Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be squaring off for the 54th time in their careers when they battle for the Internazionali BNL d’Italia title on Sunday afternoon.
Djokovic leads the head-to-head series 28-25 and is sporting a commanding 13-3 record in the last 16 installments of this incredible rivalry. The Serb has won two in a row at Nadal’s expense, triumphing in an epic five-set semifinal at Wimbledon in 2018 before rolling 6-3, 6-2, 6-3 in this year’s Australian Open final.
But there is plenty of good news for Nadal. In his own famous words, spoken earlier this week, “We are in Rome.” And Rome means clay. The Spaniard is 16-7 against Djokovic on this surface and 4-3 in Rome. They faced each other in the semifinals of this event last spring, with Nadal getting the job done 7-6(4), 6-3 on his way to an eighth title in the Italian capital.
The advantage may go to Nadal this time around, as well, even though this clay-court swing has been an aberration to his rule of dominance. He failed to lift the trophy–or even reach the final–in Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, or Madrid before appearing to right the ship this week with a quartet of straight-set victories. Djokovic, on the other hand, is coming off consecutive three-set battles against Juan Martin Del Potro and Diego Schwartzman. The world No. 1 need more than three hours while saving two match points to overcome Del Potro in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“It’s obvious that I played more than Rafa,” Djokovic admitted. “At the same time, I’m in the finals and that’s a great success,” said Djokovic. “It’s not the first time I find myself in these kinds of situations. I feel okay; of course not as fresh as at the beginning of the week. It is what it is. I’ll try to recover.”
Nadal will simply be trying to maintain momentum from Saturday, when avenged a recent Madrid loss by trouncing Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 6-4
“(It’s an) important victory for me because I played a solid match against a good player and a player who is winning lot of matches on this surface,” the King of Clay commented. “So winning in straight sets against him is a very positive result. More than this is a feeling that I am playing better every week (and) every day.”
While Nadal’s confidence is on the way to being restored, he needs a clay-court title heading into Roland Garros–especially given that it is his recent nemesis on the other side of the net. His urgency combined with what are surely to be a myriad of grueling rallies on clay will likely be too much for a fatigued opponent.
Pick: Nadal in 2
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WWW?
I’m not going to be able to watch it live but more important than that is for Rafa to win!
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa in 2 or Novak in 3. I have mixed feelings this morning.
Djokovic got the fitness he needed heading into RG but that’s come at the expense of the Rome Masters. Nadal get’s his first clay court title for the season.
Djokovic was running on fumes against Schwartzman after the Del Potro match and playing 3 matches in 2 days. You just cant have that kind of lead up to a Nadal match on clay when Nadal is playing close to his relentless best on his favourite surface in ideal conditions.
Nadal in 2. (Possibly best bet of the year).
Rafa has come out looking intense and focused and ready on this match. He needs to keep it up and not let up. Breaking Novak in his first game and then holding was the start he needed.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa breaks again! Where has this Rafa been?
Guga is in the House!
Omg what is happening. Even the most die hard of Rafas fans would not have seen this coming. Novak must be feeling under the weather though Rafa is crushing it too
Meanwhile the likes of JoeSmith are checking the calendar to see if it is 2008
vmk1,
LOL!
I told this yesterday. Nobody beats this Nadal on clay.
The first set reminds me of MC2013 in reverse
OH the pain. I cannot watch. LOL terrible for me and Nole.
Worst nightmare.
Rafa should not drop his intensity and focus, Novak will probably play better in the second set.
Vamos Rafa!
First Bagel in their rivalry! took 54 matches to happen.
Novak seems absolutely flat out there. That is something that i have not seen from him vs the other goats in a long time. Hope it is only fatigue and not injuries. But hope Rafa can get this over the line without drama. Rafa needs this more than Novak
Guessing this is what freddy wanted – humiliation.🤦
Wow! Rafa is on fire.
I told this after seeing the match yesterday. The “colm” has returned and the intensity has returned. When this happens nobody can beat Nadal on clay.
