2019 Rome FINAL: Novak Djokovic (1) vs Rafael Nadal (2)

[MeatTornado]

Yes, he said that. He is looking to improve his chances for the USO.

It's still such an interesting decision to me in a year where it looks like his Wimbledon chances are so high.

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

Nole just leads both H2Hs.

Nadal > Nole on Slam Finals

 

[3fees]

Djokovic is definately a threat to win RG 2019,, the third set against nadal, 1st game loss of serve sent him sideways,, He was tired, Nadal played better and deserved the win, hopefully a weeks rest will re energize him, He can beat Nadal on clay or basalt.

Cheers
3Fees

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Nadal > Nole on Slam Finals

It is 4-4 in slam finals....

 

[vernonbc]

Nadal's ROS is pretty bad. People look at this return stats and say it's ok. But Nadal's very strong game hides his deficiencies int the ROS. Even if he can get the ROS into a neutral situation he can dominate rallies.

Yeah, Rafa's ROS is terrible. It's only the best on the ATP tour this year.

• 1 Rafael Nadal169.0
• 2 Novak Djokovic164.9
• 3 Diego Schwartzman164.0
• 4 Fabio Fognini162.3
• 5 David Goffin160.8

https://www.atptour.com/en/stats

 

[Goldie]

Shame we did not have a rested Novak, at least he did not default. But clearly he was spent. All comes down to the draw and scheduling. Nadal usually gets and easier draw in majors, hopefully the French will seed by rank, and not by committee like Wimbledon. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3, etc..

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Bad day for the haters.

 

[vernonbc]

is multi-lingual, no?

Si. Rafa speaks Italian fluently.

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

It is 4-4 in slam finals....

True, one was RG SF, that threw me off

 

[duaneeo]

oh please!

Any win is good, but this win does nothing to dispel what's been Nadal's issue: playing well when pressured. Nowadays, when Nadal is pressured, he loses; when Nadal isn't pressured, he cruises. He was pressured at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, and lost. At Rome, he lost the one set he was pressured, but cruised (four bagels, three breadsticks) in the other ten sets.

Yes, Nadal is a different player at RG, but when's the last time he was pressured there?

 

[Poisoned Slice]

 

[Bhagi Katbamna]

Any win is good, but this win does nothing to dispel what's been Nadal's issue: playing well when pressured. Nowadays, when Nadal is pressured, he loses; when Nadal isn't pressured, he cruises. He was pressured at Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid, and lost. At Rome, he lost the one set he was pressured, but cruised (four bagels, three breadsticks) in the other ten sets.

Yes, Nadal is a different player at RG, but when's the last time he was pressured there?

Generally this has been the pattern in 2019 except for Rome. He was serving at 4 all and love 40 against Verdasco and managed to pull that set out and was under pressure a few times against Tsitsipas and survived.

 

[vernonbc]

With this win Rafa will set the record for wins over a #1 with 20.

Congratulations bull.

Multiple records set today but the one I like the most and is still ongoing and not likely to be broken is:
MOST CONSECUTIVE YEARS WINNING AT LEAST ONE TITLE - 16

Beats Federer and Agassi and Lendl and all the other big names of the Open Era.

 

[vernonbc]

Haha. True. Hopefully Nadal can start playing better. Maybe this match will help with some mental demons.

Yeah, Rafa's had such a bad year. He's only in 2nd place in The Race, 500 points out of #1.

 

[vernonbc]

Nine (9) Rome finals from Djokovic, eleven (11) from Nadal.

But Rafa's won nine (9) of his while Djokovic has only won four (4). No comparison.

 

[AndyM]

I like Djokovic chances in Roland garros as long as he takes care of his business comfortably in the early rounds and is fresh for the final stages

 

[Mainad]

Nadal's win means that, so far, every Masters 1000 event this season has had a different winner:

Indian Wells: Thiem
Miami: Federer
Monte Carlo: Fognini
Madrid: Djokovic
Rome: Nadal

Federer (IW, Miami) and Djokovic (Madrid, Rome) the only players to make back to back finals.

 

[3fees]

Yeah, Rafa's had such a bad year. He's only in 2nd place in The Race, 500 points out of #1.

The race is one thing ATP Numero Uno another,, thats 4,400 points plus and counting out from #1.

Cheers
3Fees

 

[Bertie B]

^when did Andrew officially depart the fab four?

It was RG 2016, wasn't it?

 

[vernonbc]

Well in 2016, Novak lost early in MC, won Madrid, lost in the final of Rome. Guess what happened this year? Just saying. It would be awesome if history repeats itself. We shall see.

I think you're missing one important factotum about 2016 - Rafa wasn't at Roland Garros because he had a bad wrist. Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

 

[duaneeo]

Generally this has been the pattern in 2019 except for Rome. He was serving at 4 all and love 40 against Verdasco and managed to pull that set out and was under pressure a few times against Tsitsipas and survived.

