USO 2010 Men's Draw

[Jaitock1991]

What happened to all these people who, up until just a couple of hours ago, claimed that Rafa was destined to win the title, even that he was the rightful owner of it, and, that there was no way ANYBODY could beat him? Now, suddenly, names like Gabashvili, Istomin, Gulbis and Kohlschreiber scare the hell out of you?

What happened? Don't tell me everything was based on a dream, where all the top 64s in the world, except Nadal himself, were on the other half of the draw, and where he would miraculously face a choking Jeremy Chardy in the final!!

 

[Jaitock1991]

Correct. Which is why I consider Nadal better H2H-wise and Federer better results-wise. No true GOAT.

This h2h-dull is making me a little irritated. There is no doubt that Rafa is the GOAT on clay though. But should we really use the fact that Federer is(when he wants) the second best clay court player in the world against him? I mean, if Fed would have been an average clay court player, like Sampras, he wouldn't have reached nearly as many finals on clay as he has done. And if so, he would never even have had the chance to lose against Rafa in finals either. Then the h2h would then have been a lot closer, and maybe even been lead by Fed. So the fact that Fed is such a complete all-court player is actually a bad thing if we keep counting those h2h-meetings. The whole thing works against its intention. See?

 

[OKUSA]

This h2h-dull is making me a little irritated. There is no doubt that Rafa is the GOAT on clay though. But should we really use the fact that Federer is(when he wants) the second best clay court player in the world against him? I mean, if Fed would have been an average clay court player, like Sampras, he wouldn't have reached nearly as many finals on clay as he has done. And if so, he would never even have had the chance to lose against Rafa in finals either. Then the h2h would then have been a lot closer, and maybe even been lead by Fed. So the fact that Fed is such a complete all-court player is actually a bad thing if we keep counting those h2h-meetings. The whole thing works against its intention. See?

Federer is Nadal's pigeon!

 

[BreakPoint]

Nadal and Federer have never played each other at the US Open. Therefore, the US Open has played absolutely no part in their head-to-head rivalry.

And who's fault is that?

Federer made the finals 6 years in a row just waiting to beat Nadal. Where was Nadal? Is he avoiding Federer?

 

[BreakPoint]

Federer is Nadal's pigeon!

Then Nadal must be everyone else's pigeon or else why hasn't he ever made even a single US Open final?

 

[ashitaka2010]

This h2h-dull is making me a little irritated. There is no doubt that Rafa is the GOAT on clay though. But should we really use the fact that Federer is(when he wants) the second best clay court player in the world against him? I mean, if Fed would have been an average clay court player, like Sampras, he wouldn't have reached nearly as many finals on clay as he has done. And if so, he would never even have had the chance to lose against Rafa in finals either. Then the h2h would then have been a lot closer, and maybe even been lead by Fed. So the fact that Fed is such a complete all-court player is actually a bad thing if we keep counting those h2h-meetings. The whole thing works against its intention. See?

Can I ask you if this is irony?

If not:
2006 RG: Federer was leading 6-1 first set, he broke back in the 4th when Rafa was serving for the match. Then he blew the tie break. Had his chances, failed.
2007 RG: 1/17 break points converted. Nuff said, failed.

You're right, the H2H could be less lopsided and shouldn't be taken so seriously. But what we're gonna remember is that Federer lost, facing his main rival, in MAJOR FINALS ON 3 DIFFERENT SURFACES.

 

[intrepidish]

Um...do you know why the *********s here ALWAYS scream that Federer has a "easy draw" EVERY time ANY draw is released for EVERY Grand Slam?

I am no one's "****" but your logic is absurd. You can be favored in every match you play but Nalbandian, Fish, and Gulbis to name a few can make your draw very complicated where other comparably ranked players in their place would make it easier or simpy some bad match-ups which all players potentially have.

Federer has none of the current dangerous floaters or people who typically match up better against his game in his quarter.

 

[TheFifthSet]

You know what really gets at me? People completely underestimate Djokovic. The man has beaten Nadal like what, the last 4 times they've played on hardcourt? And between Dkokovic and Murray, who has the better record at the USO? And between Djokovic and Murray, who's won the slam on HC?

kthnx.

