Rhythm overrun
Photo by REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen
Rafa met world #3 Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters. These guys have had some tight matches this year and we were all hoping for another exciting one today. It started out looking like it was going that way, then cyborg Nole showed up and wiped the court with Rafa. It’s not like Rafa was playing bad; Nole was on fire. He was seeing the ball well and anticipating all Rafa’s shots. Rafa’s Paris tournament is over as he loses: 2-6, 3-6. Onward to London.
Stats:
| Nadal | Djokovic | |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics on Serve | ||
| Aces | 4 | 4 |
| Double Faults | 2 | 4 |
| 1st Serve % | 66% | 58% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 14/25 (56%) | 24/29 (83%) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 6/13 (46%) | 13/21 (62%) |
| Break Points Saved | 0/3 (0%) | 0/0 (%) |
| Service Games Played | 8 | 9 |
| Statistics on Return | ||
| 1st Return Points Won | 5/29 (17%) | 11/25 (44%) |
| Second Return Points Won | 8/21 (17%) | 7/13 (54%) |
| Break Points Won | 0/0 (%) | 3/3 (100%) |
| Return Games Played | 9 | 8 |
| Statistics on Points | ||
| Total Service Points Won | 20/38 (53%) | 37/50 (74%) |
| Total Return Points Won | 13/50 (26%) | 18/38 (47%) |
| Total Points Won | 33/88 (38%) | 55/88 (63%) |
| Winners | 13 | 31 |
| Unforced errors | 8 | 14 |
| Net Approaches | 3/5 (60%) | 11/18 (61%) |
As it happened blatherings:
Okay, I’m awake. Really I am.
Nole in the hallway waiting on an ever late Rafa.
Mo’s in the chair!
Rafa won the toss and will receive.
Nole does a dropper on the very first point…followed by a lob and a tweener from Rafa. It’s going to be one of those days! Beautiful backhand cross-court pass from Rafa! Double fault from Nole: 15-30. Uh, tennis gods? Why does my picture keep going black? Mo overrules a call that’s just in…Rafa looks at him like, dude! First game to Nole.
Rafa playing closer to the baseline that Nole – ahhh. Nole pulls Rafa into the net with a drop shot and then lives to regret it: 30-15. I’m so glad I’m not dependent on livescores today because according to it the match hasn’t started yet. Rafa holds.
Koenig warmed Rafa up? Why does that crack me up?
Blistering cross-court backhand from Nole! 30-15 Stress-free hold for Nole. 1-2 on serve.
Rafa works his way into the net and blocks a nice volley for a winner: 15-15. Two aces and an easy hold for Rafa: 2-2.
Wide serve, deep serve from Nole followed by a hard, deep shot to the other corner: 15-0. Weak second serve return from Rafa. Double fault from Nole. Ace.
Nole wins the first two points on Rafa’s next serve. Second serve. Double fault: 0-40. Nole only needs one as he breaks to go up 4-2.
Rafa sends a shot just wide. Serve and volley from Nole: 30-0. Rafa flings a return almost into the stands. Nole holds at love. Rafa to serve to stay in the set.
Nole totally dictating play. Serve goes way wide. Pushed far wide, Rafa nets a cross-court passing shot attempt. Triple set point for Nole. First set to Nole in just 32 minutes: 6-2.
Drop shot from Nole. Rafa tracks it down and hits it down the line for a winner: deuce. Way to hit the ball right back to him, Rafa. Game point, Nole. He holds to start set 2.
Second serve. Rafa nets an easy looking ball. Second serve. Nole tees off on the return and bosses the point until he hits a winner: 0-30. Second serve. Rafa almost on his knees trying to hit one ball. Triple break point. Nole breaks at love. He’s won 23 of the last 29 points.
Longish rally ends with Nole netting a ball. Rafa sends a return long: 15-15. Another long ball from Rafa and it’s 30-15. Blistering forehand from Nole: 40-15. Another and Nole holds. He’s up 3-0.
