The Mystery And The Magic of Rafael Nadal

[ClayDeath]

but nadal is a cyborg.

model number: 300-1.

manufactured by Advanced Galactic Cybernetics

**the first and the last of his kind.


the company went bankrupt after spending billions and billions to develop 300 series models.

 

[ClayDeath]

nadal just took down nole on his best surface and his own worst surface.

not once but twice. he is also not going to be coming back from a 7 month layoff from the sport.

nadal was barely 55% capacity and nole still could not put him away at RG this year. now nadal is at about 65%-70% capacity. now they cant even beat him on his worst surface.

nadal is exactly 5-0 against nole at RG. his movement is not as good as it used to be but he has taken some steps to improve:

a. the serve is a little bit better
b. the return is slowly improving again
c. he has been working on his backhand and it shows
d. he is experimenting with better/more optimal court positioning

e. court intelligence. this was always there but now he has become even better at it. he has become a more profound thinker on the court. this means he has a very large database to draw from now and is just better at problem solving than he was a couple of years ago.

perhaps he realizes that he is in a race against time so there is a greater purpose to his game. he looks more focused and is not getting rattled and flustered by minor swings in his matches.

based on the dynamics and trends in place, I am giving nole no chance at RG next year. NONE.


its just not happening. nadal is just a better player and simply better at winning matches.

to think that nole is going to trouble nadal at RG in 2014 is nothing more than wishful thinking. with the greater purpose and the improved game that nadal is bringing to the battlefield, I would suggest that the task for nole at RG just got a little more impossible. last thing he wants now is nadal across the net.

especially on clay.

also consider this: nadal is already making plans to make sure he is able to run the tables at RG in 2014. he will make damn sure it is a lot easier next time.

 

[Front242]

Better hope it doesn't rain, eh? And hopefully Brands doesn't brainfart next year like he did in that 2nd set TB.

 

[ClayDeath]

I am sure nadal is terrified.


10 years of total and complete domination of red clay and some people have yet to learn a damn thing about why they cant get him at RG if he is relatively healthy.

if 8 RG crowns cant convince you then all you can do and must do is pray for a miracle.

 

[ClayDeath]

they cant beat him on his worst surface and yet all of a sudden he is under a threat at RG.

this is getting amusing. let me grab some popcorn.

 

[Front242]

I am sure nadal is terrified.


10 years of total and complete domination of red clay and some people have yet to learn a damn thing about why they cant get him at RG if he is relatively healthy.

if 8 RG crowns cant convince you then all you can do and must do is pray for a miracle.

All I'm saying is the weather there impacts things. He didn't handle the cold, damp start of the first week well. A few cleaner volleys and groundstrokes and Brands was up 2 sets to 0. He led in the 2nd set TB as well. Above all else the opposition need to show more guts against him like Brands did there.

 

[brokenshoelace]

nadal was barely 55% capacity and nole still could not put him away at RG this year. now nadal is at about 65%-70% capacity. now they cant even beat him on his worst surface.

There is no way in hell you believe what you're saying. At least, I genuinely hope not. Nadal was at way more than 55% against Novak in Paris (how the hell can you even measure that, anyway?), and he was playing his best hard court tennis this summer.

 

[brokenshoelace]

Better hope it doesn't rain, eh? And hopefully Brands doesn't brainfart next year like he did in that 2nd set TB.

For your sake, I hope your hopes of Nadal losing at the French Open aren't dependent on Daniel Brands.

 

[ClayDeath]

he was praying for a miracle at the u.s. open too. he said he was hoping for a miracle when gasquet took on nadal there.

 

[ClayDeath]

who wants to take a crack at this:

what really drives nadal? what is the true source of his motivation?

what drives him to achieve?

 

[Moxie]

who wants to take a crack at this:

what really drives nadal? what is the true source of his motivation?

what drives him to achieve?

I think the answer is almost simple, and it applies to all of the Big 4: They are driven to win. They are competitive to a degree that most of us will never even be exposed to. They have the talent, and they train hard; then they fight harder than most of the competition in matches. And I expect it has something to do with having the experience of, and the taste for winning.

 

[Ricardo]

nadal was barely 55% capacity and nole still could not put him away at RG this year. now nadal is at about 65%-70% capacity. now they cant even beat him on his worst surface.

There is no way in hell you believe what you're saying. At least, I genuinely hope not. Nadal was at way more than 55% against Novak in Paris (how the hell can you even measure that, anyway?), and he was playing his best hard court tennis this summer.

i don't understand this, you are also a Nadal fan yet i don't see you chew out moronic words like that..... how do some fans get so hopelessly blind and plain biased? what's next? Nadal can't lose a point unless he has an off day.

