It will be a rematch of the 2015 Madrid final when Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal square off during semifinal action on Saturday. They winner will go up against either Novak Djokovic or Kei Nishikori for the title.
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray will be facing each other for the 24th time in their careers when they clash in the semifinals of the Mutua Madrid Open on Saturday afternoon.
Nadal is dominating the head-to-head series 17-6, including 8-1 on clay. Murray’s lone victory on the red stuff, however, came last spring in the title match of this same Madrid event (the Scot triumphed 6-3, 6-2). Still, Nadal has won four of their last five encounters after most recently prevailing 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the Monte-Carlo semis.
It is safe to say this is not the Nadal whom Murray defeated in last year’s final. The fifth-ranked Spaniard dug himself out of a prolonged slump by restoring order to his old stomping grounds in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Nadal followed up his recent win over Murray by beating Gael Monfils for the Monte-Carlo title and he came back out the next week to steamroll through Barcelona without dropping a single set. So far in Madrid the 14-time major champion has fought past Andrey Kuznetsov, Sam Querrey, and Joao Sousa, donating one set to Sousa in the process.
Murray’s title defense got off to a bit of a rocky start when he surrendered a set to Radek Stepanek in round two, but the second seed promptly destroyed both Gilles Simon and Tomas Berdych. He is now 16-4 for the season and in confident form on clay after struggling in both Indian Wells and Miami.
“Andy played the semifinals in Monte-Carlo, winning good matches, and was close to beating me,” Nadal reflected. “Last year he won [this title], so he knows how to play very well here. That’s a great level that he’s playing. He’s a player that can win against everybody.”
Murray certainly has the capability of picking up a win on Saturday, but life would be easier on him with a closed roof. Such was the unfortunate case for Nadal against Sousa, who bounced back from a first-set bagel to steal the second amidst indoor conditions after the roof was shut because of rain. Rain is not in the Madrid forecast again until Sunday. This should be another competitive Murray-Nadal contest, but the four-time champion is likely to raise his level with one of the toughest opponents on the other side of the net.
Pick: Nadal in 3
[polldaddy poll=9410151]
who ya got?
rafa over murray in 3
djoker over nishi in 2
I can’t get to sleep so here I am, I say Murray in 2, idk why.
Keep your mind focused and sharp like a laser beam, stay confident and be strong like steel, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ch0tZwfXAAETcg7.jpg
Looked at the odds for this one too and they are giving Rafa the edge, despite the fact Murray is defending champion and has a higher ranking. But, it’s Rafa on clay and I’ll go with Rafa in 3.
defending champion is mostly irrelevant. Everyone knows he played a much different Nadal in 2015.
Forget the defending champion; as for Murray’s higher ranking, it hasn’t stopped Rafa beating him the last 2 times they’ve played. Once Rafa got his grip on the match in MC, Murray was at sea; all he could do was moan and argue with the umpire, complaining at the top of his voice that players like Rafa get special treatment, behaving like a ginger step-child because he had run out of ideas.
Rafa is not 17-6 against Murray for nothing and some of Murray’s wins have asterisks against them.
I think this one is going 3 sets. Rafa played what I believe was his best match of the year against Murray in the MC semifinals. I believe that he will have to come out playing that well again.
I am expecting Rafa to raise his level of play and get the win.
Hope Rafa in 2 🙂
I so wish Rafa to win this in 2! I do not want another 3 setter for Rafa to waste his energy and get challenged in that mental & confidence department…but if it has to go to 3 with Rafa winning I’ll take it!
These Madrid conditions are suitable for Andy! Rafa was not convincing in his last to matches forced to work harder than expected. Moreover, it’s 99.9% probability that Novak will be in the finals which does not help Rafa’s mental stability….he is under pressure already…
I hope for nice sunny weather today, hope for confident Rafa with the right game from the start, hope for Rafa to lift his level and beat Murray with style! And I cheer for Rafa in 2!
I am invited to a wedding today and won’t be able to see the match 🙁 Hope everything goes well for my boy! I’ll drink for it! 🙂
Vamos Champ!
Vamos Rafa. He will raise his level. Hope its sunny dry conditions too. All un all hoping for a great match with a Nadal vs Nole final
No rain in today’s match so good! This looks like it will go to 3 sets. Rafa’s match yesterday was disappointing but he keeps finding a way to win. It is now time he starts to win matches without making life too difficult for himself.
