Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will begin their final tournament prior to the French Open on Wednesday, with both men going up against Frenchmen. Nadal is taking on Gilles Simon and Federer is facing Jeremy Chardy.
(1) Rafael Nadal vs. Gilles Simon
Nadal and Simon will squaring off for the seventh time in their careers when they do battle in round two of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Wednesday. The head-to-head series stands at 5-1 in Nadal’s favor, but they have faced each other only once on clay. That was their most recent encounter, won by the Spaniard 6-3, 6-4 at the 2012 Monte-Carlo Masters. Simon’s lone victory came during his memorable second half of 2008 run, which included a 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(6) semifinal upset of Nadal on the indoor hard courts of Madrid.
Simon played his way into this matchup by trouncing Italy’s own Filippo Volandri 6-2, 6-3 on Tuesday. The Frenchman is still a disappointing 7-10 this season and will in all likelihood just barely manage to maintain a seed for Roland Garros, currently at 30th in the world. Nadal is coming off a title in Madrid, where he got past Kei Nishikori via a third-set retirement on Sunday. The world No. 1 is not as dominant on the red stuff right now as he has been in the past, but last week should give him some confidence as he looks to three-peat in Rome.
Pick: Nadal in 2 losing 5-7 games
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Jeremy Chardy vs. (4) Roger Federer
Federer and Chardy will be going head-to-head for just the second time in their careers but also for the second time this season. Their only previous meeting came in January in the Brisbane semifinals, with Federer prevailing 6-3, 6-7(3), 6-3. Chardy advanced on Sunday in Rome with a 6-4, 6-4 ousting of Robin Haase. The 47th-ranked Frenchman is a decent 15-11 for the year, which includes only two first-round losses in 12 tournaments.
This is, of course, Federer’s first appearance since his wife gave birth to twin boys last week. The Monte-Carlo finalist and 2013 Rome runner-up is 28-5 on the season with additional runner-up showings in Brisbane and Indian Wells to go along with a title in Dubai. The Swiss’ focus may not be entirely there right from the start, but his 2014 form is far superior to that of last year and he should not have too much trouble getting the best of Chardy.
Pick: Federer in 2 losing more than 8 games
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If you want to beat Rafa you better throw the utensils, water and damn sink at him. Even then, it won’t be enough………..
This was the longest 3-setter of the season. Rafa looked fresh, good sign……….
Simon is a poor man’s Djokovic. I remember him giving Rafa trouble at MC2012 which gave Rafa the confidence to play Novak later in the tournament
At least Rafa got the win. I am thankful for that. I am telling myself that a win like this, where he had to battle over three sets, just might help him. That’s the way I am trying to look at it, but part of me is very nervous.
In 2011, it was only Novak who Rafa couldn’t beat. This time, things are different. It’s players that he has owned who can trouble him. I just think that the other players realize that Rafa hasn’t been his usual self on clay. So they come out trying to play their best in hopes of dethroning the King of Clay. They seem to know exactly how to go after him. Simon knew exactly when to pull the trigger and go for Rafa’s forehand side. It’s the go-to strategy these days.
But he is still in it, unlike Fed. A win is a win.
https://twitter.com/TennisTV/status/466688123704184833/photo/1
overall, Rafa played way better that in Madrid finals…he had a very tough opponent today…this was something like live or die for Simon…I don’t remember seeing him play like this…he must have been inspired by Almagro…or Dolgo… đ
I always thought Simon was a nice guy but I just learned from the commentator that Simon can be rude, annoying and apparently enjoys making up excuses when he loses the match…not shaking the hand of the umpire is plain stupid thing to do…he really disappoints me now…
Rafa has improved his movements, he is showing signs of his old ‘never give up’ attitude and he is playing with much more confidence…yes, he was broken a lot but he won convincingly at the end…This match was very useful work out for our Rafa…
^^^^^Simon played like that against Rafa in Madrid (indoor H/C) in 2008 which was by far the most successful year of his career. Lost in the final to Murray.