Rafa cannot let up. Djoker will try to play better in this set. Keep it up Rafa!
This is something that only Novak can do😳 comeback of epic proportions brewing
Novak firm favorite from now on. If Rafa loses this it is potentially more damaging than the AO loss
Ouch. Nervi final game from Nadal. I am still backing him to win. He is playing better.
Yeah this situation is a double edged sword mentally. Losing from here means that he lost after brutalizing novak in the first set while winning from here means he won a match against his biggest rival that he was expected to lose
Rafa will need another break at least. The way Novak is playing now it is a matter of time before he breaks back
Rafa has to win this match now surely.
This is not complicated! A win is a win! A title is a title! It is utter nonsense to say that if Rafa goes on to win that it doesn’t mean anything. A title right before RG means confidence going into it. A win against Rafa’s biggest ribsl, no matter how it happens, is a big deal!
There. There you are, NNY.
Voice of reason. It’s a confidence boost for the winner – a win is a win.
The question I asked myself last week after Novak won Madrid: is he really going to win the Madrid – Rome double. Answer: No. That’s for those who can recover more quickly. Back to back 1000’s are still tough, though they are not best of five anymore.
I’m satisfied with Rafa winning Rome and Nole winning Madrid. And Fogna winning Monte Carlo 😀 Thiem winning Barcelona, Tsitsipas winning Estoril. It’s all good.
Rafa remains the favorite to win RG. Vamos!
Delpo showed that he should not be overlooked when he plays any GS. And a good draw will mean a great deal. It’s tough when any time you get a Riley Opelka and then who knows what else. I think Rafa could handle Opelka in straight sets.
A win against Rafa’s biggest RIVAL, is a big deal!
Yup that is what i said it can be a biggest curse or the biggest boon after the match was pushed three
The FHDTL has been the killer
Yes that forehand DTL did the damage. Nice to see it.
It’s a measure of Rafa’s confidence when he uses his his lethal DTL killer shot.
How many times has Djokovic been handed a bagel? in his career?
Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamos😃😃😃😃😃😃
Our man is back😃😃😃😃😃
Omg I come here hoping to get a feeler for how the match is going. A 6-0 set in 54 mins.. and then I see epic comeback…geezz.. but somehow knew things were going Nadal’s way 3rd set .. so happy and watching the ceremony now. Damn I think a lot of guys aren’t too confident until he crosses the line … But thanks guys..
Rafa just beat the guy who gave him a spanking in the final of the Australian Open. It’s a very, very big deal
👍 Cheryl!
Cheryl,
Yes! Well said!
😀
Well done. When Nadal played calmly the results were 6-0 and 6-1 sets. Although I still cannot believe that he got nervous and lost that 2nd set.
Congrats to Rafa and all his family and fans. Very happy for all!
Thanks Elizabeth! And condolences to you and your fave, Novak. I think he was rather tired – he’ll be back to compete again.
Great win for Rafa, vamos!!!
Big confidence booster for Rafa, for sure. It doesn’t make me view Novak as any less of a co-favorite with Rafa for RG, as beating Novak at Slam again is a much taller task than Rome. As I said yesterday, If Rafa doesn’t have to face Novak at RG, just go ahead and give him the trophy. But if he does have to see Novak at RG, it’s a toss-up. We’ve seen how much Novak flips a switch when he’s on good form and faces Rafa or Fed at the majors. Outside of winning AO or Wimbledon again, I think that beating Novak at a major en route to the title would be the greatest thing for Rafa. And RG is where he can feel the most confidence that he can do that again. He’s beaten Novak there more times than I can count, he just hasn’t done it in 5 years, and those Slam losses do build up a mental mountain. Beating Novak at RG would be absolutely monumental for Rafa, and we know he can do it. Personally, I have faith he can, but it will be one of his greatest mental challenges. He’s overcome so many big hurdles in his career, so it’s nothing new to him.