Nole continues to fire at will: 0-15. Nole misses 2 returns in a row: 30-30. Second serve. Nole shanks a ball into the stands: 40-30. Rafa holds; praise be.
Double fault from Nole: 15-15. Again, he moves Rafa all around the court: 30-15. Another double fault: 30-30. Longish rally ends with Rafa pushed deep and wide and firing a defensive shot long: 40-30. Sadly, the double faults were the only points Rafa won in the game. Nole holds for 4-1.
Double fault. Rafa into the net and guesses right on the passing shot – blocks back a nice drop volley winner: 15-15. Nole into the net this time and he knocks off an angled cross-court volley that Rafa can’t track down: 30-30. Nole sends one ball into the net and one long. Rafa holds for 2-4.
Nole sends a shot just wide: 15-15. Nicely placed forehand winner for Rafa: 15-30. Second serve. Nole drop shot, down the line return, winning cross-court passing shot from Nole: 30-30. Nole turned his ankle a bit in that last point. Ace. Nole sends a smash just long – or did he. He challenges the call and it’s good. He holds for 5-2. Rafa to serve to stay in the match.
Rafa’s only made 7 unforced errors and yet is still being dominated.
Nole drop shots; Rafa hits a cross-court winner. Second serve. Nole nets a ball: 30-0. Ace. Second serve. Nole sends Rafa left then right and then nets an attempted drop shot: Rafa holds.
Rafa gets a new racket out of his bag for a game he must win?
Nole barely manages to track down a passing shot for a winner. Rafa sends a shot long. Down the line passing shot from Rafa: 30-15. Rafa nets a return: double match point for Nole. Second serve. Nole wins: 6-2, 6-3.
Loading ...
Well…..
Just saw 2nd set and he realy didnt play bad but Nole was owning him today. It happens!
On to London.
Oh, it sounds ….
The channel that shows the tournament here was busy
with football matches, so I couldn’t see the match
even on the Internet, the channels were all busy
NOW, I thank them for this because it would’ve been unforgettable
sad day.
Good Luck RAFA
Novak was playing with the angels today. Rafa simply was with us on earth.
On to London … not a bad tournament … wish this had been the final though.
to be honest rafa didnt play that badly….i mean it was djokovic WHO WAS UNBELEIVEBLE….thats it everything he hits turns gold in this match…at the end of the day we have to accept that on this kind super fast hard court HIS GAME IS MORE NATURAL….
Yeah, I’m hoping Rafa will put it down to one of those freak days when a guy plays out of his mind so there’s no answer. He’s said that tennis is like scales, and if one player is brilliant then the other doesn’t have a chance. Koenig was saying it’s the best match the Djoker has played this year, and it’s on a hard court, which is his natural home. Rafa could’ve tweaked his tactics but overall he was pretty good – especially at the start before Nole caught fire. Horrible loss but some positives for London, I think.
VAMOS!!
Only 8 unforced errors by Rafa, so definitely not a bad match. Nole was on fire indeed.
Ah well, that’s the tennis, no?
Hopefully Rafa will bring his regained rhythm to London and will go all the way there.
Aaawww I’m glad I could come here to see a review of what happened. I just got home from a night out, turned on the tv hoping to see Rafa leading or at least at evens with Nole, and what do I get, 6-2 4-2 in progress! I was so deflated when I saw that and was wondering what happened to Rafa, but from the last three games that I saw, it didn’t seem like he was playing too badly, but Nole indeed looked in absolute top form. So, good to know from here that Rafa’s performance wasn’t as bad as the scoreline. Still sad he couldn’t take it all the way, but happy it’s Nole I guess. Hope he takes the title tomorrow. He’ll deserve it. As for Rafa, plenty good he can come away with, especially yesterday’s match v JW. Poor deary Rafa. It’s ok honey, slowly but surely you will get there. Like he said in his presser yesterday, he is there, all the time, since injury he’s been at semis, and as long as he keeps being there, eventually the win will come. Take it easy Rafa. You’ll get there when you’re ready, we believe in you!
