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#Post#: 14702--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: Clay Death Date: May 14, 2014, 4:14 pm
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rafa takes 3 hours and 18 minutes to get rid of simon the pest.
I see the same patterns:
1. not returning well enough
2. not fully trusting of his backhand
3. giving them too much court/real estate to work with
shaky at the net: he offers very little threat at the net. this
is just another reason why he has to work so hard to win his
matches.
he has to do it all from the backcourt which is a bit difficult
if you don't fully trust your backahand. nadal's backahand is
one of the best in the world.
he just cant seem to get himself to let it get in the groove.
simon moves well but basically he knew exactly where nadal was
going majority of the time.
#Post#: 14772--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: Clay Death Date: May 15, 2014, 4:37 pm
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rafa needs to let his backhand get into the groove.
even the writers mention it here in this article. his backhand
is plenty good. he just has to trust it and not run around it
all the time.
I believe it is one of the best backhands in the world. he just
has to give it a chance again. in the old days he basically
never missed off his backhand wing because he trusted it and was
not afraid to hit it.
HTML http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/05/nadal-through-three-sets-again-time-over-youzhny/51458/#.U3Uw0WdOV9A
#Post#: 14777--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: thetruth Date: May 16, 2014, 2:54 am
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[quote author=Clay Death link=topic=737.msg14772#msg14772
date=1400189864]
rafa needs to let his backhand get into the groove.
even the writers mention it here in this article. his backhand
is plenty good. he just has to trust it and not run around it
all the time.
I believe it is one of the best backhands in the world. he just
has to give it a chance again. in the old days he basically
never missed off his backhand wing because he trusted it and was
not afraid to hit it.
HTML http://www.tennis.com/pro-game/2014/05/nadal-through-three-sets-again-time-over-youzhny/51458/#.U3Uw0WdOV9A
[/quote]
That's very true. He also needs to work on closing out sets and
that dreadful break point conversion. Ugh!
He acts like he doesn't want to play until his back is against
the wall. A strange strategy coming from him.
#Post#: 14825--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: Clay Death Date: May 17, 2014, 8:22 pm
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I just came across this article at the bleacher report site:
HTML http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2067265-struggling-rafael-nadal-cruises-into-final-at-rome-masters
#Post#: 14833--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: thetruth Date: May 18, 2014, 9:22 am
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[quote author=Clay Death link=topic=737.msg14825#msg14825
date=1400376135]
I just came across this article at the bleacher report site:
HTML http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2067265-struggling-rafael-nadal-cruises-into-final-at-rome-masters
[/quote]
Funny article. I agree with the author, losing a set is nothing,
it's how you come back. That's like saying Serena struggled in
her match with Ivanovic. I don't think so.
Was she at her best throughout? No. but she re-settled back
down, it was lights out tennis.
#Post#: 14836--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: Clay Death Date: May 18, 2014, 1:19 pm
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I did not see the match and I will make sure I don't watch it.
I don't want to see him like this.
we all know he knowingly and intentionally neglected clay which
is what has led to him losing his edge on clay.
but he should have been able to close the sale today. he had the
first set in the bag.
I am not buying the confidence crisis crap.
he has owned these players on clay for a decade.
it is recklessness and greed that has cost him on clay this
year.
he was reckless with respect to proper and careful preparation
on clay.
he has been chasing all these extracurricular activities because
of all the money that is involved.
bottom line: insufficient attention to his game and his fitness
is what is causing him to lose on clay this year.
#Post#: 14837--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: masterclass Date: May 18, 2014, 1:57 pm
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Rafa:
“My legs didn’t answer after a tough week, not [good enough] to
arrive and to produce the power and to hit the ball longer so I
let him play in positive positions,” Nadal said. His opening
three wins were three of the four longest matches in Rome this
week, with his first match against Gilles Simon lasting 3 hours
and 19 minutes. It was the longest three-set match of the
season. ” A lot of times when he had the first ball good, for me
it was very difficult to arrive to the ball and to change the
dynamic of the point. In general I can do a little bit better.
But in general I am very proud about this week.”
Fitness, or lack thereof, plus his propensity to make things
harder on himself with his court positioning that made matches
longer than they should have been against those opponents, did
him in, and Novak Djokovic is a good enough player to take
advantage.
General, you know it, Rafa knows it, and so do his opponents.
There is no place to hide on the tennis court. It's not like
team sports where you can slowly play yourself into shape
without affecting the outcome greatly. You have to be prepared.
It's a cruel sport and vultures are everywhere just waiting for
signs of weakness.
The good news for Rafa is that he has a week and a few more
matches to be ready for another RG final, if he can survive the
first week.
