For the second slam in a row, the Roger Federer vs. Rafael Nadal rivalry will be renewed. Friday’s other semifinal will pit Novak Djokovic against Roberto Bautista Agut. The Grandstand’s Ricky Dimon and Cheryl Murray along with Pete Ziebron of Tennis Acumen make their picks.
(3) Rafael Nadal vs. (2) Roger Federer
Ricky: What have we done as fans to deserve Federer vs. Nadal at two straight slams? Well, the answer is: sit through a whole bunch of bad tennis and lopsided matches featuring players outside the Big 3 trying to beat the Big 3. Now everyone other than Roberto Bautista Agut is out of the way, so the stage is set for at least one dramatic semifinal and perhaps an epic final, too. Nadal has been awesome this fortnight, beating the likes of dangerous grass-courters Nick Kyrgios and Sam Querrey while dropping only one set along the way. The Spaniard just thrashed Federer 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at the French Open, improving to 24-15 in the head-to-head series. That came on Nadal’s personal playground; now they move to Federer’s stomping grounds. Still, gael force wins in Paris should have leveled the playing field…but they didn’t. Grass obviously gives Federer a much better chance, but conditions have been slow and the Swiss wasn’t as impressive in the quarterfinals against Kei Nishikori as his arch rival was against Querrey. Nadal in 4: 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Cheryl: It’s THE match (no offense to Djokovic): the one that we thought might never happen again, first because Nadal had a horrid run at the All-England Club for a few years, and then because Federer hasn’t yet mastered aging in reverse. It’s Roger vs. Rafa at Wimbledon. Of course, it would be more fitting if it was the final, but we take what we can get. It’s the 40th edition of the greatest rivalry in tennis history. Their last encounter at Wimbledon was all the way back in 2008–a match for the ages that finished in near complete darkness, when Nadal just edged Federer 9-7 in the fifth in what is widely considered the greatest tennis match of all time. There’s no guarantee that we’ll get a repeat of that encounter, but both men have played beautiful tennis this fortnight. And you can be sure that the desire to win is as strong as ever. They’re going to fight for it as though their tennis lives depend on the outcome. That Nadal dismantled Federer at Roland Garros will be a factor (even though that was clay and this is grass). Nadal will need a superior serving day; Federer will need to apply his best grass-court game; they’re both capable of doing so. In the end, Nadal seems to have been the slightly more impressive player through the fortnight. Nadal in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6, 6-4.
Pete: Federer-Nadal XL with the winner most likely having to face Djokovic for the Wimbledon title…. The Golden Years in men’s tennis continue to be lived before our eyes. Both players head into the semifinal with solid match play under their belts, including surviving first-set tussles in their quarterfinal matches. This will be the first time in this series at Wimbledon that the winner still must play another match to win the title. The recent inroads that Federer has made and discovered against Nadal in their matches the last couple of years will be the deciding difference. Federer in 4: 7-5, 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(4).
(1) Novak Djokovic vs. (23) Roberto Bautista Agut
Ricky: Djokovic has not run into any trouble since the first two sets against Hubert Hurkacz in round two, a match he won 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-4. Something similar may be in the cards against Bautista Agut, who almost always plays Djokovic tough. The Spaniard is 3-7 lifetime in the head-to-head series (better than most!) and he is actually 2-0 against the Serb this season–with victories from a set down in Doha and Miami. Djokovic, though, completely destroyed Ugo Humbert and David Goffin in his last two matches, and his urgency level will obviously be higher than it was in Doha or Miami. The world No. 1 will be too good on Friday, but this should be an incredibly high-level match. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, 6-2.
