Rafael Nadal had to survive one blockbuster battle to reach the second week at Wimbledon. His reward is a fourth-round matchup that should be the polar opposite of that memorable second-round contest in just about every way.
On Thursday, Nadal faced a big-hitting opponent whom he flat-out dislikes and managed to prevail 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(3) over Nick Kyrgios. On Monday, the Spaniard will go up against one of his good friends in a match that will feature almost exclusively baseline tennis and is not expected to be at all competitive.
It’s Nadal vs. frequent training partner Joao Sousa to begin the second week of action at the All-England Club on Centre Court. They have squared off twice before, with the 18-time Grand Slam champion rolling 6-1, 6-0 on the red clay of Rio de Janeiro in 2014 before being tested in a 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 victory at the 2016 Madrid Masters.
Kyrgios, as everyone knew he was capable of, put Nadal through a serious test last week. But Wimbledon’s second seed has otherwise cruised, trouncing Yuichi Sugita 6-3, 6-1, 6-3 and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-2, 6-3, 6-2. He has now won 15 matches in a row, a streak that includes titles in Rome and at the French Open.
Prior to arriving in London, Sousa had gone 10 straight tournaments without winning multiple matches on any occasion. He sure picked a good time to end that drought–and more. The world No. 67 from Portugal opened with a 6-0, 6-3, 6-7(8), 6-1 defeat of British wild card Paul Jubb, erased Marin Cilic 6-4, 6-4, 6-4, an then outlasted an in-form Dan Evans 4-6, 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 in the final third-round match of week one.
“We know each other very well,” Nadal assured. “Practiced plenty of times together. He’s a player that when he’s winning matches, he’s a super dangerous opponent against everybody. He is very quick, very good physical performer. He’s aggressive with his shots, he’s going for the shots all the time. He’s a player that, sometimes he loses matches during the whole year. But when he starts to have a positive dynamic, is very, very dangerous. I think I saw him playing in Halle some great matches. Here I saw him play the other day against Cilic. He was playing great.”
Sousa may finally have some momentum, but he no longer has a friendly draw like he did through three rounds. Not at all, in fact. Nadal looked scary, title-contending good throughout the first week, and a counter-punching kind of opponent has almost never been one to give him trouble.
Pick: Nadal in 3 losing 8-10 games
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Friendly draw??? Cilic and Evans? Yeah, right…
Sousa is not match for Nadal but he didn’t have a friendly draw. He outperformed players who were supposed to beat him. Give him some credit.
👍Sofia! Thanks for the post!
you’re kidding right?
Evans in thee THIRD ROUND of a Grand Slam is an AMAZING draw for an UNSEEDED player.
Except its grass in front of home crowd…not so amazing if they cant handle the slice
It’s hard to believe Rafa will not get this in three sets
However, if Sousa comes out believing and Rafa isn’t pumped up… maybe a set could go the way of the Portuguese.
Rafa will be wary, as ever, training partner or not this is a 4th round match.
beatdown city
Indeed!! Rafa just looked great! Hope he only improves from there!!
The match against Kygrios just filled him up with all types of confidence! He needs to remain focus and as always, one match at a time.
Vamos, Rafa!!
Stay focused, remain confident and be strong, Rafa!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/D-8dc2ZXUAAU2oQ.jpg
Good friends?…maybe…but Rafa will destroy him
There are no friends on a tennis court. But Rafa will apologize nicely later.
what did he do
He put a beatdown on his friend! Seriously I don’t know if they’re close enough that Rafa will feel he needs to … do whatever it is he does after beating a friend badly – reassure them that they’re really good players, just had a bad day while he had a great day or something like that.
double 6-2 in the bag.
Things are looking good for Rafa
Rafa very sharp but goes to sleep a bit every now and then..
Ah there you go Amy 🙂 . Came here looking for an update. Two sets up and still worried? Ah come on 🙂
Not worried PK!!☺
Some highlights reel tennis by rafa!! ☺
Every facet of Rafa’s game has been strong. Sousa playing a lot better now
Does it matter 🤔🤔
Yeayy.. watched last game live
beatdown it was indeed in the end.
Vamos Rafa!!!
That last game was over in a blink!
I was checking the scores at 2-5, refreshed the page and then it said 2-6 Final. I thought it was a bug or something…
Rafa sure did put on a clinic today!
Hope he will be in such form and better for Querry, sigh!
wasnt a great game. three unforced errors from Sousa and then a repeat Ace much like the last one with Tsonga.
Vamos Rafa! He is rolling now. Best of luck for the quarterfinals, champ!
PK July 8, 2019 at 2:09 PM
‘wasnt a great game. three unforced errors from Sousa and then a repeat Ace much like the last one with Tsonga.’
Thx!
Job well done! I can’t imagine that Querrey/Sandgren will be able to spoil the highly anticipated Fedal semis.
Rafa’s tennis performance during the last few is absolutely amazing – especially since he was physically and mentally in such a bad shape during much of the clay court season! I read an interview with Moya, and he said that he has never seen Rafa so depressed and hopeless than after his withdrawal from the IW semis. Moya said that this was his most difficult time as Rafa’s coach, and they couldn’t imagine for a while that Rafa would be ready for another FO win, since he didn’t enjoy tennis any more, although the injury itself healed quickly. Apparently it was helpful that Barcelona and Madrid are tournaments in Spain, and Rafa forced himself to keep going and give all that was possible, since he didn’t want to disappoint his Spanish fans. And slowly things started to turn around and improved. Moya thinks that it is absolutely incredible that Rafa is now one of the three hottest favorites in Wimbledon, and that Rafa is a mental genius. This is nothing new of course. But Moya had not experienced this quality as an insider and so intimately before.
