Sampras' thoughts on Fed losing to Nadal at the AO

[icazares]

Mmm, why I don't believe your numbers, Thor. No question about you, I'm sure they are accurate but probably the definitions must be revised. How is a point categorized as a net point? If you have the point all but won and just come to the net to do the obvious, is that a net point? I think the thread is implying that Fed should come more to the net in risky situations, not when the point is all but won. It may be my mind playing games, but I don't remember Fed coming to the net that often, and winning 72% of the points... What I have in my mind are insane passing shots.

 

[King of Aces]

And vise versa. If Federer played well, it only goes 3 or 4 in favor of Federer.

Didn't Wilander say that Federer never plays well against Nadal because his balls always shrink ? Does anyone have that quote?

 

[veroniquem]

Tsonga had no trouble controlling Nadals topspin at the net, as a matter of a fact,he has been the best I have seen volleying against Nadal, really mixed up his volleys well, between the drop and drive, drop volley seems to be the best play against Nadal not the drive volley.

Tsonga played the perfect match against Nadal. He had no pressure, went for everything and it worked.
1- You can't expect to be able to do that every day.
2- Nadal has made a lot of improvements in his hard court game since January 2008.

 

[veroniquem]

Pete is right, Federer needs to look for something new, he is keeping playing as same way than before, result will be same.

Slice, net game, avoid long points, and increase first serve %......and of course hire a coach.

Roger needs to go down from his clowd and see that he needs something new to defeat Nadal, go to basics, and forget all those slams won.

Just as a comment but will be great to see Sampras as a coach of Federer searching for that 14 and 15 slams, ironic dont you think?.

Any way, Federer has a great chance at RG, but he needs to work hard and do something different to play against Rafa on clay.

I saw entire match against Verdasco, Fernando putted a great example how to play against Rafa, he went to net, used slice, first service % haigh, never allow Rafa to set his game.

I need another RG final Rafa vs Roger.

However great Verdasco was playing, let's keep in mind that he DIDN"T beat Rafa in the end...

 

[veroniquem]

Im a Nadal fan and i thank the stars for every Nadal Federer match where federer chooses to stay back.
Although it would be interesting to watch Fed S&V on every point and coming in much more,from a Nadal fan prespective it is a worrying idea...

Nonsense. If Federer served and volleyed on every point against Nadal he would get KILLED, especially on clay and at RG 2008 he did come to the net and lost the point (practically) every time. You really take Federer for an idiot. If it was that easy to beat Nadal, he would have done it already. Personally, I would love to see those know- it- all posters on the court facing Nadal and experience for themselves what it's like to play against him. Would they stick to their game plan or would they start crying at the end? Ask Federer and Djokovic about that.

 

[msc886]

I think Nadal's level of topspin is just very hard for Federer to deal with because Federer hits with an non-extreme grip and tries to topspin it back with a non-extreme grip. Serve and volley? Well Federer's serve and volley is not at Sampras level but if Nadal had to pass him at every point, it does put him out of his comfort zone.

 

[snvplayer]

In my opinion, it's not easy to figure out what Federer needs to do to beat Nadal.

If Nadal was blowing him off the court, or winning convincingly then Federer obviously needs to try something new and different. But it's not the case. Wimbledon final could have gone either way, and they were going pretty much toe to toe in Aussie Open as well. Granted, Nadal got off to a great start.

What I am trying to imply is, that it is just a few points here and there, which means both players are doing something right to an extent.

 

[wihamilton]

In my opinion, it's not easy to figure out what Federer needs to do to beat Nadal.

If Nadal was blowing him off the court, or winning convincingly then Federer obviously needs to try something new and different. But it's not the case. Wimbledon final could have gone either way, and they were going pretty much toe to toe in Aussie Open as well. Granted, Nadal got off to a great start.

What I am trying to imply is, that it is just a few points here and there, which means both players are doing something right to an extent.

