Gotta Respect Nole

winstonplum

Hall of Fame
Damn, the guy is like a machine. Unlike the nit-wit, lily-livered Fed and Nole fans that say (imagine with whiney, snivveling voice), "I wish I could love Nadal, it's just that his fans ruin it for me," I actually do like Nole in spite of his fans on this site. No doubt he would vomit when he read what some of his "supporters" write about the player he has more than once referred to as the greatest of all time.

But back to the topic: When Nole beats Nadal he simply out-Nadal's Nadal. Rafa doesn't have a monopoly on intensity, grit, retrieving, and focus. Nole is right there with him and last night betsed him in every department.

I think Nadal got a false sense of security with those three huge wins this year. He has to be super-aggressive in order to beat an "on" Nole. Nole at his best from the baseline trumps Nadal's 40/60 offsense to defense approach. It's got be be weird for Nadal because that approach beats every other player on the planet. It doesn't work against Nole. He was so passive for so much of the match. He needs to be 70/30 offense to defense with Nole. Novak threw in a lot of loose sets at RG and the USO. Last night was 2011 Nole--a consistency machine. Rafa's first big "Vamos" came after he saved match point. Way too little way too late.

The guy is the fittest play on the tour, probably has the best diet/nutrition/exerice program of any player (see New Yorker article) and probably takes the sport more seriously than any player alive. He has lost to no one at a slam except Muzza, Nadal, and Fed since 2010 Wimby. There's in no way on God's green Earth that Fed is beating him ever again in slam, and Muzza probably won't be ready until Wimby.

Can Nadal beat him at Oz? Perhaps. Will Nadal lose early? Much more likely than Nole losing early. Will Nadal still be motivated after the best year of his career?

Djokovic's mid-career turnaround is absolutely remarkable.
 

LazyNinja19

Banned
True. Gotta hand it to Novak! He is an absolute machine when he is on! Reminds me of Rafa during the early years.

The thing for Rafa is that, he'll have to go through Novak if he has to win any slam till the end of their careers. So there's no avaoiding him!
Rafa will have to find a way through him. It's gonna be difficult, but nothing he hasn't done before. He just did it twice this year.

So yes, it'll be a close fight between these 2 champions always. They both hate to lose to each other. And probably, think about each other when they train!
 

sureshs

Bionic Poster
Nole's strength is his versatility across both wings, something that neither Rafa nor Roger possesses.
 
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