Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will be part of the year’s greatest day in tennis–the second Monday at Wimbledon. The multiple Wimbledon winners are heavy favorites against unseeded opponents Jiri Vesely and Karen Khachanov.
Jiri Vesely vs. (2) Rafael Nadal
Nadal reaching the second week at Wimbledon is never a foregone conclusion. The world No. 1 was 7-for-12 in such efforts and 2-for-5 in his last five appearances heading into this fortnight. But an early exit hasn’t been–and may not be–in the cards this time around, as Nadal is just as good if not even better with age at 32 years old. Coming off his 11th French Open title, the Spaniard has improved to 33-2 for the season following straight-set victories at the All-England Club over Dudi Sela, Mikhail Kukushkin, and Alex De Minaur.
Up next for Nadal on Monday is a second career contest against Vesely, who lost their only previous meeting 6-4, 7-6(2) on the red clay of Hamburg in 2015. Grass obviously gives the 6’6” Czech a much better chance, mainly because of the man on the other side of the net but also due to his own prowess on the green stuff. Vesely is now 10-4 lifetime in main-draw action at Wimbledon and this is his second trip to the second Monday. The world No. 93 earned his spot in the last 16 by defeating Florian Mayer, Diego Schwartzman, and Fabio Fognini, surrendering sets to Mayer and Fognini in the process. Vesely’s lefty serve and backhand slice are effective on grass, but despite his frame he is not the kind of player who is going to blast Nadal off the court and take the racket out of his opponent’s hands.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 11-14 games
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Karen Khachanov vs. (12) Novak Djokovic
Djokovic’s comeback has been a roller-coaster ride in 2018, but he has been able to get up for the Grand Slams. The 21st-ranked Serb has now won at least three matches at all three of the majors; he has accomplished that feat in just two of his other seven appearances. Of course, Djokovic has been good just about everywhere of late–with a 15-3 record in his last 18 matches and trips to the Rome semifinals, the French Open quarters, and the Queen’s Club final during this stretch. The 12-time slam champion punched his ticket the last 16 by disposing of Tennys Sandgren, Horacio Zeballos, and Kyle Edmund, donating only one set to Edmund along the way.
The second Monday will see Djokovic go head-to-head with Khachanov for the first time in their careers. Khachanov’s place in round four was earned in far more difficult fashion, as he held off David Ferrer in four sets before beating both Marcos Baghdatis and Frances Tiafoe in five. The 40th-ranked Russian trailed Tiafoe by two sets to love on Saturday before storming back for a 4-6, 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-2, 6-1 victory. Khachanov is now 8-2 in his last 10 matches with a fourth-round performance at Roland Garros and a quarterfinal showing on the grass courts of Halle. Some bad news for the 22-year-old, however, is that he has never advanced past this stage of a major and he is 0-7 lifetime against former Grand Slam winners.
Pick: Djokovic in 4
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who ya got?
Nadal in 3 to make it to his first quarter final since 2011, Djokovic in 3
Nadal in four Djoker in three
bold for Vesely
No one will stop Rafa here, 18th slam within one week.
it’s possible
Have to agree. Nadal making the final is becoming more possible every day. A major obstacle would be the semifinal match. I think the weather is also playing a role for him.
Vesely in 4
His results coming into this match look like upset material to me…and at this stage of the tournament I’m content to lay him when there’s even the slightest sniff of an upset.
Djokovic in 3
Khachanov’s unorthodox forehand will get exposed in this one.
Ha Ha you are back. I think you are either a nadal supporter who doesent want to jinx rafa or you are a plain stand up comedian. I have lost count on how many times nadal has won after you have predicted him to lose. Btw I am happy as a rafa fan that you have predicted him to lose. Signs are good. First mission is accomplished ie JC predicting a nadal loss.
Jiri is a good grass court player & got huge serves too…But Rafa’s form & confidence is crazy good atm,so..insyaallah he will win in 3..Vamos Rafa!!..I love u!!Wooohooo!!
Mira, are you looking forward to a Nadal – Djoko semifinal? That would be amazing.
Oh yes Eugene!…definitely!…BUTTTT!..The prospect of meeting DelPo in QF also very very terrifying Eugene!!Hahaha…They both could slug it out for hrs just to get it done!…So,IF Rafa came out victorius from that match…Oh boy!…It’s going to be a huge task to face Novak too…From physically POV of coz…But,let’s see Rafa’s match against Jiri 1st okay?Hopefully he will get it done in just 3 sets…After that,i have to figure out whether to kick,hide behind my sofa or eat it!…Not sure yet!!hehehe…
Funny Mira :)) Well Novak would be tired as well by that point. But you’re right, let’s see first 1/8 and the quarters. I don’t like that there is no tennis today. But that’s such a necessary break before the storm 🙂
Yeah Eugene!!…Urgh!!…Life without tennis is soooo boring!!…I have to stare at my cat’s face all day long!…And yeah!..they need a break…
Oh btw …Which team u support in WC Eugene?Mine is England & France…U?
