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Rafa missed so many routine FH in today match when the court is wide open, probably a mental thing.
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Nadal News 2.0
- Thread starter LazyNinja19
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Rafa missed so many routine FH in today match when the court is wide open, probably a mental thing.
K-H
Hall of Fame
The FHDTL wasn’t there today but neither were a lot of things so hard to pick on just that.
On to the next one...
Charleneriva
Hall of Fame
Blue: ahh, I feel for you. I was after the 2012 but not this time. I was too impressed with Novak - never seen him that relaxed and confident in a slam final, besides his obviously ridiculous level - that I'm actually excited and happy as a tennis fan right now.
Things don't always go our way but above all, tennis is fun and inspiring, innit?
Bolded: Rafa, as usual, will bounce back after this. Perhaps the Wimby defeat last year has scarred him more than we thought - but I refuse to believe it's out of his ability to find a way to deal with the Novak in his head.
Plus the very good news is he is still healthy and should still be fresh. I'm all for that. : )
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019
January 27, 2019
Post-final interview
Rafa's press conference:
Rafa is optimistic.
January 27, 2019
Post-final interview
Rafa's press conference:
Rafa is optimistic.
Forget about forehand down the line he didnt hit ball well at all all match. He was very nervous from the start shanks so many balls. Even after 2 sets down he didnt relax. Terrible stuff.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
Very refreshing press conference, peak eyebrow-dal.
Rafa just being totally honest, he didn't have it in him to match Novak's level and needs to build up a head of steam to get there. Rafa was much worse tonight than he was at Wimbledon, Nole was even better.
Hopefully a healthy spring filled with completed tournaments will see Rafa fit for showtime on philippe chatrier.
Rafa just being totally honest, he didn't have it in him to match Novak's level and needs to build up a head of steam to get there. Rafa was much worse tonight than he was at Wimbledon, Nole was even better.
Hopefully a healthy spring filled with completed tournaments will see Rafa fit for showtime on philippe chatrier.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019
January 27, 2019
Post-final interview
Rafa's press conference:
Rafa is optimistic.
The full transcript of Rafa's press conference:
https://ausopen.com/articles/interviews/rafael-nadal-f-interview
RAFAEL NADAL: "I need matches, but I can't go crazy to play matches. I have my age. I have my calendar. I have my priorities. My priority now is come back home, have some rest. ...
Then my next step is Acapulco. That's my goal. Is a tournament that I like to play. I had some success there. I am excited to come back to Acapulco. I have Acapulco, I have Indian Wells, and that's my calendar today. The only thing I am sure I am not going to play something before these two events. That's my calendar today. Then we see. Depend how things go, I keep going or I take a rest to play on clay."
Vamos Rafa!
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019
January 27, 2019
Final
It wasn't a bad tournament for Rafa: he reached his 5th AO final, earned 840 points more than he did last year and finished it uninjured.
Photo by Ritchie Tongo
Vamos Rafa!
January 27, 2019
Final
It wasn't a bad tournament for Rafa: he reached his 5th AO final, earned 840 points more than he did last year and finished it uninjured.
Photo by Ritchie Tongo
Vamos Rafa!
clayqueen
Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019: Rafael Nadal still looking on the bright side after straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic
Rafael Nadal was remaining upbeat after his disappointing straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Australian Open, saying he was just beaten by a “better” player.
Despite this, Nadal also conceded a limited preparation had left him exposed against the Serbian, who won a record seventh title at Melbourne Park.
“(It was) unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that,” Nadal said.
“But at the same time it is true that probably physically I was not able (to play my best).
“I played fantastic tennis during both weeks. But probably play that well, I did not suffer during the both weeks.”
Nadal hadn’t dropped a set at this year’s Open until Sunday night when he failed to take a set for the first time in his career at a Grand Slam final.