Respectfully,
masterclass
#Post#: 14845--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: thetruth Date: May 18, 2014, 4:35 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=masterclass link=topic=737.msg14837#msg14837
date=1400439433]
Rafa:
“My legs didn’t answer after a tough week, not [good enough] to
arrive and to produce the power and to hit the ball longer so I
let him play in positive positions,” Nadal said. His opening
three wins were three of the four longest matches in Rome this
week, with his first match against Gilles Simon lasting 3 hours
and 19 minutes. It was the longest three-set match of the
season. ” A lot of times when he had the first ball good, for me
it was very difficult to arrive to the ball and to change the
dynamic of the point. In general I can do a little bit better.
But in general I am very proud about this week.”
Fitness, or lack thereof, plus his propensity to make things
harder on himself with his court positioning that made matches
longer than they should have been against those opponents, did
him in, and Novak Djokovic is a good enough player to take
advantage.
General, you know it, Rafa knows it, and so do his opponents.
There is no place to hide on the tennis court. It's not like
team sports where you can slowly play yourself into shape
without affecting the outcome greatly. You have to be prepared.
It's a cruel sport and vultures are everywhere just waiting for
signs of weakness.
The good news for Rafa is that he has a week and a few more
matches to be ready for another RG final, if he can survive the
first week.
Respectfully,
masterclass
[/quote]
I thought the long week without rest would be a factor. I didn't
see how he would recover. You have to take into account the
entire week. Getting Simon, back at his best, for a first round
was difficult. Simon is going to feed and run you all day. I
think that took a toll on him with Youzny. Then he had to face
Murray in a long anticipated match, oh brother, and if that
wasn't enough he had to subdue a young gun. So...it makes sense
to me. A person can only handle so much. In these BO3's there's
not enough time to recover.
However, it still comes down to his lack of fitness and
preparation. He wasn't physically or emotionally prepared for
the battle. He had to be expending a lot of emotional energy,
because coming into Rome he hadn't been playing well at all. I
don't think you can turn it on and off that quickly.
So for me, it's all good. Plus, Rafa needed this loss. I'm sure
next week he will be ready, if he makes the necessary
adjustments and gets the much needed rest that he needs.
#Post#: 14859--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: Clay Death Date: May 18, 2014, 6:19 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
princess TT and general masterclass have been right all along
and I am in that camp also:
it is not really a confidence crisis. rafa likes to say that
these days and he means well. in a way he is even right.
how can you be confident when you are not winning and you are
not as supremely fit as in the past.
in the past even a bad rafa was still plenty good for his
opponents on the red clay because of his physicality and because
of his fitness and speed.
lady TT has said this best: this is not rocket science. we have
seen this coming for 2 years now. sure he put together a few
good weeks last year at the north American hard court circuit
but he has--on the average---become far more vulnerable in the
best of 3 sets formats.
but I can assure you that a very big reason for his success on
the hard courts last year at the north American circuit was
because he was able to dominate clay.
he lost the monte carlo final to nole last year but he went one
to win Barcelona, Madrid, rome and RG. and that is what gave him
the confidence to do so well on the north amrican hard court
circuit.
at any rate I do not see this as a confidence issue. he has
dominated these players for a decade on the red clay. he is not
hurting for belief.
what is costing him is that he does not work as hard as he used
to. both on his ground game and his fitness.
he even boasts about the fact that he does not train more than 2
hours. sometimes just 90 minutes. well that is not going to cut
it and it is not cutting it.
players 5 years older than him are working twice as hard as he
is. he needs to find his motivation.
he stands alone to be able to challenge history and yet cant
seem to find the proper motivation.
I did not see the match today and I have zero intentions of
watching it. I know his game too well and I know exactly what
happened. I don't want to see nadal this way.
nadal lost today for only 2 reasons:
1. he has not been working hard enough on his ground game on the
red clay like he needs to
2. he has let some of his fitness go. he said he was tired
today. that is not acceptable at his level. he is a world #1 and
in a unique position to challenge history. and still only 27.
why the hell was he tired? nole played 2 back to back matches
that were 3 hours long each just before the final. well almost 3
hours long each. the match against milos was slightly over 3
hours and the one against ferru was 2 hours and 38 minutes.
you don't even need legs to take your fitness to some amazing
level if you want to and if you want it bad enough. why has
nadal chosen to drop his fitness at a time when he can least
afford to. and at a time when it is so damn clear that players
like nole, ferru, and so many others are working so much harder
on their fitness.
he just beat nole in montreal and at flushing meadows on nole's
best surface a few months back. so nole is not that much better
than nadal. nole is certainly not better than nadal on the red
clay.
nadal can beat them all when he is properly motivated and
properly focused on his practice and his fitness.
so that is what nadal has to do: he has to hit a million balls
on the practice courts and he has to improve his fitness.
he has only 1 card left to play now: he has to get into the RG
final and take down who ever he faces. he just needs 1 good
match in the final as far as I am concerned.
for next year he has to try to come back a lot fitter and a lot
healthier and then take it from there.
rafa is not winning montreal and cincy this year. I just don't
see it happening at the current rate.
