Rafael Nadal will get his shot at revenge against Stefanos Tsitsipas when they clash on a second consecutive semifinal Saturday, this time at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Tsitsipas just took down Nadal 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the Madrid semis last weekend, but that does not necessarily mean the straits are dire for the Spaniard heading into this one. He still leads the head-to-head series 3-1, having dominated their first three contests all in straight sets.
Still, there is plenty of pressure on Nadal–and not just because he is surely so eager for revenge. In three previous clay-court appearances this spring, he did not reach the final on any occasion. Coming off a knee injury in Indian Wells, the world No. 2 can spin three straight semifinal showings as a positive. But, of course, it isn’t.
“(It is) good news I have been able to be back again in the semifinals (with) another three straight victories,” Nadal said following a 6-4, 6-0 rout of Fernando Verdasco on Friday. “I have been in that round during the last five events. First one I didn’t have the chance to play, Indian Wells. The next three, Monte-Carlo, Barcelona, Madrid, I lost in this round–semifinals. But (to) be there all the time is good news.
“What happened (last week in Madrid), I know. The solution, I know. The execution is not easy. The theory is always easy, but the execution is much more difficult. Tennis is a simple sport. After a lot of years here, I know what happened last week, and I going to try to do it better.”
Meanwhile, Tstisipas has been one of the best players on tour in 2019. The 20-year-old Greek is 29-10 with two titles and a runner-up performance in Madrid, leaving him at No. 3 in the live race to London. Tsitsipas has been both lucky and good so far in Rome, disposing of Jannick Sinner and Fabio Fognini in straight sets before getting a quarterfinal walkover from Roger Federer.
Some much-needed rest was just what the doctor ordered for an overworked Tsitsipas, but Nadal also conserved energy earlier in the week. The second seed has dropped a mere six games through three matches and he baked a bagel set once against all three opponents en route to the semis (Jeremy Chardy, Nikoloz Basilashvili, and Fernando Verdasco).
With his confidence being restored and playing in much more favorable conditions than at Madrid Masters, Nadal will likely take his revenge without a ton of trouble.
Pick: Nadal in 2
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Nadal in 2.
Rafa looks focused…in 2🎾💪
I have a feeling Nadal is going to win handily this time.
Indeed!!! Last time he just did not want to meet Novak, lol!!!!
Monalisa, that did cross my mind because Rafa is still in his comeback mode and he spared himself another loss to Djoker. Quite how Novak wins so many matches is a puzzle to me because he doesn’t seem to have an overwhelming game apart from defending the baseline.
Nadline, seriously I feel that’s exactly what it is!! He did not want to suffer another loss to Novak at this stage. Rafa played Stan so well and for some inexplicable reason he just played so badly in that match!! I just turned off my TV!! If its Novak and Rafa tomorrow it will be a good test for Rafa so he knows exactly where he is at in his game so he can make adjustments going into RG!! Win or lose, I just want him to play aggressively and not look too passive out there like at AO!!
As for Novak’s game. I have always liked it from the first time he came on tour! I have to admit. He has it all, but his return game is what really amazes me! Some will say his game is too mechanic/robotic but he gets the job done, lol! He has a crisp game which is what i think Rafa lacks!
As for Rafa, he still needs to work on adjusting his position at the baseline! If he does not he will not fair well at RG! He could have lost less games if he was a bit more aggressive today, too many short balls!! If he plays like that tomorrow, he will not fair well either!!
VAMOS Rafa!!!!
Yay for your “good feeling”!
I remember 2010 when you had a feeling that Rafa would win his first USO! Ricky said “not this year” but you believed.
Yay for your “good feeling”!
I remember 2010 when you had a feeling that Rafa would win his first USO! Ricky said “not this year” but you believed.
Once again I didn’t see the second set of Nadal’s win over Verdasco. But the first set should not be encouraging for Nadal fans, imo. Verdasco was dominating the match at the start and had break points to go up 4-1. What happened next was basically that he ran out of gas, not surprising given that he is 35 and played two 3 setters yesterday. He had 3 BPs at 4-4, but Nadal saved them with some brilliant serving. Overall, the change in direction that the match took was mostly Verdasco running out of energy and dropping his level of play considerably.
