The King of Clay’s throne is abdicated no more.
And nobody even came close from preventing his latest ascension.
Rafael Nadal completed a perfect run to this 10th French Open title and first since 2014 when he won his seventh straight-set match of the fortnight, erasing Stan Wawrinka 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 on Sunday afternoon. Nadal triumphed after only two hours and fives minutes of play.
This one–like the former world No. 1’s six matches before it throughout the fortnight–was never competitive.
Wawrinka held his first two service games but lost four games in a row starting at 2-2 to end the set in unceremonious fashion. Nadal stormed to a 3-0 lead in the second and easily consolidated the break, without even being pushed to deuce on serve at any point during the middle frame. From there it was all over for Wawrinka, who donated his serve once again to begin the third and was also broken on two more occasions thereafter.
“For sure I was nervous this morning about the match, about the final, about playing against him,” the third-ranked Swiss admitted. “But when I enter the court, I enjoy it and I appreciate [being] in the final of a Grand Slam here [at the] French Open. That’s always something special, and you need to see that also from the big picture.
“For sure this score wasn’t good, the match wasn’t good, but at the end of the day there’s a lot of positives to take from the last few weeks.”
Wawrinka had been in the midst of a 10-match winning streak before he ran into Nadal. He was coming off a title in Geneva, won his first five matches at Roland Garros all in straight sets, and toppled top-seeded Andy Murray in a five-set semifinal.
But Wawrinka was no match for Nadal, who more than doubled his unforced errors(12) with winners (27), faced just one break point, and never got broken.
“I know Wawrinka is a very dangerous opponent, so my mentality was there all the time thinking that I cannot give him the chance to be back in the match,” Nadal explained. “Because then he starts to hit so strong from the baseline and he’s able to produce amazing shots.
“The only thing that I know is I am playing well now. I am happy. I am enjoying every week and I want to continue and I’m gonna try to keep working hard to try to enjoy more beautiful weeks.”
The 31-year-old has enjoyed plenty of them at the French Open, but never has Nadal been more dominant than he was this time. He lost a grand total of 35 games throughout the event, the second fewest by any man at any major in the best-of-five-set Open Era (since 1968).
He may play boodles exhibition right to get some practice
He has said clay season was very long , he played maximum matches this year and the emotion of Roland garros was very high .
He is already back at mallorca
All understandable.
We fans may have to accept that the Wimby trophy is beyond Rafa’s reach now at his age – actually has been beyond his reach for a while now. Same as with Roger and RG.
Rafa was blessed to win Wimby twice and also creating a master piece between himself and Roger along the way. Winning the best tennis match ever against the master on that turf is really something special. Although he finally won the FO, Roger never managed to do the same at RG.
But while it would be nice if Rafa could do at least some damage at Wimby again, asking even a vastly improved Rafa for another win is unrealistic, even if there is an additional week now separating RG and Wimby.
Interesting that Rafa did best at Wimby when there were only two weeks between it and RG; he’s done much worse since the extra week was added.
It was only added in 2015 when he was mired in his slump.
He didn’t play Wimby last year due to injury during French Open.
So there’s one data point.
He did no better in the three years prior.
Ah, I didn’t realize the switch was so recent. yes, that would seem to be a non-factor then.
Littlefoot,
This is why I said that I don’t have expectations for Wimby. It just may be that it’s not possible at this point in Rafa’s career. If he is feeling tired after having a pretty easy run at RG, then we know that one cannot turn back time. It’s not 2008. Rafa is nine years older. He has battled injuries throughout his career. Now he has to take care of himself and listen to his doctor.
I just want Rafa to do what’s best for him. Also, he hasn’t played a full tennis year for the last few years. We are only at the halfway point now. Still a lot of tennis to be played.
Fed has been managing his schedule so that he can continue playing as he approaches the age of 36. Rafa may have to do the same.
Rafa could play Boodles. That would be something.
Yeah Nny…I believe this decision was influenced largely by Moya…remember?he even persuade Rafa to spend less time on court,so rafa can rest more and not spent an unnecessary energy on court because he’s older now…so,he needs a different approach…If Rafa 100% still under U.Toni,i’m pretty sure he’ll play Aegon..he don’t like to make a changes to his routine…but..
