Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will resume their Paris campaigns on Thursday. They appear to have tough third-round matchups on their hands with John Isner and Kevin Anderson, respectively.
(13) John Isner vs. (3) Roger Federer
Federer and Isner will be squaring off for the seventh time in their careers and for the second time in less than two months when they clash in round three of the BNP Paribas Masters on Thursday afternoon. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in favor of Federer, who beat Isner 7-6(0), 7-6(6), 7-5 during fourth-round action at the U.S. Open. Isner’s lone victory came in his opponent’s home of Switzerland via a four-set Davis Cup upset on clay in 2012. Federer is 4-0 against the American on hard courts (all outdoors).
Although the 34-year-old may not be quite at the level he showcased this summer, he is riding another wave of momentum after losing his Shanghai opener to Albert Ramos-Vinolas. Federer held off Rafael Nadal to capture a seventh Basel title on Sunday and he hammered Andreas Seppi to kick off his Paris campaign in style. Isner punched his ticket to the last 16 by taking care of Aljaz Bedene 6-3, 6-4 on Wednesday. The world No. 13 is 44-24 for the season and a modest 7-4 during this fall stretch, which is generally his least favorite time of year. Isner will make this one competitive, but his serve is no secret to Federer–who should once again be able to handle it well enough to progress.
Pick: Federer in 2 with at least one tiebreaker
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(11) Kevin Anderson vs. (7) Rafael Nadal
For most of the night on Wednesday it looked like Dominic Thiem would get a shot at Nadal in the third round. Instead, it will be Anderson going up against the Spaniard for the third time in his career. Anderson trailed Thiem by a set and a break, saved one match point in the second, and stormed back for a 6-7(3), 7-6(4), 7-6(5) victory that required two hours and 44 minutes of tennis. Thus continues an awesome year for the 12th-ranked South African, who reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open and is still standing with a 46-23 record.
It may not continue much longer. Anderson has been dealing with a shoulder injury at the end of a long 2015 campaign and an epic struggle with Thiem certainly will not help matters. The No. 11 seed is also 0-2 lifetime against Nadal and 0-5 in total sets heading into Thursday night’s tilt. Nadal prevailed 6-2, 7-6(6) at the 2010 Rogers Cup and 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 at the Australian Open early this season. The sixth-ranked Spaniard is 13-2 this fall and playing with arguably more confidence right now than at any point in 2015. After finishing runner-up in Basel, Nadal destroyed Lukas Rosol 6-2, 6-2 on Wednesday–a far cry from their third-set tiebreaker match last week. The seventh seed should capitalize on a fatigued opponent without too much trouble.
Pick: Nadal in 2
[polldaddy poll=9163252]
Fed in two with no tiebreak.
Rafa in two.
Nadal in straights and fed in two with at least one breaker
Rafa in 2 sets.
Fed in 2 sets with one TB.
Same as Ricky!
Nadal absolutely destroys Anderson tomorrow. Anderson played 244 total points today while Rafa played 94. Anderson will be mentally and physically exhausted after todays 3 set marathon.
this
No.
You are right But If my app is right Anderson played 246 points today He won 126 Thiem won 120. Rafa Nadal played 96 points winning 60 and Rosol won 36.
Forgive my typos. I knew the point differential was Anderson playing 150 more pts than Rafa did. He should be way too fresh tomorrow.
even if Anderson played half of the points and won them ALL he would still be destroyed by Rafa…Anderson couldn’t engage in rallies and was losing that battle with Thiem… Rafa will make his life difficult the minute he returns Anderson’s serve…
Rafa in 2…
Fed in 2…and no TB…
Andy in 2
Kei in 3
Novak in 2
Tsonga in 3
Ferrer in 3
Wawa in 2
Vamos Rafa!
you are right that Nadal should cruise.
nadal is 13-3 this fall not 13-2.
Both Fed and Rafa in two straight sets losing 6-8 games.
good call
Reblogged this on Tennis Abides.
Keep your mind focused, stay confident and show your fighting spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTBwf_-UwAQ3JmY.png:medium
Rafa in 2.
Roger in 2 with no tiebreakers.
Roger/John going with serve. Isner had 2 break points but Roger saved them. 3:3
well, Isner helped him save them
Roger will win in 2 TBs. Isner won’t be able to rease his errors with aces in a TB.
Isner took the 1st set.
