Spain is one win away from a return trip to the Davis Cup World Group heading into doubles action on Saturday. Fernando Verdasco and Rafael Nadal roll to singles wins on Friday to put the home team in front.
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) d. Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2
Verdasco improved to 3-0 lifetime against Dolgopolov by kicking off the Spain vs. Ukraine Davis Cup playoffs tie with a four-set win on Friday afternoon in Madrid. The Spaniard needed two hours and 33 minutes to complete his comeback from a one-set deficit. It was Dolgopolov who got off to an impressive start, breaking twice in the first set without facing a break point on his own serve. Little separated the two players in the second. Verdasco won two more points than his opponent, but he saved one break point and capitalized on one of his three chances before serving it out at 5-4.
Sets three and four, however, were more straightforward for Verdasco. The world No. 33 generally held in far more routine fashion than Dolgopolov in the third even though it was decided by just one break. Verdasco closed it out at 5-4 then dropped only four points in his last four service games. Dolgopolov committed 14 unforced errors in the fourth to end his hopes of ever getting back on track in the match.
Rafael Nadal (ESP) d. Sergiy Stakhovsky (UKR) 6-0, 6-0, 6-4
Playing just four days after winning his second U.S. Open title, Nadal clearly had no interest in staying on the court any longer than necessary. The world No. 2 lost just four games and needed only one hour and 42 minutes to put Spain ahead of the Ukraine 2-0. Stakhovsky, who famously upset Roger Federer at Wimbledon this summer, did not even win a single game in the first two sets. He won a mere total of nine points in the entire second frame of play–six on serve and three on return.
Stakhovsky finally got on the scoreboard in set three, and he did so on four straight service occasions. The world No. 92 fought off five break points along the way, but Nadal finally converted his sixth chance of the set at 4-4 with a perfect passing shot. Nadal held easily one game later to wrap up the proceedings in style. The 13-time Grand Slam champion will team up with Marc Lopez on Saturday in hopes of clinching the tie and sending Spain to the 2014 World Group.
Isn’t losing some weight good for Rafa’s knees. Also it will aid in Rafa’s agility on court.
@abhirf, weight loss if good if it is planned and controlled. Also, it depends where the weight is being lost. If it’s being lost in muscle mass then it is not good because he needs muscle for explosive movement. If it is fat that is being lost then it is good but Rafa does not have fat on him. So if the doctor is concerned then I suspect it is because it is muscle mass that was affected.
Another thing @abhirf, it is Rafa’s left knee that has been the problem, not both knees. To counter this, Rafa has changed his game, including changing his BH completely so that he now transfers his weight from his left to his right knee when hitting it.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1042410/nadal-god-mustve-had-a-plan
Weight loss alone would not have solved his particular problem.
ha ha, fake medico!!!
NNY: We all handle our anxieties differently. My facetious remark about ‘doom and gloom’ was my way of deflecting that worry. Hence the ‘sad face’ emoticon’.
Holdserve touched on the fact that Rafa was less than overwhelming in the doubles – clearly fatigue had caught up with him. During the match I kept thinking to myself, why the hell wasn’t Marc playing with Granollier or Robredo.
With 20/20 hindsight, far from exploiting Rafa by using him in the doubles, it’s now clear it was a calculated risk taken to SPARE him the much more gruelling task of playing the reverse singles rubber. Had they lost the doubles AC still had the option to substitute another player against Starky in the decider rather than demand Rafa ‘died for his country’ by playing again.
holdserve,
It’s nice to know that you also noticed the difference in my posts. It was very difficult on TT when there were all these personal attacks. It just keeps you from feeling free to express your opinion, because no matter what you say it’s going to be subject to more nasty, petty comments.
ed,
Yes, we all handle our anxiety in different ways. I did not get a chance to see any of Rafa’s DC matches. If they were televised by the tennis channel, then they were on too early for me. I know that they have been showing some of the other countries because there are a number of DC matches being played. I don’t even know if they actually showed Spain’s matches. I didn’t record any of it. So I can’t speak to it since I never saw what happened in the two matches.