Cheryl: I don’t know when RBA became a fixture in the latter stages of tournaments, but here he is again. He made the quarters in Australia and now he’s in the semis at Wimbledon. Interestingly, RBA has been a tricky matchup of late for Djokovic. The Spaniard has, in fact, won his last two meetings with the Serb. Of course, this is a Grand Slam–and one at which Djokovic especially excels. He is, after all, the defending champion. Djokovic puts up his best tennis in the latter stages of events, so RBA is going to have his hands full. The world No. 1 completely dismantled Goffin in the quarters and he looks like he’s now on a bit of tear. RBA is a fighter and he won’t give in easily. I doubt if Djokovic will win in straight sets, but as it’s a slam I have to think that Djokovic is going to pull it out. Djokovic in 5: 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-3.
Pete: Interestingly enough, Bautista Agut has won the last two meetings and they both happened to have taken place this year. That said, Djokovic has been rolling at Wimbledon–losing just 19 games in eight sets since dropping the second set to Hurkacz in the third round. Similary, Nadal arrives at the semifinals having lost just one set at the Championships. Unfortunately for Bautista Agut, he will face Djokovic when the Serb is in “deep in a major mode” rather than in ATP tournament mode. As a result, the Serb will continue to dazzle and advance to the final for the sixth time. Djokovic in 3: 6-4, 6-3, 6-4.
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Nole in 3 – losing 12 games or fewer.
Golden age of tennis for the fans…100% agree….but Fed in 3…RBA in 4🎾🇬🇧💪
Ricky has been picking extremely well as far as the Big Three have been concerned. While it wasn’t very difficult to pick the winners, he also got the amount of sets just right. Sean Calvert got nothing on him, lol!
Btw, Tignor has picked Fed and the Djoker for the win. Does that mean, we will for the first time ever have an all-spanish Wimby final for sure😁?
Oh well, even Tignor gets a pick right now and then…
Yes, that’s a bad omen for any Fed fan. However, I’ve been surprised how many ‘experts’ are picking Fed. It’s hard of course to ignore his track record here, but on current form I’d say this is close to a toss up.
I just have a feeling that RBA is going to give Novak a real run for his money. I certainly wouldn’ mind seeing him push Djokovic to 5, especially if he wins it.
Imo, a Novak-Nadal final has a chance of being an AO reprise, unfortunately. I give Fed a better chance in a potential final match up with Novak.
Djoko looked scary today. I don’t know if anyone can beat him at the moment. He had a hesitation against Goffin in the first set, who I thought played really good at the beginning, but then he just stole the match. He’s a machine. If Fed plays against him, I’m worried when Roger makes unforced errors, sometimes easy ones. Djoko not so often, returns almost everything. Fed would have to close the point quick, with winners. But can he do it for a few hours? I hope and believe.
I agree with Tignor that Fed hasn’t brought his best tennis yet this tournament (though he was close against Berrettini). He has, however, served extremely well, and been broken fewer times than anyone else. In 2015, I thought his best level was better than anyone on grass; amazingly, I still think that is true. In 2015 he wasn’t able to bring it in the final; but I think 2017 was a watershed year for him. We’ll see if he can bring his best in the next two matches, because he’s going to need it.
It’s interesting that most experts seem to think that Fedal is a toss-up.
The funny thing is that – contrary to the mantra that all tennis fans wanted this semi-final – most Fedfans aren’t at all happy about this pairing at all – but neither are the Rafafans, lol! Each faction feels that the outcome is far from certain. But one faction will be extremely happy on Friday night☺. Unfortunately the reward for the eventual winner is most likely a date with a certain Djoker and not a shiny trophy. As to the possibility of an all-spanish final: I don’t think that is very likely. But if there will be a Spaniard in the final, I don’t think it will be Bautista-Agut. He may have won a few recent matches against Novak, but a best-of-five match on Wimby’s center court is a different affair altogether. So, I think that Tignor got at least one match right.
I don’t know about you, but I’m very happy with another Fedal match-up. I was last month at RG as well. Even though their matches don’t always deliver, they often do. Why wouldn’t a fan want to see another installment? I guess if you thought your guy had no chance that wouldn’t be much fun. But that’s never the case with these two.
He’d want to be picking the top 3 well because most of the others have been way off target. Have a look how many didnt make his 4th round or 1/4s prediction. half of them didnt make it passed the 1st and 2nd round.
