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

Who will win?


  • Total voters
    207

cc0509

Talk Tennis Guru
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.

Nadal doesn't need his movement to be as good as it was in 2008. He's playing more aggressively with a better bh and serve but his movement looks very good to me. He's going to get it done IMO.
 

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Rafa in a FO final is the ultimate challenge.
Reasons to believe in Wawa:
- he's beaten Novak at the AO and was a bad call from serving from serving for it in 2013 iirc. In other words - he can play with ATGs at their best surface
- he's beaten Rafa in a slam final going in with a 0-26 set deficit
- he should have the belief and little pressure
- he has the power to hit through Rafa on both wings and pull a Soderling
- Stan is not Thiem and I would be surprised if he made the same mistakes Thiem did
- Rafa hasn't faced a well playing opponent yet

Reasons to believe in Rafa
- it is Rafa in best of five on clay at Chatrier in a final
- the forehand to the backhand on a hot sunny day
- his clay form this year
- him being well rested and injury free

Unknowns:
- will doubt creep into Rafa's mind if Stan comes out guns blazing and takes the first?
- will Stan be fully fit after his marathon?
- will Stan have an answer for the Rafa forehand on a hot day?
- can Stan avoid giving too many put aways on his return?

All in all - Rafa is a massive favourite but if Stan can win one of the first two we have a real battle me thinks
 
Last edited:
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
Rafa in a FO final is the ultimate challenge.
Reasons to believe in Wawa:
- he's beaten Novak at the AO and was a bad call from serving from serving for it in 2013 iirc. In other words - he can play with ATGs at their best surface
- he's beaten Rafa in a slam final going in with a 0-26 set deficit
- he should have the belief and little pressure
- he has the power to hit through Rafa on both wings and pull a Soderling
- Stan is not Thiem and I would be surprised if he made the same mistakes Thiem did
- Rafa hasn't faced a well playing opponent yet

Reasons to believe in Rafa
- it is Rafa in best of five on clay at Chatrier in a final
- the forehand to the backhand on a hot sunny day
- his clay form this year
- him being well rested and injury free

Unknowns:
- will doubt creep into Rafa's mind if Stan comes out guns blazing and takes the first?
- will Stan be fully fit after his marathon?
- will Stan have an answer for the Rafa forehand on a hot day?
- can Stan avoid giving too many put aways on his return?

All in all - Rafa is a massive favourite but if Stan can win one of the first two we have a real battle me thinks

Stan is the only player who has any legitimate chance against Nadal, so at least the right player has made it to the final. Rafa is the massive fav, yes fully agree, but he is not 100% lock with his opponent being Stanimal, it would be foolish to think that. Anyone else, and Nadal would have sleepwalked to the title, Wawrinka is the only one that Nadal will truly have to play and defeat to take the title.
 

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Stan is the only player who has any legitimate chance against Nadal, so at least the right player has made it to the final. Rafa is the massive fav, yes fully agree, but he is not 100% lock with his opponent being Stanimal, it would be foolish to think that. Anyone else, and Nadal would have sleepwalked to the title, Wawrinka is the only one that Nadal will truly have to play and defeat to take the title.
Exactly
 

WarrenMP

Professional
Stan in 4. Stan is in it for the point. He will hang in there with Nadal. If his backhand is on, I see him getting his winners to win the match.
 
D

Deleted member 512391

Guest
@Tennis_Hands I think you said you'll be involved in this discussion, so what's your prediction/analysis for tomorrow? :)
 
the backhand will be very important, however I feel it's his forehand that may end up being a more critical shot. It has a little less spin on it and goes through the court a little quicker, although he can add a bit more spin to it when going CC to drag the opponent out wide. It's the shot he's been hitting more overall winners with (apparently).
 

kOaMaster

Hall of Fame
I have this feeling that Rafa might not win tomorrow. Can't say why exactly but I believe Stan will be able to perform and with that he might have a chance.

