CAMELOT FANTASIES

order of play for tomorrow:


http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/schedule/index.html

order of play for tomorrow:


http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/scores/schedule/index.html

Thanks for posting the Order of Play. Looks like Rafa may be on around 1 or 2:00.

At this rate he can't beat anybody.

This is going from really bad to even worse.


He will keep dropping in the rankings.


He is just about losing every other match to players who have never won anything.

Well, TBH, that's a tough ask to play someone with that big of a serve and great volleys in the second round. When I saw the draw I expected it. Rafa usually, and always has worked his way into a tournament. You can't adjust that quickly in tournament play. I listened to Brad Gilbert's analysis, he's the only one that I will listen to, and one the main problems was Rafa not moving back on the first serve. He shouldn't have hugged the baseline so hard. I don't care about rankings and streaks and all of that stuff. While nice, they don't amount to a hill of beans, IMO.

If they look back at this match I think they'll come to the conclusion that some big hitters Rafa needs to move back farther to start the point. The other big hitters he's more used to so he's learned how to deal with them. But, with a mercurial, eclectic player like Dustin, who he's not used to he'll have to make some adjustments.

It's not a tragedy and as he works on what he needs to work on, Rafa will be fine. He's just a human being and he's the only one who can't catch a break. He was #10 coming in, he won't lose too many points since he went out in the fourth round last year. He has the rest of the season to get things back in gear with no points to defend.

Even being off for six months he was still in the Top Ten and had more points than many of the others in the Top Ten. People have to give Rafa a break and quit expecting miracles. He's got to build himself back up, because he's older than he was when he could just spring back. Anyway, it's life and it's sports. You have to take the good with the bad.

Rafa will be fine. I'm fine with the loss and I thought Dustin had a great interview.

Now, Rafa can actually work on some things without all the pressure.

What pressure?


He says he deserves to be number 10.


How can there be pressure?


He said slams are not important.


He is losing for one simple reason:


He does not want it bad enough.


He won't put in the time in the practice courts.


He simply refuses to work on his game and his fitness.

If all of the parts aren't working then that's true. I think he should be number ten too, based on the way he's playing. Maybe he needs more time this time around. Sometimes your best efforts aren't enough. It's happens. Everyone has lulls. It's a part of life and a part of sports. I loved his interview I thought it was very honest.

I'm not into brash talking about future events. In the end it doesn't matter what a person says anyway, but what's going to be is going to be. The first person you have to be honest with is yourself. That's what makes Rafa a great champion. He's not worried about what others say and think, he's worried about himself and that's the way it should be.

Why would he be concentrating on slams and legacy at this point? He's got to get his game back first. He has to work on his concentration, his fitness, his backhand, his reaction time, his decision-making in the big moments. He's got a lot to work on. To take time away from that to worry about the slam haul would be crazy, to me. That's running before you walk. The reality is that at first you're going to be wobbly, then you'll gain your footing, only then can you run.

Andy had his dip when he came back and it took a while. Now he's back playing his best tennis.

Federer had his struggles in 2012, and now he's back.

Novak hasn't won multiple slams since 2011, and he's been healthy.

Everyone has their down times and when they do, you have to accept because you know what's inside of you even if others don't.

It's a mixed feelings day for me.  I was happy to see Federer play well against the big serving 6' 6" tall American Sam Querrey.  His forehand was the best I've seen it since he changed his racquet.  It had real pop on it and he was consistently banging it.  The rest of his game followed suit and at times he was playing exhibition tennis with his variety and trick shots.  Watch the tweener lob if you get a chance.  He won in a bit under an hour and a half, so that's two best of five setters played in about 2 1/2 hours total.  This is what he needs to go deep in a major at his age.  Well done to Roger, and condolences to Sam.

The flip side is the sadness I felt for Rafa today.  We knew Brown was a dangerous player with his high risk serve and volley game and dropshots and it wasn't too much of a surprise to see him play very aggressively in the first set and take it.  I thought Rafa fought back very well in the second set to even the match, even if he wasn't playing his best. 

But what was sad to watch was his performance after that.  To me, it was very plain to see. Nadal got tired.  He just isn't fit enough for a best of five set match, mentally or physically.  We could see previously in the year that he was getting tired in best of 3 matches.  Best of five used to be Rafa's big strength.  He had not only the physical fitness to outlast most players, but the mental fortitude to overcome slow starts and work his way into a match.  But no more, not this year, so far. 

The third set made that obvious. He was breathing hard after points.  He was looking confused on which shots to hit. Brown was toying with him at the net at times so much, I felt sorry for Rafa.  He couldn't come close to breaking Brown.  Then on his own serve he collapsed with consecutive double faults burying serves into the net.  As the match went on, Rafa was returning and hitting shots shorter and shorter in the court.  It was rare to see him hit passing shots.  Brown was beating him at the net.  I also didn't see a plan B from Rafa.   

Ok, part of this was the way Brown played. Let's give him his fair share of credit. He gave Rafa no rhythm and executed his high risk game very well.  But Rafa and Uncle Toni knew that would happen. He played him in Halle. They knew Brown's game.  Uncle Toni and Rafa should have had a plan.  If they did, it wasn't evident.  Rafa needed to serve well, and did at times, but once he started tiring, his serve went to pieces as well.   Brown is #102 in the world.  A player of Rafa's caliber usually is able to figure out a way to beat someone like that.  But it didn't happen, and I still say it was mostly because Rafa tired and then couldn't hit the shots he needed to hit to overcome Brown.

