It’s a dream semifinal lineup for Canada, with two of its own joining Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal for Saturday action. A surprising matchup on the bottom half of the Montreal draw pits Milos Raonic against Vasek Pospisil.
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (4) Rafael Nadal
Djokovic and Nadal will be squaring off for the 36th time in their careers when they collide in the semifinals of the Rogers Cup on Saturday night. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 20-15, but Djokovic has won 11 of their 16 hard-court meetings. They have faced each other twice this season, with Djokovic ending Nadal’s Monte-Carlo reign courtesy of a 6-2, 7-6(1) victory in the title match before the Spaniard earned revenge with an epic 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-7(3), 9-7 triumph in the French Open semis.
Although this is by no means his best tournament, Nadal has been in outstanding hard-court form in 2013. The world No. 4 captured the title in Indian Wells and has remained undefeated on hards for the season thanks to straight-set scalps this week of Jesse Levine, Jerzy Janowicz, and Marinko Matosevic. Nadal is the only one of the four Montreal semifinals who has not dropped a set, while Djokovic surrendered one to Denis Istomin during a disappointing third-round performance. That was sandwiched in between blowouts of Florian Mayer and Richard Gasquet. The top-ranked Serb is 42-6 for the year; Nadal is an outrageous 46-3.
Nadal may have a slight edge in current level of play, but–as their past history suggests–surface seems to be the most important factor in this rivalry. The eight-time Roland Garros champion is 13-3 lifetime against Djokovic on clay and a mere 7-12 on all other surfaces. Nadal has played unusually aggressive so far this week, a strategy that propelled him to his lone U.S. Open title in 2010 and one that he must employ again to have chance versus Djokovic. It’s a more difficult tactic to implement, though, against an opponent like Djokovic who can consistently keep his groundstrokes deep in the court and with plenty of pace. Nadal had enough trouble with Djokovic on clay earlier this season, so the advantage should go to the two-time defending champion of this event.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
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(WC) Vasek Pospisil vs. (11) Milos Raonic
It will be an all-Canadian semifinal when Raonic and Pospisil clash for the first time in their careers at the ATP level on Saturday afternoon. They have played one another four times as professionals, three times on the Futures circuit and once in a Challenger event. Pospisil leads the head-to-head series 3-1, including 2-1 on hard courts. They have not met since 2010, when they split a pair of hard-court matches.
It has been a dream run for Pospisil, who needed a wild card just to get into the main draw before showcasing a flair for the dramatic. He upset an in-form John Isner in a third-set tiebreaker, crushed Radek Stepanek, edged Tomas Berdych in another third-set tiebreaker, then got a first-set retirement from Nikolay Davydenko. On fire right now in the immediate aftermath of a Challenger title in Vancouver, the world No. 71 will likely be seeded for the U.S. Open if he wins this one. Raonic, meanwhile, is finally heating up after a relative rough patch on clay and grass. Montreal’s No. 11 seed had been 2-5 in his last seven matches prior to this week, but he is back on track thanks to defeats of Jeremy Chardy, Mikhail Youzhny, Juan Martin Del Potro, and Ernests Gulbis.
Raonic has never played in a Masters semifinal, but he has been to the quarters on two previous occasions (Toronto and Cincinnati last summer). Pospisil, of course, has never been anywhere close to this stage of such a tournament. Furthermore, an emotional Pospisil has used a raucous crowd to fuel his amazing trip in Montreal. He won’t get the same support against a fellow Canadian in Raonic, who has relied on a huge serve, some opponents’ gifts (from Gulbis), and some controversy (against Del Potro). Against a more experienced player with the fans not entirely on his side, this may be where the dream ends for Pospisil.
Pick: Raonic in 3
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I think Sana and I were possibly the only two people to pick Rafa for this win!
Popsi is officially my new favourite amongst the younger generation. It was only Raonic’s experience of big matches that decided the tie-break.
ed,
I don’t think I put my prediction up here, but where you can vote I did select Rafa in three sets! I went with my heart!
