Nadalites – Rafa Nadal Talk

[Fiero425]

Yeah, we get it that he’s being respectful. He’s being polite. It doesn’t mean that anyone has to think that Novaks absence has any place in a discussion about Carlos victory, which unfortunately a lot of dolts on social media think it does…

No doubt Carlos can be scary good, but IMO he plays too hard believe it or not! Sometimes you just have to say "good shot" and turn your back! He hustles for everything and it's going to shorten his career! I expected it from Nadal, but somehow he's hung on to stay with Novak who's the most fit player out there! Carlos isn't a lock as seen in Davis Cup this past week! He's still deserving of #1 even with just 1 Major to Rafa's 2! I hope he can hold onto it!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I just feel it's kinda harsh on CA for him to even have them thoughts. Is he now going to be thinking until he has defeated Rafa or Novak in a slam it is not as special? The Novax fans all Sunday night & Monday put the Novax missing * over social media, maybe I'm wrong but I feel maybe CA or someone from his team saw some of these stupid messages and that influenced him to make the comments about Novax absence?

You mean the Moderna Open dont you not the USO

 

[Kieran]

No doubt Carlos can be scary good, but IMO he plays too hard believe it or not! Sometimes you just have to say "good shot" and turn your back! He hustles for everything and it's going to shorten his career! I expected it from Nadal, but somehow he's hung on to stay with Novak who's the most fit player out there! Carlos isn't a lock as seen in Davis Cup this past week! He's still deserving of #1 even with just 1 Major to Rafa's 2! I hope he can hold onto it!

One more great difference between Carlos and Rafa is that Carlos is much more self confident. He has swagger. He grins and plays to the crowd. You can see he enjoys himself out there, whereas Rafa is a tough sumbitch with a burning intensity even in the warm up.

As for being #1 with less slams than another player, I wonder when was the last time a player finished the season #1 but with fewer slams than an opponent? Murray, in 2016, I think?

But the season isn’t over yet…

 

[Fiero425]

One more great difference between Carlos and Rafa is that Carlos is much more self confident. He has swagger. He grins and plays to the crowd. You can see he enjoys himself out there, whereas Rafa is a tough sumbitch with a burning intensity even in the warm up.

As for being #1 with less slams than another player, I wonder when was the last time a player finished the season #1 but with fewer slams than an opponent? Murray, in 2016, I think?

But the season isn’t over yet…

It's happened a few times which is why I think majors should get a few more ATP points; esp. after 2016 travesty w/ Novak winning 2 majors and in the final of a 3rd! That was absolutely obscene to allow Murray to take over #1 on the last day of the season at the YEC!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I think maybe you and Kieran are putting too much into this .Carlos is a competitor and just maybe being too respectful for y'all taste to one of the Greats..AO will be a great beginning of the season, Rafa is the defending champion, it's Novak's haven but he has to resolve his ViSA status, Carlos is the number one rank player and Daniil's game has went walkabout for lack of a better word..Still a long time til Mid January but for me the tennis season is OVER.

Seeing this is a Rafa fan post, I feel some of the comments here have nothing to do with Rafa, yes I have my glasses on lol!
I feel the AO in 2023 will answer a lot of questions, in regards to the level of players, Rafa, being the defending champion, yes Novak has visa issues and Alcaraz and how will he handle the slower hard courts of the AO, compared to faster HC at the USO.
There is still more tournaments to be played out before this 2022 season is over., even if the tennis season is over for you.

 

[TheSicilian]

It's happened a few times which is why I think majors should get a few more ATP points; esp. after 2016 travesty w/ Novak winning 2 majors and in the final of a 3rd! That was absolutely obscene to allow Murray to take over #1 on the last day of the season at the YEC!

Murray made 3 slams finals too. He also won like 5 tournaments in a row at the end to take #1 it was an incredible winning streak tbf, 25 matches won 2 masters titles , the Wtf tournament

 

[TheSicilian]

Seeing this is a Rafa fan post, I feel some of the comments here have nothing to do with Rafa, yes I have my glasses on lol!
I feel the AO in 2023 will answer a lot of questions, in regards to the level of players, Rafa, being the defending champion, yes Novak has visa issues and Alcaraz and how will he handle the slower hard courts of the AO, compared to faster HC at the USO.
There is still more tournaments to be played out before this 2022 season is over., even if the tennis season is over for you.

The Australian courts are getting faster? I'm sure a commentator said the Moderna Open courts are almost as fast as the AO courts

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The Australian courts are getting faster? I'm sure a commentator said the Moderna Open courts are almost as fast as the AO courts

LOL! The AO have always been a slow to medium HC on the surface, not like the Moderna Open

 

[TheSicilian]

LOL! The AO have always been a slow to medium HC on the surface, not like the Moderna Open

The AO courts were a bit faster this year?

