Uncle Toni knows best, he's the mastermind behing Rafa's game. Nadal can play better but he should save some energy for the French Open, where he may or may not be tested. Only overconfidence can stop this guy on clay.

I didn't see the match but I was surprised that he lost a set. Let's hope this gives him a wakeup call. I'm sure Murray and Djokovic fancy their chances in Paris. Vamos Rafa!!!

what is a big deal if he lost a set, he won anyway

As long as they recognise that he needs to up his game, I'm sure the improvements will come. Losing a set to Djoko is not beyond the realms of possibilities, it's simply because he hadn't lost a set there for so long, and there was a lot of hype. I feel he was under pressure because of the hype he wanted so much to live up to the expectations. We mustn't forget that other players are improving as well, Nadal takes that into account, because he has a lot of respect for the other players.

I was so nervous during the match, eveytime he lost a point I thought the world had ended, let alone dropped his serve; you can imagine how I felt when he lost a set. I watched the recording again today, and enjoyed it a lot lot more, knowing the outcome.

I did not dout for a second that he would win and he did. It is normal that he would lose a set or a mach sometimes but it does not mean that he is not the best.

I totally agree. Losing a set isn't the end of the world. I was only surprised because
the last time he lost a set on clay was a long time ago. Anyway, I love Rafa and I hope that he can continue his good run! I'm actually glad I didn't see the match - I would have been a nervous wreck!

Losing a set isn't the end of the world but never being satisfied is the way to be - that's why Uncle Toni is a genius of psychology as well as strategy and stroke building. Rafa is always talking about that their is always room for improvement, no?

However good he is on clay, poor bloke has to lose one day.
May it be to NOLE and soon!
COME ON NOLEEE!

Yes he does noleis. Rafa will lose someday because he is human and not a machine and is not perfect. Maybe it will be to Nole. He played some great tennis Sunday. He took a set off Rafa which is more than anyone else has done in a long time at MC. But Rafa fans will take a loss much easier than some do for their player on here.

Yep, he's gotta lose sometime, but he doesn't look like he's going to slow down anytime soon.. He played at maybe 30% of his level Sunday and still gave the world #3 a beatdown..

he says he is suffering from nerves which is fine ...and then he is asked to raise his game after winning ? i would be very careful here .... on court nerves have a tendency to get worse and worse when you try harder and harder .its not a skill that you can perfect on court ...it is up to the individuals mind state on that very match day .

Even Rafa knew that his own serve was weak and needs to improve. With the French Open just down the road, it makes sense that he would work on that so I don't see why asking Rafa to raise his level is asking too much. If anyone knows Rafa and how he thinks, it would be Uncle Toni since he has known him his entire life!

even the king of clay needs a little while to adjust to the surface...i think he will find his serve once he gets more matches under his belt.

i agree with fiberlight...nole played pretty well and rafa didn't do anything spectacular and nole still lost. who wants to count on rafa not being spectacular at roland garros?

for nole or andy or anyone else to have a realistic chance, they are going to have to play their absolute best and rafa is going to have to be bordering or at his worst. he was hard to beat BEFORE he was in (or nearing?) his prime...i think it may get harder for the other players to beat rafa before it gets easier.

Hmm. You're the best in the world, the greatest clay court player of all time, only 22....but....there seems a heck of a lot of psychological pressure going on here, expect the tics and the rituals to get worse. The man is not a machine, he's a human being like the rest of us.

the way he gave a The clap of hands for good points played by Djokovic is an indication he likes good tennis,you have to respect him he is very professional man and I think even Nadal didn?t seem that happy about his performance, when Novak plays good tennis you got reminded by Federer in his prime glimpses of greatness ?????.but again his fitness will not get him through against Nadal let see who going to stop him?and he has to stop at some point!
Ps: I heard uncle Toni has three daughters without marriage does anybody anything about that?

having another dig fan4tennis? Unless of course you are referring to YOUR player when he loses and then of course YOU are inconsolable....I guess you are exempt tho' eh? Everything you say applies to all other tennis fans but NEVER you. You are good at having a dig....why don't you become a gardener? Fedfans accept the losses of Federer. We just want him to come back fit and strong and ready. He is human as well...like everyone. You seem to forget that. It's weird how quiet things go on this site when Federer isn't player or Rafa isn't playing. That says it all.

deuce, I agree Rafa is a human being, but not like the rest of us. He is a Super human being. lol He is the ultimate tennis player, no?

He certainly is a super sportsman, up there with Phelps, Bolt, Woods, Calzagio,etc. Agree.

ok deuce and carrie so was Federer in 2006 go back and see his achievements back that year all tournments had one thing in common: all won by him, and there were domination from o4 tell 07 so is there are coloning of superman on tennis give me break ,dont act it is the first time, now it is his time, end of the story and it wont go forever

Did anyone mention 2006?

Carrie, I felt exactly the same when I watched the match on Sunday.......i was soooo anxious....esp when he lost the second set.

But I must realise that Rafa will be tested once in a while....and in a sense that is good bcos it will always keep Rafa on his toys so that he will forever be evolving his game.

Unlike Federer who dominated over the last four years, certainly Rafa's success will not lead to his downfall like it has become for Federer!!! Federer never got used to losing and he is now not able to handle it and has cracked....completely!

This just goes to show....that in life.....we must always taste a little bit of humble pie.......its good for the soul. Federer is only NOW beginning to learn this while Rafa is learning it early!!!!...

And for that Rafa will be the GREATEST!!!

MonaLisa, you express my thoughts exactly.

I understand why Roger can't handle the current situation, it must be hard when you have always taken winning for granted without breaking sweat to suddenly losing to players who are not as experienced as you. If Roger had had the competition during the time he was No 1 when he only had Rafa to contend with for the best part of it, and let's face it, Rafa was dismissed as a clay-court specialist, Roger's game would have improved.

You can't blame Roger for being complacent about his game, it was enough at the time, but the game has evolved suddenly, thanks to the raw talent in Rafa that all the players are trying to emulate, but for Rafa, it is 7o% born in him, and 30 % practice, and he can recognise his shortfalls, because has had to earn his No 1 status, and he is not pompous.

Rafa's form is not at peak yet. I have been watching some of his outstanding shots on youtube and it doesn't matter how many times you see them you just have to gasp at his sheer brilliance.

RAFA RULES OK!!!!!!

tennislover: carrie and I were just chatting about Rafa -that's all! We did not compare Roger to him in any way at all, derogatory or otherwise. You are boxiing with shadows that aren't really there.

To be honest, I got bored with tennis when Roger won everything seeemingly without trying. I never appreciated that elegance and beautiful shots was what it was about, so that didn't do it for me at all.

Nowadays, the players really go for it. Of couse you want to see your favourite player win everything, but it is so much sweeter when they have been challenged and still win.

Well said, deuce.

Don't you guys get tired of comparing all the time? It looks like Nadal's fans cannot make a single comment without Federer fans jumping on us. Honestly, this is getting tiring.... I wish we could have the ability to talk about the player we root -no matter whether it's Fed or Nadal- without bringing up the name of his "nemesis".

Apples and oranges, guys..

Nadal's era is just beginning, but it's not to say that Federer can't be a threat day after day.. he's just not as dominant as he once was. Every player has his or her kryptonite... and eventually a player will come along and make life miserable for Nadal... just as Nadal did for Federer..

Will it be Murray and/or Djokovic? We'll just have to wait and see :)

This was about Uncle Toni and Rafa; those who want to talk about Fed can move on!! Not everything in the world revolves around TMF...

Let's leave Roger out of this particular topic, it's not about him, and Fiberlight, since u mentioned it, Nadal is not the only one who is causing Federer trouble, just for the record.

Right, Carrie.. and this will be the last thing I say about Feds... but before Murray and Djok, Nadal was the only person who could beat Federer.. in 2006 Federer lost five times and four of those were to Nadal. If it weren't for Nadal's clay prowless, Feds might have four French Opens to go along with his 13 slams..

We've now gotten to the point where the young guns are challenging Feds. Maybe it's because he's older, maybe his strokes aren't as crisp, maybe it's a confidence issue.. who knows? The fact of the matter is that Nadal stopped Federer from easily breaking the GS record, just by his ability to play on clay. From 2004 (First meeting between Nadal and Feds) to 2007 Nadal held an 8-6 H2h against Federer. It's gone up to 13-6 now as Nadal has won the last five meetings.

