Rome R3 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Kyrgios, Berdych vs. Goffin

May 11, 2016 Ricky Match previews 244

Rafael Nadal and Nick Kyrgios are set for a highly-anticipated showdown at the Rome Masters on Thursday. A quarterfinal spot will also be at stake when Tomas Berdych goes up against David Goffin.

Nick Kyrgios vs. (5) Rafael Nadal

Nadal and Kyrgios will be squaring off for the second time in their careers when they meet again in round three of the Internazionali BNL d’Italia on Thursday. Their only previous encounter came two years ago on the grass courts of Wimbledon, where Kyrgios pulled off a 7-6(5), 5-7, 7-6(5), 6-3 upset. The 21-year-old has become a even bigger star since then, both for the right and the wrong reasons. On  the court, Kyrgios is up to 20th in the rankings and he is an outstanding 21-6 this season. So far in Rome he has defeated Salvatore Caruso and No. 10 seed Milos Raonic in straight sets.

Nadal is looking to bounce back from a semifinal loss in Madrid to Andy Murray and he took a step in that direction by cruising past Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 6-3 on Wednesday night. The fifth-ranked Spaniard is bidding for a third title on this clay-court swing, having previously triumphed at his old stomping grounds in Monte-Carlo and Barcelona. Nadal is 48-4 lifetime at the Rome Masters with seven titles, so it is safe to say he will much prefer facing Kyrgios in this setting than at the All-England Club. Unless the underdog turns in an unbelievable serving performance, Nadal is likely to break him down in a clay-court baseline battle.

Pick: Nadal in 2

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(8) Tomas Berdych vs. (12) David Goffin

Berdych and Goffin will be going head-to-head for the third time in their careers on Thursday. Both of their previous encounters have gone the way of Berdych, who prevailed 7-5, 6-3, 6-3 at the 2012 U.S. Open and 6-3, 6-4 earlier this season indoors in Marseille. Now much more confident, Goffin should also benefit from playing on a slower surface. Since he last ran into Berdych, the 13th-ranked Belgian owns back-to-back semifinal performances in Indian Wells and Miami. Goffin lost right away in Madrid to Lucas Pouille in a third-set tiebreaker, but so far in Rome he has taken out Leonardo Mayer and Jack Sock.
Goffin
Following a first-round bye as the last of the top eight seeds, Berdych blew past Albert Ramos-Vinolas 6-3, 6-4 on Tuesday. The eighth-ranked Czech is a relatively modest 19-9 for his 2016 campaign and he has not progressed further than the quarterfinals in any of his last five events. Berdych will have a tougher time hitting through Goffin in these conditions than he previously did on fast indoor hard courts, and the 12th seed’s defense and consistency may be too much for an opponent who has been unable to find the range with his high-risk tennis of late.

Pick: Goffin in 3

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244 Comments on Rome R3 previews and predictions: Nadal vs. Kyrgios, Berdych vs. Goffin

  5. Kyrgios will win again with a great betting odds around 3,7 and we will finally get Nick vs Djoker showdown.

    Reply

  8. I expect Rafa to be ready for Kyrgios. Rafa for the win in 2 sets.

    I think Goffin will win because he’s playing better right now, but I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. Goffin over Berdy in 3 sets.

    Reply

  9. Rafa in 2

    He might get into a deficit in one of the sets but will play well enough to recover. He looked full of conviction against Kohls and the first game he won to love was a sign of how well he has shrugged off that loss to Murray.

    If he plays really well tomorrow, he will be a tough test for Djokovic.

    Btw, how did Novak’s opponent push him to 7-5 in both sets?? Can anyone please tell me as I couldn’t watch.

    Reply

    • Robert played with unpredictable variety. Djoko doesnt like playing guys like this esp when its first meeting and in early rounds. The guy Robert could hit hard flat shots DTL and CC from both wings, changing direction at will, he’s crazy at the net too! No wonder he gave Djoko a hard time!

