Federer beat Nadal in Madrid tactically speaking by A.) Flat deep pentrating groundstrokes but with a little more margin for the sake of consistency instead of just trying to blow it as hard as possible through the court everytime, B.) pull him out wide then drop shot (both forehand drops and backhand drops), C.) step around the backhand and hit forehands whenever possible, D.) take the ball on the half volley especially on the backhand so it doesn’t get too high up on him and so it cuts down on Nadal’s reaction time, E.) solid first serve percentage, F.) aggressive returns off Nadals weak second serve, and G.) do not give up short balls with the weak backhand slice play…you can obviously also take the Soderling “rip a winner from anywhere” approach but that’s the less consistent way to go about things.
Lets get freakin to it. How in the hell do you beat Nadal?
- Thread starter richied
- Start date
asianxtreme
New User
In my opnion:
1) First serve percentage has to be 70% and up
2) Variety shots (drop shots, high/low, spin/flat)
3) *Fake serve & volley! Force nadal to hit different returns not just high arcing top spins.
4) Take chances/hit more winners
5) Go for body serves
6) Wrong footing and straight winners and drop shot winners rather than side to side.
7) Create openings (try and make nadal play a slice or something)
8) Match pace needs to be fast- nadal is good at slow and long matches
Can't think of anymore right now.
1) First serve percentage has to be 70% and up
2) Variety shots (drop shots, high/low, spin/flat)
3) *Fake serve & volley! Force nadal to hit different returns not just high arcing top spins.
4) Take chances/hit more winners
5) Go for body serves
6) Wrong footing and straight winners and drop shot winners rather than side to side.
7) Create openings (try and make nadal play a slice or something)
8) Match pace needs to be fast- nadal is good at slow and long matches
Can't think of anymore right now.
soderling didn't go for miracle shots in that match, that was what was so brilliant about it. he wasn't off balance, out of position, or line painting with his shots, they were totally controlled and actually quite low risk considering how he was seeing the ball on the day.
for what it's worth, clearly you need to serve big, hit deep and flat, and be able to hit 2 or 3 good shots in a row to finish a point. it's not like he's unbeatable, he's not federer in 06, he holds two of the GS right now and soon it'll be one. injury is a big reason but that's because of how he plays and how he moves.
illuminati
Rookie
i bet people will bring up how to beat nadal is the soderling way, heck nadal was injured and still he lost in the 4th set tiebreak by an opponent playing the match of his life just like tsonga at the aussie open last year.
D
Deleted member 3771
Guest
No one has beaten Nadal recently while he wasn't injured. He played with the knee injury particularly since the Madrid semi where he hurt it badly.There is as much value in analyzing how Fed or Soderling beat Nadal in Madrid and Roland Garros as there is in analyzing how Hewitt beat Nadal in the exhibition before Wimbledon.The truth is that any number of tactics would work versus an injured Nadal.
vtmike
Banned
So what does that prove? Nadal is good at making excuses?
"Rip a winner from anywhere" wasn't meant to insinuate he just got lucky and was making miracle shots from all over the place...it meant when he got an opportunity regardless of where he was on the court (short ball, baseline etc..), he geared up, and ripped a winner past Nadal...nothing more, nothing less...therefore I don't think going into a match with this type of approach and trying to just "blow Nadal off the court" is the most consistent way to beat Nadal which is why I wrote the entire rest of that post (other than that last sentence you quoted) about Federer's successful tactics in Madrid and how that'd be a more reliable way to go about playing Nadal and likely would bring more consistent success in the long run.
illuminati
Rookie
the last time nadal actually lost a match when he was fully fit and not tired, was the aussie open last year. since then he yet to lose a fair match!
lol right so he's "fully fit" at Indian Wells, but if he loses in Miami to Del Potro then he's all of a sudden "unfit"...please buddy.
egn
Hall of Fame
According to Nadal fans you beat Nadal when he is injuried or tired...however if Nadal is completely healthy he does not lose matches. If Nadal was completely healthy he would have done the calendar slam 3 times now >.>
In reality you do what Soderling did keep the shots flat, serve big and play good at the net, thats how you beat him and keep his huge topspin neutralized or in control.
In reality you do what Soderling did keep the shots flat, serve big and play good at the net, thats how you beat him and keep his huge topspin neutralized or in control.
egn
Hall of Fame
Well beating Nadal is beating Nadal...is there a time when this guy is not injuried/tired/exhausted....oh right when he wins matches. I heard nothing about injury at Monte Carlo or Rome for that matters..
OTMPut
Hall of Fame
Definition:
Nadal is said to be injured if he loses a match.
Theorem:
There exists no match where Nadal was beaten while he was not injured.
"The Natural" way doing mathematics errr tautology.
BreakPoint
Bionic Poster
Nadal has been injured since he was 12 years old so Nadal has never lost a match when he wasn't injured in his entire life. :roll:
lambielspins
Banned
ROTFL the lucky dog.
lambielspins
Banned
Lets be fair to Nadal here. His fans are much better at it than he is.
D
Deleted member 25923
Guest
Attack the second serve!
TennisFan481
Banned
Man, Nadal must be WAAAAAAAAAY better than everyone else, then, because he was beating almost everyone while he was hurt.
Healthy Nadal would win 500 consecutive matches.
The-Champ
Legend
Kudos to you for being smart. That's the truth about Nadal.
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