sounds plausible.

rfzr,

Sounds possible , but Fed may comeup with some good strategy this time..

Will be interesting to see the next set of matches..

IT would be nice if nadal won.. would take that one pressure off him and then we can see how two geniuses without pressure will play on.. fed has nothing more to prove and nadal will be off pressure till he gets into above 12 slams bracket before expectations becomes burdensome again..looking forward to a delightful time for both and to see who handles lack of motivation better for lak of a better term to use

champ00289: i didn't say he'll win, i just said he had a good chance. fed or rafa for the title (here hoping nole but most likely not).

Too soon ricky....dont jinx rafito :-)

its one thing to be hopeful and cheer for your man and its a diff thing to eb realist, rfzr is just doing that..good to see.. i too think nadal has a great chance now, surface would favor fed too so we will see.

Ricky is hopelessly incorrect in his predictions and he must be deliberately doing this now having predicted murry to be in the final.

Ricky, this is going into overdrive to try and pull back from your predictions, but I wouldn't go so far as to say 'will', I'd say 'could' because he's still got to win 3 matches to win. I agree with you about Gabashvili and Istomin. When I looked at the draw, I thought that if he came through the first 2 rounds, he'd stand a good chance of going all the way.

I could see the potential from the claycourt season and into Wimbledon, and although they are different surfaces, nobody's form could decline to the extent that Rafa played in Toronto and Cincy. It was evident he wasn't up for it because he was rusty coming back from the break, and another clue was that he did not want to aggravate his abdominals.

But there is no getting away from the fact that he is in great form, so I'm keeping my gingers and toes crossed.

@newfangkc, what a redundant comment

Don't worry folks ATR will be here soon to provide the all anti jinxing comments necessary.

Ricky, still don't agree with your reference to Murray, if Wawa can take him out in 4, why would he be of any threat to Rafa in this form. Let's also leave Delpo out because there are many astericks against his win over Rafa last year.

nadline - its not like im taking back my Murray pick. I got that one wrong, nothing I can do about it now.

i wont go all "i told you so" on everyone when Nadal wins, because picking him to win starting at the quarterfinals is nothing special. I assume almost everyone is picking Nadal now. So its not like I am going out on a limb.

Ricky, great article and great analysis of Rafa's chances at this USO.
After winning Roland Garros, which was expected (even though a lot of people still thought Soderling would beat him again), he told McEnroe that he was going to go for the USO and was very "highly motivated" to win it this time. I was surprised, because Rafa rarely looks that far ahead, let alone with Wimbledon still in between. I could tell Rafa knew that this time was going to be different. Free of the frustration of Injuries and the fatigue added by the Olympics, he knew he was ready. Thank you for not buying into the stupid conspiracy theories in regards to Rafa's serve. Brad Gilbert mentioned yesterday that Agassi could make changes to his game in a matter of days. Andre is a genius, one of a kind, but then again so is Rafa.
Cheers!

ricky: Wow

( and you're probably right on every count above )

chlorostoma - u mean in the article, or the comments?

As many astericks as for the finals at SW19-2008 and AO-2009?

--- [Nadal] is a completely different player than the one that was on display in 2009---

I remember that last year it was painful to watch how poorly he moved. Now he runs like a Big Cat.

In Rafa's presser, he said he is not yet playing at his best level!!!!!!!!!!!

it is impressive nadal keeps working so hard to improve aspects of his game. he has done it over and over again during his career. that's why he is not only a champ but also a legend already at 24...

don't really understand why ricky dimon says this would be his only chance of winning us open then. if he plays like this, he can beat delpotro and murray as well. perhaps not every time but now and then. and he can step up his game even more.

well well well jumping on the nadal bandwagon are we ricky?

so u pick nadal to win the US open, that means he wont win it because u have an awful prediction record and ur the ultimate jinxer.

so MY prediction that nadal wont win the US open will come true.
book it.

eh ! wt a joke ...it was Murray earlier i guess......n i think u shud not be allowed more than once !!!! :P

Go Roger........ :)

this was nadal in the ESPN commentary booth explaining his grip change and how he gets more pop on his serve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp04WsAJM5g

nadal hasn't been tested yet and most likely won't be until the final so it is difficult to know...

I don't know whether Nadal will win the UsOpen.

But one thing is for sure - he will NEVER EVER get a better opportunity than this.

