Rafael Nadal

[Damian]

Hiszpan osiągając półfinał w Monte Carlo, poprawia kolejne rekordy.

-Rafa umacnia się na prowadzeniu w liczbie półfinałów M-1000

Spoiler:

-Poprawia rekord pod względem liczby półfinałów dla jednego turnieju serii M-1000.

Spoiler:

- Natomiast biorąc pod uwagę wszystkie turnieje ATP, ustępuje tylko dwukrotnie Federerowi.

Spoiler:

- Nadal w zwycięskim meczu ćwierćfinałowym przeciwko Guido Pella, stracił aż 5 razy serwis, co w meczach bo3 na ziemi było dopiero 12 razy takim zdarzeniem.

Spoiler:

[arti]

[Kiefer]

- Nadal w zwycięskim meczu ćwierćfinałowym przeciwko Guido Pella, stracił aż 5 razy serwis, co w meczach bo3 na ziemi było dopiero 12 razy takim zdarzeniem.

Spoiler:

To że wygrał wszystkie z tych 12 spotkań jest znamienne.

[Kamileki]

Nadal potrafił nawet wygrać bez straty seta będąc 5-krotnie przełamanym w całym meczu. Wczoraj zrobił to po raz trzeci.

[Damian]

[grzes430]

FEAR-FACTOR MAKES NADAL STILL THE MAN TO BEAT EN ROUTE TO RG19

Spoiler:

Nadal's incredible record on clay means he is the big favourite, even after another injury break

Rafael Nadal fist pumping during 2019 Indian Wells Masters 1000
©Corinne Dubreuil/FFT
There are still more than five weeks until Roland-Garros, and yet, as the world’s best players begin their clay-court campaigns this week in Monte Carlo, one name stands out above the rest.

For the past 15 years, Rafael Nadal has dominated the clay courts, winning Roland-Garros 11 times, Monte Carlo 11 times and Barcelona 11 times. He has been champion in Rome seven times, and even in the altitude of Madrid, he has still managed to take home the title four times.

With his 33rd birthday just around the corner, falling, as it always does, during Roland-Garros, Nadal knows he can’t go on forever and yet, after a blip between in 2015 and 2016, in the past two years he has asserted himself once more as the undisputed King of Clay.

Important to the Nadal mindset

Nadal begins his campaign on Wednesday at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, a tournament which means a lot to him. It is a love affair that began when, as a 16-year-old, he upset the then-defending Roland-Garros champion Albert Costa, bursting onto a stage he has dominated ever since.



In Paris, he has won 11 times, starting in 2005, with just two losses along the way, in 2009 to Robin Soderling in the fourth round, and in 2015, to a rampant Djokovic in the quarter-finals. Between times, he has won the title every year bar 2016, when injury took him out early on.

And even though it might seem a long way until Paris, what happens in Monte Carlo is important to the Nadal mindset as he builds towards Roland-Garros. The aura that he has built up over the years means that even though he has not played since the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last month, when he picked up another knee injury, he remains the one they’re all talking about this week.

“Rafa is always a very clear favorite“

“Other than one guy…it's always open,” said world No 1 Novak Djokovic, who began his own campaign on Tuesday with a tough three-set win over Philipp Kohlschreiber of Germany.

“I think Rafa always is a very clear favorite on any clay court in the world, and it doesn't change. He's still there. I mean, obviously depends how he's feeling physically. You know, I have seen him play here, so he's been here a few days. Seems like he's fine. If he's physically fit, he's definitely the N. 1 guy on this surface without a doubt. After him, it’s quite open.”




Kei Nishikori knows full well what it’s like to face Nadal on clay. Last year, he made the final in Monte Carlo only to be beaten by the Spaniard. Nishikori said Monte Carlo is a particularly tough place to play Nadal.

“This surface suits his game a lot, more than on any other surface, more than any other clay-court tournament because this one is a a bit heavier,” he said. “For the opponent it’s not easy to hit winners and it’s much heavier than other clay-court events. I am sure he really feels comfortable playing this tournament.”



Still a massive threat for the biggest titles

Craig O’Shannessy, an analyst for the ATP Tour and part of Djokovic’s coaching team, said Nadal has made playing on clay almost an art.