1st set Isner. I thought Fed would take it.
Well, Isner won the first TB. There goes my prediction of Fed winning in 2 sets. It’s going to have to be 3 sets.
Fed will need to come from behind in this one.
Surprise surprise, Isner is holding his own out there and Roger’s serve is letting him down a bit!
VMP saved
No.
Rafa i think will lose first set to Anderson, he takes a while to adjust to those big servers!! Its raining heavily here is Saint Lucia, a bit gloomy, hope this will not be the same foe tennis today! Vamos, Rafa!!!
Surprised that Federer isn’t able to better deal with Isner’s serve given the slower conditions in Paris this year.
Vamos Juan!!!!
Isner’s serve is not helped by fast surfaces
Yeah it is.
I’ll prove it is later.
nor is it hurt by slow surfaces
Done.
https://tenngrand.com/social/player-pages/non-big-4/comment-page-31/#comment-225816
As I said before, surprised that Federer isn’t able to better deal with Isner’s serve given the slower conditions in Paris this year.
#YoureWelcome
Just saw that Smuggy lost the 1st set, sweet, go Isner !
something is wrong with Fed…there is a reason why he is playing this bad…
Novak played bad too….still won but very bad! If Roger gets to win this he will be good for his confidence!! And there is not much you can do when Isner is serving like this…..these servebots….not good for the game!
yes they are
No they aren’t. Too one dimensional. Aces and service winners are boring.
Isner is flagging in the 2nd set and UEs coming thick and fast.
blown opportunity
Fed seems fine now…and Isner’s level dropped…
yeah it is one way traffic now
Fed was asking to be beat
Giants should be used to warm up the crowd before the real tennis players come on.
Fed too a pill in the 2nd set. I don’t think he is playing badly at all. There is not that much you can do against servbots. Rafa says it’s like a penalty shoot-out.
so you would rather see all the top players beat people like Goffin and Seppi 6-1, 6-1 every match. Cool.
Goffin and Seppi are not your typical players, there are loads of players who have got a game but don’t serve from a tree.
Well I just hope that you not comparing Goffin and Seppi to boring servebots.
Don’t you? Or do you.
Priceless piece of commentating. Dimi edged Ferrer to take lst set. Commie writes Ferrer off saying “‘Dimitrov is now just six games away from going forward to next round”.
Pleeezze!!!!
Daveed’s answer to that – a breadstick for Dimi 🙂
It might be curtains for Ferrer. Down 2:3 and struggling to beat off BPs
They are just itching for Dimi to live up to the hype.
was wrong above it was Dimi trying to make it a double break
I agree with Ricky, it’s good to have different types of players although basing 90 % of your game on your serve usually doesn’t pay (with some exceptions = Ivanisevic, Philippoussis, etc…)
Ferrer breaks back
Dimi serving to stay in the match.
Dimitrov serving to stay in the match.
First MP to Daveeed
Which Dimi saves
3rd try and Daveeed wins. The Dimitrov SHB has become a serious handicap.
Dimi sent packing, Isner 4-3
GSM – Ferrer 67 61 64
Really hoping Federer uses his experience to win this and spare me having to watch any more Isner matches. I like the man but lose the will to live during the majority of his matches.
Isner 5-4, now’s the time for some good’all shanking Mr. Fed
Isner should have chosen basket ball. Not that I would mind him taking Fed out.
I think I saw an interview in which he said that he did do some basket ball at first but I don’t recall very well, looks like we’re going to a TB
The commie just said he played both and had to choose between basketball and tennis and settled for tennis.
Fed to serve to stay in the match again.
TB
TB it is.
I think Isner has it. 2 mini breaks.
Fed almost came back. Saved 3 MPs in a row.
GSM Isner.
not TB for FED
ahhh, so nice .. can go home now…
So more Isner to come.
Naddy is happy.
I’m happy when the giants put Rafa’s rivals out. Rafa had to beat 2 of the giants in a row.
Can’t wait to hear what Annabel Croft has to say now having put Federer on a pedestal before the match. She is besotted with him.
