As expected, Rafael Nadal made mostly routine work of his relatively soft quarter at Roland Garros. That could change during championship weekend, when his path to the title begins with Juan Martin Del Potro and potentially ends with Dominic Thiem.
Nadal and Del Potro will be facing each other for the 15th time in their careers when they clash in the French Open semifinals on Friday. The head-to-head series stands at 9-5 in favor of the Spaniard, who has gone up against Del Potro only twice on clay and predictably won both of those meetings (7-5, 6-3, 6-2 at the 2007 French Open and 1-6, 6-4, 6-1, 7-6(0) with home-court advantage in the 2011 Davis Cup final). Del Potro had been on a two-match winning streak at Nadal’s expense before falling 4-6, 6-0, 6-3, 6-2 in the 2017 U.S. Open semis.
The Argentine’s second appearance in the Roland Garros semis looked far from a sure thing prior to the beginning of this fortnight, and not just because clay a less favorable surface for him than a hard court. Following a brilliant hard-court stretch with titles in Acapulco and Indian Wells plus a semifinal showing in Miami, Del Potro retired from a Rome third-round match against David Goffin due to a groin injury.
Simply showing up in Paris was in doubt for the 2009 U.S. Open champion, and things did not look good when he dropped his opening set 6-1 to Nicolas Mahut. But it all turned around for Del Potro thereafter, as he made his way through the second section of the bracket by beating Mahut, Julien Benneteau, Albert Ramos-Vinolas, John Isner, and Marin Cilic.
The world No. 6 has dropped two sets (the other to Cilic on Thursday), while Nadal donated his first to Diego Schwartzman early in their quarterfinal on Wednesday. An overnight rain delay allowed the 10-time champion to regroup, and he did just that–roaring back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory. Nadal preceded that results with wins over Simone Bolelli, Guido Pella, Richard Gasquet, and Maximilian Marterer while improving to 24-1 on clay in 2018 and 84-2 lifetime at the French Open.
“He’s lefty and [as I said] before my match against Ramos, a lefty player has advantage with me because he can find easily my backhand and he knows what my backhand is at the moment,” Del Potro explained. “But anyways, I will try to do my best–to play my best tennis and see if I can do a good match. I have nothing to lose tomorrow. We’ll see what can I do against the King of Clay.”
The fifth seed needed to play three full sets against Cilic on Thursday, so his his tank may not be completely on full for this one. At least for a while, though, that may not terrible thing for Del Potro because he will be forced to implement the correct strategy against Nadal: serve big, hit aggressive second-serve returns, and go for huge, high-risk shots early in rallies.
That may pay off briefly for a red-hot underdog, but a best-of-five situation on clay against Nadal is likely too tough of a task–especially with zero days off.
Pick: Nadal in 4
[polldaddy poll=10025190]
who ya got?
Nadal in five
Nadal as always for RG, 6 more sets to go for 11th crown. No competition.
how are you so confident Fg..if he could drop a set to Schwartz..what makes you think straight set vs both Thiem n Delpo 🙂 I dont care if he drops sets as long as he wins 🙂
there are only few certainties in life. One of the very few is watching Rafa victory on clay, it is kind on 99.999% certainties. The achievement would be impossible to duplicate by another millennium.
This will be close, I’m not seeing anything that says Del Potro can’t win it. I’m sure del Potro was taking notes as his great countryman exposed a chink in Nadal’s armour for a set and a half before being robbed by uncontrollable events. I get the feeling Del Potro would like to make amends for that piece of injustice. You beat an Argentinian once but you dont beat them twice will be Del Potro’s mindset going into this.
Del Potro has backed up many times before in much worse circumstances and has only dropped 2 sets all tournament so he’s had a realitively easy tounament. If anything, the match against Cilic will have prepared him well for this semi, he wont get caught off guard.
I get the feeling Del Potro feels at home in Europe this year as well and we all know what he’s like when he feels comfortable in front of a crowd, and a crowd favorite he is, they love him. He lifts to a level not many other players can stay with. Del potro has been one of the best players all year and Im sure he’d love an RG title to add to his collection so it will be no surpise to see him put a end to Nadal’s dominance at this tournament.
Del Potro in 4.
I want del potro to win, but at this stage, Nadal is better and more fit. So too bad for potro. Potro prob takes a set to tie breaker at best.
If this were Wimbledon or a lower-bouncing Hard court, I would at least consider picking Del Po. But, alas, this is Roland Garros, and you simply DO NOT pick against Rafa at Roland Garros when he’s in his typical form. End of story. I’m with Ricky- Rafa in 4.
I will say, however, that Del Po does have a shot, as he always does against the Big 4. I just don’t think it’s a big enough shot for me to realistically think the upset will happen. Good on Del Po for getting this far at RG again, though!
Del Potro is tall also and will handle Nadal’s high bouncing forehand to his backhand on this surface similar to Soderling. Isner handled it quite well also when he went 5 against Nadal many years ago as well.
If del Potro serves well, handles Nadal’s forehand to his backhand and steps around on the forehand and goes for his shots when the opportunity presents itself, he should be able to put Nadal under pressure on his servicde games. Del Potro should have the advantage on his serve so the formula is quite simple.
Don’t forget del potro considered not even participating in Roland garros due to groin injury. If that injury was to flare up, I think this is the match that it will be a factor.
Rafa in 3…JDP may be tired, and Rafa just too strong.
Potro [is] tired and Rafa [is] too strong.
