Brown befuddled Nadal throughout this third-round showdown that lasted two hours and 33 minutes, just as he did to the Spaniard last season in Halle (won by the German 6-4, 6-1). He did so with his typical reckless abandon, rushing the net on every possible occasion while mixing in all kinds of drop-shots and chip-and-charge plays.
“I’m happy I got to play him on [Centre Court], win or lose,” Brown said of Nadal. “All the kids that play tennis dream about being able to play on that Centre Court. Playing against him there is special. Also being able to put that performance together, it was definitely very difficult and I’m very happy that I held it together for the whole match.”
“Obviously [Nadal is] one of the best players of the sport, and for me, being able to play against him twice, obviously on my favorite surface, is probably my luck,” Brown admitted. “I wouldn’t want to play him on clay or hard court because obviously it would make playing my type of tennis even more difficult.”
Among those who joined Brown in the last 32 on Thursday were Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Ivo Karlovic. Federer delivered another Wimbledon masterclass in a 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Sam Querrey. The 33-year-old Swiss did not drop serve a single time while cruising in a mere one hour and 25 minutes. Murray made similarly quick work of Robin Haase via a 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 decision. Karlovic, on the other hand, outlasted Alexandr Dolgopolov 13-11 in the fifth set.
“Today was definitely a good day,” Federer assured. “I sort of returned well. I definitely think I can serve a little bit better. I didn’t check my match stats, but I feel like things are definitely good out there.”
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Not even sure I would describe this as a shock, as every journalist has.
The only people really surprised by the result are people who don’t know anything about Brown or the extent of Rafas recent woes.
I found it a strange viewing experience. On the one hand delighted to see Brown take his chance and produce when it matters, securing a career best win and some seriously helpful and well deserved prize money.
On the other, sad to see Rafa struggle so much, to see the great champion and mental giant continue to suffer from a chronic lack of confidence, was painful. He and everyone else keeps saying he is healthy now, and that in some ways is the most worrying thing.
Very well put Ad,
I personally thought Rafa would get past his demons in such a scenario but it was not to be.
I’m not going to watch any more of his matches this year, I want to spare myself the pain.
BTW, ‘Done and Dustined’ 🙂
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/rafaelnadal/11715239/Rafael-Nadal-told-by-John-McEnroe-to-axe-Uncle-Toni-and-get-a-new-damn-coach.html
He said it. I hope he said it directly to him.
He has a hotline to Rafa, he can call him. I hope he told Rafa this directly
He is also saying Carlos Costa and others have tried telling Uncle Toni. Why is Toni not listening? I mean he can stay, however someone else can join.
Severin and Edberg are working together
Vajda and Becker are working together
Amelie and Jonas are working together.
glad to hear what j-mac said. what did costa say to toni??
toni is as stubborn as a mule so i am not surprised he isn’t listening.
they have to bring in new people…toni can stay but things can’t continue like this with toni’s instant recipes of more practice, more practice which doesn’t mean anything when it comes to the crunch…..
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/tennis/33374943
Rafa even admitting below, his best Wimbledon days are behind him.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/tennis/33374936
the problem though with toni is that it is hard to imagine him working with other people….he is stubborn and inflexible…and we need someone to come in and really be able to add their voice and change things…not be there as an adjunct to toni….
also toni’s english is terrible which kind of makes things difficult as that is the lingua franca…..
I only saw the 4th set yesterday and I was pained to see Rafa’s face. He just was not fighting at all, he looked so flat and subdued. I mean I still cannot get how can he disintegrate so fast after last years FO.
The only hope I have is Fed pulled himself back after an even worse 2013 than Rafa is having..so maybe Rafa can do it too.
The biggest question is ..How and where has the FH gone? How can it disappear suddenly?
yes but fed had major back problems early in 2013 and that really affected him…rafa’s problems aren’t primarily physical but mental.
fed’s rebirth was initiated by adding edberg which made him play so much more aggressive but also he knew that he needed to make changes.
as for the forehand, that is the centre of rafa’s anxieties for some reason…..he missed on easy forehand in the third set and his whole game went to pieces. the minute he did it dreddy was all over him because he could senses rafa’s panic. all the players know this partly because rafa and toni have talked endlessly about rafa getting nervous.
when fed’s game started to go it was the forehand which went first and that , like rafa’s, was his big weapon, his kill shot…so maybe under stress it is your biggest weapon which takes the biggest hit.
Fed also got a new, bigger racket that ultimately paid off the next year with better results. If someone like Fed feels the need to make such changes in order to continue to play competitively, then why shouldn’t Rafa?
I also agree that it would be a player’s biggest weapon that would take the hit because of mental strain. I think what is so disturbing is that Rafa is healthy now. Yet he is not playing well at all.
The players have his number. They know what’s going on. They do not fear him and will come out and go after his weaknesses and then watch him crumble.
Hearing that JMac said that Rafa needs to get rid of Uncle Toni, says something. JMac loves Rafa and doesn’t want to see him in this downward spiral.
Something must be done now!
