Rafael Nadal will kick off his Miami campaign on Saturday against Damir Dzumhur. Second-round action is also wrapping up with an all-American showdown between John Isner and Tim Smyczek.
(5) Rafael Nadal vs. Damir Dzumhur
Heading into his sixth tournament of the season at the Miami Open, Nadal is still in search of his first title. The fifth-ranked Spaniard has not reached a final since Doha in early January, but he is coming off three consecutive semifinal finishes–including at the Indian Wells Masters. In the desert, Nadal scored victories over Gilles Muller, Fernando Verdasco, and Kei Nishikori before losing to Novak Djokovic 7-6(5), 6-2.
Up first for the 14-time major champion on Saturday is Dzumhur, whom Nadal has never faced. The world No. 94, who hails from Bosnia and Herzegovina, punched his ticket to the Miami second round by upsetting Leonardo Mayer 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Thursday. Dzumhur is 6-7 at the ATP level during the 2016 campaign and he has not yet won back-to-back matches on any circuit. This should be a routine start to the event for Nadal, who may have built some confidence in Indian Wells.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing seven games or fewer
[polldaddy poll=9362169]
(13) John Isner vs. (Q) Tim Smyczek
It will be an all-American affair when Isner and Smyczek go head-to-head for the first time in their careers on Saturday. Isner is coming off a decent fourth-round performance at the BNP Paribas Open, but for a while it looked like the fortnight could be even better for the world No. 13. Amidst conditions ideal for his game, Isner coasted past Andreas Seppi and Adrian Mannarino but then squandered a match point and lost to Kei Nishikori in a third-set tiebreaker. Miami’s 13th seed has now been ousted in three straight tournaments after having a match point.
An in-form Smyczek successfully qualified in both Indian Wells and Miami. The Delray Beach quarterfinalist booked his spot in the main draw of this event by taking out Christian Harrison and Grega Zemlja in easy straight sets before beating countryman Tommy Paul 6-4, 5-7, 7-5. Smyczek had also defeated Paul 7-5 in the third set during Indian Wells qualifying. This is obviously a steep step up in competition for Smyczek, whose serve is not reliable enough to hold on a consistent basis–and holds against Isner are just about essential every time his opponent toes the line.
Pick: Isner in 2
[polldaddy poll=9362170]
who ya got?
Nadal in 2 easy sets
Isner in 2 with 1 tiebreak.
Big John in straights and Rafa in straights losing seven games or fewer.
I think Rafa should win in 2 straightforward sets.
Isner for the win in 2 sets.
Isner and rafa in two sets… straight forward matches in my opinion
Rafa in 2 – easy sets
Isner in 2
Keep your mind focused, stay confident and enjoy the game, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cee5rR4XEAUUv7G.jpg
… And sue someone for saying Rafa would make fed fans happy.
..And sue those who are constructing imaginary stories.
Like you saying that Rafa can sue posters on a tennis blog and making up stories about Rafa making fed fans happy and not returning to Spain after Australian open loss. So many false stories. Rafa would not be happy about this.
Just DO IT Rafa.
Rafa leads 4:1 with one break.
Vamos Rafa!
Poor misses followed by two exemplary winning shots! 5-2 Rafael Nadal
I’m there
awesome! I hope Rafa improves his level. Not going for any DTL forehands
Ricky, lucky you!
What’s the temperature like?
Rafa takes the 1st set 62.
Vamos Rafa!
HUGE forehands from rafa
needs to cut those UE …12 is too many against this opponent.
Set 1 stats:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cef3ahJWAAAj5om.jpg
Dzumhur has got the stomach virus.
No empty seats.
Pathetic! keeps missing routine shots. Had this opponent been playing some good tennis on a consistent basis, rafa would be in trouble
Rafa is sweating more than any other player I’ve seen today.
Nose drip tell is back.
Terrible
Gasquet might have Rafa beat in amount of sweat. I don’t know how someone can be that drenched and still function out there!
Massive upper sections of #EmptySeats lol.
Nadine’s made up stories are hilarious! Rafa should sue.
You need to chill.
and you need to grow out of our obsessions. lol
Chill she says. From the one who “doesn’t want to live in a world without Rafa.”
That’s rich.
