Nadal News

tusharlovesrafa said:

Rafa has one of the most unique and powerful forehands of all time.His spin is something which is still very tough to deal with.The amount of effort which he puts in every forehand is mind boggling.But some peope here will never understand this stuff as they have put a fake veil on their face and acts like a so called "NADAL FAN"..

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vernonbc said:

Yes, I think so. However, there are some people who don't and that's who I was responding to. Rafa is not 'totally outclassed', his game is not 'severely lacking', he's not 'totally out of his depth in terms of tennis ability', he is 'a sound player technically', his 'technique' isn't 'lacking', he doesn't have a 'lack of ability' (and that's only the nonsense from the last page. I could make a much longer list from some posters other comments.) Rafa has beaten the others of the top 4 more often than they have beaten him. That's a simple fact. He must have done something right through the years and no, it wasn't only his ability to run and defend that allowed him to accrue that record. And let's not forget that he regularly defeats the other 99% of the players on the tour too. Rafa is second only to Bjorn Borg for career winning percentage in the open era.

I'm not sure Rafa has the most tools either although I would argue that just because his particular skill-set may be a little different than, say, Roger's, that his skills are any less remarkable. They certainly have been very effective. I've never said Rafa has the best everything but I'll argue every time against those who claim he isn't very very talented and I'll point out that the facts don't back up those who claim his accomplishments are somehow not fantastic.

Yes, it may be. C'est la vie. But tennis and everybody's records didn't start at the beginning of 2011. All the matches played before that count just as much as those played after. We'll have to see how things go. Djokovic is a formidable opponent for sure, but he is not unbeatable. Rafa was formidable in 2010 after his incredible year and look what happened. He lost the last hard fought match on a slightly mishit volley down the line and had he made it, the whole dialogue about the current state of men's tennis might be quite different. I for one am feeling positive about how Rafa will do in 2012.

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vernonbc said:

Yes, I think so. However, there are some people who don't and that's who I was responding to. Rafa is not 'totally outclassed', his game is not 'severely lacking', he's not 'totally out of his depth in terms of tennis ability', he is 'a sound player technically', his 'technique' isn't 'lacking', he doesn't have a 'lack of ability' (and that's only the nonsense from the last page. I could make a much longer list from some posters other comments.) Rafa has beaten the others of the top 4 more often than they have beaten him. That's a simple fact. He must have done something right through the years and no, it wasn't only his ability to run and defend that allowed him to accrue that record. And let's not forget that he regularly defeats the other 99% of the players on the tour too. Rafa is second only to Bjorn Borg for career winning percentage in the open era.

I'm not sure Rafa has the most tools either although I would argue that just because his particular skill-set may be a little different than, say, Roger's, that his skills are any less remarkable. They certainly have been very effective. I've never said Rafa has the best everything but I'll argue every time against those who claim he isn't very very talented and I'll point out that the facts don't back up those who claim his accomplishments are somehow not fantastic.

Yes, it may be. C'est la vie. But tennis and everybody's records didn't start at the beginning of 2011. All the matches played before that count just as much as those played after. We'll have to see how things go. Djokovic is a formidable opponent for sure, but he is not unbeatable. Rafa was formidable in 2010 after his incredible year and look what happened. He lost the last hard fought match on a slightly mishit volley down the line and had he made it, the whole dialogue about the current state of men's tennis might be quite different. I for one am feeling positive about how Rafa will do in 2012.

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TheTruth said:

The best thing about sports is its unpredictability, so putting out doom and gloom says more about the poster than what's actually going on inside the lines.

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dafinch said:

Live in the past much? Matches played before 2011 don't count as much as those after, because it ignores the little detail that Nole has improved, and nadal has NOT, to put it mildly. Even Nadal's dominance was basically on one surface: dirt. The pre-2011 record consisted of 9-0 on that surface, so obviously Nole was competitve on all other surfaces as a whole. Plus, historically, if Player A is at or near the top and dominating (younger) Player B, then B starts dominating, you won't find many instances where Player B re-established his dominance. McEnroe dominated Lendl, then the tide turned horribly. Mac got a plus for a while after following some tips from Don Budge and others, but the last several matches of their rivalry were very one sided in Lendl's favor. Nole can dominate Nadal on every surface, and, barring injury or something unusual happening, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to change any time soon...

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TheTruth said:

Yep. People approach things in many different ways, but it's easy to spot these "undercover" fans of other players who pretend to be a Nadal fan just to malign him, his character, his choices, and his talent. A waste of time methinks. Be a fan of whoever you choose to be, but hiding behind that "veil" is really pathetic.

