Rafael Nadal: I'm no longer favourite on clay

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https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/tennis-rafael-nadal-im-longer-favourite-clay-212250956--ten.html

Rafael Nadal feels he should not be considered as the automatic favourite to dominate the game on clay.

Nine-times Roland Garros champion Nadal told ATP wordtour: "I don’t have pressure this year.

"I’m not the favourite for anything. I have been playing worse than the rest of the rivals of mine. The pressure is not for me - I am arriving here with the motivation to do something better than what I am doing.”
 
This guy has to shut up. Its clear as day what Nadal is doing and it is both insulting and annoying to the rest of the tour. He's just making himself look silly.
 
Inanimate_object said:
This guy has to shut up. Its clear as day what Nadal is doing and it is both insulting and annoying to the rest of the tour. He's just making himself look silly.
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I agree. This is reaching ridiculous heights. We get it, he's been rusty and not at his very best. He's still the man to beat on clay, only rivaled by a certain #1.
 
Which other year has Rafa had so many bad losses ?

You guys are way too harsh on him. I understand some of you are getting bored seeing him win year after year, but that does not make what he says here as bogus. It was so in the prior years, but not now.

Don't beat a man when he is already knocked down.
 
tennisaddict said:
Which other year has Rafa had so many bad losses ?

You guys are way too harsh on him. I understand some of you are getting bored seeing him win year after year, but that does not make what he says here as bogus. It was so in the prior years, but not now.

Don't beat a man when he is already knocked down.
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The whole "woe is me" routine is getting old and Rafa has consistently used it his entire career when he felt pressured. It's a tiresome and plain silly. We're not knocking him down. Nadal's artificially knocking himself down for the same reasons he's done it in the past. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice...
 
tennisaddict said:
Which other year has Rafa had so many bad losses ?

You guys are way too harsh on him. I understand some of you are getting bored seeing him win year after year, but that does not make what he says here as bogus. It was so in the prior years, but not now.

Don't beat a man when he is already knocked down.
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He's not knocked down yet, the season has just started. If he plays well, he could still finish #2 or #3. I'll say he's knocked down if he doesn't win a slam this year, or at least after he loses RG.
 
Favourites technically go by current form than historic form though, no?

The only reason we label him as the favourite for RG is because he's won it 9 out of 10 times. Other than that, his form on HC and clay has been abysmal, and there's no denying that.
 
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Has nothing to do with winning on clay. Has to do with the curious case of Rafa nadal. Only nadal fans think this is new stuff every year. The rest of us it is ground hog day the movie.
 
The question I have is...When has Nadal ever come out and said I am the favorite to win?

He is the man still, and until he is dethroned at RG, he remains the man. Yes, his reign will end, and he will be dethroned, but until that day comes, his legendary feats on that surface, regardless of what form he has had still makes him stand head and shoulders above anyone else. He is the best...still.
 
Yeah and the sky is blue. What else?

The guy says the same thing every year. Helps him stay under the delusion to keep the pressure off.
 
I actually think Nadal is preparing his flock for some disappointment on clay.
He will fight, but he isn't feeling like before so he will make plenty mistakes.
 
For what it's worth, I actually agree with Nadal this year.

Yes, it is as clear as day that he says stuff like this all the time, and until he is knocked off his perch at RG, technically he is the favourite.

However, as I said, this year has been especially bad for Nadal so I agree with him in a sense. He basically has not beaten any half decent players since RG 2014. That's going on a full year. As such, at this point I think we should wait to see how Nadal plays as to whether he even deserves favourite status.

I'm not counting out Nadal. That is stupid, but I do think a lot of people are just assuming he'll automatically play great/win because it's clay. Lest we forget Nadal's clay season last year was nothing to write home about by his lofty standards, and forgive me for saying this, but even at RG he had a bit of luck what with Murray being in the SF's and a sick Djokovic in the final. Not to mention Ferrer basically giving up after one set. All I'm saying is he wasn't very convincing even last year and this year he MAY have gotten worse on clay. We'll have to wait and see I guess.
 
Steve0904 said:
For what it's worth, I actually agree with Nadal this year.

Yes, it is as clear as day that he says stuff like this all the time, and until he is knocked off his perch at RG, technically he is the favourite.

However, as I said, this year has been especially bad for Nadal so I agree with him in a sense. He basically has not beaten any half decent players since RG 2014. That's going on a full year. As such, at this point I think we should wait to see how Nadal plays as to whether he even deserves favourite status.

