Only Nadal has swept all surfaces

2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Nice records to have. It will be even better if he can have a clean sweep of AO, IW and Mismi; and Asian swing plus Indoor swing, He still has some work to do to make it more incredible.

Belovedluckyboy wrote:Nice records to have.  It will be even better if he can have a clean sweep of AO, IW and Mismi; and Asian swing plus Indoor  swing,   He still has some work to do to make it more incredible.

Give him 2016 before we write him off

hawkeye wrote:2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Hard court sweep??

He didn't win Miami, Shanghai or Paris that year.

That's a Hardcourt sweep in my books at least.

Basel too, if you can't take Fed's Basel, you can't have a HC sweep

legendkillarV2 wrote:

hawkeye wrote:2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Hard court sweep??

He didn't win Miami, Shanghai or Paris that year.

That's a Hardcourt sweep in my books at least.

http://www.vavel.com/en-us/tennis-usa/532799-2013-lookback-rafael-nadal-finishes-off-magical-season-sweeping-the-hard-courts.html

Nadal is the only player to sweep up the two masters leading upto the US Open and the US Open itself.

legendkillarV2 wrote:

hawkeye wrote:2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Hard court sweep??

He didn't win Miami, Shanghai or Paris that year.

That's a Hardcourt sweep in my books at least.

Yeah it was a poor season all round. He also failed to win Rotterdam, Marseille and the Dallas challenger. I won't take him seriously until he does.

It is really tragic to see such articles. They have a very funereal air, an impending demise.

No question Nadal's level at the end of 2013 was amazing. Still he hasn't completed the IW and Miami double and also has a big drop off indoors. Still Nadal till recently had become a monster on hardcourt a testament to his ability to adapt to a surface he didn't take to right away. Still even at his best I would rate him clearly behind Novak and Roger in hard court credentials even outdoors. In terms of indoors he is way behind those guys and probably behind Murray as well.

Henman Bill wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

hawkeye wrote:2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Hard court sweep??

He didn't win Miami, Shanghai or Paris that year.

That's a Hardcourt sweep in my books at least.

Yeah it was a poor season all round. He also failed to win Rotterdam, Marseille and the Dallas challenger. I won't take him seriously until he does.

Where did I say he was poor?

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

But you and HE can go right ahead. God knows this place loves it.

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row. This particular series of wins is even recognized with a title and prize money and Nadal set the record in points earned by his hard court sweep in 2010 winning the US Open series.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/Standings/Bonus_Challenge/

Quite an achievement

Actually Rafa started off quite well on the HCs back in 2004 and 2005. He was playing close to the baseline on the HCs and his FH was a relatively flatter shot. He had won two HC Masters in 2005 and reached the Miami final. Its just that after his successes on clay that he started to play his clay court game on the HCs.

No one knows for sure how he might turn out on the HCs had he continued with his HC game instead of playing his clay court game on all surfaces. Of course without a great serve he would be at a disadvantage compared to Fed and Novak.

So is this thread an obituary on Nadal?

I still want to see him trash Djoko at FO

I would be the first to admit that this last 12mths watching Rafa has been painful.. but even so I'm not about to write him off YET.. what I found to be a revelation on 606v2  is that for the most part even those who have never been and never will be Rafa fans are hoping to see him come back to somewhere near his old form if only to rattle a few cages.  I miss him in the mix but if it cannot be him I hope there will be someone soon that will turn the tide.
As for the FO.. as I say about ALL slams .. nothing is certain.. contrary to what would appear to be so

hawkeye wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row. This particular series of wins is even recognized with a title and prize money and Nadal set the record in points earned by his hard court sweep in 2010 winning the US Open series.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/Standings/Bonus_Challenge/

Quite an achievement

But equally is the Grass Sweep really an achievement given it's winning 2 tournaments? Queens/Halle? Which holds the prestige?

For me a Hardcourt Sweep is AO, Indian Wells, Miami, Montreal/Toronto, Cinncy, USO, Shanghai, Paris and WTF. That's a sweep and quite the impossible task in a season let alone doing that over a career. Don't think anyone has done it.

I don't dispute the achievements of Nadal or diminish them. Winning 3 HC Masters out of 6 and 1 HC Slam out of 2 in a year, for me that's not a HC sweep say compared with Djokovic in 2015 who won AO, IW, Miami, USO, Paris, Shanghai and WTF.

hawkeye wrote:
Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row.

Rafa was brilliant in 2013 but this is such a gerrymandered statistic.

Federer has held two slams in 30+ winning streak on the same surface.

Djokovic has held a slam with a 28 match streak on the same surface and then followed with a 14 match streak on another surface.