Murray is playinf well again and the conditions suit him more.
I am not totally ruling out the possibility of a two set win for Rafa but the only way for that to happen is that Rafa starts very well! He has started slowly so many times now and ends of playing catch up. If he is to take Novak down or Andy in 2 sets, he MUST come out like a brave man firing his forehand like there is no tomorrow.
The 13 match win streak will help him in terms of confidence. I am also keen to see how the serve position on the ad court plays out there. Murray goes CC with his backhand return MOST of the times so Rafa should be able to protect his forehand corner better! Pressure will be on Murray to change the direction of his backhand return on the ad court.
I have not been happy with Rafa’s backhand this week. He has been giving it too much air and the penetration has been lacking. He will have to improve that today.Also, in the ad court, he is leaving is backhand corner way more open because of a different positioning so his CC backhand has to be really good on the stretch because Muzz and Nole will start hitting DTL backhand returns if things are not going their way.
This new serving position also means he will not be able to play the forehand as his first shot after the serve as frequently as he has in the past. In his WTF match against Wawrinka last year, he played a forehand after a first serve 88% of the times! that’s SICK. So, his backhand will really have to be a weapon to compensate for the loss of that percentage.
On the deuce court, he has been practicing the wide serve to the forehand of a righty, which is a very good sign. That serve is so effective for him if struck well. I hope he has the confidence to do that today.
I hope the chair umpire is Carlos Bernardes and not one of the Rafa-fan-boys like Damien what’s his face.
I just turned the tv on and my wish was granted. This should be a cracker.
Rafa’s striking the forehand well!
What a return by Rafa.
Had so many second serves and could not take Adv
That was an unlucky one on the final break point :/ the ball stayed a bit too low!
Rafa must take the initiative …
So he can’t be in the lead even against Murray :/
Rafa’s forehand lacking in depth now
Murray beating him even on second serve points….clearly the better player so far
That was quite a backhand by Rafa on the last break point.
the ball stayed low….
murray’s stats are WAY better than rafa’s right now.
Coz he’s playing better
Drop shot not working well..as in, not crossing the net.
Confident first point! good serve, good forehand and an excellent smash
Rafa avg time between points: 29 sec
Murray’s is 25 sec
come on rafa..put your foot on the gas…
0-30 ! Come on Rafa!
Murray’s backhand leaking errors for the first time in the match. GO FOR THE BREAK RAFA!
Trying to do more on the second serve return and sends it long and wide with his forehand :/
Now Murray throws in a good first serve for deuce
You can’t be missing second serve returns on break points’. He lost the chance! Murray raced away after that. This set is gone
SIGH. what a let off for murray. the mistakes on second serve returns on break points especially are all too reminiscent of last year with nerves getting the upper hand
He’s mostly been doing that for the last three years.
#Anxiety
Flawless service game from Nadal! perfect.
5-3! Now, give it your all in this game Rafa! Murray, please keep the first sreve % low
WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOREHAND MISS! WHYYYY RAFA WHYY?!!
vamos!!! VINTAGE RAFA! turning defense into attack !
Loose backhand from Muzz! 15-40! BREAK PLEASSSEEEEE
He gets so tight when having a break point :/ it is the opposite when facing break points
Thanks for the live coverage VR.
No tv coverage for me today. Maybe a good thing.
Halfa Rafa is tiresome and sad to watch.
am in same situation hawks..
gr8 if depressing updates from vr as always..
would have liked to listen to your view too, Hawkeye.
It is not exactly Halfa Rafa, but three-fourth Rafa . Lol
The only encouraging thing is that apart from one service break, all his service holds have been very easy
YEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
Did Rafa earn it or did muzz choke?
On the BP, Muzz choked…
that’s very obliging of him..more of the same please…
Figured as much. Happy to miss this one by the sounds of it.
RT @BenRothenberg: Not a brilliant set of tennis from either, to say the least, but back on serve. Crowd wills Nadal to a break, *4-5. #MMOPEN2016
so he has broken?? vamos!!!
Long exchange, Murray set up a backhand , went for it DTL and missed it wide
Rafa counterpunching well but always was on the defense in that point…Murray too good.
Rafa’s backhand has too much air. and, TIME VIOLATION WARNING!
Carlos only does that so he can nail Rafa later like he did last time they played.
Never in doubt.
Rafa will likely get broken now and choke away the set.
