2016 US Open Round 16 - Rafael Nadal vs. Lucas Pouille

[marc45]

Tom Perrotta ‏@TomPerrotta 23m23 minutes ago
Nadal: "I needed to create a little bit more pain on the opponent with my shots."

Ben Rothenberg ‏@BenRothenberg 25m25 minutes ago Queens, NY
"I lost an opportunity to have a very good event here. I am sad for that." -Rafael Nadal. #USOpen

 

[Sela]

I won't say much but I'm just happy that "overranked/overrated" Poohey has finally entered Jung's collective uncounscious of tennis fans.

Now I'll leave it to @Meles to comment on Thiem and Poohey because I'm gonna be "out of town" and probably won't be able to comment on forthcoming matches!

 

[marc45]

Cut his some slack. That wrist nowhere near 100% and he played some great tennis under the circumstances.

been a problem for a while now, even before the wrist injury..let's hope it heals, and then he can junk that flukey ad serve positon...at least the doubles are mostly under control

 

[Serve&Bash]

Nadal missed that forehand at 6-6 in the tiebreak Berdych-style..maybe even worse. There was no reason to finish over the head on that forehand. The ball was hovering around shoulder-height for him rather than by his knees.

 

[Sartorius]

been a problem for a while now, even before the wrist injury..let's hope it heals, and then he can junk that flukey ad serve positon...at least the doubles are mostly under control

Yes. That needs to go. Perhaps for clay, but even there it should not be that extreme. He'll never really crank the serve speed up, but he still can and should be looking to end the point with it more often.

 

[Meles]

been a problem for a while now, even before the wrist injury..let's hope it heals, and then he can junk that flukey ad serve positon...at least the doubles are mostly under control

I've been screaming about it for a year and watching the radar gun. Agree. I've watched Pouille a lot. He played like a slam winner in this match.

 

[Meles]

Well ... you know what I think about what some of them think.

*sigh*

Guru better get him. I'm tired of him already.

I don't know what will happen. This Pouille will put a beating on the Guru if he goes into retreiver mode like he did with Baghdatis today.

 

[marc45]

Nadal just went hard after a reporter asking him basically if the pressure of majors, or best of 5, has gotten to him..."no!"

also gave Pouille full credit, but said he played well too, just not good enough...wouldn't separate physical from mental

 

[zvelf]

Six months younger than Thiem. Pouille is not holding his serve well enough to beat Rafa. I think Pouille will be fresh enough for this match at least for a few sets to show us what he can do against a top player. I'd say he's in over his head in this one, but if Rafa is generous he could steel a set.

Rafa was very generous tonight.

 

[veroniquem]

Cut his some slack. That wrist nowhere near 100% and he played some great tennis under the circumstances.

It's not the wrist. That's the way things have been going for him since 2014. He lost exactly the same way as last year vs the same type of massive underdog. I expect Monfils to beat Pouille handily next round.
BTW, 3 French players in the quarters??? C'est incroyable!!! Shame they're all in the same half.

 

[Mainad]

It's not the wrist. That's the way things have been going for him since 2014. He lost exactly the same way as last year vs the same type of massive underdog. I expect Monfils to beat Pouille handily next round.
BTW, 3 French players in the quarters??? C'est incroyable!!! Shame they're all in the same half.

Been a good tournament for the Frenchies (and the Brits haven't done too badly either).

 

[Meles]

Rafa was very generous tonight.

More winners than unforced errors for both players. Not really seeing it.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

 

[Meles]

It's not the wrist. That's the way things have been going for him since 2014. He lost exactly the same way as last year vs the same type of massive underdog. I expect Monfils to beat Pouille handily next round.
BTW, 3 French players in the quarters??? C'est incroyable!!! Shame they're all in the same half.

Did you watch the match? I wouldn't be too confident in Monfils. Took him five sets to beat Pouille at 2015 Auz when Pouille was much younger and a complete no name on tour. I think the reverse may happen.

 

[Meles]

Nadal just went hard after a reporter asking him basically if the pressure of majors, or best of 5, has gotten to him..."no!"

also gave Pouille full credit, but said he played well too, just not good enough...wouldn't separate physical from mental

Rafa thought he could win this tournament. Its becoming clear to me that most of TTW only watches the big 4.

 

[Vrad]

Cut his some slack. That wrist nowhere near 100% and he played some great tennis under the circumstances.

Wait, weren't you the guy who said this was near peak Rafa who was gonna light up next week?

 

[ruerooo]

I don't know what will happen. This Pouille will put a beating on the Guru if he goes into retreiver mode like he did with Baghdatis today.

As Corky St. Clair might say, "I hate his _ss face"

 

[ruerooo]

.