I'm not too impressed by statistics that depend on their start and end points to mean anything.

H'nuf. Know what you mean about those wanting to see Rafa back to near his best. I'm one of them. Never been a big fan although I think he's been a great player and one of the best fighters the game's ever seen.
What I - and praps many others - would like to see is Rafa giving Djoko a run for his money. IMHO the Spaniard is possibly the only one who can challenge Nole at the moment. The sport needs its great rivalries.

I think the prospects of Rafa challenging Novak again are practically zero. Is it currently 13 straight sets without even getting to a tiebreak? That sort of domination is hard to recover from. Fed and Murray aren't doing much better but at least look like they have some sort of game plan which could work if they executed well.

It just amazes me that you still think that the only challenge can come from the OTHER 3.
Do you wonder why the other players bother to enter a slam at all. ??
On clay ?? its a different story as Stan discovered last year... don't be so complacent as to think this tennis machine has all the answers ..

I understand why people would like to see Rafa at his best again but surely it would be better for a new player to step up?

We've had 45 renditions of Rafa v Novak!

Exactly which I what I have already said.. If Rafa cant, I hope someone else can

I just want to see Rafa back to form.. whether that means meeting Novak I couldn't care less

hawkeye wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row. This particular series of wins is even recognized with a title and prize money and Nadal set the record in points earned by his hard court sweep in 2010 winning the US Open series.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/Standings/Bonus_Challenge/

Quite an achievement

Almost as good as Roddick winning Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in 2003 with 19 straight wins (Roddick had to play an extra match in both of the Master Series). But, yes, Rafa is the only person to do it with 17 straight wins.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

hawkeye wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row. This particular series of wins is even recognized with a title and prize money and Nadal set the record in points earned by his hard court sweep in 2010 winning the US Open series.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/Standings/Bonus_Challenge/

Quite an achievement

Almost as good as Roddick winning Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in 2003 with 19 straight wins (Roddick had to play an extra match in both of the Master Series). But, yes, Rafa is the only person to do it with 17 straight wins.

Haddie-nuff wrote:It just amazes me that you still think that the only challenge can come from the OTHER 3.
Do you wonder why the other players bother to enter a slam at all. ??
On clay ?? its a different story as Stan discovered last year... don't be so complacent as to think this tennis machine has all the answers ..

None of the youngsters are ready to step up in the short term and, of the rest, only Stan could potentially beat him (everyone else would be relying on Novak playing 5/10 or worse). Novak's the best player in the world on clay - by a greater distance than on hard in my view. Nerves may hit him in the final again but it will still require a performance at an exceptional level to stop him.

HM Murdock wrote:I understand why people would like to see Rafa at his best again but surely it would be better for a new player to step up?

We've had 45 renditions of Rafa v Novak!

Who could we put forward that could muster a challenge? As BS points out apart from a red-hot Wawrinka, it's quite haunting the size of the chasm separating Djokovic from the rest.

Be good if there was new blood challenging the top end consistently. That would be a good start.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

hawkeye wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

Sweep is quite the statement. Grass and Clay I agree was a sweep, but given the depth of the Hardcourt tournaments, it's easy to get pardon the pun swept up.

Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row. This particular series of wins is even recognized with a title and prize money and Nadal set the record in points earned by his hard court sweep in 2010 winning the US Open series.

http://www.emiratesusopenseries.com/Standings/Bonus_Challenge/

Quite an achievement

Almost as good as Roddick winning Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in 2003 with 19 straight wins (Roddick had to play an extra match in both of the Master Series). But, yes, Rafa is the only person to do it with 17 straight wins.

Savour this moment, Julius. They don't come much sweeter!

Ha, that year in 2013, Rafa had a clean sweep at the NA HC swing, winning IW, Canada, Cincy and USO, ie 22 straight HC match wins. He skipped Miami that year. Novak almost done it in 2011 winning IW,Miami,Canada and USO but lost in Cincy final to Murray.

I like Rafa's 32 match winning streak across clay, grass and HCs in 2008 - from Hamburg to Cincy(SF).

Born Slippy wrote:

Haddie-nuff wrote:It just amazes me that you still think that the only challenge can come from the OTHER 3.
Do you wonder why the other players bother to enter a slam at all. ??
On clay ?? its a different story as Stan discovered last year... don't be so complacent as to think this tennis machine has all the answers ..

None of the youngsters are ready to step up in the short term and, of the rest, only Stan could potentially beat him (everyone else would be relying on Novak playing 5/10 or worse). Novak's the best player in the world on clay - by a greater distance than on hard in my view. Nerves may hit him in the final again but it will still require a performance at an exceptional level to stop him.

