Unfortunately Rafael Nadal was defeated 6-7(5), 2-6 by Novak Djokovic in the semi-final of the BNP Paribas Open today.
Rafa after the match:
The game was very close. I played well. It was a positive week. That’s the way I’m trying to follow.
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a forehand in his loss to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day thirteen of the 2016 BNP Parisbas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays Rafael Nadal of Spain during day thirteen of the 2016 BNP Parisbas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal of Spain in action in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (March 18, 2016 – Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images North America)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain in action in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a backhand volley in his loss to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day thirteen of the 2016 BNP Parisbas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a running forehand in his loss to Novak Djokovic of Serbia during day thirteen of the 2016 BNP Parisbas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, returns to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during their semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Rafael Nadal of Spain in action in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (March 18, 2016 – Source: Julian Finney/Getty Images North America)
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, returns to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during their semifinal match at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Indian Wells, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain and Novak Djokovic of Serbia pass each other in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain in action in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Novak Djokovic, left,of Serbia, walks off the court with Rafael Nadal, of Spain, after winning a semifinal at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Indian Wells, Calif. Djokovic won 7-6 (5), 6-2. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Rafael Nadal, of Spain, reacts after losing a point to Novak Djokovic, of Serbia, during a semifinal at the BNP Paribas Open tennis tournament, Saturday, March 19, 2016, in Indian Wells, Calif. Djokovic won 7-6 (5), 6-2. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain reacts in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Rafael Nadal of Spain leaves the court after his loss in his match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia in the semi finals during day thirteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2016 in Indian Wells, California. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
In the pair’s 48th meeting the Serb rallied from an early break down. He also fended off a set point on serve in the 10th game before getting the better of Rafa in the subsequent tie-break, clinching the opener as Rafa netted a backhand.
Djokovic made the decisive breakthrough in the sixth game of the second set, going up 4-2 as Rafa committed a forehand unforced error into the net. He then broke Rafa again in the eighth game to claim his 25th victory over his Spanish rival, converting his sixth match point.
Source: BNP Paribas Open
Congratulations to the Djoker for doing what he does best.
Well done Rafa for hanging in there and creating some magic moments. I believe Rafa just needs to clean up his game a little bit more, ie those balls into the net and those just long, and he will be consistently batting the Djoker for the big titles again.
Keep it up Rafa. Good luck if you play Miami. Don’t Let Up! Keep improving!
the pattern i see from nole against rafa is attcak his 1 st game break him create pressure winning 1 set and with momentum try to sail the next sets…..of course the the shot selection pattern from novak is evident with a added drop shot now and then lob….
whats happening with novak is not shocking when u go on to win so much and have good memories of previous matches against a specific opponent with known pattern for winning it always help in creating the momentum to win the big matches
so next time u play rafa remember just think of 1 set match ur playing and try to win the first set with proper strategy on shot selection ……..let win the 1 st set and the creat momentum to ur side and see what happens …………
remember rafa u need to hurt novak on big occasion
and please create more sharp angles on cross court backhands
vamos rafa vamos
always a treat to watch u ……………..u r so amazing player
Good week overall and Rafael positive and confident. He did many great things and should have won the first set. Now to move on and build on positives. Great competitor and so respected
again as i said before match on set point in first set novak did hit down the tee serve and rafa could do so much with that if he predicted well on that point
2 nd set 2-3(30-40) rafa served well wide and nole hit short but rafa not got closed to the ball quickly running inside the court and then hitting powerful crosscourt forehand or inside out forehand to make an impact…….
so rafa u needs to be little more alert & shot selection should be perfectly strategist beforehand
Rafa is doing good on hard courts
basel finals ..bejing finals ..paris wtf…abhu dhabhi….doha finals now indwell semis
U have to do it rafa on clay ……that’ s were u will gain complete confidence
Rafa I am so proud of you, you are the most honorable sportsman such a gentleman. I see you are improving and getting back to Rafa the best ever. keep on going keep on fighting you will get back to your best and no one can beat you when you are at your best.
