Novak Djokovic took a circuitous route to make it happen, but the highly-anticipated Rome quarterfinal showdown between Djokovic and Rafael Nadal has come to fruition. They will meet again on Friday, with the winner to face either Kei Nishikori or Dominic Thiem.
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal will be squaring off for the 49th time in their careers when they collide again in the quarterfinals of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Friday afternoon.
Djokovic, who pulled even with Nadal at 23-23 with a World Tour Finals semifinal victory last fall, is now leading the head-to-head series 25-23. He prevailed earlier this season 6-1, 6-2 in the Doha title match and 7-6(5), 6-2 in the Indian Wells semis. Djokovic is on a six-match winning streak at Nadal’s expense and has won 13 consecutive sets, but the last four of those matches (and eight of the sets) have come on hard courts. Clay should give the world No. 5 a much better chance, and he is 13-6 against Djokovic on this surface. Nadal has won three of their five previous Rome encounters, but Djokovic most recently got the job done 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the 2014 final.
The top-ranked Serb made his trek to Friday’s quarterfinal contest more interesting than necessary, but he rebounded from a first-set bagel at the hands of Thomaz Bellucci to survive 0-6, 6-2, 6-3 on Thursday night. He preceded that result by scraping past qualifier Stephane Robert 7-5, 7-5, so it is safe to say Djokovic has showcased nothing close to his best stuff so far this week. The top seed lost to Jiri Vesely right off the bat in Monte-Carlo last month, but he bounced back from that performance by capturing the Madrid title.
Nadal also dropped the first set of his third-round affair before overcoming Nick Kyrgios 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4. The Spaniard is now 49-4 lifetime at the Rome Masters with seven titles. The recent Monte-Carlo champion, who preceded his defeat of Kyrgios by beating Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3, is 27-7 for the season and 15-1 on the current clay-court swing.
Although Djokovic’s form has been less than outstanding in Rome, he can expected to inevitably raise his level against tougher competition. After all, he is 24-1 in his last 25 sets against top-15 competition dating back to his semifinal victory over Roger Federer at the Australian Open. The surface will help Nadal make this one competitive and probably even steal a set, but Djokovic will likely extend his streak to seven against the nine-time French Open champion.
Pick: Djokovic in 3
[polldaddy poll=9415567]
who ya got?
I want and wish Rafa to win ….. but I think Novak will win in 2 sets with tb
be my wish fullfilled 🙂
Agreed on both counts.
Djoker in three but it could go the way of Rafa if he brings something special and Novak starts slow like he has been lately. Should be a good match. I want Stan to keep the #4 ranking but at the same time I still want Rafa to take this matchup. If he does he will surely make the final, thus giving him the four seed heading into RG. Boy would I love to see him take down Novak.
My heart says Rafa but the mind says otherwise…. Nevertheless Rafa has a chance of clinching a set if Novak doesn’t come out all guns firing…. Let us hope that Rafa doesn’t have a meltdown…
Agreed.
Novak in 2 sets. Seen this movie before. Novak struggling before rafa and turning into superman agaonst rafa:(. Wish rafa catches a break.
Novak 64 62
Score will be closer.
Rafa is beating Novak in 2, maybe 3 sets. Rafa just needs to play slightly better than he did today.
Well, let’s face it: being bageled by Bellucci is not something to be ignored…Novak also had hard time beating Robert (who??) and was trailing in the second set…I always said the time will soon come when Novak will not be able to play like a machine…he is human after all…and he no longer looks invisible…
Rafa certainly can beat this Novak…the thing is whether Rafa believes he can do it…I want Rafa to play freely with no pressure…he should just let his tennis talk instead of overthinking about what happened in their recent encounters…
Rafa is on the upward path…Novak is showing signs of vulnerability…and there is no POD in Europe…Novak will have to rely on his gluten-free diet only…
Rafa will come out strong! Novak as well will raise his level… but it remains to be seen whether or not Rafa has improved sufficiently enough to remain calm and confident to be able to beat his nemesis…
All I want is for Rafa to play to win instead of playing not to lose!
Vamos Champ!
Easier said than done. So much easier.
I wish.
Hey ricky, can you get us some passes for cincinnati masters and/or us open??
do you want to cover Cincinnati for me?
Sure ricky?
Djokovic in 2 sets.
Winner of this match wins Rome.
Loser wins RG.
Only the Stanimal could have won RG but he is out to lunch. Don’t think he can turn it on this year.
Back to tomorrow’s match, I don’t think either man has the vision to see what losing this match could mean: less pressure on them and much needed rest. I expect a long battle tomorrow but can’t call a winner.
You have more vision than those 2 who have won 25 slams between them ? Seriously filter ?
They are great at playing tennis. That’s why they have so many titles. Intelligence? Not so much.
He is probably having lots for lunch, because on the court he clearly lost his hunger.
I certainly think Rafa believes he can win this one. They way he played against Nick gives me great confidence. Tomorrow the entire dynamic of the ATP Tour could change. Don’t forget Rafa was close in IW. The problem then was he did not think he cud win. Now he does.
yeah he has a shot! He can win….novak’s obv the favorite but Rafa has a shot here.
Rafa’s new serving position will also set up more points for him to dictate and also cover his vulnerability…
VAMOS!
Don’t you think revealing this to Novak before French is an issue ? Remember in Rome 2014 rafa lost in 3 but played as he does but in fo 2014 he changed serves and jammed Novak with body serves
MUST take adv of oppotunities…had set point in IW and could not do anything. GO RAFA
I agree that Rafa has a shot at the win here. He will need to serve well and capitalize on break opportunitie. Rafa can’t afford to have mental lapses, especially when it’s serving for the set or consolidating breaks.
It goes without saying that Rafa will need the forehand to be on fire. The DTL forehand has to be there.
Novak has the big mental advantage, having beaten Rafa so many times without dropping a set. But Rafa will come into this match with real confidence this time.
I think Rafa will fight for this one with everything he’s got.
Poor Rafa, after what happened in 2015 he’s no longer the fav on clay when facing Djoko.
I still remember people were still arguing who’s the fav for the FO – Djoko or Rafa – back during 2013-2014 and many still regarded Rafa as the fav at FO. This time round, Djoko will always be the fav over Rafa even on clay, unless Rafa proves that he still can beat Djoko on clay.
Go Rafa! Go get your first win over Djoko since FO2014 and may many subsequent wins over Djoko come you way thereafter! VAMOS!
Since AO 2011, Novak has always been the favourite for everything and he is still waiting to win the FO. I am so grateful to Stanimal for denying Novak the RG crown last year, I can’t tell you.
Luckystar (AT 1:35 AM),
What happened to Rafa in 2015, was a consequence of his injuries and health problems (appendectomy) in 2014.
Love the positivity? Vaamos rafa! At least give djoko a good scare
To me a lot will depend on how willing Nadal is to try to break the Djokovic forehand. Although I feel Djokovic has a much better forehand but slightly weaker backhand since what he used to produce in 2011, I think a change in patterns (or a return to 2013 patterns) is what is needed to gain some ground in this matchup. Having said that, if Nole comes out firing as he usually does in these matches, I think he will win comfortably.
Novak’s tactics with Nadal has been to attack Rafa’s forehand unlike the rest of the field going after Rafa’s backhand…Rafa’s FH wasn’t clicking in 2015 and it lead to low confidence and distrust in his own game. In his match with Kyrgios Rafa showed superb version of his FH! When that happens Novak will have to look for more answers while Rafa gains more confidence! Then it gets difficult to play Rafa even for Novak…
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa should just abandon all nerves and adopt a nothing to lose ‘aktitude’ and just go for it. He’s a better player than Djoker at the end of the day just that injuries and illness have taken their toll and knocked his rhythm and confidence back a bit.
This is exactly what I meant when saying that Rafa should play to win!
The key is for Rafa to be “with calm”!
Vamos!
Novak says the match with Bellucci served well as preparation for Rafa the guy being lefty like Rafa…
I like Novak but he was playing like s… in Rome and it will be an easy win for Nadal today. Something like 6-3 , 6-4 Nadal.
Let’s hope the Rafa who turned up against Mooray in Madrid doesn’t turn up today.
I hope the bagel Bellucci served Djoker was’nt gluten free.
No doubt full time Djoker fans will take objection to this.
lol Nadline 🙂
We all wish that Rafa shakes off his complexes against Novak and just plays for winning, as he used to do. Rafa’s meltdown has been caused by the strain of reaching finals and always losing to Novak. He needs to turn a page and see it as a challenge, believing that he’s a better person and tennis player.
Keep calm, stay focused, remain confident and show your warrior spirit, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CiU-cYRVEAA-8yg.jpg
this ladies match will last forever!!! and then if Murray and Goffin match takes longer (it probably will knowing Murray and his ball bashing…) Rafa may end up playing a night match…
c’mon ladies! time is running up…
Lol.
Nole might not win this one but if not ,at least it will take pressure off for RG. Which I really want him to win…
apparently it’s windy today. who will that favour? it surely ought to favour rafa as nole doesn’t like playing in the wind but who knows with this rafa who gets frazzled so easily.
i hope murray and goffin get a shove on…!
Wind is to Rafa’s advantage. Is it sunny???
It looked sunny in the match with Murray and Goffin.
Good.
Only 19 C in Rome.
Hope there is no uncontrollable nose sweat running tap.
There sure will be! I sweat 10 minutes after my training starts and I don’t think it has anything to do with my nerves.,, 😉
0-15
15-15
15-30
30-30. 40-30. game.
Not talking about you nats.
I’m talking about the Spaniard who didn’t start doing this until 2014.
Hope this helps.
15-0 Rafa
Novak hit a drop shot from too far behind the baseline and Rafa was there with the response.
30-0
Great first serve from Rafa
40-0
Thanks!!
Rafa holds.
Both guys have come out looking sharp.
Updates?! I will be home in an hour I guess :/
vr,
They are on serve.
Novak just held serve easily.
2-1 Novak with Rafa to serve.
Annacone has been giving some interesting analysis as to how Rafa is trying to change the dynamic and shot patterns.
Rafa dumps a forehand into the net.
0-15
Rafa spreading the court.
15-15
40-15
Rafa serving to novak’s forehand.
Rafa holds!
I need a stiff drink and a valium to watch this match
approved (not sure why it went into pending)
Drop shot not working for Novak. Rafa drop
Shot him right back for a winner.
Two break points for Rafa!
Valium
#Easy
drinks and valium are not advisable I guess 🙂
No need for the Valium or the drink yet!
Rafa breaks! 🙂
Now Rafa – hold your serve!!!
Consolidate! Please!
Rafa breaks. he has come to play
Yes, but he must hold here!
Rafa using the backhand slice now.
15-0
When was the last time Rafa broke Novak’s serve?
Wicked cc backhand for a winner
30-0
Whats going on?! VAMOSSSSSSS
Read my posts!
Rafa just DF.
30-15
When you begin to play well, the opponent has more doubts. 2 errors form Novak handed the game to Rafa.
Going as per my script till now. Hope it stays this way.
40-15
Rafa consolidates!
4-2 Rafa
Novak needs to lose the drop shot because Rafa is ready for it
0-15 Novak
DF
0-39 Novak
Rafa just missed the cc backhand
15-30 Novak
Rafa just missed .
30-30
Good first serve from Novak
40-30
Arguing over rafa’s shot
It’s in per chair umpire
Deuce!
Adv Novak
Can someone explain why hawkeye isn’t used in clay? Pretty ridiculous call from the umpire.
cc forehand winner from Rafa
Deuce
Adv Novak
Deuce again
Back and forth from adv Novak to deuce again
This is a real battle here in this game
Clay mark is more accurate than hawkeye which has up to 3 mm measueement error.
Hope this helps.
Never knew that, thanks.
DTL forehand winner from Rafa
Deuce again
Adv Novak
Finally Novak holds.
More than 11 minutes.
So no double break for Rafa
Novak did what he had to do in that game. He has been making more errors than usual. Rafa very focused, hitting with depth and accuracy.
