Miami Masters 1000 Thread.

[temporary21]

First topic message reminder :

Cue the 80's music! Roll up roll up for all things Miami!

[Born Slippy]

Nando back in the groove in that game. If he can somehow get ahead...

[summerblues]

Well what other metric is there? I can assure you hitting the ball itself is not physically taxing.

LOL. I do not think many people would claim that tennis is taxing on the account of distance covered.

[Born Slippy]

You've totally lost me then. Why on earth do people think it is? Do you play incidentally?

[summerblues]

Yes! Vamos!

[Born Slippy]

Four forehand winners for Nando brings the break. Awesome!

[slashermcguirk]

Outrageous forehands from verdasco, you almost have to laugh!

[Born Slippy]

Tomic surely has his match won?

[summerblues]

You've totally lost me then. Why on earth do people think it is? Do you play incidentally?

I used to play, not much anymore. But I was never any good.

Clearly it is not just pure distance that matters - there is no way you ever assumed people were suggesting that, no? It is the running plus the stop-go-change-direction that add up to it. You cannot just compare a flat run against that on a mile-for-mile comparison.

[summerblues]

Two more holds?

[summerblues]

One more.

[LuvSports!]

Wow Rafa is imploding. Stll expect him to hold from mp.

[summerblues]

The moment of truth now.

[LuvSports!]

VAMOS NANDO!

[summerblues]

Yes!  Nando does it.  As always, very nice to see Rafa lose.

[It Must Be Love]

So so bad from Nadal, abysmal performance really.

[LuvSports!]

32 ue's. Too far back and way too short.

[summerblues]

Tomic was 4:0 up in the second set and now they are back on serve.

[slashermcguirk]

Well done verdasco, deserved it. Hope berdych beats tomic. Few players I dislike more than tomic

[Haddie-nuff]

Yes!  Nando does it.  As always, very nice to see Rafa lose.

Im not sure what I feel more sad about sb.. you or him

[It Must Be Love]

Yes!  Nando does it.  As always, very nice to see Rafa lose.

Im not sure what I feel more sad about sb.. you or him

This is what I was referring to last week

[Haddie-nuff]

Yes!  Nando does it.  As always, very nice to see Rafa lose.

Im not sure what I feel more sad about sb.. you or him

\
This is what I was referring to last week

\\

Does actually make you wonder

[summerblues]

Yes!  Nando does it.  As always, very nice to see Rafa lose.

Im not sure what I feel more sad about sb.. you or him

No need to be sad about either of us.  He plays a game and someone must lose every time they go on court - no tragedy.  Even less reason to be sad for me.  I root for some players, and against some others.  Rafa is in the latter category and he lost today, so it is all good.

[Haddie-nuff]

Even less reason to be sad for me.  

If not me somebody should.

[summerblues]

Even less reason to be sad for me.  

If not me somebody should.

But why?

[summerblues]

LOL, Tomic loses the second set in the end. He should have won by now.

[summerblues]

...and Berdych breaks for a 2:0 lead in the third. Is Bernie done?

[laverfan]

Well played to Verdasco.

Hope Nadal comes back strong on Clay.

[summerblues]

Oh Tomic, what a collapse.

[Born Slippy]

Think a lot of credit has to go to Berdych. Fantastic comeback to save the 4 MPs and a fabulous tiebreak to level the match. After that, there was no more fight left in Tomic.

[summerblues]

Think a lot of credit has to go to Berdych. Fantastic comeback to save the 4 MPs and a fabulous tiebreak to level the match. After that, there was no more fight left in Tomic.

Agree that Berdych played quite well at the end of that second set.  Still, Tomic must feel pretty rotten not being able to close the set out from 4:0 up.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Nice to see Rafa lose??. Well I could very well say the same about the other two top guys! Rafa wasn't playing badly but overcome by nerve. Maybe seeing Fed across the net may calm his nerve! He will be back to his best, just like in 2010, on clay. May not be as good as 2010 or 2013 but will play well enough to get back into the top level.

[laverfan]

Mental strength (to echo Calder106) is part of the package each player brings to the court. Separating it, IMVHO, is like separating Murray's second serve from the rest of this game. Is it realistically possible?