So proud of our Rafa!!! Bravo Champ
I predicted a while ago Rafa will be ready to win Rome title! And he played very well in this final!
Get ready, Paris! Healthy and motivated Rafa is coming!
Vamos Champ!!! ❤️❤️❤️💪💪🍾
So Tsitsipas was the only one who escaped a bagel😳🥯
So, Rafa gets more breakfast food, a bagel and a breadstick, lol! OK, a bit of castor oil in between.
I do not agree that Rafa “needed” a title going into RG. Rafa knows when he’s playing well and, more important, improving still. He’s won RG 11 times. He knows when he’s playing at a level that will let him win, barring “accidents”. But it’s very nice indeed for him to have his ninth Rome title. Vamos Rafa!
When Rafa played calmly, the results were 6-0 and 6-1. Still I cannot believe he got nervous and lost set 2. Hitting big forehands on important points in set 3 should give him a lot of confidence.
This win will give Nadal a ton a confidence at the French.
👍
I voted for Rafa in 3 sets. But I was prepared for him to lose. I just wanted him to make it competitive. That second set was weird. Rafa had his chances to break. But he handed out a bagel and a breadstick in sets one and three.
It won’t determine what happens at RG, but it was very important for Rafa to break the drought and get a title. The fact that he got it against Novak, was the icing on the cake. It will mean that Rafa goes into RG with confidence and momentum. He got his title. Right before RG. Most important of all, he played his best tennis.
Well done Rafa!
🥰
The one big change I saw today was that Nadal was easily able to counter Novak’s bhdtl using his backhand cc. This shot has certainly gotten better.
Novak still has the serving edge over Rafa. He gets a lot more aces than him, which was a key factor in Wimbledon last year. Might not be as much of a factor in RG
Net Net, I think Rafa’s Rome SF and F level will be enough to get him a 12th RG crown.
I did not get to see the match…….but I cant be more elated than I am right now!!
See you at RG Rafa!!
VAMOS!!!
This was quite a day for Rafa lovers!
Rafa coming out agressive surprised me,but honestly it’s the only way to put Novak on the ropes. It was a pity that Rafa couldn’t get the job done in straights,but credit to Novak for holding up well there,despite clearly tired.
Some edges to be file in Rafa’s game (especially the ROS) but he’s getting there,match by match!
People were fast to dismiss Rafa once again,affirming that he was done for good and all that stuff… You can never forget that Rafa is the ultimate fighter and will always give his all to comeback to his best level,despite all the pain he has to endure!
Vamos King of Clay!
It’s a measure of Rafa’s confidence when he uses his his lethal DTL killer shot.
How many times has Djokovic been handed a bagel? in his career?
ed,
Yes I think the forehand DTL was the shot that did the damage. That shot is crucial when Rafa is playing Novak.
They said on the tennis channel that this is the first time Novak was bageled playing Rafa.
😍
Looking at the match, Rafa did almost all the things i thought he should do in this match:
He was aggressive, he played on the baseline, he shortened the points, took the ball early!!!! It was a great match tactically!!
Hope his demons have now been arrested!!
Now I see many pll are proclaiming Novak was tired…..maybe but so was Rafa!! Sigh!!
For years Rafa has been winning all the the clay court tourneys AND RG. He was not tired?!! Seriously, how could tire be forwarded as an excuse?! Rafa is tired too, and coming off injury!!
Novak got bageled and was given a breadstick! I think order is restored after the AO19 annihilation!
If Novak was tired it’s because he had to fight his way to the final, losing 36 games whilst Rafa only lost 13 games.
How could Rafa be tired??
Deserved winner, got his tactics right and he needed this title.
Having said that, it hasn’t been a great tournamnent with all the delays and rescheduling.
Talk to Fed about having to play two matches in one day! That obviously cost him. At 37 that was brutal. But it’s the sport.
This time Novak did not get any walkovers. He had to play his way into the final and by all rights he should have lost to Delpo. But if he has a few tough 3 set matches, that’s the way it goes.
