2017 French Open FINAL: [3] Stan Wawrinka vs. [4] Rafael Nadal

Who will win?

  • Total voters
    208
Nadal in 4.

But I wouldn't be shocked by a Stan upset (Nadal hasn't faced anyone who was playing as well as Murray). I wouldn't hope for it though.
 
This is gonna be HUGE payback for AO 2014. Wawa will do well if he avoids bakery products (routinely inflicted by Nadal this event regardless of opponent)
 
Nadal is the massive favorite and rightly so due to his dominance of this tournament and his form this year. However, I think if Stanimal shows up in the final, he can beat this version of Nadal in 5 sets. Come on StanTheMan!

I am so glad that Stan made the final instead of Murray. Nadal would have ripped Murray apart but it would have been so boring to watch. I like Nadal vs Murray matches on grass and hardcourt but on clay....no thanks. Stan vs Nadal should be an amazing match should both players be in fine form.
 
veroniquem said:
This is gonna be HUGE payback for AO 2014. Wawa will do well if he avoids bakery products (routinely inflicted by Nadal this event regardless of opponent)
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Looks like you have not learnt from AO14 and AO17.

If Stanimal is unleashed , Rafa would be helpless.
 
Krish872007 said:
He's not being completely overlooked. But Nadal at Roland Garros? A Nadal who still hasn't dropped a set and has lost just 29 games?
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pretty much. in fact i think people are hyping up stan, and understandably so, i get where its coming from, but referencing AO 2014, where it was hc, and then rg 2015, where yes novak has his own accomplishments on clay, but it was novak and nadal. like if at any point stan pushed rafa at rg before, i'd be like okay maybe but nope
 
To have a chance, Stan is going to have to make sure he doesn't hit regulation rally balls or slice/bunt shots into Rafa's forehand. If he does that? He may as well hit the ball in the stands as he will have 5-10% chance to win the point from there. He actually has a pretty good forehand to counter the Rafa 2HBH and drag him out wide to open up options for FHDTL or BHCC and elicit a shorter forehand from Nadal in defense to then be able take initiative. Novak has used this tactic well but Stan doesn't have Novak's 2HBH and defense/speed to back it up. Another issue Stan has problems with Rafa's serve, his bunt and chip returns get eaten up by the Rafa forehand, he will need to take risks and come over the returns but will probably make more errors. He will also need to have one of his best ever serving days. Oh and he will also need to focus/concentrate beyond his usual standard, any lapses like he had against Murray, which almost cost him the match and it could be all over for him in 3 easy straight sets.

I remember watching the Safin-Federer 2005 AO SF match and remember how amazing it was to see such a temperamental Safin keep it together for 4.5 hours to come back and win that match, essentially playing at 110% of his ability, particularly mentally. Stan will need to do that to have a chance in the final.
 
Had no idea the semis would go down as they did. Probably more surprised about nadals dominance. I expect nadal to win but no idea if it will be a straight setter or if waw will give him the RG match of his life. I would not be surprised if stan won, I would be amazed though at his big time game.
All in all should be a cracker I hope.
 
RG:

"Of the talk about Sunday’s final being an opportunity for Nadal to avenge his defeat at Wawrinka’s hands in the Australian Open 2014 final, the Spaniard was quick to say “revenge is not part of my vocab”.

“In my mind, each match is different. Every single time I play a match, I consider the match to be important. The best player will win,” he said, expanding with his famously encyclopedic memory. “The final at the Australian Open, he played very well. If I hadn't been injured, I don't know what the outcome would have been. But again, I think the trigger in his career happened before that. He had played against Novak. He was able to win a Grand Slam tournament and that is generally a turning point in a player's career. He has demonstrated that during important matches, he is always up for the challenge.”
 
Well Wawrinka probably appreciates the heavy underdog status being given to him. Can probably play a bit more freely this way. So I think we are going to have a match.
Atleast I have a good feeling that Wawrinka will not go away mentally. He may become an error machine at times but will keep trying all the way till the end.

While Rafa has been in impervious form, he hasn't been tested either so he may just have a small shock to the system if Stanimal comes with all guns firing (like he did with Murray as well, but just a few too many errors as well which meant he wasn't able to string together points back to back). No doubt he will make the adjustment, but if Stan manages to capture the first set before he does, then Rafa's own mental demons might start coming into play at the business end of sets. I think the first set is so crucial for Stan because if he wins it, then he gets THREE opportunities to take it to a fifth set (where anything can happen).

As for Rafa, if his mental game holds up he really should win. He is just that good, even now, on clay. Then after he wins, he can yell "this is my f***ing court" :p.

Hopefully it's a great match. I even have Monday off so I can watch the match at the godforsaken hours of 2am or whatever :D.

Someone in 4 tightly contested sets.
Maybe 5.
Possibly 3.
 
Revenge for AO 2014? To be honest when you are 16-3 h2h against someone, there is nothing really to avenge LMAO, especially since Rafa has won the complete set of GS trophies anyway. I hope that with Stan having won RG it will take some pressure off him and he won't see this match as a "one and only" chance to win RG since he already has the trophy himself and he certainly is not going to be going for record number RG trophies - Rafa has that covered. Hopefully that along with the fact he is expected to lose (for most part) he will go out there, relax and go for his shots and hopefully we will have a match.

I watched highlights from the Thiem-Rafa match and I will say that Thiem is still cooking...he's not ready for a slam yet, getting closer but not there yet. Still a bit too impatient and pulled the trigger a little early at times. He still needs to work on finding that right balance, although understandingly he felt he had to go for it.
 