Rafa..play your best..don’t be nervous..you know when you aggressive the extent of damage you can do and you showed that to Delpo in semis of USO on a court more favorable to him.. Please dont start slow and stay being baseline else Delpo will boss you around totally..dont underestimate Delpo..he is not injured..
Delpo had problem vs Cilic, it’s more like Cilic faltered and allowed Delpo back to win the sets and the match; he will have more problems vs Rafa.
What does a man have to do to earn some respect from bookies and tipsters? Cecchinato is playing like the number one clay courter in the world and has just thrashed 3 top 10 claycourters in a row including a previous RG champion.
I think some people need to jump on youtube and watch the replay because im not seeing any reason he cant do to Theim (who has never won a major) what he’s done to everyone else this tournament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSQxYi67EJs
Cecchinato in 4
Lol don’t know about #1. But the odds shouldn’t be -1000 for thiem. If it was up to me it should be like -350 to 400.
Wish rafa Delpo was the final! I love Delpo and he has a huge heart so this will be a big test for rafa. Please rafa come out playing aggressive. He said in his presser how he was feeling the nerves yesterday and the pressure on him is so enormous…
Vamos!!!
Rafa in 3, losing way fewer than 13 games.
I’ll just drop this here ;))
Madrid 2018 3R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 6-3 6-4
Madrid 2018 QF: Thiem def. Nadal 7-5 6-3
AO 2018 4R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 6-3 (4)6-7 6-3 6-3
AO 2018 QF: Cilic def. Nadal 3-6 6-3 (5)6-7 6-2 2-0 (ret)
USO 2015 2R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 7-6(5) 6-3 7-5
USO 2015 3R: Fognini def. Nadal 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
I’ll drop this here ;))
Monte-Carlo 2017 QF: Nadal def. Schwartzman 6-4 6-4
Monte-Carlo 2017 SF: Nadal def. Goffin 6-3 6-1
Monte-Carlo 2017 Final: Nadal def. ARV 6-1 6-3 to win his
10th Monte-Carlo title!
This article is terrifying for us nadal fans.
http://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/970804/Rafael-Nadal-injury-denial-Diego-Schwartzman-French-Open-Catherine-Whitaker/amp
I am very afraid if this article is true.
So you believe that both wrists got injured simultaneously? That must be a first. Rafa was asked about it at his PM press conference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=EHee5Ns5E1I
That article is nonsense. They said that Rafa had wrist surgery! Since when!
Rafa explained what happened and it should be left at that.
Rafa rules – nope, we aren’t terrified. Rafa explained the situation, and it’s highly unlikely that he injured both wrists.
Nadal in 3. Never understand how a player can tell “I’ll try my best, I’ll see what I can do..” before playing a match. He already lost this game
I’m pretty sure he would express things a bit differently in Spanish. del Potro isn’t injured, and he’s relatively fresh from not having played much of the clay season. And his backhand is a lot better than it was a couple years ago when it was pretty much just slice. I think he’ll be fine.
To gain the advantage in the rallies, del Potro must stretch Nadal to his FH side and (obviously) hit the ball hard. That will mean a lot of inside out and DTL forehands. But Rafa’s lateral movement to his FH is not as good as to his BH, and he needs more time to prepare the FH. Going mainly to his BH crosscourt is not a good strategy, imo, because he’s just too quick and strong, being able to use the extra hand. Nadal’s BH is also much improved on what it was a couple years ago.
Saw a comment on the Guardian which pretty much sums up my view: ‘If it’s hot and dry, Rafa’s your guy. If it’s wet, he may drop a set’.
Delpo’s a great guy, probably one of the most likeable on tour, so I hope for his sake he can make it competitive. It’s going to be difficult though, given Nadal will be able to exploit his BH side a lot on clay, and he’s unlikely to be able to physically go the distance with Rafa if it somehow comes down to that.
It will be sunny today, and Rafa will probably win the match. But I think he might still drop a set. No shame in this against Delpo.
‘If it’s hot and dry, Rafa’s your guy. If it’s wet, he may drop a set’.
Ha, ha, I like that, a lot!!!
Del Potro V Nadal is sold out, whereas theres plenty of tickets for Theim Checch There’s plenty expecting Del Potro to give Nadal a belting today.
When have tickets for Nadal vs A N Other not sold out?
Think people are a bit sick of watching Cecch give a belting to overwhelming favorites. Its getting boring watching pedictors look stupid.
Yeah, the people who only watch tennis in order to plan their betting strategy, and still get it wrong, would be pissed off. How much have you lost so far during this RG?
#Stick to the gee-gees
Delpo will have more supporters in stands in Europe for sure ..his fans are loud too as has been seen in past matches…however rafa will have his share too.
when has lack of support troubled rafa? Fed always had more supporters in stands but it did not affect Rafa in beating him all those multiple times pre 2017 in key matches
http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/moya-takeaways-qf-roland-garros-2018-thursday
Moyas take after the QF match..plainspeak and say it as it is..I am surprised that he said Rafa had some doubts going into Diego match..wonder why..he also says rain bailed him out and he cannot bank on rain to save him 🙂
And that’s the problem with Rafa – lacking in confidence! The whole world knows that Rafa needs to start being aggressive from the get go, only Rafa himself doesn’t know!
I mean Diego is no Djoko, why’s Rafa so worried? Perhaps he’s worried about the match having to drag on and lots of grinding to be done! His past experiences playing Diego might have caused him to worry, unnecessarily imo.
