On current form Nadal is winning RG this year.

[Towser83]

Can't see either Federer or Djokovic winning. Obviously not Federer, but Djokovic looks rusty from his 4 day lay off and is making too many unforced errors when it should be Federer doing that. He's losing rallies and this is looking like a long energy sapping match.

I can't work out what is driving Federer when surely he knows another RG defeat awaits him in the final should he beat Djokovic.

Looks like Nadal has peaked at exactly the right time and Djokovic has hit a wall. Of course he could still win today and play better on Sunday, but he won't win the title playing like this. And if this semi goes long, he will really be doubtful. Shame as he really has been so good in the clay season. I felt really bad for him when Federer won Madrid in 2009 when I felt Novak had really deserved it and just fallen short against Nadal.

Still hoping for Novak but he needs to pick up his game.

 

[NadalAgassi]

I tend to agree. I thought before the French Novak would win too but now it is looking like Nadal probably. As for what is driving Roger I think it is just not wanting to lose 3 straight slam semis to Djokovic and to reassert himself in the rivalry for the rest of the year. Of course he knows he has no chance at the title now that Nadal is in the final (unlike Djokovic who still has a chance if he wins) but there is still something at stake for him even with no chance at the title.

 

[TMF]

Like every year, Nadal is the favorite to win the FO. I don't care how much his fans pretend that he's playing crappy tennis. He's playing at a very high level which rewards him another final appearance.

 

[AM95]

your stupid.

you dont understand the quality of tennis that is being played in paris right now.

this is not pusher tennis that nadal and murray played, this is actually insane. fed and djoko are hitting the ball on the rise and are giving up absolutley no ground.

 

[Towser83]

your stupid.

you dont understand the quality of tennis that is being played in paris right now.

this is not pusher tennis that nadal and murray played, this is actually insane. fed and djoko are hitting the ball on the rise and are giving up absolutley no ground.

You're stupid. You don't know the difference between your and you're.

You're also very rude.

You also can't see that Djokovic is playing nowhere near the level he has been, attacking tennis yes, but he's making way too many errors and doesn't look his assured self yet. He doesn't look like the "new" Novak, and if this goes 5 sets or even 4 (considering the first was 70 minutes) he will take a lot out of himself.

 

[tennis_pro]

I tend to agree. I thought before the French Novak would win too but now it is looking like Nadal probably. As for what is driving Roger I think it is just not wanting to lose 3 straight slam semis to Djokovic and to reassert himself in the rivalry for the rest of the year. Of course he knows he has no chance at the title now that Nadal is in the final (unlike Djokovic who still has a chance if he wins) but there is still something at stake for him even with no chance at the title.

dude, seriously, you say the same sh*t in every post since yesterday, OK WE KNOW THAT, can you move on?

 

[Towser83]

I have to say though, suddenly this is vintage Federer out there... won't last til Sunday though.

 

[stingstang]

Ok fed is playing awesome but djoker missed big chances to win the first set and is playing into feds hands. Nadal will do his usual attack on the backhand and win.

 

[Towser83]

Ok fed is playing awesome but djoker missed big chances to win the first set and is playing into feds hands. Nadal will do his usual attack on the backhand and win.

Totally agree. Djokovic looks like a beaten man, not showing his recent fight. I think Djokovic has finally run out of steam and the last man to beat him will be the one who ends his streak.

Djoko's only chance is is somehow prolong this enough that the match gets halted and come back tomorrow.

 

[sureshs]

Every match is very tough, no? Djokovic and Federer both playing unbelievable. Gotta give more than 100% no, otherwise no chance.

 

[THUNDERVOLLEY]

I tend to agree. I thought before the French Novak would win too but now it is looking like Nadal probably. As for what is driving Roger I think it is just not wanting to lose 3 straight slam semis to Djokovic and to reassert himself in the rivalry for the rest of the year. Of course he knows he has no chance at the title now that Nadal is in the final (unlike Djokovic who still has a chance if he wins) but there is still something at stake for him even with no chance at the title.

True. Djokovic has given in to a bit of frustration--perhaps being too eager to meet Nadal in the finals, so errors...sending balls sailing has hurt his game. Meanwhile, Nadal handled Murray so well, that I doubt anyone will pose even a minor threat to Nadal, as he's one win away from matching Borg's FO record.

 

[AM95]

You're stupid. You don't know the difference between your and you're.

You're also very rude.