 

[ruerooo]

Nadal just went hard after a reporter asking him basically if the pressure of majors, or best of 5, has gotten to him..."no!"

also gave Pouille full credit, but said he played well too, just not good enough...wouldn't separate physical from mental

It wasn't just "a reporter"

It was Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, who because of his recent (relative) success, seems to have gotten a touch big for his britches these days.

Glad Rafa put him in his place, frankly.

 

[Meles]

As Corky St. Clair might say, "I hate his _ss face"

I want animated gif of this badly.

 

[ruerooo]

More winners than unforced errors for both players. Not really seeing it.

He said in his presser (I saw a little bit) that he "needed to create more pain with his shots for his opponents".

I agree. A lot of his banana shots would've gone by lots of his other opponents but as many of his family were here, I'm thinking they didn't scout Pouille too well.

This is the same guy who outplayed DelPo at Wimbledon, and he's thundering through this draw.

Plus I noticed how many of Rafa's previously unplayable shots came back to him, but just from this guy. I think a lot of people are just busting on Rafa & not giving Pouille enough credit.

Even though I really REALLY hate his face right now.

 

[zvelf]

Yea but now

it will be Boring Quarterfinal against Monfils.... Monfils will destroy him in straight sets.

Perhaps, but that's what people were saying about Nadal after Pouille's two 5-setters. Monfils is pretty inconsistent. If we get top-form Monfils, yeah, he should win, but if not, it could be tough for him.

 

[ruerooo]

I want animated gif of this badly.

Well, you're not getting it from me, LOL. I HATE HIS FACE RIGHT NOW

 

[Meles]

Wait, weren't you the guy who said this was near peak Rafa who was gonna light up next week?

Yes and he looked great tonight. Did you watch the match? Have you ever seen Pouille play before or know what he's capable of? Nadal had more winners than unforced errors especially in the fifth set.

I'm the guy who said Pouille is the most clutch player of all time before the match. He certainly proved it tonight.

 

[ruerooo]

Nadal missed that forehand at 6-6 in the tiebreak Berdych-style..maybe even worse. There was no reason to finish over the head on that forehand. The ball was hovering around shoulder-height for him rather than by his knees.

That was the WORST.

ugh

 

[Meles]

Perhaps, but that's what people were saying about Nadal after Pouille's two 5-setters. Monfils is pretty inconsistent. If we get top-form Monfils, yeah, he should win, but if not, it could be tough for him.

Monfils barely beat Pouille at the 2015 Australian Open when he was a neophyte (5 sets). If Pouille is able to recover he'll be a handful.

 

[PeteD]

Already taken down by The Corporation. Dang I missed it!

 

[Meles]

Already taken down by The Corporation. Dang I missed it!

Catch a replay. You'll love Pouille.

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

The mug loses again

Poor Nadal Brigade.

He sure is a 'Mug' now

 

[marc45]

It wasn't just "a reporter"

It was Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, who because of his recent (relative) success, seems to have gotten a touch big for his britches these days.

Glad Rafa put him in his place, frankly.

oh..Ben just got into it with former pro Michael Russell over it too

 

[Gary Duane]

I have to see ho

the thing is Nadal certainly helps players get into the zone with those weak serves and still dropping a lot of groundstrokes short

the only thing he did better than Pouille was volley...that doubles gold obviously gave him even more confidence and I think it's obvious he's got to get there more....he couldn't out-rally this guy and likely won't in the future if they play again

I have to see how other players handle him to make a full judgement. But today he was certainly slamming the ball. I still think he would win against most players in the world on THAT level. Now, we have to see how often he can bring it again in the future.

 

[ruerooo]

oh..Ben just got into it with former pro Michael Russell over it too

I follow him on Twitter and generally like his writing, but occasionally he puts his foot in it -- and when he does that, he usually takes a big generous bite, all the way up to the ankle, at least.

This was one of those times.

 

[marc45]

don't know if anyone saw Pouille on the panel on ESPN2 after but he said something very interesting..he and Nadal practiced last week and he said he was having difficulty returning Nadal's serve from the ad side standing close to the baseline..made the adjustment, dropped back to return, then worked his way back up to the baseline during rallies

lesson?...choose your practice partners wisely

 

[ruerooo]

don't know if anyone saw Pouille on the panel on ESPN2 after but he said something very interesting..he and Nadal practiced last week and he said he was having difficulty returning Nadal's serve from the ad side standing close to the baseline..made the adjustment, dropped back to return, then worked his way back up to the baseline during rallies

lesson?...choose your practice partners wisely

WooooOOOW.