Diego’s weakness is still his serve as he’s limited by his height. He’s also not that good when at the net. His strength is his speed around the court, his fighting spirit, his ability to change directions at will, and his ability to hang in tough in long rallies.
But, Rafa is more powerful, more skillful and more crafty; his aggression when it’s on, is very hard to counter even for his fellow big four members. Rafa seems to worry too much, think too much. He just has to go out there, plays his aggressive game from the get go, just like it’s proven in set three and four in the match, which he’s more than capable of doing so often.
If Rafa continues to worry like that, he’ll keep playing crappy tennis and has to work very hard to come from behind to win his matches. What an insecure human being he is; in the past I don’t believe that but now it’s getting more and more obvious he’s feeling insecure, about his own abilities and doubting that his game is not good enough to keep winning.
I think that the notion that Rafa has been frequently bailed out of precarious situations by a timely onset of rain is wrong. There are many examples where rain has been a set back. And he would’ve played quite differently against Diego if there hadn’t been any rain in the first place, lol!
The truth may be that Rafa is simply able to deal better with a rain delay or a set back than most other players. Maybe, this is ultimately rooted in his early childhood belief that Uncle Toni could make it rain if Rafa would encounter problems during a match.
Well what Moya meant was Rafa needs to go on offense from the start so that he does not need these breaks to sit and analyse what went wrong..thats what he meant by saying he cant bank on rain to save him and reboot him..its now happened twice in 3 weeks..zverev in rome and diego here..both matches he went passive and got bossed for a set
Exactly! And that’s precisely we his fans kept saying all along! Only Rafa refuses to listen and worries about the earth, the whole world is working against him!!
Just went out there and hammered Diego right left and centre! If the weather conditions didn’t favor him, all the more he should stay aggressive and finished the match ASAP instead of letting it dragged on! Why showed Diego so much respect and allowed Diego to boss him, the king of clay around, on the king’s Favorite court at RG?? It’s very embarrassing for the king of clay, and it pissed me off!!
The way he played the first set, it’s just like his Madrid match vs Thiem, when everything went wrong,but, Diego is not Thiem, he doesn’t have Thiem’s power; and, Madrid is not RG!!
Moya, please drill the message deep into Rafa’s Head – just go out there to play aggressively no matter what!
Toni in an interview once, said Rafa overthinks his matches. He thinks too much. I will agree with that.
Rafa is beatable but is Delpo up to the task? http://www.138mph.com/french-open-tennis-semi-final-previews-between-del-potro-and-nadal-and-cecchinato-and-thiem/
It’s gonna be tough for Rafa! Delpo is very nice guy and if there was anyone other than Rafa to win RG I would wish it be Delpo. However, I hope my guy the Champ of all champs will be up to the task! Delpo can win Wimbledon instead!
I am also on this side where the doubters are regarding Rafa’s possible injury and I am SO worried. He did drop in level since MC and his serve has deserted him. I would normally expect Rafa to raise his level for the semis but if there is any injury bothering him that’s gonna be difficult to do. I hope my Rafa is fine, I hope he is able to produce his best tennis to beat Delpo. I also don’t think injury is a question mark for Delpo. He is adrenaline player and he will be ready. Rafa knows that.
Vamos Rafa!
Sanju JUNE 8, 2018 AT 7:19 AM
Delpo will have more supporters in stands in Europe for sure …………..
____________________________________________________________________________________
Why?
than who?
Keep your mind sharp and focused, remain confident, be strong and show your warrior spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DfKlVEvWkAE5X1B.jpg
Ad nauseum.
Biggest threat to Nadal is obviously himself
Sanju JUNE 8, 2018 AT 7:19 AM
Delpo will have more supporters in stands in Europe for sure ..his fans are loud too as has been seen in past matches…however rafa will have his share too.
when has lack of support troubled rafa? Fed always had more supporters in stands but it did not affect Rafa in beating him all those multiple times pre 2017 in key matches
____________________________________________________________________________________-
Delpo vs Cilic played to a half empty SL court yesterday and for Nadal vs Diego PC was bursting at the seams.
Here we go.
Rafa struggling on his serve early.
Big trouble 0-40
Oh no, big trouble for Delpo! Groin and hip!! This is bad!!
I think Delpo has asked for some anti- inflammatory pills.
Rafa is good at saving BPs, the first set of his QF match being the exception.
Yes, well done to come back from 0-40.
This year Nadal is not all playing at the extraordinary level he normally plays at rg
That was the easiest service game Rafa had.
Delpo is playing much better today than he played against Cilic. Players always bring their best to the table for Rafa.
Yeah, bu Rafa is playing way too defensive, i guess he is still tentative. he has not come out blazing maybe if he wins first set he’ll start to produce the goods
They just serve and hit as hard as possible, that’s the only way they have chances against Rafa, but it’s hard to sustain that over five sets.
If Rafa has a better serve like last year, it’ll be much easier for him to hold his service games.
Yeah, how is hitting hard a strategy, and then wear ureself down when u get to next match ure fair game!!
But they just want to beat Rafa at all costs, smh!!
Rafa hitting his FHDTL from too far back; if he steps in further and hit it with more depth, Delpo won’t be able to get to it.
Delpo is not having to work hard on his service games. Rafa has not been able to do much.
Rafa serve is betraying him, but a lot of droppies today, lol
Exactly. Imo, Rafa is standing too far back to return serves, and so even he could have his racket on the ball, it’ll be a weak return. He should vary his return position to keep Delpo guessing. Delpo is having his way with his serve all too easy.
