Roger will not beat Nadal on clay--hate to say it

[Coria]

I'd love to see him win the French, let alone tomorrow at the Masters' final. (not doing the spoiler nonsense on this one). If you didn't think or know that Fed and Nadal would get to the final, you are not following the game.

I think Nadal frustrates Federer on clay and I think he's a bit inside his head. I don't think Fed believes he can beat Nadal on clay. That's his ONLY mental block on any surface against any player.

Nadal gets to too many balls, makes Fed hit that extra shot, frustrates Fed with all of his energy and self-confidence--let alone his huge penetrating groundies. If Nadal stays healthy and confident, I think he can win the next several French Opens and take a serious run at Borg's mark. He's just a flat out better player on clay than Fed. He is physically stronger, just as hungry or hungrier, even more consistent and has a bigger clay court game. On grass, Fed wipes him out, where his angles, volleys and ball placement are such huge weapons. Not at Roland Garros.

 

[J-man]

i agree. i don't think federer will beat nadal on clay. i also think nadal will be able to win FO again this year

 

[8PAQ]

Fed will win in straight sets tomorrow.

 

[fastdunn]

There's only one thing Federer has not solved yet:that loopy
forehand into Fed's one handed backhand.

Nadal parks Fed on the baseline to the backhand side
and Fed does not know what to do.

Fed really needs to use his all court game. Attack Nadal's
serves. I don't think Fed can beat Nadal from baseline.

 

[Moose Malloy]

Check out Fed talking smack! Nice to see.


MONTE CARLO, Monaco (AP) -- Roger Federer thinks the key to beating Rafael Nadal is to be ready for a fight.

"Just stay with him, for the entire time," Federer said. "I have the feeling that other guys tend not to take the physical challenge with him. That's what I won't do."

"He's quite one-dimensional with his game," Federer said. "After Dubai, I thought I actually saw the way I should play against him. The more I play him, the better it is for me."

Reaching the Monte Carlo final has "exceeded" Federer's expectations. The 24-year-old Federer feels he is ahead of schedule for the French Open -- the only major he has yet to win.

"I've got another opportunity to play him," Federer said. "It's going to give me an indication, you know, if I will play him at the French (Open)."

Federer has won the last four Masters series he has played -- at Hamburg, Cincinnati, Indian Wells and Miami -- and would extend his Masters winning run to 30 games with victory over Nadal.

The match Sunday will be their first outdoor meeting since Nadal topped Federer in the French Open semifinals last June.

Nadal's winning streak on clay is the third-longest in the Open era. However, he dropped his first set since July's final at Bastad, Sweden, against Tomas Berdych.

"I always think about victory," Nadal said. "It was very important for me to stay in this final. If I play my best I have a chance (against Federer). I'm going to play aggressively, with determination."

Only Bjorn Borg, with 46, and Vilas, with 53, have won more straight matches on clay than French Open champion Nadal.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Wow , i hope Roger backs it up tomorrow.By the way, i believe i read somewhere where Nadal said if it goes 5 it benefits him.

I hope Roger backs it up, tomorrow would be a huge win.

 

[Dunlopkid]

I think Fed will win tomorrow and in the the French.

 

[Count Grishnackh]

Hmm, Fed bringing out the smack. Just goes to show you how much Nadal is inside his head. I don't think that he would talk like that about other players, obviously since he's beaten them all. This match is bigger for Federer's psyche than for Nadal. But if Rafa wins tomorrow and they meet again in the French final Fed will not talk smack again. If Nadal wins he's up 4-1 in the W-L column and Federer is going to have that catalist, "yeah he's great but he couldn't beat Nadal."

From what I've seen, Nadal is not quite at the level of last year, yet. Federer is playing out of his mind on clay and has not been challenged. This is his best chance to beat Nadal on clay in my opinion. He needs Nadal to not be at his highest level to win on clay and this is his chance, if Nadal beats Federer below his peak on clay this could destroy Federer's confidence to ever win the French, at least while Rafa is around which figures to be for a while.

 

[Shabazza]

Wow , i hope Roger backs it up tomorrow.By the way, i believe i read somewhere where Nadal said if it goes 5 it benefits him.

I hope Roger backs it up, tomorrow would be a huge win.

he better backs it up now after this quote, it's the most outspoken one he made about Nadal's game.^^

 

[sureshs]

Whatever these guys say, it will turn on a couple of points when they momentarily let up.