Same picks as Ricky. I think Rafa will be super charged now that he’s in R4, doesn’t want to lose again at this stage. Djoko in four is about right imo, as Khachanov has a big serve and could (like Edmund) win a set before Djoko settles into the match.
Djoko’s FH not firing all that well so Khachanov has a better chance to get a set, but he having to play a five setter before getting to this match may affect him physically, as Djoko is one who can grind down anyone.
Vesely has a decent serve and should therefore do better than De Minaur, but I still expect him to lose in three. I also think Khachanov might get a set off Djokovic, he’s not the easiest grass court match-up.
At this stage I’m liking Nadal over Djokovic if they both end up in the semis. Grass match-ups between them are few and far between, so it’d be interesting to see.
Let’s see if Nishikori and Delpo agree. After seeing Rafa against Minaur, I would favour him as well against Delpo and Djoko. He was very different compared to round 2 match.
I agree, that Rafa is looking better on grass than Djoko is so far. Djoko also doesn’t have tough opponents in R1 and R2, it’s Edmund who’s tougher opponent compared to the first two rounds.
As for Kei, he can beat anyone who’s not the big four, but when it comes to the big four, he’ll fold mentally. He admitted to feeling nervous when facing the big four, his wins overDjoko and Murray at the USO were the exceptions more than the norm.
Delpo may be tough to beat but he also has his weaknesses that Rafa can exploit. Of course Rafa has to play very well to beat Delpo, nothing comes easy when facing Delpo.
I fancy Rafa over Djoko too should they get to meet.
Del Potro will definitely defeat Rafa if they meet.
Even if he makes it which he won’t Nishikori or Djokovic will be waiting 😡😡😡😂😉.
At this point im really not sure, its all about what happens on the day! Just hope Rafa is able to serve well, and both wings are on song! thats all i can ask for, well except that his opponents have a bad day,lol!!!
Did anyone read what Kyrgios said about losing to Kei? He said he was practicing well in the morning but during the match, he couldn’t move well and Kei was returning his serves so often and he panicked.
I see Kei is a tough match up for Kyrgios, as he takes the ball early even on ROS, putting Kyrgios on his back foot even after his serving; very smart play by Kei. Kei plays like Davy except Davy doesn’t have Kei’s good ROS. I feel players like Goffin, who also takes the ball early, should learn to return serves like Kei too, and that’ll make him (Goffin) harder to beat.
Kyrgios relies too heavily on his big serve, he should develop his game further, to be able to sustain a good level during a rally instead of making errors while trying to cut short a rally. I doubt he’s going to work hard to add more consistency into his game, he said he prefers grass as it’s not relying on fitness to win, unlike playing on clay. Now even on grass he couldn’t win, what other surface he can rely on to win with minimal effort? Wood or carpet surfaces maybe? Too bad, born at the wrong time.
All the big servers panic when their opponents have no trouble returning their serve because without their serve they are just average.
Is this the match when rafa gets really nervous? He was definitely nervous and off against muller last year donating the first 2 sets. At RG it was the Diego match when he came out frozen. Rafa gets nervous in matches which are bridge matches where he is very aware of the significance of winning or losing.
Unfortunately I reckon there is a good chance this is one of those matches.
Of course that doesn’t mean he can’t win in the end!
I hope fed and Serena win quickly as I don’t want him playing in the evening when upsets happen.
ps I miss vr!! He was our best analyst by far!
amy!…What i saw from Rafa so far really really pleased me!…Even in Kuku’s match when he seems troubled by Kuku’s ‘going for broke tennis’ but imo,he’s be able to handle his nerves very well too…I predict,he will rattled by Jiri’s hard/flat hitting at first…But,i really believe that he will take care of Jiri in the end…He’s patient,his mental toughness is legendary…And i think That will separate them both…
Yes mira but rafa played really well and confidently in the first 3 rounds last year! And there was objectively zero reason for him to be in such a funk against Diego! This is rafa remember and you can’t predict his behaviour from what comes before unless it’s the semis or final! Vesely won’t be the one beating rafa if he does lose it will be rafa beating himself!
Rafa himself said after the match with Diego that he was very aware of it as a stepping stone to winning the title and he got nervous. He said something similar about the Muller match last year! This is another fourth round bridge match so it is very possible he comes out jittery.
Yeah amy!..very true!!…rafa’s nervousness weigh heavily in my mind too before the Wimby start…In fact i’m not throwing away the fact that he will be nervous like crazy when he step onto court this monday based on fact that he not pass 4th rd for 6 years…But..