For those who think Nadal will win fairly easily, remember that everyone here, including Ricky and Cheryl, thought the same thing in Madrid -indeed, were even more confident. Tsitsipas will benefit enormously from his day off yesterday and will be a recharged 20 year old with a rapidly improving game and loads of confidence from just having beaten Nadal. Perhaps he will underplay, but if he plays his best I think he is now the favorite. Stefanos in 3.
test
For those who think Nadal will win fairly easily, remember that everyone here, including Ricky and Cheryl, thought the same thing in Madrid -indeed, were even more confident. Tsitsipas will benefit enormously from his day off yesterday and will be a recharged 20 year old with a rapidly improving game and loads of confidence from just having beaten Nadal. Perhaps he will underplay, but if he plays his best I think he is now the favorite. Stefanos in 3.
Same with Rafa joe….If he plays his best,he will send Tsitsi home in straight sets…
And insyaallah he will show the youngster who’s the master on clay this time around…C’mon Rafa!…woohooo!!
I don’t think so, Mira. In the past, sure. But current Rafa at his best is no longer better than this Tsisitpas at his best, in my humble opinion.
Oh that’s alright joe!….I guess we would know soon enuff today…tho true too that Rafa shows vulnerability this year…but since he was born on clay & not at the hospital(according to Nick Bolletieri) i choose to still believe in him joe…He can comeback & play great anytime…Have a nice nite/morning joe!
Okay joe!…Noted!…As for me,i still believe in Rafa bcoz…well…he was born on clay,not at the hospital(according to Nick Bolitieri)…so,he could make a come back anytime…besides,i hope u don’t forget this 2 just met at AO only 4 months ago with Rafa came out from that with flying colours…and Rafa too came from very limited preparation b4 AO..on HC nonetheless…
So,insyaallah Rafa in 2..or if he late to tame his nerves,in 3…
Hey Mira. ❤️ Miss you, girl.
Hey RC…Miss u more…💖💕
Please come back to the bracket, I miss your picks, honey hahahaha it’s true. When I see you there, even if you don’t post, it helps 😀 thanks.
I am in the Bracket RC!…Find me!hehehe….I’m with u all along ….Never left…
Tsitsipas will take confidence from the fact that Fed withdrew which is a concession that Fed believed he would most likely lose.
This will definately be harder, Tsitsipas is likely to think more in this encounter as opposed to playing mostly out of skin on adrenalin and instinct as a signficiant underdog in Madrid where the conditions were to his advantage. Nadal has lost just 6 games in 3 matches in Rome which suggests he’s back to playing close to his best.
It’s worth noting also that Nadal’s record in Rome is 8 titles and 10 finals compared to 5 titles and 8 finals in Madrid.
Nadal should win in 2 losing 8-10 games, however 3 sets is definately a possibility again. Im not seeing any chinks in Tsitipas’s game that suggests he is playing any worse than in Madrid.
Any reasonable person would have seen that the match in Madrid against Tsitsipas was a bad day at the office for Rafa. That wasn’t Rafa even playing at 50%.
He kinda won fairly easily, lol!
Rafa would most likely win this and RG given his last three matches here.
The King is back, 12th RG is almost in hand.
Nole would not be able to handle this kind of Rafa 🙂
Maybe, but how often will we see this kind of Rafa ? He’s just over injury , and could be again.
Interesting to see how Tsitsipas handles the occasion this time…slower clay than Madrid, but he’s a better matchup to Nadal than Verdasco .
nadal 6-3 6-2 revenge time for rafa! and hes looking very solid this week
I love both these players…but Rafa gets revenge…….in 2🎾💪
Rafa’s been hitting the wall brutally this week. Much better conditions for him so to me he is a heavy favourite.
Some of the bias here borders on being laughable! But expected!