      Too bad he git broken late in second set to give back the one break adv that he had and ftom then Djoko surged ahead and won in straight. I was hoping for at least a TB in sec set if not a third set.

      Reply

  14. I expect a tough match with Kyrgios…I already see Nick complaining a lot about Rafa taking too much time between the points in his attempt to distract Rafa…Nick will go for broke because he is usually very motivated when playing BIG NAMES…Rafa will be under pressure in his service games as Rafa does not trust his serve and will be nervous about Nick’s return…Rafa will start the match feeling nervous and Nick may take advantage of it…However, whatever I mentioned here has probably been already discussed within the Team Nadal and they must have considered the options and right solutions…so I expect Rafa to find the answers and beat controversial Australian…

    What worries me is Rafa giving the break back…it’s almost as now his opponents EXPECT to get the break back thus being a custom for Rafa…that must not happen against big server like Nick! Rafa needs to be aware of the fact that his tennis on clay is way better than Nick’s and all he needs to do is play his usual clay court game with some varieties including going to the net and playing slices which are difficult for Nick to pick up…

    BTW, funny statement by the Serbian commentator after Nadal’s match with Kohl: he was announcing the schedule for tomorrow saying “we’ll have great tennis with BIG FOUR playing their respective matches plus Wawrinka” 🙂

    Reply

        • I’m trying to pluck up the courage to watch Nadal this afternoon. I’m prepared for the worst but hoping Rafa has a game plan to destabilise the thug from Australia.

          By the way, thanks for posting the detennis link. So pleased to have it back. It gives by far the best overall picture of what is happening. Invaluable when there are several overlapping matches.

          Reply

          • i’m very nervous he will lose ed.
            makes it a lot worse if it is kygrios who is one of my least favourite players.
            if nick the brat tries to go after him on the time violations then i may swear copiously…

          • Amy,

            I am nervous for this match. Kyrgios is dangerous. But this is clay. That should help Rafa. I am concerned that Kyrgios may try to disrupt Rafa with various tactics, Rafa has to stay strong and focused and play aggressive tennis. I expect Kyrgios to come out blasting.

            I have an appointment in a little over an hour, so I will have to follow the live score.

          • i really hope rafa doesn’t have a very slow start nny….
            really don’t want him to lose today..

          • You’re welcome. I never realized until now that it works pretty well on mobile devices too!

            Are the courts still damp? Is it sunny? I see that both have had an early break already. Did Rafa fail to consolidate yet again or was it Kyrgios.

  31. Have that nasty sinking feeling. Rafa missed his golden opportunity to serve for the match but came up short yet again. NK is fearless.

    Reply

  33. Foregone conclusion that Rafa would end up losing in the tie break… Well, only 2 winners and one more UE than Kyrgios says it all…I expected Rafa to be nervous but not paralyzed out there!!!

    Reply

    • No, Rafa is only fearful of himself! The first set colapse is nothing new! Now I expect Rafa to win the second and then the third will again be all nerves…

      Reply

    • I clocked that as well. He took a pain killer which has clearly helped, or maybe there was a certain amount of gamesmanship going on.

      Reply

    • Hawkeye,

      I am back and will try to keep you updated.

      But the key here is for Rafa to just hold his serve and then he will win.

      Reply

  48. Rafa up a break! Did he play well or is Kyrios hampered?

    In a train right now …might be able to see the end …please keep me posted

    Reply

  51. NK is a not a nice person.. He plays the good sportsmanship card when it suits him but you see the other side of him when he has his back against the wall.

    Reply

  60. Both players playing really well! Nick is fighting like crazy! Served great to save break points, nothing Rafa could have done!
    Rafa isn’t playing short! He is serving great irrelevant of 4 DFs!

    Reply

  62. Had to study for a huge exam last night so forgot to make picks but I just finished it and now just got home and am watching now. I just rewinded back to that forehand for 2-1 in the third. What a beauty. Awesome match. I was gonna pick boldly and go with NK in three but it looks like Rafa is gonna grind it out. Also I’m thinking Berdych in three over Goffin. Don’t know if that match has happened yet. I did hear Roger lost though ?? I was gonna say he wins in three though in reality I actually thought he was gonna withdraw.

