AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Melbourne, ATP GRAND SLAM

[Vince Evert]

I'll have to watch highlights in the morning... don't think I can keep my eyes open for another few hours.

LOL I'm taping it and in my lounge I'm going to watch and tape the old Countdown and Rock Arena music shows on rage coming up. You watch rage, britbox ?

 

[britbox]

I can't understand why some people was doing so much deal with this match. I agree that Zeverev could have a good future, at the present he is playing very well and has a good serve but sometimes with too much risk which for a player like Nadal playing well (he didn't have to play his best) can't work so well. I think the next match Rafa will have to play better (he was doing many unforced errors in the first set and also in the third) though I'm glad how his serve is working

Why wouldn't they make a big deal about it? It was expected to be an exciting match and it lived up to it. Reading your post, you'd think Rafa walked through him in straight sets without a care in the world.

 

[britbox]

LOL I'm taping it and in my lounge I'm going to watch and tape the old Countdown and Rock Arena music shows on rage coming up. You watch rage, britbox ?

No RZ, haven't seen it. I don't watch much scheduled TV to be honest... hardly any at all... just Sport and catch up with shows on Netflix.

 

[Carol]

Why wouldn't they make a big deal about it? It was expected to be an exciting match and it lived up to it. Reading your post, you'd think Rafa walked through him in straight sets without a care in the world.

Not so easy way but Rafa didn't need to play his best, he was passive many times and then aggressive when he really needed it. Zverev is a very good player but still is not "there" to beat the best ones unless these ones are not playing well. Rafa is playing well now or maybe you see the things very different way than me

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

sir grigor is winning..is it 1:15am over there just now ?. mental.

 

[mrzz]

Zverev did a bit better than I thought he would taking 2 sets off Nadal today, but in my opinion the youngster simply needed more experience in majors and situations with top players, which is why I wrote him off a bit. I didn't read too much in his previous best of 3 victories over top 10 players. Best of 5 and majors are a different animal. He played well at times against Nadal, but was just too up and down, and Nadal was good enough today to take control when needed. In the end, it was young Zverev's fitness that was questionable, while Nadal still looked ok. Nadal's fitness looks better in my opinion, but he still needs to improve on return, make up his mind on court positioning, and get better consistency of depth on his ground strokes. Rafa will need all of that against Raonic if they get there...

Respectfully,
masterclass

Expectations are strange little thing. I expected much more from him. But, yes, your level of expectation was much more rational. I would say that Nadal was smart enough to take control when needed, given that he won out of the errors of the 19 year old.Yes, I know, a lot of times we discredit Nadal with phrases like that, when he actually forces his adversaries to errors (not to mention when his clicking and firing tons of wicked winners), but this time it was simply the case. Just watch the game he broke Zverev in the second set: four plain and simple UFE´s in easy, floating balls (or DF´s). Maybe when Nadal got to 15 it was closer to a forced error. Again, credit for Nadal who adjusted his game before the third game of the match was over. Then, it took Zverev more than two sets to adjust back. But I am not taking the credit off Nadal. He deserved the win. But was it beautiful? No. He bet the kid would not hold it together, and he won.

Zverev was actually never close to winning the match, as the last two sets ended 6-3 6-2 in Nadal's favor.

This is true. However, one also has to remember that the match practically ended after the 37 shots rally point that got Zverev to advantage at 2-2. He cramped, and panicked. He spent the next two games limping, and playing almost with tears in his eyes. Not that I think that the cramp was that serious. As I said, for me he just panicked. In the business end of the match, he folded, Nadal was strong and serious as ever. 4 straight games from then on.

But yes, Nadal serve was quite good, specially the placing. He won the fourth set basically with his open serve to the add court. It took him 2 seconds to realize that Zverev was not dealing well with sun/shade transition, and a full set to Zverev to adapt to that (actually, he never did).

My point is: In the past used his higher tennis IQ to reverse trends of matches, and then raise his own level and never look back again. This time he never raised his own level that much.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

zed vs rafa was cool and groovy. rafa/wafa kept his level up for the most part which was somewhat of a surprise given his lapses in recent couple of years..

zed had a long pre-season training block with jez green (ex murray). still got to improve fitness to outlast rafa.

