Rafael Nadal vs Mikhail Youzhny

[cc0509]

Hey listen you, I'm entitled to my opinion, if you don't like it stiff ****.

I didn't say he'd lose early either, I said I'm still not convinced he can win it and after 1 match against a washed up 32 year old, there is still a long way to go.

Touchy, touchy. Isn't there some medication for that?

Relax. Nadal has a great draw and he is a slam animal. Sure he could lose early but I won't bet my house on it. It is hard to see which player in the early part of his draw will beat him. This ain't Abu Dhabi. I think the only players who may be able to beat him are Murray, Djokovic or somebody like Nishikori. Or perhaps a player like Rosol if he makes it that far and can get hot.

 

[furryballs]

You know it's amazing how many Fed fans are so convinced Rafa is going to win the title...

im not convinced.......bloody hell,Youznhy was awful

 

[cc0509]

You know it's amazing how many Fed fans are so convinced Rafa is going to win the title...

I don't know if he is going to win the title but I think he will probably make it to the SF at least.

You listen to Nadal too much when the point is to watch and learn.

True. You can never listen to his words before a big tournament. It is all an effort to take the pressure off of him. It is amazing some people fail to see it.

 

[The_Order]

Touchy, touchy. Isn't there some medication for that?

why are you asking me, you're the softest person on this board, if anybody would know it's you.

Relax. Nadal has a great draw and he is a slam animal. Sure he could lose early but I won't bet my house on it. It is hard to see which player in the early part of his draw will beat him. This ain't Abu Dhabi. I think the only players who may be able to beat him are Murray, Djokovic or somebody like Nishikori. Or perhaps a player like Rosol if he makes it that far and can get hot.

As for Nadal's great draw, I'll ask you again, WHO would be tough for him in the first 4 rounds?

 

[furryballs]

there are people in nadals side of the draw who CAN hit the ball hard,AND hit it over the net AND get it inside the lines.......when he strikes this he will be in trouble.

 

[cc0509]

why are you asking me, you're the softest person on this board, if anybody would know it's you.



As for Nadal's great draw, I'll ask you again, WHO would be tough for him in the first 4 rounds?

What do you mean by soft? And be careful with your language and temper. Wouldn't want to see you get the hammer again.

You tell me first, which players in his current quarter ARE tough for him? Heck even his Spanish lapdogs like Verdasco, Almagro and Ferrer would be much tougher for him than players like Youzhny, Anderson and his special pigeon Berdych. Can't you be a decent Nadal fan like Veronique and admit when Nadal has a soft draw? I don't get what the big deal is. I admit Federer had a great draw at W and the USO last year. Be a big boy and admit Nadal has a nice draw.

 

[tennis_commentator]

there are people in nadals side of the draw who CAN hit the ball hard,AND hit it over the net AND get it inside the lines.......when he strikes this he will be in trouble.

You mean Nadal will be in danger of losing more than 3 games in a set, or losing a set?
I don't see anyone capable of winning a set in Nadal's half except for Murray (but Federer will make the semi probably).

You can't hit through the AO surface against Nadal (except for back in 2008 when Nadal had not developed his hardcourt game).
The final is between Nadal and Wawrinka/Djokovic/Nishikori, enjoy!

 

[The_Order]

What do you mean by soft? And be careful with your language and temper. Wouldn't want to see you get the hammer again.

You tell me first, which players in his current quarter ARE tough for him? Heck even his Spanish lapdogs like Verdasco, Almagro and Ferrer would be much tougher for him than players like Youzhny, Anderson and his special pigeon Berdych. Can't you be a decent Nadal fan like Veronique and admit when Nadal has a soft draw? I don't get what the big deal is. I admit Federer had a great draw at W and the USO last year. Be a big boy and admit Nadal has a nice draw.

LOL you're the reason I got it in the first place, now you wouldn't want to see me get banned? Please and you call Nadal fake...

And soft means you take offence to everything very easily.

I don't need to tell you anything first, I asked you to give me a list of players who would make things tough for him. Sorry you can't accomplish this simple task.

 

[BVSlam]

All I can say is, I still remember what happened when we wore this colour before...

Anyway, couldn't see the match but judging by the scoreline, stats and highlights, Rafa played great from the baseline.