Thank u Moya for this decision..i think,they’re aiming a bigger price in NA HC swing knowing Rafa got more high chances there…all in all,this decision is certainly for longevity of Rafa’s career..besides Rafa already said,he will do anything to prolong his career…and this is one of them…so,Vamos Rafa!!
Yeah, while Uncle Toni (rightfully) gets a lot of attention now as probably the most successful tennis coach ever, I feel that Rafa’s most recent success has a lot to do with Moya’s positive influence. After Rafa’s RG win the reknown sports journalist and self proclaimed rafafan Steve Flink wrote an interesting piece for the Tennischannel where he points out the recent changes in Rafa’s game and how they make him an even more complete player. He agrees with Stan Wawrinka who also claims that Rafa is better and more dangerous than ever.
I hesitate to agree because of Rafa’s undeniable physical age related limitations. But he’s clearly better equipped now to manage the time he spends oncourt. I wasn’t sure what to expect from Moya beyond being a good friend for Rafa and therefore providing emotional stability. But he really managed to implement some very noticeable changes which turned Rafa into a more dangerous player.
Interestingly there has been a trend in recent years of formerly great players and slam winners turning into equally successful coaches, and it has enriched tennis immensely. It has been great to see legends like Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic (who won the US Open as Cilic’s coach) and now Carlos Moya in the role of slam winners again. It will be interesting to see what Agassi can do in connection with Djokovic. He has his work cut out for him. I wonder if he’s willing to put in the miles and miles of travelling and hard works in the stands. Becker at least voiced some doubts. But then again the partnership just began.
Even if Rafa never wins another slam, I will not be disappointed. I have faith in him and know he will always give his best. I have waited three years for La Decima and the last two days, the first thought when I wake up, is that Rafa has done it. I thank Rafa for giving me so much joy and I will not be judgmental about him. If he can’t win Wimbly, fine, he can’t. If he can win Wimbly, he will. I think he will decide after seeing the draw. If the first two rounds are tough, he won’t risk his knees. If they are not tough, he will take the risk. So the rigging team has an additional headache. Most probably Fed will be seeded #2 as Rafa is not playing warm ups and there is no indication that Nole will. Probably Nole too will decide about playing Wimbly after he sees the draw! Ha ha, poor rigging team! Too many unknowns!!!.
Remind me again, Mary: what’s the rigging goal?
To protect Federer’s slam count lead.
I’ve been smiling the last couple days thinking of all you big-time Rafa fans. 🙂 It must feel so amazing to know your man finally got what he so desperately coveted. Like you said above, Mary- that’s what I’ve been imagining you all doing! Waking up in the morning and feeling that bliss of know he won. 🙂 I felt the exact same way for the Federer fans who had waited even longer than Rafa fans for their guy to win. I’ve been there- when my Boston Red Sox won their first World Series in 86 years, the following few weeks were some of the happiest days of my life haha! For me with tennis, Agassi was to me what Rafa was to you all. Although he didn’t win nearly as much as the GOATS, I had some wonderful moments watching him. One of the best for me, personally, was at AO 2000 when he beat Sampras in a 5 set epic in the semis and then defending champ Kafelnikov in the final. It was obviously a treat for me the few times he managed to beat Sampras in a slam, and I always thought he played his best tennis that tournament. In tennis terms, that’s probably the closest I’ve been to feeling what you must be feeling… Anyway, I really am happy for you all, and I really am looking forward to the rest of the season. Even if all four of them aren’t playing at their best at the same time, I think we should all relish whatever time we have left for the big 4 to still be playing at the same time because it may not be for too much longer.
Thanks Kevin but wow.
I’m a big Yankees, Sampras and Rafan!
Hahaaa! My man, Hawks! A Yankees fan, too! Imagine, if I was a strictly Federer fan, you and I would be a match made in heaven… Are you a Knicks fan, too?
Hawkeye, isn’t fandom a funny thing? I used to be a huge Sampras fan. And he is so different from Rafa! Initially I even became a rafafan because I resented what Fed was doing to Sampras’ legacy, lol! These days I still like Sampras the player but not so much Sampras the man. But while many called him boring, he has actually given us some of the most exciting tennis matches ever. He was willing to go beyond the physical possible. He literally was mind over matter in some matches. It’s a shame that he never managed to win the FO because he had actually some great wins on clay against the likes of Kafelnikov, Courier and Sergi Brugera who are all FO winners. For example he managed to beat Kafelnikov on a wet and extremely slow clay court in Moskow (the Russians had literally drenched the clay in order to improve their chances) during a Davis Cup final which he won more or less single handedly because he played and won singles and doubles. But in the end Sampras always ran out of luck and gas in Paris.
