Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
Late last year, Rafael Nadal scored several victories and there weren't few of those who rushed to say: "Nadal is back!"
The drought is over - Rafa wins 2016 Monte Carlo
Only now, after a few months, you can see how in fact it was very unfair to Nadal because in Monte Carlo he played at a much better level than then. In some aspects of the game he was "that old Rafa" in some of them not yet, and might never be, but what is most important for the Spaniard - he won a big title.
Many epithets could be attributed to Nadal, but patience and perseverance are definitely on top of the list. He came back stronger than ever after numerous injuries, lost and won again the #1 spot, he would seem harmless, then change back again into the Bull of Manacor.
The previous two years however have been the most serious test on Nadal's thorny path. Usually when he returned after the break, he would build the game and trust again on clay, and then everything went according to his ideas - in 2015 this was not the case, no Masters even on clay, and he lost twice to Fognini, then to Murray, Wawrinka, and finally to Djokovic in his precious Paris...
The rest of the year had solid game and results, but the term "solid" is not something that can satisfy one of the best players of all time.
Nadal continued to work, to train and to hope for the best, but the first tangible step in this direction took place in Monaco, one of his "second homes". Rafa won for the ninth time in Monte Carlo and he continued to raise his game - slowly but surely.
The Monaco crowd were really entertained - Rafa showed glimpses of his old self
Almost at every press conference Nadal mentions the word "confidence" and now it's clear that it's here, after a long time.
It's still not that 'killer instinct' that defined Nadal throughout most of his career, the uncertainty and occasional bad decision at an important time is still there, but Rafa seems more decisive on the court, more daring and more often cool headed when the match is being decided. He was ready physically and mentally willing to "dig deeper" both in the semifinal against Murray and against Monfils in the final. And we haven't seen any of this in many of his defeats in the previous period.
In addition, the biggest change occurred in Nadal's movement - as he used to, he reached every ball and always had an answer, either a counter that took the initiative in the point or won it immediately; or defensive deep balls that discouraged even the strongest attack on the other side.
Generally, Nadal's balls were usually stronger and more aggressive, but the offensive aspect of his game is still having 'hiccups'. This is primarily reflected in the forehand, Rafa's trademark, which is no longer a weapon that punishes every indecision and every short ball of his rivals. On the contrary, now opponents can construct points by playing in exchanges to Nadal's forehand, which used to be unthinkable before.
Furthermore, in the past, Nadal had a deadly pattern - a long won rally gave him an adrenaline injection and then immediately a short aggressive point would follow which would usually finish with a Rafa winner. It was killing rivals, but now these situations happen less frequently and several times it happened that Nadal would send a fast forehand into the net and that way take away his own momentum.
Nadal said he doesn't want to think if "he is back" or "is that the old Rafa again", but he just wants to be better than he was yesterday.
If Rafa is building from the beginning, he is going in the right direction - a little bit of aggressiveness that comes with self-belief and several piled up victories, and here is Nadal who is a legitimate competitor for the biggest title on clay, the title he won nine times (Roland Garros).
It is still a long way to go, and just as you should never write off Nadal, you should not now easily conclude that he might return to the very top, especially outside of clay.
No final featuring Djokovic after a very long time
The tournament sensation was Djokovic's 2nd round elimination. He lost to Jiri Vesely, and these news echoed as much as several news about the titles he won in the last year and a half - that's how high level Djokovic has reached.
The tennis world was shocked - World number 1 lost early after 18 consecutive Top Tier tournament final appearances
Defeat was inevitable, it had to come sooner or later. In his own words, Djokovic still times his form to peak for the most important matches and tournaments, and sometimes the game that is far from his maximum is still enough to win matches and win trophies.
Had he defeated Vesely, it was possible that he could have taken the title again, but what also could have happened is losing some of the matches that he barely got through last year and this year - with Dolgopolov in Miami last year, with Gulbis in Montreal and recently vs Kukushkin Davis Cup...
Now he wasn't able to "survive" despite his bad game, but that's no reason to panic. The question is freshness and not the level of the game. Or, as Djokovic said:
"I still feel that I'm playing the best tennis of my life." That got him a nomination for the Laureus sportsman of the year award and a chance to win it for a 3rd time.
Treble chance tonight - Novak looking to add another Laureus award to the ones he won in 2012 and 2015
A word about the rest...
Excellent start for The Guru as well - Monfils impressed a lot when there were hardly any expectations at all
Stan Wawrinka is in a crisis, but this for a player of his characteristics doesn't have to mean anything, we are just waiting for the tournament where he will 'explode', while Gael Monfils is the most pleasant surprise of the season.
Consistency, something that wasn't his quality through his career, this year is associated with him - he is 4th on the Race list and there has been only one tournament this season where he lost before the quarterfinals. If he managed to improve his fitness, though it is not realistic given the tight schedule of the tournaments, Monfils could be a threat to the best at Roland Garros.
Raonic is still struggling with injury, and clay is certainly not a priority, just like it isn't to Federer, who returned after injury. Despite a quarterfinal spot, the 'rust' was evident. After the great US tour, Goffin slipped and now it will be interesting to see if he can continue with good performances.
Damir Dzumhur increasingly believes in himself, he eliminated Berdych and was a step away from beating Raonic too. The man from Sarajevo is extremely fast, clay suits him, he changes pace very nicely and defends more often than not, although he can attack with the backhand down the line. If this continues, the Top 50 is not far away.
Murray reached the semifinals, and he was shining for a set and a half - in fact it was his best period in the tournament, considering he could have probably lost to Paire if it wasn't for the Frenchman's crazy head.
So, season on clay has started. Season of running, season of exhausting battles, long and patiently constructed points, the season of those who despite fatigue can keep a cool head.
Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. The journey has only just begun...
The drought is over - Rafa wins 2016 Monte Carlo
Only now, after a few months, you can see how in fact it was very unfair to Nadal because in Monte Carlo he played at a much better level than then. In some aspects of the game he was "that old Rafa" in some of them not yet, and might never be, but what is most important for the Spaniard - he won a big title.
Many epithets could be attributed to Nadal, but patience and perseverance are definitely on top of the list. He came back stronger than ever after numerous injuries, lost and won again the #1 spot, he would seem harmless, then change back again into the Bull of Manacor.
The previous two years however have been the most serious test on Nadal's thorny path. Usually when he returned after the break, he would build the game and trust again on clay, and then everything went according to his ideas - in 2015 this was not the case, no Masters even on clay, and he lost twice to Fognini, then to Murray, Wawrinka, and finally to Djokovic in his precious Paris...
The rest of the year had solid game and results, but the term "solid" is not something that can satisfy one of the best players of all time.
Nadal continued to work, to train and to hope for the best, but the first tangible step in this direction took place in Monaco, one of his "second homes". Rafa won for the ninth time in Monte Carlo and he continued to raise his game - slowly but surely.
The Monaco crowd were really entertained - Rafa showed glimpses of his old self
Almost at every press conference Nadal mentions the word "confidence" and now it's clear that it's here, after a long time.
It's still not that 'killer instinct' that defined Nadal throughout most of his career, the uncertainty and occasional bad decision at an important time is still there, but Rafa seems more decisive on the court, more daring and more often cool headed when the match is being decided. He was ready physically and mentally willing to "dig deeper" both in the semifinal against Murray and against Monfils in the final. And we haven't seen any of this in many of his defeats in the previous period.
In addition, the biggest change occurred in Nadal's movement - as he used to, he reached every ball and always had an answer, either a counter that took the initiative in the point or won it immediately; or defensive deep balls that discouraged even the strongest attack on the other side.
Generally, Nadal's balls were usually stronger and more aggressive, but the offensive aspect of his game is still having 'hiccups'. This is primarily reflected in the forehand, Rafa's trademark, which is no longer a weapon that punishes every indecision and every short ball of his rivals. On the contrary, now opponents can construct points by playing in exchanges to Nadal's forehand, which used to be unthinkable before.
Furthermore, in the past, Nadal had a deadly pattern - a long won rally gave him an adrenaline injection and then immediately a short aggressive point would follow which would usually finish with a Rafa winner. It was killing rivals, but now these situations happen less frequently and several times it happened that Nadal would send a fast forehand into the net and that way take away his own momentum.
Nadal said he doesn't want to think if "he is back" or "is that the old Rafa again", but he just wants to be better than he was yesterday.
If Rafa is building from the beginning, he is going in the right direction - a little bit of aggressiveness that comes with self-belief and several piled up victories, and here is Nadal who is a legitimate competitor for the biggest title on clay, the title he won nine times (Roland Garros).
It is still a long way to go, and just as you should never write off Nadal, you should not now easily conclude that he might return to the very top, especially outside of clay.
No final featuring Djokovic after a very long time
The tournament sensation was Djokovic's 2nd round elimination. He lost to Jiri Vesely, and these news echoed as much as several news about the titles he won in the last year and a half - that's how high level Djokovic has reached.
The tennis world was shocked - World number 1 lost early after 18 consecutive Top Tier tournament final appearances
Defeat was inevitable, it had to come sooner or later. In his own words, Djokovic still times his form to peak for the most important matches and tournaments, and sometimes the game that is far from his maximum is still enough to win matches and win trophies.
Had he defeated Vesely, it was possible that he could have taken the title again, but what also could have happened is losing some of the matches that he barely got through last year and this year - with Dolgopolov in Miami last year, with Gulbis in Montreal and recently vs Kukushkin Davis Cup...
Now he wasn't able to "survive" despite his bad game, but that's no reason to panic. The question is freshness and not the level of the game. Or, as Djokovic said:
"I still feel that I'm playing the best tennis of my life." That got him a nomination for the Laureus sportsman of the year award and a chance to win it for a 3rd time.
Treble chance tonight - Novak looking to add another Laureus award to the ones he won in 2012 and 2015
A word about the rest...
Excellent start for The Guru as well - Monfils impressed a lot when there were hardly any expectations at all
Stan Wawrinka is in a crisis, but this for a player of his characteristics doesn't have to mean anything, we are just waiting for the tournament where he will 'explode', while Gael Monfils is the most pleasant surprise of the season.
Consistency, something that wasn't his quality through his career, this year is associated with him - he is 4th on the Race list and there has been only one tournament this season where he lost before the quarterfinals. If he managed to improve his fitness, though it is not realistic given the tight schedule of the tournaments, Monfils could be a threat to the best at Roland Garros.
Raonic is still struggling with injury, and clay is certainly not a priority, just like it isn't to Federer, who returned after injury. Despite a quarterfinal spot, the 'rust' was evident. After the great US tour, Goffin slipped and now it will be interesting to see if he can continue with good performances.
Damir Dzumhur increasingly believes in himself, he eliminated Berdych and was a step away from beating Raonic too. The man from Sarajevo is extremely fast, clay suits him, he changes pace very nicely and defends more often than not, although he can attack with the backhand down the line. If this continues, the Top 50 is not far away.
Murray reached the semifinals, and he was shining for a set and a half - in fact it was his best period in the tournament, considering he could have probably lost to Paire if it wasn't for the Frenchman's crazy head.
So, season on clay has started. Season of running, season of exhausting battles, long and patiently constructed points, the season of those who despite fatigue can keep a cool head.
Madrid, Rome, and Roland Garros. The journey has only just begun...