Did you see the match? If not, try to check it out! Rafa was on fiyah! That means fire!
ed251137 (August 11, 2013 at 7:53 am),
I voted for Rafa in the poll above.
I think its time for Rafa fans to have more confidence in their guy. I feel most of us value his opponents far too greatly and undermine Rafas capabilities
BTW anyone wants to catch 2nd part of match..here it is..the 3rd set is worth watching all over again..Look at Rafa n Novak..their last sets are mostly monumental wth great play ..RG 2012(7-5), RG2013 (9-7), AO 2012(7-5) , Montreal 2013 (7-6), Miami 2011(7-6)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrpD4OaSppA&feature=c4-overview&list=UUC3s7Mv5X6PDzI7G77lHU9A
Oh noo why did the link put Serena Aga match
TennisOnlineHD has put on YT the Rafa Novak match, catch it
NNY: No was not watching live (too much Rose earlier in the evening to stay awake) but woke up just in time to see the TB finish. I’m watching the replay now and being sent nearly silly by Jason Goodall’s sycophantic praise of Nole 🙁
As somebody said above, almost no mention that Rafa has been beating Nole regularly recently. All they talk about is Nole’s winning streak against Rafa in 2011. Dah.
I had a hunch that Nole is more fragile face to face with Rafa now and that, compounded with his hope of sweeping the board by holding all nine Masters title, would get to him.
An interesting stat: in all but 5 of their 35 meetings the winner of the first set went on to win the match: that was why it was crucial Rafa came out firing on all cylinders!
Notice how there was collective amnesia post 2011? Suddenly, Rafa’s wins over Djokovic before 2011 became irrelevant, just as any of his wins over Djokovic on clay were irrelevant, pre and post 2011.
Let’s see how the rest of the HC season pans out………….let’s see if the narrative changes if Rafa gets a couple more HC wins over Novak.
ed251137 (August 11, 2013 at 9:14 am),
—and being sent nearly silly by Jason Goodall’s sycophantic praise of Nole—
Jason Goodall always roots against Rafa, no matter who is his opponent. When Rafa wins, I am delighted to hear disappointment in JG’s voice.
NNY,
I brought out the Miami’11 during the 1st set itself. The pattern of play was quite similar to that match from start to Finish. But, I never picked a winner before the TB in 3rd when I said that Rafa will win coz of his service. Though, I didn’t expected Nole to go out flat in that TB after playing some great tennis in 2nd and 3rd set.
This match once again highlighted the importance of service when two competitors fight it out in a marquee match, something which Fed easily used to do in his hey days but now struggles to serve even 50% of those. Time takes away all 😐
Very impressive from Rafa. He was keeping his form close to his chest before meeting Djoker.
Just as he did in 2010 – particularly his serve! But this is why it’s not wise to read too much into these two pre USO tournaments results. The top contenders are boxing and coxing with each other.
It’s true that Rafa didn’t come out and talk about it. But all you had to do was watch his matches to see that there were some chances. The commentators have been talking all week about how he was standing much closer to the baseline to return serve. Even though he was still working to get the rhythm and timing on his groundstrokes after being out of action, just watching him made it clear that he was implementing changes.
It was in the Matosevic match that I really sensed that he was going to change things up with Djoker. I think he was actually looking forward to that match. He came out and smothered Matosevic with his aggressive play. He never let him get into the match. Then in the second set once he got the early break, he kind of took his foot off the gas. He knew that this guy couldn’t challenge him and couldn’t break his serve. So he did just enough to get the win. He was conserving energy for his match with Djoker.
I think we haven’t seen everything from Rafa yet. There could be more surprises at the USO.
abhirf,
I wasn’t trying to be unkind. I just don’t like to be reminded of the 2011 Miami. As I watched the tb, I thought back to that match. It was sweet for Rafa to blast Djoker off the court in that tb and get this win.