Murray nets a forehand CC…Rafa’s backhand is not too bad in terms of length but it is being hit with too much air. He has been doing this all week…no penetration.
VAMOS! Awesome serving! As I said before the match, Rafa is targeting that wide serve on the deuce court more frequently this week! That serve has really helped him today. Nice variation. And the new position on ad court also working well so far
Killer backhand CC drop shot from Murray… 15-0
Rafa MUST get more penetration on his shots!
Murray goes for an inside-out backhand, called in, Rafa calls the umpire and it is wide. But again, lacking penetration in his shots
That really was a poor, helpess Halfa-Rafa backhand second serve return into the net.
Rafa uses pace from Murray’s backhand to hit a penetrative backhand CC drive! draws an error!
Rafa runs around his backhand and THUMPS a forehand return DTL for a return winner!!
Murray’s first serves have been really effective today…big one down the middle…
rafa must be playing a lot better than before because his stats, which were poor before, are now better than murray’s including overall points won…
Amy, he improved to make it level at 5-5 but the last game was BAD.
Rafa’s making errors now but needs to do more with his shots.
can he raise his game vr?? it’s all mental…
Not doing enough with his groundstrokes and getting bossed by Murray. 0-30
0-40! Does not have the courage to hit a forehand DTL at the moment…
Murray kills a second serve for a winner…. 7-5…. the better player won.
Rafa’s shots need to have more penetration! Simple as that. He must go for more with his forehand AT LEAST.
And guess what, Muzz’s first serve % was 41 !
well if halfarafa is in the house he is not going to be able to raise his game….SIGH…
Rafa underachieved in that set bigtime. Murray won the first set rolling in 41% of his first serves. But this is following the traditional Rafarray matches pattern.
And to make matters worse, Rafa is in Novak’s quarter at Rome. So number 4 seems out of reach
Nole is laughing for 11 minutes.
one for each of his slams??? that’s a very precise number…
One more than federer said he did when Rosol beat Rafa.
Good forehand CC, Murray returns with a good backhand CC but Rafa finishes BIG with a forehand DTL! VAMOS
Rafa’s backhand CC was too good in that point! Never let Murray dictate! 15-30
Rafa WASTES a neutral ball on his forehand ! rolled it to Muzz’s backhand to get thumped CC
Sounds about right…
RT @BenRothenberg: After a bit of a collapse from 5-2, Murray pounces on some tepid serving by Nadal to break at love and take the first set 7-5. #MMOPEN2016
Murray nets a inside-in forehand , but now hits an ace…deuce
Rafa lobs a good angled wide serve , Murray hits a forehand swing volley to the open court and Rafa cranks a forehand CC winner ! passing shot!
MUrray with another Ace :/
Rafa takes control of the point with his forehand! punishes Murray’s backhand and draws an error
1 hr 10 mins for one set, they’re going to tire themselves and whoever wins this match will be too tired to handle that very fit Djoko tmr (Djoko very likely in the final).
Pussy length on his forehand CC :@ Murray cleans it away for a backhand CC winner
Lol mucks up yet another second serve bp.
what the hell! when you have your opponent pinned behind the baseline, why go for the dropshot again and again! poor miss
dubious shot selection same as halfarafa last year…
Murray’s second serve has improved but even then that was a POOR return.
With Rafa’s mental problema in full effect, physicality is moot.
Nadal’s forehand deciding matters in this game…..40-0
1 of 7 on bps not gonna get it done.
Very efficiently hit backhand DTL! clean winner…. had loads of spin but was so well placed that Muzz could not reach it..kind of a wrong footer too
Rafa probably too worried about meeting Djoko in the final. He’s running out of idea how to play against this Murray, not willing to step inside the court but just throwing in some poorly executed drop shots. Poor play by Rafa.
he’s got back to back wins against murray!! it’s about rafa’s level not murray’s..
Amy gets it.
How about trying not to dump 2nd serve bps into the net Rafa? Try that.
Rafa’s dad has stopped dyeing his hair, looking funny in those white hair as we are used to seeing him in black hair LOLL
Rafa’s level over the last year is enough to grey most fan’s hair
so does toni dye his hair?? it’s suspiciously lacking in grey…
At this level, It will be a 6-3 6-3 type outcome against Novak
Exactly! Rafa certainly has it to play a more aggressive game, but it seems that after yesterday’s poor play, he somehow loses confidence playing on this court.