0-15 Rafa
Uh oh! Rafa went to novak’s backhand
0-30 Rafa
Rafa didn’t do enough with the approach shot.
0-40 Rafa
Rafa saves one BP with a DTL backhand
15-40
Ace
30-40
Wow! Great forehand high and heavy from Rafa
Deuce!
Adv Rafa!
Wicked return from Novak
Deuce
Advantage novak
Uh oh!
Novak breaks Rafa.
That was tough after Rafa fought back from 0-40.
Now 4-4
15-15 Novak
15-30 Novak
DF
Shit! Looks like both are playing well and pushing eachother hard. I hope Rafa does not lose intensity.
I will be home in like 20 mins so will be able to catch some of it.
NNY thanks for the commentary
30-30
vr,
Yes, this is a battle
Rafa starting to miss more
Novak just won an amazing rally to hold.
Insane cc backhand winner from Novak.
Rafa has let Novak back into this set.
Hang in there Rafa! You can do this! Please make it 5-5
Rafa really cant beat Djoko! The FH is misfiring, serve and ROS not as good as Djoko’s, court position loses out to Djoko, losing in the long rallies …
Not going to win.
15-0 Rafa
It’s not over yet
DTL forehand from Novak
15-15
30-15 Rafa
40-15 Rafa
Novak should lose the drop shot. Rafa has the answer.
Rafa holds!
That’s not an encouraging comment at all :/ haha
I will be able to watcg the second set. Please rafa steal this one 7-6
It seems to me Rafa is playing with more varieties and Djoko with more precision.
5-5
15-0 Novak
Rafa misses the DTL backhand 30-0 Novak
30-15
40-15
Ace and Novak holds
6-5
As in slices? Drop shots?
vr,
What are you asking? It’s hard to keep up and still give details.
Forehand winner
15-0
30-0
30s
Lol I know … lucky said Rafa using variety so just asked about that…almost home now…
30-30
Great drop shot from Rafa!
40-30
dooce
Good observation.
Deuce
Set point Novak
Rafa making errors now
Set point down and Rafa plays a gutsy drop
Shot
Deuce
Set point Novak
I/O forehand winner
Deuce
Novak is playing really well now
Set point Novak
Wide out serve gets it done
Deuce
Set point Novak
Back!
come on rafa!!
shittttttttttttt how did djokovic win that ! nooooo !
Novak gets it with some insane shots at net.
Tough for Rafa
Novak was just that much better.
Really hard to see Rafa lose this set.
his defending from the baseline was SICK! I have only seen Rafa win such points on clay. Then the volley finishing was damn good. HATED THAT!
I hope Rafa won’t be demoralized! No reason to be demoralized. I was really hoping rafa could win the toss and get to serve first….this pressure to serve to stay in the set against Novak is cruel
oh ffs!!! how many times!!!!
i had such a strong feeling rafa was going to win today.
come on rafa!!
I was sticking pins in my voodoo doll. But they were not sharp enough :-((
Small consolation but at least Djoker was having trouble converting BPs.
#Clutching at straws
bugger that nole is serving first this set..dangerous for rafa…
come on rafa hit the dtl forehand as much as you can!
Too bad for Rafa, hus FH is such a liability today, managed to turn a lead into losing the set.
He tried everything but just failed, almost all aspects of his game were just not as good as Djoko’s, maybe only the drop shots being the exception.
Just want to see Rafa respond like a warrior and not lose intensity! VAMOS Rafa
rafa darling just believe that you can do it!!
the rest will follow!
SCORCHING bakchand CC winner!
He keeps making this mistake! Starts going for less when having BP! GO FOR IT!
vamosssssssssssssssssssssss! Rafa is NOT losing the intensity and Novak is feeling the heat too!
Rudeovic’s behaviour leaves a lot to be desired. His on-court manner for the #1 player is a disgrace.
fucking yes! live scores says he’s broken
sorry about the swear word…
LOL LOL LOL Novak SHATTERS the racket! Come on RAFA!
come on rafa. we want more!
That was a terrible drop shot..He surely is feeling the heat! vamos
Ace on his most difficult-to-hit serve! VAMOSSS
Such a strong hold that was. DOn’t lose momentum Rafa
Rafa always running late for his FH, why cant he and his team work to correct this? Its not a new problem but nothing is being done about it.
Djoko is winning by his court position, Rafa is winning by doing all the running and defending from well behind the baseline.
because toni thinks rafa should do most of the work!
Maybe Toni will call for more practise.
MTO for Rafa. Complaining of a lot of pain in his left foot. Not a good sign.
what’s wrong with rafa’s ankle?
Rafa got lucky there…15-30… dropping the backhand short! flatten it our Rafa!
Shank From Novak phewwww….30-30! Rafa hit a good serve please
Oh no! wasted such a good backhand DTL….deuce
YESSSS!!!!
live scores says he held!!!
I was talking about it in Madrid as being the only positive and it is working today as well! the wide serve in the deuce ! Novak can’t return it well when Rafa hits the right spot.
He held there for 3-1 but surely needs to do more with the forehand
Rafa said his foot is numb and can’t feel anything during the mto.
really?!
I had to get ready because I have an appointment this afternoon. So I had to take a little break.
I saw the MTO with Rafa saying his foot was numb. But he is still playing.
With Novak you have to keep him down and not let him back in. Easier said than done!
Rafa’s timing is kind of off a little bit on the forehand at the moment… he will let Novak back in this set if this does not improve
I/O forehand winner from Rafa.
The tennis channel commies said that he had tape removed from his foot.
Maybe the tape was too tight and that’s why he had to have it removed.
Rafa holds 4-2
It’s not sunny anymore. Commies saying that it’s cool with people wearing jackets and hoodies.
Rafa is unleashing his weapons in this game! Overpowering Djokovic! VAMOS
how SWEET was that half volley! so relaxed! BEAUTYYYY
Yes, that half volley was a thing of beauty! Rafa makes it look easy, but it’s not.
At least Rafa is staying in it. But he has to hold his serve.
I am so proud of Rafa already! He is not fading away like he did in IW!
Just two more games , Rafa. You can do this! If he can hold here, he can then relax a bit and have a crack at Novak’s serve to try to win 6-3
15-0
Rafa is not backing down!
30-15
The wide serve set it up again ! Phewww he won the point ..Novak’s defensive skills are really testing him!
WOAHHHHH Rafa fired a MISSILE from his forehand there! 30-0
40-15
Rafa holds!
Just win this set! Break the drought! Push Novak to the limit.
Yes! cc backhand winner!
0-15
VAMOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! 5-3!!! Please go for your shots in this game Rafa! Novak’s feeling the heat and you can do this.
Come on Rafa! You can do it!
Believe!
Killer backhand CC on the rise! But what was that ROS :/
Bad from Rafa. Even he knows it.
Had he made those returns, who knows what would have happened. he could have won it 6-3 as Novak was leaking errors
WTH is Rafa doing!!
Two point from the set for Rafa.
30-30! You can still do this my boy!
Ace
40-30
Novak holds.
Rafa will have to serve for this set.
Talk about nerves!
Where is the Valium and liquor?
I don’t think I can watch!
Rafa’s ROS is just beyond horrible in this game!! Come on, hold serve to take the second set please!!
Rafa played a draining match yesterday as well. I hope he can have enough energy in him..
Rafa, be brave and serve this one out. It would be a total pity to lose this game because he has been leading from the first game of the set.
15-0
Come on Rafa!
15-15
come on guys be positive! he has to do this!
That was a very physical point to lose…15-15
15-30
🙁
Great serve to jam Novak
30-30
Set point with a I/O forehand.
No!
Deuce,
Set point#2
He went for the backhand CC and missed :/ 15-30 Need some good serving
Good body serve! I suggest he uses the Down the middle serve here
That is SO good! The wide serve doing the magic again! the wide serve+inside out forehand = KILLER
It is AMAZING how Rafa is controlling the points using the wide serve on the deuce court! He has gotten so consistent with it!
Deuce again.
My nerve.
Set point#3
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! he had that on his racket! SUCH AN EASY DROP SHOT! WHYYYYYYYYY
okay, I am loving all these perks of using the wide serve but he must mix it up a bit as well.
He can’t close the set. It would be soooo disappointing if he loses
Unreal.
Set point #4
GET it get it gettttt ittttttttttttttttttttttt
Someone yelled out and distracted Rafa.
Rafa is just playing the set points badly! Still can’t get that missed drop shot out of my mind. 4 SPs gone
Here we go again
Set point #5
F……H… Give up on the drop shots please.
come on rafa! just be calm!
Rafa NOT dropping the ball short in this game with his backhand and forcing Novak to go more maximum! Extracted the error there.
5th SET POINT
How many times…………………… 🙁
I am SOOOO DAMN FRUSTRATED AT THE MOMENT!
Unbelievable!
Novak breaks.
I feel just sick.
5 bloody set points gone.
all nerves..
ace him rafa! come on!
No ace.
0-15 Novak
I don’t believe it. How could you lose that game Rafa.
0-30 Novak.
Rafa break him!
too busy beinh humble
It’s over now but Rafa knows he’s close.
he is DAMN CLOSE
Won’t be surprised if Rafa loses 7-5 here…. must be so demoralizing that game
SHIT! SICK RALLY! once again Novak wins it
I don’t know if Rafa can pull out this set. I still don’t believe that he had all those set points,
Looks like it is going to be straight sets Novak.
Keep fighting Rafa!
He did not seem demoralized at all in this game so I hope he can continue that.
I am sad 🙁
He was better player in this set!
oh no. rafa has to serve to stay in the match.
come on rafa!!!
Djokovic simply playing the big points better for the majority of the time. I’m resigned to the inevitable.
Very disappointing play from Rafa, why keeps serving the same way in the ad court when time after time Djoko is ready for it? Djoko is simply playing better when it matters!
Too many short balls for Nole to slaughter plus losing court positioning.
Rafa is NOT losing his intensity and he is fighting like a WARRIOR! Those lost set points have not derailed him one bit!
40-0! Looks like a TB now
Rafa serving well but not mixing it up well enough
gosh has he lost already? have some faith…
Why Rafa couldnt serve like this in his previous service game? Why must he make things so difficult for himself and his fans?
Anxiety.
OMG. A bloody tie break. Give me strength.
second serve return in Novak’s hitting zone. Rafa’s always the underdog in TBs
I tell you what, Rafa is winning the mini tactical battles these two are having on the court.
OH NO missed backhand 🙁
He is losing it now 🙁
Good serve from Rafa.
But still down a mini break.
Rafa needs to get some luck.
5-3
Rafa fighting.
5-4
Novak doesn’t miss.
Match point
Bad miss on the inside out forehand….set it up so well
The FH is just so bad today!
Even his smash failed him!
WOAHHHHHH Rafa’s forehand at its best!!! 5-4
Rafa will win second set
Facing MP…. win this one on your serve Rafa…fight till the last pnt
That was a draw.
Lmfao
Draw my foot. Djoko was mentally the better guy. Things that we have been saying about rafa. Rafa does not beleieve he can beat djoko. He fights but fails at the big moements.
yeah. should have won the second set. if he had he could have won.
Thank you for saying it because it needs to be said! That is just absurd! There are no draws in tennis!
It’s a loss for the record.
Rafa made it a lot closer this time.
Yeah, go ask Rafa if Novak was playing crap tennis!
I think i will explode. I am sure djoko trolls rafa. Loses 6 0 to belluci and plays like a monster the next day. Rafa cant even win a set?
Rafa not winning a set is what burns me. All
Those set points that Rafa could not convert.
Rafa was up in the first set. But he couldn’t hold on.
Rope-a-dope you mean. Ali.
Rafa will revenge at RG. Too close to call, the level of play is very balance. Just came up short a little bit.
Killer gets it…
RT @darren_cahill: Best court position Rafa has held vs Novak in a long time. Rafa raised his level & made Novak lift late in sets. Both should be happy. RG!!
