The Mystery And The Magic of Rafael Nadal

[ClayDeath]

let us embark on a journey to discover the true secrets to his greatness.

is he really "the ultimate doomsday stroking machine"?

he has a winning record against ALL of the top 30 players? how the hell does that happen?





nole says he is the best player on the planet this year. others say he is the hottest player at the moment.

this is a good and a timely opportunity to list and discuss all the things that make him so great in this sport.

you can even discuss his weaknesses.


so what exactly is it that he brings to the competitive arena that makes him so great at what he does?

this is no ordinary athlete. and he is hardly lucky. the guy has been injured off and on since he was 17.

this is a giant among giants in our sport:

58-59 titles. I lost track of these titles.
8 French opens and counting
12 majors and counting
26 masters shields and counting. he should end up with around 35-37

**he wins nearly 90% of his matches at slams
**he wins nearly 97% of all his matches on clay for a decade.
**he wins 98% of all his matches on the red clay at RG
**he takes 100% of the finals at RG


anyway you get the idea. so is he lucky or good? and if good, what exactly makes him so good from your own vantage point.

today you decide and you report.

have at it and have fun.

 

[Murat Baslamisli]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

He is an amazing athlete, a fierce competitor, and unlike "some" , I believe an amazing shot maker. But what amazes me most about him is that , like it or not, he WAS a one-dimensional player when Roger called it around the time he won 5 US Opens and Nadal was never there to face him in the finals, but this guy transformed himself into an all around, all surface player and started schooling people on grass, cement, sand, dirt, pretty much everywhere.
I am not sure if there is an example of a player that made a reputation as a "dirt baller" but turned into an all around beast. I mean, Muster is an all time favorite of mine, and he never got past the first round in Wimby!

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

muster was unlucky. he got hit by a drunk driver which set him back 2-3 years in his development.

and as a result of that terrible accident, he was forced to reinvent himself on clay.

muster could have been special. he once beat Sampras on an indoor surface.

muster`s story is the greatest story never told in tennis but that is a topic for another day I guess.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

anyway uncle tony says that nadal`s greatest shot is his relentless will.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

Great athlete, incredible tennis player, otherworldly work ethic, unique passion, unrivaled mental toughness.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

surely he has weaknesses too. what can he do and should do to improve?

we are looking into his strengths and his weaknesses.

you decide and you report.

 

[Kieran]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

I think among his most impressive qualities - and forget about where do we start - where would we end, listing them - is his ability to set himself a task and be unstinting in his effort to achieve it. Whether it's moving from one-dimensional clay courter to mastering grass, then hard courts. Whether it's setting out in pursuit of Roger, to the extent that he dominates him. Whether it's facing the horror of Novak's dominance of him, and trying to turn that around and regain his place at the top.

He faces every challenge, accepts the realities and gets on with it, intelligently and with immense skill and moral fortitude. He makes Connors look like a welter-weight compared to a heavy-weight, for sheer bloody-minded determination on court. He described this after the French as "resistence." He was asked, is it a refusal to lose?

No, it wasn't that. Everybody loses. It's to put up as much resistance as possible, regardless of the score. I believe this attitude is what keeps him clear and calm under pressure. His resistance is the same at the start as it is at the finish...

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

surely he has weaknesses too. what can he do and should do to improve?

we are looking into his strengths and his weaknesses.

you decide and you report.

His biggest weakness is his return game. From the baseline, his slice is floaty, and he's occasionally guilty of over spinning (especially the backhand) and dropping the ball way too short.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

I think he should have hired muster`s old fitness coach.

nole beat him to it.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

Why would he need to improve his fitness?

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

he dropped his fitness to some extent. that was the biggest reason for some of his losses to nole in 2011. he started to run out of gas.

he had absolutely nothing left to give after that 4th set at the u.s. open in 2011.

and that is just one example.

he said himself that he does not work as hard as he used to.

 

[brokenshoelace]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

he dropped his fitness to some extent. that was the biggest reason for some of his losses to nole in 2011. he started to run out of gas.

he had absolutely nothing left to give after that 4th set at the u.s. open in 2011.

and that is just one example.

he said himself that he does not work as hard as he used to.

This is normal. He has so much mileage on him, he's not going to be as physically intense as he used to (but he's still in supreme physical condition). As a result, he's better off working on other aspects of his game that would compensate (ie finish points quicker and be more offensive... thus working on his serve, being more aggressive with the backhand, etc...).

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

excellent points general broken.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

Rafa's will and desire is what makes him great. He wants to the be the greatest and he has no desire to loose. Its very evident with all the training, heavy practice sessions, the willingness to fix what may not be broken(the constant tweak of his strokes and serves) and will to put in the extra work at the net. :clap

I truly believe if Fed and Djoker fans had to answer the Question: Who would be the one player if they had to choose someone to play the one match for their life.. it would be RAFA, IMO

 

[tented]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

he dropped his fitness to some extent. that was the biggest reason for some of his losses to nole in 2011. he started to run out of gas.

he had absolutely nothing left to give after that 4th set at the u.s. open in 2011.

and that is just one example.

he said himself that he does not work as hard as he used to.

He needs an Egg.

 

[JesuslookslikeBorg]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

Rafa's will and desire is what makes him great. He wants to the be the greatest and he has no desire to loose. Its very evident with all the training, heavy practice sessions, the willingness to fix what may not be broken(the constant tweak of his strokes and serves) and will to be in the extra work at the net. :clap

I truly believe if Fed and Djoker fans had to answer the Question: Who would be the one player if they had to choose someone to play the one match for their life.. it would be RAFA, IMO

except on grass no ?..he gave up this year. and last year he was a flagon of vomit on grass.

apart from that I might agree.

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

he dropped his fitness to some extent. that was the biggest reason for some of his losses to nole in 2011. he started to run out of gas.

he had absolutely nothing left to give after that 4th set at the u.s. open in 2011.

and that is just one example.

he said himself that he does not work as hard as he used to.

He needs an Egg.

I will take 2 of them.

I wonder how much that damned device costs.

 

[the AntiPusher]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

Rafa's will and desire is what makes him great. He wants to the be the greatest and he has no desire to loose. Its very evident with all the training, heavy practice sessions, the willingness to fix what may not be broken(the constant tweak of his strokes and serves) and will to be in the extra work at the net. :clap

I truly believe if Fed and Djoker fans had to answer the Question: Who would be the one player if they had to choose someone to play the one match for their life.. it would be RAFA, IMO

except on grass no ?..he gave up this year. and last year he was a flagon of vomit on grass.

apart from that I might agree.

snigger

 

[ClayDeath]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

the will and the desire alone do not make champions.

 

[ashwin#1]

RE: Rafael Nadal : What Makes Him Great

this guy is amazing. Despite my lack of admiration for him, i find myself always in awe looking at him.
Generally, when a player makes a comeback on tour after injury, I assume it might take a few tournaments before he gets back to his real game.
But rafa has always proved me false. It takes this guy few games ( in a set ) to get back his rhythm.
He has been away for about 7 months since wimbledon 7 months due to injury & now he has earned 9010 pts this year since his comeback ( even after missing the 1st GS ). He's the best player of the so far, no doubt !

For me, i believe its his love for the sport that makes him such a great player.