Rafa facing two break points.
I know Rafa is working hard to hold on to his serve but he is doing it well not getting nervous at crucial points in getting out of tight spots.
You have to take your chances against Nadal otherwise he punishes you.
This is a totally different Rafa from the 1st set against Diego yesterday….Body language also very good…Showing how confident he is atm…Alhamdulillah!
Yesssssssss!
1st set Rafa.
Vamos!
YEESSS!!1st set in hand!!!WOOOHOOOOOO!!
Yessss!!!
I could feel that break coming!!!!
That’s our boy! Two more like that please!!!!!
Rafa is a tactician, no ifs, no buts.
Vamos!
Yes, Rafa has a BP and SP and he takes it! Vamos!
A scary set of tennis when Rafa having to save BPs in so many service games; it’s such a tight set and Rafa barely wins it and he has 31 points vs Delpo’s 30!
And thank u God for giving us sun & brighty day today!!Less problem for Rafa!…Whoooo!!
Yes! The weather has cooperated!
Yes Nny!!…let’s hope it will stay that way for at least 1 1/2 hrs!
Very proud of Rafa!!😀
Now I feel that Rafa is peaking. He really sensed the opportunity to go for the break.
The key was Rafa holding his serve throughout the first set.
Delpo looks pooped. Losing the first set like that may well dent his confidence plus he has some physical problems too.
Del Potro is not pulling the trigger well enough today. Can’t win.
Conditions are perfect for Nadal.
Wooohoooo!!BREAK!!!
Hope Rafa doesn’t take his foot of the pedal now. He must keep the pressure up.
GOD!…It’s very tiring to fill my name & email add everytime i wanna post my comment!!It’s BS!!!
Mira, go to the top of the page:
REGISTER/LOGIN
and login again.
Oh really Nadline?Oh!Thank u so much for telling me that nadline!!Wooohooo!!
I’m going now!!
MA,
Yes, nadline is right. I logged in again and it worked. Try it.
Nny!….I am trying!..But so far it didn’t worked!Hehehe…
It’s always comeback with ‘Invalid username”…And i use my username here…I don’t know what’s wrong??
Maybe the login is not working atm, keep trying. This site has a few glitches.
Oh!Thank u nadline!Yeah!..I will keep trying!
Del Potro is not using his strengths to his advantage.
Talk about a statement of the obvious. If you bothered to read this thread you would know why.
Rafa is playing clutch tennis. He seems so confident in his abilities.
Vamos Rafa!
Nadal has finally hit his stride. It’s over 😂 #RIPThiem
I agree about Rafa hitting his stride. Comparing him in this match to the first set and a half of the one with Diego and there is a world of difference.
Delpo should have won that first set, but Rsfa hung in there and got the break at the end to win it. Now he is in full flight, but has to keep it up.
Rafa is ruthless. Great to see.
Vamos!
This is what I have been waiting to see from Rafa. We saw it yesterday in the last two sets of that match. Now Rafa has continued.
Delpo avoids the bagel.
At least delpo has been spared the indignity of being bagelled.
Del Potro is getting his arse handed to him.
The crowd here are as annoying as you guys.
Vamos Rafas every second like he’s related.
Vamos rafa!!!
hee, hee Vmk1. Priceless!
Vamos Rafa
Not half as annoying as your trolling!
Vamos Rafa
Listening to commentators, you’d think tennis was an exact science. Wilander is saying why can’t Delpo beat Rafa 62 62 62 like he did at the USO in 2009? Leaving aside the fact that Rafa was playing with an abdominal tear, tennis is not an exact science. It’s not like predicting the winner of a race, lasting about 10 seconds like the 100 meters, which would more than likely be the person who has run the fastest time consistently. Tennis is far more complex. What happened last time they played doesn’t really matter as much the next time they play.
I cant believe he actually even said that! Seriously?!!
I tell u they all sound soo disappointed!! I Rafa gets to the final, u will hear them say more! They all just want somebody to beat Rafa!! Not hearing that sentiment about Roger when it comes to Roger, smh!! Its just so annoying!!
Want Rafa to keep up the tempo, not let Delpo back into match! He should not let Delpo lame duck posture deter his mission!
Rafa is playing unbelievable tennis! Sitting with my mouth open in amazement,
Vamos Rafa!
Why on earth was Rafa worried about playing Diego?
I like how Rafa can admit to being stressed or nervous. As Carlos Moya said after he was questioned about Rafa losing to Thiem – he’s human. As great as he is, he is still not immune to doubts or nerves. But he manages to overcome them.
It is so good to see him playing this way.
Exactly, don’t understand why, and I’m pissed that he allowed Diego to boss him around. At least a Delpo or a Thiem kind of player who hits with power and has good to great serve could dictate play against Rafa but Diego?
Even a Djoko couldn’t dictate play on clay against Rafa and Djoko is so much better than Diego even on clay. Diego did go five sets vs Djoko at last year’s FO but that Djoko was already a subpar Djoko with elbow injury.
Diego has continued to improve, and at his best can match Rafa from the baseline. His ground-strokes are probably as good and he may be faster than Nadal at this point.
Where Nadal is better is on serve, return, and at the net. But from a neutral point in the rally, Diego has the tools to boss Nadal around a bit.
Just a bit. Ha ha at least you say a bit (that means not much) but Rafa can boss Diego around a lot! Just watch set three and four of the QF match.
