Just my thoughts about the match

[underground]

Even though it was an anticipated matchup, I never expected something like this.

I mean, crazy stuff happened, Nadal actually lost a point for a time violation? Djokovic touching the net at what could have gave him a game away from victory? Pascal Maria doing his finest job out there.

It was a weird ending. It just felt like an abrupt ending with Novak getting broken to love, his fightback, his mentality, all the incredible comebacks, but 2 consecutive long FHs gifted the match to Rafa.

It's got to be a bitter loss for Novak, he could have had a 5-3 lead, and not to forget those overheads. When will he get that sorted?

In a way it feels like the reverse of the AO, this time it was Nadal in complete control, but Djokovic suddenly clawing his way back and looked like he was going to win. Before at 4-2 missing an easy shot and letting Nadal back into it.

Well I suppose the result will benefit tennis in a long term, because had Novak won it, there would be no rivalry. Rafa could have been crushed mentally forever, having gone 2 sets to 1 up and was actually serving for the match. Credit to Rafa for hanging in there and just fighting to the last point. I just hope we will have a competitive final.

 

[aldeayeah]

Djokovic wasn't clutch in the 5th, but neither was Nadal in the 4th.

Lots of drama and some pretty brilliant shots, it turned out much more fun than it seemed in the first 3 sets.

 

[Rob_C]

+1 on Djokovic having a crappy overhead. It's always been that way. It cost him the Wimby semi against Fed last year as well.

 

[tacou]

fantastic play at times coupled with more dramatic turns that I could have expected made this quite the match....now lets hope Nadal is too tired to beat up on his final opponent

 

[spinovic]

Great match. Two of the greatest big match players of all time, and they delivered.

I agree that the love break was a bit of an anticlimax, but those guys laid it on the line. Both guys made some great shots.

Rafa caught a few timely lucky breaks with a couple of iffy line calls (based on Hawkeye) and the net touch by Djokovic that lead to him getting that break back in the 5th. I'm sure that statement will draw the ire of *********, but there's no insult intended. Simply a stated fact and sometimes it takes a little luck (a la the roof being closed at the 2012 Wimbledon final).

These two guys never fail to deliver on the slam stage and they once again showed why everyone is giddy with anticipation for their meeting when the draws come out.

Looks like there is about a 99.9% chance he claims #8 on Sunday. The odds of Tsonga beating Ferrer and Nadal are quite slim. The odds of Ferrer beating Tsonga are fairly good, but unfortunately, we know what happens when he meets Rafa.

Just goes to show how tough he is to beat on the clay. Djokovic was the aggressor and dictated play much of the match, but on the clay, it just takes so many great shots to beat Nadal, it is tough over 5 sets, especially if the few "breaks" in the match go against you.

 

[spinovic]

fantastic play at times coupled with more dramatic turns that I could have expected made this quite the match....now lets hope Nadal is too tired to beat up on his final opponent

Nadal could beat Ferrer with one arm (his left, of course).

The only chance of Nadal not winning this tournament is if Tsonga goes into Hulk mode like Soderling in 2009 and blasts him off the court. It is possible, but not likely. And, even more unfortunately, he isn't likely to win against Ferrer, IMO.

 

[Tenez101]

Djokovic wasn't clutch in the 5th, but neither was Nadal in the 4th.

Lots of drama and some pretty brilliant shots, it turned out much more fun than it seemed in the first 3 sets.

Novak was super-clutch with god-like serving until the last game (when he was just physically spent). It also didn't help that Rafa came up with ridiculous shots either.

 

[Polvorin]

I couldn't believe that Djokovic could hang in there and keep going for broke against the onslaught of moonballs. Even despite losing so many points in which he was clearly dictating and the better player, he just kept going for it until the last game where he looked like he finally gave up.

I respect his effort. Most players would have gotten frustrated and beaten themselves long before that.

 

[Speranza]

Holmes: Novak gave Ralph far too much on the forehand side...

 

[spinovic]

Novak was super-clutch with god-like serving until the last game (when he was just physically spent). It also didn't help that Rafa came up with ridiculous shots either.

Rafa made some insane shots - not that that is anything out of the ordinary. Both of these guys made some great shots. Rafa perhaps a few more highlight reel winners from crazy position on the court, but Novak was just pounding accurate and powerful groundstrokes one after another to win points. Great match. I'll say it again.

 

[spinovic]

I couldn't believe that Djokovic could hang in there and keep going for broke against the onslaught of moonballs. Even despite losing so many points in which he was clearly dictating and the better player, he just kept going for it until the last game where he looked like he finally gave up.

I respect his effort. Most players would have gotten frustrated and beat themselves long before that.

Generally what happens I think. Its also why the advantage shifts to Novak on Hard Courts - makes everything just a little easier for him to dictate.