You also can't see that Djokovic is playing nowhere near the level he has been, attacking tennis yes, but he's making way too many errors and doesn't look his assured self yet. He doesn't look like the "new" Novak, and if this goes 5 sets or even 4 (considering the first was 70 minutes) he will take a lot out of himself.

yes, take credit away from the 30 yr old man who is beating a 24 year old djokovic.

nadal hasn't been able to take a SET of djokovic in 2 matches on his favorite surface, what makes you think that he could beat him if djoko were to come back today. as for federer, he has a decent shot at nadal if he plays like he is today.

this is an internet forum. if you care so much about proper english why dont you consider a teaching position at your local high school, im sure your opinions would be highly valued there.

 

[zagor]

Yup title is Nadal's now,even if Novak comes back from 0-2 down.

 

[Mustard]

Ignore post.

 

[octogon]

yes, take credit away from the 30 yr old man who is beating a 24 year old djokovic.

nadal hasn't been able to take a SET of djokovic in 2 matches on his favorite surface, what makes you think that he could beat him if djoko were to come back today. as for federer, he has a decent shot at nadal if he plays like he is today.

.

It's the latter stages of a Grand Slam. Both Nadal and Federer turn into different animals at this stage. I said a few days ago that if Nadal reached the final and faced Djokovic, he'd be motivated enough to beat him in straight sets, despite his recent defeats. I still stand by that statement, yet it's looking very likely that Djoker won't even make it to Nadal.

I think it's looking increasingly likely that Nadal's losses to Djoker on Clay were confidence related (two previous hardcourt masters final losses to same guy might do that), more than Djoker suddenly becoming Clay GOAT.. When Nadal has his confidence back and plays to his highest level (which is usually reserved for Grand slam finals), I don't think Djoker will be able to handle him on Clay, and possibly not on other surfaces either. Can't see how Djoker could beat a newly confident Rafa who has just beaten Soderling and Murray to reach his 6th French final.

And even if Djoker survives Roger, Rafa will take huge confidence from how close Roger pushed him. Rafa will be watching their semi and know that Nole is there for the taking.

 

[Towser83]

yes, take credit away from the 30 yr old man who is beating a 24 year old djokovic.

nadal hasn't been able to take a SET of djokovic in 2 matches on his favorite surface, what makes you think that he could beat him if djoko were to come back today. as for federer, he has a decent shot at nadal if he plays like he is today.

this is an internet forum. if you care so much about proper english why dont you consider a teaching position at your local high school, im sure your opinions would be highly valued there.

Because Djokovic made more errors in the first set than he did in those matches against Nadal. Maybe you didn't get the clue from the title, but I said ON CURRENT FORM. Djokovic started the match playing nowhere near his recent Nadal slaying form. And I said in another post Federer was playing vintage form tennis.

But we both know he will not play like this against Nadal, he will blow it.

And I just find it funny you call me an idiot when your first word in your post was an error an 8 year old kid shouldn't make.

 

[Towser83]

It's the latter stages of a Grand Slam. Both Nadal and Federer turn into different animals at this stage. I said a few days ago that if Nadal reached the final and faced Djokovic, he'd be motivated enough to beat him in straight sets, despite his recent defeats. I still stand by that statement, yet it's looking very likely that Djoker won't even make it to Nadal.

I think it's looking increasingly likely that Nadal's losses to Djoker on Clay were confidence related (two previous hardcourt masters final losses to same guy might do that), more than Djoker suddenly becoming Clay GOAT.. When Nadal has his confidence back and plays to his highest level (which is usually reserved for Grand slam finals), I don't think Djoker will be able to handle him on Clay, and possibly not on other surfaces either. Can't see how Djoker could beat a newly confident Rafa who has just beaten Soderling and Murray to reach his 6th French final.

And even if Djoker survives Roger, Rafa will take huge confidence from how close Roger pushed him. Rafa will be watching their semi and know that Nole is there for the taking.

Yeah but Federer didn't become a different animal the last 2 times he met Djokovic in a slam. Nadal didn't become a different animal at the Australian open, or the times he lost to Murray who isn't as good as Djokovic.

Novak is getting beaten because Federer is playing great but also because Novak is not the same Novak we've seen all season. This isn't anything to do with it being the latter stages of a slam because as I said he beat Federer the last 2 slam semis they played. It could be the 4 days off or the fact that sooner or later you have to go off the boil.

Also Rafa saw Novak was there for the taking in Rome against Murray. Still lost in the final. If Djokovic comes through this, it could enhance his unbeatable reputation. But he won't win unless he plays with more confidence like he has been all season.

