Resumption of the Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry will get an earliest possible start in 2016, as they are set to square off at their first tournament of the year. The Doha title will be at stake when Djokovic and Nadal meet again on Saturday.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be squaring off for the 47th time in their careers when they clash in the final of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Saturday.
The head-to-head series is all tied at 23-23 following Djokovic’s 6-3, 6-3 victory in the semis of the World Tour Finals. Nadal was once borderline dominant in this rivalry, but Djokovic has turned the tide in a major way to draw level. The Serb has won four in a row and eight of their last nine encounters. Nadal has not defeated the world No. 1 on a hard court since the 2013 U.S. Open title match, a span of five such matches.
While both players were considerable favorites to reach this final when the draw was revealed, neither did so with complete ease. Djokovic delivered consecutive 6-2, 6-2 destructions of Dustin Brown and Fernando Verdasco before things got trickier. The top seed recovered from a break down in three straight sets, beating Leonardo Mayer 6-3, 7-5 and staging a first-set comeback against Tomas Berdych to prevail 6-3, 7-6(3).
Nadal survived a pair of three-setters, outlasting fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-1 and Andrey Kuznetsov 6-3, 5-7, 6-4. The fifth-ranked Spaniard also scored wins at the expense of Robin Haase (6-3, 6-2) and Illya Marchenko (6-3, 6-4).
“To be back in a final is always a great feeling, especially the first week of the season,” Nadal assured. “For sure (it) is important for me for my confidence, (to) confirm that the end of 2015 season had been something realistic and this beginning of 2016 I am still playing well, so [I’ve] already won four matches here and [am] in the final.”
“I guess it’s a pretty important match tomorrow; let’s see what happens,” Djokovic said following his semifinal victory over Berdych. “It’s been a long rivalry. It’s an exciting challenge for both of us.”
Although Nadal has not been a challenge for Djokovic of late, the 14-time major champion was a shadow of his real self throughout 2015. This one should be far more competitive than their four most recent showdowns, but Nadal is not quite ready to turn the rivalry back in his favor–at least not on this surface.
Pick: Djokovic in 2
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who ya got?
Nadal looks better than in 2015.I give him a chance here…
there’s no doubt he has a chance!
I do think that Rafa has a chance to win this final. I am looking forward to seeing him take on Novak again.
I think Rafa will at least get a set off Novak. I don’t think this is going to be a 2 set win for either guy.
Nole in two
Even if Novak showed some signs of drop in level I wouldn’t be fooled with it…he turns into a beast when playing for the title (something that was a major feature of Rafa of old-it was almost impossible to beat him once he is reached the final stage) and especially when playing Rafa…
I see this one as a competitive encounter. Rafa is playing better, he is implementing new things and I expect there will be some new tactics particularly for Nole. Is Rafa ready to fully comply with the plan and can he sustain the level he needs remains to be seen.
I believe in Rafa! This one could easily go either way…Rafa is the underdog and not many people expect him to win. They may as well be right, but I have the feeling he can take this one.
I won’t go into details on what Rafa needs or should do…we all know well what are the improvements Rafa is working on…but what I
hope to see is ruthless and “angry” Rafa, and not the one who was in the office during 2015…
Vamos Champ!!!
I missed too many Doha matches. It’s a coin flip from what I’ve read. Okay, it should take 3 sets but that’s what I picked the last time they met and it was over in 2.
Went with Nole in 3.
natashao (AT 10:32 PM) gets it!
no
It’s hard to assess whether Rafa has really improved or not. Weak opponents make their foes look better than what they really are.
Nole in 2
well you are referring only to Doha
his World Tour Finals performance means far more than his last four matches in Doha. Nadal destroyed both Stan and Murray. Now THOSE are not weak opponents.
Doha final match is important for both players,
For Novak winning is to confirm his dominance on the tour, and for Rafael win is important in order to overcome lack of confidence.
Let better player win in 2 set
Idemo Novak ! !!!!
agreed. Except probably 3 sets.
?
Gotta bite.
Then why did you pick it to go two?
Covering your bases?
if Nadal wins obviously
no
Rafa must play at his best level if he has any chance for the victory.
I predict this match will be won in two.
hawkeye,
But you are not saying who will win in 2 sets. I don’t see Rafa beating Novak in straight sets. Not at this time. If he’s going to do it, then it will be in 3 sets.
Didn’t want to.
I would love to see Rafa wining in 2 but that is so unlikely and unrealistic at this stage…
Obviously, if Rafa emerged victorious it would be in 3 sets…
Idemo Rafa! ?
It’s a good match for rafa to test his level and see where he is at. I don’t think he will beat Novak
Even if he has strategies I am not sure he should reveal them now in a 250
@ sanju 12.32,
i tend to agree…he either may not want to reveal the secret weapon or he decides to test it and see if it works…the first being more likely…
Doha is faster surface which always gives issues to Nadal. He has won only once in 2014 when he was aiming for double career slam. In other years, he lost to Monflis twice and others while playing above average in his first tourny of the year. I am going with joker in 2 with one decent close set. But, I am confident that he will do better in AO
COme one Rafa! Even if you do not win, put some seeds of doubt in Nole’s mind. He has been getting his own way for a while now!!
Nole to win this battle of Doha in the war of the 2016 season in 2
Djoko as usual is faking an injury. If he loses, he can blame his injury. If he wins, he can say I can beat Rafa on one leg or one arm or whatever.
On another site they speak so disparagingly of Rafa that I feel sick to my stomach. I lose nothing by making an optimistic prediction so here goes: Rafa in 3! Come on Rafa, do it!
Mary W (AT 3:40 AM),
—On another site they speak so disparagingly of Rafa…—
===
.
I don’t know what site you are talking about but that’s what the AntiRafaBrigade has always been doing everywhere.
@ Mary 3:40,
“I lose nothing by making an optimistic prediction”…
My sentiments exactly!
Do it, Rafa!
Rafa in three or Novak in two. Novak normally beats in straight sets in BO3 matches.
Rafa will have his chances esp when Novak not at 100%.
Novak playing at 50/60% was still able to beat the no.6 player in straight sets, that shown us how big the gap is between no.1 and no.6! Hope the no.5 player does better.
Off topic. Watched Fed vs Dimi and now watching Fed vs Thiem makes me appreciate Rafa, Novak and Murray even more. The trio could beat up Fed during Fed’s prime or even at his peak. The current youngsters couldnt even beat up an old man Fed and getting a set from Fed was already such a difficult task!
The big four beating up on each other is what makes today’s game so good. It’s awesome. Also on another note fed looked super good tonight. If he sustains that level especially the level of the first set, he can definitely take Melbourne home.
What is wrong with Novak injury ?
He looked fine yesterday
He is fine
Novak in 2
6 3 6 4
Now Nadal’s serve is seems to be the problem. Last match he has improved a bit. But against Novak, It will be the match deciding thing.
very possible
If Rafa can produce that USO2013 serve it’ll be fantastic. (Im not even talking about his 2010USO big serve here!)
In a BO3 match Rafa is always at a losing end when facing Novak, even on clay because he always starts slow and has to do catch ups most of the time.
Novak always comes out all guns blazing against Rafa, knowing Rafa’s style of always doing catch ups. Novak has his strategy right and it works against Rafa in BO3 winning 12 out of 15 such matches between them from 2011 to 2015.
luckystar (AT 7:50 AM),
Speaking of his 2010USO serve, it caused a shoulder problem and he said that the ball came back too quickly.
Yep so the USO2013 serve was the better one in that sense. But seriously, I see no problem with Rafa’s 2010 serve when all his opponents except Novak couldnt break it. Even Novak had about 5 BP chances only taking one or two of them if Im not wrong – once in first set, once in second to take the set – whilst Rafa had 20+ BP chances! That’s how good Rafa was during that USO2010 final.
Rafa also didnt lose a set until the final in that 2010 USO so I dont understand whats his concern except the shoulder issue. His big serve helped him to his Tokyo title that year, serving 18 aces to narrowly beat Troicki in the SF when Troicki himself served 20 over aces!
He wasnt serving that great or that big in the USO2011 final hence Novak was returning all his serves with interest. I doubt Novak could handle his 2010 serve even now tbh.
Novak owns rafa as we speak
Winning 8 of past 9 is not a joke
Nadal can beat anyone but Novak is a stern challenge for him. He turned the rivalry in 12-13 winning 6 of 7 and suddenly regressed losing 8 of next 9
..but 4 of which were in 2015 when Rafa was at his worst.
Rafa was 3-1 in 2012; 3-3 in 2013 and then 1-2 in 2014, so he’s 7-6 vs Novak from 2012 to 2014, hardly any disaster. Moreover, he was 4-0 vs Novak at the slams during those three years.
Its still 2015 that makes the difference. Put into perspective, Rafa had the last say in 2014 winning the big prize ie the FO. Its only when he had such a bad year in 2015 losing 20 matches the whole year that Novak had his 4 wins over Rafa.
Rafa has his worst share of bad luck in 2012 and 2014, having to miss a whole chunk of the season in both years.
He was on course to retain his no.1 ranking in 2014 but had wrist injury not to memtion his back injury in Jan. In 2012 he was leading the race until the Wimbledon and Novak and Fed narrowly edged him there for the lead. The trio could have fought it out for the no.1 position back then.
well said lucky. rafa himself said that he could have been number one in 2012 if not for injury and it must have been incredibly galling for him that he couldn’t be there to take advantage of nole’s dip in form and confidence after rafa started to beat him culminating in rg2012. you can’t count the loss to rosol as meaning anything because it only happened because of the knee otherwise he could have stacked up the slams (including wimby) that year with nole faltering.
as for 2014, once he beat nole at the french he had a great chance of racking up another fantastic US hard court season with nole out of form and muzza not functioning…i reckon he would have won us open 2014 if not for injury.
lucky,
Thanks for reminding us of the facts with Rafa. From 2012 to 2014 Rafa was getting the better of Novak, especially in the slams. It was the bad luck of having injuries that changed everything.
