French OPEN 2014 : if NADAL and DEL POTRO are in the same draw...

tipsa...don'tlikehim!

tipsa...don'tlikehim!

Talk Tennis Guru
... if it happens, I think Del Potro will beat Nadal.

The only time they played a match on clay in the best of 5, Nadal was 1 set down and 1 break down (or 2?) ... before winning 7/6 in the 4th (Davis cup in Spain 2011).

I'm starting to think Nadal is powerless against Del Potro, probably even on clay now.




We'll see...
928860pmaria.jpg
 
Kenshin

Kenshin

Semi-Pro
I can't say Del potro will be the favorite. I don't know if it is the right surface for him to beat Nadal. How many titles has Del potro won on clay? How many times has he reached the semi at the FO?
 
tipsa...don'tlikehim!

tipsa...don'tlikehim!

Talk Tennis Guru
Del Potro's record on clay is nearly as good as on outdoor hardcourt regarding the overall record of W/L:

Clay: 143 WINS / 62 LOSSES = 70%
Outdoor HC: 174 WINS / 64 LOSSES = 73%


However you are right about titles... Only 4 on clay out of 17.
SF at the FO: 1 time.

But my opinion won't change :)
 
MichaelNadal

MichaelNadal

Bionic Poster
Kenshin said:
I can't say Del potro will be the favorite. I don't know if it is the right surface for him to beat Nadal. How many titles has Del potro won on clay? How many times has he reached the semi at the FO?
Click to expand...

And he just beat Nadal once, and for the first time since 2009 and it was on a fast court with a lower bounce.
 
swordtennis

swordtennis

G.O.A.T.
It is a great surface for DelPotro. Speedy, high bounce ball right into that wheelhouse of that Forehand. He just has to be playing great ball when he gets to the FO. If he is in great form I think he gets to the SF's at least.
 
dudeski

dudeski

Hall of Fame
tipsa...don'tlikehim! said:
... if it happens, I think Del Potro will beat Nadal.

The only time they played a match on clay in the best of 5, Nadal was 1 set down and 1 break down (or 2?) ... before winning 7/6 in the 4th (Davis cup in Spain 2011).

I'm starting to think Nadal is powerless against Del Potro, probably even on clay now.




We'll see...
928860pmaria.jpg
Click to expand...

What will happen is as follows:

Step 1: Delpo eliminates all good players in his quarter.
Step 2: Delpo loses to Ferrer or Federer in the quarter final in 5 long sets.
Step 3: Nadal beats exhausted Ferrer/Federer in 3 easy sets in the semi.
Step 4: Djokovic plays Nadal in the final where result depends on weather. Any heavy clouds or rain and Nadal loses.
 
Wynter

Wynter

Legend
It'll depend on who shows up on the day, since his surgery though it seems Nadal is susceptible to being powered through by players.

60-40 to Nadal anyway, maybe being slightly generous to Delpo.
 
Kenshin

Kenshin

Semi-Pro
I think Del potro will have more opportunity to win if it was before the quater-final or semi-final. Nadal usually gets stronger and stronger past the second week at slams. But Del potro is currently ranked 5 so they are likely to meet at quarter or semi. It will be an interesting match to watch if it were to happen though.
 
Who Am I?

Who Am I?

Banned
Nadal will most likely win in 4 sets. Delpo just won't have the stamina to beat on clay in a BO5, unless he does it in 3 straight sets which is never happening in a million years.
 
Djokovic2011

Djokovic2011

Bionic Poster
Who Am I? said:
Nadal will most likely win in 4 sets. Delpo just won't have the stamina to beat on clay in a BO5, unless he does it in 3 straight sets which is never happening in a million years.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Del Potro would definitely be a tough opponent but Nadal would be too strong in the end.
 
A

arrowbar

Banned
Del Potro is way overrated. His last big win in a slam was in 2009. If they meet at Roland Garros, Del Potro will probably not even win a set.
 
A

arrowbar

Banned
RF20Lennon said:
I think Rafa will get through in 4-5 sets much like their DC encounter.
Click to expand...

Nadal was playing his worst clay tennis ever in 2011. That is probably the main reason the match was even so competitive. Along with the emotions that Davis Cup stirs for some players, and most of all that Del Potro wasn't playing after a series of matches which given his poor fitness and durability helps him greatly. Playing Nadal in his 5th, 6th, or 7th match of Roland Garros he would be nowhere near as competitive.
 
Vegito

Vegito

Hall of Fame
Del Potro played well that match in the Davis Cup final but never so good as he was playing in the French Open 2009. Remember that match against Federer in the semifinals? He was playing awesome, I think probably he just gets nervous in the fourth set. Delpo should have won that French Open and with that level he would have beat Nadal in that Davis Cup and then probably in some Roland Garros edition. I think he almost never has hit the ball same as before the knee surgery. Seeing the Davis Cup matches and many of his matches it seems that he can´t hit the ball hard in really many of his shots, as before. I hope he can change it.
 
moonballs

moonballs

Hall of Fame
No worries, Delpo will be in Djokovic's half. Novak is very good at drawing tough SFs, like Delpo in W, Wawrinka in USO, etc. Nadal's luck is quite the opposite. He usually gets the cake walk to the final, the only exception is the FO13, where he got the cakewalk in the final and Novak in the SF.
 
Elite

Elite

Semi-Pro
Nadal is too clutch at Roland Garros. Hell, I'd still put my money on him if he was down two sets and a break. He's a beast on clay. I don't really like to say this, but it is the truth.