I don’t know but i can sense that this Rafa is not the same Rafa that lost 6 consecutive years here…MAYBE because there’s a calming element that play a big part with it like the hot weather that turned the court dried & hard & makes the ball bouncing higher than usual…So,he don’t need to bend his knees so low to get the ball…At the same time,less hurt right?The condition suits him very well…So,make him less nervous imo…And it showed in his 1st & 3rd match…He hit the ball so confidently…Body language very positive too…
About Diego…this is my theory k?Rafa nervous against Diego coz he knew Diego’s game can hurt him…He knew Diego’s quality..And Rafa was right!…
Well we will have to wait and see mira! I agree with a lot of what you say but I don’t agree about Diego being the reason for rafa’s funk! Delpo and thiem are far better players and a much bigger threat but once he is in the semis ‘there is something to play for,’ as rafa once said and he is fine. He gets nervous when he is trying to move from one stage to another and this match with vesely does represent that!
Of course I will be overjoyed if that isn’t the case! And even if he is very nervous he can still win…But it won’t be fun to watch!
Hehehe…Contrary to u amy..for me,i can’t wait to see Rafa vs Vesely’s match with fun & anticipation….I have a good feeling about it & insyaallah Rafa will too!
I dont think its because its R4 or QF; I think Rafa was ‘nervous’ against Diego because Diego was a guy who would extend him, the way he did at AO, under hot humid conditions it would be terrible physically.
Im still pissed with Rafa about his match with Diego, knowing how Diego would play, Rafa should stamp his authority on the get go and not let Diego dictate and he ended up having to spend more energy and time to win the match, like at the AO.
Diego is always a tough opponent on clay, he extended Djoko to five sets at FO last year but Rafa was able to beat him in straight sets at MC last year.
Diego was much better this year at RG. He played at a great level first hour.
He is a very improved player and with good double BH he keps Rafa guessing. Decent server for his height.
I don’t like Rafa’s mentality of ‘fearing’ this or that player when he knows how good they are, when they have either beaten him or given him problems in the past. I could detect Rafa’s fear of Djoko each time they played each other. Rafa had that against Davy in the past, and he’s now developing that fear towards Diego.
Oh, and he already had that fear towards Foggy, I must add.
For brits :
Just seen there is a programme on BBC2 tonight at 6.20 called ‘strokes of genius : Federer vs Nadal ‘
Might be worth a watch!
For those in the states, there will be an encore presentation on the tennis channel at 8:00 pm of Strokes of Genius. I have it set to record because I forgot about it the first time it was shown and want to make sure to get it this time.
Enjoy it. 🙂
Ever think that if Rafa had played just a little better, with less Fear of Winning in the 3rd and especially 4th set tb, it wouldn’t be the GMoAT?
Rafa in 3 losing maybe 6 games. It’s an easy one – Vesely.
Nole in 3.
Yeah Rafa would win this match but this is his last win in this tournament.
Delpo, Djokovic or Nishikori will be waiting.
Yeah!yeah!Stanleyley!…We heard u!…Btw…Where were u when Rafa kissed his 11th FO?God!….I want to kick your a@# so bad at that time!
I will be surprised if Rafa doesn’t destroy Vesely. Yes he’s a lefty with a big serve, but he doesn’t have nearly the grass court prowess and S&V skills that Muller had. You can just be big and have a big serve to really trouble Rafa on grass- you also need to be really skilled along with it. And I just don’t see Vesely as that guy…
Rafa in straights.
*meant to say you CANNOT just be big with a big serve!
Yeah, more like a Berdych than a Muller, imo if he just has a big serve.
Hi guys,I’ve been through a very tough familiar moment since the last 2 weeks… Hopefully things can settle down for a bit and normality can get restored again.
From what I’ve seen,this match will be the definer for Rafa’s campaign in Wimby.
Vesely will be his real first test on grass,has a big serve/forehand and approaches the net whenever he has a chance. Plus,we can’t forget that Rafa possibly has somekind of a mental block at Wimby,it’s been to much time since the last QF there! I remember that last year,Muller wasn’t goating at all in the first two sets,Rafa simply appeared tentative and missing easy shots out there!
I recognize that this year it’s a huge chance for him. The courts are firm and playing like hard,making the ball bounce higher which suits Rafa’s game!
If Rafa gets through in straights,I strongly believe that only Fed can stop him there,but we shall wait and see.
Afterall,it’s Wimby we’re talking about so we,Rafa fans,should take one match at a time,without getting overexcited.
Both Jiri and karen have a shot if they play out of their skins, but Djokovic and Nadal will prevail …. http://www.138mph.com/wimbledon-tennis-2018-mens-pre-quarterfinals-preview-and-analysis/
Nny & Rafans…Here’s a couple of links for u guys!…Maybe some of u r very skeptical about D&S but i’m going to give it anyway!..Yeehaaa!!..
https://www.tennisworldusa.org/tennis/videos/Rafael_Nadal/57445/rafael-nadal-on-his-way-to-do-groceries-by-bike/
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/tennis/985961/Rafael-Nadal-British-heatwave-Wimbledon-Jiri-Vesely
This too!..
https://mashable.com/2018/07/09/nadal-federer-djokovic-wimbledon/#oBlEU7kx_qq7