I was merely refering to Federer in his "prime" as Nadal is hitting his "prime" now. I believe it's safe to say that Federer is no longer in his prime.. and this could be a reason for the increase in the competitors who are able to defeat him..

"It looks like Nadal's fans cannot make a single comment without Federer fans jumping on us. Honestly, this is getting tiring"

Totally agree alba!!! Nice conversation going on about TENNIS in this thread and others, and it always ends up with them reciting Fed's record. To be honest, I could care less what Fed did in 2006 because this is 2009.

Like I said earlier, Rafa will lose because NO ONE has a perfect season. No one can win EVERY match they play. But I like how Rafa learns from his losses and works on his game. Uncle Toni has along with tennis knowledge, taught Rafa how to be grounded and handle the ups and downs of the tennis world. You will never hear Rafa say he is the greatest clay court player. The media, other players and fans do that. Rafa always feels there is room for improvement. Right now, he has played ONE tournament on clay and feels (along with Uncle Toni) that he needs to improve his serve. And like Rafa, I take each tourney one match at a time cuz anything can happen. That's reality!

Should Anna Ivanovic and Rafa play mixed doubles?

Hanchucova was at the Nadal/Murray match and also at the Nadal/ Djoko match, what is she after?

Have no clue carrie but Rafa's longtime girlfriend was at MC with him and his family the entire time.

Yeah, if I looked like Rafa, I wouldn't be able to keep the ladies off of me either.

Sadly, I look more like Andy Murray. Happily, my gf seems to like me anyways. =)

-Arvis

fan4tennis, it doesn't stop the girls trying their luck. I'm sure they won't get anywhere; his gf is very attractive.

"""Hanchucova was at the Nadal/Murray match and also at the Nadal/ Djoko match, what is she after?""""

Carrie: Is that a trick question?

She was of course there for the same reason that any sane person would be: To watch the excellent tennis!! Come'on..Give her a break :)
That's how rumors get propagated - A mountain out of a molehill.

Concerning the actual article that was written, Rafa knows quite well what he has to do on and off the court. He knows what pressure are out there and his family and Uncle Toni have obviously raised him well in how to handle those pressures.

"I don't think it's about managing to keep my feet on the ground, Nadal said. What I have to do is not make mistakes because life throws plenty of curves at you and today I may be here as the No 1, but in five years, ten years, I'm going to be leading a normal, ordinary life. If right now I don't keep in mind that everything that is happening to me is momentary - that it is going to be over - then in the future the bump is going to be pretty huge. If you elevate yourself too much, you have much farther to fall."

The nice thing is that I know, no matter how he is feeling, he will give his all for each match. Like Novak said in his presser, Rafa plays when he is up 5-1 like it is 5-5. Every point is important to him!

Federer is now taking lessons from Nadal, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Where has the beautiful game gone?


http://federerfundamentals.wordpress.com/2008/01/23/roger-f ederer-fundamentals-the-nadal-forehand/

what is a big deal if he lost a set, he won anyway
goran , 4/20/09 9:22 PM
------------------------------------------------------------

It IS a big deal. It is not just that set problem. He lost it with 2:6!!? It's not something in tiebreaker, and with his opponents shots being fluke!

Djokovic controlled him 100% in that set. Plus all other sets were close. Too close to set out a big alarm. Rafa's losing it. Losing diminance on clay. Adn that's huge alarm before FO.

Djoker's play, Plus the tools, the tactics, the stamina, the technical capabiliies, and the stage of mind of Djoker are the biggest alarm bell for Rafa. These all mean: a punisher is coming!
Djoker Ante portas!!

Got this, goran?

The early signs are usually the right ones, and that's what MC final match revealed: Rafa is losing dominance on clay!!!

Something similar happened to Federer when he lost 2008 AO semi against Djoker in straight sets!! We all know what happened after that to Roger's play.

Federer is now taking lessons from Nadal, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Where has the beautiful game gone? carrie , 4/22/09 2:37 PM
-----------------------------------------

For Federer to get to normal tracks again, he has to become humble, not arrogant, not selfish, not egoistic, and to respect all other people on earth, foremost his opponents!! THIS is the formula for Rog, which he will never make.

Why not? Because in order to follow the formula, he has to give hug to Djoker!! He would rather die than do this. Well, Roger, choice is yours.

Universon wrote:
"Djokovic controlled him 100% in that set. Plus all other sets were close. Too close to set out a big alarm. Rafa's losing it. Losing diminance on clay. Adn that's huge alarm before FO. "

Where do you get the idea that all the other sets were close?
Chela: 6-2, 6-3
Murray: 6-2, 7-6
Ljubicic: 6-3, 6-3
Novak: 6-3, 2-6, 6-1
and vs Gil at Barca: 6-2, 6-2

That's your idea of close matches and sign of losing dominance?

Everyone knows that Rafa gets better as it goes deeper and deeper into the clay season. Universon, this is only for starters.

Close sets !! Good grief, Universon , get real!!

Just ignore Universon....he mistook this for a football blog!!!

He knows nothing about tennis...obviously!!!

He means the sets in the final match not the whole tournament

Even the sets that Rafa won in the final were not close, I would hardly call 6-3 and 6-1 close. Only the last set against Murray in semi final can be described as close!!

If Universon is only meaning the sets in the final match orion, then how does he come to the conclusion that Rafa is losing his dominance on clay from ONE match?
He also wrote: "The early signs are usually the right ones, and that's what MC final match revealed: Rafa is losing dominance on clay!!! " So obviously he is counting the matches PRIOR to the final match as well as the final match. In that case, I repeat my post with the match stats from the previous matches on clay.

fan4tennis
, 4/22/09 9:28 PM
-------------------------------------------------------

You misunderstood what I said. When i said "all other sets", I meant the other two sets against Djoko. (Not against other players, as you thought).

Even though the 3rd set was 6:1, it was close. Here's why: First two games of that set were lasting for 30minutes!! The players change on advantage...Djoker had either game or break point in both of them. And then all first 3 games lasted 43 minutes! That was close. Then Djoker surrendered for some reason. (Do not asked me why)...and set ended fairily fast after that.

One thing is for sure: Djoker outplayed Nadal in that match! Better quality of play from his side. What made Nadal win was out-of-earth physical condition and running.?!?! I do not know how he makes it but there must be some trick on that one too.

Regadless of anything, one thing is for sure: that was a classic match! Congrats to both Djoker and Rafa. I really enjoyed it. Although some people (most of media?!?) try to elevate Murray's play together with Djoker's performance in MC against Rafa, I think that Murray's performance was 2 class below Nole's.

fan4tennis
, 4/23/09 3:37 AM :
'...then how does he come to the conclusion that Rafa is losing his dominance on clay from ONE match?'

--Exactly so! Because, Rafa was undisputed and unchallenged on clay so far. Now, Djoker outplayed him technically!. That's early sign of losing the dominance. I am not saying that he lost. ok? But if one player can beat him, then that's lost absolute dominance.
---------------
'So obviously he is counting the matches PRIOR to the final match as well as the final match.'
--Nope, and nope again. Like I explained above, losing to ONE player is enough to say that somebody is losing his absolute dominance.

So, Rafa was outplayed, yet he won the match?! How come?? Well, he outran Djoker! Simply, he was running for 30+ shots in a rally (OMG!!) and wore Djoker down physically. This has nothing to do with tennis skills. Got it now?

Universon just wants attention, so the best way is just to ignore him.

Unvierson,

Certainly you focused mainly on Rafa's feet and you missed the big picture that he's holding a racket on his hand, hitting balls after balls after balls WHILE running. To say running = speed = agility to cover the court, has nothing to do with tennis skills is obviously a lack of BASIC knowledge about tennis.

However, I am sensing that you are a fan of SERVE & VOLLEY tennis that requires 1 or 2 strokes to win a point.

danny
, 4/23/09 5:33 AM
Universon just wants attention, so the best way is just to ignore him.
-------------------------
attention?
Well, have you watched MC s/f?? Murray had excellent rally, and tied Rafa's legs without a corde!! Tiebreaked could've gone either way, and if it went to the third, I am really not sure how it would've finish??

