It was another abbreviated, injury-plagued season for Rafael Nadal, but he packed a big punch into a little schedule. The Spaniard played without question three of the ATP Tour’s best matches in 2018, all of which came at either Wimbledon or the U.S. Open.
Let’s take a look at the year’s five most entertaining matches involving Nadal.
Rome semifinals: Nadal d. Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3
Having recently endured a disastrous March, Djokovic was starting to round into form when he faced Nadal in the Rome semis. The Serb predictably lost, but this high-quality and competitive clay-court contest set the stage of his eventual resurgence. Although Djokovic threw everything he had at the King of Clay especially in the first set, Nadal was simply too good and soon seized complete control of the match.
“I don’t think that there was too much of a difference (between us), which is great for me; great news for me,” Djokovic noted. “Because Rafa is, of course, the best player ever to play tennis on clay courts.”
U.S. Open third round: Nadal d. Karen Khachanov 5-7, 7-5, 7-6(7), 7-6(6)
Nadal made memorable runs at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, none of which ended in triumph but both of which produced multiple amazing matches. His third-round showdown with Khachanov at Flushing Meadows was certainly one of of those. In one of the most impressive performances of his young career, the up-and-coming Russian led by a set and a break before Nadal recovered to prevail in four hours and 23 minutes.
“It was a physical, demanding match,” Nadal commented. “It was a mentally demanding match. That’s why we practice every day, to play these kind of matches in a great atmosphere in front of an amazing crowd.”
U.S. Open quarterfinals: Nadal d. Dominic Thiem 0-6, 6-4, 7-5, 6-7(4), 7-6(5)
After getting past Khachanov and then beat Nikoloz Basilashvili in another tight four-setter, Nadal ran into Thiem during quarterfinal action in New York. This one somehow managed to outdo both of the top seed’s previous efforts, as he and Thiem played one ridiculous point after another for four hours and 49 minutes until it ended after 2:00 a.m. The Austrian dug out out of a 0-40 hole midway through the fifth before finally going down in a dramatic tiebreaker.
“This match is going to be stuck in my mind forever,” Thiem assured. “Tennis is cruel sometimes. This match didn’t deserve a loser, but there has to be one.”
Wimbledon quarterfinals: Nadal d. Juan Martin Del Potro 7-5, 6-7(7), 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
A master of managing to produce epic matches himself, Del Potro did not disappoint in this blockbuster quarterfinal battle at the All-England Club. And neither did Nadal. A back-and-forth affair lasted four hours and 47 minutes, often relegating to Del Potro to the turf with the two-time Wimbledon champion running him ragged on a whole host of hard-to-believe points. The Argentine threw his own fair share of haymakers–just not quite enough.
“I think it was great quality tennis,” Nadal assessed. “The final set there were some amazing points. It had a little of everything; great points, great rallies, he was hitting crazy with his forehands. Sorry to Juan Martin, an amazing opponent and player. In some ways he deserves to go through, too.”
Wimbledon semifinals: Novak Djokovic d. Nadal 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(9), 3-6, 10-8
Without question this is the match that shaped the overall course of the 2018 campaign. Djokovic was fully back at this point, but Nadal still maintained a stranglehold on the No. 1 ranking. The status quo would not have changed if the outcome of this one had flipper, but alas, Djokovic’s return to the top was just beginning. Of many Wimbledon marathons, Nadal-Djokovic lasted five hours and 16 minutes and required two days to be completed.
“I’m just overwhelmed,” Djokovic said. “It’s very special. It was very clear that very few things separated us. This kind of match is what you live for.”
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discuss
1.Nadal v Thiem
2.Nadal v Djokovic
3. Nadal v Del Potro
2 is the most significant as said above, so it just edges 3 , even with its controversial roof decision.
1 is my favourite though , nothing better than a SHBH taking on Nadal . Especially Thiem , who wasn’t expected to do much away from clay.
So hard to choose! I was thrilled to see Rafa playing so well at Wimbledon again. But finally I went with the Nadal-Thiem match. Mostly because it was the best experience for me as a US TV viewer.
