Rafael Nadal and Stefanos Tsitsipas will add another chapter to a familiar matchup as they battle at the Mutua Madrid Open during semifinal action. The winner will meet either Novak Djokovic or Dominic Thiem in the title match.
Rafael Nadal has proven to be a particularly unkind matchup for rising star Stefanos Tsitsipas. This will be the fourth encounter in a year’s time (they first met in Barcelona last season) and Tsitsipas has not yet managed to take a set. Furthermore, Nadal completely dismantled the Greek in their most recent encounter at the Australian Open. Of that match, Tsitsipas mused, “He has this talent that no other player has. I’ve never seen a player have this. He makes you play bad. I would call that a talent.”
Amazingly, Nadal is still looking for his first title of the season. The Spaniard, whose 2019 campaign is only disappointing by his lofty standards, has a Grand Slam final and three semis to show for his efforts. However, an injury-interrupted season threw off his typical clay court preparation. The good news for the Nadal camp is that the weaker-than-usual form that dogged him in Monte-Carlo and the first few matches in Barcelona appears to be resolved.
The world No. 2 has been in devastating form all week, particularly in his quarterfinal rout of Stan Wawrinka in which he won 6-1, 6-2. He appeared–if not at 100 percent of his best form–then close to it.
Tsitsipas continues to forge through 2019 on a tear that earned him a spot in the top 10. The Greek added his first clay court title last week in Estoril, and he has been excellent this week. He dispatched both Fernando Verdasco and world No. 4 Alexander Zverev en route to the semis.
Nadal’s heavy groundstrokes and the topspin for which he is well known for seem to make Tsitsipas mistime his shots. It is a similar problem to the one that beset Roger Federer for so many years: Nadal’s left forehand to the one-hand backhand breaks that shot down. It’s a pattern that Nadal has used to his advantage for a decade and a half. That Tsitsipas meets the Spaniard at home on clay won’t advance his cause, either.
Cheryl pick: Nadal in 2
Ricky pick: Nadal in 2
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Rafa in 2
I hope Rafa wins it in straight sets. I like Tsitsipas but I think he’s not there yet to challenge Rafa on clay.
It’s humanly impossible to beat Nadal on clay with a single-handed backhand. Just ask Federer and Wawrinka…Unless of course, you’re Gustavo Kuerten or Thomas Muster.
Nadal in 2
Well, Fed, Stan, Cuevas (all with SHBH)
Sorry, that’s me. I mean Fed, Stan and Cuevas (all with SHBH) did beat Rafa on clay.
Rafa isn’t unbeatable on clay (and by SHBH players). Nobody is unbeatable on any surface. Rafa, of course, is exceptionally hard to beat on clay, hence his 91-92% win rate on clay.
Er. Dominc Thiem?
Or Theim 😉
This explains Rafa’s form lately. Players have their ups and downs like everyone else, they can’t be expected to perform when we put the switch like robots.
http://www.asapsports.com/show_interview.php?id=149494
RAFAEL NADAL: “Well, it’s just a personal feeling. As I say, the other day after Indian Wells mentally I went down, I had a drop down, a big drop down after what happened to me.
You know, I had different struggles like in Acapulco where I was not able to train for five days. Then I recovered. I was playing quite well in Indian Wells and a few things have happened. I had to stop once again for two weeks. I had to try to recover and mentally.
I had a complicated moment, I had a drop down. It was really complicated for me to come back to be able to stay fit and to recover that energy that I need to play. And right now I think I have it again.
So, this is the joy that I need, the joy that I need to do things and this is what gives you the drive and the passion to do things and then fix my work or not.
Right now, I have the possibility during these next two weeks to do something good and before, I didn’t have this opportunity.
And normally, when you have the capacity, this is what makes the difference, to have the energy and the joy and the attitude to be able to try to do it and then you have some better times and worse times. This is just part of a sportsman’s life.
But I think that right now, I have the drive and the option and the will to do it. Two weeks’ ago, I didn’t have the energy. Right now, I have that energy to do the things real good.”
wish I had that energy (see above!)!!….Rafa in 2.
I love Rafa’s almost painful honesty. No talking the big talk – he tells it as it is.
It’s good isnt it. It’s that honesty with himself that as made him so successful.
Honest with himeself, always, and he mostly shares it with the world.