 

[DarthFed]

Match was over quite a while ago. He is out.

I think he means Ferrer looks done career-wise which I agree looks to be the case.

 

[DarthFed]

We tend to use the word "choking" way too liberally anyway, and it's often when a match is close but doesn't go the desired way for us as fans. Mats Wilander, who showered Zverev with praise (and rightfully so) brought up a very good point: Zverev was actually never close to winning the match, as the last two sets ended 6-3 6-2 in Nadal's favor.

Therefore, portraying this as some big missed opportunity that Zverev blew away is disingenuous. You could even argue that as good as he played, he was marginally outplayed for 4 out of 5 sets, as I really think Nadal was the better player in the third set but Zverev's serve ultimately won it.

We need to give these kids a break. Zverev was coming up against a better conditioned, far more experienced opponent who as you said, is one of the best ever. Experience plays a huge part in these matches as little things like navigating the match on a point-to-point basis, making strategic adjustments, playing the big points a certain way, and other subtle factors all influence the result heavily, and that is why the higher rated players will more often than not come out on top in these situations.

I disagree with the idea that Zverev wasn't close to winning. I think if you get it to 5 by definition you are close to winning and in this case he was up 2 sets to 1. He also had a couple games in the 4th that he nearly broke back in which would have placed him a few games away from taking the match.

To say he choked may be harsh but I thought it was clear as day the pressure got to him and his serve completely abandoned him after the 3rd set. I only saw sets 3-5 and I'd say both players played their best in the 3rd. Rafa didn't play particularly well in the 4th or 5th but just let Sascha implode.

 

[Federberg]

^Not pressure. Big match concentration. Zverev will learn from this. My goodness his game is big time

 

[Denis]

Milos dropped a set to Simon.

Istomin won again (good on him not to falter after his big win).

Dimitrov, Thiem, Goffin, Monfils through as well.

Can we expect anything from Monfils against Nadal? I'm not sure why I am even asking, perhaps because Monfils is ranked 6 in the world now.

 

[brokenshoelace]

I disagree with the idea that Zverev wasn't close to winning. I think if you get it to 5 by definition you are close to winning and in this case he was up 2 sets to 1. He also had a couple games in the 4th that he nearly broke back in which would have placed him a few games away from taking the match.

To say he choked may be harsh but I thought it was clear as day the pressure got to him and his serve completely abandoned him after the 3rd set. I only saw sets 3-5 and I'd say both players played their best in the 3rd. Rafa didn't play particularly well in the 4th or 5th but just let Sascha implode.

Close in this case is relative. If it had been two sets to love, then yes, safe to say he was close to winning even if he ended up losing the subsequent three sets by a comfortable margin. But he was up two sets to one and yet from there, never threatened to win the match. Obviously, yes, he was ahead and was one set away. But he never actually got close to winning said set once he got there.

 

[brokenshoelace]

I think he means Ferrer looks done career-wise which I agree looks to be the case.

Oh, in that case yes, Ferrer is toast.

 

[Denis]

Also, Istomin got a wildcard? How did he get a wildcard? Not that I don't like Istomin, seems a likable guy and kind of funny he is coached by his mom, but it seems a bit of an odd choice from a PR point of view.

 

[mrzz]

I think he had protected ranking....

 

[Denis]

I think he had protected ranking....

Ah OK. I thought it usually says PR in that case.

 

[DarthFed]

^Not pressure. Big match concentration. Zverev will learn from this. My goodness his game is big time

I think we are splitting hairs here my friend. Not concentrating well in a big match when you are closing in on the win is letting the pressure get to you. His biggest weapon went AWOL too when it mattered most. Again we need to remember he is only 19 and will likely get over the hump sooner rather than later. Federer was still a headcase at that age and Djokovic was just making his big breakthrough in 2007 right at the same age Zverev is now. Rafa of course was a different animal, mentally and physically strong from the beginning.

 

[Carol]

Rafa had to have finished the match in 4 sets but his unforced errors in the first set and in the tie-break of the third made the match to last longer

 

[britbox]

15-Grigor Dimitrov (Bulgaria) beat 18-Richard Gasquet (France) 6-3 6-2 6-4

 

[britbox]