ESPN totally blew the Delpo-Nadal quarterfinal. I was so happy that they gave a channel to each quarterfinal but the one supposedly covering Delpo-Nadal spent most of its time with either a split screen showing Fed-Anderson (making both matches unwatchable) or else switching out to it. Sheer idiocy. Lunacy. Do they think viewers can’t FIND the other channel if they want it? Then Wimbledon put the Djoko-Nadal semi INDOORS, topping ESPN’s lunacy. Maybe it was the best quality tennis but NO WAY am I picking an INDOOR GRASS MATCH as the match of the year.
Nadal and Thiem, Nadal and Delpo, hated the Nadal and Djokovic match simply because of the roof incident, when there was sipmly no need, and they had no buisness putting a roof up, agree with Big Al Wimbledons an outdoor tournament not an indoor one grrr, never a fan of matches where theres controversy surrounding them ….
Another thing that gets really tiresome for me is people believing that the only way Rafa can beat Novak, is only when Novak isnt at his best, or theres something wrong etc, it is sometimes possible that Rafa is sometimes better than Novak ….
Rafa could have done better had he gotten a better serve (like in 2017). He had set point in the third set TB against Djoko, not unlike his match against Delpo when he also had a SP in the TB, and, both times he lost the TB!
To me, it didn’t matter how good Rafa played, as long as he wasn’t confident (like when facing Djoko) he would most likely lose the match! It’s a matter of how he dealt with his own confidence issue – eg. Serving an ace or a great serve would have won him the third set TB and very likely he would win the match in four sets, roof or no roof.
Rafa was playing well in all those matches and imo would win all of them had he served better and won them more convincingly. Rafa was playing at a high level befitting a no.1 player, it’s his injuries leading to a poorer serve and some confidence issue that let him down in the end.
Imo, Djoko wasn’t unbeatable, whether it’s Wimbledon or USO or Cincy. He had to fight hard to win, and he’s also vulnerable at times, it’s just that he hung in there as long as possible and sometimes frustrated his opponents and then finding ways to win in the end. While watching his matches, I kept wondering why his opponents won’t do this or that but instead let him off; at least Khachanov, Sasha and Tsitsipas weren’t intimidated by him and played aggressive tennis to beat him.
Djoko was at his best at Shanghai, when he didn’t lose a set, didn’t lose his serve but I doubt he could replicate that performance tournament after tournament, in 2019.
That’s not like the Rafa of old , its usually his opponents who cant convert on the big points.
It will be interesting to see if the young guns named above can start to beat the likes of Nadal, Djokovic on a regular basis by playing aggressively ,or whether they can play more aggressive themselves .It does seem the way forward even on clay.
Id love to include Federer in that group but his days are numbered .
”Imo, Djoko wasn’t unbeatable, whether it’s Wimbledon or USO or Cincy. He had to fight hard to win, and he’s also vulnerable at times, it’s just that he hung in there as long as possible and sometimes frustrated his opponents and then finding ways to win in the end. While watching his matches, I kept wondering why his opponents won’t do this or that but instead let him off; at least Khachanov, Sasha and Tsitsipas weren’t intimidated by him and played aggressive tennis to beat him.”
Interesting if Zverev et al can keep this up in 2019 and beat Djoko and others over five , by playing aggressive.
Reading that quoted paragraph, it sounds familiar. Nadal has had those very same qualities when he got through very close matches over the years, but these days he’s more vulnerable just like Djoko appears to be.
Rafa, Djoko and Fed are all getting OLD! If you’ve watched the Paris Masters match between Fed and Djoko, you would’ve noticed that Fed played the best he could BUT he still LOST the match! Fed’s days at the top are numbered, imo.
As for the trio who beat Djoko – Tsitsipas, Khachanov and Sasha – they’re aggressive attacking players so I expect them to stay aggressive going forward, not just playing aggressive against Djoko. One more thing, those three guys happened to lose to Rafa in 2018, even though Sasha came close at Rome and Khachanov at USO.
As I’ve mentioned, Rafa was playing at a high level even though his serve wasn’t as good as when in 2017, that’s why he had to fight hard to beat them. I feel his level in 2018 > Djoko’s but injuries had done him in, in 2018. I expect a healthy Rafa in 2019 to do better than in 2018.
