A semifinal spot will be at stake when Rafael Nadal goes up against Andrey Kuznetsov on Thursday in Doha. Novak Djokovic and Leonardo Mayer are also in quarterfinal action.
Andrey Kuznetsov vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Picking up right where he left off following an impressive 2015 fall swing, Nadal is in fine form early in 2016 as he heads into quarterfinal competition at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Thursday. The fifth-ranked Spaniard won the season-opening exhibition event in Abu Dhabi and so far in Doha he has taken out Pablo Carreno Busta and Robin Haase. Since dropping his opening set to Carreno Busta in a tiebreaker, Nadal has reeled off four in a row via scorelines of 6-3, 6-1, 6-3, and 6-2.
It has already been an outstanding week for Kuznetsov, who punched his ticket to the last eight with straight-set victories over Marsel Ilhan and Ricardas Berankis. This is the 79th-ranked Russian’s second career showdown against Nadal, having previously gone down 6-1, 6-3, 6-2 in the third round of last year’s French Open. Kuznetsov is a clean ball-striker who does his best work on the slow stuff, but he does not have the necessary firepower with which to hit Nadal off the court. The No. 2 seed should cruise into the semis without too much trouble.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
[polldaddy poll=9259781]
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (8) Leonardo Mayer
Djokovic and Mayer will also be going head-to-head for the second time in their careers on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came at the 2014 Australian Open, where Djokovic coasted 6-0, 6-4, 6-4. Based on the Serb’s form, there is no reason to think much will be different this time around. Building on what was a purely dominant 2015 campaign, Djokovic is off to a 2-0 start this season with consecutive 6-2, 6-2 beatdowns of Dustin Brown and Fernando Verdasco.
Mayer has been similarly untouchable through two rounds, having dropped a total of nine games to Benjamin Becker and Pablo Andujar. The 35th-ranked Argentine is likely to narrowly miss out on Australian Open seeding, as he would have to pull off this monumental upset and then reach the Doha final in order to have a chance. Djokovic will not let that happen, as the top seed will be eager to make some kind of amends for his surprising quarterfinal loss at this tournament last year to Ivo Karlovic.
Pick: Djokovic in 2 losing 5-7 games
[polldaddy poll=9259780]
who ya got?
Nole losing five games or less.
DO YOU
Nole losing 5-7 games and Rafa losing 3-4
I agree with both picks. I think that Novak and Rafa should get through easily, both losing 5-7 games.
Keep your mind focused, stay confident and show your fighting spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CYHEvIuUEAApgDh.png
Is that a prayer?
Wow, Marchenko doesn’t waste time…4:0 serving for 5:0! Amazing! Maybe I should watch the match! I thought it was not worth it…
Wow, when asked about facing Rafa next most likely, Marchenko replied: ‘he (Rafa) must win his match first’!
Rafa, please win your match and then beat this guy.
what’s so bad about that?
oh snap, Ricky.
Kuznetsov should have had break point in the first game. Nadal hit a mishit lob winner.
Rafa would say the same, or at least qualify his answer with, “if he wins”.
Marchenko would have been disrespectful if he assumed who his next opponent would be.
Nope, Rafa wont say that. He’ll just say that his next opponent is a tough opponent.
BTW, Rafa not playing too well in this match. His opponent is controlling the point now; Rafa prefers to stay back and defend.
I’ve seen him say it when asked. He will say something like, “if he is my next opponent”, or “they have to play their match first”.
Its a matter of how Marchenko puts it – ‘if he (Rafa) wins’ sounds better than ‘he must win his match first’ and thats my opinion.
I would have preferred Chardy as Rafa’s next opponent. But I am jumping the gun. Rafa has to beat Kuznetsov first.
Rafa won the first set. I wish Rafa had a great serve so he could win best of three matches with bagels and bread sticks in less than an hour.
Rafa’s not doing so well in the 2nd set
He breaks back
I wish that I could see this match, but I don’t like paying for tennistv. So I am just relying on the comments here.
up a break now
Oh, I just realized that my 24 hour subscription muat still be good because I went on tennistv and can see the match.
4-3 in the second set.
The commentator said that Kuznetsov was dominating earlier but now Rafa has won the last 11 points.
I don’t know much about this guy Kuznetsov.
Rafa down 0-40 on his serve now. Come on Rafa! Hold your serve! Don’t let this guy back in the match.
Kuznetsov breaks back to make it 4-4. I think that my prediction for this match may go down the drain.