Sampras was able to walk into the sunset on a high note, when he retired after winning the US Open one last time in 2002 after having been in a prolongued and often humiliating slump very much like Fed and Rafa. Little did he know that his record of winning 14 slam trophies, which seemed to be for the ages, wouldn’t last all that long and would be shattered not only by one but by two players. And with 12 slams the Djoker isn’t far behind either, lol! The mind boggling thing is that the Djoker and Rafa kept winning slams while they had to compete against each other and the player who is considered to be the Goat. With less competition from their rivals Roger, Rafa and Novak would’ve amassed even more slam trophies.
Agree kev!!…I am the fan of the Big 4 as well…feeling soooo blessed with what they’re already gave to us…when they’re all gone…it’s not going to feel the same anymore…so,let’s cherish them while we’re still can…it’s not for long now..4,5 years??
Kevin, my feet aren’t touching the ground. I find myself smiling even at strangers. Some look at me doubtfully, not sure whether I am an escaped loony, others smile back and say “Hi”.
Thanks for sharing our joy. It is obvious you know exactly how we are feeling.
Agassi was better at AO than Sampras, possibly because the Sampras serve was not as deadly on slower surfaces. And Agassi’s ROS was therefore more effective.
I think you hit the nail on the head, Mary. I believe Agassi was able to get Sampras at AO for the exact reasons you stated. Also, I think that another reason for the 2000 win was Agassi’s superior conditioning and fitness. Sampras was always a better athlete than Agassi, but Agassi really stepped up his conditioning in his late career heyday. The 2000 win was especially great for Agassi fans because, as I’m sure Hawks would love to attest to, Sampras had dominated Agassi in 1999, and some said that Agassi may not have won the US Open in 1999 had Sampras not been out with injury. So I think Agassi was determined to prove that he was rightfully the world #1 at the time, and I believe that he did just that by beating Sampras on the way to the title and thus holding 3 out of 4 majors at that time. Of course, he fell off the map for a while pretty quickly after that haha. Sampras almost always had Agassi number, as well as everyone else’s, at non-RG slams, but that just made it that much more impressive when Agassi was able to overcome him. 🙂
I did not like Agassi the player but after reading his story and what he is doing for education for kids, I really like and admire Agassi the man. I also think he made a wise choice in marrying Steffi Graf, the perfect disciplined and well organized person to keep him focused on his goals.
Yes, I agree. Agassi made great choices later in life. I was never his fan while he was active. But these days I really like him. I’m really looking forward to find out what he can do for the Djoker. Everybody was skeptical when Novak hired Becker. And look, what a success that has been! And by no means just for the Djoker. IMO Becker’s reputation was in the doldrums because of his continuous tabloid presence before he started working for Novak. But now Becker is a respected expert again. And like Lendl through Murray, Becker the coach was able to add the one missing trophy to his slam count – the FO trophy.
Mary!…No wonder you’ve been nice to me!!…and i thought you’re falling to my charm at last!!..It turned out because of Rafa!!…Hahahaha…Oh,in that case i hope Rafa will keep on winning…it’s heaven to have ‘this’ Mary!!…Vamos Mary and Rafa!!Woohoo!!
Yes, let us hope it lasts and lasts!
I’m a huge Red Sox fan and of course huge Fed fan but I prefer Pistol Pete over Agassi.
Wise decision by Rafa not to stress his body (knees in particular) any further, so soon after the FO. A three weeks break will do some good for his recovery, he can take his time to train on grass and then plays an exho for some warm ups before Wimbledon.
My feeling is that he will play at Wimbledon, regardless of the draw. And, I do feel if he’s fresh and ready, plays his aggressive game with confidence, he’ll go deep at Wimbledon.
When Rafa is healthy with no knee ailment, he can play well on grass. His movement is great on grass, he tends to play closer to baseline on grass and is more offensive on grass. I do feel this time he comes with more weapons to win on grass – an aggressive mindset, a better serve, better FH plus BH both CC and DTL, improved volleying and net approaches, willingness to move forward inside the court and shortening points.