“Nadal’s ability to save break points is incredible,” O’Shannessy told the ATP Tennis Radio podcast this week. “It almost becomes the toughest point to win in tennis. You watch him do it in this series of tournaments, leading into Paris, and if he’s doing that at a high rate, when the big points come, the 0-40s, the 15-40s, the ad-outs, if he’s saving those…he’s basically unbeatable.”

World No 2 Nadal showed he remains a massive threat for the biggest titles on all surfaces when he reached the final at the Australian Open in January. He takes on fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista-Agut in the second round in Monte Carlo on Wednesday and though he knows his dominance on clay will end one day, he remains in good spirits, despite the injury breaks over the past 18 months that have affected his momentum.

Rafael Nadal posing with his trophy at 2018 Monte-Carlo Masters 1000
©Antoine Couvercelle/FFT
Nadal: “It's always like a comeback“

“It has been a tough year and a half for me,” he said in Monte Carlo. “It’s always tough to have a clear view about how I am because I had too many stops in between. I didn’t find the way to play three weeks in a row or this kind of stuff without problems, so it has been hard for me personally.

“Now it’s about working every day, trying to make small improvements in every practice because I had to stop after Indian Wells for a while again and start slow, so it’s always like a comeback.

“I started (practising) two weeks ago and yes, my knee is good, so happy for that. Now I need to work on the tennis. That’s the goal. I arrived here on Friday as usual, I had some hours of practice and I hope the competition puts me in the rhythm that I need.”



Everybody else is a dark horse

Traditionally, Nadal finds a way to win Monte Carlo and then only gets better from that point on, all the way to his beloved Court Philippe Chatrier, where he has been king so many times.

If he’s to do it again, his knees need to hold up and though he’s scheduled to play Barcelona, Madrid and Rome before Paris, he is ready to adjust if necessary. If all goes well, though, he remains the man everyone has to beat.

“In these tournaments, you must always put Rafa at No 1,” O’Shannessy said. “Somebody must take him out of the draw. As soon as he’s taken out of the draw then we can start talking about everybody else. All conversations start with Rafa, everybody else is a dark horse.”

https://www.rolandgarros.com/en-us/arti ... and-garros

[Damian]

Nadal Beats Pella, Extends Monte-Carlo Sets Streak To 25

Spoiler:

Second seed to face Fognini in the semi-finals
Rafael Nadal had dropped only nine games in his previous five sets against Guido Pella, but the Spaniard was forced to work hard for his 18th straight match win at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters on Friday, defeating the Argentine 7-6(1), 6-3.

"It was a very tough first set physically and mentally, too. Losing the first three games with my serve was tough. But I found a way at the right time," Nadal said. "I was lucky at 4-1, he had two points to be 5-1 and with 5-1 it's almost impossible. I was lucky to escape that moment and then I played better... I'm very happy to be through. Being in the semi-finals again here means a lot to me."

The 11-time champion, who found himself one point away from a 1-5 deficit on three occasions in the first set, is now within two wins of his 12th title at the Monte-Carlo Country Club. Nadal converted seven of 13 break points to advance after two hours and 20 minutes.

Nadal has now swept 25 consecutive sets on Court Rainier III since dropping the second set of his opening match in 2017 to Kyle Edmund. Pella became the first man since the Brit to earn more than four games in a single set against the 11-time champion at this event.


Nadal is now just one win away from his 13th championship match (11-1) in the Principality, following wins against Australian Open quarter-finalist Roberto Bautista Agut, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov and Pella.

Listen To ATP Tennis Radio's Interview With Toni Nadal:


The Spaniard improves to 71-4 at the third ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. The last player to defeat Nadal at this tournament was Novak Djokovic in the 2015 semi-finals. Djokovic is responsible for two of Nadal's four losses (2013, '15). The only other men to defeat Nadal in the Principality are David Ferrer (2014) and Guillermo Coria (2003). The 32-year-old will meet Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals, as the Italian came back after losing the first set to beat Borna Coric. Nadal leads Fognini 11-3 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series.

Pella did not show any nerves when faced with the prospect of playing 11-time champion Nadal on Court Rainier III. The Argentine raced into a 4-1 lead, attacking the second seed's forehand and moving up the court in crucial moments to break the Spaniard in his opening three service games. But Nadal found his way back into the set and, after trading breaks at 5-5 to reach a tie-break, the 80-time tour-level titlist charged into a one-set lead.