 

[tennis_commentator]

All I can say is, I still remember what happened when we wore this colour before...

Anyway, couldn't see the match but judging by the scoreline, stats and highlights, Rafa played great from the baseline.

Colors can't stop Nadal from the Double Career Grand Slam & 15.
He played way better today than what he played at last year's AO.
He'd whoop Federer like crazy if they met tonight.

 

[mellowyellow]

What do you mean by soft? And be careful with your language and temper. Wouldn't want to see you get the hammer again.

You tell me first, which players in his current quarter ARE tough for him? Heck even his Spanish lapdogs like Verdasco, Almagro and Ferrer would be much tougher for him than players like Youzhny, Anderson and his special pigeon Berdych. Can't you be a decent Nadal fan like Veronique and admit when Nadal has a soft draw? I don't get what the big deal is. I admit Federer had a great draw at W and the USO last year. Be a big boy and admit Nadal has a nice draw.

Its because the ITF/ATP has all these fols mind effed into thinking all draws are hard. Really, when did he or Murray have a tough draw especially considering the surface/player, age and height?

 

[tenisdecente]

Damn, it was painful to see Youzhny in that form. A shadow of his former self, as someone said here. So far away those times when he dumped Nadal off US Open...

You know you are in serious trouble when your 1st service is slower than Nadal's one. That and your groundstrokes suck. Honestly, I did not know the russian was so done, I think this would be his last season... in the end, he already has a family so tennis does not seem to be a priority right now.

As for Nadal, sometimes great, sometimes just OK. His serve was pretty fast and OK for some time in the game, but he needs at least a bit of challenge, what presented Mikhail today was just atrocious.

 

[Chanwan]

As for Nadal's great draw, I'll ask you again, WHO would be tough for him in the first 4 rounds?

You don't think he got a dream draw?
As to your question - anyone with a big game would have been tougher than his current draw. And anyone in form - Bedene, Djoko's first rounder, just had a great week in Chennai.
Kyrgios, Muller, Almagro (yes, really), Hewitt, any Australian kid etc., etc., etc. Chardy in the 3rd (that guy's forehand can belt the ball).

And more importantly (as Rafa, Fed and Novak are all unlikely to lose in the first 4 rounds anyhow) - anyone but Birdman in the quarters (Murray and Nishi would both have had a much, much better chance and Raonic too).
Semis: Stan would have a better chance than Fed imo.

Rafa's draw is so good that I've bet money on him for, I think, the first time ever. Hedging if you will ;-)

 

[Smasher08]

bloody hell,Youznhy was awful

Yep, it's pretty sad to see him like this, a husk of his former self.

Retirement beckons, for both of them.

 

[Mike Sams]

Colors can't stop Nadal from the Double Career Grand Slam & 15.
He played way better today than what he played at last year's AO.
He'd whoop Federer like crazy if they met tonight.

Nah, Nadal at last year's AO in the Monfils match looked phenomenal! :shock: He only looked good today because of how horrendously poor Youzhny was. Youzhny couldn't even hit basic forehands over the net in an open court. LOL

 

[tenisdecente]

Nah, Nadal at last year's AO in the Monfils match looked phenomenal! :shock: He only looked good today because of how horrendously poor Youzhny was. Youzhny couldn't even hit basic forehands over the net in an open court. LOL

Yeah, Youzhny was a mess yesterday. Painful as I said, since he was a great player in his good years. Oh well...

 

[Mike Sams]

Yeah, Youzhny's gone the way of Davydenko. Ranking plummeted and just a shell. I saw in the first set how horrendously bad Youzhny was playing with such basic errors. He'd have been dead meat for any top player.

 

[3fees]

Nadal played well, Youzhny had no weapons available to test Nadal's game.

Cheers
3Fees

 

[Mike Sams]

Nadal played well, Youzhny had no weapons available to test Nadal's game.

Cheers
3Fees

Did Nadal really play well though? I loved his Miami 2014 run where he was murdering everybody and then laying a major egg in the final where he could barely stay in a rally :shock:

 

[Mike Sams]

You don't think he got a dream draw?
As to your question - anyone with a big game would have been tougher than his current draw. And anyone in form - Bedene, Djoko's first rounder, just had a great week in Chennai.
Kyrgios, Muller, Almagro (yes, really), Hewitt, any Australian kid etc., etc., etc. Chardy in the 3rd (that guy's forehand can belt the ball).