Even if he wins this match, he will be low in energy when facing Djoko and will be soundly beaten. I rather he loses here to Murray and saves his energy for Rome, a bigger test there waiting for him.
At least there will be an excuse if he faces Novak tomorrow LOL.
But, he is the underdog to win this one right now…so point talking about tomorrow
Rafa misses a smash…
Lately, his smash has been worse than Novak’s…
Good wide serve on the deuce court….the only positive thing about this match
Murray approaches the net with a decent forehand approach shot to Nadal’s backhand and gets passed DTL! Rafa punches the air in celebration!
Very loose backhand DTL from Andy who drifts it wide. 30-30
Perfect anticipation from Rafa, held his ground in the backhand corner and swats away a backhand CC winner in response to a forehand inside in by Muzz
Good serve by Murray…easy forehand winner
Murray keeps finding good first serves :/
Rafa getting to be like Fed these days, where BPs conversion is concerned! Not a good sign!
also means that murray is confident on break points…knowing rafa will mess things up…
42% of Murray’s first serves unreturned today. HUGE stat….only 16% for RAfa
This is so damn annoying!!!
Hating this match. Absolutely hating it
Murray deserves to win this. Rafa does not want to get his confidence destroyed by Doko if he somehow manages to win this
Why was Rafa doubled over after the final point? Too much play?
nervous tension is extremely tiring…
Amy gets it.
Prepared to hit 10 safe backhands to lose a rally but not prepared to hit one penetrative one
That was a very very good chase from Nadal! Saves the point… Murray’s drop shots are so well struck
First break point for in set 2 Murray and he gets it … Rafa had a good look at a forehand pass and as expected, nets it 🙂
Someone please give Rafa a shutup call if he says he is not feeling nervous on the court…
very well said vr!!
also will someone please hit toni over the head…i hold him responsible for much of this..
Rafa’s BH is just so unreliable! He still has to rely on his footwork to run around it to hit his FH.
FH doing no good either
Rafa of 2015 in this match…
What the hell, Rafa? Losing in straight sets to Murray on CLAY!
Vamos Rafa!
what vamos?!
And adds fuel to the theory that he does not feel nervous only when Djoko is not around. Like how Fed plays freely when rafa was not around
not about djoko..about rafa’s head not being in the right place full stop…
And the irony is that Rafa invited Murray to practise with him in Mallorca and he ends up defetaing him in Madrid :O
Yeah, not forgetting he practiced with Sousa too who gave him a nightmare yesterday! He’s letting them get used to his way of hitting the ball!
Rafa is definitely losing this match because even if he can hold serve here, he’s not going to break Murray’s serve so Murray will win.
As much as I hate to admit it and say it, this is a total mental collapse.
Rafa has got to stop inviting player to mallorca to practice; they jut turn the tables against him.
The confidence gained from winning Monte carlo and Barcelona has gone out of the window. Welcome back 2015 rafa.
However sorry to say I wanted this result. 2 reasons – not to face Djokovic and 2nd he has never won all 5 clay tourneys . A loss here was welcome going by history. In 2010 when he made clean sweep did not play Barcelona.
Not sure who expected him to win this. I was 100 percent sure he will not win this.
Are you kidding. He wins MC and Barcelona. Has beaten Murray the last two times they have played and you were “100 percent” sure he will not win this. Not to mention the gigantic h2h lead he has over Murray on clay
Forget history. With Rafa these days it’s about current state of mind and present.
Murray played very well against Simon and berdych , much better than rafa was against querrey and souza
Wth Sanju?! Lol
Yes vr not loling. Knew he would not win this. Did you not see his patchy level of play past 2 matches.he is not the player we saw in Barcelona. Where did that disappear suddenly.
Even Federer is better at converting BP’s
Good thing Rafa did not use the racquet handle on Match point 😀
The crowd getting it done for Rafa…sooooo much support they gave him in that game and Muzz caved in! Lifeline for Nadal
He can’t hit overheads! wow! this is a new low…
incredible. rafa’s overheads normally the safest in the game.
all mental. he was missing easy ones last year as well.
Rafa, NEVER PRACTICE WITH MURRAY AGAIN!
oh come on! it had nothing to do with that. Rafa played terrible tennis on big points
VR and sanju get it.
Anxiety problems are a real bitch.
No simple fix.
Well the shots did not work, did not convert break points, did not save break points, could not get a drop shot over, could not hit a forehand or the backhand but at least he fought well.