#Post#: 14868--------------------------------------------------
Re: What Really Ails Rafa
By: thetruth Date: May 18, 2014, 6:49 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
[quote author=Clay Death link=topic=737.msg14859#msg14859
date=1400455168]
princess TT and general masterclass have been right all along
and I am in that camp also:
it is not really a confidence crisis. rafa likes to say that
these days and he means well. in a way he is even right.
how can you be confident when you are not winning and you are
not as supremely fit as in the past.
in the past even a bad rafa was still plenty good for his
opponents on the red clay because of his physicality and because
of his fitness and speed.
lady TT has said this best: this is not rocket science. we have
seen this coming for 2 years now. sure he put together a few
good weeks last year at the north American hard court circuit
but he has--on the average---become far more vulnerable in the
best of 3 sets formats.
but I can assure you that a very big reason for his success on
the hard courts last year at the north American circuit was
because he was able to dominate clay.
he lost the monte carlo final to nole last year but he went one
to win Barcelona, Madrid, rome and RG. and that is what gave him
the confidence to do so well on the north amrican hard court
circuit.
at any rate I do not see this as a confidence issue. he has
dominated these players for a decade on the red clay. he is not
hurting for belief.
what is costing him is that he does not work as hard as he used
to. both on his ground game and his fitness.
he even boasts about the fact that he does not train more than 2
hours. sometimes just 90 minutes. well that is not going to cut
it and it is not cutting it.
players 5 years older than him are working twice as hard as he
is. he needs to find his motivation.
he stands alone to be able to challenge history and yet cant
seem to find the proper motivation.
I did not see the match today and I have zero intentions of
watching it. I know his game too well and I know exactly what
happened. I don't want to see nadal this way.
nadal lost today for only 2 reasons:
1. he has not been working hard enough on his ground game on the
red clay like he needs to
2. he has let some of his fitness go. he said he was tired
today. that is not acceptable at his level. he is a world #1 and
in a unique position to challenge history. and still only 27.
why the hell was he tired? nole played 2 back to back matches
that were 3 hours long each just before the final. well almost 3
hours long each. the match against milos was slightly over 3
hours and the one against ferru was 2 hours and 38 minutes.
you don't even need legs to take your fitness to some amazing
level if you want to and if you want it bad enough. why has
nadal chosen to drop his fitness at a time when he can least
afford to. and at a time when it is so damn clear that players
like nole, ferru, and so many others are working so much harder
on their fitness.
he just beat nole in montreal and at flushing meadows on nole's
best surface a few months back. so nole is not that much better
than nadal. nole is certainly not better than nadal on the red
clay.
nadal can beat them all when he is properly motivated and
properly focused on his practice and his fitness.
so that is what nadal has to do: he has to hit a million balls
on the practice courts and he has to improve his fitness.
he has only 1 card left to play now: he has to get into the RG
final and take down who ever he faces. he just needs 1 good
match in the final as far as I am concerned.
for next year he has to try to come back a lot fitter and a lot
healthier and then take it from there.
rafa is not winning montreal and cincy this year. I just don't
see it happening at the current rate.
[/quote]
This has been a rough year for Rafa. The freak injury at
Montreal? That had to be deflating. Here he was on the precipice
of #14 and in the first set at least, he tweaks his back. That
was devastating. So, I don't think it was a confidence issue, as
much as it was an emotional letdown. Had he won that match, with
the French coming, he would have felt very good about his
chances going forward.
But a loss like that takes months to get over, just like it did
with Novak when he lost those RG's in back to back years. He
took a while to get back on track. But people tend to forget
that, because they only focus on Federer and Nadal, no doubt due
to their dominance for so long.
I think the slump wasn't due to confidence, but the energy
zapping let down, which led to his poor play over the last few
months. But. slowly but surely, he is getting it back
considering last week and more specifically this week. So when
you consider that Nadal played all the way through and hasn't
taken off, I don't think, that's a lot of tennis in those legs,
no matter how fit you are. So, for him to get to the final and
challenge Nole, (who I never believed had a wrist injury) I
think he was making an excuse for losing to Federer (don't write
me) went off and rested for two weeks. For Nadal to take it to
three sets was good. Because I find it hard to believe that Nole
was playing at the level that Murray was, and it still went to
thee sets.
I think Nadal got a lot out of this week.
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