VaporDude95
Banned
Rafa, just put the smile on the faces of your devoted fans by winning this. You more than deserve it.
He only deserves it if he wins it.
2019 Australian Open Men’s Singles Final (1) Novak Djokovic V (2) Rafael Nadal
- Thread starter ark_28
- Start date
He only deserves it if he wins it.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Marius_Hancu
Talk Tennis Guru
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
Novak’s slam final wins over Rafa were really very close affairs that could have gone either way.
Wim 2018 – 10/8 in the fifth set
AO 2012 – 75 in the 5th set
Novak won the USO 2011 in 4 sets but Rafa also won in 2010 and 2013 in 4 sets. I will leave the FO out of this because it’s a no contest.
People talk as if there is a gulf between them in favour of Novak.
Wim 2018 – 10/8 in the fifth set
AO 2012 – 75 in the 5th set
Novak won the USO 2011 in 4 sets but Rafa also won in 2010 and 2013 in 4 sets. I will leave the FO out of this because it’s a no contest.
People talk as if there is a gulf between them in favour of Novak.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
He is already a champion.
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
Ha ha like Doha 2016? No chance mate. Rafa is playing a lot better. I'm hoping for an epic but it's so mental between the 2. Very difficult to predict. It could go in a lot of different ways.Hope Novak eviscerates him
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
The 5 finals were a long time ago: 2006 to 2011. Since then what has Nadal done? Djoko has won the title 4 times.
(By contrast, Nadal has won several big ones on hard in the last few years)
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Mike Sams
G.O.A.T.
I didn't want either of Djokovic or Nadal to win this tournament. I was hoping for Khachanov or Zverev to break through and put the NextGen on the map finally in the Slams. Disappointing.
Anyway, so here for me...I'm looking at several factors. The H2H on hardcourts which is a big advantage for Djokovic. The AO dominance with Djokovic's 6 to Nadal's 1 which is another big advantage for Djokovic. And having won the last 2 Slams which again is another advantage for Djokovic. But then with Nadal serving a bit better, improving his aggression level with his BH and FH off the ground and keeping points shorter, he indeed has his chances. But the way I see it, regarding Nadal's run leading up to the final...it's like going from beating Glass Joe, Piston Honda and King Hippo to suddenly trying to beat Mike Tyson in his prime. There wasn't really any match that tested Nadal en route to the Djokovic match. I'd say maybe the 3rd set against Berdych was a small test where Nadal saved a set point but nothing much else. I feel that just like when Federer was serving really well in his 2015 Wimbledon and US Open matches and then suddenly his serve no longer being a big weapon in the face of Djokovic, Nadal might get that same shock when his serve suddenly isn't the same weapon against Djokovic the way it was against those other 6 guys he was playing. I'd have to lean towards Djokovic. He's younger than Nadal. And it seems that his thinking in regards to his career is that of a younger man still in his prime whereas if you listen to Nadal recently, Nadal is talking like he's in his final years and is trying to reduce his schedule and shorten points to save his legs.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
VaporDude95
Banned
Not of the 2019 Australian Open.
V
Vamos Rafa Nadal
Guest
V
Vamos Rafa Nadal
Guest
alexio
G.O.A.T.
fed will eviscerate a cruet of whiskey after the matchHope Novak eviscerates him
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
Not at Wimbledon. We were discussing whether Nadal was as good on grass as on hard. My point was that Nadal is currently better on hard (although 2 out of those last 3 slam titles were on clay of courseYou do realize that Nadal won 3 Grand Slams in the past 2 years, right?
)
FatFedererFanTurnsSlim
Semi-Pro
This is telling. Some good servers Djoker has faced. Tsonga, Shaps. Even Pouille, Medvedev are decent to good.
Mr Feeny
Hall of Fame
Yeah, you're right. It was more hope than prediction. Neither will win big. It'll be a nailbiter and hopefully it's a high quality one.
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
Where did I say he was the AO 2019 champion?
Halba
Hall of Fame
zverev. lol. both guys can be beat by anyone in the top 40.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
First time Nadal is playing a Djokovic in a HC slam who hasn't gone to five sets in the semi the round before.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
Nadal fans generally don't take part in pointless polls.
Mike Sams
G.O.A.T.
I'm sure they do.
Do you think that fans of Nadal are better people than fans of other players?
Mike Sams
G.O.A.T.
Good observation.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
No. We are more grounded. We don't believe that he will win just because we say so.
Mike Sams
G.O.A.T.
True but here Khachanov lost to #18 while Zverev lost to #14.
What do you think, who will win on Sunday?
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
I have no idea. I just know who I would like to win. I don't have a crystal ball.
VaporDude95
Banned
Nowhere. But you used his “champion” status to suggest he “deserves” the title.
He doesn’t deserve it unless he wins it.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
What I hate about matches like this is that I won't be able to relax one way or another until someone is up 2 sets to 1. If Nadal wins the first set, still can't.
Zebrev
Hall of Fame
Based on the tournament itself, it just feels like this is Nadals match. He is playing really well, kinda surprising everyone. It just seems like the match where he finally gets one over on Novak, for some reason.
And yet I just can't bet against Novak. More than anyone else, he is a mental fortress, and I don't think he lost to any member of the big four on this court before. I watched his semifinal final presser, and he seems extremely calm about the final, even with Rafa in such good form. Maybe he's a bit overconfident...
I'm going to say Djoker in 5, but Rafa winning really wouldn't surprise me. It's going to be a big match for the legacy of both players, that's for sure. I doubt either one will be able to stand by the end of it.
And yet I just can't bet against Novak. More than anyone else, he is a mental fortress, and I don't think he lost to any member of the big four on this court before. I watched his semifinal final presser, and he seems extremely calm about the final, even with Rafa in such good form. Maybe he's a bit overconfident...
I'm going to say Djoker in 5, but Rafa winning really wouldn't surprise me. It's going to be a big match for the legacy of both players, that's for sure. I doubt either one will be able to stand by the end of it.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
I doubt either one will get more than 3 hours of sleep tonight.
The_Order
G.O.A.T.
He was nearly broken when serving for the match.
Going down a break in the 5th set is not a comprehensive victory. It could have gone either way.
Krish872007
Talk Tennis Guru
I just get the feeling the first set is more important for Nadal. Feel like he really needs to win it.
Sartorius
Hall of Fame
Halba
Hall of Fame
what about in the other slams. im sure they've been beaten by players in the top 50.
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
In case you didn't know, Rafa's fans refer to him as their Campeon all the time.
Halba
Hall of Fame
beaten by no.59 chung in AO 2018, and gulbis in wimbledon & kohlshchreiber in the us open r3...2018
lol terrible.
can lose to ANYONE
VaporDude95
Banned
And in case you didn’t know, he doesn’t “deserve” anything unless he wins it.
It’s quite strange. As a Federer fan generally I don’t want anyone of Nadal or Djokovic to win this tournament either. But I’m excited to watch the match tomorrow and hope for an all-time classic. I even go out to a friend (also a Federer fan by the way) early on Sunday morning to watch the match together. It’s just a big tennis match between the two most intense warriors this sport has ever seen.
Would it indeed be Zverev vs Khachanov I’m not even sure if I would have watched it alone at home.
How cocky and overconfident. And oh that SF PC was unbearable. He will get his a££ handed over to him by Rafa tomorrow. All are underestimating Rafa's form and how quickly he can return to form after injuries.
Has he taken leave of his senses? So classless.
Halba
Hall of Fame
yeah he should've remained quiet. He was over confident in the press conference. lets see if it backfires.
Vish13
Semi-Pro
Then who is voting for him?