Murray had momentum there, with some extraordinari shots, so Rafa was on test. Good for him he managed to finish it all in two, otherwise...

So, MC s/f anf final clearly indicates that in Rome one of those two Djoker or Murray are gonna get him. Unles they're scheduled to play each other before meet Rafa. I hope not. Cuz we wanna see some interesting matches. These next two MS tourney before RG are enough for those two guys to figure Rafa out.

This will be the most insteresting RG ever. If Rafa has to play either of the two in s/f and final then the chances are he is not gonna make it. He might be worn out in s/f, so if other finalist had easy draw, he might dismantle rafa in 4 sets!

Raindrops...it is understood that a top player is holding racket in his hand and knows how to proplerly hit the ball that it lands into opponent's half of the court. But to be there on time to return a killer groundstroke shots (those are exactly what Djoker did to Rafa for tens of times) - and so for over 15 times in a rally, for the entire match without tiring - requires out-of-earth physical condition. And that has nothing to do with tennis skills, really. Athletics, that's what it is.

The Tv commentator said more than once that some of the shots Djoker threw on Rafa would've been winner points against any other player, but yet Rafa was there like flying dragon to pick it up and turn it into winner!!! Remember that famous drop-shot pick-up and make it a winner?? That's not going to be repeated ever again by anyone. No wonder Djoker dropped to his knees in disbelief. Who wouldn't?

Universon...I believe that speed is one of vital characteristics that a player must posses in Tennis and wether we like it not, one will certainly emerge the fastest among them all. It is so happened that Rafa is the one most agile covering the court coupled with his great mind (anticipation) and skillful strokes = winning formula. Demeaning his tennis skills due to his unparallel speed sounds loathsome.

Since you are insisting that speed has nothing to do with tennis skills, it is a delight to hear from you what are those skills (minus the speed) are acceptable in reference to your supposed tennis standard.

Universon, i have to say that i agree with u in most of the things that u have said, with the exeption of current domination on clay. there, rafa still rules. but novak is developing slowly, but surely, and you have murray on his way... in respect of question relating to the statement of his uncle, i need to say that nadal played really well and only lost one set, and that was against djokovic. So what he is saying is that nadal wasn't at his best, but he still managed to mow down his opponents. I think he is underestimating other players with this and i feel little bit disappointed with his attitude.

Raindrops: You are right it is that lethal combination of anticipation, speed, agility and pulling off the shot that makes Rafa lethal.

Speed alone is not enough. If it were, Monfils would have many more titles by now!

Roger has extraordinary speed around the court: it's just that it is not so obvious because he is so light on his feet and gets there in one or two long strides.

In days gone by Nadal ran EVERYTHING down but recently one has the impression he is conserving energy more and is less likely to go for those impossible shots except on the big points:

Murray too has amazing speed - taking his opponent by surprise by saving shots that few others would have got to.

Djokovic has great anticipation, and turn of speed, but too often lacks the stamina to sustain it throughout a long, hard match. We saw him simply run out of steam in the last set on Sunday after the exhausing two opening games.

This was a strangely negative and uncharacteristiic interview by Uncle Toni. I am not sure it was helpful to either Nadal or his opponents.

djokovic sure did play well........better than rafa in the 2nd set.....but rafa still rules clay,i cant agree wid any1 who thinks that djoker played the final better than rafa....if that were the case then novak shud have won obviously......rafa still is the best clay court player.....no alarming signs for rafa or his fans....he should win rg again

Universon

Your logic doesnt really work in practice.



Last year Nadal was beaten by Federer and had close matches with djokovic on clay but what happent Nadal still won the French opening and other major clay court tournments.
Universon 4/23/09 5:02 AM
"But if one player can beat him, then that's lost absolute dominance."

Nadal was beaten once or twice on clay last and i did not se him loose his dominance at monte-carlo or Barcelona or the French opening.

How can someone loose there dominance based on one match where he played well and not at his best but still won.

Dominance is not based on loosing 1 match or one tournment (which isnt even the case in this circumstance). But based on winning the majority of the matches and major tournments on a single surface. Lets wait and see what Nadal will win on clay this year.

I dont see what the problem is with Nadals uncle making a negative statement about Nadals play that day. Granted maybe he should not have said it in public but as a coach he will definately be stating to Nadal where his game is lacking and the truth is Nadal served poorly on that day. Fact. So what is the big deal when any tennis fan who understands the game would have recognised and picked up on it.

I do not feel that Nadal will be negatively influenced in anyway by his Uncles comment. Its his Uncle who understands him the most. And Nadal is the one guy who knows that you can always improve your game. His uncle is no just criticising him for criticising sake but to help him improve parts of his game that was lacking that day and Nadal would also know this himself (as he would be able analyse his own game).

And if you want to see Nadal play at his very best or nearly his very best as in near perfect game, watch Roland Garros 2008 and compare it to this match with djokovic and then tell me he wasnt playing at 70 -80% of his potential.

P.S

Stating that Nadal was lacking in confidence was just stating what the top players in the game seem to be suffering from lately (they just will not admit it openly). Fed is suffering from it djokovic was suffering from it and Nadal might be suffering from it a bit. (Which isnt surprising taking he might be afraid of how his game on clay might have changed after being so successful on hard courts this year.)

TopDog: You are right everybody could see he was playing well below his normal level against Djokovic last Sunday. The question is: why now the loss of confidence and the problem with his first serve?

I assume Uncle Toni was giving Rafa a wake-up call by going public with those comments. I just happen to believe it would have been better for that dialogue to have taken place in private on the practice courts. He has steered Nadal to the very pinnacle of tennis so I hope you are right and that he knows how to get Rafa through this dip in his game.

I cannot agree with those who're saying that Rafa lost his confidence, just after one set loss??! No that I see it. Rafa regrouped after the poor performance in the second set, and won the third one. Without confidence i am sure he would've lost it in no time. Just remember, or watch again, (I can watched it for 100 of times!) the first three games in the third. 43 minutes of rally, exstraordinary shots, pace change, tactics and mind sets too!! That was awesome. Rafa managed to get out of those 3 sets with upper hand! That's where the match was decided. Then and there. After that Djoker did his serve faulting and he dropped the level of his play for at least 20%.

So, no doubt that confidence was there for Rafa. It's just that overall challenge that Djoker applied telling me that Rafa might lose the diminance soon. Because Djoker come from "nowhere". Almost everyone already wrote him off as another Safin, or a player with no big ambitious in tennis.

However, Djoker "comes of age", and he showed us the "old Djokovic" rides again! And as a such he controlled Rafa for substential amount of match! So, now I wonder what if that "old Djokovic" now improves? The improvement is inevitable here. He was "down" for a full year. Taking 11 months of "an easy approach". Now he seems determined. So, together with rising Murray, this would add more fan into the game. We finally are getting the tennis quality that could match the one in early 80!! (Remember: Borg, Connors, McEnroe, Lendl...)!! And latter on adding Edberg, Wilander and Becker!! Ohh, my!

Now if these four (Rafa, Djoker, Fed, Murr) could perform the same, and they have the tolls, that would be a lot of fan. I truly believe that some of these guys even outplayed those 80s Big four!?

What do you think?

TopDog,
Last year Nadal was beaten by Federer and had close matches with djokovic on clay ....
--------------------------------
Nadal WAS NOT beaten last year by Rog at all! anywhere, at any time during the entire year! Get yourself little informed and then come back to discuss.

Universon wrote:

"I cannot agree with those who're saying that Rafa lost his confidence, just after one set loss??!"

Why don't you reread the article above that these comments are based on. Then you would see that it isn't US who talk of Rafa's lack of confidence, but rather it is UNCLE TONI who says that!! ed and TopDog made very good points about your logic in their posts also. Most everyone agrees Novak played a good game and same with Murray. But Rafa was better, even when he isn't playing at his top level. And your idea that speed is all Rafa has sounds uncannily like another poster who is a Fed fan. Name change?

Universon

I meant 2007. But it still proves m point. Nadal still dominaed the clay season even though he lost to Federer at one of the tournaments. It is totally unrealistc (as it is physically impossible) to make it a requirement that for a player to be said to dominate a surface, he has to win every match he plays in on that particular surface for the rest of his career or what did u mean by.