Only came to see the second set…so far Rafa’s game looks rather strange…missing a lot of easy shots…what’s going on??? C’mon Rafa!!! Do it!
Yeah, sweating a lot…
Rafa breaks back. Rafa went walkies in this set, hope he’s back now.
Had to work pretty hard to lose a set here, which he did.
Beyond pathetic
Rafa was missing lots of balls in practice too. He is not feeling the ball well at all
Rafa asked for the doctor??
OMG…I am speechless…this hurts to lose the set like this…terrible from Rafa…
Rafa certainly does not look comfortable out there…
Is he that unfit now he can’t even play in humid conditions? :s
Words fail me.
what is happening?? from 40-0 he collapsed?
Rafa obviously wants to go home…
So what is wrong? he is calling for the trainer again! is he sick?
Rafa is clearly not well. He’s caught the virus.
Rafa looks wasted…he is not fit enough to deal with this heat…I am afraid this is the end of it…so sad…
is it a stomach virus or what?
So Djokovic to smash rafa’s 27 Masters 1000 record and Rafa won’t even be able to test him in the process…pity….
The momentum built in IW lost.
Go home , Rafa and prepare for MC.
clearly novak’s fault. i mean like nadal could test djokovic in the process :haha:
Why does Rafa play when he is clearly unfit just to lose and no one thanks him for it.
Well at least we know the reason for Rafa playing so poorly.
Rafa retires,
Wth is this celebration from this fellow?!
I don’t think the crowd were amused by the celebration of his opponent.
Rafa 🙁
Now I can do my spring cleaning this week. I won’t be glued to this fiasco anymore.
Well he did not look fine to me in the practice session and he left the court earlier too. I thought he was may be not too concerned about his opponent and was saving himself for the match as it was too humid. But, he was actually sick.
Rafa not being able to close this out in straight sets was part of the problem. It really seemed to hit him in that third set.
This is such a disappointment after I/W.
🙁
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CegFH6wWIAAEQ85.jpg
#EmptySeats
Are you sick or something?
I guess “I just can’t live in a world without Rafa.”
nadline10 (AT 8:52 PM),
Without doubt.
Another opinion on posters, yet not a single opinion on tennis ever on TG.
That sucks for Rafa. Yes it’s a big win for dzumhur but I heard he over celebrated like what the heck his opponent was sick and he did that? I mean yeah it was Rafa but still.
Just like hawkeye celebrating ’empty seats’ after Rafa retired due to feeling unwell.
No just “celebrating” your made up stories.
He is just out of shape.
Rafa is still in the doubles.
RT Steph Trudel: “Rafael Nadal has officially retired from the doubles draw.”
Quotes from Rafa’s post-match press conference (Google translation):
RT Break Point: ¤¤ Nadal: “Too dizzy, I called the doctor, but I did not feel safe, so I decided to pull off.”¤¤
RT Break Point: ¤¤ Nadal said he felt perfect today morning. ¤¤
RT Break Point: ¤¤ Nadal tries to look on the bright side: “…nothing serious happened.” ¤¤
RT Break Point: ¤¤ Nadal: “I’m sad because what happened, because I left the Miami tournament.” ¤¤
RT Mike Dickson (Daily Mail tennis correspondent/sportswriter) : “Nadal saying he felt faint on court and was ‘a bit scared’ so he called the doc on court.”
https://twitter.com/Mike_Dickson_DM/status/713838517877665793
SO he is not fit enough to combat humid conditions now?
He has had problems due to humid conditions.
https://tenngrand.com/social/player-pages/rafael-nadal/comment-page-119/#comment-87460
I provided a specific answer to this one example that you have felt the need to bring up yet again.
That example proved precisely nothing regarding any ongoing problems that Rafa has in humid conditions. Furthermore, that was rafa’s first slam after being out agsin for an extended period of time due to a wrist injury and then appendicitis.
There was much speculation that Rafa not having had a chance to get into his best form and be fully ready and conditioned to play in a slam.
However, surely you are aware of the facts. So I wonder why you persist in making up your own imaginary story and also why you are so ready to demean rafa’s demonstrated fitness to play in all conditions throughout his career.