I think you're right in the sense that Federer only has to tighten a few screws to beat Nadal. Get ~5% more first serves in; play 5% better on break points. Not really much more complicated than that.

Clay is a different story. He needs to make bigger changes if he's going to do some damage.

 

[veroniquem]

Instead of trying to focus on the highest ranked serve and volleyer how about we look at some S&Vers period. Mahut, Guccione, Dent (of course he hasn't played Nadal yet but I'm sure hoping to see that one), Tsonga is not really a true serve and volleyer but I would venture to say he comes into the net more than anyone in the top 10 (of course he's not in the top ten right this min. but he'll be back shortly). Even Joachim Johansson came in quite a bit when he beat Nadal. Heck I'm wondering how he would do against Llodra, he's not the greatest serve and volleyer in the world but if he's on he will give anyone a headache (ask Murray).

Yeah I'm sure Nadal will be terrified of Dent, bring him on please, I can't wait! Guccione? Nadal was injured in that match, he had to retire even before the end of the first set, so what are you talking about? In your immense dislike of Nadal, there's one thing you'll never acknowledge and it's the fact that Nadal is still improving his game. Yes Blake, Tsonga and Djokovic have beaten him but if your eyes were wide open, you would realize that since then Nadal has managed to beat all of them. I guess Nadal is not someone you can own, hum?

 

[VivalaVida]

Yeah I'm sure Nadal will be terrified of Dent, bring him on please, I can't wait! Guccione? Nadal was injured in that match, he had to retire even before the end of the first set, so what are you talking about? In your immense dislike of Nadal, there's one thing you'll never acknowledge and it's the fact that Nadal is still improving his game. Yes Blake, Tsonga and Djokovic have beaten him but if your eyes were wide open, you would realize that since then Nadal has managed to beat all of them. I guess Nadal is not someone you can own, hum?

You need to take a chill pill. You are talking like you are nadal in person:shock:

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

Federer's 1st serve in the Final was 183kmh on average. Nadal's was 179kmh on average. I always assumed Federer's 1st serve was a bigger weapon than Nadal's, but it hasn't looked like it lately. Was Federer always this slow? Federer can't serve and volley with only 183, plus his 183 clearly doesn't paint the lines like Sampras did. Sampras' 2nd serve was far more lethal than Federer's 1st serve

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

I think this is a case of people always assuming Federer was at the Sampras level, but it never being the case. Federer never had to face a great player until now. I mean, when Federer is struggling to defeat a 35-year-old in 5 sets (Agassi) you know he isn't at Sampras' level

 

[vtmike]

I think this is a case of people always assuming Federer was at the Sampras level, but it never being the case. Federer never had to face a great player until now. I mean, when Federer is struggling to defeat a 35-year-old in 5 sets (Agassi) you know he isn't at Sampras' level

If Federer is such a pathetic player then that makes Nadal a pathetic player too because he is facing such weak competition

 

[Leelord337]

Believing alone is not enough. You need to have a proper game to beat Nadal. Sampras knows what he's doing. Bring on Sampras vs Nadal!!

hellllzzz yah

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

If Federer is such a pathetic player then that makes Nadal a pathetic player too because he is facing such weak competition

Well, while I never said Federer was pathetic (after all he is ranked number 2), Nadal does lead Federer 13-6. So Nadal is making Federer look like weak competition, especially when Nadal only conceded 4 games to him in the French Open Final

 

[federerdomination]

Federer's 1st serve in the Final was 183kmh on average. Nadal's was 179kmh on average. I always assumed Federer's 1st serve was a bigger weapon than Nadal's, but it hasn't looked like it lately. Was Federer always this slow? Federer can't serve and volley with only 183, plus his 183 clearly doesn't paint the lines like Sampras did. Sampras' 2nd serve was far more lethal than Federer's 1st serve

Serve speed doesn't always decide who has a bigger weapon. Take an Andy Roddick vs. Federer match. Federer usually has more aces even though he SERVES SLOWER. Therefore, it can be said that Federer's serve is a bigger weapon that Roddick's because of his placement.