I am just frustrated that someone else didn’t play in the doubles. I am not surprised that the fatigue caught up with Rafa in the doubles match. Back-to-back matches without a day of rest after just returning from the US, not a good thing.
I wish that some of the others would step up because they seem to rely on Rafa to pull it out for them. He’s not always going to be there.
I understand the sad face emoticon now. Thanks. I just worry about Rafa possibly aggravating the knee. He has come so far and it’s been such a great ride, but I found myself remembering what happened at Wimbledon. That wasn’t very long ago. He couldn’t play well and the knee was not good. I don’t want to see that happen again.
All I hope is that he comes out of his okay and can take it easy.
Dont forget Rafa had all but volunteered to take on the load himself. I dont think he was ever pressurised to play the doubles and another singles. In the event it was never put to the test but as I stated above I have my doubts that AC would have fielded Rafa had it come to a deciding rubber.
I’m sure a little sun, sand and sea air will work their magic before the next tournament.
Its okay guys..relax..let us hear official version in few days from Rafa/Toni/Rafas doc
So folks, what are your thoughts on how Rafa will do rest of season? Will he pick up a title or 2 or go titleless?
How do you folks see Novak n Andy coming back?
And Roger, you think hell finally set things right in indoor season and win a title or 2?
Who do you all think is Fav for WTF title?
Would like to hear your thoughts.
I’m not holding my breath there will be more titles. It is the surface he is the least comfortable on and Rafa has already said ‘it will be hard for him’ and it is clear he has less confidence about this section of the season.
There is nothing to suggest Novak will suddenly come into top form but I have hopes Andy will come into his own after a rather sluggish patch. He enjoys indoor HC.
Never count Roger out. He could well win a title before the year is out.
Andy is my pick for WTF.
In short Sanju. I really dont know!!!
ed, that’s brave picking Andy for the WTF, because he’s not been in great form lately. I guess it’s wishful thinking on your part. His back is supposed to be playing up, isn’t it?
If Rafa is fit, can’t see anyone else in the running.
That’s wishful thinking, ed, picking Andy, considering he has not been in great form lately and his back is playing up.
nativenewyorker7@September 14, 2013 at 8:48 pm
—As I recall, Rafa fans were going crazy about the prospect of him playing at Cincy after Montreal. Some of the same people here who are jumping up and down about him playing Davis Cup.—
It doesn’t matter what Rafa fans wants. Rafa has commitments. The Cincinnati Masters is a mandatory tournament and he has to play at the Davis Cup FOUR times before the 2016 Olympics in order to qualify for the Olympics.
As for me, I am not ‘going crazy or are jumping up and down’ – I accept his choices. And I support him after he has made a choice.
augusta, I completely agree with you. None of us are close enough to judge how fit Rafa is, so whether he plays any tournament or not is for him to decide and I trust his judgement.
A lot of his fans didn’t want him to play Cincy. now they are all happy that he did.
augusta,
There’s no need to take my comment so personally. It wasn’t necessarily directed at you. Respectfully, you have also posted the fact that Rafa has to play Davis Cup FOUR times before the 2016 Olympics to qualify. I am already aware of it. That doesn’t mean that I am not free to express my honest concerns about his well being. That’s my right.
There were Rafa fans who did not want him to play Cincy, both here and on other sites. That is a fact. So I was making a point about the inconsistency of these feelings.
I wanted Rafa to play Cincy. I said it at the time. I didn’t think it would hurt him because he was coming back from another layoff and was fresh and seemed fit and ready to play.
The point is for all of us to be able to express our feelings honestly. We don’t have to agree.
ed..Where and when did Rafa say it will be hard for him to win titles?
God..I just want him to end the year as No 1..so close yet so far will be too hard to digest.The saving grace is Novak is defending 3000 points and Rafa none, so its all about Rafa picking up points and Nole not defending them all.
Sanju@September 15, 2013 at 7:51 am
Not long ago you said you don’t care what Rafa’s doing until WTF.