Its nothing new for Fed to lose to Djoko .That was the best match Fed played for a long time though – Id like him to retire on a high,by winning Wimby one more time but it mightn’t happen.
Djoko is the baby at 30 , hard to say he’s getting old just yet , but Nadal and Murray might be injured too often from now on.
Actually, while Zverev is an aggressive player, he played even more aggressive to beat Djoko in London .His normal game wouldn’t have worked.Plus its great to see players Thiem changing his game to play well on hard court. I like the signs for 2019 from the young players.
Yes, happy XMAS and see you in just over a week for the new year and season .
Djoko is 31, virtually same age as Murray. Both are almost exactly a year younger than Rafa.
We probably will see more young players moving into the top 10 soon. I was a bit disappointed that Thiem didn’t do that well during the rest of the hc season post USO. He may still need a really slow hc.
Fed might win another Wimbly yet. His serve is mostly holding up still. He’ll need a good draw though and maybe some luck. But if he does I don’t think he’ll retire on it like Sampras did when he won his last USO. We’ll see.
Season’s Greetings to all!
1)Thiem didn’t change his game, he’s still playing from far behind the baseline. His net game is still needing more refinement; he needs slower courts for him to do well. It’s Khachanov who has surprisingly improved very much when at the net.
2) The trio had to play aggressive tennis than usual to beat Djoko and that’s understandable because Djoko is the best retriever in the game at the moment, you don’t expect to play normal aggressive tennis to beat him, if not Fed would’ve beaten Djoko.
3) Djoko himself is 31 and he’s not young anymore. He did look tired in some of his matches, and he wasn’t playing like 80 or more matches a season these days. I don’t expect him to do as well in 2019, his second half of 2018 success was due partly to the absence of Rafa, an aging Fed, an injured and absent Delpo, and no Murray and Stan too.
At Shanghai, he barely beat Murray in 2012 (and Murray
lost from a winning position!); barely beat Delpo in three sets in 2013 final and lost to Fed in 2014 SF. The absence of some of the best HC players had made his path smoother, and it took the young guns who were not intimidated by him to beat him in the HC finals (can’t rely on Cilic, Anderson, Thiem or Fed to beat Djoko esp on the O2 surface, one of Djoko’s favourite courts). The seasoned players were scarred with numerous defeats at the hands of Djoko and simply couldn’t overcome the mental side of it when facing Djoko. I’ve to say Rafa too except on clay.
Obviously Thiem hasn’t turned into a serve-volleyer yet, but he’s playing much better off clay. How may players have ‘changed’ their game , or simply adapted it?
Not sure I agree about Djokovic- he’s still one of the best HC players of all time, the best returner ever , but fast hard courts aren’t his best and he does suffer from ups and downs in matches more than most . But has come through a lot of close matches even so.
Watching Rafa from from 2005 RG onwards, he was a counterpuncher. I never saw him before that .But I still cant buy this aggressive Rafa , its not natural for him, he tends to stand too far back from the baseline.
You’re being unfair on Djoko on his 2018 late season performance, he only just got back to form after a couple of years in the doldrums.
Big Al, when Rafa started out, he was standing close to the baseline on the HCs; you can see his matches vs Hewitt at AO and Canada in 2004, vs Fed at Miami in 2004. He was stepping inside the court and even moving to the net so naturally, and knew what to do when he got there. He also hit his FH a bit flatter though he hit with topspin as well. Toni said that when Rafa started out, he was much more offensive a player than he is now.
It started from 2005, I think it was after Rafa’s successes on clay that year, that he was turned into a counterpuncher and started playing his clay court game on the HCs too. I must say Rafa loves/d to run and so he was running after every ball and retrieving impossible shots, I think it’s only natural that Toni would maximise Rafa’s natural ability (in his foot speed).
Even when playing a counterpunching game, he was still stepping inside the court as and when he could when playing against Agassi in that Canada final in 2005.
I’m not being unfair to Djoko; it’s not difficult to see that he wasn’t as dominant in his play compared to his 2015; many times his opponents almost beat him but failed; it will get more difficult for him going forward, when the likes of Sasha, Khachanov get better and stronger.
