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    Nadal News 2.0

    This looks like a normal practice. Vamos. :)
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    Nadal News 2.0

    First (?) time I get the impression Rafa is managing his body for the clay court season. He is clearly not as match fit for IW as he was for Brisbane; looks like he will play safe at IW. I have tickets for Thursday night. :)
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    Nick Kyrgios says there is no way Sampras/Agassi/Mcenroe would survive in Today's Game

    Not a good analyst, although he clearly thinks very highly of himself. Works to opponents advantage.
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    When did Djokovic play better at Roland Garros, 2011 semi-final or 2021 semi-final?

    I have to rewatch 2021 match. But in the 2011 match Novak had a significant mental lapse at the beginning of the 2nd set. Was still reeling from the 1st set loss.
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    Ranks the following levels - Novak USO 10 final, Novak USO 13 final, Rafa RG 15 quarter, Rafa RG 21 semi

    Great question: 2015 clearly worst, Rafa low point 2010 final, Djokovic ascending Hard to choose between the other too. Nadal was very close to taking it to 5th, so probably that’s top.
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    Novak Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivansevic says that Djokovic was ‘100% healthy’ vs Sinner at the Australian Open

    Perfectly orchestrated to create doubt about the true state of djokovics health. For the mentally unstable, Goran ivanisevics press release confirms that Djokovic was injured. :p
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    Nadal News 2.0

    He beat 4 top 10 payers, but got slightly lucky with zverev. That could have easily been a 5 hour or longer match in those conditions since Zverev is superfit. And of course we always take the enthusiasm factor into account. :P
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    Nadal News 2.0

    One of my favorite unique memories of Rafa, maybe his 2021 match vs. schwartzman at RG. Rafa was already ahead a break, I believe in the 3rd set, and there is a typical brutal rally with schwartzman; Rafa literally just walked away from the last shot of the point. Like he was done with this...
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    Nadal News 2.0

    Rafa looked sharp but don't forget Rafa also didn't need that much time to get his game to the 250 level in 2013, with the caveat that that was clay. He made the final in his first tournament and won the next tournament. The first quality player he faced was in the 3rd tournament. No idea how...
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    Nadal News 2.0

    2013 comeback was epic. Just thinking back to how he started in the SA swing, took a risk to enter Indian wells, entered all of the big clay court events and built his game back up for the inevitable meeting with Djokovic in RG. Goosebumps. That’s not going to happen again.
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    Tactical Observations from the AO 2024 Men's Final

    Really interesting summary. I also noticed that Medvedev's cc fh was really improved in this match. Usually his CC fh is simply a neutral rally shot to get the point going and he doesn't do much with it. Really good players can typically go there and take a breather in the rally. But not on...
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    Australian Open SF: Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner

    Agree with Djokovic, a terrible performance. Where was the fight? He usually finds a way to pump himself up, but didn't see anything like that even after winning the 3rd set. Don't want to put too much stock into it, but wonder if the crowd being on his side messed up the usual way he pumps...
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    Nadal News 2.0

    great to hear he is training again. I really want to watch him play a clay court tournament in Europe this year.
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    Please explain to me why Djokovic won't win the Australian Open (2024)

    Lots of good players that should not be underestimated. Alcaraz could suffocate Djokovic like Djokovic did Federer in the 2008 AO final.
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    Viewpoint: Nadal's Forehand is the best, and it's not even close

    Haven't read the whole thread but extremely reductive analysis by OP in the first post. Rafa's advantages vs his rivals are more than just a top-tier fh. Imo Rafa's greatest advantage is that in key moments of matches he would unlock underused aspects of his game and then execute at a crazy...
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    Nadal News 2.0

    Good move. Looking forward to seeing him on clay.
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    What’s wrong with what Rafa said about Federer v Djokovic?

    Rafa sums up things nicely. What sets the rivalries apart is that Federer set an unbelievable bar over the 2003-2005 period. Then over a period of 4 years rafa systematically chipped away at Federer's stratospheric no. 1 point total. This happened over many years and included many "small" and...
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    A great comeback by rafa in this tournament. It was 3+ hours of high level tennis in the 3rd match. Now let's wait and see. :cool:
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    Nadal is looking the slowest he's ever been ... Is he quicker than 2005 Agassi ? ...

    Funny, but interesting comparison. Rafa in the first 3 matches was A LOT faster than Agassi in 2005.
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    Nadal News 2.0

    It was a high level match for 3+ hours. :cool: Now just have to wait and see. Vamos.
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    His serve has improved steadily (again) on non-grass surfaces since Moya took over. 1st the 1st serve; then the second serve.
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    Rune seems to up his level vs. great (top 10) players. He's also crafty and willing to take calculated risks in key moments of matches. If he keeps a decent serve percentage can beat Rafa imo.......will have a good shot if they meet.
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    Nadal News 2.0

    Did he come back from a 0-40 in the second match?
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    I am still thinking about that fh that Rafa absolutely crunched through the center of the court.
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    AO.....Will it be off the chain or not?

    Shaping up to be an amazing ao. So many dangerous players in this moment. Wouldn’t surprise me if Ao is the slam with most 5 setters.
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    The above highlights really show off rune's skills and improvisations. He's already improved his serve massively since he joined the tour. Only a matter of time before he gets to top 5 imo. A nadal/rune final would be electric.
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    Djokovic admits that he was outplayed for most of the W 2019 final despite winning the match outright

    An amazing performance. Seemed like Novak was playing his b+ game for large chunks of the match.
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    Nadal absolutely thumping his BH?

    Many players can step in and crush shots when players leave balls short. People commented on this for Rafa in 2008 Wimbledon final and 2009 ao. Imo Rafa for a long time would not actively attack cc bhs on non clay surfaces; sometimes leave balls short. Novak was the first one to make him pay...
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    ATP250 Brisbane International 2024

    This is the first layoff where he had reported sports related surgery. All of the prior reported interventions were less intensive iirc. 2009 was a fun time on here.
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    Nadal News 2.0

    Always the most creative.
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