@Rafa the King @MichaelNadal @ruerooo

It has been a long wait for you my friends, I sincerely hope Sunday is one of celebration for you all. I love Stan but this is, I hope, Rafa's moment. We have all waited patiently for this moment, hoping that if Rafa does have to go down, let it be in an actual match, not an injury. Now he has dominated the Clay season yet again, but we all know this is the big one. Good luck, have fun, savor the moment.

I literally signed on to post for the first time in months to wish you guys the best of luck. I vowed after the AO final I hope your guy wins the French, and I was not lying.
 
Seriously though how cool is it that 2017 might see a Federer and then a Nadal major win after long droughts? That is nothing short of poetic. Step away from the tireless comparisons, the name calling, the bickering, and appreciate this moment which nobody and I mean nobody could have predicted. I would have called you a complete psycho if you said Nadal + Fed can win majors in 2017.

Yes, it's a little frustrating that the younger generation continues to get whipped, but come on, this year of Tennis has been nuts. Completely devoid of logic. Chaos. And that is when sports are at its absolute pinnacle.
 
I hope Stan turns this in to a decent final. May be taking one or two to TieBreaks.
Every match Rafa has played so far has been either a beatdown or retirement. :oops:
 
Federer and Del Potro said:
Seriously though how cool is it that 2017 might see a Federer and then a Nadal major win after long droughts? That is nothing short of poetic. Step away from the tireless comparisons, the name calling, the bickering, and appreciate this moment which nobody and I mean nobody could have predicted. I would have called you a complete psycho if you said Nadal + Fed can win majors in 2017.

Yes, it's a little frustrating that the younger generation continues to get whipped, but come on, this year of Tennis has been nuts. Completely devoid of logic. Chaos. And that is when sports are at its absolute pinnacle.
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Nadal hasn't won yet. If his opponent was Murray it's another thing. But Wawrinka should never be underestimated in a slam final.
 
I honestly don't see Wawrinka winning tomorrow. Maybe a set at best. The only thing going for him is he is generally mentally tough, plays relaxed even when down. That's dangerous.

If I have to bet, Nadal wins losing no more than 15 games.

Sent from my NEM-L22 using Tapatalk
 
Newcomer said:
Maybe he is, but there is a reason why Wawrinka never lost a slam final. Not to mention the fact that Nadal wasn't that great against Thiem. He just didn't need to play great to beat this overrated player. But Wawrinka is not Thiem.
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There is a reason that Nadal has never lost a French Open Final too. 9-0 is more impressive than 3-0.
Federer was 7-0 (!) in Slam Finals until Nadal snapped that streak by beating him here in 2006.
 
Krish872007 said:
There is a reason that Nadal has never lost a French Open Final too. 9-0 is more impressive than 3-0.
Federer was 7-0 (!) in Slam Finals until Nadal snapped that streak by beating him here in 2006.
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I know that, but there is a big difference between 2006 Nadal and 2017 Nadal. If Nadal was able to move like in 2006 I would have no doubt he will destroy Wawrinka.
 
Jaitock1991 said:
This is the only factor that makes me believe even for a second that Stan has a chance. Nadal has not really been tested yet, so we may overrate how well he's actually been playing. But then again, maybe he's just played too well to even be tested(Thiem should in theory be a big challenge)? Hard to tell, but if things do get really tight Stan certainly isn't going to fold easily. He's a total beast mentally in these big matches.
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Stan has folded in big matches too now (USO semi's in 2015, the FO semi's last year) so let's not just assume it's completely out of the realm of happening.
 
Newcomer said:
I know that, but there is a big difference between 2006 Nadal and 2017 Nadal. If Nadal was able to move like in 2006 I would have no doubt he will destroy Wawrinka.
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Nadal is moving very well in 2017, what are you watching? He's going to bombard Wawrinka with a lethal mix of offense and defense and it's going to burn-out Wawrinka eventually. Nadal's not going to pi$$ around. I can't see how Wawrinka is going to be able to keep zoning and painting lines long enough to take three sets off Nadal. For Wawrinka to win, he's got to be a machine all match and hope Nadal has an off day. Making Djokovic look helpless at the FO is a lot easier than doing the same to Nadal. They are entirely different match-ups for Wawrinka.
 
Jaitock1991 said:
This is the only factor that makes me believe even for a second that Stan has a chance. Nadal has not really been tested yet, so we may overrate how well he's actually been playing. But then again, maybe he's just played too well to even be tested(Thiem should in theory be a big challenge)? Hard to tell, but if things do get really tight Stan certainly isn't going to fold easily. He's a total beast mentally in these big matches.
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Stan won't fold easily but eventually Nadal's mix of defense to offense will frustrate him and he'll fold. He's been a total beast vs Djokovic in these slam finals but Nadal in good form on Chatrier is another specimen IMO.
 
cc0509 said:
Nadal is moving very well in 2017, what are you watching? He's going to bombard Wawrinka with a lethal mix of offense and defense and it's going to burn-out Wawrinka eventually. Nadal's not going to pi$$ around. I can't see how Wawrinka is going to be able to keep zoning and painting lines long enough to take three sets off Nadal. For Wawrinka to win, he's got to be a machine all match and hope Nadal has an off day. Making Djokovic look helpless at the FO is a lot easier than doing the same to Nadal. They are entirely different match-ups for Wawrinka.
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Come on, he is not running after a lot of balls that he would have reached even in 2013, leave alone earlier years. Even yesterday against Thiem, he didn't run after a lot of balls. Wawrinka is going to hit harder than ever, you need good movement to handle his attacks.
 
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