But the Spaniard was steadfast in his belief the loss to Djokovic was still a step forward, given he hadn’t played a competitive match since the US Open.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/tennis/aus ... e9769cc364Rafael Nadal was remaining upbeat after his disappointing straight sets loss to Novak Djokovic at the 2019 Australian Open, saying he was just beaten by a “better” player.
Despite this, Nadal also conceded a limited preparation had left him exposed against the Serbian, who won a record seventh title at Melbourne Park.
“(It was) unbelievable the way that he played, no doubt about that,” Nadal said.
“But at the same time it is true that probably physically I was not able (to play my best).
“I played fantastic tennis during both weeks. But probably play that well, I did not suffer during the both weeks.”
Nadal hadn’t dropped a set at this year’s Open until Sunday night when he failed to take a set for the first time in his career at a Grand Slam final.
But the Spaniard was steadfast in his belief the loss to Djokovic was still a step forward, given he hadn’t played a competitive match since the US Open.
Rafa was clearly hampered.
D
Deleted member 77403
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Now that euphoria of the AO final has come down, and I want to offer my commiserations to all the great Rafa fans here @Rafa.the.Magnificent @Rafa the King @octobrina10 @clayqueen @Azure @MichaelNadal @vanioMan @haqq777 @veroniquem @Crisstti @weakera @Charleneriva @Vamos Rafa Nadal @TahoeTennis @Sabrina @vernonbc @irishnadalfan1983 @The_Order @kevaninho @La Grande @Sport apologies if I left out any others, who I also consider good friends here. Nadal is a legend, and to think he had not played since USO, to then get all the way to the AO final, only one man did better. I am sure he will have another good chance next year to have a shot at getting a second AO title, who knows what else he can win before then...he certainly is a slam contender for the remaining three slams, and Paris is up next.
He is a champion, today's result does not change that one single bit. Be strong and Vamos Rafa!
He is a champion, today's result does not change that one single bit. Be strong and Vamos Rafa!
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
I don't need commiserations.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil
Talk Tennis Guru
Echoing what Hitman just said.
Obviously I enjoyed what happened today, but I will always have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Nadal. He's an incredible tennis player, and very respectful both in victory and defeat. A great role model for all the younger generations. Commiserations for today, and don't worry, he will deliver great moments again. Legends like him are the ones I never doubt.
Obviously I enjoyed what happened today, but I will always have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Nadal. He's an incredible tennis player, and very respectful both in victory and defeat. A great role model for all the younger generations. Commiserations for today, and don't worry, he will deliver great moments again. Legends like him are the ones I never doubt.
D
Deleted member 77403
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I did say that he was not 100% before the match, when you and I were talking about my prediction. I said Rafa was hurting but he has been managing to protect it against the opponents he had in the earlier rounds.
haqq777
Legend
Classy as always, @Hitman - much love and respect your way. Same goes for you too @Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil. I think many positives to take as well here. But thanks gentlemen.
K-H
Hall of Fame
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
As for being 'hampered', Rafa's sentence "But at the same time is true that probably physically I was not able" is taken out of context. He explained that he didn't feel physically able to play because he hadn't competed for a long time before the AO. Read the transcipt of his press-conference I posted above.
gut wax
Hall of Fame
Life Lesson: Always look on the bright side of life.
"That is not the point. I am superior to all posters on the forum, that is the main thing." - sureshs
kevaninho
Hall of Fame
Nice post my friend. Djokovic certainly too good today for anyone in the game.
How do you see the other slams playing out? Will it be 2011/12 again where Rafa is Novaks final opponent most places?
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
I think Nadal is still fav for RG, One of Federer, Nadal or Djokovic will win Wimbledon, and one of Nadal or Djokovic will win USO. As it stands right now, IMO.
