first? but not staying,off to dodo!
g'night all

Its going to be very tough for Nadal to ever beat Djokovic again ! Why ? Because Djokovic was far from his best in this tournament .. and he still won !

Terrific line of analysis, Pete. The game, the matchups, are primary in all this, and from THAT flows the psychological frailties, NOT the other way around.

Hi Jai..commies from my side. I thought at the end of the 4th that this was it - Rafa's going to pull it off...

If some fiction writer had come up with this story - of Nole doing to Rafa what Rafa did to Roger, he'd be laughed out of print...

All in all, one of the best AOs (or even Slams) in living memory...the two Women's SFs were wonderful, the #1 ranking on the line, Vika coming through...

The two men's SFs were also very good (it'd have been even better if Rafa's lob had landed out and we went into a fifth), and of course, the final.

The women's final was the only aberration in an otherwise stunning final quarter.

I haven't been one of those saying Nole is in Rafa's head. Most of the time I expect Rafa to win whatever match he plays. In 2010 Rafa lost early in pre- clay season tournies and after his knee transfusions dominated some of the weakest clay, grass, and hardcourt draws to win 3 Masters and 3 Majors. He played the best of his career and won weak fielded Tokyo, made the Final in London, and returned to #1. In 2011 Rafa played at a higher, better level; made many finals against higher ranked, better playing opponents. Still Nole was better in every area between the two. Yesterday a well-rested and uninjured Rafa with an easier draw, playing the best of his career lost a 6 hour slugfest to a very tired, sluggish Nole, who faced a tougher draw and greater pressure to prove 2011 was not a fluke. Rafa may someday defeat Nole again, but if Nole is rested and healthy, it may never happen again.

Agree Matt Z...

And the punishment will continue on to the rest of the slams. Since Djokovic has clearly stated that he wants to focus more on slams this season, it begs the question as to what will all this mean when applying his efforts during the 1000 series events?

Will he skip a few more non required tourneys, will he "retire" out of others? Will he hold back during Indian Wells and Miami, will he keep his extra gears under wraps during the clay court tourneys in the run up to RG?

2011 was an historic season for the Serb Superb, perhaps its the elusive Grand Slam that Mr. Djokvic is coveting most this year?

Jai and Roddick fan - never say never - go through the 36 matches that Lendl - Mac played against each other - both similar ages...Mac got off the blocks first, won their early exchanges,racked up the Slam Wins - Lendl came back strong - winning at one point 7 or 8 in a row, but Mac did beat him afterwards. Lendl of course finished much stronger, so yes - I think Nole will have the upper hand always, but Rafa could take a few...

Great writing Peter! But points 3 and 5 are inanely related to 4 (RoS) won't you say?

That's another thing that Rafa can/should learn pretty fast (and it's easier to learn a static shot such as flat return of serve as opposed to a stronger BH, or flater FH all the time; not to mention a better serve).

I'm just not sure if Rafa's legs will hold much longer, although he is (slowly) catching up to Nole, in terms of attacking tennis.

Let's go Rafa, let's go!

I don't see how you can make an argument that Sampras was in Agassi's head. He was the more talented of the two, and his serve was off the charts. Plus, last time I checked, 14>8, along with a s%!t-ton more weeks at number 1 for Pistol Pete.

Nadal was in Federer's head? No. Nadal *is* in Federer's head.

Djokovic isn't. He just is doing everything a little better than Nadal, and Nadal is losing because of that, not because he has a mental block.

Djokovic serves better, returns better, retrieves as well, but uses a better tactic of staying close to the baseline, has a better backhand, and moves fast enough to not let Nadal have that advantage.

If Nadal improves his serve to where it was at the USO in 2010, he'll start winning again. Nadal was serving at 130 mph pretty routinely then, and these days he is consistently 7-10 mph slower, and that is the difference.

Djokovic has now defeated Nadal 7 times and it's pretty clear that he has a better game than Nadal on any surface. Although there were a lot of positives for Nadal after this match but I just wonder were they spoken just to deflate the fact that he was defeated 7 times in a row.

Federer always ends up taking a lead over Nadal in his matches but still ends up losing it. Wasn't this the case with Nadal too in the finals? He had a lead and squandered it off even when Djokovic was out of fuel! Djokovic didn't win in the 4th set tiebreak because of couple of forehand errors at 5-3. Nadal was in a defensive position, Djokovic just could'nt end the points like Nadal at 4-2 30-15 in 5th set!

Although Nadal said that mentally he is feeling good..but the fact is inspite of the lead, he lost the match- something we have seen in Federer against Nadal. Just like Federer doesn't believe he can win against Nadal at crucial moments, So does Nadal and it was evident in this match-seven times in a row!

http://healthnsports4u.blogspot.com/

Uncle Toni will be immediately sending the Bull to therapy sessions.

