U.S. Open final preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Anderson

Rafael Nadal and Kevin Anderson will be going head-to-head for the fifth time in their careers when they battle for the U.S. Open title on Sunday.

All four of their previous encounters have gone Nadal’s way, and he is 3-0 against Anderson on hard courts. The Spaniard is a commanding 9-1 in total sets, dropping only one in a 4-6, 7-6(6), 6-2 victory at the Paris Masters in 2015. Their only Grand Slam showdown came at the 2015 Australian Open, where Nadal cruised 7-5, 6-1, 6-4. A similarly straightforward affair was the result when the two veterans most recently collided on the red clay of Barcelona this spring, with the current world No. 1 getting the job done 6-3, 6-4.

Nadal and Anderson also faced each other way back at the 1998 Under 12 Junior Masters in Stuttgart, Germany. Prior to their Barcelona contest, Anderson’s wife posted this gem on Twitter.

Almost 20 years later, Nadal is still going strong at 31 years old. In fact, that is an understatement. He is turning in one of his best-ever seasons, with three major final appearances–including this one–and a 10th title at the French Open. Nadal is well on his way to the year-end No. 1 ranking especially if he triumphs on Sunday. Although the 15-time slam champion predictably cooled off after leaving Roland Garros, he is back on track this fortnight with mostly routine defeats of Dusan Lajovic, Taro Daniel, Leonardo Mayer, Alexandr Dolgopolov, Andrey Rublev, and Juan Martin Del Potro.

Anderson has also avoided any five-set drama while taking out J.C. Aragone, Ernests Gulbis, Borna Coric, Paolo Lorenzi, Sam Querrey, and Pablo Carreno Busta. The 32nd-ranked South African did not lose serve a single time through three rounds before getting broken twice by Lorenzi, once by Querrey, and twice by Carreno Busta. This is Anderson’s first-ever appearance in a major final and he had never previously advanced to a semifinal.

“He’s a huge player with an unbelievable serve,” Nadal said of his upcoming adversary. “He had some injuries, so he’s a big example for the kids and for the rest of the tour; he was able to be back and play his best tennis now. I’m happy for him, because I’ve known him since we were 12 years old. It’s great to see him in the final of one of the most important tournaments of the year.”

“Nadal is one of the greatest competitors in sports, period,” Anderson commented. “He’s an amazing fighter. He really controls the court well. I really need to be dominant and control proceedings as much as possible because if you let him do it, it’s very difficult.”

Nobody this fortnight has been able to produce a potent enough combination of offense and consistency to trouble Nadal for more than a set. Anderson has the kind of game that can do it, but he too has never been able to accomplish the feat. It is an especially difficult task, of course, in a Grand Slam championship match.

Nadal, who has been in this situation on 22 previous occasions, should have slam title No. 16 coming his way.

Pick: Nadal in 3

[polldaddy poll=9826320]

272 Comments on U.S. Open final preview and prediction: Nadal vs. Anderson

  1. Nadal seems to have a thing for dropping the opening set in this tournament, but I doubt that’ll happen in a GS final against Anderson. Even if the #1 has a really off day, I’m not convinced Anderson can take advantage. For the sake of the game, it’d be nice if there’s at least a spectacle. For Anderson’s sake, I hope he brings his best so that he doesn’t lose and feel like he left something on the court. Nadal? Well, no matter who you are, you can never get ahead of yourself until you’ve won the last point (and I’m sure Rafa won’t), but it’s hard to see this being very competitive.

    Good luck to the Rafa fans. If he wins it he deserves it, he’s had a very good year.

    Nadal in 3

  2. Even though the top players offense is at another level, its their defense that really separates them from the lower ranked players. even if Anderson played lights-out tennis for 3 straight sets, Nadal’s return of serve and defdense is that good and intense in these types of matches that the chances of Anderson snatching a set is in 0-5% probability range. I hope Anderson plays the match of his life and makes this a contest but the most likely result is pretty obvious.

    Nadal in 3

    • fsutomahawk, are you going to throw a banana peel under Nadal to slip? Ha,ha,ha…

      Nadal will mostly slip in the 1st set (like he has done in all his matches @Flushing Meadows) and then come on strong to win the next 3 sets…and win the USO Title!

      Rafa wins in 3 or 4

      BB = Nadal ML,-1,-2,-3,-4 (or more in LB)

  3. Nadal in 3, what a year! Number one, 8 finals, probably 2 grand slams, three grand slam final appearances, 2 masters 1000’s and 1 500! It’s been amazing now to secure the US Open title and then end the year number one!

    • Yes, win or lose – what a year for Rafa! Improbably, It seemed to be Roger’s year, where he would finally cement his GOAT status. But if Rafa wins tomorrow he definitely had a better slam season than Roger and the GOAT narrative becomes a lot less clear cut.

      • And it’s also crazy that the impact of the young guns was marginal at the slams. All majors will have been won by a guy over 30, and Cilic who isn’t exactly a young gun anymore, was the youngest slam finalist and the only finalist under 30.

  4. I wish Rafael Nadal Parera the very best, he deserves it.

    I also want to congratulate Kevin Anderson for reaching his 1st Grand Slam final, i know he has been dreaming about this day lot and dreams do come true.
    Kevin is not getting any younger and people always regret lost opportunities so…

  5. His win against delPo was vintage Rafa at his very best. Short of a catastrophic disaster he will lift the trophy on Sunday. This is a fit, injury-free Rafa brimming with confidence. Slam No.16 beckons.

    Rafa in 3

  6. I wake up to see an FB notificatio where a Djokovic fan is trying to ruin my status by commenting that Rafa will win the event without facing a top 25 player!!!! Seriously?! Do people have zero sense of gauging Nadal’s level of play and how ot would up against the holy members of the TOP 25 they are referring to?! Delpo is way better than most top 25 anyway. The way Nadal was playing, he would have defeated ANYONEZ in the world.

    I just hope Rafa can stay calm and put Anderson away.

    Vamos rafa get no.16 !!

    • Well, with the exception of Delpo Rafa had an exceptionally easy path into the final and he didn’t have to face a player with the pedigree of Kyrgios or Dimitrov. Therefore he definitely had a certain amount of luck and could gather steam with each match. That said, there was nothing lucky about his win yesterday. He played extremely well after he had made some clever adjustments. A subpar Fed knew why he wanted Delpo trying his luck with Rafa, lol! He probably also knew that Delpo’s chances were slim at best.

  7. Nadal should win this match but i don’t think he can do it in 3 sets.
    If you believe he can win in 3 sets please don’t answer this question.

    1) Between 4 & 5 sets, which set do you believe Rafito can win in?

    2) Can you give a reason or reasons for your pick?

    If you can’t give a reason that’s OK, just pick a set.

  8. Haha. As it was noticed by many, Rafa has a thing to lose the first set, could be due to a poor start, and that’s okay with me as long as he is winning at the end so, aside from that, no other reason I can think of.

    Rafito in 4 (if that helps to amend your broken heart LOL)

  9. Well Djoko fans forget last year he was given 2 walkovers and one half match and made to reach the final and still lost to Stan..

    Didnt Fed in 2006 AO get the same cusy draw where he almost played no one of repute..

    Rafas draw was tough and stacked with Berdych, Dimitrov, Federer , it is not his fault if none made it to face him. He can play only who is in front of him.

    Rafa for each of his slam win has had to beat Djoko, Fed, Murray (many times 2 of them) except 2010 RG, 2017 RG and 2017 USO(if he wins)…that’s 12 out of 15 slams…and most times at their peak …

    • Exactly Sanju, the big four guys have their fair share of easy draws. Djoko’s last USO was a joke, Fed had withdrawals too during one or two of his slams.

      Rafa had Berdych, Dimi in his path not unlike Fed’s Wimbledon; it’s just that they didn’t make it to face Rafa. Goffin/Thiem/Fed too. Murray withdrawn, Cilic was beaten by Schwarzman, and so we had Anderson in the final, not Rafa’s fault. Delpo and Anderson played their best to reach the later stages to meet Rafa, other top players didn’t, again not Rafa’s fault.

      There’s an interesting article in Heavy Topspin that talked about cakewalk draws at the slams. Rafa’s 2017 USO no doubt is a ‘cakewalk’ draw, but Rafa had his many tough slam draws all his career, in fact they ranked his third toughest, behind Stan’s and Djoko’s during their respective careers when they were winning their slams.

