Roughing Up Rafa
Patrick Kehoe
The usual Tsonga with 'some' margins on his shots... playing with
composure...
But what was/is interesting about this match is how Tsonga went/is
going after the Nadal service... Tsonga has gone after the Nadal
second serve... he's limited the Nadal wideout serve and hammered
Rafa's second offernings... and getting to net when he can has mixed
things up...
The Nadal forehand is offline once again... as I said looking like
2008 Fed forehand misses more and more often...
4-1 for Tsonga in 3rd... so far...
P
uly...@mscomm.com
have played here to begin with and just gone home for a week to rest
up.
Look at Nadal's play, especially in the third set. He's hitting at 3/4
pace and shallow.
Patrick Kehoe
As I said during Miami and then during Madrid... players are beginning
to see that the Nadal service is there to be challenged... and it's
filtering down from Nole-Feds to Tsonga now and one would assume the
rest of the top players... much as Federer's on0court mental
walkabouts and forehand issues must have become shop talk for players
and coaches on tour in 2008 and onward...
P
TT
Or, Nadal was tanking/not in grass groove yet.
Lost last year to Feli and won Wimbledon...
uly...@mscomm.com
in the FO final (not that Fed took any discernible advantage). McEnroe
said at least three times, "Every single Nadal serve except on BP's
goes to Roger's BH. Why isn't Roger adjusting? Drives me nuts..."
So true.
But this match against Tsonga is tanking, nothing more. He wants to go
home and who can blame him?
Patrick Kehoe
>
> - Show quoted text -
Yes... that's true... he was tired from FO to be sure AND he's
beginning to see his serving challenged more competently and more
often... both are true...
P
Patrick Kehoe
You DO say some odd things... "no discernable advantage"... didn't Fed
break him 5 times???
P
TennisGuy
> But this match against Tsonga is tanking, nothing more. He wants to go
> home and who can blame him?
The elite players of tennis actually tank non-slam matches?
You can't be serious!
Maybe it's an injury that will be announced in a few days?
GOYLE
I don't think he was tanking the match but he wasn't giving it 110%
like in the past. I was thinking during the match, especially when he
was broke in the 3rd set he was just half playing, not going for every
shot, not hustling to get to every ball. In the past he would FIGHT
for every single point but not today. However, he did what he set out
to accomplish. He wanted to get a few matches on grass under his belt,
get prepared for Wimbledon and that's what he did.
GOYLE
No, it wasn't an injury nor did he tank. He just didn't give 110%.
uly...@mscomm.com
didn't break him when it really mattered, when he was up 0-40 at the
start of the fourth set.
And he didn't adjust to the constant BH serves, he never does. And
when he does run around the second serve to hit a FH, he generally
hits it wide. In my mind, had Roger taken a discernable advantage over
Rafa's serving, he would have won the match. Breaking him 5 times or
20 times means nothing at the end of the day if he doesn't win the
match.
Doherty Gates
Actually, I did not see any particular hammering on Rafa's second
serves until 4 all in the second. Then came Nadal's walkabout with him
spraying balls all over.
Strange match. Nadal appeared to be in control for almost two sets.
Tsonga looked unplayable from then on.
This nadal is a puzzling mix of mental strenght (see how he raised his
level during the French Open final 4th set, despite looking fatigued
late in the 3rd one) and creeping signs of burnout.
As far as his groundstrokes are concerned, it looks as if the Spaniard
is still struggling to find a trade-off between penetration and
control. In the 3rd set his forehand tended to sit up giving Tsonga
enough time for his big swings.
Nonetheless, had Nadal managed to hold his first service game in the
3rd set, I have the impression he would have likely won.
I can't wait for Wimbledon to start!
TennisGuy
+1
uly...@mscomm.com
tanked the set and wants back in Spain. He was playing about 70% of
his capability the last 30 mins.
TennisGuy
> > The elite players of tennis actually tank non-slam matches?
> > You can't be serious!
> > Maybe it's an injury that will be announced in a few days?
>
> No, it wasn't an injury nor did he tank. He just didn't give 110%.
110% is par for the course for Rafa. He doesn't know how to play at
anything less.
When a player plays at less than there regular offing, and they're not
injured, it's called tanking.
TT
His movement was very cautious throughout the match...
TT
...Meaning that he didn't want to risk an injury.
felangey
He seems to be spending a lot of time on his ass of late...d'you think he is
over-reaching? The few times he fell over here were because of the damp
grass of course....but other places, he doesn't seem as well balanced as he
has.
TT
It's normal on new, wet (and cute) grass.
felangey
Of course....but he has been down quite a bit this season all over.
TT
>> It's normal on new, wet (and cute) grass<
>
> Of course....but he has been down quite a bit this season all over.
I haven't counted...
bob
why does fed only seem to have those walkabouts VS rafa?
bob
Court_1
If he did not give 100% isn't that basically the same thing as
tanking? To me it is.
Superdave
Fed should have won that match. A little luck here and there and he would have.
Even one dropper that hit the net and the other that was called out at MP in the
first set all by themselves could have changed the entire match in his favor.
Superdave
yes, feli awaits with his beckoning anus.
Superdave
cause he can't stand the smell?
Court_1
> On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:37:38 -0700 (PDT), "ulys...@msomm.com"
Fed's problem with Nadal is 99.9% mental. If you believe going into
the match that you can't beat somebody then you won't. Somebody needs
to give Fed a lobotomy so he can start fresh without the prior loss
record clouding his brain.
Court_1
> On Fri, 10 Jun 2011 11:27:38 -0700 (PDT), "ulys...@msomm.com"
>
> <ulys...@mscomm.com> wrote:
> >McEnroe really harped on how predictable and how bad Rafa's serve was
> >in the FO final (not that Fed took any discernible advantage). McEnroe
> >said at least three times, "Every single Nadal serve except on BP's
> >goes to Roger's BH. Why isn't Roger adjusting? Drives me nuts..."
>
> >So true.
>
> >But this match against Tsonga is tanking, nothing more. He wants to go
> >home and who can blame him?
>
> yes, feli awaits with his beckoning anus.
Well, it likely is not Xisca! ;)