My heart wants Nole to win but I picked Thiem. haven’t seen the fire from Nole.
ratcliff, wrong thread.
Vamos Nole!
Thank you vmk1!
Sorry didn’t mean to post here, thanks Nadline
Djokovic has got a strangle-hold on this match. Making Theim look rsther vin ordinaiire.
Really classy tweet from Stan to Rafa after the match last night. Check it out!
It is one thing beating one atg! Beating two in two days is nigh impossible
Djokovic seems to be heating up nicely. If Rafa does not win the rg i hope it is Nole who gets his second career gs
vmk1
Nice to read another Djokovic fan here. Thanks for acknowledging him as an atg.
We shall see how the draw goes.
Vamos Rafa!
I appreciated reading Rafa’s thoughts. It helped me to understand what he has been going through. I did feel that another knee injury at I/W was very damaging psychologically. This business of start, stop, start, stop has to take a toll.
I have always loved Rafa’s honesty. No baloney, no false bravado. He keeps it real.
Hi there nny. Long time no see. Hope you’re keeping well. Fingers crossed Rafa will take care of the young Greek this evening. Can’t wait to see Rafa getting married later this year
Hi there nny. Long time no see. Hope you’re keeping well. Fingers crossed Rafa will take care of the young Greek this evening. Can’t wait to see Rafa getting married later this year When the news broke I had a sinking feeling that Rafa was to retire after this year’s Roland Garros. Everyone else pooh poohed the idea. After 14 years with Ischa why else would he have chosen to suddenly get married – unless that is she is already pregnant!!!
What is your take on this sudden change of heart?
ed,
Hey great to see you here! I posted a comment a few weeks ago about how I am going back and forth regarding Rafa retiring, it could be that he is getting married because he is going to retire. Too many injuries. Maybe his girlfriend is pregnant.
Rafa is really struggling in this match. He is serving very poorly and not being aggressive. Just when I thought he was getting his form back. Tsitsipas is playing like he believes he can win.
I have had a feeling that Rafa may retire soon. I haven’t said much about it on here. I have been keeping it to myself. I don’t think you are off base with your thoughts. I wish he would keep on playing but I think it’s just been too much with all the injuries. Usually he finds himself on the clay but that hasn’t happened.
The bottom line is that you may be right about why Rafa is getting married now.
I expect an absolute drubbing of Tsitsipas by Rafa. I’m gonna guess 6-1, 6-2. I don’t trust Tsitsi at all against Rafa. Especially after that AO ass-kicking, I think Rafa is just a bad matchup for Tsitsi- at any tournament. On clay? Forget about it. I will be downright shocked if Tsitsipas can even get a set.
You’re wrong Kevin, Tsitispas is giving Rafa plenty of problems.
Rafa serves poorly, I guess it’s due to the windy conditions ( he served well against Stan, not so windy last night I think). Once he has to serve a second serve, he has to fight so hard to win the point. When he lands in his first serve, he could win the point easily.
I also notice that Rafa’s CC FH has lost a bit of its power too, perhaps in windy conditions he couldn’t hit it with depth, allowing Tsitsipas time to counter it even at his BH wing.
I haven’t been able to watch much of Tsistipas this tournament, so I can’t really make an informed assessment of his chances. Nadal has looked very good the last two matches, much better than previously this year. If he brings that form, Stefanos will have to serve lights out and basically red-line to keep things close. Given that after their last match he said that Nadal doesn’t let you play your game, I think that’s unlikely. Nadal in 2.
Rafa is really playing some rubbish tennis in this match! He is really having some bad ups and downs! Sigh!
He is so passive and defensive……its just freaking me out!!
Gosh broken thrice by tsistsi. Nole would double bagel him 😳
His serve is so horrible! He’s being broken three times already in the first set and Tsitsipas is serving for the set!
What’s wrong with Rafa’s serve? Why he could barely make a first serve? Tsitispas is not a great returner of serves, so why worry when you serve?
He has so many BP chances but only able to take one. Tsitsipas S&V a few times and Rafa couldn’t handle it; since Rafa stands so far back, why not returning serve DTL instead of going CC when Tsitsipas is waiting there?
Rafa is in a mess now, he couldn’t play in the wind anymore! Now Tsitsipas has the first set. If Rafa doesn’t up his level here, it’ll be bye bye and he’s stopped in the SF for three straight tournaments on clay!
