CAMELOT FANTASIES

Soon it's going to get very difficult to tell Nadal from the lines officials.  Nadal is the one in the blue shirt...

This is one reason I'm unhappy with Clay Warrior.

This was his return position against Monaco, who might get his serve between 105 and 110 mph on a good day. I think I occasionally saw him leaning on the back fence when he faced some other servers.

He can't be playing this far behind the baseline against players  like Ferrer and Nishikori. 
They tend to hit flatter and more angled shots, which will just go by him if he positions himself so far back.

He also has been hitting too many balls short from this deep position. 
An aggressive player who is not afraid of Nadal will take advantage of that.

If Rafa had played almost anyone with aggression and consistency instead of Monaco, I don't think he would have won that day.  Rafa's game was awful, especially in the first set, which he still won 6-1, which should tell you something about Monaco.  Rafa has been somewhat better in his last couple of matches, but look who he was playing.  Nieminen and Berdych.  Nieminen is outside top 30 on clay.  Berdych loses to Nadal before he steps on the court and might as well be out of the top 100 when he plays Nadal.  Ever since Madrid 2006, where Berdych last beat Nadal and was booed off the court by the fans for his antics and got a severe reprimand from Nadal, Berdych has not won against Nadal in 17 straight matches.  I think one more match sets or ties this ignominious record.   

Rafa's confidence may be higher after his last couple of matches, but I don't know if that was the real factor anyway.  He had simply been playing badly, so of course he didn't have confidence.  Short returns, poor serving, favoring his backhand wing (running around the backhand), leaving too much court open on his forehand, and also missing simple shots that he would normally make 98 out of 100 times.   

He needs more work, more matches on clay, pure and simple, to hone his ground game.  Getting to the final in Madrid will help, and a final in Rome would be great for him.  I think he would still be a little light on match play going into RG, but if he can get past the first 3-4 rounds playing good tennis, then he would be very difficult to stop by the time he gets to the semis and final.

I know I must sound a bit harsh considering Nadal hasn't dropped a set yet in Madrid, but I try to see things as they are with Rafa and others, not as I wish them to be.  He's going to playing some good clay court players sooner or later and he needs to be ready.

Respectfully,
masterclass

You have such a dry sense of humor. I love it. Leaning on the back fence. That was rich! I don't think you're being hard on Rafa. You are right in what you're saying, so it is what it is.

I don't understand Monaco either. He's got skills, but seems to lack confidence. I'm about to give up on him after all these years. Total stagnation. I can't take it.