Let's all cut the crap here, Nole Shmole and Rafa Shmafa, it will be Mardy Fish doling out the pimp slaps this year.

All hail the Mardy! Oom luk luk oooooom.

Interesting take, perceptions etc. Alot of folks seem to think this was good for Rafa, that's he's getting closer. I don't think he's ever been further away from an answer than he is now. He got him to a 5th, had him
on the ropes, Nole dead tired, no punch, couldn't move and still he couldn't put him away. Granted, Nole got a second wind somehow (conditioning) but it wasn't as though that second wind deposited him at his top level. He was totally vulnerable and yet....same old same old.

Nole is now beating him in every way on every surface except for centre
court at Roland Garros and if it wasn't for you-know-who you have to
think he would've bagged him there too.

So that's the big bad news for Rafa. The good news? Nole's beatable. Slight chinks are showing up. He's not at the level he was in April/early May of last year. He was unplayable then. At RG his level dipped and Mr Creamy found a way to play through him. What will the coming months bring? You'll have to ask Fernando.

Jai 01/30/2012 at 10:58 PM
Its going to be very tough for Nadal to ever beat Djokovic again ! Why ? Because Djokovic was far from his best in this tournament .. and he still won !
------------

very true!

Question, is Verdasco still playing tennis these days? Hard to tell.

Chopchop

I think Nole will try for a Golden Slam 1st. He may take it easier in the Masters as long as Rafa is not across the net from him. Then it's win and keep the streak going. If Coach Lendl can keep Murray motivated and Andy is on Rafa's side, maybe by Wimbledon or the Olympics Murray can rise to #2. It would be nice if Andy could step up this year and Rafa-Nole were semis, giving Roger-Andy semis then meeting Nole in the finals.

freddy at 11.04 pm: Just to clarify that the "Jai" you addressed is not me (the poster with whom you've discussed school-exam sandbagging in the past!).

Would this post have come out if Nadal had made that backhand pass and gone on to win the match?

I would agree that Nole is currently a better player. But if after a 5 hr game, you are up 4-2 and at 30-15, you loose a backhand that even I could make, sorry but the problem is mental.

Roddick fan from Virginia

Agreed, Nole will be eying the big prizes this year, onward old chap.

Is Nole in Rafa's Game?
Heh...Nole is flying much higher and faster

Just please look at the Novak's side of the draw on this AO. Look how strategically are positioned all ---physical boys---- in his side of the draw. In Rafa's and Federer's side are boys I call 'chess players'

Novak, Nadal, Federer
--------------------------

-Chess Players
Berdich
DelPo
Dolgopolov
Wawrinka
John Isner
Ivan Ljubicic
Nikolay Davydenko

-Physical Players(I called them machines)
Murray
Tsonga
Monfils
Ferrer
Roddick

It is obvious from the start why suddenly after 15-1 history of Novak and Fed on same side of the draw now we have Nadal-Federer on the same side:):):)

It is just an illusion that draw is random or fer. Suddenly All the physical players --The Machines-- are in the side of Novak draw

Look how strategically after Hewitt(machine no1) going Ferrer(machine no2), after Murray(machine no3)and at last in FINAL "the ultimate Machine" Nadal.

It is obvious from the very start that intention of "this draw" is to simply wear down Djokovic physically and help Nadal in Final(yes you read right....HELP NADAL) or to AT THE BEST have Murray and Nadal in final.
-So if Murray pass it is GREAT and its unimportant is he meet Nadal or Fed(but Nadal preferably)
-If Novak somehow pass he should be completely worn of and RIPE for Nadal(or Fed-Nadal preferably)

Given draw and heat in Australia, organizers went for that solution
That is why old boy Laver was so much STUNNED at the end

It is so transparent that it looks like joke
:)

It's a bit pointless, when you're only a semi-regular poster, to complain about someone else using the same moniker...but again, the Jai at 10.58 pm is not me.

If Djokovic wasn't at his best in this tournament, I think something similar could be said about Rafa too. Which is not to say Rafa will ever really be able to work Novak out - the match-up is what it is, plus Djokovic playing at this level is a more efficient all-round player. Many of us, including Rafa fans, could see that even in early 2008.

Freddy

I said Rafa could beat Nole and probably will someday, somewhere. Nole could also stay heathy and never lose to him again.

So Tsonga and Roddick are "physical" players who specialise in wearing opponents down? Good joke. Even when these guys play 5-setters that end 16-14 in the fifth, the match time barely touches 4 hours.

@Nettler - Isner is a smart player using what he's got, but I would in no way buy that he, Berdych and Delpo are 'chess players'.

All in all, one of the best AOs (or even Slams) in living memory...the two Women's SFs were wonderful, the #1 ranking on the line, Vika coming through...
The two men's SFs were also very good (it'd have been even better if Rafa's lob had landed out and we went into a fifth), and of course, the final.
The women's final was the only aberration in an otherwise stunning final quarter.