 

[Richards19]

You know what really gets at me? People completely underestimate Djokovic. The man has beaten Nadal like what, the last 4 times they've played on hardcourt? And between Dkokovic and Murray, who has the better record at the USO? And between Djokovic and Murray, who's won the slam on HC?

kthnx.

But he's so bad since the start of the year. He could facing either Fish or Baghdatis in the 4th round and with the way he's playing, I'll be not surprised if he's stopped at this stage

 

[OKUSA]

You know what really gets at me? People completely underestimate Djokovic. The man has beaten Nadal like what, the last 4 times they've played on hardcourt? And between Dkokovic and Murray, who has the better record at the USO? And between Djokovic and Murray, who's won the slam on HC?

kthnx.

Tell me when he beats a top 10 player this year

 

[egn]

Maybe but on Fed's side

Nadal has several big hitters on his side, he has gabashvili who can hit really big if you've watched him play, he has gulbis who almost beat him on clay(if he almost did it on clay he can do it on fast HC), he has his worst match-up in nalbandian, he could meet a ljubicic in round 4(who beat him this year), he meets Murray(who almost always beats him on HC) in SF and Fed in the final.

Now compare this to Fed's draw, Roger doesn't meet anyone who can take a set let alone defeat him until QF and the way sod and djoker are doing form-wise, Roger's only challenge may come in the finals and that's only if murray or nadal are there.

I'm going to take my chance to rip this whole thing apart.

Let's start with gabashvili. Do you know the last time he even beat a guy in the top 100 on a hardcourt or scored a victory on the surface for that matter. He's 1-7 on hardcourts this year. Sure he can smack the crap out of the ball, but hell thats nothing if you can't aim or place and hold yourself. If Nadal losses to gabashvili then Nadal is far from US Open ready. I mean seriously just cause a guy hits the ball hard doesn't make him dangerous. We are talking a guy who made a run to the 4th Round of The French Open this year and can't keep his rankings in the top 50 and struggles to stay in the top 100. He's not a threat to Nadal at all. With all due respect to him, but don't tell me you are worried Nadal is losing round 1.

If he almost did it on clay he can do it on fast hc? This is assuming that Gublis is better on fast HC than he is on clay. This is also assuming Gublis makes another QF at a slam. This is also assuming that Gublis actually can out hit Nadal. There is a ton of assumptions. Gublis hasn't been able to go deep in a major since what is starting to look like his one run at the French Open.

Ivan has still not regained the form he had in that one tournament this year. He has been playing at the level of a solid top 25 guy but not anything like in Indian Wells. He again should be more worried about making it to round 4.

Excuse him for meeting Fed in the final...thats how it should happen and yea Murray is tough agreed.

I agree nobody prior to the QF should cause Fed trouble but Melzer, Hewitt is just as bad as anything in Nadal's little section and probably worse. So cut the crap. Besides if Nadal can't beat Nalbandian after seeing the beatdowns Murray and DJoker put on him then again Nadal doesn't deserve a US Open.

 

[OKUSA]

Sense on this forum doesn't work, Nalbandian is Nadal's worst enemy! Even if he hasn't played in a best of 5 major in almost 2 years

 

[NADALbULLS]

Of course we can't assume Fed would beat Nadal if they met at the USO, in the same way you can't assume Nadal would beat Fed if they met at the FO again.

Are you kidding? Federer at RG? I wouldn't even assume Federer could take a set from Nadal at Roland Garros, judging by how much Federer struggled with Haas and Del Potro in 2009. Federer has really declined since 2008.

 

[Gaudio2004]

Are you kidding? Federer at RG? I wouldn't even assume Federer could take a set from Nadal at Roland Garros, judging by how much Federer struggled with Haas and Del Potro in 2009. Federer has really declined since 2008.

Yet Nadal struggled with Haase and Petzchner at Wimbledon, using your primitive logic, Federer would destroy Nadal at Wimbledon, when he really wouldn't.

You're using primitive logic, which is very, very annoying. Stop.

 

[The-Champ]

LOL at *******s wishing for Murray to destroy Nadal. Don't you guys want to see Fed humiliate Rafa on this super fast surface?