Rafa needs some good luck to stay healthy. Then things will be sorted out.
15-0
30-0. Not sure why Rafa is moving so slow.
Keep calm, stay focused, remain confident, be strong and fight bravely, Rafa!
http://b1453b95e76d4e3a87dc-6994ecbbd2d8c2e37b1dfdf39ec101fc.r20.cf1.rackcdn.com/34/50/88/34508877/ad_34508877_5966bc34fa89e553_web.jpg
What’s with the cats?
Stay focused, keep your mind sharp, be confident and show your warrior spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYR8AbPWwAAMJba.png
Nole 24 Rafa 23
well said!
I subscribed to tennistv for 24 hours just to see this final.
Let’s go Rafa!
What’s tennis tv? Is this not showing up on tennis channel?
nope. It has been on bein sports all week.
But you have to get that channel on your cable tv.
atul,
No, the tennis channel hasn’t shown Doha all week. The only way to see it in the stats is to subscribe to tennistv. You can go to their site and check it out. I signed up for a 24 hour subscription for $9.99
It’s the only way to see the match.
Yes, Rafa moving into the court to take that DTL forehand early for a winner. That’s the way to do it!
BP for Rafa!
CC backhand from Novak and he saves break point. Deuce.
BP squandered
Rafa’s forehand firing early in this match. Good stuff from Rafa, moving into the court and being aggressive.
At least Rafa is putting pressure on Novak’s serve early in this match. Good to see!
Djoker holds somehow
Novak hits an ace to hold serve.
Okay Rafa, now it’s your turn!
Hmmm…..will tennis TV also show the Australian open?
atul,
I don’t know. I don’t subscribe that often. Only when the tennis channel isn’t showing the matches.
Ricky did say that if you have Bein on your cable tv, they are showing it. But I don’t have it.
Rafa hasn’t hit a first serve and now it’s 0-40.
Novak too good and gets the break.
Tough start for Rafa with those chances to break Novak.
Rafa hit another brilliant DTL forehand to make it 0-15.
Novak looking sharp so far. Just blasting his groundstrokes.
dire from Rafa so far. Dire.
Good start
This is the one thing that I don’t think Rafa could afford, getting broken early. Then Novak just starts teeing off. Novak holds easily.
3-0 Novak.
Rafa playing into Novak’s hands. Novak redirecting the ball at will, Rafa’s FH cant match Novak’s BH but Rafa keeps hitting to Novak’s BH, not going to work.
The way to work is to hit DTL from both wings the way Stan does. Rafa cant break his own pattern of hitting CC all the time!
lol…I am not wasting $10 on watching Rafa getting pulverised.
atul,
Yeah, that’s what I did. I thought it might be different this time.
you can watch it online for free
I just checked my cable and I have Bein sports but they are showing soccer. They said to go to Bein sports connect. I don’t know what that is, maybe an online channel. I can’t find the match on my cable.
Did you check to see if you have Bein sport channel? They you can see it for free.
Yeah bein sports is showing soccer at my end too
Yep. Terrible.
Novak just pulled the trigger and blasted a cc backhand for a winner. He seems to know exactly where to hit and when against Rafa.
Rafa hits an ace to make it 40-30. Rafa needs to get on the board here.
Thats because Rafa is too predictable. Notice that once Novak hits the ball, he immediately races to the other corner of the court expecting Rafa’s CC shot. Rafa cant beat him playing like that.
Rafa holds for 3-1.
Finally Rafa wins a game! No bagel please Rafa!
You know things are tough when we are asking Rafa not to get bageled.
I am not going to use one of those livestreams that always mess up. I have gotten viruses too many times. Better safe than sorry.
I just wish that Rafa was doing better. It’s hard to see him in the same position with Novak. He’s made it way too easy for Novak in this match.
Rafa started off his service game by missing an I/O forehand. 0-15. Then an ace fore 15-15.
Rafa hitting waaaay too short on average which is why Nole’s hitting 8 kph faster than he has in Doha up to the final.
Poor serving pct and costly errors.
Yes he’s hit some great shots but too inconsistent.
It’s the consistency that he has lost which is what separates slam winners from the rest.
Rafa has lost his confidence and his consistency along with it.
Commies just don’t get it or choose not to.
It’s also an issue of Novak knowing exactly what to do against Rafa and being able to execute it to perfection. He’s got incredible confidence right now. We keep hearing how Novak doesn’t look that good in the earlier rounds, but when it comes to the final and it’s Rafa, he raises his level and gets it done.
6-1. Breadstick. 🙁
Rafa went for Novak’s forehand but didn’t have enough on it. BP.
Novak get the break and then clenches his fist to rub it in a little.
5-1
He just knows exactly what to do and is supremely confident against Rafa. Not fun to watch at all.
nothing to see here
Just look at the difference in ROS on second serve between the two players.
Lot’s of depth and pace from Nole but Rafa returning just past the service line at best.
Have to do more on 2nd serve ROS.
Breadstick coming.
It seems that Rafa still hasnt come to terms with the fact that he cant beat Novak in a rally. His FH cant match Novak’s BH, its a fact.
lucky,
What tactics should Rafa be using.
I switched to Coric Bedene
Rafa, please win one game in set 2 and I will be happy… 🙁
Rafa’s beating himself. No agression.
Decent 1st serve pct but winning just 50% of those points means there is not much on his first serve.
He’s making Nole look this good.
Commies betray their bias saying that set was privilege to watch.
6-1. Really?
Would never be said if Fed was given a breadstick. Can’t remember when that last happened though.
Rafa cannot read Novak’s game at all, being outhit and outplayed like never before…Rafa loses rallies and Novak is doing what he wants, without even working hard..,
Wake up, Rafa! You are far better than this!
Well, I can only say that I am glad I did not spend $10. It’s painful to see an old warrior like Rafa lose like this
it’s rough, Yep
Hopefully Rafa can win more than 2 games.
I really do not enjoy seeing Rafa get his clock cleaned by Novak. No way!
Hello! Rafa hits a DTL backhand for a winner, while Novak slips on the court.
That’s the way to do it Rafa!
Oh no, then a DF.
Rafa seems to feel the pressure when serving against Novak. 15-30.
Rafa cannot afford to get broken early again.
15-40
Rafa saves on BP on a rare miss from Novak.
Come on Rafa! Hold your serve!
Good body serve gets it to deuce.
Come on Rafa! Hang on!
Novak forcing Rafa to hit right back at him so that he can redirect the ball at will.
Sigh. Rafa’s serve tends to break down when he’s tense and I wonder when then he can be less tensed?
Rafa running out of ideas. At the rate this match is going, Rafa may fare worse than Berdych against Novak. So hard to watch this!
What I don’t like is how Novak is clenching his fist as he’s running Rafa all over the place.
BP again.
Oh man! Rafa had the shot! He had it wide open. DTL forehand goes long and Rafa is broken.
Novak has 11 forehand winners and 2 backhand winners. Commentators saying that the I/O forehand is doing all the damage.
The crowd is trying to get Rafa going.
This is just so hard to watch.
Done and dusted.
Nole wouldn’t steamroll a 34 yr old Fed like this.
Nole is the only one who can stop Fed now.
Rafa is frustrated. He hit his fist against his head.
Worst. Beating. Ever.
My question is, what can Rafa specifically do differently against Novak? I am not getting any answers here.
don’t think there is anything
Of course there is but Rafa unwilling to change his pattern of play, preferring to stick to baseline play, preferring to rally till no end, preferring to hit CC all the time, etc and etc. Doom to fail!
… and hit short.
He enjoys the hard hitting with Novak as if wanting to overpower Novak with his physical power, not going to work.
with better depth and a 2010-2013 serve it could. We’ll never find out in the near future if ever.
if there was, he would not have waited 47 matches to do it
?
He won 23.
Get his 2013 level back. He’s simply no where near that.
That’s the main difference.
Commies say Rafa’s last return not good enough.
Really? Just now?
They just put up a stat that showed Novak winning 22 baseline points to Rafa winning just 9 points.
Toni looking very embarrassed. I pity the Nadal camp, having to endure watching Rafa being hammered like this.
They said that Rafa was looking over to Uncle Toni.
His camp is showing just how difficult this is for them to watch.
Rafa holds serve. 2-1.
It seems that all aspects of Rafa’s game break down against Novak these dsys. The serve, the ROS. It all just goes down the drain.
Somehow Rafa has to break this pattern of getting broken early, because it just makes it too easy for Novak.
What is frustrating is that Rafa had such a good start, pressuring Novak in his first service game with chances to break. Then it all went downhill.
The commentator said that Rafa has the right shot going DTL, but short. He’s not getting enough length and Novak can just do anything with the ball from there. He’s in control.
Ah, hadn’t noticed.
That’s why they get paid the big bucks.
That’s because Rafa is playing from so far behind the baseline! He’s effectively reverting to clay court tennis!
Where have all the improvements gone?? I wonder how Rafa feels now, probably resigned and accepts the loss. Worst ever hammering since the 2007 Paris Masters hammering by Nalby.
lucky gets it
Commies saying Rafa’s DTL was right shot but too short.
Just realizing this now.
I said it after the first three games of the match.
Not rocket science.
#BetweenTheEars
Another 2nd serve ROS that lands in the service box.
How many times???
I can tell this is hard for Rafa. I can see it in his face. He doesn’t want to keep getting embarrassed by Novak.
I don’t understand why he keeps hitting short against Novak. That’s like the kiss of death.
This is like a practice session for Novak.
I can.
You can what?
understand.
So why is Rafa hitting short against Novak? Oh, lack of confidence!
The light dawns!
Give a man a fish, feed him for a day…
hawkeye,
What are you saying? Could you be more explicit? 🙂
Novak is really enjoying this. A DTL backhand from him to make it 30-40.
Novak is just standing on the baseline hitting forehands and backhands, running Rafa back and forth.