+1000

The reality is, aside from a sloppy first set from both guys, Djokovic was the superior player the entire latter 4 sets. When Rafa eeked out the 4th set, it wasn't because he became more aggressive or turned the tables. He faced all the BPs in that set and Djokovic made 3 consecutive errors in the tiebreak. The match stats show Djokovic winning 20 more points, having 3 times as many BPs, winning the battle of 2nd serve points, having more winners, fewer errors, and having a massive advantage in time spent inside the baseline, as well as returning far better.

In short, it would have been a complete steal if Rafa had managed to come away with the win.

Great! A phoney poster and a conspiracy theorist.
This thread's off to a flying start! I'll go back to
watching Top Gear, the new season. I want that new
McLaren. That car is so sexy it should come equipped
with condoms. It's like Maria with wheels. Hubba!

Banana Peel,..or Northernboy I really do not care how you call that
The Draw says by itself and doesn't lie

PS
oh,..almost forgot
Fish is also one of the "chess players"

As you see...all the "Chess Players" are on the one side of the Draw..and The Machine Players on the other side

I'm glad somebody still considers Andy a physical player. I would love to see more boom and bang in his serve and forehand.

Good night all. Need to catch up on lost AO sleep. 5 hours until must head to work and can't afford Novak-like sluggishness. They won't pay me 2 million if I wobble out after 6 hours.

With those 5 match-up issues, and going 0-7 in finals, I think it's weighing on his mind. (-:

If Novak had honestly few "Chess Players" and haven't been so worn off in Final he would mop that Plexicushion floor in 3 sets with that very Nadal.

That HOW is Novak in Rafa's game!!

Bodo, your theorem would be correct IF tehre was not more to the match but technical abilities of the winner. And you know that not always (technically) better player wins, don't you??

But when ALWAYS one player wins then there's gotta be something more to the victory.

In your analisys you missed two key factors:

1. Psychological portion of any Final match.
2. Djokovic beats Nadal in SEVEn CONSECUTIVE FINALS

Note underline words:

- SEVEN
- CONSECUTIVE
- FINALS

Look, Nadal is not just top 100 player, is he? Someone commented above and said that Djokovic didn't play his best game in the Sunday's final. Nadal eventually played his best. (This is positive). So, Djokovic at 80% should equall Nadal at 100%. I am sure you'd agree on this one. So, they were equall on Sunday, yet Nole won. Again! For the last 7th times!!

Simple proof is that Djoker is in Rafa's head...deeply burried.

After collapsing down in the 5th set at 4:4 Djokovic must've said to himself:

I know you expect of me to beat you. And I am going to do it. Now! Djoker won 3 of next 4 games.
Nadal on his knees.
Djoker triumphed.
Case closed!

Interesting new perspective to look at some surprising H2H match-ups. I agree that the concept of being in the other players head is given too much weight by many fans that don;t want to believe their favorite player is not the best, however I wouldn;t go as far as Pete did in his article dismissing the idea of "in his head" altogether. I do think lack of belief is huge in tennis, and once a player gets an advantage over another, for whatever reason (lucky wins, fate, hard-earned wins, physical match-up advantages) the doubt the losser has causes major problems in execution of their game.

I do believe the "in his head" phenomonenon is a factor in the Nadal-Federer match up and the Nadal-Djokovic match-up. While physical factors of each players game may maintain the H2H, the mental aspect becomes a huge hurdle to overcome, even if the player makes changes to their game to neutralise some of the advantages the more successsful opponent has. when things get tight, the doubts cause nervousness and uncertainty that are anthema to winning points. The two (mental and physical) advantages or disadvatnages go hand in hand, in my opinion.

And please would you check some history and see when No1 in the World and SEED1 has had ONE DAY OF REST,..and second seed TWO days
:):):)

It's hilarious:):)

Djokovic is gunning for the Golden Slam this year, no doubt about it. He is not so open in his statements, but of course more open than the perennially-dissembling Rafa.

For him it will be a question of balancing confidence and match fitness stemming from winning a lot and beating Nadal, Federer, and Murray vs. getting worn out mentally or physically or even getting injured. Dropping the Serbia Open and Dubai (and anything between RG and Wimbledon) would be an easy way to cut on the amount of playing. Furthermore, he cannot get *too* emotionally invested in winning the FO or Olympics or what have you because that can lead to nerves.

Do I think he has a chance: absolutely. It's not just the strokes, it's the mind and the will. And he's shown a mind and will stronger than even Nadal's and Federer's.