" But if one player can beat him, then that's lost absolute dominance."

If we go by your logic then nobody has ever ABSOLUTELY dominated any surface. Because ALL players have and will at least loose one match on every surface if not more in thier whole career.

ed251137

No one can know what ale's all these tennis players, we can only speculate. *sigh*

But as we can see with Federer, trying to reach or break a record will put a lot of pressure on a top player. Everyone expects Federer and Nadal specifically to play perfectly and to his fullest potential every time he arrives at a match on clay. I mean its like saying to footballer/Runner/lawye/doctor or what ever profession you are in you have to work to you potential, you very best, 100% of the time which is not possible. Even worse for Nadal it is in front of the whole world (not literally).

But there is pressure on the top players from all directions...from the media/fans/commentators/analysts. Especially when they are about to equal or break a record. And Nadal is human there will come a time when he feels this pressure and this was the time and circumstance. I mean when else will a player feel the greatest amount of pressure but when they are about to break a long standing record. (or when they are about to get there first grand slam lol).
But Nadal handled it well and still won.

But like i said all we fans can do is speculate. LOL

By the way any player can loose there confidence at any point of the match for any reason (because he is not playing his own perfect game which he can but is not executing well due to the transition from one surface to another... there are many reason) or might just get lax . And unless you are in there head which you are not then you can not know. I would rather go with Nadals uncles analysis of Nadals game and frame of mind (and the facts) as it is more valid and legitimate. (HE knows nadal personally and has coached nadal since forever). Who are we to say what is not.

Universon

According to Ed McGrogan in his article, "By the Numbers: Nadal Dominates on Clay," statistics as of April 22, 2009 show that "Nadal's career record on clay is 165-14 (a winning % of 92.1) and since 2005, his record on clay is 139-4 (a winning % of 97.2). Talking about domination!!! For full article go to tennis.com...

Anyone know Borg's?

Jayhu,

Those numbers are insane. I am flabbergasted by Nadal's prowess. Simply unbelievable.

-Arvis

"Uncle Toni says Nadal needs to raise his level"...yes, but to raise what?

1. serve, yes. Needs and can improve there.
2. technic, no. Needs improvement but most likely he can't get it. Because he reached top of his skills there.
3. Agressive play. No. NEeds improvement, but he is foremost and by mind defender. Offensive mind is something that one got born with. Like the eyes: either you have them or not.
4. Running? No. That cannot be improved since it already reached the limits of human capacity!
5. Top spin? ...lol...
6. Time before sending the ball in the serve? Yes! Neeeds improvement. Can it be done? Maybe?
7. Behaviour at serve? YES! Needs improvement to stop pulling his pants out from his behind (sometimes with two balls in the hand at the time!!). Big doubt that he can make it.

And your idea that speed is all Rafa has sounds uncannily like another poster who is a Fed fan. Name change?
fan4tennis
, 4/23/09 7:20 PM
-------------------------------------------------------------

you 're illiterate! You read the comments by taking some sentences out of the context! I never said that. Go back read my posts more carefully, and then shut up!

I am Fed fan, and so? Anything wrong with that? Rog at least is better technically equipped than Rafa. He cannot run as much as Rafa does, though. In Wimby this year Rog is gonna definitelly kick rafa's ass and pay him back for last year final loss. Provided NAdal makes it to the final??

Name change? Who? I didn't get that one.

Talking about domination!!! For full article go to tennis.com...
jayhu , 4/23/09 9:31 PM
----------------------------------------------------------

and you do the same thing as fan4tennis: taking some clause out of conetxt and then argue based on it!!? Well, that tactic falls within base arguing tricks, and it's all explained in a web site:

www.arguenow.net

So, I ercommend to you and fan4tennis to go there. they teach you how to argue for free. They have an arguing forum too. It's helpful. :-)

Universon,
it's a shame that Federer is past his prime, so we'll never have teh proper 4 way competiton.
For me, FEderer's and Novak's tennis are sublime to watch.
Murray is a coward and a cleverdick behind the base line, Nadal is good, but however hard I try to like his game, I just can't. I don't know what it is.
I still don't know how he managed to win AO!
I reckon the playing conditions were inhumane which is why Murray lost and Novak retired. AO was their for the taking.....still, credit to Nadal.
So back to the 4 outplaying the 80s guys, gie them a year or two, it will be fantastic trio letting rip!

You never know, Federina may find her form again and Wimby would certainly be the right moment for that.

Universon is another "SPECIMEN" of a Fed fan who doesn't have ANYTHING logical to say........What was that enumeration all about?....."time before sending the ball, behavior at serve"????
If YOU WANT TO POST SOME ADVICE to IMPROVE SOMEBODY'S game, better address them to FEDERER! Your idol needs you badly... you're another "expert"!

Pretty pathetic to change names just to argue a point Universon (??). Your temper and your wording gave you away. You still keep plugging away even tho no one agrees with your half-baked theories.

noleisthebest , 4/24/09 12:02 AM

---it's a shame that Federer is past his prime, so we'll never have teh proper 4 way competiton.
+++agree. Rog is done. Yet he still can beat anobody outside top ten confortably. Plus Roddick, of course. lol

---For me, FEderer's and Novak's tennis are sublime to watch.
+++agreed even more. The two have the best technic in tennis today.

---Murray is a coward and a cleverdick behind the base line,
+++ I like this one.! The best descriptiuon of his game so far I read .

---Nadal is good, but ......I still don't know how he managed to win AO!
+++chances are he doesn't know either!! It's all Djoker's fault. That was his tourney.

---I reckon the playing conditions were inhumane which is why Murray lost and Novak retired.
+++well, I reckon weather conditions have nothing to do with Murray's loss. Verdasco's win is fair and square there!! He was better player.

---So back to the 4 outplaying the 80s guys, gie them a year or two, it will be fantastic trio letting rip!
+++ yes. I think you should add at least one more. Who? I don't know. Delpo seem to have some clue, but clay is his very weak surface. Without great clay play one cannot qualify to become part of Big 4. Although, Murray still have to convince me in his clay court game. His game against Rafa was good for one part of a set only. That's not enough to draw conclusion, even more because he was struggling before this season.

agf25agf
, 4/24/09 1:27 AM If YOU WANT TO POST SOME ADVICE to IMPROVE SOMEBODY'S game, better address them to FEDERER!
------------------------------------------------------

wh at's wrong with federer? Wait till Wimby, then you better tell Rafa to lose in semi to anyone. Just to avoid heavy avenge carried out by TMF.
It doesn't take him half an hour to put the ball into the serve.

Pretty pathetic to change names just to argue a point Universon (??). fan4tennis
, 4/24/09 1:53 AM
----------------------------------------------------
you're paranoid, man! What names are you talking about?? I was somebody else before?? Who??

Now, I strat doubtiing that the arguing site (www.arguenow.net) I adviced you to go to, is not gonna do (to help you). You might need to look for some more serious one. Do, you want me to surf the net for you? Just let me know. It will be all at no cost for you.

No thank you--lol but I will suggest "spellcheck" for YOU. Are you that crazed for attention that you have to spread your posts out into several consecutive posts every time? LOL

Universon .. your comments are spot on . But you have to give Nadal credit for what he has done even if its just for his consistency in digging his butt on live TV :P ... . He is tough too beat right now as he is defending like crazy and that , you have to respect . however , this game of his is not going to serve him well for the long run as when players get more aggrasive and commit less UE ... he is kinda handicapped . will he change that and go on the offense ? yes ...he is trying i think ...not going too good though . only time will tell when his body will break .. and he is sure as hell gona fall on his butt ....hope he does not hurt his fingers ( wink wink)

Sorry about my typos. I am typing with two fingers, and that explains everything.
Thanks for remark, I'll certainly pay more attantion to it.

As for spreading my posts..well, that b/c there are a lot of remarks on my comments. I figured to be up at the task and reply to all of you as much as I could.
:-)

fedexfan, I thought that it is understood that Rafa deserves all credits for what he achieved so far. And didn't think it was needed to emphasize that. Anyway,...I just wanted to focus more on the issue that could hype his skills. The fact: Rafa's #1 now, but totally ignoring what other players do, would be a mistake.