Novak breaks.
Well lets hope Novak has peaked too early :D. He can only go down from here. Is there any phase after the acceptance phase in the five stages of grief
In a twisted way, a beatdown might be just the wake up call Rafa needs.
Commie just admitted he fist pumped when Nole just got the double break.
Federazzi sucks.
Oh I don’t think it’s a case of Novak peaking too early. I think it’s a case of Novak picking up right where he ended in 2015.
This is going to be the most lopsided loss for Rafa yet against Novak.
Really hard to watch.
OMG, I really dislike this federazzi commentator.
Just another Nole bandwagon passenger.
Actually they are stupid to rejoice over Rafa’s defeat as no one else could now stop Novak from surpassing Fed and his records.
I think their prime concern was Rafa as he was (is still) much closer than Nole.
Fed is a real contender for more slams despite what everybody says.
Just needs someone to upset Nole (which can happen) or even beat him on a bad day (like Wawa did in Paris.
At least the commentators seem to be really enjoying this.
I am watching this and I cannot believe the scoreline.
Federazzi commies are giggling like crazy. All giddy about this.
So Rafa wins and makes it 5-2. Now Novak will serve for the match.
Someone said something to Rafa from the stands and Rafa replied “Do you want be my coach?” according to the federazzi commentator.
Anyways, full credit to Nole. He showed up.
You can only play whoever is on the other side of the net.
That was a rather brusque and curt handshake at the net.
Congratulations to Rafa on earning more points in Doha than he did last year! Vamos Rafa !
And congratulations to Nole who extended his lead over Rafa and everybody else by another 100 whopping points having not played Doha last year because of the flu.
Oh my God! They are showing the stats and Rafa’s serving stats are just awful. Winning 48% of first serve points?
Dang. What a beatdown. Did Rafa play poorly or did Nole play really well?
Both.
Rafa played well with low errors. However Novak was both a immovable object and an unstoppable force…
Rafa wasn’t hitting enough winners. His serving stats were the worst I think I’ve ever seen from him.
Rafa didn’t have an answer for Novak today.
Not only today, but most of the times on the HCs and even on clay at the Masters Rafa has no answer.
As long as Rafa makes it a physical war, he will lose. He lost to Novak in almost every aspect of his game – serves < Novak's ROS; his ROS < Novak's serves; his FH < Novak's BH; his BH < Novak's FH; his court position < Novak's court position to name the major ones.
I wonder why the Nadal team couldnt watch how Fed and Stan beat Novak and learn and pick up some tips from there.
If Rafa cant play like Fed ie rushes the net and takes time away from Novak, then he has to hit like Stan, ie more penetrating shots, perhaps flatter too to make it difficult for Novak to return them.
Rafa had done it before but on clay, at Rome 2012 and at the FOs. Its just that somehow he couldnt do it now for some reasons. Even his FHDTL had no depth and Novak could just return it with interest.
Its a pity that after all the good and hard work that Rafa and his team had done to stop and revert the losing trend of 2011 during 2012-2013, injuries had to set in and all his hard work undone again. He now has to start from stretch and rebuild his confidence and his game all over again.
#BetweenTheEars
#NothingNew
Novak’s serve stats –
First serves in – 75%
First serve points won – 79%
Second serve points won – 73%
Rafa’s serve stats –
First serve points – 63%
First serve points won – 48%
Second serve points won – 44%
Novak had 30 winners, 13 UE’s.
Rafa had 9 winners, 13 UE’s.
Why did Rafa get agitated with someone in the crowd? It is so unusual. It seems as if someone mocked him.
I didn’t see the match. Was Rafa playing with his right hand? What the heck?????
basically
Hawkeye posted about it somewhere up thread. I didn’t hear it, but apparently someone said something and Rafa said – Do you want be my coach?
Well that sucks. I was hoping it would at least be a good match by Rafa. I wanted him to win but I predicted Nole in 2. Sucks Rafa couldn’t deny my prediction. Hopefully for him he doesn’t get Nole in his quarter at AO.
Rafa should be angry with himself, whatever good work done during the week all being shattered to pieces now. Reality check – he’s just so far behind Novak now, in fact Novak doesnt even need to break a sweat to sweep Rafa off the court!
I think I’ll give up hoping for Rafa to win a title on the HC as long as Novak is there, maybe Rafa should just concentrate on playing clay court tournaments since his game is tailored for the clay surface. Let Fed or Murray or Stan deal with Novak on the HCs.
Yes he should lucky. He is fully responsible for that beatdown today. I don’t know when was the last time he failed to win more than three games in a match, if ever.
Every other player was able to give Nole a much better match this week by far.
Vamos Rafa no matter what.
#BetweenTheEars
That shows us how wide the gap is between Rafa and Novak now. Rafa can boss other players around but he is being bossed around by Novak.
Rafa looks absolutely clueless out there and he feared Novak. It may get to the stage like Berdych when facing Novak, fearing the embarrassment, after all the heavy hammerings they get at the hands of Novak.
I’m wondering if Ricky would still pick Rafa in hindsight to win RG this year.
Do you? Or don’t you.
I honestly don’t know what to think right now. The road goes through Novak if anyone wants to win a title. He will be waiting there in the final. So you have to be able to beat him. He’s not going anywhere.
Rafa needs to at least get back into the top four. That way he won’t have to face Novak until at least the semis.
This needs to be a reality check for Rafa. He must find an answer. Novak is beating him far too easily at this time.
I am not even thinking about RG right now. We have the AO up first and lots more tennis before then.
The trophy ceremony is still going on. Gaston Gaudio is there to present.
highlight of the entire day!
Yes, this is true!
I bet Rafa would love to just get out of there already.
Rafa is being interviewed right now. He’s being classy as always, but this loss has to be difficult. He’s a proud champion.
Oooh! Rafa said something about finding a new coach, too! He’s trying to make a joke out of it!
i didn’t see the match but having read the posts on previous matches from the realistic posters like lucky this doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.
can rafa really progress just with toni and get it together to beat nole?…all last year i felt that he couldn’t…i haven’t seen any of this last week but reading the comments i just feel the return of the same frustration. tignor said that he didn’t think rafa could come back to the top without outside help and i agree with him.
Agreed.
Nothing new.
oh that he could have worked with cahill hawks….think what he could do…
Too soon amy. Too soon.
I don’t want to think about it.
yeah sorry hawks..just feeling so frustrated…
i mean even tiggy who i respect so much and who adores rafa is saying that he can’t win without adding a new coach like nole did with becker….
Rafa jokes with his “new coach” in the crowd saying that he will do well in Australia with him on his team.
Great to see him willing to laugh. The most important thing.
That’s what I said above. Rafa was joking about the person in the crowd who was apparently getting on him during the match.
That’s why I said Rafa was being classy. I don’t know how he does it. Especially after a beatdown like that.
I didn’t know that Tignor said Rafa couldn’t get back to the top without outside help. I haven’t read him in quite some time.
nny, he said so in october i think….
amy,
Oh, thanks for that. As I said, I haven’t been reading his blogs for some time.
At least you didn’t see this match. Then you would feel even worse.
It’s like Novak is a machine when playing Rafa. He knew exactly where to hit and didn’t miss. Rafa’s game seems to dissemble when he plays Novak.
I can’t even be upset about this loss because it was not competitive at all. But Rafa and his team are going to have to do something. If he wants to win titles, he’s going to have to find a way to beat Novak.
I don’t know, maybe I am in a bit of shock. I really thought this would be a good match.
nny well tbh i feared this would happen. he has really got a problem now with nole and it’s like he’s beaten before he goes on court.
i would just love to see him with new people giving fresh ideas and input (with toni as adjunct) it’s felt for ages now that he needs more help
been skim reading comments on tennis-x..lots of posters including rafa fans saying he needs a change..
That’s interesting, because I don’t read tennis-x either anymore. Once in a while I will check it out, but haven’t done so lately.
Are these people saying it out of genuine concern for Rafa and wanting him to do well? Because that’s where we are at.
I know there are some on that site who would be just fine with Novak continuing to beat Rafa on a regular basis.
amy,
Yes, I agree. But you know that we are going to be called fair weather fans or worse. The truth is that we just don’t want to see him losing the way he did today to Novak. Each loss erodes his confidence even more against Novak. This one had to hurt, because Rafa has had a good start in the new year.
It’s not about getting rid of Uncle Toni. It’s about adding some people to his team. I see nothing wrong with some input and new ideas from others. We have seen Fed, Murray and Novak all do that and it’s paid dividends for them.
Nativenewyorker (AT 5:33 PM),
—we are going to be called…—
===
.
Someone calls somebodies ‘the Politburo’:
https://tenngrand.com/2016/01/07/doha-sf-previews-and-picks-djokovic-vs-berdych-nadal-vs-marchenko/comment-page-1/#comment-74256
I still can’t believe the stat where Rafa only won 48% of first serves. How on earth could that happen? I know that Novak has a great ROS, but that stat is really concerning.
He’s basically reverting to the same old pattern of serving, getting in the % but not winning enough of them. His serves lacked pace and were more spinny, unlike yesterday when he forgone the serve % but went for more pace and winning the point.
He had no strategy out there, as if to see how things were going first and then reacted accordingly. He just went CC too much and even Novak anticipated that and moved to the positions accordingly!
Clueless is the word to describe Rafa today. Its not only Rafa but his entire team is at a loss. At least Fed comes out with new tactics or strategies all the time to counter the ever imposing Novak; Rafa’s team seems to be running out of ideas.
