Seriously though, if Rafa was genuinely tired to the point of it affecting his play, I'd say that's worrying. One of the things he has going for him, particularly on clay is that amazing stamina; the ability to relentlessly grind things out when others are falling by the wayside. If he's the one that's falling by the wayside, that's not good. Still expect him to win the French though.
His stamina was absolutely fine, he just got beaten. He is a marathon man, he's not gonna be tired by this especially after his annihilation of Dimi last night while Novak spend 3 hours against Raonic. He lost fair and square.
Well Rafa has said that maybe he spent too long on court this week. He's not making an excuse. Just making a fact. He praises Novak and says he deserves the win but he acknowledges the more hours on court MIGHT have played a part. I read somewhere that he had over 2 hours longer on court that Novak this week. Of course that is his own fault for struggling against Simon, Youzhny and Murray when his clay game is better than them. He had an easier match yesterday but Novak had easier times of it earlier in the week. He won against Kohl in 3 sets but it was relatively quick in the end. Simon/Rafa lasted 3 hrs+ and then Youzhny was over 2 1/2 hrs. Novak made things difficult against Kohl and Raonic but still got through in shorter time. That's why the time on court is important.
If his stamina is bad here this week then yes that is a worry as he is the fittest guy and usually survives marathons but at the end of the match Novak looked the fresher due to less playing time. Plus he had a day off in between, playing Tues then Thurs-Sun and Rafa played Wed-Sun. Im not blaming tiredness but it would have been interesting to see if Rafa had won if Novak's wrist would have been blamed.
Firstly, congratulations Djokovic, a fantastic result after an an injury lay off.
I only saw the match up to the middle of the 2nd set as I went to a BBQ (it was good btw) But I could see towards the end of the 1st that Novak was raising his game, I did think Rafa would win in the end, but i'm never suprised by him losing to Novak.
I will admit i'm a bit gutted, I would have loved Rafa to beat Novak before the FO, but it wasn't to be, when he gets into the groove Novak just neuters Nadal's game. I'm starting to dislike this match up, is this how Federer fans feel? lol.
I didn't think Nadal was tired, I thought he was conserving his energy. I agree with others who say that when Djoko plays at his best no one can do anything about it. But we've all seen in the past he can't sustain that level indefinitely. So my take on it was that Nadal decided not to waste his energy while Djoko was playing so well but wait until the lapse and then pounce - which is what I thought he had done in the third.
I may be wrong but that's how I saw it.
Firstly, congratulations Djokovic, a fantastic result after an an injury lay off.
I only saw the match up to the middle of the 2nd set as I went to a BBQ (it was good btw) But I could see towards the end of the 1st that Novak was raising his game, I did think Rafa would win in the end, but i'm never suprised by him losing to Novak.
I will admit i'm a bit gutted, I would have loved Rafa to beat Novak before the FO, but it wasn't to be, when he gets into the groove Novak just neuters Nadal's game. I'm starting to dislike this match up, is this how Federer fans feel? lol.
Yeah this match up is horrible for Rafa. Today Novak upped his game when he had too but Rafa could still win, even when he was struggling at the end due to Novak's struggles all week to serve it out.
A few years back Novak won Madrid/Rome against Rafa and Rafa still won the French. Yes Roger beat Novak in the semis but it shouldn't do Rafa any harm imo. There'll be less pressure on him now as people will be expecting Novak/Stan to potentially pull off an upset in the semis or final. Some people might say he's under more pressure but I think he's under less as he has looked beatable this clay season so far and so people might think they can beat him and not being overwhelming fave might work in his favour as it might make him more hungry for the win. Novak's chances at the career slam are dwindling so he'll be hungry for RG this year as well. Stan will want to prove Aus wasn't a fluke and hopefully his back is fine. Roger may hope to have a good RG to show he's not past it and players like Kei and Tomas may hope to do some damage if they draw a 4th or Q against Novak/Rafa.
One things for sure. RG looks like being the most interesting for years. Women side not so much with Serena but the mens is harder to predict. Its a shame for me, being a Nadal fan, but maybe its good for other non-Nadal fans if its less predictable. I do however struggle to see past Novak/Rafa or Stan/Rafa or Novak/Stan being the final, Stan potentially beating either guy in the semis and making the final.
I didn't think Nadal was tired, I thought he was conserving his energy. I agree with others who say that when Djoko plays at his best no one can do anything about it. But we've all seen in the past he can't sustain that level indefinitely. So my take on it was that Nadal decided not to waste his energy while Djoko was playing so well but wait until the lapse and then pounce - which is what I thought he had done in the third.
I may be wrong but that's how I saw it.