The dumbest thing I have read is Tsitsipas taking confidence from Fed withdrawing so he would not lose! What a joke! Fed obviously wants to be ready for RG and if he had any nagging injury of problem he would want to deal with it. The idea of Fed being afraid to lose to anyone would be laughable if it wasn’t so insulting. He deserves better than that.,
Why there is this need to big up Tsitsipas, I have no idea. The bandwagon effect. One win against a sub-par Rafa equals invincibility. LOL!
Hello NNY,
nice to see you. Hope you are well.
It’s good to see Rafa playing so well before RG. But I’m glad He didn’t bagel Stafanos, 🙂
I think he going to win Rome – I picked him to win here in my bracket. Though I’m more of a Nole fan of course – I do like to see Rafa get a win clay masters win before RG.
Hi Elizabeth!
This is the best Rafa has looked so far. A nice way to rebound from that loss to Tsitsipas in Madrid. It is looking like Rafa is getting into really good form for RG. That is when he needs to peak. He is still missing some shots he would normally make. So he has another level or two to get there.
Aye, Aye, NNY!! But you know, I take this as a good thing! Everyone knows how difficult it is to beat Rafa esp on clay that whenever someone takes as much as a point from him on the surface it is a laudable achievement!!! That I find very endearing, lol!!!
Today I heard the commies talking about how many ppl have beaten Rafa at least twice on clay, ha, ha!!! Could u believe that they actually compile stats on that?!!! By the way, if Tipsi had won today, he would have been the eight!
The clay king has awoken in time for RG. Bring on Djokovic.
Nobody can beat this Nadal on clay.
😳 that is a little over the top i feel though i wish and pray it Is true. Rafa has looked very good in one match only to have a letdown in the next. Especially if it is Djokovic the doubts will be there. He is definitey playing better than he was at the start of the clay season but until he beats the big dogs one cannot predict anything
But some classic vintage Rafa shots on the run. If it is Djokovic tomorrow it will be a good test of what his true level is
Yes, Rafa wins the match and finally into his second final this season!
I’m just happy that Rafa has finally gotten into a final after reaching SFs in his past four events.
Tsitsipas looking angry when leaving the court, pissed with the umpire. But, he’s wrong thinking that his shots touched the lines when they didn’t, the umpire was right with the calls.
I’ve never seen such a confident or should I say over confident young man, he always thinks that he hits the lines and even celebrated the points before they’re called out. No wonder he keeps challenging and requesting the marks to be checked so often!
Back to Rafa, I don’t want to say whether he has played his best tennis or not, what is important is he reaches the final. He may win or he may lose in the final, but I feel that won’t dampen his spirit or his confidence for the coming FO. He had lost in the Rome finals in the past and still won at the FO, he had won only one clay Masters and rather unconvincingly, in 2014 yet he was able to win at the FO.
I think Rafa should be feeling positive after today, for he has played his best match so far this clay season (those FH winners were simply breathtaking!), and yet there’s still room for improvement (in particular his serve, his second deliveries need improvement).
So, its vamos Rafa, forward and upward!
Lucky, I agree about Tipsi! I was not happen when he told the chair ” I don’t know what you have against me” suggesting that the umpire was deliberately making bad calls against him! That was really not warranted. They should have cautioned him immediately like they did Serena when she told the chair he was a cheat, lol!!!
At the end of the day it is just a game! Bad calls are made sometimes, its inevitable! Players have to learn to just move on and play their best regardless!
PS: Tipsi thought he could beat Rafa, King of Clay, twice in a row on clay? Cmon Tipsi, what’s in your water, lol!!!
It’s Tsitsipas, Monalisa. Tipsi is Tipseravic 😀 And he did well to not get a bagel and a breadstick from Rafa. I kind of doubt he thought he could beat Rafa today – he’s been playing a ton of tennis. He has to be smart enough to realize he got lucky in Madrid, I’d guess.
And much as I love young Stefanos, he has yet to convince me of his stamina and what he can do in a best of five, come RG.
Stefanos is not cool with there being no hawkeye.
Elizabeth, ha!! Yeah, I was being deliberately lazy there, but noted!!
Talking about Tipsi, where is that guy?!!
Tipsy, Tipsa, is playing is qualifying for challengers lately 😀 but he will get a spot at FO, happy to say. He’s struggling tho. Poor Tipsa.