Rafa was the better player today. Period.
They’re both older now, its not 2011 when Djoko had a really tough semi against Murray then still managed to beat Rafa quite easily the next day.
I wasn’t making excuses for Djoko. was thinking more of other players like Thiem,whose performance was disappointing most likely because of the delays.
ALL the players played 2 matches on Thursday not just Djokovic.
How the fk did Djokovic win a set. Im done with sports betting.
Because he’s a great champion
That’s very insightful. Loses 2 sets 61 and 61 but manages to win the 2nd because Nadal lacked discipline more like it.
Its been a while since Rafa has his ups and downs in matches!!
Rafa got more match play under his belt, good for him.
NNY, I agree about Delpo choking that match away. I think these two matches exposed Novak and it will give other guys confidence against him.
Rafa i feel is peaking nicely, pray no injuries.
Monalisa,
Yes, we agree about Delpo choking it away. He had the match on his racket. But he let Novak win the last four or five points of that TB.
Delpo’s powerful ground strokes were too much for Novak. For whatever reason, he just could not finish it to get the win.
I also agree that we can look at the three set match as Rafa getting more match play. He was hardly going to be tired after getting knocked out in three semi finals. I also think that losing the second set and then coming out strong to convincingly win the third set, was a good thing for Rafa’s confidence.
That DTL forehand just changes the dynamic when Rafa plays Novak. That shot did so much damage. Rafa’s movement was phenomenal. He was everywhere, like the energizer bunny. Who would have thought that in a three set match with Novak, Rafa would serve up a bagel and a breadstick? How impressive was that!
Rafa needed this match mire than Novak. But I also thought that Novak was not as mentally strong as I thought he would be, after he was broken in the first game of the third set, he had a meltdown and never really recovered.
Rafa is now in a good position for RG. There is nothing like bearing your biggest rival! Rafa is peaking at the right time.
As much as Novak knows how to beat Rafa and has had the psychological edge, Novak knows he must play his best against Rafa or he will lose. Novak has tremendous respect for Rafa’s game and vice versa. I just wish instead it was at a point where we would not tell who would win when these two play!
Agree Rafa peaked at just the right moment –– but I was still nervous before the match began even though I it was clear Djokovic was way below his usual level. Dropping the second set after dishing out a bagel didn’t come as a big surprise: Rafa has a tendency to go walk about in the second set. He even did it on his way to winning his first Olympic Gold in 2008!
Have Just spotted that neither Djokovic nor Federer have ever won an Olympic Gold !in singles,
Correct. Fed has a silver in singles (2012) and a gold in doubles (2008). Djokovic has a bronze in singles (2008). Murray has two golds in singles! (2012, 2016). Delpo has a silver in singles (2016) and Nishikori got the bronze that year. I don’t remember who got the bronze in 2012.
I think it was Djoko ( bronze).He lost to Murray in 2012 on grass,who went on to beat Fed in the final.
Delpo won bronze. He defeated Djokovic
I’ve only now been able to watch the match. Obviously a very impressive win for Nadal. I actually don’t know how Djokovic won that second set, because it looked like it should have been over in 2. This was Rafa’s best clay match of the year, even better than the semi-final. His groundstrokes were deep and heavy, his FH down the line was firing, and his serve was good overall.
However…I don’t think we can draw too much from this match. Djokovic was clearly out of gas (as was Tsitsipas) and said as much afterwards. He was terrible on the short balls early in the match, and failed to capitalize even when he had an advantage in the rally. I’d say he was at least two steps below his best. Would his best have won today? I don’t know, because Rafa was so good, but the fact that he was able to win a set even at this low level tells me that his best will still be hard to beat even by Nadal on clay, assuming Novak can find that level at RG (which is not a given). So, congrats to Nadal and his fans! I doubted him and am still not totally convinced, but his path to this title was undeniably convincing.
