Nadal: I play my best tennis on grass

zagor

zagor

Bionic Poster
I'm sure Fed would prefer to play Nadal on grass than on clay every day of the year.Funny how Nadal also says that Wimbledon is his favourite tournament(along with many top players),some of his fans here were stating how Wimbledon isn't THAT important,it looks like to Nadal it is.
 
CityHeightsTennis

CityHeightsTennis

Rookie
i believe Nadal does play his best tennist at grass, but federer plays even better. And Nadal just owns Fed in clay because Fed can't play for crap on clay...
 
TheTruth

TheTruth

G.O.A.T.
Nadal has said Wimbledon was the tournament he most wanted to win since he first came on the tour. That doesn't mean we as fans are supposed to think like him.
 
B

bolo

G.O.A.T.
CityHeightsTennis said:
i believe Nadal does play his best tennist at grass, but federer plays even better. And Nadal just owns Fed in clay because Fed can't play for crap on clay...
Click to expand...

well put, although fed. is the 2nd best clay courter right now and has been for a while. Nadal has always said wimbledon is what he really wants. Nothing new there.
 
DarkSephiroth

DarkSephiroth

Rookie
Not to Compare Federer and Nadal yet again but...

I think Nadal and Federer are equally tough on Clay / Grass, respectively.

I think Nadal has a much better chance of beating Federer on Grass than Federer has at beating Nadal on Clay.

But, I think there is a greater chance that Nadal will get knocked out at Wimbledon before facing Federer versus the chance of Federer getting knocked out @ Rolland Garros before facing Nadal.

Interesting points? =D
 
daddy

daddy

Legend
Rhino said:
Nadal said today at Queens "I probably play my best tennis on this surface", and about Wimbledon last year he says "I lost a good chance to win my favourite tournament.”

Somehow I think the other players would rather meet him at Queens than at Roland Garros :)

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport...arning-I-play-best-tennis-grass.html?ITO=1490
Click to expand...

I agree. Queens is a bit faster and it suits him not so good as Wimby. There's a lot of sliding on these todays grass courts which can only help him - I can imagine. He is a huge hitter also, he can flatten out the serve these days and forehand was always a danger shot from that guy.
 
Z

Zaragoza

Banned
ACE of Hearts said:
I thought his favorite was RG?
Click to expand...

Nadal is a polite guy and he often says his favourite tournament is the one he´s playing or about to play. I remember him say that Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Rome, R.Garros and Wimbledon were "his favourite tournament" (let alone Davis Cup and Olympics).
He just likes tennis and enjoys playing all these tournaments with great tradition.
 
ACE of Hearts

ACE of Hearts

Bionic Poster
I will say that Roger wont win the FO if Nadal is always in the final and that who will take 3 sets from Roger at wimbledon?Its a tough task even if Rafa took him to 5 last year.I dont like Rafa's game but i like his fight and determination.
 
skraggle

skraggle

Professional
Nadal gave Federer everything he could handle in last year's Wimby finals. I think Nadal can take him there given his pwnage of Federer at the FO. Nadal is getting better at other surfaces while Fed has regressed a little.
 
ACE of Hearts

ACE of Hearts

Bionic Poster
Nadal played well giving the conditions but whose to say that those conditions will be the same again?I am not saying he cant win wimbledon but i dont know if he can beat Fed on grass just like i dont think Roger can beat Nadal on clay.
 
miniRafa386

miniRafa386

Hall of Fame
ACE of Hearts said:
Nadal played well giving the conditions but whose to say that those conditions will be the same again?I am not saying he cant win wimbledon but i dont know if he can beat Fed on grass just like i dont think Roger can beat Nadal on clay.
Click to expand...

yes

skraggle said:
Nadal gave Federer everything he could handle in last year's Wimby finals. I think Nadal can take him there given his pwnage of Federer at the FO. Nadal is getting better at other surfaces while Fed has regressed a little.
Click to expand...

yes again.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
ACE of Hearts said:
Nadal played well giving the conditions but whose to say that those conditions will be the same again?I am not saying he cant win wimbledon but i dont know if he can beat Fed on grass just like i dont think Roger can beat Nadal on clay.
Click to expand...