Nadal dropped only one point in a dominant tie-break, playing with consistent depth to force Pella into defensive positions. This year's Australian Open finalist fired a backhand passing shot up the line to earn six set points, taking advantage of his second opportunity with an overhead.

Watch Live

Once again, Nadal found the target with a backhand up the line en route to a break in the opening game of the second set. The 32-year-old soon doubled his advantage to lead 4-1 with an angled cross-court forehand and, despite failing to serve out the match, Nadal broke Pella for the seventh time to reach the last four.

"He's playing a great season and winning a lot of matches on clay, playing one final, winning in Sao Paulo, playing the semi-finals in Buenos Aires," Nadal said of Pella. "[It's a] lot of matches in a row for him and he has plenty of confidence."

Pella was aiming to reach his first Masters 1000 semi-final after an impressive start to the 2019 season. The Argentine, who owns a 17-8 record this year, advanced to two ATP Tour championship matches during the 'Golden Swing' in February. After falling to Juan Ignacio Londero in the inaugural Cordoba Open final, Pella defeated Cristian Garin to lift his first ATP Tour title at the Brasil Open.

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-p ... 019-friday

[arti]

[grzes430]

Nadal: 'I Played One Of My Worst Matches In 14 Years'

Spoiler:

Rafael Nadal reacts to his semi-final defeat to Fabio Fognini in Monte-Carlo
Rafael Nadal is the first to admit that very little went according to plan on Saturday. The second seed and 11-time champion suffered just the fifth defeat of his career at the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters, succumbing to Fabio Fognini 6-4, 6-2 in one hour and 36 minutes.

It was one of the upsets of the year thus far on the ATP Tour, as Fognini beat Nadal at his own clay-court game and in his own playground, cranking up the intensity and dictating on his terms. Over the years, the Spaniard has secured some of his greatest achievements at the Monte-Carlo Country Club, but on this day he admits he was not at his best.

"The vision was clear, but I played a very bad match against a good player, so in that situation, you have to lose," Nadal told the assembled media in Monte-Carlo. "That's what I did this afternoon. It was a tough day and he was a difficult opponent.

"It was this kind of day that everything went wrong. I probably played one of the worst matches on clay in 14 years. And today I deserved to lose because I played against a player that was better than me."

You May Also Like: Fognini Shocks Nadal To Reach Monte-Carlo Final
Nadal entered Saturday's encounter with an 11-3 lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry. He had notched six straight victories since suffering a shock defeat at the 2015 US Open, but as the wind whipped across Court Rainier III, tricky conditions compounded the reigning champion's struggles.

The 11-time titlist captured his 70th match win at his most successful ATP Masters 1000 event on Thursday, and would add No. 71 a day later. But No. 72 will have to wait until next year. Nadal says that while he always expects the best from himself, there are some days that it isn't good enough.

"I always expect the best, but you have to be ready to accept the negative things. And that's it. It's just an opportunity lost in a very important event for me. I'm sad for that, of course. But it's true that even if that was a good chance for me to start the clay court season in a perfect way, it didn't happen.

"We can talk about technical or tactical things, but it is the kind of day that the feeling is not there at all. When this happens, it is difficult to find an explanation for the rest."


It was just over a month ago that Nadal withdrew from the BNP Paribas Open due to a right knee injury, ahead of a semi-final clash with Roger Federer. He would also pull out of the Miami Open presented by Itau the following week. But, back on his favourite surface and in his familiar Monte-Carlo confines, he refused to drop a set en route to the semis.

While Nadal admits it is difficult to accept his latest performance, he believes that his game is still a work in progress in his return to action. Injuries take their toll, both physically and mentally, and there is never a precise road to recovery.

"I am coming from low moments in terms of injuries, and in terms of the mental side it has not been easy to accept all the things that have been going on," Nadal continued. "The problem is that sometimes we are used to being very, very solid all the time, and even coming back from injuries, winning and winning and winning, and things are not that easy.

"It is more difficult to hold the same level every single day when you don't have confidence in tournaments in a row or matches in a row. And that's what I needed. Even if I have been very competitive all the tournaments that I have been playing, all these stops create some instability... That's why I have been able to win all the things that I won, especially on clay. But it is always more difficult when all these things are going on."

Nadal will next compete at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell in the coming week. Seeking an unprecedented 12th title, he opens against either Marius Copil or Leonardo Mayer. A potential 2018 championship rematch against Stefanos Tsitsipas looms large in the quarter-finals.

