Rafael Nadal

[Lucas]

Rafa's most dominant performances in best of five sets
Three of less games lost.

Roland Garros 2017 R32 (3)Nadal d. Nikoloz Basilashvili 6-0 6-1 6-0
Roland Garros 2012 R16 (2)Nadal d. (13)Juan Monaco 6-2 6-0 6-0
Davis Cup 2009 WG R1: ESP vs SRB Clay Nadal d. Janko Tipsarevic 6-1 6-0 6-2
Roland Garros 2008 R16 (2)Nadal d. (22)Fernando Verdasco 6-1 6-0 6-2

[DUN I LOVE]

Nadszedł ten dzień.

Rafa kończy dziś 31 lat. Najlepszego.

Szybko minęło. Niedawno w 19. urodziny grał z RF w semi RG05.

[arti]

Rafael Nadal Celebrates 31st Birthday

Spoiler:

Happy birthday, Rafa!

It’s been 15 years since Rafael Nadal’s first tour-level win, close to half a lifetime ago when his star began to burn bright. But now on his 31st birthday, once an indicator of the twilight of a player’s career, it is nothing more than a number. In the midst of a resurgent rise to the pinnacle of the sport, Nadal is proving that he still has the passion, desire and motivation to perform at the highest level.

The sublime Spaniard is celebrating his 31st birthday in familiar fashion on Saturday after advancing to the fourth round at Roland Garros for the 12th time in 13 years. As the clock struck midnight, Nadal added another impressive achievement to his glittering, legendary resume. The World No. 4 has become just the 12th player aged 31 & over to feature in the Top 5 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, since its inception on 23 August 1973. Moreover, he joins Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and David Ferrer as the only players to achieve the feat in the past 20 years.

Top 5 At Age 31 & Over
Player Career-High Year Reached Top 5 At 31 & Over
Rafael Nadal No. 1 2017
Stan Wawrinka No. 3 2016
David Ferrer No. 3 2013
Roger Federer No. 1 2012
Andre Agassi No. 1 2001
Ivan Lendl No. 1 1991
John McEnroe No. 1 1990
Jimmy Connors No. 1 1983
Arthur Ashe No. 2 1975
John Newcombe No. 1 1975
Ken Rosewall No. 2 1974
Rod Laver No. 3 1973

One of the greatest players to ever step on a tennis court, Nadal’s tenacity and unrelenting ambition are rivaled only by his humility and selfless approach to the game, win or lose. One of its most fervent ambassadors and a pillar of the ATP community, he holds himself to the highest standard and aims to promote and grow the sport through the recently opened Rafa Nadal Academy in his hometown of Manacor.

The ability to sustain an elite level of play, with the professional landscape constantly changing, is the biggest test of any professional tennis player’s longevity. Nadal is proving to have all the answers. The leader in the Emirates ATP Race To London entering the month of June, he has stormed through the competition with the help of Carlos Moya, a relatively new addition to his stellar team. Final appearances at the Australian Open and Miami Open presented by Itau were followed by a ruthless run at his clay-court playgrounds of Monte-Carlo, Barcelona and Madrid. With an unwavering passion and commitment to his craft in the face of adversity, the Spaniard is refusing to back down in 2017, streaking to a tour-leading 36 match wins, buoyed by seven Top 10 victories.

Nadal has filled the past 15 years with immeasurable pulsating moments, since first crashing onto the scene as an audacious teenager with boundless energy and charisma. Even despite multiple physical ailments and injuries, he remains the same champion today and continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible on the court. Where many would consider a career with 10 ATP World Tour titles a great achievement, Nadal’s decade of victories in both Monte-Carlo and Barcelona are two of the most astonishing feats in history. His legacy on clay may very well stand the test of time.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nad ... ibute-2017

[Nadalito]

Rafa rozegrał wczoraj 100 mecz na mączce w formule best of 5:

RG 77
Monte Carlo 2
Rome 2
Stuttgart 1
DC 16

Skuteczność 98% (Robin i Novak )

[Joao]

Co ciekawe wczorajszym mecz z Gruzinem był drugim najkrótszym spotkaniem Rafy w historii jego startów w RG.

[arti]

[DUN I LOVE]

Jak już jesteśmy przy wieku, Nadal może za tydzień zostać najstarszym zwycięzcą 15. szlema. Będzie miał 31 lat i 8 dni.