Interesting to notice: Again we are talking about many upcoming players, new stars on the horizon. But even with the best player of this season being absent at the tournament, no new player is able to step in. Murray in the semis, Djokovic in the quarters, Stan & Nadal in the finals. "It's a joke how hard it is to win a major" did Thiem say - well, we tend to forget how good those four (now with Stan five) players actually are and what it needs to actually win it.
 

icedevil0289

G.O.A.T.
omg my head hurts everytime people reference AO and I'm no where near a rafa fan. ffs fed just recently beat him at AO, and there is no way in hell I'd be backing him up against rafa at rg
 

Duncan Donuts

Professional
I'm rooting for Stan in 4 sets

Couple of keys for me
1. Stanimal needs to be dialed in from the start. Has to win the first set IMO to put doubt in Rafa
2. Needs to be aggressive on Nadal's second serve. (Like Federer)
 
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
hopefully stan won't stand like a mile behind the baseline. the only thing i can agree with is that he might be able to keep teh scoreline predictable, and even if its a 3 setter, i can still see him making it a close 3 setter. he won't go away the way thiem did

That in itself is a moral victory. :)
 

zagor

Bionic Poster
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

Kinda the way I see it, I gave Stan a set (voted Nadal in 4) out of respect for his tenacity in slam finals but I just don't see him doing enough damage with that 1HBH in both rallies and on the ROS to make this a match.

I've seen even Novak with his amazing two hander and quickness around court struggle with Nadal's spin on Chatrier, unless Stan can take the ball really early with his BH he's in for a world of hurt.
 

kandamrgam

Hall of Fame
Kinda the way I see it, I gave Stan a set (voted Nadal in 4) out of respect for his tenacity in slam finals but I just don't see him doing enough damage with that 1HBH in both rallies and on the ROS to make this a match.

I've seen even Novak with his amazing two hander and quickness around court struggle with Nadal's spin on Chatrier, unless Stan can take the ball really early with his BH he's in for a world of hurt.
Yup. The balls were flying just so damn high yesterday and Thiem just had to pull back.

Sent from my NEM-L22 using Tapatalk
 

Feather

Legend
Looks like you haven't learned from the past 12 years. This is Nadal at RG. Nobody can cope with him when he's full Rafa mode - not even Stanimal.

It's not about Rafa he replied to. It's the cocky attitude of @veroniquem . She said before AO 2017 final that she hoped Roger will not cry or that Roger will win some games. There is no need to be arrogant and cocky like this. Her hero Rafa is such a humble person and perhaps she can take a lesson from there. Like wise, to say that Stan will avoid bakery products is just being cocky. Stan may even get bakery products but that's another thing.

It's about the respect for opponents. Many a time she made arrogant and cocky statements and it backfired. The posters are only referring to that. That's bad attitude. See how the decent Rafa fans predict a victory here in this thread.
 

Tuskarr

Semi-Pro
This is the final i was hoping for. Hopefully both players play well so that we get an enjoyable match. dont really care who wins tbh
 

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
@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.

You're awesome, thanks man. Surprised this is even happening after 3 years, I just hope he does it.
 

BeatlesFan

Bionic Poster
Again we are talking about many upcoming players, new stars on the horizon. But even with the best player of this season being absent at the tournament, no new player is able to step in.

Actually there's only a few people here who like to talk about the new players. Most of us realize they are a pathetic generation, just as the prior generation was of Dimitrov, Gasquet, Tsonga and Berdych, none of whom ever won a slam or ever will. The hype about Zverev and Thiem has been borderline disturbing. These guys are 13-16 years younger than Fed and 8-11 years younger than Nadal and still can't get the job done at majors.
 
Hopefully Stan goes for it as he did against Murray (87 winners to Murray's 38) and watched some of the Ostapenko-Halep match. You either play normal tennis and let the opposition put on a nice master class for a 6-1 6-2 6-0 victory or at the very least you go down swinging to a closer score or improbable victory.
 

D.Nalby12

G.O.A.T.
I don't know why many pretending Stan is facing peak clay monster Nadal in final. His movement is far worse compared to his peak, his forehand often breaks down. There is reason Federer destroyed him twice on slow hard courts early in this season. Surely he is playing his best Tennis 2013 (or may be 2014) but this version of Nadal is not unbeatable I believe. 2015 Djokovic would have defeated this Nadal and zoning Stan will beat him in final IMO.
 

jaggy

Talk Tennis Guru
In what has been a disappointing tournament for me so far this could redeem it. Huge potential.
 

