Will Roger repeat over Rafa this year in Hamburg?

Question

Its the same story last year with Nadal tired and Roger on a roll...Will history repeat itself?

Answer 1

Yup, I believe Fed will try very hard to increase his head to head count with Rafa. Fed will make a lot of experiments & adjustments in order to defeat Rafa & eventually capture the French or he may never will, just like Pete, not completing winning all the Grand Slams till the end of their career coz' age is catching up on Fed. He will be good for a couple of years more & a younger hero will soon emerge to replace him. That's what make tennis more exciting, for we will be thrilled to see if any new player will beat the records performed by the great legends & thus history will repeat itself.

Answer 2

VERY possible.  This clay court, and the best-of-3 format suits Federer FAR better than Rome or Roland Garros.  The smaller court makes it harder for Nadal to defend from far back in the court due to the shorter back court.

If Roger isn't complacent and stays aggressive, looking to move forward and finish at the net, then he has a GREAT chance to win.

But never count the bull out...Rafa consistently fights harder than any player I'VE ever seen.

I think Federer will win in 3

Answer 3

i hope nadal wins!

Answer 4

sadly,I think that we will not see a good game. Rafa has to be burnt out in every way after yesterday's magnificent match for which words fail me!

I have to consider myself lucky for having watched that match and try to think of it as the "real" final -certainly the best tennis of the year so far.

The trophy is alwys won by who ever plays the best match on the day of the final,not by whoever played the best tennis throughout the tournament.

This is not to be taken as a put down of Federer who is after all the world No 1 and who has kept the title for years!!! ...just that today he starts off with an advantage over rafa who must be mentally and physically burnt out.

Part of Fed's talent is the way he gets to the finals so "fresh" and it's not something to be sneezed at but should be seen for what it is - an indication of his incredible technique(minimum effort,maximum results).

Answer 5

I hope not.  I want Rafa to win Hamburg, the only Masters Series event on clay that he hasn't won yet.

Answer 6

Nadal will prevail in 3 sets

Answer 7

I don't think Rafa is jaded this year even after that 3 hour match against Djokovic. He will be on such a high after that match he should be pumped for the match against Roger today. Federer is well rested and looks like he has a decent shot at winning however I think he needs to serve better than he has been. I don't mind who wins but it would be nice to see Federer win today and Rafa win the French again. Lets hope it's a classic.

Answer 8

Roger Federer will probably beat Nadal in Hamburg, even if the Spaniard isn’t tired. If Federer wins, he will enter the French Open with the best clay results. If he does not, nobody died and it is still good preparation for the French Open.

First, Federer’s form in this tournament has been excellent, he is motivated to win his first Masters title this year, he has won Hamburg four times in the past, and this Hamburg clay suits both Federer and Djokovic’s games more than the clay surfaces at the other major European clay tournaments. As Federer said, he grew up playing tennis on clay surfaces similar to Hamburg. As well, Federer is playing better now than he did in Monte Carlo. Yet in the Monte Carlo finals he showed he already had the game plan and movement to beat or trouble Nadal, minus the inconsistent execution and ‘walkabout’ blips which allowed Nadal to re-take control of the matches.

Second, one three hour match is not going to sap the life force out of Nadal. Nadal is probably the fittest top player in tennis, or among the very best in stamina. That said, it would not surprise me if Nadal, if injured, takes the rare action of retiring or tanking tomorrow’s match, rather than compromise his French Open chances. Against Djokovic, Nadal appeared to lose a bit of his fantastic movement and court coverage towards the end of the third set and at times throughout the match (e.g., when Djokovic used drop shots). Why? Nadal’s right foot was not 100% healthy and he was not 100% prepared entering this Hamburg tournament. This was because Nadal suffered a badly blistered foot in winning the Barcelona tournament; he could barely walk, and was unable to recover in time for Rome (which he lost in his first match there). After Rome, Nadal had his injured foot drained of blood and was unable to practice tennis before Hamburg. Rustiness showed in his first match in Hamburg, when he struggled for a set.

Third, the Hamburg clay surface is never the best for Nadal’s clay court game. Relative to other clay events, Nadal’s balls remain lower, spin less and are slower in Hamburg. Even more so during the Djokovic match because the cool, damp conditions and the closed roof (no wind) made Nadal’s balls even less bouncy and awkward to hit, thus giving Djokovic more chances to look good for a while. Nadal and Djokovic played on a Hamburg clay court that was probably more similar in some ways to a slow hard court than to Roland Garros.

Nadal’s clay game thrives on the faster, sandier clay of Roland Garros (French Open), Rome, Monte Carlo and Barcelona. Why? Because Nadal’s incredibly heavy topspin, particularly off his forehand, bounces so much higher and spins more viciously on these other surfaces, which makes them more difficult to hit (as Tom Perrotta observed after Monte Carlo: ‘The Spaniard's forehand spins so much, and bounces so high off the court, that hitting "routine" strokes takes more concentration, and can lead to errors more often than one might expect.’)

Fourth, Nadal might suffer a letdown the day after after defending his No. 2 ranking from Djokovic.

Answer 9

no