Cincinnati final preview and pick: Nadal vs. Isner

Rafael Nadal will look to win back-to-back hard-court Masters 1000 events when he takes the court on Sunday in Cincinnati. Standing in his way is surprising finalist John Isner.

Rafael Nadal and John Isner will be going head-to-head for the fourth time in their careers when they clash in the final of the Western & Southern Open on Sunday afternoon. They have not faced each other since 2011, when Nadal survived a first-round French Open thriller 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-7(2), 6-2, 6-4. The Spaniard also took came out on top in a pair of 2010 encounters; 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 at the Indian Wells Masters and 7-5, 6-4 on the clay courts of Madrid.

Nadal 3
Nadal, of course, is in rare hard-court form at the moment. He is 15-0 on the surface this season, with Masters titles in Indian Wells and last week in Montreal. In fact, other than his well-documented hiccup at Wimbledon, Nadal has been on fire just about everywhere. The third-ranked Spaniard 52-3 for the year following Cincinnati scalps of Benjamin Becker, Grigor Dimitrov, Roger Federer, and Tomas Berdych.

This is a matchup between two of the hottest players on tour, as Isner is up to his usual tricks–and even exceeding them–on U.S. hard courts. After reaching a grass-court semifinal in Newport, the 22nd-ranked American took home the title from Atlanta and finished runner-up to Juan Martin Del Potro in Washington, D.C. It has only gotten better for Isner in Cincinnati. His road to the final features three Top 10 scalps (Milos Raonic, Novak Djokovic, and Del Potro) in addition to straight-set dismissals of Florian Mayer and Richard Gasquet. Isner is 32-18 for his 2013 campaign, including 28-9 in the United States and 21-2 in his last 23 matches on home soil.

Isner wins 2
“Nobody likes to play against a player who you will not have a chance to be on rhythm most of the time,” Nadal explained. “John is this kind of player. He should be fighting for the Masters, for the Top 10. With his serve, advantage is huge. He’s playing well, mentally, and making the right decisions in important moments.

“It’s the kind of match that the only thing you can try is what is in your hands. What is in your hands is serve well and play solid from the baseline and play aggressive.”

The world No. 1 had been serving extremely well this week until he double-faulted six times–all in the second set–against Berdych. If Nadal cleans that up, he should have an edge in this one. He has dropped only one set (the first to Federer) in Cincinnati, whereas Isner is coming off consecutive emotional three-setters that lasted a combined five hours and 11 minutes. The underdog can level the playing field and keep it competitive with monster serves and forehands, but capping off his remarkable run with a win over Nadal may be too much to ask.

Pick: Nadal 7-6(6), 6-3

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114 Comments on Cincinnati final preview and pick: Nadal vs. Isner

  1. Ricky – Isners match with elpo itself was 2 hrs 48 minutes, def cant be that his last three 3 setters can be 5 hrs 11 minutes combined. It will be far more. I think Novak and Delpo match itself will be 5 hrs 11 mns and the 4th round match adds on top of that

    • Which match you had a good feeling about rafaelo? 🙂

      Anyways it wont be easy for Rafa as Rafa himself has said Isner will not give him any rhythm and Rafa survives on rhythm. But well hope he wins but if he loses, he has done great by reaching back to back HC Masters finals and no one expected him to reach the finals in Cincy here, so lot of positives.

  2. BTW Rafa has now made the final of every Masters after reaching Cincy final .

    Yet to win 4 – Cincy(1 final), Miami (3 finals), Shanghai (1 final), Bercy (1 final)

  3. No room for lapses of concentration on Rafa’s part today! Isner has got the bit between his teeth and has shown what he is capable of. You have to respect the way he fought through to reach the final but even with the home crowd support behind him I dont think he will take the title.

    Rafa in 3
    6-4, 6-7, 7-6

  4. ed,

    I agree with your take on this final. Absolutely no room for any lapses! No six double faults! How about none? Isner has such resilience and a fighting spirit that has gotten him to this final. It’s not like he had it easy either. He had to take out Djoker and then Delpo! That’s an achievement. I thought Delpo had the match in the bag when he was serving for it in the second set. But he had a lapse on concentration and look where that got him!