 

[OddJack]

In my opinion, it's not easy to figure out what Federer needs to do to beat Nadal.

If Nadal was blowing him off the court, or winning convincingly then Federer obviously needs to try something new and different. But it's not the case. Wimbledon final could have gone either way, and they were going pretty much toe to toe in Aussie Open as well. Granted, Nadal got off to a great start.

think you're right in the sense that Federer only has to tighten a few screws to beat Nadal. Get ~5% more first serves in; play 5% better on break points. Not really much more complicated than that.

You guys got it right. Now Nadfans talk like he's god, up there out of reach. They come here happy go merry dawn to dusk and rave about what a hard ass he is to beat. " mental toughness is his talent" " he owns three surfaces'
Give me a break you prannies. One break point this way or the other and you would've shot the big doors for months.

 

[veroniquem]

You need to take a chill pill. You are talking like you are nadal in person:shock:

I'm gonna take that as a compliment
Yes, I am Rafael Nadal and I'm coming to this board to relax after my matches and defend my interests against my ennemies (my agent helps me with the English)
BTW isn't your user name Spanish?

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

Serve speed doesn't always decide who has a bigger weapon. Take an Andy Roddick vs. Federer match. Federer usually has more aces even though he SERVES SLOWER. Therefore, it can be said that Federer's serve is a bigger weapon that Roddick's because of his placement.

It is a better serve than Roddick's but in this thread we were comparing how Sampras would threaten Nadal compared to how Federer can threaten Nadal. If we look at Sampras' serve we see a faster serve but we also see a serve that paints the lines on both 1st and 2nd serve. I don't see Federer's serve painting the lines to the level Sampras' did at all

 

[Dilettante]

I still think any person that attacks a lot or has a decent serve and volley game will give Nadal all sorts of problems.

If you serve and volley decently, you'll win most of your serving games versus anyone, not just versus Nadal.

That's not the problem. The problem playing Nadal is the difficulty to put him under excessive pressure not only when you're serving, but when he's serving too. Playing good S&V you'll win points that you would have won against any player. But don't forget Nadal is a passing shot's beast: if you S&V is doubtful, he'll punish you.

IMO, the best way to play Nadal even when your serve was not good enough to S&V properly, is making flat aggresive, high-risked shots. Now THAT puts Nadal on much pressure, he doesn't like to get the ball on the rise because that avoid him from put spin on the shot, therefore he goes back and gets too much defensive but he can't try to pass you, and that's the moment for hitting a winner against a Nadal who's lost way behind the baseline. And yes, to eventually volley if you sent him out ot the court.

To me, speaking of S&V as the anti-Nadal ultimate weapon is kinda naive. Nadal does like to defend himself, he enjoys A LOT making passing shots and on-the-run groundstrokes.

You have to make him go SO defensive that he won't enjoy that any more. And the players who did it more succesfully were players who attacked Nadal with flat, deep shots all of the time. Of course that's a risky strategy and you need to be absolutely "on" in order to be able to beat him (i.e. Tsonga at 2008 AO, Ferrer at USO). Nobody says that strategy is easy but we're talking about the #1, you can't beat the #1 without taking some risks. It's doable. It's been done before.

Playing much S&V is like saying to Nadal "c'mon guy, show me your passing shots and those strokes on-the-run, and enjoy it".

Playing constant deep flat groundstrokes is like saying to Nadal "you like to run and be way back the baseline? You'll run as never before in your life and I'll take you 100 kilometers behind the line"

 

[TheTruth]

I'm gonna take that as a compliment
Yes, I am Rafael Nadal and I'm coming to this board to relax after my matches and defend my interests against my ennemies (my agent helps me with the English)
BTW isn't your user name Spanish?

You've got tears coming out of my eyes. That was soooo funny! You need to quit:::just kidding:::You are cracking me up!