I understanding how frustrating this must be for everyone, but trust me, this is just the beginning of better things to come. I will elaborate this in my next post …I am soooo proud of Rafa! Very unlucky not to win a set ….He could even have won this in straights!
Agree but five set points blown isn’t about bad luck.
Between the ears.
lol no… I am not going to say a word against his mental strength today because he was very very strong mentally. Perhaps he just lacked the confidence a little bit but not winning 1/5 set points when you had been dominating the set also is a bit of bad luck too…a combination…I thought he messed up the serving patterns a bit on the ad court.
Exactly!
The scar Nole inflicted to Rafa is not as bad as Rafa to Roger. Rafa still has the belief to fight till the very last point, proves that her is confident in trying and making so much improvement here.
Fedal is not mental.
Rafa is simply better since the first time they played.
Painful to see (again)
Quality match. Both players should take this as a positive. Looking forward to RG.
There are positives to take out of this match. It turned on a few points and Rafa did push Novak and made him play his best.
I just don’t like reading that it was s draw. To me that is insulting. Novak will move on to the semis. Rafa had s chance to get the # 4 ranking. So there is disappointment. Rafa was so close.
I just do not want him to face Novak in the quarterfinals at RG.
AT 5:14 PM,
I wonder why there is no consistency in your comments.
augusta08 MAY 7, 2016 AT 3:48 PM: “Rafa uses a different string tension in Madrid. An unusual tension might affect his game there…So, he should have one less problem in Rome.”
Nativenewyorker MAY 7, 2016 AT 4:14 PM: “Rafa’s problem in Rome is the DRAW! Not the tension on his strings!…”
.
nadline10 MAY 13, 2016 AT 5:03 PM: “That was a DRAW.”
Nativenewyorker MAY 13, 2016 AT 5:09 PM: “…That is just absurd! There are NO DRAWS in tennis!”
Nativenewyorker MAY 13, 2016 AT 5:14 PM: “…I just don’t like reading that it was s DRAW. To me that is insulting…”
🙄
you do know the difference between a draw and a draw don’t you? or do you?
evidently not.
AT 11:16 AM,
Yep, I don’t know what is the difference between the 2016 Rome Masters draw and the 2016 Rome Masters draw.
As I said amy, tweedle-dum and tweedle dumber.
Or maybe it’s a draw lol.
No arguments against self-esteem AT 12:14 PM.
definitely a draw hawks…
PS when is fed going to pull out of rg??? i mean seriously. i said before that he doesn’t want rafa to have the #4 seeding.
AT 2:58 PM,
‘hawks’ is being well-nourished by you.
Amy,
This just made my day! Someone does not understand the difference between saying that a match was a draw and talking about the actual draw st RG!
I appreciate that you understand the difference between characterizing a match as a draw, which means that there was no winner and talking about the actual draw for a slam!
It appears that someone is so anxious to look for an error or mistake in another person’s post that they don’t realize that there are two meanings for the word “draw”!
AT 3:48 PM,
Somebody even didn’t notice that there has been NO word about RG & a slam! 🙄
It appears that someone is so anxious to look for an error or mistake in another person’s post that they don’t realize that there are two meanings for the word “draw”!
Correction to AT 5:00 PM:
The last paragraph belongs to NNY’s post.
Well yes rg is the war but novak has been winning so many battles and inflicting so many wounds on rafa that o dont know how long even rafa can keep fighting. The guy does not even get a break
sigh. i thought rafa was going to win today. but today is positive because it shows that rafa is close and could have won if he was stronger at key moments. if he was this close with his forehand offkey then he can win at rg where he always plays his best on chatrier.
Djokovic says he was a bit more fortunate which is exactly how I see it.
Vamos Rafa!
Close match…Novak was better in key moments, and Rafa got unlucky at times…
I am dissapinted Rafa failed to win the second set! He deserved it, as he was the better player in the second set… Rafa is so close!
Vamos Champ! So proud of you!
No not unlucky. Uncalm.
there is talk of fed not playing rg. i hope so because then rafa would be #4.
I thought about that. I was hoping that Fed will have to pull out and then Rafa would move up to #4. Not the way I want it to happen, but if it does then that would make things a lot easier for Rafa.
Sigh.. not even winning a set on clay!
I’m resigned to the fact that Rafa may never beat Djoko again; perhaps until both grow older and past their prime.
Rafa as usual will say the same thing in his press conference…blah blah blah..
I see no positive in this match, gets the upperhand in both sets and still loses. Whats the point of creating all those chances but cant win them? Djoko won by 3 miserable points!
What’s with 5 set points but couldnt take any? Rafa needs to revamp his clay court game if he wants to win again. His game is just outdated for a man his age, unsustainable to get him a big win where it matters. He’s too defensive from behind the baseline, no longer able to cover both wings that well and so mishits his FHs.
I think Rafa needs to NOT win the FO then he will wake up and revamp his game on clay. Even Murray is a threat to him on clay now! Others are improving yet he’s still playing the same game from ten years ago.
Anxiety is what is with five missed set points.
Nothing new there.
yes!
Yes, Rafa was overcome by anxiety at crucial points but he was the better player. Nole trailed him in both sets and stole both sets at the very end.
luckystar, that’s a bit harsh, Rafa could also have won that match in straight sets. There wasn’t much between them. Rafa just choked at the wrong time and Djoker took advantage.
Vamos Rafa!
Rafa didnt choke. He simply didnt know how to vary his serve at ad court when he had his set points. Djoko was already helping him, missing all the returns on the deuce court, yet Rafa time and again served the same way at the ad court.
Rafa’s play was too predictable, esp his serve pattern. His FH was a train wreck this afternoon, once Djoko hit his DHBH CC, Rafa would mishit his FH!
I second that lucky. No point livin in fools paradise. Else we are no different from fedfans who claim fed is better though he gets his ass handed to him bu rafa.
Vmk1,
Thank you again for being honest. If we put down novak, then why has he beaten Rafa seven times in a row? I always used to lecture Fed fans about trashing Rafa because they were by inference insulting him. Rafa had a lopsided h2h for a reason. If Rafa is so bad, then what does it say about Fed losing to him so often.
If we insult Novak and tear him down, then we are insulting Rafa because he’s lost to
Novak quite a bit in their rivalry. You can’t have it both ways.
Rafa learned a lot in this match that his adjustments are effective. Just needs to add consistency and stop choking on set and break points.
He will see it as a positive step and he is right.
Closer than I thought he’d be after the Madrid flop.
Vamos!
I’m afraid Rafa wont get the consistency that he needs. When under pressure, he mishits or shanks his shots. Djoko OTOH could just hit with so much precision when he needed to.
To me, its Rafa and his team not willing to face the reality that Rafa can no longer run as quick or time his shots with precision anymore. I mean how often Rafa shanked his FHs during his heydays?
What Team Rafa should do is work on getting him to move forward, plays with varieties which Rafa has plenty, instead of staying well behind the baseline to rally. Its obvious that Rafa is losing in the long rallies these days against top opponents because he simply lacks precision in his shots.
He’s winning points at the net; winning with his drop shots when he draws his opponent in, so he needs to get ready to counter them should they reach the drop shots. He’s doing well at the net in this match, so I feel that’s the way forward.
He’s no longer clutch at crucial points, I guess we have to accept that he cant close a set or a match which is tight. He has to be well ahead in the score in order to get things done. I’m resigned to that fact now, after watching how he squandered 5 set points here, and DF to lose the TB vs Kygrios, not to mention lost to Thiem after have MP himself!
Djoker must cast a spell over Rafa because he is not a better player than Rafa.
Djoko is miles above everyone at the moment including rafa. i am hoping for a rafa djoko qfinal at rg.Might as well get the show down over and done with rather than getting disappoonted later on. Even murray takes sets of djoko these days .
gosh that’s hard! if he has to lose let it be in the final. last thing i want is a rafole quarter-final
Amy,
I agree with you.
You can’t be miles above everyone if you get bageled by Bellucci.
I’m afraid the service game 5-4 wasnt just Nadal’s last chance to win Rome
Murray please win this whole thing now! Time for you to prove your worth as the no.2 player!
Luckystar, I share your frustration and commend vamosrafa for his optimism. I didn’t see much but those 5 set points on Rafa’s serve, that missed drop shot, the way Novak returns Rafa’s serve (as a pro against an amateur)…all these are indications that Rafa will beat Novak again only if Novak has an off day… No way Rafa, nowadays, is better than Novak….
Rafa came so close this time, but Novak was the one with more confidence and more belief…I don’t think nerves played big factor here because Rafa served extremely well, better than Novak, and there was very little anxiety on his serve…but Novak was better player, more agressive on key points! Rafa tends to step back and become deffensive and that’s what he did on set points which was wrong! Rafa will learn from this!
Natasha’s,
With all due respect, losing in straight sets, again, is not coming close. I agree with you that Djokovic was the only one believing in winning those key points. They’re a world apart as far as this is concerned.
Oh please people! I know it is frustrating and we should have been cheering for him in the 3rd set right now but this was an awesome performance.
This will spur Rafa to win RG! Yes, I am picking Rafa to win RG as I saw enough today. This will serve as a tonic just like the AO 12 final defeat did! Funnily, it was a streak of 7 losses in a row back then and same is the case today.
I am telling you, Rafa will be very delighted and his presser would also be quite encouraging. When he will sit with Toni after this, he will realize he is there and there is no need to fret over this too much and all he needs is a bit of calmness and he can take Novak down.
Rafa’s the best in best of five sets and he will get it.
@vamosrafa,
I completely agree with you! Amen to your wisdom!
cheers!
If Rafa cant be clutch at a Masters, how do you expect him to be clutch at a slam when more is at stake??
Rafa is no longer the same Rafa that we used to know, that with unwavering belief despite not being calm. The mentally strong, focused Rafa is no more. We have to accept that and adjust our expectations, just like Fed fans, after 2009/2010 had to accept the shanking Fed as the norm instead of that Swiss precision fella that they used to know.
I meant Natashao… iPad autocorrect…
Biggest advantage Novak has over everyone else is mental toughness. Things might not always go smoothly during matches. However he keeps delivering his best when it matters the most.
Rafa was played great today but like so many other players against Novak, he was missing that clutch factor. I don’t know how one can prepare for that.
Djokovic plays at 50% and still beats Nadal.The only positive for Nadal is that he never gets tired no matter how far he runs.Nadal can’t take the ball on the rise,his biggest fault.Murray or Thiem can win this as Djokovic is a little off his game.
50%? LOL LOL LOL
2 hrs 24 mins! This has to be the longest 2-set match ever?! Insane!
still cant get over the loss today. he was up 4-2 in both the sets.
He needs to regain the mental edge. He played better than Djokovic, but still lost in straights.
Well, from a Nole fan perspective, I’m relieved. The goal is winning FO and he needed that win over Rafa, imo; it wouldn’t have boded well if he lost. That’s a guess – I could be wrong! Perhaps the reverse is true? I wasn’t able to watch tennis today. The score was a fright every time I checked – at one point I held my breath until I saw Nole win the point. Nearly died. Must have been a cracker!
Do what you must, Nole. But you don’t need another Rome title do you? – just be ready for Paris, please.
come on guys have some perspective! rafa was awful last week but today he played nole close and it should have been 3 sets. the win against nick was a big one and he may have been distracted by the foot.
rafa plays his best by far on chatrier so if he could get close today then he can challenge nole at rg.
and for those comparing this was fedal…really there is ZERO comparison!
Amy gets it.
With the exception of a few points – especially the one to take the first set – Djokovic was playing nowhere near his best today. If you saw the Nole-Fed AO semi, imagine if Djokovic plays at that THAT level in RG….
Even Novak said he was more fortunate. Rafa could have won the match 64 64.
Could be.. but from my sofa Nole looks unbeatable on the big points. If you have several set points and you win none of them, your rival will have some merit on that.
Last week its Madrid, not a place he had as much success. This week, Djoko wasnt even playing that well yet Rafa failed to capitalize.
