I have seen enough no he ısnt at his best by any means. He isnt playing as well as last year not in this RG nor all clay court season. Hıs level play of isnt as bad as 2015 thats for sure but also ıf he go on to lose ıt wont be huge SHOCK like it was in 2009 RG. If someone puts heat on him like Delpo or Thıem he is vulnerable. He already lost to Thiem anyway this clay court season and was lucky against Zverev. Even he goes on to win somehow this isnt the Nadal of 2008,2010,2012 and 2017 where at times he looked invincible. For me at times he showed his age on court this year.Not a huge slump like 2015 and 2016 at the moment but he doesnt look all that amazing at all.3 rd defeat is on the cards and ıt wont be huge shock by any means.
This Rafa is pretty much beatable.3rd defeat on the cards.
- Thread starter mistik
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tusharlovesrafa
Hall of Fame
So true! Only a Nadal fan with blinkers would argue against it.He has played just so so..I just hope he can channelize his strengths to win 2 more matches!
Jackuar
Hall of Fame
Agreed and you're right; but at the same time, nobody else has upped the game enough to beat him at RG and that's so true and true ever more. I think Delpo tomorrow can cause an upset, he's the one with a decent game and firepower to pull off another Soderling but never write Nadal out on clay. Let's see.. the SF is gonna be an interesting one if Delpo can get even a single set. 4th and 5th sets will be real game on.
Hawaiian grip
Professional
He has won RG several times playing like this or even worse. You're just desperate to see him lose, that's all. It's understandable, and it will eventually happen, but the truth is, he's still the heavy favorite this year.
Sport
G.O.A.T.
Disagree. Only Thiem can upset Nadal.
tennisaddict
Bionic Poster
Let us hope you are right
I am not desperate for hım to lose because ı am Nadal fan.He won in my book 2 times when people expect him to lose 2011 ( ı still thınk he would lose ıf Djoko in the final rather then Fed ) and 2014 where he doesnt look amazing and face Djoko in final but this time is a little bit different at times in my book he showed his age on court this year where age wasnt all that a big factor in 2011 and 2014.
Tennisgods
Hall of Fame
Beatable, but who’s gonna do it? I’d back him in his current form on clay against anyone left in the draw.
Hawaiian grip
Professional
He didn't look noticeably better than this on any of his winning RG runs other than 2008, 2010 and 2017. Also, I'm not sure how he 'showed his age'. He hasn't looked gassed all tournament despite having a tough clay season under his belt. If anything, he played tactically poor in the first set in a half against Diego, such as he himself acknowledged today during the on court interview.
ScottleeSV
Hall of Fame
Beatable, yes, but it's still very difficult to do it.
He is still the one to beat thats for sure but it wont be huge shock like 2009 Soderling thing either. Theim and Delpo can do it. Delpo on a god mode mode day can do what Soderling did 2009 and Thiem already beat Nadal this year. Rafa also wasnt looking all that great against Zverev.
ıf you dont think he wasnt looking better in 2008 and 2010 and 2017 maybe you dont understand what you are watching.Hawaiian grip
Professional
Or maybe you could learn to read. Try again.
abmk
Bionic Poster
he was way better in 2007, 2012 for starters. (those 2 are the contenders for his 2nd best RG in fact, IMO).
also better in quite a few other RGs.
Hawaiian grip
Professional
He was better, but by no means way better. People here are talking as if he'd have been winning the Zverev way, but the reality is that the only player to push him so far has been Schwartzman.
And that still leaves 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2014.
abmk
Bionic Poster
Bollelli pushed him as well.
and yes, he was way better in 2007 and 2012.
he was better or similar level in all of them, IMO. 05,06,09,11,13,14.
11, struggled in the earlier rounds, but QF-F, form was pretty good.
This time, a clear dip in the QF.
Hawaiian grip
Professional
How did Bolelli push him? At the end of the day it was a straight sets win, Bolelli made a push for it in the third but it wasn't enough. Even during your mithicised 2007 RG he got pushed in a third set by declined Lleyton Hewitt, or in 2012 by Almagro in the QF.
Thanks again for proving again he has won RG, and not only once, playing similar to this. And with a better field around him. That was my whole point.
Thanks again for proving again he has won RG, and not only once, playing similar to this. And with a better field around him. That was my whole point.
aman92
Legend
His level is not the same from 2017 of course but that's totally understandable considering he barely dropped any games during the entire run and played one of his top 3 RG tournaments ever. Think he gets through Delpo quite comfortably but This could be a challenge if the occasion doesn't overwhelm him.
mellowyellow
Legend
It was so obvious coming into RG, good thing he got a nice lucky draw.
That is not possible. If the probability of one of them winning is more than 50%, other one has to be less than 50%.
I have reported you to the American Mathematical Society.
Gary Duane
G.O.A.T.
Well, he lost a set this year at RG, so obviously he is crap.
BeatlesFan
Bionic Poster
Projecting much? 95% of Fed fans knew Nadal would win RG months ago. There’s no suffering when he wins either. Talk about gross generalizing and inaccuracy in two sentences.
abmk
Bionic Poster
Nadal barely snuck out the 1st set in the last game. Bollelli was up a break in the 2nd set and had a BP to go up a double break (4-1).... Was a break up in the 3rd set ,(3-0) and had 4 SPs.That's how he pushed him.
2012 Almagro was playing more than decent tennis. you surprised a CCer like Almagro pushed nadal ? really ?
Hewitt also played well to push him in that 3rd set in RG 2007. So ? he's a considerably better player than frickin' Marterer who did the same to Rafa this year.
Raining hopes
Hall of Fame
Rafa is playing decent to be honest.