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vernonbc said:

I think s/he's very young and immature and craves attention which s/he gets in spades by posting her nonsense.

(And I will not post about it again as I'm only adding to the problem. :???: )


Oops.


After seeing the pictures of the house, I can completely understand why Rafa would want to spend a couple of weeks there. What a gorgeous place.

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Juan Ma Del Pony said:

Quoted (and bolded) for truth. That's why I love Rafa so much, he added so much excitement to the men's game in 2008 that was sorely missed after the 2004-2007 years of total and complete non-clay domination by Federer.

EDIT: Special shoutout to Djoker as well, who got the ball rolling with his 2008 AO SF demolition derby of Federer. I knew that kid was special since his LOL press conference after the 2006 RG QF match.

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tusharlovesrafa said:

I have given up on clarky.I don't hate her,but she screws every one here so badly that this thread has turned into a mini fighting zone between clarky and other posters.I really don't understand that how can any person be even considered a "FAN" of rafa if she/he simply keeps on singing that rafa is an idiot,jerk,lunatic,brainless child and so on..:twisted:

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dafinch said:

Live in the past much? Matches played before 2011 don't count as much as those after, because it ignores the little detail that Nole has improved, and nadal has NOT, to put it mildly. Even Nadal's dominance was basically on one surface: dirt. The pre-2011 record consisted of 9-0 on that surface, so obviously Nole was competitve on all other surfaces as a whole. Plus, historically, if Player A is at or near the top and dominating (younger) Player B, then B starts dominating, you won't find many instances where Player B re-established his dominance. McEnroe dominated Lendl, then the tide turned horribly. Mac got a plus for a while after following some tips from Don Budge and others, but the last several matches of their rivalry were very one sided in Lendl's favor. Nole can dominate Nadal on every surface, and, barring injury or something unusual happening, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to change any time soon...

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dafinch said:

Live in the past much? Matches played before 2011 don't count as much as those after, because it ignores the little detail that Nole has improved, and nadal has NOT, to put it mildly. Even Nadal's dominance was basically on one surface: dirt. The pre-2011 record consisted of 9-0 on that surface, so obviously Nole was competitve on all other surfaces as a whole. Plus, historically, if Player A is at or near the top and dominating (younger) Player B, then B starts dominating, you won't find many instances where Player B re-established his dominance. McEnroe dominated Lendl, then the tide turned horribly. Mac got a plus for a while after following some tips from Don Budge and others, but the last several matches of their rivalry were very one sided in Lendl's favor. Nole can dominate Nadal on every surface, and, barring injury or something unusual happening, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for that to change any time soon...

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tusharlovesrafa said:

I have given up on clarky.I don't hate her,but she screws every one here so badly that this thread has turned into a mini fighting zone between clarky and other posters.I really don't understand that how can any person be even considered a "FAN" of rafa if she/he simply keeps on singing that rafa is an idiot,jerk,lunatic,brainless child and so on..:twisted:

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Clarky21 said:

Oh,and weren't you one of the people who argued that Nadal didn't buy this multi-million dollar mansion in the Dominican Republic after I posted that he had? Funny how that tune has changed now that he is making an entire trip there with ceremony included to do nothing but accept the keys to it. Commercial property? Yeah right. :lol:

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Nostradamus said:

why is nadal not playing in dubai ? tired of losing to the joker ?

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Nostradamus said:

why is nadal not playing in dubai ? tired of losing to the joker ?

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Mainad said:

He said before the Australian Open that he was taking the whole of February off! Guess we won't see him again until Indian Wells.

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MichaelNadal said:

I hope this break helps him.

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vernonbc said:

You make so much sense I don't know where to start. :???: Okay, we won't count any records from before 2011. Yay! Fed doesn't have any slams and the tiresome GOAT argument can go away.

And you don't like counting matches played on clay? Well I don't like matches played on hard. So let's just throw out the results of all those matches. That leaves grass and Rafa's ahead 2-1 so that means....Rafa is the CHAMPION!!!!! Oops. That includes pre-2011 so I guess I can't count Rafa's two victories on grass. Only the 2011 Wimbledon can count so now Novak is ahead 1-0. That settles it I guess. Djokovic is the bestest tennis player evah!!!!!!! All the records (that count) prove it.

