From what I heard from commies, is this fair? Nishioka is a good player, as we know. They said he dictated through much of the match. I only watched the last set. Anyway, helluva fight from FAA. I know on the FAA thread you mentioned that you see bits of all of the Big 3 in FAA. This would be the Rafa part, I'd have to say. He was never-say-die. Was he down 1-4 or 1-5? He lost today, but that attitude is going to take him a long way.
Every time I type "Raonic" I get Roanoke, which is a town in VA.
I wouldn't compare him to Coria, at all. When Thiem came up, I don't think anyone pegged him as a clay-courter, especially. It's just been where his game best translates. Coria is a classic clay-courter. I would more compare him to Nadal and Ferrer, in recent terms, both in clay-court chops and ability to translate, though Coria and Ferrer were much more limited, obviously. Coria was absolutely the best clay courter of the era, when Rafa came along. The yips that ended his career is complicated, and has more to do with losing the FO final to Gaudio, who also fell apart, shortly after. Players who are top of the line now tend to be more across-the-board less surface-specialists, even if the results tend to one surface. I don't see Thiem as being the obvious bridge to clay dominance, post-Rafa. Obviously, there is no Rafa, but there is also no Coria, or Kuerten. I could be wrong, but I think the players coming up who are lethal are all more "hybrids."
I do give all credit to Nishioka. Anyone paying attention has known that he's talented and dangerous. I didn't see the first 2 sets, so I was only parroting the commies, but I said that.
