I don’t know why is there so much fuss regarding Nadal’s level. Time and again he has shown this tournament that he ups his intensity according to situation and opponents. He went to a different level in the 5th set against FAA when he needed it. He blew away Djokovic from the start itself knowing he needs to bring his best. He started going big on his FHs in the first tiebreaker against Zed and he started bullying Casper once Ruud broke Nadal in the second set. Nadal has been trying to take it easy unless absolutely necessary. He would have undoubtedly played with a much much higher intensity if say Alcaraz was on the other side of the court today. Gone are those days where he would bulldoze opponents and provide them bakery products.
Nadal’s level today!!!
- Thread starter zuluzazu
- Start date
AnOctorokForDinner
Talk Tennis Guru
Every remotely decent tennis fan understands that no one in history could have possibly beaten The Unbeatable today or even come close, yes? Leave it to fed/djokophilic heathens to dispute this self-evident truth.
tennissavy
Hall of Fame
Yes. I thought that Nadal played, for most of the match, at a lower level than his standard level! He did not even need to raise it to his normal level in order to beat Ruud. Ruud, by the way, was cooked from the very first game of the match; he was passive and had to hit mainly backhands and when he finally got a forehand he shanked it. I knew then that he was not ready to win against Nadal. The moment was too much for him and his strategy was all wrong. The only way to beat Nadal is to hit the ball hard and flat constantly without making errors; anything else and you will probably lose against him.
Only first 90 min of his qf were great, after that is was more physical battle than pure tennis masterclass from Rafa. Towards the end of the second set i though he was done, he looked spent. In the final, only last set was good from him, in the first 2 Ruud showed his limitation. All in all, this RG is his worst ever GS win, and if he doesnt fix his foot, he is done winning slams.
Antonio Puente
Hall of Fame
Sampras-Bruguera 1993
Legend
He was only going at 50 percent.. Still enough to bagel the mug
tennissavy
Hall of Fame
That's right, unfortunately
Antonio Puente
Hall of Fame
Imagine if Fed or Djoker were held to a standard where if a player took them to a 5th set, it proved they were finished.
Zverev got to a second set tiebreaker, down one set, and people talk about it like it's the crowning achievement of his career. We have new found respect for him. When it comes to Nadal at RG, people will grasp at anything.
Zverev got to a second set tiebreaker, down one set, and people talk about it like it's the crowning achievement of his career. We have new found respect for him. When it comes to Nadal at RG, people will grasp at anything.
Yes and the problem is you cannot project how he would have done against Alcaraz for example using this match. For all we know and what history suggests Nadal would have come out with a lot more intensity and would have shoved Alcaraz to a corner
It was just for one match and I have asked an apology and vowed to never behave like that again.
One of the least inpressive level of play. Zod got injured, Ruud is limited and Novak was just bad. But win a win.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Love Nadal, but his level is noticeably dropping, and more often. He still plays better on the big points, but his piont-in and point-out play is pretty flat and questionable. Sure some of it is managing himself, but there are so many neutral ball errors that show his lapses are more than that. He just manages those lapses well enough to win, but in what I keep saying are matches of attrition, not of outright quality tennis like the days of yore.
No need to throw in "if's", because Nadal only can play who is in front of him.
Is whatever it is, and just happy to see him still competiing and winning. But the epicness isn't how amazing the overall play is, it is, as said above, just how well he manages the match and himself to continue to win.
IgoatFerlkeVogus
Rookie
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
The one thing sadder than tennis in 2022 is the time I've spent in this place
IgoatFerlkeVogus
Rookie
Zara
G.O.A.T.
I've been hearing since 2008 that Nadal always plays at 50-60% because there's always some sort of injuries that prevent him from playing 100%. LOLLLOL
Similar threads