Of course it is possible, why not?  Is that not exactly what we do all the time when we classify players' strengths and weaknesses?  We do not just say "player A is better than player B", we also say things like "player A has better serve than player B" or "player A would be better than player B but for his serve" - i.e., we keep separating various parts of players' games.

We can just as simply say that "player A is more talented but player B is better overall because of other factors".

Strengths vs Weaknesses analysis does not change Talent, or does it? MfC says Talent is natural ability, mental strength is also a natural ability, which can be honed, but it must exist first, to be honed. Nadal is a prime example of such honing by UT. What is in your DNA is also 'natural'?

Overall v Talented is an interesting take. Are you implying Overall = Talent + SomethingElse? What is this SomethingElse - Physical, Mental, Spiritual, Metaphysical,...?

BTW, after Verdasco d Nadal, where is talent vis-a-vis?

[Jahu]

He will be back to his best.

No, he will not, Rafa is gone, but sure he can kick some nuts still on clay in obscure LatAm tournies.

[Jahu]

Nadal says he is suffering from nerves and lack of confidence.

Give some credit Verdasco you git.

[Guest82]

I didn't watch the final set, but the first set Nadal seemingly played badly on the big points. Not something you would associate with him.

His forehand was spraying errors too. I almost felt Verdasco was better off playing to his forehand.

[bogbrush]

Even less reason to be sad for me.  

If not me somebody should.

But why?

Quite.

I want Nadal to lose, and for once don't have to put up with the stupid stuff about it being to prevent him playing Federer. I want him to lose because I hate his way of playing the game; the time delays; the massive bounce driving players away from the Court (he can do it if he wants, I just don't have to think it's worth watching); the sideline coaching and other gamesmanship; the repetitive style of play. That's why I want him to lose and I probably always will.
Others will probably always want him to win. Many of those same people probably generally want Federer to lose.

I don't feel sad for them.

[Guest82]

Even less reason to be sad for me.  

If not me somebody should.

But why?

Quite.

I want Nadal to lose, and for once don't have to put up with the stupid stuff about it being to prevent him playing Federer. I want him to lose because I hate his way of playing the game; the time delays; the massive bounce driving players away from the Court (he can do it if he wants, I just don't have to think it's worth watching); the sideline coaching and other gamesmanship; the repetitive style of play. That's why I want him to lose and I probably always will.
Others will probably always want him to win. Many of those same people probably generally want Federer to lose.

I don't feel sad for them.

Some questionable gaps between points yesterday. At one point Verdasco had set himself, then stood up and looked at the umpire, before setting himself again.

He did get a warning.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Yes, Rafa will be back. Those who said 'No' is more of a wishful thinking. Bear in mind there's nothing wrong with his game, it's just his confidence that's the problem and it can be fixed. It's unlike players who are aging and couldn't win at the slams anymore.

It's fine that some don't like his game, just like I don't like some other top players game! As for wanting to see someone lose, yes, wanting some other players to lose so that Rafa can surge ahead of them, I certainly don't mind that, just like some who want Rafa to lose in order for him not to catch up with Fed, or for Novak to catch up with him. I also want Fed to lose more, so that we can stop hearing that 'he at 34 could still live with so and so....blah, blah, blah...' Seriously, I'm quite sick of that, when Fed lose, it's because of his age, but when he wins, we hear all the boasting by many of his fans.

[Born Slippy]

Nando hit the ball superbly in patches. The four clean winners he hit to break in the 3rd were immense. It was the best I have seen him play in some time. Nadal actually started well but by the end was playing very poorly. He did very little to put the pressure on Dasco in the final game particularly.

[Belovedluckyboy]

Nadal said Verdasco played well in the third set and so deserved to win more than he (Nadal). So, he's giving credit where it's due, perhaps Jahu should read his presser transcript before commenting.

[Born Slippy]

You've totally lost me then. Why on earth do people think it is? Do you play incidentally?

I used to play, not much anymore.  But I was never any good.

Clearly it is not just pure distance that matters - there is no way you ever assumed people were suggesting that, no?  It is the running plus the stop-go-change-direction that add up to it.  You cannot just compare a flat run against that on a mile-for-mile comparison.