There should be hawkeye on clay. They sometimes use it in the replay on tennis tv, but almost always when it confirms the umpire call. I notice they didn’t use it on the point in the first set where Stefanos ended the point and the ump said it caught the baseline.
The reason to use hawkeye is simply to take the human element out of line-calling. It’s long overdue that they extended its use to clay.
It costs the players a lot in terms of stress without hawkeye – dumb they don’t have it in these big tournaments on clay.
Vital in a final like the one I’m watching: Pliskova vs Konta.
Pliskova did manage to get the first set. But Konta really is like a horse running home to the barn when it gets late in a set or close to the end lol
Tsitsi has a lot of self-belief, which is a good thing in a young player. Ironically the call he protested so hotly about was in fact correct.
To me, Rafa looked like the real Rafa, maybe for the first time this year. Must have been a shock for Tsitsi, who came out with his aggressive game plan that worked well in Madrid, only to find Rafa’s clay court game in excellent working order.
Now, dear Tsitsi, show some class and tweet Rafa a nice “thank you for the master class” ala Wawa.
I think Tsitsi will do pretty well in the majors this year and better next year. He’s still a growing boy and the Big Three are not getting any younger.
I do feel Tsitsipas sometimes gets ahead of himself. I feel he thinks he has now beaten the big three so he should be right up there with them now, probably among the top five.
If he wins the SF, he really will be no. 5 in the rankings, which may be why he looked so pissed after the loss.
Of course the big three that he has beaten are well past their peak even though they’re still there in the top three. Tsitsipas obviously is not there yet but he hasn’t even reached his full potential or his peak. He has to be patient and continues to work on his game for further improvement.
I really like him and his game, he has Fed’s all court attacking game yet he’s still able to stay back and plays the point construction game like Rafa. He’s also mentally tough, so who knows, one day when he’s at his peak, he may be as good as the big three during their peak! It’s possible, and we shall wait and see how things unfold, just hope that he stays humble and not be too full of himself.
Looking at Tsitsipas, Sasha,FAA, Coric and Thiem, I could see some resemblance in their game style to that of the old guards.
Tsitsipas – Fed, Sasha – Delpo, FAA and Coric – Djoko, Thiem – Stan. I couldn’t make up which player Shapo’s game resembles, which left hander plays with such aggression and goes for broke?
I’ve to add, Tsitsipas is good from both wings, I feel his BH is really a weapon, better than Fed’s imo during Fed’s younger days. He could go CC and DTL from both wings, I feel if he plays consistently well with his all court attacking game, he may be the one who threatens Djoko the most on all surfaces going forward. His foot work and foot speed are great, and is able to stay with or hang in there with the big three from point to point.
I think he’ll reach top five pretty soon this year.
I think Taitpas played pretty well. Otherwise the scoreline line would have included a bagel or breadstick.
The down the line winners have definitely started flowing and the colm has returned. A lot of winners today.
And the intensity was there throughout the match.
I think Rafa is very close to his best level.
Rafa’s getting his sensations on court back,so nice to watch him play more solid and with the usual sting of his FH back in the mix! Also,he’s moving faster than he was in MC,so that’s very much needed improvements. Being able to keep up the high intensity throughout the match was really great,many positives for us,Rafans,to take ahead of RG!
Bring the Djokodal in Rome!
Djoko is playing very well despite having long matches. In fact I find him scarily good because he’s hitting with depth, even painting the lines and he’s moving his opponent from left to right and right to left!
He’s using the dropshots so well, winning many points with that. I noticed that his opponents – Delpo and Schwarzman are playing from so far back, giving Djoko so much time to move inside the court to control the points.
Rafa plays from so far back so I think playing against Djoko, that’ll be a disadvantage. Djoko enjoys all the rallying when he could move his opponent around.
As good as how Rafa is playing now, I think its still not top notch, at least not yet, so I feel Djoko will have the upper hand should they meet here; unless, Rafa comes out with something special.
Djokovic’s strength is accuracy from the baseline, he barely misses. You have to play aggressive against him and surprise him. It’s pointless playing ping pong with him.