Hope Nole wins the tournamt too. He’s one of the guys that i’m not so sore about if he’s the guy Rafa loses to.
The last three games weren’t representative of his level of play. I saw the match from the beginning. Rafa seemed to step it up a bit when he was 4-2 down in the second set. If one only sees the last games, it can be misleading. Had the match started at that point, Rafa would have had some chances of recovery cause Djokovic started being mortal again. But at that point it was too late to overturn the advantage Djokovic had gained.
Well, that was painful. I love Nole and he was playing really well, but what was up with Rafa? His face looked blank, and he wasn’t even trying to chase things down half the time. He made such a promising start (the first two points of the match were crackers!) but then just fizzled out… a few people have said he wasn’t playing badly, but he was hardly playing at all! – the stats make it look better than it was! (Am I being too harsh? Sorry, still hurting)! And it really didn’t help that the cameraman obviously fancied Novak’s girlfriend and kept throwing in shots of her celebrating his points. Grrrrr!
Confused, annoyed, and off to look at pretty pictures of Verdasco to cheer myself up and take my mind off Rafa B4 I try to go to sleep. :(
come rafaelite WHAT CAN HE CHASE those shots from nola were clearly winners….this is super fast court NOT CLAY i would like to remind you…..he definetly didnt played bad….yes novak doesnt have the GREAT career like rafa atleast for now BUT STILL he is more natural hard court player…..
The shots for Novak were complete winner coz Rafa put the ball back in the middle of the court straight at Novak! What else can we expect. U would think he would still at least try and race for them – since it was his fault in the first place handing it to Novak with a muted return ball all the time. I am still so miffed – Sorry x
Gotta say i prefer Xisca’s colm 2 Jelena’s active shoutg.
Ugh cheating on beautiful Rafa with strutting jelly head Tabasco?! Rafa’s way out of his class for looks and soul. Cheer up, he’s on his way back :-) (And no, he didn’t play badly)
You’re absolutely right – Rafa is beautiful (inside and out) and I’m utterly captivated by him! But I don’t want to soil him with dirty thoughts, so I lust for the show pony who clearly enjoys that sort of attention! My heart and mind (at least the tennis fan compartments) belong entirely to Rafa… Fer just appeals to all the other bits!
a Rafaelite – how could you! Tabasco instead of our Rafa. I don’t think CC sees it like that or all our Rafanatics. I am afraid we all lust after our Rafa at the same time as his tennis and all your naughty thoughts should be on Rafa. I am sure he won’t mind. Tabasco is OK – in as much am glad he got to 02 and in the DC but he is in no match to Rafa. U know what, I watched the last DC when Rafa and Tabasco were out injured and the Sky TV were focussed all the time on Rafa cheering or having some talking or very talking (disagreements? with Ferrer and Tabasco). Also from what I know about their history they are not the pally of pals. How could you have an affair with Tabasco! We Rafanatics are more in shock than this loss!!! xxx
I am perfectly fine with “soiling” anyone with dirty thoughts, be it Nando, Rafa or whoever else! Different strokes for different folks, no? :)
Er CC your loyalties lie with Rafa no?…. otherwise not true Rafa fan I think xx
Nando is crumpet, but Rafa has the entire package. Rafa also comes across far more intelligent in interview I think, even in the “Whot?” days. Nando should keep his pretty mouth closed.
“I prefer a man who points” ;-p
Are you all suggesting I can’t be a true and loyal Rafaelite without lusting after him all the time?! Surely you should all be pleased about a bit less competition…?! :D
Not me. It’s great that not everyone’s like me, because that would be pretty tiring. :)
Absolutely not. I too window shop else where. I would happily pinch the (less succulent) nether regions of Daveeed, Feli, Nando (see above comments as long as silence reigns), Tommy, and erm actually, possibly A-Rod in certain lights.
There is an Italian called Fognini floating around who scores high on the crumpetometer as well.