      • Yes, I agree with you, Lucky. Although Rafa’s road through the tourney was close to as cakewalk as it gets, most of his title paths have been a tough as it gets! So no reason for it to matter how his road was.

    • Please stop belittling R. Federer’s achievements, it’s not right or mature.

      Federer was AMAZING in Wimbledon and he is the best player this year.

        • Yeah, agree with you VR. If Rafa wins the title this coming Sunday, Rafa will be > Fed this year, because Rafa wins more points, even though both win 2 slams, 2 masters and a 500 event, but Rafa wins more matches during the season with shorter breaks between events unlike Fed who has/had to take long breaks.

          • why?

            How is that difficult to get? Both will have two slam titles each, 2 masters 1000 each and Rafa will have nearly 2,000 more race points. He will be world no.1 with a good margin!

            Anyway, he has not won the title yet. Everyone had also handed Fed the trophy in 2009. I fully expect Rafa to in win convincingly but until it is done, we should just wait.

          • The one with maximum ranking points is the BEST player of the year..as simple as that..Ranking points don’t lie.

            If Fed did not play clay, it is as he thought he wont do much there and it will jeopardize his chances at Wimby..had he played clay he may not have won Wimby..be logical and rational guys..Fed knows himself better than any of us here..

          • R. Federer is the best player this year for many obvious reasons.

            I am a little busy so i can’t write much but how many times did R. Federer defeat R. Nadal this year?

            Am not sure i think it might be three times or 4 please check.

            You don’t have to do this but when you reply to my questions/comments can you just post it directly @Stanley instead of reply.

            I wish Rafito the very best, please don’t disappoint Rafans they love U! Maybe like you.

    • I understand your point, Atul, but surely you can find a better example than 2017 Wimbledon. I’m sure if you dig around in 2004-2006, you could find a comparably easy draw for Fed. At Wimbledon 2017, Fed at least faced 2 top-ten and 2 top 13 players. To be fair, Rafa didn’t even face a seeded player until the semis, and even then the highest seed out of the two is 24th. Not at all suggesting that anything should be made of Rafa’s draw. Just saying we should be fair and not pretend like Federer’s overall draw was easier than Rafa’s here. I’m sure that Fed’s 2006 AO draw was equivalent to Rafa’s at the Open!

  10. @Raindrop,

    Why will i have a broken heart?
    I like R. Nadal and i made lots of profits yesterday & today.

    I made profits in Nadal’s match, P. Carreno, ATP doubles etc.
    Yes i wanted DELPO to win but that doesn’t mean i hate Rafa ok, i like DELPO too and if he had won, my profits would be crazy but that’s ok.

    If Sloane Stephens & N.Y. Liberty(WNBA) wins i will make more profits again.
    Today i will contradict one of my slips because the slip were i picked Madison Keys to win i also picked DELPO to win and he lost.

    I explained the way i bet here-
    https://tenngrand.com/2017/09/07/u-s-open-sf-preview-and-prediction-nadal-vs-del-potro/comment-page-2/#comments

    page 2 of this article, time 11:10 PM.

    R. Nadal to win & over 34.5 games at 2.45 odd.
    He better not lose this match, i like the over games and the over 3.5 sets but i don’t have funds in my other betting account.
    This one is offering 3 sets, 4 sets or 5 sets to pick from, i haven’t made my final decision and i might avoid it because R. Nadal is balling and can win in 3 sets.
    He needs to be tested just in case.

    I miss N. Djokovic, S. Wawrinka. kei Nishikori etc.
    K. Anderson will lay it all but he might not be successful.

    Vamos Stanley!

  11. An injured Cilic who also has put on a massive show of choking.

    But, even if Cilic were playing great, I still think the max he could have done his take a set off Fed because Fed was playing extremely well. I can SEE when an all-time great playing that well and wouldn’t make stupid statements like ‘he has not faced enough top 25/10 players’. Please!! DO people really think the likes of Goffin, Cilic, Berdych, Tsonga, Dimitrov , Thiem would have been able to challenge this version of Nadal?! I can only shake my head and say it is RIDICULOUS.

    This version of Nadal was way better than the AO 17 vesion of Nadal! The level of aggressiveness was on another level and so was his returning and serving.

    He had 45 winners in 5 longgg sets against Dimitrov and only 35 winners against Fed. He was able to hit 45 winners in very quick 4 sets last night!!

    Serving stats comparison:

    Rafa’s average first serve speed in the semis and final of the AO was 108-109 Mph range. He has been hitting it at an average of 112-114 MPH on average in his last two matches.

    Rafa’s average 2nd serves speed was 90-93 MPH range in the SF and finals of AO and he has upped that to 94-96 MPH in this year’s USO and he is getting a bigger kick on them! he has been cranking up to 105 MPH 2nd serve as well.

    Last nigh’t Rafa was a beast.

    • VR, one stats that’s very impressive about Rafa is his 15 consecutive wins at slam SFs, after his loss to Delpo at USO2009. I checked Fed’s and Djoko’s stats, both didn’t have Rafa’s impressive records at the slam SFs.

      • I will rather say Fed’s consecutive Slams SF is a very underrated stat. Just shows Fed was untouchable in early rounds for 10 years without fail

        • Djoko’s 14 consecutive slam SF streak plus 28 slam QF streak to me more impressive than Fed’s because Djoko plays in a tougher era than Fed’s of 2004-2007.

          • Rafa winning at 15 consecutive slam SFs means that each time he reaches a slam SF, chances of him winning it is 100%, since the last time he lost at USO2009 SF! I mean that shows how well Rafa plays once he gets there and how tough it is to beat him there! He has won nine out of fourteen slam finals played since (USO2009), may be ten out of fifteen by this Sunday, not a bad stats either.

          • Weak or strong era will have a say in determining the top 4 of the tournament. Reaching consecuitve semis you were just untouchable against all others. Djoker losses against Sam Querrey/Istomin(who are weak players in any era) just show how diffilcult it is to do day in day out.

    • Novak and Roger also had their fair share of easy roads to a slam win. Roger’s path to another Wimby trophy wasn’t exactly challenging, either,lol! But the great players are great because they can rise to the occasion and grab their chances. Rafa’s win yesterday had nothing whatsoever to do with luck.

      • And I don’t expect a cakewalk tomorrow. Anderson is no pushover and actually better than his current ranking suggests. That said, Rafa will probably rise to the occasion. As I said, sometimes a great player has to grab a good opportunity. Unfortunately the young guns couldn’t do it.

  12. @Stanley,

    You were heartbroken indeed because you have bet a huge amount of money for Roger on his match against Juan Martin isn’t? Triple heartbroken actually for Roger lost the match, the money that you’ve bet and the win of Rafa is like a small pea sized pill that hard for you to swallow…LOL.

  13. Kevin Anderson is playing better than all of R. Nadal’s previous opponents may except for Del Potro and DELPO had some problems in this tournament but that’s not an excuse for his lose.

    Nadal should win.
    Over games.
    Maybe Over 3.5 sets, am sure this match won’t end in 3.

    4 sets or 5 sets which is likely?

  14. @Raindrop,

    I will ask you this once cos i don’t want to misunderstand you.
    Are you joking?

    I didn’t pick R. Federer to win directly because his odd was low?
    I don’t play low odds.
    So i went with the over games & Roger Federer to win and over.

    I posted a link in this page, you should read it.
    I don’t have a #1 player in ATP but Federer is one of my favourites, my top 3 or 2.

    Which tennis player has won more slams in tennis?

  15. It would have been competitive, exciting and nice if A. Murray, N. Djokovic etc were playing but IF Nadal wins the title he deserves it.

    I will talk to you guys later, take care.

    • I agree with you, that the men’s competition didn’t produce many great matches – although there were a lot of crazy headscratchers and surprises. Delpo vs Thiem was one of the best – at least drama wise. As a Rafafan I wish for an easy win tomorrow. But for the tournament it would be good if we get to see a competitive high quality match.

      • No don’t need a competitive match. Yest against Delpo was a Rafa live match I saw after really long, after Miami final this year and I was nervous so much :-)..I need it over and done with quick 🙂

  16. yeah Fed’s stat was sick and so was DJokovic’s. I wasn’t aware of this Rafa streak to be honest! This really is incredible. Shows you that once he gets to the final stages, he becomes a different beast.