 

[tenis]

Serve and volley against Rafa - you MUST be very good (Sampras,Edberg), otherwise he'll pass you like a butter!

Also, Roger HAS to "work" on break point and convert them
(not to play passive and waiting on opponent error)!!!!!

Many time player think it's winner.... but Rafa got it back ...you think....what else can I do....He's animal !

 

[Mick]

I think that if Sampras had wanted to give Fed advice on how to beat Nadal, he would have given it to him in private (since they are good buddies and have each other's number.) This is not advice, it's more like a mental game to put pressure on Fed. Sampras is a genius.

Yep. i find it hard to believe that Sampras would want Federer to beat Nadal when he was watching that match because Federer would then have the same number of grand slam titles as Sampras got. In sports, nobody wants another person to tie/break his record. To say otherwise is just not being honest.

 

[ESP#1]

I dunno. On anything other than clay I still think the game is in the margins. Tighten a few screws and Federer will beat Nadal consistently. For example, look at Federer's break point conversion rate for his last two matches... it was awful. If it was mediocre he would have won both matches in ~4.

Good point!!! I agree,

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

Federer can't improve breakpoint conversion a whole lot nomatter how hard he tries, because mostly the breakpoints are saved by Nadal's drop-shots and other touch-shots. If Federer was a bit more creative he could also play these kind of shots on big points, but Federer is a conservative player

 

[VivalaVida]

I'm gonna take that as a compliment
Yes, I am Rafael Nadal and I'm coming to this board to relax after my matches and defend my interests against my ennemies (my agent helps me with the English)
BTW isn't your user name Spanish?

ROFL. good one. also, yes my username is spanish. I am not really spanish but I really like coldplay's song "viva la vida" so I made a username on that.

 

[edberg505]

If you saw that match between them in stockholm in 2006, you would know that Pim-pim didn't come in everytime. He most of time remained in the baseline after a huge serve, he mostly relied on his fh, which was enough.

I would love to see those guys play Nadal AGAIN, the same with Mahut who took Nadal to 2 tie breaks at Queens.

Ugh, please read my post again. I didn't say Pim-Pim was serving and volleying. I said he came in sometimes. And would you like to make a bet too? I'll gladly take it. Now keep in mind I never said he would beat Nadal but give him a good match. Some of you Nadal fans are so high on the hog right now you think he's other worldly. You guys are even worse that some of the Federer fans when Federer was dominant and Nadal is nothing even close to what Federer was even during his best time.

Yeah I'm sure Nadal will be terrified of Dent, bring him on please, I can't wait! Guccione? Nadal was injured in that match, he had to retire even before the end of the first set, so what are you talking about? In your immense dislike of Nadal, there's one thing you'll never acknowledge and it's the fact that Nadal is still improving his game. Yes Blake, Tsonga and Djokovic have beaten him but if your eyes were wide open, you would realize that since then Nadal has managed to beat all of them. I guess Nadal is not someone you can own, hum?

Please step away from Nadal's testicles for a minute. I didn't say he would be terrified of Dent. I said he would give Nadal problems. Would you care to make a wager too that Dent won't win more than 4 games should they meet. I will gladly take that bet. Yeah, Nadal was hurt in the Guccione match because Guccione was kicking his *** all over the place and he got tired of trying to return that lefty serve and watching a volley go past him. I mean seriously how is a #2 player in the world not suppose to totally destroy some guy ranked 110 in the world. It shouldn't have even been close.

Hey, I've got no problem with Nadal I think he's a nice guy. I don't like his style, I don't know how many times I have to say that. I've never called him names and I've never bad mouthed him once. Yes, he has improved but that doesn't mean he won't have problem players that he plays against. I stand by that my belief that Nadal will have problems with serve and volleyers and I haven't seen anything from him recently to suggest otherwise. You guys talk as if he'll never lose another match for the rest of the year. And then even if he loses you guys already have some BS excuse all lined up and ready to go. So do you too think that Blake and Tsonga will never beat Nadal again? If so I'll gladly take that bet too.

