Nadal to Reporters: "I need something else, will try to find (it)"

[hawk eye]

He still does have the best volleys in the top 20 (with the exception of Lopez), so he should charge the net more often.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

Nadal to Reporters: "I need something else, will try to find (it)"

i'm sure he'll know where to search......

or is it about a deeper quest ?

then poker and fishing might be the answer.

He still does have the best volleys in the top 20 (with the exception of Lopez), so he should charge the net more often.

 

[Big_Dangerous]

My first guess is that that serve is hard on the body, so they only take it out for special occasions. Otherwise, he'd have kept on using it.

The other thing it seems like people forget is that serve isn't just about technique. If you look at players, all other things being equal (which is a long discussion) -- the ones with the best serves have very pronounced V-shapes, and those extra inches make a difference.

Look at the way Roger and Novak and DelPo are built, and the way they serve. Rafa -- and Stan too, to a lesser extent -- have to compensate more with the entire rest of the body because their wingspans are proportionately more narrow.

You can compensate by work and technique to an extent, but only to a certain extent.

(And if you're going to "But what about Sam Querrey" me, remember that there's other things involved in being a top player, like speed and torque and plain old tennis brain.)

It's like if you're an Olympic gymnast over 5'0" tall, with the current difficulty requirements, the odds for medaling are against you because the skills are at such a level of difficulty that the way you're built matters. Sometimes, no matter how hard you work, it's just physics -- which is why Rafa his whole playing life has compensated so strongly & tactically in other areas.

But fans have also complained his entire career about "The serve, the serve, the serve' -- you do as much as you can do, but at the end of the day, there's only so much you can do.

If there were more to do, does anybody on this board doubt that that camp, in particular, would have done it by now?

The man plays - and got a Career 2x-Golden Slam - with his non-dominant hand*, for cripes' sake.




(*For anybody who didn't already know it, he's not a natural lefty.)

Yeah that is true, although he has been playing since he was little as a lefty, so it's not like he came up and learned to play as a righty and then all the sudden switched to lefty. He's pretty much been playing as a lefty since before the age of 10.

 

[netlets]

Nadal had more in the tank than Pouille, who was in his 3rd 5 setter in a row. Nadal's movement was completely fine in that breaker. He just lost because his opponent played better in the tiebreaker. Simple as that. It happens to everyone.

I'd say he has to stop feeling like he needs to overcompensate for time lost.

He was out on court yesterday practicing for three hours.

I think I understand why he did it, because he felt like he missed so much tennis.

But dude - you just spent 19 hours on court during the Olympics.

I know he's an obsessive perfectionist, but he has to learn there's such a word as "enough".

I think he didn't have enough in the tank for winners that wouldn't get past just anybody, but past Pouille playing at this level.

That dude was motivated. Yannick Noah was here to watch him. Tsonga, after his post-match interview, didn't leave the press box - just stayed there to watch the match on Ashe till the changeover, when he came in to sit next to Yannick Noah.

Some of those banana shots that get past even Novak -- Pouille got those back.

And I think Rafa would've had the extra punch for those shots if he'd called "enough" at somewhere between 1.5 and 2 hours of practice yesterday.

Of course, I'm not the one who was out there; I'm just guessing.

But I do also know that usually the whole family -- we're talking Dad, both coaches, everybody -- doesn't show up in Rafa's box til the final. Not even in 2010.

And they were here from 1R, so I'm sure they were as confident as he was that he was going to win the whole thing.

Sometimes less is more.

 

[veroniquem]

Nadal likes training very hard. He's won 2 USO doing just that. It is part of his routine to feel good about himself. That's not why he lost to Pouille. Or Fog. Or Verdasco. It's a combination of doubting himself a bit more and a tiny bit of physical decline. Just a tiny bit makes a huge difference at that level. I would add: the tour better able to handle massive topspin in general and getting used to Nadal's game style. It is just too hard for Rafa to reinvent himself at this point.
Of course, this is all relative. He is still very competitive vs a lot of players but he's a bit more vulnerable especially in longer matches (it is in the best of 5 format that he has struggled the most).

 

[3fees]

Nadal needs to find his inside-out forehand, he use to be able to hit sharper angles and win lots of points with this,this has been lacking for some time.

Cheers
3Fees

 

[swordtennis]

Nadal really just needs to convert one of these matches into a big win and his confidence will sky rocket.
You can just feel it. One big clutch win and he is going to be roaring. Holy smokes it is so pent up right now with him.
His nerves are killing him he wants it so bad and he tightens up.
Agreed tho:
The tour handles the topspin much better now and most all have a solid two hander. Makes it tougher for him to outlast his opponents. That was his plan B back in the day. Wear them out with the endless topspin rallies and then put them away.
Fed fed right into Nadal's strengths and it has spoiled Nadal a little in some ways.

 

[DRII]

what he needs, is to not let Pouille practice with him anymore...

LOL.

 

[swordtennis]

Just want to add that my first post was misleading about Nadal not re tooling.
Nadal has re tooled his game that is for sure esp to win those 3 hard court majors.
It was more in line with what many are saying now. That he never has re tooled and needs a major over haul to his game.
I do not agree with that.
Maybe add in some net game is all I was implying.

 

[britam25]

Times like this I realise that most of GPPD has never picked up a tennis racquet in their life.

Well, if you're talking about me, you haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about. Anybody who disagrees with you has never played, huh? Arrogant much?

 

[TahoeTennis]

Just like Federer, Nadal's chance of winning another slam gets thinner by every hour. I thought he had this one when he was leading 4-2 in the 5th. Quite incredible comeback from Pouille. Rafa can only blame it on father time, I think that's it.

Winning 6 slams in a row fedal united as twin goats VAMOS!!!!

Not so thin yet, no?

 

[chjtennis]

Winning 6 slams in a row fedal united as twin goats VAMOS!!!!

Not so thin yet, no?

I'm glad they keep proving they are YOUNG ENOUGH, but surely this won't last long. Hope they keep this up for another couple of years. Nole as well.

 

[Sentinel]

Hmmmmmmm ...

 

[zep]

Look at all the vultures in this thread lmao.

 

[TahoeTennis]

VAMOS

 

[sredna42]

Nadal doesn't realize that adrenochrome was just made up for fear&loathing in las vegas, can't unnerstann why none of his team can find it