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Rafa4GOAT

Rafa4GOAT

Professional
From what I’ve seen, Rafa is playing better than at Abu Dhabi by like 90%, but it looks like he can’t generate much pace on either of his groundstrokes. Hopefully this will go away with time, as it was really bad in the first few games of the singles match. All in all, if Rafa draws someone who can hit him off the court in the first few rounds, he most likely will not win.
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa4GOAT said:
From what I’ve seen, Rafa is playing better than at Abu Dhabi by like 90%, but it looks like he can’t generate much pace on either of his groundstrokes. Hopefully this will go away with time, as it was really bad in the first few games of the singles match. All in all, if Rafa draws someone who can hit him off the court in the first few rounds, he most likely will not win.
Click to expand...

who?, tsonga, berdych, wawrinka?
 
Rafa4GOAT

Rafa4GOAT

Professional
DSH said:
who?, tsonga, berdych, wawrinka?
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Those three, along with guys like Khachanov, Rublev, maybe even Nick, or even some random from the top 80, that has big firepower, something like what happened at Wimbledon in 2017 is what I’m expecting
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
rublev? no
khachanov is top 12, so, he can only face him from the qf.
kyrgios it is a posibility, but can the Australian concentrate on a match of more than 3 hours?. this surface is not like wimbledon when the serve is way important (like the match they had on grass 4 and a half years ago).
 
Rafa4GOAT

Rafa4GOAT

Professional
DSH said:
rublev? no
khachanov is top 12, so, he can only face him from the qf.
kyrgios it is a posibility, but can the Australian concentrate on a match of more than 3 hours?. this surface is not like wimbledon when the serve is way important (like the match they had on grass 4 and a half years ago).
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With the way the Australian open has been sped up, anything is possible. And Wimbledon in 2017 was fairly slow, so if a big hitter can take Nadal out on a Medium-Slow grass court I think they’d stand a good chance against Nadal on a Medium-Fast Hardcourt, esp. when he’s out of form
 
TennisFan3

TennisFan3

Talk Tennis Guru
I don't know what it is with the courts in Australia. Fast or not - they just don't take Nadal's spin well. The ball just sits up.
Contrast this to the UsOpen or even Montreal/Cincy - Nadal's shots there penetrate the court much better and push his opponent back.
Here in Australia, he just seems to put in too much effort without commensurate results and consequently plays too much defense. No wonder he's gotten injured so many times in this very slam.
I've seen his ball in the UsOpen courtside and it just seems to have so much action - he certainly seems much more offensive there.
 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
Rafa4GOAT said:
From what I’ve seen, Rafa is playing better than at Abu Dhabi by like 90%, but it looks like he can’t generate much pace on either of his groundstrokes. Hopefully this will go away with time, as it was really bad in the first few games of the singles match. All in all, if Rafa draws someone who can hit him off the court in the first few rounds, he most likely will not win.
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and despite that, Kyrgios only won because Rafael hit a bunny smash into the net in the final tie-breaker, whereas in 2017 Krygios beat Rafael in Fast4 when it was best-of-5-sets (and Kyrgios won in 4 sets) and then Rafael made the AO Final:)
"Australia’s top ranked player at No 13, Kyrgios returned to the court for the first time since he limped his way through his final Hopman Cup match in Perth last week and his troublesome knee proved to be up to the challenge as he defeated Nadal in four abbreviated sets, 4-3 2-4 4-3 4-3 at Sydney’s new International Convention Centre."
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa4GOAT said:
Those three, along with guys like Khachanov, Rublev, maybe even Nick, or even some random from the top 80, that has big firepower, something like what happened at Wimbledon in 2017 is what I’m expecting
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You are expecting Rafa to be hit off the court by a big server in the early rounds? Why?
 
clayqueen

clayqueen

Talk Tennis Guru
TennisFan3 said:
I don't know what it is with the courts in Australia. Fast or not - they just don't take Nadal's spin well. The ball just sits up.
Contrast this to the UsOpen or even Montreal/Cincy - Nadal's shots there penetrate the court much better and push his opponent back.
Here in Australia, he just seems to put in too much effort without commensurate results and consequently plays too much defense. No wonder he's gotten injured so many times in this very slam.
I've seen his ball in the UsOpen courtside and it just seems to have so much action - he certainly seems much more offensive there.
Click to expand...
Many of Rafa’s losses at the AO have been due to injury.
 