I’ve only now been able to watch the match. Obviously a very impressive win for Nadal. I actually don’t know how Djokovic won that second set, because it looked like it should have been over in 2. This was Rafa’s best clay match of the year, even better than the semi-final. His groundstrokes were deep and heavy, his FH down the line was firing, and his serve was good overall.
However, I don’t think we can draw too much from this match. Djokovic was clearly out of gas (as was Tsitsipas) and said as much afterwards. He was terrible on the short balls early in the match, and failed to capitalize even when he had an advantage in the rally. I’d say he was at least two steps below his best. Would his best have won today? I don’t know, because Rafa was so good, but the fact that he was able to win a set even at this low level tells me that his best will still be hard to beat even by Nadal on clay, assuming Novak can find that level at RG (which is not a given).
I’d say he was at least two steps below his best. Would his best have won today? I don’t know, because Rafa was so good, but the fact that he was able to win a set even at this low level tells me that his best will still be hard to beat even by Nadal on clay, assuming Novak can find that level at RG (which is not a given).
So, congrats to Nadal and his fans! I doubted him and am still not totally convinced, but his path to this title was undeniably convincing.
Graciously said, Joe. As for your doubts, Nadal himself has doubts, always. He says he needs them.
Rafa doesn’t need you to be convinced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ILbzAGI_g4
ed251137 but Rafa has a singles and doubles gold medal 🙂
Ah yes, forgot about the doubles!
I’m glad that Rafa has beaten Djoker so convincingly before RG because he has lost to him too many times lately. That should help Rafa’s mindset although Rafa maintains that his losses were all about how his body was holding up.
People who are complaining about Djokovic getting the wrong end of the schedule didn’t complain on Stan’s behalf when at the USO in 2016, Djoker had 2 retirements and a WO getting to the final having completed only 3 matches whilst Stan had played 6 matches. Djokovic benefits from more WOs than anyone else.
Tell them Nadline, esp for those with short memories!
Just last week in Madrid he had a w/o and the commies were lamenting whether it would sere him well!! And oh yes it did!!
Its his fault that he could not put away Delpo and Swartz in sr8t sets! And in tennis, its called occupational hazard, lol!!
Nadaline 10 i wish you would go over to tennis-x and tell that to the Novak excuse makers over there, saying he wasnt going all out for the win, tanking blah blah, two Argentinians gassed him out, saving himself for RG blah blah , i wish some people would accept that Rafa was actually better than him on this occasion ….
Nadalie 10 and Monalisa great posts, i wish you both would go over to another forum , and explain this to all the Novak excuse makers ….
Alison, Oh boy, I have read them! And I am not too upset about fans trying to defend the performance of their fav player but some of the excuses are so lame!!
I mean if Novak can be tired after playing 2 3-setters now, what’s going to happen at RG where it is very possible that he has to play two matches in one day which has happened to Rafa at RG!
What about the match Rafa played against Roger in AO2009 after playing Verdasco?!!! Rafa wasn’t tired?! Sure he was younger then but these were two brutal matches and he won them both!!!! Isn’t Novak supposed to be the fittest on tour…….gluten-free an all, lol!!!
Sean Randall is not a Rafa fan consequently, he encourages Fed fans and lately Djoker fans to say whatever they want.
Hey there are NO excuses! People here have gone on and on about how Rafa fans always make excuses for his losses. So NO excuses for Novak!
Rafa was the better player today! Enough said!
Sorry, who’s making excuses?
Hello! Alison referenced another forum where they are making excuses! I read that some commentators talked about Novak being tired.
How about Novak being two steps below his best! When I think of the crap I had to read about how Rafa was still injured when he lost in the semis of three clay tournaments, it just makes me sick!
Rafa had to get his form abs strength back after the knee injury in I/W, it seems that he has finally gotten there.
I have been reading online about Novak having two tough 3 set matches before the final. Please! No walkovers this time!