Now as nadline likes to say, i hope its not a case of Murray busting his gut against Rafa even in exhibition matches and then rolls over for Djoko 😀 😀
You are being too polite… What about the overhead misses?! It is not about missing the drop shot, it is about WHEN he missed the four of them and the the fact that he did not have faith in his forehand DTL! Forehand DTL was sitting in Mallorca for most part!
Feel so bad for the crowd…they were really trying hard. Murray played like a world no.2 (esp on big points) and Rafa played like a …. don’t wanna use the word…
Not for one second did I think Rafa would lose this match. What was he doing? He wasn’t firing on all cylinders, that’s for sure.
Nothing like the Rafa of MC and Barcelona…this was more like Rafa of 2015…amazing…
Forget about beating Djokovic.. he is still vulnerable to the field! Embarrasing loss I would say…
is today that surprising?? this was just a reversion to the normal rafa of the last 15 months. there has been the odd signs of revival…wtf…mc and barcelona..but then like a firework he just fizzles out again.
whole lotta denial going on….
also means that the field will see him as beatable again. fear factor gone again.
Have major MacBook problem. Not able to take part for the time being.
that posted
MC and Barcelona were back to back so thought he would turn things around finally.
He’s progressed but not enough. Afraid to Face Novak may be
Djokovic-Nadal QF at FO
don’t say that please
Yeah better lose to him in qf than in the final. But all this is his own doing. He had the opportunity to earn big points in Melbourne, Miami
Rafa played like crap!
I think the title is Djoko’s to lose now. I doubt Kei could beat Djoko and Murray as usual will find a way to lose to Djoko in the final. The story about Djoko and Murray is always such, sad( for Murray) but true.
yup…
And Djoko is qf’s in Rome if he makes it that far. Could h ave r16 with either Raonic or Kyrgios
Was checking the score and am SO disappointed! Heart breaking…Gosh Rafa… 🙁
a whole lot’a denial is right, Amy
Rafa, keep finding ways to deal better with the in between the ears. I won’t mention the a word.
yes indeed chloro. plays well indoors last year when no pressure. then feels pressure and screws up. same again. rinse and repeat.
But at least Murray has wins over Rafa only on his least favorite clay surface 😀 Rafa played like crap definitely. But hope it is an exception rather than the norm. Rome and France clay are more in tune with the clay of MC and Barca
When Rafa practice with other players he thinks they are just hitting with him in good faith but they have their own agenda.
you are in some serious denial!
VR gets it.
Maybe Uncle Toni should order more private practise. That will fix it.
Rafa played really badly today. He seemed to lack energy physically and mentally.
I am so disappointed. I thought 2015 was behind us.
Rafa looked wasted even yesterday! He overplayed and must have been feeling tired. He will bounce back in Rome! I didn’t care about Madrid only wanted Rafa to defend his points. This loss means nothing as long as Rafa continues improving…
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa is fond of playing defensive tennis these days even when he clearly has weapons to play more offensive tennis!
During his heydays on clay, even though his defensive skill was top notch, he would still hit offensive shots and was the best in turning defense into offence, well before the appearance of Djoko v2 in 2011.
Playing defensive tennis is not going to win him many matches, esp all players would play aggressive, offensive tennis vs him. Even Simon and Ferrer, the two top class counterpunchers would play aggressive attacking tennis vs Rafa – Simon at Rome in 2014 and Ferrer at WTF last year for examples. Even Sousa turned so offensive playing against Rafa!
Its simply tiring for Rafa having to grind so much to defend; its even more tiring for his fans watching him gets overpowered by some low ranked opponents so often, even on clay! He’s simply allowing his opponents to do whatever they want against him.
He’s not going to win slam playing like this!!
lucky doesn’t get it.
Rafa no longer consistently has the mental tools to play aggressively since almost three years ago.
Murray had done his homework in Mallorca.
Seriously. I wanted to see rafole much more than Murray vs Novak. I had a bad feeling though. After Rafa was tested by Sousa and Murray crushed Berdych it seemed he was in better form heading in and plus he would’ve been #3 if Rafa had beaten him but of course Murray wins and has same amount of points as Roger and is #2 because of alphabetical order from his first name starting with an A. I hope Roger can be healthy for Rome next week. He may have kept the #2 spot after next week if Murray had lost today but Roger is defending points from making the final last year so he could’ve dropped right back for sure. Also I hope Murray can actually make the final a good one (if he plays Novak).