 

[octogon]

Yeah but Federer didn't become a different animal the last 2 times he met Djokovic in a slam. Nadal didn't become a different animal at the Australian open, or the times he lost to Murray who isn't as good as Djokovic.

Novak is getting beaten because Federer is playing great but also because Novak is not the same Novak we've seen all season. This isn't anything to do with it being the latter stages of a slam because as I said he beat Federer the last 2 slam semis they played. It could be the 4 days off or the fact that sooner or later you have to go off the boil.

Also Rafa saw Novak was there for the taking in Rome against Murray. Still lost in the final. If Djokovic comes through this, it could enhance his unbeatable reputation. But he won't win unless he plays with more confidence like he has been all season.

I do agree Fed has become more beatable at Grand Slam level more due to ageing and inconsistency. The difference between this Fed and the Fed who lost those previous Slam semis to Djoker, is that Fed is playing consistent the whole way through, and not in patches. Even the set that Nole won, Fed's play was solid. I do think the pressure of playing the No. 1 ranking, and being seen as a guy who should now be dominating slams is getting to Djoker.

We aren't seeing "Fed-error", and Shankfest Fed, which he's become more prone to in the last year. This is as close to Vintage Fed as we've seen in the last two years.

Injury has played a part in almost all of Nadal's recent slam losses. I have to see a healthy Nadal lose a slam final with my own eyes to believe it's even still possible.

 

[Towser83]

I do agree Fed has become more beatable at Grand Slam level more due to ageing and inconsistency. The difference between this Fed and the Fed who lost those previous Slam semis to Djoker, is that Fed is playing consistent the whole way through, and not in patches. Even the set that Nole won, Fed's play was solid. I do think the pressure of playing the No. 1 ranking, and being seen as a guy who should now be dominating slams is getting to Djoker.

We aren't seeing "Fed-error", and Shankfest Fed, which he's become more prone to in the last year. This is as close to Vintage Fed as we've seen in the last two years.

Injury has played a part in almost all of Nadal's recent slam losses. I have to see a healthy Nadal lose a slam final with my own eyes to believe it's even still possible.

I agree Federer is playing much better today, it's vintage stuff, maybe the reason why Djokovic looks not at ease.

But I don't buy into this "Nadal is injured at every slam" thing. It's just been used too many times now.

 

[AM95]

Because Djokovic made more errors in the first set than he did in those matches against Nadal. Maybe you didn't get the clue from the title, but I said ON CURRENT FORM. Djokovic started the match playing nowhere near his recent Nadal slaying form. And I said in another post Federer was playing vintage form tennis.

But we both know he will not play like this against Nadal, he will blow it.

And I just find it funny you call me an idiot when your first word in your post was an error an 8 year old kid shouldn't make.

like i said, picking apart grammar on an online forum is very pathetic.

you obviously did not watch the first set of the match. both players were giving up very little ground on the baseline, and they were playing top quality tennis. it all came down to a few points and federer managed to scrape through. the second set was just djokovic getting completely down on himself. he let two set points slip away at 4-5 15-40, and made several errors in the tiebreak.

as for feddy playing at this level against nadal, you never know. he could possibly play higher. remember that federer took a set of nadal in madrid when roger was in playing some pretty bad tennis. they key in the next match is going to be his serve. if he serves like he did today he's got a decent shot.

 

[Towser83]

like i said, picking apart grammar on an online forum is very pathetic.

you obviously did not watch the first set of the match. both players were giving up very little ground on the baseline, and they were playing top quality tennis. it all came down to a few points and federer managed to scrape through. the second set was just djokovic getting completely down on himself. he let two set points slip away at 4-5 15-40, and made several errors in the tiebreak.

as for feddy playing at this level against nadal, you never know. he could possibly play higher. remember that federer took a set of nadal in madrid when roger was in playing some pretty bad tennis. they key in the next match is going to be his serve. if he serves like he did today he's got a decent shot.

And name calling someone you don't know for stating that Nadal will win, is even more pathetic. Especially if he DOES win tomorrow. Yes the tennis was great stuff starting from the end of the first set, but Djokovic made too many errors from the beginning. You look at the matches Djokovic has won against Federer recently, he wins all the rallies because his length is perfect and Federer hits balls out. Today Djokovic hit balls out within a few shots too frequently. The type of tennis was a bit like Wimbledon 2008, it was a mix of great shots and errors. But Djokovic never looked confident on court. True this was in part down to Federer, but the point was Djokovic minus confidence was never going to beat Nadal. And Federer won't beat Nadal on sunday. He took a set of Nadal in Madrid, so what? Murray took a set 6-2 in Monte Carlo, fat lot of good it did him here! You can have Federer 2-0 up in sets, 5-0 up serving at 40-0 with a smash to play and Nadal in the toilets and he will still lose somehow.