If we doesn't win this year, I don't know when he ever will..

Sorry I forgot. Ricky - Thanks for the article.

I think another thing that could be to Nadal's detriment is the Super Saturday schedule. Because of the physical nature of his game, he might have problems playing two best of 5 on consecutive days. Especially given that he will be playing the 2nd SF at 4:30 PM ET, which would give less recovery time.

I think he would be well served to try and finish the SF quickly, should he get there. But still, he couldn't have asked for a better draw. Let's hope that Verdasco, Stan/Youzh - don't end up playing the match of their life against Nadal :)

@RickyDimon , 9/9/10 8:13 PM
- chlorostoma - u mean in the article, or the comments?

You are right that I should have been clear about which of the two. I meant:

I meant you are probably right on all points you made in your article.

does both semifinals get played tomorrow?

that means whoever wins the nadal match has to play 3 consecutive days to win the title

Attackingtennisrules: Both Semifinals and Women's final get played on Saturday. The first one starts at 12:30 PM EDT. The 2nd one starts at 4:30 PM EDT (not earlier than 4) . Women's final starts (not before) 8 PM EDT.

So the men have to play 2 consecutive days (saturday and Sunday). Not three consecutive days. Fed played his QF on Wed, and Nadal will play his on Thursday. Before the SF, there's one day of rest for the top half, and 2 days o rest for the bottom half.

croc - did you watch the Istomin match?

OK, this is frankly getting annoying. We just can't admit that Rafa has an excellent chance to win the USO without giving credit to some miracle from the heavens wich has allowed for all the circumstances to be aligned just so, and this will NEVER, EVER happen again, blah blah blah...
First of all, every player is given a fair shot. Andy can't be the threat everyone hopes he can be if he himself didn't believe he was ready to win a slam and even said so before the USO started. No wonder he fell before Stan and he would've fallen before Rafa as well. Rafa still has to beat Verdasco, Youzhny or the Stan, the man who beat Murray and finally Djokovic or Federer. How is that unique for a run to a GS title? Those are all the usual suspects. If Murray can't make himself a spot up there it's nobody's fault but his.

Second, Rafa continues to improve on all surfaces. Most experts from early on have said that Rafa would be a champion "on all surfaces". He is the king of clay and it took him a while to surpass Federer on grass, but now, 2 Wimbledon titles later few doubt he can win Wimbledon again... and again. It's the same story with HC. It took him time, but eventually he won a HC Major and Olympic gold. He has gotten closer and closer at the USO and had he arrived to the 2 previous semis in better shape, he might already won once or twice.

Third, he won't give up. He is only 24. He is learning how to stay healthy and how to arrive at the USO with plenty of gas in the tank. If he fails to win this time, he will try again next time. He will learn from whatever mistakes he makes, he will improve his game even further, acquire more experience and his chances will be even better next year, easy draw or not.

So how does make ANY sense in the world to say that Rafael Nadal is staring at his LAST CHANCE to win the USO??

Even if you are a Nadal hater you can't possibly be that far removed from reality to deny that Rafa will be a legitimate contender at EVERY major he enters for at least the next 4 years.

grafight,

Bravo! You said exactly what I have been thinking! The very idea that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, never to occur again, is absurd! You play the ones who get through to the latter stages of the tournament. If Murray didn't play well enough to beat Wawa, then that's on him. He is a quality player who has not only taken out the #4 seed but also an in-form Querrey. That means he has earned his way to this point in the tournament.

There is no such thing anymore as an easy draw. The men's field is deep and talented and there are a number of lesser ranked players who are good enough to beat the top players in the early rounds of a slam.

Rafa's hardcourt game has evolved and progressed so far since 2008. He has not been content to stay the same. He wants to be competitive on all surfaces. I believe that Rafa will have more chances to win the USO. If he ever thought that this was his one and only shot, then he wouldn't be the champion that we all know him to be.

I too agree with grafight about Rafa's chances in the next US Opens.

(I might sound like I changed my mind after writing that I agreed with Ricky's points, but when I read his article I agreed until that last point which I don't believe at all. By the time I read more comments and wrote mine I didn't have that one in mind... only the surprise at seeing Ricky write so positively about Rafa chances since ... well, since before the French Open '09 started. That he expected Rafa to do well at the French '10 in itself was a no-brainer.)

