Ways to beat Nadal on a grasscourt

If you were playing against Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon singles match, what strategies and techniques would you use to help yourself have a chance of beating him?. I personally would look at trying out the Arthur Ashes strategy/technique which he successfully employed V Jimmy Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon Final, whereby Ashes kept on giving Connors no pace to work with whilst keeping the ball as low as possible such that Connors had to play a lot of his shots of his shoelaces/ankles. Has anyone else got any ideas for strategies which can be used for beating Nadal on a Wimbledon grasscourt?

I would try to be fitter than him.

Tenez wrote:I would try to be fitter than him.

But that is impossible as Nadal is the fittest guy that has ever played the game. In any case I am looking at more on the tactical and strategical side of the game rather than on the physical preparation aspects of the game. Any ideas Tenez?

All this strategy and tactics theories are to me non-sense when playing Nadal. It's like talking strategy when playing Karlovic.

You can return his server, or you can't, as simple as that regarding the latter. Regarding Nadal, you need to be able to rally with him, or have a great day at the office like Murray, Delpo and Federer can at times. THat means executing to perfection for 3 sets.

Djokovic, fortunately, has the safer but tougher option. He can rally with Nadal without fearing exhaustion. That is the key. It;s what Murray said. You need to be patient when playing Nadal. That means being physically prepared. His shots are better than Nadal so he has more choice to when going for winners.

No different than when Federer finally got the better of Hewitt. Once Federer could rally with Hewitt, his superior shot making ability made the difference.

Tomorrow the test for Djoko will be can he rally with Nadal for 3 or more sets?

Pull his shorts round his ankles?

In all seriousness Djokovic is going to have to play the whole match like Murray played the first set and a half. A big ask.

newballs wrote:Pull his shorts round his ankles?

In all seriousness Djokovic is going to have to play the whole match like Murray played the first set and a half. A big ask.

What are your opinions of Nadal's defensive abilities to cope with very low balls which arrive at his feet with no pace, and also Nadal's ability to cope with the low balls into the corners of the court which forces Nadal to fully stretch very low down in order for him to fully get at the ball and make a telling return back at his opponent?.

Tenez wrote:All this strategy and tactics theories are to me non-sense when playing Nadal. It's like talking strategy when playing Karlovic.

You can return his server, or you can't, as simple as that regarding the latter. Regarding Nadal, you need to be able to rally with him, or have a great day at the office like Murray, Delpo and Federer can at times. THat means executing to perfection for 3 sets.

Djokovic, fortunately, has the safer but tougher option. He can rally with Nadal without fearing exhaustion. That is the key. It;s what Murray said. You need to be patient when playing Nadal. That means being physically prepared. His shots are better than Nadal so he has more choice to when going for winners.

No different than when Federer finally got the better of Hewitt. Once Federer could rally with Hewitt, his superior shot making ability made the difference.

Tomorrow the test for Djoko will be can he rally with Nadal for 3 or more sets?

This is right. I actually think Federer is a tougher matchup for Djokovic than Nadal. This year, against Nadal, Djokovic has been able to stay in the point until choosing the right time to go for the winner, if this is a physical improvement or just choosing his moment better I don't really know.

That said, I make Rafa slight favourite for the final.

Be Roger Federer (but of course reach final first). As an almost equal admirer, I firmly believe that there is one more W final between the numbers 2 and 3. If there is a betting mechanism, I am willing to put a tenner on the result.

gboycottnut wrote:If you were playing against Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon singles match, what strategies and techniques would you use to help yourself have a chance of beating him?. I personally would look at trying out the Arthur Ashes strategy/technique which he successfully employed V Jimmy Connors in the 1975 Wimbledon Final, whereby Ashes kept on giving Connors no pace to work with whilst keeping the ball as low as possible such that Connors had to play a lot of his shots of his shoelaces/ankles. Has anyone else got any ideas for strategies which can be used for beating Nadal on a Wimbledon grasscourt?

Low balls and no pace doesn't work against Rafa - Rafa is one of the few players who can generate that spin on low balls with so much margin over the net and hit a winner. He also doesn't feed off the opponent's pace - watch his backhand. The crosscourt backhand sometimes comes as a shock to the opponents because he hits it with so much pace from a no pace ball.

The best strategy would be to blast him off the court - no long rallies. However, if there is only player who can win long rallies from Rafa is Djoko. We have an amazing match in our hand. I wish them both the best.

Haven't we got this the wrong way round ?

Wasn't A fully fit Nadal was supposed to be unbeatable on clay ?

Isn't Novak now the best player on the planet ?

Hasn't Novak won his last 4 matches against Nadal ?

I honestly feel that Novak is the one man that doesn't fear Nadal on any surface and for that reason I make him the slight favourite here.