    • 23 finals at GS is very good too..and 13 are non clay..LOL at those who call him a clay court specialist :-)..they know nothing..all 5 of his non clay titles have come by beating HC/GS specialists like Federer/Djokovic/Murray along the way 🙂

      • None of the Big 4 are “specialists”. At least not Big 3. No one who wins the career slam is a specialist. That’s absurd. Rafa happens to be better on clay than he is on the others, and Fed is better on the others than he is on clay. End of discussion. People who call Rafa a clay “specialist” are just trying to protect Federer’s legacy. Same with people who say Federer couldn’t play on clay.

        • Not exactly, Kevin. The difference between Nadal on clay and all other surfaces is much, much greater than the difference between Fed or Novak for a comparable comparison. If not for Nadal, Fed and Novak would have multiple RG titles and many more clay 1000 titles. Something comparable cannot be said for Nadal. He has lost too often to also-rans at non-clay slams and other tournaments.

          Of course, none of that is to say that Nadal is merely a clay “specialist”. He’s too good on all surfaces (except maybe indoor) not to be called an incredible player, period. But it’s just a fact that his status as one of the greatest ever to play rests mainly on his record on clay.

  17. Danni, the funny thing this: if Rafa had win only 5 instead of 10 RG titles, he would still be considered a great hall-of-fame player with 10 slam titles – but no one would call him a claycourt specialist only. Sometimes the insane amount of claycourt titles almost seems to hurt his overall reputation because they overshadow his prowess on all kinds of surfaces. Heck, if he wins tomorrow he will habe as many non-claycourt slams as Boris Becker who is considered to be an all time great on the faster courts.

  18. I honestly could care less about anyone saying that Rafa had an easy draw. It’s not his fault that Dimi lost to Rublev! I am fed up with hearing that nonsense.

    You play the ones who get through. That is the sport. Fed has had plenty of easy draws and so has Novak. That’s just the way it is.

    I am not going to celebrate prematurely. Rafa has to go out there and win this match. He’s playing great now and should get it done. But I am superstitious by nature. He’s healthy. But we should not forget how it was a sure thing that Rafa was going to win the 2014 AO final. We all know what happened. Thank goodness he is healthy and okay. But Anderson is playing great tennis and he’s a big server. One loss of serve means losing the set. I know he’s never beaten Rafa. But I still take nothing for granted until the last point is played and Rafa has the trophy in his hands.

    I am looking forward to seeing it happen on Sunday. Rafa has earned everything that he has accomplished this year. I also am not going to get into any discussions about who deserves to be #1, Rafa or Fed. Who should be #1, who won this or that. I have no desire to go tit for tat on who has won more or been better.

    I just want to enjoy this moment with Rafa going for another slam – #16!

    • Kevin, dunno; Anderson might want to look good at this special occasion 😉
      Anyway, he seems to be a very nice guy who had his share of injuries, too. Should he be able to pull off the unthinkable upset, I wouldn’t begrudge him the win. I would just mourn another lost huge occasion for Rafa.

    • Well, I don’t know about IDOLIZES, but after Kevin lost to Rafa in AO 2015 his wife tweeted “Too bad Kevin lost. Now I can go back to being a Nadal fan”. Kevin tweeted “I always root for you, Rafa!” Still, I think Kevin’s well past the point that admiration will bother him. Well, not much anyway.

      I just hope Rafa can return 2nd serves the way he was vs JMDP. He hit some awesome ones.

  19. Some takeaways from last night’s semi:

    1. Fed was right, Rafa is playing well within himself right now.
    2. Rafa has the best tactical brain in the business. In the first set, Rafa was testing Delpo’s BH, poking at it, trying to see how it would hold up over 3 or 4 sets, Delpo said as much in his post match interview. Importantly, Rafa did not wait 3 to 4 sets to set the results of this test, instead, he decided to change tactics in set 2 and unleash his DTL shot, to see how Delpo would react. Delpo, who had been camping on his left side waiting for a barrage of FH to his BH, was left stranded and decided he had to put his legs to work to cover his right side, game over. Basically, Rafa first poked at Delpo’s BH in the first set and then poked at Delpo’s legs in the second set. While the BH held up in the first set, the legs could not. That’s all Rafa needed to see. Delpo was toast.

    Tiggy has an interesting observation: Uncle Toni was interviewed by the ESPN on-court team after the first set and he told them what Rafa needed to do to turn the situation around. In the second set, Rafa’s adjustments mirrored exactly what Uncle Toni had suggested, to a T. Tiggy called it telepathy.

    3. Delpo was honest in his post quarters interview when he said his legs were suspect. Rafa exploited this to maximum purchase.

    4. Attitude. At no time did Rafa look troubled after dropping the first set. Instead, he looked like a man re-born coming into the second set. That is a measure of his belief. Could this be the Moyà effect taking root?

    What a time to be alive, to be witnessing this sporting genius at work.

    A lot of pundits are expecting Anderson to roll over for Rafa. I think that is lazy. Anderson has worked hard to be at this point in his career, he will want more. This being his first Slam final, he may freeze due to the enormity of the occasion but I expect him to bring his biggest weapon play: that big serve. I feel he will play for TB’s hoping for a lucky break. Rafa must not oblige, he needs to find a way of breaking Anderson’s serve.

    If Rafa brings to the final the energy he brought to the semis, he will be biting his 16th Slam tomorrow.

    Vamos Rafa!

    • Rafa needs to just play excatly like his semis. Anderson has a better BH, not so strong FH and in my opinion better serve. But he has never played on a big stage unlike Delpo who rarely gets nervous.

      Final will be a tight one and Anderson being a big server might pull off a set, but that has to be set 1 for him. If he loses, Rafa will put foot down and just do what he did in set 2, 3 and 4 today.

    • Watching the semi, I was reminded of someone who was in awe of Rafa’s on-court tactical adjustments: Cheryl Murray, Tennistalk.

    • I agree with everyone you said, RIBT. Rafa is definitely one of the best ever at problem solving during a match. This tournament has been a testament to that. His ability to figure out how to beat the opponent after losing the first set has been amazing to watch.

    • Absolutely Kevin must serve huge to have a chance. But he also has a massive FH on hardcourt, and that is also a weapon. Where he will suffer, imo, is simply in consistency. Rafa will hit a lot of balls back and look for a chance to unleash the FH. Anderson has to play ultra aggressive right from the start, and hope his game is clicking.

    • I expect Anderson to come out and play well. He has never been in this position. He was not expected to be here. He’s got no pressure as the underdog. He will want to make the most of it.

      He’s got that big serve going for him. He’s confident and healthy. It’s been a long journey back for him. He will give it his best.

      Rafa knows what to expect. No surprises here. He has to serve well and hold his serve at all costs. He will have to try to find a way to break Anderson. Otherwise it means a tb. Rafa will need to be very aggressive with his ROS. He will need the forehand. I think he’s as ready as he can be.

      Rafa has a brilliant tennis mind. When he’s focused and mentally on, there is no one better when it comes to tactical adjustments in matches.

      I just think Rafa wants this so much. He will be hard to stop.

      • I agree, Anderson is very tough to beat. It usually takes one of the top players to take him out of each event. Nadal at his best is not normal ATP stuff however, it’s a level mist other players can’t comprehend or anticipate.

        Federer and Djokovic at their best are the only ones that can stay with Nadal when he’s playing like this and even they struggle.

      • I just think Rafa wants this so much. True that. You can see in his eyes. I thought he played pretty well at Wimbledon as well. His 3rd round was probably the best I have seen him on grass for 4-5 years. Its all about confidence.

  20. Of course, here it comes. There are no weak eras, Lucky, and making the SF at a major tournament, for a top player, doesn’t involve playing other top players, mostly also-rans. Federer has that consecutive SF record (which will probably never be broken) because he is the most consistent player ever.

    When you engage in weak-era talk, you open yourself up to those who would try to belittle Rafa’s achievement if he wins this slam, as should be obvious, because he has faced no players in the top 25. I would say, with VR and others: he has beaten the players in front of him (so far) and that’s all that matters.

      • Stan, congrats on your Slaone win.

        Keys just did not show up. All her shots were missing. Those shots worked the whole tournament but failed her in the finals especially her backhand? Lost on Keys ML but won on +3 sloan. I always bet the strong dogs with handicap points.

        Is sloane your baby now?

        You have been saying that karolina Pliskova is your baby?

        Now you have a 2nd baby now (legally or illegally)?lol

        How many more babies (grown ones) do you have?lol

        Just kidding stan.

        Congrats again stan. Have as many babies as you want!lol

        Is Kevin a strong dog? Can he upset Nadal in the finals?

