What Nadal needs to do on HC

sondraj

Semi-Pro
omg that is beautiful HC tennis, why doesn't he do more of that. When he is playing aggressive his game is really on. He just really needs to get out of that defensive frame of mind. I don't know why anybody got him started on that in the first place
 

kabob

Hall of Fame
Yeah, but look at who he's playing. Defensive counter-puncher man Lleyton Hewitt. He doesn't have time to be stepping into the court to hit forehands against the likes of Federer.
 

brolycjw

New User
Yeah, but look at who he's playing. Defensive counter-puncher man Lleyton Hewitt. He doesn't have time to be stepping into the court to hit forehands against the likes of Federer.

Yes, it's going to be more difficult against players like Federer, Berdych, Blake etc. people who play more aggressively. But he was able to show some improvement on his offensive game during the wimbledon season. I wouldn't say it would guarantee him a hard court title, but it's definitely going to improve his record on hard courts. I say 50-50 of offense and defense for now would be beneficial to his game.
 

kabob

Hall of Fame
What would benefit Nadal the most on hard courts is not burning himself out through the clay court season. Staying injury free is also a necessity. Don't forget that he's got quite a few HC titles under his belt already. I honestly don't think that any of us arm-chair tennis pros on this site has anything to offer Nadal that he hasn't heard before ;)
 

brolycjw

New User
He's probably trying to maximise his prize money and points during that season, as the titles there are pretty much a guarantee. Moreover, Federer would win those titles if Nadal doesn't play, and increase the point gap between them, which Nadal doesn't want. It may not seem like it, but Nadal probably wants the number one spot more than anyone else, even if it means playing through the entire clay court season.
 

NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
Hewitt was no joke in 2004, he still had quite abit of firepower left in him that year.



If you watched Nadal play Agassi in 2005, you'd know that he was attacking and putting Agassi on the defense, something we almost never see. Nadal when he gets himself into an agressive mind set can really rip the ball, but there are times when he chooses to spin it back rather then attack.
 
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NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
It makes me sick to think that that was three years ago. Nadal was 17-18?


He followed through alot more then on his forehand, resulting in flatter and more powerful forehands. I think he needs to do that more rather then his whipping action that he uses on clay.
 

8PAQ

Banned
Funny thing is Hewitt won that match 1-6 6-4 6-2. So yeah I agree, that's what Nadal needs to do more often. Lose to Hewitt.
 

Mr. Sean

Rookie
Its funny when he plays aggressive like that his style is alot like federers. Same whippy forehand when he flattens it out.
 

anointedone

Banned
He just needs to play like he did at the Pacific Life and the Nasdaq. If he plays like that it would be a real battle between him and Federer as usual if they played, and only a few others guys like Djokovic really playing at the absolute top of their games would have any chance.

He is very confident after Wimbledon and should carry that great form onto hard courts.
 

anointedone

Banned
Nadal should stay away from hard courts as much as possible. Play on clay and grass instead to keep his career long.

2 of the 4 slams are on hard courts though, and part of having as a great a career as possible is to succeed as much as possible on hard courts in the future. I definitely dont want him to shy away from hard courts, I want him to work on exceling on them as much as possible. He already has 3 Masters title on hard courts at only 21. He has massive hard court potential.
 

anointedone

Banned
Nadal has to play the slams and Masters Series but after that he should only play on clay and grass. Maybe grass court practice would be the best option since grass is close to hard courts in speed.

OK I misunderstood you, that is a good idea. He has plays enough smaller events for ranking points anyway. I think he could master hard courts with only playing Masters and the 2 slams.
 

NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
Funny thing is Hewitt won that match 1-6 6-4 6-2. So yeah I agree, that's what Nadal needs to do more often. Lose to Hewitt.


He was winning that match untill he just mentally fell apart. It was pretty early in his career, but early on in that match he was playing well. If he can flatten ou forehands like that on HC he would be a real contender at the USO and Australian Open.
 
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