    I know that Isner has been feeding off the energy of the crowd, because he’s spoken about it in interviews. I expect the crowd to be there for him again, but there should also be support for Rafa. He is incredibly popular in the states.

    I am trying to remember what I voted for in the poll here. I think it was two sets with one tb. I really hope that your score doesn’t turn out to be right, because I don’t think my nerves could take it. I will be surprised if there isn’t at least one tb. But there may be two. Who knows. All I know is that Isner will be coming in with a good deal of confidence after his big wins and with a real desire to win this U.S. Masters tournament. He knows that these chances don’t come along that often.

    The one thing that I will keep in mind is that he is going up against probably the fiercest competitor in this sport. Rafa has won matches on sheer force of will. But he is also playing some of his best tennis. I still think he has his eye on the win and the #2 ranking!

    One thing I did want to say, is that Rafa’s success has brought the haters out on another site. It’s really unfortunate that every time he starts winning on hard court, these insane conspiracy theories start popping up. This guy Ben Pronin in tennis-x said that he believes Rafa was never injured at all. It was all a hoax so that he could take time off to work on his hard court game! He says that Rafa has no integrity and is a disgrace to the game! I made one response and he continued to defend this disgusting accusation. I made one last response and said I was done.

    I am going to enjoy Rafa’s great tennis tomorrow. I am also going to make sure to avoid the haters on tennis forums. I want only positivity around me now.

      • ed,

        Yes I am a masochist for even bothering to go there. That place will never change. I got a lecture from my wise Mom who is older and much smarter than me.

        I promised myself that I would stop trying to defend Rafa to people who just want to hate. Now I will have to renew that promise to myself. It’s not good for my blood pressure either!

        I deserve a little scolding from you! You are like my conscience.

        I do think that Ricky is doing a terrific job with this site! It’s also nice to see more of the old gang from TT showing up. We can talk and not be attacked! Thank goodness!

    • NNY..why do u even bother with such comments?

      Infact you should feel happy that the haters are suffering..they cant stand the fact that Rafa is doing so well..they ahve to come up with reasons to thrash him..and even for arguements sake say he took time off to work on his HC game, so what? He is perfectly allowed to do that.

      Has anyone stopped the others from doing so?

      • And NNY..you need to realize people who talk basd on conjecture..interpretations..assumptions and not on facts deserve 0% time and response.

        Infact there was 1 funny comment on atp site saying tips to be world No 1

        take previous year off
        Come next year n start winning toureys as u have 0 points to defend

        Can u realize the stupidity of the message? . That idiot forgot you actually still gotta win it next year 🙂 and there can only be 1 winner in a tourney 🙂 and its far far easier said than done.

      • “and even for arguements sake say he took time off to work on his HC game, so what? He is perfectly allowed to do that.”………………agree Sanju!!!! Did any one have a problem with Andy for taking time off to prepare for Wimby?!!

        These people make me so sick!! When Rafa goes off sick the have all sorts to say, his career is over and even if he comes back he will never be the same, he will never win anything on hard court, call him “kneedal”, I mean it just never stops!!!! Now that he is back so successfully on the comeback trail……………..they now put another spin on things!!!!

        I have learnt to accept that Rafa is one of the most polarising personalities in sports, and not through any fault of his!!! As long as Rafa contiunes to win, I really dont care with any of the nay sayers!!!! It just irritates so many how GREAT Rafa is and he is poised to become even greater………………I’m just watching and waiting and I am so excited,cant wait!!!!
        VAMOS!!

    • @nny, what Ben Pronin said is not new, This was first said by a long time Novak fan (who shall remain nameless and is now on “sabbatical” because Nole is not winning) on that site. So, what Ben Pronin is pretty consistent with the general thinking in the Fedvic anit-Rafa axis. No surprises for me there. What has surprised me is how tolerant you have been of this Ben Pronin’s obvious anti-Rafaism, which is hate actually. The guy is a nutcase.

      But then again, you are a better person than I am. I cannot stand that nutter.

      • ritb,

        I am not that tolerant. I just try to be respectful of other points of view. But once someone goes over a line, that’s when I say enough!

        I honestly did not think that Ben Pronin was a hater. I thought he was at least reasonable when it came to Rafa. I haven’t been on that site for a long time. But I give people the benefit of the doubt and that’s a big mistake. Now I do realize that he’s not different than the rabid Rafa haters. He is just more articulate than they are. A different kind of hater.