        Is Nadal tired or something? Is anyone seeing something like that?

        Delpo lost because he was tired and he said the same in his QF win interview. i didn’t take it seriously.

        With the form that Delpo was in, if Nadal would have played Delpo in the 2nd or 3rd rd. without his viral sickness, he would have beaten Nadal. Delpo was tired in the SF and was so slow to move after winning the 1st set.

    • Joe, do read my posts (and not only one post in particular and then pick on that!) Clearly, you’re out to pick on me in particular. I happened to agree with fedexal’s subsequent post in response to mine.

    • One more thing, also runs like Tsonga, Berdych and Sod were able to beat Fed in the slam QFs, Fed’s peers just couldn’t do that!

      Players like Feli, Youzhny, Nieminen in particular were 0-15 or worse against Fed, Ferrer too; I mean Youzhny and Ferrer in particular, they were once top ten players, yet not even a single win against Fed!

      • Those players only won against post-prime Fed (i.e. after AO 2010). Roger’s prime ended a long time ago, and his current form (2014-present) is only due to the larger racquet, which he should have adopted at least 10 years ago.

        • Joe, Fed’s prime didn’t end at AO2010! He was only 28 then! Sod and Berdych had beaten Fed at FO and Wimbledon 2010 respectively, the same year when Fed won his AO title. How can Fed suddenly became off his prime so soon within the same year?

    • Please excuse me for butting in but just want to point out that a single tournament is not an era, apples and oranges really. This is not an argument about whether the weak era argument is valid or not, just pointing out that one tournament cannot be called an era.

      • No, the logic is basically the same. Rafa fans who wish to belittle Federer’s accomplishments say that 2004-07 was a weak era, i.e. one in which Federer was able to win non-clay slams without defeating a great player. That is precisely what some Nadal detractors (not me) will say about Nadal if he wins this USO.

        • @Joe Smith, no, there is no logic in saying one tournament is an era. It is not. Definitionally it is not correct, logic has nothing to do with it. You cannot mutilate a definition to suit your your conclusion. One event is not an era.

          Besides, when people say Fed played in a weak era they are not saying Fed played against lower ranked players during the period 2004-07 because this is not true. Fed was playing highly ranked players (rank in terms of the ATP player ranking) who were weak in terms of tennis talent compared to players he is facing now. During USOPEN 2017, Rafa has reached the final without playing anyone’s RANKED 25 and/or below. Does this mean the players he played were weak in terms of tennis talent? Debatable.

          Should Rafans stop analyzing the quality of Fed’s opponents for fear of Fedfans doing the same for Rafa’s opponents? No, count me out of that equation. I have absolutely no qualms accepting the FACT that Rafa has faced not one player ranked inside 25 in reaching the final. It is a fact. Does that diminish his accomplishment? No. If Fedfans are touchy about pointing out the FACT that Fed faced relatively weak competition during 2004-07, one cannot help it. Does that diminish his accomplishments? No.

          One tournament is not an era. Rafa has not faced a single player ranked 25 or below in reaching the final. Both statements are true. No harm in pointing them out.

          • RITB, well said.

            I don’t know why Joe is so quick to jump in each time Fed was mentioned. I mean the level of competition may vary from era to era, there’s nothing wrong with that. Nobody says Fed isn’t a great player, even legendary, so in whichever era he’s in, he’ll still excel but it’s just that the era 2004-2007, we haven’t seen competition as keen as say 2011-2014 perhaps.

            Who knows, if Fed and Djoko switch place, Djoko may also have 23 consecutive slam SFs or close to that number, during 2004-2007? I’m not saying that Djoko is > or = to Fed, it’s just that Djoko plays in a tougher era with two other ATGs being around.

          • @Luckystar, unfortunately, most Fedfans have elevated Fed to mythical status and take that peRFect marketing gimmick too literally and see malice in anything which does not praise him.

            Most tennis purists accept that Fed had the good fortune to play against a relatively weak era 2004-07. Does anyone really believe Fed would have enjoyed as much success during that period had a Nadal and/or a Djokovic been around then?

            As a Rafan, I can only imagine what Rafa’s Slam haul would be like if there had been no Fed and/or Djokovic during his era. It would be off the charts I dare say!

            We should not be afraid to analyze these things. That some people draw their own conclusions to what the analyses reveal is their business, doesn’t make the underlying analysis wrong.

          • I used to wonder the same about Djokovic Luckystar – maybe he’s arguably had it hardest. On the other hand, he has won most of his slams with Fed and Nadal being past their physical primes . As good as Roger and Rafa have been during Djokovic’s whole career, imo much of their *very* best tennis happened years ago, back when he had either 0 or 1 GS wins. But it’s really just one of those timing things. You can only beat who’s in front of you. One can make arguments against each big three player that have numerous ‘what-if’ scenarios about playing in other eras, playing against different competition, changing peaks and troughs of the field etc. Interesting to talk about, but a Pandora’s box of not-that-relevant hypotheticals.

            Fed’s weak era, well, I agree it exists to some extent, but naturally being a Federer fan, I’m a bit more skeptical of its weight than some. Clearly the average level or quality of tennis at the top of the men’s game was lower than in subsequent periods. That being said, I think in the long-term, it’s basically always on an upward trend. Plus some of those ‘weak era’ players arguably weren’t as ordinary as prime 06-07 Fed made them look, and now and then they still beat him. Also, Nadal himself was actually there for most of that time. As Rafa fans will recall, he made the 4th round of the 05 AO, and was only beaten in 5 sets by Hewitt, on his home ground, who would go on to contest the final. Won his maiden FO not long after.

            He was ‘there’ during Fed’s peak in 06-07, the ‘weak era’ is really more of two year period from ’04 to ’05. Sure, Fed had wins against Philippoussis in ’03 and Baghdatis in ’06, for example. But of Fed’s GS wins only 4 of 19 have come against players who never won slams, and the other two of those guys, Soderling & Gonzo, both happened to beat Nadal en route. Weaker, yeah, but it can be overstated. For what it’s worth (probably not much), Rafa has 4 out of his 15 slam wins against non-GS winners (well, soon to be 5 of 16).

            Would Djokovic have won this or that if his time was swapped with Fed’s? Too many variables for me to confidently say. However, without the legendary Rafa & Fed there to chase, he might never have taken his game to such a high level.

        • The Nadal detractors who say Rafa’s Slam will be diminished because he would have won without facing a single top 25 player will actually be insulting Fed as well by saying this. The crux of their argument will be that Rafa won because he was the best amongst mediocres. Well, guess who one of those “mediocres” was then……….Fed. Rafa would have played Fed, a top 25 player if he had been good enough and made it to the semis. Fed was in the draw, together with other top 25 players like Cilic, the Zverev brothers, Thiem Kyrgios etc, etc. The fact that they did not make it to the semis and/or final to play Rafa is an indication of their inadequacy during the tournament, not Rafa’s.

          2004-07 there was only one strong player in the draws, Fed. That is the point of the weak era argument. 2017 USOPEN, there were lots of top 25 players who fell by the wayside. So the two arguments are totally without parallel.

          • ‘The Nadal detractors who say Rafa’s Slam will be diminished because he would have won without facing a single top 25 player’

            RIBT 3.0, all i say to these ppl is, all that salt could certainly kill you!!

  21. This is a confirmed affair, no doubt 16 slams.
    Match should end within not longer than 2 hours.

    I foresee Nadal would repeat this next year and have 18 slams by end of 2018, very close to record 19.

      • R. Federer will win 3 or 4 Grand slams before he retires, with other good tropies.

        R. Nadal will win 3 more slams b4 he retires with others as well.

        I don’t think anyone will surpass Roger’s record, they might tie it but won’t pass it.

    • The only way I’d be confident in betting on Rafa to repeat this season next year is if he isn’t challenged at the majors by fellow Big 4 members. The way things have gone, it could very well happen. However, if Federer is able to return to the form he was in earlier just month and a half ago, I don’t see how Rafa winning this US Open just guarantees that he would suddenly start beating Federer again at the majors. I have no doubt that Rafa can and will beat Fed again at a hardcourt major, but let’s not pretend that it’s just written in stone that Fed is no longer a concern for Rafa because he won the US Open… Lifting that trophy will certainly give Rafa a big boost in confidence. But how could anyone say that one great match against Del Po equals invincibility? Again, I’m not in any way saying that that could very well happen, but I need to see it against more than just Del Po before I make an assumption like that!