I am going to watch the part of the match that I didn’t see. Then maybe I can assess what happened. I just have to believe that Rafa fighting and hanging in there and being able to pull this out will be a good thing.
Nick Lester who was commentating described his physique as being shaped like a paper clip. lol.
Oh gosh, Rafa is such a pain!! Why cant he win easy like everyone else?!!! I am getting way too old for this, and so is he by the way!
mona,
I feel you! It’s hard on my blood pressure, that’s for sure! I don’t like Simon is going to be able to replicate this effort against other players. I think he just came out without any pressure, no expectations, maybe thinking that Rafa might be vulnerable. Rafa will have to just fight them all off, one by one and show them that he’s still the man on clay.
I did see the end of the match and it was encouraging to see the positive body language from Rafa. He was pumping his fist, very animated and jumped in the air at the end. We never know how matches affect players. Fans think differently when they watch their favorite play. But for Rafa, he could see this as a great effort where he didn’t quit, stayed in it and never game up. I am hoping that it will give him some of the confidence. He seems to be having some mental lapses out there, but at least now he bounces back.
He’s still standing! đ
when Rafa the warrior shows up it does not matter who the opponent is…he will beat him! I love Rafa’s courageous heart. That’s our Rafa…this is what I was waiting to see from him…he continues to fight…that is what he said he would do in his interview after he lost in Barcelona…
Simon made a huge effort today…it will take time for him to recover from the match like this…and Rafa was only getting stronger as the match progressed…I really think this was an improved performance by Rafa…
Vamos Rafa the Brave Heart! đ
Gillou was stunning out there. He played like a man with nothing to lose and everything to gain. I hope this is not just a flash in the pan and this is a sign he is getting over his injuries, back to his pain-in-the-butt Simon. He gave Rafa a rough time out there. Chapeau.
Rafa played a fantastic 1st set and should have finished off the match in two sets by converting the MP on 2nd serve. Dumping a second serve, on MP, into the net is plain wrong. I would say the one negative take-out from the match was Rafa’s inability to close out the first set, twice, and failing to close out the match in the 2nd set. That’s a mental thing. Team Rafa needs to work on that.
Having said that, there was a lot to like for me in this match. Rafa was working hard out there. There were signs of negativity e.g. looking skywards and scrunching his face after an error, but they were less than in Madrid. He was much more expressive positively, Vamossing and punching the air, a good sign. I especially liked his attitude in the 3rd set. He maintained a level of calm even though Simon was doing his best to get the Umpire working against him. In Barcelona, after he lost the 3rd set he simply unraveled in the 3rd, not so today.
More importantly, his stamina. He was still looking fresh at the end, Simon was cooked, he was not running any more.
I think we have to accept that a lot of players are willing to take it to Rafa. Some of them have genuinely closed the gap, like Nishi. It’s okay. The important thing is, Rafa will jot hand any match to anybody. They want it, they have to take it from his cold dead hands.
Vamos Rafa!
Very well said.
After reviewing the TB and the third set, I feel better about his gradual improvements.
In my mind, he’s not quite back yet but he is well on his way.
#HUM9LE
I surprised myself last night. After Gillou snagged the 2nd set, I remained calm. What made me calm was Rafa’s attitude, he was fighting, he was more positive than negative and to be honest, if he had lost with that kind of attitude, I was okay with it. What bothered me about MC and Barcelona was he appeared to have forgotten how to fight.
A lot of players visibly deflate after a break, a dropped set a dropped point etc. It happened to Gillou yesterday. After Rafa broke him in the first game of the 3rd set, you could see his shoulders slump, his step falter a little. This was Rafa in MC and Barcelona, he became ordinary.
Rafa is extra-ordinary because he does the exact opposite: he fights for every point regardless of the score and with this attitude he wins more than he loses, pretty or not, leaving a host of players clutching at possibilities: I was the better player, I could have won if I had not been injured blah, blah blah.