Rafa’s over hit a few forehands.
Four breaks of serve in the 2nd set?
This discussion should now be moved to the newly created WTA page.
Do you?
Now this is more like the Rafa of last year with getting the break and then giving it back. Rafa needs to get it together here.
The commentators said that Kuznetsov’s made 22 UE’s because he’s got to go for broke and be aggressive.
Rafa hit a loose ROS and Kuznetsov holds. I don’t know what’s happening but Rafa seems to have lost the plot here. I sure don’t want to see this go to a third set.
They put up a stat – last 10 points, Kuznetsov 9, Rafa 1.
He let this guy back in the match and he’s taking full advantage now.
it was 10-0
2 straight games at love then 30-0 in the next game
Now 30-all on Rafa’s serve. He needs to hold his serve here!
Good second serve from Rafa makes it 40-30.
Rafa holds! 5-5
Yes! Wicked DTL backhand to make 0-30 on Kuznetsov’s serve!
Get the break back Rafa!
Now 30-all.
Come on Rafa!
Now deuce.
Just turned it on to see Bernardes in the chair lol.
Fedole would beat this guy losing less than five.
Hey Rafa has to get to the final. I made the assumption that it would happen, but with how things have turned in the second set I don’t know.
I think so too.
Kuznetsov is coming up with some amazing shots in this game.
In this last rally, I thought Rafa had it with a DTL forehand, but Kuznetsov came up with a shot that just made it over the net and there was nothing Rafa could do.
Kuznetsov holds with an ace.
Now it’s up to Rafa to hold to take it to a tb.
This is becoming frustrating to watch.
set Kuznet
Really dont like the way Rafa is playing today. He’s reverting back to old way of playing. Perhaps Marchenko is right in saying Nadal must win his match first.
Rafa not going to beat Novak anywhere playing like this!
lucky,
I have to agree with you. Not good stuff from Rafa here.
This is Rafa’s game plan to get more match practice.
What is going on with this guy? He just hit an unbelievable ROS for a winner on Rafa’s serve.
Both guys tied with forehand winners at 8 apiece.
Rafa’s hitting short setting him up.
Oh no! Kuznetsov has set point.
Come on Rafa!
Unbelievable! Kuznetsov breaks to take the second set!
I cannot fathom what I am seeing here. But Kuznetsov is playing well and going for his shots. Commentators said 19th winner from Kuznetsov.
So we are going to a third set. Rafa is going to have to regroup here and get this done now. I thought he let Kuznetsov back into the set and then just seemed to lose focus.
Now I am getting nervous.
It’s easier to hit winners when your opponent hits short.
Yes, this is very true.
I also wanted to say that Rafa made this guy look good because he just didn’t play well in the latter half of that second set.
What bothers me is that Rafa played a lousy game to give the break back, but then had his chances getting to 0-30 on Kuznetsov’s service games twice. But he was unable to capitalize.
Kuznetsov holds in his first service game. Rafa is going to have to turn things around here because he’s given this guy the belief that he has a shot to win this match.
Rafa just avoided walking on the line again while going to his chair.
Not easy to break those tics as nadline pointed out.
What is this business about Rafa avoiding walking on the line? Is this some habit he has in matches?
Kuznetsov is going for his shots, taking the ball early and hitting winners. Rafa needs to get aggressive because this guy isn’t missing.
15-30.
he’s basically on fire
Yes! Unfortunately.
Rafa holds serve! Kuznetsov is pushing Rafa back and he’s forced to play more defensively. But we know that Rafa has excellent defensive skills. Rafa just has to take control here and not let this guy dictate the points by taking the ball so early and going for the angles with his shots.
Kuznetsov holds easily.
They showed a nice graphic of Kuznetsov’s forehand and backhand placement with his shots. He’s going for the lines and hitting them.
Rafa’s serve is poor and so readable. Rafa still insist on hitting CC to opponent’s BH when clearly his BH was doing the damage. Playing like this Rafa doesnt deserve to win.
I hate it when Rafa plays like this, when his opponent is going for broke and hitting hard, Rafa just turns defensive instead of fighting fire with fire. Its difficult for Rafa to get out of this mould.
great service game
Kuznetsov is doing what he has to in order to beat Rafa. Taking the ball early, taking time away from Rafa and just going for the lines. In his case, he’s making them. The question is, can he keep it up?
Rafa is getting pushed back and now has to play more defensively. He has to try and turn the tables, but honestly this guy is just hitting some great shots.