1. Serena Williams - 2012 US Open - 30 lat, 348 dni
2. Martina Navratilova - 1986 US Open - 29, 324
3. Chris Evert - 1983 Roland Garros - 28, 166
4. Margaret Court - 1970 Wimbledon - 27, 353
5. Roger Federer - 2009 Wimbledon - 27, 331
6. Helen Wills Moody - 1932 Roland Garros - 26, 244
7. Steffi Graf - 1994 Australian Open - 24, 230

[Damian]

Nadal Nearing Best Start At A Grand Slam

Spoiler:

Spaniard could next face Raonic in Paris
Statistically speaking, Rafael Nadal has been more dominant during past starts at Roland Garros. But anyone who watched his latest commanding performance on Sunday in Paris might think about challenging that statement.
The Spaniard reigned yet again on Suzanne-Lenglen Court, rolling into the quarter-finals with a 6-1, 6-2, 6-2 victory against countryman and 17th seed Roberto Bautista Agut, who was trying to reach the last eight at a Grand Slam for the first time. Nadal improved to 13-0 against Spaniards at Roland Garros and 20-3 against them at the tour-level.

Nadal marches into the quarter-finals for the 11th time, joining Roger Federer at the top of the chart for most Roland Garros quarter-final showings in the Open Era (since April 1968). Novak Djokovic could create a three-way tie later on Sunday when he faces 19th seed Albert Ramos-Vinolas.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Nishikori Survives In Five, #NextGenATP Khachanov Upsets Isner
Perhaps even more impressive is Nadal's ruthlessness as he's stormed through the field this fortnight in Paris. The World No. 4 has dropped only 20 games during his first four matches, one game short of his best start at a Grand Slam. At the 2012 Roland Garros, which Nadal eventually captured, the left-hander had lost only 19 games through his first four matches.
For one more piece of Nadal dominance, consider his past six sets against Georgian Nikoloz Basiliashvili and Bautista Agut: 6-0, 6-1, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2.
“Nadal is at his best. He plays every point with great intensity and yields nothing. You try to take a few risks, and then of course you make more mistakes than usual,” Bautista Agut said.

Nadal, who turned 31 on Saturday, controlled his second FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Bautista Agut from the start. The Mallorca native crushed a forehand winner, his 11th of the set, to take the opener after 37 minutes. The nine-time champion broke Bautista Agut twice in the second set to race to a two-sets-to-zero lead. Nadal would finish the match on his racquet.
He will next meet fifth seed Milos Raonic or 20th seed and fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. Nadal leads his FedEx ATP Head2Head series with Raonic, 7-2, and with Carreno Busta, 3-0.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nad ... 17-sunday2

[DUN I LOVE]

Jak podaje ATP powyżej, mocniej zaczął w 2012 (19 gemów w 4 grach).

[Lucas]

[Damian]

Roland Garros 2017: 31. wielkoszlemowy ćwierćfinał.


The Indian Express

1. Roger Federer 49
2. Jimmy Connors 41
3. Novak Djoković 39
4. Andre Agassi 37
5. Ivan Lendl - 34
6. Rafael Nadal 31
7. Pete Sampras, Andy Murray 29

[Barty]

Niedługo post nr 2000 w tym temacie.

[Barty]

Uwzięli się na chłopaka.

Rafael Nadal is not impressed with the time violation warnings

He may be the ‘King of Clay’, but its quite obvious that Rafael Nadal is not impressed with the time violation warnings that exist today. The nine time French Open champion strolled in to the quarter finals of the French Open, after he trashed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets. But the match was marred by controversy, as Nadal was not happy at receiving two warnings for time violation. In the post match press conference, Nadal mentioned how the umpires should understand that players are not machines, and so some leeway must be given to them.

“I remember this pressure in the past, because I take time before I serve. I have received pressure when I serve. Sometimes I feel I’m under pressure during the whole match.

“If you want to play well, you have to let players breathe a little. We’re not machines. We’re not machines that cannot think. That’s my viewpoint.

“Of course I fully respect other views and other points of view. What else can I say? I’m telling you this with some type of sadness, because I don’t want to have any problems.
“But this umpire is, I think, trying, in a certain way, to look for my faults, my errors. This is the impression I have.