Murray won’t be playing a mental problema tomorrow and as such will lose in two mundane muzzole like sets.
Hope this helps.
If Rafa is fatigued, I’d rather he didn’t play Djoker.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa please rest up and think of how to play more aggressive tennis come Rome.
I hate this indecisive, defensive, error prone, poor smash, poor drop shots, poor BP conversion, poor consolidation of miserable break of serves, etc and etc Rafa. This Rafa, please go away!
Watching this Rafa is like watching 90% of WTA matches which is why I don’t.
Well, Don’t watch Rafa then. Put yourself out of your misery.
Now if Kei can do the unexpected here….
He can’t.
What fragile hope I was nursing of Rafa’s chances of winning the French after mc and Barcelona have been snuffed.
Next to no chance now.
Seriously coming to the sad realization that his mental problema will never be under sufficient control to win another slam ever.
agreed. criminal waste of talent. criminally poor management of the problem by toni.
could have been dealt with early last year and rafa would have won more slams by now.
amy (AT 2:38 PM),
Reusable:
[augusta08 APRIL 29, 2016 AT 11:04 AM]
https://tenngrand.com/social/player-pages/rafael-nadal/comment-page-128/#comment-109407
reusable reply.
no please augusta. after you. your need of it is far greater than mine.
as with the personal comments you specialise in in lieu of any reasoned critique about anything.
hawks is bang on about you.
She lives through Rafa Amy. It’s all she has.
I feel sorry for her now.
yes i know that she lives entirely through rafa hawks but her repetitive trolling is very tedious.
not in a good temper after rafa’s horrible defeat.
When you understand the sadness of where it comes from, it is easy to ignore.
amy (AT 2:53, 3:01 PM),
As for trolling, you have kept the troll named ‘hawks’ well nourished. (Data can be found in the archive.)
LOL
Although mental part does play a role I don’t think it’s that… Rafa was tired both physically and mentally beating some strong opponents in MC and Barcelona. His physical condition has tremendously improved compared to 2015 but this was a little too much and especially when Rafa could foresee playing Novak under the roof tomorrow. He could not focus today. I hope he will rest a bit and be ready to play at his improved (not yet perfect though) level in Rome!
In Rafa we trust!
Vamos!
Sorry nats if this was isolated I’d tend to agree. Yes he had improved but still no where near to where he needs to be to win slams without a lot of help now even further away from Feds chances to win his 18th.
No match is NID anymore and that won’t win slams.
Also boring to watch weak tennis.
But I do admire your continued spirit and optimism even if I’m unable to share it.
RT @PauFerragut: #Nadal on #SetBallRadio: “When you are happy you feel less pressure. Now I’m more regular and I earned more points than last season”.
RT @carole_bouchard: “I should have gone much more with my shots. Played too short. But playing like this I was close to beat number 2 in the world”, Nadal
Rafa forgets he was beaten in straight sets by Murray on home clay.
first back to back tournament win against rafa on clay –
this year and the last both in straight sets
My goodness, how was he close to beat world no.2? Losing in straight sets is never close to beating anyone!
RT @PauFerragut: #Nadal on #SetBallRadio: “I didn’t feel that I wasted break points because I didn’t have the chance to dominate on his first service”.
Rafa in full denial mode now. What about the second serve bps????
i didn’t see the match but vr, our best technical analyst by far, said that was a complete mental collapse by rafa.
so tired of the collective denial mode of rafa and his team.
Amy,
I did not see the match. But I did record it. I happened to wake up briefly and turned on the tv. The score was 7-5, 5-2. So I realized that Murray was going to win in straight sets.
Just so that I can see for myself, I will watch my recording today. But from what has been said here, there is cause for concern.
That’s why I try to be cautious and not get too carried away. From what vr said, this is a case of the way Rafa lost the match. I trust his judgment as the best tennis analyst on this site.
It appears that rafa’s problems have not been completely resolved.
nny, agreed. vr is so positive normally as well. this was clearly a bad loss.
After reading many of the comments, I just have to say that this loss has absolutely nothing to do with Rafa practicing with Murray in Mallorca! I am not gobs of conspiracy theories when the simple truth is right in front of us.
I know how optimistic vr has been about Rafa. Very supportive, too! So reading his comments about this match were quite telling. It sounds as though Rafa played really poorly. It’s always on Rafa’s racket on clay and it appears that he did not deliver.
