Adv. Edberg
Legend
I think Nadal has a shot at going really deep in Barcelona now. Nishi will be too strong but some more points at least.
Nah, Nadal and everybody else is still way behind Novack. We can just hand him the remaining 3 titles and get on with our lives.
Maybe I dont know. You are probably right on that. I cant really put an age limit on these guys anymore. I mean most of the top ten is over 28 if not all of them. And I think 6 of the top ten women were born in the 80s and there are two of them just out of the top ten who were. Hell one of them is retired and still number 12. The aging of tennis is happening right in front of our eyes. Every day.But I feel like it's harder to dominate for longer term.
Shorter and deeper domination.
It will be harder to see long term 6+ year domination as Sampras, Laver or Gonzalez.
At this stage, of course Nadal is behind Djoker. Too many injuries. Too many miles on the body. That said, if Djoker doesn't make the final, it doesn't
matter. If Djoker's level of play dips, Nadal showed this week that he can still win slams.
Nadal gets his first M1000 after 2 long years..
two words.. "Calm Down"..
Nah, he beat Thiem (a match Thiem should have won) otherwise he didn't beat any good players.
Outside of Djoker, there aren't any good players.
Maybe I dont know. You are probably right on that. I cant really put an age limit on these guys anymore. I mean most of the top ten is over 28 if not all of them. And I think 6 of the top ten women were born in the 80s and there are two of them just out of the top ten who were. Hell one of them is retired and still number 12. The aging of tennis is happening right in front of our eyes. Every day.
Outside of Djoker, there aren't any good players.
but doesn't he have some time off after Barcelona ?? and also if he plays Barcelona and Not win that one,,,,,,then People will just say ....RAFA is playing bad again......stuff like that..I doubt he can skip Barcelona since that and Madrid are his home country tournament! I sure he want to rest but he may say he is tired and Barcelona will understand! After all you can continue playing tennis without a rest. after winning a tournament and go in three days again! Too much to soon!
Yea and I dont see a any trend that its going to turn around. Alot of tennis fans blame the young guys but I dont. Many of them are saying oh these guys 21 to 26 suck. I dont think they are going to be super happy with they guys right behind them either. Cause these dudes who suck now at 21 to 26 are the ones who are going to be winning when the old generation retire.I know. Slam finalist ages are as old as those of 60s and 70s right now!
If someone does 6+ year domination, I think we will have a player with final sum of 20+ slams.
Ken rosewall won 25 majors. 10 of them after 30. 60s and 70s stuff.![]()
I am a big Rafa fan but come on...he failed to serve out sets like 3 times this week, failed to hold on to break leads even more times.Nadal showed this week that he can still win slams.
5-19 in finals for Monfils![]()
I am a big Rafa fan but come on...he failed to serve out sets like 3 times this week, failed to hold on to break leads even more times.
He played well, let's not go crazy.
but doesn't he have some time off after Barcelona ?? and also if he plays Barcelona and Not win that one,,,,,,then People will just say ....RAFA is playing bad again......stuff like that..
Well, the truth is that the clay field as we've just seen is so crap that he can afford to play like crap himself and still win , when the Djoker is away. And all this momentum from MC and Barca will actually propel him towards playing much much better when he actually gets to face Djoker in Rome/Madrid/RG.
Who is he going to lose to in Barcelona ? Nishikori ? Ferrer ? LOL.
Playing like crap until he reaches Novak does not sound like a good path to "momentum," and it in no way proves he's ready to win another major.
Also, Nishikori & Ferrer > Cuevas & Thiem (though Thiem is fast improving).
Exactly,, that is what I mean. if he has a off day,,,and plays bad against Ferrer or Verdasco then that could turn out not so goodWho is he going to lose to in Barcelona ? Nishikori ? Ferrer ? LOL.
Rafa was playing it safe because it was working and wearing down Gael. The first set should not have been close except for some Clutchfils play. Monfils upped his game and energy level in a last gasp in the 2nd set to break Rafa. Monfils managed his play and the match very well, he just doesn't have the stamina to win a third set against Nadal.I found that match hard to analyse - I feel Rafa should have won more easily and played it quite safe at times. Or maybe I'm not giving enough credit to Gael?
Rafa was playing it safe because it was working and wearing down Gael. The first set should not have been close except for some Clutchfils play. Monfils upped his game and energy level in a last gasp in the 2nd set to break Rafa. Monfils managed his play and the match very well, he just doesn't have the stamina to win a third set against Nadal.
I am a big Rafa fan but come on...he failed to serve out sets like 3 times this week, failed to hold on to break leads even more times.
He played well, let's not go crazy.
I am a big Rafa fan but come on...he failed to serve out sets like 3 times this week, failed to hold on to break leads even more times.
He played well, let's not go crazy.