      It would have been awesome to see Fedal at US Open this year, maybe even more so than other years in the past. Until this year, Fedal matches at the majors had gotten very predictable because of the stranglehold Rafa had over that match-up. We finally had a Federer who was playing Rafa the way he should have years ago, and we ended up getting an awesome match (at least awesome 5th set) at the AO. Obviously Federer has had an amazing season this year, but it really was a bummer what happened with him in the NA Hardcourt swing, in terms of competition. Fedal was what we all were looking forward to. If Federer wants to be competitive with guys like Rafa, or apparently even Del Po, he needs to accept that a 36 year old has to pick and choose their schedule like a 36 year old… Shit, he took the whole clay season off and STILL had back issues. For example, I personally think it would be foolish of him to try to play Shanghai, Basel, Paris, AND WTF. If I’m not mistaken, those last 3 tournies are all back-to-back-to-back, three straight weeks. There is no way he will last through that! If I were him, I would skip Paris and try to be fresh for WTF. The only reason I can see why he would want to play all four of those tournies is if he really wanted to gun for #1. Personally, I think he should just forget about #1. For his sake, and the sake of tennis fans who want good competition at the majors, he should strictly focus on doing everything possible to peak at the majors. If he tries to go all out and play all four of the tournies at the end of this season, he’s only going to end up hurting himself and just screwing his chances of winning big ones next year. The is a reason why 36 year olds- hell, even 34 years olds- have never even sniffed at #1! And I feel like Fed’s summer has been proof of that. Personally, what I am dreaming about right now, already, is a rematch of the AO final in February! I want that so badly… And I really believe we won’t get that if Fed plays like 20 matches in 5 weeks at the end of the season. While all the other non-Fedal top players are out injured, our only legitimate option for realistically competitive big matches is Fedal. And while Rafa fans may love getting a Rafa-Anderson final, and Fed fans may be happy to have a Fed-injured Cilic final, I personally am tired of that already haha. I want some damn Goats locking horns again!!

      Anyway, assuming Rafa destroys Anderson tomorrow, I really can’t think of anyone who is more deserving of this US Open title than Rafa. He’s world #1 for good reason. I know how important it was for him to show that he is the #1 ranked player, and he has certainly (I hope) done that!

  22. Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are undoubtedly all-time greats. Its very hard to separate these 3. At their peak they all had a slight edge on each other.

    Murray and Wawrinka are a few notches below but are still quite exceptional by anyone’s standards.

    Nadal is the greatest competitor I’ve ever seen. Federer’s probably the most talented but that’s debatable, Nadal has pretty rare talent too.

  23. I think Anderson could get a set. But that’s as much as he would get. Nadal will ultimately wear him down.
    Unless something bizarre happens, I see Rafa getting #16

  24. One last thing about tomorrow before I go to bed. I wish Kevin Anderson all the luck in the world because he’s going to need it, but……. Vamos Rafa! 🙂

  25. I think Nadal wins in 3

    4 sets possible.

    Is Kevin a strong dog? Can he upset Nadal in the finals?

    Is Nadal tired or something? Is anyone seeing something like that?

    Delpo lost because he was tired and he said the same in his QF win interview. i didn’t take it seriously.

    With the form that Delpo was in, if Nadal would have played Delpo in the 2nd or 3rd rd. without his viral sickness, he would have beaten Nadal. Delpo was tired in the SF and was so slow to move after winning the 1st set.

    • Er… Delpo wasn’t playing all that well in R2 or R3, how was he going to beat Rafa should they meet? Just because he was able to beat Fed didn’t mean he’s able to beat Rafa; Rafa is/was playing better tennis than Fed in this USO, not difficult to see that!

  26. I think Anderson has the game, at its best, to seriously trouble Nadal. But to succeed he will need to get Rafa worried, which could dent his confidence and cause his level to drop. I think the fact that Rafa has won so many matches at this tournament after losing the first set makes it very unlikely that he will get too worried/nervous. Maybe if he loses the first two sets, but not if he loses the first. And he’s playing so well that losing any set is unlikely. Nadal in 3.

  27. Kevin…the chance of fedal at ao 18 is very minimal almost less than 5 percent. They will be seeded 1 and 2 which means can meet only in the final. Players like Murray Djokovic Stan nishikori etc would all be ranked and seeded outside 10 which means they will be facing rafa or Fed as early as round 4. The chance of one of them or even both to get upset before a final is very high. Also if they play strong players from early on , they will play 4 to 5 setters from 4th round itself and fatigue will start setting in. Additionally there is always chance of a nick kyrgios or delpo as early as 3rd round.

    • I understand why you would think that about AO 2018, Sanju, but I have to thoroughly disagree. I think that they young guns have proven that, as long as Fedal are fully healthy, they realistically don’t have a shot at beating Fedal on the major. I know that Fed managed to win AO without playing any competitive tournies for 6 months, but I really don’t see that happening with Novak, Andy, Stan, or Kei. Those guys all grind much harder than Fed. Fed came out playing very aggressively and ending points quicker at AO. I just think it was a very rare thing for someone to win a major so immediately after injury, I wouldn’t count on it happening again the following year. Since it will be those guys first tourny back, who will realistically beat Fedal if they are healthy? Especially if the court is just as fast as last year? Plus, VR is definitely right that the chances of them meeting at AO 2018 woukd have to be waaay higher than what the chances were of them meeting at AO 2017, since they hadn’t played anything really leading into it. You could very well be right, Sanju, but it’s hard for me to see anyone taking out healthy Fedal at the AO, especially if it plays like this year’s…

  28. Hey guys!…What about the weather for today?I’m so worried if it’s rain & the roof will be closed…Can anyone tell me about it,please?

  29. I am so nervous..I think I will skip the match and peep in after 2 hours of match start..by then hopefully players will be loose 🙂

    The match starts anyway at 1:30 AM India time..really horrible time..

    Rafa..please get this..please..keep your nerves home..dont goof this one please..

  30. Rafa will need to be very focused. Anderson will surely be dangerous but I am expecting a very high intensity performance from Rafa throughout the match.

    • not sure VR why I am so nervous…well I always am for Rafa..nothing new but even though it is not a very high quality opponent , I am still very nervous.

      • Sanju, I’m always nervous when one of my favorites plays and prefer to look at canned versions. An eternal question: why do we even care so much? It’s just a sports event after all and we don’t know the players personally. And whether they win or lose – as mere spectators we had no part in it. And yet – we feel happy or sad, depending on the outcome. Rooting must be some deep seeded atavistic but ultimately normal behavior since so many engage in it 🙂

      • The final match will soon start!
        Why are Rafans not generous?
        R. Nadal has 15.
        K. Anderson has 0.

        Please have mercy on Kevin OK, 15 is greater than 0 by a lot, but if you don’t want to that’s okay.
        I like R. Federer because sometimes he is generous, kind and he is an Incredible tennis player, the best player this year and…

        Kevin has played well in this tournament and you guys need to show him some love OK, he is not getting any younger and i don’t think he will make it to another Grand Slam final again.

        This might be the last 4 him so please, please, pretty Plzzz show him a little compassion.
        I am sure R. Nadal will win 1 or more Slam(not more than 2) next year, maybe Wimbledon, Australian open or the french open, who knows it’s possible he wins them all including the US OPEN(4 Slams in year, my goodness) R. Nadal is really playing well and the future is bright for this player.

        Just allow K. Anderson to win just 1, 1 trophy is not a big deal and both of them are friends and friends don’t beat each other 4-0, you punch him in the stomach let him punch too, don’t disgrace him especially in public.

        I think R. Nadal might be gracious to K. Anderson in a few hours cos Rafito is nice and will do what’s right.

        What do you guys think?
        Is Rafito a nice guy?
        Or will he defeat his friend the 5th time(that’s bad if does)?

        I will talk to you guys later(less than 2 hours).

        I wish Rafito the best next year(2 Slams) if he does what is right, i know he will.

          • @fedexal

            No fed wasn’t generous to Marin Cilic in Wimbledon but that’s because he was generous to Cilic in the 2014 US OPEN SF.
            http://www.tennisexplorer.com/mutual/cilic/federer/

            i like people who do their research before posting, instead of posting trash.
            I also people who have a good sense of humor.

            On a different topic, if R. Nadal doesn’t win in 3 sets this match is a 5 setter and anyone can win it.

            I will talk to you guys again in less than 45 minutes, i am taking care of some stuff.