I appreciate that it’s hard to face the truth at times. But after watching his match with Sousa I was concerned. Rafa became defensive and tentative and basically gave away the second set. He hasn’t looked that good this week.
I am not looking forward to Rome at all. Rafa has a terrible draw. I want to believe, too. But it appears that Rafa took a step backwards in Madrid.
Rafa’s game is poor by any standard! What’s with hitting all those smashes into the net? Or throwing in poorly executed drop shots (at least four of them). Or 2/13 in BP conversion? Or breaking serve once in each set but got broken back again to lose set 1 and got broken immediately to lose the match?
doesn’t say much for murray’s game that rafa was so poor yet still had all those break points does it?
RT @PauFerragut: #Nadal on #SetBallRadio: “Playing at high intensity I have more rythm than my opponents. If not, they can play easier”.
Stating the obvious easier said than done these last three years.
RT @PauFerragut: #Nadal on #SetBallRadio: “The week is positive. Today I was regular and trying to found solutions. My drive was deeper at second set”.
Too little too late as I’m now resigned it is for Paris.
RT @PauFerragut: #Nadal on #SetBallRadio: “At second set I played more agressive but Murray served better at big moments of the match”.
So now according to Rafa, playing muzz on clay is on his opponents racquet.
RT @BenRothenberg: Big stat: Andy Murray today becomes the first player *ever* to defeat Rafael Nadal at the same clay tournament in back-to-back years
RT @carole_bouchard: Nadal says of cours better for him if it’s warm weather, sunny weather cause of topspin. But had to adjust and wasn’t that far to do it.
Rafa used to win on clay under any conditions against anybody let alone Murray two years running in Madrid.
RT @carole_bouchard: Murray was the better player on the court today, but lord the amount of terrible misses on both sides. DjokoSmash and all.
Murray gets it…
RT @carole_bouchard: Murray happy that he kept going for it,being aggressive. Says Rafa helped him a bit at the end. Not overwhelmed by this won,focused on title
RT @carole_bouchard: “I missed a little bit of intensity. Should have stepped up a little bit more in second set”, Nadal
No shit, really? You think?
Exactly. Rafa in his heydays could and would beat anyone on clay under ANY conditions. Now, he cant win in hot+humid conditions, in cold and wet conditions, in high altitude. Maybe in windy conditions or the sun is too glaring (hence misses his smashes??) conditions too?
Rafa uses a different string tension in Madrid. An unusual tension might affect his game there.
An excerpt from the transcript of the press conference after the match between Rafa & Querrey on May 5, 2016:
¤¤ Question: “I wanted to know why did you decide to put one kilo more in the tension of your strings?”
RAFAEL NADAL: “Well, I decided this when I came, and I do that every year because the altitude.” ¤¤
So, he should have one less problem in Rome.
keep coming up with lame excuses… missing those drop shots and smashes by adding a kilo to the racket tension.
I am sure some other players do that too…
One thing is that it is tougher to find penetration on your shots if you raise the tension so..
Rafa’s problem in Rome is the draw! Not the tension on his strings! Also, it’s not as though Rafa never played in the high altitude of Madrid. It sounds as though he played like crap and changing the tensions on his racket strings is not going to fix that!
On the tennis channel they were discussing how rafa’s serve does not stand up against the top players.
Rafa played his best match against Murray in the semis at MC. That is what he needed to do again in Madrid. But he didn’t do it.
I saw the moment where Rafa missed a wide open smash late in the second set. He put his face in his hands! That was hard to watch.
nny, when does rafa miss smashes?! it is normally a money shot for him. he was doing that when very anxious last year. it’s all mental.
Amy,
That was really something to see. Rafa has an outstanding overhead smash. We have seen him hit that shot too many times to count.
It is mental. But every time we think it’s somehow behind him, then we see that it’s not. I hope that I can get through watching this match. It doesn’t sound pretty!
nny,
what exactly were they saying on the tennis channel when they said his serve can’t cut it against the top 4?
vamosrafa (AT 3:58 PM),
Excuses ??? Whose excuses??? 🙄
Amy,
They said that when Rafa is playing one of the top players, like Novak and Murray, who are great returners and have that two-handed backhand, his serve isn’t effective.
On the tennis channel they are discussing rafa’s match. They put up some stats that were shocking.
2/13 break points won.
33% 2nd serve points won
Winners and UE’s for both players
Rafa
22 winners
30 UE’s
Murray
26 winners
35 UE’s
Congrats to Andy. Don’t think he’ll beat Novak though.