 

[zagor]

Even though it was an anticipated matchup, I never expected something like this.

I mean, crazy stuff happened, Nadal actually lost a point for a time violation? Djokovic touching the net at what could have gave him a game away from victory? Pascal Maria doing his finest job out there.

His finest job if the hawk-eye was wrong on that BP in the 3d set, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't.

It was a weird ending. It just felt like an abrupt ending with Novak getting broken to love, his fightback, his mentality, all the incredible comebacks, but 2 consecutive long FHs gifted the match to Rafa.

It wasn't an abrupt ending, the writing was on the wall for Novak, he was tired, Nadal wasn't.

Well I suppose the result will benefit tennis in a long term, because had Novak won it, there would be no rivalry. Rafa could have been crushed mentally forever, having gone 2 sets to 1 up and was actually serving for the match. Credit to Rafa for hanging in there and just fighting to the last point. I just hope we will have a competitive final.

Dude, the result benefiting tennis would be getting a new FO winner, the result is great for Nadal fans and good for them (just as I'd be glad seeing Fed win 8th Wimbledon or Novak win a few more AOs) but seeing the same player dominate to such ridiculous extremes is only exciting for people who are fans of said player, trying to spin it otherwise is hilarious.

And of course Nadal wouldn't have been mentally crushed forever, that's a gross exaggeration.

I just hope we will have a competitive final.

We both know that's not gonna happen.

 

[powerangle]

Such a heartbreaker for Nole. He had it when he was up a break in the 5th, but he brain-farted at that deuce point at 4-3 on his serve. Could have let the ball bounce but he ran into the net and lost the point, and subsequently that all important hold of serve to maintain his lead. Rafa was on lockdown from there on out.

A truly epic match, nonetheless. The way that Novak came back twice in the 4th set while Rafa was serving for the match was legendary. Nadal himself at RG and his overall ability to fight is legendary. Tennis wins today.

 

[sbengte]

I mean, crazy stuff happened, Nadal actually lost a point for a time violation? Djokovic touching the net at what could have gave him a game away from victory? Pascal Maria doing his finest job out there.

Of the two bad calls , I think the one in the first set may have cost Nole the first set since it would have given him BP to go 2-0 up and Nadal would have been a little shaken right at the beginning. you never know. Just hate it when bad calls ruin a match. They should just get hawkeye on clay.

 

[underground]

It wasn't an abrupt ending, the writing was on the wall for Novak, he was tired, Nadal wasn't.



Dude, the result benefiting tennis would be getting a new FO winner, the result is great for Nadal fans and good for them (just as I'd be glad seeing Fed win 8th Wimbledon or Novak win a few more AOs) but seeing the same player dominate to such ridiculous extremes is only exciting for people who are fans of said player, trying to spin it otherwise is hilarious.

I felt like the ongoing complaint about watering the court distracted Novak more than anything. All the time Djokovic had a bail-out method to hold serve, serving out wide and FH DTL (ironic isn't it?), whilst Nadal was just rolling those serves in.

Yes we could have had a new FO winner, but could you imagine the Djokodal rivalry? Nadal would be crushed mentally completely no doubt had he lost this, on his favourite surface, over 5 sets, and was just 2 points away. All their meetings afterwards would likely to be Djokovic winning all of them.

But of course I'm just saying stuff to make myself feel better from the disappointment.

 

[Sorana fan]

Well I suppose the result will benefit tennis in a long term, because had Novak won it, there would be no rivalry. Rafa could have been crushed mentally forever, having gone 2 sets to 1 up and was actually serving for the match

Agree. It's exactly what happened with Rafa-Roger rivalry, Federer was crushed forever after AO-09, we can see it every time they've played since.

Even after this victory Im sure Rafa keeps Nole into his mind, he needs to beat him consistently for a season to really get the edge back

 

[Seventeen]

These two guys never fail to deliver on the slam stage and they once again showed why everyone is giddy with anticipation for their meeting when the draws come out.

...

The odds of Ferrer beating Tsonga are fairly good, but unfortunately, we know what happens when he meets Rafa.

...

Just goes to show how tough he is to beat on the clay. Djokovic was the aggressor and dictated play much of the match, but on the clay, it just takes so many great shots to beat Nadal, it is tough over 5 sets, especially if the few "breaks" in the match go against you.

True, true, and true.

A great win for an amazing champion. Not his biggest fan but what he has achieved is unbelievable.

 

[Avles]

+1 on Djokovic having a crappy overhead. It's always been that way. It cost him the Wimby semi against Fed last year as well.

Then there's this shot, from the 2010 USO final:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxRDaJOBipM&t=9m19s

Kind of a tricky in-between shot I guess, but pretty ugly nonetheless...