            Between 3 & 5 sets, which set is likely to be the decider?
            Please just have fun and pick a set OK.

  31. It’s beautiful day here in NY! Rafa’s photos and info about the finals make the biggest news ( apart from the hurricane Irma hitting Florida right now-hopefully won’t be as disastrous as predicted)…

    I am so excited about watching Rafa play his GS final match LIVE. I am heading to Ashe in two hours!
    I hope Rafa plays his game as in the match with Delpo from set 2 onwards! He was simply amazing out there! I hope Rafa wins confidently and comfortably!

    Vamos Rafa!

    • Oh Nats!…You’re in NY??Ohohohoho!lucky u!!…hey,don’t forget to give us LIVE updates okay??…Oh Nats!…If Rafa win today,it’s going to be THE MOST AMAZING MOMENT in your life!…That’s for sure!!….Enjoy the moment to fullest nats!!Wooohooo!!

      • Nats needs to be very careful when he send updates of the game as US OPEN is cracking down on “Courtsiders”! They should not think that Natashao is a “Courtsider”.lol

        Natashao, look around and check if somebody (big brother Uncle Sam or his puppets @ US Open!lol) is monitoring/eyeing you suspiciously!ha,ha,ha…

        Natashao, take some huge pictures/posters of Nadal with motivational talk written on it and flash it whenever Nadal needs some boost! Ok? Wear Nadal’s tight fitting T-shirts and shorts (showing your muscles) to show your love for Nadal. But don’t keep tugging your shorts from the back like Nadal does (maybe do it when no one is watching and when only when Nadal is watching you)!Ha,ha,ha…My stomach is aching from laughing too much…Ha,ha,ha

        Natashao…enjoy the match on our behalf also!lol

      • Thanks guys! I am here! I just watched Kevin’s warm up! No sign of Rafa though! Gosh it’s all great here! Super Sunday! Its warm and sunny! Love it!

        Good luck, Rafa! ?

    • Experts, are you betting on your predictions or just doing a random pick.

      Because it is very easy to make a random prediction (picking one of the two…even a baby can do!) if your money is not on the line…as “Stan the man” has correctly said here multiple times!

      Don’t get me wrong…as wrong predictions not backed by solid logic/analysis can poison the minds of the bettors and make them lose money(and many are betting with their rent money or water bill/current money etc. Just read the posts of other members)!

      If you are really betting on your predictions, it will inspire me and all the bettors here on tenngrand.com.

      I think Nadal will win but Anderson will fight big and steal a set may be or make many sets tight with his big power serve and ground strokes. Anderson has good movement to top it.

      Finally Anderson is MORE motivated to win as he wants to win this Finals to win his FIRST GRAND SLAM. Nadal just wants to win and is not anything special I think for him as he has already won 15 or something Grand Slams before. So, winning the 2017 US Open is NOT special to Nadal (but Nadal being the fighter that he is…wants to win all matches and all Tournament or Slams he takes part in) but is SUPER SPECIAL for the “Big, Gentle African Bird” Kevin Anderson!

      Nadal can win 3-0 also. But he has been losing the 1st set against lower ranked players and Anderson is far better than all the guys Nadal has beaten so far. Nadal win in 4 or 5 sets will be the most logical thing. Let’s see what the Tennis Gods have in store for us!lol

      I am betting on a Nadal ML win, -6.5 (whatever happens win or lose) and -1,-2,-3,-4 etc in LB . A little on the OVER as Anderson can win a lot of games a steal a set maybe! I am not picking for the sake of picking as many here. I am picking for the sake of winning…with my money on the line! BOL Experts!

  32. tennis.com has put a whole article on all the big upsets that have happened at all 4 slams till date …freaky to put such an article today (:-

    • Sanju, don’t worry about the upset article. They out it out because an upset is theoretically possible. If Rafa would play against Fed or another top guy an upset isn’t possible no matter who wins 🙂

    • I picked K. Anderson to win, over games, over 3.5 sets, 5 sets in different slips with a few games.

      I also picked R. Nadal to win & over games(there is no profit in this particular bet, so i added some WNBA & MLB).
      If Rafito wins & over games i recover all my money with small profits but if the match goes over sets, over games, 5 sets or an upset i go crazy with cash, cool cash.

      If R. Nadal wins & under games, i lose all my bets except a couple of slips, were i avoided this match.
      Picking R. Nadal to win directly is low so i didn’t pick money line.

      Wish me luck.
      $$$

      let the games begin, let’s see who is boss.

    • Hey Hawks!!….Now Rafa will be more motivated to win this title since you’re here!!hahahaha!!…Yay!!…Please don’t go away again Hawks!…Stay okay?

      • May the better player win.
        Over games, over sets should hit, i placed more money in those options.

        This match will end in 3 sets or 5 sets, if it ends in 5, my oh my, all bets are off.

        Vamos the best player!

          • Kevin Anderson is the better server but he is not holding his serve well, 3rd deuce.

            If he is not careful, R. Nadal will blow him away in 3 easy sets and that is not good 4 a Grand Slam finals or for Stanley.

            #Becareful
            #KevinAndersonisnervous

  33. Rafa’s hell-bent on losing the first set. He has come out passive and trying to get errors. He will start going for more gradually and start making more balls as well.

    • Stan, besides being nervous, Anderson doesn’t have the court speed, power and skills (especially returning an din the Rallies) to keep up with Nadal!

      On top of all that he needs to add some aggression to match Nadal’s! He is kinda afraid of Nadal now!lol

  34. Yes, I am doing it(breaking the Big Bird Anderson for Dinner!lol) for you dear!(Rafa saying!lol)

    Your wish of a 3-0 Rafa win might just happen!

  35. The semifinal was better than this nonsense.

    This Grand Slam final is a joke.

    K. Anderson will regret this match for the rest of his life.
    As big as he is, as old as he is, he is playing crap.
    He is a tall baby, he was too nervous in the 1st and 2nd set, he should be ashamed of himself.

    They should end this match right now and give everyone their money back as compensation 4 this nonsense K. Anderson is playing.

  36. Since when did Rafa and Tiger get so tight? Lol!

    What happen to the days when Tiger used to be in Roger’s corner, eh?!!

    Interesting, very interesting!!

  37. They should give Nadal the trophy right now, this match is a joke, this guy is not competitive, fans should beat him up when he is heading to his hotel lol!

    What is the name of his hotel?
    I want to pay him a visit, this guy is a joke, a complete joke.

    R. Nadal is too good 4 me.
    An injured R. Federer will play 10 times better than this nonsense.

  38. Congrats to R. Nadal!
    Congrats to Rafans!
    Well done!

    I am going to bed early, good night everyone.
    This guy is a waste!!!

    Well done Rafito!
    16 Grand Slams.

  39. I haven’t watched it but th scoreline looks competitive to me. 3 3 and 4 is a good effort IMO.

    Nadal is arguably the greatest of all time. Give the man a break.

  40. Rafa won:
    ¤ his 3rd US Open ✌ ✌ ✌ and
    ¤ his 16th GS title ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Fist pump! ? Hurraaay! ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
    Vaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaamoooooooooooooooos Rafa !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    • Oh Ramara! is that you? USTA/US Open officials are looking for you now for distracting Nadal!Ha,ha,ha…

      Congrats to you and all those who supported Nadal and bet on him to win!

  41. Mira, I fulfilled your wish (winning by 3-0) and the wish of 1000’s of RAFANS on https://tenngrand.com.(Rafa saying!lol)

    Are you happy now? Ha,ha,ha…

    Can you hear me (Rafa) now! (NO, This is not a Verizon Advertisement. It is me, your Rafa!)!

    Now cheer for me now! Seriously! Let me hear your voices! Louder now!Ha,ha,ha…

    Vamos Rafa! Viva la Raza Rafa!

  42. Congrats to all Rafans. Group hug.

    Never ever thought 2017 would turn out this way.

    Rafas smile at the end made up for all the 2015 and 2016 periods.

    Vamos Rafa.. No 16.. World No 1..#amazing fighter and world class competitor

    This goes on to prove never write premature obituaries of champions..both Rafa and Fed proved all naysayers wrong this year and how.

    It is fitting and poetic justice that the slams got split between both this time..2 a piece..Never thought they would take all 4 this year..what a turnaround..