V
Vamos Rafa Nadal
Guest
I wish Rafa would get over his fear of Djokovic once and for all. It could have been worse: it could have been a close match that he loses in the last few games like it was in AO '17. I didn't watch the match as I woke up and saw the score and new he wouldn't be able to win. Here's hoping he can win on clay this year.
octobrina10
Talk Tennis Guru
Australian Open 2019
January 28, 2019
Goodbye Melbourne
The extended Rafa team said goodbye to Melbourne (from left): Carlos Moya (coach), Rafael Maymo (physio), Carlos Costa (agent), Rafa, Rafa's longtime AO driver Iain Moffat, Maria Francisca aka Xisca (girlfriend), Jordi Robert (Rafa's assistent at Nike), Rafa's dad, Benito Pérez-Barbadillo (PR Manager), Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro:
January 28, 2019
Goodbye Melbourne
The extended Rafa team said goodbye to Melbourne (from left): Carlos Moya (coach), Rafael Maymo (physio), Carlos Costa (agent), Rafa, Rafa's longtime AO driver Iain Moffat, Maria Francisca aka Xisca (girlfriend), Jordi Robert (Rafa's assistent at Nike), Rafa's dad, Benito Pérez-Barbadillo (PR Manager), Dr. Angel Ruiz-Cotorro:
kevaninho
Hall of Fame
It was a poor performance, but theres only so much you can do against Novak. For me Nadal needs to change something. His play patterns were very predictable. He seems to do the exact same things against Djokovic, that im pretty sure he knows where the ball is going before is hit.
The angles that Djokovic can create is one of a kind. Theres a very big gulf between top form Djokovic and Rafa right now.
If Rafa still has some improvement to go before he feels 100% then fair enough, but for me personally, he looked great till he met Djokovic, and the matchup + fear, is why he was beaten so easily.
Very difficult to watch. It felt like 2016 Doha all over again almost, where the only positive from that, was that Rafa got closer the next couple of times they met, so theres some hope if he has more improvement to come from the layoff.
MugOpponent
Hall of Fame
Yeah he was entirely too predictable. Going back and forth I get it, but there were times another shot to Djokovic's FH would have caught Novak off guard because he was already prepared to run to retrieve a BH shot.
FHDTL, drop shots, mixing patterns making Novak go to the net. There needs to be a lot more of that.
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Nadal is doing more of the right things to change his game and adapt to things. But the reality of a 30+ player is, you have to adpat to play within your diminishing abilities more than just adapting to opponents. Nadal has been a dominant force in defnense and his ability to turn that to offense, but age doesn't allow that as much. That was a big take-away for him from this match, and he even mentions it a few times. But it isn't giong to be, I need to play MORE defense or be quicker...those would be tough asks as he ages. He can improve and sharpen reaction time and anticipation, which I think he was off on mentally.
He also has been falttening out shots more, which is good. He just needs to continue to look for a bit more depth when he does because his RPM's look to drop it shorter and that never seesm to work for him.
Anyway, as much hubbaballoo as peple make about stats, having been a back runner for years he seesm to be in a good place mentally to continue to build and play to let things fall as they may. Much more so than he looked for the 2017 AO when he lost to Fed. I like his chances moving forward to battle back and grab a few more GS's if he is in those finals.
He also has been falttening out shots more, which is good. He just needs to continue to look for a bit more depth when he does because his RPM's look to drop it shorter and that never seesm to work for him.
Anyway, as much hubbaballoo as peple make about stats, having been a back runner for years he seesm to be in a good place mentally to continue to build and play to let things fall as they may. Much more so than he looked for the 2017 AO when he lost to Fed. I like his chances moving forward to battle back and grab a few more GS's if he is in those finals.
D
Deleted member 763024
Guest
As for being 'hampered', Rafa's sentence "But at the same time is true that probably physically I was not able" is taken out of context. He explained that he didn't feel physically able to play because he hadn't competed for a long time before the AO. Read the transcipt of his press-conference I posted above.
It was a good result for him coming off of the end of last season with the surgery and recovery.