And more importantly (as Rafa, Fed and Novak are all unlikely to lose in the first 4 rounds anyhow) - anyone but Birdman in the quarters (Murray and Nishi would both have had a much, much better chance and Raonic too).
Semis: Stan would have a better chance than Fed imo.

Rafa's draw is so good that I've bet money on him for, I think, the first time ever. Hedging if you will ;-)

A great draw for Rafa which consists of Berdych, Dimitrov, Federer, and Murray in his side of the draw. And not forgetting that Berdych and Dimitrov respectively both had set points to go up 2 sets to 1 on Nadal in their last meetings against him at the AO, not to mention Murray beating him in straights in 2010 AO. I'm not sure to be honest if this is a great draw for Nadal.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

A great draw for Rafa which consists of Berdych, Dimitrov, Federer, and Murray in his side of the draw. And not forgetting that Berdych and Dimitrov respectively both had set points to go up 2 sets to 1 on Nadal in their last meetings against him at the AO, not to mention Murray beating him in straights in 2010 AO. I'm not sure to be honest if this is a great draw for Nadal.

It is certainly better than having to face Nishikori in the quarters. Or Wawrinka, or Djokovic in the semis.

 

[tudwell]

A great draw for Rafa which consists of Berdych, Dimitrov, Federer, and Murray in his side of the draw. And not forgetting that Berdych and Dimitrov respectively both had set points to go up 2 sets to 1 on Nadal in their last meetings against him at the AO, not to mention Murray beating him in straights in 2010 AO. I'm not sure to be honest if this is a great draw for Nadal.

It's all comparative, though. Berdych is easier for Nadal than Nishikori or Murray, the other potential quarterfinal opponents. Even Raonic might be tougher. That Australian Open performance was the exception, not the norm. Nadal usually beats Berdych handily. If they met at the Australian five times, I'd wager only once would he get close to going up two sets to love.

And comparing Federer's record against Nadal to Djokovic's, it's clear he got the easier of the possible semifinals. Sure, he'll still have to play well to beat Murray or Federer in the semifinal, but not as well as he'd have to play to beat Djokovic.

 

[Mainad]

It is certainly better than having to face Nishikori in the quarters. Or Wawrinka, or Djokovic in the semis.

Hmmm, is it (7-0 v Nishi, 12-1 v Stan)?

 

[The_Order]

It is certainly better than having to face Nishikori in the quarters. Or Wawrinka, or Djokovic in the semis.

The point I'm trying to make is, in these early rounds just about anyone will seem easy for Rafa.

There's no one with a commanding or obvious match up problem for him.

I asked for a tough draw some guy gave me:

Berrer (Not even in the AO)
Brown (Just as bad as Rosol in HC majors)
Millman (Yes, you read it right, a man with 2 atp wins in his life would've been tough)
Kyrgios (Judging by his performance he was lucky to not have to face Rafa today)

It's laughable to say the least.

Djokovic in the semi's would've been the worst case scenario for him.

If Murray finds form though, he won't be easy. Murray is like a backboard every time he plays Rafa and it's nearly impossible to hit through him on these plexicushion courts when he's playing well. The only thing that costs Murray is his mentality in the finals.

But Nishi and Wawrinka? Kei's got a solid game, but he probably isn't capable of outlasting Rafa in Bo5, he has never beat him before. Wawrinka struggles to win sets v Rafa. Do you honestly think last year's final is a true reflection of what would usually happen between Rafa and Stan?

 

[thomasferrett]

Hmmm, is it (7-0 v Nishi, 12-1 v Stan)?

In both of those head to heads, the stats don't tell the whole story.

Nishikori and Wawrinka are both slowly gaining ground on Nadal, going from being destroyed by him, to being semi-competitive, to being just edged out in very tight matches, to actually beating him (or, in Nishikori's case, to probably having beaten him if not for a mid-match injury).

Classic pattern was Wawrinka, in 2013 Shanghai, one tight tie-break set and a beat-down set, in 2013 WTF, two tight tie-break sets, in 2014 AO, finally the win.

Don't be fooled by stats that read better than they are at the moment.

 

[sillymonkey]

So glad Rafa is back. I missed him.