 

[peRFection]

your stupid.

you dont understand the quality of tennis that is being played in paris right now.

this is not pusher tennis that nadal and murray played, this is actually insane. fed and djoko are hitting the ball on the rise and are giving up absolutley no ground.

Your comment is as perfect as Roger's forehand.

 

[Ray Mercer]

And name calling someone you don't know for stating that Nadal will win, is even more pathetic. Especially if he DOES win tomorrow. Yes the tennis was great stuff starting from the end of the first set, but Djokovic made too many errors from the beginning. You look at the matches Djokovic has won against Federer recently, he wins all the rallies because his length is perfect and Federer hits balls out. Today Djokovic hit balls out within a few shots too frequently. The type of tennis was a bit like Wimbledon 2008, it was a mix of great shots and errors. But Djokovic never looked confident on court. True this was in part down to Federer, but the point was Djokovic minus confidence was never going to beat Nadal. And Federer won't beat Nadal on sunday. He took a set of Nadal in Madrid, so what? Murray took a set 6-2 in Monte Carlo, fat lot of good it did him here! You can have Federer 2-0 up in sets, 5-0 up serving at 40-0 with a smash to play and Nadal in the toilets and he will still lose somehow.

Buddy Djokovic would have whipped Nadal. Nadal will only win more slams if Federer does his dirty work for him. Nadal can't beat Djoker because there's no variety to his game. He's one dimensional.

 

[Towser83]

Buddy Djokovic would have whipped Nadal. Nadal will only win more slams if Federer does his dirty work for him. Nadal can't beat Djoker because there's no variety to his game. He's one dimensional.

Look I'm a Federer and Djokovic fan, but face it, there's no way of saying Djokovic would have won on Sunday. IF he played like he has been most of the year then yes, he'd have won. But today he ran into a brick wall, because as good as Federer played, he gave Djokovic chances and Novak blew some of them with errors. Nadal won't blow them on Sunday, and if Djokovic had made those errors and played with that attitude on Sunday he'd be losing. Djokovic should have taken it 5 sets but couldn't summon the winning spirit he has been all year.

Having said that, Federer served like he was in his prime.

 

[octogon]

Buddy Djokovic would have whipped Nadal. Nadal will only win more slams if Federer does his dirty work for him. Nadal can't beat Djoker because there's no variety to his game. He's one dimensional.

Rubbish. Nadal lost extremely close matches to Djoker on hardcourts this year. He had mental lapses that cost him victory. That destroyed his confidence, and Nadal is a confidence player. He has to keep winning to believe he's the best. Djokovic only got to him in the clay masters because Nadal lost confidence and it affected his mental game. Nadal has always been beatable when his confidence is low. That's what he went nearly a year between 2009 to 2010 without winning a title, despite making several finals. Low on confidence. Djoker showed by losing to a nearly 30 year Old Federer on Clay, that he hasn't become a better clay player than Nadal.....but that a low confidence Nadal can be troubled by anyone. Including John Isner and qualifiers.

It's happened to Nadal before. He loses to the same player a couple of times in a row, and develops confidence issues against them. Del Potro, Tsonga, Davydenko, Blake....it's nothing new, and Nadal tends finds solutions to beat those players when it matters. It's Djoker who needs to prove he can beat Nadal in a slam, not the other way round. Till then, Djoker is just the Andy Murray to Nadal's Federer (Andy could beat Fed several times in a row at Masters 1000's events, but could never take him in a slam).

Till Djokovic beats Nadal in a slam (or slam final), then there's no evidence he can do it. History shows that Nadal is probably the hardest player to beat in a slam final.

I personally think Nadal would have beaten Djoker in straights if he was in the final. Djoker "owned" Federer 3 times this year as well, and Nadal is even harder to beat in slams than Fed. Once Nadal starts believing in himself again, Djoker will have a very hard time ever beating him again.

Nadal's "game" has nothing to do with it. The entire top 4 (Fed, Djoker, Murray and Nadal) are among the most multi-dimensional players who ever played the game. Nadal's play is clearly dictated by his mental state and level of confidence. If he wins the French Open, I suspect he'll dominate the second half of the season.