  43. Roger you are too funny..I crack up reading your messages 🙂

    But why do I feel you and Stanley are the same person? Same writing style and messages come almost at same time 🙂

  44. Rafa has now made three more nonclay slam finals than French open finals.

    A true great and master of every surfrace despite what biased revisionists would want you to believe.

    Vamos Rafa. GOAT once more.

    I hope NNY Is safe tonight.

    • Hawks!! I’ve missed you! Congrats on your man getting it done! Question though- Can’t you just keep him as the GOAT in your mind without changing it? 😉

        • It was a joke, Hawks. You know where I stand in the GOAT debate- that it’s like splitting hairs and that the Big 3 are the three greatest male tennis players of all-time. Since that is the stance I take, I’ve always enjoyed good-natured pestering those who take a lone-GOAT stance. You’ve explained your reasoning to me before, and I understand it. I just differ in opinion from you, so it amuses me how you switch back and forth between Fed and Rafa being the lone holder of the GOAT title. So then I think- why not just call them the two greatest of all-time? But it’s a rhetorical question because I know your answer to that. You know I just like to stir the pot on the GOAT debate, Hawks. 🙂 I actually don’t disagree with you about one of them being the GOAT- I just think the other guy is equally the GOAT, in their own way.

  45. Even tho i’m very happy for rafa but feel very very worried and nervous about Nny in Florida…Once again if u have the opportunity,please let us know your condition atm Nny!….Can’t wait to hear about u!..Wish u & your family r okay there….

  46. Big up to Kevin Anderson, too. Seriously. He never stood even a remote chance in this one, and we all knew it. But he was not a guy who I ever would have imagined would make a slam final- even from a wide-open draw. To have a silver runner-up plate his mantle for the rest of his life shows, in ny opinion, that he maximized his potential. He could have easily been overwhelmed by the pressure of facing Querrey in front of an American crowd, having never even played on Ashe, as well as in his first slam semi, but he showed poise and composure considering his lack of experience in those moments. Personally, I wouldn’t expect to see him again in a major final, but now he at least has some sort of hardware from the majors. Props to Kev!

  47. Congrats to the beast that is Rafael Nadal!! And congrats to all you Rafans!! This will surely shut up those who think of Nadal as just a clay court specialist. Anyways Fedal won all four slams this season so uhhhhhh, godly season? Yes yes it was.

    • It truly is remarkable, Benny… So you must be fired up for a potential #1 showdown between your boy and Rafa, I presume? In your view, what are the odds of that showdown even happening? Do you expect Fed to get back to normal? Or do you think it’s Rafa all the way?

      • I honestly think Fed at max can gobble up max 3000 points out of 4000 up for grabs. He cant win all 4, he at best will win 3..that too is a big ask..

        So all Rafa needs to do is somwhow win 1300 points more till end of year to assure himself of Year end No 1..And trust me he wants it..he will fight hard for it..he will know all the calcs and what he needs to do..

      • Well this latter part of the season usually treats Roger better than Rafa but it would still be so tough for Fed to catch up before the world tour finals. I think Roger will win Basel and could win one of the masters so he could close the points gap in the race but Rafa could gain more at the masters as well even though those tournaments haven’t treated him that well in recent years. I think Roger and Rafa will both have a shot at number one heading into the world tour finals but as of right now I give Nadal a 70-75% chance of ending the season number one. I would give him a higher chance if not for his historically poor runs during this stretch of the year.

        • I agree with you, Benny. Advantage Rafa, but Roger has a shot. Fed’s comments after his loss to DelPo about the rest of the season were pretty interesting. He said that he will do Laver Cup, and then “go to Shaghai a week early to start prepare a much as possible so he can win the tournament” (paraphrased a bit). That’s quite a good chunk of rest. Shaghai is the fastest masters court. When Fed lost there in the first round in 2015 as defending champion, he said that it is so fast and slick that he always finds it difficult to adjust to at first. He struggled to adjust in 2014 as well, but he saved those match points instead of losing. 🙂 Anyway, if he practices on that court for a week beforehand, and is healthy, I’m not sure I would pick against him to win that tournament if it’s still as fast as it has been before… Similar to the Open, a lot will depend on his back, as will every other tournament from here on out. But on a court that fast, he will certainly be tough to beat if he’s in good physical shape. Not saying he’s a lock for that title, but his chances should be good. If Rafa can carry his current level onto a fast court, then we could have a good Fedal Shanghai final on our hands. 🙂

          This is all theoretical- If Fed were to manage to win Shaghai and Basel, that’s where things get a little shady in my mind. He would then have to decide if he really wants to gun for #1, or play it safe and put all his eggs in the WTF basket. Given his recent fragility, I personally cannot imagine him winning Shaghai, Basel, AND Paris, all in such close succession. No way. And if he did manage to go very deep in all three of those, then how the hell would he ever have anything left in the tank, or his body, to realistically go in and win the WTF? Not gonna happen, imo. I’ve been wondering about this for months now, actually. If he managed to win Shanghai and Basel, I personally think that he MUST pull out of Paris if he wants a realistic shot at winning a 7th WTF. 4 tournaments in 6 weeks for 36 year old Fed? Just can’t see it… And I’m talking about if his back in fine! Although if his back is still bad during/after Shanghai, then I think he would actually be best to take the whole damn rest of the year off to try to be healthy for AO. I just think that he may have reached that point that all 36 year old players reach, where he can only play like eight tournies a year. I could be wrong! The back thing could be temporary, but the older he gets, the harder it will be to believe it’s only temporary.

          Anyway, Benny, I think that IF Fed’s back issue ends up nursed back to health, then I think your boy has a shot at ending up #1. It’s definitely like a 30% chance at best, but it’s possible, given that at least 3 of these courts suit him quite well. I think it will take him winning Shaghai, Basel, AND WTF to get there, and even then it could entirely depend on how Rafa does. If Rafa goes deep in all of them, even if he doesn’t win any, and Fed doesn’t win at least 2 and go deep in another, then it won’t happen. If I were Roger Federer’s coach, I would tell him to do exactly what he is doing to start- rest for over a month (save for Laver Cup), and then go train at Shaghai and do everything possible to have the best shot at winning it. Then, take that week after Shaghai and rest like sleeping beauty. Pay $5,000,000 for the best damn masseuse in the world and whatever cortisone shots needed to get that back feeling like a 20 year old back. Then go to Basel fresh, and just try to do what you’ve almost always done there when you’re healthy and in good form- win it. Then, take a look at Rafa’s results in Beijing, Shaghai, and Basel. Did he win a couple of them? Did he maybe beat you at one of them? Did you beat him at one of them? Did he go deep in all of them? Or did he lose before the final? After analyzing where Rafa is at, both in form and rankings, then decide if it is an absolute necessity to play Paris in order to end the season at #1. If you conclude that you must play Paris to have a shot at #1, then comes the most important part- decide just how much getting another year end #1 means to you… Is it important enough to you to risk being burned out afterward or hurting your back more? Personally, I would say only play it if you lost pre-finals at Shanghai and Basel. Otherwise, screw it. Get two weeks of rest leading up to WTF, and go into London with the most amount of rest possible.
          And that, Benny, is what I believe must happen in order for Fed to even have a shot at ending #1. In reality, it depends a whoooole lot on how Rafa does the rest of the season. If Rafa really wants to keep #1 til the end, which he unquestionably does, then I would assume he will start by going to Beijing and likely picking up an easy 500 points, as the 50-times Beijing former champion won’t be there, and Rafa is playing well enough that it probably wouldn’t matter anyway. 🙂 That would slap a further 500 points lead over Fed, as Fed isn’t even listing that week, and Rafa isn’t defending any points there.

          • Good analysis. I agree with pretty much all of that. I can see him winning Shanghai and Basel and skipping Paris then trying to claim the WTF to become number one but like you said it all depends on how Rafa does.

          • There’s a Delpo who’s good on quick HCs and he may have something to say at Shanghai, Basel and Paris. Don’t forget he beat Fed at Basel in 2012/2013. If L Mayer could give Fed trouble at Shanghai, so could Delpo. It depends on the draw.

            If Rafa could avoid Delpo at Shanghai, Basel and Paris, he may reach the SFs at these events(he reached SF at Shanghai, final at Basel and QF at Paris in 2015, his worst season so far). Djoko will not be at Beijing this year, so Rafa has a good chance to win there, being a finalist there a few times. I do hope he wins Beijing, which is also a quick court, and so will be prepared for Shanghai’s fast HC.

            I think Rafa is on track to get the YE no.1, its highly likely he’ll get it this season.

