WTF: Whipped
Photo by REUTERS/Toby Melville
Rafa/Roger in a Round Robin match when neither of them is ranked #1. That’s a first and the match was looked forward to with much anticipation. Sadly, it did not live up to expectations as Federer blew Rafa off the court. His play was perfect; Rafa’s was loopy, short and defensive. Federer wins 6-3, 6-0.
Stats:
| Nadal | Federer | |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics on Serve | ||
| Aces | 1 | 6 |
| Double Faults | 0 | 1 |
| 1st Serve % | 73% | 68% |
| 1st Serve Points Won | 14/30 (47%) | 23/27 (85%) |
| 2nd Serve Points Won | 5/11 (45%) | 9/13 (69%) |
| Break Points Saved | 2/6 (33%) | 0/0 (%) |
| Service Games Played | 7 | 8 |
| Statistics on Return | ||
| 1st Return Points Won | 4/27 (15%) | 16/30 (53%) |
| Second Return Points Won | 4/13 (31%) | 6/11 (55%) |
| Break Points Won | 0/0 (%) | 4/6 (67%) |
| Return Games Played | 8 | 7 |
| Statistics on Points | ||
| Total Service Points Won | 19/41 (46%) | 32/40 (80%) |
| Total Return Points Won | 8/40 (20%) | 22/41 (54%) |
| Total Points Won | 27/81 (33%) | 54/81 (67%) |
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I guess its because Rafa has spoiled us over the years.. *sobs* and to watch him like this year without fighting like we know him is hard really hard, its his warrior like ways that made me fall in love with his tennis, he has been a part not to mention a winner of so many classic matches and I don’t want to see that change not yet!
Wow, lots of strong opinions and feelings here! Let me add mine: That was painful, but let’s not give it undue meaning. Rafa clearly did not go into that match 100%. Even if he had, it would have been almost impossible to beat Roger playing the way he did. I AM worried about where Rafa’s head is at and how defensively and short he’s been playing lately, and I’m writing off 2011 as not his best year, BUT I am not writing HIM off! Sure, he seems a little burned out (and bummed out) this season, but injuries/illness permitting I see him helping Spain to a great victory over Argentina in DC, ending the year on a high, and starting 2012 with more resolve and confidence. 2012 WILL be a better year… I just know it. He always plays better in even years! ;-)
I think some you guys need to know, that Rafa has been bageled by Fed before this match. On clay no less(Hamburg 07).
He’s been called clueless on a hardcourt before: Tsonga AO ’08, Nalby Madrid/Paris ’07 come to mind immediately.
He probably lost all those matches in about an hour or so.
What happened since then? He’s won 7 Grand Slams and a bunch of other big wins.
So in summary: NO BIG DEAL. Happens. Move on.
I’m with you ! And Rafa said in press conference he will keep fighting! He never gives up, his hard works will be rewarded sooner or later !
I think, there’s not much to be said or judged, before we have seen the Tsonga match. If Rafa was not feeling 100%, he might just have decided, not to go all out for it, and even if he had, he would probably have lost anyway. If he really has a bum shoulder, he should go out gracefully against Tsonga and let the indoor experts fight for the trophy.
As to perspectives: Miami, anyone? Wasn’t there a semi against Roger? Remember the score line? After that match Fed was considered old and doomed, lol!
Having said that, Rafa really needs someone to work on his psyche; and I’m not sure, that Toni is very good at this. Did he really say, Rafa’s best times are over? That might be true, but even at his second best he can still do a lot of damage. Someone has to give him back his illusions, and I mean here the English meaning of the word.
Does Uncle Tony wants to have Rafa to have another 2 or 3 years great tennis ? if yes which i am sure it is first he has to stop to use this reverse psychology anymore.Rafa is no child he is very clever man.If Rafa is hungy for more success with the right approach to the game i still believe he is cabaple of playing some high qality tennis for 2 or 3 more years.
Yes, I agree with you here. Positive thinking always means, to look at the world through glasses with just a hint of rosy tint. Fed for example is very good at it. For someone as sensitive as Rafa it’s very contraproductive to get confronted constantly with this kind of reverse psychology, as you call it. Someone as close to him as Toni, has to believe in him.
well said, emir. But not sure Toni is capable of changing his ways regarding his nephew…or whether Rafa would even want him to change.
Thankfully 2011 season is almost over. Remember folks that Rafa felt he had a very good season. 3 slam finals, one win and a slew of MS finals. I don’t think Nole can repeat the same season next year which will open the door for Rafa to come charging back.