Fourth round
Djokovic over Monfils in 3
Medvedev over Tsitsipas in 5
Wawrinka over Jarry in 4
Bautista Agut over Zverev in 5
Thiem over Simon in 4
Nadal over Mannarino in 3
Struff over Nishikori in 4
Federer over Berrettini in 4
Quarterfinals
Djokovic over Medvedev in 3
Wawrinka over Bautista Agut in 5
Nadal over Thiem in 3
Federer over Struff in 3
“Jim Courier”, I’m not talking about the full tournament picks. Most people – experts and casual fans alike – have been way off as far as the matches were concerned, which didn’t feature a member of the Big Three, since so many seeds and otherwise highly regarded players (Zverev, cough, cough or Tsitsipas) made an early exit. Only the Big Three were predictably stable.
Youre full of shit. A bit of honesty goes a long way.
Arrogant, deceitful cunts. Think this will be a last time I post here. I cant deal with people like you. Life’s too short.
Wow! Two fedals in about a month. Super excited. Feel much better as a fan that he is going into it with the french open win under his belt. And a little pressure on Rafa for sure since he is playing on Fed”s turf. Another great thing that happened is Rafa did not get into Novaks half. Both of them would have murdered each other like last year probably. Even if the match goes five sets with fed and rafa wins, rafa should be fresh for the final.
Hope Novak wins the other semi so that Sunday is not a damp squib like the last three years.
Rafa in 4
Definitely Rafa, in 3 sets. About the same score as RG:
I agreed with you. Nadal is weak at the first week. In the second week, he play on clay.
Federer fans don’t like this installment at all, but me, I don’t mind!Lol!
I think they started liking it again after 2017.. @mona and with good reason. Roger really took it to Rafa in those four straight wins that year. In fact there were people who suggested that roger could win against Rafa at rg based off those results.
So until Rafa shows that he is capable of beating roger again on non clay surfaces, many fed fans prefer roger playing rafa than roger playing novak.
True, Fedfans have been less concerned lately about Fedal matches, since Roger managed to turn the table impressively. And considering how strong Novak has been playing at Wimby and keeping in mind Rafa’s decidedly mixed results here, Rafa must look like the a better semi-final opponent for Fedfans than Novak. But Fedfans duly noted that Rafa has been playing awfully well here in the last two years, and instead of joyfully anticipating a Fedal semi-final they sincerely hoped that Rafa wouldn’t make it – just as many Rafafans hoped that Roger would fall before the semis. I think that Joe Smith, who says that he thoroughly welcomes another Fedal and even liked it at the FO, might be in the minority as far as the partisan tennis fans are concerned.
No, Fed fans don’t like the match up but are hoping based on past results that Fed has a chance here, that’s y the were sincerely hoping that Rafa would be knocked out as they had decided early that he would not even make it past Kygrios. When Rafa then won that march they realised ok, this shit is real!!! Lol!! So I don’t believe for one minute they are excited about that match up AT ALL!!!! Most of them are only pretending!
Anyway, I think Rafa is ready!!! Vamos!!
On another note, Rafa becomes the first player to wualify for the year end chanpionships. These points and the results here on in the tournament will play a major role in deciding the ye no 1
This is a legacy match.
I agree with Ricky – Rafa in four; Djoko in four.
I think Fed will be lucky to win a set. He looks significantly slower and less powerful than Nadal right now. Its enough to beat the likes of Nishikori and co. but Nadal will bring too much entergy for Fed I feel. I think this is a 3-0/3-1 match in Nadal’s favour.
Nadal 3-1
Djokovic v Bautista_Agut is an interesting one because Djokovic was lucky to win the first set and had Goffin won it we could be talking about a very different result – Djokovic in 4 close sets. In consideration of this, I think RBA is in with a chance. The Pella form line proved to be strong, there’s no denying it now.
Bautista_Agut has proven to be a tough matchup for Djokovic also because they have similar styles and Djokovic lacks the power to hit Bautista_Agut off the court.
