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Author Topic: The Truth's Rant And Rave Show: Now In Progress  (Read 66394 times)

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'People who are writing off Rafa have small memories'
Mark Hodgkinson
June 25, 2014

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/318849.html#evcVoVYEFK6ZcYQU.99

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I can beat Nadal again, says Rosol
AFP 16 hours ago

http://news.yahoo.com/beat-nadal-again-says-rosol-110805340--ten.html

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These are the only two I saw, maybe I'll look for Andy and Nole's tomorrow, but I usually post whatever comes on my feed.

Rafael Nadal's perfect day at Wimbledon - Wimbledon 2014



Roger Federer's perfect day at Wimbledon - Wimbledon 2014



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I saw this on twitter. somebody posted some Rafa practice pics on their facebook page:


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.652656751477711&type=3&l=d0a70d6458

Nice. Did you hear them say he practiced with Big John Isner to get used to the height and serve? I hope it works! Although, he's already beat Rosol, they act like that didn't happen. Ho hum.



I missed it.


well looks like he was thinking ahead. perhaps he was expecting to meet dr ivo (the 6 foot 10 inch Croatian) in the 3rd round.

dr ivo karlovic was removed from the facilities today in straights.



anyway I saw Rafa's match today. he is not playing well.


he ran around too many backhands again instead of giving his backhand a chance to develop some continuity, rhythm, and consistency.

that led to giving up the court position. he also missed way too many forehands.


lets hope for the best. he just has to keep practicing hard on the grass and try to improve with each match.


if I was asked to rank the 3 big issues today:

1. movement: he is not moving like he used to on grass

2. backhand is too inconsistent

3. court positioning. that forces him in difficult positions and hence all these errors that he makes these days.



in the old days he was pretty much a machine off both wings.

and so fast that he could outrun a runaway steep locomotive.



if he can improve his backhand and develop his confidence off that wing it will also improve his return of serve off that wing.

now he just looks to try run around his backhand to hit forehand returns. that does not work well on grass since the serves bounce low and speed away.


he does not really have to time to run around his backhand.


again its a world class backhand. I have no idea why he is so terrified of hitting it.

This guy is analyzing the matches. Thoughts? He did Federer and Stan but, Fed played Lorenzi, a clay courter, and Joao is still a newbie, but I didn't think there was much to that. Klizan was 26th in the world last year before an injury and has had a steady rise in the rankings.


BRAIN GAME ANALYSIS

Brain Game: Rafa Shelves Favorite Pattern Craig O'Shannessy
 24.06.2014

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/26/Wimbledon-Brain-Game-Tuesday-Nadal-Federer-Wawrinka.aspx

Brain Game author Craig O’Shannessy will break down the big matches each day during The Championships.
It took only one point, indeed one shot, to know that Rafael Nadal was not going to have things all his own way at The Championships today.

On the opening point Nadal missed his first serve and his opponent, Martin Klizan of the Slovak Republic, reared back and demolished Nadal’s second serve for a forehand winner straight down the line. It’s hard to imagine Klizan hitting the shot any harder.

Nadal quickly fell behind 0-40 but escaped that game and would eventually win 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 after navigating some stormy waters early in the match.

Klizan adopted an extremely aggressive strategy built around his huge forehand, much the same as Lukas Rosol did in 2012 in defeating Nadal on Centre Court. But this time around the World No. 1 successfully adjusted by gradually removing his opponent’s weapon from the equation.

Klizan would hit 16 forehand winners for the match (Nadal 15) with 12 coming in the first two sets and only four in the last two. Nadal again and again simply refused to let him hit it. Klizan closed out set point in the opening set by hitting four big forehands in a row to force a forehand error long from Nadal. It took the Spaniard about a set to figure out that his favorite lefty forehand pattern through the Ad court was going to have to be downgraded to a secondary pattern to get through this match.

A clear example of Nadal’s adjustment was his serve direction in the Deuce court, where Klizan hit 13 forehand returns for the match but had to defend 49 backhand returns, often times stretched out wide in the alley. Nadal mixed much more in the Ad court with Klizan hitting 30 forehand returns and 27 backhand returns as Nadal was able to better match up his hard lefty slice against the dangerous forehand return.