 

[Smasher08]

So glad Rafa is back. I missed him.

Last night he sure seemed pumped.

 

[ultradr]

Last night he sure seemed pumped.

I sense some nervousness though. He is anxious to get some confidence back.
Also eager to calibrate his money making shots.

This is not exactly a confident Nadal. He doesn't usually do this and rather plays
boring matches at early rounds...

 

[Backspin1183]

Nadal's return was impressive, got a lot of balls in play. He almost looked very good. Good to see some big forehands too.

 

[oneness]

I sense some nervousness though. He is anxious to get some confidence back.
Also eager to calibrate his money making shots.

This is not exactly a confident Nadal. He doesn't usually do this and rather plays
boring matches at early rounds...

You might be on to something here.
But hope he finds his way and not become unnerved when he meets a challenging opponent.

 

[Mustard]

Nice victory for Nadal. Encouraging signs.

 

[Fuzz]

Nadal is winning the tournament.

 

[Djokovic_is_the_best#1]

Nadal is winning the tournament.

Not so fast :mrgreen: I think he's a lock for the final though

 

[tennis_commentator]

I sense some nervousness though. He is anxious to get some confidence back.
Also eager to calibrate his money making shots.

This is not exactly a confident Nadal. He doesn't usually do this and rather plays
boring matches at early rounds...

Because Nadal had a big hand-blister at last year's AO, he played boring because he could barely hold the racquet properly, so took minimal risk.
This year he's physically and mentally fresh, and has found rhythm quickly, striking the ball cleaner then ever, moving sharp and ready for anything.

 

[tipsa...don'tlikehim!]

I sense some nervousness though. He is anxious to get some confidence back.
Also eager to calibrate his money making shots.

This is not exactly a confident Nadal. He doesn't usually do this and rather plays
boring matches at early rounds...

I agree I didn't find him really great. Youzhny was the opponent and the Russian was exhausted after 1 set completed, not a great opposition.

 

[counterloop]

Let's not be so quick to judge nadals current level or form. A few more matches will give us a much clearer picture of where he is mentally and physically.

 

[merwy]

Not so fast :mrgreen: I think he's a lock for the final though

Kind of ironic how you first say "not so fast" and directly follow it up with the sentence "he's a lock for the final though".
Hope he loses to Rosol or something just to see how people like you react. You will never hear me say Federer is a lock for anything.

 

[tennis_commentator]

Let's not be so quick to judge nadals current level or form. A few more matches will give us a much clearer picture of where he is mentally and physically.

That would be ironic, considering the Berrer match was apparently enough to judge Nadal's form :lol: according to all the media and most of the fans.....

 

[tennis_commentator]

Kind of ironic how you first say "not so fast" and directly follow it up with the sentence "he's a lock for the final though".
Hope he loses to Rosol or something just to see how people like you react. You will never hear me say Federer is a lock for anything.

Same here, I'd never say Federer is a lock for anything.
Whereas with Nadal, I just know (2010 Wimbledon, 2010 US Open, 2013 US Open, French Open every year etc.).

But I never thought Nadal was a lock for 2014 AO, that is for sure, with that hand-blister and non-stop unforced errors (except for the Monfils and Federer matches).

 

[jm1980]

I put all my life's earnings on Nadal at 9-1 at my betting agency (for the AO title), so I'm in for the greatest 2 weeks of my life!

Is tennis_commentator now homeless? Is that why he disappeared from the board? :lol:

 

[Deleted member 77403]

Is tennis_commentator now homeless? Is that why he disappeared from the board? :lol:

Don't be so mean!

 

[sbengte]

Is tennis_commentator now homeless? Is that why he disappeared from the board? :lol:

I am not really sure he has disappeared from the board, if you know what I mean :lol: For instance, there are people already close to betting their houses on Nadal winning the channel slam.

 

[insideguy]

I always like these older threads being brought up to show how delusional tennis fans can be. People proclaiming Nadal is a lock for the finals or his form looked so good against a washed up Russian. I guess fans see what they want to see many times and not actually what is on their tv screens.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

I am not really sure he has disappeared from the board, if you know what I mean :lol: For instance, there are people already close to betting their houses on Nadal winning the channel slam.

They really need to put their monopoly boards away.