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Clarky21 said:

This is one of the silliest arguments I have seen anyone come up with on here. ALL results count,even the ones before 2011. And using your logic,we could also say that since Djesus improved and Nadal got worse that the wins Djesus has had over Nadal over the past year don't count because Nadal is past his prime.

Oh,and and Fed would be made to look bad right along with Nadal using this failed logic since he lost 4 out of 5 matches last year to Djesus. I guess we may as well go ahead and annoint Djesus GOAT since the only results that count are 2011 and beyond.

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Clarky21 said:

He's in the DR right now so I doubt he will be training much. He's there for a ceremony where he gets the keys to his new mansion he had built there. Yes,I said a ceremony...to collect house keys. :roll:

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Clarky21 said:

You're arguing a moot point because Nadal is the least talented out of the top 4.

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TennisFan3 said:

That's pushing it IMO.

Based on pure tennis shotmaking ability and feel for the game, Fed is clearly the best. Djoko and Nadal could be tied. And Murray is easily the last. There's a bunch of things just plain wrong in Murray's game, not least his DTL forehand technique and his putrid second serve.

Nadal is outclassed against Djokovic not because he's a inferior player but because he doesn't have the tools at this time to surmount the matchup problem. If Nadal were a "significantly" inferior player to Djokovic, there is no way he would be beating the rest of the field so easily. It can be argued that in the Wimb, UsOpen 2011 - Nadal had an easier time against everyone else than Djokovic did. In other words, against Djokovic, Nadal underperforms "significantly" to what his ranking might suggest.

The problem that Nadal has against Djokovic is similar to what he has against guys like Davydenko and Nalbandian. Except Djoko doesn't miss like those guys, and he's now fitter and stronger than even Nadal.

Those who can't see the matchup problems probably never played tennis. In both the standard cross court rally patterns i.e
- Nadal's forehand to Djoko's backhand
- Nadal's backhand to Djoko's forehand

Rafa gets burned. His offensive play in pattern 1 is totally neutralized and pattern 2 is when Rafa gets behind and goes on defensive on his weaker wing. Djoko has the ability to expose Nadal's backhand much like Davy/Nalby etc do (when they play well). That's why the story of their matches is Nadal being pushed back and Djoko standing on the baseline. Unlike Davy/Nalby/others, Djoko can pound Nadal's backhand repeatedly without missing.

Trust me, when you are on a court against a player who neutralizes your strengths and doesn't allow you to go on offensive, it's almost impossible to play well or to remain mentally strong. Every time you try to get ahead in a rally, you get pushed back. It's incredibly debilitating. The only REAL option Nadal has against Djoko is to change direction inside out or DTL which are always low percentage shots for him.

In the 3rd set of the UsOpen final and after the 0-40 down in the 4th set of AO 2012 final - Nadal played some remarkable tennis, which is far above his usual level. He played with intensity, depth and aggression like a man possessed. Despite getting outclassed from the back of court, he somehow just willed himself to hit harder, flatter and push Djoko back. I haven't seen any other player fight like this when he's getting dominated throughout the match.

That said, it's almost impossible to for Nadal to play like this for the whole match. It's easier to do this when you're behind and have nothing to lose. Which is why it's hard for him to beat Djoko until the Serb plays at his current level..

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Clarky21 said:

I agree with some of what you say,but I still think Nadal is the least talented of the top four. You say Murray has no dtl fh,well Nadal has no dtl bh. Murray may have a weak second serve,but his first serve is better than Nadal's so he wins more cheap points off the serve than Nadal does even with a supposedly stronger second serve. He is also a better returner by leaps and bounds,and at this stage of both of their careers,moves better than Nadal does. He also has a great bh while Nadal has nothing but a pusher moonball backhand hit with no pace or depth. Andy also has a better slice,and is a slightly better volleyer. He is also a better tactician as well. I just don't see anything Nadal does a whole lot better than Andy except that he is stronger mentally,and Andy is catching up with him in that department as well.

As for Djesus and Fed their results are self explanatory. Fed is obviously better than Nadal at everything their h2h be d*mned,and Cvac is just better than Nadal as well. It just took him longer to hit his peak/prime so it wasn't as blatantly obvious as it is now.

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MichaelNadal said:

Lol at Murray being more talented than Nadal, I like the guy buy come on. And TF3 has a point about Djokovic, it's more a matchup issue than a question of talent. Is Rafa more talented than Fed bc he's a favorable matchup? Get right Clarky.

