Combination of things

[Kieran]

We're getting Bizarro-Rafa this year, the worst of all possible Rafa's. Nervous, impatient, misfiring on the forehand by yards, not inches, missing the easy shots by a mile. Serving good! It's an opposite Rafa, a bloke who looks like he's constantly harassed and out of sorts. I didn't mind Oz so much, getting thrashed by his whipping boy, it was to be expected in only his second event back.

Losing in Paris so heavily against a man he's owned there, it wasn't a surprise given that FFS and everybody else had murdered him. But today I expected him to retrieve a little spite from the memory banks once he'd levelled the match, and Brown was playing too high a game, too eccentric and tricksy, he had to go away, but just where Rafa would normally turn the screw, he unravelled, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

He's obviously still not himself, so it's a moment for Rafa fans to panic/wonder, and for Fedfans/Djokolites to gloat. This is part of the game, for us fans, we all get to go through it. I think Brown showed that great attacking tennis is possible on grass. Stakhovsky showed it, and today we saw it, and we have to wonder why it doesn't happen more often. Maybe it only works as an ambush now, a hijack, fellers sweeping down from the mountains with guns blazing, rather than as a policy, where it'd be scrutinised more closely by the elite - and it would live or die by its quality, and not by the element of surprise.

Just a question for clearer heads: any of you disappointed by Brown? This is how good he is, and he's struggling to get into the top 100 because he just can't be consistent. With his game, if he turned it on, he could have at least one Wimbledon quarter-final to his name, but instead he's more a Monfils-lite kinda bloke. Most of you will be celebrating and not care, but I bet it crosses the minds of his coaches, team, friends, family, and himself. Such are the way gifts are handed out...

 

[nehmeth]

Brown said himself, he wouldn't want to meet Nadal on any other surface.

When Ralf was playing Bellucci he had someone who gave him a consistent shot to hit and he handled the guy in three sets. Brown never gave him any rhythm and by the end of the match Rafa couldn't hit from either side on his groundstrokes.

This isn't bizarro Rafa, Kieran... seems a lot more like the beginning of old guy slide.

 

[Kieran]

Happy for you's fans of others if it is.

It's Bizzaro-Rafa because it's the opposite. We'll see if it's a slide, eventually. he's never come back quick from injury, this is no different. Now he's fit, but far from happy...

 

[nehmeth]

We'll see if it's a slide, eventually.

That we will.

 

[El Dude]

Just remember, Kieran, that it has never taken this long for Rafa to come back from injury, and that "injury" was not only not an actual tennis injury but back in November.

 

[Kieran]

Just remember, Kieran, that it has never taken this long for Rafa to come back from injury, and that "injury" was not only not an actual tennis injury but back in November.

Well, when he came back in 2009, it took him til clay the following year to get his banjo back. This time, he's just not the same since he came back. He's fit, and the elements are there, but the frustrating part is, he's emotionally not as strong. He's impatient, he's misfiring, he's not sticking with it in the long rallies, not that there were many today. But on clay. He's lost something that he hasn't found yet, and that's since he came back in January....

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Losing in Paris so heavily against a man he's owned there, it wasn't a surprise given that FFS and everybody else had murdered him. But today I expected him to retrieve a little spite from the memory banks once he'd levelled the match, and Brown was playing too high a game, too eccentric and tricksy, he had to go away, but just where Rafa would normally turn the screw, he unravelled, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Come on you are acting as though this loss today came as a surprise to you. Did you forget what happened in the last three Wimbies? We all know what type of game Brown plays and it is bound to give problems for Rafa on grass.

Among the three losses at AO, RG and WImby, if at all you have to be surprised by one, it should be the AO loss considering Rafa owned Birds.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Just a question for clearer heads: any of you disappointed by Brown? This is how good he is, and he's struggling to get into the top 100 because he just can't be consistent. With his game, if he turned it on, he could have at least one Wimbledon quarter-final to his name, but instead he's more a Monfils-lite kinda bloke. Most of you will be celebrating and not care, but I bet it crosses the minds of his coaches, team, friends, family, and himself. Such are the way gifts are handed out...

I watches a studio interview by Brown later this evening after his win. He clearly and openly told 300 other players can probably beat him in baseline game and he wants no piece of it. In modern tennis, if you do not have decent proficiency in baseline game, you cannot get very far, no matter what other things you can do. Also, remember that grass and fast hard court tourneys are very few and it would be difficult to accumulate points for him and that is why he is out of 100.