I believe Rafa needed to lob more than he did.  Too many of his shots were like target practice hitting at Brown at the net, and Brown doing what he wanted very close to the net.  He ran Rafa ragged at times tiring Rafa out more and more and making Nadal spin at times till he seemed dizzy.  I hardly saw any shots from Rafa go right at Brown at the net, and very few lob attempts.  Rafa just didn't have the answers.  He was outgunned and tactically outplayed and physically beaten. Sadly, I don't know any kinder way to say it.

Oh well, so Rafa is sadly out at Wimbledon for the 4th straight year.  But there is a positive. There are some clay tournaments after Wimbledon.  Why not play Hamburg, or Gstaad, or some of the others?  Let him jump back on the clay in Manacor and practice his butt off and get more fit?  I mean, if that is what he wants to do. At this point I'm not sure what he wants.  He says all the right things, like he is working hard on his game and getting better with time, but I still don't see it in his play.  To me, he is taking the proverbial one or two steps forward and one or two steps back.  I have not seen any improvement in fitness.  At best he can win straight sets in best of 3.  But when it gets to a third set in best of 3, or 4th or 5th set in best of five, he just doesn't have it.   So I see that as first priority if he wants to get better results.  Without fitness, talking about his bad forehand or returns almost doesn't matter. 

Oh well, I guess I should say congrats to Dustin Brown and his fans. He played outstanding.  Condolences to Rafa and his fans.  Maybe next year will bring much better tidings.  Federer had a poor 2013, and has rebounded. Murray a poor 2014, and has rebounded. Maybe Rafa will have his turn.  But he has to really want it.  These players are not standing still, they are constantly making changes and improvements in their games and fitness. And I'm not only talking about the top 4.  The other players are seeing they have chances if they can do the hard work.  So if Rafa wants to stay in the hunt, he needs to do the same.  He can do it.  It's up to him really.

Respectfully,
masterclass

Quote from: Clay Death on July 02, 2015, 02:56:21 pm

What pressure?


He says he deserves to be number 10.


How can there be pressure?


He said slams are not important.


He is losing for one simple reason:


He does not want it bad enough.


He won't put in the time in the practice courts.


He simply refuses to work on his game and his fitness.

If all of the parts aren't working then that's true. I think he should be number ten too, based on the way he's playing. Maybe he needs more time this time around. Sometimes your best efforts aren't enough. It's happens. Everyone has lulls. It's a part of life and a part of sports. I loved his interview I thought it was very honest.

I'm not into brash talking about future events. In the end it doesn't matter what a person says anyway, but what's going to be is going to be. The first person you have to be honest with is yourself. That's what makes Rafa a great champion. He's not worried about what others say and think, he's worried about himself and that's the way it should be.

Why would he be concentrating on slams and legacy at this point? He's got to get his game back first. He has to work on his concentration, his fitness, his backhand, his reaction time, his decision-making in the big moments. He's got a lot to work on. To take time away from that to worry about the slam haul would be crazy, to me. That's running before you walk. The reality is that at first you're going to be wobbly, then you'll gain your footing, only then can you run.

Andy had his dip when he came back and it took a while. Now he's back playing his best tennis.

Federer had his struggles in 2013, and now he's back.

Novak hasn't won multiple slams since 2011, and he's been healthy.

Everyone has their down times and when they do, you have to accept because you know what's inside of you even if others don't.

Agreed Lady TT,  well said. He can do it if the mind and body are willing. 

Respectfully,
masterclass

people who see him up close at the tournaments say he looks horribly unfit and even soft.



that does not take a rocket scientist to figure that out. you can just watch his matches.


he is worn out after 40 minutes of play.


he was very lucky last year to take RG. he lost just 2 sets and took the final in 4 but was totally spent anyway.

his hand started cramping and he even threw up. he could not even hold the trophy.



this is not new. I saw all this coming well over 2 years ago.



my indicator was the long rally. he started to lose the long rallies.


he also started spending more time in between points. you could just see him double over from time to time.

he started to tire far sooner than he ever had.


but he had the fight so he kept fighting.



he faced nobody ranked higher than #53 in rio and should have actually lost that match. Pablo had 4 match points.



again rafa got very lucky. nole suffered from some self belief and rafa came to fight.



now rafa does not fight. tony called it right when he said that rafa just check out in the middle of the match.



what he was really trying to say was that rafa runs out of gas and stops what little fight he is bringing these days.



and of course tony had to stop saying that in order to be more optimistic and more positive for Rafa.   


this is why he said that rafa's level was good enough to win at RG. it was not quite obviously.


tony would say the same thing about Wimbledon. he said rafa was one of the favorites for Wimbledon.



but that good for public consumption and for the fans and the sponsors.




you cant escape the bottom line: rafa is not putting in the work on the fitness front and on the practice courts.


he just does not care enough to go out there fight them to death anymore.



he does not care to win.




this is a much tougher reality on me because I have suffered through this for over 2 years. it is painful for me see this.


I do not watch rafa play anymore. I know his game and his fitness level better than anyone on the planet.


I know what is going to happen. I just cant bear to watch it.




I knew exactly what was going to happen well over 2 years ago. he was going to lose his ground game and his fitness and his physicality.

and injuries were going to expedite that process and they did.


it did not have to end this way. he could have still been on top with better training, better fitness, and better scheduling.




also people are not getting this. this is not a normal up and down thing. this is not a slump.


he simply refuses to fix his fitness and his game.


more on this later.

Why do you think he let his fitness go? When did you first begin to notice it, and did you think he just wasn't practicing hard enough? 

Ive noticed that you and masterclass said that you saw it two years ago. 2013? or 2012? I also remember you all saying that he wasn't listening to anybody.

But there's also a mental aspect. Everthing starts in the mind. Why wouldn't he want to put the hard yards in? I'm confused.