Question to Rafa fans: Which is Nadal's most heartbreaking loss?

[clayqueen]

I was being facetious.

But your emoji was a sad face.

 

[Mainad]

Why did Mainard end with a sad emoticon? Don't speak for him let him speak for himself.

It was meant to be a faux sad face. Maybe I should have added a wink somewhere?

 

[clayqueen]

It was meant to be a faux sad face. Maybe I should have added a wink somewhere?

You should. I can only react to what is there.

 

[King_ Zeglan12]

I wouldn't say heartbreaking but it wasn't a pretty sight to see Nadal at RG15

 

[ibbi]

this thread starts to feel like a candy shop...

 

[Sudacafan]

Loss to Djokovic in Wimbledon 2018 was not in final, but semifinals.

 

[Standaa]

Loss to Djokovic in Wimbledon 2018 was not in final, but semifinals.

you’re right, my deepest apologies

 

[B-Line]

The 2018 Wimbledon semi final between Nadal and Djokovic should have been played outdoors, in the sunshine, like every other match during that late May - late July 2018 heatwave. Instead, it started gone 8pm under the roof because of the first semi final (Anderson vs. Isner) going 6 hours and 33 minutes and 26-24 in the fifth set, Nadal blew numerous chances to go 2-1 up in sets at the end of that night's play and was 1-2 down instead. The next day, under the roof again, Nadal fights back to 2-2 in sets, had numerous chances in the fifth set and couldn't get it done. Djokovic only controlled that match in the first set. It was infuriating, and still is. I think a Nadal win here keeps Djokovic in the genie's bottle, as Djokovic hadn't won a major for 2 years prior. Instead, the genie was out and won 3 majors in a row.

Brilliant match.

 

[CHillTennis]

AO 12 has to be greatest non clay Slam Nadal ever played. His level was unbelievable. He came just short of beating zoning Berdych - in form prime Fed and peak Djokovic on plexicusion in succession. If he pulled it off - i would've rated it his best slam win.

I would rank the 2010 US Open and 2009 Australian Open as being his best tournaments off of clay.

I've never seen Nadal serve as well as he did near the end of 2010.

If he'd gone into the 2012 Australian Open final, serving like he did a year and a half earlier, Djokovic would have stood no chance.

 

[Blahovic]

I too was on record after the 2015 French Open as saying that I didn't think Nadal would win another major. I dared to hope slightly during the 2016 clay season, only for it to end in disappointment. Indeed, during the 2017 Australian Open final between Nadal vs. Federer, the feeling amongst almost everyone at the time was like a last great big match between them, as they never expected such a final to be possible again. 2016 had been nearly all Djokovic and Murray, and then 2017 was nearly all Nadal and Federer. When Federer won the 2017 Australian Open final, so many called him "GOAT", as if the match decided it, but then they won all the 2017 majors between them.

Nadal won 5 slams from 2017-2019, I think that's the 2nd most successful 3 years he's has at the slams, from a pure numbers perspective? 5 slam wins, 2 finals, 3 SFs.

He went deep at literally almost every slam he played, too. F, QF (great match Vs Cilic, unlucky with injury) and F at AO; W, W, W at RG; R16 (great match Vs Muller), SF, SF at Wimby; W, SF (unlucky with injury), W at USO.

That's probably his most ever slam wins in a 3 year period

 

[MichaelNadal]

Great list. I really can't split AO2012, WI2018 and RG2021. At the moment RG2021 feels the worst but I'm sure there is some recency bias there.

At the time, RG2009 felt devastating because it was a mixture of intersecting events for Rafa (his parents' divorce etc etc) and also there was the fear that his dominance at RG might not continue.

Thankfully he ended up getting revenge against Soderling the following year and his dominance at RG continued almost unabated. So in the fullness of time I now think of Soderling's 2009 RG performance as a spectacular "lightning in a bottle" moment rather than the gloomy harbinger of things to come that I considered it at the time.

I would rank the 2010 US Open and 2009 Australian Open as being his best tournaments off of clay.

I've never seen Nadal serve as well as he did near the end of 2010.

If he'd gone into the 2012 Australian Open final, serving like he did a year and a half earlier, Djokovic would have stood no chance.

It is definitely a shame Rafa never kept that serve or worked on it in later years to be able to get free points. Its certainly cost him a handful of slams.

 

[Hitman]

I would rank the 2010 US Open and 2009 Australian Open as being his best tournaments off of clay.

I've never seen Nadal serve as well as he did near the end of 2010.

If he'd gone into the 2012 Australian Open final, serving like he did a year and a half earlier, Djokovic would have stood no chance.

No. Nadal served even bigger in Wimbledon 2011 final and that surface was a lot faster than the AO 2012 surface, and Djokovic manhandled his serve in that match, converting 5 out of 6 BPs. Djokovic wasn't the same player who Nadal faced at USO 2010 and no big serving was going to help him on that much slower court in Melbourne. Nadal was fortunate the match even went to a fifth set, Djokovic missed a sitter of a forehand down the line in that fourth set tie break that would have given him 3 championship points.

 

[NatF]

Nadal won 5 slams from 2017-2019, I think that's the 2nd most successful 3 years he's has at the slams, from a pure numbers perspective? 5 slam wins, 2 finals, 3 SFs.

He went deep at literally almost every slam he played, too. F, QF (great match Vs Cilic, unlucky with injury) and F at AO; W, W, W at RG; R16 (great match Vs Muller), SF, SF at Wimby; W, SF (unlucky with injury), W at USO.

That's probably his most ever slam wins in a 3 year period

He won 6 in 08-10.

 

[Mustard]

Nadal lost the 2011 Wimbledon final because of the timing of the break of serve at the end of the first set. Nadal had been the better player in the first set before Djokovic broke him for the set, and then while Nadal was reeling, Djokovic went through the second set 6-1. Nadal 2 sets down. Nadal had not lost to Djokovic over best of 5 sets before.