    Reply

  65. Rafa holds! He’s keeping the ball deep and neutralizing the power of Kyrgios.

    Also Rafa is getting good court positioning.

    Forehand is on fire!

    Reply

  74. Rafa so needed to win this match. Ever since Kyrgios beat him at Wimbledon I’d been dreading their next meeting.

    Vamos Rafa!

    Reply

    • VAMOSSSSSSSSSS ! I watched the final game…. the commies are praising Rafa and didn’t say a word regarding Krygios being hampered? They also praised Nick.

      Hawkeye, in terms of energy he will have enough. He just needs to elevate the mental aspect.

      If belucci can make Novak play a 3-setter…haha

      I hope they play during day time!

      Reply

  77. big win for rafa! would have been disastrous to lose to nick today! gr8 that he was able to serve it out without fuss…

    Reply

    • He served it out like a champ!

      I think Rafa will be fine physically for tomorrow!

      It’s good that Novak plays later. Dare I hope that Bellucci will make a match out of it?

      Reply

  78. forehand and serve were both good. Will need to up his level a little bit more to trouble Novak. But a good win nevertheless

    Reply

    • I think it’s time Rafa met Novak. I think Rafa is playing well enough now to give him a match.

      Stan lost to Monaco, so he will lose points.

      Reply

  79. Can’t to see highlights and listen to Rafa’s interview. From NNY’s comments looks like Rafa played at a pretty good level

    Reply

      • Yeah saw the last game! He was solid!

        The 2015 Rafa would SURELY have lost this match. This is where this Rafa is so much better. He has more belief in himself and losing a set does not bother him that much.

        Reply

  81. Nice hand shake at the net!

    So proud of Rafa! Set 2 and 3 were really master class from Rafa! He played with confidence, forehand was on fire, returned extremely well! Don’t be fooled with Nick’s Injury though! He moved extremely well in the third and fought for every point but Rafa simply outplayed him!

    Way to go Rafa! Killing your demons one by one!

    Vamos Champ!

    Reply

  82. In the 1st set, Rafa was playing that guy who beat him at RG when he served 37 aces so he was a little bit on edge after that the 14 times GS Champion and King of Clay turned up.

    Vamos!

    Reply

  84. 4/15 on break points is POOR given how sharp Rafa on clay is in converting. second serve pnts won at 43% is also not a good sign. He got 85% of first serves in?! Sick! Was he tactically keeping a high percentage and not going for too much on them to avoid second serves?

    Rafa’s forehand will perhaps be ready to at least trouble Novak. What concerns me the most is his backhand because in the past, his backhand has almost never quite achieved its aggressive best level in BO3 matches against Nole on clay… He badly needs the flat backhand CC drive. Just playing deep, high-clearance balls will only keep the rally neutral and Novak will slowly spread the court and tire him down.

    I like his new serving position! let’s see how it plays out against Novak tomorrow. It will have the disadvantage of not being able to play as many forehands because Novak can find his backhand more easily on the returns. But, rafa will benefit in other ways. His forehand corner will be less vulnerable on the big points and his second-serve less attackable…

    Reply

    • Such a nice win! Finally he gets the chance to beat Nick! VAMOSSSSSSSSS

      Kyrgios is a tough guy though. He is REAL tough…

      Reply

    • @ vamosrafa,

      Nick’s second serves were most of the time HUGE! Sometimes you just can’t tell the difference between the first and the second! Honestly, I have been watching Nick play for a while now and must say that this is the first time I saw him taking one match seriously until the very end, trying to win every point…he was focused and refused to give up! Rafa really had to play well to break Nick’s resistance! But there was no sign of anxiety in Rafa’s service games in the set 2 & 3!

      I agree about his new serving position! It gives amazing results already!