Posted by nettler 01/30/2012 at 11:34 PM

It is obvious from the start why suddenly after 15-1 history of Novak and Fed on same side of the draw now we have Nadal-Federer on the same side:):):)

It is just an illusion that draw is random or fer. Suddenly All the physical players --The Machines-- are in the side of Novak draw

Look how strategically after Hewitt(machine no1) going Ferrer(machine no2), after Murray(machine no3)and at last in FINAL "the ultimate Machine" Nadal.

It is obvious from the very start that intention of "this draw" is to simply wear down Djokovic physically and help Nadal in Final(yes you read right....HELP NADAL) or to AT THE BEST have Murray and Nadal in final.
-So if Murray pass it is GREAT and its unimportant is he meet Nadal or Fed(but Nadal preferably)
-If Novak somehow pass he should be completely worn of and RIPE for Nadal(or Fed-Nadal preferably)

Given draw and heat in Australia, organizers went for that solution
That is why old boy Laver was so much STUNNED at the end

It is so transparent that it looks like joke
:)
---------------------

Hey, that's very interesting analisys!
I remember cold face of Laver while standing behind Djokovic at the trophy ceremony, without even having smile while Djokovic speaks glorifying great Laver?!

It was strange to me then, ...but now it makes sense.

Now, it also makes snse when some tennis analysts mark Nadal the same as Djokovic (A+) for the AO 2012 performance!! Loser and Winner got the same mark???????????? Ohhh, heavenly father?? There's only one thing to explain thi$$$.

Thank you, buddy, you opened my eyes. Now I feel better.

I thinh, we are watching the GOAT player...Djokovic!

Putting aside the 'head games' business for a second
here's another way of looking at this:

SEX and VIOLENCE

Federer's a lover, he's not a fighter
Nadal's a fighter, not a lover
Djokovic I fear is both
Murray? He's the kid hanging around the punchbowl at the dance

In case of, say, Willander it seem that anti-Novak mood is Nike-Adidas “inspired”. It was mysterious why Bodo did same for 3 years. This tone is now looser, so some tennis enters picture.
I made analysis of Trivalry 4 years ago and it is simple. If players are in open, wild, one with strongest weapon wins. That was Federer. Better serving, faster forehand, status of Superstar. But as things got closer, as in every war, weapons become similar, defense adjusted to them, so opposite prevails - the one with greatest weakness goes down. In Fedal one hand backhand cannot take repetitively huge spin – case over. Once Rafa got used to high stage, improved other things that was it. Eventually even on grass because it is now pure ray. Same with Novak. He was, almost immediately, best of them 3, except he was not. He had gluten allergy and fitness weakness. That would be particularly nasty as he was youngest, lowest start, needs to win against both, has unfair draw and schedule etc. Once he made fitness equal (not better and it is not possible) he immediately confirmed in reality what was already there in potentiality. Rafa backhand is not so good so 1. it is not so good and 2. he have to play asymmetric, opening for forehand. This opening means he have weakness in coverage on left side and he has to run more, so illusion that Novak is in better shape. He is not – Rafa must make more effort. Novak, also a great player but with no weakness, is better than players with this or that backhand weakness. Really, really simple. Only on 90% day, like FO 2011 SF or AO 2012 SF/F, he can lose to 100% opponent.
Murray is in similar position as Novak but there is biological catch. Trivalry players are having extra personal physical aspect. They have some dominance of fast over slow muscles and then add some extra aspect, as Roger explosive movement, Rafa endurance and spin or Novak stretch and speed. Andy is with normal, 50-50 muscle ratio so he cannot have such a forehand. Still time can work for him especially if demands eat Trivalry bodies.
So, in my take, Novak was never ever in Rafa head. That is similar nonsense as the one about Davis Cup victory as turning point etc. He have top fitness same as Roger or Rafa or Andy, not better. And “positives” of Andy and Rafa being “so close” are stupid. Novak had pollen fever potentially costing him SF and/or F, which was their big chance to beat him.

"Great! A phoney poster and a conspiracy theorist"

lol BP!!

Delpotrov the famous Russian Grand Master...made my day

luckyBastard,..well my friend, that is the same reason they push so much that 'breathing story' in the last week.
Buy their calculation Novak shouldn't stand strait after Ferrer-Murray 'maneuver' let alone oppose Nadal in 5

Yes I see you try to put some kind funny spin in front the argument
I am not sure but in social psychology its called 'Fall-back" if I'm not mistaken in this good old "colonial" language

-Chess Players(just not physical-didn't know any other more romantic nick:)) )
Berdich
DelPo
Dolgopolov
Fish
Wawrinka
John Isner
Ivan Ljubicic
Nikolay Davydenko

-The Machines(Physical Players)
Murray
Hewitt
Tsonga
Monfils
Ferrer
Roddick

and what...you wanna tell me that treat of those down (The Machines) are not Physical Play regarding those on top???

I don't agree about fitness. I think Rafa's fitness is peerless, and in the early meetings between the two, the primary reason for beating Novak. Now its basically even.