Rafa is right: it’s all about winning, winning gives him confidence. It was ugly against Gillou for the most part but it was a definite improvement on Madrid.
He starts piling up wins like he did against Nishi in Madrid, Gillou yesterday and they will start to fear him again because they know they have to suffer to beat Rafa.
Not many people like to suffer, let alone enjoy it.
Rafa does.
Talking about stamina. The distances run during the 3 hours were
Nadal 4412m Simon 4373
When you think it was at full tilt, albeit in short bursts, pretty mind boggling.
Sometimes we are so hard on Rafa, but can you imagine what the amount of pressure is like when you are a constant target year after year, esp during the clay court season, bcos everybody wants to take you down! Rafa has made it look easy over the years so we have been spoilt, but remember on June 3, Rafa will be 28….it will only get harder!! I just hope Rafa continues to improve his game and remain healthy and calm. Looking back at Rafa’s career and all what he has been through, he has already cemented his legacy as a legend of the game! For me, all other wins are just icing on the cake!! Vamos, Rafa, and keep keeping on! Your fans will ALWAYS love you!
http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/05/first-ball-514-no-holidays-rome/51451/#.U3PsKU1ZrIU
Tiggy:
“(1) I think with this match we can officially say that Nadalâs opponents have more belief than they once did, even when they face him on clay. Simon is a quality player, and he did beat Rafa indoors six years ago, but he hung in longer than I expected when he fell behind today.
(2) One thing that Toni Nadal always stressed to his nephew is that when an opponent wins a set, the best chance you have to break him may come in his opening service game of the next set, whenâs happy and relaxed. Nadal broke Simon to start the third set and stopped the Frenchmanâs momentum cold.”
That was a match that was. Earlier today I’d watched highlights from their ’08 encounter and had a hunch it would be a battle royal in spite of Simon’s poor showing in recent months. And so it proved to be but when Rafa broke in the first game of set 3 you could see the belief and hope visibly draining out of Simon. He battled on bravely but it was a lost cause.
My gut feeling is Rafa has turned the corner. The anxiety is still there â manifesting itself in the struggles to convert on break points and his failure to serve out the 2nd set â but the steely determination is back. ?
#TTL
I did watch my recording of the match. I didn’t get the middle part of the second set. But I got to see the last part of it, starting when Rafa had MP. That was really hard to watch. I felt that Rafa was playing way too defensively in that second set tb. Simon was able to step up and take it to Rafa. That was frustrating.
However, what I loved was seeing Rafa come out in that third set and get the early break. He just seemed to start playing much more aggressively. He was more present in the match, more focused. I thought he played his best tennis in that set. He was intense and full of purpose. Now that I have seen how he won that third set, I feel a lot better. Rafa once said it’s good if he can finish a match playing better than when he started. Well, that’s what he did in this match. Simon played well, but in the third set he just couldn’t hang with a Rafa who was fiercely determined. You could see that look in his eyes. That’s what has been missing too often. But the warrior was there in full force.
This is good news because it means that the mental strength is also there now. He wasn’t able to find it in his recent losses. His upcoming opponents may think that they now have a chance against Rafa, but they will be sorely disappointed.
Having said all this, I do need to say that if Youhzny makes a match of it, I think that I will have a stroke! đ
Also, now that Rafa has a day match, maybe that will be better for him.
Take up yoga NNY!
Me, I just chain smoke. I dare not think how many when Rafa was suffering that run of losses đ
ed,
Well I have been doing some deep breathing exercises these days. Recommended by my doctor for a number of reasons. Stress is terrible for anyone with chronic back problems. I also have tried some very basic yoga moves. I can’t get too twisty just yet! đ
I do seem to twist myself into a pretzel and contortions when I am watching Rafa these days. The old back can’t take it anymore. No one wants to be around me when I am watching Rafa. It’s best that way.