Andy has next to zero chances against nole without big help.
He didn’t play great today.
Rafa plays like a journeyman now with average consistency.
No easy fixes and too late this year.
Hawkeye,
I have to reluctantly agree with you on all counts. Novak has bounced back from his surprise early round loss in MC. He’s looking very sharp. That is how one would expect him to respond.
I have to watch the match , but it sounds as though Rafa lost it more than Murray won it.
I guess we got our reality check. It’s hard when you get your hopes up and then something like this happens, but I just could not shake this bad feeling I had last night.
Same.
BTW I’m in Florida at the moment nny.
Hawkeye,
Whereabouts?
Clearwater. How about you?
I live in Delray Beach. I don’t know where Clearwater is located. This weekend we are having unusually nice weather. It’s not too hot and much less humid. But after this weekend, it!s going to get hot and humid for the next months. The time of year I hate the most.
Simona! Simona! Simona!
I looked up Clearwater. It’s near Tampa Bay on the Gulf Coast. I have heard it’s really nice there.
We’ve been coming here regularly for the last ten years. Beautiful state with amazing beaches and climate.
We had an amazing lightning storm a few nights ago which I’m unaccustomed to.
The lightening was so frequent I woke up thinking there was something wrong with my eyes. I thought I might be having a mini stroke lol. Must have been several thousand flashes in a matter of 20 minutes. Never seen anything like it.
We had it, too! Since I lived in California for so long, I forgot about thunderstorms on the east coast. They don’t have those kinds of storms in L.A. So I freak out whenever they happen, which is a lot in the summer. Almost two years here and I am still not used to it.
Rafa simply made a mess out of everything!
I really feel that he’s nervous when facing Murray again at Madrid. It’s sad to see Rafa in such a sorry state, when he’s doing everything so poorly! He could only go CC all the time with his FH, allowing Murray to hit BH CC or DTL.
I just finished watching the first set of rafa’s match and now I am really upset!
I don’t know how he managed to lose that first set! Murray’s first serve percentage was below 50%. Rafa’s was much higher. Neither guy was at their best. But Rafa had his chances. He did break back and tied it up at 5-5. He even has some chances on murray’s serve to get the break. But Murray head and then broke Rafa at love to take the first set!
Rafa was dumping forehands into the net in that first set. He even dumped a backhand when he had a break point on murray’s serve. Rafa was too defensive on break point chances and just generally. He allowed Murray to dictate the points.
I am not knocking defense. It’s part of rafa’s greatness and can win slams. But there has to be a balance between offense and defense. Rafa has been brilliant at transitioning from defense to offense. But too often he was behind the baseline trying to just rely on his defense.
Now I am going to watch the second set, but I needed a break to vent!
it was pretty depressing. Murray did not even play well in the first set. Rafa played crap. Actually its good he lost. He wud have gotten a beatdown at the hands of Djokovic in the finals.
atul,
Yes, after watching the second set I agree with you. Murray did not play that well. Rafa had so many break chances, but just couldn’t get it done.
Murray missed an overhead or two and a few other shots that he would normally make. It was not just Rafa. But Rafa was in this match and could have won it. There were some flashes of brilliance, but all too often he was scrambling on defense.
I actually found myself thinking the same thing – Rafa was spared another humiliating loss to Novak in the final.
I am trying to decide if this is just a blip on the radar or real cause for concern. There will be days when Rafa doesn’t have his best game. They both were mediocre.
I would feel better if Rafa didn’t have such a lousy draw in Rome.
Nativenewyorker MAY 8, 2016 AT 1:30 AM
—I actually found myself thinking the same thing – Rafa was spared another humiliating loss to Novak in the final.—
===
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OMG! How some things are changing! I remembered your fierce and repeated attacks on me after I wrote in March last year:
¤¤ Vamos Rafa – no matter what!!! I think, it was better to lose today than make Fedfans happy tomorrow!¤¤
.
nativnewyorker7, March 21, 2015 :
¤¤ I think that’s the worst reason of all – that it was better to lose today than to lose to Fed…¤¤
He had so many chances today. He just did not capitalize. it was not even that Murray played well
He beat himself atul. Little to do with his opponent especially given how poor even Murray played.
Nothing new.
It sounds as if Murray should visit Novak in Monte Carlo and practice with him according to nadline lol.