For the first time since his first appearance in 2003, Rafael Nadal has lost prior to the title match at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Nadal went down to Ferrer 7-6(1), 6-4 in a semifinal upset on Friday afternoon as the underdog Spaniard ended a 17-match losing streak on clay to his heavily-favored countryman.
Ferrer played with a lead almost the whole way, but he gave back breaks three times–twice in the first set and again while attempting to serve out the match at 5-2 in the second. The world No. 6, who won seven straight points in the opening tiebreaker after falling behind 1-0, sealed the deal on his second opportunity at 5-4.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nshaU2PN-kc]
Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer also lost the first sets of their matches, but they recovered for victories. The second-ranked Serb stopped Casablanca champion Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 and the 32-year-old Swiss was two points from defeat on three different occasions before beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-1.
One of many great points in the Djokovic vs. Garcia-Lopez match:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0DtNRC9tRI]
Federer interview:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaCgRQphJ6M]
Carlos Moya on Garcia-Lopez:
Stanislas Wawrinka after his win over Milos Raonic:
Great perspective from this poster on Tennis.com:
JasonRaphael says:
“This is a tough loss by Rafa…but you cannot win them all. You simply CANNOT. Losses are going to come. You’re foolish if you think Rafa is going to win EVERY tennis match. Bullocks. Of course he won’t. He’s going to lose plenty more times. But guess what? He wins 9 times out of 10 when he plays. So the odd loss here or there throughout the year is nothing and no big deal.
Ferrer is a wonderful player. He even seems like a nice guy off court. He has had some tough losses against Nadal. Most devastating being the French Open Final where Nadal ripped him apart last year. Ferrer won this battle. There will be PLENTY more. More than likely, they’ll be playing each other again NEXT WEEK. lol That’s tennis. You can lose this week and win next week. Again…I don’t get what the big deal is. Nadal lost against someone who’s VERY GOOD and who’s always a Top 10 player. Yeah he’s owned the guy for the last 10 years…but again…no one can win them all. No one can win every match.
Rafa Nation lives on. I love Rafa and he will be winning at least 2 of these Master’s Clay tourneys. He always does. Vamos! :)”
Vamos Indeed!
he also hasn’t entirely OWNED Ferrer
even on clay, Ferrer should’ve won SEVERAL times during his stretch of 17 straight losses
True Ricky. Daveed did beat Rafa at Paris Masters last year and came within 2 points of beating him at Madrid last year. However, this should not belie the following fact: there are some deep issues in Rafa’s game right now. Rafa needs to sort them out, sharpish……
RT @RafaelNadal: “Thank you all for your support in Montecarlo and good luck to my friend #DavidFerrer”
#Class
what if he doesn’t?…what if he does not win at least 2 of the Master’s Clay tourneys? Will we his fans be able to live with that? How will we cope with the situation like that?
It’s tough to live with Rafa’s defeats but he thought us over the years to cope with the worst and we did…we have lived through his injuries, through his tough loses but RG 2009 still hurts the most…rarely those loses come on clay…spring is the time when we breathe…spring is the time when we live with hope and with the smile on our face…it’s tough to live with Rafa’s defeats on clay…that’s all…
Vamos!
^^^^
Well said!
there’s only 2 left. The chances of him winning 2 are not good.
i think he needs to win EITHER Rome or Madrid in order to have sufficient confidence heading into RG.
^^^Agree. Barcelona would be a good start on the road to redemption.
Ricky,
I absolutely agree. I always thought that Madrid would be the toughest for Rafa to defend. So I am hoping that he can win Rome.
It goes without saying that it would be a good thing if he can win Barcelona. Whatever his problems, Rafa needs to win to have confidence going into RG.
discussing the clay-court swing at SI:
http://tennis.si.com/2014/04/18/roundtable-atp-wta-storylines-part-two/
@natashao2013, if Rafa is not able to win any clay Masters tournaments this year, I would hope his fans will be there for him and continue giving him UNCONDITIONAL support. That is what true fans do.
Rafa has spoilt us over the years, so much so that we have become a rather entitled lot, petulant even. We do not want him losing to Ferru, to Dolgo, to Novak, to Fed etc, etc. Gosh, is he not supposed to lose any tennis match? What is he, a machine?
We do not want him to lose to spare us the ignominy of putting up with “other” fans’ taunts. Yes, Rafa must win to spare US the embarrassment. Rafa must win to catch up with Fed, otherwise WE will be denied the right to crow. We are ENTITLED to Rafa’s wins.
We demand, no expect, a right to criticize him when he loses, to sneer at him and his team as if they know nothing about the game. They are there for us, you see. We are entitled.
