What do you think of Rafa's performance against Novak?

Question

Novak played an amazing match and deserved to win in the end so all credit to the serb (even tho i still dislike him) haha Rafa played an awful first set match and didnt really get off to a gd start with his serve- a qualifer cud of won more games off Rafa then!!

Answer 1

Good on Djokovic, but i'd have loved it if Nadal won, but oh well he still gets the number 1 spot, so its all good.

Answer 2

well yeah, rafa is tired with his "32 winning streaks"

but novak have to fight with his self-esteem ..

Answer 3

he showed nadal can be beaten

Answer 4

wow its just one mach now people are gnna go running their mouth on how rafa dosent deserve to be number 1 well if ivo beat fedder dose that mean he deserves to be number 2 no it dosent god

Answer 5

Not a Novak fan either but I think overall Novak is better on hard courts than Nadal.  This is why I felt like if they met in the tournament Nole would win.

Answer 6

Nadal was just really tired from winning 5 tournaments in a row. Novak IS NOT a better hard court player than Nadal, when Rafa is well-rested and playing at his best. I think they both have the same amount of hard court Masters titles. Nadal was not playing his best throughout the tournament, except for the 2nd round. He put all his energy into securing the no.1 spot that he had nothing left in the tank for the semis - don't forget, he beat Murray in straight sets in Toronto, who had beaten Novak the round before. Novak will never win 5 tourneys in a row. He will never win the FO, Wimby double, he will never surpass Nadal in head-to-head matches, and he will never surpass Rafa in slams and Masters titles. Most important of all: Novak will not see no.1 anytime soon - this is Nadal's territory now and I'm certain he will finish the year in this position. Rafa is not a machine, and even Fed would lose after going on a similar match winning streak in the past. You just can't keep winning non-stop without getting rest.

Answer 7

Hard courts are Djoko's favorite surface and we all know that Rafa isn't the greatest hard court player and especially at the end of the year when he's pretty much burned out from playing so much full throttle tennis.Novak is a far better hard court player than Rafa and I thought maybe Rafa would make it competitive at least, but then again it was against an extremely good hard court player. I admit I'm a bit disappointed he didn't do better because he seemed to show improvement on hard courts but then again I'm not really surprised at the outcome.

Answer 8

I think Novak is good but Nadal just did bad today...

He did hit a ball into the stands.......

Answer 9

I just watched the match again, and i was amazed on how Novak controlled the entire first set and moved Nadal around so easily. It wasnt Rafa's best match but i dont think even at the top of his game, nothing could of stopped djokovich. he was a man on a mission. it all started with his fast and well placed serves. he worked his *** off and it definitely showed. dont worry nadal is still the best. im sure he will bounce back better than ever.  

Answer 10

Well I knew Novak would win going into this tournament, just a feeling. However, Nadal is not one to ever make excuses, but clearly the guy needs a rest/break. He is playing way too much and becoming the Bartoli/Jankovic on the mens side. Novak came out firing,a nd nadal tried to make a go of it in the 2nd set, but at least he fights and doesnt give up. I picked Novak at tournaments start to win, and still going with him against Murray. Even at The Open.

Answer 11

Im glad Nadal lost, I dont believe he's #1 either. Federer has had a pretty rough year considering he was sick with Glanduliar fever, that makes anyone tired and not feel well for weeks, months. And the're also the possibility of them getting it again a year down the track, it happened to one of my best friends.

Overall, Djoko played very well and deserved to win.

Answer 12

Novak's performance today was absolutely stellar and people forget that when's he's near his best like today that he's the current best on hard courts. Keep in mind he now has a 4-2 lead against Nadal on hard courts. It's so hard to say which one of the big three will win the US Open, which makes it all the more interesting to wait and see. I say Novak is the slight favorite, followed by both Nadal and Federer.  

Answer 13

Novak is proving to be someone to watch out for. But I don't think Nadal should be too concerned--then again, he isn't the best on the hard courts.

Anyway, Federer is Betterer!

Answer 14

I watched the match live tonight in Cincinnati. Here are a few observations.

#1 Novak played an incredibly crisp game and generally outplayed Rafa. His shots had so much pop to them that it's hard to believe Rafa would have won even if...

#2 he had something to play for. He's been on a tremendous win streak and has already secured the #1 ranking so other than the title, he wasn't playing for anything. That's not to downplay the Cincinnati title since it's one of the top 3 Masters tourneys in the world but winning that at the expense of his conditioning going into the Open and perhaps the Olympics (don't know if he's playing) is a tough choice. Still...

#3 Rafa didn't play a particularly tight match. The best word I can use to describe his forehand and backhand is "fluffy." Novak's shots "popped" and Rafa's seemed to kinda "brush" against the strings.

Anyway, that's my take. Like I said, Novak played so well, I don't know if Rafa could have won anyway. Novak also has beaten Rafa in 4 of 5 hard court meetings so there's something to say Novak's prowess on hardcourts.

Answer 15

I see humility in the way Nadal wants to be number 1...he doesnt want to grandstand as the new no. 1 on sunday out of respect for Federer...

Thats why he lost to Novak.....