Nadal broke for the first time leading 3-2 in the second set as Klizan started the game with a forehand drop shot that he could have easily hammered like he had done so successfully in the opening set.

The longer the match went on the clearer Nadal became with his game plan. In the third set Nadal forced 10 forehand errors from Klizan, who also donated another nine forehand errors The Nadal tactic of initially starving the weapon at the beginning of the point and then attacking it at the end was working well. Nadal didn’t win a single point in the opening set (0 for 6) that lasted longer than nine shots but won nine of 12 in the last two sets as he rolled to an emphatic opening-round victory.

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rafa has having some problems out there.

the problem is the return of serve.

rafa also does not have any depth on his shots and rosol is just bashing away and getting away with it.



I think rafa will get back into this match eventually.

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well he did it. we did say that he was not really going to be denied today.

there is still a lot of work to be done. Rafa is still not moving well enough.


backhand is shaky because he wont give it a chance to get into rhythm.


the return of serve improved today as the match wore one but the returns--on the average--still landed too short.


so there is much work to be done. hopefully he will improve with each match.


I know he can do a lot better.



http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/26/Wimbledon-Thursday-Nadal-Rosol.aspx

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rafa has having some problems out there.

the problem is the return of serve.

rafa also does not have any depth on his shots and rosol is just bashing away and getting away with it.



I think rafa will get back into this match eventually.

You were right.

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WIMBLEDON 2014
Nadal Wary of Tricky Wimbledon Opener
Wimbledon, Great Britain by ATP Staff
 21.06.2014

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/25/Wimbledon-Preview-Nadal.aspx


WIMBLEDON 2014
Murray Ready To Embark On Historic Title Defence
Wimbledon, Great Britain by ATP Staff
 22.06.2014

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis/2014/06/25/Wimbledon-Preview-Murray.aspx


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Nadal - Phenomal Point - Wimbledon 2014 (HD)



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Toni Nadal: “Murray with Mauresmo? He’s rich, he can afford her. Nadal is less rich so he choose me”
25 June 2014 Claudio Giuliani

http://www.ubitennis.com/english/2014/06/25/toni-nadal-murray-mauresmo-hes-rich-can-afford-nadal-less-rich-choose/

Rafael Nadal 'unfazed' by Lukas Rosol says coach Toni Nadal
By Lawrence Barretto BBC Sport at Wimbledon

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/tennis/28019054
Rafael Nadal is unfazed by his second-round match at Wimbledon which pits him against the man who beat him in 2012, says his coach and uncle Toni Nadal.

The Spaniard lost a five-set thriller to Lukas Rosol, who was ranked 100 in the world, at the same stage of the tournament at the All England Club.
The world number one, 28, plays Rosol at 13:00 BST on Centre on Thursday.
"That defeat cannot affect the match," said uncle Toni. "I think Rafa is better now than he was in 2012."
Nadal, who beat Martin Klizan in four sets in the first round on Tuesday, reached five Wimbledon finals in six years between 2006 and 2011, winning the title in 2008 and 2010.
John McEnroe on Rafael Nadal's opening win
"Rarely would you see Nadal this happy after a first-round match. Klizan was a dangerous first-round opponent. I have picked Djokovic to win this year but it is truly a pleasure to watch Nadal play. He has a tremendous volley but his movement is so key to him."
However, he has failed to make it past the second round in each of the last two tournaments at the All England Club, losing to Steve Darcis in the first round last year.
Uncle Toni believes Nadal, who spent eight months out with a knee injury following the defeat by Rosol, is in better shape this year than he has been for two years for the rematch against the Czech.
"It's a different Rafa Nadal than two years ago," he said. "A better Rafa Nadal. In 2012, he had many problems when he arrived at Wimbledon.
"Rafa struggled in every practice, he couldn't go down on his knees, which is important on grass, and his mentality was not good enough for that reason.
"But now he has good movement and not much pain. He is the number one in the world and that should give him some confidence.
"Of course, Rafa can lose because Rosol is a good player and he has a good serve, but I hope Rafa is good enough to beat him."
Rafael Nadal will play at Wimbledon even if it puts his knees at risk, insists Uncle Toni
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/tennis/article-2669195/Rafael-Nadal-play-Wimbledon-puts-knees-risk-insists-Uncle-Toni.html#ixzz35l9ZAz83
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
•   Nadal is two-time winner at SW19 but has twice lost in first round in recent years and has history of serious knee injuries
•   Spaniard beat Martin Klizan in four sets on Tuesday
•   Coach Toni Nadal says 14-time grand slam champion will always play at Wimbledon
•   Nadal's uncle insists his nephew is at full fitness this year
By Nick Purewal, Press Association