I noticed that Fed trashed Nadal by saying he was 1 dimensional, then also practically said if he (Fed) loses, he may not even be in the FO final.

Oh, and Fed isn't going to win tomorrow.

 

[theJuniorACE]

this looks to be one of the best matches yet, this year

oo man i wanna watch it live to badly....
lol
does any1 wanna perhaps share their masters Series Id and password for this 1 event?
lol

If any feels that they could help a fellow tennis lover out by helping him watch a great match, email me- myomaru@gmail.com

 

[ACE of Hearts]

I see alot of bad blood, i think Nadal isnt innocent as well.I just hope Fed wins so people would stop thinking that Fed cant play with Nadal on clay, this is only their second meeting.

 

[DashaandSafin]

Well its not really "smack". More like I'm-going-to-try-my-best-and-Ill-win-because-im-THE-Roger-Federer.

 

[ShcMad]

Damn, by the way Fed is talking on that interview, it looks like Nadal will need to send him one of those SMS again after the match.


Q. But you talk to him?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. Yes, sure. Yeah, when he won anything, I send him SMS, no, always.

 

[VamosRafa]

I see alot of bad blood, i think Nadal isnt innocent as well.I just hope Fed wins so people would stop thinking that Fed cant play with Nadal on clay, this is only their second meeting.

I don't know, Rafa seems pretty "innocent" to me. From his press conference a couple days ago:

Q. I know that there is a lot of questions about Federer, but is he some kind of an idol for you in special ways?

RAFAEL NADAL: If he -- if Federer is idol for me?

Q. Yes, yes.

RAFAEL NADAL: I never had idol, no. I never had idol. I admire him a lot because he's a very good person, especially for that. Second, because for me, is the best of the history, no. I don't know (indiscernible), but maybe he is the best.

Q. Are you kind of friends with him?

RAFAEL NADAL: What?

Q. Friends, are you friends, you and Roger?

RAFAEL NADAL: We have a good relationship, no. But the friends, you know, is not -- not easy for that. You listen me in English (laughing)?

Q. I'm listening.

RAFAEL NADAL: I can't speak too much, no (smiling).

Q. But you talk to him?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. Yes, sure. Yeah, when he won anything, I send him SMS, no, always.

Q. I heard you call him like "Rogelio"? Something like that?

RAFAEL NADAL: Si, when I speak with him, Roger, but normally Rogelio.

 

[sureshs]

Susan, you stole that from me from another thread

 

[jimiforpres]

Federer will win because:

1) Nadal has not been playing as much as Fed, so he won't be as prepared
2) Nadal is the defending champ, and all the pressure will be on him because of all of the hype
3) Nadal is the only player Federer has to really worry about, so he has probably prepared to play him a lot while Nadal is being beaten by a couple of guys
4) James Blake will beat Nadal (again) (not really)

 

[sureshs]

Damn, by the way Fed is talking on that interview, it looks like Nadal will need to send him one of those SMS again after the match.


Q. But you talk to him?

RAFAEL NADAL: Yes. Yes, sure. Yeah, when he won anything, I send him SMS, no, always.

The SMS will be :

ROGELIO, YOU LOSE AGAIN, NO?

 

[ShcMad]

The SMS will be :

ROGELIO, YOU LOSE AGAIN, NO?

OMGGG! ROFL! LMAO!

Fed will probably SMS him back saying something like: You know, what I said about you on the interview yesterday, you know, I did not mean it, you know.

 

[Galactus]

At the moment, it's a pick 'em:
* Federer looks unbeatble on clay this week - Nadal hasn't: he looked shaky in the 1st set vs Gaudio
* Nadal is definately inside Federer's head - something Federer will go all out to stop tomorrow.
* It's over 5-sets - can Federer mentally take the endless Nadal 'body-shots' for that long?

However, unless Federer comes flying out the blocks like he did in Dubai and keeps that genius level of play up, I'm going for Nadal, 3 sets to 1...

 

[fastdunn]

Federer's comments suggests (to me) that Federer does not have
much confidence against Nadal. He is struggling to find some
confidences and that's a good thing. I actually didn't quite
imagined Nadal could be this much factor to Federer this early...