I don’t smoke. Never did. Now I don’t dare because I have asthma.
I have not been using my deep breathing techniques when watching Rafa. You made me think of it, so now I have to remember to just – breeeaaathe!
Maybe the day match will make it better for Rafa. The match starts at 7:00 am my time, so if I can manage to turn in early, then I just might get up for breakfast with Rafa!
ED, NAUGHTY!!!!!!!!!!!
When Rafa is in a spot of bother in a match I get terrible itching on my feet with the nerves. It goes away if I take a anti-hystamine tablet which I take for my hayfever. Yesterday, I didn’t have any as I now use a very effective nasal spray so I resorted to rubbing Olbas Oil on my feet to get rid of the itching sensation.
If only Rafa knew what he does to his fans.
Folks – Do you all remember that Toni Nadal had chosen Simon to practice with Rafa in 2012 to get over the Djokovic huddle? So he must have chosen Simon for a reason. Simons game does trouble Rafa a bit as does Djokovic whose game troubles Rafa a lot.
Atleast Rafa got hell lot of practice and sharpened his groundstrokes and was battle hardened đ
My only worry is the match was so long, hope he will be fresh tomorrow and does not feel stiff, lethargic
Nadal continues to frequently practice with Simon
#bromance
And still he complained about time taken by Rafa?
I mean whats with these guys. They practice a lot with him (Simon, Stan) and on court behave weird complaining and arguing with umpire about Rafa. I don’t understand how can you really not feel odd about it.
It’s called compartmentalization, @Sanju. They may be friends off court but on it, they are competitors. They do not let what happens on court spill over off court and vice versa. True professionals.
It’s business, not personal. Rafa cannot afford to be petty. He has a professional objective, he does not have the luxury of “carrying over” feelings of pique or resentment. If he does that, his professional objectives will suffer.
So, yeah, I agree with you it looks weird and I also have a hard time understanding how Rafa can say “forgive” Stan but then I figure he does not have to: all he needs to do is park stuff in compartments i.e. the proverbial Chinese walls, not let stuff from one compartment spill into the other, and it should work………
Something which is less obvious watching on TV compared with seeing him live is the almost super-natural level of concentration he can sustain throughout even the longest matches: this is what sets him apart from everybody else. It’s when he fails to compartmentalise that the chinks appear in his armour.
#ColmIsEverything
It’s kinda funny, but not surprising, how pundits are yawning about Fed’s loss yesterday and saying his goal is Wimby anyway. As if he does not need to win anything leading up to Wimby. These are the same pundits who have been telling us Rafa’s changes for RG are iffy in spite of him winning Madrid.
A colleague of mine here in Tunis, who is a Fedfan, was hyper-ventilating last Sunday after the Madrid final saying Rafa is finished. I chose not to argue with him except to remind him that Rafa won. But of course for him, Rafa won because Nishi got injured.
Fast forward to yesterday, not a word, nada, from him after Fed’s ouster. I also did not say a word to him about it, pretended the match never happened. But I couldn’t help thinking: if Rafa is finished after winning a Masters trophy, what do we say about Fed, being ousted in the 1st round of a Masters tournament, by a guy with no weapons?
I know, I know………..we say nothing.
rafaisthebest@May 15, 2014 at 8:35 am
As for the pundits, these so-called pundits are actually Fed fans.
I know @augusta08, it just annoys me sometimes how a lot of Fedfans seem more concerned with Rafa’s form than they are about their man. I know why but it is annoying……….
They should talk more about their man, find something positive to say about Fed, anything. Get so tired of all the negativity they spout……….
When Nico beat Rafa and lost the next day he said beating Rafa had done a lot for his career. Obviously killing himself to achieve that and losing the next match due to fatigue was a small price to pay.
As for time violation, the same commies who were campaigning for the enforcement have now had enough of It. Significantly, Mark Petchey said, yesterday, that it appears that the powers that be have asked the umpires not to enforce it too rigidly because it’s disruptive, and thinks that they shoulD either enforce it rigidly or not at all.
