Mutua Madrid Open, Madrid, Spain, ATP Masters 1000
- Thread starter Moxie
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I'm not getting carried away. At least I don't change my opinion like the wind. Rafa was getting his ass handed to him in the way that big hitters can do to him. But then he tried to go for less predictable patterns. He was hitting the DLT FH and Querrey could only hold out so long, going that big.
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
Sousa, Muzz and Raonic have trained in Mallorca for awhile, hope that everything they have learned won't to apply playing to Rafa
clay warrior is not going to lose tomorrow but he has got to start working a lot harder.
he is winning because he is more willing to fight now and has slightly better focus.
but his game needs a lot of work.
Carol
Grand Slam Champion
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Querrey, who plays pretty well on clay started very aggressive and with his usual torpedos serves, Nadal seemed a little bit doubtfully but later he started to react and to play much better, that comeback in the first set was incredible good
, Querrey in the second set lost all that agressivity looking that he couldn't do too much anymore
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
nonsense.
you are 100% nonsense 100% of the time.
I never said he is playing great. he has only decided to fight and win for a bloody change and he is winning.
he has slightly better focus.
he is still playing like garbage.
I guess you will call that resurgence.
only thing he is doing better is this:
1. he has decided to fight and try to be competitive
he got tired of losing. he also got tired of lying to himself when he kept saying that it doesn't matter if he wins or loses.
and along the way he also decided that he really needs to keep playing for a while. he realized that his world is tennis. so to hang around the sport for another 2-3 years he has really has no choice but to try to win.
so now he is a little more focused on winning. he is trying to be fight more out there instead of checking out like he had been doing for so long.
he still cant return well. he is leaving the balls too short. his movement stinks.
there is little or no depth in his shots.
there is insufficient pace on his shots
there is not sufficient topspin on his shots by his usual standards.
so now he has to do the other part now that some focus and willingness to fight and win has returned: he has to start working a lot harder.
he is still a shell of what he used to be.
but feel free to blindly worship him.
at least we have me around to shed objective light on the matter.
Carol
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I rather to wait for the next results. Rafa needs to win this tournament and also Roma and hoping that Stan won't to do well in Roma, the only way that Rafa would recovery the #4. Novak also wants to win after the "circus" that he did three years ago but I think Raonic (without any injury) could give him a lot of work, and not like his last two opponents 
Tomorrow I'm leaving to NY but I will check all the results
Vamos!!!!!!!
Tomorrow I'm leaving to NY but I will check all the results
Vamos!!!!!!!
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
I would never insult you. nobody insults you on my watch.
I was just lecturing you for kicks. I am a professional lecturer you know. I am just hoping that you get my vantage point anyway.
I have exactly zero desire to insult you. you are a lady for one thing.
I am just not too happy with the clay warrior. I have been pissed off all damn day after seeing those highlights.
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Thanks for that, then, but perhaps if you'd seen more than highlights you wouldn't be so unhappy. It was a cold start from Rafa and a very hot one from Querrey. But it was a classic Nadal turnaround on him to win the first. Of course Nadal has work to do to beat Djokovic, but he's getting a lot of game and confidence back. Not to mention the old fight.
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
I am not sure it was sam to be honest with you moxie.
any top college player could do the same thing if you drop the ball that short time and again. it is almost like target practice. you can just flail away at will when they drop it around the service line.
even I could have blasted away at will in my prime. he is simply dropping it too short in rallies and then has to run like a rat on a string trying to chase those shots.
he is not doing anything with the returns either. they are horrible at best.
luckily sam threw away the ball 25 times. he had 25 errors so that helped rafa's cause a great deal.
sam is not all that good these days. rafa just has to work harder.
he has to learn to dictate again. he is not logging in the hard yards in practice. and also on the fitness front. that has to happen.