This is totally strange, its not like Rafa hasnt beaten Novak before. He just has to reuse some old tricks – hitting with more penetration and then rushing in; or hitting DTL from both wings instead of CC all the time. He should watch videos of some of his older matches and see how he had beaten Novak back then, those post 2011 ones i mean.
in the wtf he looked like he was on a clay court hitting cc to nole’s backhand as if he could whip it up and get loads of spin…!!
sometimes i wonder if he thinks he is playing fed out there….
his brain just seems to freeze against nole
oh and i agree about the whole team….he needs fresh input…
Exactly, and its not only against Novak. Against Ferrer, against those who have solid enough DHBH he’s still doing that even when their BHs are their stronger wing. Its as if he has a brain freeze, couldnt change strategy according to what opponent he’s facing, failing to get out of the same old pattern of play. Its very sad to see Rafa playing like that, like letting Ferrer bossed him around when Rafa clearly was having the upperhand.
so what is the solution lucky?? i think he needs help and i have been saying that since early last year…
forgot to say congrats to nole fans….
congrats rats…!!
Thanks, amy. I didn’t see the match. In fact I’m just now waking up and reading what happened in the Rafole. Sincerest commiserations to Rafans – score is surprising. But I can’t comment since I didn’t see it. Had to sleep sometime!
didn’t see it either ratcliff, but not wildly surprised. feeling very frustrated. i do like nole very much but rafa is my favourite, nole second favourite…but i want them to have a real rivalry again and start playing the kind of amazing matches they gave us in the past.
yes – very much want Rafole to be a hot ticket – not a predictable foregone conclusion – which is what we have with Berdych v Nole. Fed is not going to beat Nole in a slam. Heck, Fed has been a deer in the headlights v Rafa at slams for eons! Rafa can luck out by getting Fed in his draw at AO. Rafa’s trouble is confined to Nole. Rafa just needs to make sure he beats everyone else – then deal with Nole. Basically that’s how Federer has adjusted I’d guess – get in, beat who you can, win v Rafa on fast indoor hc, try hard v Nole – 2nd place/ runner-up is still commendable, maintains a high rank, and sometimes it’s record breaking in the process…ect…
Rafa can win slams – FO especially. He just has to keep a high level on hc, go for broke during clay season. A successful clay run in 2016 will be huge for his confidence going forward. But I don’t write him off for AO because he lost Doha – that seems silly. I still pick Rafa to end the year #2 – and win a GS, FO or elsewhere.
Rafa chose to play Doha – didn’t shy away from the challenge of meeting Nole in the Final. Now he has experienced the worst case scenario – he’ll know what to do. He was already joking with a fan? that’s a good sign – great attitude.
ratcliff,
Thanks for being so gracious. I didn’t know that you are Novak fan, but at least you are a nice one!
The score speaks for itself.
Yes I do love to watch Nole’s tennis, NNY. And I could go on about it but there’s so much of that written all over the place – it gets over the top for me. I don’t post on tennis blogs because of one player specifically, and that does gets me in trouble if I’m affiliated with one fan club, nation, clique whatever you call it – as you see I’m as big an Aga, Simona, Dasha, Kei, Kyrgios fan – list goes on, even poor Wozzy and her serve issues. I’m not neutral or passive but it’s just that it’s more fun if I keep it understated. If Nole wins FO – I’ll likely type “idemo” or “ajde” with an exlamation. Otherwise it’s business as usual 😉 Definitely not miss manners or anything but I try my best. It takes all types of fans and there’s no gold standard for it.
Embarassment big time. Shocked .
Rafa has to get to no 2 in the world else this will keep happening
So you think this result will take rafa several steps behind vs others too or will it be restricted to Novak only
Neither.
Elaborate please
I think he will continue to play at the same level or better against everyone else and certainly do no worse against Nole as he hasn’t taken a set from him in 19 months.
I really want to say this now, I blame Toni for not spotting what went wrong with Rafa during early 2015. It seemed to me that Rafa didnt communicate with Toni about his confidence issue, at least not in depth, where Toni would or could learn about the seriousness of the issue. Had Toni paid more attention to Rafa’s problem back then, he wouldnt and shouldnt want Rafa to try out the new racket for the clay season and assuming because its clay season, Rafa would have no problem getting used to the new racket.
As it turned out Rafa had a disastrous clay season losing his FO crown too further dampening his spirit and his confidence. Toni even said that after watching Rafa practiced, he felt Rafa would do well at Wimbledon, further proof of how little he knew of the seriousness of Rafa’s confidence problem! At that time I couldnt believe Toni even said that! After the sound beating at the hands of Brown, Toni finally woke up and realized the seriousness of the issue, and then said something like he’s also at a loss as to how Rafa could overcome the problem (something to that effect).
I’m frustrated with Toni for not being sensitive to Rafa’s problem and left it too late to find solutions when the harm was already done.
Rafa couldnt implement those improvements he had made since the end of 2015 in this match because he was tense and fearful from the get go, not calm and couldnt think clearly hence he’s reverting to his clay court tennis. He hardly hit his BH flatter shots CC or DTL but instead reverting to slicing them. His FH suddenly lacked depth and precision again when it was lethal in his previous few matches. He hardly ventured to the net until he was desparate to hold serve. IOWs, he had forgotten about implementing his new game once he saw Novak across the net. Rafa’s game really looked one dimensional today,always the same old pattern, nothing new. I do feel Rafa can still beat Novak by injecting in some unpredictability into his game – like net rushing at times, S&V at times, hitting DTL returns instead of going CC when Novak was at the net waiting, or even lob him there at the net; serves with more pace the way Murray does his first serves; serve down the T more often instead of going out wide all the time.
Well said lucky but Rafa has to share some of this blame for not recognizing the limitations of his team or, if he did, being unwilling to make changes to his close circle.
well said but lucky and hawks….
sorry not but meant both…!!
luckystar (AT 6:33 PM)
—I blame Toni for not spotting what went wrong with Rafa during early 2015. —
===
.
Toni knew. Rafa has told about that a zillion times in his interviews.
U.Toni said in his recent interview with COP, a radio network in Spain : “Getting injured in the AO 2014 final was a big blow. When he recovered [therapies helped him temporarily], the wrist issue happened [July 2014] and then appendicitis [Oct-Nov. 2014] when he was trying to come back. All this caused him a huge stress and lack of confidence in his body [in the 2015 season]. He was going on court [in 2015] without knowing/trusting what his body would do.”
Toni was aware of the problem but didnt know the extent of the problem, hence his remark about Rafa doing well at Wimbledon.
luckystar (AT 6:33 PM)
—he [Toni] wouldnt and shouldnt want Rafa to try out the new racket for the clay season …—
===
.
I don’t think that Toni asked Rafa to use a prototype of the new racket model. Rafa was supposed to test it before the 2015 season, but it was not ready in time. So, he tested the racket in April.
Unfortunately, he had ‘less control’ (according to his words) with the new model and he went back to his regular racket (AeroPro Drive).
Thats the problem, why test it during the most important part of the season for Rafa? Probably assuming Rafa would be fine because its the clay season! Again not sensitive to Rafa’s main problem at that time.
luckystar (AT 7:34 PM),
Because Rafa wanted to test.
You’re Rafa?
luckystar (AT 8:07 PM),
I have read Rafa’s interviews.
.
I should ask: are you Toni ? 🙂
LOL
Rafa may have a mental problem but let’s not get carried away.
Someone (AT 8:38 PM) should help himself.
Please, whether its Rafa’s decision or not that’s not the problem; its Toni who as a coach who needs to advise Rafa for or against it. Rafa isnt that stubborn not to listen to anyone. Of course when asked Rafa would say that’s his decision, or should he said my coach requested me to test the racket so I do?
Luckystar (AT 9:04 PM),
You are Rafa & U.Toni? 🙂
Luckystar (AT 9:04 PM),
.
Rafa talks about playing with a new prototype racket (in April 2015):
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=108399
.
Babolat is Rafa’s sponsor and U.Toni isn’t a Babolat employee. 🙂
luckystar (AT 6:33 PM)
—Toni even said that after watching Rafa practiced, he felt Rafa would do well at Wimbledon—
===
.
Toni always says he hopes Rafa is doing well.
Nah, he said he felt Rafa would do well, not only ‘hoping’.
I think that was part of the rhetoric to increase Rafa’s confidence and to help him in a way…I remember us discussing change in Toni’s public appearances thus being more supportive of Rafa and more optimistic…it was inevitable since Rafa was losing to nobodies…it would do him no good if Toni went public and said: I don’t think Rafa will do well in Wimbledon…
natashao ( AT 7:45 PM),
I agree, and Toni said recently: “You can’t win any good tournaments if you think you cannot and you don’t BELIEVE.”
.
ESPN, Dec. 29, 2015: ¤¤ Toni Nadal believes we’ll see return of vintage Rafa.
QUESTION: “Will Rafael go back to winning Grand Slams in 2016?”
TONI: “Yes. I couldn’t do this work if I thought that he couldn’t win more Grand Slams. I think that he can win more Grand Slams. He can win the Australian Open in January. And he can win Wimbledon, too. The last few years, Rafael arrived at Wimbledon and he lost early, and very fast. And, in Roland Garros, for sure, Rafael can win. In tennis, you need confidence to do things. It’s impossible to do anything without confidence. You can’t win any good tournaments if you think you cannot and you don’t BELIEVE.” ¤¤
http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/14416489/tennis-toni-nadal-believes-see-return-vintage-rafa-nadal
This interview was done at end of Dec last year when Rafa had already shown signs of improvements.
He doesnt need to say anything. The worst thing was that he said he was also at a loss after Rafa suffered a beatdown by Brown.
luckystar (AT 8:10 PM),
—He doesnt need to say anything—
===
.
How do YOU know what words Rafa needs to hear from Toni?!
Toni has already destroyed the confidence of a young man and now he’s trying to repair the damage but looking at it he hasnt had much success yet.
luckystar (AT 7:36 PM),
—Nah, he said he felt Rafa would do well, not only ‘hoping’—
===
.
Yep, ‘hoping’ is my interpretation. I don’t know what other people ‘feel’.
To amy.
.
During the trophy ceremony, Rafa said he found a new coach as he looked for the fan who yelled out at him during the second set.