        You have been posting there for a while. I have read the blogs occasionally but not all the time. I realized once again why I left that site. I thought that Ben could be fair, but now I know that he is just as bad as the likes of Danny Morris aka Fedkovic23, JamesDjokovicFan, novakisthebest.

        You have to be insane to say what Ben Pronin said. I actually don’t agree that it’s okay if Rafa took some time off to work on his game. That again presumes that he didn’t have an injury. Why should he lie? It makes no sense to take seven months off. There was no guarantee that Rafa’s rank wouldn’t drop even more or that he would win when he came back. Watching Rafa at Vina del Mar, I don’t know how anyone could think that he wasn’t injured. He looked even worse than I thought he would. Losing to the likes of Zeballos in the final? If Rafa wasn’t injured and was just practicing, then he would have looked a lot better when he came back.

        I don’t buy that theory, because it would mean that Rafa lied to the public and his fans. I don’t believe he would ever do that.

        You can stay on that site, but I am done. I should never have come back. I can post here and not read that kind of sick garbage.

  5. BTW: you are right about the support for Rafa. It was stupendous yesterday.
    Dont know if they really know Berdy very well but the poor guy barely got a round of applause even when he was hitting winners.

    • augusta,

      Yes! Every time Rafa starts winning, especially on hard courts of all things, the haters come out in full force.

      This one happens to be a Djokovic fan. Bitterness because Djoker is losing it these days. Oh well, too bad!

      Rafa was so charming in the interview on espn2 after the match. The crowd was right around their little studio set up outside and everyone was cheering like crazy! I think Rafa got a little embarrassed, but he did seem to enjoy the love from the fans.

      I actually think that there could be support for Rafa tomorrow even with an American in the final. People seem really happy to see him back and playing well.

      He’s a rock star!

  6. nny,
    I got sucked in trying to show lies and half-lies for what they are on TT from time to time. But in the end you can very rarely convince another person of anything they do not already more or less believe or are open to believe. And none of us can ever convince a hater to stop hating or to see facts objectively they don’t want or can see. It is like throwing dishes at a wall expecting to breach a hole in the wall.

    That said,
    Rafa has done it again: far surpass _everyone’s_ expectations! Must annoy a lot of haters to no end.

    • lots at stake in this match. Isner going for his first Masters 1000 title. Nadal going for his first Cincinnati title. If Isner wins he is a Top 12 seed for the US Open. If Nadal wins he is No. 2 seed for the US Open. If Isner wins he wins the US Open Series. If Nadal wins he wins the US Open Series if Isner does not advance to the Winston-Salem semifinals. Wow.

  7. Isner really playing winston-salem? is he nuts? why do these players keep ruining their grand slam preparations?! I have mentioned del potro’s silly scheduling and look what it has cost him so far…it has aggravated his wrist and back woes and drained him..del po is a serious contender and he needs to understand !

    For this match, I am confident rafa will take in two or may be three sets…. Do not see Isner winning this but I am aware of the danger he poses.. and interesting points made by Ricky…

    I would like to add rafa’s shot at winning a record equallng 5th masters 1000 event in a single season and also the chance of climbing up to no.2 in the ranking

    • vamosrafa.

      This is the issue I have with Isner. He has overplayed in the past. Then he has nothing left for the USO. Delpo has done the same thing. He is so injury prone and needs to schedule carefully. I know that Delpo will go in as a dark horse favorite at the USO, but the question is will he be totally healthy and also will he be fit enough to do it.

      I am really nervous for this match. One hiccup with Rafa’s serve and that will be the set. Isner is far more dangerous than someone like Raonic, who wasn’t even playing well when he lucked out getting to the final in Montreal.

      As Ricky said, there is so much at stake for both guys.

  8. almost entirely unrelated… Usain Bolt and his team got the gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the world championships. With this he got the three gold medals he was hoping for this week, and equaled the 8 career world championship gold medals of Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson. Bolt has a few more in him. When Bolt and Nadal met Bolt was in awe of Nadal (and I think the reverse was also the case).

  9. This is what I expected. A lot of pressure on Rafa to hold his serve.

    So far he’s done it. 4-4.