Generally yes - when the primary energy being used is running I would have thought the distance being travelled over time (and at what speed) is pretty fundamental. Tennis is not particularly stop-go (football by comparison is very much so) nor, if your movement is good, will you be putting particular strain on yourself to change direction.

[Jahu]

Lack of confidence from Rafa when we all know he is so ruthless, unforgiving, and spiteful, is a total dreamland from him.

His bionic body is failing faster then his hair.

[Jahu]

Nadal said Verdasco played well in the third set and so deserved to win more than he (Nadal).  So, he's giving credit where it's due, perhaps Jahu should read his presser transcript before commenting.

I only read the headlines, life is too short to read Nadals excusses, and I'm not beloved or lucky like you.

[lags72]

Yes, Rafa will be back. Those who said 'No' is more of a wishful thinking.  Bear in mind there's nothing wrong with his game, it's just his confidence that's the problem and it can be fixed.  It's unlike players who are aging and couldn't win at the slams anymore.  

It's fine that some don't like his game, just like I don't like some other top players game!  As for wanting to see someone lose, yes, wanting some other players to lose so that Rafa can surge ahead of them, I certainly don't mind that, just like some who want Rafa to lose in order for him not to catch up with Fed, or for Novak to catch up with him.  I also want Fed to lose more, so that we can stop hearing that 'he at 34 could still live with so and so....blah, blah, blah...' Seriously, I'm quite sick of that, when Fed lose, it's because of his age, but when he wins, we hear all the boasting by many of his fans.  

I agree 100% that Rafa 'will be back', he is still a giant of a player, a fearsome opponent, and I fully expect him to be ready to clean up in the clay season - as he almost always has done. I guess what's of more interest to Rafa-watchers is to see how well he can do in the rest (non-clay parts) of the season. i don't think there have been too many years when he has managed to compete on the Tour for a full 12 months - at least not with any consistency of quality.

Meanwhile I can understand how you feel "quite sick" of hearing that when Federer loses, it's because of his age, but when he wins you only hear all the "boasting". I guess that's what happens when you attach yourself to a particular player, and one's perspective is perhaps skewed accordingly. Mind you, it's a harsh fact of life that all athletes eventually deteriorate with age. Many, if not most, of the great recent multi-Slammers (Borg, Mac, Sampras, Becker ....) called time well before 33/34, and I have a hunch that Rafa will too. Agassi and Connors were isolated exceptions of the last three decades or so.

And if you're sick of those Federer fans .....can you imagine how they must feel when they hear that Rafa's losses only happen when he's injured/about to be injured/about to have an operation/just coming back from injury/still coming back from injury .......

Personally I still miss Borg. Don't think I ever truly recovered from your early retirement, Bjorn (although the comeback wasn't good, it must be said ...... )

[Jahu]

lags, stop this serious talk man, still early for it

[bogbrush]

Actually, that's a good point lags.

What is Rafa's status? He had the appendix done last year but that's a nothing operation - surely that can't be any factor. Exactly where is he now, because he seems to have entered an era of perpetual recovery.... but from what?

[It Must Be Love]

What is Rafa's status?

Fit and healthy, and no one has said anything different as far as I'm aware.

[HM Murdock]

What is Rafa's status? He had the appendix done last year but that's a nothing operation - surely that can't be any factor. Exactly where is he now, because he seems to have entered an era of perpetual recovery.... but from what?

Age, wear & tear, and decline.

Unfortunately for Rafa, two of those three can't be recovered from.

It comes to them all at some point and I now strongly believe it's Rafa's turn.

[CAS]

does decline happen this quickly? He won the French Open and Madrid less than a year ago

[sirfredperry]

Rafa's form either side of the clay court season is becoming a recurring, annual theme.
  It's a real chicken-and-egg situation. Does he regularly do poorly outside the clay court season cos he's knackered from all his clay-court success ?
  Or does he simply HAVE to do well during the clay court swing in order not to go crashing down the rankings?
   As it is, I fully expect him to have his usual excellent performances on clay and to win the French again. As for the rest of the season - who knows?

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