Ironically, you are the one who is putting down your supposed favorite player.
what a joke to claim that Rafa has always struggled in humid conditions! This is clear evidence of his declining physical strength. He has never enjoyed humid conditions but a younger Rafa was so strong he could just overcome any type of conditions.
I am glad we don’t have such humid conditions at any of the slams
AT 2:22 AM
—what a joke to claim that Rafa has always struggled in humid conditions!—
===
.
I wonder WHO claimed?
Nativenewyorker MARCH 27, 2016 AT 12:51 AM
—…you have felt the need to bring up yet again.—-
===
.
I replied to comment AT 10:20 PM.
Nativenewyorker MARCH 27, 2016 AT 12:51 AM
—why you persist in making up your own imaginary story and also why you are so ready to demean rafa’s demonstrated fitness to play in all conditions throughout his career.
Ironically, you are the one who is putting down your supposed favorite player.—
===
These two your sentences are nothing but a world of pure imagination, where you imagine something (about me) that has no relation whatsoever to reality. ?
Don’t know why someone is making up stories about Rafa always struggling in hot conditions.
Rafa should sue.
Just DO IT Rafa.
Pot and kettle. Nothing new
AT 2:28 AM,
I believe that there are dirty pots & kettles in your kitchen.
AT 2:28 AM
—why someone is making up stories about Rafa always struggling in hot conditions.—
===
.
I wonder WHO is making?
Only since his slump. Used to be he would thrive in the sun and heat.
Could be the same bug that federer got which nadline calls the chickening out bug.
Rafa doesn’t seem sure as to exactly what it is. He said that he felt okay before the match. If it was the stomach virus that Fed had, I would assume that Rafa would also withdraw before the match.
I don’t know why anyone would try to say that Rafa has had problems in the past with humid conditions. The 2015 AO was a one-off with Rafa having severe stomach cramps and almost throwing up on the court. His team gave him something to take and he managed to win in five sets.
As Hawkeye said, it’s only since his slump tha Rafa has had this trouble.
You just don’t see Rafa having to retire in a match when it’s not due to an injury.
Nativenewyorker MARCH 26, 2016 AT 11:04 PM
I posted an excerpt from the official transcript of Rafa’s post match conference (AT 10:45 PM).
I don’t know why you and hawk are tryng to construct your own imaginary stories.
It’s because you can’t read or you like to make straw man arguments.
Yes out of shape like I mentioned above.
An excerpt from the transcript of Rafa’s post-match press conference.
Rafa says: “…hopefully is the beginning of a virus…”
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CegebX9WsAE-nS_.jpg
Miami Herald, March 26, 2016: ¤¤ Rafael Nadal retires from his opening match at the Miami Open.
(Excerpts)
The Spaniard, a four-time finalist here, said he felt dizzy and faint as the match went on. He called for medical help after losing the first two games of the final set, and a doctor took his blood pressure. He returned to the court but lost the next game and called it quits.
Temperatures were in the mid-80s on Saturday, and the humidity made it feel warmer.
“I started feeling sick in the second set, dizzy, weak, some strange sensations,” Nadal said. “I wanted to finish the match, but I couldn’t. I felt I was not safe out there, was worried for my health. Hopefully, it’s nothing, just the extreme conditions and the beginning of a virus.”
…
“Even with very bad conditions, I have finished a lot of matches in my career because I didn’t want to retire,” he said. “I have felt this way in Australia a couple of times, but (Saturday) was worse. I was struggling for my health, so I decided to stop because I was not sure that I could finish the match that way.” ¤¤
Read more here:
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/tennis/article68425522.html#storylink=cpy
Dusted. And done.
My guy Isner,is struggling. Why doesn’t he take a month off and get healthy? it’s really starting to affect his game.
Big upsets for Smyczek and dzumhur today.
Isner lost? For real? I was so upset after Rafa had to retire that I didn’t watch the other matches. I would love to see a replay of Smyczek beating Isner!
This has been a freakish tournament so far. Fed withdrew with the stomach virus, Stan is out, now Rafa and Isner.
Isner had a left knee injury and should have retired after the first set. Could not move or push off to serve. pretty heartbreaking to watch. 8 DF, he usually has that for the entire year.
Thanks for the update. Isner has had knee problems before and also seems to battle injuries frequently.
Those double faults really say it all.