Rafa should practice the short one two punch tennis, some S&V and also slices on grass.
Talking about one two punch tennis, I was impressed with Thiem during his match against Djoko at RG, he used one two punch tennis, using his BH DTL, to do the job. I thought it’s usual to use the FHDTL playing the one two punch, but using the BH was rarer. I do hope Rafa could also do that with his BHDTL, that way he’ll have an additional weapon to help him on grass.
Rafa has pulled out of Queens to rest i gather, just wondering if its a good idea to go to W cold turkey, with no warm up on grass hmmm ? ….
Rafa can always practice on grass in his home town, they have grass courts there now, unlike in the past. He can do an exho at Boodles where Djoko used to do since 2011 or 2012. He’s guaranteed two or three matches there.
If Rafa’s knees are ok, I think that should be enough, because in 2010 when Rafa had a clean sweep of the European clay events including the FO, he went to Queens and was eliminated in the QF, but, he won Wimbledon that year. He also reached QF at Queens in 2011 and reached final of Wimbledon after that.
What Rafa needs now is a good rest, and then starts practicing on grass and plays an exhibition if possible. He was used to playing about the same number of matches (bet 45 to 50) during the first half of season right up to end of FO; it’s only in the last two years when he’s not doing well that he played fewer.
Now that he’s 31, his mind and body needs more rest to recover, esp after the intensity that he’s playing with this clay season. I’m sure if he’s fit and healthy, he won’t want to miss Wimbledon again, whether he will win the title there or not.
Luckystar (AT 10:01 AM),
Rafa can practice on grass courts in his home island, not his home town.:)
There were no grass courts in Mallorca before last year. The Santa Ponsa Tennis Club opened their new grass courts in spring 2016 and hosted Spain’s first grass tournament, the WTA Mallorca Open, in June.
Santa Ponsa is located 80 km/50 miles away from Manacor, Rafa’s hometown. Rafa was supposed to practice on Santa Ponsa’s new grass courts last year, but due to his wrist injury he only visited the venue. Uncle Toni was and still is the tournament director of the WTA Mallorca Open. I think, Rafa will be practicing in Santa Ponsa this year.
https://www.seemallorca.com/news/tennis-on-turf-in-mallorca–696524
Ok thanks for the info Augusta.
Luckystar word 🙂 ….
My thoughts:
1. It is a good decision to take some time off. It is a team decision but I reckon the Carlos Moya factor is big here. Moya has been pushing to make Rafa’s practice sessions shorter and he would really have insisted Rafa takes some time off.
2. I am 100% sure Rafa will play Wimbledon because his knees are healthy. He is feeling so confident and his aggressive game is at an ALL TIME HIGH in my view.
3.Perhaps having grass courts in Mallorca also made it easier to make this decision. They have their own grass courts now and don’t need to travel elsewhere to get grass courts. They can train in peace and secrecy 😉 for as long as they want to.
4. I would have preferred it he’d played one grass tournament BUT, health comes first. I think he has no injuries but he just wants to rest. Again, coach Moya has a role in this.
5.I certainly have hopes for Wimbledon. I hope he will play exhibitions like the Boodles to prepare for grass and give his knees are fine, his aggressive game is working better than EVER, he sure has a good shot.
6. The challenge again would be to navigate through the first week and somehow make it to the qtr finals. Rafa’s VASTLY improved second serve gives me more hope and his first serve is also pretty solid at the moment. Even wawrinka talked of it as a ‘weapon’ and said not often you talk about Rafa’s serve but it is very effective.
All in all, a very very warm congrats to team Rafa and his fans. This is one of the sweetest victories of his career and having Uncle Toni give him the trophy was PRECIOUS.
If someone’s got a video of the whole ceremony, do share 🙂
Uncle Toni presented Rafa with a full-size copy of the FO trophy, with all 10 of Rafa’s titles engraved. The original FO trophy was handed to Rafa by two-time Roland Garros champion Roy Emerson.
🙂
ah okay. Great! I was buried in books so was just following some stuff you guys were sharing and watched some pics.
The French gave so much respect to both Rafa and Toni. Paris loves Rafa and he is the greatest champion that has ever stepped foot there!!