    Hard on the nerves.

  10. I sure don’t. Of course Isner is bombing aces all over the place. Once in a while Rafa gets into a brief rally.

    Saying that Isner has no chance is a bit much. Rafa has constant pressure to hold his serve. He can’t affort to double fault or give anything away because that would mean losing the set.

    Now it’s hold his serve just to get to the tb. This was my worst nightmare. I would rather Rafa played anyone else.

  11. justtt reached home…was getting score updates on my way…opened my laptop to see rafa winning 10-8 !! what happened? did he save any set pnt?

  12. rafa has saved 2 break pnts :O that would have been scary..and isner winning 80% 2nd serve pnts is most suprising…normally rafa does not allow opponents to win enough 2nd serve points

  13. vamosrafa,

    Rafa did save a few set points. It was beyond nerve wracking. Rafa has nerves of steel.

    As ed said, we are not home and dry yet! Another tight, tense set to get through.

  14. isner’s 2nd serve is turning out to be even tougher..rafa is standing so far behind the baseline that those monster kick serves are forcing him to play returns from above his head , which usually land very short…he is more comfortable returning 1st serves as he can chip it back..

    did rafa expertiment standing closer to the baselineto return 2nd serves early on? i remember rafa changing his return positioning so many times in the RG 2011 rnd 1…the isner serve makes him clueless :S

  15. Unbelievable Rafa!

    Sensational Rafa!

    The Bull!

    3 HC Masters wins on the trot!

    Back to back HC Masters 1000!

    1st player to win 4 straight Masters 1000s!

    #2 in the rankings!

    Extends his lead in the Race to London!

    Ties Djokovic’s 2011 record of 5 Masters 1000s in a season!

    Vamos!!

  16. He did it again back to back champion of Montrial and Cincinnati…watch out the dirtballer. He learnt how to play in the cement…here we come US Open.

    Vamos Rafa….

    fist pump around the world.

      • Hello there RITB. I am always around but opted to lurk for I might jinx Rafa if I get loud again but this time i can’t just keep myself quiet. I need to vent out my happiness about this great feat of our man Rafa.

        Also, there were no trolls anymore so you don’t hear me now talking cheap haha

  17. unbelievable feat that Rafa did. I was too scared just looking the towering Isner with his booming serve. So stressful and I thought Rafa got no chance at the breaker but thank goodness He did it in both sets. woooohooooo vamosssses !!!!

    Hi 5!!!!

  18. Congratulations, Rafa on your 26th!!!!! You just continue to amaze!!!! Life all of a sudden seems a whole lot better!!!!……………..lol!!!!

    Great match, commies to Isner’s fans but like Rafa said he is certainly a contender!!!!

    Rest well Rafa, stay healthy, and cant wait to see you at the US Open!!! Good luck!!!!

    VAMOS!!!!

  19. I keep thinking back to this time last year when we were fearful we would never see the Rafa we knew playing at the height of his powers. And pinching myself I’m actually witnessing the miracle we have seen since his comeback. Words fail me.

    Hugs to all fellow Rafa fans and all the other great tennis fans who have re-gathered here.

  20. Vamoss Rafa.
    No 9 of the year
    No 2 of the world
    5 Masters ina yaer (tied with Djoko)
    26 Masters
    Only player to win a slam 8 times
    Only player to win a slam/year 9 consecutive years

    Go Rafa Go 🙂

    Congrats All Rafans :-). Did not see the match, it wasn’t telecast here in India live, but seein 2 tiebreaks and the 1st one 10-8..I wonder how many hearts sank and how people who saw it coped with the nerves 🙂

  21. RT @juanjo_sports: “Also, how hilarious is it that Nadal has won more Masters 1000 on hard court than on clay this year?”

    Take that, haters!

  22. Really happy to have got the scoreline prediction well and truly wrong earlier today. lol.

    So much was said and written about Djokovic’s record breaking winning streak in 2011 but it pales into insignificance in comparison with Rafa’s phenomenal achievements since his comeback after being side-lined for those seven long, dark months.

  23. So hilarious how Rafa position his self when receiving, he is almost at the audience and he has to jump to return the ball. I said this is mismatch (of height) for it looks like Isner is serving at the top of a ladder haha. It’s good Rafa get through and win the tournament. This is much harder i think that those Rafa 3 set matches in the previous rounds.