Bautista_Agut has also won their past 2 matches so he will be feeling very confident going into this match knowing that a win is very possible. I think both players are slightly better on a hardcourt and are “relatively” the same on a grass court.
I’ll go Djokovic 3-1 but dont be surprised if this goes to 5 or Bautista_Agut wins.
Sorry, that should be “with the differential being “relatively” the same on a grass court.”
I think Djokovic is vulnerable even though on face value the score indicates he won decisively against Goffin. Goffin crumbled mentally after losing the first which he shouldve won. Djokovic did nothing spectacular to win that first set except grind a bit a harder.
Wimbledon is Nadal’s to lose.
Agreed!
I was disappointed with the way Goffin played among all the quarter finalists. At least Querrey made use of his big weapons (serve and FH) win or loss.
Goffin simply came with a poor or no game plan; he should fire his coach! Anyone would know its stupid to rally with Djoko from the baseline, unless you’re Simon or Agut, or Stan of course.
Yes, Djoko might make it difficult for you to move up to the net but at least during Goffin’s own service game, he should S&V a little bit to force the issue, at least pressurise Djoko’s returns. Instead, Goffin just waited for the return to come back to him after serving, he’s very passive imo, it won’t work against Djoko.
To me he had already lost the battle before stepping on the court. What’s more frustrating is after breaking serve he immediately handed back the advantage to Djoko by losing his own. Had he won the first set, things might become more competitive and he might save his face and not received a bagel instead.
Djoko really had it easy from day 1, with only that young gun Huckacz giving him a bit of problem. Djoko didn’t even need to play out of his comfort zone! At least a Kyrgios, or a Pella would give him some test imo, perhaps that’s the privilege of being seeded no. 1!
Lucky, if I consider only how each of the Big Three has acquitted himself so far, Rafa should indeed have the edge, since he had an extremely tough draw, which he mastered like a true champion. Most experts reckognize this, and surprisingly many think that Rafa May win the semis. If Rafa really manages to win the trophy, it will be one of his biggest career achievements. However, it’s hard to even assess Novak’s and Roger’s form properly, since both had an exceptionally easy path into the semis. That said, I fully expect both of them to play well against Rafa (if Rafa and Novak will really meet in the final). But Rafa needs to be able to be at his very best and stay calm in the critical moments. While it most certainly helps that Rafa recently managed to beat Roger and Novak on clay, he may be mentally a bit scarred because of his losses over the last few years against the two of them on non-clay surfaces. Especially the beat-down by Novak in the AO final earlier this year may haunt him, since he had been playing brilliantly in the previous matches. But against Novak he couldn’t maintain his great level and got scorched.
The AO final has no bearings on this Wimbledon. Rafa had it easy at the AO this year, beating upstarts and young guns (De Minaur, Tiafoe, Tsitsipas). He’s also short of match plays after a few months not competing. His aggressive game was newly acquired and not tested before the AO.
This Wimbledon is different before Rafa after winning his FO, has tested both his aggressive and defensive games (esp during the final against Thiem); his offensive/defensive game is in free and full flow this Wimbledon, if not, he won’t be able to beat Kyrgios.
Kyrgios played at a high level and truly competed for the whole match, it’s just that at crucial moments, he made errors which Rafa was quick to capitalise. Rafa handling big serves after big serves (against Kyrgios and Querrey) would certainly help built his confidence when facing Fed’s serve.
Fed’s weakness is his BH, he tend to shank it when under pressure, I hope Rafa notices this. Also, Rafa has to make Fed run, for once Fed has to run to cover his FH corner, he’s a step slow and thus mistimed his shots.
We’ll talk about Djoko only when Rafa reaches the final.
The AO final is the one thing that makes me second-guess my prediction that this match will be close. I do think that Fed is a good step up from everyone that Nadal has yet played, except for Kyrgios. And I think a mentally strong Kyrgios would have won that match.