The key to beating this Rafa on clay is to be aggressive and stays aggressive. Tsitsipas is taking following the footsteps of Foggy and Thiem.
Rafa breaks! But the way he is serving does not inspire confidence that he will consolidate
I don’t understand Rafa, if he’s able to serve his way to 5-2 in the second set, why served so poorly in set one and got broken three times? It’s almost as bad as that MC match vs Foggy, when Rafa could hardly hold his serve!
Bad patch for Tsistipas, lost 12 of the last 13 points to trail 5-2. Still just one break, and he’s shown he can break Rafa’s serve. But his level has dropped and Nadal’s has increased. Plus, Stefanos has to deal with a rubbish crowd that cheers his double faults. Cmon Stefanos!
Great job to get a second break to begin serving in the third. At least it is Rafas hometown and he is a set down so you would expect the crowd to be biased. But anyone who has played Roger anywhere would know how to handle a rubbish crowd
vmk1,
Loved your comment! Especially your last sentence! Yes!
I notice that Rafa is getting slower in running to cover his FH corner, he’s like Fed nowadays, both are old!
Thank you Tsitsipas for the wild BH that let Rafa has the second set!
Rafa is serving at 82% first serve and winning 100% of those! What a difference between set one and set two! See, Rafa has to concentrate on his first serve and he’ll have it easier! It’s not like Tsitsipas is a greater returner of Djoko’s caliber!
Tsitsipas has improved remarkably since the last time they played
Tsitsipas is doing all out attack, following the blueprint set by Thiem. It helps when Rafa’s FH has lost some of its power, so not troubling their SHBH on clay.
Rafa is standing too far back to play, hence his shots are landing short allowing Tsitsipas to move in to attack them! Rafa has lost some of his power, his shots are not as lethal as before on both wings.
Oh dear, the set one pattern of play returns, it seems. Rafa is so dumb to hit that drop shot when Tsitispas isn’t that far back!
I noticed Tsitspas’s backhand had improved and might be able to hold Nadal back. He’s looking unbeatale right now. Will push Djokovic to the limit too.
He’s a serious contender for the Roland Garros title.
Tsitsipas is a prodigy. He’s a couple of steps ahaead of Nadal.
Tsitsipas is Borg-like.
Tsistsi coming up with huge plays on bps. Rafa has played well but tsitsi is redlining it
No, Rafa has not played well at all. He looked nervous from the start. Tsitsipas, I have to say, has improved a great deal.
I can’t stand the way Rafa plays, he’s basically defending and defending. Tsitsipas is the better player and deserves to win this.
Tsitsipas is The Second Coming of Borg
Calm down, Jim. Why even say such premature hyperbole.
Well the only silver lining is no drubbing from Nole
True, Rafa playing like this will be embarrassed by Djoko in the final if he ever gets there.
Tsitsipas plays well and he deserves to win. Rafa is horrible as his level just fluctuates so much from set to set, and making UEs more because of his own fault than because of his opponent.
Rafa has himself to blame for making all those UEs; he’s probably worried about how the ball would come back from Tsitsipas!
Tsitsipas serving for the match now!
I cannot believe what I’m watching! From being sublime yesterday, Rafa is down to ridiculous today! What on earth is going on?
Precisely! What I can’t stand is that he plays so poorly after winning the second set comfortably, and then now has to fight so hard just to stay in the match! Really poor by Rafa’s standard!
So Tsitsipas wins in the end. Congrats to Tsitsipas, we’ll done! As for Rafa, don’t know what to say about him. He making those stupid errors in the last game was just beyond horrible! I mean how can he mis-hit so many shots?
I was in Madrid last year when Rafa lost to Thiem in the SF. Very demoralising for fans who have there to see him play.
Roland Garros is on Titsipas’s racquet
No, it’s not
Well, there’s still Thiem. Perhaps we may have a Thiem vs Tsitsipas final there for a change?