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Alot of people picking Nadal in this matchup, well the guy has an amazing streak going and Roger needs to prove otherwise.I will go with my heart and say Roger in 4 sets.

 

[Mr Topspin]

Hmm, Fed bringing out the smack. Just goes to show you how much Nadal is inside his head. I don't think that he would talk like that about other players, obviously since he's beaten them all. This match is bigger for Federer's psyche than for Nadal. But if Rafa wins tomorrow and they meet again in the French final Fed will not talk smack again. If Nadal wins he's up 4-1 in the W-L column and Federer is going to have that catalist, "yeah he's great but he couldn't beat Nadal."

From what I've seen, Nadal is not quite at the level of last year, yet. Federer is playing out of his mind on clay and has not been challenged. This is his best chance to beat Nadal on clay in my opinion. He needs Nadal to not be at his highest level to win on clay and this is his chance, if Nadal beats Federer below his peak on clay this could destroy Federer's confidence to ever win the French, at least while Rafa is around which figures to be for a while.

I couldn't agree more. Fed has played perfectly apart from a poor 2nd set vs Djokovic he has been the form player while Nadal has been solid not brilliant. If Fed loses in 3 or 4 sets against a below par Nadal then it really will affect Federer. It could cause a lot of psychological damage as Fed looks like he is really up for the clay this year.

 

[fastdunn]

How about Nadal's mind ? If I were Nadal and if I'm super confident,
I would be undecided whether I should show all my stuff at Monte Carlo
before FO.

 

[Honestlybad]

I think they are both going to show all their stuff. They will both want to win really badly just to get that mental edge before the french. It will pssibly be one of the most interesting finals of the year. If Fed can keep his slice low and consistent down the line to Rafa's backhand he should be ok. His arsenal is just so much bigger than Nadal's he sometimes tries to do too much. Against Nadal he needs to keep it simple.

 

[devila]

Too bad the jerk can't win at life.

 

[a guy]

Too bad the jerk can't win at life.

huh?

 

[ACE of Hearts]

Devila is a troll, dont pay attention.

 

[devila]

At least the genius gets the chance to call Nadal a one dimensional jerk.
His dad God knows how many times he admitted to calling the opponent an idiot and jerk.
The passion of the intellectual, charismatic "Nancy" Federer.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

WTF:neutral:

 

[Shabazza]

WTF:neutral:

I'm getting tired of reacting to those post of devila - no answer whatsoever from her
She's in her on little world, has shut all doors and thrown away the keys.

 

[tlm]

I believe fed is going down,did i read correctly someone says fed in straight sets.If he does that i will be surprised,i dont think anybody would want to wager on that would they?

 

[federerhoogenbandfan]

Nadal is a hard matchup for Fed since the balls get up with heavier spin than Fed likes, Nadal can run down his winners and make him hit enough, whereas usualy when he creates an opening he is always able to end the point but not vs Nadal. Plus the lefty matchup allows Nadal to hit his stronger side to Fed's less strong side-the backhand. So the matchup works for Nadal. Fed is also playing on clay, the surface that more favors Nadal. Fed will have to play exceptional to win if Nadal plays even a very good match.

 

[ACE of Hearts]

The thing i noticed is that his backhand has been sharp, it needs to be tomorrow.I think he needs to attack Nadal's backhand as well, he has maded alot of errors on it.

 

[fastdunn]

The thing is Nadal hits his backhand harder and flatter...
and he is a righty playing with left hand.

 

[Andy Hewitt]

Well that was not the most obvious thing I could've heard today.

 

[superman1]

Federer will win. He's playing his best, Nadal is looking vulnerable, and Fed is tired of losing to a one-dimensional player, even if that player is the best athlete and biggest fighter on tour. If Fed does win, he'll be the best claycourter in the world.

 

[VamosRafa]

Federer will win. He's playing his best, Nadal is looking vulnerable, and Fed is tired of losing to a one-dimensional player, even if that player is the best athlete and biggest fighter on tour. If Fed does win, he'll be the best claycourter in the world.

And if he doesn't, what would your analysis be. Again, we are talking hypotheticals at this point?

 

[superman1]

Well, you can't analyze until you've actually seen the match. I just feel like Federer at his best is unstoppable, and he's never really played his best against Nadal. When things are clicking for him, it doesn't matter who you are, he'll pull you in or push you back and then pass you. If he loses tomorrow, maybe it's because Nadal puts so much pressure on him that he can't play his best. If Nadal wins, I'll also be pleased because he's on my fantasy tennis team.