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

Ugh, please read my post again. I didn't say Pim-Pim was serving and volleying. I said he came in sometimes. And would you like to make a bet too? I'll gladly take it. Now keep in mind I never said he would beat Nadal but give him a good match. Some of you Nadal fans are so high on the hog right now you think he's other worldly. You guys are even worse that some of the Federer fans when Federer was dominant and Nadal is nothing even close to what Federer was even during his best time.

Actually, Federer was never the Slam king of clay, grass, hard (and Olympic hard if anyone cares) at the same time

 

[VivalaVida]

Ugh, please read my post again. I didn't say Pim-Pim was serving and volleying. I said he came in sometimes. And would you like to make a bet too? I'll gladly take it. Now keep in mind I never said he would beat Nadal but give him a good match. Some of you Nadal fans are so high on the hog right now you think he's other worldly. You guys are even worse that some of the Federer fans when Federer was dominant and Nadal is nothing even close to what Federer was even during his best time.



Please step away from Nadal's testicles for a minute. I didn't say he would be terrified of Dent. I said he would give Nadal problems. Would you care to make a wager too that Dent won't win more than 4 games should they meet. I will gladly take that bet. Yeah, Nadal was hurt in the Guccione match because Guccione was kicking his *** all over the place and he got tired of trying to return that lefty serve and watching a volley go past him. I mean seriously how is a #2 player in the world not suppose to totally destroy some guy ranked 110 in the world. It shouldn't have even been close.

Hey, I've got no problem with Nadal I think he's a nice guy. I don't like his style, I don't know how many times I have to say that. I've never called him names and I've never bad mouthed him once. Yes, he has improved but that doesn't mean he won't have problem players that he plays against. I stand by that my belief that Nadal will have problems with serve and volleyers and I haven't seen anything from him recently to suggest otherwise. You guys talk as if he'll never lose another match for the rest of the year. And then even if he loses you guys already have some BS excuse all lined up and ready to go. So do you too think that Blake and Tsonga will never beat Nadal again? If so I'll gladly take that bet too.

ROFL X 20! hey is that you next taylor dent? That is awesome! is he a nice guy in person?

 

[icedevil0289]

Actually, Federer was never the Slam king of clay, grass, hard (and Olympic hard if anyone cares) at the same time

All of sudden, since nadal won one wimbledon, he's the slam king of grass?? lmao! So, if fed magically wins the french open is he the king of clay?

 

[edberg505]

ROFL X 20! hey is that you next taylor dent? That is awesome! is he a nice guy in person?

Yes, that's me. He's a really nice guy. I talked with him for a bit while he was waiting for Gonzo to come out on the court and hit. Sucks that he was sidelined by injuries. I hope he can get back to where he was before the injuries started.

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

All of sudden, since nadal won one wimbledon, he's the slam king of grass?? lmao! So, if fed magically wins the french open is he the king of clay?

Yes whoever is the defending champion is the King

It's no different to boxing titles, you lose the belt you are no longer King

No point judging a player by past glories (unless you are declaring a GOAT in which case past glories are everything)

 

[icedevil0289]

Yes whoever is the defending champion is the King

wow.

10 char

 

[veroniquem]

Ugh, please read my post again. I didn't say Pim-Pim was serving and volleying. I said he came in sometimes. And would you like to make a bet too? I'll gladly take it. Now keep in mind I never said he would beat Nadal but give him a good match. Some of you Nadal fans are so high on the hog right now you think he's other worldly. You guys are even worse that some of the Federer fans when Federer was dominant and Nadal is nothing even close to what Federer was even during his best time.