 

[Towser83]

Rubbish. Nadal lost extremely close matches to Djoker on hardcourts this year. He had mental lapses that cost him victory. That destroyed his confidence, and Nadal is a confidence player. He has to keep winning to believe he's the best. Djokovic only got to him in the clay masters because Nadal lost confidence and it affected his mental game. Nadal has always been beatable when his confidence is low. That's what he went nearly a year between 2009 to 2009 without winning a title, despite making several finals. Low on confidence. Djoker showed by losing to a nearly 30 year Old Federer on Clay, that he hasn't become a better clay player than Nadal.....but that a low confidence Nadal can be troubled by anyone. Including John Isner and qualifiers.

It's happened to Nadal before. He loses to the same player a couple of times in a row, and develops confidence issues against them. Del Potro, Tsonga, Davydenko, Blake....it's nothing new, and Nadal tends finds solutions to beat those players when it matters. It's Djoker who needs to prove he can beat Nadal in a slam, not the other way round. Till then, Djoker is just the Andy Murray to Nadal's Federer (Andy could beat Fed several times in a row at Masters 1000's events, but could never take him in a slam).

Till Djokovic beats Nadal in a slam (or slam final), then there's no evidence he can do it. History shows that Nadal is probably the hardest player to beat in a slam final.

I personally think Nadal would have beaten Djoker in straights if he was in the final. Djoker "owned" Federer 3 times this year as well, and Nadal is even harder to beat in slams than Fed. Once Nadal starts believing in himself again, Djoker will have a very hard time ever beating him again.

To be honest there will be a lot of reactionary stuff posted now. Djokovic IS good enough to beat Nadal on any surface. After 43 matches ina row is it reasonable to expect a player to come out and beat Federer playing vinatge tennis? I mean he had to reach breaking point sometime, and today was it. If he can keep playing like this he can be a threat to nadal at RG in the next couple of years, sometimes it's just not your day.

There wasn't any evidence that Djokovic could beat Nadal in a FINAL before this year, then he did it 4 times in a row. People get confused between being good enough to do something, and doing it. Djokovic is capable, but a winning streak has to come to an end.

 

[octogon]

To be honest there will be a lot of reactionary stuff posted now. Djokovic IS good enough to beat Nadal on any surface. After 43 matches ina row is it reasonable to expect a player to come out and beat Federer playing vinatge tennis? I mean he had to reach breaking point sometime, and today was it. If he can keep playing like this he can be a threat to nadal at RG in the next couple of years, sometimes it's just not your day.

There wasn't any evidence that Djokovic could beat Nadal in a FINAL before this year, then he did it 4 times in a row. People get confused between being good enough to do something, and doing it. Djokovic is capable, but a winning streak has to come to an end.

Of course. I didn't mean to suggest that Djoker couldn't beat even a confident Nadal on clay (certainly at a Masters event, like Fed has done). But I think the circumstances this year mostly came down to Nadal's state of mind, which can affect his level of play, despite the fact that he's very mentally strong. Nadal can get very down on himself at times.

But Nadal at his best in a 5 set match at Roland Garros....Djoker is not that good. Nobody is (including Soderling, whose lone win against Nadal at RG has been proved to be a fluke...again, with a very low confidence Nadal, with knee issues to boot).

Basically, Nadal isn't unbeatable, but I sometimes feel he beats himself. He reminds me of Serena Williams in that regard. At his best and most confident, he is a precision tennis player. Very few mistakes or errors. You can tell he's been off form (by his standards) this year, by the amount of errorrs and mistakes he makes.

Djoker still needs to take that step up to beating Nadal in a slam, which is a different beast to beating him elsewhere. I'm sure he can do it (most likely at the US or Australian Open), but he still needs to prove it.

 

[Towser83]

Nadal at his best on clay is unbeatable, but no-one can expect to be their very best all the time, it's more about how good your standard form is. On Nadal's standard form he is still pretty hard to beat, but if you can prevent him from getting into a match, you can do it. I think that's why Novak won in straight sets in Madrid and Rome.

 

[Bertie B]

Agree with title of thread.

As for Federer playing vintage tennis?? Are you people serious?? The way Novak played today, vintage Fed would've spanked him in three easy sets. Federer got a lot of help from Djokovic in winning this match.

...meanwhile, Nadal handled Murray so well, that I doubt anyone will pose even a minor threat to Nadal, as he's one win away from matching Borg's FO record.

^this, and push his GS count into the double digits. Though not counting eggs b4 they hatch.