“I found a new coach today, too. I think he is travelling with me to Australia tonight. I’m sure next time I’m gonna win against Novak with him.”
From the 2:03 minute mark in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6AoFqX0pbQ
[Source: RNF]
He was joking!
This Rafa is worse than 2015 Rafa. I wonder how long a great former champion can take these beat-downs.
He is at a loss once he sees Novak across the net. Novak is in his head again. Novak has progressed but Rafa has regressed. Rafa doesnt have the belief now that he could beat Novak, saying Novak is of a different league.
Perhaps Rafa already knows, unlike us his fans, that he’s not going to beat Novak on the HCs. He may be hoping and working to beat Novak on clay.
I think if Rafa can’t win the French Open this year he will retire afterwards at the age of 30.
May or may not, depends on how he feels about his game. He may not lose to Novak on clay but someone else. Also I dont think Novak has become invincible on clay when he has to go five sets with Murray. Novak may lose early too at the FO.
Novak happens to be a bad match up for Rafa now as he’s able to predict the pattern of Rafa’s play. In the past its not so, as Rafa was stronger and quicker and could out think Novak. In their FO matches from 2012 to 2014, Rafa could outplay Novak by coming up with different strategy each time they met there.
Rafa has lost some speed and power and couldnt execute any new strategy at the moment and thus has become predictable.
Fed’s been doing it his whole career.
Rafa is still all smiles in defeat and can joke about a new coach. He’s gracious in defeat, a very nice individual. I hope that means he’s not that affected by this hammering and will continue to work to overcome the fear of Novak and his game.
That’s a big part of why in my books Rafa will always be the best despite career slam count.
Sadly Rafa is a shell of his former self perhaps finally burnt out somewhat like Sampras became before he turned 30 (albeit for different reasons obviously). I think Rafa lacks the ruthlessness to make changes necessary to return to the top of his game which, paradoxically, is part of his unique charm and what makes him so great in my mind.
Vamos Rafa no matter what.
I agree that Rafa is not ruthless enough, unlike Novak or Fed. I noticed that Rafa rarely bagel anyone even though I could see that he clearly was able to do so. He normally would lose a game or two once he sensed he already had the match in his pocket. Fed and Novak would not hesitate if they have the chance to bagel anyone, stamping their authority and also dampening their opponents’ spirits so that to prevent them becoming a resurging force.
Oh, Fed also managed to beat Rafa giving Rafa only three games, at WTF2011 beating Rafa 6-3, 6-0.
Rafa OTOH, had beaten Novak at MC2012 giving him only 4 games and trashed Fed at the FO2008 giving Fed only 4 games.
So it happens…First of all, congrats to Novak and his fans for his flawless performance! He really destroyed Rafa today.
I watched Novak’s animal face expression. He was so determined not only to win but to hand a beat down because he sensed Rafa was coming back. This match had much higher value for Novak to humiliate Rafa, to break his spirit and to shake his rediscovered confidence. This match was all about it.
Rafa was not ready for this. Even if the team Rafa developed some new approach it wouldn’t work.
The main problem is in Rafa’s speed. He was too slow for this Novak. I always talk about Rafa’s decline in speed therefore changes to the old style of play are mandatory.
However, at the end of the day Rafa played another final, he is not injured and he is work in progress. He can and will go up! Novak can’t do better than this, he can only go down…if he sustains this level the whole year he will fir sure break records…but again, to do so he will have to be more than human. We’ll see…
Rafa should not let this loss get to him. Judging by the logic of some here Fed should have never played another RG match after Rafa destroyed him in 2008…Fed even managed to win it a year later…
Nobody here knows what the future brings. I may be accessed of being overly optimistic but I am into sports myself and believe me things can change overnight…
Vamos Rafa!
His speed is hurt, not by age, but by lack of confidence IMO.
#HeavyLegSyndrome
It may be both…however, he should not try to outhit Novak because the Serb is quick and can rally for ages…I wonder if this style of play, similar to what Rafa used to do, will be the reason for Novak’s fall…he simply cannot go for long standing at the baseline and running like hell…his current physical condition is just unbelievable…I wonder for how much longer…
Novak has done well to conserve his energy. How many times have people said that he doesn’t look that great in the earlier rounds of tournaments? But that’s because he seems to be able to do enough to get the win, even if the score doesn’t look as nice. Then he is able to bring his best in the semis and finals. So Novak seems to be pacing himself so that he will not burnout.
I think Rafa’s loss of speed is a combination of age and lack of confidence. The simple immutable truth is that players do lose some things as they age. It happens to all of them. Then they have to try to adapt if possible.
Novak was standing on the baseline dictating the rallies. He would hit an angled forehand, then go to the other side with an angled backhand, corner to corner. He was running Rafa all over the place. Novak is not going to get tired playing those kinds of matches.
Novak was running like crazy and hitting from all over the place…he was just too good and too fast for this Rafa…
Not nearly as much as Rafa!
The problem is that Novak always seems to play his best against Rafa these days. That’s because he knows exactly how to play him and has incredible confidence now.
If you are hoping for Novak’s level to drop against Rafa, then I fear you are going to be disappointed. It’s Rafa who will have to find the solutions and answers now.
I don’t see anyone here implying that Fed should never have played another RG after the beatdown from Rafa in 2008. But Fed has made changes to continue to be competitive as he ages. He is now using a racket with a bigger head, he has made some coaching changes, he came up with an even more aggressive style of play, the SABR, rushing the net at every opportunity.
Rafa has to do the same. He has a new racket. Now he has to work on his serve, change up his shot making patterns and see if he can shake things up against Novak.
If you or anybody else are wondering how Rafa can or will he overcome this loss I gave an example of Fed…that was my point! Fed hardly made any of those changes for RG 2009…they came letter…
Yes, but Rafa was not there in the final in 2009 to stop Fed! There is no way Fed would have won unless Rafa was somehow taken out of the equation. Fed’s never been able to beat Rafa at RG.
So I don’t agree with your example. Unless you are saying that if Novak somehow loses at a tournament, then Rafa would have a chance to win.
Exactly, my point was that you never now what could happen…you did not get it…
Well, I obviously did get it! Since that is what you were saying, then we can agree. 🙂
Yes Rafa has to do that. There’s no shortcut way, just has to work on every aspect of his game, esp serve and return, BH CC and DTL, playing more inside the court etc.and then work out a gameplan. Most importantly, add in some elements of surprise.
Frankly I’m rather disappointed with the way Rafa played this match, he had reverted back to clay court style tennis and had not tested Novak using some of his improvements.
That is true…it seemed as Rafa went two steps back…
But the thing is that Rafa was serving well, returning well and hitting his DTL backhand with depth and penetration in his previous matches. He was being aggressive, staying on the baseline and hitting his shots early. He did all of those things this week, yet when he sees Novak on the other side of the court, it all goes away!
That’s because quality of shots coming back to Rafa are different.
this
yep..
Chicken and egg situation.
He wouldn’t have that quality of shots against 2016 federer or 2013 Rafa.
I’m not saying he’d win but it would be a more competitive match.
When Nole rolled in second serves, Rafa barely returned them much beyond the service line and that has nothing to do with the quality of Nole’s shots.
Not so much of that, Rafa wasnt even attempting his BHDTL shots that he hit all week, reverting to slicing his BH instead. So, its not the quality of shots coming back at him, its the lack of confidence in executing those shots.
He was playing from a more defensive position too and reverted to old ways of playing. He made the mistake of staying back and rallying with Novak instead of hitting more aggressive shots and then moving forward. Once he moved forward during the match he won the point.
He played too predictably sticking to old ways which Novak was all too familiar with. He has to come to terms with the fact that no one can out rally Novak, perhaps only Stan on a good day. If he wants to beat Novak he must think of adding new elements into his game making it unpredictable at least to Novak.
Nativenewyorker (AT 7:45 PM),
—He has a new racket.—
===
.
Rafa uses new strings. (There is no confirmation that he has changed the frame).
I realize that the quality of the shots that were coming back were different! Obviously! But the point that I was trying to make, is that Rafa has been able to handle that quality of shots from Novak. How else would Rafa have been able to get the better of Novak from mid 2012 to 2014? It’s not like he’s never seen this kind of tennis from Novak. He’s been able to be competitive. But now it’s different. That is my point.
Aa far as Rafa overcoming this loss, he’s a professional tennis player. He will move on. One loss is not going to destroy him. But I do think it’s going to sting. Rafa does have his pride. As he should.
I am not writing Rafa’s epitaph here. I am merely discussing what can be done or how he can find a way to beat Novak. Otherwise, it’s going to be hard to win more slams.
One final is not the be-all and end-all. But it’s human nature to feel disappointed. I don’t know about you, but for myself I do not enjoy seeing Novak blow Rafa off the court and relish the experience of doing so. Not one bit.
Well dear, losses are part of the sport. It took me a while to breathe in this loss but I have sport spirit and I always look further than this…people fall and get up…if Rafa let the loss at the 250 tourney disappoints him so much that he gets discouraged for the AO then he wouldn’t be a true sportsman…Rafa is way better than that! He has the whole year ahead! He will have more to say I am sure!
If I couldn’t take losses, then I would have stopped watching tennis a long time ago! I have been there with Rafa through it all, the good and the bad. And I am sticking! Not going anywhere! I am in this to the end. No matter what.
As I said previously, Rafa will move on because one loss does not define his career nor will it break him. I agree that there is a lot more tennis to be played and we will have to watch and see how it all plays out.
I will be there for Rafa always, but I would much prefer to see him get a win against Novak and maybe wipe that smirk off his face!
Don’t understand why so much criticism towards Rafa… Novak was close to 100% form today, not much anybody can do when he’s hitting the ball like that.
I thought Rafa was pretty decent today… played well enough to compete with any of the other top 5.
Doha should be a positive experience for Nadal.
Well, it should have been…. But it wasn’t!
You don’t think that Rafa can beat Novak when he’s close to 100%? Because he’s done it in the past, when Novak was at 100%!