Then you’d missed him in 2003/2004; esp in 2004, he was playing close to the baseline when playing on the HCs. He was able to step inside the court and moved to the net so naturally to win points there. He would hit a flatter FH in addition to his topspin one. Toni said that Rafa was a more offensive player when he was younger.
To me, it’s his success on clay that made him play his clay court game on the HCs too; Toni also turned him into a counter puncher (a thinking one) making full use of Rafa’s natural foot speed, his competitive nature and his intensity, and well trained mental focus and ability to withstand pressure.
I wasn’t unfair to Djoko, it’s obvious to me Djoko wasn’t as great as his 2015 and was vulnerable at times, it’s just that his opponents weren’t able to capitalise on that. The younger gen players will get stronger and better so it’ll not be a given that Djoko will be his dominant self again.
Murray played with much varieties when he was younger, he had deft touches at the net; however, he couldn’t beat Fed, Rafa and Djoko at the slams hence he couldn’t win one. It was until Lendl became his coach, made him stayed at the baseline to play the defence/offence game not unlike Djoko, improved his FH and his fitness, that he finally won his slams.
So, yes, Murray did change his game too. I heard he is also trying to shorten points and plays more like when he first started out, ie approaching the net more often.
‘Plus its great to see players Thiem changing his game to play well on hard court.’ That’s what you’ve posted. Yeah, how many players could change their game? It’s more adapting than changing their game.
Imo, only the great players are capable of doing so – Fed from S&V to baseline game and now trying to switch to more net play than baseline game again; Rafa from more offensive to a counterpuncher and now trying to switch to a more aggressive game again; and Djoko from his paint the line tennis to a defence/offence baseline game and then added in an improved net game and moving inside the court more often now.
We’ll see how Thiem’s game evolves along the way as he matures, but right now he hasn’t ‘changed’ his game much.
One more thing, Rafa was more aggressive/offensive in 2017 than in 2018. At USO2018, he was reverting back to playing far behind the baseline; at USO2017, he was standing close to the baseline except when he was returning serves.
On clay, he was at his aggressive best at FO2017 and I feel was playing better than even his FO2008 (I rank 2017 as his best ever at the FO, and one of three best performances on clay by him, the other two being FO2008 and MC 2010).
We’ll see how the fit and healthy Rafa plays in 2019, hopefully he’ll be more offensive than defensive for his own body’s sake.
I didn’t see the US open match but sounds like he must have been playing more aggressive.
If Nadal had been a more aggressive player all along,I’d have much preferred that.But he hasn’t done much of it ,except the examples you gave.He tends to revert back to counterpunching .
Would you say Murray was one of those great players who changed their game?
One other player was Lendl,who managed to become a decent S&Ver
I really just meant he was playing much better on hard court. So,he had ‘changed game’ from just being good on clay, unlike other top players.
One more thing about Rafa, he started off as an aggressive player (watch his matches during 2003/2004) but Toni has turned him into a thinking counterpuncher, hence he appeared more defensive than offensive.
It took him years to finally revert back to more aggressive play ( starting from 2013 but injuries set him back until 2017). Rafa certainly need not play the way Djoko played second half of 2018, to win his clay court titles in 2017 (and at Beijing too).
Interestingly, Beijing (or any fall 500) is not on Rafa’s schedule for 2019. Queens is also gone – not surprisng – guess he’s tired of pulling out of it after the clay court season leaves him wiped out. Barcelona and Acapulco are on the schedule though, along with all the masters and slams.
It seems to me from 2004 right up to now, players have to play the baseline game to win the slams – Fed, Rafa, Djoko and Murray – all have to play primarily from the baseline to win their slams. Everyone has to get used to playing from quicker courts to slower courts and thus has to adapt or change his game to suit the surface(s).
Rafa, Djoko and Murray started out playing on the quicker courts during their junior days so they too, like Fed, had to adapt to the slower surfaces through the years.
I would say that they would be more aggressive players should the courts remain quick all these years – Rafa as offensive (and approached the net often) as he was in 2004; Djoko would continue with his paint the line short point tennis; and Murray would rush the net the way he did in his younger days.
Maybe Djokovic will revert to that as he gets older, just as Rafa and Murray are, as you said.I certainly hope so, theres only so much attritional baselining you can watch. The AO 2012 had those very long semis and final, between Djoko and Murray/Nadal. Interesting to see what happens in 2019 .
