ATP - Rafael Nadal

[jacques9]

Rafael Nadal: 'I played the most important match of my life on the worst possible court'
Very, heavy criticism by Rafael Nadal towards ITF. The Spaniard player is very disappointed and angry for having played 'the most important match of my life on the worst possible court (No. 3)'. That's how he described the doubles semifinals won with Marc Lopez against Nestor/Pospisil that allowed them to qualify for the first/second place final. On the Court No. 3 there are only 140 seats, and 61 are for press.
Rafa wanted so much to win, as the tears showed at the end of the match: 'Olympic Games are something unique - said a touched Nadal - I know how important they are and I know what Beijing 2008 meant to me. I withdrew from important tournaments in my life like Grand Slams, Masters 1000s or Davis Cup, but nothing hurt me like the absence in London 2012.'
'I live this moment with more emotion because this year I was playing well and I was forced to withdraw from Roland Garros, and then alongside me there is Marc, one of my best friends. All this makes everything more special.'
Going back to the criticism, once again Rafa complained about the order of play. If he had played and won the mixed doubles with Muguruza, he would have played at least six matches during two days: 'Two weeks for the Games are not necessary but 12 days yes and you can do it. You can postpone by one day the Cincinnati event or maybe it can end on Monday. You can do it. Those that manage order of play could do it better.'
Nadal finally spoke about the singles match won against Gilles Simon in two close sets: 'I won and this is the most important thing. I am in the quarter-finals, it's a good news since two weeks ago I did not think to reach this round. I have so much energy and enthusiasm.'

Analyzing the match he said: 'The first set was hard but I won it. I played a tactical match mentally and I made the difference in the key moments.

[Velikiajnstajn]

Neka padne i DelPo da slavimo do duboko u noc!

[MatijaT]

Neopisivo mi drago zob Rafe, da mu ovo da malo samopouzdanja Jos kad bi u singlu osvojio zlato ili srebro, bilo bi fenomenalno

[Marija81]

Čestitke Rafinim navijačima na zlatu u dublu.
Bilo bi lepo da je nastavio sa Muguruzom pa da uzme i mix i tako kompletira sva 3 pošto već ima zlato u singlu iz Pekinga.

[MatijaT]

Nista, moze se dobiti Niskikori makar za bronzu. S obzirom sta mu se sve desilo ovih meseci, i povreda, i bronza bi bila savrsen uspeh, uz zlato u dublu.

[jacques9]

Svaka čast majstore za fantastičan turnir v RIU. Ponosni smo na tebe.

Možemo biti optimisti za US open.

[Marija81]

Rafa na treningu u Sinsinatiju , ok izgleda skroz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEYaxZPPNBk

[jacques9]