It makes no sense @nadline, this application of the time violation rules. If you want to apply it to the letter then do, without exception but as we have seen, the rule has been applied selectively, and yes, targeting Rafa.
I hope the powers that be are now realizing that Fed is history, bowing to his every whim does not make commercial sense anymore, Rafa is the present.
However did they arrive at 25 secs in the first place? What criteria were used? And what bunch of wallies decided it should be 20 secs at Slams? It should be more not less than ATP matches. These guys toil for 4-5 hours or more, sometimes in gruelling heat, yet are expected to serve like automata for up to five sets.
At the very least they could decree an exception to the rule after rallies of more than let’s say 25 strokes.
I forget who was in the chair last night but he’ll be in hot water for acknowledging Rafa was often over 25 secs but was only given one violation.
Do you reckon Rafa could get a medical certificate on account of his OCD exempting him from the 25sec limit? You know the way kids are given extra time in exams for a range of disorders đ
^^^NNY raised her eyebrows when abhirf said he had no high expectations for Madrid but then he is the exception rather than the rule amongst Fedfans on tennis sites. He is first and foremost a tennis fan: Federer just happens to be his favourite. No rose tinted spectacles for him.
From VamĂ´s Rafael Nadal site
An interview with Rafa Nadal after the first match on the radio (in Spanish until 3.10).
http://www.ivoox.com/rafael-nadal-estos-partidos-son-te-audios-mp3_rf_3118743_1.html
Tranlsated by Ericka DomenzĂĄin
¤¤ RAFA says: today it was a little complicated to play, bcs it was cold and windy and it was at night so it is more difficult to raise the ball and with an opponent like him the basic thing to do is to make him feel uncomfortable on court, so I can have the control. I wasn´t playing bad but I needed just a little more speed when hitting the ball. I think he played a great match. He was aggressive from the base line. In the 2nd set I had some problems with my backhand and I lost some important points, but at the same time this is the match that I feel more satisfied with. Also with Nishikori, but at the end, we know, he didn´t finish, so I couldn´t really get back in the game enough. The match was a little slow at the end then, and it was complicated for me at the beginning. I tried to change the score but I couldn´t in the 1st set.
I think that in this match after losing the 2nd set and the way I lost it that was very hard mentally for me to go to my seat and think about what I needed to do next, to be able to stay calm and take the right desision. I think, it is the 1st time that I really came back to the game in that way as I used to and I was able to finish the match playing better than how I started and that it is enough reason for me to feel satisfied, I can also say that I needed a match like this.
The most important thing is to do for me now is to have enough rest for tomorrow´s match. I have a complicate match vs Youznhy and I have to be prepared. Tomorrow I won´t play late but as I said before, this match today is the kind of matches that I needed. The ones that require a lot of energy, to make you go to the limit, they make you stronger, mentally and physically…¤¤
^^Choice quote:
” I think, it is the 1st time that I really came back to the game in that way as I used to and I was able to finish the match playing better than how I started and that it is enough reason for me to feel satisfied, I can also say that I needed a match like this.”
Totally agree with this. We saw flashes of the old Rafa last night……………..
#HeIsOnHisWayBack
Nobody, but nobody understands Rafa quite as well as he understands himself. As you said the other day, we expend so much time and mental energy trying to fathom him out. We just need to listen to what he has to say when he is prepared to open up.
ed251137, remember after the Madrid final Uncle Toni came out and said “we did not deserve to win. We did not really come back, Nishikori got injured”. People criticised Uncle Toni for criticizing Rafa in public. Is it a coincidence that the next match, Rafa works at “coming back into the match……..with success”?
People need to give Rafa some respect. The guy is smart. If Uncle Toni was bad for him, he would have changed coaches by now.
Haas is serving for the match!
Stan the man down the pan! 75 62 63.
Vamos Haas.