Strong NADAL is Back!!!
- Thread starter hondas2k
- Start date
matchmaker
Hall of Fame
I knew that he'd find motivation to play for his country.
I think his problems over the past few months have been of various natures: physical and mental. I hope we get to see him back in his usual shape next year.
I think his problems over the past few months have been of various natures: physical and mental. I hope we get to see him back in his usual shape next year.
jazzyfunkybluesy
Banned
Uh oh he has beaten Berdych. Then he will definitely complete a grand slam in 2010. Don't even quibble its absolute fact written in stone.
markwillplay
Hall of Fame
naaaaa, I said all along that he would always be a huge threat on clay and especially in 3 out of 5. On hardcourt 2/3 sets..it's over. He will be tough in any tournament that is 3/5 because he has such a commitment to fitness and mental strength, but for the most part, I think he is done on all but clay. We will see at the Australian Open I guess where he has won before.
Congratulations to your boy Rafa, he just managed to beat a wahsed-up, inconsistent no hoper on his worst surface.
All-rounder
Legend
Great for him I wouldn't say he's back but he definatley played a good match on home surface
Michael Bluth
Semi-Pro
I've heard this before. After Berdych in the Cincinatti QF, Gonzalez in the US Open QF, Tsonga in the Paris QF.
Nadal beats an inconsistent, mentally weak fool, and people think he's back. Then once he goes up against the top dogs of the sport he gets smoked.
Nadal beats an inconsistent, mentally weak fool, and people think he's back. Then once he goes up against the top dogs of the sport he gets smoked.
namelessone
Legend
LOL at the OP. How the hell is Rafa back? Did you watch that first set? Sure,he played better after but the birdman flew away mentally after that. Nadal is playing mediocre CC tennis right now but as someone else said,mediocre Nadal on CC is way better than mediocre Nadal on HC.
He is still tentative on the BH and he misses with his FH still. One thing I did notice is that the clay helps his movement because he is still slow to take off but he can slide here and it helps him somewhat. Nadal has still a long ways to go game and confidence-wise. Did you see his celebrations today? Meant a lot to him,I guess,not because of this win necessarily but because he actually played something in the 2nd and third sets,he tried to take control and he did it. He will have to play A LOT better if he wants to win masters and GS's on clay. This will not cut it.
He is still tentative on the BH and he misses with his FH still. One thing I did notice is that the clay helps his movement because he is still slow to take off but he can slide here and it helps him somewhat. Nadal has still a long ways to go game and confidence-wise. Did you see his celebrations today? Meant a lot to him,I guess,not because of this win necessarily but because he actually played something in the 2nd and third sets,he tried to take control and he did it. He will have to play A LOT better if he wants to win masters and GS's on clay. This will not cut it.
You cannot just judge on one match and conclude that Rafa is completely back in form. Especially against a player that is no threat on clay.
Last year Roger crushed some of the average players on hard court. Did he finally became the same great, consistent player he once was? No. He was still struggling to play consistently, his forehand was erratic, became an UFE’s machine, and thus continue flaming out against the players he use to dominated. It took times for him to get back on track. For Nadal, he needs to do more than just win one match to convince everyone that he’s back again. Maybe win the slam first for start. As of now, he’s still a player who’s struggling to compete with the top ten players.
Last year Roger crushed some of the average players on hard court. Did he finally became the same great, consistent player he once was? No. He was still struggling to play consistently, his forehand was erratic, became an UFE’s machine, and thus continue flaming out against the players he use to dominated. It took times for him to get back on track. For Nadal, he needs to do more than just win one match to convince everyone that he’s back again. Maybe win the slam first for start. As of now, he’s still a player who’s struggling to compete with the top ten players.
jazzyfunkybluesy
Banned
Berdych is a Fed fanboy.
S
srinrajesh
Guest
test will come agaisnt top 10 players ..lets c if his level improves VS stepanek no.12
Was Roger back when he beat the same Berdych last year in Beijing??? How well did he play the next match?
BTW, Berdych is a much better hardcourt player than clay BTW.
T
TheMagicianOfPrecision
Guest
I understand that the Nadal-fans are gonna be happy with just about anything these days- But a win on clay vs Berdych, with 1 set finishing 7-5?? Come on ! 
Blinkism
Legend
I understand that the Nadal-fans are gonna be happy with just about anything these days- But a win on clay vs Berdych, with 1 set finishing 7-5?? Come on !
I thought it was a good win.