Just got home and saw the results. Of course this seems a harsh loss but I do not believe Rafa is “over” by any stretch. He is in 2nd place, had a more successful year than any other player except ND and has outperformed Fed on all surfaces this year. This is his least favorite arena and his focus must be a bit split between WTF and DC (even though he always says one match at a time). Furthermore he had/has a stupid stomach bug to contend with. So I am choosing to believe he still has the body, brains and heart to play awesome tennis!
I expected a defeat tonight but not such a terrible one. It must hurt him a lot. Something is definitely wrong, Rafa was completely out of sorts in a way I have rarely seen him. Here are my thoughts:
-If Rafa’s performance tonight is due to bad food or a tummy bug, well it happens to the best of families and it’s another stroke of bad luck. Rafa will accept it and move on. No need to worry.
-If the stomach is not to be blamed, then it has to be mental. Had it been just the AO injury Rafa would have moved on, but then he started losing to Djokovic (on clay as well), he became ill again, even burned his fingers and all that hurt him mentally more than it did physically.
- Although I’ve never believed that the reason Rafa hasn’t quite found his game this year (which has still been a good year) was the virus he got in Doha, IF this is the case and it is indeed a recurrent health issue that causes him to sweat, be vulnerable and catch all sorts of viruses, then for God’s sake aren’t there any doctors in Mallorca? I’m sure they would have figured out what the problem is had they been consulted.
-It could also be a combination of all or some of the above.
I disagree with comments that Roger was sublime and that Rafa didn’t play that bad. I think Roger played very well against a non existent Rafa and that Rafa played very very badly. His performance really worries me not because of one ugly loss to Roger but because looking at the greater picture I think Rafa needs to shape up and find that belief, that fighting spirit that makes his eyes shine whenever he enters a tennis court. Sorry for being so… poetic but I think Rafa has lost that flame deep inside and unless he gets it back he will never ever be the same again. Virus or no virus, what Rafa needs is to feel better mentally.
Something else to think about: Fed is 4-0 against Rafa indoors. It’s the only slice of stats between the two (surface/condition-wise) where Fed clearly dominates. Yes, this was the worst of those defeats, but I do think it, once again, points out how much of an uphill battle indoors is for Rafa. Rafa only got 2 more games against Fed in Shanghai in 2007 than he did today. (Oh, and Fed has bageled Rafa before. Even on clay.)
So. That’s the tennis.
miri, as far as the stats go, you are absolutely right. Also this RR thing is not his cup of tea, since he can’t play himself into form. I mean, there is no other tourny, where you have to face a rested Roger on his favorite surface on day one or day two. At least not, when you are top ten. And, as I said above, Roger has been on the receiving end of a beatdown in Miami.
But still, there seems to be something very wrong mentally at the moment, and that IS worrysome, because it can’t be fought by working harder and harder. To me it looks almost like some kind of stagefright Yes, even old hands develope it, because they know only too well about allthe things, which can go wrong. We will know more after Thursday’s match, because normally a healthy Rafa has a decent chance against Tsonga, even indoors.
Agree about a weird lack of confidence leading to extreme nerves. It’s something that’s always waned too easily in Rafa and I’ve never understood that. But maybe that’s what makes him a nice guy off the court? And is why he’ll never say some of the snarky things other players do? I dunno. I just hope he can get over it and find his fierce tennis face again. He had it in the DC semis…
Oh yes, that is the reason, he has always fascinated me more than Roger or any other players. Journo’s always repeat this nonsense about him being absolutely fearless oncourt. I think, it is the other way round: He became very good in conquering all his fears.And that I admire. But it might get harder and harder for him to do so,especially, when his body gets more injury prone.
The DC might indeed be a great medicine, since I don’t see him cave in like that, when he is at home on clay with his friends and plays for his country. If he is more or less healthy, that is.
Once again I totally agree with you atennisfan, I pretty much mentioned the same in my post above and in the past. Mental strength is basically what brought Rafa where he is. I hope it isn’t what brings him down. I also worry about his mental issues at the moment because this has gone far enough. Indeed it can’t be fought by working harder and harder but perhaps the weaknesses leading to losses that wear you down mentally can be.