And of course we expect this right to be protected like a basic human right. Those who criticize us for criticizing Rafa should not have the same rights. They are trampling on our rights. They must be outed, shamed. Do they not know we have a right to say what we want and they don’t? And of course if they “insist” on “denying” us our rights, we will sulk and stomp off. There, that should fix them. We are ENTITLED to criticize Rafa. Nobody is ENTITLED to criticize us.
Sigh.
I include myself in the above description. Rafa has given us so much joy (at least he has given me) over the years, he deserves better.
A couple of times, after a hard loss, Rafa has written on his Facebook page, “Thank you for your unconditional support”. This @natashao2013, is what I hope we, his fans, will give him if he is unable to win 2 of the Masters Clay tourneys.
This:
https://twitter.com/Fascinatingpics/status/457428401700470784/photo/1
Woohoo Bryans are still in it and are gonna play Nestor and Zimonjic. THAT should make for some good tennis.
great match
Mirnyi and Youzhny have suddenly found the range
Ricky,
I do like reading the discussions from SI. I am not nearly as invested in the women as I am in the men, but it’s still nice to read all the thoughts from everyone.
you and me both
if i recall i saved most of my comments for the men!
Dimon: “Since I’m on the three-name bandwagon, I’ll take RNP to win the men’s. Serena for the women’s.”
Ricky: Hope you take your tongue out of your cheek before we get to RG.
Rafa isn’t wining Madrid…not this year…he doesn’t like the tourney anyway…but Rome…well, we shall see what is the next move of Rafa and his team…I hope they do know what the problem is…I hope they could work on it…saying that it originates from the loss in AO does not serve as sufficient explanation…Rafa needs to move better, to play his best game and he isn’t even close to that right now…mental issues just come from him not being able to play his A game…
I love Rafa with all of my heart and I respect Uncle T. I trust he is able to help Rafa but he isn’t a miracle worker…Rafa needs to make it work himself…
Vamos Rafa!
agree with this. he needs to win Rome.
I also agree with natashao. I felt all along that Madrid would be the one tournament that he wouldn’t win this year. He hasn’t dominated there the way he has at MC, Barcelona and Rome.
The concerns are very real for Rafa now. This was not Miami. Rafa’s serve is not as good as it was before the back injury. At this point, I don’t presume to know exactly what the problem is. Only Rafa and Uncle Toni know for sure. It could be a few things, not just one. Sometimes it’s hard to shake off a bad loss. I remember how well Rafa handled that tough loss in the 2012 AO. But in that match, he came back to even it up at four sets and force a fifth set. He was two games from victory. So he came out of that match with the answers and a sense that the next time he could best Novak.
I think if Rafa plays his best and then loses to the better player, he can deal with that. But that isn’t what happened at the AO. He had an injury that prevented him from competing. If he was able to play and do his best and then lost to Wawrinka, then he could live with that. I don’t think he could live with the way that loss went down. It’s true that players have to move on, but sometimes it’s easier said than done.
Clay has always been the place where Rafa found his confidence and played his best. I truly hope that he and Uncle Toni can figure it all out.
Yes, Rafa went down in Monte Carlo but the story should be about Ferru finally beating his old friend, comprehensively at that when one looks at the TB and the 2nd set, after so many heart-breaking losses to him. How hard must Madrid 2013 been for Ferru, 2 points from a win, only to lose?
While Madrid could be interpreted as Ferru trying to take advantage of a hobbling Rafa, that cannot be said of MC 2014, Ferru beat a physically fit Rafa fair and square. He is 32, same age as Fed, I think, an out and out baseliner, so he has mileage in those legs.
Take a bow, little beast!
For me, Ferru’s win yesterday is more impressive than Djokovic’s win last year simply because Rafa was clearly still recovering from his knee injury last year, he was struggling physically, so he was there for the taking. No such limitations this year. Ferru out-ran him, out-hit him, out-thought him, just plain ol’ out-played him………on clay.
He needs to back his win up by at least getting to the final. Having said that, I doubt he would beat either Fed or Nole should either be lying in wait. He still showed glimpses of his old mental fragility in his match against Rafa which Fed or Novak will punish mercilessly, something Rafa could not yesterday.
Yes, Rafa beat himself yesterday but the bigger story for me is that this time Ferru converted, something he could not do last year at Madrid.
Chapeau, Daveed!
Everytime I think about Ferru’s inside-out FH and the damage it did yesterday, I shake my head. Unbelievable. Yes, Rafa may have given him too much room to work with but the way Ferru capitalized with that shot………………unbelievable.
Hawkeye made a really interesting comment before this match, that Rafa’s OCD is getting worse and effecting how he plays. A few things may be making him more anxious : new back problem, old worrying injuries that won’t go away, crack down on time issues, Nole even! Can’t see Uncle T. being very sympathetic about this, he strikes me as a very hard man.
Has Rafa ever had treatment, does anyone know?