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Clarky21 said:

Not even close,but I do think Djesus is more talented than Nadal. He does things Nadal does not do,and has never been able to do. Such as taking the ball on the rise,and changing the direction of his shots with ease. He also has no weakness on either side unlike Nadal who has no backhand to speak of,and cannot seem to hit the ball past the service boxes. He also stands closer to the baseline and is more aggressive,his the ball deeper,and also has a better serve. He moves better as well. The only reason Djesus struggled against Nadal in the past is because he physically couldn't hang with him,not because Nadal is more talented. And as we have all seen over the past year,ever since he caught up stamina wise Nadal hasn't stood a chance against him.

And laugh if you must but Andy does have a better game,except for the forehand. He just can't control his emotions,and it has cost him. I think all that will change now that he is being coached by Lendl. Hopefully he will finally live up to his abilites instead of lagging behind.

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MichaelNadal said:

Lol at Murray being more talented than Nadal, I like the guy buy come on. And TF3 has a point about Djokovic, it's more a matchup issue than a question of talent. Is Rafa more talented than Fed bc he's a favorable matchup? Get right Clarky.

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Clarky21 said:

I agree with some of what you say,but I still think Nadal is the least talented of the top four. You say Murray has no dtl fh,well Nadal has no dtl bh. Murray may have a weak second serve,but his first serve is better than Nadal's so he wins more cheap points off the serve than Nadal does even with a supposedly stronger second serve. He is also a better returner by leaps and bounds,and at this stage of both of their careers,moves better than Nadal does. He also has a great bh while Nadal has nothing but a pusher moonball backhand hit with no pace or depth. Andy also has a better slice,and is a slightly better volleyer. He is also a better tactician as well. I just don't see anything Nadal does a whole lot better than Andy except that he is stronger mentally,and Andy is catching up with him in that department as well.

As for Djesus and Fed their results are self explanatory. Fed is obviously better than Nadal at everything their h2h be d*mned,and Cvac is just better than Nadal as well. It just took him longer to hit his peak/prime so it wasn't as blatantly obvious as it is now.

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TennisFan3 said:

Come'on ..you're way off base. Let's compare:

Movement: Nadal marginally
Footwork: Nadal easily
Anticipation: Murray marginally
Volleys: Nadal easily
Forehand: Nadal easily
backhand: Murray easily
ROS: Murray easily
Fitness/Stamina: Nadal easily
Intangibles: Nadal easily
First serve: About equal ( Murray has a bigger serve but low percentage. Nadal backs his serve way better)
2nd serve: Nadal easily
slice: Murray
transition game: Nadal easily
Defense: About equal
Offense: Nadal easily
_________________

So the only thing Murray does "significantly" better than Nadal are ROS and backhand. These are more than compensated by Nadal's VASTLY superior forehand, better footwork, more offensive capabilities and FAR FAR better intangibles.. How the hell is Nadal LESS talented than Murray?

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reversef said:

Still discussing who's better? I'm not sure that there is an answer.
Anyway, it's surprising that nobody linked some of the great interviews he did for the spanish TV. Here is the last one. If you understand spanish, that interview is a must IMO. Great attitude and incredible class as usual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qLT8OzG9cY&feature=player_embedded

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TennisFan3 said:

Hi reversef - could you please help with the translation of this for those who don't understand Spanish?

Not the whole thing - but the crux of anything important Nadal said. Did he say anything about his training, upcoming clay season, change of strategy, technical stuff and the like?

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vernonbc said:

On the tv special they had for Rafa on Thursday night, they showed the one time he went kinda nuts on the umpire, at the WTF against Berdych. It's funny to watch him watching it. You can tell he still believes he was completely right. He's so competitive. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi370UlGfJU

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TennisFan3 said:

Hi reversef - could you please help with the translation of this for those who don't understand Spanish?

Not the whole thing - but the crux of anything important Nadal said. Did he say anything about his training, upcoming clay season, change of strategy, technical stuff and the like?

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TennisFan3 said:

Hi reversef - could you please help with the translation of this for those who don't understand Spanish?

Not the whole thing - but the crux of anything important Nadal said. Did he say anything about his training, upcoming clay season, change of strategy, technical stuff and the like?

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Crisstti said:

It is funny to watch. They showed a part of the press conference afterwards that I hadn't seen before, where he said that the umpire was influenced by him (Rafa), but that the umpire cannot (shouldn't) allow himself to be influenced in his decisions by a player. And he is completely right...

