Will pressure once again change things?

[jukka1970]

My hope is to keep this thread from being a flame war. So please if you're one of these posters then just stay off my threads. I am a fan of both Federer and Nadal, and this is a discussion on the pressures of the game in relations to them.

Even with the confidence, it seems that pressures have gotten to Federer. Chasing history, trying to get the only slam he doesn't have, etc. Well Nadal is now in a different position then he was a year ago. This is his first time at the number 1 ranking, he now has every slam but the US Open, which means he now has a chance to also receive the career grand slam, and so Nadal will without question be entering into different levels of pressure.

The questions are this. Has Nadal ever had this much pressure on him? And does the extra pressure open the door for some unexpected results?

For me, I think pressure effects everyone. Some may deal with it far better then others, but at some point pressure will effect situations as no one is a robot. I think most would agree that at least on the grass courts at Wimbledon at one time Federer seemed untouchable. And I think the same can be said of Nadal on clay at Roland Garros. Obviously nothing is cast in stone as there are so many variables. But I do believe with Nadal's success that the pressure has no where to go but up, and I do believe that there will be some unexpected results due to the pressure. I'm not saying Federer will win the French or that Nadal will lose the US open. It's just going to be interesting to see how well Nadal handles the new pressures.

Jukka

 

[icedevil0289]

My hope is to keep this thread from being a flame war. So please if you're one of these posters then just stay off my threads. I am a fan of both Federer and Nadal, and this is a discussion on the pressures of the game in relations to them.

Even with the confidence, it seems that pressures have gotten to Federer. Chasing history, trying to get the only slam he doesn't have, etc. Well Nadal is now in a different position then he was a year ago. This is his first time at the number 1 ranking, he now has every slam but the US Open, which means he now has a chance to also receive the career grand slam, and so Nadal will without question be entering into different levels of pressure.

The questions are this. Has Nadal ever had this much pressure on him? And does the extra pressure open the door for some unexpected results?

For me, I think pressure effects everyone. Some may deal with it far better then others, but at some point pressure will effect situations as no one is a robot. I think most would agree that at least on the grass courts at Wimbledon at one time Federer seemed untouchable. And I think the same can be said of Nadal on clay at Roland Garros. Obviously nothing is cast in stone as there are so many variables. But I do believe with Nadal's success that the pressure has no where to go but up, and I do believe that there will be some unexpected results due to the pressure. I'm not saying Federer will win the French or that Nadal will lose the US open. It's just going to be interesting to see how well Nadal handles the new pressures.

Jukka

well first of all, the bolded part is impossible. I'm sorry, but I think you know this is eventually going to turn out to be a flame war. On that note, I think nadal is better at handling pressure than fed is. With the grass/clay argument, I think nadal is a better grass court player than fed is a clay court player, atleast it seems to be that way. I'm sure someone will eventually beat nadal on clay, but I doubt it would be federer. I would love it to be though. I'm not quite sure what you meant about nadal losing the U.S. open as unexpected results, seeing as he has never won it before. You know what I find really interesting is that I still think fed will have more pressure than nadal. People will still be talking about how he has a chance to equal and break pete's records if he gets to the finals of any majors and I think many expect more out of fed than they do nadal. It's unfortunate that a lot of people underestimate nadal, but I still think the pressure is going to be on fed more, which sucks because he not as good as nadal when it comes to handling pressure.

 

[OddJack]

You mentioned Robot. Nadal is the closest thing to a robot. But even robots burn fuses. So yeah, it can happen to him and it will.

 

[saram]

I am a fan of both players as well--and for different reasons. I love the pure beauty in Roger's strokes and his ability to turn offense into defense so quickly. I'm also a fan of Rafa's for his sheer determination, grit and fight.

That being said--I think Rafa will handle the pressure better than Roger as Rafa has the ability to never show emotion on the court. Roger used to be like that--but he is showing more and more frustration as he faces more and more pressure. Rafa, on the other hand, is as calm and cool as when he was #50 in the world.