When Novak was broken in the first game of the third set and had a meltdown and smashed his racket, that seemed to give Rafa the advantage. The tennis channel commies said that he never recovered from it. Rafa went on to easily take that set and the match. Since when does Novak fall apart like that? He is the one who should have had the mental advantage after all his wins against Rafa recently. Yet Rafa was the one who showed superior mental strength. That is why this victory was so satisfying on so many levels.
I watched the match again and there was a lot to like about Rafa’s performance. He plated his best and beat the number 1 player. Well done!
The day before the match they were all saying Novak was going to annihilate Rafa! The day after the match, Novak was tired! Sigh!!!!!!
Hi all, I didn’t get to see the first set but managed to watch the later part of second set and the whole of third set.
I read that Rafa was aggressive with his FHDTL shots to bagel Djoko in set one. When I saw the second set, Djoko seemed to fight hard and Rafa backed off a bit; I was worried then that Rafa might lose the third set when Djoko won the second 7-5. The Doha 2010 final against Davy came to my mind – Rafa bageled Davy in set one, lost the second, and then lost the third in a TB if I’m not wrong.
When Rafa came out so aggressive against a top notch opponent, he usually won the first set easily but, he normally couldn’t keep up the intensity and so his opponent might then win the second. The third set could then be a toss up. I was so worried the this would happen against Djoko.
I have to say Djoko was dead tired after first winning Madrid and then here at Rome had to fight past two long matches to reach the final. Well, that’s the thing about the draw, Djoko had it easy at Madrid – one walkover, and then got some help from Fed in softening Thiem a bit, and some help from Rafa in softening Tsitsipas.
At 32, he’s already doing well in reaching two B2B finals, winning one. As I suspected, winning two B2B titles in B2B weeks was just too much to ask for. Djoko couldn’t win his sunshine doubles after winning them in 2016, and that was with a week in between though having to play two more matches.
I’m so happy for Rafa, this win will certainly boost his confidence; I think he’s really very determined to beat Djoko for the title – ending the title drought and stopping the winning streak of Djoko against him.
Rafa can still work to serve and return better, which I think will be motivation for him to continue improving. I’m looking forward to the day when he can successfully merge both his defensive and his new found offensive game together and playing that way going forward.
Congrats and Vamos Rafa, go get the FO title! Congrats to my fellow Rafa fans, we are certainly very happy and very pleased with the results and the performance Rafa put forth this week in Rome. Title no. 9, and defending it from last year (which took him a good five years to win it again after 2013!).
Yes! What matters is how Rafa is playing, not whether Djokovic was tired or not. Rafa’s playing really well! I know that not only because of what happen-ed in Rome and what I saw but because Rafa SAYS so. He knows when he’s playing well – or not – and he says so.
Correction: Djoko won the second set 6-4.
Rafa has now won at least a title in each of the last sixteen years (from 2004 to 2019), winning at least a big title in 14 of them (2004, 2015 he didnt win at least a masters). He’s inside the top ten in 15 of those 16 years! Impressive!
Luckystar, when Rafa and Roger used to get all the night matches, Djokovic’s fans used to complain that he was being ignored. If he was tired it’s because he didn’t win his matches easily because whilst Rafa only lost 13 games to the final, Djokovic lost 36 games and was within one point to losing to Delpo.
At Rio in 2016, Rafa finished his night match at 3 am and had to play his next round the next day losing to Fognini. No one made any excuses for Rafa then and Fognini was praised for his achievement of beating Rafa on clay.
Djokovic has had more WOs and retirements than anyone. He’s benefitted from good luck so often so let’s give Rafa the credit he’s due. Djokovic is never tired, let’s face it.
Ok ok you guys win. Anyway I’m not complaining as long as Rafa wins the title.
luckystar, I have huge respect for you but cut the crap about djokovic being tired, it was 2 weeks not 5 weeks and 3 setters is a given with del potro who was supposed to win that match anyway.