      Reply

      • good to know someone else is also endoring Rafa’s new serving position…I have been going on and on and on about it since he played his first match in Madrid lol. To me it is a smart tactic..it is a way of preventing other players from exploiting a vulnerability in his game.

        I can imagine Nick’s huge second serves….Rafa won loads of pnts on his second serve though so he must have returned quite well. My only concern just looking at the stats is Rafa’s win % on his own second serves

        Also note that both players ran the same distance and it was Nick in fact who ran a few more metres ..haha…this means a lot! Rafa was able to control the tempo of the match and did not let a big hitter keep him on the defense.

        Reply

    • vr,

      Rafa was putting more on his first serves in this match. He does not seem as confident with his second serve.

      I am also concerned about the second serve points won being less than 50%. Novak puts so much pressure on rafa’s serve when they play.

      That DTL forehand has to be working, too. Rafa needs all his weapons against Novak.

      Reply

      • Also, 4 out of 15 break points is not good enough. Rafa must take advantage of break chances against Novak. There is just very little margin for error when playing Novak.

        Reply

  85. I thought Rafa played fine in set 1. Just lost it due to nerves at the end of the tie breaker. Sud be a good match with Novak tomorrow

    Reply

  87. I think Rafa will be less nervous against Novak tomorrow! This match was a very good test for Rafa’s nerves. I did expect him to be shaken and distracted in the first set but he easily regrouped in the second and never looked back! That’s a great sign!

    Rafa managed to defend his points so there should be no pressure in that regard! I expect Rafa to come out playing strong! Whether that’s sufficient for Novak we shall see…

    Reply

    • Ye, the Kyrgios match would have done his confidence a world of good. He has to beat Novak again, one day. Why not now?

      Reply

    • On the tennis channel they are discussing Rafa and Novak meeting in the quarterfinals. Paul Annacone said that he does not think Rafa can beat Novak with his serve right now.

      Rafa’s will need to have a great serving day tomorrow. The key is that Rafa now has confidence from winning two titles. He is playing so much better. Against Novak he will have to do everything well. But I am looking forward to this match.

      Reply

  89. Don’t look now but Novak is down two breaks to Bellucci.

    3-0 Bellucci

    I expect Novak to wake up and right the ship.

    Reply

    • Those are some of the ugliest stats I have seen for Novak in the first set.

      Novak did hold serve finally.

      Berdy is on the verge of being double bageled by Goffin.

      Reply

  93. Vamos Thomaz!! Keep it up!! And what the heck is up with Berdych. Goffin of course must be playing well but you can’t be Berdych with his serves and big groundies and not be playing totally awful to not even get on the board. He’s about to get double bagelled. Unbelievable.

    Reply

  95. Belucci has troubled Novak on clay in the past and I was secretly hoping he could steal a set today but THIS?! His flat groundstrokes hurting Novak. His backhand CC is his best shot and he gets nice penetration on it. He stands close to the baseline to take risks from the baseline whenever he has novak out of position.

    Serving sooo well too!

    Reply

      • The problem is that Novak won’t come out sluggish against rafa. I don’t think we can count on Novak playing crappy tomorrow.

        I remembered that Bellucci gave Novak some trouble in the past, but nothing like this!

        Now Novak up a break and order seems to be restored.

        Reply

      • agreed nny. we’ve seen this movie too many times before.
        nole seeming to be all over the place and then playing like a maniac as soon as he sees rafa…

        Reply

  96. No physical problems for Nole. He is shit scared that he has to face an inform Nadal on clay. He wants to lose now so that he does not get humiliated tomorrow.