—Sanju says:
September 10, 2013 at 7:28 am
I really dont care what Rafa does now till WTF, he can lose in 1st round of all tourneys for all I care. If he has a good run at WTF, I will be happy. If he has proven us all wrong this year with his results, it will be like icing on the cake if he wins WTF on indoor too đ —
[U.S. Open final expert picks: Djokovic vs. Nadal, September 9, 2013]
Yeah but just asking opinions what do you guys think he will do? I am okay if he does not win a title now but I for sure want him to end year as No 1..no doubt about that. Going titleless is okay, not ending year as No 1 is def not okay.
sanju@10.13am
I honestly cant remember exactly when or where but I think it was in an interview not long after Cincy when he was asked how he saw the rest of the year.
Sanju,
You don’t have to defend yourself. I don’t know why it’s necessary to bring up a person’s previous comments to put them on the defensive.
You know, people can and do change their minds.
I appreciate the question being asked for discussion purposes, so I thank you for that. I don’t really know what to expect from Rafa for the rest of the year. He’s already done so much up to this point. He’s never done very well in the fall hard court season. It would be nice to see him do well at Shanghai or Beijing. I will be happy if he gets the #1 ranking.
He’s never won WTF. I don’t think he’s suddenly going to be amazing on indoor hard courts. But he can play on the surface. With this new aggressive game, he might just surprise us.
A great post from another site. I thought it may make a good read, hence posting
The Great Run:
Djokovic had Nadal’s number in 7 finals during his 2011 run. He had the superior game, and in general, Djoker always had a more complete game compared to Rafa. If you would to program the ideal player in a CGI world, it would probably be him. For he has no obvious weaknesses, and his game is top notch. He is a well rounded player, with remarkable defensive, as well as offensive skills. His BH is as good as his FH, and he serves and returns exceptionally. He is balanced in a way that Rafa never was, hence – his amazing run, and the subsequent superlatives: “God mode”, “Demi God” etc. etc.
Rafa is a pattern and routine type of person. His OCD is well documented. His celebrated strategy has been as well. His problem when he used to face Djokovic, that the patterns weren’t working, and he had no plan B. His game WASN’T complete enough to have a plan B. He had a unique and majestic forehand, combined with his relentless physical style and mental toughness – and that used to suffice, that is, untill Djokovic 2.0
Rafa 3.0:
Djokovic has unwillingly, created this beast we see today that is Rafa 3.0. To challenge the Djoker, Nadal’s game had to go forward: The serve is more accurate and lethal, the sliced BH is used to slow down the pace of the HC, simultaneously, reducing pressure from the left knee, but above all, he abandoned his patterns, and began playing more aggressively. He became more opportunistic. He is going for the kill.
The Analysis:
In 2011, Nole was leaning to his BH side, expecting the CC FH to his DTL BH. And Nadal kept gifting it time after time.
This pattern has made Nole’s BH a household shot. This shot had won 7 straight finals for Djokovic. Today, though, Nole has to guess. By keeping him honest, Rafa has, essentially, KILLED Djokovic’s DTL BH. And it’s only logical:
One executes best when correctly anticipates the shot.
Djokovic is unable to predict Nadal’s shots anymore, inevitably, making more unforced errors when executing, and without a tell – seldom takes the DTL BH, as it is riskier than the safe CC.
This is the reason why 2011 will not be revisiting us anytime soon.
Nadal’s game is much better today. Rafa 3.0 would have taken half of the matches against 2011 Djokovic, at least. But that’s life. You have to evolve or to be condemned to irrelevancy. Federer faced the same issue back in the day, he just couldn’t evolve.
The edge:
Nadal’s game has become more diverse, surprising, and aggressive. He doesn’t have any edge over Djokovic, game wise, but for the first time since 2010, neither does Djokovic. Which leaves their matches for their minds and hearts to battle over. In this fight Djokovic is losing. And that might not change. For Rafa may have the biggest heart of all.
And that’s why the CGI world is an imperfect one. It cannot transfer certain qualities that are so clear in life: problem solving, heart, the ability to grow and evolve. Rafa isn’t a perfect CGI tennis model. But in real life, he is as close as it gets.