Fed said once: only #1 is what counts. Everything else is less. And that's tue. But also, overhype of anyone is not good for the sake of the game. And I believe we all are tennis fans foremost, and then we're rooting for our favourite.

Or, i might be wrong: some posters are foremost for their favourites and tennis more or less. Who cares, eh! :-)

noleisthebest
, 4/20/09 11:39 PM
COME ON NOLEEE!

--------------------------------------------

Hey I must correct you: the right way for all Nole's fans to say is:

AJDE NOLE!

posmatrac, there are so many words I could say but won't.

Everyone else - good posts - Rafa deserves to be #1. And with no knee straps! Has he been playing without them again in Barcelona? Just curious!

Uncle Tony missed the point. On purpose, of course! Why? Well, to protect his nephew. How? Well, the correct statement would be "Djoker returns"! This is based on the facts happened in MC final.

Rafa did not lose his confidence, nor someone could've lost it just because one set loss, while winning the whole thing??!! Nonsense, never heard of before. What the world witnessed on Sunday was that Rafa has some flaws in his play! And the flaw that is not coverable!!

So, Uncle and coach wanted to cover it by shifting the light from the hole to the summit of the problem by talking about confidence?! LOL...nice try, Mr. Uncle! Almost successful. Almost, yeah. Very soon we will see more of that.

So, the right thing to talk about was Djoker's return by a very strong play, more mature than last year! His play needs some tuning though, but the majority is there. And what's there looks very intimidating to his nephew. Very! Not good.

Has anybody seen Rafa losing his confidence ever? I haven't. Rafa simply cannot lose confidence because he doesn't play on confidence! He doesn't possess it. So, now how can somebody lose something he never possesses?? So, uncle's statement is the best proof of something going on with Rafa's clay court position.

i just want to add another fed's statement:" I've created a monster!" - it would be a pity to see how toni nadal is creating another one...

""""Rafa simply cannot lose confidence because he doesn't play on confidence! """
----------------------------------------------------------------- ---
I do not refute on this one and I may vary with my fellow Rafans' view on this but this is what I admire most about Rafa. He does not rely at all with that 'confident play'. This is the exact reflection on what he kept on telling that he does not underestimate his opponents and he can lose anytime to anyone. Meaning he knows and not confident at all that he is unbeatable on clay. For the meantime, let your confident guy beat Rafa at any claycourt.

To me, with or without confidence does not matter as long as Rafa maintains his superiority and remained the last man standing when the dust is finally settled regardless of score.

'''So, the right thing to talk about was Djoker's return by a very strong play, more mature than last year! His play needs some tuning though, but the majority is there.'''
----------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------
Nole has to backed up that flash of brilliance he showed during MC 2nd set, by winning a match not only a set next time they meet. Let's see if he can defend his Rome title with a healthy Rafa around. Let's find out if he can execute the same game plan he has at MC now that Rafa is aware of it and has shaken off some rusts of his clay game.

I wish both of them get to the finals.

uncle tony has been nadal's coach like forever, he knows best. I think he was right to have said that nadal needed to pick up his game.He was making some errors that was uncharacteristic of him thru out the tournament. From what i am seeing in barcelona, we are going to see a different Nadal in rome master's

Can somebody throw out this 'Úniverson' guy? he talks rubbish......

"nadal doesnt play on confidence"......LOL.......people from different planets are participating here......lol

u can't be very good at anything without confidence,i guess without that strong pillar of confidence rafa possess over his opponents on this surface,he wouldn't have been this dominant.talking aba confidence that is exactly what fedex is lacking right now and if it does not change,he might not get to even the quarters at Wimbledon,period

Nothing
, 4/24/09 2:18 PM
--------------------------
your nick says it all.

People play on confidence, machine does'nt. Rafa is a machine. Veryy well programmed machine. That program doesn't depend on the opponents, not on the result during the match, not on the importance or nonimportance of the match. It's just a machine that has no mind of its own. (Borg's play was based on similar foundation).

That explains Rafa put Rog down to his knees at last year RG. Bageled him by allowing 4 games for the entire match!!! I do not know if such a thing ever happened in the history of the tennis in the finals against player #1?!?? Is it ever gonna happened again? Nope! And Rog is well rounded clay court player!!

And the machine has no feeling, has no confidence, doesn`t differ break point from match point, do not care who is on the other side of the net. That's why Rafa plays equally his every match. Djoker said that Rafa plays the same regardless of the score: it could be 5:1 or 5:5 he plays the same!!

Of course all of these I threw in here are in favour of Rafa. Machine or not, as long as he keeps winning he is amazing. And we all are blessed to live in his era to be able to witness and enjoy something that human hasn't seen before. 30 years down to road would be able to boast to our grandchildren that we were watching Rafa playing alive!!

So, by saying that the machine lost its confidence is ridiculous statemnet. Of course, when laucnhed for the misleading purpose it is a good one. :-)

My advice to Djoker &co, if you want to figure Rafa out, analyze the machine and its work. Provided you have all available tools to be able to beat it, of course.
The rest of the very interesting clay court season is coming. Can't wait till RG starts.

Hmm noleisthebest "coward and cleverdick" my, my Andy M's certainly rattled your cage hasn't he? More importantly he's rattling Novak's and should be N0.3 well within 3 months and then who knows? Some comments on this blog are so astonishingly unpleasant and personal it just freaks me out.

"Can somebody throw out this 'Úniverson' guy? he talks rubbish......"
Why,
Because he thinks with his own head and doesn't copy and paste from various articles as a brainwashed zombie?
Definitely not, Uni is a breath of fresh air here!

Ahem, a few facts, shall we?

Nadal's serve WAS well below his usual level (of, among other things, 1st serve percentages) pretty much all week at Monte Carlo. I was the final closely and it really hurt him there...

This is not to take any credit away from Nole: he had nothing to lose and fought and played very well for about 50% of the match.


Nadal's first serve percentage is about to his usual one this week. And his tentative playing the previous two tournaments seems to be turning around to confident playing again.

Nadal has been a lot more aggressive on clay last year, and on grass and hardcourts ever since, than previously. I expect he will again the rest of this clay season.

There is no doubt that Nole and Andy can push Nadal for a set or two out of five sets, and perhaps win one of them... but I would not count on them winning two. I just don't see it: they have not come that much closer to his level. OK, this point is far from a fact, just my view.

Back to facts. Out of the last 125 / 130? - I lost count - matches on clay Nadal has lost exactly twice, and neither time defeated by a clearly better oponent (once he ran out of gas by sets 2 and 3 - Hamburg 2007, and once he had a such a bad blister that he could not put much weight on it - first match played in Rome 2008).

Back to personal views: It's all good and well to make predictions re Nole and Andy, and yes, they can push Nadal up to some extent, but I would not bet any money on someone taking 2 sets off Nadal at RG this year. For several years Roger was in a better position to do that than either of them is at the moment.

"Can somebody throw out this 'Úniverson' guy? he talks rubbish....."

yeah, lets bring inquisition period back, I kind of feel nostalgia.

lol... :-)

"Back to personal views: It's all good and well to make predictions re Nole and Andy, and yes, they can push Nadal up to some extent, but I would not bet any money on someone taking 2 sets off Nadal at RG this year. For several years Roger was in a better position to do that than either of them is at the moment."
I have a strange feeling that Murray is quite capeable of taking more than a set off Nadal IF he plays agressively.
Personally, as a Novak fan, I don't want that click to happen in Murray's head, because if he turns agressive, he will be unstoppable.

noleisthebest
, 4/24/09 8:59 PM
I have a strange feeling that Murray is quite capeable of taking more than a set off Nadal IF he plays agressively.
Personally, as a Novak fan, I don't want that click to happen in Murray's head, because if he turns agressive, he will be unstoppable.
-------------------------------------------------------- ----
lol...why are you disclosing it, then?

The other comment of mine would be: if Murray turns agressive, then who is gonna play defense for him?? You know how agressive Djoker can be!!!
That's why I value his game more than Rafa's and Murray together. The guy has naturally developed defense and agression! If nobody else takes Rafa down, then it's gonna be him.