Rafa4GOAT

Rafa4GOAT

Professional
clayqueen said:
You are expecting Rafa to be hit off the court by a big server in the early rounds? Why?
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Well, mainly because when he was playing against Nick, it didn’t look like he could generate much pace, and a big hitter will capitalize on that. Again, it still might be a little to early to judge, but if he plays the way he did at the Fast4, anyone with lots of firepower will have a good chance against him. Even more so in the earlier rounds when he’s still rusty.
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019

Rafa feels positive ahead of the Australian Open. :)

IOL, January 8, 2019:

¤¤ Nadal says 'no pain' after Sydney tie as Slam looms

(Exerpts)
SYDNEY – Injury-plagued world number two Rafael Nadal insists he is healthy and in no pain after coming through an exhibition game in Sydney, just days after pulling out of the Brisbane International....
“I did not feel the pain here,” the 17-time Grand Slam champion said. “I think it was a good start for me, a good comeback to the action in front of a fantastic crowd in Sydney.
“I really enjoyed playing here. I'm happy to be back on court and happy that I'm healthy again.”...

Asked by reporters if he considered himself a genuine title contender in Melbourne despite his injury problems, he replied: “Why not?”
“You can't predict that. Of course it would be better if I had the chance to play a full tournament in Abu Dhabi and a full tournament in Brisbane, but the big importance is I am feeling good with the ball,” he said.
“The only thing is that I didn't play matches since a long time ago.” ¤¤
[Agence France-Presse (AFP)]
https://www.iol.co.za/sport/tennis/...18735199?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

 
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Deleted member 763691

Guest
yeah he'll easily have enough tennis under his belt once he gets through the 1st week, and by then his lack of tennis becomes an asset because he'll be physically and mentally fresh.....And its great that he won Toronto last year, but if he skipped Toronto and had a long holiday between Wimbledon and US Open he may not have been injured at the US Open:)
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019

January 8, 2019
The 1st practice session in Melbourne

At Rod Laver Arena:
The man wearing a t-shirt with the Rafa Academy logo is Tomeu Salva. Carlos Moya (in a red shirt) stands near the entrance.

Reportedly, Rafa practiced with Andy Murray.

ready-for-tennis-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
E36BMWM3

E36BMWM3

Hall of Fame
kevaninho said:
He doesn't sound the same guy as before 2017. He had zero confidence going into 2017 and he said in interviews he wont win the tournament.
He sounds very confident in his game saying he could win it this year.
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And he DIDN'T win it in 2017 so let's not be over-hopeful... if there IS such a thing. He only put himself in best possible position to do it.
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
E36BMWM3 said:
And he DIDN'T win it in 2017 so let's not be over-hopeful... if there IS such a thing. He only put himself in best possible position to do it.
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but nadal is always criticized for its lack of diversity when we talk about the distribution of gs: 11 rg against 6 in the remaining 3 majors.
Nadal has lost two immense chances against Federer in 2017 when he was 9 points away from winning the title and against Djokovic in the real 2018 Wimbledon final (he would have easily defeated Anderson).
then, to win another ao would give him that diversity that his destractors demand of him.
I believe that nadal has until 2021 to go for the federer record as long as the Swiss finishes with 20 majors.
and federer has 2 last big chances, this ao and the next wimbledon, after that, he will stop being a contender, with 38 years it is impossible to win a major.
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
DSH said:
but nadal is always criticized for its lack of diversity when we talk about the distribution of gs: 11 rg against 6 in the remaining 3 majors.
Nadal has lost two immense chances against Federer in 2017 when he was 9 points away from winning the title and against Djokovic in the real 2018 Wimbledon final (he would have easily defeated Anderson).
then, to win another ao would give him that diversity that his destractors demand of him.
I believe that nadal has until 2021 to go for the federer record as long as the Swiss finishes with 20 majors.
and federer has 2 last big chances, this ao and the next wimbledon, after that, he will stop being a contender, with 38 years it is impossible to win a major.
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Diversity matters 0. Zilch. Nothing.