@NNY
If it’s any consolation Andy fans have been going through similar angst. At the start of the Davis cup tie Andy said his back was “sore.” No doubt due to the change in surface but immediately us fans went into overdrive. “What? What? Why is he playing,at all. we need ranking points this Autumn, not back problems! And WHY is he playing doubles as well?” etc etc
However, it’s clear that, with John Lloyd out of the way, Andy loves playing Davis Cup. Am sure Rafa does too.
Also in Andy’s case, barring this hasn’t made his back worse in the long term, much better for his psyche than being at home brooding over the USOpen.
deucy,
Thanks for just understanding where I was coming from. We all deal with the worries for our favorites in different ways. I know how Rafa feels about playing Davis Cup for his country. He has given so much to the team. However, I feel that there comes a point when Rafa just cannot do it anymore. I do not want him to risk his knee. That’s it, pure and simple.
If it made Rafa happy to participate and get the wins to keep Spain in Davis Cup contention, then I have to respect that. It is his life and his career. But I do worry and feel the need to express it at times to just get it out.
I can see Andy wanting to get back to playing tennis and get the good feelings about the disappointment of the USO.
The bottom line is that we all want what’s best for our favorites. We want them happy, healthy and playing their best.
Thanks so much for your kind words. đ
sanju, that ‘article’ is contrary to the evidence. Obviously written by a Nadal detractor. If Djokovic was so much a complete player, how come he is trailing Rafa 22-15 in their h2h, Nadal dominated him until 2011 when the Egg was employed, and even then, the matches were close At Djokovic’s age, Nadal had nearly twice as many slams and many, many times more M1000 titles.
There is just 1 year between them and I’m sure Rafa wouldn’t swap his career for Djokovic’s. Nadal dominates all of the top players, every single one of them, Djokovic doesn’t. Even now, with Federer off key, I wouldn’t bet.against him to beat Djokovic.
Nadline.. I interpreted the article being complimentary to Rafa..as to how he worked on the way Nole was attacking his weaknesses and adjusted and came up trumps by not being predictable and varying his pattern of play..going for DTL FH more, slicing BH to vary pace, hitting BH deep and with spin or flat as required rather than looping it in, staying closer to baseline and varying serve and mixing it.
The article also says Nole really does not have much to improve..Rafa still can and thats why Nole 2011 is the best we saw from Nole..he can only go uptil that level (maybe only serve is something he can better and net play)
Sanju,
I got the meaning of that article. For some Rafa fans, saying anything complimentary about Djoker is akin to a capital offense. I have no problem with the description of Djoker’s game. He always had the natural gifts, the talent. What Djoker lacked from the beginning was the mental strength and toughness. There were all these histrionics on the court, MTO’s, retirements, drama, meltdowns. That is what I disliked about Djoker. I thought at one point that he would never realize his potential because of his temperament and mental weakness.
I am proud of Rafa for recognizing after 2011 that he had to make some changes in patterns of play against Djoker and change the dynamic. He also worked to make his own game better. He worked on his serve so that it would stand up to Djoker’s excellent ROS. He became more aggressive with better court positioning. Rafa understood that the cc forehand to Djoker’s backhand was a losing proposition. Djoker would just hit a dtl backhand for a winner. It’s true that Djoker has not weaknesses. He is strong from both wings. But Rafa’s weaker shot was his backhand. Djoker was able to exploit that shot. Also Rafa needs the dtl forehand to be working when he plays Djoker. That is his money shot. We could see in the first set of the USO final at one point Djoker hit a cc backhand and Rafa blasted a dtl forehand for a winner. The commentators on the tennis channel immediately pointed out how this was the difference from the way it was before when Rafa would hit that cc forehand to Djoker’s backhand.
The difference now is that Rafa is hitting his backhand so much better than he has in a long time. He is playing much more aggressive, standing closer to the baseline or inside the baseline to take the ball earlier. His serve has improved a great deal. His ROS has also gotten so much better. The bottom line is that Rafa evolved and made some adjustments to his game and worked to make what he had even better.