To a point I agree, Toni has to go . The new coach has to be given full independence. No big name will agree to share space. And Toni is known to be dominating. Becker and Vajda, I think they have their spaces and tournaments cut out and Vajda rarely travels these days.
OK have read the telegraph article. it’s pretty unclear about what it was that costa said to toni…ie the words are so ambiguous that they could mean several things…..toni should change his own style of coaching; toni should go &tc…..I find it a bit incredible that costa has actually told toni he should go….! if that is so, then the team is breaking down anyway and the tensions will only multiply. if costa is criticising toni then presumably others are as well. we all know that murray said that conflict in his own team affected its capacities to deliver for him and his own performance so he let danni go.(maybe toni will sack costa!! sorry bad joke…..!)
the central problem in all this is rafa’s exceptionally close relationship with his family, not only immediate but extended. this makes it very difficult for change to occur without consensus and we have no idea what the nadal party line is.
but whatever toni has done for rafa in the past rafa shouldn’t feel beholden to him forever, nor should he make these statements which appear to set family and tennis against each other ie family is more important than tennis. it’s not an either/or rafa and really makes one nervous when he starts constructing things in this way….and perhaps is testimony to how conflicted rafa himself is. he has been making so many strange and un-rafa like statement these last months that it does make one wonder.
I am gutted that he was so sad yesterday…but am hoping against hope that this might force his family into recognising the problem for what it is and finally seeing that change is necessary.
Presumably the spanish media will be on toni’s back now but toni’s stubborness is such that that might make him dig his heels in even more.
to reiterate: he can stay, as vajda did with novak but changes have to happen and soon.
No way would novak, fed, murray be hanging around and sabotaging their own careers and reputations in this way….
ok have now read another version of what j-mac said saying that both costa and roig had spoken to toni….still very unclear what they said though!
but his team seems to be heading towards crisis now….
at least that may force change, although maybe toni will use it as a pretext to purge the rank and file!!
IF both costa and roig have spoken to toni about making changes/ toni going and toni won’t listen then i am afraid that that speaks volumes about toni himself…..
so much for humility!!
no wonder rafa is tense and conflicted if he is caught up in all this….how is he supposed to concentrate on his game with this going on?…he must know that there are problems…..
Who is Costa? What role does he play in Rafas team?
He is Rafa’s manager.
Shake yourself from the dust, rise up, Loose yourself from the chains around your neck””…
Vamos Rafa!
Ami..you are talking as if Rafa is a kid. He is a 29 year old who has seen the world, he is not supposed to be naïve and gullible. He has been gifted tons of opportunities by life and he has made use of them.
Rafa can and should make his own decisions.
BTW we talk of family ties, I don’t think Toni and Rafas mom are anyway close. Was there no conjecture that she was thinking he was having too much control on his son and that her son is her child.
Rafa is not an idiot. Nor is Toni a demon. Somebody who has taught Rafa to be humble, is it likely that he will be arrogant? He was a strict disciplinarian when Rafa was a kid but now I am sure Rafa is the boss. In 2007 when Rafa lost Wimbledon, Toni offered to go but Rafa refused. In my opinion, Rafa’s problems are physical. Since his back problems last year, he hasn’t been the same. Do not know how his treatments have affected him but age and injury seem to have slowed him down. Even infinitesimal decreases in speed and reflexes are bound to affect performance at the top level and his forehand isn’t as good as he isn’t in position soon enough, maybe microsecond too late. Anxiety and lack of confidence are all common among super achievers who apparently achieve so much because they never believe they are the best. Rafa has been able to win 14 grand slams with this humble attitude and anxiety. When his body isn’t performing as before, he obviously feels more anxious. In any case, Rafa and his family are not idiots and they must be trying everything to get over this hump. The darkest hour is before the dawn. Let us hope Rafa team finds the solution. If Rafa’s physical decline cannot be overcome, doesn’t matter. I am happy with all the joy he has given us so far and I will be content to just watch him play to his new mediocre level and respect him all the same.
It is quite possible that team Rafa maybe willing to try anything and they may hire a new coach and make Rafa see a psychiatrist/psychologist/hypnotist (if they aren’t already doing so). But till Rafa gets a consistent fearsome forehand , nothing is going to change,
Sanju, Rafa was “dustined” to lose Wimbledon! Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be…..
Match stats sat Rafa only had 14 unforced errors.to 42 winners. And three of those were double faults so he only had 11 “in-play” UEs?
From what I saw, that was some optimistic judging.
The ESPN commies said that they are very generous in their winners at Wimbledon.
Wimbledon statistics have NEVER been anywhere close to accurate
Did any of you notice how Rafa, at some point, talked to his box? I don’t know what he said but I could read U. Toni’s lips in Spanish, he said “me cago en la puta”, which is the Spanish equivalent to ‘Mother F**’ .. I have a feeling something else went horribly wrong, something physical. Has Rafa said anything about this?
The judgements for statistics at Wimbledon are the nadir of all judgements in any tournament around the world. Apparently a missed 2nd serve return is not counted as an U/E.