Deep down inside *******s know Rafa will make him cry again at the trophy presentation!! That would be priceless.

 

[The-Champ]

Sense on this forum doesn't work, Nalbandian is Nadal's worst enemy! Even if he hasn't played in a best of 5 major in almost 2 years

He will not need 5 sets to beat Nadal. Nalbands wins 61 61 61!

 

[NADALbULLS]

Yet Nadal struggled with Haase and Petzchner at Wimbledon, using your primitive logic, Federer would destroy Nadal at Wimbledon, when he really wouldn't.

You're using primitive logic, which is very, very annoying. Stop.

Don't know what school if any you went to, but Nadal has several tough matches with big servers over the years (his entire career) and it is the norm to have close battles with them, whereas Federer had never struggled with Haas/Del Potro before RG 2009. Federer's case was a declining one, while Nadal's was not.

 

[Fearhanded]

He will not need 5 sets to beat Nadal. Nalbands wins 61 61 61!

Didnt you just say Nadal will make Federer cry at the US Open?

 

[The-Champ]

Didnt you just say Nadal will make Federer cry at the US Open?

IF he makes it there! Which he wont, Nalbandian is too good of a player + gabashvilli the fearless!!

 

[NADALbULLS]

Nalbandian is an interesting case to watch. I felt he played too many matches for someone on the brink of retiring, so I'm not convinced he'll have the legs (especially if he's extended early).

 

[LetsGoRoddick]

good to see roddick got a decent draw. Obviously everyone wants to play Djokovic. I think he'll be through. But its still tough, with Davydenko in the fourth round.

 

[fruitytennis1]

Actually I was fairly serious. I just don't see any interesting matchups until the end. It's boring.

And to answer BP, I'm a fan of tennis because I play nearly every day. Watching pro tennis just means you're a fan of...pro tennis. I'm a fan of tennis because I PLAY. Something that you apparently are too chicken to do.

He also posts too much to play tennis:twisted:=my cheap shot

 

[Tennis sensation]

LOL at *******s wishing for Murray to destroy Nadal. Don't you guys want to see Fed humiliate Rafa on this super fast surface?

Deep down inside *******s know Rafa will make him cry again at the trophy presentation!! That would be priceless.

LOL

 

[nethawkwenatchee]

Fed v Hewitt R3

Could be interesting.

 

[BreakPoint]

I am no one's "****" but your logic is absurd. You can be favored in every match you play but Nalbandian, Fish, and Gulbis to name a few can make your draw very complicated where other comparably ranked players in their place would make it easier or simpy some bad match-ups which all players potentially have.

Federer has none of the current dangerous floaters or people who typically match up better against his game in his quarter.

And how about the other 20 draws of Grand Slams in which *********s claim that Federer has an easy draw while Nadal has a tough draw? NOT ONCE have they claimed that Nadal has the easy draw while Federer has the tough draw in the last 20 Slams. Explain that one.

 

[meg0529]

IF he makes it there! Which he wont, Nalbandian is too good of a player + gabashvilli the fearless!!

If Rafa loses to gabashvili, I'm going to be a Murray fan, until next year rolls around. Actually, if Rafa needs more than 3 sets to beat him, then it's going to be tough for him. He needs to have 3 setters, till at least the QF. After that 5 setters are acceptable.

 

[meg0529]

And how about the other 20 draws of Grand Slams in which *********s claim that Federer has an easy draw while Nadal has a tough draw? NOT ONCE have they claimed that Nadal has the easy draw while Federer has the tough draw in the last 20 Slams. Explain that one.

I'd have to say, this time around, both Fed and Rafa have fair draws.

 

[namelessone]

I'm going to take my chance to rip this whole thing apart.

Let's start with gabashvili. Do you know the last time he even beat a guy in the top 100 on a hardcourt or scored a victory on the surface for that matter. He's 1-7 on hardcourts this year. Sure he can smack the crap out of the ball, but hell thats nothing if you can't aim or place and hold yourself. If Nadal losses to gabashvili then Nadal is far from US Open ready. I mean seriously just cause a guy hits the ball hard doesn't make him dangerous. We are talking a guy who made a run to the 4th Round of The French Open this year and can't keep his rankings in the top 50 and struggles to stay in the top 100. He's not a threat to Nadal at all. With all due respect to him, but don't tell me you are worried Nadal is losing round 1.