Also for Rafa fans who have forgotten let me remind you
2007,2012,2013,2006>>2017
And 2008 is as close to invincible I have seen any player go.
I know because I watched some matches from each year last month
Also for Rafa fans who have forgotten let me remind you
2007,2012,2013,2006>>2017
And 2008 is as close to invincible I have seen any player go.
I know because I watched some matches from each year last month
chut
Professional
Tomorrow's forecast is hot and sun/a bit stormy but no rain in sight, but on Sunday, it appears rain is on. So semi should be ok for Nadal (I remember a very good Davis Cup match between Del Potro and him on clay though) but final will probably be harder if it's Thiem. I feel like it's now or never for Thiem, he has to break through and i believe he can.
Hawaiian grip
Professional
You know, it counts what actually happened, not what could have happened. And no, I wasn't surprised at the aforementioned matches in 2007 and 2012, just like I'm not surprised to see Nadal struggling a little bit now and then these days. I just wanted to remind you that still wasn't the best Nadal we've seen at RG, but anyways. There still is 2006 (dropped sets to Mathieu, Hewitt and got kind of pushed by Ljubicic), 2011 (went to the fifth with Isner, got pushed hard by Andujar), 2013 (dropped sets to Klizan and Brands, got pushed by the Fog) and 2014 (wasn't a bad showing TBH, could rank it above this year's so far), so my point has been proven. He's won at RG in the past with similar performances.
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Julian Houston
Semi-Pro
Nadal current game hit on the rise and try to end points which result in more errors. Surprised to see so many players broke his serve but fail to capitalize.
Fırst off all this isnt about losing sets at all. To lose sets sometimes doesnt mean you are playing badly. He needs an epic in 2013 RG semi against Novak (one off the best matches off all time ) but was he playing badly ??? This isnt about it at all. His general performance isnt that great.In my book he only looked beatable ın 2011 and 2014 and goes on to win. Even then he was better. I dont count 2006 it was the first time he defend his title and he was still developing as a player even on CLAY and yeah the tour was so much STRONGER back in 2006.ı tought it was weak then but never say never this is even worse now.
New user making assumptions what else is new! The OP is one of the biggest Federer haters on here and a massive Nadal fan!
You appear to be a desperate Federer/Fed fan hater that's why you were so quick to jump to conclusions. Sheesh!
ChaelAZ
G.O.A.T.
Funny how tons of people keep saying it, as they have for years, but when it comes down to it very few people do...year after year. My favorites are the two big articles this year with Mac and Solderling giving their secrets to beating Nadal. Seriously? If they actually had firm, repeatable tactics that worked players would be lining up do apply them. Solderling has two good matches he won against Rafa in 2009, but nothing before and nothing after.
Everyone is beatable on any given day. Just for the likes of Rafa and Rog, they days are few and very far between. But people keep trying to believe.
malbaker86
Hall of Fame
Nadal becomes a bad match up for him if he doesn't blow Rafa off the court. Wimbledon 2011 and US Open last year, once Rafa got a better hold of his serve and drug the match out and got Delpo on the move, it was academic.
I'll even say had their Olympics match been a bof5 that Rafa would have won the 4th and 5th set
Username_
Hall of Fame
only after pulling a MTO
Sudacafan
Bionic Poster
Over my own quote:
About Delpo's physical condition: I believe that with Schwartzman's physical condition, Del Potro has a chance.
It would take a combination of both Argie's strengths to beat Nadal: Diego's legs and Juan Martin's hammer strokes. Like they are complementary.
Gazelle
G.O.A.T.
He looks a bit like Federer did this year. Form rather so-so. But Fed still won the AO, so I guess Nads can still win the RG. Luck seems to be with him, with all the rain escapes he's getting. If Thiem ever gets close to winning in the final, he'll break his leg or so in order that Nadal can win.
malbaker86
Hall of Fame
Like he did last year against Del Potro....oh wait!!!!!
ibbi
G.O.A.T.
He definitely doesn't look as good as he did last year, but that doesn't mean much. He's dropped a handful of sets through the entirety of the clay season, and most (not all, the third set against Marterer, and the first set against Diego) of the moments where he has looked particularly vulnerable (Rome final, Bolelli match, second set against Diego) were weather induced.
If the middling weather holds up through the next 3 days then defeat number 3 could definitely be on the cards, if it doesn't... No reason to think that any of the guys left are going to beat him over best of 5.
If the middling weather holds up through the next 3 days then defeat number 3 could definitely be on the cards, if it doesn't... No reason to think that any of the guys left are going to beat him over best of 5.
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Deleted member 756486
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Deleted member 742196
Guest
LOL
But really, it’s only the everyday poor sod consumer in the US still stuck with Imperial.
Chemistry, physics and medicine in the US long since moved to Metric.
It’s why your shockingly cheap gas is bought in gallons and absurdly expensive medicine in millilitres.
Capitalism at its finest.
Nostradamus
Bionic Poster
what's you talking about ?? RAFA just blew away Diego and used him for ball machine for practice
WeakEraKing
Rookie
There is clear suffering from Fed fans. Rafa will most likely equal and over take feds grand slam record. Given his 5 years younger, and doesn’t skip a surface like a *****, and that Nadal always bounces back from his injuries and he is the rain god too. I really like seeing Fed fans squirm when Nadal wins and the salt they display. Can’t wait till Fed gets owned by some random scrub at Wimby.
sportsfan1
Legend
You say he isn't playing as well as last year and he already lost to Thiem. But he's won most of the clay swing this year. Last year too he lost to Thiem last year, but beat him handily at RG 2017. Sure he may still lose, but that doesn't at all seem like not playing well.
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