2018 Wimbledon SF: [2] Nadal vs. [12] Djokovic

[Mr Feeny]

Yep he just handed them to Nadal didn't he?

Can also thank the AO, Nadal leads him 3-1 there...

You're welcome! What a match today. Glad Novak won. I hope he pulls it off tomorrow as well. Would have been a travesty to have Nadal win as many Wimbledon titles as Djokovic .

Instead, Novak has a golden chance to double Nadal's career total tomorrow.

 

[Deleted member 512391]

I was like 90% sure Djokovic would get broken the game after he lost his **** toward the end of the 5th set but dayum he dug himself out of yet another 15-40 hole and raised his level just in time.

Me too. Even our friend Gill thought the same, lol. Djokovic has been (surprisingly, after all these years of struggling) extremely clutch in the SF.

 

[The_Order]

Why would anyone want that many meaningless titles. 1 is enough.

8 Wimbledon titles = the most prestigious tournament. Nadal says no.

Hahahaha Wimbledon is a joke of a tournament. Can't schedule matches, too steeped into tradition even though it's obvious that they need to move with the times. Boring forcing all players to wear full white it's not 1920 anymore.

 

[I Am Finnish]

Nadal gs sf winning streak has ended

 

[-NN-]

WINNERS
Djokovic 73
Nadal 73

UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic 42
Nadal 42


lol

 

[wang07]

Awesome intense match, sad that Rafa lost, he showed us an agressive game which was a pleasure to watch, happy for Novak, tennis really needed him back. Great champions, great match.

 

[cucio]

Fantastic match! Those games around 7-7 were intense!

Kudos to both players, and it is great to watch Djokovic back to top form. A third contender for any tournament is wonderful news, it will improve the chances of matches like this happening. That's what I watch tennis for.

 

[The_Order]

You're welcome! What a match today. Glad Novak won. I hope he pulls it off tomorrow as well. Would have been a travesty to have Nadal win as many Wimbledon titles as Djokovic .

Instead, Novak has a golden chance to double Nadal's career total tomorrow.

I wouldn't say it'd be a travesty. Let's not forget your mate lost to Nadal in a Wimbledon final...

 

[tennis_pro]

So what? Again with the "clay is not important and is a secondary surface" argument. Friendly reminder that grass season is the shortest of them all -and that's for a reason.

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in the world. Ask anyone including Nadal.

 

[RS92]

Of 2018? Best match of the last 6 years probably...LOL

I'm just saying of the year because many people were already sure that there wasn't going to be a better match than Nadal - del Potro.

You can never say that when you have Djokovic and Nadal in the same half of the draw

It's for sure one of the top 5 matches of the decade.

 

[roysid]

I started driving back when it was 8-8.
My outing was a disaster anyway as I keep checking score every minute. My wife and kid was aghast.
Now reaching back, I check the score. Heart stopped.

 

[Mike Sams]

Anyone who thinks the Fedal resurgence is due to anything else other than Djoko's injury layoff is deluded.

Not really. You have to realize that Djokovic only won 1 Slam in 2012, 1 Slam in 2013 and 1 Slam in 2014. He had a great run in 2015 and early 2016 but Fedal were NOT playing at their very best. When Nadal was playing his best in 2013, he beat Djokovic in 2 Slams. We have to give credit to Fedal. Not everything was on Djokovic's racquet.

 

[tennis_pro]

Hahahaha Wimbledon is a joke of a tournament. Can't schedule matches, too steeped into tradition even though it's obvious that they need to move with the times. Boring forcing all players to wear full white it's not 1920 anymore.

Yet every single player's biggest dream is to win it.

Unless they're mentally handicapped in which case they choose MC or the FO instead.

 

[nolefam_2024]

Nadal is great on grass.

 

[The_Order]

Federer/Djokovic win. You get the fake sense that Nadal is a mental giant. Everyone's happy.

Nadal can only beat Federer/Djokovic outside of the FO when they're out of form or out of prime.

0-2 now against Federer/Djokovic in the Slams in the last 4 years.

Ahh well 0-2 but had his chances to win both matches so not too much to worry about.

Nadal is a beast athlete, you lot have been stamping his papers at age 25 saying his body wouldn't hold up. Wait till he's 37 and Rogi is sipping cocoa watching Rafa take the majors record.

 

[swordtennis]

Why is people saying "tennis is saved"? What does that even mean? Nadal is an amazing warrior (and so is Djokovic) and all his accomplishments are fruit of his own effort. He's part of tennis history and that can't be denied. This sport won't be the same once Rafa, Roger and Novak retire. Let's see how tennis "will be saved" when they're not around

You are preaching to the choir my friend. No need to tell us Nole fans how epic and amazing Nadal is.