If he almost did it on clay he can do it on fast hc? This is assuming that Gublis is better on fast HC than he is on clay. This is also assuming Gublis makes another QF at a slam. This is also assuming that Gublis actually can out hit Nadal. There is a ton of assumptions. Gublis hasn't been able to go deep in a major since what is starting to look like his one run at the French Open.

Ivan has still not regained the form he had in that one tournament this year. He has been playing at the level of a solid top 25 guy but not anything like in Indian Wells. He again should be more worried about making it to round 4.

Excuse him for meeting Fed in the final...thats how it should happen and yea Murray is tough agreed.

I agree nobody prior to the QF should cause Fed trouble but Melzer, Hewitt is just as bad as anything in Nadal's little section and probably worse. So cut the crap. Besides if Nadal can't beat Nalbandian after seeing the beatdowns Murray and DJoker put on him then again Nadal doesn't deserve a US Open.

The point I was making was that of POTENTIAL upsets and Nadal has more guys that could potentially upset him, just cause of matchup issues, than Fed does on his side. I will be the first to recognize that Nadal had a easy draw up until QF last year(and he really struggled with gonzalez for the first two sets)meeting mostly slowcourt players and there were few potential upsets for him in the early rounds but here he meets big hitters and bad matchups. It could only have been harder if he had a roddick or davydenko in his path.

Gabashvili can hit big and this is a early round. If Gabashvili gets a bit hot and Nadal starts rusty on these fast courts, problems could occur. Gabashvili in AO would have been easier to handle.

Gulbis is a major darkhorse. The guy can play like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoaBEQwmnws
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AO1U3nfGH0

when he is on, though he himself is ripe for upset because he is a mental midget at times and is inconsistent.

Nalbandian has been on a roll and Rafa really struggled with him on slower HC in Miami after Nalby had just come back from injuries. A problematic matchup made even more problematic by the fast courts.

Ljubicic comes in with confidence against Nadal, very important. A lot of these guys that hit big or have terrific very good BH have seen Nadal on HC this year and they will feel more confident about their chances.

The other opponents from QF onwards are pretty tricky as well.

 

[Fearhanded]

Lol I will laugh my ass of if Nadal beats Gabashvilli, Isotomin, Kohlschreiber easily. People are forgetting that Nadal is the World Number 1 and I have no doubt that he will step his game up for the U.S open and take those guys to the bushes.

 

[namelessone]

Nadals section of the draw seems to be the toughest (from top 4 seeds).

Gabashvilli is a big hitter, doubt he has the consistency to stay with Nadal but it's always dangerous to play a guy who swings freely from the hip in your first match.

Istomin in Rd 2 is definitely a dangerous floater... He nearly beat Nadal at Queens, also taking Wawrinka out at Wimbledon before narrowly losing in 5 sets to Berdych (finalist)...Big serve, and flat penetrating strokes off both wings. Type of player that really causes Nadal problems.

Things dont get easier for Nadal with Kohlschreiber his most likely opponent in rd 3... Played well enough in Toronto to suggest he can hurt Nadal.

IMO 4th rd is abit of a gimme for Nadal. Neither Lopez or Ljubicic have the weapons to take out Nadal over 5 sets.

Then you have the dreaded bottom section of the top half of the draw. Anyone of Ferrer, Gulbis, Verdasco or Nalbandian could meet Nadal in the QF. The two Spaniards seem to be Nadals pigeons of late, so I'm hoping Gulbis or Nalbandian can get through. Nalbandian vs Nadal, potentially could be pick of the quarters.

If Nadal does somehow get to the finals. He will have silenced his critics by beating some decent HC players. Certainly no cakewake run to the final this year.

Exactly, I was making the case that earlier rounds are tougher for Nadal than for the other seeds but nobody here can recognize this cause right afterwards they go for the "why are you whining about the draw" bit as if I asked for the draw to be changed or something. In the first rounds Rafa has the exact type of players he wouldn't like to meet on fast courts, guys that hit big, tall guys with 2H BH, bad matchups like Nalby, not to mention the fact that afterwards he has Murray in SF.

