no one's predictions were as embarrassing as yours!Lol, I would like to see some comments from those who made predictions here. But I guess most of them will just disappear now.
anyone who claims a match where the winner won 20 games and the loser won 19 means there was no chance is utterly ignorant.I said from the beginning there is no chance for Nadal. And I was right. It was clear to anybody who understands tennis.
He didn't have any chances. It was clear he was going to lose all the big points, and this is what happened. On every big point he made an error. Even in the last game he had a chance to break back and he missed it.anyone who claims a match where the winner won 20 games and the loser won 19 means there was no chance is utterly ignorant.
Nadal should have won the 1st set, but it is what it is. he most certainly had chances, plenty!
Nadal again lost a match to one of his main rivals. He didn't beat them even once outside of clay for five and a half years now. They own him mentally.Proud of Rafa, it was a great WC, and he showed he is just as GOAT as Fed. Their rivalry is a great thing in sports. Rafa will get his. Nothing but respect and admiration for one of the GOATS.
Rafa is a great man, and he showed how great in this tourney. Rafa can hold his head high after this tourney. He is awesome!
Not true, as a Fed fan, there is a reason I fear Rafa, and after this WC, it is because I realized he is great in every aspect of the game.Nadal again lost a match to one of his main rivals. He didn't beat them even once outside of clay for five and a half years now. They own him mentally.
I doubt that. Outside of clay he just can't win anymore. Federer and Djokovic are nowhere near declining, so they will keep beating him there all the time.Not true, as a Fed fan, there is a reason I fear Rafa, and after this WC, it is because I realized he is great in every aspect of the game.
Cheer up, he will equal Fed (if not pass him). The odds were against him here and you should be proud of Rafa. Fed and Rafa are simply GREAT.
Rafa will have longevity as well, his heart and passion is amazing. He will give you many more great moments.
oldest player ever to make 6 straight semis=can't play on anything but clay anymore? LOL.I doubt that. Outside of clay he just can't win anymore. Federer and Djokovic are nowhere near declining, so they will keep beating him there all the time.
AO he is cursed. lol. Up a break in the 5th 2x i think. Once against fed and once djoker.I just want one more slam off clay he's missed so many chances! Especially at the AO
I just want one more slam off clay he's missed so many chances! Especially at the AO
Bad performance from Nadal.
Of course it hurts, but one thing I know about Rafa is his fighting spirit. As a Fed fan, I know what it feels like (even worst as he couldn't get over the hurdle for 5 years). I can definitely see Rafa making a splash like Fed did at AO17 by beating Fed or djoker in a final such as USO or AO.I wonder what Rafa is doing right now. Probably locked in a room alone thinking while Xisca is trying to make him feel better lol. Id be surprised if these guys still don't get upset for a couple days after a big loss. I know my boy will be fine, but there's no way you can shake something like that immediately off. Maybe he can though. I wish I knew
Of course it hurts, but one thing I know about Rafa is his fighting spirit. As a Fed fan, I know what it feels like (even worst as he couldn't get over the hurdle for 5 years). I can definitely see Rafa making a splash like Fed did at AO17 by beating Fed or djoker in a final such as USO or AO.
Nadal lost ALL of his matches against Federer and Djokovic outside of clay in the last five and a half years. He basically turned into Andy Murray. It doesn't matter how he plays against weaker players, against them he always finds a way to lose no matter what. Chokes and misses on big points. It was never in doubt that this is going to happen again here. My prediction was based on pure logic, and I was right-he indeed lost all the important points.
You say there is always chance? Well, Nadal's chances to ever beat Federer or Djokovic outside of clay again are equal to the chances they had to beat prime Nadal in Roland Garros-which is not so much. He can only win another non clay slam if he gets USO 2017 type of a draw.
I wonder what Rafa is doing right now. Probably locked in a room alone thinking while Xisca is trying to make him feel better lol. Id be surprised if these guys still don't get upset for a couple days after a big loss. I know my boy will be fine, but there's no way you can shake something like that immediately off. Maybe he can though. I wish I knew
He needs matches to be ready against Djokovic or Federer. No tournaments before won't do him any good. We saw that this year in the AOYes, IMO, he should really make AO '20 his priority. Shut down the season after the USO. Get married. Get rest. Heal the body. Work on stamina and his game. Hire a statistical company (I read an article claiming he is the only one of the Big 3, who do not take advantage of this kind of professional service available on the market). Develop improved strategies against Djokovic and Federer, and start the new year with guns blazing.
Unfortunately, chances for that to happen are slim. The new DC relies on him too much. Unless he is really injured (and that is never good news mid-November), he will be in Madrid to support his friend.
The people proclaiming Bull finished now off of clay are the same ones who said he was finished everywhere after Monte Carlo, Madrid, Barcelona.
Posters on this forum are always prisoners of the moment and always fail to view things with proper perspective. The optics behind a Federer-Wimbledon loss feel 'devastating' - Roger is old, no? h2h got worse, no? Another "missed opportunity," no? Realities like those ones sting, but you can only be in position to be stung if you've made it deep into the tourney. Bull made his second consecutive W SF after going 6 W's without a QF appearance - this bodes poorly for his chances moving forward? Grass is his most troublesome surface and Rafael is nothing if not more capable elsewhere.