I think he'll be primed as always for the FO and I fully expect him to have another great run at Wimbledon and USO. Whether he wins one of those two depends a lot on the competition too.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
It definitely was a good result overall. People are more negative about Rafa now than they would have been had he lost a competitive SF match to Tsitsi. The optics of a Nole beatdown are bad, but the bottom line is, Rafa has ALWAYS been someone who needs match play to get into form, if anything he'd be in greater need of match play as he ages.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Nadal was injured heading into the final. It was clearly obvious to me that he was protecting his injury and thus playing shorter points. He wasn't ready to fully grind, you need to give him more time to be fully fit. Not saying a fully fit Nadal would have won, but he certainly would have made more of a match of it for sure. Djokovic exploited his injury and as a result his compromised movement enough to take advantage of it.
Red Rick
Bionic Poster
Tsitsipas: *plays Nadal*
Tsitsipas: *gets destroyed*
Tsitsipas: "He makes you play bad, I dunno"
Nadal: *actually nursing injury*
Tsitsipas:
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Tsitsipas: *plays Nadal*
Tsitsipas: *gets destroyed*
Tsitsipas: "He makes you play bad, I dunno"
Nadal: *actually nursing injury*
Tsitsipas:
Yes, this is where I spoke about the match up a bit. Tsitispas doesn't match up well to Nadal naturally, and of course Nadal with his extra add experience of big match play overwhelmed his younger opponent. But IMO, Nadal was injured in that semi final match also. I spoke about this a couple of times, but everyone said I was crazy, and that Nadal was playing exceptionally well and was destroying everyone and was on equal footing with Djokovic. I knew he was hurt and not close to 100%, and it took the Novak match for many others to see it also.
DSH
Talk Tennis Guru
i know this is a nadal thread and what im gonna said will not like the fervent fans of Spanish but there it goes:
Nadal is completely demoralized when he faces the Serbian, while one arrives with full confidence in his groundstrokes and raises his head, the other one looks at the ground and asks himself: What am I doing here?
in a psychological sport like tennis where the least details count, and where the opponent perceives absolutely if you are confident or not, if you only doubt a little, your opponent will not only defeat you, better, he will crush you without contemplating, making you suffer as much as possible until shattering and destroying your self-esteem.
It was always said that Federer did not have confidence when he faced nadal but that was not true in part, and the Swiss could be seen deploying his best tennis when the match was almost lost.
the Spanish, on the contrary, after suffering a painful defeat against the Serbian in wimbledon, where by level and form he was the favorite, and despite having been or played better than his opponent, end up losing such a close encounter, where the bull wasted key opportunities like the sets points of the third set, or break points of the fifth set, must have broken both the head of the Spanish, prior to the final that must have buried, perhaps forever, the chances of beating his nemesis .
remains to be seen if in clay and in roland garros in particular, the bull can still defeat the joker, in a duel that dictates who of the two has more chance of reaching the Swiss record.
but seen the embarrassing match of nadal, we should not expect much more of this "rivalry" that has been transformed into a monotonous monologue since long ago.
Nadal is completely demoralized when he faces the Serbian, while one arrives with full confidence in his groundstrokes and raises his head, the other one looks at the ground and asks himself: What am I doing here?
in a psychological sport like tennis where the least details count, and where the opponent perceives absolutely if you are confident or not, if you only doubt a little, your opponent will not only defeat you, better, he will crush you without contemplating, making you suffer as much as possible until shattering and destroying your self-esteem.
It was always said that Federer did not have confidence when he faced nadal but that was not true in part, and the Swiss could be seen deploying his best tennis when the match was almost lost.
the Spanish, on the contrary, after suffering a painful defeat against the Serbian in wimbledon, where by level and form he was the favorite, and despite having been or played better than his opponent, end up losing such a close encounter, where the bull wasted key opportunities like the sets points of the third set, or break points of the fifth set, must have broken both the head of the Spanish, prior to the final that must have buried, perhaps forever, the chances of beating his nemesis .
remains to be seen if in clay and in roland garros in particular, the bull can still defeat the joker, in a duel that dictates who of the two has more chance of reaching the Swiss record.
but seen the embarrassing match of nadal, we should not expect much more of this "rivalry" that has been transformed into a monotonous monologue since long ago.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Be nice Kitana lol
D
Deleted member 764118
Guest
Nadal is still the king on clay and he won’t be dethroned so easily.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
Nadal is still the king on clay and he won’t be dethroned so easily.