Diego may be fast but he doesn’t have Rafa’s power and precision especially when rushed. He’s still far away from Rafa, hence he’s losing all his clay court matches (plus HC matches) to Rafa.
Rafa playing like this is a joy to watch for his fans. He should keep up this intensity and level right into the final!
Rafa shines under the sun!
Vamos Rafa!
@ Nadine, lol!
Rafa simply doesn’t appreciate how good he is.
I’m certain he knows alright but he has never taken it for granted. it’s one of the things his fans love about him.
Rafa!!
Into the final again!
Vamos Rafa!
I love you!
😍
Game, set and match, Nadal!
64 61 62
Vamos!
YEESSSS! Rafa won in straight!…Thank u thank u God for the amazing weather too today!…Thank u Rafa for chose to be SuperHuman today!!..And Thank u guys for being a very fabulous Rafans!!Wooooooohoooooo!!
On to the UNBEL11EVABLE FINAL!!…YEEEAAAHHHHH!!
Oh!…Wanna dedicated this win to Jim too for been a very hard worker again today on TG!
The God of Clay at his best! Brilliant Rafa!
Vamossss!
Yes, Rafa is into his 11th final here at the FO! He ties Fed’s at Wimbledon 11 finals. So happy that Rafa despite his serving woes, is able to reach the final again. Hope he does one better and wins the title on Sunday. Vamos Rafa!
Delpo is now world no.4, well done to him. The Italian guy is into TOP 50 if I’m not wrong, so congrats to him too. Hope he and Bolelli can continue to play good aggressive tennis and move up the rankings.
Make that top 30! Cecchinato is gonna be a seed at Wimbledon 😱
luckystar AT 4:30 PM,
Marco Cecchinato is currently the 27th in the Live ATP ranking table.
Chapeau to the Gentle Giant for carrying on so sportingly. It was obvious he was struggling physically and I’m certain if it had not been the SF at RG he might well have withdrawn.
Vive le roi!!👑👑👑👑👑👑
Very proud of Rafa!
I really hope lovely Delpo wins
another slam!
I don’t think Rafa does know how good he is. But he knows how good he WANTS to be and he knows that he’s a champion. I think and hope that this year we’re seeing Rafa smelling the finish line. If so he becomes unstoppable!
Vaaaaaaamoooooos Rafa!
Fist pump! 💪
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=41&v=CP5Kd8AlPms
This is sooooo funny.
Congrats Rafa. We get the ideal and dream final. The best 2 clay courters today.
Popcorn match 🙂
It’s not easy to handle Rafa’s shots on clay. He could give you different types of balls to look at on clay.
If you watch Delpo vs Cilic, it’s like watching a HC match, not much varieties, just hard hitting and you can expect how each ball is coming (or going) at each other between the two of them.
Rafa can absorb the pace, varies the topspin, and injects the pace to keep opponents guessing. His is not hard hitting tennis but it comes with power, precision plus varieties, no wonder Delpo couldn’t handle this Rafa on clay despite his hard hitting power tennis.
delpo has said in his presser rafa is too strong, he has improved a lot, his bh has improved enormously and at 32 he keeps improving
True indeed, Rafa showing some varieties in this match and improvements in his game on clay. Execution of his game plan was extraordinary. Even Delpo’s hard hitting couldn’t shake Rafa’s precision. I hope he does the same against Thiem…
Vamos Champ!
Rafa was so confident of his form today that nothing phased him. He actually stopped the umpire from checking the line on a first serve then went on to win the point with his 2nd serve in style. I was very nervous about the number of breakpoints Rafa had to save in the first set but was left astounded by the clutch tennis he played every time with fearless precision.
I hope he brings the same form in the final because Thiem will be supercharged – so much on the line for him that could change his life forever.
Delpo’s press conference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3VATMk1ZFg
Somehow I feel bad for Delpo. He is such a nice and sensitive guy. And he fought back so hard from brink of retirement. And look where he is right now. No. 4 of the world! And yet – whenever he had a good slam run, one of the Big Four usually ended his journey. Why can he never go all the way? On clay or grass I’d say that Rafa or Roger are simply too good. But on hardcourt he should be able to make it once in a while, like in Indian Wells. Why does it never happen at the slams? The semis seem to be an insourmountable hurdle for Delpo. Could there be physical issues which are more pronounced at the slams since they go over two weeks and best-of-five? There always seems to be something the matter with Delpo…
It’s not only Delpo, the other guys were also stopped by members of the big four. Cilic beat Rafa in the QF of AO and then lost to Fed in the final. Delpo himself beat Fed in the QF of USO llast year and then lost to Rafa in the SF.
Raonic beat Fed in the SF of Wimbledon and then lost to Murray in the final; Thiem beat Djoko in the QF of FO last year but lost to Rafa in the SF, Dimi beat Murray in QF at Wimbledon one year and then lost to Djoko in the SF,….
It would arguably be the greatest upset of all-time if Thiem somehow managed to win the final. Nobody has ever even come close to beating Rafa in a RG final. Especially given how extraordinary of a beatdown Rafa gave Thiem last year. And how truly unplayable Rafa was was in the RG final last year.