I don’t believe it! Kuznetsov just hit an insane CC forehand to win the point. I thought Rafa had won it, but this guy is coming up with some brilliant shot making here.
this is good
Now this guy is coming to net to serve and volley. Kuznetsov is just holding his service games easily now.
They are tied with baseline points won – 44 points each.
They just posted serve stats by set –
Kuznetsov –
1st set – 56%
2nd set – 50%
3rd set – 70%
Rafa –
1st set – 67%
2nd set – 71%
3rd set – 50%
Rafa has two break points! He breaks! Yes!
Going for broke and so bound to miss at some point, hopefully Rafa consolidates this break.
You will make your opponent look good with a 50% serve.
Now, will Rafa consolidate the break? Or will mental problems continue.
Stay tuned.
Kuznetsov DF’d away the break, but Rafa was playing much better in that game. He was hitting more aggressively and getting more depth on his shots. The commentators just said that Rafa has only made one error in this set. So Rafa has appeared to settle down.
Now Rafa, hold your serve!
How many times???
Mental problems (anxiety) are everywhere.
Kuznetsov did start missing in that service game. So maybe he’s finally going to cool off. But I am not taking anything for granted here.
Rafa – hold your serve two more times!
Kuznetsov not going away – 15-30.
A great ROS from Kuznetsov and he has two break points. I can’t believe this.
If nothing, it’s been exciting.
Never a dull 2 and 2 match with Rafa.
Oh no! Kuznetsov bfeaks back.
I cannot believe what I am seeing.
Rafa cannot hold his serve.
Rafa breaks yet again.
Now, will Rafa consolidate the break for the win? Or will mental problems continue.
Stay tuned.
15-0
I’m guessing no time warnings today?
Double MP
Vamos Rafa.
Finally! Rafa wins!
Commies are nuts. Claiming Kuz is going to have a great year LOL.
Yes, I thought that was quite hilarious!
Now they will interview Rafa on court.
Win isn’t complete until someone posts a link to an animated gif.
Hope it appears soon so I can forward to Benny.
Someone keeps reporting about his imaginary friend ‘Benny’ AT 4:52 PM. LOL
You have your own tics, just like Rafa.
I put in CAPS where Rafa said mental problem. Someone wants everybody to think he is only joking.
Rafa says:
Normalmente me he aceptado los fallos. Este año, más que no aceptarme los errores ha sido un tema mental. Cuando uno tiene un PROBLEMA MENTAL, acepta menos las situaciones; no es que las acepte menos o de peor modo, sino que sencillamente no puedes analizarlas bien, con claridad. No es que no aceptase los fallos, sino que cada fallo me perjudicaba mucho; este año, cada fallo me ha hacía fallar tres veces más. El fallo, mentalmente, me ha generado una desconfianza mucho mayor de lo que lo hacía habitualmente.
AT 5:51 PM,
I didn’t put CAPS at AT 5:45 PM because it’s clear without CAPS that ‘Benny’ is someone’s imaginary friend – it’s mental problem. LOL
hawkeye,
Just for you – Rafa said in the interview that he was most pleased with the mental aspect of the match for him. He found solutions to get the win. Rafa said it himself! It’s all about the mental!
Someone doesn’t believe him.
hawkeye is hellbent on proving that Rafa needs psychiatric treatment and he is faithfully echoed by his yes woman. Strictly speaking, beyond a certain level tennis is purely mental. So high performing guys will talk of calmness, anxiety , stress etc but that doesn’t mean they have mental disorders like our quack and his assistant would have us believe.
Rafa said he was starting to worry that he might not even be able to play anymore.
Just like every other player.
Riiiiight.
Every other player isn’t in the rarefied elite heights like Rafa. You and your Djoko fan club may try to discount Rafa, paint Uncle T as demonic, Rafa as mentally incompetent ( amy claimed selfish Uncle T wasn’t allowing Rafa to get another coach. The implication:T is evil and 29 year old Rafa is unable to take important decisions related to his career i.e. is mentally incompetent. ) Your hm will jump in and say it is ok to accuse Rafa of all kinds of mental ailments but defending him against that charge is “beyond disrespectful” !!! Must have also attended your Univ!!!
I would like to see an example of where I, or the “hm”, said that it is okay to accuse Rafa of all kinds of mental ailments. You are making this up out of thin air to once again instigate. Which seems to be your primary reason for being here.
There is no Novak fan club, but there is a fan club that presumes to decide who is a real Rafa fan or who makes up phony accusations about Rafa fans being Novak fans. Convenient, but false.