Djoko’s game is simply better than Rafa’s in almost all areas, so once Djoko raises his level, Rafa falls short.
Djoko can hit his FH and BH better than Rafa – pace + precision. Djoko plays from a better court position; his serve and ROS are better; his movement now is even better than Rafa on clay. He’s mentally tougher than Rafa now, plays the important points better, never loses faith and keeps believing in his game and his own abilities even when he falls behind in the scoreline.
As I said earlier, Rafa has to play with varieties, Rafa is simply too predictable nowadays. Robert gave Djoko plenty of problems despite his ranking because he’s so unpredictable.
Rafa cant even get a set from Djoko on clay; Murray at least got one at Madrid. Rafa has Kei, Thiem and Murray to worry about at the FO, may not even meet Djoko there.
Novak played better tennis last year and yet failed to win RG!
Today’s Rafa would beat both Nishi and Thiem handily! Murray as well places no danger to Rafa in RG! The only advantage Andy had was conditions in Madrid which favored him more!
Where does so little trust in Rafa come from? I wonder what would have been said here if Rafa lost 6:2 63 as someone predicted? Don’t you see how close Rafa is? He is so much better than last year…This Rafa stands a chance at RG!
+1
If Novak was so much better in all departments he would have trailed in both sets to enable Rafa to serve for both sets. I’m just pleased about how well Rafa is playing,he just needs to steel himself in clutch moments.
Nats gets it.
You see, Rafa has to fight so hard to beat the likes of Thiem, Kei, Monfils and Murray, nothing can come easier for him.
Its not a matter of having little trust in Rafa, its a matter of facing reality. The fact that Djoko wasnt even playing at a high level for most part of the match and still managed to win, that’s telling enough, that Rafa wasnt/isnt close if Djoko plays/played at a consistent high level.
It has taken Rafa far to long to regain his competitive edge and the FO is just round the corner. Its unbelievable how Rafa’s FH can fluctrate so much from match to match,
His forehand has been very good barring Madrid! Don’t count madrid …totally different conditions. I know his forehand needs improvement but he will have lots of sets in RG to practice it.
Mark my words…his forehand will be like an anaconda once again in RG.
No surprises…….the same senario….maby next time
Lucky, exactly my thoughts. Every aspect of djokos game is better than rafas today. The only way rafa can squeeze a win is if nole has a bad day. And even that is not a given in best of 5 when nole has more chances to come back. So now for rafa to beat nole you need a tip top rafa playing a somewhat tired or aragged nole when the sun is beating down and there is some wind probably. A seven match streak again is unreal and three times in a row he has beaten rafa on clay, all in straights. I want rafa to face nole in the quarters at the french. Hope he at least wins a set
“Even Novak said he was more fortunate. Rafa could have won the match 64 64.”
strong arguments here :haha:
Quite sad that we are now hoping that Rafa can win a set against Djoko on clay!
Djoko can even outsmart Rafa at the net at crucial point of the match. Djoko is just so confident now.
I just hope Rafa can avoid Djoko at the FO to win the title. Heck, its just like Fed having to avoid Rafa to win his FO. I never thought it would come to this, that Rafa needing to avoid someone at the FO to win it!
“You can’t be miles above everyone if you get bageled by Bellucci.”
Are you saying Belucci is better than Nadal. Let me help you, Novak gets motivated when he plays Nadal. He has gears to switch to.
I agree with you.
Rafa could, Rafa would, Rafa was better, blah,blah,blah… He lost folks. Again. And he will lose in RG too. Cest la vie.
I want to believe he’ll found a way to beat Novak again, he owes it to himself, can’t retire before and what better scenario than RG, I want to see Novak frustrated and gasping for air like a fish out of water again…. Vamos Rafa!
Amy what’s wrong with foot ? Sorry never saw the match.
If Rafas fh was off and he took Novak so close then imagine if it was clicking ? Still straight sets is disappointing . Novak said though he won straights felt like he played five. Just imagine what he will feel at RG?
VR do you think rafa exposed lot of his tactics to Novak today ahead of RG? Also was fh not gpod ?Also thanks VR and natashao for being optimistic and offering ray of hope to people who did not see unlike 1 person who only sees negative day in and day out.
sanju, rafa had a medical time out and said to his team that he couldn’t feel his foot because it was numb.
i was positive about today because i feel it was a positive performance and he can play much better on chatrier. he was close without the fh working well so if it is on song then surely he can win.
So was he fine or is there cause for worry Amy about foot ?
i think it’s ok sanju. but it might have distracted him as we know he is very fearful about picking up injuries.
Rafa had his foot retaped. That is what they said on the tennis channel.
I am disappointed that Rafa couldn’t get it done today, but I don’t feel terrible. I remember people online saying some of the same things I read here when Rafa lost for the seventh time to Novak at the 2012 AO. But Rafa found the answers in that match and I think that is the case today.
Rafa was changing things up against Novak and using different tactics. He had Novak out of sorts and frustrated in the first set. Unfortunately, Rafa let him back in the set. He had a chance to go up two breaks, but couldn’t get it done. When you have Novak on the ropes, then you have to try to finish him off. But Rafa was ahead in that set. He was in this match and.had his chances. That’s what happened at the 2012 AO.
I remember what I told those who said that Rafa would never beat Novak again. I said – never say never in this sport. I will say it again now. Rafa is getting closer and Novak was pushed hard today. This was a match. That scoreline doesn’t indicate how close it was.
I am looking forward to RG. It’s just the draw I am worried about now. But Rafa stayed in it and fought. It’s a mistake to think this is same old, same old. That is simply not the case.
Anyone who thinks that Rafa will never beat Novak again is living in a fool’s paradise.
I am glad that the poster here whose assessment of Rafa’s level of play is as good as anyone else’s, is on the same page as me! Bravo NNY!
We are dissapointed but hopeful! The bigger battle is still to be fought. I am not sure if the naysayers have played any sport at a competitive level? If playing at club level or uni level, if you keep losing to someone and finally when you get within touching distance and lose, you feel a lot of positive energy! You can’t wait to face your opponent again and you think you can definitely do this! You’ve got the game and it was just a matter of winning a couple of points so all reasons to be motivated!
Rafa is the KING of this mentality! Thanks for mentioning AO 12 again and I remember you saying those words! Rafa too was so calm and positive after that loss because he felt he finally had unlocked the door again.
Funny how nobody is mentioning how Djokovic was feeling the heat in the match! He broke his racket and knew he was up against diff Rafa today. He is so confident these days that he found the answers and was helped with some lack of calmness from Rafa.
You guys can keep putting Rafa down even after this brave performance and the Fed/Novak fans can continue to mock Rafa. DJokovic is well aware of teh reality and he felt it today. He must be like ‘f****K he’s again going to be there at RG’. Novak’s going to feel a lot of pressure and he is well aware of the threat.
@Sanju,
Rafa’s forehand can and will be a lot better in RG. He will have a lot of sets to play himself into top form there.
He made some bad mistakes and lacked a little bit of aggression in some moments. it was surely better than the Rome 2014 final though. WHen it was clicking, he had Novak running all over the place.
Also, Rafa defends and returns better at RG, ALWAYS! The court dimensions also keep him a little boost.
SOmetimes fans forget how damn small the margins are. Rafa needs incremental improvements.
Plus, what makes people think Novak will raise his level more than Rafa at RG? Rafa’s always been the better big match player ! He is second to none in that aspect.
With Kei, Thiem, Murray and Rafa all not being able to beat Djoko on clay this year and Stan no longer The Man, I think its only Djoko who can beat himself at the FO. It all depends on Djoko’s own nerve, how he feels under pressure The FO is his to lose now IMO.
Nopes…disagreed…Rafa has the game , energy, strength, speed, tactcical acumen and the belief to win RG against Novak. He was far worse in 2014 and when picked up his level in RG, he rolled over Djokovic.
That was probably the worst grand slam big 4 final maybe only second to wimby 2013 final!
Sure beat any slam fed win during the weak era.
You cant compare 2014 to 2016. Back then Rafa still had the belief and the game for one last push at the FO, despite his back issues affecting his European clay swing.
He played badly the whole Rome tournament in 2014, playing many long 3 setters, thus was exhausted at the final. He said it himself back then, that he knew how to beat Djoko but just that he couldnt move his legs.
Right now, Rafa had lost 6 consecutive matches vs Djoko, not even winning a single set; and, he was losing on clay to quite a few players – Fog, Djoko, Murray, Stan, Cuerves, Thiem.
He’s not at a level that he can challenge a top form Djoko now. Unless Djoko is playing like today at the FO, Rafa will have a hard time beating Djoko.
He should have played the BPs and set points better this match, he failed again when it mattered. His FH was atrocious at times; time and again, once Djoko hit his CC BH, Rafa would either shank his FH, or simply too slow to get to the ball. I wonder why after so long, Rafa still couldnt get this problem sorted out, still relying on his running to cover his FH. A more aggressive court position at the centre of the baseline may help solve this problem as he would have less ground to cover whether its FH or BH corner. Djoko was doing that exactly, ie camp on the centre of the baseline and redirecting balls at will.
What I like about Rafa in this match is his varieties – drop shots and when at the net. He seriously needs to adjust his position at the baseline, he’s standing too far back and hence his so many short balls.
Spin is the most fundamental part of his game on clay. Being so close to the baseline when the opponent is hitting deep doesn’t give you the time to take the needed swings to generate loads of topspin. Today I saw that even though Novak has a double handed backhand ,when Rafa got the ball really high to his backhand, Novak had no option but to drift it back and couldn’t power through it. Rafa has to strike a balance. He must try to be close to the baseline. A lot of the times he tries to hit deep, heavily spun forehands by using his big swings and then moves forward to dictate. He has to ensure that he is not defending from deep behind the baseline all time. This was not a problem today…he was doing a good job.
In 2014, he was losing to Almagro, Ferrer,struggling against Murray and his forehand was lacking in power/depth throughout that rome final, let alone the final set. He has had a back injury. I know the positive effects of 2013 were supporting him but 2014 had its own issues ! He was not on the rise at all going into RG.
This time, there is c clear trend. He is improving so much and looks ready to go a step further in RG.
2014 he was just beginning his decent and 2016 he is making is ascent.
Obviously two different years but part of the same long mental problema slump.
Rafa played well today, but couldn’t get over the mental hump.. Djokovic was clearly not at his best, I would say 65-70% of max. He beat Rafa today more from sheer grit and determination than anything else. Imagine if Djokovic’s form today was like that which he had against Fed in the Aussie semi; this would have been a much shorter match.
Imagine Rafa playing like the RG 2014 final….he’ll brush Novak aside…
That was two years ago. I’m talking about a match that happened a few months ago.
And we are talking about two players who have been battling for a decade now! We are not strangers to these players. If you are banking on the fact that Rafa would fade away like he did in 2015 (which was an anomaly), be prepared to be shocked 🙂
My point is that Nole did not play well today, and peak Nole was on display just a few months ago, which means that level of play is at his disposal, if he can figure out how to tap into it consistently. And if he can play anywhere near that level at RG, (which admittedly will be tough, as clay is not his favourite surface) he is nearly impossible to beat.
And believe me, I’m glad Rafa is on his way back, because quite frankly, Nole-Murray and Nole-Kei matches are boring as hell. It’s great that there is someone who serves as a stylistic foil to Djokovic so fans can have more entertaining tennis to watch. When Thiem and Kyrgios gain more experience/maturity, they too will help in this regard.
Djokovic has been winning largely on sheer grit and determination lately – especially on key points. But even as a Djokovic fan, that grind-it-out style wears thin after a while, and it would be nice to see him play at a higher level, which he has within him now, so I (and hopefully others) can see more of, (and appreciate) his game.
Who will win at RG? I have no idea. We all put forth our best guess, and of course we all cheer for our favourites. Hopefully the latter doesn’t impair our effort to objectively determine the former. : )
Could Rafa win RG in a few weeks? You bet. Could Djokovic? Of course. Could someone else? You never know! : ) Good luck to all players, and may all play unencumbered so we can all enjoy some great tennis. : )
But I’m still rooting for Djokovic! : )
Five set points blown and not facing a bp in set two until he served for it is nothing but nerves and is a far cry ahead of where he was last year.