There’s always a chance…
Just think there’s nothing to be shamed of when your opponent is hitting lines and corners all over the place.
exactly…I expected Rafa to be able to implement some of his improvements/new stuff but this Novak would not let him…he was just unbelievable today…the way he was running and hitting angles from all over the place is just amazing feature…
Can he keep this high level for the second consecutive year without getting injured or exhausted…well, we shall see…Novak will have to defend the points and he has reached all the finals…it’s a lot to work on…
He might be able to keep this level for another year – I think that’s the goal; and further, however long he can. He talks about living the life at this level – in time we’ll see where it takes him. He does have the advantage of following Fedal’s leads, learning from them, planning and managing to subdue them on their best turf and continue improving on improvements. Nole isn’t a machine but his discipline is unwavering and has become a way of life. We’ll see how long he goes. He’s also human and not perfect. But I doubt he succumbs to a gluten binge pre AO 😀
“gluten binge”…love it 🙂
yeah, I agree, his discipline is really something…he is enjoying his run but there is always a threat of overdoing it…then again, he may as well be able to make another great year thus making history…we sure will be around to follow the scores… 🙂
My guess is Novak can. You see, his one major obstacle (Rafa) has now been removed by him ruthlessly.
Novak had the fortune that his main rival was struck with injuries and while the rival was away, he wrestled the no.1 ranking back, played with no worry as his major rival was down and out. When his rival was still finding his way back, Novak quickly and ruthlessly swept up everything in sight. He is NOT going to make the same mistake as in 2013, when Rafa stormed back from injury to sweep up almost everything except Wimbledon, right up to the USO and including the no.1 ranking.
I dont think anyone is going to stop Novak, at least not snatching the no.1 ranking from him, or preventing him from winning the slams, at least not some of the slams. Unless the young guns rise to challenge him, I doubt the current top 10 could do the job of stopping Novak.
Rafa is important to the tour for providing serious challenges to Novak and sustains interest in the sports when Fed is too old to provide the real challenge. Novak and his team know that Rafa is still the main threat to Novak and so he’s out to destroy Rafa ruthlessly to prevent his (Rafa’s) resurgence.
ratcliff,
It would appear that some are waiting for Novak to fall apart. I don’t see that happening right now. Novak seems to have found a way to pace himself in tournaments. That’s what I have noticed about him in the last year. He does just enough to get the wins and then saves his best for the latter stages of tournaments.
Now of course there are times when he will have some tough early round matches. But when he can, I see him conserving his energy. He did not look anywhere near as good during this tournament as he did in the final.
Oh, and about Novak painting the lines, well there was a player named Rafa Nadal who was able to do exactly the same thing as I recall! 🙂
He’s got an 8000 point lead. He can drop 4000 easy and still win multiple slams and finish no. 1.
He certainly doesn’t have to defend all of his points.
This is no different than how good Federer looked in the weak era with no challengers.
Age does not account for the massive drop in form. It was injuries, uncontrolled habits, anxiety and loss in confidence.
It can be fixed but not with his team as is and he’s not willing to make the necessary changes.
he doesn’t but he wants to…that is my point…do you think Novak will give up Master 1000 to have some rest? It simply does not go with his current logic…he wants it all…
and you see how it goes: Novak decides not to play Monte Carlo / Rafa goes on and wins it easily and builds his confidence for the rest of the clay season…or Novak decides to rest during the IW and Rafa beats Fed in the finals…see…it’s not as simple as you may think… 🙂
That’s the point with Novak! When you have an 8000 point lead, you have the luxury of maybe losing some points here and there. He’s got a huge cushion right now.
Regarding Rafa’s drop in form, we’ve all discussed this at length and given our various thoughts. I do believe that age is a part of it. Maybe not even a major part, but still a component. I think the injuries were what did Rafa in and caused him not to trust his body and lose confidence. That would be only natural. Rafa is human after all. The other issues are all part of it.
I haven’t watched Rafa play in this tournament.
Lucky and hawky, judging by the last five or so tournaments, how would you describe Rafa’s dealing with his anxiety? I don’t mean confidence per se, but the anxiety. (Putting today’s final aside more or less, other than today it wasn’t anxiety or extreme lack of confidence that was a factor.) Does rafa seem to be on the mend anxiety-wise more than we might have hoped for five months ago?
This question relates to what was said about Toni of course… but is also about Rafa besides that.
AT 9:03 PM
—how would you describe Rafa’s dealing with his anxiety?—
===
.
OMG! Yet another Dr.Armchair arrived on the scene! LOL
The anxiety has definitely lessened compared to 2015 according to Rafa and I believe that it shows.
But his confidence is absolutely shot against Djokovic.
For the majority of the match he was just too defensive hoping that Nole would make errors.
No aggression.
I don’t see him winning slams or beating Nole anywhere without a change in his team and I don’t see any evidence that he is willing to do so.
I hope I’m wrong.
“But his confidence is absolutely shot against Djokovic.”
Fill in ‘Nadal’ where you have ‘Djokovic’ and you describe Federer. However, with Federer the damage to his confidence facing Rafa by now is fixed – apart from maybe Cincinnati, Basel, or ATP Final indoors. Rafa recovered from the 2011 blows he took from Nole. And Nole couldn’t sustain his dominance. 2016 this time Nole’s more experienced and settled – I give him a better chance of sustaining dominance than after 2011. Rafa has to figure it out on his end. There’s still time for Rafa. There’s time for others too, not Federer, but there’s Andy Murray and uhmm…let me think about it. Stan comes to mind.
Yes there’s time for Rafa but he’s not using his time wisely and that will in all likelihood be his downfall.
Regarding Novak giving up Masters 1000 tournaments, there are mandatory tournaments that everyone must play. So it’s not like Novak can just drop out of some tournaments because he feels like it. Fed has done a good job of managing his schedule as he has gotten older. Of course, he gets perks for what he’s done and has the luxury of skipping some extra ones along the way.
It’s kind of surprising to read that the idea is for Novak to skip some tournaments, thus giving Rafa a chance to win. That’s not going to get it done. It may happen here and there and if it does, all well and good. But you have to beat the best in this game. You can’t run and you can’t hide. At some point, Rafa will have to face Novak.
Obviously Novak would not literally “give up” tournaments??? It was rhetorical and meant that Novak must not win everything…there are ways to do it like citing exhaustion, losing early, etc. Of course he won’t just skip the tourney and risk being penalized for God’s sake!
And nobody said that’s the idea for Rafa’s success??? I said that Novak would not want Rafa to build his confidence winning tournaments…please don’t misinterpret what I said…how did you come up with such ideas??? Please read more carefully before you interfere…
Since when am I “interfering”? Is this an exclusive conversation you are having. That’s really quite insulting, I must say. You really took what I said in completely the wrong way but there’s no point in explain it because you have gotten emotional about it. Not necessary.
I thought on a forum all discussions are open.
It was a response to a Hawkeye post and I wrote it in a humorous way
email is your friend if you have a personal problem with someone. Thanks.
calm down
I’m never involved with this anxiety argument.
My take about Rafa is that he’ll continue to work on the things that he wishes to implement, trying to win as many matches as possible with the implementation of the changes, so that by the time he has to faceoff with Novak again, he will be able to play his new game with confidence.
As I mentioned before, as long as Rafa is not so predictable, he can still beat Novak. He has to play smart and not trying to outslug Novak. Rafa needs to add in varieties to his game; Novak doesnt feel comfortable dealing with varieties players the likes of Fed, Dolgo, Tomic. Rafa has the varieties but he’s using them sparingly not wanting to take more risk.
There’s no argument about his anxiety (unless you disagree with Rafa whose talked exhaustively about it).
There’s no depth on his shots against Nole, 2nd serve ROS being a prime example.
I prefer to go along with lucky’s stance and just not get involved with the anxiety argument. I have made my feelings known about this in the past and see no reason to revisit it.
I do not think it’s the end of the world with Rafa trying to beat Novak. But it’s going to be a tough battle for Rafa.
I also do not see people here criticizing Rafa. I am reading thoughtful analysis of his game and the issues related to competing against Novak. I have enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts, whether I agree or disagree.
When I say the damage to Federer’s confidence is “fixed” — I mean fixed and done – gone, zero confidence. It’s in the books to examine: look what losing multiple times on the biggest stage to the same player, when the stakes are highest, can do to the human psyche.
Federer’s confidence was damaged in 2013. It certainly isn’t now.
Fed’s still damaged facing Rafa, Ricky. His confidence problem is centered on Rafa and Fed’s just not good enough to beat Nole now. Fed is, or was in 2015, good enough to be #2 most of the year – so no, the confidence issue in general is fine.
nah Fed is fine. Has a way better chance than anyone else to beat Djokovic. Which isn’t saying a lot!
Dimitrov should have won, darn it. Did you see the perspiration? Fed never used to sweat like that. He was miserable. Raonic has a decent chance. I give Fed less chance than last year to beat Nole.
you are probably right…
maybe, nats. But there’s always a chance I may not be in possession of all the information 😉
Raonic has a 10% chance of beating Fed.
If Fed was damaged facing Rafa, he wouldn’t have won Basel.
Mitigating circumstance in Basel, Hawkstra – Rafa not yet up to par in fall 2015. Rafa would have beaten Fed, otherwise – that’s my opinion/speculation. hehehe
Federer is so psyched out by Rafa. If not consciously experienced, sub-consciously. Sure, if Rafa is injured or 2015-ish low on confidence, Fed may sneak a win through – but not in a GS. Otherwise it’s indoors WTF or (maybe) Cincinnati.
I think Fed can beat Novak in a best of three set match, not in best of five anymore.