 

[grizzly4life]

i'd have to say almost everything favours rafa vis-a-vis pressure. strokes, equipment and personality. really think he plays for love of game/competition, and i think fed's lost that (and never probably had it like nadal).

obviously rafa may flame out at USO... but it won't be because of pressure

 

[icedevil0289]

I am a fan of both players as well--and for different reasons. I love the pure beauty in Roger's strokes and his ability to turn offense into defense so quickly. I'm also a fan of Rafa's for his sheer determination, grit and fight.

That being said--I think Rafa will handle the pressure better than Roger as Rafa has the ability to never show emotion on the court. Roger used to be like that--but he is showing more and more frustration as he faces more and more pressure. Rafa, on the other hand, is as calm and cool as when he was #50 in the world.

uh, maybe we're watching two different players, but I find that rafa shows a lot of emotion. What do you call all that fist pumping, yelling vamos, that he does most of the time? He is very intense on court, and I think it shows. I guess lately he seems to have toned it down well fed is starting to show more emotion.

 

[saram]

uh, maybe we're watching two different players, but I find that rafa shows a lot of emotion. What do you call all that fist pumping, yelling vamos, that he does most of the time? He is very intense on court, and I think it shows. I guess lately he seems to have toned it down well fed is starting to show more emotion.

What I mean is that he shakes off bad calls, missed shots, etc. and just gets right back to the service line and attacks and attacks. Roger seems to be slightly more annoyed with everything than before.

I'll never deny that Rafa doesn't come with his game face on and positive emotion for five hours straight if needed.

 

[OddJack]

Nadal is a silent actor. Every sort of emotion shows on his face, but this is as far as it goes. He's mentally very strong and this is where his fan can learn from him the most, if anything.

 

[dwhiteside]

You mentioned Robot. Nadal is the closest thing to a robot. But even robots burn fuses. So yeah, it can happen to him and it will.

Nadal is a silent actor. Every sort of emotion shows on his face, but this is as far as it goes. He's mentally very strong and this is where his fan can learn from him the most, if anything.

Since when do robots show every emotion on their face and get as excited during certain points as Nadal does with his whole fistpump+knee/lionroar routine? If he's a robot, he's an extremely revved up robot coursing with vital energy and stamina. Toni Nadal may "control him" off-court, but Toni isn't allowed to talk to him during playtime and I'm pretty sure he isn't telepathically sending messages to him, so that type of control can only go so far. When Nadal is on court he's alone. No Toni to tell him what to do in immediate real time.

 

[icedevil0289]

What I mean is that he shakes off bad calls, missed shots, etc. and just gets right back to the service line and attacks and attacks. Roger seems to be slightly more annoyed with everything than before.

I'll never deny that Rafa doesn't come with his game face on and positive emotion for five hours straight if needed.

okay, yeah I agree with you there. Roger does seem to get frustrated more easily.

 

[OddJack]

Since when do robots show every emotion on their face and get as excited during certain points as Nadal does with his whole fistpump+knee/lionroar routine? If he's a robot, he's an extremely revved up robot coursing with vital energy and stamina. Toni Nadal may "control him" off-court, but Toni isn't allowed to talk to him during playtime and I'm pretty sure he isn't telepathically sending messages to him, so that type of control can only go so far. When Nadal is on court he's alone. No Toni to tell him what to do in immediate real time.

I said closest thing to a robot and since you asked some robots nowadays are made to show emotions also.
And they dont need telepathic skills. Didnt you watch verdasco match, ask the umpire how they communicated after he lost the first set.

 

[miyagi]

I dont think Nadal is suceptible to too much pressure....I think it helps that people constantly underate him....plus I think he is so grounded that he even suprises himself with his accomplishments....
He alledgely was under a lot of pressure last year at RG and he destroyed everyone in his path...
Plus I read that Nadal said he feels less pressure now that he is #1.

