augustobt
Legend
dont forget the grass!.Gonna go for a long walk in the sun, listen to a bit of Bob Marley and smile at every single person I see.
Monte Carlo Semis: Rafa vs. Fabio
- Thread starter BeatlesFan
- Start date
Badabing888
Hall of Fame
Yeah I wonder if he will have a big let down tomorrow. His temperament is very much like Safin’s.
vive le beau jeu !
Talk Tennis Guru
the prophetic fingerWhat do we say to the 12th MC title?
PS: can we say the same thing to the ith rome, the jth madrid and the kth RG ?
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
Only if Fabio sweeps clay season.the prophetic finger
PS: can we say the same thing to the ith rome, the jth madrid and the kth RG ?
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
Ive seen great runs to the final and a complete sucker of a final
Lajovic will play a standard match I feel. Fognini being a big favorite in his first big final could get to him
Badabing888
Hall of Fame
I’m currently at Mallorca, Rafas home as you know, and it’s been storming with really unstable weather for the past two days. I feel as if this is most likely connected to his play and current form. I have no science to prove this but....what else could it be?!
Has Rafa been staying in Mallorca and going back and forth to Monaco?
Petchey on amazon prime has suggested that Rafa’s training since this year’s knee injury hasn’t gone well and this time trying to come back from the one suffered in IW he’s not been able to put in the hours he did compared to last year, when he did not play Acapulco, IW, or Miami and also had the DC matches to prepare on clay.
Enceladus
Legend
Highlights:
Rafael Nadal vs. Fabio Fognini
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marc45
G.O.A.T.
[B]Carole Bouchard[/B] @[B]carole_bouchard[/B] 17m17 minutes ago
Nadal calls it his « worst match on clay in 14 years ». Said « Feeling wasn’t there at all. »
Nadal calls it his « worst match on clay in 14 years ». Said « Feeling wasn’t there at all. »
marc45
G.O.A.T.
[B]Carole Bouchard[/B] @[B]carole_bouchard[/B] 7m7 minutes ago
Interesting from Nadal as he says that now he knows he has 70% of his best game back for sure, but the struggle starts when he needs to make sure he can go up to 90 or 100. That’s when he feels he’s not fully in control yet. Says the injuries lately have created instability
Interesting from Nadal as he says that now he knows he has 70% of his best game back for sure, but the struggle starts when he needs to make sure he can go up to 90 or 100. That’s when he feels he’s not fully in control yet. Says the injuries lately have created instability
Dolgopolov85
G.O.A.T.
Nadal looked diffident and kind of flat right from the get go. Yesterday, when he was up against it initially against Pella, he was still pumped. Today, he was tentative while Fognini came out firing on all cylinders. Fognini was also playing patterns that cramped Nadal and bottled him up, concentrating on an attack into the Nadal cross court forehand. This is counterintuitive but works well against lefties. Lefties are used to running around their backhand against righties that their CC FH often doesn't have the punch of the equivalent rightie shot. And like Djokovic, Fognini always followed it up with thunderous DTLs on both wings. Nadal is always in trouble when somebody does that to him. Where he really lost the plot was with his returning. He returned everything, yes, but rarely put Fognini under any pressure. Fognini was serving just ok and Nadal really should have gone after his serve. Sometimes, even on clay, it doesn't help returning tepidly from just in front of the linespersons.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
Maybe not. Even with a 6-4, 5-0: 40-0 lead, Fognini looked like he was on the verge of choking and Rafa was starting to get his teeth back in the match. Imagine if this was best of 5 and he still needed to win a whole other set.
Rafa looks far from invincible at the moment. But I imagine it will play out very similar to Novak's start of the year. Drops his warm-up tournament to RBA, then looks like he's sleepwalking through Melbourne until the SF. He flipped the switch so hard that I don't think he even lost a point his last 2 matches.
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Fognini can win RG if he plays like this
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
No. Is this even a serious question?
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
Fab is surprisingly fit and has posted a lot of his training sessions on Instagram. So he may have the requisite physical stamina to play seven BO5 matches, but not the mental strength. Even when he was serving 5-0 today in the second set, I expected a TB set.Fognini can win RG if he plays like this
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
stringertom
Bionic Poster
A SF maybe...this will be Lajovic’s first final ever at any ATP level.
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
But Would he regret for not playing mc
tenisdecente
Hall of Fame
In a trip but very happy for the fog
Standaa
G.O.A.T.