@ lucky 10:20 pm,
I understand your point…but I have hopes that it’s not over just yet…I tend to think that this win should not mean Rafa is sidelined for good, i.e., that Rafa will not be able to beat Novak this year…I believe Rafa will beat Novak and it will come soon…
I read your evaluations of Rafa’s game and I see where you are coming from…I very much appreciate your opinion as you are more realistic than me…but you also agree that Rafa has made improvements and that he just failed to implement those today…I think this encounter came way to early for Rafa to fully implement his changes or tactics or game plan…I think he will do much better should he meet Novak in the AO…whether he will be able to beat him…well, that’s another issue, but he will certainly be able to do more than this…
Rafa is work in progress…Novak’s game is tailor made for Rafa…he is a bad match up for Rafa and on top of it he was really brilliant today…he gave his all and Rafa barely did anything… but Novak’s attitude shows that he certainly fears of Rafa being back especially in terms of his confidence…he will do anything to humiliate Rafa…this was a perfect time to do so being early in the year and with Rafa having fought all sorts of adversities which can not disappear just like that…
I simply do not think this match is an indication for the future…it does prove that Rafa is not ready yet to compete with Nole but it does not tell us more than that…I get the feeling that Rafa will have his mojo back right in time for the clay season…everything else he wins in the meantime is big plus…and I certainly hope he will win some…
I’m not saying Rafa is hopeless against Novak, certainly not!. He’s still a WIP so we have to wait for the end product.
As I said, once there’s varieties and less predictability, Novak wont be able to read Rafa’s game like a book. Novak will then be the one busy finding solutions.
Rafa’s own comment about the match and playing against Novak, is quite interesting, mentioning that Novak’s game was perfect and under the NIGHT conditions made it even more difficult for Rafa. I suppose the ball was quicker at night when there’s no wind. I think Rafa still couldnt deal with quicker conditions esp when his oppontent was taking the ball early and rushed him.
I do feel with a more reliable serve, Rafa could at least earn some cheap points or sets up the point for him to move forwsrd and takes control. Rafa’s serve down the T went MIA, when in the past he could always serve sn ace down the T to get out of trouble.
In fact that Kuznetsov match let us forseen what was to come when Rafa met Novak. Kuz took the ball early moving forward and rushing Rafa into errors or simply hit a winner. Novak did the same but better. In that Kuz match Rafa could fight back and edged a win but Novak was of a different league.
It will be difficult for Rafa on the quicker surfaces vs his top rivals, all the more he needs his serve and needs to be aggressive from the start; if not his opponent would soon gain the upperhand by being more aggressive than him.
– I don’t think Novak’s game is tailor made for Rafa. Aside from the difference in topspin use, their styles are somewhat identical. As a result, it’s really just a battle of fundamentals, which Novak has improved year after year, while Rafa has regressed…
–
When you compare the 2 currently, there aren’t many areas where Nadal is better.
Groundstrokes: Novak’s hitting groundstrokes with more pop, depth, consistency
Quality of serves are pretty identical, expect Novak’s hitting at a higher percentage
Return of serve / physicality: I think we can all agree Novak’s the best out of anymore in these areas.
Mental strength: Djokovic’s been playing in hostile away crowds for the majority of his career.
Net play: One of the areas Novak has drastically improved and implemented more into his game.
Overhead smashes: Rafa gets the nod on this one.
Changing minor tactics like you guys referred might help, however it doesn’t do much when the opponent’s level is notches above. Another option is for Rafa to change his entire style of play. But then again, that’s not what got him 14 GS. This opinion probably isn’t welcomed here, but I don’t mind Rafa continuing what he’s doing, and keep working on the fundamentals, try to catch up to Novak… He is progressing nicely… On a great day, he has a solid chance at beating Novak.
It’s very unlikely this is an indication of for rest of the year. The Novak we saw today will probably shows up 10% (BS number, but you get the point) of the time.
why not? This Novak was on display 40 percent of the time in 2015 and he’s only getting better.
This Novak was in absolute tip-top form for the entire match. I believe it’s very rare for any athlete to perform at 100%.
Very rare indeed, just like Rafa at the FO2008 final; MC2010 final; or Fed’s Cincy 2012 final for eg.
I doubt Novak plays this way 40% of the times in 2015, perhaps in 2011. Its Rafa on the other side of the net that’s why Novak had to raise his level; moreover Rafa wasnt playing any differently from his usual game which Novak had known so well after playing against him so many times!
I also doubt that Novak can get any better.
Nole is very settled into the #1 role. He thrives on it – seems to be a happy place for him – barely imaginable for someone like me. I had never felt Rafa was as comfortable with #1 – please correct me if I’m wrong ( just an observation; I’m not a Rafa expert like most of you here).
There are many ways to “get better” and Nole’s on a mission to find every one of them. It’s astonishing how well he played today (finally had time to find parts of the match)
This!
Sorry, My last post @ 5:21 am was in response to Ricky’s post@ 3:09 am.
I agree with Ricky.
I know it was wrong outcome for you, NNY, but I’ve watched most of the match I think Rafa would have beat anyone other than Nole. Stats are great and helpful but don’t tell the whole story. Just posted a clip on the Nole page. Jedi Lords – both of them.
I could not watch the final as I was in a flight. Just reached my home here in London and saw this result. DAMN, Beyond shocking! He took 6 games off Novak on an indoor court and only managed to take 3 games here! Will have to watch this one…such a shame. Really disappointed.
and i just read that rafa said ‘“I played against a player who did everything perfect. I know nobody playing tennis like this ever. Since I know this sport, I never saw somebody playing at this level.
“When I say perfect, it’s not one thing in particular. It’s everything. If not, it’s not perfect.”
I talked about something similar in the off season. I was concerned that may be rafa is hoping novak’s level would drop and that is the only way he can take him down given he himself improves as well. He has tooo much respect for Novak now! Rating his level even above federer’s!
Funniest thing is that there are people on this site who think novak win by virtue of his opponents’ errors and does nothing special…yeah right…he is going to eat up every record out there unless the dynamics change.
“Funniest thing is that there are people on this site who think novak win by virtue of his opponents’ errors and does nothing special…yeah right…he is going to eat up every record out there unless the dynamics change.”
Thanks, vamosrafa – Nole’s incredibly special, imo, and I don’t mind him eating the records. As far as the dynamics changing, I couldn’t help thinking while watching Thiem and Dimitrov lose to Federer that it could change the tennis landscape if either of those two could have beat Federer, then gone on to win Brisbane, and taken away a boost of confidence going into AO. Dimitrov especially frustrates me!
Of course Novak was doing something special, reading Rafa’s game like a book, anticipated his every move (after hitting the ball he immediately rushed to the other corner of the court and true enough Rafa was hitting to that corner!) took the ball early, hitting the lines with precision, served snd returned well..
There’s not much Rafa could do except to serve better and forced his way forward which Rafa couldnt.
Rafa’s comment was eerily similar to Berdych’s when he was hamnered by Novak at the Beijing final in 2014, managed only two games (6-0,6-2). Novak fond of humiliating his opponent in a final!
Nole’s level simply IS better than Federer’s ever was.
His record points level even supports this in an era that while weakened is still not as weak as 2002-07.
vamosrafa,
I have been wondering where you were! You have been missed as we have been live blogging Rafa’s matches this week.
I am sorry but I do not think that Novak reinvented the wheel here or came out doing something unbelievable. He simply anticipated everything Rafa did and had an answer for it.
I appreciate you stsnding up for what Novak has done and not going along with this business of trying to diminish it. I am not buying any of that. When you see Novak beat Rafa again and in this manner, then you know that he’s got the game to continue to dominate.
Rafa did not have the answers at all. If people are waiting for Novak to falter, then I fear they are going to be disappointed.
I agree with lucky that Rafa needs to do something about his serve. Against Novak, there is so much pressure because of his great ROS. I don’t know if you read any of the comments, but Rafa won only 48% of first serve points! Tell me when we have seen a stat like that!
Novak did everything perfect just like Rafa said!
And Novak will drop in level eventually like Rafa did at some point, the only question being when…he may have another great year or not, there is no certainty…nothing lasts forever…
Perhaps Novak’s level will drop in 2017. Fed was consistently good from 2003 to 2012 (ie 10 years); Rafa was consistently good from 2005 to 2014, ie also 10 years.
Novak started his good years from 2008 as no.3 player, so by 2017 it will be 10 years of consistent good play from Novak. Perhaps he follows Fedal’s pattern.
ratcliff,
Thanks for your kind words. You are a great fan of Novak! So fair and reasonable!
I guess that I was really hoping for a more competitive match, but I don’t know. In the end, maybe there just wasn’t much Rafa could do. You are correct that stats don’t tell the whole story, just part of it.
Oh and I did see that clip you posted on the Novak forum. It’s nice to see that there is a Novak fan posting something about him!
You made me feel better. 🙂
🙂 Nny.
just wanted to echo nny’s words about how great it is to have ratcliff here. and i don’t say that just because i am one of the very few people here who likes both rafa and nole but because she adds so much by being so fair and appreciative of tennis played by many different players.
Not used to such praise, amy. In the real world I have to make a conscious effort to keep my mouth shut about tennis otherwise, I can empty a room very fast. Thanks!
Meant every word that I’ve posted about Rafa.
would just be amazing to see some more great rafole matches ratcliff…
i miss that rivalry like crazy..without it, and with delpo (one of my other faves) out, the tour has been very flat this last year…fed is still a force of nature but obviously ageing means he’s not the player he was…the tour really needs rafa playing well again and challenging nole..
amy,
Found a stream to watch the 2nd set of Stan v Borna. I think there is reason to believe the competition in the ATP is coming alive. Nole may well have his hands full in 2016. Going to post more about Stan v Coric on proper thread. 😉
amy,
I didn’t know that Delpo was also one of your faves. I can’t say that he was an actual favorite of mine, however I absolutely respected his talent and what he brought to the sport. My heart goes out to him for all that he has been through and the time he has lost in his career. Such a loss for him and for tennis fans.
All I can do is second what you said about this sport really needing Rafa. I also miss the Rafaole rivalry. Some memorable matches.