 

[Mr Feeny]

Where would you guys rate this Djokodal match out of all their meetings? I know recency bias is playing a big part in my pick, but I can't think of any other match that surpasses this one for me personally. You have the AO 12, FO 13, Madrid 09, etc, How would you place them?

I think it was great. The only thing that detracts from it is the interruption and the fact that it wasn't a final. But in terms of drama, That 5th set was as tight as it could get.

Terrific back and forth.

 

[steenkash]

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in the world. Ask anyone including Nadal.

In fact, the fact that it's the shortest makes it the most exclusive of the tournaments. If you ask any tennis player which GS they would win, Wimbledon would be whispered.

 

[NoleFam]

I'm just saying of the year because many people were already sure that there wasn't going to be a better match than Nadal - del Potro.

You can never say that when you have Djokovic and Nadal in the same half of the draw

It's for sure one of the top 5 matches of the decade.

Yea I was just pulling your chain. Djokovic and Nadal's rivalry is like fire and ice and they gave us some epic matches, this one included.

 

[Dilexson]

You know a guy is a legend when he gives you a sleepless night despite trailing 2-1 in sets after having been on court for 6+ hours over 3 days.

Nadal is always ready for a big match.

Yeah, dude looked like he could play all day and still would be ready for a 5 setter in finals. I'm really impressed with his stamina at this stage of his career. It's a good sign for him in coming years.

 

[The_Order]

Yet every single player's biggest dream is to win it.

Unless they're mentally handicapped in which case they choose MC or the FO instead.

Yeah but once they've won it, it's not their biggest dream anymore. It's value is the exact same as the other 3 majors, only it's being run by idiots.

 

[tennis_pro]

Ahh well 0-2 but had his chances to win both matches so not too much to worry about.

Nadal is a beast athlete, you lot have been stamping his papers at age 25 saying his body wouldn't hold up. Wait till he's 37 and Rogi is sipping cocoa watching Rafa take the majors record.

I'm afraid Nadal doesn't have the time anymore to win 4 more French Open titles.

 

[Steve0904]

Novak just “saved” tennis but back when he was dominating, he was “feasting” on a “grandpa” and it was a “weak era”

Yeah. He did Federer a huge favour, but he didn't "save" tennis. If Nadal gets the slam record he'll thoroughly deserve it.

 

[clout]

Time to add another chapter of Rafa's legacy of failure since 2014:
2014 AO - lost to a first time slam finalist who he was previously 12-0 against (and had never even lost a set to)
2014 WI - lost in 4 vs a 18 year old NK
2015 AO - got blown tf out by a guy he's owned his entire career
2015 RG - lost at RG ('Nuff said here)
2015 WI - get pipsmacked by a guy not even ranked in the top 100
2015 USO - blew a 2-0 sets lead
2016 AO - blew a 2-1 sets lead against a guy he's made property of in the past
2016 USO - lost in a 5th set tiebreak
2017 AO - blew a 3-1 lead in the 5th set of the finals
2017 WI - lose 15-13 in the fifth set
2018 AO - blew a 2-1 sets lead vs a guy who's always been known to choke
2018 WI - blew 4 set points in the third set tiebreak; blew several more break points in the fifth and preceded to lose 10-8 in whatta u know the fifth set

Ok Rafa's a top 2/3 player of all time and he's one of the greatest we'll ever see but my god he's done a lot of choking over the last 4+ years and has carved out quite the legacy of failure since 2014

 

[DragonBlaze]

Gotta say, so proud of Nadal too even though he lost. After 7 years in the doldrums at Wimbledon, he made it to the semi's and almost beat (let's be honest) Novak at close to his best. And that's after an epic quarter final against Delpo.

He played really well and fully deserves the #1 ranking.

F--k yes. I was seriously impressed with how aggressive he was being with the backhand and ofcourse when the FH DTL was working. I guess the price of such aggression was the errors he was leaking which kept from pressure really building up on Djokovic's service games (apart from the two 15-40 situations ofcourse).

But yea he played great. Kept approaching the net to kill off points that he should as well (something Djokovic was not doing enough of and being punished for it).

Anyways I think Rafa has an excellent shot at USO, even with a resurgent Nole (as their H2H there proves), so things are not all that bad!

Meanwhile as a Fed fan, here's hoping that ridiculous loss and a match like this ignites the fire once more (he's been pretty crap all year long...).

Anyways I digress, really impressive stuff from Nadal.
Even better from Novak given the recent history.
Tennis is great.
I am so tired right now.

 

[TMF]

Basically the match was about as close as it could get.

Basically the match came down to possibly 2 or 3 points.

And the difference in aces(23 to 9) doesn't exactly mean Nole had a lot more free points on serve. There were many unreturn serves by Nole from Rafa's serve, which is just as good as an ace.

