Rome: The draw
Photo by Clive Brunskill/ Getty Images
The draw came out earlier today (sorry I’m tardy). Here it is in HTML and pdf formats. After a first round bye, Rafa will play the winner of a match between Raonic and F. Mayer. Tough start!
Seeds in Rafa’s quarter are F Lopez, Almagro, and Berdyc. Seeds in his half are Murray, Ferrer, Simon, and Gasquet. Seeds in the top half are Djokovic, Federer, Monaco (welcome back!), Del Potro, Tsonga, Monfils, Isner, and Tipsaravic.
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C’mon, Rafa won over Raonic 2 times on hard courts without losing a set. Raonic won’t be a problem. Rafa wants to prove he’s the best on red clay, I’m sure he’s going to win the tournment.
ı am not too worried about Rafa dropping to no 3.On the other hand it is still not nice because he allows it to happen.As much as he was right about this blue clay stuff he allows it to affect him TOO MUCH.I mean dont expect good things to happen when you are that much negative.Blue clay doesnt make you lose matches from double break up 5-2 ın the final.It is his head done it,and now someone like Fed NO 2 without even pushing it so hard.
I don’t believe he allowed it to happen. Not getting an injury was more important and rightly so. Do you risk losing one match or being out several months with an injury. There are 2 slams and an Olympics coming up which are more of a priority than a masters.
RAFA! Please Win This One? Just Relax, please Play Your Best Tennis! You Can and Will Win!!! Remember all your fans from all over the Globe are Cheering for You!!! Rafa, Rafa, Rafa! Goooooo!
Back to business and sorry to mention this but I need to know. Am I correct, Rafa needs to win Rome to be back at no2 going into RG?
So disappointed w Berdy. As usual it’s his mental dept dat failed him. But as some of u rightly put, Rafa has 2 beat Nole @ some pt so wot d heck even if he turned No. 3? I am not worried the least. Raonic is not up to the hype IMHO. He’s slow & kinda clumpsy (no disrespect) tho a huge server. Nadal will take Rome we’d better hv confidence in him.
For those of you who are disappointed that Berdych lost Madrid- Remember, Berdych is in Rafa’s quarter in Rome. If Berdych won Madrid, Berdych would be even more confident against Rafa in Rome (if Rafa reaches QF in Rome). So maybe it’s a good thing that Berdych lost in Madrid?
Rome s not Madrid. Slower conditions I think and Rafa will be more comfortable as he has won it many times.
Just seen on Facebook he is in Rome already practicing.
And, so by the way Milos just lost the first set against Mayer.
Mayer can be a tough customer – remember?
AND SO IT WILL NOT BE MILOS – ALL THE TALK AND FEARS ………
Is the Raonic-Mayer match over? Who won?
Raonic lost. Mayer beat Rafa 7-6(5), 6-3 when they played last year at the Shanghai Masters in R16.
I’m not saying this because Raonic lost, but on clay courts, I’d rather Rafa play him than Mayer. Mayer, when he’s on, is a brilliant, aggressive shot maker and can catch Rafa off guard if Rafa isn’t on top of his game (like what happened in Shanghai last year). I don’t believe this will happen in Rome, though, since I think Rafa has something to prove there after the Madrid fiasco. He’ll be aiming to resume his reign as the clay king.
Remember how well Raonic played in Barcelona? Raonic beat Murray in straight sets, even tough Murray is a great returner. Also, Ferrer was not able to break Raonic’s serve, even though Ferrer is a great returner.
I’m Canadian, so I have no reason to knock Raonic down. He was indeed very impressive in Barcelona, especially considering it was on clay, which negates some of his serving power. However, tennis is all about match-ups and I feel the Mayer can hang with Rafa better on clay and that he has a more versatile game than Raonic (Raonic has a lethal serve and forehand, but is average everywhere else, while Mayer has a good, aggressive all-around game) . However, Mayer has to be at his absolute best to trouble Rafa, especially on clay, and he doesn’t seem to be able to sustain that level for extended periods of time. Raonic, on the other hand, has a more consistent level and can play at or near his best for a whole match, which is why he’s at the ranking that he is and why I think he has a good chance of breaking into the top 10 in the near future.
And don’t think he will be caught off guard again. And in Shanghai Rafa is never at his best – so tired that time of year – in 2010 (Rafa’s whow year) Melzer beat him also early in the tournament. Now it is clay people and in Rafa’s ‘striking’ time of year.
Is that match over?
Milo’s lost and see what will happen then
Mayer won. Does anybody know whether Florian Mayer played really well, or was it because Raonic had an off-day? It’s frustrating because the match was not on TV.
Rafa did lose to Mayer last year in Shanghai. Mayer was playing in the zone that day. That was on a fast indoor hard court. Rafa said he really struggled to return Mayer’s 1st serves. But maybe Rafa will have an easier time returning Mayer’s 1st serves, on the slower clay courts in Rome? What do you guys think about Rafa’s chances against Mayer in Rome? Would Rafa have a much easier time against Mayer than Raonic, despite Rafa’s 0-1 losing record against Mayer?
I suspect that Rafa will beat Mayer. However, to me the real issue is not this but whether Rafa will win Rome. He was shaky last year at RG after losing Madrid and Rome to Novak. I think Rome may be a telling ground for RG… Expect Novak to be “on” in Rome to try to try to win it again or perhaps more importantly to try to beat Rafa (just) before RG.
The thing is Rafa was no where near his best at french open but he won it. Rafa won Fo after losing to an unstoppable djoko, I think Rafa just had a certain confidence at the french open that makes him pretty much unbeatable. Tennis has become such a mind game, more so than physical talent.
I loved Rafa’s action at the net last year, he just doesnt come in enough. There’s talk that the french open courts are speeding up.
French Open courts are speeding up? What is the source of this information?
Rafa did not have to play Novak to win the FO last year though.
I’m so tired of this comment over and over again. So rude to Rafa, me thinks.
Same here. When someone else mentioned that, it’s evident they tried to undermine Rafa’s victory at RG last year. So, when hearing the same comment from his fans/supporters, I got slightly annoyed and disappointed at the same time.
Rafa was not at his best last year and some of us seemed terrified of ND and overly concerned about his rise. Of course, he had an unbelievable year and deserved all praises and recognitions. But when we (Rafa’s supporters) keep bringing up that same comment again and again, I could help thinking if it’s necessary for us to be reminded of something we already know. Are we that naïve or arrogant to think Rafa is really unbeatable? Or some still doubt if Rafa truly deserved his 6th FO title?
We all know that Rafa could be beaten by ND or any players on any given day if he doesn’t play his best. But at the same time if he’s fully fit and could bring his A-Game to the court and, he could beat anyone including ND. In short, I just hope that we will stop talking about Rafa winning FO without having to play ND. ND didn’t make it to the final. And that’s it.
As for the future tournaments, if ND can beat Rafa again either in semi or final, kudos to him. It’ll not be the end of the world. We’d just have to accept it’s his time. But if Rafa wins the title(s) whether he has to play ND or not, it means he earns it (them) fair and square. And should that really happens, let’s other raise questions not us. Just try to enjoy the ride (rollercoaster) and be happy and content, please!
Typos – let others raise questions not us.
where did you hear/read that? are the speedier courts for this year do you know? The french are not keen on the great Rafa winning year after year there are they so im not surprised
Rafa, Best Wishes for tomorrow’s game!
Good luck to Rafa against Mayer.