‘If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone.
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them “Hold on”.’
From ‘If’ by Kipling
Rafa’s body and soul craved rest and recuperation. He knew that. He also knew that in Spain he’d feel the “love of the people”. He also knew that if he didn’t change his attitude no amount of work or play was going to help him. He didn’t win the tournaments there but he won something even more important to him. He got his spirit back and with that came his game. He needs his passion and love for the game. He can’t play without it.
The next time someone says that winning on clay is natural or easy for Nadal, point to this season. It takes meticulous preparation, hours of hard work and sweat and a little luck.
can goffin and agut give novak a good long workout?
No, don’t think so!
Nope!
I think there’s a far better chance that Querrey might make things a bit more competitive against Rafa 😏
Hasn’t Novak lost the last 3 times against agut..I don’t think Novak will cruise through that match
Goffin if he comes to play can snatch a set just like he did against Rafa at french
Querrey Rafa will be tough..the serve plus FH combo will be tough
Querrey’s return isn’t great though. What form has he shown this year?
More likely they won’t, but I think it’s possible since both can cause Novak problems if he’s not playing his best.
Goffin no, Agut maybe provided he gets past Raonic or Pella first. Agut hits very flat shots and can run and fight the whole day so perhaps he may get a set. Don’t think anyone in that half could beat Djoko.
I have never seen someone change directors hit corners as consistently and easily as Novak ( atleast he makes it look bloody damn easy) . I think while Nadal can do that, he hits a lot more neutral shots and that worries me..
Rafa came within a few points of beating Nole on an indoor grass court! He absolutely can beat him. His fhdtl is the most lethal shot in tennis.
Yes Rafas FHDTL is what won him his matches against Novak but he only uses it when super confident.
And yes Rafa can stay with Novak even on an indoor grass court and was more than close. but the other way I look at it is Rafa can only edge him while Novak can run away with it like he did in at the Aus Open.
Its too early to talk about it yes, but these days I keep hoping someone else takes Novak out. As much as it would be spectacular to watch Rafa beat him in a slam final.
That’s because of Djoko’s court position. He camps at the centre or close to the centre of the baseline most of the times hence he’s able to cover both corners of his court effectively, and, he’s also able to change direction at will because of that.
Rafa and Fed tend to camp at their BH corner so has to run more to cover their FH corner, hence they lose out in their court position.
Interesting detail about the camping on the centre. but wouldnt you think Rafa can still be aggressive early and change directions before Novak does. Its not like thats not a pattern we see in their matches, just that its not maybe as iften as I would like it.
We shouldn’t worry about Novak just yet. Rafa needs to get past Fed first☺
And Querrey!!☺
Rafa always plays one match at a time.
And Querrey I agree yes. but I also think if Rafa wins the first set, thats all he needs to get going and play free. and then ahh Fed comes next yes 🙂
Seeing fed murder berretini..if Rafa gets past querrey..I worry for Rafa ..after all this is Rogers den
This is a massacre. Berrettini 11-1 on grass this year heading into today’s match. Roger making him look like a lost puppy. Surprised this match isn’t being discussed more. Absolute masterclass from the ruthless Roger 😄
You’ve to factor in the fact that Berrittini had a grueling 4+hours match with Schwarzman on Saturday. Playing against Schwarzman was no joke, as that guy made you worked very hard for the win (ask Djoko about it at Rome!). Berrittini looked half dead to me to say the least. A full strength Berrittini won’t even have any chances against Fed, more so a half strength one!
That is true, Lucky, but I know what Benny is referring to. That was the cleanest Fed has played for a while. He served crazy well, was hitting all his shots, etc. Sometimes the opponent just doesn’t matter when it’s involving the Big 3. It was similar to Rafa against Sousa today. Sousa also had a 5 set epic in his previous match, but we all know that that played no factor in the outcome. Rafa put on a masterclass in Rafa-style, and Fed did the same. We can compliment both guys without feeling the need to just point out reasons why it shouldn’t be impressive.
It was certainly the cleanest Fed has played on grass this year, but as I’ve been saying, he’s been playing very well all year; just look at his record. If Fed can bring the game he did today in the next three rounds, especially the serve, I think he will take the title.
Kevin, I also factor in Sousa’s five sets match on Saturday, hence I said nothing about Rafa’s match today.
Imo, Rafa was more impressive against Kyrgios than against Sousa. Rafa did have lapses against Sousa, after the easy first set and he had to fight a bit more to win the next two sets.
Sousa played better than Berrittini against their respective opponent imo, because Sousa had played against Rafa before hence he knew what to expect. Without the five sets match, I think this match might be more competitive (at least the scoreline would look better for Sousa) but Rafa would still be playing this well to win in the end.
If this were a best-of-3 sets tournament, or Queen’s Club or something, then Rafans should absolutely fear Sam Querrey! HOWEVER, this is not Queen’s Club. This is Wimbledon.