But djokovic produced his best in set two to win it against rafa if not there’s no way in hell he would have won it, rafa should have won in two. 6-0 6-2 and i am being generous. but djoko produced his best in set two and won it, then rafa changed his strategy and destroyed him in set 3, period.
In set 1 it was the fhdtl while in set 3 it was a combination of the fhdtl and ccbackhand. Case closed.
I’ll be so happy with rafa winning his 12th french open and i believe he will regardless of djokovic, period.
Djoko was definitely tired, he kept bailing out of rallies. He went for a whole bunch of drop shots he wouldn’t have otherwise gone for.
It’s not really surprising given he played back to back tough matches, plus physically he just hasn’t been in top form since the AO.
That’s not any excuse, it’s just where he’s realistically at for fitness, he got fatigued.
Credit to Rafa for being good enough to crush his opponents fairly quickly and avoid 3 set slogs in a tournament that’s physically demanding, he was clearly too good for Djoko on the day.
Djokovic should have gone out in the QF to Delpo.
Djokovic is considered the warrior, the fittest man on tour, except for when he loses, then its all , he was tired, not playing to win, saving himself for the FO blah, blah, why cant people just accept that a better player won on the day, Djokovic is like all great champions, same as Rafa, same as Roger, with a huge ego, he aint gonna like losing to one of his greatest rivals, sorry but im not bying that for one single minute, its not in his or any other all time greats DNA ….
Djokovic was slaughtered by the King of Clay! Nothing new or unusual.
If Djokovic managed to win a set with no legs whatsover underneath him, imagine what he can do when he’s fresh. I reckon he’s thinking exactly the same thing and Im tipping him to win RG this year.
How can his legs be fresh when he has to play BO5 and seven matches over two weeks? He’s not young anymore and after some heavy duties during this clay season, I doubt he’s all that fresh. Furthermore, he’s more susceptible to going long distances in his earlier round matches than Rafa, all the more he won’t be that fresh physically.
I rest my case too, Luckystar!!
And moreover, there might well be a chance that the players end up playing tow matches in one day if the weather decided to be uncooperative!!! We see it happen almost every year!!
If he ended up with no legs battling with Delpo who is finding his way back and no tools Diego that’s his problem. People are just in denial that Rafa took Djoker to the bakery on Sunday.
Its because he wasnt match fit, this was evident at the start of the clay court season when he lost early in Monte carlo. He is now most liekly match fit and will be able to withstand some tough matches.
He lost the Rome final at the expense of improved fitness and had no business winning set 2 against Nadal. Nadal wouldve won that 2:0 9 times out of 10 and the fact that he lost that set is consistent with his inconsistency during the clay court season hus far.
Djokovic will be thinking how easy it is to win a set when he thought he was going to lose 60 60 before the match started.
Djokovic will win RG this year, mark my words.
Ha!!! Nadline, that’s putting it mildly!
^ Exactly ^….
Eaxctly your bum
By the way, is anyone going to RG this year? I would love to meet one of our Grandstand members, lol!!
Yes, and Im sure Ive seen a picture of you somewhere!
Lol, where?
Joke.A rather famous picture
I envy you guys. Would love to get to RG some day…
I’ll be there the whole 2 weeks!
Oh really Ricky?! Well hope we bump into each other, lol!!
absolutely!
Interesting to reread these discussions after Madrid compared to now…its only one week, in which Nadal sorts all his problems and Djoko’s legs aren’t going to get him through RG…
Maybe…
I can’t remember anytime since 2011 when Djoker has been hampered by fatigue. He explained this by saying he uses the CVAC chamber to recover. So no excuses, please. No matter what his apologists say, Djoker will know why he was so comprehensively beaten by Rafa on Sunday and he’ll know it wasn’t to do with being tired.
When I watch Djoker’s matches, the one thing I notice is that his game is 90% accuracy from the baseline and he mops up points from UEs from his opponents when they get fed-up of the ping pong, go for a winner and miss. The players who beat Djokovic, take him away from the baseline and mix it up a bit – players like Stan and B-Agut. They don’t let him get into a comfortable rhythm defending the baseline then wrong foot him all the time, very much like what Rafa did to him on Sunday.