There is again an absence of logic here.
Native at Jan 8 5:04
Hilarious!!! ROFL!!!!
Nadal said that for the first time, he felt the fear of not being able to play tennis and pointed out the mental challenge that had kept him from being the 14-time Grand Slam winner that he is. “For the first time in my career I went on the court with ‘fear of failure,’” Nadal said, reports Tennis World USA. “Not of losing, but of not being able to play.”
I am not a “yes” woman for anyone and I would appreciate it if you would not presume to speak for me. You invariably make it into a thinly veiled personal attack.
You repeatedly try to instigate arguments with your fallacious statements. Show me where I said that Rafa has an anxiety disorder. If you have been actually reading the comments on this site, then you would not jump to inaccurate conclusions.
In point of fact, on the issue of Rafa having an anxiety disorder, hawkeye and I disagree. However, we can do so in a respectful wsy without trashing each other. What a concept!
Rafa has Marchenko next. I don’t know this guy but am hearing some good things about him. I hope that Rafa can play better in that match.
But the important thing is that Rafa did get the win!
Finally! I dont think Rafa is happy with the way he plays. His serve is just so predictable, why dont go down the T more often? Probably he’s not confident enough, and even against a no.79 player?
Luckily he didnt lose this time to a no.79 player, it would be embarrassing again for him. Why cant he just step harder on the pedal once the first set is in the bag? This pattern is ongoing for so long its getting irritating.
I think Rafa is not going to have the luxury of doing this again against his next opponent. These lower ranked guys have nothing to lose and come out with no pressure and just swing for the fences with their shots.
Fortunately for Rafa, Kuznetsov started missing a bit. Rafa also played better in the third set.
UE’s – Kuznetsov 10, Rafa 1
Rafa is trough to the SFs! Vaaamooos!!!
http://www.sherv.net/cm/emo/happy/cheering-clapping-smiley-emoticon.gif
Ricky,
Are you still here? I want to know about this guy Marchenko.
Marchenko is an even worst opponent for Rafa. He’s hitting the ball so hard and playing so well at the moment. If Rafa continues to play this way, I wont be surprised that he will be beaten.
Marchenko needed the trainer during his match, hope nothing wrong with him. After seeing Rafa’s level in this match, he must be liking his own chances of winning.
Marchenko is hurt
What’s wrong with him?
back injury
I have never seen this guy Marchenko but I know that Ricky was talking about him the other day on one of the topic threads. His record doesn’t look that impressive, but I guess it’s how he plays that is important.
Rafa will have to be ready for this guy. But this business of getting the break and then getting broken back is a pattern that is quite frustrating to watch. Once that guy Kuznetsov got the break, he started hitting winners and going for his shots. You don’t want to let these lower ranked guys back in the match and give them confidence that they can somehow get the win.
I think you are being too harsh on Rafa…and you should give some credit to Kuznetsov as well…he played some great shots, nothing Rafa could do about it…
My post above is a reference to the luckystar post at 5:02
Rafa gave him the chances to hit wherever he want. How many of these lower ranked players were doing this to Rafa these days? If they were so brilliant they would be at a higher ranking! Why Rafa seems to lose to these low ranked players so often compared to Fed or Novak? He allowed them to play that way against him and that to me is frustrating.
Rafa has big weapons just like Fed or Novak, yet he’s not using them well enough to win matches quickly but has to fight so hard so often.
Yep, many (not all) points, Rafa set Kus up with short balls. (same as Fog at US Open and Sod at FO).
i agree with lucky….rafa shouldn’t be working this hard when he could put matches to bed much more quickly. given his history of injuries it’s especially bad as he is putting so much unnecessary strain on his body. hawks is right when he says it’s mental…when you’ve been in the habit of letting things happen a certain way then it’s hard to get back to playing as you want.
i don’t buy into this endless recurrent line about rafa having the match taken out of his hands..he let’s players into the match and gives them belief.
you don’t see nole, fed and andy doing this time after time.
It’s called denial amy.
love the new avatar hawks…
amy, I know right?
Have to thank Ricky as I found it on one of his old articles.
Vamos Ricky!
huge talent back in the day. Disappeared due to injuries. Almost lost to Gulbis last fall. Got hurt against Chardy.
Ricky,
Thanks for the brief summary of this guy!
I just looked up Marchenko and he’s ranked 94.