After the video ends, I THINK he says he was clearly wrong in the way he argued with Bernardes. I don't really speak a word of Mallorquin, but it sounded very much like that. I think he also said it was a monumentally wrong umpiring decision, and by an umpire like Bernardes.

Someone should put subtitles to those videos...

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reversef said:

Tennisfan3, I fear that you would get disappointed if you watched that interview from a tennis point of view. He was asked about tennis, of course, but it was pretty conventional. He wants to keep fighting like he did in the AO and be ready when he gets opportunities, Djokovic is better than him and everybody else at the moment,...
The most interesting part of the interview is when the interviewer asks him about the recent controversies, including the tax issues (and the spanish situation generally speaking). That's the "unique" moment of the interview IMO. He was great. I think he got a very good response in Spain with that interview. Very careful, delicate and smart with such a delicate subject. The right words.

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vernonbc said:

Is this one in Spanish or Mallorquin? There aren't too many people around who can translate his Mallorquin interviews which is unfortunate as that's where he is most comfortable and where you can really get to know what he's all about.

ESPN has a brief summary of the interview. http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/138425.html I've read on other forums that he's very positive about his tennis and is looking forward to getting back to it.

I've also read very positive reviews of the interview and much praise for him being so open and willing to answer any questions. I believe the lady that interviewed him isn't a sports journalist so it was an excellent interview because it wasn't tennis oriented, it was more just about him and life. He talked not just about the taxes but about the French and those idiotic cartoons and his support at the FO.

Even though I don't understand any Spanish I loved watching the interview. His eyebrow was working overtime and there were lots of dimples and warm smiles. He's such a cutie.

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Crisstti said:

It's in Spanish. BTW, I thought he was staying in the Dominican Republic?.

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Lol at people saying Rafa isn't smart.

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The 20th annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party hosted by Sir Elton John and David Furnish raised $5.25 million for the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Attendees at the Sunday night gala included Steven Tyler, Gwen Stefani and No Doubt, Quincy Jones, Heidi Klum, Katy Perry, Dave Grohl, Smokey Robinson, Ian Somerhalder & Nina Dobrev, Adam Lambert, Mischa Barton, Billie Jean King, Brooklyn Decker, Kyle MacLachlan, Lorraine Bracco, Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen, Mena Suvari and a million others.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner while viewing of the 84th Academy Awards telecast…dinner was prepared by Chef Cat Cora, the first and only female Iron Chef on The Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.” Her amazing meal-which did not include tapas- was followed by an auction which proved that Rafael Nadal is in high demand.

A tennis lesson with the 10 time Grand Slam Champion sold for $190,000- TWICE; an in-home cooking class for up to ten people with Chef Cat Cora sold for $100,000 to Steve Tisch, owner of the NFL champion New York Giants; the opportunity to join Elton John and David Furnish at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party sold for $230,000. Vamos.

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reversef said:

Tennisfan3, I fear that you would get disappointed if you watched that interview from a tennis point of view. He was asked about tennis, of course, but it was pretty conventional. He wants to keep fighting like he did in the AO and be ready when he gets opportunities, Djokovic is better than him and everybody else at the moment,...
The most interesting part of the interview is when the interviewer asks him about the recent controversies, including the tax issues (and the spanish situation generally speaking). That's the "unique" moment of the interview IMO. He was great. I think he got a very good response in Spain with that interview. Very careful, delicate and smart with such a delicate subject. The right words.

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CMM said:

It has been confirmed that Rafa will play an exhibition on Real Madrid's stadium in July, after Wimbledon. It's not yet confirmed that the opponent will be Federer, but I don't think they would do such a big event and use someone else. Maybe Djokovic, but I don't think Rafa would like that.

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Benhur said:

To me the most interesting part was the quote. Around 4:50 into the interview they put a quote from Nadal on the screen saying:

Perder 6 finales (contra Djokovic) te da una cierta tranquilidad. Si has perdido 6, ¿por qué no perder la séptima?

Which can be translated as:

“Losing 6 finals (against Djokovic) has a certain calming effect [or “gives you a certain peace,” or even “is kind of soothing”] If you’ve lost 6, why not lose the seventh one as well?”

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vernonbc said:

Woot. I like that. What a thrill it will be for Rafa to play in that stadium, in front of all those people, and it's another chance for him to play on grass to get ready for the Olympics. Federer would be the biggest draw, that's for sure and yeah, I'm not sure Djokovic would be that welcome by either Rafa or the fans. Maybe David Ferrer? The Spanish crowd would love that.

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