Very well played John Isner but Federer was not a 100%…
vamosrafa,
I only saw the first set and then had to go out. But if you say that Fed was not 100%, then I trust your view always.
if Fed has some type of injury this is a blessing in disguise…he did not play near as god as in that match with Rafa but can’t take away anything from Isner…he was really going for his shots…I am a bit surprised Isner could sustain some rallies with Fed…
You can’t compare a match against a normal player with a match against the giants. It’s a totally different situation.
yeah, it is a sort of a lotery game…but I still think Fed’s level was lower than last week…he wasn’t even forced to play tennis against Seppi as Seppi self-destroyed…this was the first test in Paris and Fed failed…
i agree with this. it was a necessary loss. improves WTF chances.
Ferrer vs Isner h2h 5:!. The only time Isner has beaten Ferrer was in Paris in 2011.
no, it was in Switzerland. On clay.
Wow! I came home to find out that Isner beat Fed! I had to get some things done so that I could be ready for Rafa time!
I will have to catch that one later to see what happened.
nats, Fed has said that he prepares specially for a match against Rafa. Which is understandable.
Also nice to see that Ferrer beat Dimi. Good for him, especially after losing that first set.
not sure why he lost the first set, but he was the superior player thereafter
That’s good to know. Now he will have the task of taking on Big John.
The first thing I look out for in a draw is whether any of the giants are in Rafa’s path. They are a nightmare.
Assuming that Rafa gets by Anderson, I am looking forward to a possible meeting with Stan. Also assuming that he gets past Troicki!
I never like to take anything for granted, although I am feeling good about how Rafa is playing now.
Good for Isner
I just checked the final score for the Isner/Fed match. So that third set was also a TB! Now that is surprising. Fed losing two TB’s in one match? I am looking forward to the replay of that one.
But now I am ready for Rafa! Is it time for his match yet?
Federer did not play great. Had a minor arm injury in 2nd set but did not hinder him in the 3rd. Isner was the better player (albeit mainly because of serving–Federer’s was awful) and should have won long before a 3STB.
that being said, Fed also had some chances in the third set prior to the TB
NNY They will come on court about 30 minutes from now.
NNY: Sorry I messed up on translating the time difference. Rafa is due on court after the Berdych Tsonga match which will not be long now around 21.30hrs European time
Ricky,
Thanks for the summary of the match! I will definitely check out the replay.
[polldaddy poll=9164703]
ed,
Thanks! I finally figured that out!
????NOOO Roger!! Props and congrats to john though.
Is tsonga hurt or something can’t believe that….
knee issue
Oh, that explains why he’s doing so poorly. At least he’s been fighting back in the second set. Berdy’s playing well, but this is not the real Tsonga.
Okay, here comes Rafa! 🙂
Hope Rafa wraps this up in 2!! Cant take a three setter today
Vamos Rafa!
Is Anderson the tallest player on tour or is it Isner?
I think Isner is taller. What about Karlovic? Isn’t he almost 7 feet tall?
I think that Anderson is 6 feet 8 inches.
Scary
Roger says: “The ‘breakers, he served great. Those are the ones he needed. That was the difference.””
#NotRocketScience
not that Isner didn’t need to serve equally well to get to the breakers…
Good first game from Rafa, Vamos!
Rafa elected to serve and held serve.
bad approach shot cost him the break in that game, 1 1
Oh no… it’s Rafa who gets broken… he missed an easy FH and seemed to lose his focus for a while
Anderson breaks…..:(
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa barely got a whiff of the ball in that game, Anderson consolidates
This is not a good start for Rafa. He couldn’t convert two break points, but when Anderson put him in the same position he managed to get it done.
Rafa needs to sharpen it up here.
Rafa can really get on my nerves…….i mean to get broken like that
Yes, it’s quite frustrating. Then he is the one who gets broken. Anderson is playing well now. I thought Rafa started off well, being aggressive with his shots and ROS but then he got sloppy.
Likes to make things difficult for himself….i just felt this coming! And cant buy a first serve
he’s playing very tentatively after the 1st game… nerves, nerves, nerves, managed to hold though.. let’s see
He seems to have recovered from his lapse but it might be too late to save set 1, let’s see
5 – 3 Anderson… things are looking a bit grim at the moment for Rafa
5 – 4 Anderson who will serve for set 1
6 – 4, 1st set Anderson who wrapped it up pretty nicely.
Seems predictions today are all wrong…………sigh!
can’t believe this…Rafa lost two opportunities in the first game and then let this tall machine break him…why is Rafa doing this???…Anderson is pretty good in the rallies though, to my big surprise…I never thought he could move well…he so much relies on his serve…
Vamos Rafa!!!!