Emma OK we can all eye someone else yes Feli, Tabasco if he keepss keeps his trap shut and your right about hot Fognini (noticed him since April when he went to a long tie break with Andy Murray and he excites me every time I c his name). I know not in the same league as our Rafa in any stretch but he does have the most gorgeous eyes
I have a sneaking suspicion Foggy wears eyeliner. Nothing wrong with that of course, but it was diverting to try and decide for sure when Rafa marmalised him in the first round at…..Monte Carlo?? Or was it Rome? Too late and too lazy to go check.
Truly was battle of the crumpet, but guess who won?:)
This is my first time posting, but I feel like I need some friggin therapy with fellow Rafa fans:(
I totes agree about the stats being misleading. For me, the only 8 UFEs doesn’t mean it wasn’t a bad match. I’d have preferred a much larger UFE count, if it meant that he was going for it. Nole was playing ‘unbelievable’ but Rafa was letting him to some degree. I was scared how he said in his presser that there was nothing he could do against *this* Nole. Sure, Nole on hcourts is a tough matchup for Rafa, and he may well have lost anyway, but there was definitely a lot he could have done to keep it closer.
Poor Rafa *wishes could give him a huge hug*.
I just really feel like he’s got no confidence against the very best right now. He’s a rhythm player for sure, but ending each tourney with a huge loss means he can’t get any. He came into the tourney having practiced well. He did get a small amount of rhythm –there were visible ‘improves’ from the 1st to the 3rd round; and he said he’d taken confidence from the fact that it was his first big victory since coming back. But, he couldn’t sustain aggressive play when Nole was playing well.
I almost feel like he’s playing Nole/Delpo etc into huge form (like when his ‘unbelievable’ FO 08 domination gave him the confidence to start being more aggressive for longer periods on hcourts). Beating Rafa so easily means they are so confident against him, and don’t tighten up any to allow him to gain confidence within the match to play ‘his tennis’. Nole was tight and pissy hawt against the Sod, but he didn’t have any reason to be ‘nerviyous’ when trying to close it out against Rafa. In so many of their other matches, Rafa’s come back from an incredible start by Nole/being down breaks. This time, Rafa didn’t have the confidence to really pressure Nole, though (I kept hoping for a miraculous decision to take it to Nole like when he broke Gael back in the first set of the US Open). If Nole’d been unable to serve it out, I think that would have given Rafa huge confidence to try to play the match on his terms. (I flove Nole, and wouldn’t have wanted another Madrid nightmare for him. But I flove Rafa even more, and he really needed this one to at least be close).
He will turn it around, because he’s Rafa, but is so tough until he does, no? Am frazzling beyond belief about the WTFs now.
I completely agree with you. Yes Nole was playing out of his boots, but I felt Rafa just sat there and let it happen. Wasn’t Federer playing out of his boots at Wimbledon last year, and Nando at the Aussie Open, but Rafa did not just lie down and let it wash over him.
I think it’s like he has a block against the best players at the moment, and it has to go down to confidence?? He only really started to pull it together when he was 4-2 down, and I felt a surge of hope that the old Rafa would come flying back, but nowadays that’s just too late.
I think he is going to get murdered in London – God Almighty imagine him playing Federer at the moment. Sorry to be so miserable and negative, but feel really, really upset about it for some reason. Why is tennis so emotionally draining?