He controlled the match and was up a break in both sets until he got tight. The match was on his racquet and Nole knows it.
Rafa has a real shot over five sets now.
Bring on RG so that The King of Clay can receive la Decima.
You are right , Hawkeye.
Rafa really controlled the tempo of the match and this time he also did not make the mistake of starting slow falling behind 0-3 or 1-4 …he meant business.
Novak was more about reacting to Rafa’s aggression tonight and the Serb showed why he is the no.1 player. He was asked very tough questions but answered them due to his ultra high confidence. But let me tell you, this would obv make him feel good also instill fear in his heart…
If people think Novak can play better than this, they have no clue how much better Rafa can play. If the same people think Rafa’s no longer the smae player, I ask them one question: What were their views when Rafa lost to Cuevas in South America? They were trolling Rafa all over the place. Now, we are here talking about rafa not converting set points!
Be practical guys! Come on!
#HawkeyeGetsIt
Provided he can control his nerve.
Completely agree but he had trouble doing just that for most of his points last year.
He is much closer now and may just peak at the right time in Paris where as all pressure will be on Nole.
exactly! Djokovic really felt the heat today and will feel more in Paris! he like Wtf is happening! I am supposed to thrash this guy! In Paris, people will keep calling him the massive favourite and Rafa will continue to enjoy that. Novak will feel the burden a lot more.
he has come a long long way in that regard! Luckystar, you and I have often critiziced rafa for getting into those 0-3 1-4 holes in best of three set matches against Novak as Rafa starts slow and tight. Today, he even managed to control that! He was holding serve with authority.
How confident was MC 2012 Rafa even after the AO 2012 heartbreak! Surely it was a more depressing match to lose and the shot he missed at 4-2 30-15 was wayyyy easier than any he had today. yet, he mentally bounced back with ease.
Amazing how all those people who were expecting a straight sets drubbing are not satisfied with this. I do understand the frustration though but let’s not overthink here.
Here is why I think this was a very very good match for Rafa:
1). Rafa was mentally very strong and did not allow nerves to hold him back. Don’t confuse this with lacking calmness in some moments. He faltered a bit when he had 5 set pnts and it was a case about forgetting the feeling to win those big points against the top players because he has not done that in ages. I am sure poor Rafa had kind of forgotten how that pressure (a different one ) feels like. What impressed me the most is that everyone thought he would fade after losing serve at 5-4. That did not derail him at all and he hit the ball so well after that. Pity he lost in the end.
2. Funny how nobody is pointing how less much less vulnerable rafa’s second serve was today! Somehow, he is able to keep his first serve % above 80 …today he won 69% second serve points against Novak! INCREDIBLE stat even though the number of 2nd serves served were a bit low. Rafa has found a way to make his serve less vulnerable. I had been talking about this since Madrid and I knew it would help him against Djokovic. It sure did.
3. In terms of mini tactical battles these two have always had, I felt Rafa had the edge today! He had obviously been practicing the wide serve on the deuce court a lot in the last 3 weeks and I kept saying he would use it against Nole. He was dominating most of the deuce court points. He had some nice patterns on the ad court but his first serves were not effective enough in key moments and lacked variation. This can easily be fixed…
4. Rafa played two physical matches back to back and held up quite well! He has the energy it takes to beat Novak in best of 5 sets
5. Rafa looked far more helpless in ROme 2014 final even though he won a set. He had no answers to Novak in sets 2 and 3 and in set 1 he relied more on Novak’s sloppy play. His forehand looked kind of helpless against Novak’s defense. I was pleased to see Rafa going for attacking shots on his bachand today and being prepared to open up the court with short angled CC backhands and then taking backhands DTL on the rise to approach the net.
6. Rafa was solid on break points chances today! He pounced on those opportunities.
7. Rafa’s forehand continues to be the most imp shot of this rivalry. Rafa hit it well and aggressively many times and he was able to press djokovic hard. On other occasions, he mistimed his forehand and lacked aggression.
Rafa;s forehand in paris ALWAYS shifts a gear and even the clay there is more conducive there to his topspin. He had his forehand DTL today and the Inside out one but needs to be a tad more consistent.
I use the term the ‘average forehand’ and to me his ‘average forehand’ has improved and is doing more damage, including the CC one. I can bet my house on the claim that his average forehadn will be more effective in RG, esp the later stages because I have seen the same happening over and over again.
not a knee-jerk reaction because I said this before IW, Miami, and the clay swing: Nadal’s only hope for RG, from a mental standpoint, was to beat Djokovic at some point beforehand. It didn’t happen. That he didn’t even take a set is especially crippling.
That’s your perspective, I respect it and understand where it’s coming from…has to be given due consideration.
But fortuntately, Nadal is a unique player. He is damn good at taking positives and moving on by using them.
How is it too demotivating for Rafa to think he could not win a set when he had 5 set points??? You think Rafa would believe he is not even good enough to convert a set point against Novak? He would never….he’d think he was just one point away and could very well have won in 2 sets as well. Losing this match in 3 sets might have helped him a bit but not that big a difference.
Losing so many sets in a row and not concerting set points is plain bad if Rafa’s not going to get discouraged like that. He will be very motivated. Nobody was giving him a chance 1 month ago and he is now again Novak’s top rival going into RG.
Also let’s not forget Rafa was a break ahead in each set! This means volume! And he was not broken right away! That’s also a step forward! I set 2 he could have easily gone teo breaks up, but Novak came up with great shots and Rafa was too deffensive. Rafa needed more aggression, a bit more belief and confidence in key moments, and I must say a bit more luck!
I said in one of my posts that Rafa controlled the tempo of the match and this was contrary to most people expected. Most people including me were exepecting Novak to control the tempo of the match more and Rafa to react well and keep fighting till the end to make it competitive. Rather, it was Rafa who controlled the match more and Novak was playing the reaction type of tennis.
This is a big positive!
Ricky doesn’t get it.
Thanks VR.
Do you think he exposed lot of his tactics to Novak today before RG ?
Sanju, may be but that’s not going to matter that much. Yeah, Novak will mentally be prepared for some of them and will practice the wide serve return more but it’s not easy to adjust. For Rafa, it’s easy, he can walk a metre closer to the service line to change his position but for Novak, it is a much bigger change! Rafa’s second serves were a lot less vulnerable in the deuce court. Novak’s punished his second serves with deep backhands CC but now Rafa’s standing there and if the return is not good, forehand DTL is on.
2nd serves in the Ad court**
argh, I meant that Novak has punished his second serves in the ad courts by hitting deep, well-measured backhands CC…now Rafa’s new position allows him to defend that corner well. I am going to say it for the 100th time : It is a very smart tactic. Well done to team Nadal
vr,
You seem to see this match much the same way that I do. I already posted my take on it, but did not mention that key stat with Rafa winning over 60% of second serve points. His serve stood up quite well , although he only win 59% of first serve points.
You went through some of the tactical adjustments, so no need to repeat that.
But suffice to say that Rafa did very well and had his chances. Those who just see another straight set loss are missing the big picture, like in the 2012 AO.
The problem with Rafa is his consistency. He’s just not getting his consistency and precision back, was slow to cover his FH, mistiming the shot, which was why he kept losing the longer rallies.
I think on clay Rafa has the tendency to play more defensively, I hope on other surfaces, he will be more aggressive.
Disagree. His consistency is 1000% improved over last year and continuing to improve at a suddenly faster pace on all but Madrid clay.
With Hawkeye here! The consistency has massively improved. He forehand was a joke in south American and has been a major weapon since MC. I am not even going to look at Madrid…irrelevant!
And remember, Parisian clay suits the most to his forehand.
Really happy with his backhand today. Went for his shots and made few mistakes. It will also go a notch up in RG.
For Rafa prescription is simple, crush his early round opponents and impose his game. He will be ready semi final onward.
Whoa, just look at how many mishits from his FH today and you still say he has consistency??
To me, his FH is so up and down even when it has improved over last year and the SA swing. His FH is his main weapon and in this match it failed him big time as Djoko was able to attack it and forced errors out of it.
Rafa’s main concern is still Djoko so it matters the most how his FH stands against Djoko, not any other lesser opponent.
Im with you about finishing his early round opponents asap to conserve energy – play like FO2012 not FO2013 where dealing with early round opponents is concerned.
apologies to fed fans as i don’t mean this meanly about him, but it would be spiffing if fed does withdraw from rg because of the back. there is talk he may do so.
then rafa gets the #4 ranking.
fed can’t win rg anyway and he can practise on grass…
seeding
Fed will play
LOL
#HerbertWillWin
Federer SHOULD have skipped the entire clay swing. Now it’s too late. Might as well play the French.
why risk his back if it’s bad when wimby is his #1 goal?? also with olympics just afterwards.
he can go play some grass tournaments to warm up..
sorry meant #4 seeding..makes a big difference for rafa…
Amy Fed will not skip RG even if he knows he has 0 chance to win it.
why do you think that sanju? why risk wimby??
i expect he doesn’t want rafa to have the #4 seeding..
It doesn’t really has anything to do with Rafa.
Roger can’t withdraw from a slam. That’s against his legacy
@abhirf, he would never put his health on the line just before Wimbledon and in my eyes his legacy would not get hurt at all.
Amy, i hope Fed does not play and Rafa gets the no.4 seed lol
agreed vr!
Also keep in mind that the longer Rafa plays in a tournament, the better he gets. RG is a slam and allows Rafa to build huge momentum by the time he reaches the Qtrs and semis….
I wish they don’t meet before the QTr
If there was ever a time for Fed to withdraw from a major, it is now. But he doesn’t work like the grass courters before him did. He will press for more ‘information’ as he calls it and see if there are any positives heading into Wimbledon. That said, he’s been perhaps the most pessimistic I’ve ever seen him. Which means the back is a pretty serious problem. If it aggravates ever so slightly between now and the French, I think he’ll pull out.
Depends on his health…he is totally in his right to withdraw.
fedfan and abhirf. i wasn’t meaning to attack fed. but wimby is his priority so why risk it with the olympics afterwards? he’s not going to win rg…
And the claims that Rafa no longer has the power to challenge Novak are totally baseless. He can still overpower Novak…clear to me at least.
And, people here know I call things as I see them and I criticize Rafa when he does a poor job. This time, there is a lot more hope than gloom.
“I was not disappointed,” Nadal said. “Overall, I am playing well. … I have been competing at the highest level against the best player.”
Please keep posting quotes from both players….
Also, there was a mistimed , framed return from Novak in that 5-4 game and Rafa shanked an easy forehand because of that. Novak mentioned in his presser that he had his luck and gave that example.
Novak clearly knows Rafa can take him down…
have to say that the negativity here is somewhat ironic given that over on tennis x where there are very few rafa fans people are seeing this as very positive for rafa saying he can take nole down at rg. hell, some nole fans are saying that nole was lucky today and rafa should have won!!!
“I am so happy to be in a close match, and I have to congratulate him. He played great,” Nadal said. “We played a beautiful match. I was a bit unlucky today. I had so many chances in the first set.
But when somebody is winning as much as him for the past years, it’s so important to [be opportunistic]. He hit great shots in important moments. That’s it.”
“I’ve been playing well during the whole clay court season,” Nadal said. “It’s true that in Madrid I didn’t play well in the last two matches [against Joao Sousa and Andy Murray], but in general I’m playing well in most of the matches most of the time. Today I was mentally fighting for every point, hitting good shots. I was very, very, very close this afternoon, and that’s positive.
“I’m not disappointed. I was competing at the highest level against the best player. Playing a match like this gives me confidence,” Nadal, who is now winless against Djokovic in their past seven FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings, added. “I’m happy to be part of this rivalry. We’ll talk about this when we finish our career, hopefully a long time from now.