I like a diversity of opinion. I have no problem with that article.
If Djokovic was a Demi-God, how come he’s lost to 6 other people this year apart from Nadal?
@clayqueen, I started reading the article and gave up because of the confusion in grammatical tense: one minute the writer is in the present the nest he is in the past, in one sentence even! So, not easy to gauge whether he is saying Novak is or was a Demi God etc…………………………
and then this, “His BH is as good as his FH, and he serves and returns exceptionally. He is balanced in a way that Rafa never was, hence â his amazing run, and the subsequent superlatives: âGod modeâ, âDemi Godâ etc. etc.”
This is obviously a Djoker fan coming to terms with Rafa’s re-ascendency over Djokovic, casting furtive glances at 2011. Novak’s BH is no longer the terror of yore. Yes he has amazing balance but where was that balance in the final? Didn’t stop him leaking all those UEs from both wings, no?.
And of course to make himself feel better he says Rafa does not have an edge over Djokovic, currently………..sigh, a river in Egypt comes to mind: DeNile!
The fact of the matter is that even in the set and a half when he had the upper hand in the match, Novak was never serene. All that chest-pounding and strutting was for show, for the gallery, not from inner confidence. The reason? The man across the net, Rafa, never looked beaten even when he dropped the 2nd set and was trailing in the 3rd. Novak was beaten even when he was winning, How then can anyone say Rafa does not have an edge over Novak?
Some people want to airbrush everything between Rafa and Djoker until 2011 and pretend that Rafa is the one trailing Djoker. The writer was clearly putting Djoker in the driving seat. 22-15, speaks for itself.
It doesn’t ever surprise me when certain people always buy into a Rafa put down. Demi God my⌅….****. For heanen’s sake, Nole’s domination of Rafa in 2011 was down to Rafa’s mental weakness at the time, not to Nole being a Demi God.
Rafa’s Fall schedule:
China Open â Beijing, China, September 30
Shanghai Masters â Shanghai, China, October 6
Swiss Indoors â Basel, Switzerland, October 21
Paris Masters â Paris, France, October 28
ATP World Tour Finals â London, UK, November 4
ritb, I’m glad I’m not the only one who saw through this writer.
Rafa was watching Marc and Nando today looking very relaxed and happy. I don’t think we should worry unduly about ever discomfort he seems to have. We are all jittery about his knee and fret every time things don’t seem OK.
I hope he manages to finish the year in one piece, injury free.
Here is a photo evidence that Rafa was at the stadium today. Doctor Angel Ruiz-Cotorro was sitting not far from him.
http://rafaelnadalfans.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/rafael-nadal-davis-cup-2013-spain-3.jpg?w=1000&h=&crop=1
Without offering any interpretation on its meaning, I will let everyone know what I saw. I watched the entire post-match festivities, including the taking of the team photograph, on a Spanish TV stream. When it came time for the team to squat down for the picture, Rafa leaned on Verdasco and tried to lower himself to squat. He extended his left leg, holding on to his knee the entire time. The picture that was taken managed to capture the brief moment that Rafa was able to squat that low. He actually stood up again and tried several times to squat with both legs bent and was unable to do so and only bent about halfway down, again while steadying himself on Fernando. My own reaction was one of concern.
thanks. good stuff.
(well, bad stuff. but good comment.)
Jpacnw,
I appreciate your comments about what you saw with Rafa. I am glad that you were able to speak honestly and forthrightly about it.
I don’t feel so bad about being concerned for him. So for that, I thank you. đ
That stadium seat looks really uncomfortable: A cushion at the back and a cushion to sit on against steel? Yew….
For the record, I do believe that Rafa has the edge against Djoker now. He definitely has the mental edge. That was obvious in the final. Whether that article was written by a Djoker fan coming to terms with what has happened in their rivalry or not, it was interesting to get another point of view. I think it helps to have diversity of opinion. That’s what I miss here. It’s why I wish that fans of other players will find their way here. We do have one or two Murray fans and a Fed fan, but we need more. We don’t really have any Djoker fans here at this time.