Rafa the King

Hall of Fame
@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.

Thanks man. I'm nervous af
 
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
Gohan got dis. It's Nadal on Chatrier in vintage form. He got through Dominic easy breezy, Stan has to take THREE sets.

Mystic Nadal to make an appearance?

If Stanimal enters Legendary Super Saiyan form, then Nadal will need the mystic form.
 

D.Nalby12

G.O.A.T.
Rafa in a FO final is the ultimate challenge.
Reasons to believe in Wawa:
- he's beaten Novak at the AO and was a bad call from serving from serving for it in 2013 iirc. In other words - he can play with ATGs at their best surface
- he's beaten Rafa in a slam final going in with a 0-26 set deficit
- he should have the belief and little pressure
- he has the power to hit through Rafa on both wings and pull a Soderling
- Stan is not Thiem and I would be surprised if he made the same mistakes Thiem did
- Rafa hasn't faced a well playing opponent since Miami final

Reasons to believe in Rafa
- it is Rafa in best of five on clay at Chatrier in a final
- the forehand to the backhand on a hot sunny day
- his clay form this year
- him being well rested and injury free

Unknowns:
- will doubt creep into Rafa's mind if Stan comes out guns blazing and takes the first?
- will Stan be fully fit after his marathon?
- will Stan have an answer for the Rafa forehand on a hot day?
- can Stan avoid giving too many put aways on his return?

All in all - Rafa is a massive favourite but if Stan can win one of the first two we have a real battle me thinks

Great summary and little correction.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Oh I so hope Nadal loses the final. People like you :mad:
I don't know how you understood that post of mine but it was very matter of fact actually. Nadal has been dishing bakery products like a regular bread oven this RG.
So, naturally, Wawa will already have achieved something good if he escapes the rule and maintains an honorable score over all sets.
ETA: and one would think he should as a former RG winner.
 

veroniquem

Bionic Poster
Actually there's only a few people here who like to talk about the new players. Most of us realize they are a pathetic generation, just as the prior generation was of Dimitrov, Gasquet, Tsonga and Berdych, none of whom ever won a slam or ever will. The hype about Zverev and Thiem has been borderline disturbing. These guys are 13-16 years younger than Fed and 8-11 years younger than Nadal and still can't get the job done at majors.
Please, don't put Z in the same category as Thiem. He's younger and already has a master title.
 
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
Too be fair though he definitely has a bigger chance than anyone else would have. Mystic Nadal should be enough but after AO14/17 im not counting chickens. Just ready to watch the match in HD on my new tv :)

FYI. I am cheering Nadal here. Would love to see La Decima, since I highly doubt we will ever see another player do it in our lifetime.
 

icedevil0289

G.O.A.T.
It's not about Rafa he replied to. It's the cocky attitude of @veroniquem . She said before AO 2017 final that she hoped Roger will not cry or that Roger will win some games. There is no need to be arrogant and cocky like this. Her hero Rafa is such a humble person and perhaps she can take a lesson from there. Like wise, to say that Stan will avoid bakery products is just being cocky. Stan may even get bakery products but that's another thing.

It's about the respect for opponents. Many a time she made arrogant and cocky statements and it backfired. The posters are only referring to that. That's bad attitude. See how the decent Rafa fans predict a victory here in this thread.

lmao she's an obnoxious, and slightly delusional rafa fan so not surprised. though in this case, she'd probably be closer to being right than wrong
 
D

Deleted member 77403

Guest
After 3 years of hardships (for a player of his caliber) it would definitely be nice.

Federer got his. Makes sense Nadal gets his. Just makes a historic year even more historic. Personally I do not care that Fed and Rafa pull away from Novak because tennis is a lot more than just counting numbers.
 

tennis24x7

Hall of Fame
Even Stanimal in full-on Stamimal mode can't best this superhuman version of Nadal. Nadal is playing a different game than anyone else on this surface. Nadal in 3 easily.
There is a reason Stan is called Stanimal, he can hit through anybody in that mode. But I feel he has peaked already for Murray, will be a very tall order against ******.
 

RS92

Hall of Fame
Will this happen again tomorrow? :eek:

24b6r1e.jpg
 
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