As much as I personally do not like his game, Raonic could well go deep into the FO. His overall game has improved greatly and he has been training on clay to help his movement around the court. He could cause a few problems, obviously depending on the draw. If his serve is on song who knows

It is interesting to look back on Rafa's career...as a fan or otherwise.
He started out much a more aggressive player in his youth. If you watch Rafa play #1 Federer in 2004 at Miami his tennis level as a 17 year old was amazing:



I mean look at those 2 returns of serve between 1:45 - 2:05 - when does Rafa play like that now?
So after 2005 he went more defensive minded which was a mistake in my opinion. However, he also had the foot injury which changed everything and we don't know if the more defensive approach was to protect that bone foot by coming forwards less than he used to.

But this difference of approach I feel curtailed the natural attacking ability he possessed, and this has hurt him at different times. I mean look at the difference in 2010 and 2013 when he went ultra-aggressive again...particularly at those US opens when he was serving in the 130s and standing near the baseline. This is the type of Rafa I feel can still make a dent in the game, rather than the guy who hangs 10 feet behind the baseline making him drop all his FHs short...and playing too spinny a game. He needs to get back to the aggression of his early days and mid-career and he can start to trouble people again. The problem is though that the "defensive years" have put a lot of miles on his clock...

Not only would we like to see Rafa play like that again I would like to see any player play like that.. when will we see a 17 yr old with that kind of talent, that is as hungry as that young man was.
I remember when I first saw him play.. totally gobsmacked asking who he hell is this kid.. I didn't even know his name or nationality he bowled me over and that is what he has done all his career... sadly it has to come to an end..but not yet Rafa not yet

Yep, agreed. How I wish Rafa would continue to play on the HCs the way he did back then. I think he would be a different player in that he would have better results on the HCs. His results on clay might be affected or might not, depending on whether he could switch smoothly from more offensive play on the HCs to more defensive on clay and then switching back for grass and HCs again.

I think Rafa's backhand was better in his early days. He hit it flatter, harder and deeper.

His game became less balanced as the years passed.

Yes, agreed all round. Maybe his later clay defensive focus which clearly worked (and I wonder how much his defensive style was influenced by Toni in this) went to the detriment of his all court aggressive game. But we wont see many 17 yo's blast onto tour and beat the #1 player in his absolute prime on arguably his favourite surface (9 slams on HC). At 17 he had a highly developed all court game and he didn't stand that far behind the baseline either...he was a naturally aggressive player. My personal feeling - and people may laugh at this - is that courts slowed more after even 2004/5...and it made Rafa take on a more defensive style because he was the best mover in the game at that time with ridiculous defensive skills. Had the HCs stayed quicker I wonder if it might have made him default more to that natural aggressive style. Its all conjecture of course but its not too late for him to become ultra aggressive again..and why not, Federer has done, and its easier on his legs as keeps points shorter. People have kind of written him off now, so why not reinvent himself, hit it flatter like he used to and just go for his shots...there is nothing to lose, or nothing left to prove either - other than he can be a major force again.

JuliusHMarx wrote:

Almost as good as Roddick winning Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in 2003 with 19 straight wins (Roddick had to play an extra match in both of the Master Series). But, yes, Rafa is the only person to do it with 17 straight wins.

So Roddick swept the hard courts. Of course I knew about his 2003 US win but didn't realize he won Canada and Cincinnati too. Great achievement   Didn't really watch much tennis back then but I'm surprised that Federer didn't do better that year. Just checked and in 2003 Federer lost to Roddick in Canada and Nalbandian in Cincinnati and the US Open. Funny that Roddick swept the hard courts but Sampras never did (although if truth be told even if Sampras had swept the hard courts would it really count if no one had witnessed it Zzzzzzz...)

In 2004 and 2006 Federer won Canada and US Open (but not Cincinnati). In 2005 and 2008 Federer won Cincinnati and US Open (but not Canada). In 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006  Federer won Halle and Wimbledon so he has swept the grass courts 4 times  I wouldn't be surprised if the grass courts have been swept a few times in the past as there is much less sweeping to do. In 2009 when Federer won RG he won Madrid (but not Rome or Monte Carlo)

Roddick swept the hard courts and Federer swept the grass courts but only Nadal has swept all surfaces

hawkeye wrote:

JuliusHMarx wrote:

Almost as good as Roddick winning Montreal, Cincinnati and the US Open in 2003 with 19 straight wins (Roddick had to play an extra match in both of the Master Series). But, yes, Rafa is the only person to do it with 17 straight wins.