  24. Please God, can you place Ferru in Rafa’s half at USOpen 2013? About time Djoker was made to sweat about a draw, no?

  25. if he’s only wearing blue then you might think Isner is serving to one of the ball boys hahaha. Can’t sleep the adrenaline is still so high. I’ll just wait for 3 more hours and i’ll proceed to work.This is the effect when Rafa is playing (at finals) I can’t ignore and must watch it win or lose.

    Nice to see you all around here Rafans.

  26. if rafa can win USO and the year as no.1, this would be the greatest year ever in my opinion..even with 2 slams, it would be the greatest for me…coming back after SEVEN months, my goodness this guy , is he really human?lol

    2240 points ahead of djokovic in the atp race..winning USO would almost ensure year end no.1 …. come to think of it, regaining world no.1 without playing a grand slam and WTF? I mean, WTF ! impossible feats out there in rafa’s sights

    • He needs to somehow make 2000 points more rest of the year and take his point tally to 11000.

      He holds records of 5 Masters with Djoko but guess what Shanghai is stll left, you never know he can win it and hold the record alone 🙂

  27. yes rafaelo, that was the shot of the tournament ! federer hit a similar shot against davydenko once… but rafa did it on ISNER’s overhead lol

  28. yeah rafaelo, that one from fed was the most difficult one and it was a clear winner..i mentioned the davy shot because it was very similar to this one…fed also hit this kind of shot against djo at USO 2009 for a lob winner

  29. Yes Murray in Djoko half, Fed in Djoko qtr, no DElpo in Rafas qtr, no Gulbis in Round 3, no JI/JJ in Round 4..perfect wishlist 🙂

  30. Ricky is right. If Rafa gets through the first week, he will very tough to beat. It’s the early rounds that could prove dangerous.

    However, I will say that beating Rafa in a best three out of five is a very difficult thing to pull off. So even if he gets one of these guys like Gulbis, JJ, Dimitrov, they won’t be able to beat him in a slam.

    Tops on my wish list is Isner NOT in Rafa’s draw, half or whatever.

    I think it’s time for Fed to show up in Djoker’s part of the draw.

    The most important thing is who Rafa gets in those early rounds. Once you get to the quarterfinals, it’s usually a good player who you know. There could be upsets. It can happen at any slam.

    The draw is going to tell us a lot.

    I am just grateful that finally Rafa will not have to meet Djoker in the semis. Of course, he does have to get there!

    • NNY..Earlier rounds in NY USO are less of a scare than grass..grass comes too soon after clay and he barely has any practice and transition time ..he is also usually too spent after winning a lot in clay season..grass in first week plays very different..its just 2-3 shot strike tennis..

      I think Rafa will be fine for USO unless he has a really off day.

      He has reached SF & above since 08

      • Sanju,

        I take nothing for granted when it comes to the early rounds of any slam. This time at least Rafa will go in with enough match play and good preparation. I think he is in outstanding form and feel good about his chances. But playing lower ranked guys who can come out without any pressure and just swing for the fences and maybe play one great match in their lives, is the reason why I am always cautious.

        I don’t see a repeat of what happened the last two years at Wimbledon, for the reasons you suggested. This is not grass. Rafa is fresh coming off six or seven weeks off. He has had the best preparation possible. He is feeling good, happy and ready to rumble!

        He won’t say it, but he has his sights on winning the USO! Oh and the #1 ranking!

  31. Delpo doesn’t bother me as far as Rafa is concerned. Gulbis is on the top of my bogie list because he is determined to beat Rafa. The funny thing is, this year, Isner has lost in the 2nd or 3rd round 6 times this year but he played so well today. He was such a handful for Rafa, yet he tried to give Delpo the match yesterday and Delpo refused to take it.

  32. From another website comments section

    *Nadal by the records at Masters 1000*

    Nadal has the following all-time records on Masters 1000:

    – Most titles: 26

    – Most finals: 35

    – Most semifinals: 49

    – Best winning percentage: 84.36% (only player above 80%).

    – Most consecutive years winning at least one title: 9 (2005–2013).

    – Most titles in a single season: 5 (2013. Shared with Djokovic).