Published: 07:25 EST, 25 June 2014 | Updated: 07:26 EST, 25 June 2014
Rafael Nadal will keep on playing at Wimbledon even if it risks shortening his career, according to the 14-time grand slam winner's coach Toni.
Nadal's uncle said the clay-court supremo, on a revenge mission against his one-time conqueror Lukas Rosol on Thursday, will not countenance avoiding Wimbledon in a bid to lessen the damage to his long-term knee problems.
Toni Nadal said on Wednesday that the two-time Wimbledon winner has shaken off a host of knee-joint concerns to approach this year's tournament in rude health.
That's more like it: Rafael Nadal got off to a winning start against Martin Klizan of Slovakia on Tuesday
The nine-time French Open king suffered a first-round exit last year and second-round slump in 2012.
He has encountered pain when playing on grass in the past, but the world No 1's coach said playing and winning Wimbledon was a lifelong 'dream' that Nadal will not forego at any point in his career.
'Last year he lost in the first round, and it's the same - we want to play here,' said Toni Nadal at a Lavazza Coffee event.
'For us it's very important to play here, it's a dream for us.
'When Rafael was young my dream was that he could win at least once here. Every year when we come here it's a dream, and we'll try to keep coming.
'If we play bad this year we'll come back next year, so still we have a little chance to make a good tournament when we come here.
'When he's good, his knees and his body, then grass court is a good court for us, and he is good now.
'We'll always come back, the knees are not an issue in that, sometimes he has played with problems in the past, and we could do that again.'
Nadal will face Rosol, knowing exactly what to expect.
The Czech knocked him out at the same stage in 2012, causing a stunning upset, and Toni Nadal admits Rosol poses a tough assignment for his nephew once again - but confirmed his 28-year-old charge from Mallorca is ready for the challenge.
'You want to play here, and it's a special tournament,' said Toni Nadal.
'People said Rafael doesn't play well here, but maybe that's because people have a short memory.
'We made the final in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, and 2011.
'Five finals and then we have problems, with the knees.'
Toni Nadal joined Judy Murray and Goran Ivanisevic to hand out free coffee to fans queuing for Wimbledon tickets.
The coach of 14-time grand slam winner Nadal said humility remains central to his nephew's success.
'It's unbelievable when I see some players when they think they are so high in the sky,' said Toni Nadal. 'To be modest you need to be somewhere between special and stupid.
'Rafa is not special or stupid. Only the people who are stupid enough think they are high in the sky.
'Rafa is a normal man, he knows that if he were here now, he's just like you, like me, like everybody, no problem.
'It's not about being modest, it's about thinking how other people are. And Rafael is good at only one thing, and this thing is playing.'
Nadal is closing in on Roger Federer's record haul of 17 men's grand slam titles, but Uncle Toni said: 'We don't think about four more, or the record.
'We have many fantastic victories - anything more would be amazing.' 
Wimbledon champion Andy Murray pays tribute to rival Rafa Nadal: Nine out ten French Open wins might make him the greatest athlete of all time
•   Jun 25, 2014 09:21
•   By Colin Duncan
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon-champion-andy-murray-pays-3759975

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THE Scot has looked at Nadal's extraordinary record in the French Open and says his domination at Roland Garros is the greatest achievement in modern sport.

ANDY MURRAY knows it will be a truly remarkable achievement if 
he were to win back-to-back 
Wimbledon singles titles.
But even if he does triumph again on Sunday week the Scot admits he still wouldn’t be in the same league as Rafael Nadal, who got off to a winning start yesterday with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 6-3 win over Martin Klizan of Slovakia.