In order for him to win USO he will probably need to beat a gulbis or nalbandian, kohli can also be tough on fast as you said(and he also troubled Nadal in AO 10' on slow HC), murray and probably fed in the finals. If he had a roddick or davydenko as well it would have been a murderous draw, right now it is only difficult but to me it is the most difficult out of the four seeds.

 

[Sentinel]

Nadal has injured people in his draw like Kohlschrieber. Draw is obviously rigged to make Nadal win.

Vamos!

 

[Fearhanded]

Exactly, I was making the case that earlier rounds are tougher for Nadal than for the other seeds but nobody here can recognize this cause right afterwards they go for the "why are you whining about the draw" bit as if I asked for the draw to be changed or something. In the first rounds Rafa has the exact type of players he wouldn't like to meet on fast courts, guys that hit big, tall guys with 2H BH, bad matchups like Nalby, not to mention the fact that afterwards he has Murray in SF.

In order for him to win USO he will probably need to beat a gulbis or nalbandian, kohli can also be tough on fast as you said(and he also troubled Nadal in AO 10' on slow HC), murray and probably fed in the finals. If he had a roddick or davydenko as well it would have been a murderous draw, right now it is only difficult but to me it is the most difficult out of the four seeds.

You should have more belief in Nadal. He has the heart and game to get through all these obstacles. The guy is an inspiration for the amount heart he shows. I will never forgot his triumph at AO 2009. I am not even a Nadal fan!

 

[namelessone]

Lol I will laugh my ass of if Nadal beats Gabashvilli, Isotomin, Kohlschreiber easily. People are forgetting that Nadal is the World Number 1 and I have no doubt that he will step his game up for the U.S open and take those guys to the bushes.

People are talking about the POTENTIAL matchup issues of these guys with Nadal, not that they will automatically dispatch him. Big hitters + fast surface = trouble for Rafa.

Perhaps you missed Nadal's match with Istomin in Queens where he was almost beat or Kohli's match with Rafa in AO 10' or recently in Toronto. Those were not easy victories by any means. Nadal is not the same player on HC as on grass and clay. While he is nr.1, on HC he is more like nr.4 or 5 in the world.

 

[namelessone]

You should have more belief in Nadal. He has the heart and game to get through all these obstacles. The guy is an inspiration for the amount heart he shows. I will never forgot his triumph at AO 2009. I am not even a Nadal fan!

Rafa had a decent draw at AO. He had a pain in the ass straight set match in QF with Simon(who gave him absolutely no pace), a supposedly easy semi on paper with verdasco that turned out to be criminal and a killer final with Fed. The tough matches were the last two basically. He had no one that could trouble him in the early rounds in AO 09' and this was slow HC.

The later rounds are always tough in GS's, that is normal but if you have tougher early rounds it makes your draw more difficult and your road a lot more rocky.

 

[BreakPoint]

Nadal has injured people in his draw like Kohlschrieber. Draw is obviously rigged to make Nadal win.

Vamos!

Not only Kohlschreiber, but Istomin has a sprained ankle from his match against Federer last week in Cincy. So if Nadal can't even beat guys that are injured, then there's not much hope for him.

 

[NADALbULLS]

Nadals section of the draw seems to be the toughest (from top 4 seeds).

Gabashvilli is a big hitter, doubt he has the consistency to stay with Nadal but it's always dangerous to play a guy who swings freely from the hip in your first match.

Istomin in Rd 2 is definitely a dangerous floater... He nearly beat Nadal at Queens, also taking Wawrinka out at Wimbledon before narrowly losing in 5 sets to Berdych (finalist)...Big serve, and flat penetrating strokes off both wings. Type of player that really causes Nadal problems.

Things dont get easier for Nadal with Kohlschreiber his most likely opponent in rd 3... Played well enough in Toronto to suggest he can hurt Nadal.

IMO 4th rd is abit of a gimme for Nadal. Neither Lopez or Ljubicic have the weapons to take out Nadal over 5 sets.