I managed to see the third set but I recorded the match and will be able to watch it and analyze Rafa’s game. Whoever hits hard and fast going for broke can trouble Rafa. We learned it last year, didn’t we? No surprise there. However, there is a difference now: Rafa stays mentally in the match to beat an inspired opponent and refuses to surrender as he did on numerous occasions in 2015! So we should take positives from this match…and what is great is to see Rafa in the semis! Bravo Rafa!
Way to go, Champ! We love you! ??❤
Kuznetsov usually does not hit so hard and fast and go for broke against other players. He played like Fognini does against Nadal and not against others.
I have no problem taking positives from this match at all. But I also get concerned when Rafa is up a break in the second set and then gets broken and loses the set. It’s a pattern that we saw all last year and he has to find a way to not let it happen that frequently.
I think the key here is that Rafa did stay strong mentally and find a way to win. That’s what I am taking from this match. But I still don’t like seeing him have to work so hard against a player like Kuznetsov. He struggled against PCB and now this guy. Haase was more like what I want to see from Rafa.
I agree…
Exactly. Whats that to be happy about when he has to go the distance against guys ranked so low? No doubt they would go for broke against him but hasn’t Rafa learned about this fact and not allow them to gain any edge over him playing like that?
It’s not like they started going for broke from point one and Rafa had to defend right away. Why after winning the first set but letting them back into the match again and made life difficult for himself? Its not a one off but it happened so often its getting ridiculous. And whats with breaking his opponent’s serve but couldnt consolidate and getting broken right away?
If he couldnt sustain a good level over two sets, how’s he to do so over a BO5 sets match?
Sometimes I really dont like the Nadal attitude ( Rafa plus Toni), its like they think every match should be hard fought. Why dont they learn from Fed or Novak for once, ie be more ruthless and never allow your opponent back into the match?
Luckystar (AT 5:24 PM)
—Why dont they learn from Fed.., ie be more ruthless and never allow your opponent back into the match?—
===
.
They learned to beat him. 🙂
“learned” i.e., past tense. Long time ago, no?
Rafa will embarrass himself if he plays like this against Nole (assuming he gets there).
I agree about this idea of Rafa having to slug it out with nobodies. I don’t like seeing him expend this kind of energy in his first tournament of the year.
I think one thing Novak has been doing extremely well is winning efficiently. I think it’s essential for Rafa so that he can protect his body and stay healthy.
It’s the attitude of the opponents who following Rafa’s debacle in 2015 have strong belief they could end up beating Rafa! Novak with his huge success in 2015 has made himself invisible! That is the difference! The other thing is that Rafa does not have serve like Nole to bail him out.
Rafa
must work hard for every point and his opponents are very well aware of the fact that he tends to get tentative on key points so they do their all to taka advantage of it!
But Rafa is making progress in that regard. It is just the matter of time when they will all be trembling when facing Rafa…
That’s only one part of the difference.
The other part is that Rafa is no where near as consistent as he was in 2013. Better than 2014 granted but he is not a jedi yet.
That’s what I meant when I said “making progress”…I know he is not there yet but unlike most of you I learned to appreciate every little improvement in Rafa’s game rather than listing his flaws which I am well aware of…that’s all… ?
You have lowered your standard. What kind of progress if he cant do it consistently? His progress is too slow, when the AO is round the corner. We just can say that all the time, that comparing to 2015 he has already improved but is that all we gonna say the whole year?
Rafa has already ‘wasted’ one full year beating himself, and he’s no longer young. If he cant pick up the pieces quickly, he’ll miss his chances again at the AO this year and he’ll be another year older come AO2017! He has not much time to waste, if he’s serious in wanting to win some more slams.
Hey, what slow progress?! Maybe in your own eyes…he just won in Abu Dhabi and is in the semis of the first ATP tourney! He did not lose this year as far as I know…and you do remember how it was last year? So it sure is a progress!
Too slow for the AO thats what I meant.
hawkeye,
Yes, good point about the consistency. However, I am hoping that this will improve as Rafa continues on this year.
No, dont blame it all on 2015. Before 2015 some of these players were already playing this way against him and with successes.
Rafa has the bad habit of recoiling into defensive mode once he’s met with an aggressive player. He lost to Novak in the Masters so often because Novak was so aggressive on the get go, like MC 2013 for eg. Its just not in Rafa’s DNA to fight fire with fire, although he has the ability to play aggressive tennis on the get go if he so desires like at the slams. Rafa’s aggressive game is so good that he almost never lost playing that way. He beat Fed and Novak at the slams when he plays his aggressive game from the get go.