And regarding past two tournaments it's obvious that Novak is capable of doing adjustments right on the court during the match, in case if plan "A" fails. He managed to come back more than 5 times against top 10 players after being set a behind! (Tsonga, Federer, Verdasco, Wawrinka, Murray, Nadal).

The one thing that I also noticed is that Djoker's plan "A" sucks! It turned out that he was surprised or didn't apply right strategy at the beginning in 6 out of 10 matches!??? What's his team doing then? Or Djoker doesn't listen to anyone and plays on his own?? Have no clue. Knowing Djoko's nature anything could be the issue. But more than certain that this contributed to his couple of matches loss.

Universon, Your theory sounds great, but if it was so easy Rafa wouldn't have a 12:4 win ratio over Djoko.

Novak feeds on confidence, his game is all confidence and cockiness.
His racquet switch really screwed him and will cost him his 3rd ranking (hopefully only temporarily) soon.
He seems to be getting back, and I just want him to stay there , no more excuses!
He is the best player of the 4 (Federer of the past is gone), and I really hope that the sheer hitting and long rallies that are in the nature of clay tennis will give him his full confidence back, which he will need mightily come Canadian, USO season later in the summer.
Once his first serve is rock solid again, he'll start rocking and rolling again!
Can't wait!

carrie
, 4/24/09 10:49 PM Universon, Your theory sounds great, but if it was so easy Rafa wouldn't have a 12:4 win ratio over Djoko.
---------------------------------------------------

carrie, my child, you didn't get it. It is not a theory. It is the fact. Read it again. Digets it first, rehearse, and then come back to discuss. It's all about the technical skills and variety of different shots with agressive and defensive play combined.

Nobody talks the numbers here, although I can, if you want me to: Djokovic vs Nadal 4:3, on fast surface! When talking the numbers, keep in mind that Djoko is 1 year younger than Rafa.

I think we are all witnessing something special!! We now have Universon, who knows what all the players have to do to win and what all their problems are. He has the solutions too! I pray the players read his posts for his fantastic insight to help them become winners(that no one else has been able to do so far for Fed or Novak or Murray or Rafa)! It is a shame tho, that with all his obvious knowledge of tennis inside and out, that the best he could do is just post his news anonymously on a blog site. You should be out there commentating or even coaching!!

universon........being a year younger is not a good enough reason for novak to be 12-4 against rafa.....if novak were a better all court player than rafa...it would have showed....rafa used to beat fed when he was 18..federer is 5 yrs older than rafa but rafa has managed to beat him most of the time......my point is that if novak were a better player than rafa,then he wud have beaten him more...even if hez a year younger.....citing age to justify his losses is a disrespect to novak.....novak himself wud acknowledge all his losses to rafa as fair matchups where rafa was the better player......lol.....nd he wudnt say HEY IM A YEAR YOUNGER TO HIM SO THATS WHY IM 12-4 AGAINST HIM..LOLZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!

Universon is just so full of s**ts...just shows how dangerous a liitle learning can be..

Universon,

You try very hard to freak out the Rafans. A fedfan who is trying to find solace from Murray & Nole because you have nothing solid to bring up about Federer. I heard you say Roger is WELL ROUNDED CLAYCOURT PLAYER. Rafa is well ahead of the pack and Roger is just like them. Regarding FO08 drubbing, if it happened in the past, then it can be done again in the future. HISTORY REPEAT ITSELF, how come it slipped out from your supposed sane brain eh?------> keep.that.in.mind.

Give it up Universon, you are doing a lot of nonsense analysis. And as pointed out earlier, offer your advice to someone who's visibly deteriorating lately. Rafa has been studied for a long time since 2005 but they can't just find the right tool to dismantle him for an obvious reason that Rafa is the one holding that precious tool hehe

fan4tennis, 4/25/09 4:05 AM Hilarious! Game, set and match to you.

vrael, 4/25/09 7:52 AM: Well said, but you cant win against Mr.U by being logical.

"I think we are all witnessing something special!! We now have Universon, who knows what all the players have to do to win and what all their problems are. He has the solutions too! I pray the players read his posts for his fantastic insight to help them become winners(that no one else has been able to do so far for Fed or Novak or Murray or Rafa)! It is a shame tho, that with all his obvious knowledge of tennis inside and out, that the best he could do is just post his news anonymously on a blog site. You should be out there commentating or even coaching!!
fan4tennis, 4/25/09 4:05 AM"
why is there so much intolerance over someone else' view.
People here should learn to appreciate other's views and not jump at them if they disagree, it's so childish!
I can only deduce that some of Nadal fans here have sensed the end of his undisputed dominance is nigh and are extra sensitive aat any criticism.
So much garb has been thrown Novak's way here...I generally ignore it as I know its untrue, and the guy is a great player, so Nadalists: just chill out and enjoy your man's peak!

They don't all reach their peak at the same age. Rafa has been incredible from a very young age. Fed was later, Andy is still getting there. Don't know about Novak, leave judgement to his fans but prior to queens he was playing pretty good from a young age.

I have reached the conclusion that Universon has won hands down for "most annoying posts in the universe'. Congratulations, Universon !! You have won the competition and this site has competition in that department and then some, believe me!! You give new meaning to the word " rafa-hater"

noleisthebest, I seriously doubt you will find many experts that will say "Rafa's clay dominance is coming to an end." Much less say that after one match with Nole. That is what people are disagreeing with since that is what Universon claimed. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Nole, in my opinion proved he is the better clay courter over MURRAY, but he is not better than Rafa on the clay court. He played a great match that day and I've never said otherwise. But to claim that because of that match because he lost a set to Nole (but not the match), Rafa's dominance is over, is a little premature and ridiculous.

6-3,2-6,6-1, do u cal this a better play from a player of world number 3 status.sometimes i feel u guys can't just do simple analysis.last year in hamburg it was the same.i am a rafa fan but reali sometimes i dn't know what u guys think of his opponents,they are also humans like him.i guess u always want an inhuman results like 6-0-6-0 against his opponents,it a shame

well, there are lot of responses, so I might put all answers into one box, I hope. (Those provocators /"Nothing"/, aint get any).

vrael , 4/25/09 7:52 AM...agreed. One year is not a big difference. I mentioned it just to add to my preceding talk about numbers (#1 is a number, isn't). You made the point but yet outside the given context.

Raindrops , 4/25/09 9:18 AM......if Rafa is so much rock solid on clay at this time, why are you soo much anxious about my comments? Hugh? :-)
And yeah, Federer is a great claycourter. Have you looked his number of RG finals? He taught Rafa a lesson on CLAY in Hamburg 2007, isn't he???

deuce , 4/25/09 6:23 PM...that's the point. Rafa was early bloomer, unlike Djoker, Murray, Federer, Agassi, Lendl...so 1 year could be a big difference.

Nam1 , 4/25/09 6:25 PM ..." rafa-hater", you're sick, man! Have you read my posts above? Nope. You just dislike and can't stand other people with different opinion about Rafa's game?! You have serious problem. What's your age? 14.5? However, if you're any older, then Rafa is running the risk to have great victories, but poor audience. Do not try to build a monster of rafa (like some sick Fed fans did to him. And now that's only hurting Rog, b/c he cannot stand to lose!!). Rafa definitelly deserves better fan than yourself, boy.

more so there is nothing wrong with nole or djokovic taking a set off rafa,there are both good players,last year by tomorrow ferer took a set of rafa in barca, does it make him a threat to rafa in the future or garos ,no?
pls check ur dictionary to know what been analytical is,i guess it would help most of u.

6-3,2-6,6-1, do u cal this a better play from a player of world number 3 status.sometimes i feel u guys can't just do simple analysis.
mcfound, 4/25/09 11:35 PM
---------------------------------------------------
DO NOT let the numbers deceive you. Especially if you do not know how to read them properly. What you did is less than simple analysys, and that's why you're in big default. Can't you see just by looking at the numbers you provided, that Djoker took Rafa a set? Can't you see that Rafa was four games and two breaks short in that set? That hurts, man. Rafa did not used to slump like that in last 3 years!! Does this time frame ring the bell to you? (no, of course, lol).

Now, do not try to compare this to Djoker's number of games behind. Why? B/c we are talking about Rafa's excellent game, and not Djoker's. It is normal that everyone else has poorer score than Rafa. Rafa is the King, not Djoker. Bear this on your mind, if you can.