As expected nole was on all attack mode from 1 st game but rafa resisted well he didnt allow novak to dictate terms ….
i hate if but rafa should have serve more tactically and played well in 3 rd game after having break of serve……
since u have to now grab the opportunity against this man and dont lose it
rafa has set point and chance in tie break
So its all about momentum …….in 2nd set momentum was with nole after winning 1st game and kept his attacking game to rafa
if rafa could have won 1set momentum would be with rafa and he could have played freely
U cant make few mistakes against a man whose ball somehow find the line…and every corner
so just let go rafa u were good take that from tournament ……u made nole a little nervous in 1 st set
And big thing is u were able to win ur own games which was longing for some time ib 2 nd set i am defintely sure this will help u in upcoming tournaments
I guess u should used more cross court backhands or inside out forehands instead of pushing ball with backhand down the line
The net game u need to improve
So continue on same path ….as u said this was one positive week …..in a big tournament
As i alwys said it is u and stan who can beat nole even in this form and i will amintain that
Come the next time i am sure u will find solutions ……loved ur attitude today just play with that attitude this season……
Next time u play him play more tactically with less unforced error
Vamos rafa vamos
Today’s match was tennis as its best, and only because Rafa forced the best out of Nole – no matter the result, Rafa was still a big winner today, because of his ability to elevate the level of the game. Nole is at his peak right now, and based on today’s performance, Rafa could have beaten anybody else not at Nole’s level.
The crowd were on their feet for more than half the match, because Rafa refused to give up, fought every point, and took every point to lengthy rallies. Watch for a very boring final where every point is scored on 2 or 3 shots. This is Rafa’s best quality, that he provides a level ao athleticism and entertainment, and it is why his fans love him, regardless of whether he wins or not.
There will be negative comments from people upset that Rafa lost – those are the losers, the gambling addicts, junkies, who wager money on Rafa, hoping to score a big one because the odds were 1-6 against Rafa. Well if you lost money on today’s match because you’re a gambling addict who lost money then, a) you are a loser, b) you’re on the wrong site and c) you’re a loser!
Well done on a splendid effort, and thank you for a great, athletic and entertaining match!
What a great tournament for Rafa. He excelled in all his matches. Although he lost
to Novak, the match was very competitive. Rafa certainly generated all the excitement in that match. The tie-break was so close. I wasn’t disappointed with the result today because this entire tournament was a true test that Rafa is back to his original level.
Since Novak is #1 I think it will take a couple of different style players to ultimately
knock him off his perch. Not just Rafa. In the meantime, I am so delighted with
all of Rafa’s improvements and accomplishments this week. I also agree, win or lose,
Rafa is, indeed, the best.
It was a decent match by Rafa. Very close to winning that first set. He plays the right way but at the moment he cannot keep it up for long enough. If he plays like he did today he would probably beat everybody but Novak.
Like I wrote yesterday, the changes Rafa is making will need some more time to really stick and the end product will probably be his form before Roland Garros. It’s a step in the right direction and Novak really had to produce something special today.
The serve against Novak either has to be an ace or a serve with not a lot of pace on it/ really good placement. If you have a lot of pace on it and Novak can reach it you are in trouble. He returns nearly as hard as you serve it feels like. Rafa tried to serve a bit harder at times, one serve was like 126 mph, but Djokovic’ returns are more dangerous then.
Looking forward to Miami now, important to keep this up. Build on this! Vamos!
You are still the best Rafa win lose or draw, your achievments are monumental, all the best of luck in Miami Always Rafa
No matter! It was a very close match! Importante is Rafa keep on the confidence and good sensation and be ready to the clay!! Keep on Rafa
Great job. Still improveing. But dang so close in that first match. Love ya for what you do for tennis. Still your biggest fan now and always. Seei g signs of our fighter rafa.
So sad for Rafa. I am sure Rafa will reflect on the positives of the match and build on those. It was so close in the first set and I feel Rafa is nearly there in returning to his best form. We are still into early 2016 but early indications are Rafa is coming back! I still standby saying Rafa will win the French Open this year! Vamos Rafa!
This was his best match since the FO 14! He played very good. He had a setpoint but Novak made their a good job. If he got the first set maybe we would talk over a diffrent result now.
Take rest and good luck for Miami. Always with you, Vamos Rafa!!!
RAFA come back beautiful mach RAFA BRAVO
He played like his old self, it just wasn’t meant to be. But win or lose Rafa is amazingf and my personal hero
Vamos
Rafa, you played fantastic 1 set and rushed things a little in set 2 but great improvement all week , good luck in Miami next week☺😃😅
While we are disappointed, there were several positives in this match for Rafa especially in the first set. Who knows what might have happened in the first set if Rafa had won the set point? In the second set, Novak raised his level, but Rafa could not. Hopefully, Rafa will have other opportunities to play Novak and start winning again. Win or lose, Rafa is the best.