I would phrase it upside down. I'd say Nadal poses matchup problems for almost everyone on tour (b/c very few can execute their games against his topspin) and its precisely the fact that Novak (and Davydenko) aren't bothered by his spin, that we end up with good games.

Its a little bit like Santoro. He was able to make every player play poorly, so that it didn't matter that almost everyone he beat had more penetrating shots/talent

Any theories on why Wilander has a pathological animus against Djokovic?

Djokovic is the beats. No doubt. After netter explanation, all strange things I've seen furing fortnight in Melbourne now make sense. That was a setup for Djoker to lose.

But the Beast didn't even blink. After collapsing by dropping his racket and the body down...he forced himself up. grabbed the racket, and once again beat the crap out of Nadal. That was most amazing part of the entire match for me.

Yet no one of so-called tennis anaylist mentioned this part.?? Why? The answer might be the same as the way AO draw was done?

Djokovic is the *beats*
Djokovic is the *beast*

Wilander has no pathological animus against Novak, I think, only healthy one. Nike-Adidas money.

Posted by MP 01/31/2012 at 12:44 AM

Any theories on why Wilander has a pathological animus against Djokovic?
------------

Thou great tennis player,..he is just stupid like a post
Interesting that only smart people in whole story are "the betting bookies"
:)

they do not have agenda except one
They are not bias for the matter

Good morning,

BP,
You are on a roll here. :) Your summary of the match is excellent!

Who is a/the phoney?

Toni Nadal says that Nadal has come stronger from this final because he has faced an immaculate (sic) player with an incredible ROS. "The harder you serve, the faster he (Novak) returns the ball."

Posted by Helios 01/31/2012 at 12:51 AM

Wilander has no pathological animus against Novak, I think, only healthy one. Nike-Adidas money.
----------------------------

Thank You very much
:)

nettler 01/31/2012 at 12:28 AM
luckyBastard,..well my friend, that is the same reason they push so much that 'breathing story' in the last week.
------------

YUP!
That explains why TWO commentators all time of the match against Murray were rambling of

"Djokovic breathing heavily...only matter of time when he is goin to ask for coach...he might even quit soon..., bla, bla"

for 4 hours!!?? I couldn't believe that serious pro commentators could go that far and lost any sense of reality on ofccial TV??

And then when finally Djokovic approached too close to the victory, they pronounced something as: "Hey Djokovic is class. He is champion!!"
---

That explains why a loser (in AO final) is marked the same as the winner (A+) in some of these columns!! That explains why match in which djokovic lost was pronounced as the match of the year! That explains why Wimbledon final was not on the list of top TEN MATCHES OF THE YEAR!???

Thank you again. You opened my eyes.

And moreover: if i use the same formula, i can easily understand the future so-called analisys about Djokovic's game.

No1e is the Beast!

Apparently, in the latest edition of GSM Wilander explains that Djokovic is unbeatable by anyone other than himself, but also unprofessional.

Helios 01/31/2012 at 12:51 AM
Wilander has no pathological animus against Novak, I think, only healthy one. Nike-Adidas money.
-----------------------

:o)...:o)....:o)

Linespeople yesterday were also atrocious, with a 90% bias against Djokovic.

Very few people have commented on Djokovic's press conference when he stated that the main difference between him losing and him winning was BELIEF. How much mental strength does it take to come back from a crazy 5 setter in the semis, be down a break in the decider (after having all those chances in the 4th set), 2-4, 15-30, with a whole stadium of 15k against you?

How much mental strength does it take when your opponent is blatantly cheating (Toni mate, there's no on court coaching on the ATP, somebody translate that into spanish so he gets it into his thick head), lines people are calling your good shots out to favor the sponsors' poster boy (KIA! Major Sponsor! With Rafa!) and you've been playing for ten hours in a two day period combined? The answer is that it takes superhuman mental strength to do that--so superhuman that Nadal, for all of his theatrics and Vamoses! and extra time off, still came up short, holding a plate yet again while the other guy hoisted the trophy.

What Djokovic did was one of the most amazing feats I have ever seen in this sport, ever. You can say that it's about forehands and backhands and game matchups but it's really really not. Pete, big players win big points, which is why Federer could be leading two sets, 5-0 against Rafa and somehow manage to botch it up in that Swiss head of his. Djokovic was dead tired, running on serotonin and adrenaline and he made Nadal blink first, despite his depleted physical condition. At the end of the day, it really boils down to mental strength and Nadal was found wanting.

But of course, you tipped Nadal to win the whole shebang so it's not as if you'd give due credit to the other guy at being proven wrong..

For Rafa fans, courtesy of TennisDeb in the previous post, a nice article on Grantland.com:

http://tinyurl.com/7v6dj7p

"Sherlock (if you are here): I need your advise cause Tim's posts (at 04:03 PM) starting to ...make sense again to me?!!!!!"

