Nope. This was all Nadal. The Nadal giveth and the Natal taketh away.
Excellent post.
I've said this 10 times, RG is looking open this year.
Nadal is a pale shadow of what he used to be. The worst clay tennis, as bad as 2015.
Yes watching his matches you feel some patterns like if he is serving to stay in it then 1st point he looks nervy 30-30 looks nervy and when match point down suddenly becomes a wallI always find it amazing how Nadal never seems to make unforced errors when match point down. You might beat him but you have to really take it to him, he won't just hand it to you. As someone who always roots for his opponent it's incredibly frustrating but in fairness Shapovalov wasn't as aggressive as he should've been, especially as both mps were in open play so I don't really feel too sorry for him. He who dares wins.
Yeah, I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the final now. Zverev has a chance at taking him out, but Madrid conditions are much more favorable, and as you note, it would be quite an achievement for a player of Zverev's caliber to beat Nadal twice in the span of a week. Meanwhile, the top half has Djokovic, Tsitsipas, Thiem, and Rublev all beating each other up – whoever comes through will probably be worn down the final.Now watch Nadal winning tournament as he will have a bye at SF (Delbonis or Opelka) and you can’t bet on someone like Zverev beating him two weeks in a row. If Nishikori upsets Zverev, no doubt he is on the final. He will probably get the day semifinal as well and that is a huge advantage.
Nope. This was all Nadal. The Nadal giveth and the Natal taketh away.
In 2019 he at least won Rome. This year it's definitely tougher because he got the toughest possible draw here. But sorry, the MC loss to Rublev was pathetic. THAT was not a tough draw by any means.Nadal is not old or in decline until he plays poorly at RG. He has already matched his 2020 Rome result, and he outperformed his Monte Carlo-Barcelona-Madrid results from 2019 already as well. You people act like it's your first day here.
Nasal has FAA/Delbonis/Opelka in SF anyway.
Yeah, I'd be surprised if he doesn't make the final now.
Who would prefer that? That run to the semis was epic!Wouldn't you prefer Federer to lose before the AO 2020 semifinal instead of taking another beatdown from Djokovic?
In 2019 he at least won Rome. This year it's definitely tougher because he got the toughest possible draw here. But sorry, the MC loss to Rublev was pathetic. THAT was not a tough draw by any means.
No, but as I said, he at least improved in 2019 before RG. This year he didn't improve.Worse than losing 6-4, 6-2 to Fognini?Get a clue
Yes let's compare a major loss to longtime nemesis Djokovic with a Masters QF against Sascha Zverev.Wouldn't you prefer Federer to lose before the AO 2020 semifinal instead of taking another beatdown from Djokovic?
Zverev and Nishikori should tear each other apart now![]()
No, but as I said, he at least improved in 2019 before RG. This year he didn't improve.
He has absolutely improved from his level in Monte Carlo. He's a bit more up and down this year I grant you, but better than he looked getting killed against Schwartzman in Rome 2020. And again, until he struggles at RG, it's all meaningless.
Nadal has never lost at all 3 clay masters outside of 2015. And we all know what happened that year.
If there were any young great players out there Nadal would be toast. The competition is pathetic. Nadal is not anywhere near the retriever he was 10-15 years ago. I watched highlights of the 2007 French final yesterday and it’s crazy how much faster both Fed and Nadal moved back then. The level of tennis in that match is insane.
Meaningless and stupid factoid, unless he actually loses at RG. His form at Rome 2020 was far more ominously poor, especially headed to cool, damp conditions at Roland Garros.
I didn't even watch Nadal's match.@StrongRule
Put on Zverev vs Nishi; quite entertaining.
The entire rest of the tour was playing on hard court like 1-2 weeks before RG last year. Anything from last year is irrelevant.
Once again, how could anyone have expected anything different? Shapo was never going to win this match. Nadal's mental strength, even at nearly 35, crushes all the next gen.What a choke job...
Lol. You could have given the rest of the tour three months of clay practice leading in and it would not have made a damn difference.
Not Zverev.Once again, how could anyone have expected anything different? Shapo was never going to win this match. Nadal's mental strength, even at nearly 35, crushes all the next gen.
Once again, how could anyone have expected anything different? Shapo was never going to win this match. Nadal's mental strength, even at nearly 35, crushes all the next gen.
Why?I didn't even watch Nadal's match.
I'm a bit losing interest to tennis recently. Also, sometimes I don't have the time. I start working on a research after all.Why?
This year is an anomaly for Nadal whether you want to accept it or not. The only other similar year is 2015. All good (and bad) things come to an end.
Because a loss was NID, duhWhy?
I'm a bit losing interest to tennis recently. Also, sometimes I don't have the time. I start working on a research after all.
Just as Tsitsipas had a MP against him in Barcelona. All these tight matches just help Rafa mentally as he goes into RG. He probably won't win Rome, it won't matter a damn.He had 2 MPs.
A mathematical research. (it's about the inverse Galois problem if that tells you something)Research of what?
You may be right, but that doesn't change the fact that Nadal has arrived at RG in worse form and won with ease. And in addition to last year, Nadal was lucky to win a clay masters in 2014 with Nishikori getting hurt when up in the Madrid final. Nadal arrived at RG in bad form and still sleptwalk to the RG title, beating prime Djokovic.
Everyone knows Nishikori choked that final. He didn't get hurt. I think that Nishikori beats this Nadal. The choking wouldn't have been enough for this Nadal to win.
Lol, Nadal right now still plays better than he did during most of the 2014 clay season. This is actually the one time when he managed to improve specifically for RG. Though this year much more players believe they can beat him than in 2014, that is the problem.Everyone knows Nishikori choked that final. He didn't get hurt. I think that Nishikori beats this Nadal. The choking wouldn't have been enough for this Nadal to cross the finish line.
You know what? That's what I thought.He had 2 MPs.
Lol, Nadal right now still plays better than he did during most of the 2014 clay season. This is actually the one time when he managed to improve specifically for RG. Though this year much more players believe they can beat him than in 2014, that is the problem.
Look how passive he was in Rome 2014 final against Djokovic. And this was actually an improvement compared to the horrible level he showed in MC, Barcelona and Madrid 2014.I do not think Nadal is better this year than 2014. His offense is awol and if he's going to rely on his defense to win matches the 35 year old is in for a rude awakening once he faces a well rounded top player who doesn't shank on every big point.
Well, yes and no... early on, he was always touting having "ice in his veins"... and it did seem like he did well in the pressure moments and wasn't prone to choking.Shapo is so frustrating to watch. He blasts these beautiful serves and forehands and then gifts a bunch of brutal unforced errors. He’s been like this since he burst onto the scene 4 years ago. I don’t think this is ever going to change. He will always be that guy that can cause an upset but will never be able to string enough consistency together to win a slam. He’s lacking something in the mental department unfortunately.
Father Time peaked last year when Nadal lost 62 75 to Schwartzman at Rome........but then father time declined when Nadal beat Schwartzman 63 63 76(0) at Roland Garros.Father Time getting closer and closer.![]()
The same thing happened in 2019 when Nadal lost 3 consecutive claycourt Semis, and in 2020 when Nadal lost to Diego in straight sets at Rome.Nadal might just turn Up his form in RG.
But right now he is lacking in every single manner possible.
Tense Misfiring FH, Meek serve. Only the BH is somewhat of a saving grace.
Hate that Zverev might get his second win over Nadal.