Fed has the capability to play at least as well as Kyrgios did in that match; he did it in the second set against Nishikori and much of the match against Berrettini. But he hasn’t done it consistently throughout the tournament; that’s what he needs to do to win the SF. If he does, I’m confident he will win in 4 or 5 sets. However, I can’t see him delivering a beatdown like Novak did in Melbourne. In fact, I still can’t understand how that happened, given the level Nadal was playing going into the final.
Joe, I’ve already explained that but you simply refused to believe it; Rafa himself said as much.
I think playing against Rafa is several steps up from Kei and Berrettini, so I doubt Fed could play that well throughout the match. To me, it’s Berrettini making Fed looked good, because basically Berrettini didn’t know what to expect from Fed and so allowed Fed to do whatever he wanted to do. Against Kei, Fed had to work so hard after losing the first set.
Fed will have a hard time against Rafa and can’t afford to play like the first set against Kei.
I agree that Fed will not find it easy; that’s why I say I think it will be fairly close. But unless you think Fed’s age now prevents him from playing well throughout a 5-set match, I see no reason that he can’t do so. And if you want to say Fed’s opponents made him look good, I would say the same about some of Rafa’s, particularly Querrey who I think under-performed.
Fed’s serve will be the key, as it was at RG, where it faltered at big moments. Rafa has hit more aces here, but Fed has been broken the fewest times (out of the big 3) in the tourney. He has been serving well and he must continue to do that. He will have to return better than he has, particularly since Rafa is serving so well.
But all these points apply to Nadal as well. He could show up playing sub-par, though I don’t think he will. But the point of bringing up the AO is to show that it’s possible and has happened recently. Nadal has looked extremely impressive so far, but no more so (to my mind) than he did before the final in Melbourne.
Melbourne? That was the first tournament coming back from injury, Wimbledon is after his successful French Open! It’s more like fat hope, that Rafa would play like that AO final this year.
You talked about Fed being broken the fewest time, but that was 3 vs Rafa’s 4 times, and considering Fed’s heavy reliance on his serve, that’s comparatively not so impressive.
Querrey’s serve was broken only once all tournament, until he met Rafa and his serve was broken several times during the match.
None of Fed’s opponents had the ROS capability of Rafa, we’ll see how things unfold in the SF.
Lucky, I agree with you: one has to consider that the AO final in Melbourne needs to be judged by the fact that Rafa had just come back from injury. It was a small sensation that Rafa even made the final. He should be in a much better place now mentally and physically. I do not believe at all that the lost Melbourne final will have any bearings on his performance against Fed tomorrow. But it could be in the back of Rafa’s mind nevertheless if he reaches the final and has to play Novak. But one match at a time…
Rafa please win this and the next 🙂
Rafa did not go to the net enough in querrey match. He has to here.
Btw this game will be all mental more than form and it’s just about who wants to win it more. Rafa is the chaser n this is feds ground, hence I think pressure will be slightly more on roger but Rafa wants the wimby too, he will be nervous too.
Mira – what are you saying
Ohh!..me Sanju?…Well…i am not dwelling long bout this match Sanju…Insyaallah Rafa in 4..if not 3…I believe Rafa will up his level a notch against Fed compared to Querry’s match…
Rafa don’t fear Fed serves,unlike he feared Nicky’s or Querry’s…After he defeat Nicky,he produced the BEST tennis i’ve ever seen him play on grass in both Tsonga’s & Sousa’s…It’s as if a gazillion tons of rock was lifted from his shoulder…playing without pressure & that confident!…my God!…I’ve never seen Rafa play that freely & full of confidence on grass in a long long time Sanju!…And he once again came out on top from another big server last nite…can u c what i c Sanju?Yeah!….Roger will have his hands full tomorrow!..I xpect another brilliant play with full of his trademark passing winners from all angles frpm Rafa!
Question is…Can Roger keep up with this Rafa for 2,3 or 4 hrs at 38 yo?In a Bo5?In Masters yeah…but slam?…I don’t think so!….