I mean, there’s always a slight chance that Thiem could make me eat my words, but I really do wonder if it is even actually possible for Rafa to be beaten in a best-of-5 final on clay… I seriously think it might actually be impossible, and I’m the guy always reminding people that every player in a draw ALWAYS has at least a 0.01% chance against any player.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again- Rafa is unquestionably the greatest player on a single surface ever. I will likely (depending on next few years) always believe that if there is any difference in overall greatness between Rafa and Fed, it is so microscopic and immeasurable that one of them cannot be definitively declared as greater than the other. But when it comes to who is the greatest male player on a specific surface, it is an objective FACT that it is Rafa on clay, and it’s him by a considerable margin. And that is really saying something when we have another guy who will likely be favored to win a 9th Wimbledon title…
So basically…. Rafa over Thiem is straight sets. I invite Thiem, in fact I CHALLENGE Thiem to prove me wrong. Show us what you’re made of. Make history by beating a guy on a surface that NOBODY beats him on in the business end of the tournament. But until then, I just don’t know how to not expect Sunday to be the same outcome as last year and every other freakin year… Until Rafa loses a RG Final, I truly believe that it is just categorically false for someone to claim they “predict” that Rafa will lose a RG final.
If someone on here “predicts” that Thiem will win, they are being disingenuous. What they mean to say is that they really, really HOPE that Thiem will win. And THAT, my friends, is not predicting.
Way over the top, Kevin. Rafa is the objective favourite, but not by much.
And, as I’ve explained to you before, if you think both:
A) It is *not* a fact who is the GOAT and;
B) It *is* a fact who is the clay GOAT
then you are a deeply confused man.
Answers to the two questions may (and do) differ in degree, but not in kind.
If you think both questions are factual (as I do), then just as Nadal is clearly the clay GOAT, Federer is clearly the overall GOAT:
http://www.ultimatetennisstatistics.com/goatList
Joe, I’ve actually changed my stance on the GOAT debate. You are right that it’s not fact that they are equal. It’s just my opinion.
However, I cannot waiver from my belief that it is a fact that Nadal is the greatest on a single surface. The hard numbers prove that.
But I admit that I was wrong to say previously that it’s not possible to conclude that one is “greater” than the other. How I word it now is that I personally can’t declare one greater than the other because I see too much reasonable doubt for each of them being definitively greater than the other.
By the way, I started a YouTube channel where I will be giving takes on legacy, greatness, and all things tennis. I’m shooting my first video this weekend, and the topic is the GOAT conversation. Once the channel grows enough, I plan on choosing people out of the comment section to debate each other over video chat with me as the moderator. I would love to one day have you and a Rafa fanatic (maybe from this site!) to debate each other on the GOAT convo for my channel!
Thanks for that, Kevin. I agree that Rafa is greatest ever on a single surface -by a wide margin. And a GOAT debate on your channel sounds interesting!
A bit of a letdown of a match. Delpo had his chances in the 1st, even after getting hurt. But he couldn’t summon the strength and/or courage to seize the advantage, and he played all but one of his break points meekly, while Rafa played them courageously. Nadal was again fabulous on the drop shot, which he used perfectly. Still, as I saw it, Delpo should have won the first set. After that it was one-way traffic, but that was at least in part due to Delpo’s apparently injury.
Nadal played very well today, but not on the level some are saying, not like last year. He looked like he did in the last two sets against Diego: excellent, but not unbeatable. Thiem is a player who can beat him, obviously. No predictions here, except to say I think it will be very close.
Ah hah! So it’s okay to talk about Delpo being injured, but if we think Rafa may be injured then it’s, wait for it – excuses!
What utter hypocrisy! Delpo got some meds from the physio and that was it. No treatment!
No excuses!
Saying that Delpo should have won the first set is meaningless. Rafa saved break points and held his serve when he was behind on his serve. Then he took the initiative and went for it to get the break that gave him the set. He played well and held his serve and then took the opportunity to break.
It happens all the time. Just face the fact that Rafa played his best match and quit doing what you tell Rafa fans not to do – make excuses!
👍NNY, well put!
Exactly NNY. Delpo says he wasn’t injured and he should know. He says, in his presser posted above, that he lost because Rafa was too good.
nadline,
Thanks for posting the link to Delpo’s presser. Also you posted Rafa’s yesterday. It’s much appreciated. There is nothing like hearing it from the players!
Well, regarding the 1st set, I made no excuses. I said that del Potro played the big points meekly, which is on him. Nadal played them great, which is credit to him. In saying delpo “should” have won the first set, I meant that he seemed to be playing better overall, which is how it looked to me. Nadal himself said he was “lucky” to win the first set. Had delpo played with proper aggression on the break points, I believe he would have won the first set, let’s leave it at that.
What about sets 2 and 3? Well, clearly the scoreline was not close. Why was that? I think delpo was hurt, on the play where Nadal hit behind him in the 1st set. He says otherwise; fine. He’s a class guy and is not going to make an excuse. He also knows that even if he had been 100% and well-rested he might not have won.
What I objected to after the break in the Diego match was how no Rafa fans seemed open to the possibility that he could lose to Diego, fair and square, not being injured. I particularly objected to blaming his loss of the first set on the humidity. Rafa himself said that he didn’t lose that set because of the weather, and he didn’t win the match because of the weather (though he did say he was helped by the rain delay).
In case it’s not clear. First, Rafa was the much better player overall today and fully deserved to win. Second, I think *part* of the reason the second and third sets weren’t close was because delpo hurt himself in the 1st set.