Yes, Nadal has never and will never be as good as Federer on grass. The only chance for Nadal to beat Federer on grass is if he plays out of his mind, and Federer doesn't play that well. That almost happened last year, but Federer still could've played quite a bit better than last year.

And of course, the slowing down of the grass, and increasing of the bounce, helped him. Hopefully, that has been reversed (not b/c I dislike Nadal, just because I want Wimbledon to be Wimbledon, not the baseline being almost clay by the final).
 
edmondsm

edmondsm

Legend
Nadal is talking out of his ass. He almost lost to Robert Kendrick two years ago at Wimbledon. Would that have happened at any clay court tournament........no.
 
Cup8489

Cup8489

G.O.A.T.
edmondsm said:
Nadal is talking out of his ass. He almost lost to Robert Kendrick two years ago at Wimbledon. Would that have happened at any clay court tournament........no.
Click to expand...

so what? he may still LIKE the tournament more..and sometimes he will run into someone who's game matches up well against him...

personally i know that i'm better on clay (green clay, haven't found a red clay court yet) than i am on grass, but i love grass alot more.
 
P

paterson

New User
I wonder if Nadal would have the same opinion about Wimbledon if the 1990's style grass-courts were still in place. When the surface was ridiculously quick and the bounces were low and uneven.


It's a credit to the All England club that they did somthing about it
and used a new Rye grass which created equal oppurtunities for all.

There is no doubt that Nadal would have had the same attitude as other clay specialist like Guga, Muster, Corretja and Rios had they not slowed the surface and changed the bounce.
 
N

NamRanger

G.O.A.T.
paterson said:
I wonder if Nadal would have the same opinion about Wimbledon if the 1990's style grass-courts were still in place. When the surface was ridiculously quick and the bounces were low and uneven.


It's a credit to the All England club that they did somthing about it
and used a new Rye grass which created equal oppurtunities for all.

There is no doubt that Nadal would have had the same attitude as other clay specialist like Guga, Muster, Corretja and Rios had they not slowed the surface and changed the bounce.
Click to expand...



I don't see the French Open changing their surface to accommodate HC or Grass players.
 
lambielspins

lambielspins

Banned
paterson said:
There is no doubt that Nadal would have had the same attitude as other clay specialist like Guga, Muster, Corretja and Rios had they not slowed the surface and changed the bounce.
Click to expand...

There is no doubt you are wrong on that. Perhaps he would not have the same results, but he sure as heck would not have the attitude of those you mentioned. It is just not in his makeup. If that were going to happen he would get that attitude on fast hard courts, and whether his results are the best or not he busts his ass off trying and obviously cares a ton.
 
HyperHorse

HyperHorse

Banned
I think Nadal enjoys playing on grass because it's a different approach compared to clay, and it's a lot easier on the joints. Plus no Spainard has won @ Wimbledon for a long, long time..
He's enjoying it because he's also having to learn different skills FOR grass.. eg, flattening out the groundstrokes, learning to hit with slice, volleying, using the flat serve and the slice slider out wide...
And it's the extreme opposite to clay, he knows he has to be aggressive.
And on grass he can still run around since it's not as much strain on the joints as on the hardcourts, which is why i think he hasn't done well @ US Open...
Plus their scheduling is fubar.
 
T

tennis_hand

Hall of Fame
Rhino said:
Nadal said today at Queens "I probably play my best tennis on this surface", and about Wimbledon last year he says "I lost a good chance to win my favourite tournament.”

Somehow I think the other players would rather meet him at Queens than at Roland Garros :)

http://www.mailonsunday.co.uk/sport...arning-I-play-best-tennis-grass.html?ITO=1490
Click to expand...


LOL.

sounds like giving himself some confidence and energy, playing the chicken-egg game.

it is like he saying he plays his best tennis on hard courts sometimes.
well..
 
Rhino

Rhino

Legend
tennis_hand said:
LOL.

sounds like giving himself some confidence and energy, playing the chicken-egg game.

it is like he saying he plays his best tennis on hard courts sometimes.
well..
Click to expand...