There's nothing crazy about it. If Djoker's level of play drops, if he's upset, Nadal can win a slam, even at this level. The competition is putrid. If Nadal can win this tournament, he can win a slam. Stanimal, Murray - these are the players he would have to beat. It wouldn't exactly take a magical performance on his part.
There's nothing crazy about it. If Djoker's level of play drops, if he's upset, Nadal can win a slam, even at this level. The competition is putrid. If Nadal can win this tournament, he can win a slam. Stanimal, Murray - these are the players he would have to beat. It wouldn't exactly take a magical performance on his part.
Well said - today I was bit disappointed at how he played - however he just needed to get over the line and today was simply about winning/increasing confidence and hopefully we might see a more dominant Rafa shall we say.
Exactly. Winning this tournament is great for Nadal, both historically and in terms of his confidence right now.
But to say he's "back" or playing at a level to win a major is incorrect in my view.
Your sentiments are correct except for the bold part. Nobody has ever beaten Nadal on clay when he's near the top of his game. This will be an extremely competitive year on clay. Ferrer is the only one at the top declining (Berdych might be too, but both are very strong on clay for their careers.) Yes some of these players are unlikely to win the French Open, but the path to theses titles is a greuling one and the likes of Monfils, Thiem, Tsonga, Nishikori, Wawrinka, Gasquet, and Federer are all capable of pulling off an upset in a match. Nadal seems capable of grinding through these players even at 90-95% of his top game, but Djokovic may not treasure the experience.There's nothing crazy about it. If Djoker's level of play drops, if he's upset, Nadal can win a slam, even at this level. The competition is putrid. If Nadal can win this tournament, he can win a slam. Stanimal, Murray - these are the players he would have to beat. It wouldn't exactly take a magical performance on his part.
Please keep in mind that the word Barça in Spain is only used as a familiar name for football club Barcelona. It is NOT used to refer to the city of Barcelona or sports competitions organized in that city, or anything else. Only the football club. Nobody in Spain calls the city Barça.But Novak isn't' playing Barca , is he ? When Novak comes back from his nice little break and is a bit rusty and doesn't have enough clay matches under his belt, guess who'll be ready to pounce ? Yes, the MC and Barca champion.
I assume you're only talking about RG right now because right now that is the only slam that Nadal might win at this level, and that is still a big might. I wouldn't be saying "slams" in the plural.
Again, it goes back to the competition. Outside of Djoker there is no one. He beat Murray the last time they met on a hard court at the WTF. He beat Stan twice on hard courts at the end of last year. If Djoker goes down, who couldn't he beat? Sure, Nadal is inconsistent at this stage, but the competition is so poor that, even at this level, he is still capable of going on a roll and winning slams.
I hate it but agree with it.Your head is a bit up in the clouds today I'm afraid. How's he winning Wimbledon? That's not happening. How's he winning the USO when he's losing to Fognini and by the time the AO comes around next year Nadal's form is more likely to be gone than not. The man is almost 30 now. Expecting him to go "on a roll" and win slams in the plural is just unrealistic. Nadal is losing to "weak" competition. That's the point.
Not to mention that we don't yet know if he'll win RG. He's still more likely to lose there than he is not to. He didn't look great today. And this is all assuming he doesn't injure himself again.
Lol, I think you're getting a little bit over excited if you think Novak needs to do something special to stay ahead of Nadal right now vero. Two years is a long time though so I can't say I blame you.I think Rafa really earned that title. His draw was very tough. Very dramatic way to get back to top form.
I also think it's good for Novak because he needs a serious challenger not to get complacent. He's gonna need to come up with something very special now if he wants to a- keep the head to head edge and b- regain the master title record. We all know that when Nadal gets on a roll, he becomes close to unbeatable.
Lol, I think you're getting a little bit over excited if you think Novak needs to do something special to stay ahead of Nadal right now vero. Two years is a long time though so I can't say I blame you.![]()
Hmm, not sure what part of my post makes you think I'm afraid babe.I can smell the fear in this post.
Hmm, not sure what part of my post makes you think I'm afraid babe.![]()
So what am I supposed to say for you to think I'm not afraid?This one too.
So what am I supposed to say for you to think I'm not afraid?
Fair enough babe.There's nothing you can say, I know the truth.
Your head is a bit up in the clouds today I'm afraid. How's he winning Wimbledon? That's not happening. How's he winning the USO when he's losing to Fognini and by the time the AO comes around next year Nadal's form is more likely to be gone than not. The man is almost 30 now. Expecting him to go "on a roll" and win slams in the plural is just unrealistic. Nadal is losing to "weak" competition. That's the point.
Not to mention that we don't yet know if he'll win RG. He's still more likely to lose there than he is not to. He didn't look great today. And this is all assuming he doesn't injure himself again.