“I feel lucky and unlucky at the same time, to be playing in the same era as [Novak].”
Rafa’s on the same page… vamos!
Rafa said it himself – it’s important to be opportunistic! He also knows that he missed some opportunities. He was in control of that first set. But he just couldn’t finish it off. Novak has won so much and has tons of confidence and belief. It served him well in this match.
I really love how Rafa gives all due credit to Novak. I think he is pleased that he had the opportunity to play Novak and measure his game against him.
I think there can be moments of luck in matches, but that is not why Novak won. Rafa said it best – he made the shots when he had to.
Considering where Rafa was a month or two ago, he has come far. I think Rafa will come out of this match with some positives. We should remember how easily Novak was beating Rafa last year. It was no contest. But this was a battle. Today Rafa lost the battle, but he has a chance to win the war.
Preach it, Rafa! I was saying exactly the same thing about Madrid and on today’s match! So glad to learn Rafa is on the same page!
And I so agree with Rafa that this was a beautiful match to watch with two great players fighting for every point and displaying amazing tennis! Just compare this match with other (dull) qtrfinal matches…
Rafa gets it.
As expected, Rafa keeps saying the same thing in his presser. He’s close but cant reach the finishing line, time and again.
Im disappointed not because he lost, but the way he lost it without getting a set when he clearly had the upperhand in both sets. If he won the second set after the 5 set points, went into a tussle in the 3rd set and lost, I would say Djoko was too good. Not in this case, when Rafa was the better player and yet still lost it in straight sets when he got tight serving to get the set or to stay in the match.
I know when Rafa plays well ( in current context) he can get close to Djoko on clay – SF at MC last year Rafa played well in set one even though his level back then wasnt as high as it is now. Its a matter of getting to win at least a set ( on clay) even if he cant win the match. He had the upperhand yet allowed Djoko back into the set and to me that’s concerning.
His BP conversion is also a joke, against Murray and Kygrios. Yes, they did serve well on BPs but there were 2nd serves which Rafa time and again mishit the returns and let opportunities slipped away! Had Rafa pushed harder for a second break in each set against Djoko, he would be winning at least one of the sets.
At least he used his varieties in this match, should carry on doing so against Djoko as Djoko likes rhythm and predictability.
Yeah I’m actually thinking the same thing Amy. As a huge fed fan I don’t want him to withdraw from Roland Garros but I also really want him to be better for Wimbledon and the Olympics. What I hope happens is he plays FO and does pretty well (well I hope he wins it but that seems very unlikely at this point) and is healthy for Wimbledon and Olympics too.
surely it makes more sense to withdraw and concentrate on wimby and olympics benny? he could go out early in rg otherwise which wouldn’t help his confidence…
Rooting for Kei and Murray. Kei has a night match with Djo tomorrow so will get a little help. He will likely lose in 2 sets…
I hope Kei and Muzz make novak play long 3 setters …lol….Come on Muzz get the win. Novak spent loads of emotional energy on the court today. Could be a little bit flat tomorrow.
Still can’t get over this. Rafa sud have won in straights. Yet he lost in straights. He is playing well..yes. But he needs some clutch serves in big points. He sud have won the match against Murray and Djokovix both.
Me neither atul. Its one thing if you get blown off the court like what happened in doha. In this match he played well was ahead in both sets, served for the set 5 times and still managed to lose in straight sets on one of his most favorite courts against a djoko who had got bagelled yesterday. So clearly there is a match up problem and a mental problem. I for one cannot see rafa winning any tournament if the route is through djoko
be ready to get surprised very soon 😉
Aapke muh main ghee shakkar. If it happens, nothing like it but i am not holding my breath
The only positive I see here, had Rafa won the match. He would have been appointed favorite for RG. All pressure back on him. Now pressure on Novak as favorite will be big.
fair point
What it takes to win a point off Rafa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQk-ttEw_rU
Gosh, can’t wait to see the whole match.
I said the loser of this match would win RG. I hope I was wrong. Maybe Nole could pull out of his match tomorrow so he can rest up. I knew both would go all out. Lucky it did not go 3 otherwise Madrid 2009 could have happened again. Maybe Andy can be this year’s Stanimal.
Novak will try to win Rome…I hope he plays two long matches and loses the second..haahah
Novak will win in Rome
Bold.
Andy’s 3 setter in Madrid was shorter or same time than this match. Novak said he felt like he played 5 sets today.
So what is better ?
I think Novak is more scared of Rafa on clay than Andy and it would be great if rafa and Novak on opposite sides.
At least Rafa poses more problem to Djoko now than last year.
I dont know, I feel Djoko isnt playing well on clay this year compared to last year (a R2 loss at MC). Even though he won Madrid, Madrid did play like a HC. He struggled vs Robert, Bellucci and now Rafa here at Rome. Kei if he plays well may be another problem for Djoko, after Djoko’s long physically and mentally draining QF match with Rafa. I do feel Murray may end up winning Rome for the first time.
Murray is playing well on clay; I hope Rafa doesnt end up in Djoko or Murray’s quarter at the FO. I dont know which is better – SF vs Djoko or SF vs Murray at the FO.
This Rafa will beat this Murray and may beat this Nole on Chartrier.
I hope so, hawkeye!
i do
Do you?
Murray beat Rafa in Madrid, but TO be fair, Rafa didn’t play with a lot of intensity and Murray served very well at key points. Rafa also says a good serve in Madrid is far more difficult to deal with. In Rome Murray hasn’t been tested, he had a dream draw.
I used to fret about which half Rafa would be in, now I’m far more relaxed about that, because he is playing well enough to take on anyone. Djok only just beat him yesterday. Maybe Rafa didn’t expect to win which is better as he would have exceeded his expectations.
Rafa is very patient, he knows Rome was not built in a day. (Forgive the pun). I am looking forward to RG.
Vamos Rafa!
Novak’s MC loss had nothing to do with his clay court prowess. He came out flat and did not have enough emotional energy that day. The guy needed rest.
Overall, ye he looks a bit more vulnerable on clay.
Stan has been crap but I hope he catches fire in RG and meets Novak.
Also want thiem/Kyrgios to be on Novak’s side so that the Serb gets some resistance.
Have been saying for months that Djokovic is looking jaded. He is under huge pressure and living up to the high expectatios is getting to him big time. The proof is in the frequent ugly outbursts which in the past were pretty rare. Yesterday he had trouble regaining his composure on several occasions.
The assumption is a Rafole RG final but first they both have to get there. There are more dark horses than usual lying in wait to derail them but based on Rafa’s performance yesterday my money is on him as the more likely of the two to fight his way there.
If Rafole win all their matches before they meet, there is only a 25% chance of them meeting in the final. And that’s IF they win.
A Rafole final is doubtful.
Hawkeye,
You are correct. I don’t know why anyone would assume they will meet in the final.
Rafa: “I was not disappointed. Overall, I am playing well. … I have been competing at the highest level against the best player”.
Yes, Rafa you are playing well, just hold your nerves and RG is yours.
Vamos Rafa!
Yeah, just hold his nerve. He was the better player in the QF yet he lost due to nerve and some brain cramps while serving for set two.
Unless Djoko raises his level at RG and hit top form, Rafa with calm can beat Djoko. Hope Rafa can control his nerve in big matches; I do feel he should fight for a big lead so that there’s buffer in case he gets broken in his service game. One break of serve a set may not be enough against players like Djoko and Murray.
To me, Rafa just wasnt aggressive enough after getting one break and he usually surrendered his only break by being broken back in the set. Its the same old story this year.
Mental
Burning Up Rome
FRIDAY, MAY 13, 2016 /by STEVE TIGNOR
If you go strictly by the scoreline, it doesn’t sound like much: The No. 1 seed, Novak Djokovic, beat the No. 5 seed, 7-5, 7-6 (4), in the quarterfinals.
The victor, for one, knew better.
“It’s a straight-sets win, but it feels like we played five sets,” Djokovic said. “Winning against Nadal is the ultimate challenge on clay courts and one of the biggest challenges we have in sport.”
Djokovic knew that Nadal had pushed him to the limit, had made him sweat and scream and slam his racquet, had made him doubt, and in the end had made him come up with his very best, with the shots that only he possesses. While Nole won his seventh straight match over Rafa, and his 11th in their last 12 meetings, for the first time in a long time this felt like a rivalry. Djokovic felt it, too.
“I have to be very pleased with the way I handled myself in the biggest moments today,” he said with justifiable pride. “I won against one of my biggest rivals on his preferred surface.”
“I was fortunate in important moments,” Djokovic said. “But I managed to take him out of his comfort zone in important moments and didn’t always give him the same look….I thought he played high quality tennis. He tried to step in, he tried to be aggressive. But towards the end, I guess I was a bit more fortunate.”
There’s fortune, and then there’s magic. This match will be remembered for two Djokovic Houdini acts, each of them pulled off at a match-changing moment.
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2016/05/burning-rome/58480/#.VzbueZErLNM
Anyone who thinks Rafa can’t beat Djokovic is not being realistic. Even Djokovic thinks otherwise.
If Rafa keeps feeling tense at crucial moments then most likely he will fall short.
The problem with Rafa when having set point was that he kept serving the same way at ad court and expecting different results when Djoko was already expecting it and returned with interest. Had Rafa taken his chances and served down the T for a change, it would surprise Djoko, even if it went out, at least cast some doubts in Djoko’s head!
Perhaps too many defeats had blunted Rafa’s thought process, he’s not able to think clearly and not gutsy enough to take any risk at crucial moments. How many times when he had BPs but wasted so many of them by playing tentatively?
Not many people see it the way you do not even Djoker.
Vamos Rafa!
Well, well! So we are now quoting Tiggy again? I though he was persons on grata because he said some critical things about Rafa. As soon as he says something good, he’s being quoted again.
Hawkeye, Amy and myself defended Tiggy on rafa’s fan page and were attacked for doing so!!
It’s just nice to see Tiggy being given some respect! 🙂
I meant to say persona non grata in my previous post!
Rafa will rest and work to perfect his new serve positioning. I think his serve will be the key in RG. He has already improved it, but expect more variation to it. He did not have to reveal everything in Rome.
I am more than pleased to see Team Nadal brainstorming and strategy building at it’s finest again. They have carefully thought about everything and they may still surprise us, the fans, as well as Rafa’s opponents, with some new material. I think Rafa has been working hard in order to change certain aspects in his game. He tried those drop shots (not perfect but will get to it; certainly RG clay suits him better to employ those changes); new serve position; being more aggressive (Rafa controlled most of the points yesterday); holding his nerve to consolidate breaks. He just lacked belief. After this match Rafa will definitely have more belief and stronger confidence. Rafa is no longer stating “Novak is at completely different level than me”…
Novak’s frustration and on-court behavior prove he was not expecting this much resistance from Rafa…let’s face it: Novak’s mind is on RG not Rome…he played for RG yesterday…he wanted lopsided match…he wanted to further imperil Rafa’s confidence…but Rafa showed the will to fight back and the endurance to stay in the match…
Honestly, I know most of us here are saying that it would be perfect if they would only meet in the finals…I agree that would be the fair thing to happen because Novak and Rafa are currently the best players on clay and it would be the only REAL deal…however, I am not sure who would be in more danger if they met in RG quarters: Novak or Rafa? Novak needs time to adjust and he usually peaks in the semis/finals…Novak is under huge pressure being the absolute favorite on one side but never winning it on the other…If they met in quarters we could expect Rafa to fight like hell…even in the case of Novak emerging victorious he would certainly be worn out physically and emotionally…I think Novak would more appreciate meeting Rafa at the later stage of the tourney…
Rafa peaks in the semis and finals of RG and his peak > Novak’s. Therefore, I want them to meet in the SF or the final.
yeah, it would be my preference too…but we know the draw will not be in Rafa’s favor…it has never been…we should expect the worst possible draw for Rafa…
vr,
Yes, you are correct. It would be best for Rafa to meet Novak in the semis or final. That would be when he will peak and be at his best.