NNY, grafight,
It never ceases to amaze me that inspite of all that Rafa has achieved people give more kudos to players who never fufill their expectations. I bet you that whatever happens in NY this year, Murray will be the favourite for OZ if he happens to win Dubai or Rotterdam, and Nalby, Berdych and Sod would be seen as threats to Rafa.

I have to agree with Grafight on this one. People used to say that Nadal only had 1 chance to win Wimbledon...and yet he made 4 finals and won twice. I wouldn't count out his chances at future USO success.

Incidentally, the way that Nadal is playing this year, I think he'd have beaten Muzza too.

nadline,

I have to say that I think you are right about Murray being the favorite again for the 2011 AO, even if Rafa wins the USO. Nothing shocks or amazes me anymore. I actually think that Murray shouldn't be the favorite for any slam until he actually wins one! I think it's a kind of curse.

cheryl,

Regarding your last sentence in your post @ 1:37 am - I think the exact same thing! :)

I think even Murray will think it is a back-handed compliment if anyone says he is the favourite for a GS again before he actually wins one.

By making him the perpetual favourite, and each time he goes away empty handed, they are turning him into a laughing stock. I'm sure he is good enough to win one, so people should be patient and let it take it's course.

i'm not gonna say that he will NEVER win the USO if he loses it this year, but you would have to say his odds are less than 50 percent, hence the statement that he "likely" wont

i dont see how if he loses this year that one could expect him to win any other year. All the pieces will never be in place quite like this.

and of course Verdasco leads by a break in the first set

But Rafa gets back in the lead and takes the first set.

But Ricky, if he has really figured out how to play on hards, he won't need all the pieces to fall into place. I draw your attention once again to the 06 and 07 Wimbledon finals. The 06 one was especially favorable and he didn't win the tournament, but it didn't mean he NEVER would.

That's all I'm saying.

fair point, and its also my point

if Nadal hasnt improved enough on hard courts to the point that he cant come out on top of a group that consists of Verdasco, Youzhny, Federer, and Djokovic, then how will ever come out on top of a group that also includes Del Potro and Murray (and, presumably, Tsonga, Cilic, and Gulbis in future years)?????

as for the Wimbledon comparison, well, him winning Wimbledon was never in doubt. U.S. Open was and still is a much different proposition.

The same way he did at Wimbledon -- by getting better than the rest of the field. You are making the assumption that his form can never get better than it is right now, which I think is a bad assumption.

All of that being said, he SHOULD win this year, based on current form.

i'm not ASSUMING that Nadal will never be better on a hard court

but i BELIEVE that will be the case, when you factor in age AND health. He will never be healthier, that is a fact.

THERE's always a "first" on everything........... Ricky "might" hit the bull's eye this time!!!

Ricky,

I disagree. Federer played unbelievable tennis at Wimbledon year after year as Nadal was getting better on grass. It was not a sure thing that he would ever win it, or win while that young and while Federer was in his prime. Unless you were a lot more optmistic about his chances back then (some of us were) than you are right now, Ricky.

He is 24 so he is into but nowhere near the end of his prime in terms of physical condition. Why shouldn't he likely be as healthy 12 months from now? Why shouldn't he not be pretty likely to play even better on hardcourt then? He played very well in 2008, 09 was a different story for other reasons, and is having just about everything clicking even better into place now. Why should he not continue to have as good a serve as this week at grand slams in the future? And he will surely continue to improve his phenomenal tennis intelligence.

It seems to me that Rafa is now where he would have normally been in 09 US Open, i.e improved from 08, were it not for large physical and emotional pains last year. I don't doubt for a moment that he is able to yet improve his hardcourt play on fast hardcourt in future tournaments.

In a word, next year Nadal may just be at a level where it will matter less who is across the net, no matter their height and strengths.

What we are seeing this week would have been quite surprising were it not for the fact that Rafa has done it many times before: improve his skills beyond expectation (esp towards new surfaces).

The way Rafa is playing now, he can beat anyone, not only those remaining, but those who had departed earlier on,, should he got to meet them before their departure. That said, can beat anyone does not equate to will beat anyone, the matches have to be played.

The first set was close and both players were busy getting used to the windy conditions and hence the number of errors, and double faulting (by Verdasco). I thought Rafa was fortunate to break back at 3-4 in the first set when Verdasco double faulted. Once the first set was secured, we see Rafa beginning to gain confidence and the second and third sets were rather smooth sailing, with the help from error prone Verdasco.

