Now Rafa, please get off the damn hard courts and back on the clay and hit your forehand for a few hours a day and get your fitness back. Go to South America and take a wild card in Quito or Buenos Aires and stay on the clay and get a lot of matches in. It's your only chance for another Roland Garros.
Should never lose to Verdasco up 2 sets to 1. Forehand and serve disappeared in the 5th set after being ahead 2-0. 6 straight games lost. Just hold the damn serve once more and you win. Shouldn't have even gone to the 5th set. Yeah, Verdasco red-lined, but he was making as many errors as winners. He was beating himself. But Rafa got very tentative on serve and let Fernando back in.
This is as bad as Federer losing in the final to Djokovic at the World Tour Finals after straight setting him in the round robin. Roger knew exactly how to beat Novak, but played too differently, too cautiously in the final and seemed afraid to win.
Looks like another AO title for Djokovic, unless Wawrinka or Murray wake up.
Respectfully,
masterclass
djokovic is working harder than ever even after being so far ahead of everybody already.
he simply stepped up his fitness in the off season. he is also working day and night on every single aspect of his game.
he did not go to india to fart around and throw away valuable time.
he does not need the money. the money runs after him.
the money runs after rafa too but he just doesn't care to win anymore.