Nats, I agree with your take on it. Rafa has come a long way since this time last year and his hard work will pay off sooner or later.
IfFed is not going to play RG, I hope he pulls out before the draw so that the top and bottom half will be evenly balanced as much as possible.
I feel final will be better as Novak will be under huge pressure and can choke and lose his calm big time at French open. He will be under less pressure in qtr final.
However given Rafas luck with draws I won’t be surprised if he lends in novaks qtr
Rafa stopped Novak slam in 2012. I sure hope he is the one to do it again.
i have read an interview with fed about the back. fed said he wouldn’t play unless it really improved in a short time. i think there is a very good chance he will pull out so rafa would get the #4 seed. that would be huge as i don’t see him beating nole in the quarters, it’s too early in the tourney, rafa has to build momentum.
I agree, but I think it’s not good for either one of them…They will probably kill each other on court…
I think Fed will decide to play…he may end up with decent draw and reach qrtrs which is fine result for him…although I strongly belive it’s better and smarter for his Wimby chances to skip RG..
i don’t think rafa can hang with nole in the quarters i’m afraid. i don’t think that match would be that difficult for nole. if it’s semis or final then it will be a huge match and whoever gets to play the winner in the final, if it is semis, will have a big advantage because of that.
still, i remember in 2013 i was desperate for rafa to get #4 from ferrer. he got it, but ferrer had the easy draw!
given that fed has had back problems for a while and wimby is his #1 goal + olympics then it doesn’t make much sense for him taking risks at rg where he could go out early on. could get thiem or nick in the fourth round. even fed fans like benny are saying maybe he should pull out.
of course i am desperate not to see rafole in the quarters!!!
You mean Nole is better earlier on even though he nearly lost to a qualifier in 2nd Rnd and got bageled in the 3rd round?
The issue with fed playing RG, is that it’s best of five set matches. That is much more demanding than best of three set matches. So that is one of the risks fed will be facing.
Amy,
I agree with you! I believe in being realistic and honest. There is no way that I want Rafa to play Novak in the quarterfinals and if one is a real Rafa fan, then they would not want that at all. Their battles are so physical and it would take a lot out of Rafa to face Novak that early.
Rafa got lucky in the 2013 RG because after that intense five set battle with Novak, Rafa played Ferrer in the final. He was able to beat him easily in 3 sets. But after the semifinal with Novak, Rafa pulled out of a warmup tournament for Wimbledon. I think it was Halle. Also, Rafa got knocked out if Wimbledon early. Playing Novak takes it out of him and he was three years younger at that time.
This is true for Nole too! Not good to play Rafa in the QF or any round at FO! Would like to avoid it altogether, if possible.
Yes, of course it’s not good for Novak to have to play Rafa in the quarterfinals. I just usually speak about how things affect rafa since I am his fan,
Yeah. I’m likely getting a bit wound up in advance of FO and starting to see everything from a Nole fan perspective. I’ll calm down. It’s not the end of the world if he loses his chance at FO again this year. It might seem like it for a short time but I’ll get over it. After all the years hoping, I’m a bit frayed and fried.
nny, i would be very worried if they played in the quarters! rafa gets better and better as the tournament progresses and i don’t think he would have sufficient momentum by the quarters. semis or final is a different matter.
also i want to see a rafole final because i am starved for lack of gr8 rafole matches. without this rivalry tennis at the very top has been a shadow of what it used to be….
what’s all this about rafa taking up a serving position in the ad court where he renounces the t serve?
one of the big problems he has had for a long while is that on break points he used to hit the t serve and save himself. doesn’t seem to be able to do that now.
Amy,
The 2013 RG was probably the best match Novak and Rafa have played. A true classic! Their rivalry has made tennis so exciting. I do miss their epic clashes. That’s why it’s important that Rafa is himself again. The sport needs him to challenge Novak.
yes i cried after that match nny!! the last set was absolutely unbelievable!
one of the reasons i get so mad with the rafa situation is that i miss those matches so much. there is no comparable rivalry without it.
but hell, i wouldn’t want rafa to play nole in the semis and go five and then have to play murray in the final. that wouldn’t be good…
A stat to ponder upon from yesterday:
Rafa had 83% 1st serves in, won 69% of 2nd serve points, yet lost in straights.
Rafa has better stats than Nole in that match he was just unlucky at key points.
Right now, I’m watching the USO final to keep my spirits up.
The same way Fed and others have been unlucky against Rafa multiple times!
Nole was good enough to make his own luck.
You don’t seem to get the point :
Do you think Rafa can put up an even better serving performance in their next meeting?
I have my doubts.
Rafa only won 59% of first serves. Another stay to ponder.
rc,
I know it must be hard as a Novak fan to see him lose so often at RG. Last year was the biggest surprise, considering that Novak finally beat Rafa in the quarterfinals.
Thanks, all due awe and respect to Stan. But that was hard to take.
Having to beat Rafa to get to the final could very well have taken too much out of him in terms of mental/emotional energy, if not physically.
Kind of giving up hope for Nole at this point. Best to let go of expectations and just enjoy tennis. Nole is still amazing, win or lose.
Having to beat Rafa, Andy and then Stan…that was too much. But it’s not getting any easier, that’s for dang sure!
Abhirf doesn’t get it.
Those stats prove that Rafa controlled the match but his anxiety was heightened on five set points and caused him to give Nole his only break point in the second set when serving for the set.
The match was on Rafa’s Raquet until he got tight on key moments.
Hawkeye gets it!
And this is far better than he was a few short months ago.
He is getting close and Chartrier may make the difference.
There is real hope now.
Vamos Rafa!
Or maybe, Nole just got better on those key moments!
@abhirf 7:46 am,
I tend to agree! Rafa lacked guts and was too defensive and too tentative on key points! Novak was just better in those crucial situations and Rafa let him be and was severely punished for it…
In tennis, matches are won in those crucial moments! Rafa will have to get more determined and more aggressive when it matters the most! That was his only flaw in this match with Novak!
I also find it hard to understand why Rafa wasn’t confident enough when he had the lead in both sets and even managed to consolidate the breaks, was in control of the match and then became easy target on set points! It’s almost as he calls for Novak to become a beast and plays his best tennis in the key moments…
abhirf perhaps but doubtful.
Not five set points and the only bp allowed when serving.
Reeks of tightness.
regarding rg. i’ve said for ages now that rafa will be vulnerable in the early rounds. he was even in 2013 so will be even more so now that he has developed slamitis (inability to get past the first 3 rounds). it’s imperative he gets help with the draw early on.
so some of this talk about nole is moot really – he has to get there first and that’s not a given.
this is RG, remember? There is little probability Rafa would lose in the first rounds to anyone…he was most vulnerable last year and managed to reach quarters and face Novak…this year he is playing way better and is more confident…
of course, nothing is given! For Rafa but also for Novak…
he struggled and was very nervous in the early rounds of rg in 13 when he had been on fire! no-one believed he was beatable then but the field does believe that now. also he used to have a record of always going deep in slams…now he is on a 3 slam record of going out in the early rounds, that is bound to weigh on him.
what does a struggle mean? Losing a set on clay? Novak used to lose sets in his favorite AO and yet ended up wining it so many times! Would you then say the same for Novak that he was nervous or struggling?
In 2013 Rafa dispatched quality opponents in Fognini, Nishikori, Wawrinka before he met Novak…so basically saying that Rafa was struggling just because he lost a set in the first two rounds makes no sense…he was never in danger to lose the match because he won the remaining sets comfortably…
even though I agree players now have more belief they could test Rafa on clay I still think there are only a few who think they could actually beat Rafa on RG clay in the best of 5…Rafa did not lose in the early round on clay this year…Novak did…so players might as well believe they can test Novak…for Novak being tested means being taken to four long sets is a killer scenario at RG because there is no POD available for recovery and he is so dependent on it…
Rafa not struggling in the first week of RG 2013?! That was PAINFUL! I guess you have forgotten about the massive struggles against Daniel brands in rnd 1 ! I was so scared he’ll be down 2 sets to love ! Thankfully he won the second set in a tie break somehow! Don’t know what else would qualify as a struggle in the first round ..haha
The match against Klizan was also quite challenging and then his performance against the Fog was plain bad. Thank God Fog was worse. He became a diff player round 4 onward though! Dispatching Nishi in rnd 4 and then Stan in the Qtr just enabled him to reach his peak level.
glad you agree with me vr!! i am VERY nervous about the early rounds in rg….i do not want to see foggy there or a player like foggy…
VR and Amy remember.
I am always nervous for the early rounds at RG. But this year I will be even more nervous. Rafa has been knocked out early in the last three slams. So this might make him anxious or nervous. We don’t know how he will react. He did not do well at this year’s AO. Another early exit which took many of us by surprise.
The early rounds are always tricky. Anything can happen. But I am hoping that rafa’s recent results will give him that inner confidence.
the way Novak celebrated some of his points seemed as they were playing in the RG final not the qtrfinal of a Master…he had that crazy frightening look in his eyes…it sure meant a lot to him…it tells Novak is not at all comfortable playing Rafa…
Exactly, Nats.
I think Luckystar is too disappointed that Rafa lost so is not looking at things clearly.
Yes I am disappointed, that Rafa really troubled Djoko yet couldnt give him the killer punch when it mattered, to take the win.
I dont doubt Rafa’s abilities despite his shortcomings (poor ROS, too tentative, brain cramps at crucial moments, misfiring FHs) as long as he’s fighting out there and creating chances for himself. What I doubted and disappointed about were his inability to take the chances after creating them. If he keeps getting nervous at crucial points, how’s he going to beat a Djoko who’s full of confidence and has the belief in his own abilities to hit gutsy shots?
Lol! this is what happens when you try to read too much into one’s psyche.
Nole was just being Nole out there yesterday. Nothing more, nothing less.
Recently, Nole has played really underwhelming tennis in the early rounds, although he always managed to win. I think after his performance against Robert and Bellucci, other players will have more belief against him.
To me, both the players gained a lot of positives out of this match.
Rafa finally played at a high level. His groundstrokes for once had the required pace and depth of both the wings.
Nole, even after not having his best serving and return day, still managed to came back in both the sets and made all the important shots. This kind of win can actually boost his confidence even more for the coming matches and RG!
I don’t think so…not at the RG…he feels too much pressure there…otherwise he would have not lost to Wawa last year…
Not at RG? Dangerous assumption!
Yes, he might be full of nerves in the RG final if he reaches there. But lately, his performances in the later stages of slams have been really dominant to say the least!
We will see.
I don’t really understand, how Djokovic can’t feel more confident with that win going forward!
just compare Doha match and this match! Rafa provided no resistance to Novak last year and even in the beginning of this year…the situation has changed with Rafa being competitive at last…Novak knows this Rafa will put up a fight..Rafa of January 2016 could not even do that…
Yes, the match in Doha was very disappointing. Rafa was just a sitting duck. I wouldn’t even call it a competition. I think he had Nole firmly planted in his head then, that was not the case yesterday.
Doha were entirely different conditions. Rafa said he couldn’t do much in the cold night conditions.
Djoko would feel good no doubt about that but would also feel worried, for how close Rafa was and Djoko knew he was quite fortunate winning set 2.
He knew he may not be so fortunate the next time they meet. He knows Rafa too well, that Rafa will gain confidence and learn from this loss.
Rafa’s problem is his nerve, now that he can stay with the no.1 player despite his own game still can have room for improvement. If we think Djoko wasnt playing well in the match and can still raise his level at RG, Rafa too can raise his – at least hits his FH with less misfirings, varies his serve a little, takes his chances when returning weak second serves etc and etc.
He barely scrapped past Rafa, how can he be confident? Rafa had the upperhand for most part of the match, Djoko may not be as fortunate as in winning the second set the next time they meet. Its not like Djoko was having the upperhand thereby feeling confident about the match and the win.
abhirf, I don’t think Nole got a lot of positives from that match. He now realises that RG is not there for the taking as everyone assumed and he acknowledges that he was lucky to win the match.
abhirf,
That is how I see the match. Positives for both players.