Then you have the dreaded bottom section of the top half of the draw. Anyone of Ferrer, Gulbis, Verdasco or Nalbandian could meet Nadal in the QF. The two Spaniards seem to be Nadals pigeons of late, so I'm hoping Gulbis or Nalbandian can get through. Nalbandian vs Nadal, potentially could be the pick of the quarters.

If Nadal does somehow get to the finals. He will have silenced his critics by beating some decent HC players. Certainly no cakewake run to the final this year.

Still, hard to see Nadal dropping a set before the SF. These guys are all mental midgets, even Nalbandian (apart from that Wimbledon when he reached the Final, though lost to Hewitt in straights). They aren't slam players. Last couple of USOs and AOs Nadal has played he cruises through until the QF or SF. It's all about the 1st set. Nadal has only ever lost ONE match in slams after winning the 1st set. Players can't convince themselves that they can come back after Nadal gets a lead.

 

[NADALbULLS]

Lol I will laugh my ass of if Nadal beats Gabashvilli, Isotomin, Kohlschreiber easily. People are forgetting that Nadal is the World Number 1 and I have no doubt that he will step his game up for the U.S open and take those guys to the bushes.

Exactly.

Nadal ain't making half the errors he made in Toronto. He never does in slams. That whole Toronto/Cincy sequence was all about testing the limits of aggression by playing close to the baseline. He knows the limits now. Stand back or make errors (with the big back-swing he has). And the public have learnt a lesson- they were wrong about Nadal needing to play closer to the baseline on hardcourts. He needs to stay where he plays best, behind the baseline with enough time for a quality swing, and only move forward on the right ball or to mix it up.

 

[namelessone]

I thought Nadal was awesome against Gonzalez in the last 16. He really moved up the gears in that match. Gonzo himself was awesome in the first rd, totally smoked Hewitt but was unfortunate to have to play Nadal on a searing hot summers day after going 5 sets with Gasquet in the previous rd.

Nadal also took out Haas in straights in rd 3, and Haas has a pretty consistent record at the Australian Open. So it's not like he went through a bunch of nobodies before the SF.

Gonzalez looked a bit worn out, year Rafa stepped it up, but the chilean looked a bit tired to me and the sun didn't help his cause. Now look up Nadal-Gonzalez at USO 09' when it was much,much tighter, for the first two sets at least.

Haas wasn't much of a factor in that match, I never once felt that Rafa could lose that much on that particular day. Haas made some nice approaches in that match but could not rally with Nadal in a consistent manner so I knew he was going down in the end. Basically he couldn't overpower Nadal and he couldn't out-angle or out-rally him.

To me the Simon match was harder than the Haas match cause Simon gives you NOTHING, the guy can whack balls but chooses to play with little to no pace so you get soft balls over and over again and then pow, a terrific forehand from nowhere. That's exactly how he beat Nadal in Madrid.

 

[NADALbULLS]

The Simon match was very interesting. Because Simon had beaten Nadal toward the end of 2008. Then at the Australian Open Nadal made a huge tactical adjustment and decided to slice EVERY ball on his backhand side for the entirety of the Simon match, and won in straight sets over a guy who could have caused some serious trouble. Nadal refused to play a 2-hander in that match and it worked.

 

[Deleted member 77403]

I don't understand why people are so worried about Nadal. He will be fine, he is at least getting to the semi final. If he does not play Murray, I think he will go all the way. I think this a great chance for him to win his maiden US Open. Because it is only going to get harder next year.

It's amazing how much some fans are reacting to the draw. It seems very well balanced. If anything the Joker has the worst draw, possible Roddick, Federer,Murray/Nadal line up waiting for him. :shock:

And if Nadal doesn't win it, so what?! He's had an amazing year, and has already won TWO slams, broke the Masters record and reclaimed the number one. A superhuman effort, that only one other active player can do. But I guess it is not enough for some people. Greed is one of the deadly sins. ;-)

Even though I am Roger fan, I actually want Murray to win this one. He's the one who needs this slam more. If anything, it will enrich the game with a new slam winner around.

 

[NADALbULLS]

^^People worry about Nadal because his haters are in their prime because Nadal has won the last 2 slams (haters are more desperate than ever to find fault with his play/chances), and the Nadal fans dislike the prospect of losing more than ever because of the long drought in 2009. On top of that, if he wins the US Open it positions him to win THE RAFA SLAM down under.