I’m glad they quicken the courts at the AO; seriously, those long attritional matches (I include Simon vs Djoko in 2015 or 2016) are/were no good for the players. It’s no wonder Rafa always got injured there at the AO (2010/2011/2014 and in 2012/2016 after AO).
I think the quicker courts there are better for the players, they’ll have to play offensive rather than defensive tennis to win.
I’d love to see it won by attacking tennis.Not necessarily by Federer,but would be great to have a new Slam champion like Zverev or Tsitsipas.Feels about time.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!
Happy Xmas lucky!
Happy Xmas everyone!
xxxxx
Seasons greetings Tenngrand posters and staff, and a happy new year XX 🙂
Happy New year Alison!
xxxx
Just wanted to pop in to wish everyone happy holidays! 😀
Happy holidays and new year nny!!
Rafa to rule the world in 2019!!
xxxxx
Amy,
Great to see you here! I hope we will have a great year of tennis with Rafa making more history!
Here is to a happy, healthy new year for you! 😍
Thanks Amy, and Happy Christmas and New Year to you too my lovely XX 🙂
And yes hopefully Rafa will rule in 2019, love another AO lol ….
The way Rafa is playing at Abu Dhabi, I don’t think he has any chance, or he has little chance of winning the AO; there’s too little time for him to improve that much to win there.
He’s still serving into the net the way he did earlier on this year, not very promising. Without a good serve, it’s difficult to win on quick HCs. He’s also missing all those BPs, and loses a match he’s in a good position to win, no longer the clutch warrior of his earlier days.
Let’s see what Khachanov brings to the court this time against Djoko. I think he has better chances than Sasha or Tsitsipas at the AO.
Still early days to write him off, would be nice if people were a bit more positive, i was clearly joking about the AO , but saying the guy as no chance after just one match back is unfathomable, and its only an exho, still no change there i suppose :-/
As I said, there’s too little time before the AO for him to improve that much to win. He’s pulling out of tmr’s exho match I heard, maybe for precaution sake, so obviously he needs more time to get used to competition again. I’m just being realistic after watching how he plays.
Well thats that then, no point him even playing the AO, best just pull out and wait for the CC season then, months away but still who cares ? :-/
Nope, pulling out of AO just because he won’t win? He needs match play to be ready for the CC season. If he’s rusty now, he’ll remain rusty if he doesn’t play until the CC season.
Rafa says he expects to be “100% ready” for AO but what does he know? 🙂
Come on, 100% ready doesn’t mean he’s 100% ready to win! I mean there’s a Djoko who’s physically fine and playing at a high level; then there’re others like Fed, Cilic and even Sasha.
A TOP form Rafa had to fight hard to win at AO ( and he won one out of four finals reached), more so when he’s now not at TOP form. I think reaching the QF would be considered good result, and he may then play better at the other HC events before the clay season starts. It’s like what he said, step by step.
We can make similar ‘excuses’ for Federer and Murray, age/injury return .
Who knows whats going to happen , Djoko seems the best bet.
What about Delpo as a dark horse? Any others?
Interesting that the poll has Nadal ahead of Djoko but Lucky disagrees.
Age? Fed fans have been making that excuse for Fed for years now, ever since 2009! Come on!
Murray not a contender anymore after 2016, needless to explain why.
Rafa was a contender in 2017/2018 AO and so we’re talking about him here. Djoko may be the hot favourite but he hasn’t won since they quickened the surface there. He may be beatable there, not by a seasoned player but perhaps by one of the next gen fella. Guys like Anderson will not beat Djoko at a slam, Anderson even found it difficult to beat Djoko at an exho, dont even need to talk about winning an actual match against him!
I don’t believe in excuses .Reasons, yes.
You were the one who said Fed, Djoko,Nadal and Murray were getting old .
But quite a difference between 37 and 31.
If Nadals as injured or out of sorts as you suggest, why is he even bothering to play the AO? He’d be better saving himself, esp. for the clay season.
He’s not at 100% you say, so anyone who beats him wont get much credit.
Excuse me Big Al, where did I say Rafa was injured??????? Please don’t put words into my mouth!!!