 

[Kieran]

Losing in Paris so heavily against a man he's owned there, it wasn't a surprise given that FFS and everybody else had murdered him. But today I expected him to retrieve a little spite from the memory banks once he'd levelled the match, and Brown was playing too high a game, too eccentric and tricksy, he had to go away, but just where Rafa would normally turn the screw, he unravelled, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Come on you are acting as though this loss today came as a surprise to you. Did you forget what happened in the last three Wimbies? We all know what type of game Brown plays and it is bound to give problems for Rafa on grass.

Among the three losses at AO, RG and WImby, if at all you have to be surprised by one, it should be the AO loss considering Rafa owned Birds.

I'm not too sure where I acted surprised by todays match, although even Brown himself couldn't have predicted he'd play to such an incredible level. When did he ever? And it was an incredible level from him. First game: two drop volleys, a double-handed backhand drive volley, and a second serve ace - then he took it from there. But really, nobody would have thought Brown was favourite to win that match, and once Rafa took the second, the usual should have been that he squeeze the life out of such an erratic opponent. But he didn't, and once Brown got his second wind, it turned into a gale force wind.

But I'm not hugely surprised that Rafa loses these days. Have you watched him? Does he look like things are clicking for him? Exactly. He's way off the pace, and mentally he's not so calm as he needs to be. We live in hope, but none of us are tipping him to do anything big, just yet...

 

[Fiero425]

Just a question for clearer heads: any of you disappointed by Brown? This is how good he is, and he's struggling to get into the top 100 because he just can't be consistent. With his game, if he turned it on, he could have at least one Wimbledon quarter-final to his name, but instead he's more a Monfils-lite kinda bloke. Most of you will be celebrating and not care, but I bet it crosses the minds of his coaches, team, friends, family, and himself. Such are the way gifts are handed out...

I watched a studio interview by Brown later this evening after his win. He clearly and openly told 300 other players can probably beat him in baseline game and he wants no piece of it. In modern tennis, if you do not have decent proficiency in baseline game, you cannot get very far, no matter what other things you can do. Also, remember that grass and fast hard court tourneys are very few and it would be difficult to accumulate points for him and that is why he is out of 100.

I tend to watch players with some consistency! I don't need the heartache of favoring a player like Monfils who you have no idea how he'll perform from day to day! I adored Goolagong; times of brilliance with other times she looked like she should have been on her way to a class for beginners! That was enough of that! No one's been more consistent than Nole of late, that's for sure! Before that it was Nadal and before him Roger! Times change; who's next and when? Murray? Nyah! Raonic? Not in this lifetime! Kei? Weak as water; can't stay on the tour longer than a few weeks! Anybody? uzzled :nono :angel: :dodgy:

 

[Kirijax]

Can't shake the feeling that Nadal ain't done. It seems that he has a Sampras 2002 US Open left in him somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me if it happened. Nadal is too good for it to end like this.

 

[Kieran]

Can't shake the feeling that Nadal ain't done. It seems that he has a Sampras 2002 US Open left in him somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me if it happened. Nadal is too good for it to end like this.

There would be few people who think Nadal is done...

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Losing in Paris so heavily against a man he's owned there, it wasn't a surprise given that FFS and everybody else had murdered him. But today I expected him to retrieve a little spite from the memory banks once he'd levelled the match, and Brown was playing too high a game, too eccentric and tricksy, he had to go away, but just where Rafa would normally turn the screw, he unravelled, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

Come on you are acting as though this loss today came as a surprise to you. Did you forget what happened in the last three Wimbies? We all know what type of game Brown plays and it is bound to give problems for Rafa on grass.

Among the three losses at AO, RG and WImby, if at all you have to be surprised by one, it should be the AO loss considering Rafa owned Birds.

I'm not too sure where I acted surprised by todays match, although even Brown himself couldn't have predicted he'd play to such an incredible level. When did he ever? And it was an incredible level from him. First game: two drop volleys, a double-handed backhand drive volley, and a second serve ace - then he took it from there. But really, nobody would have thought Brown was favourite to win that match, and once Rafa took the second, the usual should have been that he squeeze the life out of such an erratic opponent. But he didn't, and once Brown got his second wind, it turned into a gale force wind.