Also, although Rafa is a young man, he has been a pro for a long time, perhaps he is tired too?
deucy,
You brought up some interesting issues. Maybe it’s all of the above! We don’t really know what happens to players behind close doors. I think if we did then we might be even more respectful of what they have to go through to do what they do.
I remember how shocked I was to learn about Borg’s intricate routines when he was competing, in the great documentary “McEnroe/Borg: Fire and Ice”. I thought it all came so easily to him. But the truth was that he sacrificed a lot and worked incredibly hard and created these habits and routines to help him cope with the pressure. Maybe Rafa has done the same. I don’t know him, but it’s times like this that I wonder.
I guess that I am talking about Borg because they showed him in the stands watching Rafa play at MC. I would love to know what he thinks when he watches him. I can imagine he understands maybe more than anyone else, what it takes to do what Rafa has done on clay.
I have heard that Rafa doesn’t believe in sports psychologists.
Whatever was going on in Rafa’s head, I had the impression his team and family were far from relaxed from the very beginning. Every time the camera panned to them they looked tense and anxious – in stark contrast to the Ferrer family who were all smiles.
I’d forgotten Ferru split from his long term coach. Don’t know anything about Altur but he has given Daveed a new sense of purpose and the belief he can win.
It’s inconceivable Rafa would split from U.Toni but one does ask if there is not a different guru figure needed at these times when Rafa is in the doldrums.
Last year Rafa had everything to gain and nothing to lose. Each win was a milestone on his road to recovery. This year the pressure to deliver is a 100 times greater.
I don’t think a different guru would make a difference. Rafa is scared to hurt his back again and until he overcomes that fear, nothing will do. Maybe he needs Dr Cotorro to assure him that it’s not likely to happen again.
The familial turmoil that will result from splitting with U. Toni is simply not worth it.
I completely agree with you!
It would hurt Rafa’s mental stability to split with Uncle T. That would only do damage no gains…Rafa and Uncle T. will find the way to resolve whatever the issues are…will it happen soon enough, I don’t know. But it will come. I don’t buy this story of Nole being in his peak and Rafa’s downward spiral and him becoming old and spent…that’s nonsense…people do sports until late thirties and here we talk about Rafa growing old for tennis… That is ridiculous thing to say…Rafa just needs to be fitter, to believe in himself and to move better on court…his legs are not moving well for some reason and it should be dealt with…
I believe in our Rafa!
Vamos!
deucy,
you’re asking all the good questions. Your post immediately reminded me of the exchange between rafalito and his uncle that natashao quoted about a week ago: when last year the young nephew was making a face because of the physical pain and the uncle told him to put up a face and get on with it. This approach has worked extremely well overall and has turned the little nephew into the incredible competitor he has been for so long now. But it is pretty extreme as approaches go. And since Rafa has internalised work discipline, mental toughness, and all the other related components early on, and lived them month after month ever since… perhaps it would have been good to have another style of coaching in recent years. Probably the uncle is not capable of another style or really does not believe in one, and probably the nephew cannot imagine or accept such a big change.
I don’t expect that this is the time already when his career finally starts to end… I think that Rafa with his uncle will put him back to be a tough competitor sooner or later and he will continue for another couple of years. Their choice. I do also often think to myself at the physical toll he has been taking on his knees and their future post career, in good part for the sake of us tennis fans.
Tennis – Nadal admits lack of confidence
Despite going into the Monte Carlo Masters on the back of another impressive unbeaten run on clay, Rafael Nadal admitted six weeks before his beloved French Open that he has been struggling with his confidence for months.
The world number one, who was knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Monte Carlo Masters on Friday by fellow Spaniard David Ferrer, sustained a back injury at the Australian Open in January.
“I don’t have to lie to anybody. After what happened in Australia it was little bit harder for me to find again the intensity, the confidence, the inside power that I always have,” said Nadal after a 7-6(1) 6-4 defeat by Ferrer ended his 30-match winning run on clay.
Nadal made an uncharacteristic 44 unforced errors against Ferrer on centre court, failing to find the right length as Ferrer never released his grip.
Asked if a back problem was responsible for his under-par performance, he replied: “No, no, the back is not an excuse.
“No, the back is in good shape. The physical performance is fine. No problem about that.”
After losing the Australian Open final to Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka, Nadal won the Rio de Janeiro tournament on clay before being eliminated in the third round of the Indian Wells Masters and losing in the final of the Miami Masters to Novak Djokovic.
“Even if I won Rio, I played the final in Miami, it remains something in my mind and in my game,” said Nadal.
“I’m going to fight to try to find that solution soon.”
Nadal plays in the Barcelona Open next week, a tournament he has won every year since 2005, apart from 2010 when he did not take part.
The French Open, which Nadal has won a record eight times, starts on May 25.
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/tennis-nadal-admits-lack-confidence-144614383–ten.html