He was just rusty hence he imo won’t he ready to win at the AO; or you expect him to play his first match on his comeback all guns blazing? Please read more carefully what I have posted, don’t just assume this or that about others! It’s getting tiring coming from you always!!
They are all old, so what kind of excuse the Fed has for being old? His fans were saying he was old back in 2009 when he was 28! So, that’s really excuses, for losing to Rafa and Djoko back then!
Lucky,you read again , I said injured OR OUT OF SORTS. I only go by your comments that he wasn’t playing well, just back from a long break .
But then , players do take these long breaks and comeback playing really well when not expected .Hasn’t Nadal done that before? And Federer ?
Ive never seen a player of Nadals calibre described thus:
‘Nope, pulling out of AO just because he won’t win? He needs match play to be ready for the CC season. If he’s rusty now, he’ll remain rusty if he doesn’t play until the CC season.’
IMHO if Nadal or any player of that calibre is going to enter a Slam he should settle for nothing less than winning it .Not just get match practise !
Nadal not at 100% but 100% fit ? If he’s 100% fit , that’s the main thing.He might lack match practise, but thats why he’s playing Brisbane .
To describe him as having little chance of winning the AO is just what a lot of sportspeople do to ease the pressure on themselves.
Why do you keep bring up about Federer being old? I never gave him that ‘excuse’ even ten years ago ,2009 was his best year.
Now it is a reason , 37 IS old. 31 isn’t .
Big Al, so you think you’re the only Fed fan? Ten years ago, many Fed fans were already giving ‘Fed is old’ as an excuse, when he lost not only to Rafa but to Djoko, esp after Fed at Miami that year in 2009, broke his racket on court out of frustration and then went on to lose to Djoko.
And, where did I say he will not be at 100%???
Rafa said he’ll be at 100% for the AO, and I said being at 100% doesn’t mean he’s at 100% ready to win! 100% to play (ie at good health) doesn’t mean he’s at 100% to win! I thought that’s not too difficult to understand?? I
t takes more than just good health to win at the AO, Rafa to me won’t be good enough to win at a slam even if he’s at 100% good health, simply because he lacks match play and has not enough time to be competitive enough to win a slam yet; and that’s not an excuse, not being good enough isn’t an excuse, it’s just that somebody else is better than you!
And, if he’s not going to play at the AO when he’s 100% fit, then when is he going to play to get enough match play to get back into competition??
Lucky, at this time of the season who has had much match practise ? How do you know Nadal wont have all guns blazing in two weeks time? What about Federer two years ago after his break?
Sorry,you’re splitting hairs about the 100 % s not making much sense.
Federer two years ago? Fed obviously spent his six months improving his BH! As for Rafa, he only started practicing two weeks ago, after his ankle surgery! You want to compare him with the other fit and healthy guys taking breaks? Perhaps you could compare him to Delpo, who also had taken three months off because of injury! (And I don’t expect Delpo to do well at the AO too). Why Rafa withdrew from the third/fourth placing match at Abu Dhabi then?
And please read more carefully, my comment ‘Nope, pulling out of AO just because he won’t win? He needs match play to be ready for the CC season. If he’s rusty now, he’ll remain rusty if he doesn’t play until the CC season.’ was in response to Alison’s comment, that Rafa should then withdraw from the AO if he’s not ready (to win), and play the CC season instead.
Come on, you think winning the AO is easy, with Djoko, and the other TOP tens and the young and fit next gen around? It’ll be arrogant to think the Rafa with only two weeks practice and then playing a few matches would be ready to win at the AO. I doubt Rafa thinks that way; what he will most likely do is to try his best to be fit enough to play or compete well, and the rest is up to the draw, how the other players play, and hopefully he’ll get a chance at the trophy.
Well i guess Rafa will only play the AO to make up the numbers then , and we should just pencil in Djokovic for the title, dont hate Novak but would personally love to see a different champion ….
Nobodies saying he will win the AO, but why say he wont or cant ?, i mean thats why us fans tune in, because we believe in our favourites even if the rest of the world think thats silly ….
Alison, being a fan doesn’t mean you can’t be realistic! We can hope for the best but that doesn’t mean we can’t face reality! I’ll be happy to be wrong and Rafa proves me wrong this time, and I certainly hope so!