I don’t care if someone thinks that Djoker was in God or demi-God mode at one time. We are long past 2011 and Djoker is not dominating. He is the one who has some work to do now. I enjoy watching that USO final over and over again. Every time I see it, there is something new that is revealed. Djoker played his best in that third set and Rafa took everything he had and then bested him. That was impressive. So Djoker’s best cannot beat Rafa’s best right now. Rafa’s mental strength now trumps Djoker. I also noticed how off balance Djoker was at times hitting his shots. The tennis channel commentators mentioned it a few times. He is usually so good at keeping his balance and getting that flexibility and extension on hard courts. But he was not doing well in the final.
Djoker’s inability to hit that dtl backhand for winners consistently is another problem. Rafa is now hitting his dtl forehand with authority and getting the better of Djoker.
I don’t think Djoker is going anywhere. It’s up to him to deal with a reinvigorated Rafa playing some of his best tennis. Andy Murray is also not going anywhere. We are going to be treated to some competitive matches going forward.
I’ve watched the rerun several times as well. I enjoy it too much. đ
Djoker’s overhead and half-court volleys are really below average IMO. He missed several at crucial points just about every match against Rafa. Rafa hardly missed any at the net. Each returned well. Djoker got to several lazer shots to the corner Rafa hit that would be sure winners against everyone else. (And some online comments said Rafa only defended. Really? Didn’t they see those lazer shots?)
I agree Rafa has wrestled the mental edge back from Djoker. He knows how to be patient, wither Djoker’s best shots and beat him.
JCKNY,
I believe that the commentators mentioned that Djoker’s overhead is his weakest shot. He hit a few good volleys at points in the match, but overall I don’t think he is as adept as Rafa at net.
I especially think that your observation about those lazer forehand shots that Rafa pummeled, is spot on. I think some of them happened during that unbelievable 54 shot rally that Djoker ultimately won to finally break Rafa. I don’t know how Djoker returned some of those deep, penetrating forehands,
Of course Rafa was aggressive. Those who say online that he was only defending, simply reveal their ignorance about his game.
Thanks for your comments. Good stuff. đ
have people discussed what they THINK Rafa’s remaining schedule should be?
He should def skip Basel & Paris in my opinion. Just China, Shanghai, WTF will do.
Any further news on his knee ? Hope he is fine and Maymo and the doctor nurse him back to sound health. I def dont want him to miss the year end No 1, it is still not sealed in my opinion. If Djoko catches fire and defends all his titles and adds points at Paris, he can still end year at No 1.
I don’t really understand why he wants to play Basel and Paris either, unless he wants to practice to prepare for the WTF. I don’t know why anyone outside of Fed fans would care about the WTF. I don’t.
if he plays anything other than 1000s and the WTF the rest of the season, it’s mind-boggling.
Well according to what ritb posted, Rafa has a lot on his plate. Why would he play the Swiss Indoors and Paris? Why not just pick one?
I can see Shanghai and Beijing if Rafa is okay after the Davis Cup matches. Aren’t they Masters tournaments and mandatory? I am not sure of that.
Folks, I think we should look at his schedule as a plan, like all plans, it may veer off-course. We know players pull out of events (or enter events) at short notice. I like seeing Rafa play, all the time! But his health comes first, and I am confident that is what Rafa and his team think as well. Rafa is under no pressure whatsoever to play at any tourny, even the mandatory ones, he can afford the penalties.
I will trust his judgment.
Regarding his apparent discomfort after the doubles DC match, I would like to think this was due to the intense and compressed schedule Rafa had put himself through, especially with the quick change of surface and 2 best of 5 matches in a row. He needed some recuperative work done on that knee right after the dubs match but couldn’t because of the PR needed. I am heartened by the fact that he appears relaxed. In any event, if there was a serious problem, I doubt Dr, Cotorro would have allowed him to stick around to spectate on the Sunday dead rubbers.
Hopefully, he will now get much-needed recovery and be ready for his next tourny.
Vamos!