Emma – am just trawling down Miri’s site with the new posts and came across yours. Yes I am so emotionally drained too. Just saw the Djok Monfils match and what a final! it was about to go the same way but Monfils put up a match and “took it to Djok” and then when Djok got nervous anything could have happened. Our Rafa was nowhere near that and OK Djok played brill yesterday, Rafa LET HIM – let’s be honest since the FO and at the FO the problem with our beautiful Rafa was he just plays the ball back in the middle of the court, top spin to get whacked – I think his return more than anything else is the problem – in fact everything needs 100% improvement. Mayb there is more going on again than we realise. OK the excuse of the fast courts etc etc and can’t change your game too much but heah, he didn’t change it at all and there was no fight there. Sorry but our Rafa would normally be chasing balls all round the court. I think the only thing he has in his mind is DC to win and he has to do these tournaments for obligation reasons. If you look at the interviews he has done, you will see why that DC comes first b4 anything else and I bet that is why he doesn’t wanna chase the balls coz he wants to be healthy and fit -not inhured or a deja vu like last year again
I’m not sure I can subscribe to that argument of him being entirely focused on the DC. I think this so much out of character for him. But I agree with you he had it coming the way he played. Doing this for obligation reasons when his mind and heart are not in it makes him lose all mental edge he once had over his opponents. Doesn’t he know that? Being in a tournament without the will to take it to the end just doesn’t seem like him, plus it harms his confidence which is so important for him to step it up a little so it’s a vicious circle! I really don’t get this. Unless he’s decided to go the Federer or Serena way, meaning he will focus more on the big events which actually count more and won’t risk burning out before those. But he should be doing that only after he’s gained some momentum and is in total control of his game.
Nole on hardcourt, with momentum fm Basel, was always a dangerous propositn. He really was on fire, like del po at the Us o. I’m proud that Rafa got 2 the semis & fought hard at every round. He startd off well but Nole found the rhythm b4 we did. Rafa wil learn fm it. Next challenge lies across the channel. Luv seeing Vintage Rafa makg his wonderful return.
I do think Rafa hit too much down the middle of the court and didn’t try and boss points around enough, but I also think he didn’t feel he had much of a chance to do that. A few times he tried to step in an take the ball early, Nole hit deep shots that Rafa had to practically kneel on the court to get.
He did seem to try the ball earlier when returng serve, not 3-4 m behind the baseline.
miri,
Thanks a million for the match description (couldn’t see it – work). That’s pretty much what was to be expected for this match. Djokovic needed to be in the Paris-Bercy final while there was no way Nadal was to invest loads of energy and risk tampering with his body against a fired-up Djokovic.
I truly believe Nadal’s objective coming into the Paris-Bercy was to reach the semis, i.e., as always with him, to improve on last year’s results there last year (where he had to retire from his quarter because of a knee injury).
Also, Nadal owed one to Djokovic since that Friday night in London last summer where he had to go through a conference bit to officially withdraw from Wimbleton 2009. And, as I am sure you have also noticed over the years, Nadal always pays his dues. I don’t know if you saw it, but very late that Friday night in London, Nadal and his uncle left the Wimbleton site to return to their rental place. They were all by themselves (everyone had moved on to the Federed thing, obviously) except for two people : Djokovic, with whom Nadal and his uncle had spent the last hour talking quietly indoor – we could see thrm through the window – and a lady supporter who was waiting for Nadal by the gate to wish him well.
Lastly, I just want to repeat a point I have made earlier, but this is critical : there is absolutely no way Nadal will jeopardize his physical capacity to win the coming Davis Cup final for Spain. Absolutely no way ! Nadal is first and foremost a Spaniard !
Hence, he has been restraining himself, against nature, and working very hard at it, NOT to do what he did, and so totally unreasonably so, for three months after the 2009 Australian Open, fight for every point, regardless of the physical energy spent, the worsening of an already alarming medical state of affairs, and the beginning of a new physical problem (abdos).
I do understand there were reasons for Nadal’s totally unreasonable “fuite en avant” after the 2009 Australian Open (both professional and private). But I am most relieved that he has finally learned to do things according to the overall plan he and his team have set for the remaining of the 2009 season !
Bottom line : BRAVISSIMO Nadal for your Paris-Bercy semi.
So, as far as I am concerned, bravo Nadal !
“I truly believe Nadal’s objective coming into the Paris-Bercy was to reach the semis…”
Sorry, I completely disagree. What’s the point for any sportsman at this level to take part if he/she is not there to win?
I’m with you CC, I don’t see how any athlete can start a match and doesn’t intend to win it. Otherwise there’s no reason to participate at all.
You can only say reaching the semis is a good result when you look back.