Why not staring at the simple numbers too much? (when I say "numbers" I mean the final match score. DO NOT confuse this with other "numbers" that reveals the essence of the match structure: % first serve, % of second serve, forced, unforced erros, double faults, %net play, total points won,...etc). Because thhey do not reveal much about match structure, nor about play quality itself.

And that was my point. So, you as many of Rafa fans, ingored what I am pointing at, of course, b/c it doesn't fit your admiration, and taking my clauses out of context and then argue based on that. I tought I put the web address of an arguing site above, but apparently you didn't listen!? Taking things out of context is a cheap arguing trick. Aint work in here.

Ok, now let's put some of the numbers you supplied and give them a life:

third set was 6:1 favouring Rafa. However the structure of that set tells way more and reveals that couldv'e gone either way!! Believe or not! I know you're perplexed now, but hey, just listen to.

Just remember, or watch again, (I can watched it for 100 of times!) the first three games in the third lasted 43 minutes!! Hey 43 minutes of rally, exstraordinary shots, pace change, tactics and mind sets from both players!! So, there was not just King playing around. There was a prince too, who agve King so much troubles more then never nobody before. He outplayed King!!. Now you'll ask how come b/c those 3 games Rafa won 2:1!, aren't ya?? Well, during those three games both players were facing game/break points! The only thing that saved Rafa's kin there was that famous out-of-the world drop shot pick up!! And that he has to thank to his speed. Speed is NEVER considered as a techinc in any sports except athletics! So, we are talking tennis here.

CONCLUSION: Djoker tehnicaly outplayed rafa in the third. Period. One thing to add, my child: had those three games in the third ended opposite (2:1 favouring Dkoker), today we would've talked different story. But do not worry, Rome is just around the conrner. There you'll se what I was talking about. Had we had Rafa-Djoker clash again, Djoker is gonna come out as the winner. In straight sets!

Sorry, I am typing with two fingers, so my text is loaded with typos. You'll get the clue. I will list two corrections here only:

1. above: "The only thing that saved Rafa's kin...." , should stay "skin".

2. Djoker tehnicaly outplayed rafa in the (third).

This word "third" to be replaced with "match".

fan4tennis , 4/25/09 10:37 PM ...Rafa's dominance is over, is a little premature and ridiculous. ...Nole, in my opinion proved he is the better clay courter over MURRAY, but he is not better than Rafa on the clay court.
----------------------------------

if you do not stop this I'll throw you into the "provocators" category.
Nobody said that Rafa's dominance is over!
Nobody said that Djoker is overall better clay court player than Rafa.

And that's exactly what you're stating all time. Go get showers, man. You're stuffy. (this is the mild version of the expression that describes the best about what's going on with you in reality).

I'll repeat myself once again:

1. Rafa dominance on clas is going down hill, and might stop very soon.
2. Djoker returns! His game is technically better equipped that Rafa's.

Now, go on and take this out of the context again. Choice is yours.

since there are several very anxious Rafa's fans in here, I have to tune some of the things that might sound close, yet they're so different.

"Better Player" includes total succes in some sports: and includes three main mandatory elements:

1. technic
2. athletic skills
3. Mindset

So, now, if one dominates in any of the first two elements, it doesn't mean that he is a better player.
For instance: Nalbandian is one of the most talented tennis players on the tour. Yet he is far from being the best. Why? He is lacking athletic abilities. His fitness sucks. The guy has at least 20 pounds of ballast built in his body carrying it on every match.

Simon is one of the most dominant runner in the game. Yet he is far from being the best, b/c his technical skills are below many other players. He outran Djoker in Shanghai S/F match, yet he lost. Djoker killed him with his heavy duty flat ground strokes and the drop shots.

So, now Rafa fans, please, DO NOT confuse athletic skills with technical tools of a player.
Thank you.

The third element (mindset) is for advanced tennis understanding, and not on schedule to talk about it yet. You guys have to work on the previous two first, show that you understood them and then I will give you a free advanced lessons about tennis game - Mindset. ;-)

"So, now Rafa fans, please, DO NOT confuse athletic skills with technical tools of a player." You know what I meant in here.
:-))

Anyone want to wager anything on how many consecustive posts Universon will use next time to make his useless points? He just did 5 in a row. I'm guessing if someone really ticks him off, he'll do 6!!!

I'll repeat myself once again:

1. Rafa dominance on clas is going down hill, and might stop very soon.
2. Djoker returns! His game is technically better equipped that Rafa's.

Now, go on and take this out of the context again. Choice is yours.

Universon ,
...................................................
it is hard to say but some haters can't just accept that no matter what the truth is their analysis will always be bias.i really pity this guy.also reali if u dn't know the role athleticism plays on any sport then i am sorry.

Universon just needs a real job..

Now file this stat before you tune in to the final against David Ferrer: Nadal hasn't been broken at Barcelona, having faced nine break points. (Guess his dominance is coming to an end--lol)

And, as long as we're running numbers, here are a few more:

* 7-0 on clay this year.

* 141-4 in all clay matches since 2005.

* 69-3 in clay matches leading up to the French Open since 2005.

* 32-3 for the season.

* 23-1 in clay court finals.

Still waiting for any expert to agree with Universon's theories, otherwise it's as useful as my theories.

maybe a job from djoker,as his personal analyst.i really feel sorry for him cuz he analysis are way below the truth and letting ur personal sentiments affect ur analysis the u are definitely not getting any job from rafa.if u are talking aba technical numbers in the match then i would say davydenko beat rafa on clay 2 yrs ago and he is the best man to beat rafa,as for rafa going down hill i am afraid rather he is near achieving one of the greatest feat the tennis world of rafa fans would enjoy from generations to generations .it hurts right,hahahahaha

i would rather say the mandatory elements need to analyze in this period is
a)objectivity
b)accuracy
C)accepting that athleticism plays a major role in every sports
D)not enving rafa's records
universion grow up!

That's the sad part mcfound. Universon is probably an adult (age-wise). But being a fed fanatic, he can't see that we respect what Roger has DONE (past tense emphasized). We just don't need to hear a broken record about it every single day! They can only find joy now in trying to diminish Rafa and all that he has achieved. But he has made me laugh alot the last couple days, so sorry to disappoint you Universon, no anxiousness here!

you gusy (fan4tennis & mcfound) are pathetic! You're talking somethnig that is not the issue!? I never denied Rafa's acheivemnt on clay and in total so far! Just there is no need to. Why throwing some numbers in here, while even the birds on the trees know who's the best on clay today? You lost the compass.

Now back on subject. Murray is gonna break Rafa in Rome and get his first claycourt MS title. That match in MC was just a preliminary; a way to figure Rafa out. That's what Murray said after the semifinal.

Rog's gonna kick Rafa's ass at Wimby this time and finally scrap Samprass record. Time to avenge is heating up!! :-)

** Pats Universon soothingly on his head while he takes his meds**

Nadal is obviously in a Mission. He is on the verge of greatness and he's at his 'prime'. Winning a match against him ?at this point in time? and "at any surface" is an uphill battle? a moon shot perhaps.

You are welcome to lay your broken crystal ball at the table with your head wrapped up with filthy rug as you start to blab your ridiculous prophecy pot stirrer Universon.

----> A first and last win out of 10 tries is called teaching? Huh pity! It's a piece of delicious HAM + burf = Hamburger 2007.

Nadal is obviously in a Mission. He is on the verge of greatness and he's at his 'prime'. Winning a match against him "at this point in time" and "at any surface" is an uphill battle ... a moon shot perhaps.

You are welcome to lay your broken crystal ball at the table with your head wrapped up with filthy rug as you start to blab your ridiculous prophecy pot stirrer Universon.

----> A first and last win so far out of 10 tries is called teaching? Huh pity! It's a piece of delicious HAM + burf = Hamburger 2007 that some fedfans still relishing up to this time lolz.

Nam1, 4/25/09 6:25 PM I had high hopes when you awarded Mr.U the MAP Award
he (it has to be a 'he' - no woman could be quite so tedious) would be satisfied having achieved his objective and move on to a new challenge elsewhere. Preferably his own blog where he can argue with himself all day to his heart's content.