I hope Rafa continues to play him like this.
I agree, Djoko is super strong from the baseline, so to beat him you have to take away his time so that he’ll feel rushed and thus will make more errors. If not, then you have to over power him from the baseline, the way Stan did in the past.
What’s the problem? The conditions in Rome are more favorable to Rafa’s game than Madrid. Nothing has changed. As far as Rsfa finding his form, it looks like he is feeling stronger and has gotten his physical strength back since he had the knee injury. He did not have much time after I/W to recover. But it all came together in Rome. Anyone with eyes could see that Rafa played his best tennis in Rome.
As far as Novak, he just did not seem on his game. He usually would peak in the final. I do not buy for one minute that back-to-back three set matches took it out of him.
No need to have a hissy fit or get sarcastic. Novak can certainly find his best form at RG. Rafa is now in a position to peak and find his best form at RG. Like he has so many times in the past.
Sorry, my comment at 5:18 pm was in response to Big Al’s comment at 10:46pm.
Ill have to read back over the comments after Madrid after Djoko played so well , and struggling Nadal hadn’t won a clay title this year, so naturally his fans were a bit worried. But I never doubted Nadal would play better this week and always said he was the favourite for RG.Djoko was obviously struggling after his three setters while Nadal was in great form and I knew he would win .So Im not sure what your point is ?
You choose not to get my point! It’s that simple. More disrespect.
Novak does not get tired after three set matches. His fitness is unquestioned. I don’t think he was strong mentally in that match and that is surprising considering his recent wins against Rafa. The fact that Novak cooks not put away a Delpo coming back from injury and Schwartzman, taking three sets to go it, is s sign that he was not on his game. He can still get there at RG.
There are no excuses for that loss in the final! Novak had all the advantages going into that match. Rafa was the superior player that day. He outplayed Novak and also showed more mental strength.
Of course Rafa’s fans would be concerned after Madrid. Thai is only normal. Then we had to read on here that Rafa had to still be injured. By a Fed fan! Well he was not still injured. He just needed time after the knee injury to get his physical strength back.
I am done trying to reason with someone who uses rudeness and condescending comments.
I never said Novak was tired or his legs wouldn’t get him through RG.Others did. The point of my post at 10.46pm was that in one week there was a big switch in general opinion of who the favourite for RG was. Only one week.
Having said that,maybe Nole was a bit tired having reached back to back finals and far more time on court than Nadal.
Maybe you should stop looking for things that aren’t there?
Condescending? And then you turn it around, while giving your own disrespect to all ‘Fedfans’ .
Who cares?
Nothing to read into the past few weeks on clay, as far as predicting a winner at RG is concerned. Nadal is still the favourite , but theres been a different winner at each of the clay warm up events, so its much more open than in other years.
Womens even more so, really looking forward to it.
But while Rafa played a good tactical match, Djoko did lose a significant number of unforced errors, mainly smashes, volleys and other point finishing shots .
Big Al, that’s because Rafa was dictating the rallies consequently Djoker was forced to play volleys and overhead smashes when he wasn’t ready for them because he wasn’t controlling the points.
There were a few times though, that a routine putaway would have won the point and they were important moments matches are lost on them.
Yep, the Djokosmash was back in all its dubious glory! His droppers were going astray too. I didn’t think his volleys were that bad.
The RG draw is live now on Eurosport 2 on AmazonPrime if you’re in the UK.
Oh?! I was wondering about that!
Hope Rafa gets a good draw!
Yeah, Rafa seems to have a favourable draw!
VAMOS, Rafa!!!
Hi MonaLisa are you Amy, just curious, as you sound very similar 🙂
Lol, Alison. no I’m not Amy.
No problem hun, your both great posters, so two for the price of one lol 🙂