Lol, Game lover. Ok, first question, have you been drinking? :)

In all seriousness, once in a while Tim makes sense to me too. It makes me think I'm getting old and confused. :)

Well you remember at the last Olympic when Serbian swimmer Cavic won in front Michael Phelps and Omega who is Phelps sponsor said the Gold is for Phelps even thou fish perspective camera shoved differently(there is still YouTube video about it)
That should be 8-th Gold for Phelps and he gets it

They said Cavic should PUSH STRONGER pod for time measurement, thou is called TOUCH PADS not PUSH PADS:):):)

Still,... when bitten by snake after is afraid of lizard

hey zengggggg

Good morning huh? It's good evening for me. Off to bed. Alone.
It's a party of one. I'll be dreaming of McLarens.

If I were you I'd run. The extremely sore winners are running amuck.

AVOID!

xoxoxoxoxox

only reason that Fed won over Joker at RG last year was night falling down.
Joker has contact lenses and some eye issues..
he never complained after the match but IMO he would take him to fifth and cruise in the final if not for the night....

Hi Sherlock,
thanks, very nice article!
About Tim: I've been annoyed by his one-dimensional moonball comments on TW for years, but at least he usually has the grace not to post insulting/gloating comments immediately after Rafa lost a tough match (or Roger won an important match). On the other hand, if you see some of the discourse on this thread so far, we are witnessing expansions of the term "sore winner".

RAFA can you please you the EGG too! it's a magical egg!

I think the two points that are relevant are Nadal's slice backhand and his second serve. As far as fitness, Nole comes out in front by a whisker. I'm referring to the Nole sans allergies. One thing to keep in mind - Nobody plays possum better than Novak. There used to be a time when he would regularly take injury timeouts when his opponents were ahead in the match. These days, he has cut this out but starts limping, clutching his knees, thighs etc, falling on his back and to his knees whenever he loses a couple of consecutive points particularly towards the business end of matches and sets.
Bottom line, Nadal has it in him to make improvements in these areas and get the better of Mr Djokovic.

Dear Rafa, can u pls USED the EGG Mr Novak uses? it magically helped him alot. Remember, he used to quick on you before all this EGG thing happened. i want a FAIR GAME!

Hey BP. :)

Better alone than...
McLarens? Wow. I have an Audi quattro 3L, 6 cyl. Not good enough?

Lots of new posters. Welcome!

Hey Sherlock. You were already confused. And you feel old because you watched the whole 5:53 hour of the match. :)

Rafa has a hard but simple plan for this coming month. Read and learn:
First, to find the right partner. "I need a sparring who serves, who makes me return," he said. Second, follow the advice of Joan Forcades, his physical trainer. "I want to work on court, get tired, and then try to get to balls and return them with force," he explains. Third, start to understand how the new racquet can help his serve. "I hardly had time to train with it." And fourth, but more importantly, the decisive element: "The winning ball".

http://tinyurl.com/7wxq57v

"sore winner"??

My friend you have all presented FACTS,..why don't you pull out your head from that box and give us some presentable facts from your stand of point.
It is easiest way to answer in that low manner "sore winner'

If i said something like this what is obvious for me and not for you long ago than you would brand me "sore loser",...wouldn't you.

Anyhow, one can not win with you,..you simply ignorant and not ready to talk real talk and tennis or facts what is happening,..you just came here like in the front of some well to throw some wish-penny

well I think the effectiveness of Federer when he plays Nole shows how obvious it is he should be beating up on Nadal and he just fluffs up ... his game is more dangerous for Novak, because when Fed is ON, he can take time away and fluster Novak...Rafa can only hope to wear him down, and if he failed THIS time, that strategy is caput...

Agree about all the "in the head" business being nonsense. Nole beats Nadal because of his great service returns and better backhand. Precisely the areas Federer lacks.
As I said in a post on another thread:
Both these Players should come to the net a lot more . They hit their ground strokes really deep and they should move in. That can stop the 6hr matches which are killing for them and fans.Total pts won Nole:193 pts ,Nadal:176 pts ,number of times they came to the net was Nole: 31 times & Rafa 19 times 16 and 10% approx. Do it a lot more guys and the matches will be shorter

Jimmy has truly got to be the King of the excuses, contacts in the dark? what next, lol! when you walk on court, you win or lose, and its done, no such thing as an excuse unless youre just a whiny loser, no real sportsman makes excuses for losing once they step on the court ...

the only time ive ever seen Novak fuss with contacts was when he lost to Nadal, when he LOST a contact and had to play without it... no one talks about that, because its his own stupid fault, he deserves a double loss for that!

and i love the way some commentators literally give Sharapova excuses FOUR years after shoulder surgery, I mean, really?

Nettler: thanks for providing yet another fine validation of the term that BP and I independently used. Saves us the trouble of explaining.