Even when losing, I don't think Nadal feels pressured when facing his pigeon Verdasco on clay. And yes, he was under pressure only "a few times" against Tsitsipas.

 

[The Green Mile]

Novak hitting three consecutive moon balls that landed short inside the court was the best thing I've seen all year. Rafa hitting a forehand winner to end the point was just icing on the cake. Congrats Rafa for the title.

 

[Mainad]

^when did Andrew officially depart the fab four?

It was RG 2016, wasn't it?

So his subsequent wins at Queen's, Wimbledon, the Olympics, Beijing, Shanghai, Vienna, Paris, the WTF and Dubai don't count?

 

[TheAssassin]

Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

How many more times did he have to beat Nadal in straights during those times for you to not be under that illusion?

 

[clayqueen]

Nadal's ROS is pretty bad. People look at this return stats and say it's ok. But Nadal's very strong game hides his deficiencies int the ROS. Even if he can get the ROS into a neutral situation he can dominate rallies.

Yeah, Rafa's ROS is terrible. It's only the best on the ATP tour this year.

People often make statements that have no basis whatsoever! they should check the facts first.

 

[Fedalfan]

Shame we did not have a rested Novak, at least he did not default. But clearly he was spent. All comes down to the draw and scheduling. Nadal usually gets and easier draw in majors, hopefully the French will seed by rank, and not by committee like Wimbledon. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3, etc..

 

[3fees]

Andy the Dandy got knighted ,,its Sir Andy now...

Cheers
3Fees

 

[Bertie B]

^Paris is where it mattered, and he stood by and did nothing.

 

[vernonbc]

How many more times did he have to beat Nadal in straights during those times for you to not be under that illusion?

How many times has he beaten Rafa in the FO finals?

 

[TheAssassin]

How many times has he beaten Rafa in the FO finals?

Zero.

The thing is I don't get where your confidence comes from. He was in clearly worse form generally and lost the last 15 sets to Djokovic at the time, half of them coming at three clay tournaments. Plus they weren't going to meet in the final in 2016.

 

[Beacon Hill]

Shame we did not have a rested Novak, at least he did not default. But clearly he was spent. All comes down to the draw and scheduling. Nadal usually gets and easier draw in majors, hopefully the French will seed by rank, and not by committee like Wimbledon. 1 plays 4, 2 plays 3, etc..

How they choose seeds at Wimbledon has nothing to do with whether 1 plays 4 etc.

 

[acintya]

a touch from Pepe and Novak will be back and with a full battery. even after today i say its 50\50.novak played like ****. remember that backhand from nole?at rg he will shoot them regularly and nadal will have ton of problems on both wings. maybe his forehand will suffer even more because of novaks best 2hander of all time.

anyway im happy for Nadal and his confidence. but he must stay in shape and train harder or he will fall againts Nole.

 

[MeatTornado]

I think you're missing one important factotum about 2016 - Rafa wasn't at Roland Garros because he had a bad wrist. Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

You truly believe that?

 

[helterskelter]

That goes without saying. Djokovic has had Thiem in his half the last three straight years and Nadal two out of the last three years. Whoever gets Thiem IMO has the tougher half.

Which is why Thiem will be in Djokovic's half. As the perpetual moral winner, Bull picks the draw, and always gets the favorable draw when it matters.

 

[icedevil0289]

Which is why Thiem will be in Djokovic's half. As the perpetual moral winner, Bull picks the draw, and always gets the favorable draw when it matters.

to be fair in most cases w/e draw nadal gets will be favorable if only because he is better than the rest of the field on that surface. i do agree that getting thiem would definitely make it trickier. idk who would be tougher after that, he's not scheduled to meet novak until teh finals.

 

[vernonbc]

Zero.

The thing is I don't get where your confidence comes from. He was in clearly worse form generally and lost the last 15 sets to Djokovic at the time, half of them coming at three clay tournaments. Plus they weren't going to meet in the final in 2016.

My confidence comes from the fact that Rafa has won the FO eleven times and Djokovic only once, and that one time was when Rafa was out with an injury.

The Djokovic fans are so delusional about their man and create so many 'ifs' and 'what abouts' to convince themselves that he is unbeatable even if the facts prove it's not so.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Which is why Thiem will be in Djokovic's half. As the perpetual moral winner, Bull picks the draw, and always gets the favorable draw when it matters.

to be fair in most cases w/e draw nadal gets will be favorable if only because he is better than the rest of the field on that surface. i do agree that getting thiem would definitely make it trickier. idk who would be tougher after that, he's not scheduled to meet novak until teh finals.

Well lets face it, the first thing everyone will look for is, which section is Thiem in.