    Reply

  97. So Goffin just won 0 and 0 for the first time in his career and Berdych lost 0 and 0 for the first time. I kinda wanted to Tomas to get a game near the end at least. I mean that’s just embarrassing. Goffin did hit way more winners though and played really well it seemed. Berdych must’ve missed a lot and been way off his game too though. After all he only hit six winners the whole time. I don’t have a very good feeling for Tomas heading into RG. He’s been mediocre lately and is looking like a possible early round upset at the French. Stan always does this it seems so I’m not as worried for him. Goffin of course can do some damage at RG if he plays like he did today and at the march masters of course. Then again I may be totally wrong and Berdych may make some awesome run and pull off a Stan. If I had to make an early prediction though I would say Goffin makes fourth round or QF Berdych makes third or fourth and Stan makes SF or farther. Maybe being a bit overly optimistic with Stan but I still think he’s gonna have good vibes in France and do well there. Really hope he doesn’t do the opposite.

    Reply

  99. The overwhelming French favorite eats in Bagel in a clay tourney just prior to French. The pundits should certainly appoint a new favorite now. Maybe Federer? lol

    Vamosrafa, what else explains the result in set 1?

    Reply

    • So ONE disastrous set compared with the 100 magnificent ones makes you think he is going to get destroyed by Rafa? haha….that’s not how things work Atul.

      I’d be soooo happy if Rafa crushes him tomorrow but not happening…. Novak’s going to play at a high level and he has done that countless times in the past.

      Reply

    • I am not about to get carried away and start talking trash about Novak against Rafa tomorrow. I also know that Rafa will not take anything for granted.

      What explains set 1 is that Novak had a slow, lousy start and Bellucci came out guns blazing. But Novak won the second set and things seem to be back to normal.

      Talk is cheap! It’s what happens on the court tomorrow that counts. I am just going to wait and see what happens. But we have seen Novak save his best for Rafa too many times.

      Reply

  100. Nole plays a lot of c**p tennis he’s just so lucky most of the time. Even if Nole ends up winning this match that bagel should be set in aspic.

    Reply

      • that was the talk among nole fans on tennis-x a day ago…i didn’t say he was for sure but that there could be a problem..
        obviously if he gets bagelled by bellucci i’m going to wonder if that’s at least partly the reason

        Reply

        • Amy,

          Hey, not bad from a guy who supposedly plays crap tennis! LOL! Novak has over an 8,000 point lead in the rankings.

          I totally understand why you might think Novak had a physical problem. Makes perfect sense to me! Also, reading the discussion on tennis-x would have made you concerned. I don’t read that site anymore. 🙂

          Novak seems fine, just somewhat frustrated at times in this match.

          Reply

  102. Kyrgios:

    “My hip was not great before the match either, but I knew my game plan and I knew I was going to try and play aggressive,” said Kyrgios.

    “It’s bothering me but it didn’t really bother me too much at all.”

    “I mean, he just .. couple points here and there, it was tight and he just played well in the big points. That’s pretty much it.

    Despite the defeat, Kyrgios said he was pleased with the way he performed against the man who has won this title seven times.

    “Obviously he’s the greatest of all time on this surface,” he said.

    “For me, just when I was a bit younger .. we were always talking about playing Rafa on clay, and I always thought I’d get absolutely destroyed against him.

    “Then to play him and compete out there, deep in the third, [a] three-hour match, it feels pretty good.”

    Reply

  103. Yeah, Rafa would destroy him if they played on clay back in 2013 or even 2014. Kygrios can now compete with an’aged’ Rafa on clay and to him that’s something to be happy about.

    What’s with Rafa these days, so poor in BP conversion, and its not that his opponent(s) was/were saving them with big first serves; there were second serves too that Rafa failed to capitalize. Hope Rafa wins tomorrow regardless of who his opponent is.

    Reply

    • no reason why this shouldn’t be a reason for him to be happy about!Rafa was playing pretty well and it was a tough match.

      I saw the highlights and it was clear that rafa was having trouble handling Nick’s serve. Rafa was consistently landing his second serve returns INSIDE the service box and still was able to defend and counterpunch well enough to win more points. It was the inadequate length on serve returns that made life so tough. Rafa moved really well in the match and forehand was quite animated. Backhand was generally solid.