I agree that it is not a bad result at all, after all he lost to a confident Djokovic who’d just beaten Federer in Basel. But to say that Rafa actually didn’t try hard to go past the semis seems unlike him. How does trying to win Paris make him less fit to win the DC for Spain? Unless you mean he still has health issues. I really think it’s a confidence thing. To me it’s very obvious after the Tsonga and Djokovic matches.
I can c where your coming from and sort of agree to some extent but which I do not like! Rafa is all about winning not to choose his matches when he should go “all flat out” so am kinda shocked. But then again in his pressy hes said he made some mistakes that he will learn from. I hope it is not why I am seeing b4 my very eyes! – ie. not chasing balls down, fighting – coz it is important for another tournament. Bergo – that’s what your really saying isn’t it? and lets be honest having looked at Rafa’s pressy all he is interested is DC
I totally agree! it was tough for Rafa and Nole is playing with so much confidence right now he was unstoppable, but Rafa can take confidence from his straight sets win over Tsonga no?!
I have to sort of go with Rafaelite on this. Well, yes, Nole played out of his mind and definitely deserved to win in his own right. However, at the beginning – before they even left the hallway, Rafa was in the bathroom and Toni was waiting outside. I thought at the time that is not normal and was wondering if Rafa was not 100%. Then during the match I couldn’t decide if the colour on my TV was off or was Rafa really looking a bit pale. Great win for Nole, but I do think Rafa was not feeling 100% healthy….
This happens at about 90% of Rafa’s matches. It’s pretty much business as usual.
The lighting is horrid there and has been making everyone looking sickly all week. Combine that with the fact it’s indoor season and Rafa hasn’t been playing out in the sun much and I think his color looked fine.
he hit down the middle to take the angels away from nole….anyway nole really played SO WELL thats it….he can beat anybody byy playing like this….altough i also feel rafa hit too much to the backhandside if djoko WHICH is NOLES STRENGTH…..but i have to say these are details….i dont have the feeling that this little details could change the result NOLE ON THIS KIND OF FORM on a super fast court…..for rafa to have chance to beat nole he has to make him nervous like 4 all 5 all then nole can miss….but once you lose the set 6 1 like cincinatti WHICH I BELEIVE RAFA PLAYED BAD IN THAT MATCH unlike today it is diffucult….today he lost first set 62 then lost his service very early….you have to make nole nervous like 4 all 5 all he isnt the same player underpressure thats why he is still one slam wonderer….
We had a power black out here so didn’t get to see anything. Sounds like Nole owned the day & played some incredible tennis. Sorry for Rafa, this meant so much to him. But to lose to Nole is not really a bad defeat. Next time Rafa!
its sad to see rafa goes down in this easy fashion.
by referring to the stats here, rafa doesn’t seems to be playing badly and its seems to give me the info where nole are catching up, or i mean he already have went ahead of rafa.
i guess nole should already been ahead of rafa in their future meets, and he have improved so much especially on his durability.
not to forget others in the packs like cilic and monfils.
rafa really need to buck up and to improve his game further..
I also felt that rafa wasn’t himself. He didn’t have the look and emotion he had yesterday or last few games. We’ll wait and see what he says, but I felt he played a “good” game, but just wasn’t reaching for the points. Let’s hope London will see him to the finals and win!
This is not taking away any credit from Nole – he was FANTASTIC out there and deserves to win tomorrow.
All this tennis tension and my laundry and ironing are looking fantastic – feel like Agassi lol tho maybe less happy ;-) Actually, I’m ok: Rafa’s going in the right direction (in terms of both tennis and geography) and it’s a privilege to watch him fight his way out of the pit he was in over the summer.
He he! So it’s not just me who gets through a lot of ironing and baking when I can’t deal with the tension in matches!!!
OK guys – yes Novak played out of his mind but Rafa let him, played into his hands most of the time! So many many many short balls, yet again to the middle for Novak to just put away on the very fast court. Rafa had no game plan, except to try and tire Novak out and when he realised that wasn’t gonna work it was too late for him to try anything different. OK he may say didn’t have a chance but he could have mixed it up – be totally aggresive come to the net more.