Rafa has really made things difficult for himself. Anytime you give up an early break to a big serving guy, it can be trouble. That’s all Anderson needed.
Some of Rafa’s shot selections and choices were not that good. He needs to just stay focused and get it together.
No more of these early breaks of serves!
Anderson is playing better than I expected. It’s true that a lot of predictions have gone down the drain today.
Rafa needs to be calm and get going here.
Good 1st game for Rafa (again) in set 2.. let’s see if he can keep it up this time
Everyone plays phenomenal when they meet Rafa….their skills remain hidden up until….lol!!!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTE9TBkWwAAaKvv.png
🙁
The 2nd part of stats:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTE8oaxWwAADGcH.png
Rafa just needs to hold his serve so he’s not playing from behind. I am hoping that he will make the necessary adjustments as he’s been doing lately.
Serve stats not bad from Rafa, but Anderson is winning 90% of first serve points. Anderson is making a lot more winners. If he is tired, then his serve is really helping him to get some easy points,
Anderson didn’t serve this well yesterday against Thiem. There’snot much Rafa can do but hope for a TB and hope Anderson serves some DFs.
Holy crap! What a ROS! Rafa was practically in the stands to hit that one!
not liking what I’m seeing, Anderson is outplaying Rafa
Anderson was crap against Thiem yesterday and today he’s on top form.
Yeah, of course, its Rafa, u know
Much better this last game for Rafa…. Vamos!
Rafa goes around his FH and it’s just not good enough… sigh
It’s not happening tonight.
Vamos Rafa!
body language says it all for Rafa.. but he needs to believe, vamos Rafa!
1st serve point stats for Anderson in set 2 so far = 100 %
Rafa’s FH lest him down again in that last game , 4 – 4
Rafa is trying his best but it’s just not his night.
Vamos Rafa!
Anderson is getting the better of Rafa. He double faulted twice in one game, couldn’t get a first serve in and yet Rafa couldn’t get the break. That’s the best shot he’s had at breaking Anderson since early in the first set.
Anderson is playing amazingly well… hope he cracks and gives Rafa (and us all) a break
The key in that last service game of Anderson’s is that if Rafa had broken him then he would have been serving for the set. I don’t agree that this is not Rafa’s night. He had his chance early in the first set with two break chances but didn’t get it done. Now he had another chance in that game from Anderson, yet he hit a forehand UE into the net.
How come Anderson is outplaying Rafa in these rallies? He’s a guy who never beat Rafa. So I am not buying this business of him being just too good.
I think I must be watching a different match from all of you. It’s not how I see it at all other than the fact Anderson is playing at a different level than against any other opponent. Comme d’habitude.
No one is saying Anderson is too good, it’s just that he’s performing very well. I also don’t like Rafa’s ROS today plus he seems a tad slow..
I can’t say I look forward to the prospect of a tiebreak.
well, unless Anderson suddenly decides to falter a TB is pretty much guaranteed.
Rafa’s ROS has not been good at all. The tennis channel commies keep saying that he’s standing too far back and giving Anderson too much space.
I am not looking forward to a TB! Talk about nerves!
Anderson didn’t reinvent the wheel in this match. Rafa has been able to beat the likes of Karlovic and Isner. When you get a break chance, you have to convert it. Or if not, then you must hold your serve. Rafa did not do that in the second set.
He missed a crucial chance in that game where Anderson double faulted a few times. He looked so shaky and I thought that was Rafa’s chance.
I almost don’t want to watch a TB.
for good or bad it’ll be over soon (the TB)
Of the big servers Anderson has by far the best all round game which means he will be dangerous in the tiebreak. I agree with Shirling Rafa has not really got a handle on returning Anderson’s serve tonight.
DF from Anderson
awful FH from Rafa… this is not going to happen tonight I fear
phewww, goes wide.. minibreak for Rafa again
I feel like I am about to scream! First Anderson DF’s and then Rafa gives it right back by missing an I/O forehand. Then Anderson misses a shot so Rafa is up 4-2.
Rafa – HOLD YOUR SERVE!
unbelievably bad forehand errors
OMG! Yes, I am now screaming!
well, I think that’s it.. with that missed FH Rafa tells us that he’s not into this match.
Cant believe Rafa messed up there
This is all on Rafa. He keeps giving it right back. I can’t stand it!
He would be lucky to win this. Anderson is helping him though!