Sure- I will give it to Querrey that he at least has the type of game that can trouble Rafa on grass. And Querrey deserves serious props for one thing: For just about a whole year between 2015-2016, nobody could beat Novak Djokovic at the majors. He was seemingly unbeatable at the majors at that time. Who was the player who finally was able to step up and beat Novak, at the tournament where he was the 2-time defending champ? Not Rafa. Not Fed. Not Stan. Not Andy. It was SAM FREAKIN’ QUERREY! I don’t give a damn what excuses people try to give- that Novak was tired, or he was having marriage problems, or whatever. Novak wanted to win his 5th straight major just as badly as any other major, and we all assumed he would do it. The effort it was going to take for ANYONE to beat Novak at Wimbledon at that time was difficult to imagine. And of all people, it was Sam Querrey. And I’m not sure he ever got enough props for getting a win that big. Beating a member of the Big 3 was no small feat at any time, any of the majors. But beating 2015-2016 Djokovic was arguably the toughest task in recent history, up there with beating Rafa at RG (any year) or beating Fed at Wimbledon or U.S. Open during his mid-2000’s supremacy or beating Sampras at Wimbledon during his reign there. Ok, back to reality!
That one single career-defining moment for Sam Querrey was 3 years ago. I have only seen Rafa get BETTER at Wimbledon since then, and if I’m not mistaken, I believe Querrey was out injured for a while before just barely returning at Eastbourne! There has been no evidence to make me believe Sam is primed to cause another massive Wimbledon upset 3 years later. (I don’t include his 2017 victory over Murray because Andy won the first 2 sets and then was clearly too injured to compete afterward.)
Querrey has proven that he is CAPABLE of beating a guy like Rafa at Wimbledon, but I can’t realistically see him pulling it off. Not in best-of-5 sets. Not with how well Rafa has been playing. I can’t give Querrey any more than an “outside shot” of scoring the upset. If it were still 2016, I would give Sam a very good shot at winning. But again- it is 3 years later, and Rafa is playing the best I’ve seen him play at Wimbledon in years, while Sam hadn’t even played tennis for a long time before Eastbourne.
Beating Djoko at the slams in 2016 wasn’t as tough as in 2015. Stan managed to beat Djoko at RG final in 2015 and in USO2016. Not forgetting, Djoko had a joke of a draw at USO2016 when two or three of his opponents either withdrawn or retired during match; yet Djoko was no match for Stan in the USO final.
After winning the FO in 2016, Djoko seemed to lose a bit of his focus and intensity. I’m not saying Querrey wasn’t playing well to beat Djoko in 2016, it’s just that it’s not the unbeatable Djoko (of 2015) whom he’s facing in 2016.
Querrey can play well on grass with his big serve and net rushing game. But, after seeing Rafa could raise his level to beat Kyrgios, I think he will do so too to beat Querrey as it is a QF at Wimbledon, with so much at stake.
Kyrgios’ level dropped in those tie-breaks, especially the 4th set one where he started with the easy overhead miss. The commentators were all picking him to win the 3rd set one, and not much would have had to go differently for him to win one or even both. Rafa had never won a TB against Kyrgios before the match a few days ago.
Basically, anything can happen in a TB. But I don’t think you can assess Querrey’s chances based on the Nadal-Kyrgios match. Querrey is a lot tougher mentally than NK.
Yes I can, because Rafa has played against Querrey many times and has beaten him many times, he knows Querrey’s game and Querrey is less unpredictable than Kyrgios.
Querrey isn’t as quick or as agile as Kyrgios too so Rafa will make him run more.
Then you’re not assessing his chances based on the NK match; you’re assessing them based on his past record, which is fine. The point is that a huge server who is on his game can beat anyone on a quick surface. That’s why NK had his chances in R2 and why Querrey is a tough opponent for Nadal next round.
Nobody says Querrey is not a tough opponent for Rafa, and that’s why we’re here saying Rafa has the toughest draw!!
Rafa definitely could not have beaten anyone at Wimbledon in 2016 since he was out with a wrist injury. But he definitely has the toughest quarterfinal of the Big 3. The Big 3 were rolling today, Roger looking tough v Berrettini, but I’ve thought for months that Berrettini could be beaten by a good returner. Not a lot of game outside that big serve.
I think both Kei and Querrey could each get a set against Fedal respectively. Kei is better than this half strength Berrittini Imo, he’s quicker and has played Fed several times, so he knows what to expect. He can take the ball early too, like a Goffin so at least that helps a bit. Kei surprisingly has spent not much time on court, about 8 and a quarter hours so he won’t be too tired for the QF.
Rafa vs Querrey, it depends on how calm or nervous Rafa is; if he’s calm and very focused, he may win in straight sets, if not, he should be able to win in four sets.
Lucky. Do you fear fed for Rafa seeing what fed did today
Seriously sanju?! Berrettini left his game in the locker room.
I never saw amy..I just saw the score n was shocked .we thought this would be competitive
I only saw a bit sanju. The Fed fans are saying he was playing super well so maybe it does mean something. Dunno now!😕😕
Let’s wait for the Querrey match and not get ahead of ourselves!!
I’m frankly nervous about querrey…I wasn’t today at all. If querrey match goes TBS Rafa will be nervous despite knowing he beat nick in 2 TBS..Rafa has to move querrey around like crazy
I think Rafa has toughest qf of the 3 because goffin n Nishi are very been there done that types for both fed n Novak.