 

[TheTruth]

It's the latter stages of a Grand Slam. Both Nadal and Federer turn into different animals at this stage. I said a few days ago that if Nadal reached the final and faced Djokovic, he'd be motivated enough to beat him in straight sets, despite his recent defeats. I still stand by that statement, yet it's looking very likely that Djoker won't even make it to Nadal.

I think it's looking increasingly likely that Nadal's losses to Djoker on Clay were confidence related (two previous hardcourt masters final losses to same guy might do that), more than Djoker suddenly becoming Clay GOAT.. When Nadal has his confidence back and plays to his highest level (which is usually reserved for Grand slam finals), I don't think Djoker will be able to handle him on Clay, and possibly not on other surfaces either. Can't see how Djoker could beat a newly confident Rafa who has just beaten Soderling and Murray to reach his 6th French final. And even if Djoker survives Roger, Rafa will take huge confidence from how close Roger pushed him. Rafa will be watching their semi and know that Nole is there for the taking.

Just posted pretty much the same thing. I think that may be where we erred. Nobody has that big match experience like these two guys.

They've contested so many finals, they're (usually) not going to be thinking about all of those other things when they're playing the semis. They know how to stay in the moment.

No knock on Murray and Djokovic, but they have to learn how to play with history and streaks on the line. Rafa and Fed are used to it. Everytime they step on court, there's another accolade to add to their resume.

 

[TheTruth]

Rubbish. Nadal lost extremely close matches to Djoker on hardcourts this year. He had mental lapses that cost him victory. That destroyed his confidence, and Nadal is a confidence player. He has to keep winning to believe he's the best. Djokovic only got to him in the clay masters because Nadal lost confidence and it affected his mental game. Nadal has always been beatable when his confidence is low. That's what he went nearly a year between 2009 to 2010 without winning a title, despite making several finals. Low on confidence. Djoker showed by losing to a nearly 30 year Old Federer on Clay, that he hasn't become a better clay player than Nadal.....but that a low confidence Nadal can be troubled by anyone. Including John Isner and qualifiers.

It's happened to Nadal before. He loses to the same player a couple of times in a row, and develops confidence issues against them. Del Potro, Tsonga, Davydenko, Blake....it's nothing new, and Nadal tends finds solutions to beat those players when it matters. It's Djoker who needs to prove he can beat Nadal in a slam, not the other way round. Till then, Djoker is just the Andy Murray to Nadal's Federer (Andy could beat Fed several times in a row at Masters 1000's events, but could never take him in a slam).

Till Djokovic beats Nadal in a slam (or slam final), then there's no evidence he can do it. History shows that Nadal is probably the hardest player to beat in a slam final.

I personally think Nadal would have beaten Djoker in straights if he was in the final. Djoker "owned" Federer 3 times this year as well, and Nadal is even harder to beat in slams than Fed. Once Nadal starts believing in himself again, Djoker will have a very hard time ever beating him again.

Nadal's "game" has nothing to do with it. The entire top 4 (Fed, Djoker, Murray and Nadal) are among the most multi-dimensional players who ever played the game. Nadal's play is clearly dictated by his mental state and level of confidence. If he wins the French Open, I suspect he'll dominate the second half of the season.

You are good! I am loving your posts!

 

[Towser83]

Just posted pretty much the same thing. I think that may be where we erred. Nobody has that big match experience like these two guys.

They've contested so many finals, they're (usually) not going to be thinking about all of those other things when they're playing the semis. They know how to stay in the moment.

No knock on Murray and Djokovic, but they have to learn how to play with history and streaks on the line. Rafa and Fed are used to it. Everytime they step on court, there's another accolade to add to their resume.

To be fair I don't think the streak being on the line had anything to do with it, it just had to end sometime and today Federer played well and Djokovic came out the wrong side of it. Federer lost to Canas with a streak on the line and that was again, just being beaten on the day.

I think Djokovic was incredible at beating Nadal in 4 finals, and you can say it was only in masters but seriously, how many people beat Nadal in any tournament on clay even once? That Murray match in Rome was some great under pressure playing too. I never really thought he'd get anywhere near Mac's record, seemed too much of a task, but he almost did it and would have equalled it if Fognini had turned up.

I think people jump the gun all the time. People saying that Novak had dethroned Nadal on clay and was going to win for sure, and now we'll hear that Novak will never beat him at RG. The truth is there's a difference between being able to beat someone and doing it on any given day. Otherwise the same person would always win. So I think in the next couple of years Djokovic can beat Nadal at RG, I think this year has proved he has the game. We will see though.