He has a Fedovic problem yes, but not on clay and in NY the conditions will be much more Rafa-friendly. The pendulum can always swing back in these rivalries, and as unlikely as that may seem to some, more unlikely things have happened in the rivalries themselves. And when you put yourself in position to win tournaments (6 consecutive slam semis), sooner or later fortune can break your way anyway in terms of draw, conditions, dumb luck, etc.
I've said it before on here but there would be less doom and gloom regarding Bull's future had he lost to Querrey/Kyrgios than there is now with the result we got. There would even be less doom and gloom had Maestro gotten hurt or lost to Nishikori on a bad day, only for Bull to beat whomever in the SF and get beaten soundly by Nole in the final. The point I'm making is - don't overreact because of one grandiose loss at Wimbledon. Rafa played a crappy TB and a spotty match on grass, he'll get over it and move on and have chances to play a better semi-final elsewhere.
There is no doom and gloom. Nadal is still ranked #2 and subjectively the 3rd best player and it's hardly a disaster.
However, the fact is that he has not improved or changed at the rate that Federer and Novak have. How is Novak serving bigger than ever. And Fed hitting his backhand bigger than ever . At their age and past their prime.
That is why Nadal has no wins against Fedovic outside clay for the past 4 years. And now he clearly lacks belief. Otherwise how would you explain Nadal playing amazing against Kygrios but garbage against Fed. Same thing in AO 2019 F, play well before and then succumb in the final vs Novak.
So yeah, there is nothing wrong but if Rafa wants to win more non clay slams and does not want to the 3rd in this trifecta of great champions - he will need to make some hard decisions and make some changes. It won't happen automatically. And wishing for Novak/Fed to decline is just hoping against hope. It's not a strategy.
He'll probably have chances in NY, had plenty of chances v. Nole in W2018, Fed in AO17, even had chances on Friday. The notion that he's hopeless against them off of clay is false. I agree that his psyche is likely compromised, but change for the sake of change is not a strategy either. No one mentioned waiting for a Fedovic decline, all you can do is wait for your next opportunity and seize it - play better and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves along with favorable circumstances. That's the real thing, no?
There is no doom and gloom. Nadal is still ranked #2 and subjectively the 3rd best player and it's hardly a disaster.
However, the fact is that he has not improved or changed at the rate that Federer and Novak have. How is Novak serving bigger than ever. And Fed hitting his backhand bigger than ever . At their age and past their prime.
That is why Nadal has no wins against Fedovic outside clay for the past 4 years. And now he clearly lacks belief. Otherwise how would you explain Nadal playing amazing against Kygrios but garbage against Fed. Same thing in AO 2019 F, play well before and then succumb in the final vs Novak.
So yeah, there is nothing wrong but if Rafa wants to win more non clay slams and does not want to the 3rd in this trifecta of great champions - he will need to make some hard decisions and make some changes. It won't happen automatically. And wishing for Novak/Fed to decline is just hoping against hope. It's not a strategy.
I agree with you in principle, but disagree with some things. Nadal HAS to change some tactics. If you see the match vs Fed - Nadal returned very poorly. I've never seen Nadal return as poorly vs Fed in the 15 years I've watched their matches since 2004. He failed to put ANY pressure on Fed's second serve and refused to come in closer to the baseline to receive 2nd serve (and Fed wasn't even serving that big). If you recall, he used to do that earlier in their rivalry and even did it in AO 2017.
Nadal also had no answers to Fed's CC backhand. He did not adjust his placement or give Fed different looks. He hardly came to the net, and when he did he botched it up like on a critical break point. He also lacked power many times and a lot of shots landed short especially in set 3 and first half of set 4. He did not hit his off-forehand enough and lost confidence in the backhand as well.
Nadal will need clear tactics and a more aggressive mindset. Wimbledon 2019 SF was more of a AO 2017 5th set debacle. Nadal was just getting outplayed from the ground. When that happens, he loses belief.
So the next slam match vs Fed, Nadal will need to come up with a plan and some better tennis. Otherwise I cannot see a different outcome to be honest..
He needs matches to be ready against Djokovic or Federer. No tournaments before won't do him any good. We saw that this year in the AO
What’s next on Rafa’s tournament schedule? Will he be in Montreal for the Rogers Cup, and/or Cincinnati? I really hope his hard court season will once again show him playing beautifully, but without the dreaded over-straining of his knee(s)/quads.
why are you posting in this thread?Well Murray has managed to win some slams in the end while defeating both Djokovic and Federer. But yeah, Nadal is the one that declined the most out of them and in need of an easy draw to win. As long as he makes deep runs he gives himself chances.There will be a point were Djokovic and Federer will slip and if he is up there he can ''vulture'' one more slam.Even though Djokovic will probably end up with the most slams in the end especially if he wins today(very likely) he can't win them all is he?
Is Nadal planning to play both Montreal and Cincy?
Is this accurate?
Is this accurate?