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

The AO courts were a bit faster this year?

Look it depends on the weather, if it is hot and humid the courts play a bit faster and the ball bounces higher, though at night the balls can get heavy if it is still humid...though the AO has never been a fast HC more of a medium HC,, really Cinncy in the USO is the fastest HC followed by the Moderna Open

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Look away AP okay

Rafa has been back on the practice courts last Tuesday on a indoor court, he cannot seem to sit still for long
There was concern he might not play at the Laver Cup, he appears fine, going on the video I watched

 

[Moxie]

One more great difference between Carlos and Rafa is that Carlos is much more self confident. He has swagger. He grins and plays to the crowd. You can see he enjoys himself out there, whereas Rafa is a tough sumbitch with a burning intensity even in the warm up.

As for being #1 with less slams than another player, I wonder when was the last time a player finished the season #1 but with fewer slams than an opponent? Murray, in 2016, I think?

But the season isn’t over yet…

I agree on the self-confidence, but Rafa has always had the swagger, just that his is, as you say, more intense, and more serious, I'd say. No smiling or laughing until the match is over. But I remember our friend, @mrzz telling us about seeing Rafa in Saõ Paolo in a small stadium, and he described Rafa's demeanor with some untranslatable phrase in Portuguese that basically meant "cock of the walk" or biggest badass in the place. And he's not a fan.

 

[the AntiPusher]

Seeing this is a Rafa fan post, I feel some of the comments here have nothing to do with Rafa, yes I have my glasses on lol!
I feel the AO in 2023 will answer a lot of questions, in regards to the level of players, Rafa, being the defending champion, yes Novak has visa issues and Alcaraz and how will he handle the slower hard courts of the AO, compared to faster HC at the USO.
There is still more tournaments to be played out before this 2022 season is over., even if the tennis season is over for you.

Well I guess repeating Carlo's words is a no no..I think I'm getting lambasted by making a comment about what came out of his mouth. No need to keep adding oxygen to this .

As for Nadal's season, Rafa's immediate reaction was he didn't know whenever he would play again. I have stated that I was WRONG about his match vs Tiafoe. It might be the biggest upset vç

I agree on the self-confidence, but Rafa has always had the swagger, just that his is, as you say, more intense, and more serious, I'd say. No smiling or laughing until the match is over. But I remember our friend, @mrzz telling us about seeing Rafa in Saõ Paolo in a small stadium, and he described Rafa's demeanor with some untranslatable phrase in Portuguese that basically meant "cock of the walk" or biggest badass in the place. And he's not a fan.

I disagree as far as self confidence..Rafa has Always had a ton of it. Remember, Rafa was held under very tight reigns of his stern but loving Uncle Toni in regards to how he behaved on and off the court . Again, let Carlos be Carlitos and Rafael be Rafa

 

[Moxie]

Well I guess repeating Carlo's words is a no no..I think I'm getting lambasted by making a comment about what came out of his mouth. No need to keep adding oxygen to this .

As for Nadal's season, Rafa's immediate reaction was he didn't know whenever he would play again. I have stated that I was WRONG about his match vs Tiafoe. It might be the biggest upset vç

I disagree as far as self confidence..Rafa has Always had a ton of it. Remember, Rafa was held under very tight reigns of his stern but loving Uncle Toni in regards to how he behaved on and off the court . Again, let Carlos be Carlitos and Rafael be Rafa

No one is lambasting you for anything, that I can see.

Uncle Toni was hard on Rafa, and even he admits that perhaps it was too much. Toni didn't want him to get too proud of himself, so he kept after him, which I think did cause a bit of lack of confidence in his essential talent. Toni has said, they put the belief in the hard work, not in the talent. Surely, Rafa knows that he's talented, but he doesn't believe that he gets it by arrogant confidence in his talent. It was instilled in him that it comes from hard work. Of course, when the rubber hits the road, he has a great deal of confidence, but I believe it is more in his ability to out-smart and out-gut the opponent, as opposed to some belief in his innate talents. But this is what has been giving him new life in the late years. I do think that Federer believed a lot in his own talent, and relied on it, and I think that Novak does, too. When your talent fails you, you have to rely on your guts, and Rafa is better than either of them at that, because he's willing to concede that he might not be the most talented on the court on any particular day. If you're OK with that, you can keep fighting.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I know Rafa is a bit over Alcaraz being compared to him, he said as much, in a polite way of course. It is the media that keeps comparing these two. Alcaraz is the youngest No 1 player, since Llyeton Hewitt, lets see how he handles the pressure going forward, he has a great coach in JCF, who I feel keeps him grounded. As for Rafa, as far as I am concerned, there is still not a player, that can compete with him as a competitor, or can be compared in that area for starters.