Nadal is ready for the battle

With Roger Federer unable to compete at the US Open for the first time since he was a teenager in 1999, the people's favorite this year will almost certainly be Rafael Nadal. The Spaniard has long been popular in New York, capturing the imagination of the public with the force of his personality and the depth of his intensity, appealing to fans of all ages with his unshakable work ethic and sparkling court presence.
Truthfully, there has never been anyone quite like this left-handed dynamo, and probably there never will be. Many insiders share the view that he is one of a kind.
But Nadal has frequently met US Open misfortune. In 2008, he had virtually taken over the game, winning the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic Games in a stirring stretch that lasted from late May until mid-August. He seemed ready at last to take his first US Open, but the Spaniard's supply of emotional energy was sharply reduced after such a rigorous summer. He lost to Andy Murray in the semifinals.
Nadal broke through to win the Open in 2010, taking his third consecutive major in the process. He was a worthy runner-up to Novak Djokovic in 2011, but a knee injury kept him out of the tournament in 2012. He ruled again in 2013, but an injury to his right wrist prevented Nadal from defending the title a year later. And then last year, in the midst of a long and debilitating slump, Nadal led two sets to love lead against the enigmatic Fabio Fognini under the lights in the third round, but for the first time since 2005 he did not close out an account from that commanding position.
To be sure, Nadal's US Open history has been somewhat uneven. And yet, the fact remains that he is a two-time champion who loves the energy of the city and the exhilaration of going to work in a vibrant New York playground. The setting suits Nadal to the hilt, but the surface is an ongoing challenge. The hard courts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center can be quicker than Nadal would prefer. Against big hitters who are blasting winners on inspired afternoons and evenings, Nadal can be hard-pressed to counter with his heavy topspin and persistent defense. Moreover, he struggles to find a balance on his first serve between speed and precision, and his second serve can be attacked by top-of-the-line returners.
Nevertheless, Nadal remains a formidable hard-court player. He knows how to adjust his court positioning, hugging the baseline more, flicking half volleys stupendously at times off deep returns of serve, stepping inside the court whenever possible to rifle flattened out forehands into empty spaces. Nadal's adaptability is one of his least appreciated traits, and that will be revealed as always when he launches a quest for a third crown this year in New York, at a tournament he has come to love.
“It is always great for me to come to New York,” Nadal said. “[The US Open] is a tournament I like a lot. Atmosphere here is just amazing. I feel the love of the crowd and the energy of them, so I enjoy a lot playing in the Arthur Ashe Stadium, especially night sessions.”
Still, the Spaniard's 2016 campaign has been sorely disrupted. He started the year slowly, falling disappointingly against countryman and fellow left-hander Fernando Verdasco in the first round of the Australian Open. In the spring, he ignited his game, winning clay-court tournaments at Monte Carlo and Barcelona, approaching the French Open with his heart set on a 10th title in Paris. But he pulled out prior to his third-round match with a left wrist injury. He missed Wimbledon and did not return to competition until the Olympic Games.
In Rio, Nadal reached the semifinals of the singles and lost a heartbreaker in a final-set tiebreak against Juan Martin del Potro. He then was beaten in the bronze medal match by Kei Nishikori. Still, he won the doubles gold alongside countryman Mark Lopez, and all of that effort did not prevent Nadal from flying to Cincinnati for his last tournament before the Open.
Yet Nadal seemed clearly ailing again during a second-round loss to Borna Coric, bowing out 6-1, 6-3, after taking a mid-match injury timeout. That was one of the rare desultory performances of his career.
‘You know, two months and a half without competing, and especially without practicing, and then do what I did in the Olympics, come here, different balls, too much,” said Nadal after that match. “The normal thing is try to come back a little bit slower, but having the Olympics there I didn't had that chance. Now I pay.”
Following that one-sided defeat, how will the Spaniard fare at the last major of the year? He has not won a major since the 2014 French Open. His litany of woes since then has been considerable, enough to discourage, deflate and even destroy the morale of lesser individuals. But the game has not known anyone more indefatigable than Nadal. He has displayed a singular propensity to fight his way back from ailments and injuries time and again, stepping back into the forefront of the sport with a reservoir of determination and a prideful streak unsurpassed in this era.
“The wrist is still bothering me but is a process that I need to pass and a process that I need to go through, and I need to play to go through that [healing] process," he said. "With more rest the wrist will not go better. The wrist needs to adapt again to the game. Needs to adapt again to hit the ball.
“Day by day I hope that things going to go better.”
To win this US Open, however, Nadal will need a large dose of luck. He has been beaten seven times in a row by Novak Djokovic, and has not won a set against his old rival during that span. Toppling Murray right now on the hard courts would likewise be a tall order. A cluster of other players could stop Nadal on any given day with overpowering backcourt performances. But we know this about the southpaw from Spain: he will fight with singular ferocity, reach back with all of his resources to make the most of his opportunities in New York, and, above all else, give himself every conceivable chance to go deep into the tournament.

[Niki]

Hajde malo da prokometniram Rafu. . . Mec koji je mogao, ali ne i trebao dobiti. Pasivan, bez forhenda i servisa, sa stilom protivnika koji mu ne odgovara (sve vise je takvih) i sa jos jednog slabog GS. Greske na rutinskim udarcima, vec nisu iskljucak i mentalna blokada, nego verovatno trenutno stanje i limit. Ako je izgubio sposobnost da u kljucnim trenucima odigra ono sto treba, onda velike titule bice nedostizne, kao i sto jesu. Ako je nesto pozitivno to je njegovo kretanje, koje je opet na sasvim dobrom nivou, ali ceo paket je bitan.