Yeah, but Rafa is giving it right back every time.
MP Anderson
he finally hit a WOWzer of a forehand to save match point!
just crazy stuff 🙂
WOW,..just WOW! VAMOSSSSS
set point Rafa
OMG!!!
Vamooooooossss!
AAGGHH! Rafa wins the second set. Be still my heart!
lol….. i tell yuh!!! When was the last time we have seen this….that forehand on match point for Anderson……….wow…..just wow!!!
I have NO CLUE, how rafa played that forehand half volley and then that reflex volley. Anybody could have panicked! Wow..
This is definitely in the bag now, in my view!
I knew the TB would workin Rafa’s favour. Anderson’s mistakes could not be erased with more aces.
oh all ye of little faith…………………………….how’s that for a comeback.
YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS, Vamos Rafa! un-be-lie-va-ble
Guys, have you stopped screaming, my whole neighbourhood I woke up…..what a tie-break!!! Vamos!!!
Well Rafa, it’s nice to see you back! Hello!
That was way too hard on the nerves!
Is that what it took to wake up Rafa?
Yikes! We have to sit through another set of this!
That is what I was dreading!!!
What happened to Rafa? I didnt watch until the TB. He seemed low in energy, hitting FHs into net again?
yes Luckystar.. he seems low in energy indeed
Anderson will serve first in the 3rd set.
Vamos Rafa!
The 2nd set:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTFKncvVEAA0nNl.png
The second set, Part2:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTFKqsXVAAAUKg5.png
🙂
The crowd is firmly with Rafa!
Vamos!
Rafa isn’t going for his shots, very tentative, ROS are awful, and the FH seems to be disintegrating as the match goes along.. he’s arriving late to many shots and he’s not moving fast enough.
I think that’s a bit of a harsh assessment….maybe at times but overall Rafa’s ROS i think is unbelievable……the only thing I feel is that Rafa is standing way way to far behind the baseline!!!!
Anderson’s kick serve in the deuce serve is CRAZY.
Well that’s a turn of events, Rafa breaks in the 1st game of set 3 🙂
Rafa breaks!!!!!!!!!! Yessssssssssssssssssss!!!
Vamos Rafa!
Early break……yeah!!!!
what happened in the 2STB
Ricky, its one of those things you need to c 2 believe!!! Watch it!
rafa played poor tennis before anderson had match point at 6-5. THEN, he played incredible tennis , did not panic, and stole the tie break.
Best serving from Rafa to go 2 – 0 up in set 3
And he holds!!!!
Ricky, you missed it, oh no!! it was Epic! Rafa wasted to mini breaks (one from an Anderson’s DF) to give MP to Anderson on Rafa’s serve, which he somehow managed to save with an awesome volley.. then it’s Rafa’s turn for set point which he clinches with a blind close to the net volley.. just amazing stuff
and just when we thought it’ll all be placid Rafa DFs twice
Rafa living dangerously with those slices and crappy BHs
This could make a sane person crazy! Unbelievable! That serve!
Not now Rafa. Please. Where the heck has his lst serve disappeared too.
Whew that was a close shave.
The serve is AWOL! My nerves cannot take this. Twelve minutes!
Geez, that was a hard-fought hold!
Rafa holds! I will say it now. Rafa had to hold here! He cannot let Anderson break him if he wants to win this match!
Rafa needs to keep the pressure on Anderson.
Just try to eat dinner watching a match like this!
I am going to be hoarse by the time this match ends.
You say you!!! Its like his focus just evaporates for no apparent reason!!
opportunities gone for a double break
my wife suffers from insomnia so I’m not making a peep if I value my hide…
lol!
It’s very odd. In all his other matches he has raised his level exponentially for each set.
who
second serve asked to be pounded
It’s down to 58%. That won’t cut it.
amazing length in Anderson’s shots… a bit of coaching from U.T there…
I’m more nervous when Rafa is serving.
Vamos Rafa!
amazing return and then wastes it.. arghhh
suddenly he found out how to return
Double break for Rafa… it has got to be done now…
Rafa will serve for the match.
Vamos Rafa!
Chalk that one down to a match he should have lost but came out with the win.
This is aging me rapidly.
Bless you Rafa. Sleep well.
And closing it out in style , Vamos Rafa! (but one day you’ll kill us with your yo-yo focusing skills)
I can’t believe it. Rafa won. Tough, tough match.