Novak’s level is higher than Fed’s on these courts but not on the quicker courts of Dubai, Cincy and Shanghai.
Fed during his heydays was able to hammer Rafa on the indoor courts at TMC Shanghai 2007 for example; did the same to Rafa at WTF2011 too.
Rafa/Novak BO3 matches are getting very lopsided in favor of Novak. Novak just knows how to win thess matcbes by coming out all guns blazing and not allowing Rafa into the match. Rafa has to play catch ups majority of the times.
I’m sorry for Rafa that he has to start his matches slow and feels his way around before upping his level by which time may be too late. When he was much younger he would not hesitate to come out all guns blazing, probably he’s the underdog and had nothing to lose. His matches in 2004 vs Fed’s gen guys were all competitive with him not holding back and attacking whenever possible. He had since adopted the clay court baseline game as his default game across all surfaces and so he’s now having problems switching back to a more offensive based game.
I doubt he would turn into an all attacking player (he never was one, just a bit more offensive minded than hes now when he was younger) so he has to at least add in some more offensive elements to his game now. He’s not going to win the baseline rallying wars these days so he has to make use of his good to great volleying and skills at the net. In other words shorten points whenever possible.
He’s adding in the BHDTL shots which he rarely hit in the past, if he improves his serves too then he’ll up his chances against Novak. Novak can spread the court so well using both the length and width of the court. Players have to hit hard and flat penetrating shots to force him back to have a chance to impose their game on him; if not, then rush the net and take time away from him the way Fed does.
Insightful and helpful post, luckystar. Agree about Rafa sussing his opponents out and working his way into the match – adopted that tactic since last fall, lucky?
Starting slow and sussing out the opponent is a pattern I noticed Kei Nishikori was doing in the past. I might be crazy but his deciding set winning percent was holding up the idea – not sure if it is now, and not sure if it was ever intentional. Doesn’t matter how Kei starts at this point, appears he’s physically healthy but still struggling to keep a top ten level.
well he did play aggressively on hard courts in 2013 lucky..standing on the baseline and serving well..moving forward as often as he could…
playing well behind the baseline and reverting to the clay court default mode is somethign he always does when he gets tense and he’s been doing it for the whole of the last year while plagued by nerves…once something has set in as a habit again it’s very hard to break the pattern of it…he can drag himself out of it against other players but against nole he just gets brain-freeze..
i still think he needs more help…
To amy (AT 12:02 PM:
Help is coming. See my post on JANUARY 9, 2016 AT 6:42 PM
Can you repost what help please
Difficult to skim posts on mobile
sanju (AT 4:03 PM),
.
https://tenngrand.com/2016/01/08/doha-final-preview-pick-djokovic-vs-nadal/comment-page-5/#comment-74473
.
🙂
Oh God that was a joke please towards a fan who was screaming in the match.
I for a moment got excited as to what help.
amy,
I agree with you about Rafa playing aggressive in 2013. It was a huge part of his success that year.
I also thought that Rafa’s serve was really strong in 2013. He was much more offensive minded and look how it paid off. He won the North American summer slam – Montreal/Toronto, Cincy and the USO. It doesn’t get any better than that. Something that neither Fed or Novak have done.
I hope people will now appreciate more Rafa’s tennis in 2016 and his improvements. He beats Milos in 2 and Milos has just beaten Fed in 2.
Way to go, Milos!
^ it doesn’t really work that way.
Fed beat Nole in 2 just a month back and Nole beat Rafa in 2.
Different days, different matches.
Yes it doesn’t but point natashao is trying to make is Nadal maybe able to deal with anyone not named Djokovic.
Against Djokovic he is in a hopeless situation and till he gets back to no 4 may keep drawing him in qtrs which won’t help him.
Exactly…thanks sanju ?
Frankly speaking Sanju, I don’t really think it’s just Nole for Rafa at the moment.
Everyone now believes that they can stand up to Rafa and go on toe to toe with them. And Rafa doesn’t help himself by giving his opponents too many chances to strike first blood in a rally. As I had mentioned here sometime back too, the baseline game of the tour has improved and developed a lot now then it was say 4-5 yrs ago. Players are now not afraid to play 20-30 shots rally just hugging the baseline. Until and unless Rafa devotes himself to complete aggression on the court (like djokovic) , it will be tough for him to win the titles.
I was saying the same thing regarding Rafa vs “every other nobody & somebody” in tennis…they all have belief to beat Rafa especially that Rafa spoke publically about his confidence issues and was losing matches that he most certainly should have won…
However, Rafa has already proved that he is stronger than in 2015…if you take into account that he thrashed Murray and Stan at the WTF (indoor hardcourt his least favorite) and then went on to beat Ferry and Milos in Abu Dhabi, and we basically know his chances against Fed, I respectfully disagree that every other player has a shot at Rafa…Rafa may be forced to work harder than usual but he is most certain to get the victory in the end and that is all that counts…
It will take a while for Rafa to get his old mojo back but he is getting there (Novak being the toughest challenge)…I strongly believe by the start of the clay season Rafa (if injury free) will be the one to beat…
Wow! Fed lost to Milos in 2 sets? I haven’t checked any results yet today! Now that’s something!
Well done to Milos!
N atashao I just hope rafa keeps playing his newer changes with full commitment and yesterday’s loss does not regress him or damage his confidence.
Also I sincerely hope rafa is on other side of draw of Novak in AO. And yes he needs to avoid Nick kyrgios too in early rounds
I hope so, too! I fully agree with you. I hope Rafa is able to appreciate his own success in 2016 and does not get affected by this loss too much…
And we are on the same page concerning Rafa’s possible opponents in the AO. I sure hope Nick is nowhere near Rafa…for Nole, I wish a generous draw for my Hero to avoid Novak…I have a feeling Rafa can beat anyone but Novak in the latter stage of the AO…well, if they meet in the finals then let the best man win…
Just saw the highlights. God Djokovic was in full flight and literally seeing the ball like a football.
Rafa barely hit ant BH DTL..why?
He used FH DTL just 3-4 times and those times he had Djokovic on the ropes. Why did he not use it more?
Shh. (Don’t ask why.)
#RafaPolitburoAreEverywhere
https://tenngrand.com/2016/01/08/doha-final-preview-pick-djokovic-vs-nadal/comment-page-4/#comment-74460
If it smells like a rose…
Cahill gone
Moya gone
Nadal meanwhile refused to get external help or a voice in his team.
Rafa you are older now and need variations . Your game of old does not suffice as your rivals have studied you completely and you have lost speed.
sanju (AT 4:57 PM),
Carlos Moya is Rafa’s practice partner! Rafa has practiced with him since Rafa was 12 years old.
Pau Ferragut (on Jan.2, 2016): “On Monday, Nadal & Moyà practiced together in Manacor [Rafa’s hometown].”
https://twitter.com/PauFerragut/status/683276791511969792
He is raonics coach now
Not available for rafa anymore
Rafa and Carlos Moya are close friends.
“Carlos [Moya] is an amazing champion and a great ambassador of our sport,” said Nadal. “He has a lot of knowledge about this sport, so for sure he will help Milos in some aspects. Carlos is a close friend of mine, so I wish him and Milos all the best.” [Rafa’s post-match press conference in Abu Dhabi on January 2, 2016]
Rafa and Carlos Moya (who are close friends) have also spent free time together:
http://www.lecturas.com/medio/2015/06/08/rafa_nadal_y_carlos_moya_960x540.jpg
I was thinking of Paul Annacone…he showed significant interest in Rafa’s game and commented Rafa’s issues during 2015 in fair and rather objective way…I think he and Toni together could do wonders to Rafa’s game…too bad Rafa is not even considering the option..
LOL before Milos hired Mpya.
Practise partner no moya.
Rafa is improving already, its just that he’s still not there yet. He was still playing his ‘old’ game vs Novak maybe because he hadn’t the confidence to play his new ‘implementations’ against Novak yet. He hardly used his BHDTL(something he’s working on) for eg vs Novak.
After reading about what Rafa thought of Novak’s level in the match and after I started recalling how some other players played some matches, I do agree with Rafa on his take about Novak. Sometimes when your opponent played like that, there’s nothing much you could do even though you keep trying.
Novak was simply in the zone the whole match, not missing anything! I can think of a few of their matches prior to 2011 playing out like this – Cincy 2008, Paris 2009 for eg.
Rafa himself was playing in the zone tennis too at MC2010 esp in the final and giving Verdasco only one game! Rafa was also playing in the zone tennis for most of his FO2008 matches, hardly missing anything in his matches vs Almagro, Verdasco and of course Fed in the final!
Fed was playing in the zone tennis vs Murray in the SF and then Novak in the final at Cincy 2009. I remember back then how amazed I was with Fed’s footwork at Cincy 2009, literally dancing around the court, and both Murray and Novak had no answer. Fed was also in the zone at Cincy 2012 final, bageling Novak in the first set.
Murray himself was also amazing vs Fed at Shanghai Masters 2010 final, beating Fed 6-3, 6-2, playing very much in the zone, getting back everything Fed throw at him and with interest.
Even Cilic played in the zone tennis to beat Fed at USO2014 SF, there was nothing Fed could do to counter that Cilic. He was in the zone for one set against Novak in their IW 2014 encounter, beating Novak 6-1 in the set and Novak simply had no answer, until Cilic couldnt sustain that level and lost.
I think Rafa is right, that Novak simply couldnt play like that every match, if not he would be beating everyone in straight sets everywhere and at the slams. He wont be going five sets vs Murray or Stan or Anderson at the slams and be beaten by Stan at the FO.
Rafa is working to consistently play at a high level and I do believe if he can achieve that, he will have good chances vs Novak in BO5 matches.
Their H2H may be in Novak’s favor going forward but as long as Rafa can win their slam counters I think that’s more important. I do hope too that Rafa can and will beat Novak at the clay Masters if not he can’t at the HC Masters.