Veliki sampionski mentalitet koji poseduje i zelja, kao i instikt da se bori uvek i po svaku cenu je ono sto njega odrzava. Kaze, sve dok uzivam u igru bicu tu, verujem jos nekoliko sezona. Ne znam koji je motiv koji ga vodi, ali ja ne verujem u tu pricu. Ja mislim da ako nekom cudom osvoji jos neki GS, bice to njegov posljedni turnir. Kad ce to biti tesko je reci, ali ovoliko dug period sa igrom "koja je sve bolja", ali koja uvek za malo nije dovoljna, imace posledice. U motivu koji treba da se pronadje za dalje natecanje.

[MareLFC]

Nadal sledecu sezonu pocinje u Brizbejnu.

[jacques9]

Rafael Nadal: 'It's not time to say goodbye'
The way the match played out, it wasn't surprising that Rafael Nadal, while discussing the match with the Spanish media, analyzed his defeat intensely instead of a mere.matter-of-fact assessment
'I know I can compete to be at the top and play my chances inimportant events. This year I was ready to do important things, but then uncontrollable things happened. In life things go how they have to go. Borg did not win for all his life, even McEnroe and Federer did it and today Djokovic who seems unbeatable won't do it as well. Moments where things get worse happen to everyone. It's part of the life of an athlete and you have to accept it. I have the motivation to fight for important things in the next (few) years and I am convinced I will do it,' said Nadal.
When asked if he'd contemplated retiring, he replied, 'I don't know how many years are left for me, one, two, three, four or six. You cannot predict the future and nor you can prepare for it. Now I am 30-years old, but it's not the moment to stop doing what I like. My body is not more tired than three or four years ago. I have to work to be at 100% physically and in terms of tennis. I hope to be ready for the last part of the season otherwise I wish it works as a preparation for 2017 in order to have a good season. I don't know what's left, but I still enjoy and intend to compete until when my mind and body will say "stop." When that day will come, I will understand it. It's not something I get worried about. When the moment where you cannot give more comes, you know it. I am convinced of it. You don't need to prepare for it.'

[jacques9]

Mental strength, no more Rafael Nadal's Strong Suit?

'The more the match lasts, better for Rafael Nadal.' How many times until two years ago we heard this sentence from media, simple fans or also who knows Rafa well like for example uncle Toni. This "theory" surprisingly lacked since the second part of 2014 season both at the best of three and five sets. This year not even Nadal knows the exact, and especially true reason. 'I did not lost for a mental thing, nor physical or pressure thing. It lacked to me something in terms of tennis level', he said after the match against Lucas Pouille. It's difficult to share this very discutible opinion: when you are up 4-3 30-0 in the fifth set, when a few games later in the tie-break on 6-all you miss a very easy forehand, especially if you hit a winner from the same position with the same shot a few mind later, it's not understandable believe that all these missed chances are caused by his technique or by a lack of confidence on this shot that is less effective than the forehand.
We fooled into ourselvee after the Olympics, and even more after the first three rounds at the US Open where he had lost just 20 games, but against low - level players just like in Rio where he had faced the first competitive opponent in the semifinals, lost always in the decisive set tie-break.
It's the record at the third or fifth set that worries more on the Rafa's physical and mental shape, this year on 16 matches ended at the third or fifth set he lost five, without taking in consideration that in Rome against Djokovic did not convert set points in both two sets and that against Murray in Madrid the result was equally balanced (7/5 6/4).
IN THE SLAMS IT'S AN ONGOING CRISIS - In the last ten Majors did not reach any semifinal, his best results are the two quarter-finals reached at the Australian Open and Roland Garros 2015, then two fourth rounds, two third rounds, a second round and a first round. In the middle, he withdrew from two Grand Slams. In 2016 at the best of five sets results have been the ones that normally a good World No. 25-30 player reached, and the curious thing is that by next week he will be World No. 3 if Wawrinka does not reach semifinals, which says a lot about the moment men's players are going through Murray and Djokovic expected. The two losses in Melbourne and New York cannot be justifiable, with all the respect for Pouille and Verdasco's incredible performances. Against Fernando he was even 2-0 up with a break point to be 3-0 in the fifth set. And it's not even right to say the opponents play the matches of the life against Rafa, who is unable to close the matches.
AN UPS AND DOWNS GAME - If in the key moments best players can count on a very important shot like the serve, he always puts IN a first serve that does not hurt. "Only" six years ago just at the US Open he served for the first snd only time at 200km/h, it's really a mistery that he could not find those angles and speede anymore. The positive thing is that he went to the net many times recently. During the match against Pouille he won 35% net points on 48 played, showing that the doubles gold medal won in the doubles in Rio did not happen by chance.
ASIAN SWING... AND THEN ATP FINALS? - It comes a very important part of the season for Rafa who defends 1.700 points in total in Beijing Shanghai, Basel, Bercy and just World Tour Finals where he should play: at the moment is sixth in the ATP Race with more than 600 points than the ninth Berdych. It's difficult to have high expectations on a surface that has always been tough for him.