He played 10 matches in 12 days so maybe it did catch up with him. He certainly thinks so. In the PC he says his game's fine and he's happy with where he's at for RG but that maybe the time on court and matches played in such a short space of time caught up with him.
Maybe he did conserve energy but when he got the break back in the 3rd for 3-3, he should have showed up again but he didn't. He faded badly allowing Novak the last 3 games. Novak is a bad match up for Rafa and knows the way to play against him to punish him but to falter as he did may have been tiredness. Novak deserved his win and as my second fave player im happy for him in his comeback but imo tiredness told.
You saw something different, maybe your right. Who cares. RG is a week away so he'll recover fine before then and we'll see the draw before making predictions.
Yeah this match up is horrible for Rafa. Today Novak upped his game when he had too but Rafa could still win, even when he was struggling at the end due to Novak's struggles all week to serve it out.
A few years back Novak won Madrid/Rome against Rafa and Rafa still won the French. Yes Roger beat Novak in the semis but it shouldn't do Rafa any harm imo. There'll be less pressure on him now as people will be expecting Novak/Stan to potentially pull off an upset in the semis or final. Some people might say he's under more pressure but I think he's under less as he has looked beatable this clay season so far and so people might think they can beat him and not being overwhelming fave might work in his favour as it might make him more hungry for the win. Novak's chances at the career slam are dwindling so he'll be hungry for RG this year as well. Stan will want to prove Aus wasn't a fluke and hopefully his back is fine. Roger may hope to have a good RG to show he's not past it and players like Kei and Tomas may hope to do some damage if they draw a 4th or Q against Novak/Rafa.
One things for sure. RG looks like being the most interesting for years. Women side not so much with Serena but the mens is harder to predict. Its a shame for me, being a Nadal fan, but maybe its good for other non-Nadal fans if its less predictable. I do however struggle to see past Novak/Rafa or Stan/Rafa or Novak/Stan being the final, Stan potentially beating either guy in the semis and making the final.
Yup, that's the way I see it too. I just hope he's in Rafa's side of the draw. ;-)
Shortie, for someone claiming to not be making excuses you sure are banging on about this supposed tiredness. If Nadal is using the same excuse then he is up to his usual tricks, never in doubt. At the us open Nadal rolled in his semi final while Novak had a 5 set marathon with Stan, bet you didn't mention it then.
He wasn't tired, get over it. Also funny for someone who claims to be a Novak fan Novak didn't even play his best but it is on his racket against Nadal because he is more aggressive as well as having good defence. Case closed, take defeat graciously
Shortie, for someone claiming to not be making excuses you sure are banging on about this supposed tiredness. If Nadal is using the same excuse then he is up to his usual tricks, never in doubt. At the us open Nadal rolled in his semi final while Novak had a 5 set marathon with Stan, bet you didn't mention it then.
He wasn't tired, get over it. Also funny for someone who claims to be a Novak fan Novak didn't even play his best but it is on his racket against Nadal because he is more aggressive as well as having good defence. Case closed, take defeat graciously
I've wrote you a PM, which I hope you understand. Please let's not fall out.
cant wait for the french.I'm hoping for a Hewitt win,if not then Federer win,failing that ill accept a djoko win.
Off topic,I'm taking bets on how many times attack and shortie argue over the course of the 2 weeks.or maybe a sweepstake.ill pick 867 times.
just kidding btw....kinda
Hehe I wasn't trying to argue, I was just pointing out that the tiredness argument wasn't true and ultimately Novak was just better. Nadal is probably the fittest guy ever, so fatigue isn't an issue and anyway all players have to deal with it. That's all ;-)
People saying a player was tired is one of my pet hates amongst tennis fans, especially as they don't mention it when their faves opponent has had longer matches etc. But we have talked about it and shall move on
Bit late, but, get in! Awesome stuff from Nole, 3 times as many winners despite starting the match so poorly.
This match, and result, has to happen in Paris. Can not wait!
Sadly I still think Novak may not win RG. I hope he does. But I think it is a possibility the same thing that happened in 2011 may happen. But I do hope he can finally clinch it, would be great for him to get the career slam
Well Mr.Gorgeous didn't win the trophy but he certainly won the Gorgeous trophy, when they were doing the speeches at the trophy presentation he looked so sweet and gorgeous with that wonderful smile of his that makes me melt, He didn't look too upset bless him, he is so adorable, he could get the adorable trophy too as well as the Mr. Gorgeous trophy.
In My view though Ma Honey seriously needs to improve his serve, as it is, it is too easy to break.