    – Most finals in a single season: 6 (2013. Shared with Djokovic).

    – Most clay court titles: 18

    – Clay Slam (Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros, 2010.)

    – Most consecutive years winning 3+ titles: 2008-2010.

    – Most consecutive titles: 4 (Rome to Cincinnati, 2013).

    – Most consecutive finals: 5 (Monte Carlo to Cincinnati, 2013).

    – Most consecutive finals allowing for a skipped event: 6 (Indian Wells to Cincinnati, 2013).

    – Most consecutive quarterfinals: 21 (Madrid 2008 to Cincinnati 2010).

    – Most times defending tournament titles: 11

    – The only player to have won 5 different tournaments at least 3 times each:

    Monte Carlo: 8

    Rome: 7

    Indian Wells: 3

    Madrid: 3

    Canada: 3

    – The only player to have won 2 different tournaments at least 7 times each (Monte Carlo & Rome).

    – The only player to have won a tournament 8 times (Monte Carlo 2005–2013).

    – The only player to have won a tournament at least 4 consecutive times (Monte Carlo 2005–2013).

    – The only player to have won a tournament 4,5 6, 7 and 8 consecutive times (Monte Carlo 2005–2013).

    – The fastest player to win Masters 1000 titles:

    5 titles: in 1 year, (Monte Carlo 2005- Monte Carlo 2006).

    10 titles: in 3 years, (Monte Carlo 2005 – Monte Carlo 2008).

    15 titles: in 4 years, (Monte Carlo 2005 – Rome 2009).

    20 titles: in 7 years, (Monte Carlo 2005 – Monte Carlo 2012).

    25 titles: in 8 years, (Monte Carlo 2005 – Canada 2013).

  33. roddick is impressed too 😛

    Just heard an insane stat…. Rafa has a winning record against every current player in the top 30…. That’s unreal
    – Andy Roddick at 2:19:32 pm ET Aug 18th

  34. sanju,thanks for the stats ! interesting list…there is a correction be made though, rafa has made it to 37 finals, not 35 🙂

    • all,

      I still can’t figure out how to get most recent commented articles (instead of most recent comments) up in the top right. So I just put in “top posts and pages”–which is articles with most views in the last 24 hours. Views and comments go hand in hand, so most of those 5 articles in the most viewed section at the top right will probably be the most recently commented on as well.

      Appreciate any feedback if you think having that is better or worse. I feel like “most recent comments” is worthless because all 5 of the most recent comments are almost always on the same article.

    • all,

      I still can’t figure out how to get most recent commented articles (instead of most recent comments) up in the top right. So I just put in “top posts and pages”–which is articles with most views in the last 24 hours. Views and comments go hand in hand, so most of those 5 articles in the most viewed section at the top right will probably be the most recently commented on as well.

      Appreciate any feedback if you think having that is better or worse. I feel like “most recent comments” is worthless because all 5 of the most recent comments are almost always on the same article.

  35. as soon as i visited the home page and saw this change , I was glad ! this is definitely a better way ! 2 thumbs up from me

  36. Rafael Nadal says:
    “If Federer is the Goat, then I am the farmer”………………………lol!!!!
    From a fan on Bleacher

  37. Rafa would have beaten Djokovic record if he had his fortress MC in the bag this year. What an irony. THis year he loses the title he has held for ages and wins the title he has never made a final in 😀

  38. Ricky,

    That is what I have been waiting for with the most recent articles on the upper right hand corner. But there was tennis going on, so I forgot to ask if you could do that.

    I guess you read my mind! It’s great! 🙂

  39. Well I am just waiting so that I can see the moment where Rafa is in tears (hopefully after winning USO ) and taking No 1 at the same time. That will truly truly be something to cherish for all Rafans to see the sheer tears of joy and he being emotional after clocking an excellent year from a 7 month absence. And yeah I dont mind shedding few tears too seeing him all emoional and happy after what he achieves.

    I am really waiting for that moment, let us all pray for that to happen 🙂

  40. sanju,
    that’s an amazing list of masters 1000’s records, thank you
    tiny correction: a couple of times the years with MC wins end in 2013, should be 2012

  41. Most recent commented articles a la old TT would be ideal but what you have done is better than most recent comments as you say.

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