Its clay now, not slow HCs so Djoko cant play like he did at Doha and AO. Even at Dubai, Djoko had/has never played like that too because of the quickness of the courts there. Djoko’s fav surface is slow HCs though he can win on any surface, just not in as dominant manner.
Nole had dust storm issues in Dubai this year — sensitive eyes. I was a little worried about the swirling sand and wind in Rome yesterday. He did okay.
Fantastic match! Very entertaining.
Not talking about Dubai this year but Dubai all these years. Djoko was not as dominant there, had to go the distance to win sometimes. I didnt see dominant performance like Doha this year at Dubai.
There wasn’t a dust storm going on in Doha at the time they played in January. My point was the swirling sand and his eye trouble this year in Dubai.
But what’s Novak not doing well in Dubai got to do with now? That he has trouble transitioning to different surfaces? He’s playing pretty well in Rome. He’s played very well in Paris on clay – just not better than Rafa. No one is better than Rafa on Chatrier. Last year, imo, is an aberration. I expect Rafa to be monstrous again this year.
rc,
I agree with you that Dubai has nothing to do with now.
Rafa should be ready for RG this time. I am looking forward to it. However, I think this idea
that Novak may crumble due to the pressure or not feel confident, is wishful thinking.
I am happy that Rafa has found his game again. But I do not take anything for granted with Novak. He has been the dominant player for a while now, I do not subscribe to this idea that he has not bee playing well and somehow has gotten away with it.
Thanks, Nny. I was beginning to wonder about this place this morning.?
It’s understandable though, considering. Everyone has an opinion! It’s still more sane here than tennis-x much of the time.
Dont agree. Djoko didnt play well BUT got away with it! This was certainly not Djoko at his best yet he could win with grit and determination.
He having problem with Bellucci and was bageled in one set certainly qualified as not playing well! How often you see Djoko being bageled? Not since Cincy 2012 final at the hands of Fed.
Djoko of 2015 clay season certainly was playing better tennis than now. Of course, he will raise his level come FO, but whether better than 2015 level or not no one knows yet.
Just beginning now rc?
I wonder all the time lol.
No, read the posts above – they were discussing about Rome vs Doha results between Rafa and Djoko, and not expecting Djoko to have a 6-1, 6-2 beatdown on Rafa.
I said slow HCs are Djoko’s fav surface, so cant compare with Rome or even Dubai where Djoko couldnt dominate with lopsided scoreline but still could win.
Follow??
No.
I won’t comment on your posts again, Lucky. No way I’m going to wade through all the posts here – much of it nonsense if it is about Nole.
What are you talking about? Saying that we are talking nonsense?
So we cant even compare Djoko’s performance on clay vs other surfaces?
Ok, skip my posts then. Thank you.
You are welcome.
A bit insane here rc where Nole is concerned. I for one hope he wins FO if Rafa cannot.
seconded hawks. best to ignore a lot of what is said about nole here or at least take it with a very large pinch of salt.
the whole egg/pod obsession just about sums the worst of it up.
Amy,
I really take offense at the egg/pod thing being brought up. Rafa fans rightfully take offense when anyone accuses him of doping. The Pod is legal and there is no reason to bring it up in a derogatory way regarding Novak.
I am grateful that Rafa appreciates and respects what Novak has done. It’s just our class from Rafa and another reason to be proud to be his fan.
I am sure it’s hard for Novak fans here to read some of this stuff. But I know that Rafa understands what it takes to be at the top. Rafa and Fed did not always play their best when they were dominating and there is no reason to think that Novak can play his best all the time. But to say that he plays boring crap tennis or that he’s just lucky is simply sour grapes.
There are many things to like about Tenngrand. The comment sections can be brutal for a Nole fan but no one forces me to post here.
I like how Ricky covers tennis, enjoy his wit and humor. It’s all good Nny. I just don’t want to discuss Nole here. If I have a disagreement with a Nole opinion, I’ll choose letting it go to swimming upstream. Used to be more game for going around and around — no longer tho. If it gets too flagrantly offensive, I’ll leave but opinions about Nole are fair game as they should be. I like how Ricky moderates keeping personal insults off limits and allowing opinions of players be expressed to a large extent.
Just wondering if you replace Rafa in place of Novak and had Novak lost the set point opportunities and Rafa would have won the match then would you have still been discussing that Rafa was fortunate otherwise Novak was the better player. I don’t think so.
I think everyone would have been applauding how Rafa was trolling Novak and played great shots and even though Novak had set points Rafa was so good that he didn’t allow him to take the set and finally closed the match in straight sets.
I think in reality as a neutral spectator I believe Novak was slightly the better player and also stats shows that. In fact Rafa converted 2 out of 3 break points which in itself is a good stats and in fact Novak was unfortunate that he could concert only 3 out of (maybe 8/9) break points. And also one player can’t defeat another player always easily, no matter how big the difference is between them. Just as an example some times Ferrer takes a set from Rafa and make the match very competitive that doesn’t mean that if they meet again Ferrer might actually defeat Rafa and the same holds here. Novak has been winning in straight sets against Rafa from very long time and yesterday it might have gone to 3 but that doesn’t change anything as Bellucci also took Novak to 3 sets.
+1
alpha,
I don’t know if you are new here or not, but that was an excellent post! Great point in turning it around and making us think about how we would have reacted! Well done!
You have made a coherent argument and I appreciate it. It’s fair to ask what Rafa fans would have said if it was Novak who failed to convert all those set points!
The best posts make us think and see things from a different point of view.
Hats off to you! 🙂
nny, as you are not a Rafa fan, you wouldn’t know how Rafa fans feel. At last you have come off the fence and admit you are not a Rafa fan.
Nadline,
You shouldn’t talk about yourself that way! You can keep on saying the same lies about me, but it won’t change the truth. You are the one who is not a true Rafa fan, because you don’t follow rafa’s example. He’s got class and can acknowledge, as he did, that Novak made the great shots when he had to. Rafa has the best tennis brain and should know what he’s talking about.
Your attacks on me have nothing to do with Rafa and I think that people here have figured that out.
You disrespect Rafa all the time with your mean-spirited comments.
It’s really sad.
rc,
I am tired if being attacked whenever I say anything positive about Novak. I try to talk tennis but it’s always the same people who have to attack and say that I am not a Rafa fan. I appreciate how Ricky handles the site, but this type of thing had to stop because it is damaging.
I am trying to focus on this great match, but have grown weary of being told that I am lying about being a Rafa fan. It’s the sane one or two people all the time.
tune out the haters
Ricky gets it.
Ricky always gets it.
None who know and read your posts believe you are not a real Rafa Fan, Nny! The accusations are absurd.
You are being trolled. The only thing I can suggest is ignoring them if Ricky doesn’t intervene.
rc gets it.
+1 to Rc’s post. That’s the way. RC Gets it. Hawkeye Always Gets it.
“I was fortunate in important moments,” Djokovic said.
Nothing more needs to be said.
What is the problem in mentioning egg pod??? Novak speaks openly about it and says he uses it frequently in both US and Australia! He recommended it to other players! So we here are not allowed to speak about it?Please!
And why bring Rafa into picture? Nobody is talking about doping here! It’s so disrespectful of Rafa! Unbelievable!!!
NNY actually hates Rafa. Now she thinks doping is to Rafa as egg pod is to Nole. Nole actually uses the pod so she is implying that Rafa is doping and his fans get annoyed when anyone mentions that. I am sick of NNY’s underhand hatred for Rafa whilst posing as a Rafa fan. I have NEVER seen her come to Rafa’s defence but say one thing against anyone else and she gets her hackles up.
NNY, please don’t ever mention doping and Rafa in the same sentence again. Thank you.
nadline,
Do not dare ever tell me what to say in this site! You are not the moderator and this us not your site! I called you out for hypocrisy! A quality that I do not admire In anyone.
Do not threaten me verbally ever again on this site. Your instigating comments and hateful words are a disgrace!
Natashao has trashed Novak for using the pod and pointed out that it is illegal in countries. The clear implication is that Novak us cheating.
I do just sorry that people on this site have to read the trashy comments and vicious attacks that the two of you post. Nothing about tennis or respect for other players.
It’s toxic and shameful,
Nadline hadn’t had her dose of instigative comments so she let it all out in a more hateful/instigative way than ever before! haha
NNY’s defended Rafa countless times and her knowledge of tennis and rafa’s game allows her to do that in a way very few can on this website.
The instigators have hardly ever written anything of substance that could defend Rafa or substantiate his plus points.
Too bad the tennis discussion environment is polluted with these posts that have no purpose but to instigate and cause a stir.
My advice to everyone: IGNORE as much as possible. Let’s stick to tennis as we have been for most part lately 🙂
well said vr. however it is very hard to be on the receiving end of these kinds of comments constantly as nny is.
mary was the worst! i get tired of saying things and it would be so much better if the hate speak wasn’t on the site. it’s a. personal and nothing to do with tennis or rafa for that matter. and b. harassment.
totally agreed, Amy… I also know it is so annoying and furstrating to be at the receiving end again and again. Not sure what the best way to deal with it is so I say don’t waste your precious energy. I totally understand your perspective.
The good thing is that Tenngrand has grown a lot and now it has a lot of new posters too, which is very good. The influence of the instigators have reduced now but it is of course there.
Glad to see fans of other players posting here! Let’s keep contributing by sharing our viewpoints on TENNIS. I am a tennis fanatic but have never quite spent time posting on any other tennis website/blog….I have been committed to tenngrand and its community and i guess that is not going to change anytime soon.
*Correction 2nd para: Influence HAS reduced..
i meant defending nny from attacks vr. i have been attacked of course but not nearly so much. mary didn’t attack me until i defended nny and after that she singled me out constantly. glad she’s gone!!
but i can’t see someone else being attacked ie nny and not say anything…
VR gets it. They’re not worth the effort.
Ricky needs to moderate better.
hawks gets it.
@Hawkeye actually adopted the policy of ignoring and it has kind of served him well overall.
Amy, yeah I know, NNY has been targeted by a few.
People like NNY, hawkeye and you are the reason I look forward to posting here.
same vr. you know i love your brilliant technical analyses as well as the fact you are just a really good guy!!
still massively nervous about the early rounds of rg!!!
PS this site really misses chloro!!
we are friends and email each other but the site would be better if he was here…
Thanks vr.
Your tennis insight is unparalleled here and rivals the best analysis I’ve seen anywhere including mainstream media.
I don’t mind having lively banter and smack talk with actual tennis fans such as abhirf and mikkers, but can’t be bothered with the cr@p from the infatuated who don’t like (or know about) tennis beyond a single player.
Waste of time now. They are sad fans.
Hawkeye, you’re not only a humourous person but also very generous 😉 Thanks a lot!
Honestly, I only like posting because I know there are in knowledgeable tennis fans like you! You are not a blind follower and I am often counting on your views to really see how Rafa is actually doing! Keep offering your insights and giving us those brilliant hashtags 😉
@Amy, many thanks! Always look forward to reading your posts! And yeah, chloro should be here. I am sure he has his reasons but ask him to re-join 🙂
Right back at you VR.
Looking forward to FO after Rafa played so well in Rome.
He has a real chance now. Nole seems wound tight as a drum. His behavior in Rome was surprising. If he’s at his very best, I don’t think today’s Rafa (or anyone else) will beat him. But that’s a BIG if.
He is still the odds on favourite just, but I wouldn’t take those odds if I were a betting person.
AT 5:45 PM
Ricky has moderated the posts of the troll named ‘hawks’ quite effectively, but, yeah, there is still room for improvement.
here comes one of the instigators. LOL
We know the drill 😉
Nah, just noise VR. 🙂
RAFAEL NADAL: “I am playing well. No, no. I have been, I think, a beautiful match, a little bit unlucky for me today, so many chances in the first set.”
Novak say he was fortunate and Rafa says he was unlucky, why can’t people accept that there was an element of luck in the match?