I thought Rafa would win more easily before the match started, but Anderson was in charge in the first 2 sets and Rafa saved the day.
Vamos Rafa!
shame on me but I was sure he was going to lose the TB.. I still don’t know how he won it..
Not sure he does either.
the best smile ever!!!
Yesssss!
Vamos Rafa!!
I feel I am 10 years older after this, thank you very much Rafa…
Night, night everybody. I’m off to bed with hot milk and a large slug of brandy.
have a good night ed…sweet dreams… 🙂
winner: R. Nadal (ESP)
Cheers Ed.. have a good night sleep
Rafa seems to have a bit of problem with his left knee. Thank goodness he wins the match now. He stays ahead of Berdych in the race points. Love his never give up attitude and persist till the end. Hope he improves in all areas in his next match.
Luckystar ( at 11:05 pm),
Currently, the 52-week rolling Ranking and the Race to London are identical.
(Officially they’ll be identical on Monday.)
Ok, thanks.
Shireling, my only hope was a TB because big servers’ errors count and they only have to have one error to lose the set.
Match stats, Part1:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTFV-HmXIAIRgrv.png
Match stats, Part 2:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTFWBqAWUAAumQ2.png
🙂 🙂
perhaps this is why his movement and confidence was off today, I didn’t notice, thx Luckystar
He flexed his left leg and touched his left knee in the midst of the third set. I thought that might be the reason he started missing his first serves and DF’ing. Hope that’s nothing serious and he would come out all guns blazing against Stan tomorrow.
Anderson stole the match from Thiem yesterday and Rafa stole the match from him today.
I dont think he stole the match….Rafa was leading in the tie-break until those errors…….winning it was what he was supposed to do even if i thought he might have lost it!
Rafa if he beats Wawa might play Novak…….sigh!!!!
Yes Nadine, I see your logic in the TB
Great match from Rafa!
Especially at critical moments.
Bodes well for the future.
Hopefully nadine won’t be too upset when Rafa takes put her closet fav in the quarters.
Vamos!!!
off to bed too.. have a deep and satisfying sleep everybody
Rafa is through to the QFs! Hooray for Rafa!!
http://www.funutilities.com/files/smileys/07/02/99.gif
I have to add, Rafa is like Fed, uses his guile and tennis accumen and experiences to beat a tough opponent who has the upper hand for most parts of the match. Very intelligent play by Rafa in the end even when not playing well and that’s why Fedal is/are the best!
Yep…..
No matter what happens in the last two tournaments this year, Nadal is back. If no injury comes bothering him in the next couple of months, he’s going to be red hot in 2016, in AO and in Roland Garros. Don’t know if he is back to competing and winning against Djokovic, but even at his best, Nadal always had a tough match against the magnificent Serb. But some of the points he has been hitting today against Anderson at the end of the match makes me think he is definitely playing Top 3 level of tennis right now. Of course Anderson has never been a great match finisher, but if you just watch the highlights today, you will know what I am talking about..The higher the quality of the highlights from Nadal, the more he is confident and the better he is playing. As simple as that.
Amen to that! I just waiting to c how he fairs at the O2 and I will know for sure!
Rafa will play at the same time on Friday.
OOP for Friday:
http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2015/352/op.pdf
Rafa’s post-match press conference:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CTFbv4MVEAAEmUR.png
I don’t think that Rafa is playing at a top 3 level just yet. Especially that infernal serve. I noticed that Anderson’s serve stats dropped as the match went on. In particular, the percentage of first serves won. He was at 100% for the first set and I think even the second set.
This one really took it out of me. I was too exhausted when it ended even to post anything! 🙂
Stan finished his match hours ago and he’s been able to sit back and watch this one. I just don’t like Rafa losing his serve early and then losing the first set. While it’s great to see him mount one of signature comebacks, I think he’s rolling the dice. That won’t cut it against the top players. He is going to have to do something about that second serve. Forehand still needs some work.
I didn’t notice anything with the left knee. I sure hope that everything is okay. That’s another reason why I worry about these three set matches. At some point, it can take it out of Rafa.
I am happy, relieved and can finally relax and finish dinner! Rafa lives to fight another day!
I have been replaying that unbelievable TB over and over, especially those last few shots. Now that was vintage Rafa. As hard as it is to watch, this is the real Rafa. This is what he has always done – when his back is against the wall, it brings out his best. This time he had to fight off a match point. Closer than with Rosol in Basel, when he was two points from losing the match.