Seriously.

He's the only player with multiple Slam wins on grass, HC and clay this century, and people complain about distribution?

ROFLMAO
 
octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
Rafa & Sponsor - KIA

January 9, 2019
Kia's Fleet Handover Ceremony

Kia's global brand ambassador Rafa participated in the Kia Fleet Handover Ceremony held at Federation Square in Melbourne. Kia Australia handed over a fleet of 120 vehicles to Australian Open Tournament Director Craig Tiley for official use during the 2019 Australian Open. The cars will transport players, match officials and VIPs throughout the two-week tournament.

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https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=2228507254070588

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1082773412659884032



DwcJ0tJWsAUvR4x.jpg:small

Via Kia

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1082901531140120576

Kia Global Media Center, Jan. 9, 2018: ¤¤ Kia Hands Over Vehicle Fleet for Australian Open 2019.
(Excerpts)
The official vehicle handover ceremony took place today at Federation Square in Melbourne, with Kia ambassador Rafael Nadal, winner of 17 Grand Slam titles, presenting the 120 Kia models to Australian Open officials. The cars will transport players, match officials and VIPs throughout the two-week tournament, which starts on January 14 in Melbourne and finishes with the men’s singles final at Rod Laver Arena on January 27.
Over the past 18 years, Kia’s courtesy fleet has clocked up millions of kilometers in tens of thousands of journeys transporting tennis players and match officials. ¤¤
https://www.kianewscenter.com/news/...n-2019/s/241844fd-51b5-4765-8f71-7419254b992f

Kia.com: "Nadal started his relationship with Kia Motors in Spain in 2004, in the early stages of his professional tennis career. He became Kia’s brand ambassador in Spain, and two years later he was appointed as a global ambassador for the brand.
Kia Motors Iberia actively collaborates with the Rafa Nadal Foundation on a number of projects and has an agreement with the Rafa Nadal Academy by Movistar as official vehicle supplier. Kia has supported the children's tennis tournament, the Rafa Nadal Tour, for a number of years. "

:)
 
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octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
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octobrina10

octobrina10

Talk Tennis Guru
The Rafa Team

Rafael Plaza, a Spanish journalist, confirms that Rafa has changed his service motion (the article is in Spanish):

https://www.atptour.com/es/news/nadal-cambio-saque-australian-open-2019

An excerpt:
"We are looking for more damage and for the ball to go a little faster," Moya tells ATPTour.com on his way to tennis courts at Melbourne Park early Wednesday afternoon. "We had always had the feeling that Rafa's ball was fast in the service, but when it bounced it stopped a bit. Now, with a more fluid movement, we want the ball to bounce and not lose all that speed." [Via Google Translate]

Rafael Plaza is a reliable journalist, who has a good relationship with the Rafa team. He has written good articles about Rafa & his team since at least 2015, and Rafa has praised him.

tennis-ace-smiley-emoticon.gif
 
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Deleted member 742196

Guest
Best of luck for the upcoming season Rafa fans - may we see inspired tennis come out this season.

Personally speaking I think this is the year Rafa covers some ground on that slam difference, he has 3 realistic opportunities: AO, FO and USO. Fed at most has two: AO and UKO.

Good luck, however things unfold.
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
who are the top 10 leftie servers of the open era and where nadal ranks in this category?
 
DSH

DSH

Talk Tennis Guru
Hydrocella said:
Best of luck for the upcoming season Rafa fans - may we see inspired tennis come out this season.

Personally speaking I think this is the year Rafa covers some ground on that slam difference, he has 3 realistic opportunities: AO, FO and USO. Fed at most has two: AO and UKO.

Good luck, however things unfold.
Click to expand...

I hope that Nadal and Federer finish in the first two places not only of the open era, but of all times.
 
Red Rick

Red Rick

Bionic Poster
DSH said:
but what is your opinion of laver, connors, mc enroe, ivanisevic, muller, and others in that regard?
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No idea.

But Rafa's serve is just so not special there's just no way it's top 10 of all time even if you ditch all the righties.

His hold% is high because he's one of the best baseliners of all time, and he had a few stretches were his serving was really good.
 
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