I was never in doubt Rafa would dominate on clay this season. After Miami I was said he could even go undefeated and if he stays healthy, he will romp through the Roland Garros test.
I could also see his second serve improvements and knew soon it will be a weapon. He was cleverly serving second serve aces to wawrinka and is not afraid of changing direction on it. His kick has improved and the avg pace is a good 6-7 miles quicker on average and when needed he can clock 100 mph plus. He is the best in defending second serves but now that his actual serve is good as well, he is watertight in that area. Winning 74% second serve points the entire tournament is INSANE. Even the SAMPRAS second serve was winning usually in the 50’s range on GRASS.
Rafa’s backhand is lethal and he is going to flatten it out more and change direction more on grass. Also, his volleying is better than ever and so is his overall presence at the net!
Yes, VR, we shared the same view about Rafa’s game during Miami and after. I said it back then, that Rafa after reaching Miami final, would do even better on clay. Sure he did! And, we are all so glad that he won La Decima at three different tournaments within the same year, the biggest of course being the French Open.
We saw the improvements in Rafa’s game back then and continued to see more during the clay season. Other than Rafa’s second serve and his FH, his BH was also very impressive, I mean it’s able to withstand both Thiem’s and Stan’s huge FH, and he even had a few good DTL shots from that wing too! The most delightful thing about this Rafa, is the confidence and willingness of him to move inside the court as and when possible, to play shorter points more offensive tennis.
Im also confident that if Rafa’s knees hold up well, he will go deep at Wimbledon. The more offensive game that he’s playing now will help him to do well there, I feel.
yup, we shared optimism, LS, and it has been a pleasure discussing his matches with you.
NNY was also optimistic and I want to say congrats to her as well.
On a lighter note, Djoko ain’t back 😛 lol
#FailAgainFailHarder
#RogerIsBack
#DoubleDownings
Just some numbers to put things into perspective now that we have seen Rafa play both on hard and clay:
Second serve points won (by%) ranking on HARD courts 2017:
1.Rafael Nadal – 60%
2.John Isner- 59%
3.Roger Federer- 58%
Second serve points won (by%) ranking on CLAY courts 2017:
1. Rafael Nadal- 64%
2. Leonardo Mayer- 60%
3.Wawrinka- 59%
*Djokovic won 50% but he has been playing poorly overall.
It is insane! No evidence to suggest he will will less than 60% on grass because his career% on grass is better than other surfaces and of course grass helps your serves even more.
I also heard MOya saying after Rafa’s 10th title that sure, Rafa can play even better!!
For further perspective, here is a bonus stat:
Rafa won ONLY 54% of second serve points on clay in 2016 and we know he was playing QUITE well last year as well!!
from 54% to 64%!!!!
I used to feel like pulling my hair seeing how slow the improvements were in rafa’s second serve but I am finally happy now. Uncle TOni and Rafa had this on their agenda for a long time. After 2013, Toni was asked if Rafa has peaked and he said there are things you can always improve and we are trying to improve the second serve.
I think Moya coming new into the team and stressing over the 2nd serve so much, giving new ideas and perhaps helping with technique really pushed Rafa and he improved.
Next up on the priority list:
-BACKHAND SLICE
-first serve
-Backhand DTL
-Forehand ROS from close to the baseline for quicker surfaces like grass
VM, true, Rafa had remarkable results on grass in the past, but his last good run at Wimby has been 6 years ago in 2011! After that it was a string of disappointments. Therefore doubts are entirely justified.
But as you and Lucky have pointed out: the situation this year might be better than in previous seasons. All we can do is wait and see. Maybe, we will be pleasantly surprised, who knows…
Thanks for everybody’s thoughts. I didn’t kbnow that there are grass courts available on Mallorca now. That makes indeed things a lot easier for Rafa. He can enjoy one of his greatest victories while relaxing at home, and he can make the transition to grass gradually on his own terms. The extra week between RG and Wimby might help as well.