Please step away from Nadal's testicles for a minute. I didn't say he would be terrified of Dent. I said he would give Nadal problems. Would you care to make a wager too that Dent won't win more than 4 games should they meet. I will gladly take that bet. Yeah, Nadal was hurt in the Guccione match because Guccione was kicking his *** all over the place and he got tired of trying to return that lefty serve and watching a volley go past him. I mean seriously how is a #2 player in the world not suppose to totally destroy some guy ranked 110 in the world. It shouldn't have even been close.

Hey, I've got no problem with Nadal I think he's a nice guy. I don't like his style, I don't know how many times I have to say that. I've never called him names and I've never bad mouthed him once. Yes, he has improved but that doesn't mean he won't have problem players that he plays against. I stand by that my belief that Nadal will have problems with serve and volleyers and I haven't seen anything from him recently to suggest otherwise. You guys talk as if he'll never lose another match for the rest of the year. And then even if he loses you guys already have some BS excuse all lined up and ready to go. So do you too think that Blake and Tsonga will never beat Nadal again? If so I'll gladly take that bet too.

Tsonga may beat him again, Blake I'll take the bet any time. You're so biassed, it's difficult communicating with you. Your insinuation that Nadal wasn't really injured in the Guccione match is pathetic, your claim that Nadal is nowhere near Federer at his best has no basis whatsoever, Nadal even has a better winning percentage than Fed, has no one-sided head to head against him vs any opponent and Nadal has a leading head to head with the top 8 players. He's also dominating his favorite surface (clay) more than even Federer has ever dominated hard court. He also has 3 slams on 3 different surfaces, something which Federer has never done. I would understand if you said that Nadal is close but not quite as awesome as Fed but saying he is "nowhere close" just makes you look like a fool and a hater (which you are of course). For the record, I have no doubt Nadal will lose a lot of matches until the end of his career (who won't?) but I don't think there is any magic formula that will work against him every time (be it serve and volley or something else), no simplistic answer will work , once again you're underestimating Fed if you think he wouldn't have found a way to prevail if that was the case.

 

[NLBwell]

Sampras said to come in a LITTLE bit more. If as a previous poster said, Federer won 72% of his approaches, then he is coming in only on very strong shots. If he allowed himself to come in on a few more shots - say those where he had a 60% chance of winning, he would still be ahead of the game. In a close 5 set match, that is enough to change the outcome.
I thought Federer did a good job of not letting Nadal just pound away at his backhand. He moved around to hit forehands a lot and hit aggressive shots with his backhand to break up the pattern. It was his serve and forehand - his strengths - that let him down in that match at critical times.

 

[edberg505]

Tsonga may beat him again, Blake I'll take the bet any time. You're so biassed, it's difficult communicating with you. Your insinuation that Nadal wasn't really injured in the Guccione match is pathetic, your claim that Nadal is nowhere near Federer at his best has no basis whatsoever, Nadal even has a better winning percentage than Fed, has no one-sided head to head against him vs any opponent and Nadal has a leading head to head with the top 8 players. He's also dominating his favorite surface (clay) more than even Federer has ever dominated hard court. He also has 3 slams on 3 different surfaces, something which Federer has never done. I would understand if you said that Nadal is close but not quite as awesome as Fed but saying he is "nowhere close" just makes you look like a fool and a hater (which you are of course). For the record, I have no doubt Nadal will lose a lot of matches until the end of his career (who won't?) but I don't think there is any magic formula that will work against him every time (be it serve and volley or something else), no simplistic answer will work , once again you're underestimating Fed if you think he wouldn't have found a way to prevail if that was the case.

When Nadal puts up a record like Federer has in 2005 and 2006 come and find me. In 2006 Federer only lost 1 match to Nadal from the start of the year all the way up until the clay court season. That is domination. Seriously, how can you say Nadal is dominating like Federer and the season just started? No I'm not a hater, it's called being objective and waiting. Federer was absolutely dominating the tour in those 2 years. Now if Nadal goes on to win every single match he plays in from now until clay court season then yeah, he'll be dominating like Federer. As for the Blake thing I'll take you up on that, because when you play like Blake (all or nothing) you have a puncher's chance at anyone. I don't care who your name is. I'm fully aware of what Nadal has done and I even offered my congrats when he won the AO. I somehow have a hard time believing that you would do the same if Federer were to somehow miraculously win the FO. So pot meet kettle.