 

[veroniquem]

Did you watch the match? I wouldn't be too confident in Monfils. Took him five sets to beat Pouille at 2015 Auz when Pouille was much younger and a complete no name on tour. I think the reverse may happen.

How many 5 setters in a row can Pouille edge out though? He's got to start feeling it at some point ...

 

[Vrad]

Yes and he looked great tonight. Did you watch the match? Have you ever seen Pouille play before or know what he's capable of? Nadal had more winners than unforced errors especially in the fifth set.

I'm the guy who said Pouille is the most clutch player of all time before the match. He certainly proved it tonight.

Yeah, no one could have predicted that a player who came off 2 5 set wins would be clutch.

No, Nadal overall did not play well. He had some great plays, and he showed he still has some of the skills he always had, but his consistency, mental strength, etc. was not up to par.

Of course his stats playing more lower ranked players, because he is losing early will look decent compared to earlier seasons where he was actually playing significantly better, but also playing a higher proportion of his matches against better players, because he was going deeper in tournaments.

I'm genuinely curious if you ever watched Nadal play more than 2 years ago, if you think this was great play for him.

 

[Meles]

How many 5 setters in a row can Pouille edge out though? He's got to start feeling it at some point ...

Thought the same thing for the Rafa match. You are probably right. 4 hours alone with Rafa should do Pouille in. If Monfils trys to play long rallies with Pouille, I'm not so sure that will work well.

 

[veroniquem]

This is the same guy who outplayed DelPo at Wimbledon, and he's thundering through this draw.

"Thundering"? Hum. Surviving marathons rather.

 

[rh310]

Unlucky.

Well, nobody can deny that tonight Nadal gave us another epic.

It's taken me a while to warm up to Nadal, basically because of my perception that he owes 3-5 of his GS titles to one pattern: XTS FH to Roger Federer's BH, in GS finals.

But over the past couple of years, I've come to respect and admire the guy, his game, and his achievements. And there's no doubt that his match with Pouille tonight was the match of the tournament so far, and a great candidate for a classic match.

EDIT: removed my name. Must've thought I was writing email.

 

[Meles]

Yeah, no one could have predicted that a player who came off 2 5 set wins would be clutch.

No, Nadal overall did not play well. He had some great plays, and he showed he still has some of the skills he always had, but his consistency, mental strength, etc. was not up to par.

Of course his stats playing more lower ranked players, because he is losing early will look decent compared to earlier seasons where he was actually playing significantly better, but also playing a higher proportion of his matches against better players, because he was going deeper in tournaments.

I'm genuinely curious if you ever watched Nadal play more than 2 years ago, if you think this was great play for him.

I've seen most of his big matches live. I've watched a lot of Nadal over the last year. This is the best he's played in the 2015-2016 period on hard courts. Nadal's issue has been his first serve. He actually won a solid 73% of first serves against Pouille and had solid velocity on his serve given the state of his wrist.

Nadal's stats are well down the last few years and the big area is serve. I don't think I've said his stats are better than his earlier years. Most players have improved their serve games in their later years. Nadal has been a painful exception. He's close with a healthy wrist to being a real threat if he beefs up his serve like all the other players. He's been heading in the right direction.

 

[rh310]

I'm genuinely curious if you ever watched Nadal play more than 2 years ago, if you think this was great play for him.

No, of course not. It was a local maxima for Nadal, and nothing like Nadal played at his peak. Not even close.

 

[Meles]

"Thundering"? Hum. Surviving marathons rather.

If you saw him finish these matches you'd agree. It was thundering once he got going in the matches. Unfortunately for Rafa Pouille came out of the gates on fire.

 

[Meles]

don't know if anyone saw Pouille on the panel on ESPN2 after but he said something very interesting..he and Nadal practiced last week and he said he was having difficulty returning Nadal's serve from the ad side standing close to the baseline..made the adjustment, dropped back to return, then worked his way back up to the baseline during rallies

lesson?...choose your practice partners wisely

Yeah I saw that and I'm sure they practiced before the draw. Poor Rafa. Probably thought he'd have no problem based on that practice.

 

[cc0509]

What a great fight from Pouille. Nice game. I hope he can keep his ambitious ways going!

 

[La Grande]

Nadal needs to humble himself and call Djokovic for some lessons.

 

[Steve0904]

Meaning.....???

You support Andy Murray so you have to be well versed in swearing. Although to be fair, I think that may have been true before Murray was your favourite player.

 

[Wynter]

How was the match?

 

[I Am Finnish]

How was the match?

It was amazing match of the tournament imo

 

[insideguy]

I am so tired of this oh this guy just went goat against rafa tonight memo. Guys rafa aint that good. I have lost track of guys who went goat against rafa. Do you think this is a coincidence?

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

Bone head Edmund