After Rafael Nadal’s defeat in Wimbledon semifinal, this is what Toni Nadal wrote in a column for Spanish publication El Pais:
Eleven years after the mythical end of 2008, my nephew Rafael and Roger Federer returned to face each other on the same stage. Both reached the semifinal with similar numbers, giving both the feeling of having reached the semifinals in a great state of form. Like his last meeting at Wimbledon, Rafael, in my opinion, started as a slight favourite. If on that occasion it was he who took the victory, this time it was Roger who came out as the fair winner.
Although my nephew had his options – in the tie break of the first set he broke twice the service of the rival and went ahead on the scoreboard, and in the third he had clear chances to recover the lost break – my feeling in the last two sleeves was that the semifinal was more in the hands of the Swiss than in his. Federer played in a superb way, very aggressive from the bottom of the view, with few errors and without ever giving up a bit of ground, disturbing Rafael from the first blow with both serve and the rest. My nephew, on the other hand, did not have a day as inspired as the previous ones. It is difficult to determine if that was due to own reasons or if the cause was the opponent in front of him.
Roger combined shots as flat as fast, with setbacks difficult to return and uploaded to the net. Meanwhile, Rafael did not hit the setback with the same power and placement of his previous matches and was also somewhat erratic in the return. Perhaps one of his mistakes was subtracting too far from the baseline both on the first serve of the Swiss and on the second, thus giving way to the initiative of the game. He obtained 38 per cent of points gained on the rival’s second service, while Federer, playing more aggressive, scored 52%.
A defeat of these characteristics always stings. Rafael has given himself again to the doors of playing a final as desired as Wimbledon. Just like the previous two years, we’re leaving here – I write this on my way to the airport – with a bittersweet feeling. The level of play was very high, but we have again the feeling of having missed a great opportunity.
What do you think about Uncle Toni’s latest column? Will Rafa’s Wimbledon exit seriously hurt or not?
I do not care where or when, with or without a roof, RAFA plays, he shall always be my
humble Hero and perfect Gentleman. I adore you Rafa. From an old lady (84) in South
Africa, since 2003. Vamos Rafa!!!
I found what Margo said very interesting about Uncle Toni: “This roof business brought to my mind Toni’s statement, many times, that he sometimes trained Rafa under the worst conditions . . . .” Many others have already commented on this, but I think that must be true if you look at some recent examples. The weather bothered both Jokr(especially) and Fed at RG, but Rafa seemed almost unfazed by the weather. I’m sure, thinking back, there have been other examples. Of course the roofs nowadays minimize that advantage for Rafa, and now RG will have a roof next year, apparently. In the end, of course, it’s safer for everybody to have that advantage.
I meant to say “Maybe others,” not “Many other.”
Toni knows Rafa better than we. I also feel same way as Toni feels. Our champion fought bravely. But luck did not favoured him. He came up to Semi in Wimbledob is more than enough in recent years. CONGRATULATION
DG, do you know the origin of Rafa’s aversion to playing under a roof or at nighttime? It’s supposedly common knowledge but I only learned it here a few years ago. I don’t recall any mentions in his bio.
I never thought of it in those terms [as an advantage] but great point regarding Rafa’s training under harsh weather conditions. Makes sense.
I was surprised to note that NO ONE here said Rafa was given preferential treatment. Both Djokovic and Roger complained and since they ALWAYS are given preferential treatment [according to some] why weren’t their respective matches stopped.
About a roof for court Philipe Chartrier, I don’t have an opinion. Rafa will either win or lose. And I am rooting for WIN #13. BUT if he were to lose under the roof, I can just see some here saying it [the roof] was a conspiracy against Rafa.
RAFA ROCKS
Nothing concrete, yet. Eugene Lapierre, tournament director of the Rogers Cup, said he is “in contact with his [Rafa’s] team and I think he wants to be here. He wants to come back to the no. 1 position in the world.”
About Roger, “We had very limited expectations on [Roger’s] his appearance. When I talked to him before and during Wimbledon, he always said that he would be careful on the tournaments he would play until the rest of the year. We knew if he had a long Wimbledon run, chances to see him would be slim. It was not a major surprise.”
[SOURCE: Luigi Gatto, 7/18/2019]
No mention of Djokovic.
RAFA ROCKS