2022 US Open R2: Rafael Nadal [2] vs Fabio Fognini [60]

Who wins?

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    64
  • Poll closed .
Jokervich

Jokervich

Hall of Fame
Well Nadal didn't look so good in his first match even though he was a heavy favorite. Lost the first set, faced a lot of 0-30 and 15-30 situations on his serve, but pulled through in the end in 4 sets. Now he plays Fabio Fognini who has a 1-0, bud lead over him at the US Open. He came through his last match in 5 sets against Karatsev, after losing the first 2 sets.

H2H is 13-4 in favor of Nadal, but crucially that 1-0, bud at the US Open. What do you think result will be? Poll included.
 
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Does anyone remember their AO ‘21 match? The one that people were saying “watch out for Fognini here, he plays Nadal tough”?

Yeah, go check that result when you have the chance. Rafa in straights. Should be entertaining though.
 
Beulah Jesus said:
For someone whose favorite player is absent from competition, you sure are getting pretty busy creating match threads about his rival's matches.

Not a knock on you, just an observation. Maybe underneath it all you are a Rafa fan? :giggle:
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I'm not sure how to take that.:unsure: I already said that I want Djokodal to win every slam, I just want Djokovic to win more slams than Nadal when all is said and done, which is almost certain to happen if politics don't get in the way.
 
Rafa to crush Fabio in 3.
6-4 6-4 6-3
Fabio will break early in both sets 1 & 2, then Rafa will come roaring back and destroy him.
 
Nadal looked 10 times better than Fognini's 30 winners and 61 unforced errors in the 1st Round (y)
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Wow, it's a miracle that the rusty, injured Bull who is unfocused because of family back home survived his first round match. Idk how he pulled that off.

All luck probably. Fog will put an end to this.
 
Even though Nadal's ball toss is lower now, his serve looked very lethal, especially down-the-T, and with a low ball-toss he should serve down-the-T more than ever (avoid the high part of the net) and maybe serve more aces than usual (y)(y)
 
Rinky gave Rafa good practice for Fabio because he was hitting big off both sides and really didn’t drop off much after set 1. Fabio is not the same player of even 3 years ago. His fitness is not there anymore and the magic in his ground strokes doesn’t seem quite there. Kecmanovic is going to prove a very touch match for Rafa if they meet. I have my eye on him, he worries me more.
 
Gumby said:
Rinky gave Rafa good practice for Fabio because he was hitting big off both sides and really didn’t drop off much after set 1. Fabio is not the same player of even 3 years ago. His fitness is not there anymore and the magic in his ground strokes doesn’t seem quite there. Kecmanovic is going to prove a very touch match for Rafa if they meet. I have my eye on him, he worries me more.
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Nadal has 4-0 in sets played vs. Kecmanovic, because Nadal has a tactical match-up advantage and will never lose a set o_O
We are all winners thanks to Nadal vs. Kecmanovic (y)
 
Jokervich said:
Well Nadal didn't look so good in his first match even though he was a heavy favorite. Lost the first set, faced a lot of 0-30 and 15-30 situations on his serve, but pulled through in the end in 4 sets. Now he plays Fabio Fognini who has a 1-0, bud lead over him at the US Open. He came through his last match in 5 sets against Karatsev, after losing the first 2 sets.

H2H is 13-4 in favor of Nadal, but crucially that 1-0, bud at the US Open. What do you think result will be? Poll included.
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Fognini has already had his comeback win for this USO edition. He will fold in 3. The 1R match was just the match practice Rafa needed to get his rhythm going. I expect him to level up and finish Fognini off easily.
 
No problem for Rafa. Surprising if Fog takes a set. He's been awful for years, and barely got through out of form Karatsev.
 
Nadal's groundstrokes look more potent on this surface, not in terms of top spin but rather in speed, it really allows him to hit through the court on both wings :cool:
 
Nadal - GOAT said:
Med seems a lock for the finals with Kyrgios the only serious challenger in the way. Tsitsipas and Fritz exit has helped him. For Rafa though it is still a long way.
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Yes for sure rafa is not a lock as he has to work his way into better form but I have faith in him. You are spot on about med’s challengers I also throw in FAA if he makes it.. Nadal really will only have Alcaraz but I could easily see him loose as well before SF…
I’m not scared of anyone really in nadals half they are all hard opponents in their own way I wouldn’t like to see Shapa in QF as he is a bad match up with Rafa pure game wise but he is inconsistent lately I think norrie makes it to QF and I could see hurc or sinner but I lean towards the pole in the semi..
 