“What’s happened on the court will stay on the court. I respect him a lot.”

“This week was very positive. My level was good throughout the match [against Bautista Agut]. I won quite easily. Therefore, this has given me quite a lot of confidence. I have the impression I’m doing things well. I’m on the right track,” he said.

“And yet I fully respect each opponent and I respect the tournament itself, and each situation, as well.

“It’s not because things go well for you that everything is going to continue like this. You have to be ready to take the moment when you’re down, the more difficult moments. You have to be ready so that you can react to bad moments that might happen.”

https://thesportsrush.com/rafael-nadal- ... -warnings/

[Lucas]

Toni Nadal: "I Am Always Scared When We Win Easily"

Spoiler:

Rafael Nadal may be peerless on clay with nine titles and a 76-2 record at Roland Garros, but Toni Nadal still admits he feels nervous if his nephew wins too easily.
Nadal has lost just 20 games in four matches this year at the clay-court Grand Slam championship and remains on track to capture his 10th trophy without dropping a set – as he did at Roland Garros in 2008 and 2010.
“I am always scared when we win easily,” admitted Toni Nadal. “Then you have a close match where you are 4-4, 5-5 and you get surprised to reach that stage… The first week has been perfect or at least that’s what the results show. Rafael has won his matches more comfortably than expected.”
Former World No. 1 and 1998 Roland Garros champion Carlos Moya, who joined Nadal’s team late last year, agrees that it's been a terrific start. “It has been a great, great first week at a huge level and he's spent not a lot of time on court, which also counts.”
Both Toni Nadal and Moya feel that their charge is ready for the challenge ahead going into the quarter-finals on Tuesday.
“Before facing [Roberto] Bautista Agut I told him to be prepared for a tough match, do not get tense and play freely,” said Toni Nadal. “The result was clear [6-1, 6-2, 6-2]. Rafael made more mistakes than the previous round, but the ball is flying and everything is going great.”
Moya added, “He has a lot of knowledge and background in these kind of situations. He has been there. Once you reach a certain stage, if you have a bad day and solve it, like he did in Monte-Carlo or Madrid, then it helps. But I think it’s better if he wins the way he is winning now.”

Despite returning to top form during the European clay swing, including three ATP World Tour clay-court titles this season at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters, the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and the Mutua Madrid Open, Nadal and his team are taking nothing for granted.
“We expect a difficult match,” said Toni Nadal, when asked his nephew’s quarter-final against fellow Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta. “I saw Pablo's match against [Milos] Raonic and he never gave up, even neutralising a break in the fifth set.”
Moya admitted, “We are aware that a bad day at the office could mean going home. It’s true that having a good record helps, but Pablo is playing great.”
Nadal leads Carreno Busta 3-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, including two clay-court wins at the 2015 and 2016 Rio Open presented by Claro.
Should Nadal beat Carreno Busta, then he would face Novak Djokovic, the Roland Garros defending champion, or Dominic Thiem, who beat the Spanish star in the Internazionali BNL d'Italia quarter-finals last month.
Toni Nadal and Moya both expect a lengthy battle between Djokovic and Thiem on Tuesday.
“Thiem is ready to win,” said Toni Nadal. “Out of the last eight, he is the one player with more probabilities to have success. Obviously, he doesn’t have an easy path. Beating Djokovic is not an easy task and then Nadal or Carreno Busta will be also tough.”
“Historically Djokovic has played very well against Thiem, but Thiem is in great form,” admitted Moya. “I think it will be a long, tough and open battle – a match that people will love to watch.”
Djokovic leads Thiem 5-0 lifetime, including a comprehensive victory in the Rome semi-finals.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/en/news/nad ... 17-preview

[lake]

Typowe wujkowe zrzucanie presji.

[lake]

Roland Garros 2017: 25. wielkoszlemowy półfinał.




5. Andre Agassi 26
6. Ken Rosewall 25
6. Rafael Nadal 25
8. Pete Sampras 23

[Damian]

[Lucas]

[arti]

[lake]

Roland Garros 2017: 22 wielkoszlemowy finał, 10 w Paryżu.


rafaelnadalfans

1. Roger Federer 28
2. Rafael Nadal 22
3. Novak Djoković 21
4. Ivan Lendl 19
5. Pete Sampras 18