But I'm not hugely surprised that Rafa loses these days. Have you watched him? Does he look like things are clicking for him? Exactly. He's way off the pace, and mentally he's not so calm as he needs to be. We live in hope, but none of us are tipping him to do anything big, just yet...

Look nobody said Brown was favorite to win today's match going in. At the same time, no one would also say that this is an upset coming out of nowhere. This upset was well predicted compared to the Rosol, Darcis or Kyrgios upsets.

 

[tennisville]

I have said it with Federer before and am saying it for Rafa again, I feel he has lost half a step which is causing him to lose that extra second in setting up the forehand which has made his forehand bad.

The difference between the two is Federer's forehand was still good but not as great as it was while Nadal's forehand is a complete joke now. He is missing by miles. The break point in the 4th set I think is an example. No way Nadal of the past would have missed that shot

 

[Fiero425]

I have said it with Federer before and am saying it for Rafa again, I feel he has lost half a step which is causing him to lose that extra second in setting up the forehand which has made his forehand bad.

The difference between the two is Federer's forehand was still good but not as great as it was while Nadal's forehand is a complete joke now. He is missing by miles. The break point in the 4th set I think is an example. No way Nadal of the past would have missed that shot.

"But ya are Blanche; ya are stuck in that chair!" :cry Boo-hoo; it has to come to an end sooner or later! I blogged years ago that the way Rafa plays will become debilitating and it'll all come crashing down! You can't get into 4 and 5 set battles with "nobodies" and "also-rans" round after round, tourney after tourney, and season after season! Nadal's put a lot of miles on that body and I'm only surprised it didn't happen sooner; this fall from grace! Who would have thought he would be ranked #10 last year? People would have been asking, "what are you drinking?" That same brand of tennis is what really put Borg out of the game besides the idiots of the ATP; absolute exhaustion from "wars on court" over the years! Going back to when he was a teenager, Bjorn was playing 5 set marathons against veteran players and winning FO finals! Where have we seen that? :angel: :dodgy: - The only question right now is "how far will Rafa fall?" It looked like the end for Roger a couple years ago with a bad arm and testing new rackets, but he's hung on a lot better and he's years older! This is beginning to be embarrassing for the youngster! I'm sure Rafa thought he would be saluting Roger leaving the game and at this time, it looks as if the opposite might happen! This is not hyperbole; looking a distinct possibility of a role reversal! :cover :eyepop :ras:

 

[House]

Can't shake the feeling that Nadal ain't done. It seems that he has a Sampras 2002 US Open left in him somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me if it happened. Nadal is too good for it to end like this.

There would be few people who think Nadal is done...

Nadal, as he was, is done. In my opinion.

That doesn't mean he won't win anything ever again. But he's a mortal now. All the greats go through it. He needs to regroup in a hurry though. This slide is the worst of his career. Can't imagine it continuing like it has, but I've thought that countless times this year.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Tignor has written an article titled The Unified Theory of Rafa . It looks to me that he forgot the main thing, viz., decline.

 

[brokenshoelace]

I'll say this, almost as nauseating as the anti-Rafa brigade is the false sense of optimism among some Rafa fans. Nadal will be back. Just not this year. Let's stop pretending like each tournament might be the time he unexpectedly reverses his fortunes.

It's not about injuries alone. It's just becoming difficult to re-discover his best tennis after every come back.

 

[Kieran]

I don't think there's too much optimism at the moment, bro. Rafa is still way off the pace, and the latest edition of Groundhog Day just gave us another example. I'm gonna continue with my things and skip the rest of the tournament here, but it was great to read your views this morning, totally agree with everything...

 

[Puppet Master]

I have been thinking about his career in general (what a surprise, I know), and he is in a very tricky position, just as Murray was last year. The expectations were too high for him at RG, and he came crashing down. He is obviously working hard, but it just can't be rushed, and neither is the physical decline helping his case. If we as Rafa fans can accept that 2015 is as pathetic as can be, and just give him a pass, just like everyone gave it to Andy in 2014, it would be great. Do I think that we will see that multi-slam winning monster on court ever again?
I am not sure, but I have reasons to believe we will, at least briefly. Even Murray is not quite back to his best, but at least he is challenging the best. Nadal doesn't even face them consistently knowing how many guys dismantled him this year alone.