Didnt watch the match but read all the comments, mostly depressing comments. I hope that people don’t stop supporting Rafa even if he’s really in decline (I still think he has it in him to win more Slams; he just got re-find his tennis being). Well, just didnt expect Rafa to shine at WTF, especially after news of that salmon. He’s back from a break, no doubt carrying a deal of rustiness and to just play amongst the top players without a period for peaking, it’s just tough. And Fed, no matter his age, is always a hell of a player. Well, so what if Rafa can never conquer the WTF? No big deal for me as long as he keeps retaining his RG crown or as long as he keeps playing. Yeah it’s tough to see Rafa being beaten or playing like he’s without fight but I’ll still hang in there with the man. Simply cos he’s the one who brought me back into tennis after Agassi and there’ll be no other player like Rafa. And when he hangs up his racquet for good, I’ll thank him for the most wonderful journey. I just hope he doesn’t hang up that Babolat anytime soon though. Vamos Rafa!
it was a bad game and a bad loss at that
so is rafa out of barclays? does he still have a chance to enter the semis if he wins vs tsonga?
the way i see it, if he does go to the semis he’s most likely to play the #1 on that bracket who i assume will be nole
i don’t think i can handle another rafa loss vs novak right now, it’s just too much for me to take
OhOh, bagelled…. I begin to think i’m lucky i could’nt watch tonight….
Dear Rafa, i know i sometimes give up on you in matches altough even if i do so deep down i always hope you still will find a way to turn it round…
There is one thing that i’ll never do tough and that is give up believing that after a not so good match (to youre own high standards) there will follow better ones, iff not the next, then soon!
A lot off comments here on youre game at the moment are spot on…. Still, i simply just know that you will win again and i will wait paitently untill that day! VAMOS!
It was nice to see Roger say very good things about Rafa in his post-match interview,and be so gracious.
Well, of course Rafa has more Slams to win and he will get the opportunity. I think he needs a woman’s touch (point of view) as a tennis coach. Can somebody please call Martina Navratilova & see if she is still available? Someone to be hard on him, but still show him that he’s the man & he’s got it in him to get the job done (I’m so talking about tennis here now guys)! Hey the women players have men coaches so why not vice versa? I’m just thinking outside the box here. I’m sure Toni would feel let down, but just maybe, it would be a sigh of relief for him to be able to concentrate on his own family & get to spend more time w/them. I see it as a win/win situation.
I am fed up with all these loses. The match began and ended so fast that I couldn’t even understand what had happened. There was no Rafa on the court, he was pale and sweating way too much again which indicates he is really definetely ill. But if he is he should have withdrawn instead of playing like this. BTW I haven’t seen Rafa this bad for ages, 2009 us open loss against Del Potro comes to mind but even it was better than this ugly one. I don’t know about his chances for semis but what I believe is sooner he returns to Mallorca better he plays at the DC.
Stupid question here Miri, but are Margot & June the same person as their Avatar is very similar, in fact exactly the same purple color w/stars as I keep looking at it & it’s not me that’s for sure. Very strange indeed!
Yes. Both have the same email address
Well, this is confusing to me, since I only comment once on here w/Rafa’s photo. I chose my own Gravatar & you pick the others yourself. WTF indeed!
If someone hasn’t picked their own avatar, the site automatically generates one for them based on their email address. This is why Margot and the other June have matching avatars – they are using the same email address in the comment form.
June asked this question? Eep, my brain exploded again!!
A different June. Confusing, no?
What you talkin about?
This comment was meant for you, not miri (“What you talkin about?”)!
so now I think I see how this is playing out on here
you maybe the only one.
Gee, couldn’t one of you be old June and the other new June? It’s really such a mix up!
Personally, I’m not going to get worked up about last night’s match. Rafa didn’t play badly, because he didn’t have a chance to play at all. No-one could have got passed Fed in that form. Coupled with the fact that he can’t have recovered properly from his stomach problems in such a short space of time I’m glad he went out there at all knowing that he probably wasn’t going to come back victorious.
He said he did his best (which he always does) and that’s fine by me. That’s all I ask of him. The fact that Fed is making such a come back after a dubious season gives me great hope that Rafa can do exactly the same next season. Rafa will get nothing but support from me!!
when I was a youngster, I always remember the late Dan Maskell (Wimbledon commentator of old) saying that skill, passion and belief made up a professional player’s game and that the belief part was about 50%; he was so right. Rafa used to have belief in spades – there wasn’t a player on the circuit that he didn’t believe he could beat. But it seems to me that this year he has temporarily mislaid his belief in himself and that is translating into a whole range of counterproductive strategies and errors on court. Of course he wants to win; we all know Rafa doesn’t like to lose. We all know he wants to improve his game; that is his single most important driver. But does he *really* believe he can consistently beat Murray and Federer and Djokovic and the rest? I don’t think so. Yes, he came back from a bad 2009 to a brilliant 2010 – but his injuries were physical, not mental – and he never lost his fire. This year has been successful despite a range of niggling injuries and illnesses – but the major thing missing in Rafa’s game is his self-belief.