While I have no exaggerated expectations for Wimby, I agree with Laucky and VR: the overall situation for Rafa seems to be a lot better than in previous years. Rafa seems to be healthy and in good physical condition and his overall game has become much more agressive. His serve has become a valuable asset. Therefore it would be a shame if Rafa wouldn’t at least try to do some damage at Wimby. Who knows if the situation will ever be so favorable for him again in the coming years? Rafa needs to enjoy these tournaments while he still can. And having just achieved one of his greatest successes after his obituaries had already been written quite a while ago, he can be relatively relaxed at Wimby. He should be on Cloud Nine – or rather Cloud Ten – right now and has no points to defend. He’s also vastly experienced by now and can therefore probably manage without a warm-up tournament. While I don’t expect him to win, he just might surprise us all with a good showing, especially since he managed to regain a certain champion’s aura of invincibility this year, and not just on clay. The great unknown is the true state of his health of course. He appeared to be totally ok in Paris, but there can always be one or the other niggling thing…
good post and I agree he has got his aura back and you could see how players were ‘scared’ to play him on PC. Wawrinka admitted he was hesitant to play him!!
Rafa today: “I’ll get ready for Wimbledon by training on the courts of the [WTA] Mallorca Open” (Translated by GSS):
https://twitter.com/TomeuTerrasa/status/874946159437119488
[WTA] Mallorca Open 10minutes ago:
“We are happy to tell you that Rafael Nadal will train on the courts of the Mallorca Open to prepare for Wimbledon”
https://twitter.com/MallorcaOpen/status/874960602434854913/photo/1
Nny,littlefoot,hawks and my dear rafans…
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/44396/rafael-nadal-i-don-t-think-about-federer-s-18-major-titles-/
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/rafael-nadal-could-win-next-three-grand-slams-says-mats-wilander-1626183
I don’t know bout u guys but reading the 2nd article makes me scared so much..
Thanks MA, I especially enjoyed the article about Lars Burgsmüller, the first player ever to be beaten by Rafa at RG. Nobody can take that away from him, lol!
As to Mats Wilander: I’m mostly annoyed by his predictions. If he would be a betting advisor he would’ve been fired long ago 😉
I still remember that during the US Open 2010 he was absolutely convinced that Rafa would never ever win the US Open and kept telling so everybody who would listen. I had the impression that even after Rafa’s final match point he wasn’t entirely convinced that Rafa had truly done it.
You’re welcome littlefoot!…Glad u liked it!…Bout mats..yeah!…i respect him as one of the greats but…compared to him,i like Brad Gilbert even more…not to mention that he backed Rafa’s 10th is better than Fed’s 18th!haha…[sorry joe,kevin,Benny G and Eugene..just teasing u guys!]…
When it comes to Mats the thing is he talks alot but says nothing, a year ago he was saying Novak was the KOC, all depends on which way the wind blows, i certainly like his summary, but i dont read much into it ….
Mats is great at talking about teh technical things in a player’s game and analysing the particulars but when it comes to predictions, yeah, it is about which way the wind blows.
Where are all the experts who had said Rafa will never win a slam again!!
VR…I remembered Andy Roddick among them who blatantly said in 2015 that Rafa would never win a slam again..oh!how wrong they were!
This too guys…
http://www.tennisworldusa.org/news/news/Rafael_Nadal/44395/nadal-s-first-opponent-at-roland-garros-i-never-thought-he-d-won-so-much-/
Rafa has played well throughtout this year both on hard & clay courts his been amazing, my younger brother & sister loves him.
Am not a big fan but i respect his recovery and improvement.
Plz don’t be bias, who are your top 2 picks in ATP to win wimbledon?
Whom are you asking, Stanley? You will receive a lot of differing opinions. Even as a rafafan who hopes he will do well, he’s not on my top list. If we go by previous performances and his early form during this season, Roger is certainly a top contender but I don’t pencil him in for the win just yet. Andy Murray shouldn’t be forgotten. He has shown grue grit in Paris on his least favorite surface. He has really became a seasoned fighter and has learned to deal with the British expectations. If he’s fit and healthy I expect him to do well.
After those two veteran players it’s hard to say. The Djoker’s state of mind and body is everybody’s guess right now. I would love if finally one of the young guns like Kyrgios and Zwerev has a true break-through. They most certainly have the potential to spoil the party of a big gun.
Anyway,it’s very hard to predict without having the draw. IMO on grass a lot depends on the draw because the big hitters and ace machines can always take out a top player with a bit of luck on a charmed day.
Littlefoot,
I agree with you about the draw. It is about those big hitters and ace machines when it’s grass.