Zenggi, is the confusion that obvious? :)

Jai, indeed. It takes all kinds to make the blogging world go 'round, doesn't it? :)

My body is ready for another 12:30 a.m. match, but it's time to start the adjustment back to real life. It's a pity, sayeth Roger. 'Night, all.

-Chess Players(just not physical-didn't know any other more romantic nick:)) )
Berdich
DelPo
Dolgopolov
Fish
Wawrinka
John Isner
Ivan Ljubicic
Nikolay Davydenko

-The Machines(Physical Players)
Murray
Hewitt
Tsonga
Monfils
Ferrer
Roddick

Ok Jai,..
1)ALL The Machines are on Novak's side of the draw,..
all The Chess Players are on the Nadal's side of the draw
(so NO "physical play" during 95 degree for Nadal till very Final)
2)Never seed No1 had 1 day rest, never seed No2 had 2 days
Those are the facts,..where are yours

sore losers + conspiracy theorists + mega chips on shoulder + rabid nationalists + draw rigging zealots + tasteless post-win gloaters + weak-era theorists + prior-greats-were-all-useless loads of crap...

nice morning everyone

Nettler: I'm not going to waste much of my time debating with you, but quickly:

- I (and a couple of others) have already responded above to your self-serving distinction between "chess players" and "machines". These aren't "facts" - they are just pat and meaningless classifications of players. If you think Berdych's performance against Rafa in the QF wasn't highly physical and gruelling, that's your problem.

Before this tournament began, most tennis fans (including many Novak fans) were saying that Novak had a relatively easy draw, including an easier quarter-final opponent than either Rafa or Murray. I'm impressed by how easily you've turned that picture around with this "factual" classification.

- At the 2009 AO, Rafa was seeded 1 and had one day off after his (five-hour) semi-final. Roger was seeded 2 and had two days off after his semi. Does that partly answer your question?

Jai, you write a lot but doesn't say a thing
You write and wind blows..same sh.t

I will not spend time on demagogue like you

Nettler: many apologies for wasting your time! But it's particularly interesting that you didn't reply to my debunking of your "fact" that a number 2 seed never had an extra day's advantage over the number 1 seed.

Hi.

I just wanted to share my thoughts about the fitness of these guys.
Basicly saying Nole are fitter than Rafa, you have to assume theyr both running as much in a match.
But naturaly Nole will attack and move Rafa more around, so in a typical matchy between these guys, Rafa covers much more ground, more often.
So allthought Nole have become fitter and faster the past 18 months.
We can not really say he is fitter, he is more aggresive, and his style of play is more efficient than that of Nadal, who is a more traditional claycourt attitude.
So in any given test, i'd say Rafa is fitter.
Not that it does matter, because if he wanted to win, he needs to be more aggresive, and use his two handed backand much more forcefully, than just use it as a defensive weapon.
It was some positive signs though from Nadal, allthough he will probably have pretty much an uphill struggle as last year imo.
Nole is the man to beat, his share will, aggresion, power, will not be denied.
Yet...

Good morning freddy,
Your summary is excellent! :)
Nobody answered me who is a/the phoney?

And again welcome to all the new posters. I assume they must be Americans as their comments appear while I was sleeping.
I hope you stay with us and play fair. Think of the poor Mods and the FOOPS (fans of other players.)

If there is Rafa - Nole semi at the French open, Nole wiillwin, and Roger will win the tournament.

Oh, and good night, Sherlock. Sleep well and your confusion and wrinkles will do a Houdini's. :)

@ Northenboy.
OT on this topic but still tennis related. Totally agree with you about Bobby C. ignoring Kim Clijsters on the other thread. Pete will reconsider, I'm sure and he'll write an article with a beautiful picture too.
Yanina Wickmayer has surpassed Kim in the rankings. Yanina is 29th and Kim is 30th. :((

True, but it seems quite fitting that the guy who played fair won at the end of the day. It's as simple as that. Nadal challenges his own serve to deny Djokovic a service return winner (?), gets complete and constant coaching from his uncle and then is abetted by line calls that would have given the advantage to Novak, at least five times in the match. If Nadal, had won, it would have been a poor reflection on tennis and its officiating. Is this what you want to show your kids about how to play sports? "Ok guys, take as much time between points, grunt as loud as you can, fist pump and bicycle kick your opponent's UEs and always refer to your coach because once you get high enough in the rankings, things like the rulebook don't matter. And oh yeah, you can challenge your serve when the other guy hits a great return winner! Because your sponsor is also the Major Sponsor of this Tournament! Do it all, win at all costs." Nadal, for all of his supposed humility and pleasantness off court, has a lot to learn about fair play. So yes, it is immensely gratifying to watch him lose because he's had it coming for a while. Rafa can't beat karma and it finally came knocking on his door in the form of a 6'3 Serbian on whom his tricks and tics don't work. It's Darwinian and it happens. It's a tough sport.