 

[samjones]

^^People worry about Nadal because his haters are in their prime because Nadal has won the last 2 slams (haters are more desperate than ever to find fault with his play/chances), and the Nadal fans dislike the prospect of losing more than ever because of the long drought in 2009. On top of that, if he wins the US Open it positions him to win THE RAFA SLAM down under.

Nadal was playing exceptionally well in April, May and June of '10. THe rest of the year he has been very beatable. Certainly one of the top 4 players in the world, but not better.

 

[0d1n]

I find it funny that Federer draws Soderling and we hear it is an easy draw for him when Nadal drew Verdasco.. Nadal might not even face a seed or Nalby in the QFs as all 4 guys who he have there are quite flakes at times. Not to mention outside of Nalbandian I doubt Nadal has anything to worry about. Gublis will self destruct, Verdasco will roll over like he has been or double fault on match point and Ferrer will not be getting lucky like he did in 2007. Djokovic once again gets the difficult one....He's got to face either Fish or Bags in the 4th round then most likely Roddick in the QF and Fed in the SF. I would say both Nadal and Fed have okay draws neither overly tough or neither overly easy. Oh and quit the crap about Fed lucking out for not having Murray in his draw sure he lost to him and Toronto but what happens when Murray meets Fed in a slam? Djokovic at the US Open actually took a set one year and has beaten him in a major. Besides Murray has to bet past Berdych who Nadal has no problem dismantling.

This is actually a good post...and a rare one in this thread.

People are talking about the POTENTIAL matchup issues of these guys with Nadal, not that they will automatically dispatch him. Big hitters + fast surface = trouble for Rafa.

Perhaps you missed Nadal's match with Istomin in Queens where he was almost beat or Kohli's match with Rafa in AO 10' or recently in Toronto. Those were not easy victories by any means. Nadal is not the same player on HC as on grass and clay. While he is nr.1, on HC he is more like nr.4 or 5 in the world.

This is one of the posts where you don't actually make a fool out of yourself by stating that Nadal's draw is some "titanic struggle" as opposed to Federer's.
The bolded part is true...in which case Nadal SHOULD lose in the quarter or the semi.
And he probably will. Federer and Murray are currently the two best hard court players. As a consequence...they SHOULD make it to the final...and they probably will.
How's that "unfair" ? If anything ... that's how IT SHOULD BE.

Also ... people b1tching about Nadal's OR Federer's draw should STFU. Djokovic has by far the toughest quarter, and it's not even close.
The other 3 are pretty much balanced with Murray's being probably slightly tougher than the other two.
And EVEN THAT is normal...the no 1 and 2 seeds should have slightly easier draws than the no 3 and 4 seeds...and they DO.
Nadal fans that keep complaining about "Gabashvili" "Istomin" and "Gulbis" do nothing more than show for everybody that they know deep down that Nadal is a comparatively weak hard court player (when compared to himself on other surfaces ... or when compared with other players on HC). So ... if they admit he is a comparatively weak HC player ... why do they keep b1tching about the fact that Federer or Murray (or X or Y or Z) will win the USO and not their beloved Rafa ???
Isn't that NORMAL ??!??! Isn't it EXPECTED ??!? Don't you want the one who deserves the win ... to get it ??
I for one ... although I know it's improbable REALLY REALLY want Nadal to be in the final. I would LOVE to see him in the final.

 

[0d1n]

Rafa fans...please replace Djoko with Nadal and tell me with a straight face that you would rather have Davydenko, in form Fish, in form Baggy, Roddick ...etc in his quarter.
Please do that...and make my day.

Also...let's take Fed's quarter for a minute...and move Nadal into that one.
Then ... you would start b1tching about the "huge hitting Tursunov", very experienced/tough Hewitt, big serving/hitting Cilic, and oh GOD OH GOD ... Soderling the m3nace.
As it stands ... you're just disregarding all those players and making a big fuss about "Gabashvili".
Are you people serious ???!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!? Gabashvili ?? Istomin ??? "Extremely dangerous" ???!
REALLY ?!?!