Sadly I still think Novak may not win RG. I hope he does. But I think it is a possibility the same thing that happened in 2011 may happen. But I do hope he can finally clinch it, would be great for him to get the career slam
I think you could be right - the draw is going to be so interesting, imagine if Novak ends up with Murray in his quarter and Wawrinka in the semi - no guarantee either would make it that far, but they would be tough matches. And Rafa could end up with Roger in the semi, lol. But right now, I think if it's a Nadal-Djokovic final, Nole is favourite...
Well Mr.Gorgeous didn't win the trophy but he certainly won the Gorgeous trophy, when they were doing the speeches at the trophy presentation he looked so sweet and gorgeous with that wonderful smile of his that makes me melt, He didn't look too upset bless him, he is so adorable, he could get the adorable trophy too as well as the Mr. Gorgeous trophy.
In My view though Ma Honey seriously needs to improve his serve, as it is, it is too easy to break.
Anyways ..... has there ever been a suggestion of him taking " enhancements " of any kind ??
He looks soooooo much slimmer than he used to look , has endless stores of energy , doesn't appear to sweat AT ALL ...,,
A few bitter Nadal fans suggested that after those 7 matches in a row, I wonder why Are you a Nadal fan by any chance? There have been unfounded rumours about Nadal doping, but again that seems to be from bitter Roger fans.
Either way it is ridiculous and while I am sure there is doping, we have no way of having who is doing it and who isn't.
cant wait for the french.I'm hoping for a Hewitt win,if not then Federer win,failing that ill accept a djoko win.
Off topic,I'm taking bets on how many times attack and shortie argue over the course of the 2 weeks.or maybe a sweepstake.ill pick 867 times.
just kidding btw....kinda
Ha ha. I won't be arguing with anyone. I'll be a little angel. Myself and attackmusic have PM'd each other and we've spoke about it. I never said tiredness was why he lost but that it might have played a small role.
DeeDeeI agree. His serve is atrocious. I remember uncle Toni saying once that he wishes Rafa could have Murray's serve. I guess that was before Murray's serving this year. Ive always maintained his serve is bad. Novak breaks him but everyone else does too. Players who shouldn't be like Simon, Youzhny on clay. I think his serve is part of his problem right now.
Ha ha. I won't be arguing with anyone. I'll be a little angel. Myself and attackmusic have PM'd each other and we've spoke about it. I never said tiredness was why he lost but that it might have played a small role.
DeeDeeI agree. His serve is atrocious. I remember uncle Toni saying once that he wishes Rafa could have Murray's serve. I guess that was before Murray's serving this year. Ive always maintained his serve is bad. Novak breaks him but everyone else does too. Players who shouldn't be like Simon, Youzhny on clay. I think his serve is part of his problem right now.
Me and shortie are fine with each other, we just disagree sometimes. That is fine, be boring if we all agreed wouldn't it? As long as we discuss things without being nasty it is all fine, whenever I disagree with someone on here it isn't personal. I respect everyone's right to their opinion
Nadal doesn't have a great serve really. It's usually more of a starting point, not a big weapon. Murray's first serve is pretty good but his second serve is a liability, much more so than Nadal's. Novak can serve well but not if he has off days. Pre 2011 it was a bit of a liability, especially in 2010 Roger has the best serve of the top 4
Comments
His stamina was absolutely fine, he just got beaten. He is a marathon man, he's not gonna be tired by this especially after his annihilation of Dimi last night while Novak spend 3 hours against Raonic. He lost fair and square.
If his stamina is bad here this week then yes that is a worry as he is the fittest guy and usually survives marathons but at the end of the match Novak looked the fresher due to less playing time. Plus he had a day off in between, playing Tues then Thurs-Sun and Rafa played Wed-Sun. Im not blaming tiredness but it would have been interesting to see if Rafa had won if Novak's wrist would have been blamed.
I only saw the match up to the middle of the 2nd set as I went to a BBQ (it was good btw) But I could see towards the end of the 1st that Novak was raising his game, I did think Rafa would win in the end, but i'm never suprised by him losing to Novak.
I will admit i'm a bit gutted, I would have loved Rafa to beat Novak before the FO, but it wasn't to be, when he gets into the groove Novak just neuters Nadal's game. I'm starting to dislike this match up, is this how Federer fans feel? lol.
I may be wrong but that's how I saw it.
Yeah this match up is horrible for Rafa. Today Novak upped his game when he had too but Rafa could still win, even when he was struggling at the end due to Novak's struggles all week to serve it out.
A few years back Novak won Madrid/Rome against Rafa and Rafa still won the French. Yes Roger beat Novak in the semis but it shouldn't do Rafa any harm imo. There'll be less pressure on him now as people will be expecting Novak/Stan to potentially pull off an upset in the semis or final. Some people might say he's under more pressure but I think he's under less as he has looked beatable this clay season so far and so people might think they can beat him and not being overwhelming fave might work in his favour as it might make him more hungry for the win. Novak's chances at the career slam are dwindling so he'll be hungry for RG this year as well. Stan will want to prove Aus wasn't a fluke and hopefully his back is fine. Roger may hope to have a good RG to show he's not past it and players like Kei and Tomas may hope to do some damage if they draw a 4th or Q against Novak/Rafa.
One things for sure. RG looks like being the most interesting for years. Women side not so much with Serena but the mens is harder to predict. Its a shame for me, being a Nadal fan, but maybe its good for other non-Nadal fans if its less predictable. I do however struggle to see past Novak/Rafa or Stan/Rafa or Novak/Stan being the final, Stan potentially beating either guy in the semis and making the final.
He played 10 matches in 12 days so maybe it did catch up with him. He certainly thinks so. In the PC he says his game's fine and he's happy with where he's at for RG but that maybe the time on court and matches played in such a short space of time caught up with him.
Maybe he did conserve energy but when he got the break back in the 3rd for 3-3, he should have showed up again but he didn't. He faded badly allowing Novak the last 3 games. Novak is a bad match up for Rafa and knows the way to play against him to punish him but to falter as he did may have been tiredness. Novak deserved his win and as my second fave player im happy for him in his comeback but imo tiredness told.
You saw something different, maybe your right. Who cares. RG is a week away so he'll recover fine before then and we'll see the draw before making predictions.
Yup, that's the way I see it too. I just hope he's in Rafa's side of the draw. ;-)
He wasn't tired, get over it. Also funny for someone who claims to be a Novak fan
I hope he's in Novak's. Ha ha:p
I've wrote you a PM, which I hope you understand. Please let's not fall out.
Off topic,I'm taking bets on how many times attack and shortie argue over the course of the 2 weeks.or maybe a sweepstake.ill pick 867 times.
just kidding btw....kinda
Hehe I wasn't trying to argue, I was just pointing out that the tiredness argument wasn't true and ultimately Novak was just better. Nadal is probably the fittest guy ever, so fatigue isn't an issue and anyway all players have to deal with it. That's all ;-)
People saying a player was tired is one of my pet hates amongst tennis fans, especially as they don't mention it when their faves opponent has had longer matches etc. But we have talked about it and shall move on
This match, and result, has to happen in Paris. Can not wait!
Sadly I still think Novak may not win RG. I hope he does. But I think it is a possibility the same thing that happened in 2011 may happen. But I do hope he can finally clinch it, would be great for him to get the career slam
In My view though Ma Honey seriously needs to improve his serve, as it is, it is too easy to break.
I think you could be right - the draw is going to be so interesting, imagine if Novak ends up with Murray in his quarter and Wawrinka in the semi - no guarantee either would make it that far, but they would be tough matches. And Rafa could end up with Roger in the semi, lol. But right now, I think if it's a Nadal-Djokovic final, Nole is favourite...
Someone pass me the sickbag...
:-P
Joking!
Thanks ....it's a hell of a name to remember
Djokovic ??
Anyways ..... has there ever been a suggestion of him taking " enhancements " of any kind ??
He looks soooooo much slimmer than he used to look , has endless stores of energy , doesn't appear to sweat AT ALL ...,,
A few bitter Nadal fans suggested that after those 7 matches in a row, I wonder why
Either way it is ridiculous and while I am sure there is doping, we have no way of having who is doing it and who isn't.
He puts it down to his gluten-free diet, he released a recipe book on it too.
Ha ha. I won't be arguing with anyone. I'll be a little angel. Myself and attackmusic have PM'd each other and we've spoke about it. I never said tiredness was why he lost but that it might have played a small role.
DeeDeeI agree. His serve is atrocious. I remember uncle Toni saying once that he wishes Rafa could have Murray's serve. I guess that was before Murray's serving this year. Ive always maintained his serve is bad. Novak breaks him but everyone else does too. Players who shouldn't be like Simon, Youzhny on clay. I think his serve is part of his problem right now.
Me and shortie are fine with each other, we just disagree sometimes. That is fine, be boring if we all agreed wouldn't it? As long as we discuss things without being nasty it is all fine, whenever I disagree with someone on here it isn't personal. I respect everyone's right to their opinion
Nadal doesn't have a great serve really. It's usually more of a starting point, not a big weapon. Murray's first serve is pretty good but his second serve is a liability, much more so than Nadal's. Novak can serve well but not if he has off days. Pre 2011 it was a bit of a liability, especially in 2010
The way things were going, if it was the French Open final today you would have strongly fancied Djokovic to win 3 sets before Nadal did.
And that scenario could well play out in 3 weeks time.