N whoever has beaten Nishi past 4 slams has won the slam (:-
Berrettini did not play half as well as he played Evans today! Not taking away anything form Fed.
amy,
You are spot on! Berretini never showed up! Fed did not have to do anything.
I am not going to look ahead. One match at a time. Querrey first.
Nope, Berrittini made it easy for Fed, because as I’ve mentioned, 1) Berrittini was at half strength after the Schwarzman match, 2) it’s their first meeting so Berrittini didn’t know what to expect.
Of course it’s the second week at the slam so Fed had raised his level of play as well. I think if Kei plays well in the QF, he may get a set from Fed though I don’t think he’ll beat Fed.
You see, meeting any of the big three for the first time can be quite overwhelming – Fed overwhelms with his aggression and quickness of play, helped by his great serve, taking time away from his opponents making them feel rushed all the time.
Against Rafa, his intensity and heaviness of his topspin shots can be quite daunting on his opponents; both Tsitsipas and Tiafoe couldn’t believed what they had to face when they played against Rafa at the AO this year; Rafa literally left them breathless coping with Rafa’s wave upon wave of intensive attacks. Rafa was relentless and his intensity unwavering, suffocating his opponents.
Against Djoko, the ball keeps coming back at you even when you think you’ve won the point. You’re drawn into a never ending baseline war until you can’t cope physically and start making errors.
We’ll talk about Fedal when they get there at the SF.
Querrey will struggle to break Rafa’s serve, of course. But how long the match goes will really depend on how Querrey serves and hits the 1-2 punch with the FH. If he’s on, then it could be like the Kyrgios match, where Rafa (and Nick) couldn’t generate a break point for the last two sets. In that case there will almost certainly be tie-breaks and the match could easily go 4-5 sets.
Querrey has the game and the demeanor to pull off the upset, though I’d still be surprised if he did given the way Nadal is playing.
Querrey has the potential, but he would really need everything to go right to have a chance as he is so reliant on the serve.
It is a huge weapon on grass and on average it is around Kyrgios level, although Kyrgios at his very best probably hits his spots even better. I watched Querrey’s game against Millman and he didn’t exactly dominate the baseline exchanges. The FH is a weapon, but he’s not super consistent from the back of the court.
As you say, the match may just come down to a few big points, which is where you’d still have to favour Rafa. I think Nadal will get this in 3-4 sets, maybe one TB in Querrey’s favour.
I think people are underestimating goffin n agut. I think they both capable of taking a set off Novak. Nishikori us rested…he can take a set off fed if he takes ball early
Am I the only tennis fan here that watched Pella v Raonic?
What a match!! Guido Pella has turned into an incredible grass court player!
Wow… I’m crying, he’s crying – who picked him to beat Raonic and make the QF at Wimbledon?? 🙆 !!
That’s y i say it’s ok the make predictions, but tennis is really about ‘on the day’!
Really big win for Guido, Monalisa! He lost the first 2 sets and it looked like a routine win for Milos. But he really came alive to win the tie breaker and kept going. Very proud of Guido!
He doesn’t have to play until Wednesday and then he plays Bautista-Agut — you never know how. Guido seems to recover well and he could give RBA trouble. Imagine Guido Pella in Wimbles SF 😀
THAT MATCH WAS AWESOME. I loved Pella’s reaction. Who would’ve thought Pella makes a slam quarterfinal and it’s ON GRASS?! I’m stunned. Bautista Agut and Pella for a spot in the semis!! 😃
I did see the latter part of the Pella/Raonic match. A well deserved win for Pella. He just served to get stronger and hung in there.
I meant to say that Pella stayed strong! Stupid autocorrect!
Pella was awesome in the 5th
So Pella won? I’m not surprised, because I saw his match vs Anderson, and he played like a grass court player!
He served well and he rushed the net and was very competent there. The last two points of that match were simply fantastic, those net exchanges between the two which Pella won to win the match were simply unbelievable from Pella.
I guess he’s playing as well if not better in this match vs Raonic.
Yes so true Lucky, that ending to the Anderson match was insane!! Pella is very likable. He has a nice play style too. Very smooth and has clearly adjusted his game to all surfaces rather than his former clay court preference. His volleys and serves are on fire this tournament. That said, I’m not sure he can stop the red hot Bautista Agut. I don’t think we’ve talked much about it on here, but Bautista Agut is literally on a rampage right now. The dude hasn’t dropped a set all tournament (including a beat
down of Paire today) and has only been taken to a tiebreak once. And only two of his sets have gone longer than 6-3! That’s insane!!
Yes I’ve talked about Agut. I said he hits very flat shots and on grass it’s very difficult to defend against (he gave Fed plenty of problems at Halle). He can run all day and fights all day, another Schwarzman kind of player.
I think Pella may rush the net and Agut will try to pass him at the net, let’s see whether volleying wins or passing shots win in their QF match.
I like Batista-Agut! I really do like his game
i was there. great performance.
Querrey is not primed for an upset. But he’s certainly capable of one. Because if he’s on fire with his first serve and forehand, I believe he can beat anyone in this draw. That said, it’s a pretty tall order to beat the current Rafa even if you have those weapons. I think Querrey takes a set and loses in a competitive four. Nadal and Federer in the semis 🍿
Rafa served very well this Wimbledon. He only faced 7 BPs in four matches, and was broken only three times (in R1 and R2), didn’t face any BP against Tsonga and Sousa.