Come to think of it, I think its not great that Rafa played Novak now, it kinda exposed Rafas changed game plan nd will make Novak ready and cautious to counter Rafa in USO
But what can Novak do? Seriously, what changes can Novak do? According to hoim, he hea already ditched gluten, dairy, sugar etc, etc………he has already improved his stamina by “getting rid of impurities in his body” so he tells us in his new diet book. Apparently impurities turn your urine green, who knew?
I am not being disrespectful but Novak is a one trick pony, he has not varied his game, he never will. Even in 2011, Rafa remarked that Novak’s game is still the same, it was just his mentality and stamina which had changed. Rafa, otoh, changes his game according to surface and opponent. Even Novak remarked that Rafa had changed his court position and was taking the ball early in his post match presser last night. What can Novak do about that?
Personally, I suggest he stop the silly, attention seeking, vaudevillian, post match win antics and double down on practice. Then, he may have a chance………..
Hi rafaisthebest..link to Novaks presser please?
I agree though that Novak has just not upraded hmself much from 2011 onwards, he has surely worked on his serving and that has been a remarkable improvement..on the other hand both Rafa and Murray have upgraded themselves a lot.
About Fed..well he is atleast trying to upgrade, just hasn’t yet yielded results
I mentioned the other day it strikes me Djokovic has become complacent. Beating Rafa at Monte Carlo also gave him a false sense of security. Your comment about his game not really evolving since his initial Slam victory in ’08 is interesting: that early success gave him an inflated sense of his own abilities with the result he rested on his laurels for too long. Much of Rafa’s success is due to the way he is constantly evolving and the way he adapts his game to deal with players who can challenge him.
@Rafan, those were quotes I saw in news reports about Novak’s comments after the game. Will post a transcript link when I come across it. Yes, you are right, Novak did improve his serve post 2011 and that was a major addition to his game. I don’t know about you but I see a Federer-esque arrogance in Novak re his game i.e. he has been told so many times, by so many people that he has the perfect tennis game, that he is the complete tennis player that he does not feel the need to tinker much. Rafa and Muzza are the complete opposite. They are more self-deprecating and are thus never content with their level of play, always looking to improve……….
Personally, I am happy to concede that Novak is the complete player, that he is perfect compared to Rafa, as long as Rafa keeps beating him! He wouldn’t be the first to suffer the ignominy of being bested by an “inferior” player over and over, a certain Roger Federer can attest to that……………
Are we saying Nole has hit the ceiling?
I am not saying Nole has hit the ceiling, just that I have difficulty in seeing where the improvements can come from for Nole apart from more practice. With Rafa, you could see the holes e.g. court positioning especially when receiving, aggressivity (he needed to be more aggressive), his serve needed to have more pop. Novak already has all these elements in his game…………..what can he do better?
A strange thing observed in the pre match presser
Before RG semi, Novak ws all pompous saying I can beat Rafa, I know what to do, I can draw back on MC etc and he made all those statements when he was to play Rafa on Rafa strongest surface clay
Before Montreal presser, he only said he has better chance of beating Rafa on HC , def more than he can on clay
It was a remarkable climbdown in the presser.
Thoughts?
You think Nole has discovered humility? I don’t think so. I think he had more invested in an RG win than Montreal, so all that pre-RG bluster was more an intimadatory tactic than an actual belief he could beat Rafa at RG.
And I think he actually believed he was a shoo in for the Montreal final, that he would beat Rafa, especially after the way he humiliated Gasquet, and a fast HC being Rafa’s “worst” surface.
I believe he was truly shocked by the way Rafa took it to him, hence the tie-break score. The way he surrendered in the tie break is the same way he surrendered the final game at RG………telling.
We are not the only ones saying this about Novak’s game. Comments from Nole fans in the blogosphere are also saying Nole has not improved his game, especially since 2011 and other have, specifically Muzza and Rafa.
ritb,
I do think that Djoker was shocked by Rafa’s aggressive play. He never expected it. That’s why he was double faulting all over the place in that first set. Also, it put tremendous pressure on his serve and that’s not something that Djoker has had to deal with when he plays Rafa. I think his easy draw did not help him. He may well have become complacent, but considering how inconsistent he has been this year that is not a good thing. You cannot afford to be complacent in this game.