I don't agree with the OP that Nadal is back, fully.
He's on the right path.
A bagel over Berdych is better than no bagel, right?
T
TheMagicianOfPrecision
Guest
Its a good win- And im sure he is happy about it- it was the OP`s headline though that made me think its very exagurated...:shock: I mean, i watched Berdych on clay in Bastad the past 3 years and he looks like Bambi on ice.
Yeah, but you can’t expect Rafa is going to win the next GS. Also, Roger still struggles after USO.
Rafa will need to win more matches consistently to have a better picture.
namelessone
Legend
What did you think about his BH? Rafa seems to have some physical issues on the right side,why isn't he putting his weight into this shot like before? And today he had a chance,because the surface was slow,giving him more time to set up the shot. It's this that worries me the most. If he is not solid off both sides,he will have a tough time on all surfaces.
You're right about being back on the right track.
He talked in interviews about needing his confidence back, and this is a great step.
Omega_7000
Legend
Berdych is just in awe of Nadal. He practically accepted defeat before even stepping onto the court for crying out loud!
No, he beat him many times since then.
Berdych said that they are friends and if Rafa wouldn't have been injured, they would have played doubles together in Bangkok.
volleynets
Hall of Fame
This is an example of exactly what Nadal said himself:
As soon as he loses people say he is weak and tired etc. AS soon as he wins people say look how strong Nadal is.
Basically Nadal knows there is a bandwagon.
Blinkism
Legend
Well, Berdych did win Munich on clay this year against guys like Chardy, Hewitt, and Youzhny, so he's not a complete tool on clay. Not to mention his DC performances this year being good.
I think it was a good win for Nadal. At the very least, he won't be as nervous stepping out onto the clay courts next year with Switzerland in their Davis Cup tie, if he plays.
I thought that his groundies today were excellent in the 2nd and 3rd sets and he was actually *GASP* aggressive off his backhand. He even moved well to the backhand, which I don't think anyone expected. Then again, it's clay, so he's probably more comfortable putting the pressure on his knees.
I think it was a positive win, overall- including the struggle of the first set. An easy match across all 3 sets wouldn't have given Rafa much to think about after the match. But now, he can be confident that he kicked ass but also look at what he has to improve on from the 1st set.
Hopefully, this Davis Cup weekend will be just what he needs for his confidence.
Vamos Rafa!
The_Question
Hall of Fame
Seriously, these Nadal fanboys makes me laugh. Hell, I almost spit out my orange juice on my monitor laughing hard when I saw this thread title…
T
TheMagicianOfPrecision
Guest
Never said it wasnt a good win- Every win is a good win. But dont jump to conclusions, beating Berdych on clay is as if Team Canada beats France in Ice-hockey, even first period- Then mental check out for different reasons from the underdogs.
Am I the only one who thinks Nadal is in need of rebuilding his game on faster surfaces than playing on clay? The other players are rebuilding their games right now.
E36BMWM3
Hall of Fame
You too leave this thread for being ignorant
E36BMWM3
Hall of Fame
Thir one I'll say this to... Leave the thread for being ignorant.
To clarify for all you haters and idiots, this doesn't mean Nadal is BACK... it simply means that it was an important match win for him that will help his confidence and outlook on 2010.
Why? I’m speaking the truth. When Rafa played well, it’s all about how good is over the field. All of the sudden he loses, it isn’t about the other player was better, but something wrong with him. Go figure.
When he lost to Roger in Madrid, he’s too tired.
When he was cruising at the FO, he’s invincible. But when he lost to Soderling, he’s tired, injured, burn out, etc….
Now, he just beat a mediocre player on clay, he became a invincible again.
You gotta love these *******s.
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ReturnWinner
Rookie
Lets not overract, He beat Berdych on clay in Spain.
flyinghippos101
Legend
Nadal played at a mediocre level, not at his AO level. But Nadal's mediocre of clay is still enough to win sets and matches. Still hurrah for Nadal's first bagel in awhile. Hope to see a recovery for 2010
Bud
Bionic Poster
The last time he was injured was at the USO with an abdominal tear. He's been playing with no confidence, lately. Get with the program :wink:
Was it more HUGE, MASSIVE than Soderling at the FO?
P_Agony
Banned
Quite happy for him actually. He's had some tough losses, and it's not easy when you are one of the top two players in the sport and everyone expects you to win. I hope he builds some confidence for the AO so we could have a great quality torney like in this year.
I miss tennis matches :-(
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