Fed faced 8 BPs in four matches, broken twice.
Rafa is not known to have a great serve, unlike Fed. The fact that he’s faced with so few BPs, that means he’s serving very well here to avoid getting broken, that bode well for him in his upcoming match against a big server.
Rafa is serving exceptionally well. But that won’t help him against Querrey’s serve, except to keep the pressure on. In the NK match, both held serve in sets 3 and 4, but I would say Kyrgios did it a bit easier. Same may be true in this match if Querrey serves really well.
So what? Difficult or not Rafa is still holding his serve and that’s important! Rafa has better ROS than Querrey and that is helpful too.
Both Kyrgios and Rafa each was 2/2 on BPs, so despite how great Kyrgios’ serve is, he still couldn’t gain any advantage over Rafa.
And, Rafa played better than Kyrgios in the TBs; people could say what they want, IF Kyrgios this or that, but as per Rafa, IF doesn’t exist, you play the point there and then win or lose!
On another note, did anyone watch the Ash Barty match? I love Barty, but Alison Riske played an incredible match to come back from a set down and beat her. Now her reward is to play Serena in the next round.
I watched it. Riske was awesome.
Hard to believe she’s 55 in the world when she can play like that.
She’s said to be a “grass court specialist”.
Yes she is. Though I don’t see why she couldn’t play that way on a fast HC.
Are the presser questions even worse than usual or are they just saving the strangeness up for Rafa? First that awful Ben Rottenberger asks Rafa if Ash Barty shouldn’t have been given his spot on Center Court?! Like Rafa draws up the OOP??
Then some guy cross examines Rafa about watching some sports during his time off from tennis. I wonder what that writer does during HIS downtime? Crossword puzzles? Charades? Surfing the web? Drinking in a bar looking for a pick up? I don’t know about you but most of the men and a good many of the women I’ve known over the course of my life spend quite a bit of time watching sports if they’re not participating in them.
Ash Barty could be forgiven for not always being at her best after all she achieved lately. But it was a great match from the not-so risky American
I agree with Nadal completely but he’s running into trouble making those comments to the media. He would be best just saying he respects the decision of tournament organisers because there’s lots of things to consider. The media will make out he lacks humility when he’s just being realistic.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/wimbledon-rafael-nadal-parting-shot-ash-barty-204536162.html
Maye I missed it but there was no article or discussion of Fognini’s comments ‘Damned English. Wish a bomb would go off here’ during his loss to Sandgren.
Also, there’s a lot of people that arent happy with Alison Riske’s grunting during here match against Ash Barty. I found it off putting when I watched some of the 3rd set. IMO, it’s a form of cheating not fair to players that dont have it in them to adopt this form of gamesmanship. When is the ATP/WTA going to be consistent and stop endorsing/rewarding unethical conduct?
Jim Courier JULY 9, 2019 AT 3:18 AM
I agree with Nadal completely but he’s running into trouble making those comments to the media. He would be best just saying he respects the decision of tournament organisers because there’s lots of things to consider. The media will make out he lacks humility when he’s just being realistic.
https://au.sports.yahoo.com/wimbledon-rafael-nadal-parting-shot-ash-barty-204536162.html
____________________________________________________________________________________
Rafa did say it’s up to the tournament:
Grilled on whether that meant no to the initial question, Nadal said: “My answer is not no or yes.”
“My answer is they make a decision. You are putting Ashleigh Barty in front of me. For me, both decisions are good.
“In the world of tennis today, honestly, my feeling is today I am little bit more than Ashleigh Barty, even if Ashleigh Barty is the first player of the world and she already won in the French Open and she is playing unbelievable good.
“But we can’t create polemics every single day about decisions that they have to take. At the end of the day they have to make a decision.
“A day like today, everybody is playing, of course Djokovic is not playing in the Centre Court.
I dont see anything questionable with Nadals answer. I think he is too good a person he could express a free opinion without having to try at being diplomatically correct and actually end up being so. He did have a few good things to say, that the best players including himself have to play on non show courts occasionally and that you cant predict the future as to which matches could get interesting enough to fit.I thought that was pretty smart to say. and boy was I impressed to see polemics was actually a word, something I had to look up on the google dictionary myself. Perfectly in context trying to engage in some controversy.
The only thing we quite didnt expect is for himself to quote his own achievements and say he is ahead of someone else. but even if someone keeps digging into why and under what circumstances he brought that up, these are just blown out of proportion for news and thats just the way things are with journalism and yeah some of the questions these journalists are asking are downright meaningless.
It was a stupid comparison to make. Nadal vs Ash Barty! On what basis can there be any comparison? Unless the guy has no clue about who is who in tennis. Comparing someone who has won RG 12 times with someone who has won it once and an 18 slam winner to a single slam winner suggests that the journalist is clueless. To say Rafa’s match didn’t merit CC because it was a no contest is also silly. Federer’s and Djoker’s matches were also a no contest.
Konta should have been asked the question because as #19 seed she was given the women’s slot on CC over the #1 seed.
I say give him a break. Nadal didn’t volunteer that opinion; he was trying to answer a question in a language that he’s not totally fluent in. But you’re probably right that he should try to avoid saying stuff like that, especially about women and especially in English.
