Ranking the level of Nadal’s 11 FO Final Opponents

[King No1e]

I'd say Djokovic in 2012 was the best level. He threw the kitchen sink at Nadal like he did in the last 3 finals, but alas, it was not meant to be.

2. Federer 2006. Really looked like he was gonna win it there, but Nadal toughed it out.

3. Federer 2011. Really gave Nadal a run for his money there, right off of ending Nole's fairy tale run. Vintage form but not enough.

4. Djokovic 2014. Nole was in peak form, really took it to Nadal that year.

5. Federer 2007. Peakerer is good, but not good enough to beat Nadal at RG.

6. Soderling 2010. Another run of form for Soderling, beats Fed and then fights out an epic vs Berdych. But Nadal crushed him.

7. Puerta 2005. Pretty routine match. Don't know where Mariano went after that.

8. Thiem 2018. Not a bad performance from Domi, but vs a confident Nadal at RG? No chance.

9. Wawrinka 2017. Played some of his best tennis in the SF to beat Murray, but took a beating which pretty much ended his career.

10. Federer 2008. Up to the final he didn't play bad, but got thoroughly owned by in-form Nadal.

11. Ferrer 2013. Ferrer didn't really play that well in the tournament. Got a little lucky and strung together some good wins. No match for Nadal, even in Rafa's exhausted state barely rested from the GOAT clay match.

 

[Deleted member 307496]

Ferrer couldn't do anything against Nadal with no weapons.

 

[Incognito]

2016 Djokovic wasn't that impressive. He played a 5 setter against Schwartzman and Murray was awful in the final. IMO he played better in 2015.

Edit: Schwartzman 5 setter was last year my bad

Schwartzman will send Thiem packing next year. That guy is cruel.

 

[metsman]

worth mentioning the 06/07 finals happened under very hot and sunny conditions. Could have gone 5 if they played in the damper 11/12 conditions.

 

[NEW_BORN]

Nice point about 2006.

I’m sure you remember Fed missing the drop shot on set point in the 1st set. Had his dropshot landed just a couple of inches differently, he takes the first set.

Sport is a game of inches, you win some, you lose some. Thank god Federer has 20 slams to fall back on

 

[ForumMember]

2005 and 2013s SFs should be counted as finals for this kind of rankings. They were the most important matches of Nadal campaign. Considering that I'll put 2013 SF as best match Nadal played to win FO.

To be fair to Thiem he wasn't bad yesterday. Didn't fold at all. Kepy fighting even when Nadal had 3 match points on trot. Overall good level of play. Just that Nadal had answer to everything that Thiem threw at him

 

[Deleted member 754093]

Ferrer has to be last

 

[Tennisanity]

1) Fed 2006
2) Fed 2007
3) Fed 2011

 

[abmk]

The top 5 in no particular order are :RG 05,RG 06,RG 07,RG 11 and RG 12.

Last one is clearly RG 08.

 

[TheFifthSet]

puerta had 3 (?) SPs in the 4th set. He was the one closest to take it to a 5th set.

And didn’t he have an open court stick volley that he dumped into the net on one of them?

 

[MichaelNadal]

2014 was unlucky. 2012 he didn't have chance without rain delay.

He was playing well in the rain conditions, then rain delay

Wild Ultronians spotted

 

[clout]

1. 2006: Fed's peak year, he bread-sticked Rafa in the first set while ultimately forcing the match into a fourth set tiebreak (the closest Nadal's come to going 5 in a finals at RG)
2. 2012: Novak was playing the best tennis of his life the past 12-18 months and was looking to win 4 straight majors and for a set and a half, the Serb flat out killed the Spaniard until Nadal finally closed it out
3. 2007: Fed just handed Rafa a bagel in Madrid a couple weeks prior and had like 20 break chances, but only capitalized on one of them...yikes
4. 2011: Fed was arguably playing the best clay tennis of his career after taking out a seemingly unbeatable Djokovic the round before, while also flying off to a 5-2 lead in the first, but he couldn't close out the set and the outcome of the match was inevitable afterwards
5. 2014: Novak was favored by some to win this match and he played great in the first couple sets, but Rafa really raised his game in the next two sets while Novak's dropped off considerably in those same sets
6. 2005: Puerta took the first set and had a few set points vs the then 18 yr old Spaniard (from what I remember) but like many after him, the Argentine couldn't close the deal to send it into an extra set
After #6, these next few ones could honestly go in any order:
7. 2018: Thiem didn't play that well today but at least he has a better track record vs Rafa compared to others listed below and I think he won the most games against Rafa out of everyone upcoming below
8. 2017: Stan is known for his big match play and with clay being his fav surface, it genuinely looked like it could've been an epic battle...but the exact opposite happened and Stan sorta got crushed
9. 2010: Okay there was honestly no way Nadal would ever let himself lose to Soderling ever again (especially at RG) after what had transpired the year prior
10. 2013: Everyone and their mother knows that the real finals in 2013 was the semis match vs Djokovic
11. 2008: Rafa's peak level on clay combined with Fed's worst match ever equals an insanely lopsided match/score

 

[abmk]

And didn’t he have an open court stick volley that he dumped into the net on one of them?