          • Kevin, even Fed is to win all four events, he may not get to YE no.1! He will get 4000 points max, but Rafa is already with 1860 pts ahead; Rafa just needs to go deep in all events (SF at least which he’s more than capable of doing) and winning Beijing, and reaching final at WTF (which he’s capable of doing; in his good years of 2010 and 2013 he reached the final even with the presence of Murray and Djoko, both of them not around this WTF).

            I doubt Rafa will let this chance of YE no.1 slips away, he’ll play his best to get there; the most important thing is of course he being healthy and fit, which I think he is now.

          • Carlos Moyà has already stated that securing YE#1 is now their primary target now that the Slams are over for the year.

  48. Barb Dignan‏ @barbdignan 22m22 minutes ago

    This ferocious beast on the tennis court is the sweetest human off the court. He is GREAT for tennis!!!! #VamosRafaNadal!!!!

    Matt Cronin‏ @TennisReporters 6m6 minutes ago
    More
    Rafa Nadal has improved tremendous amount this yr, better, smarter, wins US Open over Anderson. Now has won 16 Slams, even more? Possibility

    @SteveTignor

    Never underestimate the heart—I mean, the unorthodox tactics—of a champ. Nadal’s ultra-deep return position got him all the breaks he needed

  49. 3 major slam finals this year were so lopsided…not good..it is not Fedals fault but seriously what horrible finals.

    Looks like all the great matches amongst top players happened in Australia itself. There were atleast 5 great matches in AO.
    Rafa Fed
    Rafa Dimitrov
    Fed stan
    Fed nishikori
    Rafa Alexander zverev

    French all I feel was a thriller was Stan Murray semi

    Wimby – NONE

    USO – NONE (I dont count those Fed 5 setters as top quality..they were too up n down and so was Fed delpo)

    • Yes, the last three majors were strictly fun for fans of Fed or fans of Rafa. 🙂 Australia certainly had the most exciting storylines and matchups. French and Wimby were enjoyable for me, personally, because I got to see that vintage Rafa-FO and Fed-Wimby destruction that I previously didn’t think we would ever see again.

      As far as the best matches this season, thus far anyway, I would say that the two best matches were Rafa-Dimitrov AO, and Fed-Kyrgios Miami. Fed-Rafa AO 5th set was probably the best single set or moment overall for me (although many Rafa fans understandably wouldn’t agree with that). In terms of just pure beautiful tennis and perfection, Rafa in the FO final against Stan and Fed at AO against Berdych were such a treat for me. I actually went back and watched those two matches recently, and they were just jaw-dropping. They were especially great because a lot of people expected those matches to be closer than they were. A lot of people thought Fed would go out to Berdych because he had just returned from injury and he looked rusty in his first two matches. And some people thought Stan would at least give Rafa a run for his money because, well, Stan in a major final. Yet both of Fedal proved in those matches that they are still very much at the top of their game.

      I really hope that we get some interesting matches in the rest of the season. This remaining portion of the season can sometimes be a dud, but it always has potential. If Fed doesn’t get back to form, I’m not really sure who could realistically challenge Rafa, even at the indoor tournies. I expect Rafa to take this confidence and form to Beijing and just destroy all the chumps in that draw. That will give him even more distance over Fed in the rankings, as Fed isn’t playing in Beijing. I would looove to see a Fedal final in Shanghai, but who knows where people will be at when that comes…

      • I meant tsan-Murray was a high quality than Fed-Delpo at USO . You should revisit that match again where Murray won one game only and was throwing tantrums all over.

        • I think the first 4 sets of stan murray match were very good and tight. I personally found it way better than Fed delpo. Murray only faded in 5th.

  50. Rafa a clay court specialist has more USO titles than Novak who is a HC specialist 🙂

    However Novak lost 5 USO fianls which is a lot considering his HC talent and skills..2 to Rafa, 1 to Fed, 1 to Murray, 1 to Stan

    • Why must we refer to any of the Big 3 as specialists? They all have been to many finals of all four slams! If Djokovic is a “hardcourt specialist”, then I’m a Monkey’s uncle! Same with calling Rafa a clay specialist- it’s just insanely untrue!

  51. I honestly feel with this win and 16 slams, Rafa has clearly put himself much ahead of Novak..just last year everyone was saying Novak will easily catch Rafas 14 when he was at 12…and its matter of time..How times change…

    Novak will come back strong..but 4 more slams ..am not sure..and Rafa is not done yet.

    I desperately want Rafa to win Australian Open next year and be the only double career slam holder..just 2 more asks of Rafa I have..year end No 1 this year and AO 18 trophy..

  52. Congrats to Rafa for winning Grand Slam #16. He dominated the match from start to end. He didn’t even face a break point in the whole entire match! Congrats to Sloane who only lost three games in the whole match! It was interesting that there were four different woman who won the slams this year. Maybe because of Serena? However, in the men’s side, the four slams went to Nadal and Federer. In other news, Gasquet is playing in a challenger! The last time he played in a challenger was in 2010, and that was right after he was banned from tennis for two months. He is probably playing in a challenger to regain his confidence from a first round loss.

    • I know right I saw that. Also at a challenger last week the seventeen year old Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime lost one game to Taro Daniel, the guy who took a set off Nadal somehow. And Auger-Aliassime went on to win his second challenger title. He and Shapovalov are gonna be insane

    • On the subject I did read an interesting stat the other day. Since Rafa won his first slam he and Roger had both won 15 – well – Rafa has now won 16 since then. The total will depend on who can be healthier, I guess. And whether someone can step up and provide competition at the majors.

      I’d really, really love to see Rafa finally win the AO one more time too. Darn it, AO owes him one! He’s played so well there over the years and been SO unlucky there.

      That said, the GOAT debate does not interest me. Rafa and Fed are both legends, renowned for their dedication and excellence, and their names will be forever linked. Works for me.

  53. Mats had a good point about none of these other players being able to hurt Rafa on a slow hard court. It makes sense! Rafa is just like a bulldozer where you have to be able to hit through him to beat him. If it’s a slow hard court, he’s going to crush you. It’s really not surprising to me that Federer won the AO on that super-fast hardcourt, and Rafa won the US Open on a comparatively slow hardcourt. Personally, I kind of like the idea of having one of the hardcourt majors be slow, and the other be fast. It’s way more interesting than having them all homogenized like it was for years…

  54. Just saw the match. Congrats to Rafa and his fans on a well-deserved USO title. Rafa played an absolutely fantastic match; didn’t give Anderson even a look in. I was wrong about Nadal: at the start of the year, and even a month ago, I didn’t think he’d win another slam off clay. Well done.

  55. Thanks Joe for the congrats!…Guess what??me too didn’t dare to dream much…but Thank God!i think with this win,Rafa already killed some of his demon of the last 2 years especially outside of clay…

  56. Rafa delivered on my birthday – today, 11th September. I am sooooooo happy. I knew Rafa’s troubles were down to his injuries even though some people thought he was finished.

    Vamos Rafa!

  57. HB Nadline… Sept 11 of all dates
    Congrats to Rafa for his 16th, nice to see him healthy.
    One has to feel for Anderson though cause he’s such a nice guy too.. hope he can win a SLAM on day too. (but not against Rafa :))

    • Last night i thought that R. Nadal won the US OPEN title i.e 16 Slams, but when i woke up this morning i realized that it was just a dream and the match hasn’t been played.

      So what time does the final match start?
      And who do you think will win it?

        • Mira,

          I wished you and R. Nadal the best(in WTA page) when he lost Australian Open, Acapulco etc, but now i regret it lol! I am a little jealous, R. Nadal is balling BIG time and someone needs to stop him b4 it’s too late, ASAP.

          I miss Novak, A. Murray, Wawrinka etc and if Rafito is not stopped now he could steal all our trophies and that’s not good 4 tennis don’ you think?

          Please wish someone else the best just as i did 4 Rafa ok, i know it might be hard for you but please do it, remember i did the same 4 U.

          #Paybacktime

    • I wish the same, cos there are many Roger’s in this world.
      There is just one RF(R. Federer) and he is THE best tennis player and the best player this year(this might change because the year ain’t over but he is still the best).

      You can’t edit or correct your comment again lol! You said Roger not RF, so thanks.

      Congrats on Rafito! I heard he has an injury and might not play in 2018 and the rest of the year.
      I hope recovers soon cos R. Federer needs 2 crush someone again.

      #4

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.




Skip to toolbar