When it comes to multiple victories Murray feels the Spaniard’s domination at Roland Garros is the greatest 
achievement in modern sport.
Last month Nadal, who crushed the British No.1 in the semi-finals, made it a record-breaking nine French Open titles in the last decade.
The King of Clay has now won 66 of his last 67 matches in Paris – a feat his great rival reckons could make him 
arguably the best athlete on the planet.
Murray said: “I think it is the hardest thing in sport to keep getting to the latter stages of major events year in, year out.
“Why? Because people keep improving, young players start coming through, you start to age a little bit and what you lose means it becomes harder to improve your game when you get older.
“You can make up for that with 
experience and understanding of how to deal with certain situations. But, yeah, it’s a hard thing to do.
“You have to look after yourself. At the end of the day it’s a sport we are playing – so it’s not that hard!
“But for what we do yeah, it is 
challenging to stay mentally focused and sharp. For me, what Rafa has done at the French Open might be the biggest achievement in sport.
“For an individual to win a tournament nine out of 10 years, a tournament that is so physical, it is mentally very draining as well. It’s very, very impressive indeed.”
And while not quite at the Spaniard’s 
standards just yet, Murray’s own level of consistency at the All England Club has been exceptional. Winner and runner-up in each of the past two summers he has also made it at least to the semi-final stage every year since 2008.
The Scot has thrived carrying the hopes of the nation and he must do so again with our English cousins currently finding themselves in the grip of a summer sporting malaise.
Roy Hodgson’s boys will be on the first flight home from the World Cup, the cricketers are bumbling from one crisis to another and the rugby team have just suffered a 3-0 whitewash in New Zealand.
You get the impression Murray enjoys having the onus on him although after beating David Goffin in round one he is relieved he won’t have to answer any more questions about what it will feel like going back on Centre Court as the defending champion.
He said: “I’ve been asked about it a lot over the last couple of months. Even if you feel fine about it in your head and people ask you about it every single day it starts to become a bigger deal.
“Just like winning Wimbledon – every single day someone asks you. It gets bigger and bigger in your head.
“But I enjoyed it on Monday. It was nice. I’m glad I handled the situation well. It was a nice experience.
“I think Wimbledon will just feel normal from now on. I don’t see too much changing between now and the end of the tournament.”
Next up for the No.3 seed is Slovenia’s Blaz Rola, who beat Pablo Andujar in the first round, to set up this afternoon’s meeting.
The 23-year-old Ohio State graduate is the current American collegiate 
champion and has soared up the rankings after turning professional last year.
Murray said: “He’s a big guy. He takes chances. He goes for his shots.
“But he probably doesn’t have much grass-court experience because he hasn’t been on the tour that long. He’s going to do well, for sure, because he has the weapons.
“I haven’t seen him play loads but I saw him play his match against James Ward at the French Open.
“He’s a tricky opponent with his style and being a big guy he can generate power from the back of the court and also moves pretty well too.”
A stickler for doing his homework on future opponents Murray revealed there will be a slight change in his scouting policy now that Amelie Mauresmo has taken over from Ivan Lendl.
He said: “For 10 years Ivan didn’t watch much tennis, except for the end of Majors basically. He knew quite a lot about the higher-ranked guys, but he wouldn’t have watched Rola play before.
“Amelie, I’m sure, will watch videos and scout when she and Dani Valverdu get the chance to go out and watch matches involving future opponents.
“She did it at Queen’s. She went out and watched Radek Stepanek after my match with Paul-Henri Mathieu. Or maybe he played the day before – but she went out to watch him against Bernard Tomic.
“Everyone is different. Some people prefer to go to the court and watch matches live because you see different stuff. Some people prefer to watch video. She’s obviously going to do some things differently to Ivan.”
Following his comfortable win over Goffin there was an added bonus for Murray as he got the chance to meet one of his idols, basketball legend Shaq O’Neal.
The Scot, who is massive fan of NBA outfit Miami Heat, admits he was taken aback by the sheer stature of the man mountain, who stands 7ft 1in tall, tips the scales at 27st and has size 23 feet!
He added: “I saw him after my match. He’s a big boy, that’s for sure. He was huge.
“I didn’t get the chance to talk any basketball with Shaq. We had a brief chat. This was the first time he’d been to the tennis and he said he enjoyed it which was nice.”


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