Rafa’ s game is mastered for offense AND defense…I think you are forgetting how many matches Rafa had won with his extraordinary defense which he turns into offense at will…Rafa is no longer that fast and such game plan does not work against those who can run forever and hit harder…but I see Rafa and his team working on it, changing things…it does not happen overnight… Rafa of 2015 is not the same as Rafa of 2013…and his game plan changes accordingly…it will just take time and matches to master the execution…
Rafa’s defence/offence game works best on clay but not anywhere else thats why he’s not dominating on non clay surfaces but could win some.
Like I said, he’s not going to fight fire with fire, so in the first place he has to be aggressive and never let his opponent has the opportunity to fight back. Right now he allowing them to do so. We are not talking about 2013 level, even back then Rafa was aggressive FROM the baseline, not exactly moving inside the court.
He’s now trying to play more inside the court, be offensive and shortens points when possible. However, he always couldnt sustain such a style all through a match but has lulls that cost him a set and as a result he has to spend time fghting to win in the end.
He has to be more ruthless and never let his opponent off the hook when clearly he has outplayed his opponent in the first set. It happened during his matcb vs Ferrer at WTF, abd at Abu Dhabi if I’m not wrong. The PCB match was different as PCB was aggressive from the start and so Rafa has to fight to win.
I completely agree with you and I think we do not differ match in our views…I also think Rafa has to be more aggressive but he is used to playing one way and the new game plan works for a while but it takes time to fully implement it…I feel he is not yet confident about his new game plan…
lucky,
I did not see the match with PCB, so I appreciate you pointing out that he was aggressive from the start. That creates a whole different dynamic in the match.
I think you do make an important distinction between opponents who come out blasting and matches where Rafa is able to be in control and then somehow lets it slip out of his grasp for at least a set.
nats,
I also wanted to chime in and agree with your point that Rafa is not yet fully confident with this game plan. He has to adjust and adapt and with time, it should pay dividends.
Btw, it’s 4:3 for Novak with Nole up a break but the statistics show Novak won 0% on second serve…(0/6) Interesting…
he was 1 of 12 at one stage
Only following the score. Nole’s doing a little better on 2nd serve. But he’s on the road to dropping a set if he doesn’t do somthing! yikes!
Mayer is making it easy for Nole spreading errors all over the place when serving for the set…poor fellow got terrified that he could actually take a set…
terrible from Leo
lol, poor Mayer, if that’s the case, natashao. Did Mayer choke?
you have to see his game at 5-4
I want to! 🙂
Of course he did! My comment was some sort of a parody to hawkeye’s diagnostic approach to Rafa’s game…he keeps reminding us of his diagnosis so I was just making jokes about it…
Mayer was pathetic in the last few games to be honest…
Not really. People keep asking why Rafa can’t consolidate so I’m just the messenger quoting Rafa directly on his “mental problem” (his words).
Mayer failed to serve for the set… It’s MENTAL… ?
that’s putting it GENEROUSLY
did you SEE the game?
no. only score following.
AT 6:44 PM,
Djoko failed to serve for the set against Brown on Monday…It’s MENTAL… ?
Definitely! ?
he said something in Arabic to the crowd
Yes Nole if broken only when serving for the set, then it was likely a MENTAL lapse. NOt to be confused with a chronic PROBLEMA MENTAL (Rafa’s words).
Apples and oranges.
Yes it is MENTAL. Classic MENTAL breakdown when an underdog serves for a set.
When a great player like Nadal does it chronically against players outside the Top 50, it’s very likely an anxiety disorder. As Rafa said, a “problema mental”.
There is a huge difference between Novak sometimes not being able to close out a set. It happens to all the top players at some point. But Novak isn’t doing it all the time, to the point where he has to expend a lot more energy and effort to win a match that should have been a piece of cake.
Here and there is just normal. But if it becomes chronic and there is a pattern, then it indicates a problem.
When Rafa was on his game, there were times when he couldn’t serve out sets or close out matches. Look at what happened in the 2013 RG semifinal with Novak. Rafa was serving for the match in the fourth set, but was broken and ultimately lost that set in a tb. We all know what happened in that brilliant fifth set, when Rafa played some of the finest tennis I have ever seen from him. But he had to work a lot harder. However, I can understand him having this happen against Novak. But not against lower ranked players in minor tournaments.