So Roddick swept the hard courts. Of course I knew about his 2003 US win but didn't realize he won Canada and Cincinnati too. Great achievement   Didn't really watch much tennis back then but I'm surprised that Federer didn't do better that year. Just checked and in 2003 Federer lost to Roddick in Canada and Nalbandian in Cincinnati and the US Open. Funny that Roddick swept the hard courts but Sampras never did (although if truth be told even if Sampras had swept the hard courts would it really count if no one had witnessed it Zzzzzzz...)

In 2004 and 2006 Federer won Canada and US Open (but not Cincinnati). In 2005 and 2008 Federer won Cincinnati and US Open (but not Canada). In 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006  Federer won Halle and Wimbledon so he has swept the grass courts 4 times  I wouldn't be surprised if the grass courts have been swept a few times in the past as there is much less sweeping to do. In 2009 when Federer won RG he won Madrid (but not Rome or Monte Carlo)

Roddick swept the hard courts and Federer swept the grass courts but only Nadal has swept all surfaces*

* Rafael Nadal won Canadian Masters/Cincinnati/US Open. Miami/Paris/Shanghai/WTF do not apply. All other calls will be charged at the normal rate

There you go

Born Slippy wrote:I think the prospects of Rafa challenging Novak again are practically zero. Is it currently 13 straight sets without even getting to a tiebreak? That sort of domination is hard to recover from. Fed and Murray aren't doing much better but at least look like they have some sort of game plan which could work if they executed well.

Novak has been given so many fantasy wins in the future. He is unchallenged in fantasy matches and even fantasy slams. He has been given fantasy wins in RG 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015. Novak is the fantasy slam winning king. His fantasy winning record will no doubt be difficult to break and in 2016 Novak has a chance of extending his streak to 6 straight fantasy slam titles

Lydian, you are not the only one who think so. I have the same thought - that he became more defensive because he at that time already knew and felt the courts were getting slower. Had the courts remained quick, I would guess that he would remain as aggressive for he knew its the offensive game that worked better on quicker courts.

I watched his matches vs Hewitt in 2004 at AO and Canada; he was also doing more attacking and trying to take control like painting the lines for winners and hitting his big FH CC and DTL for winners.

I cant help but feel that Rafa was trying to modify his game to adapt to the slowing conditions too. He started out during 2003 playing in the main tour when the courts were still quicker than they are now; he even tried S&V during his Wimbledon match vs Paradorn in 2003 though with not much success. I could see that he's way more aggressive than he's now although there are signs that he is working to be more aggressive again (in his exho matches for eg.) Its still a WIP...

BLB

I'm just hoping there is life in the old dog yet but given he's been playing stellar tennis on the tour since 16yo he has a lot of miles on the clock. 2016 is an important year for Rafa...one senses if he cant regain a sense of who he was then he could "do one" in 2017. Personally, I feel he needs a new coach and has done for quite some time.

The past few months have been a great distraction for Rafa here in Spain he is launching his Academy which is at the point of opening and he has been involved in a lot of the preliminary plans . He is very proud of his achievement and rightly so the place looks fantastic
Our newspaper here THE EURO WEEKLY today has made quite a splash the man himself is saying
"I am going to be very engaged with it .We hope that it becomes a world famous sports centre"
The projected opening is rumoured to be  in May.

I am seriously of the belief that over the past few months he has had his mind on other matters.
Now the Academy is practically finished, and by God what an Academy it is, I hope that he will let his managers, trainers and directors, amongst which is Uncle T take care of it until he is able to take over the reins .... now get on with the tennis Rafa

Great info H. Where is it btw?
Good that he's putting back into tennis, but knew he always would.
Maybe if UncT runs that he can get a new coach...

lydian wrote:Great info H. Where is it btw?
Good that he's putting back into tennis, but knew he always would.
Maybe if UncT runs that he can get a new coach...

Lydian the place is fantastic.. the students will be living in a 5star hotel.. what a place.
I'm so pleased for him.. and credit to the fact he wants to put back what he has taken out.
I agree.. you take care of the Academy Uncle T .. let someone else take care of Rafa

5 star hotel? Blimey...who's funding that?
I googled and saw the place...in Manacor...quite impressive and can see they're offering scholarships to students from all over.
I would imagine this new venture with its Manacor proximity will consume Toni (and others in the team)...a new phase for Rafa beckons. Its hard to remember that he's still only 29 years old so really shouldn't be quite washed up yet, especially as he's missed a lot of tennis the past 3-4 seasons. There's hope yet...but he needs new input and focus on his game. Surely he must know that...???

lydian wrote:
5 star hotel? Blimey...who's funding that?
I googled and saw the place...in Manacor...quite impressive and can see they're offering scholarships to students from all over.
I would imagine this new venture with its Manacor proximity will consume Toni (and others in the team)...a new phase for Rafa beckons. Its hard to remember that he's still only 29 years old so really shouldn't be quite washed up yet, especially as he's missed a lot of tennis the past 3-4 seasons. There's hope yet...but he needs new input and focus on his game. Surely he must know that...???