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

I don't think anyone really places a whole lot of stock on match wins compared to slam wins. It is more impressive to win slams on 3 completely different surfaces in the space of a year than it is to go undefeated in non-slam matches for months. It's like comparing Del Potro's massive hardcourt win-streak to actually winning a slam

 

[BreakPoint]

What are you on about, Nadal would destroy Dent I doubt Dent would get 4 games.

Do you know how big Dent serves?

A 100% healthy Dent would be Nadal's worst nightmare.

Kendrick was only two points away from beating Nadal at Wimbledon a couple of years ago, and Dent is a much better player than Kendrick.

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

In 2003 Agassi lost the 1st set (in a tie-breaker) to Dent in the US Open but Agassi won the next 2 sets and then Dent retired hurt. Dent was charging the net like crazy, but eventually Agassi stopped trying to hit clean passing-shot-winners and made Dent volley-up too much which gave Agassi easy put-aways. Same would happen if Nadal played Dent expect Nadal wouldn't try to hit clean winners in the 1st set, he'd begin the match with the correct tactic of getting balls down to Dent's feet and making him volley-up, so I'd say straight sets Nadal

 

[veroniquem]

When Nadal puts up a record like Federer has in 2005 and 2006 come and find me. In 2006 Federer only lost 1 match to Nadal from the start of the year all the way up until the clay court season. That is domination. Seriously, how can you say Nadal is dominating like Federer and the season just started? No I'm not a hater, it's called being objective and waiting. Federer was absolutely dominating the tour in those 2 years. Now if Nadal goes on to win every single match he plays in from now until clay court season then yeah, he'll be dominating like Federer. As for the Blake thing I'll take you up on that, because when you play like Blake (all or nothing) you have a puncher's chance at anyone. I don't care who your name is. I'm fully aware of what Nadal has done and I even offered my congrats when he won the AO. I somehow have a hard time believing that you would do the same if Federer were to somehow miraculously win the FO. So pot meet kettle.

Of course I would, winning the FO would be a stunning achievement especially against a prime Nadal but it would be a great achievement regardless. Blake is good but he's getting a little old to stay the distance with a young guy like Nadal, just my 2 cents.
Yes 2006 was Fed's best year (still got beaten 4 times by Nadal!) but Nadal is only 22 and has done things that Fed has never done (or anybody else for that matter) like winning RG, Queen's and Wimbledon in a row, 81 match streak on clay and didn't lose a single match on clay in 2006 (only 1 in 2007 and 1 in 2008). I think they're both awesome and Rafa is younger so leave him a little time, I suspect he's not done breaking records...

 

[msc886]

I think Federer just doesn't hit flat enough. He can hit flat (2004/2005) but he doesn't do it. I don't understand why he would try and play topspin groundstrokes against Nadal when players who usually have success against Nadal usually hit flat or plays very aggressively.

 

[Lendl and Federer Fan]

If I were Roger, I would try to come in a little bit more, especially on my serve." -Sampras

I think that if Sampras had wanted to give Fed advice on how to beat Nadal, he would have given it to him in private (since they are good buddies and have each other's number.) This is not advice, it's more like a mental game to put pressure on Fed. Sampras is a genius.