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Rafa will probably stroll through this match although if Fognini really believes in himself he could push him hard, unlikely though.
 
thepaint19 said:
Nadal's groundstrokes look more potent on this surface, not in terms of top spin but rather in speed, it really allows him to hit through the court on both wings :cool:
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Great point. That's also why he's won here 4 times. Another thing people don't mention (outside of Justin Gimelstob) is that Rafa loves massive courts, if you look at the run off space on Ashe and Chatrier he feels like has all the space in the world to hit his shots. From a psychological stand point it's benefitted him.
 
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paolo2143 said:
Rafa will probably stroll through this match although if Fognini really believes in himself he could push him hard, unlikely though.
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Fognini these days has been shaky. I'd seen him play Hamburg this summer and lost to Khachanov. He's certainly on the downswing of his career. He may snatch a set off Rafa for old times sake. But RN is on a mission to get 23 and only Med can stop it
 
Jokervich said:
Well Nadal didn't look so good in his first match even though he was a heavy favorite. Lost the first set, faced a lot of 0-30 and 15-30 situations on his serve, but pulled through in the end in 4 sets. Now he plays Fabio Fognini who has a 1-0, bud lead over him at the US Open. He came through his last match in 5 sets against Karatsev, after losing the first 2 sets.

H2H is 13-4 in favor of Nadal, but crucially that 1-0, bud at the US Open. What do you think result will be? Poll included.
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Seven years ago, on cold dark night.
 
Gumby said:
Great point. That's also why he's won here 4 times. Another thing people don't mention (outside of Justin Gimelstob) is that Rafa loves massive courts, if you look at the run off space on Ashe and Chatrier he feels like has all the space in the world to his shots. From a psychological stand point it's benefitted him.
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Yep, I've overlooked that, I always talk about Chatrier being huge, but forgot that Ashe is huge too. He's very unlucky to have missed the US Open in 2012, 2014, 2020 and 2021, and still a good chance of tying Connors, Sampras, Federer with 5 (y)
 
Jokervich said:
Well Nadal didn't look so good in his first match even though he was a heavy favorite. Lost the first set, faced a lot of 0-30 and 15-30 situations on his serve, but pulled through in the end in 4 sets. Now he plays Fabio Fognini who has a 1-0, bud lead over him at the US Open. He came through his last match in 5 sets against Karatsev, after losing the first 2 sets.

H2H is 13-4 in favor of Nadal, but crucially that 1-0, bud at the US Open. What do you think result will be? Poll included.
Click to expand...
2015 was such a bad version of Nadal, he'd won 17 in a row over Berdych and then got bagelled by Berdych at the AO, and lost to Wawrinka/Murray/Djokovic in straight sets on clay.
3 of Fognini's 4 wins over Nadal came in 2015, and that US Open was almost a straight sets win for Nadal, so not a great sign for Fognini's chances this year :cool:
 
thepaint19 said:
2015 was such a bad version of Nadal, he'd won 17 in a row over Berdych and then got bagelled by Berdych at the AO, and lost to Wawrinka/Murray in straight sets on clay.
3 of Fognini's 4 wins over Nadal came in 2015, and that US Open was almost a straight sets win for Nadal, so not a great sign for Fognini's chances this year :cool:
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I agree, but Nadal did lose to Fognini in Monte Carlo 2019.
 
Gumby said:
I agree, but Nadal did lose to Fognini in Monte Carlo 2019.
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Yep I remember that, it was the year Nadal lost in the SF of Monte Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid :cool:
I know he made the AO Final that year, but he wasn't even allowed to practice his defense/retrieving during January, because he'd had ankle surgery in December, and I think the lack of defense was a reason why it took him a while to find form on clay.
 
StrongRule said:
Thing is, any other top-10 (or even lower) player would be a huge favorite to beating Fognini in straight sets. Nadal is the only one who somehow finds a way to struggle against him. Some kind of a mental block. This is a hole in Nadal's legacy to be honest.
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Well let's see if he struggles first, in 2015 Fogs played well too
 
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