View Barcelona Draw

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-m ... y-reaction

[Kamileki]

W latach 2005-2018 Rafa zawsze miał jakiś tytuł na swoim koncie gdy przyjeżdżał do Barcelony.

[Robertinho]

Nie wlewaj nadziei w serce, za wcześnie na to jeszcze.

[Kiefer]

Nie wlewaj nadziei w serce, za wcześnie na to jeszcze.

Dobra, przyznaj, że ta nutka nadziei gdzieś tam daleko zaczęła się tlić.

[Razing]

O zgrozo ona się tli co roku...coraz bardzeij

[Kiefer]

O zgrozo ona się tli co roku...coraz bardzeij

Nie prawda, rok i dwa lata temu nic się nie tliło.

[Kamileki]

Nie wlewaj nadziei w serce, za wcześnie na to jeszcze.

No dobra. We wspomnianym okresie (14 sezonów) 9 razy Rafa przez Barceloną miał na koncie tylko jeden tytuł z czego 7 razy było to Monte Carlo. Także największą nadzieją wciąż jest pan z Serbii więc polecam się modlić głównie do Novaka. Fabio w Paryżu raczej nam krzywdy nie zrobi. Choć kilka różańców na cześć Włocha nie zaszkodzi.

[Robertinho]

Nie wlewaj nadziei w serce, za wcześnie na to jeszcze.

No dobra. We wspomnianym okresie (14 sezonów) 9 razy Rafa przez Barceloną miał na koncie tylko jeden tytuł z czego 7 razy było to Monte Carlo. Także największą nadzieją wciąż jest pan z Serbii więc polecam się modlić głównie do Novaka. Fabio w Paryżu raczej nam krzywdy nie zrobi. Choć kilka różańców na cześć Włocha nie zaszkodzi.

[Razing]

O zgrozo ona się tli co roku...coraz bardzeij

Nie prawda, rok i dwa lata temu nic się nie tliło.

Ale taka moja osobista nadzieja niestety jestem głupi i zawsze mocno wierze że tym razem się uda.

[Lucas]

Nadal In Barcelona: 'What Has Happened Has Happened'

Spoiler:

Rafael Nadal walked away from the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters last week without playing in the ATP Masters 1000 final for the first time since 2015. But the Spaniard, who lost to eventual champion Fabio Fognini in the semi-finals, is ready to put the upset behind him.

“My personal opinion is that I played one of the worst matches on clay. It's a reality. There is no need to hide it. I do not see the benefit of wanting to deny it,” Nadal said on Monday after playing mini tennis with Kei Nishikori at the Palau de la Música Catalana. “What has happened has happened.”

The 32-year-old was playing in his first tournament since March's BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. On 15 March, Nadal beat Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals but the Spaniard had to withdraw from his semi-final against Roger Federer.

This week, Nadal is the top seed at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell and is going for his 12th title at the ATP 500 event.


“In Monte-Carlo, I took a step forward with how I was a week before. I lost a good opportunity to start the season in a fantastic way. But now I'm going to have another one,” he said.

“This is a very special tournament that is part of the history of tennis and of my own. I have another morning to practice, and we will see how we are doing. On a physical level, I'm more or less well.”

Nadal is 58-3 at the event and won his 11th Barcelona title – and third straight – last year. The World No. 2 even has his own court – Pista Rafa Nadal – at the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899, the oldest Spanish tennis club.

“It is true that I have not won any titles, but I reached the final in Australia, semi-finals in Indian Wells and now semi-finals again in Monte-Carlo. The year is not bad and I'm third in the [ATP Race To London], but with more problems than I would have liked,” Nadal said.

“The job is to find myself. During the last 18 months, I have had too many stops and ups and downs, non-tennis related. And when that happens, it's hard to pick up rhythm and continuity. But it is true that it has happened so many times, and that after things go well... everything that happened seems to be forgotten. I hope to be ready to play well. And if it is not here, it will be in Madrid, in Rome or at Roland Garros.”

Nadal will open against Argentine Leonardo Mayer, a 6-3, 6-7(3), 7-5 winner against Romanian Marius Copil. Nadal could earn a rematch against Fognini if both reach the Barcelona final.
:

https://www.atptour.com/en/news/nadal-b ... 19-preview

[Lucas]

[Barty]