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
we will take all and any wins. at least he is trying to compete and fight now. that is the step in the right direction.
he can keep building on what he has started to build.
now it will get harder. tougher tests await. he has to figure out a way to get a win over djokovic before pulling up in paris.
I know tony said that they don't want to play djokovic. tony said that they want to play lesser players.
that may work now while rafa gets some matches under his belt but they have to face their demons.
they have to work harder off the courts when not playing matches. more time is needed in the gym and more time is needed on the practice courts.
only way to win more slams and beat djokovic in the process is work as hard as he is working.
ClayDeath
Multiple Major Winner
we are in the same camp.
I think pretty much the whole world wants to see Rafa get back to level where he can have a decent shot at one more RG before riding into the sunset.
Rafa is good for the sport. good/decent competition at the top is vital for the integrity of the sport.
I would also like to see andy and roger get going again. they are both working very hard to improve their game and their fitness. lets hope they get there soon.
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
Last 16 Results Round Up
(1) Novak Djokovic DEFEATS (15) Roberto Bautista Agut 6/2 6/1
(2) Andy Murray DEFEATS (16) Gilles Simon 6/4 6/2
(5) Rafael Nadal DEFEATS Sam Querrey 6/4 6/2
(6) Kei Nishikori DEFEATS (10) Richard Gasquet 6/4 7/5
(11) Milos Raonic DEFEATS (7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6/4 6/4
(8) Tomas Berdych DEFEATS (9) David Ferrer 7/6(8) 7/5
Nick Kyrgios DEFEATS Pablo Cuevas 7/6(5) 4/6 6/3
Joao Sousa DEFEATS Jack Sock 6/1 6/7(3) 6/2
(1) Novak Djokovic DEFEATS (15) Roberto Bautista Agut 6/2 6/1
(2) Andy Murray DEFEATS (16) Gilles Simon 6/4 6/2
(5) Rafael Nadal DEFEATS Sam Querrey 6/4 6/2
(6) Kei Nishikori DEFEATS (10) Richard Gasquet 6/4 7/5
(11) Milos Raonic DEFEATS (7) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6/4 6/4
(8) Tomas Berdych DEFEATS (9) David Ferrer 7/6(8) 7/5
Nick Kyrgios DEFEATS Pablo Cuevas 7/6(5) 4/6 6/3
Joao Sousa DEFEATS Jack Sock 6/1 6/7(3) 6/2
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
britbox
Multiple Major Winner
Quarter Final Line Up
Djokovic v Raonic
Kyrgios v Nishikori
Nadal v Sousa
Berdych v Murray
Milos didn't bring anything to the table when he played Novak in Indian Wells... OK, maybe a tad a harsh - he did bring a white handkerchief taped to a stick. Nothing much to see here... Novak in straight sets.
Kei handled Nick pretty routinely in Miami. I don't think this is a foregone conclusion, but would be leaning heavily toward another Nishikori win.
Sousa isn't going to bother an improving Rafa. Formality.
Murray v Berdych is the hard one to call of the four matches. Murray leads the H2H 7-6 and has won the last three in a row but this is tempered by the fact that Berd has won all three previous matches on clay.
This could go either way... but I lean towards Murray to break his Berd-Clay duck and advance to the semis.
Djokovic v Raonic
Kyrgios v Nishikori
Nadal v Sousa
Berdych v Murray
Milos didn't bring anything to the table when he played Novak in Indian Wells... OK, maybe a tad a harsh - he did bring a white handkerchief taped to a stick. Nothing much to see here... Novak in straight sets.
Kei handled Nick pretty routinely in Miami. I don't think this is a foregone conclusion, but would be leaning heavily toward another Nishikori win.
Sousa isn't going to bother an improving Rafa. Formality.
Murray v Berdych is the hard one to call of the four matches. Murray leads the H2H 7-6 and has won the last three in a row but this is tempered by the fact that Berd has won all three previous matches on clay.
This could go either way... but I lean towards Murray to break his Berd-Clay duck and advance to the semis.
