
😘
You also give me strength nny! God knows we need it at this grievous time..
😘
Im so sorry for your loss Amy 🙁
That’s very kind Alison! Losing close friends to death is a horrible business..
Thanks again hon xx
amy,
It really doesn’t go away. You think that you’re okay and then you are not. In your case you got to know him. We usually don’t get to meet each other. So he was a real friend.
He went back to the old forum. He was one of the regulars. He always posted thoughtful, analytical, well reasoned comments. He was very intelligent and a student of the sport.
I still think about him when we are having some great discussions. You hang in there and try to remember the good times. I am always here for you. 😍😥
Thanks for your generous support nny! It is characteristic of you and I love you for it. I hope I can be there for you if you need me.
😘