Alison,
I am with you. I not about to write off Rafa for the AO. Rafa is not playing the AO just for match practice! He will be there to try and win. We know his struggles there, but the double career slam is at stake and that is something worth fighting for. I can be realistic without totally trashing Rafa’s chances!
NNY, nobody is saying that Rafa is playing the AO for match practice; hes there to compete and hopefully to win, but first he has to be fit to play and compete.
I think some of you here really misunderstood what I’d posted about Rafa and his chances at the AO. I’m realistic and that doesn’t mean I’m trashing Rafa. Does Rafa have every chance like the others when it comes to winning the AO, regardless of whether he’s rusty or physically fit or not? And, to me, as long as he’s fit, he should play at the AO whether he could win or not, because it’s only when playing that he’s able to gauge where he stands and whether he’s good enough to compete, and to compete for title(s).
I would say that in the past when Rafa was playing well, and fit and healthy, I would always consider him one of the favourites if not the favourite to win at AO, as long as he’s in the opposite half of the draw from Djoko. To me, Rafa could beat anyone at the AO, and even Djoko, when Rafa was at tip top form.
However, after 2014, Rafa was/is rarely in top form when at the AO (his 2017 run to the final was a pleasant surprise), so imo, his chances there depend on the draw and how the other players play too, more so now that he’s on an injury comeback again. I don’t expect a 2017 run again because Rafa seems to be in worse conditions than in 2017 (he won at Abu Dhabi that year playing well in his comeback from injury).
The old clay cliche is tiresome, wait for clay, why wait for clay ?, the seasonn starts with the AO, not the FO ….
Exactly Alison, both your posts . Its like saying Federer should retire now because he mightn’t win another Slam .
Big Al, what has Fed’s retirement got to do with this?
Perhaps, you finally got it right (using Fed’s retirement example), that Rafa playing at the AO, it’s not because he thinks he can win, but he thinks he can compete, ie he’s healthy enough to do so and that’s important, for his 2019 season sake.
My point was that IMO a player of Nadals calibre (or Federer, Djokovic) with many Slam titles should only play more Slams if they can be competitive and have a reasonable chance of winning . Hence the Federer retirement comment.
It was in response to your earlier comment:
‘the way Rafa is playing at Abu Dhabi, I don’t think he has any chance, or he has little chance of winning the AO; there’s too little time for him to improve that much to win there. ‘
Its disappointing for everyone to see a player like him go out early to some journeyman who then gets little credit and everyone says ‘ Why did he/she come back from injury so soon? ‘
Yeah, agree with you about the CC thing , long time before then.
Unless ,of course, Rafa plays the South American swing.
One other thing , Im here to discuss tennis in the general sense, not the Fedfan-Nadalfan thing that you think Im doing.
And both of you, Alison and Big Al, who started about the clay season? Certainly not me!
It was probably Alison who mentioned the CC season, why, whats wrong with that?
Too soon! I would like Rafa to be able to play Acapulco and Indian Wells this year! He can skip Miami if he wants to…
Tennis Channel, for reasons best known to itself “celebrated” Christmas by repeating all of Rafa’s record 50 straight winning sets. I recorded them all and have managed to watch through RG2017, Davis Cup quarters, Monte Carlo and the first two rounds of Barcelona! I’m ready for some hard court tennis now…
What credit for anyone who beats a player coming back from injury? What kind of cheap glory? Beat Rafa when he’s in TOP form and fit and healthy then it’s worth the credit!
Why are you so concerned about giving credit for beating Rafa, an injured Rafa? You’re the one who started all these; I was just commenting about how Rafa was playing and felt that he’s not ready to win the AO, and all I got was how people not only disagreeing, but saying so he’s there to make up the numbers, might as well wait till clay season then blah, blah, blah.
I was just responding to such ‘sarcastic’ comment and you quote me as if I was the one who started all these CC talks; please read more carefully, don’t just jump in half way.
You don’t sound like you’re here to discuss tennis, but you specifically pick on Rafa and his fans, imo.
My post at 2.08am was in response to Big Al.
