Is this the beginning of The Incline?

[GameSetAndMath]

Rafa reached the finals of Beijing with a win over his nemesis Fog. Now, he has won against the big servers Ivo and Milos and now has won against another nemesis Stan reaching SF. So, he has put together lot of quality wins. I think this win over Stan (that too in straight sets with 1-2 score line) can perhaps be taken as the beginning of the incline for Rafa?

Has Vamos become Venomous? What u all think?

 

[Kieran]

Heh heh, I saw what you done there, the incline, I like it.

Difficult to say but it is a level of consistently good play that he hadn't shown yet this year. Even the first set against Novak, although he was outplayed, people tell me he was getting more off his shots. He hammered Stan today. Could see from everything about Rafa, he was up for this one. So that's recent, because usually this season he's looked hunted, disgruntled, unsure, slow and moody.

I think it's a start, but we won't know whether it's real or not until we see him continue like this through the rest of the season. It could turn out to be just another sign of growing inconsistency. I remember he looked quite useful in Madrid, for example, then a total stranger took the court to face Murray...

 

[Kirijax]

Rafa reached the finals of Beijing with a win over his nemesis Fog. Now, he has won against the big servers Ivo and Milos and now has won against another nemesis Stan reaching SF. So, he
has put together lot of quality wins. I think this win over Stan (that too in straight sets with 1-2 score line) can perhaps be taken as the beginning of the incline for Rafa?

Has Vamos become Venomous? What u all think?

LOL I thought I was reading Lux's thread. I thought Rafa was taking over Fed's thread when I finally noticed The Incline. :snicker An extra Snickers bar for you Sir.

 

[Front242]

Raonic and Karlovic may be big servers but have you seen the court here this year? It's slow just like Beijing and their serves are nowhere near as potent. Beijing was the exact same as there's no way in hell great as he is at returning that Djokovic allows Isner only 3 aces on a faster hard court. The courts are getting way too slow.

 

[Kirijax]

Raonic and Karlovic may be big servers but have you seen the court here this year? It's slow just like Beijing and their serves are nowhere near as potent. Beijing was the exact same as there's no way in hell great as he is at returning that Djokovic allows Isner only 3 aces on a faster hard court. The courts are getting way too slow.

The Chinese tennis "fans" are also way too slow in getting to the matches. The matches are over by the time they rush to the arena.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Rafa is now #5 in the race. He is likely to hold on to that spot at year end. Rafa will definitely find
his way back top top #4 before RG of next year. If Rafa comes back and denies RG again to Novak in 2016, Novak will feel really bad. He missed RG in both of his banner years, by going out to someone other than Rafa.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

See, I am not the only one who has this feeling. Tignor thinks so as well.

 

[nehmeth]

See, I am not the only one who has this feeling. Tignor thinks so as well.

uzzled
You mean the guy who picked Fed to win it all this week?

 

[El Dude]

Yes, it is the beginning of the incline. But what we don't know is how high the incline will go, and more importantly whether it will be high enough to challenge Novak against whom Rafa has been totally over-matched for quite awhile. But there is no denying that Rafa's play has improved over the last few weeks. Beating Stan was huge - the best player he's beaten since...well, Rafa hasn't beaten a top 10 player since Tomas Berdych in the SF of Madrid (but then lost to Andy Murray in the Final). Before that he beat David Ferrer in the QF of Monte Carlo. But Wawrinka is the only top 5 player Rafa has beaten all year, and only the third time he's beaten someone in the top 10.

 

[herios]

See, I am not the only one who has this feeling. Tignor thinks so as well.

Tignor is an idiot:laydownlaughing

 

[isabelle]

Inline for sure, Manacor's bull improved a lot recently

 

[GameSetAndMath]

Despite the loss to the boxer, I still maintain that Bull is on an incline.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

Rafa reached the finals of Beijing with a win over his nemesis Fog. Now, he has won against the big servers Ivo and Milos and now has won against another nemesis Stan reaching SF. So, he has put together lot of quality wins. I think this win over Stan (that too in straight sets with 1-2 score line) can perhaps be taken as the beginning of the incline for Rafa?

Has Vamos become Venomous? What u all think?

Yes, I think he will build on this little run...His forehand is looking more venomous indeed. His backhand still looks stuck in the mud to me. His hold percentage has been phenomenal as well.

Rafa has always been a player that has taken the smallest positive and built on it.

 

[Luxilon Borg]

I have to admit, I am surprise by the loss to Joey. The Bull started out very, very tentatively hitting lots of short balls, missing overheads, and no specific pattern of play.

Even the second set, which was a blow out, was more Joey blowing it then Nadal doing anything special.

Shame. I think it would have been a more competitive final than Bay Jing.

 

[nehmeth]

Shame. I think it would have been a more competitive final than Bay Jing.

uzzled
Did you see the other semifinal?

The way Novak's playing, I don't even know if it would have been as competitive as Beijing

 

[Kirijax]

Shame. I think it would have been a more competitive final than Bay Jing.

uzzled
Did you see the other semifinal?

The way Novak's playing, I don't even know if it would have been as competitive as Beijing

What other semifinal? Oh! You mean the one between Djokovic and the really bad Andy Murray impersonator!

 

[Luxilon Borg]

Shame. I think it would have been a more competitive final than Bay Jing.

uzzled
Did you see the other semifinal?

The way Novak's playing, I don't even know if it would have been as competitive as Beijing

Errr. The first game was....close...:blush:

 

[nehmeth]

Shame. I think it would have been a more competitive final than Bay Jing.

uzzled
Did you see the other semifinal?

The way Novak's playing, I don't even know if it would have been as competitive as Beijing

What other semifinal? Oh! You mean the one between Djokovic and the really bad Andy Murray impersonator!

:nono

Nobody is that ugly and nobody can act that crazy and nobody can swear (in English) like that on court... it was Murray.

uzzled .... I think

 

[Kirijax]

uzzled
Did you see the other semifinal?

The way Novak's playing, I don't even know if it would have been as competitive as Beijing

What other semifinal? Oh! You mean the one between Djokovic and the really bad Andy Murray impersonator!

:nono

Nobody is that ugly and nobody can act that crazy and nobody can swear (in English) like that on court... it was Murray.

uzzled .... I think

Well, Nadal thinks Murray is pretty hot and I cuss worse than that when I'm driving. :snicker

 

[Kieran]

Although Rafa lost, he didn't lose the way he's lost other times this year, looking befuddled and confused. He played a straight match and all the components of his game appear to be clicking into gear. He's not there fully yet but even in defeat, I'd still say this match was more a sign of incline than decline. His confidence is better, and mentally he's much more assertive. Worryingly for everybody else, he's serving very well, and the forehand is dangerous.

All this is an improvement even on Beijing, so two tourneys in a row have given us a reason to believe. But he's not fully back. I think the barometre of these things is how he does against the very best, and he's not there yet. But now I think he'll get there, and now I think he can win big again. A lot depends on whether he can keep this up. To misquote Bob Dylan, it's not bright yet, but it's getting there...