The start of the 2012 season is not so faraway; can Rafa really change his whole mind set over 6 weeks and come back fit, fired and fighting? I don’t think so – yet expectations for such a change will be extremely high. Don’t get me wrong; I would love it if Rafa could – and if ever there was a player who could do it, it would be Rafa. But I think its a very big ask.
Well said. Mental issues are much harder to deal with than physical ones and that worries me a lot as well. And although he’s still had a good year, we’re not happy with what he’s achieved. Why? Not because we expect more but because having followed Rafa all those years we feel that what’s missing is that self-belief. I sometimes wonder whether I’d feel better if he’d had less success in absolute terms but his heart was in it.
And yes, it’s a very big task but my hope is that he’s come back before so he knows he can do it.
“Is not the moment to say good bye,” said Nadal. “Is not the moment to go down; is the moment to keep fighting. I’m still in the tournament. I still have the chance to be in the semi-finals because if I win the next match I will be in semi-finals. So it’s the moment to keep fighting with positive attitude and is the moment to accept when [Federer] plays like this he is better than me.”
My alarm didn’t go off, so i didn’t get up and watch this match.
I like it when my alarm is kind to me like that!
Best wishes for your next match Rafa!
To those writing negatively please try and keep positive. Rafa is not in decline, he has just had a very long season and is very very tired. I will always be a Rafafan because he was my inspiration to start watching and enjoying tennis once again after Pete Sampras retired. I had no love for the sport at all until I saw Rafa for the first time in 2005 just before he won Roland Gaross :-)Great champions always come back to suprise and that is what Rafa will do in 2012. He has had a very positive season which will be the springboard for an even better 2012 :-)True fanship is all about riding the wave good or bad and as this tournament has never been one Rafa fully enjoys I can understand why it is so difficult for him to play his best tennis. Keep the faith :-)
I agree 100% Mel
Vamossssss always and forever
Rafa said in his interview with Sky Sports before going on court that his stomach was bad and so was his shoulder and that he was focusing on his match with Jo-Willy and more or less writing off his match with Roge. I don’t think he was there mentally and it must have been very disappointing for his many fans. I think he is trying to do as little as possible to make it to the semis in a relatively fit state, but I also think he has DC final in his head and that’s where his priorities are at the minute. Sad for everyone who paid a lot of money to see him at O2, I think he could at least have put up a bit of a fight or simply gone home like Andy Murray! (I know a lot of you will be upset with my last comment!!! Sorry!!)
I for one am glad that you reported this – as it certainly is/was consistent with the way Rafa played against Fed. He just wasn’t in the game and I had forgotten about the pre toruney shoulder injury reports – coz something was clearly bothering him/putting him off on serve and on his usually lethal forehand . Of course his general execution, footwork, fight, defense, anticipation…u name it…wasn’t there either! . I’m sure we fans don’t have to say it – he knows it too..and as you suggest maybe it was part of a general strategy to hold back. . .
SO lets hope he does bounce back energy and fitness wise for the match against Tsonga. I LOVE watching those two guys play when they are both on top of their game. As for DC, yes its there on the horizon, but teamwise – and rafa is a superb team player – he’ll be feeling great about Ferrer’s victory today. Hopefully that will give him a leg up for energy in the Tsonga match.
Are you watching the Tsonga match tomorrow? If so I’d like to hear your courtside observations again…no matter how the match turns out. Its impossible to tell from 10000km away (new zealand) on a small screen the sort of body language cues that you will get at courtside, so I do appreciate hearing these observations from all who are there. I hope that the stomach / shoulder stuff disappears for him before he plays Tsonga …but thinking realistically now, maybe it won’t. Personally I’m not worried about rafa at all – he’s had an up and down year in regard to ailments and health , has had to face huge emotional and self confidence problems dealing with djoko’s dominance this year and his own slips into “ordinaryness”, and is…well still RAFA! He’s a fighter, a good strategist, and health willing has many more years of great games to give us.
