In early May, if someone had predicted Rafa would win 2 out of 3 upcoming slams...

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet:

70235769_2428780610520483_731934428070150144_o.jpg
 

mistik

Hall of Fame
I didnt have good feeling after AO final which was a terrible match.It all changed Rome beat Novak in straight sets won the title and get the confidence back.
 

Xavier G

Hall of Fame
He always wins the French and has a good chance at the US Open, so yeah, no. I never ruled him out.
Rafa has been great in the Slams this year, always there or there abouts at the end, so congrats to him.
 

Lebsta

Rookie
I'll admit i was worried after the beginning of the clay season, but to be honest it's a regular process with Rafa. He suffers loss of form or injury, it raises concerns over whether he can last at the top of the game. He then proceeds to come storming back winning slams, regaining #1 and raising the GOAT debate once again. It's nothing new he does it all the time.
 

malbaker86

Hall of Fame
It wouldn't have shocked me had I been told that. It wasn't as if Rafa was losing in the first or 2nd round at events earlier this year or even late last year, he was still making the semi's or finals everywhere. Until he starts dropping multiple sets in the first week of slams, he has as good of a shot at anyone at any Grand Slam
 
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Deleted member 744633

Guest
Remember, everybody had written off Rafa after failing to win any clay title and getting destroyed by Novak at AO.

What would you have said if someone predicted an upcoming 2 out 3 slam wins, and a semi in the third one ?

Crazy !

I'd have told them they were out of their minds and to call our resident Doctor @Bhagi Katbamna! :)
 

TimHenmanATG

Hall of Fame
Nothing wrong with that.

And my post clearly mentions beginning of may where Rafa had zero titles for the year.

He only won Rome on the 19 th.

Then he was favorite for RG, but not as clear as in other years.

There is something wrong with that if you are suggesting that Nadal overcame some kind of adversity to win Roland Garros, when everyone had him as the clear favourite at the time.

That's a misrepresentation of the situation.
 

terribleIVAN

Hall of Fame
everyone had him as the clear favourite at the time.

That's a misrepresentation of the situation.

Again, at the start of Mai, all the press was going on about Nadal being without a title for the year, a first since 2003, and how he looked lost in the AO final.

He was anything but a clear RG favorite at that time.
 

TimHenmanATG

Hall of Fame
Again, at the start of Mai, all the press was going on about Nadal being without a title for the year, a first since 2003, and how he looked lost in the AO final.

He was anything but a clear RG favorite at that time.

Bookies thought otherwise.

They had him as clear favourite - and it's not in their interest to lose money.
 

TimHenmanATG

Hall of Fame
Ok.

Proof ?

I can't provide proof, as I don't have a time-machine to travel back to May.

But I can't be the only one who checked the odds at the time, so I'm sure that others would be able to back it up.

I can't remember the exact odds, but Rafa was favourite. I remember that Novak (second favourite) was priced at something around 7/1.
 

alexio

G.O.A.T.
I can't provide proof, as I don't have a time-machine to travel back to May.

But I can't be the only one who checked the odds at the time, so I'm sure that others would be able to back it up.

I can't remember the exact odds, but Rafa was favourite. I remember that Novak (second favourite) was priced at something around 7/1.
on may 24 it was .. nadal +105, djok +225
 
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topher

Hall of Fame
I can't provide proof, as I don't have a time-machine to travel back to May.

But I can't be the only one who checked the odds at the time, so I'm sure that others would be able to back it up.

I can't remember the exact odds, but Rafa was favourite. I remember that Novak (second favourite) was priced at something around 7/1.

One site put odds the day before the tournament start in late May at even for Rafa and ~30% for Novak. Impossible to say what his odds were in early May, but no doubt they were less before he won Rome.
 

TimHenmanATG

Hall of Fame
alexio88 said:
on may 24 it was .. nadal +105, djok +225

topher said:
One site put odds the day before the tournament start in late May at even for Rafa and ~30% for Novak. Impossible to say what his odds were in early May, but no doubt they were less before he won Rome.

Maybe I was mistaken about Djokovic's odds - I thought he was 7/1 at some point pre-tournament.

Either way, my main point still stands. Nadal was clear favourite - about evens. OP was painting this picture that Nadal was somehow embattled, and overcame adversity to win the French Open.
 

terribleIVAN

Hall of Fame
Many people here have short memories: Rafa was coming back from injuries, he almost got bageled by Fognini in the last set at Monte Carlo.

Then Thiem beat him in Barcelona.

Tsistsipas beat him in Madrid, then was beaten in the final by Novak (early Mai).

Which meant Nadal was without a single title beginning mai 2019, the first time since 2004, while Novak had won Madrid.

Many people doubted whether he would defend RG.
 

UnderratedSlam

G.O.A.T.
Very similar to 2013 when he also skipped much of the early events then won FO and USO and became no1 for the year.

But even better, because he had great success in all 4 slams, and the fact that he played all four.
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
Remember, everybody had written off Rafa after failing to win any clay title and getting destroyed by Novak at AO.

What would you have said if someone predicted an upcoming 2 out 3 slam wins, and a semi in the third one ?

Crazy !
In May I predicted Fognini would win the next 3 slams. Boy was I wrong.

The narrative isn’t so much about what Nadal did, but what Djokovic didn’t do. His French Open loss was a pretty strange match. Not saying he would have beaten Nadal in the finals, but it would have been darn close.

At Wimbledon and US Open, Djokovic was clearly not at 100%. Djokovic at even 80% probably would have beaten Nadal at the US Open.
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
When I saw Rafa win 18 sets in a row at the AO this year without even being able to practice his defense (because he was recovering from ankle surgery), I knew he'd have a great 2019, and I always favor him at the US Open over Djokovic/Federer :)
 
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