How about Rafa going up two sets against Fed in the 2008 Wimbledon final? Then he lost the next two sets and there was that dramatic fifth set. But it can happen against the great players. That’s not unexpected. You don’t expect to see it happen so often against these lower ranked guys who haven’t done anything in this sport.
NNY gets it.
Unbelievable what you just said! Following your false logic none of the lower ranked players should ever be able to beat top players?! They should all be beaten just because they are “lower ranked”!? What are you talking about? Rafa was “lower ranked” at some point in his career and he beat top ranked guys to get where he did…
Anyone can beat anyone at a good day in the office! Rafa’s game is readable and while he was younger he could have won matches on muscles and hard work…now, he will more often have to di it hard way…please do not underestimate any player…they are in top 100 for a reason…
Btw, you just proved Hawkeye wrong…unless your point is that Rafa suffered from anxiety disorder even back in 2008 which I am sure was not your intention…
natashao gets it..
I am happy with the progress Rafa is making. Rafa rarely finished off his opponents in double quick time except at RG 2008 and one other RG. That’s the way he plays. He needs a great serve to be able to crush his opponents. Not only will he expend less energy but his return games too would be less stressful as currently he is often under pressure to break back.
nats,
Suffice to say that I do not agree with your interpretation of what I said. You are twisting my words and also accusing me of using false logic. I never said that lower ranked players should never be able to beat top players. I am talking about a pattern in which Rafa has had matches under control against lower ranked players and then let it slip out of his grasp.
That’s what happened all too often in 2015. I don’t know why people have to get so emotional and make it personal. It’s hard to respond when someone so blatantly distorts what I said. That’s when it’s impossible to have a reasonable discussion.
I do not want to see Rafa working too hard in these tournaments against these lower ranked players. Why? Because I want him to remain healthy. He’s not a kid anymore in this sport and winning as efficiently as possible is important.
I also would appreciate it if you would stop trying to say that I am in any way stating that Rafa has a specific anxiety disorder. I never said that, in fact I disagreed with hawkeye and chloro regarding that. So please read my posts with an open mind and stop twisting what I am saying.
As far as Rafa rarely finishing off his opponents in double quick time, that comment strikes me as completely absent of logic and accuracy. It’s a generalization.
So Rafa only finished off opponents quickly at the 2008 RG and one other? For real? I don’t think so.
Ha ha thus speaks hawkeye’s Godel!!!
@ native 4:54 am,
I appreciate your words. My impression was that in a support of an opinion of why Rafa fails to beat his opponents in a more convincing way you were saying that he may have had a mental issue even back then when he was playing at a top of his game and bursting with confidence…because hawks agreed with you I thought you also supported the idea of some kind of disorder Rafa could have…
I guess I misunderstood you. But I do agree that Rafa’s serve has always been his issue and therefore he was most of the time forced to fight in his matches to win them…
I am glad we agree on lower ranked players…they all have their chance on a given day… it’s the matter of belief, luck and their opponent level that makes it possible for the underdog to win…
And I would too love Rafa finished off his opponents quickly but I doubt it will be the case…it may be exception rather than the rule…
The armchair doctor is constantly making huge efforts to deliver diagnoses to other people – AT 7:07 PM. LOL
The armchair nutbar is constantly making huge efforts to deliver made up stories to other people about Rafa “only joking” about his “problema mental” LOL
The armchair doctor keeps telling one lie after another (AT 7:54 PM). It’s mental.
No that is just another one of your own lies after many others.
you’ve repeatedly said Rafa is “only joking” frequently to explain why Rafa said he has dealt with mental issues.
Oh please, Godel! Really? You are becoming way too obvious. Don’t give yourself away!
nats,
I just saw your reply and I appreciate that you understood my clarification. I know that you have been reasonable and are someone who can discuss things without having any kind of hidden agenda.
I really want to see Rafa do well this year. I will be there supporting him all the way. 🙂
Mental as not feeling confident about your game…mental as fear of failures… Mental as fear of particular flaws in your own game (read: Lousy serve)..not mental as some type of illness…that is how I interpret it… ?
Illness has such a bad connotation.
Mental problem (problema mental in Rafa’s words) is what it is.
It’s mental AT 7:37 PM.
nats,
I think that’s fair enough.
Nats, it is more than that according to Rafa’s own words recently.