Im so fed up about people having to be careful about what they say about women!! If women want equal rights and equal pay, sorry they just have to learn to take it on the chin!!! This feminism crap is really getting out of hand…….for me its just becoming quite annoying!!!! Women want equal rights (I agree) yet still expect men to tiptoe around them!!! I disagree, Its outrageous!!!
Now Rafa, cmon, win this thing tomorrow, closer step to the final.
Vamos!!
Amy..I am super worried about querrey .something saying this will be very tight (:-
Sanju, you’re worried about everything concerning Rafa.
Rafa’s draw is tough, no doubt about it, so he has to win it the hard way; should he lose to Querrey then that means he’s not good enough to win the title. It’s always the last man standing who gets the winner’s trophy, you have to play well enough to beat the rest in your draw to win it.
It’s all up to Rafa, how he goes out there to play and to try and win his matches – Querrey followed by Fed and then Djoko most probably is no joke for anyone. We’ll see how Rafa plays and whether he’s good enough to win it.
Rafa probably has one of his hardest slam draw ever! Having to go through Kyrgios, Tsonga, Querrey, Fed AND Novak in order to win the title is daunting. And while Rafa so far has acquitted himself absolutely admirably, I’m not convinced that he can make it all the way. But so far he has been one of the hottest players in a surface which is considered to be his weakest.
Why not convinced…whom do you expect him to fall to ?
Lucky I can relate to Sanju. If I was that objective, I would accept Djokovic is the more complete and just be happy if Nadal edges him and not care if he loses. Sanju like me fears every opponent of Nadal and doesnt feel normal until he hears from his friends 🙂
However I believe Nadal will be quite fine with Querrey. If he breaks Querrey in the first set, he runs away with the match. if he wins the first set TB, he still gets stronger to the finish. If he loses the first set either on TB or gets broken, he still fights and recovers to what I hope will be a 4 set win. I prefer the first and Nadal wins in straights. but I still give Querrey a 20% chance.
I can say all this because the match isnt until tomorrow 🙂
I’ve got used to sanju’s doom and gloom and negativity regarding Rafa. It’s quite tiring.
Not negativity, it’s just nervousness arising out of the sheer desire to want him to do well. I don’t even watch his matches live. I have people (few other rafans ) who call me after the match to inform if he has won or lost.
Sanju, I totally understand, lol! I also prefer to wait for the eventual outcome when players for whom I root are concerned☺
You asked me earlier to whom I think Rafa could fall: I’m not all that worried about Querrey, but of course I’m very concerned about Fed and even more so Novak. While Rafa definitely has a chance and the ability to win it all – he is playing extremely well so far and came very close to the title last year – I’m worried. His only recent win over Fed was on clay, but he lost all other matches on hard court over the last few years, and Fed on grass is still a formidable opponent at age 38. But even if Rafa makes it all the way into the final, most likely Novak will be waiting for him. And he always finds an extra gear against Rafa – no matter how well Rafa has played in the preceding matches. It helps of course that Rafa won both of his recent matches against Fed and Novak, but that was the King of Clay defending his empire and therefore absolutely no surprise. Wimbledon is a different affair altogether. Rafa was playing at a brilliant level during this year’s AO – but then he was demolished by Novak in the final. And while he almost won last year’s Wimby semi-final against Novak, the loss must hurt even more, and these matches leave scars. And while Novak’s achievements have been so-so for his lofty standards after his latest AO title, he has become far more confident since he won last year’s Wimby.
Let me say this: If Rafa really pulls this off, it would be one of his greatest achievements ever. To my knowledge he has never won a slam where he had such a tough draw and had to go through Fed AND Novak. Does anyone know if he has ever done this at another tournament, btw?
Only on clay I think, at the FO in 2007/2008 and Hamburg 2008; not on other surfaces.
I believe Rafa wants to avenge all his losses to Roger (5 consecutive) and Novak (Wimby). He has already done so with Kygrios, I think he can handle the other 2!
Sanju….I am a positive person & don’t have a problem in handling nerves & stuff like that…but i do understand your anxiety & nervousness re. our Rafa…
Don’t worry okay?Insyaallah he will prevail against Querry…Rafa is too confident & very hungry atm…we can c clearly in all his matches esp.after he defeat Nicky…unless he suddenly picked up an injury or have a sickness or something(which is please God!no!)…Other than that,insyaallah he will win…
U know what?I even picked him over Fed in my Bracket Sanju!hahaha…Even picked him over Novak in the final!…That much i believe in him….Win or lose is a normal thing sanju…but if we have a solid reason to believe he will win,why we want to torture ourselves that he will lose?So,don’t worry k?…Take a deep breath & chill buddy!!….Repeat after me sanju!!..Rafa will win!!!wooooohoooo!!!…
👍Mira!
Hehe…Thanks Lucky!
Vamos Rafa!!…Go get em’!!
#3rdisverymuchpossible!!
Mira Andi, I love your attitude 🌞
After all, the worst thing which can happen is, that Rafa loses a tennis match against Querrey/Fed/Novak. But until it has happened we may as well stay relaxed and enjoy the show. I always enjoy tennis matches much more when I’m not rooting for anyone.
I can get very passionate about my favorite athlets, but I adopted long ago the attitude to celebrate their wins and forget about their losses quickly. We can’t do anything about it anyway. And every now and then miracles do happen.