Overall I'm happy with Rafa's performance given the conditions today, despite having his serve finally being broken for the first time this tournament. Rafa has to be careful going forward, not to have his serve broken so easily at the start of the match and busy doing catch up, should the windy conditions persist.

@RickyDimon , 9/10/10 4:34 AM
---He will never be healthier.---

Why not ?! Rafa got the first treatment of his knees after Monte Carlo and the second - after Wimbledon. There should be one more treatment session in Summer/Autumn. So, Rafa started to get healthier in spring and his health is still improving.

Vamos Rafa

Here in Oz, most sports casters are already handing the trophy to RF. Seems to me, they too have learn't nothing about Rafa's adaptability. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. I believe even Borg knows that now!!!

One of the great attributes of Nadal is, he always remains humble and he is forever improving. He may not win this year in NY - but it will be foolish to think he needs all the stars to align for him to win one day - a great champion will be able to rise above his opponents in difficult circumstances. I, for one, believe Nadal's ability and will to improve his game is second to none. Winning Wimbledon and AO - both are strong proofs.

I am puzzled Ricky said that Murray posed the biggest threat to Rafa especially as there was nothing in Andy's form to suggest this apart from the Toronto result.

Of the Murray wins in their 4:8 H2H, there is only one significant loss and that was AO in '07. USO '08 Murray, for sure, was on fire but he was playing a knackered post Olympics/Davis Cup Rafa. In Rotterdam '09 he was playing a one-legged Rafa (Andy's words, not mine!). AO '10 Rafa retired injured (or possibly to protect an injury). Toronto this year? Well my best guess is the Rafa camp were keeping his true form under wraps!

RickyDimon, 9/10/10 4:34 AM: ' when you factor in age AND health - he will never be healthier, that is a fact.'
Correction: He has never been as healthy as THIS for the USO before!

If he has found a way to manage the knee problem, his team manage his schedule properly, and Rafa continues with the relentless improvement in his game, then he will be the man to beat in the foreseeable future - whoever he plays and on whatever surface - but particularly when it comes to the Majors.

ed: just wanted 2 thank u 4 the websites. Hunter was not good, kept freezing, but ATDHE is brilliant. :)

deuce: Glad you have been able watch when you want to! Dont know what governs the quality of reception but none of them are 100% reliable. The same ones dont always work from one day to the next which is why it's good to have a number of options to try. Forgot to mention ChannelSurfing - I find it very patchy but others have better luck - think it depends on your search engine.

@RickyDimon , 9/10/10 4:15 AM
---if Nadal hasnt improved enough on hard courts to the point that he cant come out on top of a group that consists of Verdasco, Youzhny, Federer, and Djokovic, then how will ever come out on top of a group that also includes Del Potro and Murray (and, presumably, Tsonga, Cilic, and Gulbis in future years)?????---

Birthdays:
Rafa - 3.06.1986
Verdasco -15.11.1983
Tsonga - 17.04.1985
Murray - 15.05.1987
Djokovic - 22.05.1987
Gulbis - 30.08.1988
Del Potro - 23.09.1988
Cilic - 28.09.1988
The seven guys above belong to Rafa's generation. I think, the healthy&fresh Rafa can beat them all in future years.

Verdasco picks Fed to win. Lol.

^^^^ that does NOT surprise me. Dasco and Nadal don't seem to get on as well as the rest of the Spaniards do with each other.

i always get that feel too cheryl??? do u know any reason for that?

Nadal really isn't part of the Spanish posse

he's too good, plus I think he spends less time just hanging out/socializing with everyone

tho he does like his video games!!!

I recall how Nando's 2009 New Year's wish (he made a statement to Spanish media) was to beat Nadal in a tournament...poor guy, he couldn?t even think of a better wish than to finally be able to declare a victory over Rafa...and he did not beat him and he most likely never will...11 times being beaten by Rafa should be more than enough for Nando to digest the fact that he is far bellow Rafa's level...no wonder why he wishes Fed to win USO...Nando suffers from an inferiority complex when it comes to Rafa...

Vamos Rafa!

Ricky, how do you account for the fact that 6 out of the last 16 on a fast h/c are spaniards, with the h/c specialists nowhere to be seen?