 

[TheAssassin]

The Djokovic fans are so delusional about their man and create so many 'ifs' and 'what abouts' to convince themselves that he is unbeatable even if the facts prove it's not so.

Look who is talking.

Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

Dig a hole, dig a hole...

 

[RF-18]

My confidence comes from the fact that Rafa has won the FO eleven times and Djokovic only once, and that one time was when Rafa was out with an injury.

The Djokovic fans are so delusional about their man and create so many 'ifs' and 'what abouts' to convince themselves that he is unbeatable even if the facts prove it's not so.

You were the one who said Djokovic would still be chasing a career slam if Nadal didn't withdraw in 2016. So you created an ''if'' right there.

 

[JohnnyMac Fan!]

Well, that's it. Nadal got his chance, a GREAT chance and he missed it. Missed a second serve return on the first BP, an unforced error on the third one. He got his chance and he missed it. Now it is over. Nadal will never beat Djokovic again.

This didn't age well.

 

[NoleFam]

I think you're missing one important factotum about 2016 - Rafa wasn't at Roland Garros because he had a bad wrist. Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

Rafa did play but he had to withdraw because of injury. They were scheduled to meet in the SF and Djokovic had won 3 straight clay matches including a recent straight sets win in Rome. I think it would be best to enjoy Rafa's win today and not try to be too cocky in discrediting a well earned victory from Novak 3 years ago. He would have been the favorite in that match anyway if it had happened.

 

[Mainad]

I think you're missing one important factotum about 2016 - Rafa wasn't at Roland Garros because he had a bad wrist. Novak would still be waiting for his career slam if Rafa had played.

Rafa did play but he had to withdraw because of injury. They were scheduled to meet in the SF and Djokovic had won 3 straight clay matches including a recent straight sets win in Rome. I think it would be best to enjoy Rafa's win today and not try to be too cocky in discrediting a well earned victory from Novak 3 years ago. He would have been the favorite in that match anyway if it had happened.

He played the first 2 rounds at 2016 RG and then withdrew ahead of his 3rd round match with Granollers.

 

[RVAtennisaddict]

Really wanted to post earlier:

1) If Djoker wins, it will crush Nadal and leave him demoralized for the FO.
2) If Djoker looses, it was to lull Nadal in to a sense of overconfidence and to save energy for FO where the real Ultron will appear.

Lol can sub Djoker/Nadal and Ultron/Bull

Being a Djoker fan, I am going with #2. The second set was his mini-self test - passed..

 

[Otacon]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1130152762900193282

 

[The Green Mile]

When has Novak ever set up that many points playing some great tennis only to fluff on the final shot with shabby execution and/or poor shot selection? So many times today lol... Them short put-away balls, especially on the backhand side...

 

[DRII]

This is the point that some Djokovic fans are missing today. We’re used to seeing almost superhuman feats from him even after long matches during events.

That didn’t happen today. Looked knackered, played knackered. He is human.

If he gets involved in long matches at FO, tiredness might become a factor where it never was previously.

it has been a factor before.

its how Wawrinka beat him in multiple slam finals, wearing him out thru at least 4 sets of heavy, consistent groundstrokes.

 

[DRII]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1130152762900193282

[B]Dhonna Salazar[/B]‏ @[B]Dhonna_Salazar[/B]
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Replying to @[B]nomatchwindyno[/B]
Nolefam left the group.

LOL, really...

 

[TennisFan3]

People often make statements that have no basis whatsoever! they should check the facts first.

Not sure why it is hard to understand. ROS stats measure return games won. That is purely based on Nadal's strength of the ground in NEUTRAL rallies. He is among the strongest players off the ground.

I was talking about that particular ONE shot: ROS. Nadal's strong ground game hides deficiencies in that shot. Ask any coach: Cahill, Gilbert. Patrick Mouratoglou or any coach worth their salt. They all say the same thing.
It is a shot that Nadal has struggled through all his career. HE keeps adjusting his return position because of his long followthrough. Also gets frustrated when he can't put balls back in play while returning. He is caught hacking with his grip. One reason why he struggled at Wimbledon against big servers.
Happily his ground game is good enough to cover it up.

 

[3fees]

French Open has used 13 24 seeding, thus Djokovic, Federer upper 1/2 of the draw,, Nadal, Thiem lower 1/2 half of the draw. Djokovic was seeded 20 in 2018 and atp ranking 22, now no 1.

comments ?

Cheers
3fees

 

[icedevil0289]

French Open has used 13 24 seeding, thus Djokovic, Federer upper 1/2 of the draw,, Nadal, Thiem lower 1/2 half of the draw. Djokovic was seeded 20 in 2018 and atp ranking 22..

well, well, well

Cheers
3fees

huh? i thought it was random or atleast meant to be random and that there is a 50/50 chance no.3 ends up on the side of no.2.