I am going to wait for the draw to come out before I give my thoughts on who I think will have the best chance. We n IW who the obvious favorites are with Fed and Andy. I think Novak is a big question mark.
creepy, my two picks are Impeachment and the end of GOP fascism and hate.
Hawkeye, a successful impeachment of a certain person would indeed be my favorite event of the year. Although, while fully justified, I don’t expect it will happen just yet because there is no sufficient majority right now. The GOP still hasn’t internalized that they should get rid of Trump in order to cut their losses in future elections.
What I really hate: the certain person’s favorite tennis player is Rafa 🙁
I know most of you don’t have much expectations of Rafa at wimby but I clearly do. Not sure why but I feel he will do well. He is high on confidence now and that translates into the mind and overpowers the knees :-). It is all mental 🙂
Sanju, nothing wrong with high expectations. All that can happen is, that you will be disappointed, lol!
While you are right and Rafa should be just fine in the mental department right now, unfortunately his knees and other body parts have been stubbornly resistant towards the mind-over-matter approach.
And as I said above: a lot depends on the draw…
Again I agree with littlefoot. Mind over matter can only go so far. Rafa’s knees have had to take a lot over the years. As he practices in Mallorca he should have an idea of where he’s at.
I am still not going to put any expectations on Rafa at this time for Wimby. The draw is not out yet. We just have to wait and see.
I hope for the best for Rafa, as always. But even Uncle Toni cautioned about Rafa’s knees. Rafa will give it his best.
I just wanted to add that those who wrote off Rafa and said he would never run a slam again, should be ashamed. You never write off a great champion. It’s made Rafa’s victory that much sweeter.
Should be – WIN a slam again! *
Yes, NNY, while the draw probably didn’t matter all that much in Paris, it could be crucial for Wimby.
Agree littlefoot!…very agree!..IMO,it’s not about mind..it’s about rafa’s knees…a few months back,i stumbled into an article in which Rafa said,he rarely drive a car because he can’t bend his knees for long…if he ride a car,he usually sit whether at the back or at the passenger’s seat…and IF he chose to drive a car,he said after a while he has to stop,get out of the car and stretched his leg…that’s how bad his knees are…so,when he said he is very cautious about his knees when playing on grass,then i respect his words very much…
Also agree with Nny…we have to wait and see…even tho’ many pundits put him as a co fav along with Rog and Andy…I missed seeing rafa play on grass very very much but i love his health more…
MA, I also miss seeing Rafa playing his sublime grass court tennis. When I rewatch “The Best Tennis Match Of All Times” once in a while I’m always in awe at the quality of tennis. But it also makes me feel a little sad because it was such a long time ago.
Same here littlefoot!…How time flies past us in a blink of an eye..it feels like just yesterday we watch Rafa holding his 1st trophy at Wimbledon…God!How sweet that moment!…Hope we fans be able to see that magic moment one last time before he retires…Where’s the shooting stars when we needed one lol!!
Very true, MA. While I enjoy especially Rafa’s renaissance, I also miss a young and charismatic shooting star ready to take on the whole tennis world – like Borg, McEnroe, Becker, Sampras and to a certain degree Guga Kürten. It’s incredible, but Rafa was the last teenager to win a slam – and look, he’s still going strong. Incredible. But as great as the era of the Big Four has been, I think their prowess and sheer consistency has stifled the young talents to a certain degree. Maybe the young guns just don’t have the belief that they can have sustained success during the reign of the Big Four. They win a great match here and there – like Thiem – only to get cut down by another member of the Big Four in the next round. That must be very frustrating and might stifle the long term development of a champion’s mind.
Once again agree littlefoot!…I think after the Big 4 retires..the tour still full of a very talented young guns but with no clear favourites going into one tournament…let alone be a dominant force like rafa,roger or novak did at their time…like u said,players like Thiem,sascha will win here and there but the lack of authority and aura will make the tour with no clear leader among them…and i predict,there’s going to multiple winner’s in slams that will divided between 4,5 or 6 player’s…it’s interesting to follow their development later…
Rafa looked at a very high level in 2013 heading into Wimbledon.
Anything can happen.
but his knees were still wonky in 2013! Plus, his second serve is much better right now.
I understand the concern and the doubts and I myself don’t feel overly confident either but I am hopeful based on what I have seen.