He may not have the most appealing game on the dirt, we all know this, but mentally, he's paramount.
 
Chanwan

Chanwan

G.O.A.T.
Can Delpo beat Nadal at the FO? Possibly. IMO, he's without a doubt, the second toughest opponent for Nadal at the FO and the only one besides Nole with a somewhat real chance of winning against Nadal.

He's got the easy power of Söderling and a solid backhand that can take Nadal's high bouncing forehand no matter how high it bounces. And he's darn hard to break. But Nadal can make him run from side to side and tire him out. So I agree that Delpo would need to do it in 3 or 4 sets.

It's certainly a match, I would like to watch. There are too few matches involving Nadal at the FO, where the winner is not known beforehand. This would be one of those - though you would still have to give a 60-40 or 70-30 advantage to Nadal.
 
Talker

Talker

Hall of Fame
Vegito said:
Del Potro played well that match in the Davis Cup final but never so good as he was playing in the French Open 2009. Remember that match against Federer in the semifinals? He was playing awesome, I think probably he just gets nervous in the fourth set. Delpo should have won that French Open and with that level he would have beat Nadal in that Davis Cup and then probably in some Roland Garros edition. I think he almost never has hit the ball same as before the knee surgery. Seeing the Davis Cup matches and many of his matches it seems that he can´t hit the ball hard in really many of his shots, as before. I hope he can change it.
Click to expand...

He wasn't nervous, he was tired. At that time his endurance was a little low but he did correct it by the USO that year.
He did seem to hit a little harder and more often before the wrist injury, the other thing is that he was completely fearless to rip the ball against anyone and on the biggest stage.
At the USO he showed no nerves at all in the last set of the final against Fed.
Awesome. :)
 
Crose

Crose

Professional
If Nadal is in form and healthy, the only person who has a chance is Novak.

Big fan of Delpo, but if he plays Nadal his only chance is if Nadal is hurt or playing like absolute ****.
 
marc45

marc45

G.O.A.T.
tipsa...don'tlikehim! said:
... if it happens, I think Del Potro will beat Nadal.

The only time they played a match on clay in the best of 5, Nadal was 1 set down and 1 break down (or 2?) ... before winning 7/6 in the 4th (Davis cup in Spain 2011).

I'm starting to think Nadal is powerless against Del Potro, probably even on clay now.




We'll see...
928860pmaria.jpg
Click to expand...


yes, Nadal is powerless in a match on clay...well-reasoned...kind of the heart and soul of TT though, I'll grant you that...we don't do understatement here
 
Backspin1183

Backspin1183

Talk Tennis Guru
Del Potro is very dangerous against Nadal...if they meet on clay at RG in 2014, expect the big Argentine to blast Rafa off the tournament.

My pick would be Nadal in 3 or 4.
 
marc45

marc45

G.O.A.T.
tipsa...don'tlikehim! said:
We'll see mate, i am rarely wrong in this kind of prediction, wait and see :)
Click to expand...

yes, we will....I suppose Nadal would have to be powerless and Delpo wipe him out in 3 in 2:00-2:30 because Delpo still isn't exactly known for outlasting guys, he's had Fed on the ropes there before and fell apart and didn't have enough to finish...it's tough enough beating Nadal on clay, knowing you need to do it in straights in a couple hours isn't a great mindset to have
 
NADALRECORD

NADALRECORD

Banned
tipsa...don'tlikehim! said:
... if it happens, I think Del Potro will beat Nadal.

The only time they played a match on clay in the best of 5, Nadal was 1 set down and 1 break down (or 2?) ... before winning 7/6 in the 4th (Davis cup in Spain 2011).

I'm starting to think Nadal is powerless against Del Potro, probably even on clay now.
Click to expand...

That'd be funny, considering Prime Del Potro 2009 couldn't even beat Federer at Roland Garros.
 
borg number one

borg number one

Legend
Yes a win like that is certainly possible, since this is tennis at the very top at a major. You get results that don't always compute on paper going into it. That's the uncertainty of tennis, the anomalies involved. Del Potro has the game to trouble Nadal. The big bounces don't bother him and those shots often sit in his strike zone. He can blister groundstrokes off both wings and he is surprisingly nimble, but his size does him no favors at times, especially as the match wears on. He'll need to really be hitting on all cylinders and it will likely have to be a sustained effort during a long 4 setter or a tough five set match. Can he do that? Yes, especially if Nadal is not on his A game for whatever reason. Would I expect it to happen? No. Nadal is the favorite against anyone at the French Open in the draw for the foreseeable future.
 
NADALRECORD

NADALRECORD

Banned
Del Potro would have to win it in straight sets probably. Del Potro generally as problems closing out top 4 opponents at slams. So if its 5 sets, Nadal wins it definitely, especially at Roland Garros lol. Del Potro seems to have a mental problem. Or maybe his body loses stamina too much over 5 sets. Something runs out.
 
The_Order

The_Order

G.O.A.T.
moonballs said:
No worries, Delpo will be in Djokovic's half. Novak is very good at drawing tough SFs, like Delpo in W, Wawrinka in USO, etc. Nadal's luck is quite the opposite. He usually gets the cake walk to the final, the only exception is the FO13, where he got the cakewalk in the final and Novak in the SF.
Click to expand...

Nadal's never lost a set to Wawrinka, had he drawn him in the SF at this year's USO he most likely would've won in straight sets.
 
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