I really think his problem is more mental. Last year even though he wasn’t playing at the high level of 2011, he was winning matches with his mental strength. That quality has not been there this year. When you look at some of his unexpected losses, you see that he was up a break and ahead and then lost. I don’t know if it’s burnout or the pressure of being #1, but something is off with him. Rafa broke him mentally and that’s why Djoker lost the tb that way. He had nothing left. When has that happened recently?
I think its over-confidence and hubris, @nny. As you say, the cup-cake draws have also lulled him into a false sense of comfort. Look at this new post match win dancing thing, what is that? Bringing wigs and all such props on court, it takes planning. Time that could be spent focussing on aspects of his game he needs to improve on. That to me suggests someone who has taken his eye off the ball.
I desp desp want a Rafa Murray final in USO…hope it happens..but for that to happen Rafa will have to play Novak in the semis (:-
One thing that puzzles me about Nole. You do not see him playing doubles as often as Rafa and Muzza, why is that especially considering his net play is the worst of the three?
yeah I was reading all the comments and I wonder why you people don’t trust rafa and always start talking about the possible defeat from djoker.. even rafa is not my guy but when I watched his early matches I was feeling that djoker cant beat THIS rafa.. aggression is the key to win against djoker with confidence and rafa was prepared .. m happy that he stopped djoker from winning this title .. and can anybody tell me why rafa uses tape on his fingers??
@sana, Rafa tapes his fingers to stop the skin being ripped off, literally, by the vicious topspin he applies to his shots. Btw, Rafans are a lot like their idol, we are a self-deprecating lot. We always downplay our chances, just like Rafa……….
But that’s wrong because he is a great player more greater than djoker n I dont like when you guys talk negatively … may be I m imress from his fighting abilities n I praise rafa.. but I always cheer for murray n fancy his chances same fir delpo 😉
BTW @ritb who is your 2nd fav after nadal? n wat u think about my guys delpo n murray n dimi?? 🙂
@sana, my second favourite is Murray. I like Delpo, but not as much as Rafa and Murray. I don’t like Dimitrov, he does not strike me as serious with his game.
but dimi is cute 😉 I like him 😉 ohh good yeah its good to hear rafa fans like murray 🙂
and delpo is too humble I m really impressd.. specialy after wimbledon semi against djoker what a man delpo ^_^
Nny, I never took your post as unkind or anything like that. Sorry if my post made you feel so 🙂
On another note,
I want Nole to get some more beatdowns and lose the USO and No.1 ranking. Maybe then he will again start taking things seriously. Maybe then in 2014, he can provide 2011 again. He appears to be taking things for granted. Not a good thing to do in your peak years.
@abhirf, glad you also notice the Nole’s unsavoury attitude, especially for a #1. I think he had begun to believe the propaganda, that he was the Golden Child, that he was Fed’s successor, that he was in Rafa’s head, that Murray is a distant second to him…..
Well, I hope he continues with that mindset, so Rafa can have some more wins!
it will be greatest news if djoker lose no.1 ranking and that’s realistic now.. because rafa DNP the WTF n djoker was winner si his 1500 points will be deducted then murray and rafa can gain some points ..I hope this year we will see a new world no. 1.. 🙂
@sana, just admit it, you are a Rafa fangirl! It’s okay to admit……….
I am so very eager to see what Fed has to say about Noles dads comments on him as well as his dancing. I am sure within his team, they would have mocked at him and I am sure if someone asks him that, a tongue in cheek sarcastic dig will be given by Roger 🙂
abhirf – Nole will not have another 2011 again, it will take heck of a lot to repeat it. Murray was kinda nowhere in 2011, not really a serious opposition , he has both Rafa and Murray to go through now and repeating 2011 will be very difficult.
Hi @sanju! Glad to see you here……
Hope the others also come especially Nole and Fedfans…….
Hi RITB – you mean the good Nole n Fed fans right, not the ones who stank the forum in last few months creaating multiple monickers 🙂
hello sanju 🙂 welcome here 🙂