Nadal is getting old for the FO man, I don't necessarily consider him the favorite anymore. 11 of those things would take a lot out of anyone.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
lol, after he was seen with the tape you said he was doing fine and that Nadal fans had no reason to worry.
MichaelNadal
Bionic Poster
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
No, I said he was taking precaution to make sure it wasn't going to get worse...but as I saw his training sessions and the match that followed, it was clear it was not getting better. Hence I spoke about it BEFORE the match was going to take place.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
You're tripping over your own feet here. In your lengthy pre-match "analysis" you did not highlight Rafa's deteriorated physical condition or now presumed injury at all, and it seems rather convenient that after concluding that Rafa was physically fine publicly, you now claim that you had private thoughts to the contrary later.
D
Deleted member 77403
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Actually that was when I mentioned it, when I said I had a gut feeling this match wasn't going to be an epic and some posters wanted to me to explain what I meant and why I was going against the grain of it being an epic. It was clear to me Nadal was not healthy by the conclusion of that semi. I would not have said that the final would be not the epic we all want if I knew Nadal was fully fresh, because a healthier Nadal most certainly would have made a bigger fight of it. Now, whether you accept that or not, is your choice, but that is how I saw it.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
You spoke in vague generalities and you're now trying to make it look like you had it nailed to a tee, like a fortune cookie or a horoscope. I asked you point blank what you thought of Rafa's condition deep in the tournament, you said he looked great physically, and in your pre-match "analysis," you did not in any way predict a blowout or that kind of a match, nor did you put your money where your mouth was with a genuine, cold hard prediction. Those are the facts, and I'm not trying to be a hater here.
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
Hey, I have no issues with you seeing it that way, and I know you are not hating and no issues with others agreeing with you. However there are many others that have an opposite view of yours. I certainly don't expect everyone to to fully agree with every thing I say and understand the way I do, everyone will make their own interpretation. I said Nadal was protecting his movement, and Djokovic will look to exploit it, that is what happened. I said Djokovic will have an easier time using his tactic than Nadal will have is, and that is what happened. I said if Nadal falls into the trap of grinding it out, Novak will win easily and I also said if Nadal is to win, he needs to be hyper aggressive, even more than before and he was winning points when he hit those big forehands inside out or DTL, doing what I said. Yes, Rafa looked great at quarter final, when you asked me. But then I watched him very closely in the semi, being aware now what he had under his top, and it all started to make more sense to me. I kept it to myself, but when everyone started to talk about an epic match, I went against the grain and said it looks like it won't happen, even though I would love to be proved wrong...I went with my instinct at that particular point in time. Nadal even himself goes on to say he was injured and confirming he was playing that way to shorten points and hide his injury....The weaker opponents earlier on fooled us, including me of his actual physical state, but that was his intent, so his rivals did not know.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
The fact that your post requires this kind of attempted explanation proves my point exactly lol. As you said and I couldn't agree more, it's all out there and open to interpretation, I have no problem with that
DSH
Talk Tennis Guru
D
Deleted member 77403
Guest
The fact that your post requires this kind of attempted explanation proves my point exactly lol. As you said and I couldn't agree more, it's all out there and open to interpretation, I have no problem with that
So the fact I explained my view this way proves your point? LOL. OK, whatever then.
weakera
Talk Tennis Guru
So the fact I explained my view this way proves your point? LOL. OK, whatever then.
Like you said, it's all open to interpretation. I didn't even mean for my post to be triggering in any way lol, just calling a spade a spade.