Meanwhile Danny has the best solution. Everybody should ignore him.

fan4tennis, 4/26/09 3:20 AM: Not taking you up on that one - he's capable of any number - it's what he does for kicks. How about WE ALL stop posting here and on every other TT thread: then we wait and see how long he will continue all by himself, or until the Administrator bans him.

Correction: Above should read:
stop posting here and on any other TT thread if he appears.

Wow! I'm a huge Murray fan but even I don't think he can take Rafa out on clay this season, next is a different matter cos he's still improving and bar injury is gonna be amazing. However, blagging him up this year, when he's still learning, is, I feel, a trifle unwise. Noval has more chance.

I still maintain my original post about the guy. He just craves attention and the more we ignore him the better.

frankly,universion where do u stand,are u for federer or murray cuz i reali dn't like prostitution.if it's murray u have go to with murray,if it's federer fine,or sorry maybe u are just a rafa hater,so if federer can't do it,u trust murray can?anyway give it a try but i can assure u, i will never bet against rafa on any surface if he is at his best,not to even mention betting against him on clay in his prime.sorry

sometimes, i just have to accept that it is natural when u are getting to the peak of success ur enemies also grow in number.so people like universion and torres,u guys are always welcomed, i am sure sure rafa will even dine with u guys,dn't worry give it a try.but my advice is that be analytical,if u dn't do that ur heroes(fed,nole and andy )will always fall second best in all departments cuz u dn't analyse their progress rightly.

prostitution? in Tennis? OMG! -- hahaaaaaaaaaa

danny: we have to convince everybody to hold their fire: mcfound is still rising to the bait.

universon u believe that novak is better than rafa technically......nd u also believe that he is a better all round player dont u?????? give me some valid reasons,points to actually make us think.....IF U HAVE SOME....lol

as for wimby this year,rafa is gonna be a better contender than even last year....so i dont see him being outplayed by anyone.......if he gets beaten...it would be a close match

i know what the problem is. Fed's game is waning and Nadal's is off the hook. Fed fans are not so happy about this, they will use every ridiculous analysis to try destroy Nadals game. But we know that in sport, the facts speak for themselves.

Ed251137, great idea, I think Univ should get his own blog too, in the mean time agreed we should ignore him.

VAMOS RAFAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!! his clay court dominance continues,he has won 4 titles this year......more than anyone else till now........nyone here still thinking that rafa's clay court game is on the wane??? wat say universon????? have any more arguments to support ur logic????

Cheers everyone! Rome and Paris beckon.

mcfound , 4/26/09 9:43 AM .....frankly,universion where do u stand,are u for federer or murray cuz i reali dn't like prostitution.
------------------------------------------------------- ----
frankly, I am with your Mummy at the momnet. She told me that i am better than any of your other friends. :-) She does it for free. So, definitelly I'm not in the prostitution. However, she might charge your friends though. Cuz, they're not as good as i am.

So, if you worrying about prostitution talk to her, bud. :-)

universon u believe that novak is better than rafa technically......nd u also believe that he is a better all round player dont u?????? give me some valid reasons,points to actually make us think.....IF U HAVE SOME....lol
vrael , 4/26/09 10:36 AM
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I do not think, I am positive about it. Their recent match on clay just showed it. Have you watched MC final? On the fast surfaces even the birds on the trees know that Djoker is better than Rafa. Actually on fast surfaces Rafa is fourth in the world (behind Djoker, Rog, and Murr).

Congrats to Rafa on his 4 title! Good for him. Although that doesn't prove his dominance on clay, regarding who did he faced on his way to the title. Ferrer.
Wait...Rome, Madrid, FO will speak it up.

is this Rafa's personal blog or what? Except noleistehbest and myself everyone else are too anxious to let any comment crossing over Rafa's game?!

Slow down guys,or....ok, se what you look like:

"Rafa is the king. The best of all times. The GOAT. Anybody who dares to doubt this are the ass_h...s, bandits, poor mind, prostitute, and Jesus's murderers! Let's ignore/shoot them all, boys!"

This is not you. This is you in the mirror, Rafa's fans on this site.
cheers!

Universon

No Universon 4 years consecutively winning the french open, 5 years consecutively winning the Barcelona open and Monte Carlo Rolex Masters and other countless clay court titles proves Nadals dominance on clay.

ok universon we shall wait nd see..........u consider novak a better player on hardcourts????loads of hard court tournaments left.......well see who wins more............nd yeah,do u only have hard court success to prove that nole is the better overall player or u have something else for us rafa fans to think abt....rafa has more hardcourt titles than novak!!!!!!......nd he will keep getting them......nd the birds u talk about will tell u ny day that rafa is a much better all court player than novak anyday......nd for that im extremely positive abt

"Congrats to Rafa on his 4 title! Good for him. Although that doesn't prove his dominance on clay, regarding who did he faced on his way to the title. Ferrer.
Wait...Rome, Madrid, FO will speak it up. "

lolzzzzzzzzzzzzz................universon ferrer has beaten novak already on clay this year......he is a competeant clay courter.....nd yeah i did watch mc final.......but did u see the davis cup tie up????lolzzzzzzzz

Run Universon run like a hapless Hyena. Rafa is on his way roaring, you better find a safe higher ground or dig yourself deeper in a foxhole. Control your breathing and be cautious with your movements while licking all your body bruises and wounds to not to create audible sound that may trigger as to where you are hiding.

Rome, Madrid and RG here we come !!!

TopDog
, 4/27/09 4:54 AM ...you have no idea what I was talking about.

lolzzzzzzzzzzzzz................universon ferrer has beaten novak already on clay this year
vrael , 4/27/09 6:29 AM
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you count DC as a proof of something? You're out of the time. Nobody cares for that cup that makes no sense anyway!! The schedule and seriousness of that competition sucks! Murray never plays for it. Neither Federer this year...A lot of players don't care. Rafa didn't care for the last year final either!

Run Universon run like a hapless Hyena. you better find a safe higher ground or dig yourself deeper in a foxhole. Raindrops
, 4/27/09 7:19 AM
------------------------------------------------------

yeah, I might go to a foxhole just find your mummy there waiting. She does it very good, yeah. She is a not big mouth as you are. And I like that. :-) Just fits me well.

a sensible big mouth maybe but not rotten like yourself.

hey Raindrops, did you hear that Murray is gonna knock Rafa out of Rome in s/f?? You know how stubborn Murray can be? Murr is not Ferrer, you know.

You can't even be sure he will reach the Semi. So stop writing such a "psyche" kind of thing ahead of time. You are just making yourself a trash believing gossips.

frankly, I am with your Mummy at the momnet. She told me that i am better than any of your other friends. :-) She does it for free. So, definitelly I'm not in the prostitution. However, she might charge your friends though. Cuz, they're not as good as i am.

So, if you worrying about prostitution talk to her, bud. :-)


Universon
.....................................


are u sure u were wit her?realli she has nothing to do wit mentally challenge guys like u.i supposed at ur age u should be doing something better than tryng to boast aba someone's mama,sometimes i find it hard to know u are of that age,realli u are a bad example to the society.

universon-"you count DC as a proof of something? You're out of the time. Nobody cares for that cup that makes no sense anyway!! The schedule and seriousness of that competition sucks! Murray never plays for it. Neither Federer this year...A lot of players don't care. Rafa didn't care for the last year final either!"

wat r u trying to infer here??? u say top professional players dont give their best for their country??? i thought u liked novak,but u r just disrespecting him by saying that he wasnt committed enuf at that match....lol.....atleast talk sense....rafa has always given his best at every davis cup tie he played for his country....nd so did novak and ferrer.......it was just that FERRER PLAYED BETTER THAN NOLE AT THAT GAME!!!!!!!!! u seem deluded here.......u should ask novak wether he gave his best or not at the dc.....maybe go on his website and ask(if u can)......if u have the guts to say that players are unprofessional at dc.......then u might as well have the balls to ask ur idol.....im sure he will tell u why he lost.......novak is surely not deluded,he always talks sense u kno

agree wid raindrops...........it wud not be easy for andy to reach semi's here....nd his chances of beating rafa on terra battue do not appear promising to me at all..........sure possible but unlikely