Having just watched djokovich lose to ferrer in a similar match to the rafa federer match one wonders what common ailment is affecting #1 and #2 players in the world. I mean Ferrer played exceptionally well….but djoko certainly didn’t – his precision , pace and court movement was way off his usual standard….just like rafa’s effort yesterday against fed.Hmmmm
Waxing philosophical…or strategic….can you blame rafa or any top professional sportsperson or team for that – adjusting his style of play to accommodate his current physical state? Well personally I don’t think “blame” is the right term in a round robin type tournament where there is a next game in a longer sequence of games (think Tour de France) , unlike the typical winner take all tennis tournaments where there is no next game if you lose even once. In professional sport at the top level it seems to me that if you’re body (and mind) is not peaking when your opponent’s is in this kind of tournament then chances are stacked against you so giving it your all in a game you expect to lose because of current body condition/health (not because in general you are not “good enough”) – And when you get to the very elite, which is what this tournament is about, ranking numbers go out the window IF one player has even the slightest physical ailments – or just a proverbial “bad day” waking up! My god I seem to have so many of those that I wonder how these guys can keep up their energy and enthusiasm levels day in and day out! .
Just watched Ferrer/Djokovich match. Who could have guessed that Nole was in decline as well. Maybe they can hang up their racquets together and spend their days reminiscing on the beaches of Majorca and Monte Carlo.
Well done Ferru,
Now go and have dinner or a play station date with Rafa, and explain him exactly how you did it, lol!
Suddenly there are whole new possibilities: If Rafa somehow manages to beat Tsonga, there is probably no DJoker looming in the semis, but his buddy Daveed. Against him I would not mind a loss so much. Maybe Rafa is a little more inspired now since Nole cannot be group winner anymore. And honestly in Rafa’s current shape of mind I would not trust him to beat a one legged Djoker.
think if rafa beats tsonga he will be 2nd in his group so will play ferrer in semi and roger will play nole or berdych. He may get to the finals after all. Every cloud has a silver lining,perhaps.
Ferrer is not a shoe-in to win his group. Hell, there’s even a scenario where Berdych could win the group.
Yeah you see what a effort David out up there and did what nadal has been unable to do whole season and you see when you keep playing like that you have a great chance of beating him but unfortunately nadal forehand sets up Nole backhand but in case of ferrer He chased each and every ball to force some errors and at precisely right moment he played aggressive so congrats to him and I hope by this means Nadal could pick up some encouragement cause after all they are country mates
Hey all, a little late to post but hell, had to! I’m working at this event and can say in practice sessions, Rafa hasn’t looked happy. I know he’s never smiling as such when hitting, but he just looked perma-frustrated with the sessions since Sunday. Fish wasn’t strong enough to nail him really, but Fed was on fire and has been very smooth and calm throughout.
In particular, finding his range and not falling short hasn’t been good. He’ll bounce back, it’s one result- it was just such a shock the way the match panned out.
For those of you who think Rafa’s loss to Federer means Rafa is in decline, does that mean Djokovic’s humiliating lopsided loss to Ferrer mean that Djokovic is in decline? At least Rafa lost to the defending champion (Federer) on Federer’s favorite conditions (indoor hard courts). Indoor hard courts are also Rafa’s least favorite conditions. Djokovic’s favorite surface is hard courts, and he still got demolished by Ferrer (Ferrer’s favorite surface is clay). Rafa didn’t play great against Federer, but Djokovic’s performance against Ferrer was even worse. Djokovic made 33 unforced errors, compared to 7 unforced errors from Rafa.
I attribute Rafa’s so-so performance (against Federer) to rust (This is his first tournament since mid-October). Rafa is prioritizing 2012 over the WTF, which explains his struggles at WTF. Even if Rafa loses his next match to Tsonga, that doesn’t necessarily mean Rafa is in decline. Tsonga is a dangerous player who has easily beaten Rafa before (in Australian Open).
Rafa needs to take complete rest for two months.Then he should start practising step by step.Improve 1) stamina minimum capacity to be able to play for 4 1/2 hours-these days he is spent by the time of 2nd set,that is why so many 6-0 losses 2 )service with emphasis on placement 3 )Length of ground strokes-should be nearer to the lines 4 )back hand- improve power/placement/length 5) run the opponent from side to side in first two sets-no point repeatedly hitting in one direction. concentrate to win french open first-leave others. if he does not pay heed to the above he will drop down to 11th rank or much more.