@RickyDimon , 9/10/10 4:15 AM
---if Nadal hasnt improved enough on hard courts to the point that he cant come out on top of a group that consists of Verdasco, Youzhny, Federer, and Djokovic, then how will ever come out on top of a group that also includes Del Potro and Murray (and, presumably, Tsonga, Cilic, and Gulbis in future years)?????---


Ricky, has it escaped you that the field at this USO does include Murray, Cilic and Gulbis?

Lol ... good point nadline.

After watching Roger defeat Soderling and Rafa defeat Verdasco who looks most comfortable on this court?

smr, it's hard to tell, because they were playing against different opposition. Verdasco put on a good show, but Sodall didn't turn up.

Roger definitely looks more comfortable. But he looked more comfy on grass in 2008, too. And in the 2009 AO.

I have a couple of theories about Rafa's new serve:

1) He's become a vampire. Think about it. Seen only at night, wears black, ruthless deadly power, closes quickly for the kill.

2) It's the much-maligned "softer" balls, lol! He's punishing them for not obeying his topspin will.

@Ricky

Your reasoning is that if Rafa can't win this year, he can't win any year. If Rafa thought like that he'd never have won any slam except the FO. After Wimbly 07 Rafa did think, at least briefly, that he might never have another chance to win it. Famously, at Wimbly 08, during the 5th set rain delay, he told Toni "I am going to win", but that's not all he said. The rest of the quote was: "but if I don't, if I can't make it happen, I'll come back next year and win." For Rafa, defeat is an invitation to work hard, make needed changes, and try again.

nadline - the point is that Murray lost early (probably wont happen again) and Cilic and Gulbis werent any good this year

@Ramara , 9/10/10 5:36 PM
...and
3) He went to the theatre for 5-6 times to watch "The Phantom of the Opera". He said he likes its music, but who knows, who knows...

nadline - the point is that Murray lost early (probably wont happen again) and Cilic and Gulbis werent any good this year

RickyDimon , 9/10/10 6:03 PM


Ricky, Murray lost early last year, and the year before the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that..................he's only made the qtrs. once since 2005.

Murray:
2005 - 2R
2006 - 4R
2007 - 3R
2008 - F
2009 - 4R
2010 - 3R

Murray not making it past the 4R is more he rule than the exception.

Also if Cilic and Gulbis weren't any good this year, what makes you think they'd be good in the future?

Gulbis

2006 - Did not qualify
2007 - 4R
2008 - 2R
2009 - 1R
2010 - 1R

Cilic

2006 - Did not qualify
2007 - Did not qualify
2008 - 3R
2009 - QF
2010 - 2R

If this is the stiff competition Rafa can look forward to at the USO, bring it on!


VAMOS RAFA!

I hope the wind subsides ... really looking forward to Roger vs Novak semi.

Verdasco has now tweeted that he wants Rafa to win and that the conditions suit Roger better.

It's funny how everyone is already in the final, the SF matches have not even been played yet.

People are so cynical, just coz Nando favours Fed for the win doesn't mean that he wouldn't prefer Rafa to go all the way but its a big if and rafa will have to hold real mental strong and most importantly Serve Well! *fingers crossed*

Rafa's semi is up first. Yes!

VAMOOOSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's great that Rafa is on first.

No its not!!! Its not fair..................Rafa played after Fed on the qtrs!!!! Fed should play first!!!!

Monalysa, it's better for Rafa to play first, if he wins, he can start to relax and prepare for the final sooner, otherwise he'll be tense all day waiting to play. From my own point of view if Rafa plays first and wins, I will enjoy the other match more, because I won't spend the whole time speculating about whether he will win his match or not.

Throughout the rounds Rafa was the last to move to the next round, and I could never relax, thinking - what if..........?


VAMOS!

I think it is more fair this way, as Youzhny and Rafa will have had only one day or rest since the quarter-final, not two. So the winner among them will get a little more time to rest before the next day's final.

All I can say is that I'm REALLY missing Del Potro. It could've been an AMAZING re-match if only he were healthy and would have made it to each other considering Nadal's current form.

its been known since Day 1 that Nadal-Youzhny would be first

thats the way it is always done. So there is no needed for any discussion of fairness or lack of fairness.

