He needs to play better and better, god level is what he needs for the F .good win by Nadal straight sets he going to plays even more god level tennis the next round.
Nadal is playing really weak opponents in early rounds same like Novak. It is Thiem who has really tough draw and if he reaches SF to face Nadal I would say that Thiem will be at his peak, but Nadal might have only one decent opponent and that is Zverev, but no one knows could be also Sinner/Cecchinato. Nadal will be underplayed reaching SF and if he plays Thiem he will not know what hit him, first set loss is highly likely and then upset is possible when Thiem grows in confidence.
I can imagine. Just trying to say their names takes about half an hour.Roberto Bautista Agut versus Pablo Carreno Busta
So this RBA/PCB match could possibly take about 8 hours....
I really don't buy the notion that 'not being tested enough' is even really a thing for the most elite players, esp. post-age 30. They know how to gauge themselves, tweak their games, and work on peaking for the later stages. Say Novak really does just coast all the way to the final, which is possible. Is he really going to be complacent about his level going into a final with Nadal or Thiem? (If it's anyone else, I don't think he'll have to.) No...and he'll know what he has to find in his level to beat them. As to Nadal, it definitely serves him to get to play his way into this tournament, given how little tennis he's played since February. If he gets to the SF and faces Thiem, he knows what's in front of him, and he's better off rested than tested. And he'll hope to get past Thiem without getting too beaten up. He'll need to find his A-game a round earlier than Novak, as would Thiem, and one can only hope that that's a leg-up on Novak, at least for the first set. But I get ahead of things.Donfabio, I find the "perfect" equation of being tested in early round matches but not too much to be the hardest to gauge. Nadal could have multiple tight 4 or even 5 set matches in the early rounds, "tested" so to speak but then perhaps physically drained or a little fatigued when he gets to tougher opponents .
Win or lose to Zverev, Theim or Novak, I'd prefer he not be physically exhausted before he meets them. It's not as if Nadal hasn't played those potential opponents often enough to know how dangerous they all are.
At the Nadal/Novak level, ( playing in about their 60th Major,) at this point I suspect they'd rather conserve energy on the red clay until they hopefully get to the second week and up their game accordingly.
It's one of those things where everything is hindsight;
You win easy all the way through you were "dominant".
You win easy early on and then lose, you weren't "tested" enough.
How about Hugo Gaston! Just turned 20 a few days ago. Never won an tour-level match before this tournament, and today he shocked Stan. He's a pretty small guy, though he probably grow and fill out a bit yet. Here's a new French player on the horizon, @MargaretMcAleer !
Or perhaps a double-croissant, in this case. That was the biggest shocker. While I keep insisting that Stan is done winning Majors, or much of anything, he was looking good in this tournament. The kid has game.Okay I tip my hat to him,I am still getting my head around that he served Stan a bagel...
Donfabio, I find the "perfect" equation of being tested in early round matches but not too much to be the hardest to gauge. Nadal could have multiple tight 4 or even 5 set matches in the early rounds, "tested" so to speak but then perhaps physically drained or a little fatigued when he gets to tougher opponents .
Win or lose to Zverev, Theim or Novak, I'd prefer he not be physically exhausted before he meets them. It's not as if Nadal hasn't played those potential opponents often enough to know how dangerous they all are.
At the Nadal/Novak level, ( playing in about their 60th Major,) at this point I suspect they'd rather conserve energy on the red clay until they hopefully get to the second week and up their game accordingly.
It's one of those things where everything is hindsight;
You win easy all the way through you were "dominant".
You win easy early on and then lose, you weren't "tested" enough.
Donfabio, I find the "perfect" equation of being tested in early round matches but not too much to be the hardest to gauge. Nadal could have multiple tight 4 or even 5 set matches in the early rounds, "tested" so to speak but then perhaps physically drained or a little fatigued when he gets to tougher opponents .
Win or lose to Zverev, Theim or Novak, I'd prefer he not be physically exhausted before he meets them. It's not as if Nadal hasn't played those potential opponents often enough to know how dangerous they all are.
At the Nadal/Novak level, ( playing in about their 60th Major,) at this point I suspect they'd rather conserve energy on the red clay until they hopefully get to the second week and up their game accordingly.
It's one of those things where everything is hindsight;
You win easy all the way through you were "dominant".
You win easy early on and then lose, you weren't "tested" enough.
Or perhaps a double-croissant, in this case. That was the biggest shocker. While I keep insisting that Stan is done winning Majors, or much of anything, he was looking good in this tournament. The kid has game.
I'm just giving the kid his due...it's not like he upset Stan in the first round...he's into the round of 16. Maybe this time next year he'll be the next Sinner. I did note that you said Sinner hasn't dropped a set, and that is impressive. But we have had our eyes on him. He's really talented. I wouldn't be shocked if he beats Sasha. And might even be more trouble for Rafa than Zverev would be, anyway.Lets not go too overboard with this win,he has a long way to go.I am more impressed with Sinner not dropping a set, going into the 4th rd,he will play Sasha next.
How about Seb Korda? He had the same record in the ATP going into this tournament as Gaston: 0-2. OK, not as impressive an upset beating Isner in R2, but still...he's also just 20.new players zoom into r4,,
the bloke who beat stan had zero atp tour level wins b4 this tourney.
I'm just giving the kid his due...it's not like he upset Stan in the first round...he's into the round of 16. Maybe this time next year he'll be the next Sinner. I did note that you said Sinner hasn't dropped a set, and that is impressive. But we have had our eyes on him. He's really talented. I wouldn't be shocked if he beats Sasha. And might even be more trouble for Rafa than Zverev would be, anyway.