Joe in saying all these you’re giving excuses for Delpo’s loss. If Delpo didn’t get injured…. isn’t that an excuse, when you’re accusing the Rafa fans for giving excuses for Rafa?? Delpo lost the first set not because he injured his hip, he’s hitting hard and serving big as usual, but Rafa just came up with good enough tennis to save BPs, he’s been doing that this whole tournament other than that one and a half sets of tennis vs Diego, and that’s why he’s able to beat all but one of his opponents without losing a set despite his poor serve.
Also, Rafa is not going to tell you he was affected by the humidity, that to most people including you, would sound like making an excuse. Rafa was nervous vs Diego, Moya said that, and so Rafa started tentatively giving Diego chances to up his aggression level. Rafa looked lethargic out there, it’s not like he’s running quick and timing the ball well and yet lost the set to Diego; it’s more to do with how poorly Rafa played that gave Diego a chance to play aggressive tennis. It’s not difficult to see that once Rafa upped his level, Diego had no answer.
Their clay court matches prior to this one were mostly competitive but Rafa still won in straight sets; so a nervy and lethargic Rafa would find it hard to turn things around when falling behind.
To me Delpo lost the second and third sets easily because Rafa broke his spirit by saving all those BPs in the first set, and taking his chances on the one or two BPs he had against Delpo and won the first set. From then Rafa upped his level sensing that Delpo was affected by the first set loss and Delpo knew that he had an insurmountable task on hand. In the first place, Delpo also didn’t have the belief that he could beat Rafa on clay at RG (his on court interview after his SF win revealed that).
Delpo might or might not be hurt, just like Rafa was or wasn’t affected by the humidity, only they themselves knew it, we are here making our guesses so your guess (about Delpo being hurt) is as good as mine (about Rafa being affected by the humidity when he did look lethargic). When he lost to Thiem at Madrid it was poor play by him when he mishit all those shots plus Thiem’s aggressive play, he’s not affected physically by the weather conditions and none of us said so.
If you say that we the Rafa fans are making excuses and not giving Diego credit, you’re also making excuses for Delpo’s loss of the first set and his not so close second and third sets.
Watching how Rafa played his second and third sets vs Delpo, and his third and fourth sets vs Diego, it’s not difficult to see that Rafa was on another level on clay vs those two guys, and only a nervy Rafa would give his opponents chances to get a set off him.
Just taking your last paragraph, I’d agree that Rafa in set 3 against Diego and sets 2 and 3 against delpo, was on another level. Set 4 against Diego was (I think) a lot closer than the scoreline indicated, but Rafa won the big points. In fact, he’s done a terrific job winning almost all of the big points in his last two matches, coming back from the rain delay against Schwartzman.
Apart from the drop shot, what continues to impress about Nadal is how intelligently he plays tennis. His sense of when to come forward is almost unerring, on a par with Federer if not better, because he is more judicious about it. There were several points in the first set where Nadal won the point mainly due to this kind of high tennis IQ.
Joe, I absolutely agree. Now, where Rafa is older, he wins a lot of matches with very intelligent play. It’s one of his somewhat underrated qualities, and when he was young, his muscles, his speed and fitness as well as his slightly extravagant attire obscured his superb tennis brain.
While Rafa so far hasn’t been at the same level as last year, I still believe, he’s the favorite for the final – exactly because of his experience and problem solving abilities. While Thiem is at a higher level than last year, beating Rafa in the final of the FO might still be too high a summit for him. But Thiem is getting there!
Rafa really knows how to make full use of the court and controls the court, that his opponents were made to feel suffocated by him and had no where else to go to.
In this match, Rafa really displayed a wide range of his varieties, not only the drop shots, but the way he moved into the court at the right time to seize the opportunity to hit a winner. He mixed in one two punch tennis at the right time and used his FHDTL more as a surprise element to catch Delpo off guard. There were many more things that were so difficult to put into words, like how he wrong footed Delpo by hitting right back at Delpo when Delpo was just moving away in the other direction; or he simply moved in to push Delpo further back and then hit to the open space at the other corner, etc and etc. It was a pleasure watching how Rafa played this match, how he neutralized Delpo’s big hitting and big serving. If not for his serving woes, he might not need to face so many BPs, but, in saving those BPs (Delpo didn’t break once) it showcased how intelligently he played to save all of them.
This match showcased Rafa’s brilliance in both his defence and offence, Rafa is by nature an aggressive minded player but like what Michael Chang said, Rafa is patient enough to wait for his chances before making an attack. He’s not a defensive player, it’s only when he’s lacking in confidence that he plays more defensively, esp when he was/is mistiming his shots and missing his shots.
Stats on the replay of Rafa’s match on the tennis channel.
First serve % – 66
First serve points won % – 70
2nd serve points won – 58
Winners – 15
UE’s – 8
I believe this was for the first set. After it ended they posted these stats.
Actually the most important stat was break points won.
Rafa – 1/2
Delpo – 0/6
That’s the story right there.
But those serving stats are the best I have seen since the tournament began!
“After incurring a hip problem in just the third game, it always looked as if mission highly improbable might become mission impossible for Del Potro, although the honest Argentine was adamant that the moment when he hurt his hip twisting and stretching to try to get near a flashing Nadal forehand that had completely wrong-footed him was not a significant factor in the match.
No, the decisive factor, he reckoned, was that he could not convert any of the seven break points he earned during that opening stanza when he had played the better tennis. Nadal, for his part, felt he had got “lucky” in battling through that opener against an “amazing” opponent.