Why do I get the feeling that this is what Rafa loves? 🙂
NNY:
Anderson lst set 81% (86% points) 2nd set 63%(81% points) 3rs set 50% (58% points)
Rafa 1st set 68%(74% points) 2nd set 76% (92% points) 3rd set 65% (77% points)
yeah, Rafa played great match…there were errors here and there but he was very strong and hit some brutal winners…it’s not easy to play this rejuvenated Anderson…the South African served big, was moving well, hitting deep and forcing Rafa to stand even further behind the baseline…the biggest value I see in Rafa’s fortitude and never give up attitude…it all smelled like one of those irretrievable defeats which Rafa majestically have turned into victory…Deep inside while watching this drama I had this inner feeling that Rafa would emerge victorious..i haven’t had one of those in a while…
the Rafa of old is knocking on the door! He is about to step in and then nothing will be the same…I really feel, if healthy, Rafa will make the difference in 2016!
and some of those winners Rafa hit are really worth remembering! it was pure class!
Vamos Rafa!
Great stuff from Nadal. Also Anonymous, big servers r good for game because they test everyone and it is interesting to see underdog big servers score huge upsets and victories. Like ivanisevic winning Wimbledon. Personally I usually root for big john in fact I want him to win whole title even though that’s pretty unlikely but not impossible cuz he’s a big server and his groundies are improving. Best groundstrokes big server in Anderson though by far. Raonic has improved them too of course but his injury has disallowed us from really seeing him play much this season.
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U.Toni’s interview before and Rafa’s interview after the match vs. K.Anderson:
(U.Toni answers in French, see subtitles in English;
the announcer & Toni & Rafa talk about Rafa’s right ankle: UT says it hurts a little but nothing serious and Rafa says it’s a similar problem he had in the Beijing final but it’s fine…)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rnhvrN8c6I
So it was Rafa’s ankle that bothered him before the match. Also, Rafa said it himself in that interview.- that this was a match that a few months ago he would not have won!
It’s quite interesting to hear him say it. He knows that there’s a real difference now. It was cute when the interviewer asked him if he could remember the last time he had match point and was able to win! Rafa laughed and said he can’t think of that now. So charming and really happy! 🙂
when was it?
If the question is when did he last do it on the first MP?
The answer is ‘I don’t know’ but a long time, no? Could even be two years
Benny G says:
November 6, 2015 at 12:31 am
Great stuff from Nadal. Also Anonymous, big servers r good for game because they test everyone
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This would be true if they were spread evenly amongst the top players, but Rafa has had his fair share of them lately; one after the other whilst some just play namby pamby ball shufflers with no big game and come up looking invincible.
I agree its frustrating. Rafa has now faced Ivo, Raonic, Rosol (×2), Cilic and Anderson. Also guys like Pospisil, Sock and Tsonga comes with big serves too. Rafa has to deal with them one after another on his least favorite surface. Its almost a miracle that he survived so many tough matches, sometimes at the brink of losing and yet he came through, except against Tsonga at Shanghai.
Federer:
“It’s tough going out of a tournament without losing your serve,” the third-seeded Federer said.
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This demonstrates what I mean about the giants. It doesn’t matter how well their opponent is play they can just simply take the racquet out of their hands with aces. It’s very frustrating.
Video. Nadal vs. Anderson R3 Paris Masters 2015 / TIEBREAK of the 2nd SET
http://rutube.ru/video/ac528714e2882ea1a758f87e600893c0/
I should’ve resisted the temptation to watch the TB a second time. I had palpatations all over again!
The speed of the court is a moveable feast, depending on who people want to win. Those who want Stan to win say the court suits his game; quite what that is based on, escapes me and those who want Rafa to win say the opposite. Even the commies say the court is fast for one match and do a complete volte face for the next one depending on who is playing.
I though he court was supposed to be as slow as treacle which is bad news for the big servers, but they are not doing too badly, are they. I have never seen Anderson serve so well. And what about Isner taking Federer out?
It makes interesting reading but luckily, the match still has to be played.
I think this is the moment to admit, in public, I found Robbie Koenig’s commentating last night excellent. It was even handed, relevant and enlightening. I even smiled at his bon mots!
#There’s a first time for everybody 🙂