 

[Ricardo]

but nadal is a cyborg.

model number: 300-1.

manufactured by Advanced Galactic Cybernetics

**the first and the last of his kind.


the company went bankrupt after spending billions and billions to develop 300 series models.

are you trying to impress somebody with the above? or trying to be funny? alright i'll try to laugh

 

[Kieran]

but nadal is a cyborg.

model number: 300-1.

manufactured by Advanced Galactic Cybernetics

**the first and the last of his kind.


the company went bankrupt after spending billions and billions to develop 300 series models.

are you trying to impress somebody with the above? or trying to be funny? alright i'll try to laugh

Try to. It's good for ya!

 

[ClayDeath]

who wants to take a crack at this:

what really drives nadal? what is the true source of his motivation?

what drives him to achieve?

I think the answer is almost simple, and it applies to all of the Big 4: They are driven to win. They are competitive to a degree that most of us will never even be exposed to. They have the talent, and they train hard; then they fight harder than most of the competition in matches. And I expect it has something to do with having the experience of, and the taste for winning.

thanks for the reply lady mox.

we will have to explore this in greater depth later tonight.


some are driven more than others but they are all driven to be at this level.

this is the most brutal sport there is.

 

[Jelenafan]

I do hope that Nadal translates his HC to the clay, aka more aggressive to end points quicker. Grinding out on clay will always work for him but I'm thinking more long term career longevity.

 

[NADAL2005RG]

I think Nadal only got his head right when he was on the brink of defeat at Roland Garros in that semi. Nadal hit 22 winners in the 5th set (compared to Djokovic's 13 winners). That was like a preview of his post-Wimbledon play. Its like everything became clear in that 5th set. As Nadal has already said, he is playing more aggressively now due to nothing physical, rather mental. Nadal says he has been trying to do this for years, but has only done it in training until now (apart from a few events prior to 2013, like 2010 US Open). He had to break the psychological barrier between defense and offense. He's been locked into the aggressive mode for most of his matches now since Montreal.

When Nadal returned to the tour this year his knee was a bit stiff still from inactivity, and he had a limp for a couple of months. That probably helped him mentally to force himself to end points quicker. He did that to perfection at Indian Wells, but later reverted back to a more conservative style. It wasn't until the 5th set of RG semi that he recommitted to attack-mode.

 

[ClayDeath]

nadal can always do better in terms of court intelligence but at least he is moving in the right direction now.

anybody saw his interview with Charlie rose? he is actually a bright fellow.

 

[Moxie]

who wants to take a crack at this:

what really drives nadal? what is the true source of his motivation?

what drives him to achieve?

I think the answer is almost simple, and it applies to all of the Big 4: They are driven to win. They are competitive to a degree that most of us will never even be exposed to. They have the talent, and they train hard; then they fight harder than most of the competition in matches. And I expect it has something to do with having the experience of, and the taste for winning.

thanks for the reply lady mox.

we will have to explore this in greater depth later tonight.

some are driven more than others but they are all driven to be at this level.

this is the most brutal sport there is.

Not sure I agree with either of those two statements that I bolded. To the second point, I'm sure there are more "brutal" sports. (All of the fight sports come to mind.) However, tennis IS mano-a-mano, and so gets compared to them. What is tough about tennis is that weaknesses are exposed, and there is nowhere to hide. I would say it can be *psychologically* brutal.

And yes, I'd say that anyone who gets into the top...let's say...100, they are probably driven, to some extent, but the Top 4 are off-the-charts in terms of commitment and will-to-win, IMO. I really think they came into the world that way. I was thinking of various anecdotes that we read about them as kids.

- Judy Murray said that Jamie started out her more talented son, but Andy was completely head-strong about winning.

- Novak declaring from some really early age that he was going to be #1. (And he did it.)

- Rafa's uncles tell stories about his preternatural focus and competitiveness from an early age. Even declaring that he wanted to win Wimbledon from very young. Carlos Moya admitted that they were kind of laughing at him, because Spaniards don't really win Wimbledon. (And, of course, he did it.)

- And Roger is, well...Roger. (I don't have any good childhood anecdotes, but if anyone wants to add them, that would be good.) Once he stopped being a hothead, I don't think it needs to be explained that he had the focus and mentality of a champion.

I don't think the rest of the field is built the same way, and that's at least partly why we're not seeing a great surge from the Young Guns.

 

[ClayDeath]

excellent post.