Yes that's it. Do you remember that clip of Nadal playing with Serena Williams on top of a hotel in Dubai on what appeared to be water?

Rafael-Nadal.png


Nadal said that day "I play my best tennis on water".
 
N

Not fulltime player

New User
Zaragoza said:
Nadal is a polite guy and he often says his favourite tournament is the one he´s playing or about to play. I remember him say that Barcelona, Monte Carlo, Rome, R.Garros and Wimbledon were "his favourite tournament" (let alone Davis Cup and Olympics).
He just likes tennis and enjoys playing all these tournaments with great tradition.
Click to expand...

He´s saying Wimby is hes favourite since he was playing futures and challengers.
 
D

Deleted member 3771

Guest
Nadal is already better than Fed on grass as of 2007. The only thing that stopped Nadal in 2007 was the twisted knee.
 
drive

drive

Semi-Pro
dh003i said:
Yes, Nadal has never and will never be as good as Federer on grass. The only chance for Nadal to beat Federer on grass is if he plays out of his mind, and Federer doesn't play that well. That almost happened last year, but Federer still could've played quite a bit better than last year.

And of course, the slowing down of the grass, and increasing of the bounce, helped him. Hopefully, that has been reversed (not b/c I dislike Nadal, just because I want Wimbledon to be Wimbledon, not the baseline being almost clay by the final).
Click to expand...

Nadal played much better than Fed last year. Even Federer said that he was lucky to win.
 
D

Deleted member 21996

Guest
He is right and proof of this is the second set against Nishi at Queens
 
D

dh003i

Legend
paterson said:
It's a credit to the All England club that they did somthing about it
and used a new Rye grass which created equal oppurtunities for all.
Click to expand...

Typical disgusting attitude from a biased fan of the clay-court season. You guys wanted to be essentially clay-season all year long. That's horrible. Wimbledon should be Wimbledon, with grass that provides incentive to S&V. It should not be made easier for clay-court specialists. The FO hasn't made their surface faster, or switched to green clay, to make it easier for all-court, S&V, and HC players.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
drive said:
Nadal played much better than Fed last year. Even Federer said that he was lucky to win.
Click to expand...

Whatever. Federer played better, that's why he won. Accept it. Quit your whining. The player who wins is the player who played better. He was mentally stronger, which is why he won their two tie-breaks. He pulled out huge serves whenever he was in trouble on serve. And he still could have played better (plus the grass being made even slower and higher-bouncing helped Nadal).

Federer is the better player on grass, by far. If he plays his best, even on that disgraceful clay-like grass, Nadal has no chance to beat him at Wimbledon.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
TheNatural said:
Nadal is already better than Fed on grass as of 2007. The only thing that stopped Nadal in 2007 was the twisted knee.
Click to expand...

That's a load of BS. Nadal played out of his mind that final, and it still wasn't enough to beat Federer. Federer is just the better player on grass, it doesn't matter what Nadal does. The only chance he has to win is if Federer doesn't play his A-game on grass. That almost happened last year, but Federer was mentally stronger than Nadal (won both tie-breaks), and had clutch serving.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
drive said:
Nadal played much better than Fed last year. Even Federer said that he was lucky to win.
Click to expand...

No, he didn't. Who plays better is the player who won. Period. End of discussion. Get over it and quit your whining. He had a chance to win, sure. He didn't, because Federer was just incredibly mentally strong and clutch.
 
0d1n

0d1n

Hall of Fame
TheNatural said:
Nadal is already better than Fed on grass as of 2007. The only thing that stopped Nadal in 2007 was the twisted knee.
Click to expand...

drive said:
Nadal played much better than Fed last year. Even Federer said that he was lucky to win.
Click to expand...


You people need to stop taking pharmaceuticals, they are bad for your mental health.
a) There was no "knee problem" he was running around like a freakin' cheetah.
b) If he would have played much better he would have won the match.
 