Just face it. You are scared because you know full well that there are PLENTY of players who can beat Nadal @ the US Open...and only 1 or 2 (if that) who can beat Federer...and even those 2 have to be inspired and maybe Fedster be slightly "uninspired" for that to happen.
Now go reflect on that for a minute.

 

[Rippy]

Rafa fans...please replace Djoko with Nadal and tell me with a straight face that you would rather have Davydenko, in form Fish, in form Baggy, Roddick ...etc in his quarter.
Please do that...and make my day.

Also...let's take Fed's quarter for a minute...and move Nadal into that one.
Then ... you would start b1tching about the "huge hitting Tursunov", very experienced/tough Hewitt, big serving/hitting Cilic, and oh GOD OH GOD ... Soderling the m3nace.
.

Very true.

 

[CMM]

you know full well that there are PLENTY of players who can beat Nadal @ the US Open

Really? Nadal is not the greatest hard court player, but he made two semifinals there and I don't think there are sooo many players who can beat him in a best of five sets, regardless of the surface.
Rafa should have no problem reaching the semifinals.

 

[P_Agony]

This h2h-dull is making me a little irritated. There is no doubt that Rafa is the GOAT on clay though. But should we really use the fact that Federer is(when he wants) the second best clay court player in the world against him? I mean, if Fed would have been an average clay court player, like Sampras, he wouldn't have reached nearly as many finals on clay as he has done. And if so, he would never even have had the chance to lose against Rafa in finals either. Then the h2h would then have been a lot closer, and maybe even been lead by Fed. So the fact that Fed is such a complete all-court player is actually a bad thing if we keep counting those h2h-meetings. The whole thing works against its intention. See?

Don't get me wrong, I'm a Fed fan all the way. And sure, most of Fed's losses to Nadal were on clay, and if Fed wouldn't have reached as many clay finals as he did, the H2H would probably look a lot different. However, even if Nadal failed to reach many HC finals (epscially USO and AO aside of 2009), we can't say Federer would have won those matches even if they were to take place. Nadal is a bad matchup for Federer, which is why he's able to beat Federer on any surface. Nadal is tied with Federer on HCs, and Federer is probably the best HC player ever. Fed leads the grass H2H 2-1, but it was Nadal who won their last match, even if by a tiny margin. Nadal has also won their previous HC match and clay match. You could say that Fed now loses to Nadal because he's past his prime and Nadal is in his, and you can say that the H2H would have probably looked better for Fed if it was Nadal getting beat in all those USO and AO finals pre 2008, but you can't know that for sure. Even if we take all of their clay matches aside, Federer leads the H2H 5-4, and it was Nadal who won the previous matches on grass and HC. Doesn't look too good for Fed.

Fed should have figured out Nadal, he failed to do so, and that is why Nadal controls the rivalry. Nadal is better than Fed matchup-wise. The end.

 

[0d1n]

Really? Nadal is not the greatest hard court player, but he made two semifinals there and I don't think there are sooo many players who can beat him in a best of five sets, regardless of the surface.
Rafa should have no problem reaching the semifinals.

Agreed. He should. I'm talking about the entire draw...not his quarter only.
In the ENTIRE DRAW there are 2 players (if that) who can beat Federer, but AT LEAST 5 or 6 who can beat Nadal...which is why "fanboys" are scared.
It's just the way it is, face it...embrace it...deal with it.

 

[P_Agony]

You know what really gets at me? People completely underestimate Djokovic. The man has beaten Nadal like what, the last 4 times they've played on hardcourt? And between Dkokovic and Murray, who has the better record at the USO? And between Djokovic and Murray, who's won the slam on HC?

kthnx.

But Murray has won more MS titles since and beat Djokovic the last 2-3 times they played on a hard court.

 

[P_Agony]

LOL at *******s wishing for Murray to destroy Nadal. Don't you guys want to see Fed humiliate Rafa on this super fast surface?

Deep down inside *******s know Rafa will make him cry again at the trophy presentation!! That would be priceless.

Personally Murray is one of my favorite players so I want him to win against most players (everyone except Fed, Davy, Gasquet, Nalby and Roddick), but I agree, if Nadal meets Federer in the final I think Fed will lose his mind again and Nadal will be motivated to win.