I'm not counting out Nadal. That is stupid, but I do think a lot of people are just assuming he'll automatically play great/win because it's clay. Lest we forget Nadal's clay season last year was nothing to write home about by his lofty standards, and forgive me for saying this, but even at RG he had a bit of luck what with Murray being in the SF's and a sick Djokovic in the final. Not to mention Ferrer basically giving up after one set. All I'm saying is he wasn't very convincing even last year and this year he MAY have gotten worse on clay. We'll have to wait and see I guess.
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Agree completely. Last year was the first FO I felt Nadal was lucky to win. Complete scrubs with no threw at to his game the first few rounds. A sick Ferrer in the QFs, a dead legged tired Murray (when a healthy Murray is barely a challenge on clay) in the semi. And a vomiting on court Djoker for the final.
 
Last year he was terrible on clay losing to pigeons left and right and then he easily won FO. STFU Nadal! You are the undisputed king of clay until someone beats you at FO.
 
There is nothing these stars can say or do, in which the hate in your hearts will come out. If Nadal was to come out and say, "I am the man, I got the biggest D!%& on the Clay Court." a lot of you will be screaming he's too arrogant. The only times I believe what they say, is when they've already proved it. Nadal can say he's taking up professional cricket til he's blue, for all I care. The only time it's true is when he actually does it, and the only time I actually take notice.
 
Praetorian said:
There is nothing these stars can say or do, in which the hate in your hearts will come out. If Nadal was to come out and say, "I am the man, I got the biggest D!%& on the Clay Court." a lot of you will be screaming he's too arrogant. The only times I believe what they say, is when they've already proved it. Nadal can say he's taking up professional cricket til he's blue, for all I care. The only time it's true is when he actually does it, and the only time I actually take notice.
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but then again we could criticise him for hindsight bias (creeping determinism) -

i'm all for that ... :)
 
Steve0904 said:
For what it's worth, I actually agree with Nadal this year.

Yes, it is as clear as day that he says stuff like this all the time, and until he is knocked off his perch at RG, technically he is the favourite.

However, as I said, this year has been especially bad for Nadal so I agree with him in a sense. He basically has not beaten any half decent players since RG 2014. That's going on a full year. As such, at this point I think we should wait to see how Nadal plays as to whether he even deserves favourite status.

I'm not counting out Nadal. That is stupid, but I do think a lot of people are just assuming he'll automatically play great/win because it's clay. Lest we forget Nadal's clay season last year was nothing to write home about by his lofty standards, and forgive me for saying this, but even at RG he had a bit of luck what with Murray being in the SF's and a sick Djokovic in the final. Not to mention Ferrer basically giving up after one set. All I'm saying is he wasn't very convincing even last year and this year he MAY have gotten worse on clay. We'll have to wait and see I guess.
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A sick Rafa defeated Djoko:
10647037_804319916299902_7032224041980710525_n.jpg
 
2015 clay season is the last chance for Nadal to stay relevant in the conversation of GS competitors. If he doesnt win at least FO, even he himself won't believe he can still win. Just from his silly comments like that, you can see he's under tremendous pressure.
 
By saying he is 'no longer' the favourite, he's kinda admitting that he was lying when he claimed, in matches like the 2nd and 3rd rounds of tournaments like the 2007 French Open, that guys like Montanes and Cipolla were the favorites and that he would have to be at his very best to overcome them, no?

But anyway - newsflash, Nadal - you are the favorite this year, no matter what you say. The world is watching to see if you can re-capture your last bastion. No pressure indeed.
 
As long as he is KOC, he is the fav. Sorry Rafa, but your greatness on this particular surface, and the fact that you have been holding onto the RG with a vice like grip goes against what you are saying.
 
:lol: last year a good part of the board, including half the posters saying Nadal is still the favorite were saying it was even or leaning Djokovic. Hilarity. Do I think he's the fav at the FO still? That depends on the clay season, not what he did a year ago.
 