I’m not sure why you argue ( or assume I’m arguing with you) all the time ? I’ve stated my opinion,don’t know why you disagree?
I hope he is fit and ‘100 percent’ or he could do more harm than good .
Rafa tends to get talked about more than any other player for obvious reasons,so that’s mainly why I discuss him more .
‘What credit for anyone who beats a player coming back from injury? What kind of cheap glory? Beat Rafa when he’s in TOP form and fit and healthy then it’s worth the credit’
That’s exactly the point I’ve been making, thanks for agreeing while trying very hard not to.
Big Al, if you think Rafa is in top form when he’s just back from injury, by all means live in your own illusions.
Luckystar a realist will see that something can go either way, not just one way ….
Alison, as I’ve mentioned there’s little chance of Rafa winning the AO, and the probability is may be 10%, so that’s ‘realist’ enough! The probability range is from 0 to 10%, imo, so there you have it both ways, not just one.
Post AT 3.27: Meant to say ‘Rafa tends to get talked about more than any other player ON THIS FORUM for obvious reasons,so that’s mainly why I discuss him more .’
I actually agree with Lucky….and i’m more worried now if he don’t get enough match play before AO,the chance of him get an injury like last year is very high too.
I guess we have to see how his campaign at Brisbane will turned out to be…Even he can reach semis or final…i still can’t shake this nagging feeling that it’s a little bit dangerous for him to play the BO5 when he didn’t play since USO…What happened last year still fresh in my mind…I know it’s a disturbing thought but also a possibility that we have to face…
Yes Mira, Rafa’s greatest enemy is his own body, and I really don’t like to see him grinding or playing attritional tennis (which he did in 2018 imo).
I hope he heed Moya’s advice, picks and chooses his tournaments wisely. He’s playing LC this year again, so I hope he skips Beijing at least, if not Shanghai too.
A little possitivity wouldnt go a miss, sad that even his fans have no faith in him anymore, but hell whatever nothing new there i suppose :-/
Mira Andi the USO was months ago, he aint playing the USO, hes playing the AO, he already said hes physically fine, pulling out of the exho was a precaution, im not saying he will or wont win the AO, but i believe he stands as much chance as anybody, anyway thats just my opinion, HAPPY NEW YEAR by the way, even though i know you dont really like or care for me or my posts anymore ….
Hey Al!…Thanks for the new year wishes…really really appreciate it…tho,it’s not really a ‘happy’ year for me atm….but be able to live another year i guess i should be grateful for that….
I’m thinking of u every day Al…believe it or not…i just lost the desire & will to connect with everyone due to personal problems i had…i’m so sorry Al…didn’t mean to hurt u….give me time to find the strength back okay?Then i will contact u back…Insyaallah…
Sorry you’re going through a rough patch, MA. Hope the New Year brings more happiness to you.
Look at the Rafa pics from Brisbane. If those don’t put a smile on your face….he looks healthy and very happy to be back at his “hobby-job” as he used to say. As he always says, he can win or he can lose and either way he can deal with it. I can deal with it too.
Thank u so much for your words Ramara…really really appreciate it!…
About Rafa….yeah!…God!….missed him so very much!Can’t wait to see him at AO…Hope everythings will be okay this time…If not…yeah!i can deal with it too Ramara!Thanks for the heads up!
Oh god whatever !
Listen to Rafa’s pre tournament presser, he’s still trying to be at 100% physically, so fingers crossed that he can be ready for the AO in two weeks time.
Yeah whatever !
Mira Andi thats okay 🙂
Mira Andi thats okay, agree with Ramara and his or her sentiments 🙂
Mira Andi to be honest i dont spend much time on tennis forums anymore, this is the first time in ages ive blogged on here, and i dont blog on the other site anymore, i just sent one as i was looking for the top 10 contest to enter, i spend more time chatting with pals on FB, and id still like to chat with you there, anyway take care ….
Thanks Al!…insyaallah i will go to FB soon…U take care too k?
NNY thanks for the response , great to see some positive posts about Rafa, and somebody in a post with a bit of pride Rafa aint won 17 GS in his career for nothing 🙂
Mira Andi its your choice, but thats where i will be mostly this year, although ill still do the GS bracket challenges that RZ does ….