@ricky

this blog will be the biggest blunder u ever make.

because nadal is not winning the USO this year.
no way jose!

he is back to his pushing best and moonballing best, and verdasco had him beat if verdasco didnt choke. youzhny, djokovic and federer will slaughter nadal on these fast courts.

nadal has not been tested and i smell an AO 2008 vs tsonga humiliation coming up for nadal.

the real test for nadal starts now and he hasnt shown nothing to prove he might win the title. his form has been poor with choking opponents.

youzhny/djokovic/federer will sort out nadal.

u will be wrong on ur predictions AGAIN!

sorry but nadal doesnt deserve to win the USO playing in such a defensive style.
he is not attacking, just waiting for the errors like he always does.
USO is supposed to reward the more attacking player, but nadal is getting lucky and getting through the draw.

defensive moonballers should be thrashed at the USO like del potro did to nadal last year.

only attacking players going for their shots deserve to win the USO.

if nadal wins the USO playing such defensive tennis, tennis will be dead.
every clown will start to think u can win the USO playing defensive.

i mean AO is blue clay and FO is red clay and wimbledon is green clay, the only fast court slam is the USO. nadal got exposed in cincy because he cant play attacking tennis.

lets hope the player playing the more attacking tennis wins this USO.
otherwise attacking tennis will be officially dead and we will have to put up with pushers and moonballers.

ATR - lol

we need all ur help in anti-jinzing Rafa.

Interesting point brought up by Ricky about Murray most probably won't lose early again at the USO. If Murray can't solve his whatever problems, then I'm afraid this pattern of him losing early to lesser opponents at the USO in particular, other than the FO, will continue. It seems Murray needs time to get into groove and he is susceptible to big hitters at the earlier rounds, once he get past the first few rounds, he is in a better state to deal with the big hitters, eg the past few USO encounters he had against Delpo, Murray always came out on top.

Rafa's backhand still has not reached that AO09 level yet, and Rafa is still relying heavily on his forehand to cover some of his backhand positions. I hope he can find that lethal backhand in time for the semi, and the final if he gets past Youzhny. If everything is functioning very well for Rafa - FH checked, BH checked, 1st Serves checked, 2nd Serves checked, ROS checked, Footwork checked, Volleying checked, Court positioning checked - then I don't see why he can't win the USO title, beating Fed or Nole in the final.

If both Nole and Rafa make the final, Nole will be a very dangerous opponent for Rafa, as his two handed backhand DTL shots can harm Rafa. Rafa really needs both his forehand and backhand functioning very well to have a chance to beat Nole.

ATR-lol, nobody can shake ur analysis but here is a para u might find interesting :)

So far this tournament, 40% of Mr. Nadal¹s serves have not been put back into play. Mr. Federer¹s percentage is slightly better (43%). Mr. Nadal has 15 more forehand winners than Mr. Federer, 51 more backhand winners and a higher winning percentage at the net (72% compared with 62% for Mr. Federer

rafa not playing good attacking tennis, eh? :P

Ricky: as a despairing Andy fan, am intrigued why u think he "won't lose early again." Looking at the stats nadline has so kindly :( provided, seems only too likely :(

@attackingtennisrulez , 9/11/10 3:41 AM
---defensive moonballers---

Nadal is an attacking SPINballer.

this blog will end up as an epic fail.

Federer doesn't seem to think so - http://www.tennistalk.com/en/news/20100912/Federer_rooting_for_Nadal_o ver_Djokovic

ricky -

good judgement, but not a hugely risky one after muzz went out and fed and nole still alive to disarm each other on the other side. But the real kudos goes to Johnny Mac who predicted rafa before the whole thing started. If he turns out to be right, that will have been impressive, as most honest, objective observes would have made rafa the 3rd favourite, after fed and muzz.
atr - in terms of 'epic failures', how does 'djokovic is finished' rate? :)

alex - agreed with everything you say. I wasnt going out on a limb. I was basically admitting that I was mistaken before the tournament when i said he wouldnt win.

no no , the real hero is LIL WAYNE ! sitting in jail he wrote that nadal and kim would be US open champions, hahaha what an expert !!

Lol vamosrafa ... well he's been right so far ...

alex ... maybe that's why Rafa's been wearing this t-shirt:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=5003812&id=24410993700 &ref=fbx_album

smr -

lol, like it.

If Rafa loses tonight, I will put all the blame on Ricky. I was happy when he declared, before Toronto and Cincy, that Rafa will not win the US Open this year. Why oh why did you have to change your mind Ricky?