'I am the undisputed, indestructible, 9 times crowned king of clay and while I can still hit a tennis ball or lift a racquet, no living man shall usurp my rightful place on the hallowed grounds of Philippe Chatrier.'
What wouldn't I give to hear Rafa say someting like this :)

Wonder how this forum would react though... :) :confused:
 
Whatever helps him mentally. I'm not to sure about the 3 Clay M1000s until I see his form, but he will always be the favourite for RG in my books.
 
octobrina10 said:
A sick Rafa defeated Djoko:
10647037_804319916299902_7032224041980710525_n.jpg
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That's irrelevant. There is always something wrong with Nadal, so that's a constant. He was fit enough to play the entire clay season and win Madrid and Roland Garros, so, by his standards, he was relatively fit.

To be consistent though, I don't think he was lucky to win his 9th Roland Garros, nor do I believe Djokovic being sick affected the outcome of that match. Nadal would have beat him regardless.

I suppose one could claim he was fortunate to get Ferrer and Murray in the QF and SF, but that leads to an obvious question - who could he have played that would have been a challenge? Outside of Djokovic, there have been no consistent challengers to Nadal on clay. Federer made him work hard to win some of their encounters, but Nadal still won the vast majority of them. Monfils? Gulbis? Raonic? Berdych? Djokovic beat Raonic and Gulbis in the QF and SF. I hope no one would claim that path was tougher than Ferrer and Murray.

Still, I agree with Steve's assessment that Nadal has looked bad enough to seem more vulnerable than ever on clay. From 2011-14, if Nadal lost at RG, it was going to be Djokovic who beat him. This year, for the first time, I think an upset at some random point in the draw is deemed a real possibility. That could change if he re-asserts himself, otherwise he is beatable by a number of guys, IMO.

He's still the favorite though. Just not as strong. For the first time in a while, one might consider taking the field over Nadal at RG.
 
OhYes said:
I actually think Nadal is preparing his flock for some disappointment on clay.
He will fight, but he isn't feeling like before so he will make plenty mistakes.
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Nadal's game hasn't been error-prone this year at all.
Nadal's game in 2014 was full of unforced errors.
2015 he's kept the unforced errors every low but not been aggressive (except for Argentina which was his best South American performance ever).
Nadal has always prepared Djokovic, and its always worked like a charm at Roland Garros :D
 
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torpantennis said:
This is Nadal's worst 9 months off clay season since what? 2003?
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Nadal didn't win a hardcourt event in 2011 and 2012.
Nadal's best hardcourt year EVER was 2013 (when he became the first man ever to win Indian Wells, Canada, Cincy and US Open in a calendar year, and the first man since 2003 to sweep the US summer), very recent.
So don't be surprised if we see a repeated of 2013, or better (he's playing Queens this year).
 
tennis_commentator said:
Nadal didn't win a hardcourt event in 2011 and 2012.

Nadal's best hardcourt year EVER was 2013 (when he became the first man ever to win Indian Wells, Canada, Cincy and US Open in a calendar year, and the first man since 2003 to sweep the US summer), very recent.

So don't be surprised if we see a repeated of 2013, or better (he's playing Queens this year).
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Had he not lost all those finals, 2011 would have been a decent year as well, winning IW, Miami, and USO. You could argue that Nadal in 2011 had a standard peak Djokovic year, making loads of finals, but winning only one GS (which he happens to be the best at), and winning a bunch of smaller tournaments that ultimately gets him little to no credit whatsoever.

If he had won the WTF 2010 final against Federer, you could make a case for that year too. He's generally improved quite a bit on HCs, but it comes down to confidence, which he just doesn't have at the moment.
 
Too lazy to start a thread so let's discuss here about Nadal's game on clay now.

1) Nadal is not a great mover on clay anymore. He doesn't run fast enough and can not cover the field as well as before.

It leads to 2 consequences: a) He can not produce crazy running forehand or passing shot from both sides as before. b) He would be passed easily by an inform great player or good players playing great.

2) He and his uncle know that very well. Because he can do nothing to change 1) while he still has a good forehand, he choose to emphasize on power and spin. He changes racket and he changes right on the starting of clay seasons to prepare for biggest prize which means RG. He choose to maximum the strength and ignore the weakness.

3) The strategy of Nadal team could work well for him IF Nadal is a good attacker. But Nadal is not an attacker at nature. He is a defender. He choose an attacking game and he still stand too far away from baseline and waiting opponent errors. He excuses his game very bad.

Conclusion: Nadal's new game is opening up greatly for upsets. For the first time in many many years, I really doubt his chance to win on his own yard: French Open.
 
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Well, technically he is. Until he loses at Roland Garros that is.
 
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