So,Rafa in 4,insyaallah!….Vamos Rafa!!
Mira Andi, I also wonder if Roger has the power to stay with Rafa. If this becomes a protracted dog fight, Rafa might’ve the edge. I feel that Roger has the best chance if he overwhelms Rafa quickly. IMO, he also has more on the line than Rafa. Just as Rafa had to defend his clay empire last month, the upcoming match is on Roger’s turf. Seen from a larger perspective he has to lose more than Rafa, especially since at his age he won’t have many more shots at a slam title, and his best chances are at Wimby.
Although, we have been saying this for years how, and the gap between the Big Three and the rest of the field ist still enormous – at least at the slams, where the young guns don’t seem to be able to make their mark. Only Thiem has been delivering at the FO for a couple of years how.
Littlefoot & Sanju…Yeah!…i have no doubt in my mind that Rog will come out gun blazing with his super aggressive games,fast & suffocating..the kind of tennis that will overwhelmed his opponents & wilt them!…Maybe it worked against them…but i…can’t see it will work against Rafa..
Analyzed Rafa’s words who says he also feels comfortable playing on grass & (not just Roger) plus his knees feels much better the past 2 years indicating how dangerous he is atm…(He already showed to us with his results this past week!..duh!!hehehe)..As a Rafans we all know what that means when Rafa is healthy & full of confidence right?
Besides,i think the loss to novak last year hurt him deeply..and with his physics still fresh(amazingly!) even at this stage of the tournament,seriously guys…i don’t think Rafa will let this golden opportunity pass him just like that…I maybe wrong…but…i donno guys..i just don’t feel it in my heart that he will lose against Roger…same with Querry’s match…all i felt was he’s gonna win that match…i didn’t feel worried at all…let’s hope my gut feeling will be right again tomorrow!!…hahaha…Insyaallah!….Vamos Rafa!!
And Mira, if you anticipate that’s the game plan Fed is going to have, surely Rafa knows this too, and he will be ready. And besides, there is no way in hell Roger can sustain that over five sets, a fact that Rafa knows. So Roger’s best hope is to win in 3 and that certainly won’t happen unless if Rafa is dead!!
I just pity anyone who has to play Rafa in this type of form!
Monalisa…Yeaaahhh!!…Agree!…I mean,both were playing each other almost 40 times already!…Like Roger said,he knows many things bout Rafa & Rafa knows many things about him too…The only things that will make a difference is age,physicality & mental strength…all pointed to Rafa imo…
Besides,Rafa just came back from tough moments only a couple of months ago..so he is in good place now…He’s motivated once again & hungry as ever!
Ohh…Interesting words from Roig too..”Rafa play without weaknesses atm”…So,insyaallah he will prevail…
Mira, I also believe that Rafa’s loss against Novak last year must’ve hurt him! He was sooo close to another Wimby title and was playing great tennis throughout the tournament (I believe he would’ve won easily against Anderson). We will see how that will play out. Will the memory of that loss hurt him, or will it fire him up even more because it has awakened his appetite for another Wimby trophy? Fact is that at age 33 he has played one of his best Wimby campaigns ever and mastered an extremely tricky path into the semis, and the experts acknowledge that. I laughed when I looked up the expert tips at cnnsi and saw that Jon Wertheim of all people has tentatively picked Rafa over Fed ☺. Wertheim is one of the staunchest Federer admirers and even composed poems in his honor – although he has been always very respectful towards Rafa and he seems to have grown on him over all those years. Anyway, Wertheim picking Rafa over Fed at Wimby is a huge thing!
Of course, we all know that predictions are just predictions and have no influence at all on what will happen on-court. The well documented and extremely lethal Tignor-curse is the exception 😉 I’m joking of course, and anyway, Rafa seems to be totally immune to this curse on clay – although this could be just another proof how good Rafa is on clay, lol!