I'm sure he does Lydian but the building phase must have been a huge distraction and after all we are talking of his future here.
I am sure that he is now able to hand it over to the nominated capable people that can take care of this huge investment until such time his tennis career is over.. but given how close it is now to its completion I seriously hope he can turn his mind to his tennis career whilst he still has one.. Otherwise he has a huge choice to make.

HM Murdock wrote:

hawkeye wrote:
Coming into a major on an undefeated run on the same surface is quite an achievement. A major takes 7 straight wins in a row. Only Nadal has ever held the US trophy with 17 straight wins in a row.

Rafa was brilliant in 2013 but this is such a gerrymandered statistic.

Federer has held two slams in 30+ winning streak on the same surface.

Djokovic has held a slam with a 28 match streak on the same surface and then followed with a 14 match streak on another surface.

I'm not too impressed by statistics that depend on their start and end points to mean anything.

Basically meaningless great rebuttal by Murdock. A telling stat gives a story or clear picture. I mean no player has pulled off the Ao-IW-Miami sweep as many times as Novak. Nadal has never done it. It's a cherry picked stat not really indicative of Nadal one way or the other. Nothing I would do a whole thread on especially since it happened two years ago. But poor HE has been grasping at straws and recounting glory days a lot lately.

socal1976 wrote:the Ao-IW-Miami sweep

There is no connection between the AO and IW/Miami. IW and Miami are connected but unless one of them manages to persuade the world that they should be counted as a slam they are just stand alone Masters. Nice for any player to win the pair. So well done to Novak who won the pair in 2007, 2011, 2014 and 2015 or any other player that may have won them both But without the run culminating in a slam it isn't a sweep in the same category as the clay court sweep or American series sweep or even the grass sweep leading up to Wimbledon.

But whatever. It's still only Nadal who has swept up on all surfaces.

Still only Novak that has won six masters in year, still only Novak to have won 5 masters in a year. I know you are getting desperate with Nadal unable to win a set against a rival of almost the same age but all these guys have highlights in their career you seem to look at Nadal winning slams after two masters in a row some sort of Holy grail lol. Cherry picking one statistical oddity and pumping it up above other accomplishments reeks of desperation for your hero to remain relevant when he hasn't won anything of value for quite sometime.

I think it's a fair point that Nadal's defensive play is a tactical strategic decision. He can certainly hit the ball hard. Just go to the net on his forehand and see what happens.

Although when Djokovic played through that streak of hard court wins against him, especially in 2011, somehow he wasn't able to turn back to that aggressive play when he perhaps needed it. Perhaps he was too ingrained in one style of playing.

His defensive strategy against Djokovic was leading to 30 shot rallies at the US Open in 2011 that would end when Djokovic hit a winner.

hawkeye wrote:

legendkillarV2 wrote:

hawkeye wrote:2008. The grass sweep. Queens and Wimbledon

2010. The clay sweep. Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and RG

2013. The hard court sweep. Canada, Cincinnati and the US Open

Nadal is the only player to have swept up on clay or swept up on hard courts. Of course there are no Masters on grass but it's proximity to RG and the short turnaround makes it particularly tricky to transition between the two surfaces particularly for a player that is coming from Winning RG the day before Queens starts. Other players have swept up on grass and it is likely that more will do so in the future with the extra time added between RG and Wimbledon but for Nadal the grass sweep completes his unique set.

Thought 606v2 was in need of a nice positive thread

Hard court sweep??

He didn't win Miami, Shanghai or Paris that year.

That's a Hardcourt sweep in my books at least.

http://www.vavel.com/en-us/tennis-usa/532799-2013-lookback-rafael-nadal-finishes-off-magical-season-sweeping-the-hard-courts.html

Nadal is the only player to sweep up the two masters leading upto the US Open and the US Open itself.

Codswallop (unless you are trying a sly wordplay on the meaning of "masters") - try Pat Rafter in 1998 and Andy Roddick in 2003.

I think what you mean is that Nadal has done it but Federer and Djokovic have not.

Who cares about the past, we can churn over his achievements once he's retired, but he's not TENNIS DEAD yet...lets look forwards. That said, we may be looking backwards at the rate he's playing at the moment!