 

[Mr Feeny]

K.A has made a Slam final before. He's been to the big dance. If Djokovic is flat and if Anderson is firing on all cylinders and his serve is booming, who knows what might happen. They last played a 5 setter in 2015. I'm really hyped now for the final. Djokovic is going to have to dig into his reserves now. He's not physically used to this kind of intensity so soon in his come back.

True. But I think Anderson is going to be toast. He went 12-10 in the 5th against Federer and then 26-24 with the longest semi in history.

Novak won't be at 100% because he just played today but I think I'd bet my money on him winning tomorrow rather than the other way around. Let's wait and see.

 

[Ray Mercer]

Always good to see Nadal get taken down with precision tennis. His moonball tactics should never be successful outside of clay. The US Open should be very interesting this year.

 

[tennis_pro]

Yeah but once they've won it, it's not their biggest dream anymore. It's value is the exact same as the other 3 majors, only it's being run by idiots.

What kinda of a re**rded argument is this?

So you're saying that if someone won Wimbledon he'd prefer a Barcelona title more if he had to choose? lmao

 

[The_Order]

I'm afraid Nadal doesn't have the time anymore to win 4 more French Open titles.

Hahahaha you're still so triggered from that Anderson loss...

 

[EllieK]

Match Stats


Aces
Djokovic 23
Nadal 9

Double fault
Djokovic 4
Nadal 4

First serve % in
Djokovic 125/176 (71%)
Nadal 150/210 (71%)

WIN % ON 1ST SERVE
Djokovic 95/125 (76%)
Nadal 100/150 (67%)

WIN % ON 2ND SERVE
Djokovic 24/51 (47%)
Nadal 34/60 (57%)

NET POINTS WON
Djokovic 30/44 (68%)
Nadal 37/50 (74%)

BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic 4/19 (21%)
Nadal 4/11 (36%)

RECEIVING POINTS WON
Djokovic 76/210 (36%)
Nadal 57/176 (32%)

WINNERS
Djokovic 73
Nadal 73

UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic 42
Nadal 42

TOTAL POINTS WON
Djokovic 195
Nadal 191

DISTANCE COVERED
Djokovic 19854.5 ft
Nadal 20971.3 ft

DISTANCE COVERED/PT.
Djokovic 51.4 ft
Nadal 54.3 ft

Great stats. Reflects the match really well.

 

[RS92]

Yea I was just pulling your chain. Djokovic and Nadal's rivalry is like fire and ice and they gave us some epic matches, this one included.

This was the best of 52 matches.

The most epic? Maybe, with the AO 2012 because it was the longest GS final of all time.

 

[cc0509]

Hahahaha Wimbledon is a joke of a tournament. Can't schedule matches, too steeped into tradition even though it's obvious that they need to move with the times. Boring forcing all players to wear full white it's not 1920 anymore.

It wouldn't have been such a joke tournament if Nadal won it again though would it?

You guys are hysterical. Complaining day and night about Wimbledon(the most prestigious tournament of them all) and yet you were salivating at the thought that Nadal could win another one. He came close. He looked wiped out near the end. They all age even a physical beast like Nadal. But seriously, Djokovic is a little bit better on a grass court than Nadal is.

 

[swordtennis]

WINNERS
Djokovic 73
Nadal 73

UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic 42
Nadal 42


lol

LMAO!

 

[Mr Feeny]

Wimbledon is the most prestigious tournament in the world. Ask anyone including Nadal.

Defintely. And Nadal has only won it twice so it's eating at him. Just like it's eating at him that Djokovic is odds on to double Nadal's career total tomorrow.

 

[Dilexson]

Match Stats


Aces
Djokovic 23
Nadal 9

Double fault
Djokovic 4
Nadal 4

First serve % in
Djokovic 125/176 (71%)
Nadal 150/210 (71%)

WIN % ON 1ST SERVE
Djokovic 95/125 (76%)
Nadal 100/150 (67%)

WIN % ON 2ND SERVE
Djokovic 24/51 (47%)
Nadal 34/60 (57%)

NET POINTS WON
Djokovic 30/44 (68%)
Nadal 37/50 (74%)

BREAK POINTS WON
Djokovic 4/19 (21%)
Nadal 4/11 (36%)

RECEIVING POINTS WON
Djokovic 76/210 (36%)
Nadal 57/176 (32%)

WINNERS
Djokovic 73
Nadal 73

UNFORCED ERRORS
Djokovic 42
Nadal 42

TOTAL POINTS WON
Djokovic 195
Nadal 191

DISTANCE COVERED
Djokovic 19854.5 ft
Nadal 20971.3 ft

DISTANCE COVERED/PT.
Djokovic 51.4 ft
Nadal 54.3 ft

Lol, identical winners UEs counts.
The match is so close.

 

[Towser83]

Stupid serbian with your stupid luck. F.uuuuuck you!

Wow that's a bit racist.