That’s exactly what I fear.
Badabing888
Hall of Fame
I was going to take the **** out of the poster who suggested Rafa’s form today was because it was stormy in Mallorca the last two days. But looking at the map it is not that far between Monaco and Mallorca. Flight time is only 45mins if by private plane. Unlikely, he did. Anyway, I think the rookie was just trolling and his suggestion was clearly nonsense.
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Sudacafan
Bionic Poster
I believe that an important reason why Fabio could not close it before at 5-0 40-0 was that he was not connecting any first serve.
I Am Finnish
Bionic Poster
Towser83
G.O.A.T.
Bagal was the last set of Hamburg 2007
underground
G.O.A.T.
On the contrary I think if it's just for a 2 set lead Fog would have served it out without problems. He was fine all the way until precisely match point when he froze up. I remember something similar when he was giving Murray a drubbing in Rome 17, a slight hiccup before winning.
But Would he regret for not playing mc
If Fed played then the draw would have changed and Rafa and Novak might not have been knocked out, Medvedev and Fognini are bad matchups for them when they're playing subpar. Too many ifs and buts in the equation to speculate what will happen if Fed joined.
NuBas
Legend
Maybe this is solution for Federer to beat Nadal if they meet on clay.
TearTheRoofOff
G.O.A.T.
I am actually devastated by this loss... No bagel (and it should have been one).
FedGR
Professional
And then what in my username going to be GR? I don't think such sort username is allowed!
ak24alive
Legend
Haha but do you realise why I said that?And then what in my username going to be GR? I don't think such sort username is allowed!
Standaa
G.O.A.T.
Rago
Hall of Fame
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Can only hope for a Lajovic win. Might even pray for it.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I ever had
veroniquem
Bionic Poster
Week after week, next gen looks like they might be getting “oh so close” , only to fall short before the finish line. The only one that has managed a semblance of momentum for a while is Z and look how he’s struggling now. Next gen should be called the “almost there” gen.
albertobra
Hall of Fame
Rafa having unusual mental breakdows. Yesterday VS Pella, serving to close the match, he was broken to love, with 2 DF e FH (very) unforced errors.
Could it be the wedding? Xisca was all smiles despite his future husband struggling on court.
Could it be the wedding? Xisca was all smiles despite his future husband struggling on court.
ghostofMecir
Legend
Should have been 6-0 in the second set.
Fognini’s otherwordly ability to take BOTH wings right off the bounce is incredible and when he gets hot and has time to prepare, he hits some of the cleanest, purest FHs AND BHs. If you take the 100 cleanest strokes in this match, 90+ were hit by Fognini.
Now, about Nadal’s play. He looked like a 33 year old, sluggish player. The movement wasn’t good at all and the FH was terrible for his standards. Fognini’s BH and FH were better than Nadal’s FH. How many CC FHs did you see that moved Fog off the court? Where were they? The damper conditions helped Fog as the ball wasn’t hopping, but man did Nadal’s strokes look like garbage. It was stunning really.
Fognini’s otherwordly ability to take BOTH wings right off the bounce is incredible and when he gets hot and has time to prepare, he hits some of the cleanest, purest FHs AND BHs. If you take the 100 cleanest strokes in this match, 90+ were hit by Fognini.
Now, about Nadal’s play. He looked like a 33 year old, sluggish player. The movement wasn’t good at all and the FH was terrible for his standards. Fognini’s BH and FH were better than Nadal’s FH. How many CC FHs did you see that moved Fog off the court? Where were they? The damper conditions helped Fog as the ball wasn’t hopping, but man did Nadal’s strokes look like garbage. It was stunning really.
Mr Feeny
Hall of Fame
Tough match. Nadal wasn't himself today. I think these matches might be more common as he ages. Federer's consistency dropped as he aged and it happens to all athletes. Still, on top form, he's the best clay courter on the planet and beating him in a best of 5 sets match at RG is much harder than in a best of 3 match.
MeatTornado
Talk Tennis Guru
I'd believe it. Same way both waltzed to the AO final despite all the concerns around them in January. Bo5 is just a different beast.
PrinceMoron
Legend
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
I don't think it's only Bo5. Especially in the case of Djokovic, it's like he's working on his shots in a match, focusing on different things than just to get the timing correct when you really need it come Roland Garros.
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