D

dh003i

Legend
0d1n said:
You people need to stop taking pharmaceuticals, they are bad for your mental health.
a) There was no "knee problem" he was running around like a freakin' cheetah.
b) If he would have played much better he would have won the match.
Click to expand...

They're just poor losers and poor sports.
 
fednad

fednad

Hall of Fame
TheNatural said:
Nadal is already better than Fed on grass as of 2007. The only thing that stopped Nadal in 2007 was the twisted knee.
Click to expand...

And Federer was better than Sampras in 2001 itself.
So now Nadal is better than Sampras.
Voila,,,,NAdal is not only greater than the current five times defending champion, he is actually bigger and greater than the greatest champion that Wimbledon has seen till date.
 
C

cueboyzn

Professional
dh003i said:
That's a load of BS. Nadal played out of his mind that final, and it still wasn't enough to beat Federer. Federer is just the better player on grass, it doesn't matter what Nadal does. The only chance he has to win is if Federer doesn't play his A-game on grass. That almost happened last year, but Federer was mentally stronger than Nadal (won both tie-breaks), and had clutch serving.
Click to expand...

Federer did not play near his best in last years final and he still won against Nadal who was on fire by lifting his game when it mattered the most. He overcame a lot of things like the line calls etc which unsettled him and Nadal who was hanging on like a pit bull. Plus the roof being off last year let wind into the stadium which Roger hates and this definitely played a part in Roger's overall performance last year being below the standard of his superb performance in 2006. Bottom line Roger is just the best on grass and has another level to go to when threatened. The same goes for the DecoTurf at the US Open which IMO is faster than the grass at Wimbledon.
 
jmsx521

jmsx521

Hall of Fame
He plays his best tennis on grass? He must be smoking something!

Sorry Rafa... nothing bad against you, but I couldn't resist.
 
Last edited:
F

fastdunn

Legend
ACE of Hearts said:
Nadal played well giving the conditions but whose to say that those conditions will be the same again?I am not saying he cant win wimbledon but i dont know if he can beat Fed on grass just like i dont think Roger can beat Nadal on clay.
Click to expand...

I am not so sure. Last year's final was pretty close. Grass is quicker but share some common characteristics with clay: uncertain bounce, uncertain footing and easy on joints.

Now that grass is a bit slower and bouncier, it rewards great runner like Nadal who hits with large margin. You know Federer footwork is great and hits with pretty darn good spins himself.

I don't think their games are as much different as what people think.
I think their levels are pretty close on these two organic surfaces.
 
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Babb

Babb

Professional
CityHeightsTennis said:
i believe Nadal does play his best tennist at grass, but federer plays even better. And Nadal just owns Fed in clay because Fed can't play for crap on clay...
Click to expand...
Wow, that's the most unintelligent remark I've heard today. I guess getting to the finals at Roland Garros means nothing in terms of Fed's clay court prowess.
 
wangs78

wangs78

Legend
DarkSephiroth said:
Not to Compare Federer and Nadal yet again but...

I think Nadal and Federer are equally tough on Clay / Grass, respectively.

I think Nadal has a much better chance of beating Federer on Grass than Federer has at beating Nadal on Clay.

But, I think there is a greater chance that Nadal will get knocked out at Wimbledon before facing Federer versus the chance of Federer getting knocked out @ Rolland Garros before facing Nadal.

Interesting points? =D
Click to expand...

I concur. Good points. The point is that Fed just doesn't play his best against Nadal, primarily bc Nadal doesn't LET Fed play his best. But on grass, Fed can still win when not at his best.
 
R

raiden031

Legend
DarkSephiroth said:
Not to Compare Federer and Nadal yet again but...

I think Nadal and Federer are equally tough on Clay / Grass, respectively.

I think Nadal has a much better chance of beating Federer on Grass than Federer has at beating Nadal on Clay.

But, I think there is a greater chance that Nadal will get knocked out at Wimbledon before facing Federer versus the chance of Federer getting knocked out @ Rolland Garros before facing Nadal.

Interesting points? =D
Click to expand...

I think this pretty much amounts to the fact that Nadal is kryptonite for Federer regardless of how they do against others.
 
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