The greatest Wimby miracle I ever witnessed was Goran Ivanisevic’s sensational 2001 Wimbledon win, when the three-time Wimby finalist who had never won a slam before, had years of frustrations, injuries and decline behind him and could only play with pain killers because of his hurting shoulder. The former top-ten player was ranked so lowly that he would’ve needed to play the qualis if he hadn’t mercifully received a wild card from the British Lawn Tennis Association – which ironically turned out to be fatal for their British favorites Henman and Rusedski, who were eventually both eliminated by Goran😏 To witness how he made his way through a draw which was actually pretty daunting, was a great experience. Goran had to go through Andy Roddick, Greg Rusedski, Todd Martin, Tim Henman and Pat Rafter, who were all good enough on grass for winning the title. The only help Goran got, came from a young gun called Roger Federer who helpfully eliminated an old gun with the nickname “Pistol Pete” – a great player who was once a hot GOAT candidate but is largely forgotten these days and his name doesn’t get mentioned any more in the GOAT debate 😉
While I of course absolutely love Rafa’s 2008 Wimby win over Fed in one of the greatest matches ever played, Goran’s 2001 miracle win is still my favorite tennis narrative because it was so improbable that it seemed to be borderline impossible.
Hehe…Thanks littlefoot!
Yeah…I also think we should just enjoy & relax bout Querry’s match…coz so far,Rafa didn’t give us any reason worry…so,let’s enjoy!!…
And thanks bout the story of past champions littlefoot!…I admit,they’re all a little bit strangers to me coz i still not follow tennis at that time..so,to hear from u,it’s very refreshing…:)
Mira Andi, Ivanisevic’s win happened 18 years ago, but it’s still very fresh in my mind. Back tennisfans then didn’t communicate all over the world and there were no social media. We just watched TV and read the newspapers. And the Wimby courts we’re REALLY playing quite a bit faster☺ There was a notorious final between Sampras and Ivanisevic, which was one of the most ludicous and unwatchable serve-dominated finals ever. There weren’t any rallyes and there wasn’t even a lot of serve-and-volleying – it was just one ace or double fault after another. And these unwatchable matches were the reason why the game was slowed down at the beginning of the 2000s. Those who constantly lament how slow Wimby has become, should watch those matches from the 1990s. If the big servers were playing each other it wasn’t a pretty sight. Many complain that serve-and-volleying is a lost art. But this isn’t just because of the court speed. It has a lot to do with the evolving racquets and Strings.
Rafa will win..yessssssss
Please sanju!! You thought Nole was going to win RG both this year and last year and that Fed was going to beat rafa !!
I do understand your nervousness as we both want Rafa to win so much that it creates worry. But NK in the second was more dangerous than Querrey in the quarters imo. Also Rafa had Delpo this time last year and won and Delpo is a much better player than Querrey. I sincerely hope the match doesn’t go 5!
I hope Rafa takes care of querrey easy amy n little foot ..but I think will be a bit tricky .he may still win but not as straightforward .nick match was not straightforward too .
We will worry about fed on Wednesday once Rafa is there to face him 🙂
Sanju, agreed! One match at a time☺
Querrey seems to have just the right attitude going into the Nadal match. It helps knowing he’s only been broken once in 4 matches and has won 86% of points where he lands he first serve. I think it’s going to be close, though Nadal still has the edge given his current form. I say Rafa in 5.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/more/la-sp-sam-querrey-rafael-nadal-wimbledon-20190708-story.html
wishful thinking from the latimes
I’d say Rafa in 3, max 4
The Wimbledon court speed this year has take on a life of its own. No one seems to know how to measure it other than how well Rafa is doing. Federer thinks it helped him against Berrentini but is, apparently, worried if it will give the ‘baseliners’ an advantage over him later. 😉 😉 😉 Someone’s got to put an end to this whinging especially as it’s not based on any concrete evidence.
https://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/roger-federer-and-rafael-nadal-butt-heads-over-wimbledon-court-speed/news-story/f33a018ec417d4ddfce27ed9b5588dd7
Querrey has served 100 aces in 4 rounds, an average of 25 aces per match. Raonic has served 92 aces and he’s no longer in the draw.
Wimbledon stats.:
https://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/extrastats/index.html
Rafa and Novak have served 37 aces each so far more than Federer.
Yeah, I saw that, lol!! Very Surprised!
Kyrios has the fastest serve speed at 143 while Querry is 11th at 135 i think.
Querry has the most aces but has 19 DFs while Novak has 14.
Rafa is higher (83%) than Roger and Novak in 1st serve points won while Querry is at 86%
Federer and Rafa are ranked at 1 and 3 in second serves won at 69% and 67%
Novak (87) and Querry (86) are higher than Rafa (83) at 1st serve receiving points won. Roanic is first at 107.
Novak and Roger are 9 and 11 at 2nd serve return points won. Kei is at 7, Querry is at 18, Rafa is not in the top 20
Novak, Kei, Roger and Rafa are ranked 1, 2, 3, 4 in break points won while Querry is ranked 16
Novak and Roger are ranked 4 (6/7) and 10 (20/33) in BPs converted. Rafa and Querry are not on the list
Novak has some of the longest rally points (3) but only won 1 of them. Rafa did not win his, Kygrios did, lol!!!