"Nadal really isn't part of the Spanish posse"

Ricky, I'm not sure about this at all. He talked about how he and Feli are good friends at the end of their match, and I know he and Ferru are very good friends - and you've seen the 2008 and 2004 Davis Cup photos, yes?

Perhaps maybe a little less so this past year, with all the travel and media attention, but even with the video games you mention ... they seem to play a lot not necessarily by themselves, but in groups.

Nadal vs Joko

u were right RICKY....kudos

i am going to have so much fun BUMPING this thread every time it gets knocked off the main page!

haaaaa....i knew u would gloat...get over yourself dude...;)

i might.....by the time the Aussie Open rolls around!

aussie open is many months away.....happy gloating till then....

a humble suggestion for your next blog TITLE

"let the goat debate begin"...or something to that effect...;)

ATR.... why your predictions over Rafa always wrong.... Are you really stupid or just a hater?????

well done to ricky, u got it right this time. probably ur 1st correct prediction.

but this does not mean our rivalry is over.

tomic will still be a great player and might even challenge rafa one day.

ATR, predicted Rafa would not win USO is stupid enough, and tomic will might even challenge rafa one day is simply idiot.... hopefully you will never ever predict Rafa will win in the future... really scares.... because all your predictions regarding Rafa went wrong..... please, don't even think about supporting Rafa.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

poor Novak.

poor rafa...did not get a chance to demolish federer in the finals..;)

you were right in this case, ricky. but have you forgotten this comment you made after the quarter final in oz?

i believe its all over for Nadal

and i dont mean this match
RickyDimon
, 1/26/10 12:36 PM

you need to have more faith :P

vrael,
I think that Fed's subconscious did the only possible compassionate thing when his match with Novak was showing he was not at the level he would have needed in the final. It would be truly to hurtful to be defeated badly by Nadal. I think that after the first set would have gone Rafa's way Roger would have gone into the give up mode and the next sets would be mostly beat-downs. It was bad enough it happened once on Rafa's best surface. But it would have been disastrous if it happened here. Think of all the articles written afterwards.

This way, too, and thanks to the weather gods, we all got a match worthy of slam final, where both players were rested and both players played their hearts out.

ricky -

good judgement, but not a hugely risky one after muzz went out and fed and nole still alive to disarm each other on the other side. But the real kudos goes to Johnny Mac who predicted rafa before the whole thing started. If he turns out to be right, that will have been impressive, as most honest, objective observes would have made rafa the 3rd favourite, after fed and muzz.
atr - in terms of 'epic failures', how does 'djokovic is finished' rate? :)

alex , 9/12/10 3:18 PM


My objective prediction was Rafa and Djokovic in the final. How can any objective person put Rafa 3rd behind Murray, when Murray had only made the QF once in 5 years. Both times he's beaten Rafa in a GS, we all know why. The reason I didn't think Roger would make it is because he seems to have lost his mojo. Rafa had to be the favourite, he has out performed all the top 4 since the AO.

Winning Toronto and Cincy has never had anything to do with the USO. Anyone could see that the Rafa from Wimbledon hadn't turned up, he was rusty, and he wasn't prepared to bust his guts during his build up to the USO. I've been proved right.

Behind Federer, Rafa and Nole are the most consistent players at the USO so far, and reaching the final just confirms this.

Ricky had a late conversion with the benefit of 20/20 vision, after Murray was knocked out.

not trying to claim that my pick was better than McEnroe's or Lil Wayne's or whoever else had Nadal BEFORE the tournament started. Those people are geniuses.

But at least i had the guts to come out after the third round and GUARANTEE that Nadal would win the title. :-)

So Ricky, are you saying I am a genius?


Yes you stuck your neck out after Muzz went out and put everything on the line behind Rafa, even though there were still quite a few mountains for him to climb. All credit to you for doing that.

ok, BIG round of applause for Ricky's prediction.I do believe that it was still a bold one despite Murray being knocked off. Fed was playing very well at that time too.

I think rafa can now win 3 more French, 2 more Wimbly, and one each of AO and USO. he can get to 15-16 slams, very difficult to go beyond that

Of course some of us Rafa fans may be more insufferable than others. Lol.

My nice surprise was that Youzhny did well at this tournament ... something that I'd predicted at the very beginning. :)

nadline - yes, if you picked Nadal before the tournament, you are a genius

.Long time!! Hey ricky, great prediction. I never thought of it :)

poor Murray

right