[jacques9]

Rafael Nadal: 'I never talked about time limits for my career, my future is unknown'

After arriving in Mallorca after his loss to Lucas Pouille in the fourth round of the US Open, Rafael Nadal addressed a group of media personnel and clarified his earlier remarks about the future of his career.. In his post-match press conference in Flushing Meadows, while analyzing his loss, he'd said in Spanish that he wanted to enjoy another couple of years on the ATP Tour as a professional player, which seemed like he was thinking about calling it quits by 2018.
However, it now seems that his actual intention was lost in translati on. 'I never talked about time limits,' Nadal said at the Mallorca airport, speaking to the gathered press. 'The future is unknown. I just know I see myself capable to go on competing, I'm happy doing what I'm doing and the moment I do not see myself doing other things.'
Rafa will have some days off before landing to India where from 16th to 18th September, he will be a part of the Spanish squad for the Davis Cup World Group play-offs. Rafa said that he'd always wanted to play this tie. 'Conchita [Martinez] has known for months I was willing to play if I was needed. Davis Cup has always been a special event. Spain has gone through tough years and so I hope we return to the World Group, where I think we deserve to be according to the players we have.'

Finally, Nadal confirmed that he was feeling fine physically. 'I'll work to try to recover the level I had before getting injured, which was very positive, as well as the rhythm of competition and consistency in my game, which isn't that bad. I lost the last match because of small details against a good player,' he stated.

[jacques9]

Alex Corretja and the first time he met Rafael Nadal: 'I looked at him as if he was crazy'

Alex Corretja already understood more than a decade ago that Rafael Nadal would have become a very good player. Interviewed by GQ the Former World No. 2 spoke about his first meetin g with Nadal that left him really impressed. .
'He is similar to a sports miracle, something almost inexplicable - Corretja said - I remember the day I met him. He was 15 and it was a very cold morning in Barcelona. I arrived to the National Tennis Center wearing a hat, long shorts and on the court I met a kid with a sleeveless t-shirt and shorts. I asked him to warm-up a little bit and he told me he was ready. I tried to warm-up a little bit and to run, then I hit the first ball and... FIUUU! The arm almost split from my body. I looked at him like he was crazy and he was not changing. In the following point, it happened the same. I realized he wasn't joking. A few months later he would beat Moya in Monte Carlo and Costa in Hamburg. I beat him in Barcelona and I could not understand how such an old player like me could have beaten him.'
Meanwhile Rafa keeps doing investments: after opening a restaurant in Madrid with Pau Gasol, along with the Spanish basketballer and others contractors will open in November an hotel in Miami Beach, that will have typical Spanish food

[jacques9]

RAFA will play the Basel tournament. Not only in individual but also twice paired with Serbian Nedad Zimonjic, who is the Serb #1 in doubles.
The game played in Shanghai against Troicki not be the last season in contrast to what had speculated the Spaniard. But there is to be emphasized that the three-year contract worth € 500,000 a year that Rafa league in Basel expires this year. He is practically forced to play having given package as early as 2013 and maybe as in 2014 does not end the season right in the Swiss tournament. The result will be important in this decision also with a view to a possible qualification for the ATP Finals.
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Pa neka igra. Poraz u 1.kolu singlova, titula sa Zimonjičem u dublovima, pa idemo kuči pjevajuči. Šta drugo.