From a recent interview:
Nadal said that for the first time, he felt the fear of not being able to play tennis and pointed out the mental challenge that had kept him from being the 14-time Grand Slam winner that he is. “For the first time in my career I went on the court with ‘fear of failure,’” Nadal said, reports Tennis World USA. “Not of losing, but of not being able to play.”
http://www.ibtimes.com.au/rafael-nadal-reveals-fear-failure-first-time-career-1495484
This is what an anxiety order is. It is anxiety to the point that it significantly affects your performance. It caused most of his losses last year and as Rafa said, he was worried about not even being able to go on court.
That’s how bad it got for Mardy Fish.
Aren’t we really arguing over semantics here? We seem to agree that Rafa does have a mental issue. Rafa used that word in his on court interview after he beat Haase yesterday. He said that he was happy with the mental aspect because he found solutions. So he does use that world. But we are not talking about a mental illness and it’s really unfortunate that at times it has been distorted.
Rafa isn’t saying he’s mentally ill. I don’t see anyone here saying he is mentally ill. The issues that nats listed in her post can all be components of what ends up being categorized as some kind of mental issue.
I agree with the examples she listed. These are all things that are behind the loss of mental focus that plagued Rafa all last year. So I think we are all essentially in agreement.
Nativenewyorker ( AT 7:42 PM),
—Rafa isn’t saying he’s mentally ill. I don’t see anyone here saying he is mentally ill.—
===
.
Anyone? Really? The local armchair doctor – hawk – is constantly delivering Rafa a diagnosis!
Rafa has said mental problem (“problema mental”).
The local armchair nutbar – augoogle08 – is constantly delivering made up stories about Rafa “only joking” to explain why he said mental problem.
Nativenewyorker ( AT 7:42 PM),
The local armchair doctor -hawk – delivered a diagnosis to Rafa AGAIN (!!!) – on JANUARY 7, 2016 AT 8:03 PM.
Nativenewyorker ( AT 7:42 PM),
The local armchair augoogle08 delivered a made up story to you AGAIN (!!!) – on JANUARY 7, 2016 AT 8:08 PM.
next person who adds to this conversation is going under moderation until the Australian Open
^^^ that applies only to Augusta and Hawkeye, of course
I hope that delivering diagnoses to Rafa won’t be allowed in the future.
.
The end of the topic. 🙂
The usual suspects always see Rafa’s glass half empty.
nadline (AT 5:48 AM),
I agree! 🙂
Rafa needs to cut down on his errors, handing his opponents free points. Everyone plays Rafa harder than they play anyone else because, I say again, beating him has more kudos than beating other top players in spite of all his losses last year. Djokovic doesn’t do anything special, he just benefits from his opponents’ errors most of the time.
How much will so called Rafa fans keep running him down? Frankly it is tiring to even come on this site now and hear so called supposed Rafans overuse the mental problem -rinse and repeat.
Sanju (8:55 AM),
Well said: “…so called Rafa fans…” !
sanju gets it….well said sanju. Please be more active in this forum. The voice of reason and common sense you bring is a welcome interruption to the incessant abuse heaped on Rafa by the Djoko fan club.
We are not even allowed to enjoy our Rafa’s progress in peace. I don’t know whether Rafa will ever win another slam again but I am happy and proud of our Rafa. He is a great champion who has won 14 grand slams. It is very painful to have everything about him questioned, his coach,his team, his technique, his mental competence. His superior career ROS stats were dumped in favor of so called “expert opinion” to glorify Djoko. The struggle of his champion’s mind and heart coping with the fragility of his body has been classified as mental disorder. Looks like some people are his fans only when he is winning. The last one year has shown who are his true fans and who are time servers worshipping at the shrine of whoever is dominating.
Mary W (AT 1:45 PM),
Well said! 🙂
Sanju (AT 8:55 AM),
I agree.
Well said, Sanju. Rafa’s so called fans are willing him to have a mental problem. They are not happy unless they have a reason, no matter how slim, to put a downer on him.
Agree with sanju.
People should stop repeatedly asking why Rafa continues to struggle when he’s up a break and translations from Genny about his anxiety.
I’ve only responded to these posters.
Rafa has moved on. You should too. If you can. I doubt it.
The RU-AN syndrome is alive and kicking. Ru-an was a fanatical Fed supporter who even started Ru-an’s Federer fan Blog and was running it for several years. With the rise of Djoko he has dumped Fed and become a big Djoko fan!
No wonder there are fissions in our Rafa Nation. The migration to Djoko’s altar has begun.
I was going to mention to you that the living legend posted on TX yesterday but figured you’d see it for yourself.
A certain senorita should have a word. 🙂
I think the living legend is trying to promote his site.