BTW AP I still love you, regardless lol

 

[Fiero425]

Murray made 3 slams finals too. He also won like 5 tournaments in a row at the end to take #1 it was an incredible winning streak tbf, 25 matches won 2 masters titles , the Wtf tournament

It wasn't that simple! Novak not only had 3 major finals winning 2 of them, he also added 4 more Masters 1000 events to his tally to close in on Fedal & take over the record eventually! I say I'm not a Djokovic fan as much as a "Devil's Advocate" since he's demonized so much! Love how he's taken the luster out of that Fedal rivalry that didn't really exist! Rafa owned Roger early and often! Federer was saved by Wimbledon grass & fast indoor surfaces or the H2H would look more obscene! I still don't understand Roger's resurgence and winning 5 or 6 straight over Rafa! I barely watched while Novak wandered the wilderness and was "all at sea" with injury and issues behind the scenes! I just heard about it more than watching any of those wins by Federer!

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Well I guess repeating Carlo's words is a no no..I think I'm getting lambasted by making a comment about what came out of his mouth. No need to keep adding oxygen to this .

As for Nadal's season, Rafa's immediate reaction was he didn't know whenever he would play again. I have stated that I was WRONG about his match vs Tiafoe. It might be the biggest upset vç

I disagree as far as self confidence..Rafa has Always had a ton of it. Remember, Rafa was held under very tight reigns of his stern but loving Uncle Toni in regards to how he behaved on and off the court . Again, let Carlos be Carlitos and Rafael be Rafa

No you are not getting lambasted, I will back up Moxie's post to you okay.
Agree let Carlos be Carlitos and Rafael be Rafa
Let AP be AP,. of course there will never be another Me

 

[Moxie]

It wasn't that simple!

It is. It's a point system.

Love how he's taken the luster out of that Fedal rivalry that didn't really exist!

I'm pretty sure it existed and will stand the test of time.

Rafa owned Roger early and often! Federer was saved by Wimbledon grass & fast indoor surfaces or the H2H would look more obscene! I still don't understand Roger's resurgence and winning 5 or 6 straight over Rafa! I barely watched while Novak wandered the wilderness and was "all at sea" with injury and issues behind the scenes! I just heard about it more than watching any of those wins by Federer!

So you didn't watch their change in fortunes? I guess that makes you an expert on the Federer-Nadal rivalry, then.

 

[Fiero425]

It is. It's a point system.


I'm pretty sure it existed and will stand the test of time.


So you didn't watch their change in fortunes? I guess that makes you an expert on the Federer-Nadal rivalry, then.

I go thru periods of apathy when it comes to watching tennis! I just wasn't interested with the glorification of Fedal making it seem "tennis begins and ends" with them! Djokovic came along and broke things up and got my interest back! When he went down in 2017, I lost interest again w/ deja vu of Fedal sharing the spoils like it's "1999!" I never cared for the rivalry; the lionization of their matches! Novak's miraculous return in 2018 brought me back! It seems to work best with all 3! Nadovic is a real rivalry, but I don't enjoy the matches that drag on with sets going an hour and a half! Novak's masterpiece over Rafa at 2019 AO is a keeper! I can watch that slaughter over and over! Carlos might take me into the next era, but remains to be seen to keep my interest!

 

[Kieran]

I agree on the self-confidence, but Rafa has always had the swagger, just that his is, as you say, more intense, and more serious, I'd say. No smiling or laughing until the match is over. But I remember our friend, @mrzz telling us about seeing Rafa in Saõ Paolo in a small stadium, and he described Rafa's demeanor with some untranslatable phrase in Portuguese that basically meant "cock of the walk" or biggest badass in the place. And he's not a fan.

They all have that kind of thing, in a way. These great players are all arrogant, if you get what I mean by the use of that word. I remember reading an article where John Newcombe, as captain of the Australian Davis Cup team, said he’d never really noticed how much Sampras dominated his territory until he sat courtside with Phillippoussis to watch their match. Sampras owned the court and all its surroundings to an extent that Newcombe had never seen before.

When I talk about Carlos and swagger, in comparison to Rafa, I mean this. Rafa would never react like this after a point, especially considering the score. It was beautiful and great to see. The great smile, the joy in what he done. Rafa is too contained for that, he releases his energy through fist pumps etc, but never relaxed in this way: