2015 French Open QF: Djokovic v. Nadal

[Carol]

Nadal said :"Jack played a great match, he'll have a great future". I agree with him, I like that guy and if he would be injuries free he could do better career than the others young players .
Rafa has had a tough opponent today but after to have so bad year he has passed the test, then it's clear that he is playing much better and with more confidence than the last months where he was in another space but not where he had to be and where he could be
I'm sure he will play even better the quarters so Rafa will win in four

 

[TsarMatt]

You know, Djokovic has been absolutely incredible this year, but part me of thinks Nadal is going to win...

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

Until proven otherwise , I am not betting against Rafa at RG.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Rafa's movement has definitely improved. He is not shanking balls like he did against Andy
in Madird (I think the shanks are caused by changing racquets back and forth). He is not leaving
many short balls. These are the positives that I see him.

On the negative side, his serve is still not very good and it will look even worse against the best returner of the game. Also, Rafa still does not have confidence that he can beat Novak at this juncture.

p.s. I have already voted for Novak in 4.

 

[kro2488]

That match I couldn't keep watching it was painful to see Rafa like that...

 

[brokenshoelace]

Rafa in 4 or 5. He will be ready on Wednesday. I didn't see the matches today but I am assuming both players were at the top of their games, correct?

Rafa hasn't been at the top of his game in over a year. So I'd say no.

Today Broken , Rafa played very well early today not all year dude.

He played ok.

 

[BalaryKar]

I am split into two, three, four, five, and so forth many parts. Confused, more confused, and patently confused. So, here is my simplified conclusion. Going by the 2012-14 matches, it is clear that unless Nole leads 2-1 or better (don't ask what better means) by the end of third set, there is no way he will will win that third set to win the complete match. Even after leading 2-1 at the end of third set, if he does not weather the storm unleashed by Nadal, I don't simply see how Nole is beating Nadal.

P.S.: If the post does not make sense to you, conclude that it did not make to the poster either

 

[Federberg]

^I think I know what you're trying to say. That's why I'm cautious as well. If it was just down to current form then it would be a no brainer for me. But this is Rafa's back yard, he'll fight, just like Roger did at SW19. But at the end of the day, if Novak is able to avoid mental lapses I can't see how he doesn't win

 

[mrzz]

^Yeah, I see the mental aspects but there are simply too many areas where Djokovic can hurt Nadal in their current forms. Nadal's serve is not that good for Djokovic, his backhand can not stand long rallies against him, his defensive slice, that he's using a lot, is too short for him too. All of this maybe was also valid last year, but surely not at the current level. I think Djokovic takes the first set, and the real battle will be in the first half of the second. It is there were we'll see if there will be a match or no.

 

[isabelle]

Nole in 5

 

[Carol]

So now when Novak loses it's because he has mental lapses or because his opponent is playing better than him and when he wins it's because he is unbeatable or his opponent has played bad or with mental lapses too? :huh:

 

[mrzz]

So now when Novak loses it's because he has mental lapses or because his opponent is playing better than him and when he wins it's because he is unbeatable or his opponent has played bad or with mental lapses too? :huh:

That's what happens when you're the undisputable #1.

 

[Federberg]

So now when Novak loses it's because he has mental lapses or because his opponent is playing better than him and when he wins it's because he is unbeatable or his opponent has played bad or with mental lapses too? :huh:

I think we're all smart enough to form our conclusions after the fact. We're only speculating about what is likely to happen. For the record if it looks like Novak has had a mental lapse that takes nothing away from Rafa. It would actually make Novak look bad if he isn't able to raise his game to beat Rafa. Yes if Rafa plays well then that's one thing, but if optically it looks like Novak plays badly then we might feel free to criticise Novak, this doesn't diminish Rafa at all, he would have got the W after all. Rest assured none of us non-Rafa fans will be making injury excuses I'm sure :angel:

 

[britbox]

So now when Novak loses it's because he has mental lapses or because his opponent is playing better than him and when he wins it's because he is unbeatable or his opponent has played bad or with mental lapses too? :huh:

Yeah, usually the player "playing better" has a tendency to win. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[prathew]

Nadal vs Djokovic

Hey,

This is my preview for the big quarterfinal tomorrow.

https://liquidwhipforehand.wordpress.com/2015/06/02/the-final-before-the-finale/

Do let me know what you think.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: Nadal vs Djokovic

Very good analysis, I think you touched on a few vital points regarding their history and current level of play at RG this far this year. Thank you :clap

 

[Federberg]

RE: Nadal vs Djokovic

Interesting analysis, thank you.

AP I'm shocked you liked it so much :laydownlaughing

 

[Backhand_DTL]

Nole has beaten a better level Rafa in best of 3, but last year he lost to a Nadal that didn't really look much sturdier, or at least until the Murray SF. This is where I agree with those who say that their meeting in the QFs favors Djoker. It would have been useful for Nadal to have had at least one more match under his belt before this one, and another on Chartrier, but they will be ready for each other, I guess.

Although Nadal's clay season last year wasn't great by his standards after Rome there was the impression that probably only Djokovic had a real chance to beat him at the French Open, while this year my impression is that there are more players he could lose to on a bad day and that a bad day can more easily happen than last season.

Additionally Nadal showed a very high level against Murray and in the last 2 sets against Ferrer, whereas Djokovic looked vulnerable in his matches against Cilic and Gulbis. So Nadal probably felt better going into the match against Djokovic and was mostly regarded as the favorite before the final. This year there weren't any opponents yet, which demanded a high level from him before their match and Djokovic looked very solid and seems more confident in general than one year ago.

Also the hot conditions in last year's semi final and final in my opinion especially helped Nadal to hold serve easier than usual as Murray hardly won any points on return and Djokovic's return looked mediocre by his standards at well. As the weather as it is predicted won't give an advantage to anybody and Djokovic's level going into the match looks higher than Nadal's this time, I like Djokovic's chances to win in 4.

 

[brokenshoelace]

So now when Novak loses it's because he has mental lapses or because his opponent is playing better than him and when he wins it's because he is unbeatable or his opponent has played bad or with mental lapses too? :huh:

That's what happens when you're the undisputable #1.

What I want to know is how we're able to determine who outplayed the other and who had mental lapses before the match even took place.

 

[kro2488]

So is this match today or tomorrow?