“RG is on Tsitsipas’s racquet?!! 😂😂😂
Last week it was Thiem because he beat Rafa…when Fog beats Rafa he is the most talented and the real contender..,you have to understand that it’s not them being so extraordinary it’s Rafa not being at his usual level on clay…
Titsipas 20/1 to win Roland Garros? Should be 3/1
Atleast rafa does not play Novak n saves energy n escapes a drubbing
Absolutely deserved by Tsitsi. Rafa def could have played better but Tsitsi s pressure was too much. Rafa may actually need a favorable draw to win rg this year. He cannot seem to rein ppl in this year when the opponent is hot which he could do earlier
Rafa is def not the fav to win rg…he may face tsitsipas in qf then thiem in sf then Novak…too much for him when he is short of confidence
But because Stefanos beat Rafa in Madrid does not make him the second coming of Borg or likely to win trophy at RG – best of 5 on RG clay. Much different than Madrid.
But he does get kudos for holding it together in front of Rafa’s home crouw. Stefanos mentally tough – I give him that. Let’s calm down and see what he can do vs Novak tomorrow.
Elizabeth,
The voice of reason! Common sense! Tsitsipas did well to beat Rafa in Madrid. He was aggressive and played like he believed he could win. However, Rafa did make far too many UE’s. Also his inability to convert break points was glaring.
But beating Rafa at RG in a best of five set match, is a whole other thing.
Tsitsipas does NOT have RG on his racket! That is a moronic comment!
Tsitsipas is a charming young man, it’s hard not to like him even when he beats our fave Rafa. I hope he can go one step further and wins his first Masters title.
This match shows me that defending is not enough; you need both defence and offence to win, esp against aggressive players.
Is rafa assured of no 2 seeding now that fed is playing rome…I think rafa needs to win one match in Rome to lock no 2 seeding
More likely it will be Toronto in reverse where he beat djoko and lost to Rafa
We shall see. I think it’s possible Nole wins this time. It has to be exhausting to do what Stefanos just did and turn around and beat Nole. But I’m ready for it!
This Rafa would have been destroyed by Nole anyway.. also this match is already too exhausting for Rafa to be able to play any better in the finals so overall better for him to go and have some rest ahead of Rome…
Tsitsipas played well, but Rafa made so many uncharacteristic errors and served poorly to let Tsitsipas dictate the points…
I feel sorry for Rafa but he needs to go one level up… He may achieve that in Rome or not, but I still think he will be ready for RG…
Vamos Champ!
This Rafa was the same as yesterday. just got beat by a better player today.
Exactly, you genius! The reason why Rafa beats Wawa handily is not in Rafa being that good but mostly because of Wawa not being himself any more…and that’s my whole point! Don’t see any excuses there…
+1
No excuses!
Theim 2:0
Nadal: 2:0
Lol
Rafa seems to be in good spirits after the loss, joking around saying he will not want to play on the junior circuit with Tsitsi since he cant differentiate between a ball that is in and that is out. Also says that what is happening now is normal and not what he had been able to achieve over the years on the surface.
On to Rome!!
Well done S. Tsitsipas 💪.
Sorry Nadal.
Got to give credit where it’s due. Tsitsipas was agressive on the big points and got the win because he was hitting big and deep. Nadal level was similar to what he was with Wawa. Finals I think is gonna be Nole. Though I hope Tsits can recover mentally and physically to make it close as I love his variety and net play. Though I am a Nole fan and want him to win 🙂
Fantastic win for Tsitsipas! One thing we can say is: if you’re already very good at 19-20, you’re probably going to keep improving, which is what Stefanos has done. Rafa did not play poorly today, not much different than yesterday, imo. The big difference was that Tsitsipas came to play, stayed aggressive, and did not back down after losing the 2nd set. Well done!
The tipsters at That Sport Chat Place said Theim and Nadal make the final as if it was written in stone
They just said “Djokovic wins the Madrid Open for the third time.’
This was straight after getting Theim and Nadal completely wrong lmao
They know shame! At least show some humility after getting it wrong and hint that you arent sure about your next predicton.
They got at least 70-80% of the NBA Play-off predictions wrong also. One day they say a team has these permanant flaws and cant win and after they win they say this team is unstoppable and the other team has permanent flaws and get that wrong also.
This site is the best at tennis prediction, that’s why I come here however most of the others just use the bookies odds as a guide. If the odds are 1.50 they win in 3 sets.
They dont offer any value with their service and their story isnt even good, they just try to get traffic for affiliate marketing.
If the odds are > 1.50 they win in 3 sets, < 1.50 they win in 2.
You are right Jim Courier.
lol