You mean "Wonderful Tennis Player whose nationality is not important with your superior tennis"

 

[tennis_pro]

Hahahaha you're still so triggered from that Anderson loss...

lmao ok

I'ma go for a beer and and you keep crying. Deal?

 

[NoleFam]

This was the best of 52 matches.

The most epic? Maybe, with the AO 2012 because it was the longest GS final of all time.

It's hard to say which on was more epic and I have come down from this one first. In the next few hours after I reflect on it I probably could choose one.

 

[DreddyTennis45]

What a passing shot this was by the way. The best ever in their rivalry imo

https://mobile.twitter.com/doublefault28/status/1018136368202035201/photo/1

 

[sbengte]

Not really. You have to realize that Djokovic only won 1 Slam in 2012, 1 Slam in 2013 and 1 Slam in 2014. He had a great run in 2015 and early 2016 but Fedal were NOT playing at their very best. When Nadal was playing his best in 2013, he beat Djokovic in 2 Slams. We have to give credit to Fedal. Not everything was on Djokovic's racquet.

I am only talking relative to 2015-16. Fed made 3 slam finals between 2014-2015 only to be stopped by Novak.

Nadal was not even a factor in 2015-2016.

Of course not just Novak, but Murray,Stan too got injured at the same time which let Fedal collect all slams in from 2017 till now.

 

[Bender]

And the difference in aces(23 to 9) doesn't exactly mean Nole had a lot more free points on serve. There were many unreturn serves by Nole, which is just as good as an ace.

This is why raw stats are not useful without context.

Someone who did not watch the match and saw the stats would have assumed that Rafa rolled his serves in, and that clearly wasn’t the case here.

 

[joekapa]

So happy too! Novak proves he’s in the same league as Fed and Rafa! If he wins tomorrow, he’s on 13 and back! This could set him up for another slam run. He’ll be tough to beat at us open next!

One step at a time. Today's win also had a cost. What it is we shall see tommorrow.

 

[DARTHSEID]

'Wimbledon sucks'
'Grass is boring'

 

[RF-18]

Incredible effort from Djokovic after struggling in the recent years. Who would've thought that he would be the one mentally stronger in the fifth set after many atrocious performances and all that against the beast like Nadal...Hats off to him and I hope he wins the final.

The sad thing is that this isn't a final and that one guy had to lose, really feel for Nadal, I absolutely loved his approach today, an aggressive Rafa on the court is a joy to watch. I hope he starts employing these more offensive strategies more in the future, the guy has a potential to be a great all-court player.

It's tough to understand Djokovic pulled through. Nadal was so aggressive and intense and he wasn't letting go. Unreal considering the year djoko has had, to be able to fight through like that.

But that's why he is one of the greats. One of the biggest champions in sports.

 

[Dolgopolov85]

F--k yes. I was seriously impressed with how aggressive he was being with the backhand and ofcourse when the FH DTL was working. I guess the price of such aggression was the errors he was leaking which kept from pressure really building up on Djokovic's service games (apart from the two 15-40 situations ofcourse).

But yea he played great. Kept approaching the net to kill off points that he should as well (something Djokovic was not doing enough of and being punished for it).

Anyways I think Rafa has an excellent shot at USO, even with a resurgent Nole (as their H2H their proves), so things are not all that bad!

Meanwhile as a Fed fan, here's hoping that ridiculous loss and a match like this ignites the fire once more (he's been pretty crap all year long...).

Anyways I digress, really impressive stuff from Nadal.
Even better from Novak given the recent history.
Tennis is great.
I am so tired right now.

Sounds strange but after playing close to his best at RG in 2017/18, Nadal has played close to his best here at Wimby. He may have had better wheels (by far) in 2008 but yes, that backhand was incredible. There was a real first strike mentality this time. Djokovic edged past because of the natural advantages he enjoys in this match up but it was Nadal who really took it to him and nearly stole a win.

 

[Mr Feeny]

I wouldn't say it'd be a travesty. Let's not forget your mate lost to Nadal in a Wimbledon final...

When he had mono but that has nothing to do with this discussion. Ofcourse, my mate has 8 of the most prestigious tournament in tennis. Djokovic is about to have 4. To Nadal's 2. That seems about right to me.

 

[The_Order]

What kinda of a re**rded argument is this?

So you're saying that if someone won Wimbledon he'd prefer a Barcelona title more if he had to choose? lmao

Yeah clearly said that Now point out where I even mentioned Barcelona...

Just saying, after winning Wimbledon once, it isn't the big dream anymore, after that it's the same as every other major.

 

[swordtennis]

Now don't get nasty Nadal fans. Djokovic fans usually don't get nasty with you and Nadal.

 

[The_Order]

When he had mono but that has nothing to do with this discussion. Ofcourse, my mate has 8 of the most prestigious tournament in tennis. Djokovic is about to have 4. To Nadal's 2. That seems about right to me.

Hahahahaha mono hahahahahahahaha