      Reply

      • I remember that Rafa couldn’t read Nik’s serve in the match at Wimbledon. He said as much after the match. So I am not surprised that he would have some trouble in this match. Rafa had to rely on his groundstrokes to compensate for weak ROS.

        Reply

        • NNY you said it, its Rafa’s weak ROS.

          I mean its not only Kygrios serve, against Murray, Rafa also had the same problem (BP conversion). Rafa’s ROS ability has certainly deteriorated, together with his serve.

          Reply

      • It seems that Rafa hasnt realised that he’s not as quick and as powerful now and he’s still returning from so far behind the baseline ( even on second serve), no wonder his returns are so short that his opponents pounce on them.

        Reply

    • Poor bp conversion is simple anxiety.

      Nothing new.

      And Rafa’s lead up to 2014 FO wasn’t special. Today’s nick would have had a better chance then than this improved Rafa.

      Reply

      • Of course Rafa was bad in 2014 lead up to the FO, I mean 2014 FO Rafa would be enough to deal with Kgyrios. The 2013 Rafa – certainly anywhere on clay in Europe!

        You people talked as if Rafa hadnt met any big server on clay in his life! The confident Rafa would have no problem against anyone on clay, big server or not. The current Rafa? He’s still busy rebuilding confidence and clearing doubts in his head!

        Reply

        • He wasn’t that confident leading up to 2014 FO. This Kyrgios would have had a better shot of beating him then.

          Reply

          • Yeah at the lead up but not at the FO. Kygrios is more fortunate to have met Rafa after Rafa’s heydays on clay; the older batch(es) of players are/were not so fortunate.

            I would say Rafa has to fight harder to win on clay these days. I dont understand why Rafa always makes the mistake of starting slow, loses the first set, loosen up and play freely the second to give chase and win, and then engages in a tussle in the third. He’s expending energy unnecessarily. Why not just comes out all guns blazing and gets the upperhand instead?

            Its frustrating watching him does that all the time, when clearly his more offensive game (as in the second set) would clearly suffice to get him the first set too.

        • Luckystar (AT 12:49 AM),
          —The confident Rafa would have no problem against anyone on clay, big server or not. —
          ===
          .
          He had a problem with Isner at the 2011 FO.

          Reply

          • Luckystar ( AT 5:44 AM),

            In your comments, you are comparing Rafa “these days” to Rafa “in the old days.”

          • Old days when he was confident, as in 2005 – 2010. I’m not sure 2011 can be considered ‘old days’ as he was clearly at the start of his coming down from his peak and clearly he wasn’t confident! I thought that’s pretty obvious, that he wasnt confident at all in 2011??

      • You guys also need to realize that it was not that vintage Rafa was winning all his matches with consummate ease!

        Rafa vs Davydenko Rome 2007 SF marathon , anyone? Rafa vs Hewitt Hamburg 2007???

        Before you say they were a diff type of players, let me also remind you of the battle Rafa had with Gulbis in Rome 2010!

        So, even vintage Rafa has had his difficult moments in Masters 1000…

        His ROS is weak and Nick’s serve is nasty!

        And, nick is far from being just a serve bot! He is the real deal…

        Reply

        • So? Rafa won in the end, didnt he? Davy, Hewitt, Gulbis – did they trouble Rafa consistently? No, only one match each!

          If anything, its Djoko who’s the real deal. Who pushed Rafa to the limit on clay in 2009 after which Rafa’s knees were ‘damaged’ so much so that he suffered his first loss at the FO? Its Djoko, and Djoko in 2008 Hamburg was already a handful for Rafa during Rafa’s heydays on clay (though Rafa being the king of clay would still win majority of their clay matches should peak Rafa meet peak Djoko on clay, IMO). Djoko since 2011 was consistently troubling Rafa on clay, beating him six times already.

          Like I said, Kygrios has the luxury of not playing a Rafa during his peak on clay. Kygrios is just not consistent throughout a match. Well, he may peak one day and perhaps reaches Djoko’s level on clay one day, then we can compare him vs peak Rafa on clay!