I really wonder what Tignor himself thinks of the general perception that his track record is very shaky. He gets of course a lot of the easier predictions right, but his success rate decreases significantly in the latter stages of a tournament and I don’t think he would be able to make a living as a betting expert. He wasn’t bad at this year’s Wimby as far as Fedalovic are concerned, but especially the matches of the Big Three were fairly easy to predict – and Tignor failed to predict correctly the one match where the outcome was a bit harder to tell: he picked Kyrgios ftw over Rafa.
Yeah littlefoot!…I myself
very surprised too when John Mc picked Rafa…not only ahead of Roger…but Novak too!!….Hahaha…And Tim Henman too!!..Oh My God!…I feel wanna cry when i read that!…
I mean,after all those painful years of losing early to anybody…to see him play this good again at Wimby…it’s unthinkable for me…Just wow!!…Hope this happy moment will keep happening until sunday evening!
Mira Andi, I agree! While the expert predictions have no bearing on the eventual outcome of a match, they are a form of reverence and respect. Jon Wertheim, Johnny Mac and Henman picking Rafa is huge and are an indication how well Rafa really played so far.
Hi littlefoot,
If anything, Rafa’s win over Djoko at the Rome final would’ve already driven all doubts out of his head. No doubt that’s on clay, but Rafa was lacking in confidence even on clay, but he managed to beat Djoko by playing super aggressive tennis. I know Djoko might be a bit tired in the final, still, if Rafa wasn’t playing very well and very aggressive, I doubt he could get that win when Djoko did fight back to get the second set.
I do feel Rafa would remember the Wimbledon SF last year more so than the AO final this year (because of the situation he was in at the AO). He would be eager not to make the same mistake again should they meet in the final here.
Rafa was in a mess serving for the first set in the QF, but, after losing serve, he looked determined to break Querrey’s serve again, and in the end he really did break to win the set 7-5. I like it that Rafa after a disappointment could quickly brush it aside to start concentrating on the next point, knowing what he should do next.
I like the way Rafa handles disappointment, things that already happened he couldn’t change them, so he has to look to the present or the future and make sure he’ll do better, that’s Rafa’s attitude and I find it admirable, because we his fans are still dwelling on the disappointments while he already moved on from there.
Your post makes me feel better Mira. God willing the result is same. I feel it’s a total mental game tomorrow. Whoever handles mentally the situation better will prevail. It’s not really about form here.
Hehe…Thanks Sanju!…I’m glad i ‘m able to soothe u even for a moment!…
This is what Rafans r for Sanju…To make each other feel better when needed…We’re a BIGGG family…Vamos Rafa!!…Woohoo!!
Djokos draw has been nothing but a joke.
Just because #fedal
https://youtu.be/jXgsCHIUeIQ
Vmk1 ..anyone who has beaten Nishi the last 4 slams has won the slam (:- hope it does not repeat here
Haha! True Sanju but i do not believe in superstitions unless it suits me😝
Sanju, at which stages was he beaten in those 4 slams? I can check myself, but can’t at the moment.
Qf n semi..wimby 18 qf, USO 18 SF, australia 19 qf, french 19 qf
Statistically, that’s amazing actually. For a superstitious person, this is another reason Rafa may win.
I really think Nadal is playing a lot better than Roger right now. His serve looks fantastic, he’s playing aggressively and hitting the lines, barely any UE’s, the flat backhand is lethal etc. The serve is the biggest part of it, as previously he would struggle to break big servers, and therefore feel a lot of pressure in defending his own (weaker) serve. Eventually that could result in a big hitter swinging freely and getting a break, or a TB. Not so much now.
Fed has shown some glimpses, like that 2nd set against Nishikori, but most of the time he has been sub-par. Slow starts seem to have crept into his game, the 1st set against Nishikori was horrid, and a better player would’ve taken it 6-1 rather than let Fed back in. Nishikori was just dominating BH to BH exchanges. Have that sort of start against Rafa and he’ll gain so much momentum that you’ll probably go down in three lopsided sets.