I am very cross and disappointed with him. It looked like he was resigned to losing but he though Novak was playing so good at a good level he hadn’t seen before. So I agree with aRafaelite, Phyzzie and Miri. He ain’t gonna win the hard court service playing the clay court game relying on defense or hitting straight back to the opponent. I can’t remember once where he served out wide and came into the net as well.
I had high hopes for this but am left in tatters……………xx
PS: I had noticed anything wide for him he never chased any single balls down not like he used to. OK he ran for the drop shots but anything side to side he didn’t even attempt. OK it may have been too good but I didn’t even see him “try” – which I was rather taken aback by. Novak outfoxed him, outhit him, outthought him… don’t wanna go on. I couldn’t see anything positive about today
I agree. I am also disappointed because I expected him to be more confident after yesterday’s performance. It is true Djokovic was great today, but I thought Rafa was less present than yesterday and allowed him to take an early lead and escape pressure. I also agree with emir in that the way to beat Djokovic is to put pressure on him from the beginning, before he gets all flared up. I thought Rafa didn’t even challenge some points that he should have, because he became too subdued.
That said, I’ll try to be fair to him. We shouldn’t forget he lost to No3 in the world, who was in his top form ever and on his preferred surface. Djokovic has played more tournaments than Rafa this year, his rhythm is better and not interrupted by injuries. I think we rose our expectations cause we saw glimpses of old Rafa yesterday but it won’t come back like that, in one go. I only hope this doesn’t become a habit, meaning that he doesn’t have to start building his confidence from scratch at every tournament.
I noticed that too. What I also noticed is that the only easy point he won was when he served and volleyed. Immediately after that, he served a lot better for a while. So I guess it is really a matter of confidence. Had the match started at this point, I think he could have recovered and put up more of a fight.
we will see how will he do in london against top 8 guys….well i am not worried abaut rafas tennis….sometimes we FORGET the realities yes our guy is GREAT PLAYER but also a beateble player on HARD COURTS EVEN AT HIS BEST i have to say….if rafa cant cope with nole or the likes del po ON CLAY or even on grass THEN WE HAVE real problem in our hands…but this defeat rafa suffered form djoko wasnt any WORSE THAN he did suffer against nalbandian 07 paris final which was 60 64….our guy has real problem on hard courts against players who HAS GREAT BACKHAND THATS IT…
Imagine if the WTF was played on clay. Now that’s a different scenario. But not realistic, at least for the next 4(?) yrs.
“It’s not like Rafa was playing bad…”
Not sure I agree with you on that, miri. Compared to yesterday he didn’t seem to be taking many chances and he seemed reluctant to change throughout. I also thought he looked unfresh as hell.
Ah, I guess it’s just me sulking. :(
if some fans think he played bad thats why he lost IT ISNT UNREALISTIC but you can kid yourself….could he play a lot better of course yes…but today novak probably played the match of his life thats what i see….he is more natural hard courter than rafa ok maybe still he doesnt have the same GREATNESS compare to rafa career wise but that still dont change the reality that he is more natural hardcourter than rafa…
“if some fans think he played bad thats why he lost”
You mean that me shouting “Rafa, WTF are you doing you ugly, fat arsed Mallorcan…?!” influenced his game today? ;)
emir, I must agree with you. Djokovic was amazing … he anticipated every shot, he was flying … his speed on the court was terrific … Rafa was kept at the baseline … it was almost impossible for him to come up to the net. Rafa just didn’t have the same magic this time.
Guys, a Positive Aktitude quote fm Rafa to get us thru this loss:
“I finish the tournament playing much better than [how] I started [it].”
It’s the True.
It is the true, Atch2. However, looking at how Rafa played in that first match against Nico, it wasn’t exactly going to be difficult to finish playing better, no?
OK, I’m just being silly now… ;)
CCC – I have to agree with you. How an earth can he play so bad in that first match. I really think it is to do with practicing on the right courts. No point practicing at home and then coming here.