^You are right on, YouCantBeSerious. I would take all Sampras' advices with a grain of salt, Federer should not S&V against Nadal on slow surface like FO and AO, instead he slice/kick serve out wide to Nadal when Nadal stands that far behind to return, after the serve, stand inside the baseline, get ready to drill the weak reply from Nadal to the open court. This tactic is much better than trying to make the 1st volley at shoelace level. Go watch the 09 AO final again, there were few instances like those, see the results. :twisted:

 

[BreakPoint]

In 2003 Agassi lost the 1st set (in a tie-breaker) to Dent in the US Open but Agassi won the next 2 sets and then Dent retired hurt. Dent was charging the net like crazy, but eventually Agassi stopped trying to hit clean passing-shot-winners and made Dent volley-up too much which gave Agassi easy put-aways. Same would happen if Nadal played Dent expect Nadal wouldn't try to hit clean winners in the 1st set, he'd begin the match with the correct tactic of getting balls down to Dent's feet and making him volley-up, so I'd say straight sets Nadal

Um...Agassi is a much better returner than Nadal. He stands on the baseline, not 15 feet behind it like Nadal. Thus, he can return the ball early before the server is even at near the service line and also cut off the angles of the first volley as well as make it harder for the server to get away with drop volleys (ask Tsonga about how easy it is to hit drop volleys against Nadal). Agassi is the best returner of all time. Nadal is nowhere near that.

 

[NamRanger]

Um...Agassi is a much better returner than Nadal. He stands on the baseline, not 15 feet behind it like Nadal. Thus, he can return the ball early before the server is even at near the service line and also cut off the angles of the first volley as well as make it harder for the server to get away with drop volleys (ask Tsonga about how easy it is to hit drop volleys against Nadal). Agassi is the best returner of all time. Nadal is nowhere near that.

Nadal is also faster and a better defender than Agassi. He thrives on hitting on the run. All he has to do is to get the return into play. I highly doubt Dent can serve 130+ bombs all day at a consistent rate.

 

[Mkie7]

I think Federer just doesn't hit flat enough. He can hit flat (2004/2005) but he doesn't do it. I don't understand why he would try and play topspin groundstrokes against Nadal when players who usually have success against Nadal usually hit flat or plays very aggressively.

Flat shot are only good when you can get it in. Top spin can be a safer shot under pressure don't you think? I tend to agree with you but his flat shots into the net has cost him dearly lately. Fed is not as consistent as he used to be. IMO

 

[BreakPoint]

Nadal is also faster and a better defender than Agassi. He thrives on hitting on the run. All he has to do is to get the return into play. I highly doubt Dent can serve 130+ bombs all day at a consistent rate.

Have you ever played against a good serve and volleyer? Getting your return into play just means that your opponent is all over the net putting your weak return away for a winning volley.

Did you not see Verdasco saving two match points in a row by serving and volleying against Nadal in the 5th set? Those volleys were easy putaway first volleys because Nadal's returns were so weak and he was returning from so far back.

 

[NamRanger]

Have you ever played against a good serve and volleyer? Getting your return into play just means that your opponent is all over the net putting your weak return away for a winning volley.

Did you not see Verdasco saving two match points in a row by serving and volleying against Nadal in the 5th set? Those volleys were easy putaway first volleys because Nadal's returns were so weak and he was returning from so far back.

Nadal can put the return back into play and take his chances. He's pretty damn good regardless of how good a volley is. I think you know that. It's ok, I know you are trolling.

 

[edberg505]

Nadal is also faster and a better defender than Agassi. He thrives on hitting on the run. All he has to do is to get the return into play. I highly doubt Dent can serve 130+ bombs all day at a consistent rate.

Ok, do you want to get in on the wager too? Dent gets no more than 4 games if he faces Nadal. Deal or no deal?

 

[NamRanger]

Ok, do you want to get in on the wager too? Dent gets no more than 4 games if he faces Nadal. Deal or no deal?

I never said he wouldn't get more than 4 games, but I would say Nadal still wins in straights.

 

[HAPPYforTHEvictory]

Nadal matches up better with serve-volleyers than Agassi did. I'm sure Nadal would have beaten Rafter at Wimbledon in those semi-finals that Agassi lost. Nadal gets back more balls, simple as that. Agassi goes for too many clean winners while Nadal will make the incoming volleyer volley-up and then put away the short-ball