2:53:58 :
1st SP : Nadal BH pass winner
2nd SP : tough dive volley for Puerta, couldn't make it
3rd SP : inside in FH from Puerta that he missed/hit into the net.

 

[kevinbig3]

Probably only my opinion but I think 2016 Djokovic would have defeated 12,13,14 and 18 Nadal on the final day.

No way ... Rafa played unbelievable tennis on clay in 2012.

我從使用 Tapatalk 的 SM-J700F 發送

 

[Nadalgaenger]

The top 5 in no particular order are :RG 05,RG 06,RG 07,RG 11 and RG 12.

Last one is clearly RG 08.

05 was a SF. If we count SF, then we’d have to choose Nole ‘13!

 

[TheGhostOfAgassi]

Must be the Novak matches.
Traumatising stuff.

 

[George Turner]

I always get confused thinking Ferrer / Nadal was SF.

It was the pseudo final. Everyone talks about that Djokadal match, no one talks about the Nadal - Ferrer match.

Easy mistake to make.

 

[Krish872007]

1. 2011 (Federer) - great tennis from both, very tight first 3 sets
2. 2012 (Djokovic) - great rallies, Djokovic only gained momentum in set 3
3. 2006 (Federer) - great start by Federer, had issues in the middle, extended it to 4th set TB (close to going 5)
4. 2007 (Federer) - good quality match, but not enough clean ball-striking & didn't convert enough opportunities
5. 2005 (Puerta) - good match again, served for the 4th set
6. 2014 (Djokovic) - good start but Djokovic wasn't feeling up to it at times
7. 2010 (Soderling) - couldn't mount enough of a challenge (same applies to rest)
8. 2018 (Thiem)
9. 2013 (Ferrer)
10. 2017 (Wawrinka)
11. 2008 (Federer)

 

[underground]

Just watching a few minutes of the 07 final reminded me just how much better Nadal was back in the day and how weak the current clay field is right now.

 

[abmk]

05 was a SF. If we count SF, then we’d have to choose Nole ‘13!

I was talking about the RG 05 final vs puerta. Puerta was serving for the 4th set and had 3 SPs. You might actually want to look that part before saying he was steamrolled by Nadal after set 1=

 

[Clay lover]

I'd always put Djoko on top. Only player with an actual chance. Yes Federer choked on breakpoints but I always feel he would've found a way to lose anyway.

 

[chicagodude]

1. Federer 2011
2. Djokovic 2014
3. Federer 2006
4. Djokovic 2012
5. Federer 2007
6. Puerta 2005
7. Soderling 2010
8. Thiem 2018
9. Ferrer 2013
10. Wawrinka 2017
11. Federer 2008

I'm with you on placing Djoko 2014 quite high. What many people have forgotten is that Nadal was completely spent at the end of the 4th set after Djoko broke back. Nadal barely held on to his serve to make it 5-4 and then honestly got a bit lucky in the final game, plus Djoko with that terrible choice on matchpoint...Many (including myself) believe Nadal would have lost had the match continued.

 

[Incognito]

2006
2007
2012
2011
2005
2014
2010
2018
2017
2008
2013

 

[aman92]

I'm with you on placing Djoko 2014 quite high. What many people have forgotten is that Nadal was completely spent at the end of the 4th set after Djoko broke back. Nadal barely held on to his serve to make it 5-4 and then honestly got a bit lucky in the final game, plus Djoko with that terrible choice on matchpoint...Many (including myself) believe Nadal would have lost had the match continued.

You are right....Djokovic 2014 was the most sceptical I was of a Nadal victory at RG. Only RG final where he didn't enter as the favourite IMO.

 

[abmk]

I'm with you on placing Djoko 2014 quite high. What many people have forgotten is that Nadal was completely spent at the end of the 4th set after Djoko broke back. Nadal barely held on to his serve to make it 5-4 and then honestly got a bit lucky in the final game, plus Djoko with that terrible choice on matchpoint...Many (including myself) believe Nadal would have lost had the match continued.

that means that 2014 RG Nadal final was the worst version among them. doesn't necessarily mean Djoko's 14 RG perf. should be quite high.

 

[RS]

What was Fed’s BP conversion rate in this match?

1/17

 

[Im(moral) Winner]

All ho hum.

 

[RS]

Been a while since I watched the full match but from the extended highlights his BH was even weaker than 2006 and he kept playing those short mid court topspin BHs that Nadal would eat up easily with his FH.

Will rewatch the highlights now.

Federer hit 9 winners and 37 UFs in French 2006.
In 2007 he hit 12 winners and 21 UFS.
He took Nadal to corners with sharp BHs to set up FHs a lot.