The courts determine how you play and Rafa you were rubbish 1st match, not quite as rubbish 2nd match, played much better third match but Tsonga kinda handed it to you and then you came up against a sublime Novak but you reverted to defence, not knowing what to do ssystem. And yeah he didn’t look fresh at all. Looked like he had been up all night sleepy in the match and finally got a wake up call at the end. Oh dear
I wouldn’t have a clue what it’s got to do with. I just get peed off when he loses. I can’t help it. :)
Becry court is not fast at all, emir! have you heard to the commentary yet?
Depends on who you listen to. Rafa said it was very fast and it’s his perception that counts when talking about his play, I think. I do think the ball is bouncing very low which also takes time away from Rafa’s strokes thanks to his extreme grip. He can’t get under the ball in time on his forehands.
Yes, the court keeps the ball very low, specially in the drop shots or heavy slice shots, but on the other hand, you can use the advantage of kick or twist serve as Rafa did with Tsonga. but I think the court is relatively slow with amazing low bounce, it’s fair no?
I was listening to Jason & Robbie & they mentioned that the hardcourt is built on wood base. They further explained that when the ball bounced it did not spring up like usual hard courts, but infact the bounce lessened due to the wooden base, hence less kick. Not a good surface at all for Rafa in this case.
I posted most of my thoughts in reply to comments above. I’d also like to say I think Rafa doesn’t realise that the fact that he’s a slow starter seems to put him in a difficult position when playing masters tournaments. Had this match had a third set Rafa would have woken up. Had he kept the pressure on Djokovic at the beginning, Djokovic would have lost focus at some point. He did put some pressure on Djokovic’s serve at some point in the second set and had that gone on for a while I think he would have turned the match around a bit. I’m not saying he would have won, but he would have upset Djokovic a bit more. The problem today was that he started playing in the end of the match the way he was playing since the very beginning of the match with Tsonga. I disagree that Tsonga handed it to him, I think he unnerved him by not allowing him to take a lead and actually reacting to whatever Tsonga was throwing at him. Yesterday it didn’t take him a set to react, it took him a couple of points. Boy I thought it was going to be 6-0 at some point in the second set. He improved in the end and I hope that counts for him.
Rafa would have probably lost this match even before his injuries. Djokovic had done his homework and could anticipate everything, especially since Rafa was quite predictable. Which I think the Rafa team should spend some time on as well.
very good posting from you…..yes rafas game too predictable sometimes and novak knows him so well……they have played more than 20 times….as i said before the key for rafa to win against novak to make him nervous just like queens last year and oliyimpics…but you have to start the match really well for that 4 all 5 all AND THEN we can see novak missing under pressure….but when it 62 30 IT IS TOO LATE…
It is too late when you’re facing Djokovic, who has also grown in mental toughness. I think that’s the way to beat any of the top 8 seeds who will be in London. It’s not that Rafa hasn’t had a good run to the end of the year, given the circumstances, it’s that we want him-I guess he wants that for himself as well-to be back to the level that allows him to beat or at least seriously upset a top player on any given day. Rafa behaved as if he knew he didn’t deserve it against Djokovic today. The way out of this is to get to someone’s head, cause when we’re talking top seeds we’re talking perfection, only different shades of it, or expressed in different ways. So the only way is to surprise, mix, put pressure, before the opponent starts building momentum. To engage in problem solving instead of accepting the opponent’s supremacy. That’s what I thought Rafa had found again in the Tsonga match. But it probably takes more time than we think after you’ve had hard times, like Rafa has.
What a let down after the Tsonga match. I love Rafa and will follow him for the rest of his careera but I don’t think he played to the level he did in the Tsonga match. He didn’t go after some balls that he usually would have. I really thought the match would be close and I was ready for a loss because Nole is such a great HC player. I would have felt good about the loss if I thought he played like he did on Friday.
Oh well. He says the loss won’t affect his confidence so I am glad to hear that. Onto London. *nervous*