Delpo tried everything in his armoury – changing the pace of rallies, trying to slow-ball Nadal on occasion and sometimes attempting to just blitz him off court with flat thunderbolts yet nothing could distract the Spaniard, who fought to save each of those break points – including three when the scores were locked at 4-4 – as if the idea of being broken was some diabolical affront to him.
Then, having not been able to dent Del Potro’s serve, Nadal struck like a cobra the next game, one thumping backhand winner when at full stretch and a flashing inside-out forehand setting up the set win and effectively the match.
Play Video
It was not that Del Potro then folded, more that Nadal simply hit the accelerator. “He is playing every point better from the beginning until the last point of the match, and his intensity is growing up very much during the match, and it’s tough to be there all the time,” sighed Del Potro, as one of the best serves in the game went on to be broken five times, twice to love, and 35 Nadal winners flashed past him.
Now, Thiem, who’s the only man to have beaten Nadal on clay this year, enters the lion’s den but Nadal wasn’t in the mood to mull over their next encounter too much.”
Full article here:
https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/article/roland-garros-2018-rafael-nadal-sails-into-11th-final-beats-del-potro
Del Potro was simply awful. The heat mustve got to him, it was very quite hot out there today.
Yeah Jim!…I agree!…I also think that PC is haunted!…There’s a very mean ghost spirit somewhere & Rafa was possessed by it…I really really hope Rafa will get possessed once again tomorrow of all day!!Yeehaa!!
There will be a big problem on Sunday: the weather will be awful – lots of rain. Monday won’t be better with thunderstorms. Is that Thiem’s chance? How will his game be affected by the weather. How can he handle rainbreaks mentally? It will be intriguing.
Rafa has to get over his rain phobia. He has won after all a lot of great matches despite the rain.
Please, why worry about the rain? There’ll be stop starts, both players will be affected. It’s a slam final so Rafa won’t be holding back, because if not now in the final then when to give it his all?
After all those rain and rain delays, Rafa should be able to handle the situations by now; esp after the Sasha match at Rome and the Diego QF; surely Rafa has learnt a thing or two about how not to make the same mistakes when conditions is heavy and rain is impending.
Well, I do think there’s reason for worrying a little bit. Rafa has had very spotty starts in all his recent matches when the conditions were wet and heavy. And it does neutralize his top spin to a certain extent. There’s a reason why Rafa prefers the quicker and sunny conditions, when he has played his best matches.
However, Rafa has handled the stops and starts a lot better than his opponents.
Nothing can be done about the weather. Both opponents have to deal with it.
Rafa has such a physical advantage on clay , particvularly RG, that I cant understand why he gets so nervous, and his fans worry about the weather he’s the clay GOAT after all.
Big Al, Rafa’s fans get nervous because he get’s nervous. And wet, heavy and slow conditions neutralize his best weapons to a certain extent. Z
his has nothing to d with him being the Clay GOAT. Even GOATS lose once in a while. Will it happen on Sunday? Unlikely but not impossible.
‘Even GOATS lose once in a while’ . Yeah, so far at RG its twice in 13 years. Noone’s likely ever to come close to that.Why does he feel under pressure? End of the world if he lost , not that its even likely ?
Rafa is not a confident guy to begin with and the more is at stake, the more nervous he becomes. It has nothing to do with what he has already accomplished so far, to him every match starts from zero and he can win or he can lose it, and that’s why his fans get worried about his matches because we just don’t know to what extent his nerve will affect him.
Also, talking about humidity affecting him, that’s not an excuse but it’s true that as he ages, his body can’t bear with the humidity (i mean high temperature with his humidity); when he was younger he didn’t have such a problem. Perhaps it’s because he perspires more than the other players and so when he gets older he may get tired more easily in humid conditions.
Anyone who deals with anxiety shouldn’t have to question why someone gets nervous for no apparent reason.
Hawkeye, I completely agree. This discussion is slighly absurd. We cannot question someone’s psychological make up. It is what it is.
Not many players can handle the heat at RG this time of the year, especially against Nadal, he makes it sting. Its Nadal’s natural environment and he uses it to his advantage. All of these advantages is why he has the record he does and Fed is very, very smart for staying right away.
Atm it’s not especially hot in Paris. When it was sunny, the conditions were perfectly pleasant. Here in the north of Germany we have a heat wave and a prolongued dry spell. I wish all the rain in Paris and the somewhat cooler temperatures could migrate to our area.
Wrong. Nadal suffers when it is high humidity. That’s one of the reasons he lost a set against Schwartsman
and came close to being beaten. And yes, everybody knows the rain break came at a particularly opportune moment. That’s tennis.
my comment is addressed to the know-all Mr. Courier who specialises in 20/20 hindsight.
Denzel JUNE 7, 2018 AT 7:12 PM
I’ll just drop this here ;))
Madrid 2018 3R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 6-3 6-4
Madrid 2018 QF: Thiem def. Nadal 7-5 6-3
AO 2018 4R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 6-3 (4)6-7 6-3 6-3
AO 2018 QF: Cilic def. Nadal 3-6 6-3 (5)6-7 6-2 2-0 (ret)
USO 2015 2R: Nadal def. Schwartzman 7-6(5) 6-3 7-5
USO 2015 3R: Fognini def. Nadal 3-6 4-6 6-4 6-3 6-4
***********************************************************************************
FO 2018 QF: Nadal def Schwartzman 46 63 62 62
FO 2018 SF: Nadal def Del Potro 64 61 62
Sorry, just had to do this. This theory can now be put to bed.