The misguided notion that Nadal won't thrive after 30....

Moxie

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calitennis127 said:
Moxie629 said:
OK, I can't wait any longer for someone else to call you out on this: Cali, sweetheart, you have never been a fan of Nadal, loyal or otherwise.

My remark was tongue-in-cheek and was meant to make all of you Nadal fans roll your eyes.

Moxie629 said:
"Admirer," as to points about his athleticism and mental strength you cop to, but "fan?" You can't even say he's a talented tennis player. And I have asked you, feet to the fire. You said no.

:laydownlaughing:laydownlaughing:laydownlaughing:laydownlaughing:laydownlaughing

That is not true at all.:laydownlaughing

What I have maintained is that if you look at the disparity between his accomplishments and the rest of the field's, it is not explained by a difference in talent level (in terms of tennis skill and shotmaking) that is proportionate to the difference in achievement.

I look at the H2H with Federer, for instance, as an indictment of Federer more than a compliment to Nadal.

If you are going strictly by shotmaking - Nadal should not have 2 US Opens and Djokovic only 1. Nadal should not have a summer hardcourt sweep that neither Federer nor Djokovic ever pulled off.

There are other factors besides pure tennis talent that explain these odd differences.

It IS true, my friend. Since your assessment of Nadal has had to move so drastically over the years to make up for Nadal's accomplishments, you've had to go from some variation of 'he's a flash in the pan', to he's a physical beast, and toward 'he's mentally tougher than anyone else,' with segues into insisting that consistency on serve is somehow a near-cheat. In one of my more recent reassessments of your endless changes of heart, I asked you if you would then, finally say that Nadal was a talented tennis player, and you said no. Are you willing to say now, that he is? Because I'd like to hear that.

You go on and on about shot-making, but you never seem to be able to see it when Nadal does it. Federer is the one responsible for that un-balanced h2h; Djokovic is "inexcusable" (the word you love so much, which really means nothing,) for losses to Nadal. When is it going to finally register with you that Nadal is actually a top-drawer, best of all time tennis player?

OK, never, I know. But I just had to get that off of my chest. So keep complaining about how you don't like his brand of tennis, and try to make little of it. He's going to keep winning in big moments. You'll keep asking 'why?' even though for the rest of the world, it's crystal clear.
 

Tennis Miller

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Broken_Shoelace said:
Aesthetic edge is all I have to say...

That leaping backhand overhead Nadal hit during the WTF finals was one of the most difficult, most athletic, perfectly executed, "aesthetically" beautiful shots that I've ever seen.

It happened in a flash, and was hit with immense power. I don't recall seeing anyone ever hitting one like that. Very impressive.

Cheers

TM
 

Kieran

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Very rare that Rafa misses an overhead. He smites 'em from anywhere on court, but his backhand smash is a thing of beauty, as good as anyone has hit it..
 

brokenshoelace

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Tennis Miller said:
Broken_Shoelace said:
Aesthetic edge is all I have to say...

That leaping backhand overhead Nadal hit during the WTF finals was one of the most difficult, most athletic, perfectly executed, "aesthetically" beautiful shots that I've ever seen.

It happened in a flash, and was hit with immense power. I don't recall seeing anyone ever hitting one like that. Very impressive.

Cheers

TM

Well all joking aside, Nadal does hit that shot extremely well, second only to Federer (who I don't ever recall seeing missing a backhand overhead. Most of them end up being winners, actually).
 

Tennis Miller

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Broken_Shoelace said:
Tennis Miller said:
Broken_Shoelace said:
Aesthetic edge is all I have to say...

That leaping backhand overhead Nadal hit during the WTF finals was one of the most difficult, most athletic, perfectly executed, "aesthetically" beautiful shots that I've ever seen.

It happened in a flash, and was hit with immense power. I don't recall seeing anyone ever hitting one like that. Very impressive.

Cheers

TM

Well all joking aside, Nadal does hit that shot extremely well, second only to Federer (who I don't ever recall seeing missing a backhand overhead. Most of them end up being winners, actually).

The backhand overhead I'm talking about was actually different from Fed's (which is usually an "aesthestically pleasing" flick, perfectly angled. What Nadal did was leap back to reach a ball that was well behind him and actually smash it with a backwards snap that was too powerful for Nole to handle. I've just never seen it hit quite like that before and had to rewind to see exactly how he'd been able to generate that much power on the shot. Still not sure how he did it!

Cheers

TM
 

brokenshoelace

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Tennis Miller said:
Broken_Shoelace said:
Tennis Miller said:
Broken_Shoelace said:
Aesthetic edge is all I have to say...

That leaping backhand overhead Nadal hit during the WTF finals was one of the most difficult, most athletic, perfectly executed, "aesthetically" beautiful shots that I've ever seen.

It happened in a flash, and was hit with immense power. I don't recall seeing anyone ever hitting one like that. Very impressive.

Cheers

TM

Well all joking aside, Nadal does hit that shot extremely well, second only to Federer (who I don't ever recall seeing missing a backhand overhead. Most of them end up being winners, actually).

The backhand overhead I'm talking about was actually different from Fed's (which is usually an "aesthestically pleasing" flick, perfectly angled. What Nadal did was leap back to reach a ball that was well behind him and actually smash it with a backwards snap that was too powerful for Nole to handle. I've just never seen it hit quite like that before and had to rewind to see exactly how he'd been able to generate that much power on the shot. Still not sure how he did it!

Cheers

TM

Yeah, I remember the shot you're talking about. Rafa's actually pulled it off before too. He's got great court sense, which coupled with his athleticism, makes such a shot possible for him.
 

Iona16

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I'm just going to enjoy watching Rafa for as long as he's around. It will be a sad day when he finally hangs up that racquet.
 

brokenshoelace

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calitennis127 said:
Broken_Shoelace said:
Aesthetic edge is all I have to say...

Yeah, it is a reality, whether you realize it or not.

Yup, a reality. It's such an edge, that it led him to a commanding 10-22 H2H record.
 
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