 

[VamosRafa]

Well, you can't analyze until you've actually seen the match. I just feel like Federer at his best is unstoppable, and he's never really played his best against Nadal. When things are clicking for him, it doesn't matter who you are, he'll pull you in or push you back and then pass you. If he loses tomorrow, maybe it's because Nadal puts so much pressure on him that he can't play his best. If Nadal wins, I'll also be pleased because he's on my fantasy tennis team.

Your view is that it doesn't matter how Nadal plays, it's all up to Fed. If Fed plays his best, Rafa has no chance. But if Fed doesn't play his best, Rafa does have a chance, no?

So let's see what happens. It's nice to see everyone getting to hyped about an ATP final.

 

[Progressive10s]

What did Blake exploit?

Even though James Blake's wins vs. Nadal were on hard courts, what did he do to beat Nadal?? I saw the end of the U.S. Open match last year, but I saw neither in its entirety. In order for Federer to win, he has to be aggressive, and come in when the opportunity presents itself. Nadal can hit some great passing shots when necessary. Federer won't beat Nadal playing a repeat of last year's Roland Garros semi.

 

[Alexandros]

Perhaps I underrate Nadal, but I firmly believe that Federer's best is enough to beat Nadal's best on any surface, including clay. We'll see.

 

[superman1]

Federer's best is good enough to beat anyone on any surface, including Nadal. Nadal is fast but he doesn't have super speed, and that's what you need to stay with Fed if you don't have overpowering shots yourself. Safin is the only guy I think can beat Federer at his best, but he has to be at his best, and even then it's a toss up.

 

[Fedubai]

It's clear that if Federer wins, it'll be "See you at the French Open." If Nadal wins, the questions are going to be "Why can't Federer beat Nadal, who's the best here really, etc."

I think that Federer's real problem against Nadal is he just doesn't know how to win. That's rare. Whatever strategy he chooses today, I think the best chance he has is don't give up. Underconfidence against Nadal ain't good.

 

[Coria]

any further questions???

any further questions? He won't beat him at Roland Garros either.

 

[sureshs]

The SMS will be :

ROGELIO, YOU LOSE AGAIN, NO?

This is what I said yesterday .... hehehehe ....

 

[alienhamster]

Even though James Blake's wins vs. Nadal were on hard courts, what did he do to beat Nadal?? I saw the end of the U.S. Open match last year, but I saw neither in its entirety. In order for Federer to win, he has to be aggressive, and come in when the opportunity presents itself. Nadal can hit some great passing shots when necessary. Federer won't beat Nadal playing a repeat of last year's Roland Garros semi.

The recipe against Nadal (gleaned from Blake's strategy) is in general to hit flat, attack early, and end the point ASAP. And this starts as early as the serve or the return-of-serve. This strategy is SO difficult to execute on clay. The only really effective way to end points that quickly on clay against such a strong Nadalian defense is to serve well and come in to knock off a short volley. Fed should incorporate this into his game more, but he's honestly just not that comfortable with that strategy.

Plus, Federer just doesn't *attack* serves consistently enough, and he already has some timing problems with returns on clay. It's just such a tough match-up for him.

I think he will continue to lose to Nadal on clay for some time, but there will definitely be some chance for him when Nadal is not on his game completely. I mean, come on, Roddick did beat Federer once, so anything's possible.

(That's some self-deprecataing Roddick-fan humor for ya.)

 

[VamosRafa]

Yes, it's easy for us to sit at home and say what these players should do to beat each other. It's not as if they don't have coaches telling them the same thing -- or even know it themselves. This is their profession after all.

As I noted earlier, Rafa himself said that playing to Roger's backhand isn't always easy. If it was so effective, everyone would be doing it and winning matches.

And I think that Blake's aggressive style of play on hardcourts is something that troubles Rafa, but not every player can do that. If they could, Rafa would have no hardcourt titles.

 

[FedererUberAlles]

I'll admit, I did say I thought Nadal would win in four.

 

[fastdunn]

Federer's game is well balanced between offense and defense
but his attacking game is not in the league of past great
players in history. And still Federer's backhand is a weaker
shot. Nadal demonstrates it very clearly.