 

[Messarger]

Nadal is great at handling pressure. The thing is, he always sees himself as an underdog whether he's 100th or 1st in the world. I doubt he'll the USOpen thing affect him, even if he doesnt win it in his career. Remember, he just wants to improve.

 

[thejoe]

Nadal is so strong mentally, I can't see it happening. He is a fighter, and loves being the underdog. He is great at convincing himself he is the underdog, even when now, he is clearly not.

 

[raiden031]

I disagree that Fed can't handle the pressure of retaining #1, breaking slam records, etc. If it wasn't for Nadal, Fed would have had no problem winning 2 calendar slams and easily beating Pete's record.

I think the only real pressure facing Fed is in the form of a butt-picking spaniard. The thought of facing Nadal in a final really breaks him down mentally.

Now as far as pressure facing Nadal, I have never been more impressed by his mental strength, and so I see the pressure he might face being a non-issue. If Fed can dominate so much and break down only when facing Nadal, then nothing will bother Nadal.

 

[Giggs The Red Devil]

Wait till he starts dating supermodels and buys 10 Ferraris. Then we’ll see how the pressure gets to him.

 

[OddJack]

Wait till he starts dating supermodels and buys 10 Ferraris. Then we’ll see how the pressure gets to him.

Yeah good point but it's not going to happen, not till toni is around. He's the one who decides.

 

[jukka1970]

For the most part good threads overall, most had no snide comments. I have to agree that it seems like Nadal's mental strength seems to be rock solid. But has he really be under the same pressures that await him now.

Someone mentioned the French Open, and I have to agree that there certainly was pressure on him to keep winning. But you have to admit, that until Wimbledon of that year, all of Nadal's strength came on Clay. Now he's taken Wimbledon (grass) and Australian Open (hard), and I think that really changes everything.

Now some may say, but since he won at Wimbledon (grass) that he should have been under more pressure at the Australian Open. And my answer for that is, I'd have to say no, because he didn't win the US Open and Federer did, so it wasn't until Nadal won at the Australian Open that everything changed pressure wise.

Jukka

 

[bladepdb]

Now some may say, but since he won at Wimbledon (grass) that he should have been under more pressure at the Australian Open. And my answer for that is, I'd have to say no, because he didn't win the US Open and Federer did, so it wasn't until Nadal won at the Australian Open that everything changed pressure wise.

Jukka

I agree that this is exactly likely to be the case for this year's USO. But at the same time, the pressure will once again be lifted off Nadal if (and this is a big if) Djokovic, Murray, and even Federer have decent results leading up to the USO. If Murray and Djokovic are in good form, and knowing that they have both hit the finals at USO without any issues/injuries, they will be heavier favorites. Fed obviously is already a heavy favorite at USO.

Now I'm not saying because Murray, Djoko, and Fed will be heavy favorites means they will be the best contenders for the title. Obviuosly we saw that at AO with Murray's shock early defeat and Djoko's fitness issues. However, by them being heavier favorites going into the tournament, Nadal will feel less pressure.

At the end of the day though I just cannot help but marvel at Nadal's ability to cope with pressure. That game where he was 0-40 down in the middle of the 3rd set against Fed at AO and he came back to take the game was just in my eyes the greatest display of mental strength under pressure ever. I mean what was so tremendous about it was Nadal did not start playing safe...instead he continued his usual relentless attack, and that is something that is next to impossible to do for anyone that lets it get in their mind that they might be down a break and about to lose a set.

I think Nadal is just so much more resilient mentally than any other player on the tour right now that the prospect of a career slam or even a potential Grand Slam will not get to him. He will deliver his same level of tennis no matter what, win or lose, and for me, that is a better display of his potential than his talent alone, and obviuosly what has gotten him to where he is today.

PS: Nadal is quite sweaty for a robot. Not to mention if anyone saw him toss a petal in the air that flew by during the Verdasco match wishing that he could win the match...hm, that's quite robotic. [/end sarcasm]