I give RBA an outside chance at beating Djokovic.I think RBA actually believes he can do it, and he’s fit enough to go the distance if necessary. Although Novak has looked really solid in all matches bar Hurkacz, he hasn’t been pushed much by his opponents. RBA’s wins are only in best of three, but having them at least indicates potential, it shows that this isn’t the worst type of match-up for RBA. Novak will have to be a little bit off, which is not likely, but you never know.
If RBA somehow pulls it off then it’s a potential cakewalk for the Fed/Rafa side (most likely Rafa in my opinion). Otherwise, Djokovic would have to be the clear favourite.
I agree with your assessments. Rafa has indeed played much better than Roger in the previous matches, especially since he had to handle far more dangerous opponents than Roger and Novak. But because of their recent history I give Rafa only a slight edge against Fed. Even if the courts really play as slow as some people claim – it’s still grass, which is Roger’s turf, and the lower bounce isn’t great for Rafa. The weather seems to be on Rafa’s side, though.
If Novak makes it into the final, he will be the favorite against Fed and Rafa. And I do not believe that Bautista-Agut will pull off the upset – Not in a best-of-five match.
All I want is for Agut to extend Djoko to four or five sets, exposing Djoko’s weaknesses in the process. If Djoko Beats Agut in straight sets then too bad, Djoko hasn’t much weakness for Agut to take advantage of.
Yup! I also hope that Bautista-Agut puts up a good fight!
Federer seems confident n says french open encounter will have no bearing here and says Australian open final is the right reference point 🙂
https://www.google.co.in/amp/s/www.tennisworldusa.org/amp_tennis/news/Roger_Federer/73783/roger-federer-rafael-nadal-is-not-just-a-claycourt-specialist-/
Fed’s only chance is to play God mode and I guess he can do it.
Anything other than that and Nadal will take it.
So, I’ll give the edge to Rafa given how he’s been playing, body-language, etc… but, with enormeous respect to Fed.
As for Djoko Vs Bautista, all us Rafa fans can hope for is that Roberto takes a set, maybe two but I think we all know where this is going.
Bautista himself has admitted that he by now he expected to be with his friends in Ibiza for his stag party, lol
Oh, i guess he has cold feet!🤣🤣
I actually hope for a Rafa vs Djoko final. I want to see Rafa’s offensive plus defensive game against Djoko and see how Rafa overcomes Djoko with that game.
I feel Djoko can be overpowered, but it has to be done consistently throughout BO5 here so it’s tough but still doable. I don’t expect Agut to beat Djoko; and I think a fresh Pella with his grass court game may have his chances going five sets with Djoko. Too bad, Pella isn’t in Djoko’s quarter of the draw.
If Rafa somehow wins this tournament without playing Djokovic it will be an amazing victory on his part.
But if he defeats both his greatest rivals at Wimbledon where they have 12 slams combined, it would undoubtedly be one of the best slam wins of all time.
Thinwhiteduke,I absolutely agree. If Rafa should really win the trophy on Sunday it would rank amongst his greatest achievements ever. But so far it hasn’t happened. And while as a Rafafan I hope for this outcome, I have a hard time to believe that it will actually happen. Rafa certainly has the ability to do it. But pulling it off is a different affair altogether…
Miracle wins happen, especially when the big three are involved. As a Fed fan, the 2017 AO was an example, maybe the biggest one.
I do expect Rafa to get this win fairly comfortably, though as I’m going for Fed I’m hoping it somehow won’t. Whatever happens, it’s great to see them face off again at Wimbledon.
Time for me to go. 😀
It’s been a joy to see Andy Murray back – especially playing mixed doubles with Serena.
However, Serena pummelling Simona in the WTA final is not something I care to watch.
Nole getting beaten by RBA would suck and I know everyone here would celebrate that. Best wishes TG Rafa family and Fed fans here. See you all later when the buzz is over. May the best man win. Cheers!
Nadal in 4, Bautista Agut in 5
Absolutely and completely! And it would be sweet, so sweet!!!