Well when a guy like Tsitsipas says he thinks it is harder to play Nadal on hard than on clay, as he is more aggressive and takes time away, I will take that on board.
I think Djokovic will beat Nadal, which is the best outcome. With no clay title, Nadal would head into Roland Garros with a lack of confidence. With two clay Masters, Djokovic would head into Roland Garros as the favorite--adding to the pressure of winning another NCYGS and CGS.
Which in your view means that Federer might win Roland Garros?
The perfect moment for Thiem to strike.I think Djokovic will beat Nadal, which is the best outcome. With no clay title, Nadal would head into Roland Garros with a lack of confidence. With two clay Masters, Djokovic would head into Roland Garros as the favorite--adding to the pressure of winning another NCYGS and CGS.
If Nadal loses this it won't bother me. Roland Garros is a whole different ball game.
2019 RG champion Sascha Zverev.
2019 RG champion Sascha Zverev.
Can't believe this match is scheduled to be played 10 hours from now.
Both fresh i would go with Djokovic, but how will almost 6 hours of play in 2 days affect him? Its open but i say Nadal in 3.
I think Djokovic will beat Nadal, which is the best outcome. With no clay title, Nadal would head into Roland Garros with a lack of confidence. With two clay Masters, Djokovic would head into Roland Garros as the favorite--adding to the pressure of winning another NCYGS and CGS.
That's probably less unlikely than Federer, but obviously much less likely than Nadal or Djokovic or even Thiem.
Djokovic will be never be the favorite against Nadal on clay, much less at RG when the Spaniard is light years ahead of the competition, yes, this include the Serbian.
Strength in numbers;
86 wins 2 defeats
11 titles in 11 finals.
He only lose 6 sets in all the finals he played there.
On clay, the match is always in Nadal's racket.
Never forget that.
ABDorN.
I agree with you.
The scoreline also suggests so. In Melbourne, Tsitsipas was slaughtered. I expected worse on clay when they played on Madrid but Tsitsipas won! Even yesterday, it was competitive in Rome. No way, it can be compared to Melbourne match.
Rafa plays better on hard courts than on clay. Also on grass , he is more deadly in the last two years. He would have mostly made the final in 2017 if not for Mueller loss and if not for Novak Djokovic, probably would have won Wimbledon 2018
We forget how epic the king is I forgot he's already won Rome 8 times
Betting odds have Nadal as a clear favourite though.
Plus he is mentally spooked.
Even if he were 100% mentally, he would still lose because he is not at his best. With mental issues, it will be a demolition.
Good stuff! But they have maintained an absurdly high level.Edit this post later on with a 2019 pic just to see how they've aged down the years lol
He wants it so much more.
The fact the Djokovic fans don't even realize this is beyond belief. Almost all picking Nadal to beat him, which is bizarre.
He wants it so much more.
Nole has nothing to play for tomorrow. He’s passed his pre FO test already. Nadal’s intrinsic motivation for this tournament far greater.Wanting has nothing to do with who wins. The one who plays better and matches up better wins. (hint: Novak)
Do you think all the recent times that Nadal lost to Fed/Djoko he did NOT want to win those matches as much as Fed/Novak did?
Djokovic fans are just being conservative and risk averse. In the very unlikely event that an Asteroid crashes on planet earth as we all die = Nadal beating Djokovic ---- in that remote event, they want to be covered.
Basically when Djoko wins in straight sets, they want to trumpet how good Djokovic is and that he is invincible.
Fact is, Nadal is probably the easiest matchup for Novak. Even a sub-par Novak troubles Nadal because of the matchup issues. Dominating/beating Nadal is what gives Novak confidence. Sort of what Nadal USED TO BE for Federer.
Story would have been different if we had a lean/fit Stanimal or non-choking Thiem.
I actually would not use a Nadal demolition to gauge Djokovic's level. That is just routine for Djokovic.
Betting odds are more accurate than you and BeatlesFan
Nole has nothing to play for tomorrow. He’s passed his pre FO test already. Nadal’s intrinsic motivation for this tournament far greater.
so what do you think?
I think Djokovic will beat Nadal, which is the best outcome. With no clay title, Nadal would head into Roland Garros with a lack of confidence. With two clay Masters, Djokovic would head into Roland Garros as the favorite--adding to the pressure of winning another NCYGS and CGS.
Australian OpenDjokovic won Madrid and what else?
Australian Open
I'm picking Nadal in two sets. 13/16 means nothing on clay. Nadal was awful everywhere for 2015-2016, and that's when Novak beat him three times in a row on clay, when he was otherwise pretty much on top of the world. The last two clay matches went to Nadal in straight sets. I think Nadal's team has plugged some holes, and I think Novak is not (yet) at his best on clay. He needs to be his best on clay on a day when Nadal is not, exactly the reverse of when they meet on faster surfaces. I can't believe a guy who barely won against Schwatzman and who has had long matches this week will be mentally on top tomorrow.Novak's won 13 of the their last 16 matches. Nadal winning tomorrow (even on clay) would be almost as surprising as Fed beating Rafa in the 2017 AO final. Mental ownership has only been reversed in the Open era twice: Lendl getting the best of Mac from 1985 on and Fed (so far) overturning his mental demons against Nadal the past 4 years.
Do you recall the betting orders before the AO 2019 Final?
Their 5th final in Rome, on no other tournament they have same or more mutual finals.
2009 - Nadal won 7:6(2), 6:2
2011 - Djoker won 6:4, 6:4
2012 - Nadal won 7:5, 6:3
2014 - Djoker won 4:6, 6:3, 6:3
Who will win this time?
I don't see the fatigue as a problem for Nole at all, personally. I'll believe fatigue is a problem for him in a final when it causes him to lose during his gluten free days. The dude is a freak of nature who decimated Anderson in straights the day following two consecutive Rafa wars, he can handle a bo3 tournament.
Does RAFA have a mental block against nole now ? does he get discouraged when novak starts to handle him from the baseline ?This is a pretty massive match in terms of the h2h if you think about it from Rafa's perspective. If he falls 4 under .500, you get the feeling he will never come close again, whereas if he gets to 2 there's at least some semblance of hope.