          Reply

          • You just keep missing the point on this one and go into other details. The point is that there is no guarantee vinrage Rafa would have totall destroyed Kyrgios because even the peak Rafa had his difficult moments!

            You say he beat Davy and Hewitt so didn’t he beat Kyrgios too?!

            It is a known fact that peak Rafa was more consistent and less vulnerable. Plus, I don’t know how we can totally ignore the fact that the patterns of play to preasure Rafa have become more and more known to players and we see players going beyond their limits and flattening out strokes and going for broke. It has always been the case but there’s been more clarity for players and I am glad Rafa’s reaponding… adjustment to his serving position is an example.

            I agree with the pnts regarding Djokovic but I am not sure why you brought them up… have nothingto do with what I said.

            So, the point is, if Rafa plays a close match against someone, doesn’t necessarilt mean it happebed coz he is a worse player now..even peak Rafa had his tough moments so it can happen. Once it starts happening again and again, then yeah it becomes a major concern.

          • VR, you’re the one missing the point. The way to trouble or to beat Rafa is/was already known a long time ago; however, how many did beat him on clay in the past? Its because Rafa was so quick and powerful, moved so well on clay, that its almost impossible to beat him on clay in his peak, unless he had an off day – Rome 2008, Madrid final 2009 for eg.

            Why he always came through in the end, not losing any match on clay in 2006, 2010, only one match in 2007, 2008, and having 93% success rate on clay in the past? I said he would destroy this Kygrios because 1)Kygrios is inconsistent; 2) tends to go for broke when he gets impatient; 3) vintage Rafa would get even more balls back at Kygrios.

            Kygrios unlike Davy who took the ball early, or Gulbis who threw drop shots after drop shots at Rafa during that Rome 2010 SF, just served big and hit hard and engaged in groundstroke exchanges with Rafa, trying to overpower Rafa. If the current Rafa almost beat Kygrios in straight sets if not for his own nerve, the vintage Rafa would dispatch this Kygrios in 6-3, 6-3 probably.

          • You try refuting points that I am not even making …haha…

            I know very well why rafa was lesa vulnerable.. and, the point about evolution of the game is just ONE of many reasons! I just said you can’t totally ignore! If you have doubts, watch how more players used to stay away from his forehand more as they were scared of it.

            I am going to try to keep this short and make my point clear. The ONLY point I made was that if Rafa plays a tough match despite playing well, it is NOT only reflecting his deteriorated game but a combination of his decline and the opponent playing really well because peak Rafa also had his tough moments!

            He ended up beating Nick so let’s not forget that.Also, he had 15 brk pts so could may well have made it 6-4 6-2 type scoreline!

            The close match yesterday was more about the mental aspect (not converting BPs) rather than his lost speed and power! He was still playing well enough to clean Nick up in straight sets!

            Anyway, Rafole is almost here. Fingers crossed

          • Nah VR is right. This kyrgios was not lucky to play this Rafa because this kyrgios lost.

            Rafa was as good in 2011 as he was in 2010.

            He won the FO and made two other slam finals. He’s only made three slam finals one other time in 2013!!!

            No, 2011 Rafa WAS vintage Rafa but Djokovic had one of the two best years in tennis history of any player along with 2015.

          • Nailed it perfectly VR. Summed it up nicely with:
            “The close match yesterday was more about the mental aspect (not converting BPs) rather than his lost speed and power”

            I could not agree more. Well said sir.

  104. 3rd match tomorrow! Rafa Vs Novak on clay! Thank God it is during the day. The weather forecast is sunny too!

    Reply

  105. It seems Novak will take on Belluci …. can Nadal beat Novak is a big question .
    Novak is the best player right now …..let us face this fact.He knows how to beat Nadal .
    but if Rafa wins it will be cool chilly and a big celebration

    Reply

    • Yes! I second that! I want Rafa to just go out there and give it his best!

      We will be here cheering him on tomorrow!

      Best of luck, Rafa!

      Reply

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