Awwwwwwww ... it wasn't to be today Rafa.
“I think it was a positive week. I didn't practice in Mallorca, I just practised here before the tournament. Without much preparation, I was able to play in the final. This week is going to help me be fit for the next weeks."“I felt for moments in the second set, I played my best tennis of the week. So that's important. When I was doing that, I wasn't far off him. I need more matches to play with this intensity all the time. I need to be completely focused in every moment."“Hopefully, I can play another great week in Barcelona next week [and] play some matches that will keep helping to put me in the 100 per cent physical conditioning.”
That's the spirit, Rafa!!
Strangely, I don't feel too bad about this loss. I'm sad for Rafa losing the consecutive streak at one of his favourite tournaments, and I'm especially sad for my friends and all the other girls that went out to Monte Carlo to support him. And I'm sad that the odious twonk claimed a victory at one of Rafa's "happy" places. But you kind of sensed in his last two matches that he wasn't on his top form and his Facebook entry this morning claiming that he'd need to be "lucky" to win ... well, it didn't bode too well.
There's nothing you can say from Rafa's perspective about the start that Djokovic made - except that the 2011 Net Cord Fairy seemed to have re-appeared when she can just bloody well feck off again. But when you play a game of small margins, these things can start to matter. But Rafa rallied when the PoD was serving for the first set, and backed it up with a service game win to at least make the first set scoreline a little more respectable.
The second set started much more evenly, and at 2-2, Rafa broke and then took a 4-2 lead. If there's one thing I would say about that second set that ever so slightly disappointed me, was that Rafa then became too passive when he had that break. He allowed the PoD too much of an easy time of it when he served at 2-4 down, and winning that game to love and not having to face any particular aggressive play from Rafa in it helped him to regain a bit of his stride. Rafa again was too tentative and passive when serving at 4-3, and he quickly went 0-30 down and before you knew it ... the break was gone. But today did show that Rafa's play and pressure can get to Djokovic because he recovered yet another break, but to be honest, serving at 6-5 to try and take the second set was where an 8 month absence showed itself, if you ask me. I felt Rafa was rusty in that situation, and the nerves got to him. A poor tie break finally un-did him and sadly, there was no 9th title for Rafa. :(
But his tone and body language still seem very positive to me. He's not in his top condition, his 4 week break slightly worked against him here and his opponent is not streets ahead of him by any stretch of the imagination. It's good that he's in Barcelona next week, in a place that loves him and he can hopefully work out those pains and niggles and get some more matches under his belt. Five finals in five tournaments since his comeback is a fantastic effort, and let's not push the panic button just yet. There's plenty more to come from Rafa this clay court season. I feel it.
Well done, Rafa. VAMO8 on to Barcelona!!
Yes, definitely a positive week. But I thought he did practise in Mallorca, didn't he post some pics doing just that? Anyhow, it's all over now, and part of me thinks that maybe Rafa feels just a slight amount of relief that now that the streak is broken, he might not feel the enormous expectation of him to NEVER LOSE on a clay court.
ReplyDeleteI loved your analysis of it all and reading it made me feel better. Thanks.
Thanks Jackie, you're welcome. He did seem to practice in the days leading up to him going to Monte Carlo at Manacor cos yes, pictures were released. It probably wasn't very intense though.
DeleteWhy is it such a story that Rafa loses on clay? Players lose matches for God's sake! Anyhow, I still feel reasonably OK that Rafa can still take a lot of positives from today. I'm sad, but not down and out about it. :)))
Thank you for this article.
ReplyDeleteI felt sad, but it's not a tragedy. As Rafa says one day you win one day you lose. It's impossible to expect from him to win absolutely everything after such a long break. I know Rafa isn't in his top form but he always does his best
Odious twonk.....love it! Sums up everything about this Djerk :/ I wouldn't mind the loss so much if it was to anyone else, now we're going to be inundated with articles about the 'new' king of clay :/ As if!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Woofs. IW definitely took everyone's attention away from the reality of Rafa's situation. And he left IW with a limp, then a quick trip to the doc for a "fresh injury" (the back, perhaps?), but all that got lost in the euphoria of the HC win. In the Dimitrov match it was pretty clear that Rafa couldn't reach or twist, especially at net. And the mental rust I'd thought was gone sure showed up today--unless what we saw was simply the limited choices he had due to pulled back muscles. We won't know, as he's not gonna say.
ReplyDeleteIt just hurts that it had to be at MC. MC, dammit. Well, better there than Paris, I suppose.
But, as Rafa keeps saying, it's better than sitting at home. Every match that he can be competitive in is a gift. I hope he gets many, many more such gifts. For he is a gift to all his fans, heaven knows.
Good summary Wooffs, except unlike you, I do feel very badly about this loss. Yes, there are plenty of good reasons but it just makes me ill when Rafa loses to that 'odious twonk'. I almost wish Jo Willie had pulled off a miraculous comeback yesterday rather than what happened today.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of strange to see Rafa not able to draw on his usual well of intensity and crush his opponent when he had his chances in the second set. However, he's learned from the tough situation he was in in 2011 when Ugly was in his head and if he can get into top physical condition, his mental strength will be much better for the rest of the clay season. You're right that Barcelona should be good for him where he's so well loved and on top of that, he has his sweet BFF Marc! there with him in the singles draw. Yay Marc!.
I feel the same. I think that getting to 5 finals and winning 3 tournaments after 7-8 months off is just outrageously good. How many players can do that?
ReplyDeleteYes I am disappointed, mostly because he lost to Djoko. But then again I feel like there's no shame in losing to the world No. 1 after having so much time off.
I didn't have a good feeling about this event from the start after seeing him limp into the airport in Mallorca in that video. Match fitness & physical conditioning is a major factor in Rafa's play.
But the most concerning this for me is his intensity/mental strength. I feel like at Indian Wells he was able to really up his game+++ when he needed to, but yesterday he really was not able to do that.
I feel like his mindset was off this week. Perhaps it was all the pressure of winning his 9th title and also all the talk about how he has not lost for 10yrs, not dropped a set for etc etc.
He is still a great player and a great person so there is no need to feel depressed. A good outcome.
You're the odious twonk. Djokovic is a great player and a great champion and a great rival to Rafa. Rafa would be ashamed of you.
ReplyDeleteNow don't come to my site and call me names, that's not nice, and Rafa doesn't know I exist. You have your views on Djokovic, I have an opposing one, and if you don't like what I write here about him then I suggest you don't visit it. It's that easy.
DeleteOh, and at least try to be a half-decent Nadal fan and give Djokovic some credit.
ReplyDeleteListen, I can't be bothered. You don't like how I write about your favourite player? Well how about visiting a fan site of your favourite player instead of this one, where you can find all the credit about him you like.
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