Yeah, I seem very idle, I know!! Lol
Fed should not be worried about Rafa but Djoko! Fed was beaten by Djoko twice in the final in 2014/2015 so Djoko is capable of beating Fed here at Wimbledon again should they meet. We’re the courts slow in 2014/2015 when Djoko won?
Lucky, I agree. While Fed might be a bit worried about Rafa’s currently great form, he’s definitely not my favorite if he should meet the Djoker in the final.
Fed is entitled to his opinion but, it seems a helofalot of whining imho
..also, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. So, Berrettini gets four aces and this is the fault of the court being slow? C’mon, if you serve well you usually get more aces on a clay court.. Berrettini just played like s*, end of story.
I agree. Berrettini just played like crap. Period. I don’t get what this is all about.
Rafa on court 1 for qf
Damn. I was afraid that would be the case, more so after his interview comments. Hows it going to affect his chances, we will have to see….
Doesn’t make any difference. It has to be fair to Djoko the no. 1 player; Djoko already played twice at C1 so it’s only fair Rafa plays at C1 for a second time.
Absolutely fair. and looking at the courts, I believe Court 1 is as big as centre court( for the players ) unlike Roland Garros maybe where CC is a bit bigger ?.
Second week, drier courts on the baseline, Normally Nadal does better. Fingers crossed.
Is rafa on first or second?
Second, Amy!. After RBA / Pella
Thanks PK! Wish he was on first! Will you be here with us?
why first ? Difference ?.. Hmmm maybe hopefully after the first hour I get to see you say Rafa is on fire 🙂
Yes hope so!☺☺
I see my Serena and Simona picks have come through. ☺ will Konta hold her nerve?
I knew Konta would blow it! This is one reason I didn’t want her to beat my fave Petra. Petra would probably have won today. She is a much better player than Konta but short of match practice.
nope
Hi mira!☺ Good to see you! I left you a message on the wta thread in pretend French during Rg asking where you were!
I was missing your wooohoos!!
Hey hey hey amy!…hahaha…good to ‘c’ u too amy!…How r u?Hope still in happy mood after Rafa win RG!!…Yeeeaaahhhh!!…
Ohh!…u left me a msg on WTA thread amy??Sorry!…must have missed it!…I’ll go check it now k?
Not to worry about Fed at all.
Nadal at his best definitely beats Fed best, and Nole best
Fed best is not at the same level as Rafa’s who hits very very low UE.
Rafa will definitely get a test from Querrey. It goes without saying that Rafa will have to hold his serve at all costs. I will be nervous for this one. Querrey is playing well and has no pressure, nothing to lose. I expect him to go for his shots. But Rafa has looked extremely good. He is playing outstanding tennis, so I like his chances.
PK in response to your earlier question I don’t like it if Rafa is playing second after a match with the potential to go long. Presumably Pella and RBA could go 5 with long rallies? I don’t want there to be any possibility that they end up playing under the sodding roof because of poor light. It’s supposed to be hotter tomorrow which is good.
Worry. Worry. Worry!!☺☺
I doubt Pella is going five sets with Agut; Agut would run him rugged well before he could go five sets with Agut. I think Agut in three or four sets.
I think Rafa could maybe start his match at 4.30 or 5pm local time. Interesting to see who needs the longest time to beat his opponent in the QF among these guys.
Yea it’s one thing to start at a scheduled time vs having to wait for a potentially long match to finish. Let’s just hope Lucky is right and Nadal starts soon enough.
My worry worry worry starts tomorrow 🤣
I am not going to worry until tomorrow. If’s been such a great ride and a pleasure to see Rafa playing so well. I am just enjoying every moment.
I was not nervous for either Tsonga or Sousa. I was very nervous for Kyrgios! I am nervous for Querrey. Big servers have a real advantage on the grass. But I feel that Rafa is very focused right now and will bring it in this match.
I am not making any prediction. I do expect a tough match. But I think Rafa is ready.
Of course he is!! When Rafa is in this form he always delivers!!
Yes he is more than ready this time. Normally that would make me extra nervous, because to me Rafa has had his fair share of narrow losses in Wimbledon apart from Novak last year, even the Muller and Rosol ones were close and could have been his. Anyway this time around, he is calm, focussed and his game is on. I believe he is well placed to take care of Querrey…. one match at a time. Cheers!
Nny, I agree I was nervous for Kyrgios only because he would have been extra nasty about it had he won and I would have gone insane if that had happened.
I wasnt nervous for Tsonga or Sousa either and I would say its pretty much the same for Querrey. I think the fear stems more from his win on Djokovic but that was three years ago and he is not getting any younger either.
Having said that, tennis is a game of small margins and things have to go Nadals way in the first set or it gets complicated.
My guess is this time, Rafa has overcome one of the darkest moments in his career, during the European clay season, and to win his 12th FO, and so that has given him hope and confidence, that he can overcome any other obstacle in front of him.
I think that may be why he’s so determined and confident when playing against Kyrgios, and that win against Kyrgios ( it’s not only a simple revenge, but also the five years of having to endure all the doubts and questioning each time Rafa has to face Kyrgios, it’s both insulting and hurting to Rafa).
I’m glad Rafa passed the test, and I feel that had liberated him, and that’s why he’s playing at such a high level from match to match even on grass. If he continues to play like this, he should be able to beat Querrey.