Of course Rafa can have another spate of "injuries" (when did sitting in a chair cause someone such immense pain) that are blatantly false when he's running down 154 kmph balls all over Rod Laver Arena for six hours, so he can go see his doctor for another round of whatever treatment (*ahem*) it is he's taking.

Not all of us drink Kool-Aid, Bodo. Weren't you a journalist once? You know, it would be extremely easy to pull up every single injury that Nadal has historically claimed and have them tested/vetted by a physician. I have never seen anybody who is supposedly as "injured" as he is heal so well, but then again, I don't have access to Spanish doctors and all the wonderful things they can do for sportsmen.

Nole had a very sluggish start to the final and gave away the first set. Nadal missed the best chance to beat Novak. I think that in French Nole has even a better chance of beating Nadal. Here is why. He is a better defender then Rafa. He will have more time on the ball and can hit through the ball and will be able to redirect the ball much better. An example of this is in last year's final in Rome and Monte Carlo. Nole toyed Nadal and broke his backhand slice down to open up court to the forehand side. For me the only guy who can beat Nole is Federer and maybe Murray depending on the day. Nole is not playing anything close to where he was last year. Nole will come back to reality pretty soon but i can see him beating Rafa again and again.

zenggi: "phoney" was just BP's typically dramatic expression for someone upthread who had the same moniker as me. Nothing serious.

It was very funny to see Wavrinka on the list of "chess" tennis players. The guy is dumb as a brick (comparatively speaking)

What a match !!
Looked like both of them were in the battle field fighting to conquer a
kingdom !!

Nole’s mental strength is on par with the best historical examples, and maybe even better. Borg winning that 5th set in Wimbledon 1980 final after losing the famous tie-break was another one (which is why I cringe when some authors and posters – mostly American – say about him “chickening out”). Novak was beaten physically, but prevailed on the strength of his spirit. This will be remembered for a very long time.

1. Nadal gave it his all. This was the best he could do. Yet he lost.
2. Nadal has now fallen behind Federer in the age-slam race. Federer at 26 years of age had 11 slams (upto and including wimbly 2007). Nadal will have 10 slams when he is 26 years old this year. Even if Nadal wins the French just after his 26th birthday, he will have 11, the same Federer had at that point of time. Federer's 16, is thus, safe.
3. Nadal lost because he was injured, no? Expect comments like this to float up from the Nadal camp after a month or two.

lol mick...

If one had to make a list of chesstennis players, I'd nominate the following (covering roughly 40 yrs):

1. Arthur Ashe
2. Miloslav Mecir
3. Martina Hingis
4. Andrei Medvedev
5. Fabrice Santoro
6. Andy Murray
7. Giles Simon
8. Alexander Dolgopolov
9. Agneska Radwanska
10. Bernard Tomic

Daresay I've missed a few...would be interesting to see other nominations

Also – Nadal fans who hope that Novak will burn out and Nadal somehow will take over again, they didn’t pay a close attention to Novak-Murray semi. This is a different Murray. He believes more. Now I would like him to be again in the Rafa’s half. Sadly for Federer fan, Murray has better chances. Maybe Federer can get Olympics – if the grass will be fast and they play best of 3.

freddy, you showed knowledge of the game! Santoro and Mecir all time favourites... but - you missed South America, that could complete all-malle list...

NO, Nole IS NOT IN RAFA"S GAME PLEASE WITH ALL DO RESPECT PETE PLEASE STOP BEATING UP ON RAFA. NOLE SEEMS TO BE ONLY IN YOUR HEAD, NOT IN NADALS!!!! STOP ALREADY PLEASE!

Helios - who did you have in mind from South America?

I can remember the following players from South America - Guillermo Vilas, Jose Luis Clerc, Horatio de la Pena, Andrez Gomes, Marcelo Rios, then of course David Nalbandian and the current Argentines. Not familiar enough with their games to figure out who would be a chesstennis expert!

Maybe you can help

Oh and of course Gabriela Sabatini :)

Dang...I missed Gustavo Kuerten too

Nalbandian obviously and one more but I am mixing names and bodies in my head now - so we can settle for Gabriela, saying we have 9 players of Chess game and one for Go game!

Nole won the match by 2 points, that is all! This game could of gone either way. It was too close and no, nobody likes pain, where do you guys come up with this stuff? Geee Whiz!!

yes Kuerten is obvious before Nalbandian, there you have 10 males
now we can start making list of 10, starting with Gabriela, that you cannot play chess when they are around...

"Nole won the match by 2 points, that is all!"

Nole won 193 points, Rafa 176.

Now which Jai is this - the real one or the phoney? I'm all confused now...

freddy: it's me! I'm real! Only the first "Jai" comment on this page (so far) is by someone else.